Articles in Category: Applications

Applications include third party programs, software packages and software suites that run on your computer.

Why Are My Incremental Backups so Large?

Understand why incremental backups can sometimes be much larger than expected.

Are Backup Image Files more Fragile than just Having Copies of All the Individual Files?

I’m often asked if backup images as one large file are more susceptible to failure than storing the contents as individual files. My take: not really.

Do You Back Up?

For the past several weeks I’ve been asking new subscribers, “Do you back up?” The responses have been a little depressing.

How Do I Schedule Automatic Backups?

Next to simply making an image backup, scheduling those backups to happen automatically is one of the topics most people find confusing. Depending on the backup software that you’re using, it’s typically not hard at all. I’ll show you by walking through the steps of scheduling a monthly full backup, using the free version of the backup … Read more

How Do I Create a New Machine Image?

When you get a new machine, creating a new machine image backup as soon as you can is a convenient way to reinstall should you ever need to.

How Do I Make an Outlook PST File Smaller?

The the Outlook PST file or Personal STorage file can easily grow to an extreme size. Here’s a 4-step plan to managing that size and getting it back under control.

Should I back up to DVDs?

In the past it was common to back up to DVDs. Today, the landscape has changed, and backing up to an external hard drive is more appropriate.

Is Excel 2003 a Security Threat?

Running older versions of software invariably increases your risk of security issues. The practical questions are ‘by how much?’ and ‘how do I reduce risk?’.

How Can I Manage a Lot of Scanned Documents?

Over the years I’ve put together a system that requires just a push of a button to scan and store all my documents.

What Repair Discs Do I Need?

You may not need every kind of rescue disc possible, but you should certainly have one from your backup program.

How do I protect the files on a portable hard drive?

The answer to this is simple. If it’s only in one place… it’s not backed up!

Is an external hard drive better for backing up than DVDs?

DVDs can be a clumsy solution for backing up – especially if you want to take a full system image. It’s much better to go for an external hard drive.

Can my backup programs restore my settings to a new machine?

Programs and settings aren’t easily migrated to a new machine. For the most stable upgrade you’ll want to work from scratch.

Can I Just Keep Making Incremental Backups After I’ve Made a Full-image Backup?

Incremental backups, in a practical sense, have a limited shelf life. I’ll explain why a full backup once a month is just about right.

Can my image backup of Windows XP be used on my Windows 8 computer?

Backing up, particularly with backup image software, is for recovering from a disaster. It can also be handy when moving to a new machine, but probably not in the way you are thinking.

Is application-provided encryption secure?

Lots of people keep their passwords and sensitive information in documents or spreadsheets sporting a password. Is that really safe?

What’s in your toolkit?

It’s useful to have a set of tools ready to be used for debugging, diagnosing, and resolving system problems of various sorts. This is called a toolkit. I’ll show you mine.

Do I need all these Office 2007 updates if I also have Office 2010?

Even if you don’t use all the software on your computer, malware might! So it’s best to always accept updates when they are offered.

Why can’t I restore my AppData folder from a backup?

Trying to restore Windows Live Mail through the AppData folder is not going to be clean or pretty. But with that image backup, there is an easier way…

How do I save individual Outlook messages to a flash drive?

Copying messages out of Outlook is easy – as long as you’re willing to live with the restrictions that Outlook places on what you can do with those messages later.

Will Malware Infect the Backups on My Connected Backup Drives as Well?

In truth, malware can infect anything that it wants to, but there are a lot of reasons why your backup files aren’t targeted.

How Can I Back Up My Data More or Less Continuously?

With hardware failures, accidental deletions, and more, it’s easy to lose files as you are working on them. What’s the easiest way to back up your computer as you go?

Where is my Outlook “PST” file located?

Outlook’s PST or Personal STore is a single file that holds your email, contacts, and more. You can use Outlook itself to find the location of the file.

Can I backup one computer to another?

Your computers are probably already attached over your home network. You just need to “share” them.

What are your thoughts on utilities like SyncToy for backing up?

SyncToy is a useful tool as long as you understand what it can, and cannot, do.

Can I use backup software to move programs?

Moving data to your new machine from your backup is easy. Moving the programs is a different story.

Will backups run if my PC asks for a password?

Scheduling regular backups is an important step in your overall backup strategy. But they do have to run when your computer is on and accessible.

Why does my computer crash when I try to back up?

Backing up shouldn’t crash a computer, and neither should attaching a hard disk.

Archiving – What it is and why you need to start

As our lives become more and more digital – from digital documents to photographs and videos – it’s time to become a little more intentional about how we keep and manage all the digital data that we’re accumulating. It’s time to think about archiving.