Jan Mar May Jul Sep Nov 97 Feb Apr Jun Aug Oct Dec 99 Recent Developments .. by Roger Davies Jan 1998 Soft Serve Direct Box 389, Magrath, Alberta, Canada T0K 1JO Phone (403) 388-4332 Fax (403) 758-3505 Email comments to news@ssdirect.com

ake just one more 'critical' New Years Resolution - Insure your Data

It's 1998, do you know where your data is?. There are so many ways to lose data on your computer: hardware failure, power surge, user error (oops), software crash, small prying fingers (I can type like Daddy), disaster (fire, flood, hurricane), theft, vandalism, alien abduction, stray gamma-rays from the planet Zargon. I know - you are going to say that I sound paranoid. Maybe I should be. Almost all the above have caused me or my clients the pain of data loss.

Whatever the cause, once the data is lost, how do you propose getting it back? Are you in the habit of backing up your data? If you ARE making backups, are they usable? Are you backing up all required files. Are you using reliable media or just some old floppy disk over and over and over. Do you have Gigabytes to backup and only Kilobytes on your floppy? Do you keep the backup medium in a safe location - or will they be stolen or lost with your computer hardware.

But, you say, my data isn't THAT critical. If so, why are you storing it? Do you really want to re-enter the last several months or years of financial data into your accounting program? Where will you find all those email addresses you have collected. Have you spent months working on that (genealogy, novel, stamp collection program) just so you can throw it away? We take for granted that every time we turn on our trusty computer that the little metal box with madly spinning platters and heads floating less than a hairs width over each platter will keep track of every line and word that we left there .. forever. Yeah, right.

What can we do? Well, you need a plan .. a Backup Plan for your Home or Small Business PC.

1. Inventory your data. Identify what is critical and unique to your system vs. what is already recoverable from CD-ROM, or original program disks. Categorize by Must Have Vs Should Have vs. Nice to Have. How large is this data pool? Although many data files are fairly small in relation to the program size, newer program data files can be large (e.g. word-processing files with several embedded graphic images can easily average 2MB per file. And don't forget the importance of your internet bookmarks and address books. If the total size is less than 10 MB, you can use your 3.5" 1.44 MB floppy drive for backups. If you need to backup up to 100 MB of data, you may choose to invest in a tape backup or one of the popular ZIP drives (100 MB on a 3.5" disk) or the new LS-120 drives (120 MB on a 3.5" disk). You can even sign up to have your backups done automatically over the internet phone connection (see @Backup at www.atbackup.com). HINT: Put your data files in one subdirectory for easy location of files to backup (e.g. c:\My Documents).
   
2. DO IT. Make a schedule. Plan for regular backups. Find a program to use. You have several options. You can do a straight copy to the backup medium. You can set up a batch file to backup specific sets of files. You can use whatever backup features are included with your software package. You can purchase a commercial backup program or use the MS Backup program included in both DOS 6.0+ and Windows95 operating systems. Schedule a time. Many accounting programs prompt you for backup processing after every use. I recommend that you make a backup copy of any file that you feel is important after every change.
   
3. Verify the backup on a regular basis. Is it readable and complete? If you have room on your hard drive, restore the data to a temporary subdirectory and compare data to the original. At least make sure that you can read from the backup disks.
   
4. Manage the backup inventory. Provide several backup sets. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Rotate sets. Create up to 6 backup sets and track using a master list identifying which set is backed up on which date.
   
5. Store your backup data in a safe (i.e. where data will not be damaged) and secure (preferably offsite) location. A safety deposit box at the bank is secure but not all that convenient. The drawer beside your computer is convenient but not that secure. Maybe you can find something in between that you can live with.

Better safe than sorry, eh.

Revised: June 23, 2001 Design Copyright 1996-2000 by Roger Davies for Soft Serve Direct (SSDirect - Computer Consulting, PC Sales, and Service). Permission is granted for individual use and reproduction provided that this document remains intact, with this copyright message clearly visible.

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