Archive
Computer Backup Recommendations
This is the first in a series of reference articles that answer frequently asked questions from friends, family, and clients. I will update these articles as required.
Feel free to let me know if you have any questions or recommendations.
Required hardware and software
Software – Acronis TrueImage 2012
Hardware – external hard drive – USB, eSATA, Firewire
Overview
I recommend imaging all PC systems. Imaging the system is easy, and fast (1GB/min typically). Imaging software takes a ‘snapshot’ of your computer. This snapshot can be used to restore your system automatically. By restore, I mean if your hard drive dies, you can install a new drive (same size or larger), and restore *everything* in one operation – Operating System (Windows), applications, and data. After the restore, your system will be *exactly* where it was when you performed the backup.
In addition, the image can be used to restore individual files and folders, but more importantly, if your system is compromised due to a virus or system problem, you can restore the entire system back to a known, good state.
Acronis (and other imaging software) can be configured to image your system on a schedule (Friday nights for example). You can also setup the software to automatically shut down your computer after the backup is completed. I typically do this monthly on all our computers, setting up the jobs before I got to bed and having the system shut down.
We have three external USB drives – one reserved for my business systems, and two for home systems. All my backup drives are encrypted (I use Bitlocker). I recommend selecting a hard drive with enough capacity to hold at least two backup images for all your systems.
Reference links
Rosewill RX-358 V2 BLK (Black) 3.5″ SATA to USB & eSATA Enclosure w/Int.80mm fan
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817173042
Acronis True Image Home 2012 – upgrade and special offers often available from Acronis
http://www.acronis.com/homecomputing/products/trueimage/
Acronis TrueImage Home 2012 from Newegg
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832200030
Droid GPS Problem and fix
Last Friday, my Droid GPS started acting up. While trying to estimate my travel time from a bus on the NJ Turnpike, the Google Maps screen went blue. After trying to reset my Location several times, I turned on different Layers, then zoomed out. The screen was blue because the GPS thought I was in the Atlantic Ocean a few miles East of Ocean City, MD.
I looked around, and confirmed I was on the NJ Turnpike.
Today, I went to the local Verizon tech, and she was able to resolve the problem by doing a *228 update, and removing the battery.
Things to note:
- The tech said my last update was November, 2009, when I got the phone.
- I know I did an update within the last month or so, because I was demonstrating it to one of my daughters.
- The phone has been so stable, I haven’t removed the battery since before the Android 2.1 firmware update.
- I have only turned the phone off twice in the last three months.
In the future, I plan to update the software (*228) monthly, and at least cycle the power on the phone to minimize problems and optimize operation of the phone.