KAY’SCORNER
10 AUGUST 2019|COMPUTER SHOPPER|ISSUE 378
It’salockout
AWRITERATThe New Yorker
recently posted atweet that said:
“Uh, this looks fake but,
alas, it’s our iPad todayafter
3-year-old tried (repeatedly) to
unlock. Ideas?”
The tweet had an image
attached of the iPad’s screen
saying the device is disabled,
along with the message,“Try
again in 25,536,442 minutes.”
To save you doing the
arithmetic, that’s over 48 years.
Quiteawhile to be waiting to
get back to your music, photos
and documents.
What had happened was the
toddler had kept trying to unlock
the device by typing the wrong
password, and Apple devices
have asecurity feature under
which the more times an
incorrect password is entered,
the more time is added to the
lockout time.Persistent toddler,
48-year lockout.
Apple’s advice in these
circumstances is to carry out a
restore operation, but that would
lose any data on the device that
hadn’t been backed up.
It’s all tooeasy to read stories
like this and think it’s something
that will never happen to you,
but less drastic lockouts can
happen to all of us. The best
defence is knowing the photos,
documents, emails and things
that matter to you are available
no matter what happens to your
computer or phone.
Ireckon I’m areal expert in
this ’cos I’ve managed to make
so many wrong choices over the
years. Ihaveanimpressive range
of obsoleteand failed backup
devices and strategies; email
accounts Inolonger have access
to;hard drives that don’t work;
DVDs that have degraded. So
what should you do?
The classic advice is that you
should adopt a3-2-1 strategy.
This maybring up unfortunate
images of Dusty Bin in the
more mature readers, but
what this says is:
3: Have three copies of your data.
- The copies should be in at
least two separateplaces.
- At least one copyshould be
stored somewhere different to
where your normal storage is,
so if you keep all your photos
at home,keep another copyat
the office,inthe cloud, at a
friend’s house –somewhere
physically different.
ONE FORTHE MONEY
Step one,then, is to have
multiple copies of files that
matter.This doesn’t mean taking
acopyofevery email about
recycling and every pic your
Aunty Ethel sends you of her
cats, but if there’s something
you’d be devastated to lose,
copyit. Put acopyonatleast
two machines; your PC and
your phone at the least, or an
external memory stick or
external disk drive.
I’m also agreat fanofusing
an external disk drive forbackup.
Once amonth Iplug in my
backup disk drive and copy
anything recent that’s important
to it –photos, spreadsheets,
documents. Then it goes and sits
in afiling cabinet. That way, if my
machine gets avirus, or crashes,
or arandom toddler locks me
out for48years, I’ve still got
the files accessible to put on to
another machine.Ifyou’re really
cautious, you might want to put
your precious files on to adrive
that’s kept somewhere else; what
if your house burns down or you
get burgled? The keytothis
strategy is to put an automatic
reminder in your online diary or
calendar so you get nagged
about it, otherwise your backup
will go out of datefaster than
sushi in aheatwave.
TWOFORTHE SHOW
Then comes the ‘keep it
somewhere else’part. Youdon’t
need to be tooprecious about
this. We’re increasingly offered
automatic cloud-based backup,
especially from smartphones,
and if you aren’t, look forthem.
Things that work automatically
have alot going forthem,
because theystill happen when
you’re busy or think it’s not
worth doing this week.
Services such as Apple iCloud,
Dropbox, MicrosoftOneDrive or
Google Drive keep the files on
your computer synchronised
with their cloud-based copy,
whether you remember or not.
It means you can get at your
documents from any machine
that has internet access,
including your phone –solong
as you’ve not been locked out
by your toddler.
Lastly,and Iknow this may
sound like I’m aLuddite, Ihavea
final piece of advice.Ifthere’s
something you really cherish,
then take aphysical copy: print
out that email and file it, get a
print of the photoyou’d cry
about losing and put it in an
album. If you think I’m being
anti-tech, let me send you my
5.25in diskette, or my Zip drive
disk, or the disk from my Apricot
F1, or...Ibet you’ll struggle to
find adrive and driver to read it,
even if the disk or diskettehasn’t
given up the ghost. Technology
moves on, and some dayyou’ll
want to look at something and it
won’t work. There’s alot to be
said foraphotoalbum.
KAYEWBANK
Software guru andShopperlegend
[email protected]
Channellingthe spirit of DustyBin,KayEwbankoffersher3-2-1 guide tobackingup,
so youwon’t beleftfeelingfrustratedifyou’relockedout of youriPad for48years
Ihaveanimpressiverange of obsolete and failed backup devices
and strategies; email accounts Inolonger have access to; harddrives
thatdon’t work; DVDs thathavedegraded
