When we take on new business clients we guide them through the preparation of a “disaster recovery toolkit”. Whilst this is less important for domestic users, it’s still a useful exercise.
Firstly make sure you’ve got a good backup. For most purposes we recommend making a file-system backup of your personal files such as documents, pictures, contacts, music, offline email, etc. You can do this manually or you could use Windows File History to back up your personal data. TimeMachine on Mac is really good too.
Use a USB drive; in some cases it’s worth having a cloud backup too. Don’t leave the backup drive connected to your PC all the time because if you have a fire or theft then it may be lost and might be damaged by an electrical issue, so keep your backup device in an outbuilding or your glove box. Update the backup as frequently as your information changes, daily or weekly is common.
If you store passwords in your browser then it’s wise to keep a backup of these too. All modern browsers have a way to export passwords to a file which you can then store on your backup device. Most email systems are backed up in the cloud, but it’s a good idea to back up your contacts list separately. This can normally be done as an export from your email app.
Make a list of the applications you use. Things like Microsoft Word or Excel are common, email apps such as Thunderbird or Outlook, any apps for your business, or financial apps like Sage or QuickBooks? Make a list with the name and versions you use, where their working data is stored (so you can make sure it’s backed up) and where can you get the software from if you needed to move to a new computer. Microsoft apps can often be downloaded again from your account online, but keeping the installer files is a good idea too.
If you’re confident, then you could make a recovery disk, either on DVD or USB key. This would allow you to reinstall your operating system in the event of a disaster. If this sounds a bit too techie then don’t worry as a computer engineer will have access to recovery disks for your computer too.
If you have a hard drive failure then an engineer can replace your drive and reinstall your OS, then restore your data. You’ll be working again in a few hours. If you have a total disaster like a fire or theft then you might need to buy a new computer, so it’s useful to have an idea of where you can get a machine quickly. Many companies like us keep rental machines in stock or suppliers like Laptops-Direct can usually have computers to you next day.
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