Be prepared for a computer crash

Backing up is a good idea for several reasons. Not only can a PC crash, but it can also be stolen. Therefore, always make a backup copy of important files. The article ‘Backing up: the possibilities’ goes into detail about all options.

Don’t feel like dwelling on all the backup options? Windows 10 computers have OneDrive, Microsoft’s free cloud storage service, installed by default. Basically this program is a folder on the computer. All files in that folder are also stored in a safe place on the Internet (in the cloud, as it is called). This is fully automatic (with a working internet connection). If the PC crashes, all files stored in OneDrive are safe. The article ‘Using OneDrive for backup’ lists all the pros and cons.

If you have just been busy with a household book in Excel or in a document in Word, the PC suddenly stops working. All labor is then lost unless you use AutoRecover. This option automatically saves an intermediate version of a document. You set yourself how often this should happen. For example, once every ten minutes or every minute. If the computer fails, no more than that number of minutes of work is lost. A comforting thought. The article ‘Return Word documents with AutoRecover’ shows how to set up AutoRecovery. Although only for Word documents, the steps are exactly the same in Excel.

A well-maintained device will last longer. Of course there are no guarantees, but if you keep your PC in order, there is less risk of annoying failures. Take the tips in this article to heart: “5 jobs for a fast PC (Windows 10)”.

Finally, are there any programs you use a lot that aren’t a standard part of Windows? Make sure you have a backup of the installation files so that you can reinstall them. In case of paid software: keep the license safe so that you can use it again.