This type of scenario could put a damper on one’s computing activity, to say the least. It is therefore important to know how to guard against this happening, and better yet, know how to recover from it.
When a system crash occurs, there may be more damage done than just losing data, especially when dealing with newer hard drives which can keep hundreds of gigabytes of data in millions of files. Chances are, the file structure might be totally scrambled, not to mention that the hard disk itself might be damaged.
Many times a system may have more problems than can be fixed easily, or the fix may result in only a temporary solution. In a situation like that, a complete formatting and reinstallation of the Operating System (OS) and applications, and restoration of data is called for. And thanks to innovative upgrading, many new computer systems today do not come with a true OS CD-ROM; instead they come with one or more recovery CDs.
Recovery CD, Recovery Partition
- A recovery CD is a CD-ROM that comes with a particular model and a brand of computer. This disk contains an image of the entire Windows installation, along with applications, utilities and drivers specifically for that computer. In case of a serious system failure, one can insert this CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of the computer, boot to it and completely restore the system back to the way it was when it was purchased.
- Some computer brands have a recovery partition built into the hard drive of the system. A recovery partition is basically the same as a recovery CD. The only difference is that instead of being portable, it is a partition on a hard drive. There are numerous third party utilities on the market that can help one create a similar recovery partition on their hard drive; one of the more popular ones being Norton’s Ghost.
Steps to Backing up Data on a Windows System
The primary starting point for disaster recovery involves keeping current backup copies of important data files, database, applications, scanned documents and photographs. While one may choose to use a remote storage for their data, they must keep in mind that a crash could happen anytime; hence, the information that is backed up must be readily available for use when needed.
To this end, Windows operating system has a built-in backup utility, appropriately called, Backup. Windows XP Home Edition, unfortunately, does not come with a backup utility; however there are a few free utilities on the web that will do the job.
To access Backup, click:
- Start -> Programs (All Programs, in some versions) -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Backup.
On Windows 7: it is
- Start -> Control Panel -> Back up your computer.
This will open the Backup Wizard. To move on to the Backup utility, click the Advance Mode. It is always a good idea to learn the sequence of using utility features on one’s system, as they may differ slightly from one version of Windows to another, with the newer versions having greater capabilities.
Generally, one can either run a wizard to create a backup job or manually specify the files to back up. One can also run backup jobs or schedule them to run at a specific interval. It would be worthwhile to learn how to use this important feature of Windows.
William Ekpa - William Ekpa majored in Computer Science and has worked for several Information Technology firms as a consultant ever since he left ...
