When Your PC Crashes...

[targetdrone]

Perhaps I've just been lucky, (or careful) until last night. My laptop crashed.....HARD. I've never had it happen before on ANY of the computers I own, laptop or desktop. I had most of the important stuff backed up, but I lost LOTS of stuff. The stuff I got for my Axim in the last month.

But enough tears already. Here is some stuff to help if you have to rebuild and the absolute necessary things to backup:

Save your config files, password list (I use many different passwords for various sites), your emails that are so important you never deleted them, and your digital pictures (like the ones of my dog that I had to put down last month, THOSE I wrote to CD already)

Most of us have copies of our critical software, but it's a pain to try to remember those settings and recreate everything just the way you liked them.

After reinstalling most of my software, my laptop running XP couldn't find my Axim. I got it to work after soft resetting my ppc. ActiveStink was still open and I think this was preventing the connection.

Don't forget to unplug your serial/usb cable before installing ActiveStink.

I need to get away from this computer for a bit and make a list of things to replace. AAAARRRRRRGGGGHH!

-targetdrone

[Janak Parekh]

There's always a first time for everyone. Sorry to hear it. :cry:

--janak

[targetdrone]

It would have been much worse if it weren't for the CD writer in the laptop and the SD card & Microdrive in the Axim. Or more so, if I was one of the self-tech-help challenged.

On the bright side, I have a nice clean install :cry:

[pocketpcdude1024]

As anyone with a Pocket PC knows, back up your Outlook Data File -often. One file, everything in Outlook (including custom views, etc)

Most programs (as well as Windows) store their settings in the registry so do a full registry backup - often. Then, of course, archive on a CD or 2 the files you want to keep.

[Crystal Eitle]

Oh man, I had my first major computer crash the other day. Must be going around. Unfortunately, I didn't really have anything backed up as I don't have a CD burner. To get some of the important files off my hard drive, we pulled it out of my machine, put it into my roommate's machine, and copied the essential stuff onto his hard drive.

You shoulda seen me when Windows wouldn't load. I was like, NOOOOOOO! :eek:

That same day, I accidentally left my Pocket PC on all day without realizing it. (I had Windows Media Player on and I guess it must prevent the Pocket PC from shutting down). I went to turn it on at the end of my workday, and it was dead. I was terrified that I had lost everything. All the software I'd paid for, as well as all the software codes.

Fortunately, it had shut itself off once the main battery was drained. Thank gourd for the backup battery. All my stuff on the Pocket PC was there - no involuntary hard reset.

But for several agonizing minutes, I feared the gods of technology were playing a very cruel April Fool's day joke on me.

[rberry88]

This is one big reason I like to buy my software for my PPC from Handango. I'm sure other sites do it too but Handango has just been very convenient for me, by keeping all my prior purchases stored along with the registration codes/keys and also a list of all the trial software I have downloaded. I know what a cr@ptastic time it is trying to re-install everything since the Win XP higher ups decided to give me a stress test last week.

rberry88

[Steven Cedrone]

This is a major reason why I bought Ghost. Once my machine is set up, it is "Ghosted" to either another disk on the same machine or to a network drive (it is "Ghosted" again after any changes are made too!)...

All of my Pocket PC software is in a single directory in my "My Documents" folder on my PC. The My documents folder is backed up often, so I shouldn't lose anything...

I won't even go into how anal I am about backing up all of my digital photo's... :roll:

Steve

[pocketpcdude1024]

I won't even go into how anal I am about backing up all of my digital photo's... :roll:

Do tell... :twisted:

[Kaber]

Digital Photo archives require duplicate off site storage. Make gifts of photo CDs to family and friends often.

[Steven Cedrone]

Do tell... :twisted:

I have 4 PC's at home, all have a copy of my pics archive on them. I also copy them to CD, and tape(copies both on site at home(in a fireproof safe) and off-site)...

I can't help it, I'm paranoid about digital photos...

Now my old photos are all in a cabinet, only the negatives are in a safe(Hhhmmm...I really need to convert them to digital as well... :roll: )

How's that??? :wink:

Steve

[Video11]

This is one big reason I like to buy my software for my PPC from Handango. I'm sure other sites do it too but Handango has just been very convenient for me, by keeping all my prior purchases stored along with the registration codes/keys and also a list of all the trial software I have downloaded. <snip>rberry88

I too buy most of my PPC software from Handango, but don't rely on them outright. All of my registration codes / keys get put into my ewallet (http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/ew/ewallet.htm) as soon as I download it.

[pocketpcdude1024]

I'm paranoid about digital photos...

No kidding! 8O So you essentially have 5 or 6 copies of digital photos as to not loose them if all 4 computers crash? :lol:

[Steven Cedrone]

I'm paranoid about digital photos...

No kidding! 8O So you essentially have 5 or 6 copies of digital photos as to not loose them if all 4 computers crash? :lol:

More like: I should be able to recover if my house burns down... :wink:

Steve

[mc_03]

This is why I use Linux :lol: Never have to worry about these sort of things...

[pocketpcdude1024]

This is why I use Linux :lol: Never have to worry about these sort of things...

Are Linux hard drives failproof? If I were you, I would make an occasional backup of the hard drive before it goes down. (Which all hard drives eventually do)

[JackTheTripper]

Sux. Sorry to hear. Happened to me on my Mac. Used to back up every month. When it crashed I lost a months worth of e-mail, some word, excel and PhotoShop docs as well as some pic from the digicam. (Some were still on the CF card thank goodness.)

But I made lemonaid out of the situation. The old HD was small so I replaced it with an 80 gig since they are so cheap. Runs great! And now I keep 2 copies of everything, one on it and another on CD or my laptop.

[Janak Parekh]

This is why I use Linux :lol: Never have to worry about these sort of things...
Are Linux hard drives failproof? If I were you, I would make an occasional backup of the hard drive before it goes down. (Which all hard drives eventually do)
Let alone Linux device drivers/kernel modules, etc. I use it, but it's not a panacea or anything. :)

--janak

[karen]

I just signed a new contract, but had to delay the start as I had committments to speak at an event. The plan was to go to the event, do my stuff, then head to the airport. Client wanted me to bring all my software tools.

Well, the event was cancelled due to a fierce snowstorm. So I stayed in my hotel room near the airport to attempt to get some work done, trying to catch up. I turned on my laptop and...no windows, no nada.

So I had drive home and start tinkering. Boot disks, no. Reinstall, no. It appeared that the hard drive was kaput. Call Gateway: Sorry, a hard drive is not a user replaceable part (since when?). Plane leaves in 3 hours, time to hit the road. Run into Future Shop -- "I need your highest resolution laptop now. It must have a DVD drive and tonnes of memory" - stat.

The poor guy was bewildered, but we finally got one. The most gawd awful ugly laptop I've ever seen (Compaq 3000). But it has a huge hi-res screen that I need to do my stuff.

At the airport, I've got time to install some basic software. Using Bell' new wireless access at YYZ, I download patches. Get on the plane and realize "dang. I don't have any contact information for the new client". Wait a minute...I do in my iPAQ. Sync and now my Outlook has just enough info to get me by for the next couple of weeks until I can get to my backups, which are still sitting at home on my server.

So my PIM data was 'backed up' on my iPAQ. An unplanned benefit.

But what an ugly laptop. They must have gone outta their way to make it this bugly.

Karen

[karinatwork]

I have 4 PC's at home, all have a copy of my pics archive on them. I also copy them to CD, and tape(copies both on site at home(in a fireproof safe) and off-site)...

I can't help it, I'm paranoid about digital photos...

Gosh, Steven... 8O ... maybe I should be more careful... only yesterday I copied all the pictures of my son's first year of life (about 1500) onto CDs! I don't even want to think about what could have happened.

I never had a computer crash on me, but... *gulp*... what if??? Maybe you should send some of your "paranoia" my way!

[Steven Cedrone]

Gosh, Steven... 8O ... maybe I should be more careful... only yesterday I copied all the pictures of my son's first year of life (about 1500) onto CDs! I don't even want to think about what could have happened.

I never had a computer crash on me, but... *gulp*... what if??? Maybe you should send some of your "paranoia" my way!

Out of everything in my home, the only thing that can't be replaced are all of our photographs (well, aside from the people - my wife would probably argue that the kids can't be replaced, but I could easily be replaced :wink: )...

Just remember that all hard drives fail (heck, anything mechanical fails eventually). It is not a question of if it will fail, only when...

Steve

[Crystal Eitle]

Gosh, Steven... 8O ... maybe I should be more careful... only yesterday I copied all the pictures of my son's first year of life (about 1500) onto CDs! I don't even want to think about what could have happened.

I never had a computer crash on me, but... *gulp*... what if??? Maybe you should send some of your "paranoia" my way!

Out of everything in my home, the only thing that can't be replaced are all of our photographs (well, aside from the people - my wife would probably argue that the kids can't be replaced, but I could easily be replaced :wink: )...

Just remember that all hard drives fail (heck, anything mechanical fails eventually). It is not a question of if it will fail, only when...

Steve

Not hard-drive related, just me not quite being used to my new toy....

The other day I took a ton of pictures of my super-cute 19-mo-old nephew on my new digital camera. Then, the next day, I ACCIDENTALLY FORMATTED THE MEMORY CARD and lost all of them. Rrrrr. :cry:

[Steven Cedrone]

The other day I took a ton of pictures of my super-cute 19-mo-old nephew on my new digital camera. Then, the next day, I ACCIDENTALLY FORMATTED THE MEMORY CARD and lost all of them. Rrrrr. :cry:

Lucky for you, your nephew is still super-cute :wink: You can go back and take some more pics! Now it would really stink if you lost the pictures 10 years from now...

I'm willing to bet you never format a card with unsaved pictures on it again...

Steve