Data in One Place Doesn’t Exist
This week’s guest blogger is Bill Blinn, who knows a thing or two about backing up data.
Any data that is in just one location doesn’t exist.
Why? The answer is that bad things can happen to good data. Have you ever used an existing document as the basis for a new document and then, without thinking, saved the new document using the old filename? I have. Goodbye old file, unless you have backup. I did.
Have you ever formatted one of two disk drives in a machine, thinking that you’re formatting the C drive and accidentally pointed the format gun at the head of the D drive, the one with all your data, time billing records, photos, and music? Yeah, I’ve done that, too, I’m embarrassed to admit. The only recovery is backup.
Ever have a machine just die? Been there. Done that. Recovered the data.
So far, I haven’t had a computer stolen. We did have a network-spreading virus/worm years ago when the “I Love You” messages circulated. That was May 4, 2000. We’ve become smarter since then and we’ve instituted more safeguards, but backup saved the day. A lot of people I know lost every jpg on their computer because that particular virus overwrote (among others) all jpg, jpeg, vbs, vbe, js, css, and doc files.
Files exist on fragile magnetic or optical media. The more copies you have, the less likely it is that you’ll lose something important.
Backup is an essential part of living in the computer age, yet no-one seems to take it seriously until it happens to them. I’m raising my hand here: I lost an entire novel which, though possibly not the Great American one, was nonetheless dear to me. It broke my heart. I started doing backups.
Just running whatever backup software you favor isn’t enough, either. What happens if your home or office is burned, flooded, or otherwise destroyed? Good-bye, data. Offsite backup is the only reliable solution.
It doesn’t have to be costly, either. You can keep thumb drives of important files at a friend’s house. You can exchange backup with a friend, too: store hers on your computer, she stores yours on hers. There are many creative ways to deal with the issue: the only incorrect way is to not do anything.
Back up all your files regularly, and you’ll be … beyond the elements of style!
Posted in Tools, Doing the Right Thing, About Writing on July 31st, 2008