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Warranty
All
computer systems come with full manufacturers warranties
on all individual the components, eg:
PSU,
RAM - 5 Years
Motherboard,
Graphics Card - 3 Years
CPU,
HDD - 3 Years
DVD
Drive, KB, Mouse - 2 Years
Speakers
- 2 Years
Monitor
- 3 Years Onsite
Contact
Details
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to Email
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If your hard drive was to fail RIGHT NOW, how much trouble would you be
in? No trouble at all, medium trouble or in deep strife?
I have seen people cry when told their photos are gone for
ever; when informed their accounts are not retrievable.
Isn't taking a minute to back up easier than blubbing uncontrollably in
front of your computer geek?
Not when backing up is so easy and the gear so
affordable. People often have the necessary hardware to back up but
just don't.
What files should you back up? Many people don't know where their files
actually are. Windows tends to be logical and, by default, puts files
where they belong - My Documents for documents, My Pictures for
pictures and so on.
If you accept default locations to save files, then this general area
is likely where they will be.
Emails and contacts are different. If you use the default
programs bundled in Windows you may have to go ionto your mail program
and tell it to EXPORT the adresses and emails.
If you use Mozilla Thunderbird this is somewhat easier and
you can download a free program called Mozbackup to do the job for you.
I recommend backing up all your critical files. In XP, user files are
usually stored in your user profile, in a folder called Documents and
Settings.
Backing up everything here is an excellent idea. In Vista, the data is
stored in a subfolder of the Users folder, called whatever your
username happens to be. Again, back up everything here if you want all
your user data.
If you have installed 3rd party programs, you should check where they
backup to by default.
You can use a free program called Syncback to copy to your external
hard drive or use something like Comodo backup. Make use of
the help files or get your local computer geek to configure it
for you.
Backing up is then a simple matter of a few clicks. If your data
doesn't matter, fine.
But if it does, get a working backup system. One day you will need it.
External hard drives are the safest way to backup, but what you should
do is COPY the data to it, not have it stored only on the backup drive.
After all, what happens if the backup drive dies? There is a
free program available, Syncback Freeware - click to download - which is an excellent tool to make this a simple process.
How long will your digital archives last?
According to the French
National
Centre for Scientific Research discs "designed to last for
centuries, actually rarely lasted longer than 5 to 10 years." In the
most severe cases "the data on some discs lasted just one year."
It seems that buying name-brand discs is no guarantee. "Disc production
varies. In the same brand we find discs produced by different
manufacturers which means their quality and how long they last for is
not necessarily the same."
So what are we to do? The best advice is to be vigilent:"Every two or
three years ... copy your archive onto fresh discs."
And spread your
archives around: "You must have your information in
two places at least -- on a hard-disc, for example, and on another
hard-disc or on a recordable DVD or CD." Be aware even using a hard
drive is no guarantee your photos will be around in 25 or more years.
What PC will be available then that can read it? What PC was around 25
years ago? If you want them to last as long as possible, then get them
prointed at a professional photo lab.
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