Preparing for Disaster

I. Data Loss

   A) Back up 
     1) What’s important?
        * Address book of phone numbers
        * Browser bookmarks/favorites
        * E-mail and address book
        * MP3s
        * Photos / pictures
        * QuickTime movies
        * Website
        * Your Home directory
        * ______________  * ______________ 

     2) What’s not important?
        * Aliases           * Browser cache
        * ______________  * ______________ 

     3) Questions that keep you from doing it:
        * I don’t know how  (keep reading)
        * I don’t know what to back up  (see above)
        * I don’t know when to back up
          (before moving or traveling,
           before upgrading your system,
           every year, quarter, month, week, night, etc.,
           when your HD makes funny noises,
           ______________,  ______________ ) 

        * I don’t have the hardware
          (Zip, CD, DVD, iPod, HD, etc.)

        * I don’t have the software
          (iSync, .mac BackUp, Carbon Copy Cloner, Retrospect)

     4) The OS X Challenge:
        * Sheer size (GBs)
        * Invisible folders and permissions

The catch: To use Apple’s CD/DVD burning software, you must have as much free space on your startup disk as you want to burn because it makes an invisible copy of it. That is, if you want to burn a backup data DVD, you must have up to 4.7 GB of free space available. 3rd-party software, like Roxio’s Toast, can burn drectly from HD to CD/DVD w/o an invisible intermediary file, and can burn multiple copies of the same disk for you.

I. Data Loss  (cont’d)

   B) Data Recovery 
     1) Personal via Software
        * DiskWarrior
        * Norton Utilities
        * ______________  * ______________ 

     2) Professional
        * DriveSavers
        * interdata-services.com
        * ______________  * ______________ 

The catch: If you are able to access your data, you will need to transfer it somewhere. Otherwise, prepare to spend some money.

II. Theft

   A) Password Protect 
      * Disable Auto-Login for Startup/Restart
      * Enable Firmware Password Protection
      * Possibly enable for Screensavers/Sleep
      * ______________  * ______________ 

   B) Personalize/Customize
      * Engraving       * Clear CD label
      * ______________  * ______________ 

   C) Inventory Your Serial #s, Purchase Date & Price

   D) Insurance/Recovery
      * Home Owner’s/Renter’s Insurance
      * Safeware.com
      * Computrace
      * LapCop         * pcphonehome.com
      * ______________  * ______________ 

III. Death

    * Importance of a Significant Other 
    * Passwords
    * Websites
    * Your Will
    * ______________  * ______________