Hi Deane, I think that may be the one ;), I had printed it out but could not find it on my computer. I guess I did not read it very well or I would have backed it up ;0.....actually I know I have a hardcopy but things in my home right now are a bit amis. thanks, Christine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Puter25" <Puter25@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, July 24, 2008 9:39 PM Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- "Back ups - They're not just for breakfast anymore" > Hey Christy, Could this be one of the "backup" emails from Gman you were > talking about?? > Deane > > > | From: "GuitarMan" <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx> > | Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Back ups - They're not just for breakfast > anymore. > | Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2006 02:12:00 -0500 > | > | Just how much of 'who you are' is on your hard drive somewhere? What > would > | happen if you suddenly lost everything that's on your hard drive? I > mean, > | all of your email messages - GONE! All of the tech info you've > collected > | over the years - WIPED OUT!! That incredible image library you've > | painstakingly build since your significant other bought you that awesome > | digital camera 4 years ago - SORRY ABOUT YOUR BAD LUCK!!! And how much > | other stuff is in there that you'd never be able to replace again? > | > | ************************************************************ > | > | Now that I've got your attention, let's talk about backing up your > important > | files. Before we can get into any serious discussion about this most > | important topic, you'll need to decide why you're backing up your stuff. > | Here are a few of the more common scenarios to consider. > | > | Reason #1. You're a bit nervous about all of the viruses, worms, > trojans, > | malicious scripts, etc. that permeate the internet and/or the inevitable > | eventual failing of your hard drive and simply want to safeguard against > | losing your important data to some catastrophic event beyond your > control. > | > | Reason #2. You'd much rather keep your multimedia files (MP3s, > images, > | theme collection, screensavers, etc.) on CDs or DVDs to free up hard > drive > | space or to protect the files from others (or others from the files) who > use > | your PC. > | > | Reason #3. You need to back up critical customer data for your > business > | so you can store it offsite (somewhere other than your business' > building) > | in case of fire, theft, flood, etc. > | > | Reason #4. Any other reason you can think of is a good reason for > backing > | up your data. > | > | It is the combination of your reasons for backing up and your level of > | comfort with the procedures outlined below that will dictate the > approach > | you decide to take. Regardless of your reasons, it's imperative that > you > | understand that all hard drives will eventually fail and sooner or > later, > we > | all get hit with some sort of malware that penetrates our computer's > | defenses and could bring down the entire system, taking our precious > data > | with it (yes, even the most tech savvy among us is not completely > immune). > | It's also important to note that a lot of what you've saved to your hard > | drive is not easily replaceable, if it's replaceable at all. > | > | ************************************************************ > | > | The next step is for you to determine just exactly WHAT you need to back > up. > | Again, that depends on the type of backup you choose to follow. If you > | choose to go with creating an image of the partition in question, then > | you're choosing to back up the entire partition, regardless of the > | individual file's importance. All other methods will need a detailed > plan > | to make sure you get everything you want into the backup. With that in > | mind, here are suggestions of some of the things you'll want to back up. > | This is by no means a comprehensive, all inclusive, no need to look for > | yourself kind of list. It's only meant as a starting point. > | > | > | 1. Email. This includes not only the files that constitute your > | messages, but also your settings (email accounts, filters, signatures, > | stationery, address book, etc.) > | > | 2. Multimedia. Any images, sounds, themes, wallpaper, cursors, > | icons, fonts, movies, etc. that you've collected over the years. This > stuff > | is too difficult to replace! > | > | 3. My Documents. You created everything in this master folder. I > | can only imagine you'd want to back up the entire thing. Of course, if > | there's stuff in there you really don't need anymore, trim the fat > before > | you back it up. > | > | 4. Documents and Settings folder (specifically the ones that are > | named after each username and the All Users subfolders). This is a > | depository for most of what constitutes your identity on that computer. > | While some of it would easily be replaced with a reinstall of Windows, > none > | of the personalized stuff would remain. > | > | 5. If you purchased your system from a major PC maker (Dell, > Gateway, > | Alienware, etc.) and they only gave you a Restore CD/DVD or set, look in > the > | C:\Windows\Options folder and subfolders and see if there are a bunch of > CAB > | files in there. If there is, chances are pretty good that this folder > | contains the files you would need to reinstall Windows without all of > the > | stuff the manufacturer added (which most folks would rather NOT have on > | their systems). If they're there, go ahead and back them up, too. > | > | 6. Favorites (saved bookmarks). > | > | 7. All downloaded programs. Most folks like to download trial > | versions of software they wish to try out on their systems before > purchasing > | them. Some actually follow through and buy the full version or a > license > to > | enable all of the full options and functions of the software. These > should > | definately be backed up along with any registration info or keys the > company > | sent to you. This is part of what will enable you to get your system > back > | in case of emergency. > | > | 8. QuickLaunch, Desktop, Send To, etc. folders. If you store > | frequently used shortcuts (online &/or offline) or other important files > in > | any of these, you'll want to save them, too. > | > | 9. Saved games. If you play computer games, chances are you're in > | the middle of one and wouldn't appreciate having to start over. Most > games > | save your place in the game in a folder inside the game's installed > folder. > | Look for a subfolder called 'Saved' and back them up if you're planning > on > | reinstalling Windows and all of your software. Once the game has been > | reinstalled, you can copy the Saved folder back to where it belongs and > you > | can usually pick up right where you left off the first time you play it. > | > | 10. All privately owned Certificates, DRM licenses, etc.. This is > | very important if you belong to a music subscription downloading site > such > | as Napster, ITunes, etc.. > | > | 11. Your contacts, chats, conversations, etc. from any instant > | messenger apps you use. It's a real bear trying to reconstruct these > things > | if you don't have these. There are programs designed to save this stuff > for > | some of them that make it much easier than doing it manually. > | > | 12. Anything else that you consider important to preserve. A lot > of > | programs save stuff in their own folders and subfolders and you'll lose > them > | if you don't know where to find them. I strongly suggest that you open > up > | Windows Explorer and go through every folder looking for anything you > might > | wish to backup. > | > | ************************************************************ > | > | Below, you'll find several methods of backing up that data so you can > | quickly restore it any time you see fit. > | > | Method 1. Copy of all of your important stuff to another partition or > | hard drive (an external drive works great for this because it can be > | disconnected easily from the system and stored wherever you want). > | > | Method 2. Burn the data to CD-R/RW/DVD or some other medium that will > | preserve the data while still allowing you quick & easy access to it. > | > | Method 3. Create a single 'image' file of an entire partition > | > | Method 4. Use a 'back up' program to collect and compress the data. > | Since everything ends up compressed, retrieving a single file or folder > is > | much more involved if the need should ever arise. > | > | Method 5. Upload the stuff you don't want to lose to an internet > upload > | storage service. > | > | If you'd like more details about how to accomplish any of these methods > or > | just have some questions about them, just ask. > | > | ************************************************************ > | > | In the meantime, here are my recommendations for which method or methods > | should be used for the scenarios described earlier. > | > | Reason #1. You're a bit nervous about all of the viruses, worms, > trojans, > | malicious scripts, etc. that permeate the internet and/or the inevitable > | eventual failing of your hard drive and simply want to safeguard against > | losing your important data to some catastrophic event beyond your > control. > | > | My Suggestion: As long as you know that Windows has not been > compromise > | by anything malicious, your first line of defense could be to first > create > | an image of the entire C: drive. If something should happen that hoses > your > | system, just restore the image and you'll be right back where you are > today > | (minus anything you change between now & then, of course). If you're > able > | to store them on a separate partition or hard drive, create a new one > about > | every 3-4 months and be sure to label them with the date they were > created > | to minimize confusion. If you don't have the room or there's only one > | partition on your system (and you don't want to partition that drive or > buy > | a second HD), you'll want to burn the image onto a CD-R/RW or DVD > instead. > | If you choose this solution, be sure to label it with the date and then > keep > | it with all of your other important disks & info (manufacturer's driver > | disks, emergency startup floppy &/or CD, serial numbers for purchased > | software, etc.). > | > | Next, you should create a folder somewhere easy to find and call it > | something like Backup. Inside this folder, create additional subfolders > as > | needed to duplicate the folder structure of the things you wish to back > up. > | If you have a bunch of pics in a folder residing at > | 'C:\Multimedia\Images\Family', create a folder called 'Multimedia' and > then > | open it. Inside it, create another called 'Images'. Go inside that one > and > | create one called 'Family'. When you're finished, go into the original > one > | and select all of the files you want to keep. Right click on one of > them > | and select Copy from the context menu. Now, go into the new Family > folder > | and right click on a blank area. Select Paste from the menu this time. > | Repeat this for everything you wish to save until you're confident you > have > | a copy of everything that matters to you (that won't be restored by > | reinstalling the programs, of course). When you're finished, you'll > have > | everything already in its proper folder structure so if you ever need to > | restore it, you'll know exactly where the file or files came from. > Finally, > | burn this entire folder structure to CD-R/RW/DVD for safekeeping. > | > | NOTE #1: If you are able to create the new folder tree structure on a > | separate partition, you can save a lot of work by just dragging the > files > | from the original folder into the new backup one. Dragging a file from > one > | partition or drive to another will automatically Copy the file rather > than > | Move it, which is what happens if both folders are on the same partition > or > | drive. > | > | NOTE #2: My tutorial for organizing your hard drive will show you how > to > | make this part of backing up MUCH, easier. I'll update and post it > | shortly. > | > | ********************************** > | > | Reason #2. You'd much rather keep your multimedia files (MP3s, > images, > | theme collection, screensavers, etc.) on CDs or DVDs to free up hard > drive > | space or to protect the files from others (or others from the files) who > use > | your PC. > | > | My Suggestion: Get them as organized as possible and then burn them > | directly to CD-R/RW/DVD as data (as opposed to music, audio, slideshow, > | etc.). > | > | ********************************** > | > | Reason #3. You need to back up critical customer data for your > business > | so you can store it offsite (somewhere other than your business' > building) > | in case of fire, theft, flood, etc. > | > | My Suggestion: Use a good backup program to create archives of > everything > | in your data store (these customer records should always be on a > different > | partition or hard drive already). Once the Full backup set has been > | created, instruct the software to do Incremental back ups. This way, > future > | back ups will only include new files or ones that have changed since the > | last backup. > | > | If you don't like using backup software, you can always burn the entire > data > | structure to CD-R/RW/DVD disks instead. This is the method I prefer. > | > | ********************************** > | > | Reason #4. Any other reason you can think of is a good reason for > backing > | up your data. > | > | My Suggestion: Forget about reasons and just do it! Nothing beats > | knowing that all of your important stuff is safely tucked away someplace > | where the baddies can't get to it. It's good for your data and it'll > allow > | you to sleep well at night. > | > | ********************************** > | > | You may have noticed that I didn't endorse the use of any internet > storage > | options. That's because I see them as being of little use unless we're > only > | talking about a couple of files. Personally, I don't trust the idea of > my > | files being on someone else's server. > | > | I know I didn't give much in the way of details here, just concepts. If > you > | need help choosing, setting up or using one of these methods and their > | associated programs, give a yell and we'll open up a group discussion > about > | it. > | > | Peace, > | GMan > | > | "The only dumb questions are the ones that are never asked!" > > > --------------------------------------------------------------- > Please remember to trim your replies (including this sentence and > everything below it) and adjust the subject line as necessary. > > To unsubscribe or change your email settings: > //www.freelists.org/webpage/pctechtalk > > To access our Archives: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTechTalk/messages/ > //www.freelists.org/archives/pctechtalk/ > > To contact only the PCTT Mod Squad, write to: > pctechtalk-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > --------------------------------------------------------------- > --------------------------------------------------------------- Please remember to trim your replies (including this sentence and everything below it) and adjust the subject line as necessary. 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