How to Survive an Operating System Crash

Once in a while it happens to every one of us, an Operating System crash of you computer. Then you have to reformat your hard drive, reinstall the operating system. You cannot prevent the loss of time you suffer while working to get everything in order again.

There are some very easy things you can do right now to make ensure your peace of mind for your business. You need to be back up and running as quickly as possible in the event of an operating system crash.

When you buy your computer, be sure to ask the dealer for a diskette or CD-ROM with the drivers for every hardware component that is not standard in the operating system. ('Drivers' are those pieces of software that the operating system needs for handling a hardware component.) Usually such a diskette or CD-ROM has an "autorun" program stored: You just need to insert it in the diskette/CD-ROM drive – and the driver installs it.

So Just What is a Hard Drive Crash?

 

Make sure all of your .exe, zip and software install files are on a disk. This is easily done by backing them up or burning them onto a CD. You should already have the system restoration and any other store-bought software disks handy.

The actual repair or reinstall of your operating system may simple or it may be complicated. If you are well versed in this area, you may be able to restore the system yourself. If you're like most of us, you may have to call a computer repair professional.

When your p.c. is restored, you will be able to simply reinstall your software and documents files from the disks you created. If you have access to a secondary p.c., you can install your programs on the backup computer in the interim.

A "daily backup" is extremely important to everyone who is working on any "project" that is more extensive than one day. It is important because only with that "security net" can you work freely.

 Here's How You Can Recover From a Hard Drive Crash

In addition to 'daily backup', I prefer to do a 'weekly backup' every weekend. You should use one directory on your portable computer for "long-term backup". Particularly if you often download a software and don't have any physical representative of it.

Re-arrange the directory structure on your desktop computer , creating one primary root directory, with a sub- directory for every application you use to work with. The sub- directories under the root "Own" are only to take the data files associated with Winword, Eudora or any other programs that create output.

 Whenever you create or modify a file (whatever the file type), be sure to write/update the current date in a comment line near the top. Finally, let's not forget that, especially in computing there is hardly anything bad that wouldn't have any positive side effect. Over time a lot of the "scrap" will assemble on your hard drive. Nowadays that's not much of a problem, just some wasted storage space. But remember the performance is diminished when the operating system has to struggle with a lot of complicated entanglements.

 Following These Steps To Recover Your Hard Drive

First, turn off the computer. If the computer continues to restart after the Windows logo appears without giving a chance to access the desktop and a blue screen flashes for a split second, it is most likely a registry problem, virus or hard drive fail.

The impending loss of important documents and files is a sickening feeling, but there is a way to recover them before reformatting the computer. For an affordable price, external hard drive cases can be bought at any retail outlet specializing in computers. After the case is purchased, carefully remove the hard drive from the computer by detaching the connected wires, plug the hard drive into the case and it will act as an external USB drive.

Once this is completed, attach it to another computer and hopefully it will show up as another drive. If this works, simply drag and drop the important files onto the computer and back them up onto a USB stick or DVD disc. If this doesn't work, the hard drive has either failed or it's not connected properly.

Now that the files are safe, it is time to reboot the computer. Ideally, when a computer is purchased, the user will make a back up disc of the operating system in case of a meltdown. If you don’t have the disc, contact the company that makes the computer and perhaps they will supply one.