Last week, a disk containing CSM Tech Publishing\'s current project manuscripts
ID: 3670756 • Letter: L
Question
Last week, a disk containing CSM Tech Publishing's current project manuscripts crashed. Fortunately, there was a backup, but all files that had been added or changed that day were lost. A new disk had to be purchased for overnight delivery, and the data had to be restored. Several days of work time were lost. The owner of CSM Tech wants to know what can be done to prevent the loss of data and time if a disk crashes in the future. The server currently has two disks installed: one for the Windows boot and system volumes and one for manuscript files. The disk used for manuscript files is about one-third full. Theres enough money in the budget to purchase up to two new drives if needed. What solution do you recommend. and why?
Explanation / Answer
While data loss affects everyone who uses a computer, it is especially problematic for those who use word processing software.
There is nothing more frustrating than losing the important documents that you've spent so much time creating -- especially if you're like most users who create documents directly on the computer and don't have the benefit of a handwritten copy.
I regularly receive questions from users who need to recover lost files, and, unfortunately, at that point it is too late to help, as the damage is already done.
The only sure-fire way to recover lost files is to restore them from a backup, and that is why it is so important to have a system to prevent data loss.
Never store your documents on the same drive as your operating system
While most word processors will save your files in the My Documents folder, this is the worst place for them.
Whether it is a virus or software failure, the majority of computer problems affect the operating system, and oftentimes the only solution is to reformat the drive and reinstall the operating system. In such an instance, everything on the drive will be lost.
Installing a second hard-drive in your computer is a relatively low cost way to take care of this problem. A second internal hard-drive will not be affected if the operating system is corrupted, and it can even be installed in another computer if you need to buy a new one; further, you'll be surprised at how easy they are to set up.
If you're skeptical about installing a second internal drive, an excellent alternative is to buy an external hard-drive.
An external drive can be attached to any computer at any time simply by plugging it into a usb or firewire port.
Many external drives also have the added benefit of one-touch and/or scheduled back ups.
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