PC crashes, backups and Android

[French Cricket]

This is a story of something that you think is never going to happen to you, but does.

On Wednesday evening my laptop (7 years old, running XP) hard drive began to make very strange noises, and everything slowed up to a snail's pace. I had a feeling something serious was going on so I set CHKDSK going and left it overnight. Next morning I came down to a 'STOP!' error and blue screen. Turned off and tried to reboot - another STOP! blue screen: 'Unmountable boot volume'. Anyway, long story short - it wouldn't boot at all, not even from the install CD or a Universal Boot Disk, and everything and everybody was telling me it was terminally dead..

Fortunately I have an external hard drive that backs up automatically every night, so I wasn't worried about losing my files and photos. But I was Windozeless, and although I could still access the interweb thingie via my Android tablet, without Windoze I had no means of accessing anything on the external hard drive. Catch 22.

Which was something I'd never taken into account ... doh! . So when I found myself having to send out various files to shortly-arriving guests, I couldn't do it. (Which just goes to show that even when you think you've got your belt and braces pulled tight, you suddenly look down one day and find your trousers round your ankles).

Clearly I need to set up some kind of system so that that can't happen again, but the question is what. I plan to put all my pre-arrival stuff on a password protected bit of my site this winter anyway, but what else do you suggest? Can I store files on an Android tablet? Do I need an App to organise them if so? How do I get them on there? Can I send files as an attachment when I'm using Gmail for Android? Could I store them as Google Docs and send them that way? Sorry. I really am very ignorant about Android-y things Or any other bright ideas?

PS This afternoon a local geek talked me through using the manufacturer's recovery system, which cleared and reformatted the disk and reinstalled XP (the 2005 version!) so I do now at least have Windoze back, though I've decided to upgrade myself (long overdue!). But of course all my updates and installed programs and files and folders have gone. So beware, anyone out there who doesn't back up religiously. It can happen to you!

[Hells Bells]

I've been using Google docs (or Drive as it is now) for LONG time, everything I use for the apartment is on there, they are also in a draft folder in my Gmail account, and are now stored in PIMS.

[Essar]

Hello
I have had similar nightmares like yours over the years and learnt long ago that backups are absolutely essential, no ifs or buts its got to be done. The biggerest problem with that is that your backups are likely to be nearby your computer - probably on an external drive - and that is also vunerable particularly to theft or your house burning down.
I now have stopped backing up to an external disc drive and have instead set up a Cloud drive on my ISP's server where my website lives - as I work on any file on my laptop including my Booking System the files are replicated on the Cloud virtually as I do them, they also are stored in multiple versions by date and time, so if necessary I can pull back a file from a particular time of day.
This has the advantage that if my laptop goes kaput I can replace it quickly from just about anywhere, as soon as I reinstall the Cloud drive application on my laptop (again, a download) it automatically synchronizes my laptop with the latest files from the Cloud and we're good to go. Sounds easy but in reality the download could take several hours, as does your original upload, but day to day use has no impact on my laptop. You can even see in Windows Explorer the files being updated.
This also has the advantage that whereever you are in the world you have access to your Cloud drive via the interweb - there's also an app for smartphones including Androidee ones.
HelenB has the right idea by using Google Drive this is the equivalent of my cloud drive I believe it's free.

Steve

[la vache!]

Does Google drive save all your music and photos too? I use SugarSync cloud storage which is very good but expensive because I have so much on my pc. As soon as I create a new file, upload a new photo or buy new music it is copied by sugar sync so it is very easy and I don't have to physically do anything.
Essar - do you have your cloud storage with your ISP or your web host server? I would like to look into this as it is probably much cheaper.

[French Cricket]

I like the idea of Cloud storage as a back up to my external drive back up, if you see what I mean, but none of the ISPs I have sites hosted with offer it. I've always been faintly uneasy about having my only back ups sitting on a drive next to my computer ...

I thought Google Drive was just for documents rather than for music and images, LV, but I could be wrong. Will check - I do have stuff on it, just not an entire back up of my files. But I'm still not sure how to send attachments of Google docs from my Android

Are there Cloud drives out there that are independent of ISPs?

[pambon]

My webmaster has just offered his clients a cloud hosting service costing 100 Euro annually with 25gb of space.

Having read of FC's woes and being in an almost identical position I have hastened to download the rental file on google drive. However, after having FINALLY learnt how to download it I am now unable to OPEN it on google drive!! Can anyone help me?! Or tomorrow I can see a session with Team Viewer and my IT guru!!

I'm desperately hoping my ancient laptop will last until November....

[Jimbo]

I've always been faintly uneasy about having my only back ups sitting on a drive next to my computer ...

However you store your important digital documents and photographs, it's vital to spread the risk. Sure, a hard drive storage disc may corrupt or be stolen but, equally, a web company may go out of business.

In 2008, in the photo world, a previously well-regarded web company called Digital Railroad unexpectedly went to the wall. They gave their subscribers (around 1900 from memory), many with thousands of stored pictures, just hours to retrieve their stock before the DR servers were wiped - which proved ruthlessly inadequate for many trusting subscribers with gigabytes of on-line files. Hopefully, more cautious subscribers also had their precious material stored elsewhere.

CNet News:
The once popular Web site, where professional photographers archived and sold their photos, is now gone, completely. As it turned out, at about 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, the Web site alerted existing customers about the shutdown and gave them a 24-hour window to download their photo archive. However, just about 10 hours after the alert, the site was shut down completely.

[French Cricket]

However you store your important digital documents and photographs, it's vital to spread the risk.

Thank you, Jimbo, for that. You've just convinced me that I'm not displaying the early signs of paranoia, just a healthy dose of realism

Risk spreading it shall be.

But still looking for that cloud ....

[wallypott]

I would recommend dropbox. I have macs everywhere but am seriously dissatisfied with their icloud solutions. You get 2GB free with dropbox - you can access it from your phone or any computer, its just drag and drop and sooo quick. I have it loaded on all my computers plus work pc and my phone but can also access it online as necessary. All my email templates are set up on PIMS, so provided I can online I can send all my docs.

If you are interested, use this and both of us will get some extra storage for free. http://db.tt/hE00W7XW You can get up to an extra 16GB free by getting friends to join.

[French Cricket]

Cheers Wally! Just signed up and got an extra 500mb free.

[Essar]

La Vache

Sorry should read web host provider not ISP.
I use one . com for hosting and get 30Gb of space for Cloud, I only use about 180Mb - it costs me £41.66 per annum including hosting my website.

[wallypott]

Cheers Wally! Just signed up and got an extra 500mb free.

So did I thanks FC.

[pambon]

Thanks wallypot, just signed up!

(Had to disinstall google drive yesterday...just couldn't get my head around it This seems much easier for someone struggling with technology!)

[French Cricket]

Dropbox took over 36 hours to back up less than 500Mo of files - basically just guest stuff and backup text files for a couple of other websites I run.

I just found out that Amazon Cloud Drive gives you 5Go of storage free, then another 20Go costs £6 a year, 50Go £16 a year and 100Go £32 a year (don't know why it keeps defaulting to £s). That sounds like good value to me.

[pambon]

Yes, FC Dropbox is slow and I wondered about that! I think it is still downloading..so far 57% of 2.63GB available

Yesterday was out all day so didn't open my laptop and it still seems to be 'doing things'.

Will check out amazon (hope it's easy to manage!) which sounds good value too. Jimbo's idea of not putting all our eggs in one basket is excellent advice.