How To Make My Computer Safe

A while back, you may remember that I had a scare with that most-dreaded of MS Windows annoyances, the Blue Screen Of Death, or BSOD. I was pretty shaken up at the time, as I’ve had some history with BSODs; once you’ve seen one, it’s a race to save your computer’s data before Windows completely craps out,
and you end up losing a bunch of stuff and reinstalling the operating	photo by mstyne

operating system. Not only is this a PITA, but there’s also a decent chance that you’re going to lose at least some of your data.

Also, there’s the time lost reinstalling all of your necessary programs, and reconfiguring your browser, and other critical apps. And finally, it’s just nerve-wracking to think that this piece of machinery that you paid 2 weeks salary for could have another nail in it’s coffin. “Will this one be the big one, the un-recoverable one?” You ask yourself.

Obviously, we want to prevent all that. I can’t be independent without staying in touch with the people and happenings that are brought to me by that little pressed aluminum box. I can’t be self-reliant if I don’t know how to protect myself from little hiccups like this.

And how did it come to this? You would think that some of us alpha-geeks have got triple-redundant systems, and backups, and backups of backups, and everything neatly sorted and ready to go at a moments notice, blah blah blah. Well, you’d be wrong. It’s been my experience that computer geeks have some of the worst habits of anyone regarding keeping proper backups. I know I do. I think we think of backups the same way we think about becoming organ donors; everyone says you should do it, but no one really does. It’s time for that to change.

Enter my latest BSOD. After I calmed down, and assessed the situation, I was both relieved and anxious. I felt better knowing that a specific application caused the BSOD, so if I just don’t run that app, I should be fine. But I also felt jumpy, because I realized how close the bullet was that I’d just dodged, and I wasn’t really sure I’d dodged it anyway. BSODs tend to create more BSODs, so it was only a matter of time before they were being caused by something other than that one stoopid app.

I vowed then and there that I would never again be caught flat-footed. I promised I was going to discover the very best system and configuration that modern technology had to offer, because my data and my sanity are worth it. And, it had to fit within my budget, because when I open my wallet, most of the time moths flutter out of it.

This post is a kickoff for my project, a “Case Study”, if you will. I’m going to narrow down my requirements, and figure out what hardware and software will fit the bill. Then I’m going to migrate my current system over to the new configuration. Finally, I’ll outline the steps needed for backing up and saving my critical data, so that I never have to worry about BSODs again, both from a software and a hardware point of view.

And, I’m going to share it with my readers, so you can get a first-hand look at how you can take steps to ensure YOUR OWN safety and security with the computer systems in your life.

Check back with my blog often to make sure you don’t miss a report on this project. And if you have any questions or comments or suggestions on how to do this better, PLEASE leave me some comments.

I’m excited! Let’s get started!

Regards,

p.s. Watch for further posts on this case study as I work my way through the process!