Do you have a back-up plan?
April 27th 2008 17:45
Yes, there has been no wordcount update yesterday, and I'm not sure yet there will be one today. The reason for that is simple: my laptop died yesterday. I'm not sure what exactly the problem is, but Windows won't boot anymore. I am using Linux from a CD as operating system, but I can still access my hard drive.
I thought this would be a good opportunity to tell you about my back-up plan and get you thinking about yours. Many writers save all their work on their computer without having a back-up strategy. Just imagine your hard drive dies and all your work is on there. That would be a catastrophe.
External storage devices are not that expensive anymore, and it is a good idea to invest in one and copy your data onto it in regular intervals. Set up a reminder in your calender if you tend to forget things - my reminder is set for the 28th of a month.
Of course this means that my last back-up is almost a month old, and I am working on my novel this month. The loss of data could still have been devastating. Luckily, I can still access my hard drive thanks to Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is a Linux distribution that can be run from a CD-Rom, you don't have to install the operating system. It is meant as a fully functional trial version for people who are looking for an alternative operating system. It is also a powerful tool when your operating system fails to boot. With Ubuntu, you can do almost everything you can do with an operating system that runs from your hard drive. That means you will be able to copy data from your computer to an external storage device unless your hard drive is seriously broken - depending on how bad the damage is, your data might be lost for good in that case. This is all the more reason to back-up regularly.
I am even prepared for a total hard drive failure. I use Google Docs to save a copy of any work in progress whenever I make changes to it. So even if I weren't able to access my data anymore, I would have an up-to-date copy of my work in progress.
I know this makes me look a little weird. Then again, without my back-up plan I would not be writing and posting this entry now, and all the work I did on my novel this month would be lost.
As long as your computer works as it should, backing up may look like a waste of time. Think of it this way: You put a lot of time and work into writing - putting in just a little time more to make a copy of it doesn't make a huge difference anymore. You will appreciate the effort in case your computer breaks.
So if you don't do it already, start backing up your work. Now!
I thought this would be a good opportunity to tell you about my back-up plan and get you thinking about yours. Many writers save all their work on their computer without having a back-up strategy. Just imagine your hard drive dies and all your work is on there. That would be a catastrophe.
External storage devices are not that expensive anymore, and it is a good idea to invest in one and copy your data onto it in regular intervals. Set up a reminder in your calender if you tend to forget things - my reminder is set for the 28th of a month.
Of course this means that my last back-up is almost a month old, and I am working on my novel this month. The loss of data could still have been devastating. Luckily, I can still access my hard drive thanks to Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is a Linux distribution that can be run from a CD-Rom, you don't have to install the operating system. It is meant as a fully functional trial version for people who are looking for an alternative operating system. It is also a powerful tool when your operating system fails to boot. With Ubuntu, you can do almost everything you can do with an operating system that runs from your hard drive. That means you will be able to copy data from your computer to an external storage device unless your hard drive is seriously broken - depending on how bad the damage is, your data might be lost for good in that case. This is all the more reason to back-up regularly.
I am even prepared for a total hard drive failure. I use Google Docs to save a copy of any work in progress whenever I make changes to it. So even if I weren't able to access my data anymore, I would have an up-to-date copy of my work in progress.
I know this makes me look a little weird. Then again, without my back-up plan I would not be writing and posting this entry now, and all the work I did on my novel this month would be lost.
As long as your computer works as it should, backing up may look like a waste of time. Think of it this way: You put a lot of time and work into writing - putting in just a little time more to make a copy of it doesn't make a huge difference anymore. You will appreciate the effort in case your computer breaks.
So if you don't do it already, start backing up your work. Now!
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