As you rely more on electronic devices like your laptop and cell phone, it makes sense to invest in preventative measures to ensure your personal information stays private and your system doesn’t crash leaving you with countless hours of work to recover. There are several things you should do to protect your information in the event of a hard drive failure.  

Why do Computers Crash?

Your computer consists of a variety of components carefully put together. In order to function to its full potential, all the parts must co-exist and work together. If one piece begins to falter on your internal hardware, it can create a chain of events that begins the unraveling of the system. Unless you are an expert in the field, you probably won’t be able to identify if it’s the operating system software or the actual hardware.  

 

 

Extending the Life of your Computer

While no computer lasts forever, there are things you can do to get the most time out of it. While your laptop appears well put-together, drops and falls or rough use can cause damage. When you travel, always place it in a protective sleeve or padded bag. Dirt is the enemy. It’s important to keep the chamber and surface clean with a dry cloth and compressed air. This will help prevent unnecessary laboring caused by dust and debris.  

Prepare for a Crash

The best line of offense is defense. Backing up a computer is a simple and necessary process that many people fail to do. The question you should ask yourself is that if you woke up tomorrow and everything was gone what would you lose. The answer is probably more than you can imagine. Some items would be your work, favorite photos, videos, budgeting and tons of personal information. The number of hours it would take to re-enter the information would consume a lot of your time. You can avoid that by performing a weekly backup. It’s easy to do and can save you time and energy better spent elsewhere. Or, if you prefer there are reputable online services that specialize in backups and storing your information. Either way, you’ll have access to your files if your computer crashes.  

Signs your Computer is going to Crash

The good news is that in most cases before a computer fails it gives signs that something is wrong. If you start to experience slower than normal startups, freezes, relocated or missing files or a loud grinding noise these could all mean it’s going to crash. The first thing you want to do is back up the system quickly. Once you complete the backup, turn the computer off and contact an expert to assist with the restoring process. Sometimes despite everyone’s best effort you may need to replace your computer. But, the good news is you’ll have your information stored on a backup disk that you simply need to transfer to your new laptop. If you lose your website and didn’t get the chance to complete the backup there are online companies such as A Grande Life that can help you re-create your content.