Don’t Let a “Data Disaster” Put You Out of Business!

An easy, complete, step-by-step process for backing up the important business (or personal) “user data” on your PC. Illustrated with screen-capture images showing the what you’ll need to know to make the job of backing up “mission critical” PC information safe and simple.

Report Features:

• The case for backing up – why it’s’ a “must do” and why so many business owners get in trouble without it.
• Identifying the “mission critical” information on your PC that must be protected and saved in case of a “data disaster.”
• The important difference between data backup and “system restore” and why using one incorrectly may wipe out all your important business data.
• Selecting the right hardware for the job.
• Considering online backup options.
• The simple Windows copy-and-paste method of data backup.

I want to be sure every small business owner and SOHO (Small Office / Home Office) professional takes advantage of this simple, easy-to-implement system to back up and save PC data… so I’ve priced this valuable report at only $17!

Losing computerized information could put you out of business! Don’t let it happen to you or your business. Click the “Order” button below to have your copy delivered to your inbox immediately!

Now it’s time to copy-and-paste our way to backup success! As I’ve mentioned before, some external hard drives will come with backup software already installed on them, ready to use. We can’t really go into too much detail in this report on how to use that software, since all the different brands do things in their own way. But honestly, I feel that simply using regular Windows copy-and-paste techniques is all you need to successfully and effectively back up that “mission critical” information on your PC. Let’s get to work.

When you plug in your external backup device (either USB flash drive or external hard drive), Windows automatically detects the new hardware, and in the case of a storage device, opens a dialog box giving you some options. Choose the option, “Open Device to View Folders and Files.” Next, you’ll see a new window, showing the contents of the device. Of course if there’s nothing on the drive, the window will be completely empty.

Let that window stay open on your Windows desktop. Now click on the Windows start button. Click on the “user account” name at the very top of the right-hand column of the start menu. That may be your name, or something generic like “Administrator” or “Owner.” Inside, you’ll see individual folders for My Documents, Pictures and other data-filled folders. The My Documents folder is the most important, and will certainly be the one to back up often, and on a regular basis.

At this point, it’s simply a matter of copying the folders you wish to back up, and pasting them into the empty window of the external storage device. Here’s how to do that: you should still have the user account folder open in front of you on the Windows desktop. Simply roll your mouse over the top of the My Documents folder, and give it a single right mouse click. This opens a menu of options. Look for – and give a single left-click – on the word “Copy.” You’ve probably used similar techniques to highlight and copy chunks of text or pictures on your computer. Now we’re simply doing the same thing with an entire folder, filled with information.

Now navigate back to the open window of the storage device. You may still be able to see it on your Windows desktop, but it may also be hidden or “minimized.” Look for it along the Windows taskbar at the bottom of the desktop screen. In Windows 7, you’ll see old-school looking manilla folders, usually directly to the right of the start button (your PC may be configured differently). As you roll your mouse over those buttons small images of the folders will appear above the taskbar. When you see the one for the storage device simply give it a single left mouse click. That will open the empty folder on your Windows desktop, on top of any other folders or programs that are also open. At this point simply click on the button that says “Organize” in the upper-left corner of the open window. There’s a small down-pointing arrow to the right of Organize. You can click on either the word or the arrow. On the menu that opens underneath, you’ll see the word “Paste.” A single left mouse-click on Paste, and the Documents folder will be pasted into the storage device. (Of course, if you’ve selected a different folder, that’s the folder that will be pasted into the storage device, but you already knew that.) Repeat this process for all the folders you wish to back up on the external device.

Why do I like this copy and paste method? Honestly, it’s simple and easy to do, almost a total no-brainer. Of course it will be your job to remember to do this procedure on a regular basis. One of the good things about using commercial backup software is that it does the “remembering” for you. Once it’s set up, it runs on a regular schedule, and backs up your information each time. But again, the reason I like my method is that it’s so simple. And if you’re using a USB flash drive, you can easily take it with you if you travel with a laptop PC. Also, some backup software uses of data encryption when it copies information to the storage device. While that’s very secure, I don’t like it. I much prefer the ability to have easy access to my backed-up information. Data encryption software is just another potential stumbling block. You may lose a password, or have other problems with the software that might prevent you from backing up or restoring your information when it’s most needed. That’s probably just my own prejudice, but hey, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Once you’ve copied all the information you wish to backup to the external device, you can unplug the device from your computer. Just make sure you keep that device – no matter what it is – in a safe place, somewhere you can find it in the future when needed!

How often do you need to backup your information? That depends on you and your business. If you are adding new information, such as client records, inventory lists and other data to your computer on a regular basis, you’ll want to backup more often, maybe every day. If most of your business is done over the Internet or by e-mail, you don’t need to backup as often, and once a week may be more than enough.

Well, we’ve reached the end of the journey. You’ve got all the information you need to know what to backup, where to find it, how to back it up, and how to keep it safe. For those who would prefer an automated solution, I’ve got one more special report up my sleeves. The newest version of Windows – Windows 7 – includes a built in bit of software that automates the backup process. It’s up to you, if you want to use it or not… but I’ll give you the basics of using it, coming up in the next report.

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Typical External Hard Drive

Up to this point, we’ve been talking about the theory of backing up your stuff. How important it is to back up the mission critical user data on your computer on a regular basis. Now it’s time to shift gears slightly, and talk about the hardware we’ll need to do the job. The hardware you choose is going to depend on several factors, and you’ll make a couple of decisions about how you’ll store and transport the backed-up information.

First, let’s talk about storage capacity. Remember in a previous report, we talked about the size of the folders and files on your computer. Remember, we’re not talking about physical size like closet space. But rather, the number of bytes, megabytes and gigabytes data requires for storage. Some data files are bigger than others. For example, simple documents, or e-mail messages, typically take up very little disk space on the computer. But, a single photograph taken with a modern digital camera can take up dozens of megabytes on the computer hard drive. Check our previous reports for information on how to determine the amount of storage space you’ll need to back up all the important user data on your PC. The two primary hardware devices we’ll discuss in this report are the external hard drive, and the USB flash drive, sometimes also called a thumb drive. Let’s take a look at each, and the pluses and minuses each one offers as a backup device.

The external hard drive is exactly what the name suggests: a computer disk drive contained in a portable carrying case, with a connection cable that plugs in to a USB port on your PC. External hard drive devices offer massive amounts of storage space. While they used to be quite expensive, the price of external hard drive devices has come down sharply in recent years, and I’ve seen them in warehouse stores and office superstores at bargain prices. It’s easy to find a 250 or 500 gigabyte external hard drive for less than $100. For most business users that amount of storage space should suit their backup needs for years to come.

On the downside, external hard drive devices are, after all, mechanical and electronic in nature, and require a little bit more careful handling than a USB flash drive. I have one that comes in its own soft-pouch zipped travel case, which is very handy for keeping in my laptop bag when I’m on the road. Other types of external hard drives are built to be left standing on a desktop along with the PC. If you have a laptop and do a lot of traveling, you may want to consider a travel-sized external hard drive as a backup device. Most external hard drives have only one cable and draw their operating power from the computer itself. Some of the desktop-only external drives have separate power adapters, but the industry trend is definitely moving toward more portable devices.

Now let’s talk about the USB flash drive. This type of device is smaller, more light weight and certainly less expensive than a full-size external hard drive. The main downside to using a USB flash drive for backup is storage capacity. Generally speaking, a USB flash drive will have up to 16 to 32 gigabytes of storage capacity. If your computer is used strictly for business and most of your important data is in the form of documents, spreadsheets and e-mails, a USB thumb drive would probably have plenty of space to be used as your primary backup storage device. What I really like about USB thumb drives is that they are virtually indestructible. I’ve had more than one go through a wash machine cycle in the pocket of my jeans, and come out the other side still working perfectly! Of course being so small and portable also makes them easier to lose, and sometimes harder to keep track of.

Since they are so inexpensive, one possible solution for backing up your PC would be to purchase several USB thumb drives. That way, you could use one for documents, one for pictures, and one for other important stuff, maybe things that don’t change so often or need to be backed up on quite the same schedule. You can also use multiple USB drives on a rotational basis, backing up documents and files with stick number one in the first week of the month, and stick number two in the second week of the month, etc.

Along with the two hardware solutions, there are a couple of other options for you to consider. If you only need to back up on an occasional basis, you could simply “burn” your backup data onto a recordable CD or DVD disc. If you used rewritable discs, you could reuse the discs the same way you would use multiple USB thumb drives. In other words one disc for the first week of the month, another disc for the second week of the month, etc. I’m not a big fan of using recordable CDs and DVDs as backup devices however, since they can be a little unpredictable. Also, it’s easy to damage a CD or DVD disc, making the information on it unreadable.

Finally, another solution that’s gaining popularity is the online backup website. These are sites such as Mozy.com and Carbonite.com, which require absolutely no hardware to back up your data. Once you sign up for the services, you download a small piece of software to your PC. With that software, you identify files and folders to be backed up. As your computer is online, those designated files and folders are automatically uploaded to the service’s website where they are stored for as long as you have a subscription. While you don’t have to buy any extra hardware, those services charge an annual subscription fee. As I write this report, I’ve checked several of the online backup sites, and the average fee is between $50 and $75 per year.

These sites can be very useful, and I like the concept of online backup a lot. Of course one of the big pluses for online backup is “no hardware required.” Also, your information is available 24 / 7, no matter where you are in the world. If you can get your computer online, you can retrieve your backup data at any time, anywhere. An online backup service is definitely worth considering, if you don’t like carrying extra hardware as you travel. Of course one potential downside is the need to be online to back up, and more importantly retrieve, any information, files and folders you may need.

So, you may have some shopping in your future. After determining how much storage space you’ll need to back up all your important user data, you’ll be able to easily make the decision between a USB-based device or an external hard drive. For me, it’s usually a simple matter of figuring out gigabytes per dollar. That number helps me decide which device I’ll consider purchasing as my primary backup device.

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That was exactly the feeling I got when I opened my e-mail inbox earlier this week, and once again saw that all-too-familiar e-mail. Yes, you know the one I’m talking about. That private, confidential, don’t-share-this-with-anyone-else message about some West African diplomat depositing 5 1/2 million dollars into my bank account! I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. It seems an e-mail like this arrives in my inbox about once every six months. It’s always the same scam: someone, somewhere wants to give me a ton of money! Why they just can’t drive to my house and hand me a suitcase stuffed with $100 bills, I’ll never know. You’d think with all that cash just lying around waiting to be delivered it would be easy to pick up the phone and call me and say where can we send the money? But it never seems to happen that way. Unfortunately, some records somewhere have been lost, and I need to send them all sorts of important personal information, just so the money can be delivered and deposited into my bank account.

Honestly, isn’t the sheep’s clothing starting to wear a little thin on this wolf? Is there anybody left on the planet that hasn’t heard of this scam? I suppose there must be, or they wouldn’t keep trying it. Or, for those of you who really believe in technology run amuck, I have this vision of some ancient computer churning out this e-mail, day after day, century after century, buried deep in the bowels of some mountain hideaway, long since forgotten by the human evil genius who created it. Wow, now that I think about it, that would make one heck of a great sci-fi movie plot wouldn’t it? Well, that’s another plot in another story for another day.

So, what have we learned here? A good scam, like a good movie monster, just keeps coming back for more. You can kill it once, but chances are there’s a sequel lurking right around the corner. In the case of scam, bogus and hoax e-mails, there is always a new crop of potential victims waiting on line to be duped by an ages-old hoax. I know you won’t fall for this! And while I’m not a big fan of spreading around e-mails that warn people of scams and hoaxes, it might be good to talk to your circle of colleagues and business associates and just let them know that you’ve seen this thing again and it might be coming to their inbox as well.

Of course the real problem is not old-school scams and hoaxes like this one. It seems Internet bad guys are always thinking up some new way to separate people from important, confidential personal information, if not cash outright. A while back, I prepared an entire series of 10 videos, each giving a little bit of information about e-mail scams and hoaxes, and how to avoid them. The series also talks about spam, and how to avoid it. We’ll never be completely spam-free, but there are a few things we can do to keep the flood of spam down to a small trickle coming into our inboxes. The link at the bottom of this post leads to the first series of videos on YouTube. You can find the rest of the series on YouTube, or sign up to have them delivered to directly to your inbox. I’ll include a link for that series at the bottom of this post as well.

Don’t fall for these old-school hoaxes and scams! Simply stay aware and alert to the fact that some scams – just like some of my favorite good old rock ‘n roll songs – keep getting played over and over again. When in doubt, the easy answer is always to simply hit the “Delete” button, and know you’ve done your part to make sure this e-mail monster doesn’t claim another victim.

Click this link for the first e-mail security video on YouTube

If you’d like to have the entire series of videos delivered right to your inbox, click this link to sign up.

Stay safe out there!

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Finding Those Folders!

The All-Important “Document” Folder

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This series of posts will discuss the various kinds of information stored on a computer, and what types need to be backed up. There’s a ton of information stored on every computer, but the good news is, only a small percentage falls into the category of “mission critical” and needs to be backed up regularly. I’m talking about information that changes on a day-by-day basis. For example, as new clients are entered into your system, or new products are entered into your inventory, you want to keep track of those on an ongoing basis. As your financial records change every business day, it’s important to keep those records backed up as well.

The good news is, Windows-based computers store all this information in one central folder. Folders are the containers the computer uses to store information. Storage devices such as the internal hard drive contain numerous folders and subfolders, and each of those can be used to store program information or what’s called “User Data.” In a word (or two), user data is the “stuff” you create. No matter if it’s a document you typed, a pictures transferred from your digital camera, or a song downloaded from an online store, its’ all “user data.” A folder can contain subfolders or files, or both.

In the newest version of Windows, (Win 7), all the user data you create is stored in a folder called Users. To find it, click the Windows “Start” button, then look at the upper-right portion of the two-column layout. Usually, the upper most right item will either be your user name, or some other name that was put there when the computer was first started. It may be something like Owner or Administrator. Clicking on that folder will show all the different subfolders in your user account. You’ll see folders such as Documents, Pictures, Music and more. Of course the most important thing to backup is the Documents folder but you may also want to back up Pictures, Music and other folders in that user folder.

In this post, I’ll be covering the basics of business computer protection – the things you must be doing to keep your computer – and it’s important data – from protected from virus and hacker attacks. Future posts will go into additional details, but just to be sure we’re all on the same page (digitally speaking), we’ll start with antivirus and firewall protection.

On any given day, the various “bad guys” out there are creating new viruses and other challenges to your computer and the valuable business data stored on it. This is no small threat – we’re talking about hundreds of new viruses every day, and each with the potential to damage the information you need to run your business. But here’s the good news: You don’t need to lose any sleep over losing data to a virus – not if you’re properly protected. A good antivirus program is very much set-it-and-forget-it. It works in the background, protecting your PC 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As noted in the Summary, it’s important to note that every new PC, right out of the box, will have some type of antivirus software pre-installed and ready to work from day one. That’s the good part of pre-installed protection. The downside is that all of these programs – no matter what company they come from – are usually “trial” versions of the full program. That means they offer complete protection – but only for a limited time. Usually, that’s 30 to 90 days, after which the software will continue to run on your PC, but will not be updated with the latest virus information (more on that in future posts). So it’s important that you determine that your antivirus software is full updated and doing it’s best to protect you. Many business owners I’ve met tell me they’re protected… after all, an antivirus program came installed on their computer when they bought it six months ago.

Now, some PC manufacturers do offer to “upgrade” your new PC with a “full” version of an antivirus program… at a price, of course. And that’s perfectly OK… you know your computer will indeed be fully protected for up to a year (or whatever your “subscription” calls for – more on that later, too). If you don’t know, check your PC to be sure you have a fully functioning antivirus software program. Your business may depend on it!

Now, on to the “firewall.” A firewall is a bit of security software that protects your PC from threats – perhaps viruses, perhaps other bad guys – that come into your computer by way of your internet connection. It’s a term borrowed from real-world construction, where a solid, fire-resistant wall is build between office or condo units in a large building. A firewall prevents a fire or other disaster in one portion of the building from spreading to other units. On the computer, a firewall prevents “inbound” internet traffic from doing bad things to your computer.

As I said, the good news is that there’s nothing to buy. For several of the most recent versions of Microsoft’s Windows operating system software, a firewall has been built in as “standard equipment.” All you need to do is make sure yours is turned on… that’s it! The control for the Windows Firewall is found in the Control Panel. Click on the Start button, then Control Panel, then look for the Windows Firewall button. Click to open that control. You should see various green lights that tell you the firewall is turned on. (It’s on by default in Windows, so unless you or someone else has purposely turned it off, it should be on.)

Now, there are other, third-party firewall programs for sale out there, and some antivirus programs include one as part of a full security “suite” of programs. But by and large, for the vast majority of small business computer users, the built-in Windows firewall does a fine job, and no other software is needed. Also, if you have a router in your home office or business, you may be getting additional firewall protection, but that’s another story for another post.

Make sure you’re doing the basics to protect your PC and your business’ valuable information. Keep an eye out for future posts… I’ll show you exactly how to check to be sure your antivirus software is doing it’s job. I’ll also have information on free antivirus programs available from very good companies.

I’m not going to waste any time getting to the bottom line for this post: E-mail addresses from your clients, your potential clients, and any other contact you may make in your professional life are the absolute lifeline of the 21st century business! No matter what you do, what product you sell, what service you offer – the more effectively you communicate with your clients and potential customers, the more success you and your business will enjoy. Period. Without a doubt, e-mail is the most cost-effective, easy-to-manage and downright powerful way to build your business. We’ll talk more about the details of communicating with clients though your website, e-mail and e-zines in future posts, but right now, I simply want to firmly establish this in your mind: everyone who comes in contact with your business is a potential customer or client. Your job – in the marketing sense – is to “switch the P’s” – turn those “potential” clients and customers into “paying” clients and customers. How do you do that? Plain and simple: Communicate with them! All the basics of marketing that you probably know quite well – tell about your services and products, what makes your offerings better than the ‘other guys,’ explain benefits and features, talk about special deals, limited-time pricing, all of that. The more people you can talk to, the better for you and your business. And while only a limited number of people may come into your storefront, or call your office in the course of a day, the number of people you can reach through e-mail is unlimited… and for the most part, free.

Again, more on all the ways you can communicate and benefit from that communication in the future. Today it’s all about your “getting” the value of your e-mail database… it’s what people in the Internet Marketing business simply call their “list.” As it grows, your list will become one of your business’ most valuable assets!

One of the reasons e-mail is so powerful is that it “pushes” your message directly to your clients and potential customers. They don’t have to call you, stop by your store, or see your advertising in the yellow pages or on radio and TV. Your customers have volunteered to receive your e-mails, usually because you’ve given them some incentive to sign up to your list – more on that later, too. While your clients are reading your e-mail message, you have their complete attention – don’t waste it! Give them helpful information, not just a sales pitch (yes, more on that later, too). Give them a reason to see you and your business / service as the “go-to” business when they have a need for what you have to offer. It’s called being the “authority” in your field.

So, how to build that list? Simple: Every single person that you come into contact with in the business environment (and in some other places, too) gives you their e-mail address. And yes, everyone (EVERYONE) has an e-mail address! You may need to provide a small incentive, but trust me, it doesn’t take much. Begin to build your list. Even if you don’t do anything with it right now, start collecting those e-mail addresses. I’ll have a few posts on all the cool and easy things you can do to begin and grow that list. For now, do a little brainstorming yourself. If you have a store or office where people physically come in, start with something simple, like a clipboard, pen and paper with a sign that says “Join Our Great E-mail List!” (OK, you may want something more subtle, depending on your business… grin.)

Just get started! Don’t worry if you don’t know what you’ll be doing with all those e-mail addresses. We’ll get to that soon. Start now with collecting e-mail addresses. It’s a strategy that will pay huge benefits in the future!