It’s when your computer crashes, it won’t start up, and there is nothing you can do to get back your precious data – pictures, documents, emails.  Of course if you have backed up all your data, and can easily restore it then this is more of an inconvenience then a disaster.  That’s what this article is about – how to backup and restore your computer data.

In my opinion the best way to back up your computer is to have it continuously and automatically backed up in “the cloud” – i.e. an external site on the internet.  There are many services to do this but I pay to use Carbonite.com – $59 US per year – and have nothing but good things to say.  Some other popular backup services are Dropbox.com and Backblaze.com.

With Carbonite you just sign-up, decide what folders you want backed up, and then Carbonite does the rest – using your internet connection to copy your data to their secure servers.  It even keeps up to twelve versions of each file.   The best part is that the data is easy to restore when needed so if you need to go back to an earlier version of a file – say your resume – then it is only a few clicks away.  Carbonite has saved my bacon several times.

The most important thing is that you back up your computer.  It is not a matter if your computer will die – just when.

To ensure your email is always backed up – and accessible to you from anywhere – use Gmail or another cloud-based service.  I like Gmail because of its features and the 7 gigabytes of free space.

Believe it or not March 31st is World Backup Day – see http://www.worldbackupday.com/ for more info and tips.

Believe it or not, Mr. Softy (MSFT) itself makes “the anti-annoying, anti-expensive, anti-virus program”  for Windows.  That’s right Microsoft freely distributes its own program called Microsoft Security Essentials!

“Use Microsoft Security Essentials to guard against viruses, spyware, and other evil software. It provides real-time protection for your home or small business PCs.

Microsoft Security Essentials is free and we designed it to be simple to install and easy to use. It runs quietly and efficiently in the background so you don’t have to worry about interruptions or making updates.”

I’ve been using Microsoft Security Essentials since it came out and it works great – as it should.  After all who better qualified to keep the bad guys off your computer then the people that wrote the operating system.  If you are running Windows on your computer then save yourself some cash and uninstall all other anti-virus software you are paying for – then download Microsoft Security Essentials from: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/security-essentials .  Even if you have to pay a computer tech to do this for you it is well worth the ~$40 or so that it will cost.

The main reason is the purchase price.  Apple computers generally cost at least 1.5 times more than the equivalent Windows PC.  For example compare desktop machines – the iMac that starts at $1200 with an all-in-one Windows desktop that costs $800 - and the Windows machine has a bigger screen, more RAM, and a bigger hard drive.  With laptops a MacBook with a 13.3 inch screen will run around $1200, while a Windows laptop with a 17.3″ screen costs $700 and again has more RAM, a bigger hard drive and a better graphics card.  The MacBook Air is a different beast since it has a special Solid State Drive (SSD) that has no moving parts, instead of a regular spinning hard drive.  It is the SSD that is also used in tablets to get that “instant on” effect, and allow them to be so slim.  It is only recently that Windows PC equivalents called “Ultrabooks” were released, but the price difference is still there – $1300 for a MacBook Air with 128 GB SDD versus $900 for an Ultrabook equivalent with a 330 GB SSD.

Apple computers also have higher ongoing costs because software is not backwards compatible.  This means that if you upgrade the operating system (Macs run Mac OS) then you will also have to pay for upgrades to all the software you run on the computer.  With the Windows operating system and new versions allow you to continue running the existing versions of software you’ve purchased.  Now, some might argue that this is limited to third party software packages because when you pay for a Mac OS upgrade you also get upgrades to the Apple software that comes standard with a Mac .  At any rate, the cost is more.

In the past, some have said that the Mac computer offers a premium user experience – a better design interface and more stable product.  You can expect to turn on a Mac and it will “just work”.  With Windows this wasn’t the case – for example Windows Vista had all kinds of interface changes and problems that made it a brute.  But in my opinion this is truly in the past – with the release of the Windows 7 operating system I believe that Microsoft has “caught up” with Apple.

So if you have the cash go ahead and buy a Mac, but I think you’d be better off with your money in your pocket and a Windows PC instead.  The future also looks great for Microsoft – rumours are that the release of Windows 8 with touchscreen capabilities on Ultrabooks will mean a slim, instant-on, touchscreen computer that can be both a laptop and tablet.  Of course Apple may come out with something that combines the best of the iPad and MacBook Air too.

Recently I took another look at internet TV and naturally was leaning towards the cheaper option – a software product called Boxee that can be installed on any computer for free.  Boxee on a computer is great, but you still need to have your computer on, accessible and hooked up to your TV to use it – not that inconvenient, but not ideal.  Boxee also offers a device that you can just plugin to your TV and it uses your local wireless network to connect to the internet – it comes with a remote and costs about $190 on sale.  Not bad I thought – can I splurge – is it really any good – will my wife shoot me for being an “early adopter” yet once again?  Then I found Apple TV.

Apple TV is a little box small enough to fit in the palm of your hand that costs $120.  All you do is plug it into a power outlet, use an HDMI cable to plug it into your TV.   Using the sleek little remote it comes with you just choose the wireless network you want to connect to, and then you can start watching!  Watching what you say?  Well, you can get most free internet stuff like YouTube videos directly from the internet, but the best part is you can access any photos, videos or music that you have on any computers connected to your home network – although they do have to be running Apple’s iTunes software.  Also you can connect to the iTunes store and pay to download music and movies – but only if you want.  The best part is – like most Apple products – it is not only easy, but an absolute pleasure to use – and integrates seamlessly with Apple products like the iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad.  I also recommend the Netflix internet move and TV show service that costs $7.99 per month – tons of great kids and adult shows alike.

So, here is the breakdown of our set-up to get rid of our satellite TV bill:

• Apple TV – about $150 including tax
• Netflix – $7.99 per month
• Movies from iTunes – $5.99 each for HD version (or $4.99 for regular version)
• TV shows from iTunes – $2.99 per episode, or $39.99 per season
• Set up antenna to get over-the-air TV stations
• Bonus: photo slideshows, music, direct connection to iPhone / iPod

So, I figure our TV costs will go from almost $100 per month to under $50 per month depending on how many TV shows and movies we rent and that may be none.  Set up is less than $200.  The only potential issue for some people is no sports specialty channels – free broadcasts from the likes of CBC will have to fill any live sports needs.

PS – Update to my  recommendation from last month – a $400 laptop with at least a 15.6″ screen, 4GB of RAM,  a 500GB hard drive, and an HDMI output.  An HDMI output will allow you so to easily send high definition video with sound to most TV’s.

PPS – Why didn’t I recommend or even discuss any Apple computers like the iMac or MacBook’s?  Simply put they are the best but they are super expensive for what you get – try $1800 for a laptop that is basically the same.  With the release of Windows 7, the benefit to buying Mac doesn’t outweigh the cost IMHO.   Also maintenance is much more because if you upgrade your operating system on a Mac, you also have to pay to get new versions of all your software!  Note that this does not apply to iPod’s, iPhone’s and iPad’s – here the extra cost is worth the benefit – but that’s another column.

Short Answer = Buy a $400 laptop with at least a 15.6″ screen, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive.

The long answer is that there are 4 basic types of computers you can buy:

1. Desktop – the traditional PC tower
2. Laptop – a screen and keyboard that folds up like a clamshell for portability
3. Netbook – essentially a smaller and less powerful laptop
4. Tablet – a touchscreen cell phone without the phone

Desktops give you the most bang for your buck, are great for heavy-duty computing, and have large monitor screens (> 20″ are now standard) but are not portable and laptops cost just a little more for the same power.

Laptops are powerful, portable and the standard is a 15.6″ screen.  They can connect to a large monitor, keyboard and mouse easily for a two-screen professional workstation set-up.

Netbooks are cheapest and will work for those on a budget that aren’t doing much computing – perhaps just checking email, surfing the web and viewing some pictures.

Tablets are expensive and most people will still require a second computer to meet all their needs (i.e. desktop, laptop or netbook).  They are slick and convenient, but in my opinion are just a large version of a smartphone (cell phone) but without the ability to make calls!

So my recommendation is to purchase a laptop with at least a 15.6″ screen, 4GB of RAM, and a 500GB hard drive.  It doesn’t really matter what brand (HP, Gateway, Acer, Toshiba, etc.) or who made the processor (AMD vs. Intel).  Look for one on sale at y (The Source, Future Shop, Staples) and you should be able to purchase it in the $350 – $450 price range.  If you want to use it at a fixed workstation then purchase a monitor, keyboard and mouse and just plug it in at your desk when you use it there.

Contact us for a quote if you’re interested in using this program.

Hunter River Mommy Showcase 2011

Saturday, June 4th, 2011
from 10 am – 2pm
at the Hunter River Community Center
(behind Harmony House)

Admission is by donation to the Dr Kent G Ellis Heritage Park

All mommies, grandmas, aunts and women welcome. Come and enjoy a cup of coffee or teas and meet with reps from a number of different businesses that have you in mind because they are women just like you. And don’t forget the door prizes.