Posted by Wick Smith on August 17, 2010 at 6:58 PM
Just a friendly reminder to all - only back up the photos you want to keep. My laptop got fried a couple of weeks ago due to a serious power surge that came through the Internet cable connection. I had previously purchased a large external drive to backup all photos on, and I leave that unplugged and not connected to the laptop unless in use. For that reason, it did not get zapped, and as soon as I get the new laptop in and loaded, I'll have access to all critical files.
No lesson here other than this: if you ain't backin' your stuff up, you will lose it at some point!
I had a HD crash in February. Fortunately I had archived all of my images and documents to an external drive. After installing a new drive, reinstalling Windows and all my applications, things are right with the world.
I now back up to a second internal drive, as well as my external.
One thing I would like to add: Backup device drivers and downloaded programs. Also, be sure to save software license keys and serial numbers on paper.
--P
Posted by Luke Ormand on August 17, 2010 at 8:49 PM
Ditto this advice... had a HD crash a few weeks ago and switched from PC to mac. Everything was right where I needed it on my external and I added a second external just to be sure.
so, if I keep theexternal drive plugged in the computer it will fry as well?
Depends on the source of the problem. In the case of the example at the head of this thread, yes...an external drive that was plugged in and powered on would likely be toast as well. It's a very, very good idea to keep a redundant backup set off-site as well as on. That way, if there's a catastrophic problem of some kind (e.g. flood, fire) your data is safe.
I have an elaborate (almost certainly excessive) backup routine that involves a total of five complete sets of all my images, which are stored in two separate locations, roughly 225 miles apart. (It's not quite as insane as it sounds--I have to travel between these two locations every couple of weeks as a matter of course anyway. )
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so, if I keep theexternal drive plugged in the computer it will fry as well?
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I agree with Kerry in that a big surge would likely fry a drive that is attached to the system. I use a UPS that has an excellent filter/voltage regulator and surge protection. I also shut down and detach my external drive when not in use.
Ditto to what Preston said. I have a whole array of external drives that are plugged into a dedicated surge protector. When I'm not actively using the drives, that surge protector is powered off and the drives are disconnected from the computer itself.
an old cliche' but, accurate none the less.... it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when. As someone that started in the computer world with a Wang IIB punch card machine with neon tube readouts in the early 70's, I've seen more than my share of crashes. Don't think you're immune.
Discussion
8 repliesNo lesson here other than this: if you ain't backin' your stuff up, you will lose it at some point!
I had a HD crash in February. Fortunately I had archived all of my images and documents to an external drive. After installing a new drive, reinstalling Windows and all my applications, things are right with the world.
I now back up to a second internal drive, as well as my external.
One thing I would like to add: Backup device drivers and downloaded programs. Also, be sure to save software license keys and serial numbers on paper.
--P
- Luke
Depends on the source of the problem. In the case of the example at the head of this thread, yes...an external drive that was plugged in and powered on would likely be toast as well. It's a very, very good idea to keep a redundant backup set off-site as well as on. That way, if there's a catastrophic problem of some kind (e.g. flood, fire) your data is safe.
I have an elaborate (almost certainly excessive) backup routine that involves a total of five complete sets of all my images, which are stored in two separate locations, roughly 225 miles apart. (It's not quite as insane as it sounds--I have to travel between these two locations every couple of weeks as a matter of course anyway.
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so, if I keep theexternal drive plugged in the computer it will fry as well?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I agree with Kerry in that a big surge would likely fry a drive that is attached to the system. I use a UPS that has an excellent filter/voltage regulator and surge protection. I also shut down and detach my external drive when not in use.
--P