When Disaster Strikes Your Data

What will you do when your computer crashes and you lose
every single one of your most important files?

"Physician heal thyself!" - a well-worn phrase that simply
means before you give advice to others make sure your own
house is in order.

Well, sadly, that's not 100% the case here.

I'm writing this article as much to remind myself as to
remind you that backing up your computer files represents
one of the most important parts of responsible computing.

Backing up your computer used to be really difficult. I
still don't understand what Microsoft was trying to do with
it's backup utility in the pre-Windows 95 days.

But, with the advent of easier-to-use software and the
proliferation of CD burners, nobody has any excuse for not
keeping their important files safe.


Program vs. Data Files

It's important to understand the difference between program
files and data files because this will make the difference
between your backups taking a few minutes or, quite
unnecessarily, a few hours.

Program files are the immense files that make programs like
"Quicken," "Windows," and "Excel" work on your computer.

Those files are all available on the installation disks
that came with your computer and, unless you have a
specific reason, there is usually no need to back up those
program files.

The files you do want to back up are the ones that contain
your data, including: your word processing documents;
spreadsheets; html website files; databases of names and
addresses.

A data file is basically anything you create or a program
creates that cannot be replaced by re-installing the
program itself.

Those are the files you must back up on a regular basis.


Mirroring Your Hard Drive

"Mirroring" your hard drive is a technique whereby you
create an exact copy or your hard drive, including program
files.

This technique has become popular as hard drives have
gotten relatively huge compared to just a few years ago.

With special software it is possible to create an exact
copy of your hard drive, either on the same hard drive, a
second hard drive, or on a CD-ROM.

If something goes wrong you can simply go back to a time
before the problem started and restore your computer to its
previous state.

The technique works great when dealing with viruses or data
loss.


Saving Files on CD-ROM

This represents the fastest and easiest way to back up your
data files without special software and without having to
sit at your computer inserting 20 floppy disks one right
after the other.

To back up to CD-ROM all you need is a CD burner in your
computer and a blank CD.

On a regular basis you should simply copy your data files
onto a CD-ROM and then store it in a safe place.

I personally keep an updated CD in my safety deposit box at
the bank so I could reactivate all of my businesses
quickly.


*** Special Message for Website Owners ***

Make sure you have a copy of your entire website and all
necessary files and scripts to run it safely stored on a
CD-ROM so you could instantly transfer your business from
one web host to another.

Some online business owners learned this lesson the hard
way during a recent natural disaster when their web servers
got wiped off the face of the earth.

--
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how
to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted
visitors to your website or affiliate links...

Access Your PC From The Road

Have you ever sat in front of your computer and wished you
could show someone else what appeared on your screen?

Maybe you were experiencing a problem, or couldn't figure
out how to make something work, but you knew if someone
else could see what was happening on your screen, they
could help you fix the problem immediately.

Ever had a phone conversation with someone about a
particular business topic, but you just couldn't "connect"
with your ideas because it was too hard to explain over the
phone?

Now, visualize jumping on the phone with that same person
and literally sharing your computer's desktop to
collaborate, discuss, and create virtually anything
together, even if you are separated by thousands of miles.

Though this may sound like an episode of Star Trek, remote
computer sharing is actually a daily business reality.

Imagine you need to take a trip and you either don't want
to or can't take your computer.

The thought of emails piling up for days makes you crazy
and you also need to monitor some things on your pc.

Instead of trying to lug your laptop (or fit your desktop
into your suitcase), you can use "remote desktop" software
that allows you to access your computer through the
Internet from any other computer in the world.

One of the most common remote desktop services is
GoToMyPC.com, which provides a safe and secure way for you
to go down to the local internet café, log on, and access
your office or home computer just like sitting at your own
desk.

Now, before you panic and think anyone can access your
computer, let me explain security.

First, you log in to the GoToMyPC.com website with a
username and password.

Once logged in, you then click a link to log onto your PC,
which will then ask you for another password.

GoToMyPC.com has even thought of a solution for those of
you worried about people looking over your shoulder as you
enter your passwords on a public computer or if the
computer you use might carry a keystroke logger.

Before leaving home, you can program in a series of up to
99 passwords that only work one time.

This means even if someone watches you log into your
computer or records your keystrokes, the password you used
won't work again.

If a would-be thief tries to access your computer too many
times, GoToMyPC.com will shut down all access attempts to
your PC.

The benefits of remotely accessing your PC from the road
are numerous, but the bottom line is that it enables you to
use your computer from the road like you never left home.

For example: while traveling to a conference this weekend,
my wife (and business partner) accessed our office computer
from my laptop and, instead of the usual pile of 4,000
emails that would normally await after 5 days away, we just
picked up this morning like we'd never been gone.

The same company that offers GoToMyPC.com also offers a
service called GoToMeeting.com which allows you to remotely
host a meeting where multiple users can share and
collaborate on a single computer desktop.

This service makes it super simple to provide online
training, do software demos, and even make complete sales
presentations.

I personally use both of these services and find them easy,
reliable and well worth the price.

--
Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the
co-author of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how
to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted
visitors to your website, affiliate links, or blogs...