Protect Your Data or Backup Backup Backup

I Can't Get to My Files!
(updated March 3, 2009)
As a computer tech one of the saddest incidents I run across is when someone brings their "it-doesn't-boot-anymore" computer to me and tells me all their pictures, accounting files, tax data and the memoirs they have been working on for two years are on the computer, AND they have no backup.

Sometimes I can rescue the data using some obscure utility, sometimes the only way to get it back, if it can be recovered, is to send the drive to one of those data rescue outfits like DriveSavers for an average fee of $1500-$2400. That's right, big bucks!

Just remember, treat your computer hard disk drive as temporary storage. If it is not backed up, you will loose it!

Now what?

So, what are your options? I will not go into options for the business or enterprise user, but will focus on the home user.

A good backup system has several requirements:

1. Easy to use. If it is not easy, you won't do it on a regular basis.
2. Off site storage. It doesn't do any good to have your backup sitting next to your computer when the house burns down.
3. Secure. You don't want just anybody to have access to your data.

What medium?

Your backup medium can be CD/rw or DVD/rw disks, a usb flash drive, a usb external hard drive, or an online backup service. Let's look at the advantages and disadvantages of each.

1. CD or DVD disks are cheap, easily transportable, and hold from 700Mb to 4.7 GB (8.5 GB for dual layer DVD). However, they are susceptible to heat damage and scratching. To make your data secure, you will have to encrypt the files before you back them up or use backup software that encrypts the data. I suggest AxCrypt. It will let you encrypt whole directories of files in one operation.
2. USB flash drives are durable, small, and can hold up to 64GB of data. Prices range from $12 for a 2 GB model to $120 for 64 GB. Their biggest disadvantage is the same as one of their advantages, they are small and easy to loose.
3. USB external hard drives are relatively affordable ($79 for 250GB), but are still hard disks, so they must be handled carefully. Carrying it around in your briefcase or purse would not be a good idea. The data also must be encrypted by the backup software or before synchronizing to the drive.
4. Online backup. It meets all of the requirements for a good backup (easy, secure and off site storage), but can be expensive if you have a lot of data (more than 10GB). I use Handy Backup for my personal data which I FTP to the storage available on my email host. There are many online storage solutions, Carbonite and Mozy are just a couple.

What do I do?

I am essentially cheap, but I want reasonable protection. As I mentioned above, I use Handy Backup to my 10GB storage on my email host site for all my personal and financial data. It is easy to setup, has very good encryption, and is safely stored online. I also backup this data and my pictures using Syncback Lite to a 64GB USB flash drive into a TrueCrypt encrypted volume. I always carry this flash drive with me in my coin purse. I also have a DVD copies of my pictures which I store in the glove box of my truck.


Whatever you do BACKUP BACKUP BACKUP!!!

The Ultimate PC Troubleshooting Tool

I couldn't go very long on this blog without mentioning The Ultimate Boot CD 4 Windows (UBCD4Win). I have used it to rescue many a computer that would not boot. I have used utilities included on the cd to rescue files from an "unreadable" hdd. Just the other day I copied a client's files from a notebook hard drive that had gone bonkers when a thermal shutdown from a dust bunny clogged heat sink interrupted a disk write. I used the "Testdisk" utility included in UBCD4Win after booting from a USB flash drive with UBCD4Win on it.

The UBCD4Win site has a complete "how to" guide.

Warning! This is a somewhat involved process due to copyright law. Go to the UBCD4Win site and check out the home page to see if you feel up to it.

There are additional guides, such as how to build a bootable USB flash drive with UBCD4Win on it, in the forum links on the site.

By the way, you can donate to the site using PayPal to help with the project and server expenses.

Have fun!

G2C2

Regular PC Tune Up for XP

(updated March 3 2009)
Monthly or quarterly depending on how many items you find:

Note: All the tools I recommend are free or at most ask for a donation unless otherwise noted as commercial.

1. Install and run CCleaner (free)(Run Cleaner and Scan for Issues/Fix all Issues)

2. Run a full, current antivirus scan (AVG Free, PC Tools Antivirus, Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, and Avast! Home Edition are all free for private use programs - (Major Geeks under Antivirus) If you have an MSN account use McAfee AV and Webroot Spysweeper found in the Member Center box. In my opinion the best low-overhead commercial antivirus is NOD32 . The new Norton Antivirus 2009 has been completely rewritten and is supposed to be more considerate of your computer resources.

3. Install Malwarebytes Antimalware (free but a commercial version with auto update and active protection is available) be sure to update before running a scan. Major Geeks under AntiSpyware. - There have been problems with Spybot S&D, a previous recommended program and PC Cillin and MS Word 2007, so I am recommending removal of S&D AFTER you start the program and "undo" the immunization. Install Malwarebytes Antimalware as a replacement. The free version still requires manual update and scanning, but it cleans every malware pest I have run across.) Another option for sticky situations that can be run from the command line in a DOS window is Combofix (WARNING: this program is a little "geeky" and you need to know what you are doing), which then can be followed by Malwarebytes Antimalware.

5. Install Mircosoft Windows Defender, allow it to update and run a scan. This is included with Vista. It gives you an active, in the background defense against the worst of spyware.

6. Install/run Startup Inspector for Windows (Major Geeks under Process Management) look for rouge programs or programs that start on boot that you do not need. Use with caution. If you don't know what it is, do not stop it.

7. Rootkit check. F-secure Blacklight online scan . Sysinternals Rootkit Revealer .

8. Run Secunia Online Software Inspector to find out of date and insecure software. Almost all problems found will have a direct link to download the updates.

Every 6 Months:

1. Install and run NTREGOPT .

2. Reboot and run checkdisk. (Start, Run, Enter: "chkdsk /f" no quotes, type "y" to run on reboot. Reboot)

3. Defrag the hard disk. (jkdefrag is good )

Now go do it!
G2C2

Before Surfing the Internet Must Have!

Before you connect to the internet with that new computer:

1. Install an antivirus program. Update it when you connect to the internet. AVG Free, PC Tools Antivirus, Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic, and Avast! Home Edition are all free for private use programs - (Major Geeks under Antivirus)

2. Be sure the firewall is turned on.

3. Turn on auto updates. I will not debate the pros and cons of waiting to see if there are bugs in updates before installing them. Most home users will not EVER install updates, so set them to automatic!

G2C2

Why PC Wandering?

Hello all you cyber wanderlings looking for ways to improve your PC computing experience. This blog is here to help you get your machine in top running form and keep it that way. I will share some basic tune up tips, tell you how to keep your machine running right, and share things I discover as I help customers battle the demons of the internet.

I have been playing with computers since 1979 when I built a Heathkit H89. It was an "all in one" model with a Z80 processor, 64k of memory and two, count them, two 100k 5 1/4 inch floppy drives. Since then I have owned 8086, PI, PII, PIII, P4, multiple AMD, and even Cyrix, computers running everything from HDOS, CP/M, MS Dos, Windows 1, Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP, NT Workstaion, Windows 2000, Vista and Windows 7. I have also loaded multiple varieties of Linux. I have a second media  machine dual booting XP and Ubuntu 9.1 as a Wubi install. I even have an Apple PowerMac G4 running OS X.

I am a retired (20 years ago) USAF fighter pilot and I currently am semi-retired and self employed as a computer tech, mostly PCs but I do help folks out with their Macs occasionally.

Stay tuned and I will try to guide you through the PC jungle. The level of information I share will be from basic to geek, so just pick what you want and go with it.

G2C2