A request, and some advice (Computers)

[Lanzecki]

Hi,

I've run a computer company for the last 6 years and have been involved in IT for the last 25 years. I've seen ever mistake and trick when it comes to small and large business'

I'm going to pass on 2-3 bits of info I've learnt over the years.

Have active and up to date Antivirus and anti malware software. Prevention is best.

Have and check backups on a regular basis.

You can get this stuff free.

AV : Microsoft Security essentials, AVG or CLAMWIN
Anti Malware : www.malwarebytes.org
Backups : GFI.. OR manual backups to a CD or USB drive

This I cannot impress upon you enough. 25% of my business is recovering data for public and companies that haven't done backups. "Sure, that computer was fine for 8 years, it just stopped all of a sudden. You can fix it right?"

I'm sitting in a building in the wilds of Co. Kerry that's had a PSU failure on their server. There are no backups. The PC's are all riddled with malware and viri.

We've removed a drive from the server in an effort to recover their data. If the drives in the server are dead, the customer effectively has no company. There is always the option of using a 3rd party data recovery company. Just write a blank cheque.

Even if it's just your personal data, take 1 min to consider what it would mean to you if your computer is unavailable to you. Family Photos, Letters, Emails, and so on.

Like your car/bikes you have to do maintenance, or you'll loose stuff.

Please consider the above.

Cheers.

 

[ASC1951]

That's why all my critical data is on Dropbox.

 

[green1]

I have 3 HDD's in my computer, 2 mirroring what is on the disk in use. Then important stuff is backed up on to portable HD every week. Really important stuff is burnt on to DVD's monthly.

 

[Lanzecki]

Dropbox, et al are very good. I particularly like the automatic aspect of them. Space is an issue unless you pay a few $.

@green1 : Good man. You take backup's off-site I hope Disasters do happen, fire, flood, theft etc.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

But if you don't periodically restore your backups to test the process and the integrity and completeness of the data therein they aren't really backups.

as to AV etc.,? You could always run a proper OS on your computer rather than Windows.

 

[Acyclo]

Hi,

I've run a computer company for the last 6 years and have been involved in IT for the last 25 years. I've seen ever mistake and trick when it comes to small and large business'

I'm going to pass on 2-3 bits of info I've learnt over the years.

Have active and up to date Antivirus and anti malware software. Prevention is best.

Have and check backups on a regular basis.

You can get this stuff free.

AV : Microsoft Security essentials, AVG or CLAMWIN
Anti Malware : www.malwarebytes.org
Backups : GFI.. OR manual backups to a CD or USB drive

This I cannot impress upon you enough. 25% of my business is recovering data for public and companies that haven't done backups. "Sure, that computer was fine for 8 years, it just stopped all of a sudden. You can fix it right?"

I'm sitting in a building in the wilds of Co. Kerry that's had a PSU failure on their server. There are no backups. The PC's are all riddled with malware and viri.

We've removed a drive from the server in an effort to recover their data. If the drives in the server are dead, the customer effectively has no company. There is always the option of using a 3rd party data recovery company. Just write a blank cheque.

Even if it's just your personal data, take 1 min to consider what it would mean to you if your computer is unavailable to you. Family Photos, Letters, Emails, and so on.

Like your car/bikes you have to do maintenance, or you'll loose stuff.

Please consider the above.

Cheers.

Words of wisdom. Some of the companies in the World Trade Center had their off site backups in the basement. Many went out of business. Backup is a whole range of systems, but anything is infinitely better than nothing.

 

[green1]

@green1 : Good man. You take backup's off-site I hope Disasters do happen, fire, flood, theft etc.

No, it's my computer not a business one. If my house burns down I've got bigger things to worry about like my bikes, guitars and paperwork etc.

I learnt my lesson after I lost my dissertation at uni a week before it was due to be handed in. Hdd packed in and it was too big for the zip drives of the era (2003) so it was gone.

 

[Shaun]

The CC server has 2 x SSDs (primary + rsync'd secondary) and a third HDD (nightly backup) as well as weekly off-site cloud backup to S3. Belt 'n' braces (I can't yet afford a datacentre network backup [12 months of recovery!!!] but would like to upgrade to it as finances allow).

Home (works) laptop has 2 x SSDs backed-up with Acronis (twice weekly) to external USB HDD, as well as cloud backup of essential data to Crashplan+, and secondary backup to NAS box (which is also backed-up to Crashplan+ using a "system" user batch file to allow the partitions to be seen and catalogued with Crashplan+ on the laptop).

My day-job works PC? No backup at all.

 

[Spinney]

Photos get burned to DVD periodically.

Work and personal financial records etc backed up to memory sticks and/or Wuala.

 

[Cyclist33]

Hi,

I've run a computer company for the last 6 years and have been involved in IT for the last 25 years. I've seen ever mistake and trick when it comes to small and large business'

I'm going to pass on 2-3 bits of info I've learnt over the years.

Have active and up to date Antivirus and anti malware software. Prevention is best.

Have and check backups on a regular basis.

You can get this stuff free.

AV : Microsoft Security essentials, AVG or CLAMWIN
Anti Malware : www.malwarebytes.org
Backups : GFI.. OR manual backups to a CD or USB drive

This I cannot impress upon you enough. 25% of my business is recovering data for public and companies that haven't done backups. "Sure, that computer was fine for 8 years, it just stopped all of a sudden. You can fix it right?"

I'm sitting in a building in the wilds of Co. Kerry that's had a PSU failure on their server. There are no backups. The PC's are all riddled with malware and viri.

We've removed a drive from the server in an effort to recover their data. If the drives in the server are dead, the customer effectively has no company. There is always the option of using a 3rd party data recovery company. Just write a blank cheque.

Even if it's just your personal data, take 1 min to consider what it would mean to you if your computer is unavailable to you. Family Photos, Letters, Emails, and so on.

Like your car/bikes you have to do maintenance, or you'll loose stuff.

Please consider the above.

Cheers.

It's viruses, not viri.

 

[martint235]

But if you don't periodically restore your backups to test the process and the integrity and completeness of the data therein they aren't really backups.

as to AV etc.,? You could always run a proper OS on your computer rather than Windows.

Nothing wrong with Windows per se. I ran Windows XP then Vista then 7 behind a router firewall and had no antivirus, software firewall or malware checker on it. Not a single problem. The router firewall stopped most nasties getting to me and then not going to dodgy websites or opening dodgy emails have protected me from the rest. I do however keep backups of photos and itunes stuff as getting those back would be difficult.

I've also spent 25 years in IT and in the case of home PCs in particular (having helped friends and family over the years) I can say that the biggest problem isn't the lack of a firewall or antivirus, it's letting humans between the ages of 0 and 25 touch your PC.

 

[swee'pea99]

The CC server has 2 x SSDs (primary + rsync'd secondary) and a third HDD (nightly backup) as well as weekly off-site cloud backup to S3. Belt 'n' braces (I can't yet afford a datacentre network backup [12 months of recovery!!!] but would like to upgrade to it as finances allow).

Home (works) laptop has 2 x SSDs backed-up with Acronis (twice weekly) to external USB HDD, as well as cloud backup of essential data to Crashplan+, and secondary backup to NAS box (which is also backed-up to Crashplan+ using a "system" user batch file to allow the partitions to be seen and catalogued with Crashplan+ on the laptop).

My day-job works PC? No backup at all.

It's English, Jim, but not as we know it...

 

[coffeejo]

Thanks for the reminder - checked and I'd not backed up any of my photos since August

Can anyone recommend a good, fairly priced, reliable and preferably British-based cloud backup service?

 

[martint235]

Thanks for the reminder - checked and I'd not backed up any of my photos since August

Can anyone recommend a good, fairly priced, reliable and preferably British-based cloud backup service?

Does it need to be British? There isn't a great deal wrong with Dropbox or Amazon Web Services but they don't meet your British requirement.

 

[coffeejo]

If it's a viable option, I like to support British businesses.