BACKING UP YOUR DATA IS IMPORTANT

 

Husband is currently working on installing new backup software on his computer and having problems. Which leads me to ask – do you back up your computer? Often?

We are not comfortable backing up our software or keeping any data, etc in “the Cloud”. We back up on additional drives which are in our house. Leaving aside that we don't feel comfortable keeping personal information on what is basically someone else's hard drive, by keeping the backups here – we can access it even if we do not Internet access for some reason – or for a limited amount time, we can access it on our laptop computers if we do not have same. (When a big storm is coming and we may lose our electricity we plug in all of our laptops - even the old Win XP ones - so we have them to use during a black out.

We keep our data on USB flash drives – the little stick drives not on our computers – makes it easier to switch between computers or when, in normal times, we travel we can bring the data with us. In my case I have one for most data. Another one for the one accounting business client I still have (when I go to her to do her books I can bring just her data), I have one for my photos, another down here in the kitchen which I use for personal browsing at night on my laptop. And so on. I probably have about 10 different of these stick drives with my data on them – and they are not large memory drives.

This past year I added a drive with scans of almost all of the instruction and warranty books we have – much easier to find the instructions when we need them – yes, we do have to have a computer turned on – or turn one on – but before I had to go through paper folders in the bottom drawer (of two) in one of our file cabinets and since I was bending over and looking down, my eyeglasses would swing forward away from my eyes and possibly fall off. The (hanging) folders were so full that they could barely move in the file drawer. Do we need a computer which is on to look at the papers – yes, but chances are pretty good that one or the other of us (or both) have a computer on – and if not, it takes less time to turn one on and have it boot than sit and go through all the folders looking for something.

In addition to instructions and warranties the drawer had files for travel items – maps, handouts we had picked up on where to go “next time”, places we had liked and wanted to return to, tour books on different areas, etc. I got rid of all of the out of date brochures, tour books, etc. also. We kept a handful of local maps to places we go to often (you know, the ones they hand out free to the tourists of tourist locations), and of some places we have been to in the past (such as nice, inexpensive restaurant in one of the places we visit less often). Down from 3 overstuffed hanging folders to one fairly empty one. I did not copy larger, books of instructions and have kept them in the drawer. I also copied those instructions for our RV to a separate stick drive so we can bring it with us on trips. I have since copied the main warranty/instructions stick drive to a folder on our home net so husband does not even have to look for my stick drive if he needs info.

I now have 5 fairly empty hanging folders in the drawer. One holds instruction books which are tomes and too big to scan (plus they have actual book binding which would break). The other 4 holds those small warranty papers which one needs for a couple of years or so – you know, they come with a fancy pen, or they are on the back of the package. These 4 folders are marked with a year – currently 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. I drop these small papers/packaging into the year they will expire. Something with a 6 mo warranty that was bought now would go into the 2023 folder, something with a 2 year warranty I would put into the 2024 folder. Chances are none of them have a warranty beyond 3 years. At the end of the years I will look through each folder and toss the warranties past their life. When I am done with the 2022 folder it will become the 2026 folder and so on. I am also dropping all of the paperwork for new items which I am concerned we may decide to return into the folder for the following year so we have the original paperwork also.

Now, backing up – the original theme of this piece. I have 2 of these stick drives, marked A and B. At the end of a work session I back up my main data stick drive – plus any of the other data stick drives I have used – onto either the A or B stick drives alternating each day. At the end of the week I do the same with two different stick drives (called 1 and 2) so I have a backup from the past week and the week before. I also have 2 external hard drives. Around the 15^th of the month I back up all the data stick drives to the two external hard drives, alternating by month between the two. I also run a back up of each of my two main computers (desktop and laptop) and make a restore point on each.

When my husband was still working full time, once a month I would give him a back up all of data for him to keep in his desk at work and he would bring home the backup from the month before. When he quit his job I did the same with our bank box until the pandemic started. This way if something happened to our house – there would be a set of data away from home (off site).

All without needing to store any data on “someone's else's hard drive”.

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

Do you back up your computer data and computer itself? One never knows what happen and putting information back together may impossible.

COMPUTER BACKUPS - SO WHEN THE COMPUTER DIES ALL CAN BE RESTORED

 This week I have to talk about organizing one's computer – yes, it is very important.  If one leaves the dishes for later in the day, as long as they get done it is fine – the same for dusting, laundry and most household chores.  But one may only get one chance to back up their computer before data or software is lost.   

We do not back up to “the cloud”.  All backups are on local on other media than the data drive(s) used.    Another name for “the cloud” is “someone else's hard drive”.  I figure it is worth much more to someone to break into, say, Google's data which includes same for – how many people? - then it is to break into ours – and we do not keep sensitive data.  Plus if the Internet is “down” we can keep using our computers with all data available to us.

I am very careful to back up.  I keep my data on USB flash stick drives so it can be moved from my desktop to my laptop or another computer.  I use 2 additional of these drives (marked “A” and “B”) for daily backing up.  I do so at least daily and alternate between the two of them,  If I used “A” yesterday, today's backup is on B.  This way even if the backup for the day and the original data is lost – I have only lost a day's work as I still have the prior day's backup.  

I also have 2 of these drives (with larger capacity) which are marked “E” and “F”.  On Friday afternoons I update the data on whichever of these 2 drives I did not use last Friday.  This way even if I lose my original and both backups – I have the data as of the last Friday (end of work week).

Okay you are starting to think I am bit crazy and back up too much – but more is coming and it is important.  Since flash drives have a limited number of rewrites to them I also have 2 external hard drives.  I They are named odd and even (my data drive is H and my archive drive of prior years is G).  My data drive, archive drive and A and B backup drives are always in my desktop computer (unless being used on my laptop or there is some unusual reason to remove them from the computer).  

In the middle of the month (around the 15th) I will back up my data drives to an external hard drive and also backup my computer itself to same.  I use the “odd” hard drive for backups in the odd number months (1, etc) and the “even” hard drive for same in even months (2, etc).  This way I have a complete backup of computer and data at most 2 months old and more likely one month old or more recent.  

It sounds like a lot of work but takes maybe half an hour at most (and that is more than actual) while I am closing my work area for the day.  

I also have separate data flash drives for my accounting business clients so that when I go to a client (in non-pandemic times) I only bring their data with me and not any other client's data.  I back these up when I use them to the A/B alternates and if used during the past week on weekly backup and also always to the monthly hard drive backup.

Earlier this year my computer went wacky and husband had to use the most recent backup of the computer after he got it working again to get it close to normal and I did not lose any data.  

Okay – that is a one time problem, won't happen again – HA! HA!

Two days ago husband let our joint Windows 10 computer update.  We each have a Win 7 computer setup as we want and only use the Win 10 as we need to for software which needs it.  A month or so ago his Win 7 died and since he is using the Win 10 as his regular computer.  

When he turned on the computer yesterday – it did not come on.  Something in the backing up did something weird to the computer.  He worked on it into the wee hours of this morning and then gave up.  He does not back up as often as I do so his backup is about a month (maybe two) old.  Presuming that backup works – all of his programs will think it is back then and any work since and not backed up is lost.  It took 3 or 4 tries of booting the computer today for everything to seem be okay with it.  

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -

When was the last time you backed up your computer(s)?  If you lost the data on it would you be okay or would you need the data?    

Get yourself a couple of USB stick flash drives and at least start backing up your data.  An external hard drive is good idea for backup of the computer itself also.

TO BACK UP OR NOT TO BACK UP, THAT SHOULD NEVER BE THE QUESTION!

 A late post, my apologies.  Today I will point out the importance and urgency of backing up one’s computer.  Yes, these two subjects are related.

I normally write my posts using my laptop computer. It is relatively new - bought in December 2018.  It is Windows 10 and I complain about a lot about it.  But over the almost 2 years I have had it I have “moved in” and gotten used to it more or less.  

I have a desktop computer upstairs in our office (which just to mention, no real need to do so, is Windows 7).  I don’t like change and often say that change, especially unwanted change, is never good.  I keep my laptop in the kitchen to use in the evening and I use it also when going to out to clients for work - it’s intended purpose, but has been rare use of it this year due to the Covid 19 shutdowns and limitations, as I went to my business client in January and February only - she has been closed since then and taxes were prepared by having clients mail their information to me.  

I am VERY good about backing up my computers and my data.  Husband usually thinks I go overboard.  When he realized I was backing up my laptop also he sort of gave me a “yeah, well, I guess so” about it.

I keep my data on flash drives - you know, those little stick things. I back up the data after each session at the computer onto alternating additional flash drives - I call then A and B to keep track.  At the end of each week I do another data backup onto a weekly backup flash drive -this one I have 6 of each the data backups and overwrite the oldest one each week - I do this because i had a problem with my calendar data once and did not realize it until I had overwritten both the A and B backup drives with the bad data.  

In more recent years, and more important to this saga, I started backing up my entire computer completely to two external hard drives in addition to my data backups. I back up around the 15th of the month (too many things to do at month’s end and start) onto one of the external hard drives. I will back up, say February 15, 2020 for the month of January in a file labeled as 2020 Q1.  I will then back up by updating that file on March 15 and again on April 15, starting a new file for second quarter on May 15. I do this with both my desktop and my laptop computer.

I also make a backup onto the other external hard drive quarterly - so at about the same time I make the monthly backup on April 15 (and so on) I also make an all new backup for the quarter to the other external hard drive. My husband thinks that all of this overkill.

And now the reason I mention all of this -

This past Sunday I used my laptop computer as normal to read the newspaper (we normally get the print edition, but, due to the Corona virus, we did not want the physical paper in the house each day, and are entitled to the online version, so I have reading same - I do not particularly like reading it this way, but as I have learned, at least I was able to read the paper), and I was able to start reading my Monday comics early, play a bit of Solitaire (I swear the computer cheats) and then shut it down to go to bed.

Monday evening after dinner I set up my laptop to read the newspaper.  It would not turn on.  The power indicator light was dark.  The light next to the power button did not come on when I pushed it (over and over again).  Nothing - dead - D E A D - dead. Battery should have been fully charged and even that did not help.  Husband took it upstairs to see what he could do.  He tried a variety of things.  Unlike my other, older laptops it does not have removable battery - normal thing for them would be to remove the battery, while it was not plugged in  and see if doing so and replacing the battery restarted it.  He found online a way to do this with my computer and it did not work.

So on Tuesday I telephoned the store I bought it from (store gives a second year warranty included so it is still covered) and the information was taken and I have to send it to them for repair.  Scares the heck out of me both because of our general problems with deliveries to the house (normally would have it come back to our PO Box, but since we are not picking mail, I cannot do that) and the fact that all of my passwords, appointment book, etc are in it and not on separate data due to the need for them to be on the computer itself and will be available to them to see when they get it running again.

Now, I understand that there is a check list for the employees to follow, but some sense is needed. My computer will not start - she told me I should make a back up - how the heck does one do that when the computer will not start - I pointed this out to her and said that I did have 2 backups about a week old.  (And my data is backed up daily so I have that as my last session on the computer.)  We then received the list of photos we had to take of the computer and email to them - first one, as well as several of the others requested was to be taken with the computer turned on?  A photo of the problem - well here it is a blank screen - and we also took photos of the power lights not on.  My husband had checked the electric cord with a voltage meter, so we know it is not the cord.

We were told that the box they were sending to us for us to use to send the laptop to them was coming by UPS 2 day.  I sit here on the night of the second day after I called and still do not have it.  It should come tomorrow by 9 pm.  Today it was pouring and windy here.  Tomorrow the remnants of Hurricane Zeta will passing through - presuming the box is dropped on our front steps or driveway as is normal it may blow away as well as possibly getting soaked.  

In the ensuing time - I went to sign in on my older laptop (a Windows XP) to read the newspaper on Tuesday night.  Uh oh!  I have never done so before on it - and my password list from my laptop is ..... in a notepad file in the computer!!  I finally found a piece of paper on which I had written down the sign in and password and tried to sign into the newspaper - it does not work.  It works on husband’s cell phone and it works on my desktop computer, but not on my old laptop!  

Last evening when I should have posted to all of you, I could not - as I did not the password to do so.  Today, I copied out the passwords from my desktop computer onto a flash drive and will make a copy of them - and here I am.


THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
If you do not do so - start backing up your computer as soon as possible.  One never knows when one will need it, as I so recently found out.  We have also used backups in the past when something has gone wrong in one of our computers.  And back up your data also and more often.  More than one back up, as I do, is a good idea -just in case.

AN IMPORTANT REMINDER -

If you are able to vote in the U.S. - VOTE!!  It is a privilege to be able to do so and this year more than ever, a few votes one way or the other can make a big difference. I say this not knowing if those of you out there lean the same way as I do and I very well might be sending more votes to the candidate I do not choose, but it is everyone’s right to choose and to vote and voting is a right which should not be taken lightly.  

While speaking by telephone with my 91 year old mother a week ago, after we greeted each other, she told me that she had gotten her vote by mail ballot (she can not go out of her assisted living this year to vote) and her residence had an employee assigned to collect the completed vote by mail forms and bring them to their local polling place for the residents. She then made sure my husband and I had plans to vote - we did so already - as she knows the importance of voting.  (And I am not sure that her national votes will not offset mine, but we all have the right to vote and should exercise that right.)






       

DO YOU BACK UP?

You know “the curse” I have been talking about?  Well it hit again.  Due to all of the craziness and lack of time in general plus time lost to the craziness and need to do things over and over, I had not backed up my main computer or my work laptop (the old one, not this new one which is still being slowly fed software) for the last quarter of 2018 - which I would normally have done around January 15 - nor did I do a monthly backup for December either.  So last Friday I decided to do both.  I backed up one computer to the quarterly hard drive and the other to the monthly hard drive at the same time.  All went well.  I also backed up my calendar, client who I have a separate flash drive for, and my data to each.  All went fine.  Saturday we were home as there was to be rain so I backed up each of the computers etc to the opposite drive.  Still all okay. 

I then went to back up for the week.  I have a flash drive which holds 6 weeks of data, client, ad calendar files.  I update the oldest one each week.  This week if the data drive went bad and both of the regular “every session alternately” backups went bad I will have data from a week ago to work with.  I back up with a software program that updates the files already in the file I am updating to.  It finished running while we were out having dinner on Saturday.

When we got home the backup file did not show everything as finished.  There were problems with several older tax client files - this is pdf copies of the returns, info used from the clients and my work papers.  When I opened those files - it was all gibberish.  Husband looked at them and told me that the drive had gone bad and the files were corrupted. 

I did not panic - I have backups and they must be right as the backup program had not had a problem when making them.  The back up from Saturday afternoon had the same corrupted files. I should say that, luckily, I had not gotten around to do any actual work on the computer for a couple of days - checked email, updated calendar, started one letter.  I tried the backup from Friday and it was fine - whew!! 

Husband tried to format the bad drive and it could not be done.  So he broke it with a hammer to dust and threw out the dust.  (Security is important when financial records are involved.)  I had a new, larger flash drive and copied the backup from the day before to that drive.  Husband suggested I use all new drives and change them annually from now on.  I also have an archive drive - I will soon copy my 2018 files into my archive and remove them from the data drive I use to keep it more compact.  Robert suggested that I get a new archive drive also.  When I update the archive drive I also make 2 DVDs of it - one goes into my regular disk box and one goes into my “grab and go” accordion folder.  This holds copies of our house and car titles, stock certificates, last month’s reconciled bank statements, wedding licenses (we actually have 3 - one government, one from each of our religions), medical insurance and the like.  In case of an emergency we can grab this folder and have copies of our important papers to take with us - including DVDs of the archive and of my monthly backup to take offsite. 

So I planned to go on Monday to a MicroCenter - a location of the chain and buy 3 new flash drives - one each for the session backups and a larger one for the archive.  However, while at Costco on Sunday, husband noticed that my laptop dropped $50 in price since we bought it, so Monday we forgot about buying the new drives and went to back to Costco as they will refund the difference with the receipt.  (This is a actually a very good idea.  I could have returned the laptop and bought it again to take advantage of the price drop, and they would be stuck with a used laptop, this way I keep my laptop, am happy to get the lower price, and they don’t have to deal with a used laptop - and extra credit card fees for a return and another purchase.)

So yesterday, Tuesday, we bought the new drives.  I made two new regular backups yesterday of data, client, and calendar files.  I still have to check the hard drive backups and make a weekly backup for last week - though at this point, I will probably not bother and just do this week’s weekly backup on Friday.  I also still have to copy the archive to the new drive.

I feel as if I am not getting anything done. I generally can tell how much I have been getting done by the number of papers I have to file at the end of a week, the number of items I have to mail out, and how deep the dust is in the house (okay, there is always too much dust in the house).

 I have not finished client’s tax return yet - due March 15 - and need to have it finished and go to her with it before then.  I have not heard from my other clients yet - they tend to contact me in March.  I am still trying to get missing papers for our personal returns - one corrected IRA 1099 has not come yet - called yesterday about it - to be sent to us.  I also have not received a corrected summary statement - but that is for something later this year.  I did not get a dividend 1099 either, called up and I am not sure one was sent as the first thing the computer talked about was how much our dividends were and that we don’t need a 1099, but if we want one, they can send “a replacement”.  So hopefully that will come soon.  I know the amounts for all of these and can do the return without them, but need the paperwork for the same thing later in the year.  We have two business returns to do for ourselves. One is due March 15 also and has no income - it is inactive, but we don’t want to close it down.  So yesterday, just to get something done I did the inactive company’s tax returns.  Well, something is done at least. 

And - husband is thinking about going to a woodworking show out of state this weekend - which means Friday as we have the annual party for our reenactment unit on Sunday so we cannot go then and we cannot get up early enough to do that on Sunday and go to the woodworking show on Saturday.  We will see.  This was a nice show, but the venue it was in was closed and it moved to one that is not at all convenient to deal with.  (A quilt show at the same old venue moved elsewhere and was awful and is no more.)

THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
BACK UP!  No, not away from the computer.  Make sure that you are doing backups of at least important data and things like your important photos.  We don’t use “the cloud” for anything including backup as another name for the cloud is “someone else’s hard drive, which is more attractive to hack than yours as they will get so much more” and most of the cloud drives have been hacked.  An external hard drive is fairly reasonable to get and one can back up to it on a weekly or monthly basis if they don’t need to back up as often I do.  (Remember a lot of this is work stuff I am backing up.)  An external drive would also let you take the drive with you in an emergency. 

BACKING UP COMPUTER FILES SO YOU DON'T USE THEM

I have written before about my regular daily back up of my data and my archiving it at the end of the year.   There is other backing up that I do that I thought I would tell you about.

I was very careful about backing up - day after day - and then I realized I had problem with the data to my organizer.  There was a problem (I forget what by now) and unfortunately both my daily backups (A and B) were bad - for over a week.  Now I had to go and try to figure out what went wrong and when and come up with replacement info about what I had done.  (Remember I use my organizer for appointments, to dos, anniversary/birthdays, my contacts directory and memos - things to buy, info I need, etc.) I managed to get it corrected.  I was lucky that I make a monthly backup on an exterior hard drive.

Once a month I run software to copy my computers to an external hard drive.  The idea is that if my computer hard drive crashes I can restore it quickly and easily.  Of course this sometimes goes awry since one does not know if the backup worked unless and until one needs to use it.  I also copy my data and organizer separately at the same time to the same external hard drive.  So lucky me, I had organizer data from less than a month before to help me catch back up. 

To prevent the loss of data backup from overwriting the backup daily - even with A and B alternating backups - I came up with the idea of - yes - another backup.  I took a flash drive (you can see I love these things) and made a folder - “Backup” and another “Calendar” (meaning everything from the organizer), and another one “client name” for each client.  On a Friday I backed all my data from these assorted sources to this drive.  I call it my weekly drive.  The following Friday I went and added the date of the first backup to the names of the backup files I had made and made new “backup”, “calendar”, and “client’s name” files.  I ran the backups again.  Now I have a backup as of the end of “this” week and one from the end of last week.  If I overwrite the data and backups with the same error - I have a backup from only a week ago.  I kept doing this for 4 weeks.  At then end of 4 weeks I had the latest weekly backups which just had the names of the backups and 3 backups from the prior 3 weeks - each labeled with the date they were backed up.  What then?  Well, I again added the date to last Friday’s backups, but this time I removed the date from the oldest backups - putting them back with their original names and ran an update backup.  This is what I do each week now - add the date to last week’s backups and remove the date from the oldest backups - and update them. 

So now I am backing up my data and calendar daily to flash stick drives (A and B) and then backing up my data weekly to a different flash stick drive, and monthly to an external hard drive, when I back up my computers to same. 

I think, but I am not sure, that I have mentioned I do a backup once a month to still another flash stick drive (and yes, they are very well labeled so I know which is which and what is on them) that also has a copy of my annual archive on it, which I bring to my bank safe deposit box for “offsite” storage.  I used to send this drive to work with husband when he worked in an office which was not in our house.  He would take the drive to work and bring back the one he already had there.  Now I take the one I just updated to the bank box and bring home the one from last time.  The one from last time will be updated just before it goes back to the bank box.

One would think this was enough backups - right?

My external hard drive was getting a bit old (and therefore is rather small).  It suddenly dawned on me that if the external hard drive went bad, I would lose the data and if the computer crashed, well I would be stuck (sort of like when we bought a new internal hard drive due to problems with my old one and the backup had not worked).

So - I bought a new larger drive (the storage was a lot larger, the physical drive only a bit larger).  So now I back up my computer and assorted data onto this drive monthly - and I have new software so hopefully if I need to use it, it will work.  I then backup to the old external hard drive quarterly - just as, well, a backup of the backup.  I work on the idea that more backups make it harder to lose data or computer hard drive.

Now, I know I am backing up way more than anyone short of a major corporation does, but I don’t want to lose my data or my hard drive again. 

Do you back up?   You really need to.  I lose business type data - if you have your photos on the computer you could lose the photos if you lost your drive.  At least get a couple of fairly inexpensive flash drives and make copies in an alternating pattern . 

Oh, another advantage to my keeping my data on flash drives is that they are small.  I can take them from once computer to another - very easily.  I can also put all of my flash drives in the pocket of my jeans - at the same time - if I needed to take them - which leads to -

I have mentioned that I have a grab and go folder for financial stuff - last bank statements, insurance policies, copies of deed, mortgage payoff and car titles, duplicate birth and wedding certificates and such.  I also have a copy of the latest archive on DVD.  If we need to leave the house in an emergency we can grab this folder (actually a sectioned “file wallet” with a top that closes) drop in the lastest data drive and run in an emergency and have as much info with us as we can.  If you have precious photos you can keep a copy of them in there also - DVDs are more definite than flash drives (another reason I keep a lot of backups - flash drives can go bad) and you will not have lost info you need plus personal photos and infos you would miss.  (Remember you can scan in your child’s art work, etc. also.)


THOUGHT OF THE WEEK -
It is May.  While I know the weather is odd this year, we are over a quarter of the way through the year and well onto halfway through the year.  Don’t wait any longer.  Do something towards getting rid of clutter and beginning to organize and clean up. 

Today I had my embroidery chapter meeting.  We have the room until 2 pm.  Most, sometimes all, the other members leave at the end of the program- between noon and 1 pm generally.  I always have some embroidery project (or two) with me.  Today two other members were staying and working on their needlework after the others had left.  I took out one of the projects from my bag and started stitching.  I did not get a lot done as this particular project is a slow one with tiny stitches and one strand of cotton embroidery floss at a time, but I am now that much further along on the project - not even a ful petal of a flower - but I am that tiny bit closer to finishing it. 

Each step you take towards getting organized - throwing even one item out or otherwise getting it out of your house - is a bit less that needs to be done.  Small amounts add to large ones.  There is a quote (I think from Patrick Henry) “I have never seen a man devour an entire bunch of grapes at one time, but I have seen a man accomplish the same thing, by plucking the grapes and eating them one at a time.”  In the same way we cannot accomplish everything needed to declutter, organize, and clean everything at once - but we can do this a bit at a time - so do something as the first step and then tomorrow do something else, and so on.

SCANNERS AND PRINTERS - AND HOW TO USE THEM TO ORGANIZE

There are several people I have been speaking with who do not have a scanner or a printer for their computer.  This amazes me - as well as makes problems for them.  My scanner and printers are vital to me. They are very useful for getting things done quickly and great for helping deal with keeping paper information without needing as much file space or time to file and look for files.

The first person I heard this from is my mom.  Mom has used a computer for decades including back when she worked.  Mom is also an accountant.  (Ok, fair notice - dad was also and one of my sisters also has a degree in it and works as a bookkeeper.)  Mom is 87.  Mom had a printer and a scanner - I know this because we bought it for her.  She has had another printer since, but has been told that she can no longer get the ink for it and/or the heads would be bad by now.  (The latter makes no sense as in an ink jet printer the heads are replaced each time the cartridge is replaced.)  Mom goes out and prints or copies things at the library when she needs to.   

Another person I just heard this from is a friend in a club I belong to.  I just made up revised membership lists as we had a group of new members.  I told her I would email everyone the new membership list.  She told me to print some and bring to the meeting in case others, beside her, cannot print the list out.

I have heard this idea also from others and, as I said, I am amazed.

Printers -  I have never been sure of the value of a computer without a printer.  Yes, I know we all email everything to everyone, but we don’t (well, I don’t) really. 

I find that I still need to write actual letters.  Not all businesses respond to email - no, don’t laugh, it is true.  In addition actual mail stands out when received differently than email.  I am not sure if I have mentioned this, but I do not do anything financial online.  Okay, you may think me old fashioned or laugh - but when my bank was hacked it was their online accounts which were hacked and mine was not.  I started working with main frame computers in the early 1970's and there are two things I know about computing which are absolute - “It is not a question of if, but when, a hard drive will crash.” (hence my need to backup and keep data off the hard drive) and “There is no such thing as a secure website.”

I had to write a letter to the bank we have our RV loan from about a problem we were having.  I had been trying to telephone the bank for some time with no luck. I actually went to their Facebook page and posted, anonymously, about needing a way to reach them - no luck.  Letter to the CEO of the bank - received the information I wanted and needed.  There is no way that the CEO would ever had have read my email, but a letter to him - even if he did not actually see it, his staff took care of the matter.   Letters work.

Have you ever had to mail something or other to a company?  A cover letter explaining what is enclosed and why - and what you want done about it - makes sure the recipient understand what is being sent and why.

I can also fill in forms which have to be done on paper (yes, they still exist) or are more convenient to do on paper and print them out.  My handwriting is terrible, but even if yours is lovely, printed information tends to be easier to read and read correctly than hand written information.

A printed letter, like the typed letter that existed before it, is much more presentable than a hand written letter (other than personal letters to friends and family) and is more likely to be taken seriously.  I have a client who hand writes her business letters as she does not use a computer - it looks terribly unbusinesslike.  When I can I write them for her while there.

Oh, I almost forgot - envelopes!  You can print envelopes when sending something by mail - and even add the computer coding for the address.  Less chance of the envelope and its contents going to the wrong place if the address can be easily read and even more if the sorting computers can read the address coding on the envelope!

Scanners - One of the best things ever invented.  In terms of organizing - one can scan in all manner of papers which take up room in the house, get lost, or get confused and get some space back.

I need to mention here as I have received several of these, taking a photo of a document is not the same as scanning it into a computer and is a major problem for the recipient to use, in addition to making a HUGE picture of the document which is hard to deal with it. 

When I do tax returns - for myself or clients - I scan in the form after I do it.  Yes, I use a computer to prepare the returns, but an error can result in accidently changing something on a page after the fact, if I only have the returns in the program they are prepared in, as well as there are always added schedules (pages) not prepared by the tax program.  I scan in the return after it prepared and save that as a separate pdf file and I have an exact duplicate of the return as filed.  I also scan in any of the notes, etc. I used to prepare the return.  I also scan in copies (front and back) of the checks I sent to pay the taxes - estimates as well as the final payment - and of any documents which show amounts withheld for taxes (W2s, 1099s, etc.)  I actually keep a hard copy of the return until after the following year’s return is filed, as it is easier not to have to go back and forth on the computer, but have the hard copy for reference while preparing the next year’s return.       

If I fill in a form I scan it into the computer to have a copy - less room than keeping a paper copy and it will not get lost.  If you prefer to keep a paper copy you can scan it in and print it out - or often just use the scanner as a copier.  More on this idea later.  For example, I take the membership forms received from members of our reenactment unit and scan them in, then (after backing up the data) shred them and throw them out - no need to keep another 30 pieces of paper a year in a file drawer. 

I think I mentioned in a past post about a project to scan in the most instruction booklets from the assorted things in our house.  If there is a large instruction book I am keeping it, but small instructions of say 15 or less pages I am scanning.  Remember one does not need to scan in the instructions in other languages, only those in one’s own.  I then (after backing up the data) put the booklets with the recycling.  So far I have gotten rid of 3 file folders of instructions.  Similarly I plan to scan in the paperwork from some car accidents we had in the past and the receipts from items returned to our cable company. (I can just imagine one day leaving them and being told that I never returned a cable box I was given in 2001 and the charge will be $500 for it not being returned, so I have kept the receipts for returned equipment.)
           
Now there are papers I do not do this with. I don’t scan in all our credit card receipts - too much work and they are stored away in a year.  Anything you need an original for - you can scan a copy, but the original must be kept (marriage& birth records, titles to car and house and so on).

What papers could you scan into your computer instead of keeping them and having to store them?

Now combine the two - scanning plus printing.  Even better.  Scan in a form and use software to fill it in and then print it out.  (See software below.)  Again, my handwriting being terrible it is a great way to make sure that what you fill in on a form can easily be read. 

One can buy an ink jet “all in one” unit for around $50.  This will let you scan in items and print out pages.  One can usually use the machine directly as a copying machine, but if not one can use it as same as one can scan in an item and then print it out.  Today after starting to write this post yesterday we were in a major discount chain store.  They had 4 all in ones which print and scan from $50 to $60.  Sometimes the all in ones are also a fax machine - yes, one sometimes still needs to fax something. At least one of them said that it was ready to be used with tablets and cell phones, solving the problem of printing with them. 

Yes, one can go to the library, Kinkos (Fed Ex these days), Staples, OfficeMax/Depot (if you still have one near you  - all the ones in our county were closed, nearest one now an hour away), work, etc. and make a copy if you need one.  Did you know that when you do so the copier/printer keeps your document in its memory and that when the machine is disposed of, often that information is still in the machine?  Who knows what happens to the machines after they are disposed of - and who has access to them.  Copy something with your Social Security number or bank account information and it will stay in the copy machine - much safer to make copies at home.

The scanner will generally come with software to do scanning.  You will need software though.  If you already have word processing software you can, of course use it with the printer.  There are freeware programs to make the printer/scanner do even more.  While I have nothing to do with the following programs and have no responsibility for them or how they work, I have found them to be very useful.  (I must give credit, husband told me about them and to use them.)  In addition I am running Windows computers and the software may not be made for other computers or for tablets.

Foxit PDF - this allows one to scan in documents and forms as pdf files and work with them.  One can use the “Type” function to fill in blanks on forms.  One can attach notes to the documents. There are assortment of other features which I have not even gotten to yet.  There is a freeware version of the program and that is the one I use.  One can print the pdf files made.

Cute PDF and Primo PDF are two of several programs which allow one to print what one has written directly to a pdf file.     They are will show up (at least in Windows computers) as alternate printers when you go to print and you select them and print the pdf - without needing to print the document out and then scan it in.  This lets you write a document and then email it to others who might not have the same word processing software to open a written document. For example, I like to use Wordperfect instead of the standard Word program.  I either must save the file as an rtf file (rich texture format - can open with many, if not all or most word processing programs) or I print it with one of these programs and send it as a pdf.  The only problem I have had doing this some of the tax forms generated when one files online in my state for some reason will not print this way (sales tax, employment taxes).  For these forms I need to physically print them out and then scan them in to keep a pdf copy of them.

LibreOffice can be used instead of Microsoft Office.  It is free.  By the way, if you have an older version of Word and can’t afford to upgrade and people keep sending you docx files - this will open them.  According to my husband this program will work on all “platforms” meaning it will also work with Mac computers, Ipads, tablets, Linux, etc.

Open Office is similar to LibreOffice, but husband says that LibreOffice is better.  Open Office will work only on Windows computers.


Now there is one problem I don’t know about.  (Yes, despite the fact that my friends think I am a “know it all” I don’t.)  Generally printing with a computer is not a problem.  However tablets and related use a different way to print as they do not attach or use wifi to work with printers.  This involves “cloud printing”.  I asked husband how this is done in anticipation of writing this article. After looking up how to cloud print I got dizzy reading as it seems to vary for each device being used and each company that one has their cloud account with.  He looked it up and could not figure it out either.  I know there is a way to do it.  If you must print this way, check with your cloud server to find out how.  Unfortunately it seems to sometimes require you to have a computer also.               


   

BEST LAID PLANS... PART 2

Well, last week I left off with my computer having Windows reinstalled and having to reinstall software.  The computer is still not up to full working set up.  I figure it will take at least another week.

I started installing software in, more or less, the order that 1 - I thought it was of importance and 2 - I thought I could install it myself.  In addition to installing the software much of it needs to have its registration information given again (from the original registration of the software into this computer).  Luckily when programs have needed to be registered I have made a record of the registration information which was given to activate the program - in one case of the “hidden” location the registration information (is validation the correct term) where the information has to be entered.  

Installing software takes time - which is why the backups were made to begin with - and while the installations are being done I have been using my larger, slower, “kitchen” laptop to get some work done.  I also, by hand, copied all of the entries in my Palm Centro to the organizer on this laptop so I was finally able to sync the two and not lose any entries.  I am continuing to do so until the computer is setup and the software for the organizer, the sync program, and the sync program for my cell phone are installed on the desktop computer - they will be put in towards the end of software installation.  Tuesday and Wednesday last week were spent installing software to the point that the computer was partially workable. 

Thursday I installed my email software - a freeware program.  I am not good at updating programs and was using a rather old version of the program.  Husband told me to install the newest version.  I did so.  He then tried to copy my profile from the old hard drive to the new.  It did not work in the program.  He tried all kinds of things.  Finally we reached the conclusion that old profile did not work in the new version of the program.  We uninstalled the email program and installed the old version from my old downloads file.  The program would not open.  The computer thought the deleted version was still running.  We rebooted the computer - 3 times; it did not help.  Finally husband figured out what to do.  So after about 2 or 3 hours of installing and uninstalling and rebooting, I finally had my email program back.  I had only been checking my more critical email and the accounts more likely to have email, so for the first time since the previous Friday I finally checked all my email accounts.  No surprises, thank goodness.

On Friday I tried to add 2 of our printers to my computer, the 2 I actually use on a regular basis.  (We have a travel printer which was not of immediate need, a plastic tape label printer - I don’t think I have ever printed on it from the computer, a photo printer - only husband uses, and an older printer which still needs to run on a parallel port.)  Our printers were purchased before my version of Windows.  The disks therefore did not work.  When I tried to have the computer add the printers, they were not listed.  Panic set in.  I then looked in the downloads file from the old hard drive and found - YES - the printer drivers!!  We installed them and as of last Friday I can print again!  Well, I guess, technically, I always could print by copying what I needed to print to a laptop, but who wants to do that.  

Since then I have not had a chance to install more software.  I am coping with the fact that my computer looks “wrong”.  I don’t know how I had it set before, but buttons look smaller, icons look bigger.  One button just looks wrong.  Husband says to me that can wait until all is up and running.

On Monday morning we get not one, but two orders for our craft business.  We have few enough orders that when we have one I have to remember how I do the paperwork for our records.  Not only do we have 2 sales, but one of them is for multiple items - goodness knows how long since we had same - and is for our home state - which means sales tax was collected and I have to remember how I do an invoice with sales tax.  All of this would be minor, except I am using alternative software, other than I normally use, for some of this as the software I normally use is not yet - let’s hear it - installed.  I have a program which lets me write pdf files with multiple pages. The program I am using instead makes one page pdfs, so I have to start a folder to hold what is normally a single file until I can fix it.  The software I use to print labels is not yet - let’s hear it again - installed.  Husband manages to print a label on his computer with some program he has - we had to figure out which Avery label number the labels were.  The orders went out on time, but I still have to get around to straightening out my records to what I like. 

At this point husband suggests that I make a backup with the new backup program - so if anything happens as we go, we have everything to this point saved.  Of course there are problems using the new backup program.  I finally had to leave him working on it as I had to make dinner.  He figured it out and I have a backup - which hopefully will work if I ever - oh, I hope not - need it.

Tuesday I went to work.  No dealing with the desktop.  I just had to use my work laptop - unchanged, everything as it was.  What a pleasant thought.  All went fine until I was done.  I keep the info on a USB flash drive as I keep all my data on same and each client’s info is on its own flash drive so I can just bring that client’s info with me when I go to the client and I am always using the correct version of the info as it is on a specific flash drive.  When I am done and about to leave the client, I back up the info to the laptop’s hard drive (and then again at home onto my regular backups).  I finished work and went to back up the flash drive - I get message that the drive is full and it cannot be backed up.  Panic starts to hit me.  Then I think about it.  I have about 3 backups at home from last month.  I did not do that much work while here that I could not easily duplicate it next month if needed.  I can deal with it.  I come home.  I put the flash drive in my desktop - as I thought, the drive is only about 1/3 full.  All the work I did was there and it was easily copied to my backup.  Okay, one problem easily solved.       

When I made the list of programs on the old computer we realized that some software related to the processor chip was missing.  I found the instructions for the software - which apparently is on the mother board disks.  Husband installed the software for me while I was out today.

Today I had to go to a board meeting for an embroidery group I am treasurer of.  Normally I am the most organized person there.  I have notes and information - whatever might be needed.  Between not being able to work on my computer and prepare in advance and dealing with this client and running to back up it’s data tonight, I am not prepared for the board meeting - or the errands I plan to run tomorrow around the meeting.  I printed out a financial report and quickly made some notes on the back.  When I got to the meeting today I explained, that they are about to see the other me - the one without her computer to keep her organized.  Luckily, I still managed to come up with most of the info needed. 

I still have not hooked up the USB hub with my flash drives - archive, data, backup A and backup B and I am waiting until a few other programs are reinstalled and ready to use. For now I put the flash drives in and take them out as I need them. 

Hopefully when I next post it will all be resolved - I doubt it though.

Have you ever been through a mess like this?

BEST LAID PLANS...

The reason for the title of this weeks post is that we had several things fall apart on us.  We were to be away and I planned a part 2 of “Organizing and Storing in our Tiny RV”.  We decided not to go away - luckily before I made up the bed in rather hot weather - hotter in the RV.  This turned out to be even luckier because of what happened.  The piece will be written and run at a later date.

In addition to backing up my data, mentioned in a prior post (Organizing Computer Files, June 22, 2016) I also back up my computer.  I do this on a monthly basis.  I back up the computer, using a software program, to an external hard drive.  Currently I am using a newer, larger hard drive I bought for this purpose (monthly backups). I have been making a new back up of the computer quarterly, with incremental backups for the following two months - by this I mean I make a new backup in January, then add to that backup in February and March and then make a new backup in April, etc.  I also back up to the older external drive quarterly - in January, April, July, and October - each time a complete new backup - just in case the drive with the backups ever failed.  I hate loading software when I get a new computer and did not want to deal with doing so for lack of backing up my computer or loose anything in case of a problem with the computer’s hard drive.

So last Friday I backed up my computer to a new monthly backup on what I will call (external hard) Drive N - for new - with no problem.  At the same time I back up my computer which is a desktop, I also backup each of my two laptops on the same schedule.  I backed up my smaller, newer laptop before backing up the desktop computer to both hard drives with no problem.  I then attempted to make the quarterly backup of my desktop to the other drive - (external hard) Drive O (for old) and the same software just used for the monthly backup, but could not make up a backup due to bad sectors.  I tried twice and then decided that instead of panicking I would wait and try it again another day.  My older laptop is very s l o w and I set it up to run the backup overnight.  I did the monthly back of it to Drive N overnight that night - no problem. 

Saturday night, over night, I set my laptop up and did a quarterly backup onto Drive O - again no problem.  So now I was pretty sure that there was no problem with Drive O.  I then tried to backup my desktop to Drive O - again, it could not as I had bad sector problems.  On Sunday evening, just to be sure that the problem was the hard drive of my desktop, I attempted a new, complete backup of my desktop to Drive N - to which it had backed up on Friday with no problem - it also could not make a backup due to bad sectors on my desktop’s hard drive.  So, I told husband and asked him what to do.  He told me that I needed to get a new hard drive in my desktop.  It would not be much of a problem as we had backups and they are relatively inexpensive.  (Can you see where this is going?)

So he did some research on hard drives (he builds our desktop computers these days) and figured out which one we should get and we went and bought it.  At this time we were still thinking about going on a trip this week.  Luckily we decided not to go on the trip just as we were starting the restoration of the computer to the new hard drive.

We brought the new drive home and disconnected the computer from all its wires.  He had the good idea to have me take photos with my cell phone of each of the connections on the back of the computer to aid in putting them all back where they came from.  It is filthy with dust - I dusted it and after we open it, we vacuumed it and dusted the parts that did not vacuum inside and out. 

He disconnected and removed the old hard drive and we set it aside.  Relatively easily he wires in the new hard drive and it snaps into place.  We have trouble putting the sides back on the computer (it is a tower) and then remember it has to be done with the case lying down.  The sides go back on.  We are aided in all of this as I have the instruction books from the computer case and the computer chip from when he first assembled the computer, set aside in a folder for my computer (there is a folder for each computer he assembled - 3 to date). 

By now the office is a bit disorganized - large manila envelope with computer instruction folders, parts, wires, box to new hard drive, old hard drive, work I had planned to work on... all out and about on the floor and what was before clear space on desks and printers. 

We put the wires back on the computer.  We turn it on.  I use a touch pad instead of a mouse for the computer - it does not work.  We then spend 15 minutes looking for a USB plug in mouse, including a trip by husband to the RV in case it was there - he finds it on his desk attached to a Raspberry Pi project (very small computer and coding).  (We have since bought a second such mouse to keep around for when we need one in a situation such as this.)

We hook up Drive N (remember both N and O are external drives), we put the recovery disk into the computer’s DVD drive and start the computer.  It finds the internal hard drive, it finds the DVD drive, then it keeps spinning.  Finally we give up.  We shut down the computer .  We then hook up Drive O, restart the computer,  and it appears on the screen.  He runs the restore software.  We go to reboot the computer and see that it has been restored - the computer will not boot.  Of course, we try turning it off and on several times before being sure that there is some problem.

He looks up on the Internet what to do if the boot manager is missing.  Oh, so easy, just run Windows repair.  Well, I have the disk, but - it is in the closet in the office, which has all sorts of items from our earlier efforts of installing the hard drive and the project I hoped to work on spread around the room and blocking the closet door.  So all of this must be moved elsewhere (in a crowded bedroom being used as a library and an office for 2 people).  The Windows disk is put in the computer.  He follows the directions on the Internet - I sit at his computer and read him the command line.  We turn off the computer - then turn it on - it does not boot. 

One instruction we find online says to reinstall Windows.  We do so - which wipes out the restoration of the hard drive - computer now boots - yea!  We reinstall the backup - it does not boot.  We repeat this several times (we worked on this from around 3 pm to after 8pm- Chinese food for dinner as no time to cook).

As he has been doing the research for this online he finds out something important - the backup program, a popular (paid program, not freeware) has a reputation for not working.  He had a problem when he tried to restore once before, but found that there was a problem if the backup or restore was done using USB 3 connections - so we had been using USB 2 connections.  He reads that a newer version of the program does not recognize drives bigger than 5 TB, maybe it did not work at all with Drive N as this is an older version of the software and the drive is 4 TB, while Drive O is only 1 TB?                  

We finally give up.  He reloads Windows and now I must find and reinstall all my software.  Luckily the data, which was on a USB flash drive is intact as are the backups of it as they were on same and were done with different software so my data is all intact.  I realize as I start to install software that much of my software is freeware and the downloads are on the old hard drive which was replaced.  I did not anticipate needing to replace any of it by hand and so I also did not anticipate needing to get it off the drive before we took it out of the computer.  While the programs could be downloaded again, many of them are older versions of the programs because I did not like the updated versions (and in many cases neither did husband), so I really need access to the old internal hard drive we took out).  I asked husband if they could both be in the computer (extra empty drive bays in the computer anyway) - he said they could not as they are both drives which boot the computer and it would confuse the computer.

Today we went out and bought a case to convert an internal hard drive to an external one - so I can access the files on the old hard drive for whatever I need and is on parts of the drive which is still good.  I then loaded more programs onto the computer with more to come.

I sat and checked my email and did other things on my smaller laptop while we were doing all of this installing and reinstalling the backups and Windows.  I went to check my main email account.  I changed the password a few months back - I know what it should be but that does not work, so I couldn’t check my main account - even worse, I had to hope that I checked that account with my bigger, older laptop - luckily I did and tonight - after not being able to check email yesterday or today on this account (I don’t check on the weekend) I was able to check email on this account. I still have to send an email to a friend for her birthday - which ended a little over an hour ago - as I did not have her email address other than in that email account.

I use very old software as a calendar/address book/todo list - an organizer program.  I also use my old cell phone, a Palm Centro, as a PDA around the house as it syncs with this software (my current cell phone does not work with the todos section and I tend to only use same for home chores, so I sync both cell phones to the organizer software.  When I start using it again, since it is being reinstalled on the computer I will have to overwrite the Centro - so I cannot make any entries or changes to same until they are synced again or I will lose any changes made on the Centro. 

I cannot wait for all the software to be back, changed to how I like it to be (and you may know by now that I am picky and don’t like change) and it all to working as it used to be again. 

I have learned that, unfortunately, one does not know that one’s backup software will not work until it is too late.  We will trying another program which seems to be better liked and seems to work from now on. 
           
While we were installing Windows and the backup Monday I also managed to start sorting through computer program and printer manuals back to I don’t know when.  I pulled 3 large books (from when software came with large manuals) and some smaller ones.  The 3 large ones I am going to donate as they are for programs not all that old and might still be used, the others have gone in for recycling.  There were others I would have pulled out to toss, but they are for games that husband bought and I will have to go through them with him - I never toss or donate anything of his without his permission.  I do now have the books to the printers on top of the others (they are lying down on the shelves) so they can be easily reached as they are still used when something goes wrong or needs to be reset.

ORGANIZING COMPUTER FILES

I have mentioned before that I back up my computer and data often.  I did not mention how I organize my computer. It is important to organize one’s computer.  My husband is constantly going crazy trying to find files on his computer.

I have mentioned that I keep my data on USB flash (thumb) drives.  I have one which is in my computer all the time and holds my current data - meaning this year’s and any that carries over year to year.  I organize this drive by the type of file.  The first folder is letters (includes Word, Word Perfect, Notepad, pdf files, etc - basically any writing), the next one is spreadsheets, then accounting program files, then databases (this is files from another dead program I use), and so on - basically by the program used for the files.  Each of these folders has sub folders in it for each of the “companies” for which I have files of that type.  (Companies include different businesses of my husband and myself, our personal files - one’s home and life is basically a company - clients, and clubs I belong to and have files for.)

Why do I sort the data by the type of file?  Well, most programs let one specify a folder for the data from the program.  Files do not have to go to My Documents.  I redirect the programs to automatically save in these folders.  Then when I open the program and try to open or save a file a list of the companies opens in the file window and it is easy to pick the right subfolder and find or save a file.

How to change file location - look in the drop downs from the tool bar at the top and there will be something to allow you to change things - perhaps “Preferences” or “Settings”.  If you cannot find how to change the file location use your Help to look for something like “change default file location”.  In Wordperfect (yes, I am odd I prefer same to Word) I would click on Tools -> Settings -> Files -> and then change the default location and save it.  After doing this it will always go to this location to look for files or to save files.  If you set it a folder with files in it, then the files will show at this point.  If you set it to a folder of sub folders, then the sub folders  will show and can easily be picked and opened.

To explain I will use Wordperfect again.  I open Wordperfect and I want to open a file written in same.  When I click to open a file I will have a list of the various subfolder -Personal, Business A, Business B, Club A and Club B - to choose from.  Let us say that I have a written a letter complaining about a problem with our electricity.  I would click on the Personal file and the letter would be in that file.  So, see it is Drive H (the USB flash drive I use for data) -> Letters->Personal-> Electricity.doc.  Terribly easy to find.  If instead I am looking to write a letter about the electricity It is Drive H -> Letters -> Personal-> Letterhead.  I write the letter.  The computer will reopen the folder when I go to save the file and I will save the letter there with a name which makes sense, say “Electricity - problem with June 2016 bill”.

When I set up the folders for the type of files I ran into a problem (for me) that alphabetical order may put a rarely used file at the top of the list and a constantly used one at the end of the list.  This annoyed me.  I figured out to use the “magic” of numbering.   Letters is actually 1 - Letters and Spreadsheets is actually 2 - Spreadsheets and so on.  This way the files remain in the order I want them. 

Why USB flash drives?  An old saying in computer is “It is not if the hard drive will crash, but when”.  By doing this I save hard drive space for what must be there as well as helping save the data (which is then further backed up as explained before).  I know that USB flash drives are not the best for saving data, but they are the best available now.  I started off using 5.25" floppy disks, then 3.5" floppy disks, then Zip disks and now the USB flash drives.  (Each type of media had its data copied to newer media when the media changed so I still have access back to the first data I saved on floppy disk in my archive.)  In addition by keeping the data on flash drives if there is a problem with my computer - say a blackout - I can pull the drive and put it any other computer - say my laptop which was charged before the blackout - and use the data on the other computer. 

Now my data drive also has some folders which are special purpose - say “Items to copy next archiving”  These folders are rarely used.  So instead of numbering them they have ZZZ in front of the name and they automatically are listed at the end of the folders on the drive. 

So I control the order of the folders - the alphabet does not.

In addition to my main data drive I have some other data drives. 

My clients’ data are each kept on a separate drive.  Why?  Portability and privacy.  I can bring the data to the client when I go to work at the client with my laptop.  I don’t bring Client A’s data to Client B so privacy is maintained.  I don’t have to worry about stepping away from the computer and Client A seeing Client B’s info.  (Hence also why they are named A & B and not real names.) 

The project that I am doing to scan in instruction books has its own flash drive so I can scan on it on any of my computers and keep working on my main computer on my data drive.  Huh? I can work on my computer using my data drive and at the same time scan instruction books onto the data drive for same in my laptop. 

Assorted items I have on a drive to use in our RV when traveling I keep on a drive just for that.  Seems easy to figure out why I do that.  I need to be able to take it with me and I don’t want to bring all my data with me. 

Each data drive though has files organized in a similar manner.  My clients drives have folders for each type of program.  The scanned instruction books are being sorted into folders such as Bedroom, Kitchen, Outside Lights and so on.  If we have two of the same item it is placed in both folders.  For example a small electric drill is in Basement - power tools and also in Garage - power tools as there is am identical drill kept in each place. 

So what is my point?  If one organizes one’s data as one goes along in a way which is convenient and simple, one will easily be able to find needed data quickly and efficently.

Now, on my archive drive the same data which is sorted by the type of program above is instead sorted by the “company”- the opposite to how my data drive is organized.  All of the personal data is in a folder marked same with subfolders of each type of data - so here Letters is the subfolder.  I then have sub sub folders with the year of the data.  So when the letter about the electricity is archived early next year it will be saved as Drive E (the designation for my archive drive) ->Personal -> Letters -> 2016-> Electricity - problem with June 2016 bill.

Why the difference in how the files are organized between the current data files and the archive?

The current data files are set up to work with - this is easiest when the files are sorted by the type of software used for the file so that when I go to open or save a file the main folder opens for the type of file and I just have to select the sub folder for the “company”. 

The archive is used for reference of past files - so it is easiest to sort it by the “company” and then the year.  Say I want to find a letter I wrote in the past - not sure which year, but around 2011.  I would open the Archive -> Personal -> Letters -> 2011 and look what is there.  I could then go a year ahead or back easily by just going back to the Letters folder.  I know whose letter it is - a personal one - so I only need to open that folder and its subfolders.

I hope this makes some sense to you.  It does to me.  What matters most is that when you organize - whether computer data or your baseball card collection or your fabric - is that it is easy for YOU to find what you are looking for and YOU can do it quickly and conveniently.

Feel free to ask questions or make comments.