Help, My Hard Drive Crashed!
A couple of weeks ago, I woke up on Friday morning looking forward to a nice three-day weekend. I had the day off, and right before I went to head to the gym for a good morning workout, I stopped to check my e-mail. When I turned on my computer, it went right to a black screen. To my horror, my hard drive had crashed. I immediately had a sinking feeling and went into a panic when I realized that all of my business data, including my contact database, my business and personal financial information, and all of my intellectual property was lost!
Luckily for me, a computer technician was able to get most of my data back. I also had a backup, but I did end up losing some of my Outlook information. However, oftentimes, hard drive crashes don't end so well. Here are some simple things that you can do that will save you from the nightmare of losing all of your important data and hard work:
Sign up for an online backup system
I use an online backup system called Mozy. You can sign up at www.mozy.com. For $4.95/month, Mozy automatically backs up all of your data to their secure server. This is ideal because you don't have to remember to back anything up. Also, if your office burns down or your backup drive goes bad, you don't have to worry, as all your data is stored remotely.
Download the backup feature for Outlook
One thing that is very confusing is backing up your Outlook files and database. Outlook automatically keeps a .pst file on your hard drive with all of your data in it. However, this file is normally buried deep within your folder system, and Outlook doesn't have an easy way to back it up.
You can go online and download the backup upgrade for your Outlook by clicking here: Outlook backup. Once this backup feature is installed, you can select how often you want to be reminded to backup your files, and a popup box will come up. This makes backing up your data simple and easy, and will ensure that you don't lose your most valuable information - your contact database and calendar!
Other options
Another great option for backing up your data is an external USB hard drive. Both Seagate and Western Digital make great backup drives that simply plug into your USB drive. They both come with automated software that will automatically backup your hard drive anytime you make a change in your files. For around $100, you can have the peace of mind that if your hard drive crashes, you'll be safe.
Keep in mind that hard drives crash pretty frequently. If you use the above tips, it will save you all sorts of time and money if it happens to you!
