Blog for "the-enabler" of the letsnet.org network

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"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."-- Aldous Huxley

As the prostitute said, "It's not the work, it's the stairs." As told to me by Elaine Stritch, star of stage, screen, & TV, right after she won her 1st Emmy. At ago 79.

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PC Backup Is a Must Now; This Method Is Simple, Automated

By WALTER S. MOSSBERG of The Wall Street Journal

Backing up your PC is one of those things, like eating right or changing your oil on time, that everybody knows they're supposed to do, but too few people actually carry off well. For years, computer experts have warned users to back up their hard disks regularly, and for years, most people have ignored them.

That's because making such copies traditionally has been boring, laborious or expensive, depending on the method. I can still remember how, in my early days with computers, I'd sit for what seemed like hours during backups, feeding dozens of floppy disks into the machine. Later, I would fumble with balky tape drives and complex backup software.

But backing up your precious data is more important today than ever. Computers always have been fragile, subject to crashes and failures. Now, they are also the target of massive attacks by hackers, virus writers and other digital criminals. These assaults can corrupt or destroy your files -- including digital photos and music -- or force you to reformat your hard disk, which also wipes out files.

So what backup system will protect against such losses and still is easy enough to use so that people will do so regularly? I recommend buying an add-on hard disk, and using automated backup software to copy data from your main hard disk to this backup drive on a regular schedule.

To overcome user resistance, any backup method must be simple, unlikely to run out of space and automated. It also should operate unattended, on a schedule, without requiring any manual action by the user.
[maxtor's onetouch ii]
Maxtor's OneTouch II



That rules out manually copying files to blank CDs, DVDs or other types of removable discs. This method may work for some fastidious folks, but for most people, it requires too much manual effort to be effective. And you easily can run out of space, or blank discs.

Another method, subscribing to a service that backs up your data automatically over the Internet, has the advantage of being automated. But it can be expensive, and the Web-based services rarely offer enough space to back up most of the stuff on today's huge hard disks, unless you want to pay through the nose.

But the extra hard-disk method, if done right, provides plenty of space, and it can be completely automated and surprisingly economical. You don't even have to open up your computer or install anything internally. It's easy today to buy an external hard disk that plugs into a Windows or Macintosh computer via the USB 2.0 or FireWire ports and is instantly recognized by current operating systems.

Here's how I back up my own Windows hard disk: I purchased a 40-gigabyte hard disk -- the external plug-in variety -- for less than $100 after rebates. I keep it plugged into my computer. I also purchased online, for $35, a small program called SmartSync Pro from a company called SmartSync Software at www.smsync.com.

Every night at 2 a.m., the software springs to life and synchronizes key folders I designated on my hard disk with identical folders on the backup drive. After the first backup procedure, the program copies only new or changed files. If I accidentally delete a file or folder, I can easily retrieve it from the backup drive.

My method works well for me, but it may not be right for everyone. I did have to buy the drive and software separately. And the SmartSync Pro program isn't as simple as it could be. Plus, I am only backing up selected files and folders, while others may prefer to back up their entire hard disks, which might require a larger, costlier backup drive.

So I recently tested a simpler, all-in-one hard-disk backup solution, the OneTouch II, from Maxtor. This product consists of an external plug-and-play hard disk, which can be connected to either a Windows or Macintosh computer via USB 2.0 or FireWire. It includes simple, effective backup software that can be launched with the touch of a button on the hard disk. The software also can be run automatically, on a schedule.

The OneTouch II currently comes in only two relatively large and expensive versions, a 250-gigabyte model for $329 and a 300-gigabyte model for $379. They are bigger than most average users need, but the company says it will offer smaller OneTouch II models, at lower prices, early next year.

The key to the OneTouch II is the included backup software -- a special, simplified version of Retrospect, a well-regarded backup program from Dantz Development. The program can automatically back up your whole hard disk, or only selected folders and files.

In my tests, on a Hewlett-Packard Pavilion PC, the OneTouch II installed quickly and easily, and the software worked fine. My only complaint was that the initial backup was very slow. Backing up 51 gigabytes took more than 12 hours. Subsequent backups, which only copied new or changed files, were much quicker. I deleted a couple of test files and was able to restore them rapidly from the backup disk, using the backup program's "Restore" function.

OneTouch II is a good product. But whether you buy this all-in-one solution or get an add-on hard disk and separate software, backing up your data to a second hard disk makes great sense.
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And as normal, the first question is, "How offen should I back up"? How is up to you . IF you've put in "alot" of info. or "very inportant to You info." Back up now. Let that be your guide if you have to ask that question. Call me, now there's an idea.



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored."-- Aldous Huxley
and
As the prostitute said, "It's not the work, it's the stairs." As told to me by Elaine Stritch, star of stage, screen, & TV, right after she won her 1st Emmy. At ago 79.

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Associated Press Politics - U. S. Congress

By TED BRIDIS

WASHINGTON - Companies and others that secretly install "spyware" programs on people's computers to quietly monitor their Internet activities would face hefty federal fines under a bill the House passed Tuesday.

The most egregious behaviors ascribed to the category of such software — secretly recording a person's computer keystrokes or mouse clicks — are already illegal under U.S. wiretap and consumer protection laws.

The House proposal, known as the "Spy Act," adds civil penalties over what has emerged as an extraordinary frustration for Internet users, whose infected computers often turn sluggish and perform unexpectedly.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mary Bono (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif., provides guidelines for technology companies that distribute software capable of most types of electronic monitoring. It requires that consumers explicitly choose to install such software and agree to the information being collected.

The House voted 399-1 to approve the bill. Rep. Ron Paul (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, who often votes against spending measures, cast the lone dissenting vote Tuesday.

The House separately was expected to approve another anti-spyware bill as early as Wednesday. That bill, sponsored by Rep. Robert Goodlatte, R-Va., provides for additional criminal penalties.

The chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Rep. Joe Barton (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, said Goodlatte's anti-spyware bill was preferable because of its criminal sanctions, and Barton said he will work to combine both proposals for a final vote by year's end.

Barton acknowledged that experts had recently found more than 60 varieties of spyware installed on the panel's own computers. He said all the spyware programs had been installed without the permission of computer users.

The committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, called the proposal approved Tuesday "a bill whose time has come."

"People are increasingly finding their home pages have been changed or their computers are sluggish," she said. "Their computers are no longer their own, and they can't figure out why."

The House bill approved Tuesday explicitly permits snooping software built by the FBI (news - web sites) or spy agencies secretly collecting information under a court order or other legal permissions affecting federal departments.

The bill's bans against spyware would begin 12 months after it becomes law and would automatically expire after 2009.

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The House bill approved Tuesday is H.R. 2929; the bill expected to pass as early as Wednesday is H.R. 4661.



MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".