Increased reliance on computers

[Stu Jackson]

Many of us have increased reliance on computers these days.  In the "old days" we had Mainsheet magazine to get us the technical tidbits so important to our safety.  Now, we use the internet for information, and the computer for navigation.  On another forum, a skipper was lamenting the fact that he'd lost his routes and waypoints, and couldn't determine if it was a navigation software issue or an operating system issue.

Spoiler alert:  this is GEEK oriented.

We recently had a Windows crash on our W7 laptop.

I can't encourage you enough to read Andy Rathbone, who wrote many of the Windows for Dummies books. Google him, there are two or three very helpful white papers on this simple stuff that many folks simply avoid until it's too late!!!

Create/make/do all three of the following:

System repair dic
System recovery disc
System Image (don't work on discs, needs a portable HD)

The system image will copy all of your data files, too, in addition to all your programs and settings, but I back up my data separately and regularly anyway.

All this takes maybe an hour a week.

[Stu Jackson]

Here's a link to Andy Rathbone's work

http://www.andyrathbone.com/2010/02/19/system-image-vs-regular-backup-in-windows-7/

[Ken Juul]

i think anything you can do to back up the trons is good.  Slightly off topic, I got my chartplotter maybe 6 years ago.  I always had the chart book of our local cruising area on board, but rarely looked at it.  On our trip south for the winter the updated Navionics chip failed.  I bought the chart books for the trip and continued on.  It took a about 7 weeks, VA to Titusville, FL to get a new chip.  I still rely on the chart plotter, but unless I have the paper chart open as a reference tool I'm not comfortable unless I'm in familiar enough waters to not need the chartplotter.   

Murphy's law applies here....if it is going to fail,  it will fail at the worst possible time. Don't boat without backup.

[Stu Jackson]

Ken's right.  Here's my story:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,7773.msg53608.html#msg53608