mja blog

  • First Carbonite restore

    Last month I subscribed to an online backup service called Carbonite. The way it works: you install a small program on your PC, it keeps track of changes to your file system (new, changed or deleted files) and uploads an encrypted copy of your hard-drive contents onto the Carbonite server. The program works quietly in the background, making regular backups which update changed or new files. Deleted files are only removed from the server after 30 days – so in the event you accidentally delete a file you have a period of grace available to restore it.

    My first Carbonite restore occurred as a result of setting up my new notebook, I wanted to transfer all my files and settings over from my desktop machine. More than 29,000 files totalling over 4GB took about two days to restore, over my 1.5MB DSL connection.

    Things didn’t go exactly as expected. I knew I’d have to manually install all my other software applications and programs but had hoped the restore would take care of system preferences and application settings as well as data files. I thought it would have my laptop running as a mirror image of my desktop machine, but the Carbonite program doesn’t work that way. I was also dismayed to see that my MYOB financial data files were not restored – which means these important files have not been included as part of Carbonite’s regular backups.

    All it seems to do, that I could see, is restore files saved in the My Documents directory for each user profile. This is slightly annoying if you have obsolete profiles from your old PC that you don’t want to restore on the new one, you end up with all these extraneous user accounts – which seem to be assigned a secret password that you have to reset via the Control Panel before you can log into them.

    I’m not sure how useful this program really is for me, it does not back up the files I really want although it does an admirable job with everything else! I like the fact that it tracks changes to your file system and offers a “second chance” to restore deleted files. In future I will make sure any important files (eg. MYOB data) are copied into My Documents so they make the backup, but shall probably not bother to renew my annual subscription when it next comes up.

    UPDATE: Astonished and pleasantly surprised I was to find comments from Carbonite’s Dave Friend and Alison, addressing the issues I had with the system. Rueful I am that I didn’t “RTFM” but very impressed at the level of support and attention by Carbonite. I shall certainly examine the features they’ve mentioned and consider re-subscribing when the time comes.

  • I love my Dell

    Brand new is nice, but when it still does the job second-hand is dandy because it’s cheaper and I reckon, greener – one less obsolete model as landfill. Not that I think my new (second-hand) Dell Precision M60 is ready to become landfill just yet – the specs are still quite respectable by today’s standards. The big attraction for me was the dedicated 128MB graphics, along with the bigger ram and storage than my old desktop.

    This nearly five year old notebook is a very sturdy model and in excellent condition for ex-lease stock. Bought for a very reasonable $610 from eBay and picked up from the local seller, saving a bit on postage. Just a couple of scratches on the case, hardly any sign of wear inside and the screen is immaculate.

    Came with a PCMCIA Wireless card so I immediately set up my wireless router and have been testing the connection at various points around the house, although yet to venture outside (it’s cold!). It is an excellent connection and am delighted with this feature. Combined with the long battery life of 3 – 4 hours (with fast 1 hour recharge) I’ll be able to “diddle” with my computer anywhere I like!

    Dell Precision M60
    Processor: Intel Pentium M Processor 745 1.8GHz
    Chipset: Intel 855PM
    Memory: Fast DDR Dual Channel 2048MB (2GB) [2X1024MB Modules]
    Display: 15.4″ UltraSharpTM WUXGA TFT LCD
    Graphics: NVIDIA® Quadro FX Go700, 128MB DDR SDRAM; OpenGL hardware acceleration
    Hard Drive: 60GB capacity, up to 7,200 RPM speed, EIDE/ATA-100
    PC Card: One Type I or Type II
    I/O Ports: Serial, parallel, docking connector, 3 USB, S-Video out, VGA, headphone/speaker out, infrared port, RJ-11, RJ-45, 1394 Mini, AC power

    Last night I installed most of my regular software including anti-virus, ad-aware, Adobe suite, MS Office, MYOB. At the moment I have my Carbonite program running to restore over 4GB data from my desktop backup. By tonight I should have it in full working order.

  • Get fit on the web

    There’s a new state government ad on telly with former tennis champion Pat Rafter telling us to find your 30 – it’s all about spending a short part of the day towards being active and getting some exercise. In light of the news that Australia is now the world’s fattest nation it seems a good time to heed that message.

    It has certainly struck a chord with me, I’ve come to realise that as I get older I really need to look after my health and fitness. I’ve set myself a challenge to walk for 20 minutes a day and to help keep me motivated I’ve registered on Lance Armstrong’s new health and fitness site, Livestrong.com.

    Tools on the site let you create a challenge or “dare” for yourself, then monitor and maintain your progress via self-assessment of your daily performance and degree of difficulty. You can also keep a journal of the dare, and invite supporters to egg you on with encouraging comments.

    As someone who beat cancer and then had a run of successive wins of the world’s toughest bike race, Lance Armstrong knows all about self-determination, motivation and support networks. His Livestrong.com site is packed with information, experts, videos and tools to help motivate you to “dare to Live Strong”.

  • PC Helpdesk

    “The word user is the word used by the computer professional when they mean idiot.” – Dave Barry

    Customer: Hi, this is Celine. I can’t get my diskette out.
    Tech support: Have you tried pushing the button?
    Customer: Yes sure, it’s really stuck.
    Tech support: That doesn’t sound good; I’ll make a note.
    Customer: No, wait a minute … I hadn’t inserted it yet … it’s still on my desk … Sorry …
    (more…)

  • Sasha’s bone

    Sasha has always been fiercely possessive of any bone she is given. With her small mouth and a few missing teeth, her bones usually last a long time and she will sit guarding her bone for as much time as she actually chews it.

    Boss finishes his bones in a few quick chomps but usually steers clear of Sasha while she has hers. He pretends to ignore her but you can see him watching her out of the corner of his eye, and as soon as she leaves her bone unattended he swoops and it is gone.

    Yesterday it was quite hilarious. We gave both dogs a bone and as usual Boss finished his long before Sasha. Eventually she had a dilemma because she wanted to guard her bone from Boss, but the call of nature was getting stronger.

    She solved the problem by carrying the bone in her mouth while she did all her business in the yard. It was the first time we’d seen her (or any dog) do this. She is one determined little creature!

    IMG_0602

  • Hair cut

    Had my hair cut this morning and I’m not really happy with it. I specified short bob, sides left long enough to tuck behind my ears and a wispy fringe. I think I should have just stopped at “short bob” and left the rest to the hairdresser to work out, because the bits that look awful are the sides and wispy fringe. Oh woe, I might have to go back and get them to tidy it up.

    Update – the new hairstyle has grown on me (is that a pun?) As Mum joked, I just needed “product”. A bit of hair styling wax and mousse does the trick.