Microsoft is pulling the plug on Windows XP. That’s not news, as it’s been in the works for some time. What is news is that you can still get XP. Wired gives you a couple of ways to get XP even though it’s dead, including downgrading your Vista installation.
I don’t know about you, but I use Google Reader for my feeds. Sometimes, though I wish that I could read them offline easily. I know there’s Google Gears, but there’s also another solution. Lifehacker reports that RSS Bandit, a popular desktop feed reader, now syncs with Google Reader. That means you have your feeds up to date in both places, which is a really cool idea. What’s your preferred RSS reader? Is it online or a desktop program?
Yesterday I talked about backup options for your laptop, but knowing how you backup is only half the battle. It’s also important to know what to backup, especially if you are running Windows. It’s pretty obvious that you will backup your documents, photos and music which will usually be stored in the folders of the same name on your computer. Keep a check for any folders installed by programs. For example, WIndows Live Writer creates a folder in My Documents where it stores all your blog posts.
Another key location is the desktop. Many of us drag files there temporarily and use it as a workspace, so it’s a key place for backing up.
One of the things I learned the hard way is that Windows hides your files by default. The first thing I do with a new laptop or PC is open a folder, go to the tools menu and open folder options. Under the view tab, there’s a list of functions. I check ’show hidden files and folders’ so I can see everything that’s in a folder. The reason for this is that when I’m ready to backup, there are a couple of hidden files that have important data.
All your customized settings are hidden in two folders - local settings and application data, but you don’t see these unless you enable hidden file viewing. Once you’ve done that you can copy the application data folder to your backup medium. This is useful for restoring data such as your FTP settings (re-entering them by hand can be a pain if you manage a lot of sites), your browser extensions and your email folders. Backing these up can save you a lot of time and trouble.
A long time ago I learned the hard way about the wisdom of backing up your data and of having a backup for those backups. I was glad I did when I had to wipe my laptop recently and restore some of the data. Here are the backup options I use:
One of my chief tools is MozyBackup, an online backup service that offers a free amount of storage. By being careful about what I backup, I’ve managed to make that last over the last couple of years. I set it to backup daily at the time I usually have lunch, and after the first backup it is very quick.
I also have a portable hard drive, where I keep copies of everything I’m working on. Periodically (it should be weekly but is often monthly) I make a new backup folder and put everything in it. I also keep a ‘work in progress’ folder where in theory I copy everything I’ve worked on that day.
Google also helps me with backups. One of the quickest ways to save a copy of an individual document is to paste the content into an email or attach it to an email in Gmail. You can send it to yourself or save it in drafts. Alternatively, you can upload it and save it to Google Docs and Spreadsheets.
Finally, there’s a DVD or CD. It never hurts to have an additional copy of your data, so from time to time it’s worth using a DVD or CD to archive stuff you don’t need every day but you still don’t want to lose.
I like to think that with all these options I’ll always have access to the data I need. However, there’s more to backing up than choosing the medium. I’ll be looking at that in another post.
Digital Inspiration suggests a way to create a feed reader using Google Spreadsheets. Basically, you create an aggregator, Popurls style, and it constantly updates. You can even publish your aggregator to the web if you want. All you have to do is use RSS feeds as the source for the individual cells.
I can see the attraction of creating an RSS home page with a dozen or so feeds, but I can’t see the point of using it as a reader when you have more than 100 feeds to go through. Google Reader works well already. Am I missing the point? You decide.
Imagine my surprise when I visited Plurk today and found out that Gmail had some new features. Sign in, click on ’settings’ then ‘labs’ and you get some cool new tools to play with -13 of them to be exact. Quick links, pictures in chat and snazzy new icons are just a few of the goodies on offer. Lifehacker has a detailed review of the whole lot. Enjoy!
In other release news, those who are trying out FF3 but not committing all the way will be happy to hear that Portable Firefox is now at RC2. I can’t wait to make the change as I’ve found FF3 buggier than their previous releases.
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