I received another frantic call on Saturday from a mate who
is having problems with his computer. It seems there is something wrong with
his computer as the keyboard isn't working properly and every time he accesses
the internet, his browser opens HUNDREDS of windows...sure sign of a virus.
Calling in to his place, I knew immediately what to do...blow away his system as he had dozens of viruses on his machine and it was going to take days to remove them all. I told him my plan and asked when he last ran a backup. A blank look came over his face - What's a backup?
Great. Instead of taking a few hours to rebuild his machine, I was going to have to spend days backing up his machine before I could rebuild it. I quickly removed his hard drive and told him I'd be back in a few days. The look on his face was priceless - WHAT!!! How am I supposed to keep in touch with everyone?
I quietly told him that he had 2 choices, either I take the drive and try to save his files or he loses the lot. Amazing how quickly people come around to your way of thinking when the are about to lose thousands of photos!!!
Well, it's taken18 hours to retrieve a copy of his hard drive and ensure all his files have been recovered. I think a few more days without his PC will encourage him to back up in future.
It's very fortunate for him that he didn't catch one of the many "ransom ware" viruses that are around. If he had one of those, there is no way I could have saved any of his files and he would have lost decades worth of photos.
Please everyone, if you have a computer, tablet or smart phone, BACK IT UP on a regular basis and verify the backup contents. It may be your only hope if you have something serious go wrong with your technology.
Calling in to his place, I knew immediately what to do...blow away his system as he had dozens of viruses on his machine and it was going to take days to remove them all. I told him my plan and asked when he last ran a backup. A blank look came over his face - What's a backup?
Great. Instead of taking a few hours to rebuild his machine, I was going to have to spend days backing up his machine before I could rebuild it. I quickly removed his hard drive and told him I'd be back in a few days. The look on his face was priceless - WHAT!!! How am I supposed to keep in touch with everyone?
I quietly told him that he had 2 choices, either I take the drive and try to save his files or he loses the lot. Amazing how quickly people come around to your way of thinking when the are about to lose thousands of photos!!!
Well, it's taken18 hours to retrieve a copy of his hard drive and ensure all his files have been recovered. I think a few more days without his PC will encourage him to back up in future.
It's very fortunate for him that he didn't catch one of the many "ransom ware" viruses that are around. If he had one of those, there is no way I could have saved any of his files and he would have lost decades worth of photos.
Please everyone, if you have a computer, tablet or smart phone, BACK IT UP on a regular basis and verify the backup contents. It may be your only hope if you have something serious go wrong with your technology.
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