22 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
22 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
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title: recovering after disaster
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---
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# you just had a database problem
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I have helped quite a few users recover a mangled database from disk failure or accidental deletion. You just had similar and have been pointed here. This is a simple spiel on the next step that I, hydev, like to give people once we are done.
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## what next?
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When I was younger, I lost a disk with about 75,000 curated files. It really sucks to go through, and whether you have only had a brush with death or lost tens or hundreds of thousands of files, I know exactly how you have been feeling. The only thing you can change now is the future. Let's make sure it does not happen again.
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The good news is the memory of that sinking 'oh shit' feeling is a great motivator. You don't want to feel that way again, so use that to set up and maintain a proper backup regime. If you have a good backup, the worst case scenario, even if your whole computer blows up, is usually just a week's lost work.
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So, plan to get a good external USB drive and figure out a backup script and a reminder to ensure you never forget to run it. Having a 'backup day' in your schedule works well, and you can fold in other jobs like computer updates and restarts at the same time. It takes a bit of extra 'computer budget' every year and a few minutes a week, but it is absolutely worth the peace of mind it brings.
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Here's the [how to backup](getting_started_installing.md#backing_up) help, if you want to revisit it. If you would like help setting up FreeFileSync or ToDoList or other similar software, let me know.
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This is also a great time to think about backing up other things in your life. All of your documents, family photos, your password manager file--are they backed up? Would you be ok with losing them if their drive failed tomorrow? Movies and music will need a real drive, but your smaller things like documents can also fit on an (encrypted) USB stick that you can put in your wallet or keychain.
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