I feel really bad about this response, because there's nothing
constructive I can offer Tom -- for this time. But it does seem the
right occasion to remind everybody what they should be doing unless
they use their PC as a gameboy or jukebox.
And I don't want to come across as "That's obvious" or "Don't do dumb
things." I started in the computer business 50 years ago, and I have
violated just about every one of the rules below at one time or
another. And I came to regret most of those violations. In the 1980s,
I developed system software for one of the major computer
manufacturers; the department voted me "most likely to crash a hard
drive", and the first couple were not properly backed up. You'd think
I'd learn the first time, but it took two or three.
There were two types of violations in the case at hand: failure to
protect the computer and failure to keep backups of the data.
COMPUTER PROTECTION:
(1) Use a good virus protection program. (I use AVG Free. With this
quality of free software, there's no excuse not to.) And be sure to
(a) keep its virus database up to date and (b) scan your computer
often. Immediately before every scan, do an update of the virus
database. I make sure to do it every second day at least, and usually
every day. Viruses are an "arms race"; you need to have protection
against the latest bomb before it reaches your computer.
(1a) Same for malware. (AdAware and SpyBot are good programs here.) I
don't run these scanners nearly as often -- maybe every week or two.
And again, always update to the latest threat data before you run the scan.
(2) Use a firewall. It can be a hardware firewall (advisable if you
have several computers sharing your Internet connection) or software
on your computer. Even Microsoft's built-in firewall is not too bad
if you're not doing anything fancy. But if you're hosting your own
web site on the computer, or even a file or print server, you need a
better firewall than MS provides.
(2a) Keep the firewall administered as tightly as you can. When
caught between convenience and protection, it is often painful to opt
for protection -- but usually worthwhile.
DATA BACKUP:
(3) OK, here's one I have not violated since day 1. Every time I
install a program, I put the install disk someplace safe. Not a
DIFFERENT place for each -- that's a good way to lose it. I have all
the install disks together. (My new computer, less than two months
old, does not have a floppy drive. So my last act on the old computer
was to read every floppy I had onto a CD-ROM. I found install disks
from the '80s, many of which don't even work on Windows 7. But I
didn't lose them.)
(4) Back up the data that is on the computer! This is obvious, but so
many people don't know how. So here are some guidelines I learned the hard way:
___ Separate out your data and preference information (configuration)
from the installed programs themselves. Back up the data and
configuration. Count on installing the programs from those disks you
saved in step #3.
___ These days a lot of your programs will have their installs
downloaded from the Internet rather than a disk. In my [backed up]
data area, I have a folder that is JUST installs for such programs.
Usually you will prefer to get a download of the latest and greatest
version if you ever have to restore. But some of those programs will
not be available on the 'net years from now. So have a copy of the
install. (Yes, I have been burned by this on several occasions.)
___ For Windows users (most of us): Be sure your backups include ALL
your data. I had some bad experiences in the last few months with
Western Digital backup software, and almost as bad with Microsoft's
own. Part of that is due to the fact that my folder structure is NOT
separated into a top-level distinction of documents, pictures, music,
and video. For instance, I have documents, pictures, and videos
having to do with golf, and I want them together in a "Golf"
top-level folder. WD's backup software misses my "Golf" folder
altogether, and MS's requires that I tell it specifically about every
folder outside their four "libraries".
___ The last thing you want is to have your backup data corrupted by
viruses. So, before you connect your backup device to start the
backup, disconnect from the Internet and do a final scan of the computer.
I wound up designing my own backup procedures. They work great. I did
two restores from backup before I got the new computer right, so the
procedures have been put to the test. And they went like clockwork.
Here's the essence of what I do:
*** I bought USB drive that I use for backup. It is ONLY connected to
the computer during a backup or restore. If you leave it connected
all the time, you will expose it to some of the things that could
kill your primary drive. (Like viruses or damaging power surges. I
actually lost a hard drive to the latter ten years ago.)
*** For reasons given above, I wrote my own backup program. Don't be
intimidated. It's just a batch script where the only line that
actually does anything is an XCOPY command with lots of flags. It
actually runs faster than Microsoft's own, and faster than the
Western Digital backup software that came with the USB drive; it also
gives a better idea of what is going on. (I appended the code at the
end of this note, in case anybody wants to copy it.)
*** When you do a backup, it is best to turn off all programs but
backup, and disconnect the computer from the network. Then run your
virus (and malware?) scans before you actually connect the USB drive
and take the backup. Again, the last thing you want is to corrupt
your backup data with a virus.
I have left myself open to one type of disaster I hope I don't
encounter. All these backups are stored just a few feet from my
computer. So a fire in the house could destroy both. If I had learned
proper paranoia, I would have them in a fireproof box in the basement
-- or, even better, a safe deposit box at the bank. The last one
requires too much effort on my part to do a backup; running to the
bank every time is overkill. But it might not be overkill if I have a
business that depends on the data, and that I would still want to
pursue after a fire.
As I said, I have been burned by ignoring almost every rule here,
over the years.
I wish y'all good luck, and I hope Tom gets the software he needs.
Cheers!
DaveT
______________________________________
As promised, here are the scripts I use for backup and restore. Don't
be scared by it. ALL THE WORK IS DONE BY ONE LINE, the "xcopy" line.
The rest just sets up the source and destination locations and
prompts for the user's approval. I worked for a few weeks where the
whole script was JUST the xcopy line.
My backup script:
@echo off
set bkpsource="c:\users\davet"
set bkptarget="j:\image"
echo Backup %bkpsource% to %bkptarget%?
set /p resp="y or n: "
if /i A%resp% NEQ Ay goto end
@echo on
xcopy %bkpsource% %bkptarget% /D /E /C /R /H /I /K /Y
:end
@echo off
set /p resp="Done"
_________________________________
And the matching restore script:
@echo off
set rsttarget=c:\users\davet
set rstsource=j:\image
if A%1 == A goto check2go
REM If there is a cmd-line parameter, then just restore one folder
REM Select directory to restore from backup
set rsttarget=%rsttarget%\%1
set rstsource=%rstsource%\%1
:check2go
echo Restore %rstsource% to %rsttarget%?
set /p resp="y or n: "
if /i A%resp% NEQ Ay goto end
@echo on
xcopy %rstsource% %rsttarget% /D /E /C /R /H /I /K /Y
:end
@echo off
set /p resp="Done"
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