Are You Prepared for Your Next Computer Crash?
By Scot Kenkel, GRI CRS DAD

What would it be like if tomorrow morning your computer completely stopped working? How would that impact the rest of your day? How about the rest of your week? Would you be prepared?

I was luckier this time and better prepared but it still stings a bit when it happens. It happened mid week and at first I was hoping it would fix itself. My hope quickly turned to despair as each attempt at turning on my computer was met with strange whisking and whirling sounds with an occasional screeching noise. These were definitely not the kind of sounds you want to hear coming from your computer.

It's just a fact that computers crash and cars break down. If you've ever owned a used (or even new for that matter) car you'll probably agree that it isn't a question of will it break down because they all do eventually. The real question is when it will break down. It's the same with computers.   

In the old days, before I knew better, when something like this would happen I'd have gotten down on my hands and knees and prayed that my computer would eventually cure itself and turn on. I tend to do the same thing when that funny little "service engine" light comes on in my car except that I pray silently while patiently hoping it too will miraculously cure itself. And isn't it strange how your car will only break down when you're in a hurry to get somewhere? It's as if it knew...

Here's the bad news you probably don't want to hear: YOUR COMPUTER WILL CRASH SOME DAY!!

For me this time though I was in pretty good shape. Besides, I've been long over due for a computer crash (a great excuse for buying a new computer) considering I've been hammering away at the same keyboard for nearly three years --- I believe that's something like 21 dog years, right? And with the exception of a few files that I had been working on for the last few days all of my data was safe, even though my computer has NEVER come back on.

There are some precautions you can take to minimize the catastrophic effect of an inevitable crash or theft of your existing computer:

1. Back up Your Important Files and Folders on a Regular Basis --- as my dentist would say; "Only floss the teeth you want to keep". Make it a habit to do this every Sunday. It should only take about 20 minutes or so and you might consider utilizing an external hard drive for the task.
   (here's the one I use if you're curious: http://tinyurl.com/gynfj)
    
2. Keep all of your installation CD-ROMs in one place --- you'll still have to reload your programs no matter what and it's a whole lot easier if they're all in one area. I keep mine in a 3-ring binder with sleeves in it and every time I purchase a new program I just add the CD to the binder.
    
3. Keep a copy of all downloaded programs on a separate CD --- you've undoubtedly downloaded (safely I'd hope) programs over the Internet and you'll have to reload each and every one of them. Remember to write down any pass codes for installing them onto your new computer.
    
4. Backup a copy of your "Bookmarks" or "Favorites" from your Internet Browser --- it's amazing how comfortable we all get with saving our frequently visited web sites and then our system crashes and we can't remember any of them. Look for the word "Export" in either your File or Bookmarks Menu and just follow the instructions.
    
5. Keep a list of your logins and passwords for the different sites you visit --- with built in web browsing features such as "Auto-fill" it's real easy to forget the exact login code and password when you've gotten used to your system doing it for you. 

Once I was certain that there was no hope of resuscitating my old computer I went down to the local computer retail store and by that afternoon I had a brand-spankin-new notebook computer up and running with all of my programs loaded and working. It still took some time to get everything back to where I liked it but at least it wasn't a total loss and for that I'm very grateful. By following the suggestions above you'll at least minimize the risk of losing everything and in the spirit of how my dentist would say it; "only back up the files and programs you don't want to lose".

I hope this helps prevent you from future tragedy.

Scot Kenkel is the President of the Success Learning Institute, LLC, an organization focused of promoting Success through Learning. Scot’s a self-professed, recovering dad-a-holic, training humorist, and overall smart guy that’s been involved in edu-taining small business owners and professional real estate agents for over 15 years on how to grow their businesses using cutting edge sales and marketing techniques. Scot’s style of teaching is energetic, fast-paced, down-to-earth, easy-to-follow, sometimes hilarious and always informative.

Find out more about Scot and his other topics and courses by visiting his web site at www.SuccessLearningInstitute.com. You can also contact Scot directly by email at 'Scot@SuccessLearningInstitute.com' or by calling his office at (888) 831-5945.