We just had to boost the ram in both of our desktops, and a friend just had her total hard drive wiped out recently.
Here's a link that may help you clean up your hard drive, because maintenance is far cheaper than repair. Don't forget to defrag once in while as well.
I'm still investigating off-site document storage, I know you can check out Google Documents (though I'm not all the way understanding security issues on that one), and there is a way to store your stuff off site through Mozy.com, for 5 bucks a month. Check them out, save yourself a world of pain...
Why don't you just back up your stuff on a DVD? I don't know how is not an answer...
ReplyDeleteI know it's AN answer (who's side are you on, anyway?!), but you know how often I forget to do that...these are just options. I'm all about the options...
ReplyDeleteNote to readers: 'Jeff' is the guy I have to call when I screw everything up on my computer. Hence his pre-emptive directive telling me to back stuff up...
Why can't you back up stuff on one of those little drive things that look like watch fobs (my age is showing)? I was thinking about doing that. Wonder what Jeff would say to that.
ReplyDeleteJeff would say that he encourages any kind of back up. DVD's hold the most information, but you could use CD's, flash ("jump") drives, or even floppy's (if you must)
ReplyDeleteBut what about watch fobs?
ReplyDeleteOne more crack out of you and I won't come over to fix your computer ever again!
ReplyDeletecarbonite.com
ReplyDeleteHe doesn't know what a watch fob is.
ReplyDeletecarbonite.com does not yet have a version for Macs.
ReplyDeleteA watch fob is a chain of some sort that attaches to a pocket watch, although I'm not certain of its purpose.
ReplyDelete...toddling off to get a bucket of popcorn, ready to enjoy the show...
ReplyDeleteWell, well. You do know. To further eduate: The fob can refer to the chain or an ornament that attaches to the end of the chain. It also originally referred to the little pocket in a vest or coat that was made to hold the pocket watch. To think that my brain is wasting valuable memory space on this kind of arcane knowledge...
ReplyDeleteJeff? You there? Anyone?
ReplyDeleteSee people, this is how much fun a comment section can be if you all just played along.
Learned something new (to me, anyway) today. DVD's and CD's can only be used once. It's not like the old floppy drives where you can keep adding stuff. Enter that cute little flash drive. You use it just like the old floppies, except this one holds 4 gigs of data. Not cheap, but worth every penny if your internal hard drive dies--as did mine.
ReplyDeleteNot true. Depending on what you buy, they may or may not be reusable. In the case of CD's, you'll want to purchase CD-RW, where the RW stands for rewritable. You can burn to the CD, add to it later, or erase it and write to it again, provided you have a rewritable CD drive of course.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know if you have a "rewritable" CD drive? See, this is why we give up and just hope that there's a child or computer tech in the family who can explain all this to us.
ReplyDeleteYou're right L, this is fun!
ReplyDeleteAnyone know where I can dump my old Zip Disks?
DJW
In the garbage? Or is this a trick question?
ReplyDeleteYou can take them to the dump, but the amnesty is over, so you'll have to pay $5 to get rid of electronics. That's where my zip disk, printer, personal photocopier and other assorted electronic paraphernalia now RIP.
ReplyDeleteOh, well, there ya go.
ReplyDeleteIt should say right on the front of the drive if it's a rewritable or not.
ReplyDeleteI use my Zip disks as coasters.
ooo theres a good idea!
ReplyDeleteOr I can fix the wobbly leg on my table....
thanks Jeff
DJW
It should say "right on the front of the drive". Isn't the drive inside the machine somewhere? Wouldn't I have to open up the computer to take a look? Isn't this one of those things that causes us 'artsy' types to tear our hair out?
ReplyDeleteSorry, I'm referring to the part of the drive that you can see on the front of your computer and which opens so that you can insert a disk. Lorraine uses it as a drink holder.
ReplyDeleteIt should say whether it is on the front of that.
Oh, now this is not right. I'm getting hauled into this? On the most boring subject imaginable? That's what ignites my message board? Hard drive information?
ReplyDeleteThis is shameful. Where is the sex, the religion, the bad parenting practicing, the man-bashing?
Well, actually Jeff, that last one is coming up soon.
Nobody is talking about a hard drive, we're talking about disk drives. Try and keep up.
ReplyDeleteSee? There goes that discrimination thing again. I own an iMac. It is just a large screen with a slot in the side of the screen for discs. I checked. There is nothing written on it. Could it be, oh hope of hope, that there is nothing written on it because it does everything?
ReplyDeleteNot likely.
ReplyDeleteAt this point I'm going to assume you don't have a CD-RW and you should stick with your flash drive.
Arlene is frequently going on and on about Mac this and Mac that. The arrogance of presuming it can just do ANYTHING because it's a Mac...
ReplyDeleteAnyone know how to copy a disc? Like, copy a roundy thing of photos onto a blank roundy thing of photos that I promised to someone?
Now with a Mac, you just click and drag whatever it is you want to copy. That's it. Copy the pictures from the disc onto your hard drive, then put in the new disc and copy from your hard drive onto the disc. Or...you could just open one of those free photo-sharing accounts on the internet.
ReplyDeleteYou do the same with a PC.
ReplyDeletePlease don't get me started...
ok so I still use 35mm film and a photo lab.....how's that for archaic??
ReplyDeleteamw
reminds me, we gotta get the camera fixed
ReplyDeleteDJW