Back-Up!

[SusanG]

Two years ago we lost a harddrive during the holiday season and yesterday I had a scare where the computer died and wouldn't come back to life. Here's a friendly reminder that no matter how busy you are with framing this time of year, BACK-UP often!

Happy Holidays,
Susan

PS: The laptop miraculously came back to life after turning it upside down and giving it a few shakes of encouragement.

 

[Dave]

I learned the hard way last year. Cost me over $ 1000.00 to recover my data.

 

[Ylva]

Looking through the last poll taken, I was shocked to find only 50% (or something) of the framers back up daily.
I always back up daily, to two separate thumb drives. One stays in the store, one goes home with me. It takes less than a minute.

 

[Mike Labbe]

Isn't that scary that only 50% back up daily? It takes just seconds to do a daily backup, with most POS systems. It's best to do it with the POS, because the POS knows to close the files first so they are backed up properly. Copying to external devices or online services is unlikely back up your data properly if files are in use. If you use these methods, make sure the POS is completely closed before you run the routine. We back up to a rotation of 6 thumb drives (one for each day of the week that we're open)

I'm also alarmed that so many have unprotected wifi. This can be a huge breach of customer privacy/identity theft, and even a legal liability. If anyone needs help with that, let me know.

With 6 years of results to compare, there are definately some patterns and trends. The full results are at the center link in my tagline.

Mike

PS: That laptop issue doesn't sound very good, and can mean corruption and/or trouble ahead. What I suggest is to open the door on the side (usually) where the hard drive slides out. (after consulting the user manual...) Gently remove the hard drive and then re-seat it. Sometimes these can work their way partially loose, giving this kind of intermittent result. It can also behave this way if left in a cold car overnight.

 

[Paul N]

Here's an incentive to backup daily or have scheduled backups: An EASY & FREE backup program by the very talented Karen Kenworthy.

I have been using this program for a while and it's great (just make sure you rotate the backup media - 1 for every work day!!, keep them off-site and shutdown your POS programs before running it): Replicator

 

[DanGray]

Here is a couple of things i have learned to do.
Fisrt back up daily or weekly,
Second i have a hard drive on a raster borard, this does exactly the same thing to on two drives at the same time. The two drive act as one, so if there is a problem with one drive you disconnect it and continue witht the other drive.
Thire, ghost you maine hard drive, this will save all the programs and how they are loaded, so if there is a problem you dont have to spend days looking for allthat software to reload.

 

[Kirstie]

Every work computer has its own back up hard drive back up which runs daily. The POS computers have Apple Time Machine installed so the back up runs every hour. We can go back to any hour of any day and reinstall that day's files in case of current file corruption.

The main POS server computer is also backed up manually every night. An employee puts the POS data files on the Mac server account (iDisk) and I pick them up at home and move them to files marked Monday through Sunday on the appropriate day. Those files are then backed up on Time Machine on an external hard drive as well.

(I've just lost count of how many back ups the daily POS files get)

Computers will fail, back up drives will fail, online can fail. Theft happens, natural disasters happen. If you don't have multiple systems in place you are flirting with disaster. If you have no back up in place you are asking for big trouble and no sympathy.

 

[BILL WARD]

"left in a cold car overnight"

GREAT!!!!!! So now we must supply overcoats for the little buggers???????

 

[seido]

Close Call

I use Norton Save & Restore hooked up to an external drive. It works somewhat like Apple's Time Machine...and boy am I glad!!!

Two days ago my PC went ballistic with a Trojan and Malware virus. All I had to do is back up the system restore one day and pull Quicktime, which got damaged in the fray, from the Norton program on the external drive and the machine was back to normal.

LifeSaver was backed up separately (back it up every day!) so nothing was lost.

BACK UP now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Joel

 

[Mike Labbe]

The only problem with those programs that back up all day is that they probably can't back up your pos files while they are in use(while the program is running). As a result, the important files can be entirely skipped - and it can become a false sense of security. It's best to do a full POS backup with the program itself, if possible, when your files are NOT in use/locked. The same problem applies to some of the online backup services that do so in the background.

These can also cause problems with POS systems, which may have the opposite problem (i.e.: the POS may want to access a file that is locked/in use by the backup software)

In a POS server environment, you usually only need to back up your SERVER machine. This is where all the data lives. The extra machines are basically just "dummy terminals", and only contain software that references the live data files that live on your server. (unless you store other files on those machine(s), too)

I agree with the advice above entirely. You can't be too careful!

Mike

 

[Dave]

BACK UP!
​

 

[David Waldmann]

The only problem with those programs that back up all day is that they probably can't back up your pos files while they are in use

I take it there are no log files generated by these POS systems, like in a typical SQL environment? We back up our log files every hour, and then the actual database after working hours are over (transferred to another local machine, a removable hard drive I take home with me, and over the internet). Of course, this is in addition to RAID.

 

[Indyago]

Back-up tools

I take it there are no log files generated by these POS systems, like in a typical SQL environment? We back up our log files every hour, and then the actual database after working hours are over (transferred to another local machine, a removable hard drive I take home with me, and over the internet). Of course, this is in addition to RAID.

David,

I like the thoroughness of your back-up plan, I am sure it is invaluable.

Rob

Also........, I know SpecialtySoft has a back-up utility built in to it's POS and backend. We use these utilities and create a back-up daily on the server and transfer it to another drive for safekeeping. And, we have had the occasion to use it a few times.

I am sure most of the other POS manufacturers have similar utilities available, if they don't, they should.

Rob