ELM Bulletin - January 30, 2009
Recovering a Dead PC
I mentioned to some of our subscribers that I experienced a serious computer failure a few weeks ago. This month's ELM Bulletin summarizes the lessons that I learned during the recovery process so that you won't have the same headaches I did.
At some point, eventually, it will happen to each of us: Our computer will experience a problem that can only be resolved by formatting the hard drive, reinstalling the operating system (and all applications) and trying to recover all the data that had been stored on the system. Quite often something will be irretrievably lost, occasionally that something will be vitally important. Here are some steps that will help you streamline the restoration process and minimize the risk of losing anything important.
FIRST – BACKUP, BACKUP AND BACKUP AGAIN – I've said it before, I'll say it again, I'm saying it here: You can prevent a world of grief by ensuring that a current backup exists of all important data on your computer. Important is a relative term and can mean anything from pictures of your dog to next year's budget. I consider important anything that I cannot reproduce. Therefore, email, business documents and pictures of my children's graduation are backed up with care while audio tracks from my CDs are backed up less carefully. The type of backup you do is less important than that you can reliably recover your data.
After receiving this bulletin a friend of mine suggested that I also encourage our readers to also backup encryption keys (if any) used to secure their documents. Without the encryption key you will not be able to access any documents that have been secured with that key.
SECOND – USE YOUR RECOVERY MEDIA – Most modern computers, notably notebook computers and systems sold by manufacturers such as Dell, are shipped with media that enables you to restore your computer to how it was when you bought it. Other systems, such as some sold by eMachines, require that you make your own recovery media when you receive the system. In either case, it is important that recovery media be stored in a safe location (that can be remembered). Without this media you will not be able to restore your computer. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for use of the recovery media and in an hour or two your computer should be back to the way it was when you bought it.
THIRD – INSTALL OPERATING SYSTEMS UPDATES – Recovering a system to its initial state will restore it to how it was when you bought it. This requires that operating system updates from that time be reinstalled. Microsoft makes this relatively easy at the Windows Update website (click here to visit the site); other operating systems will have their own process. What is important to remember is that it is better to install the operating system updates before installing system specific hardware updates, unless your PC's manufacturer specifies otherwise. The documentation that came with your system will describe whether or not this is necessary and you should follow these instructions or risk having to recover your PC multiple times, wasting time and increasing frustration. (Remember, computers CAN be fun but they should NOT be frustrating.)
FOURTH – INSTALL HARDWARE UPDATES – There are two components of every computer: Hardware and Software. Hardware is all the little bits and pieces that make up your computer, both inside and outside the box. Software is the operating system, which enables you to interact with the hardware. The operating system needs to know how to communicate with the hardware so that you can access the Internet, play music, display images or do whatever it is you do on a computer. This is accomplished by software called ‘hardware drivers' by us geeks. Most manufacturers have their most recent hardware drivers available on their websites. these should be downloaded and installed once the operating system has been fully updated, unless your system's manufacturer specifies otherwise.
FIFTH – INSTALL APPLICATIONS– Once youre system is up to date it is time to install the applications you want to use. In most cases you should have installation media, otherwise you will need to either contact the manufacturer (or supplier) or visit the product website to see if a download is available. This will be a time consuming process so I recommend that you begin with the applications you absolutely cannot be without and work your way around to those you like to use but are less critical if they are missing for a time.
SIXTH – RESTORE YOUR DATA– Now It's time to copy all your data back to the computer. For most data this will not be a problem; you will simply copy documents to your Documents folder, pictures to your Pictures folder and so on. Restoring email and contact lists is not as straightforward, unless you are on a network with a centralized email server. It is beyond the scope of this ELM Bulletin to discuss how to restore locally saved email and contact lists but we can help you if the need ever arises. Remember to copy your data from the backup to the computer; never move it as you will loose your backup in the process. After all you've done to get your computer back you don't want to do anything to put your data at risk.
SEVENTH – BACKUP, BACKUP AND BACKUP AGAIN, REGULARLY– Regardless of how much money you spent on your computer, or how much time you've just spent recovering it, your data has even greater value. Now that your system is running again, be sure to make a backup of the entire system so that the next time this happens (there will be a next time) you can simply restore your system from this backup, plus any additional backups that may be necessary.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this or any other issue.
Past issues of the ELM Bulletin are available from our website, feel free to forward them to anyone you wish.
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Peter Rhebergen Telephone |
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