Bennett Financial Services

Like most people, in the past my hard drive has crashed.  It is frustrating and time consuming to correct the situation.  There are several things that you can do to avoid this happening to you.  In the first place, have your data organized on your hard drive. The way that you organize that data will depend on the type of data.  Keep all of those files that you have generated from Word, Excel, Power-point etc. in your ‘My Documents’ folder in Windows.  Doing this means that you will only have to back up one folder for that type of data.  Within the ‘My Documents’ folder, organize all of your files into various folders and sub-folders.

Other types of data such as ‘bookmarks’ and ‘email addresses’, etc cannot be saved in the ‘My Documents’ folder.  Those files will have to be backed up in a separate folder.

Backup methods like most things in the computer world have changed rapidly over the years.  You no longer need to use floppies, zip drives, tape drives, CD’s, or even another hard drive.  The item that we find most convenient is the little ‘Data Travelers’ that find into your computer.  A 4GB model will hold most of your data and you can keep it on your key chain.

You should also back up your system files; this will protect you against corruption or loss of important system and configuration files thus saving you going through the trouble of reinstalling your program disks.   

Another recommendation is making an ‘Emergency Disk’.  This is a CD that is can be used to reboot your system if your PC goes down.

It is also recommended that you protect your data from a power failure.  If your office or home experiences a power outage, a brownout, or a power failure due to a wiring problem, data loss on your PC is possible.  To prevent this, you should consider getting an uninterruptable power supply, or UPS.  It will alert you when the power drops or completely disappears, and provide you with 5 to 10 minutes (depending on the model) of battery power to give you time to save your data and shutdown your PC properly.

Another reason for data loss is the result of the heat produced from your computer and its related devices.  If the temperature gets too high, your PC may crash.  Make sure that your computer is sitting on a hard surface and has some room around it for air flow.   Check that the fans are not cover by dust and clean the tower occasionally to remove the dust.  A can of compressed air is the tool to use here.

Another vital necessity is internet security software.  Your computer can be vulnerable when you download data from the Internet, borrow a floppy from someone, or bring a file from one computer to another to work on.  Viruses can corrupt file, delete data and erase hard drives.  The best software combines antivirus protection with a personal firewall and an anti-spam filter.  The best software also keeps your PC free from malicious code, adware, spyware, hacker attacks, dialers, spam and network fraud. 

Another way to protect your data is to stay current.  When the technology changes, make sure that you restore your data on the new devises that the new technology can read.

Protect the integrity of your computer.  Do not install programs without determining if they are compatible with your system.  Furthermore, if you do not use a program anymore, uninstall it.  Be careful with some of the third party utilities on the market; many of them are very intrusive on your system and cause more problems than they fix.

In conclusion, a little regular attention to the correct back up and storage of your data along with maintenance on your computer can save you a lot of trouble in the future.

If you would like to know the software that Bennett Financial is currently using to protect its data, contact us at info@bennettfinancial.ca.