# Do yourself and your business a favor.



## bikerboy (Sep 16, 2007)

My laptop crashed this week. It's still down and I have been unable to get to most of my files, specially quickbooks. It should not be a big deal, because I took a few steps.


Purchased a Quickbooks 3 license user package and installed it on 3 different computer. So, now I am down to the last one.
Put most of my work files on a memory stick. Have them accessible for the little netbook I carry. Can still do estimates, some billing through excel, email and stuff.
Use Carbonite offsite backup. Am backing up files to this old laptop while I type this.
 Am posting this not as a pat on my back, but because I went through this with a small business I used to run. Wound up losing everything and shut it down. (it was a hobby, so no big deal) But I'd hate to see somebody else go through the same thing. 

So, protect your business. Think of it as a condom for your information and take some kind of measures to save or back it up. 

This has been a Public Service Announcement For The Members Of Paint Talk.


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## George Z (Apr 15, 2007)

Good Advice.
Q-Books is the only thing we need to back up,
everything else is on the cloud and Drop box even pictures.

Now Q-Books online version does not sync with T-Sheets  for payroll
or everything would be 100% on the cloud.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

Don't forget to back up your email too.


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## TJ Paint (Jun 18, 2009)

bikerboy said:


> Think of it as a condom for your information and take some kind of measures to save or back it up.


Thanks for the reminder. You just bothered my complacency.:thumbsup:

I never knew information management could be so sexy...


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## George Z (Apr 15, 2007)

johnpaint said:


> Don't forget to back up your email too.


How do you back up g-mail and why?

What I am trying to say is, get google apps for your domain gmail 
or similar. 
Everything you have e-mailed is always there.


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## Wolfgang (Nov 16, 2008)

I have external hard-drives on all my business computers. Everything is downloaded onto them. I did have a Western Digital external 500gig HD go feet up on me. Luckily my computer guy was able to salvage the contents, but he also warned me about using Western Digital products. Now I use Seagate.


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

George Z said:


> How do you back up g-mail and why?
> 
> What I am trying to say is, get google apps for your domain gmail
> or similar.
> Everything you have e-mailed is always there.


My Mail comes under my company name .com if there is a way to send it to gmail let me know.


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## RCP (Apr 18, 2007)

johnpaint said:


> My Mail comes under my company name .com if there is a way to send it to gmail let me know.


I love Gmail!

You can use any email in gmail. I have several (more like 14) email addresses from several sources and have them all funneled through my gmail accounts.

Here is a blog I found that explains it.


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## PatsPainting (Mar 4, 2010)

bikerboy said:


> My laptop crashed this week. It's still down and I have been unable to get to most of my files, specially quickbooks. It should not be a big deal, because I took a few steps.


Just wondering what steps you have taken to try to recover your files? And what happened to cause the crash, or what error messages are you getting on boot up?

There are many third party boot disks out there that can really help, My favorite is Active boot disk. If you're issue is a result from a bad hard drive, I would think you should still be able to get most of those files off by using a third party boot disk and a external drive. As far as you're licenses for quickbooks that just depends on what hardware they are tied into. 

Anyway glad to see you did not take a complete beating and you covered your self with the backups you had made.

Pat


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

PatsPainting said:


> Just wondering what steps you have taken to try to recover your files? And what happened to cause the crash, or what error messages are you getting on boot up?
> 
> There are many third party boot disks out there that can really help, My favorite is Active boot disk. If you're issue is a result from a bad hard drive, I would think you should still be able to get most of those files off by using a third party boot disk and a external drive. As far as you're licenses for quickbooks that just depends on what hardware they are tied into.
> 
> ...


Yes that s true, I have had to do that a few times. Good Luck


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

RCP said:


> I love Gmail!
> 
> You can use any email in gmail. I have several (more like 14) email addresses from several sources and have them all funneled through my gmail accounts.
> 
> Here is a blog I found that explains it.


Thanks RCP and all for telling me about this. I love everybody now. I have it all set up.


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## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

George Z said:


> How do you back up g-mail and why?
> 
> What I am trying to say is, get google apps for your domain gmail
> or similar.
> Everything you have e-mailed is always there.


So you think since your stuff is on a google server its safe?


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## George Z (Apr 15, 2007)

MAK-Deco said:


> So you think since your stuff is on a google server its safe?


No, just safer.
Every picture and document is in dropbox too.

The two above combined is as bulletproof as it gets.
I will take that over a screwed up hard drive and a lost disc anytime.
Quickbooks gets backed up anyway.

Military secrets? Sensitive financial information?
What are we talking about anyway? 

A change order for Ms Cooper's closet
Some pdf proposals of that exterior from last year.

Maybe couple of templates. Big deal.

As we can see with Wiki leaks, 
more important stuff than our stuff can get out of control
and the world is still running ok.


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## MAK-Deco (Apr 17, 2007)

George Z said:


> No, just safer.
> Every picture and document is in dropbox too.
> 
> The two above combined is as bulletproof as it gets.
> ...



My point is that having hard copies at your residence or office in conduction with an online server is ideal.

I have every invoice, proposal etc since starting my business they are good for reference tools for current project info when needed. Also when I need to remember color info I have that information within reach.

I know a lot of the stuff can be lost and not missed, but I feel the trend towards having stuff on other peoples servers is just an accident waiting to happen for when some pimple face computer nerd messes something up on the other end and you can't do anything about it.


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## George Z (Apr 15, 2007)

Living dangerously....

The following will never hapen (at the same time)

Google servers die
CRM company goes out of business
Dropbox is out

Hard copies depend too much on human involvement (mine )
and too many screw ups.

But this can work for others of course.
Me never. I find large filing cabinets too creepy!


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## johnpaint (Sep 20, 2008)

George Z said:


> Living dangerously....
> 
> The following will never hapen (at the same time)
> 
> ...


Good for you George, he tried though.


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## jhutch (Dec 20, 2010)

My IT guy has me going to the "cloud" this year. May look into some off-site backups too. A fire will take out most computers and the hard drive sitting right beside them.


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