Learn from my mistake

[JCH]

I know everyone out there is firing on all cylinders at this point in the tax season. I thought I had lost everything on my PC this morning, and had a total hard disk failure. Magically, my computer came back to life after two panic stricken hours of coaxing.


Moral of the story: backup your files daily during this critical time.

[JohnH]

Thanks for the reminder.
I have skipped backing up for several days, but you've inspired me to stop playing Russian Roulette just because I'm busy. I need to do what's necessary and stop making excuses.

[BHoffman]

Mr. Computer backs up every night automatically to an external hard drive, and to be on the safe side I save my tax files on a flash drive once in a while during the season and always at the end. Then I place the flash drive on a silken pillow and store it an a fireproof safe.

Computer dumped in early Feb. I was able to restore everything except my address book. I believe I've already ranted about VISTA on another thread...

Glad you were able to avoid data loss. Whew!

[DTS]

John and B

OK, I was going to address this after the 15th, but should do it now.
What external drive? Maybe, go off-site for ease of backing up right now? Flash stick? Maybe, a call or email to discuss?

I am so techno-challenged it's pathetic!

D

[dsi]

A similar thing happened to me in late January of this year. You may want to check your computer's power supply. That was my problem. I replaced it and have had no further trouble.

[BHoffman]

OK, I was going to address this after the 15th, but should do it now.
What external drive? Maybe, go off-site for ease of backing up right now? Flash stick? Maybe, a call or email to discuss?

I am so techno-challenged it's pathetic!

D

My techie guy set this up.

[JohnH]

OK, I was going to address this after the 15th, but should do it now.
What external drive? Maybe, go off-site for ease of backing up right now? Flash stick? Maybe, a call or email to discuss?

I am so techno-challenged it's pathetic!

D

Dennis:
My back-up process is nothing fancy. I use ATX and they make things fairly easy to back up.

I just back up to two flash disks - using one of them on even numbered days and the other one on odd numbered days. Alternating them helps insure that if I corrupt the one for today, then hopefully yesterday's flash disk is OK and I've only lost one day's work.

Each one is password protected and I just carry them in my car to be sure my backups are off-site. About once a month I make an additional backup and just take it home.

No big deal, but I need to remember not to get lazy and ignore doing it.

[fliszt]

Two years ago

on April 2, my computer crashed. I had about 30 client returns to efile and had not backed up. I now have a Maxtor hard drive on my desk and use 2 flash to back up. I do back up about every 2 days. I'm getting lax and shouldn't. Thanks for the memories.
Larry

[Larmil]

on April 2, my computer crashed. I had about 30 client returns to efile and had not backed up. I now have a Maxtor hard drive on my desk and use 2 flash to back up. I do back up about every 2 days. I'm getting lax and shouldn't. Thanks for the memories.
Larry

I use Log-Me-In Backup. It is scheduled to back up to two separate computers every night. One backup is to a computer with an external drive, the other to my laptop. Since I use a virtual filing cabinet I do the same thing with that data.

[SueBaby]

I know everyone out there is firing on all cylinders at this point in the tax season. I thought I had lost everything on my PC this morning, and had a total hard disk failure. Magically, my computer came back to life after two panic stricken hours of coaxing.


Moral of the story: backup your files daily during this critical time.

Every day I have so much data till I backup every night with a flash drive and download it into my other computers. At the end of the year I buy a new flash drive (I call it a thumb drive) and download the whole year and mark that year and put into a fire box.

I started doing that when a couple of years ago my computer crashed with soooo much work in it too. Such a nightmare! Learned my lesson. But, of course, it takes only ONE time to do it another way.

[Gretel]

What is as important as doing a backup is to be sure you can restore from your backup. I am paranoid about backups and do several things (external harddrive, memory card, online backup).

I had crashes in the past and virus nightmares. I find backing up the data is the easy part put installing and updating all the programs is the real challenge plus getting back all personal settings.

[JCH]

What is as important as doing a backup is to be sure you can restore from your backup. I am paranoid about backups and do several things (external harddrive, memory card, online backup).

I had crashes in the past and virus nightmares. I find backing up the data is the easy part put installing and updating all the programs is the real challenge plus getting back all personal settings.

Absolutely agree with you. I backup to a key drive & online via carbonite. I also have a Blackberry for e-mail, which would have kept me in business. However, the thought ofrestoring everything to a new computer quickly was my biggest worry. I was scrabbling looking for all my program disks, and the Geek Squad couldn't come out for two days unless I forked over an additional $500 to come out today. Now I'm in search of an indepedent tech person to help out.

[Lion]

Back Up

I put returns on flash drives to be able to get to quickly in a crash. I back up automatically to an external hard drive that I can grab and go and plug in to my husband's computer or any computer and be back in business with most of my data. And, I have an automatic back up to the servers at VMSUS, the former techies for ATX. I also have a contract (only $199) with them for a whole year of unlimited virtual computer service. They get back to you within 90 minutes. 24/7 during tax season. They got my printer printing again. They called me at the beginning of tax season to clean up my computer and check on antivirus and spyware and such. They put on their own antispyware. They set up the automatic backups. I love them. VMSUS.com

[fliszt]

Lion, thank you

for your information. I think I'll contact them (VMSUS) when the season's done.
Larry

[oceanlovin'ea]

Thanks

Thanks for the reminder. I hadn't backed up my files for a few weeks now. Just had a lot of other things on my mind. So the reminder was timely. I have an external hard drive that I back up to.

But I like the idea of using a thumb drive to put the year's work on. I think I will get another one and put my tax returns on them.

Linda