I can not say this enough. Back up and Save. Back up and Save everything!
I can't begin to tell you how important this is and yet....
Yep, that's right, it takes a near catastrophe to remind myself to
back up and save certain things on my computer.
I purchased a brand new desk top PC in July 2006.
I had just started my new business of creating custom designed gift baskets in Oct. 2005
and needed a new computer for my new website.
That computer got a virus and crashed in 2008, the day after my virus protection expired.
Here's another thing to remember check your emails frequently,
so you'll know when your protection is expiring!
(I still haven't learned this rule either, hence the 1500 + new unread emails
I have sitting in my inbox waiting to be read) And I am giving advice! Sheesh!
Well I got the pc to run in safe mode and saved what I needed.
And then my son brought his PC in and I started using it,
until Windows did their little thing of new updates need to be downloaded/uploaded whatever,
you know those little notifications.
Anyway his PC went through all of them at once and fried the hard drive.
Well to make a long story short. Oops! Too late for that. Sorry...
I have a new laptop. Well my son bought it for me for Christmas 2009.
It's nice and has Windows 7 but I'm cheap and when my trial ran out for MS Works...
And Windows 7 is not compatible with my Yahoo Sitebuider program for my website.
I use this computer for mainly surfing the web. Facebook, twitter, blogging, etc.
I have an old laptop, Not a lot of memory, slow processor, small hard drive,
But it has Microsoft works 2003 And I Type my novels on it.
Oct. 30th...I had just finished my first MS 200+ pages, 96,000+ words and was going to do a read through, so I decided I'd get my lap desk and sit on the couch with my feet, instead here at the dining room table, and my little dog Duggy decided he wanted to play. He got tangled up in my mouse cord and my laptop went flying across the room face down on the floor. He ran off and hid under the dining room table, scared him and on my knees I turned over my laptop and there was a huge section highlighted, my mouse wouldn't work, my eraser wouldn't work and I figured it had froze. OMG! What am I going to do, I had not backed up and saved all that I had written! I finally got another mouse to work and everything was okay.
Did I immediately back up and save? Nope!
I am doing NaNoWriMo and they tell you back up and save often!
I am 30,000+ words into it and get up this morning, turn on the computer, and what do I see,
A black screen with blue words telling me, There is something wrong with my computer!
OMG! Heart attack time!
It says shut it down and restart and if that doesn't work, blah, blah, blah
I didn't take time to read it all, I shut it down and restarted and as soon as it worked...
Yep, you're right, I BACKED UP AND SAVED! Both novels.
Grabbed my little memory stick and Did it right then and there!
Please remember to back up and save!
Important lesson! I cringe when I see a report or some other important document my wife or daughter has worked on without saving once. I try telling them if the computer locks up, their work is gone. We use a portable hard drive to backup the computers. Very easy, just plug it in.
ReplyDeleteA portable hard drive is an excellent idea. Guess that will be on my Christmas wish list this year.
ReplyDeleteGood morning KKrafts and thanks for the reminder. NONE of my stuff has been backed up. I'm going to invest in a portable hard drive - they normally go on special this time of year.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day!
Good morning Mish and Happy Sunday! How is your day going so far?
ReplyDeleteI think of all the things we all do on computers in the world today. Could you imagine getting your novel done, submitting your query and synopsis,and then have the publisher say "Yes we want it send it in." And your computer crash and everything you worked so hard on is lost! EEEK!
But we also have family photos and important papers stored on our computers that would be irreplaceable as well. Scary thought.