List of Sidebars

Chapter 1: PC Disasters and Recovery Overview

A Cautionary Tale: When the IRS Comes Knocking

Chapter 2: How Your Hardware, Operating System, and Applications Work Together

About Hardware Resources

Checking Against Your Own PC

Chapter 3: Prevention: Limiting Your Risk

In the Not So Distant Past

That Age-Old Debate: PC Cover On or Off?

“It’s a Virus, I Tell You!”

Installing Backup for Windows XP

Chapter 4: Assembling Your PC Recovery Resource Kit

Take Advantage of Sales

A Cautionary Tale: Step Away from the Power Source

Chapter 5: Drafting Your Disaster Recovery Plan

A Cautionary Tale: Backing Up Before an Impending Storm

Choosing a Drive Image/Backup Package

Chapter 6: Transforming Yourself into a Smart Troubleshooter: Detecting, Analyzing, and Diagnosing

A Cautionary Tale: Trying Everything Under the Sun

Chapter 7: Restarting a Problem PC

A Cautionary Tale: Before You Head to the Junk Yard

Chapter 8: When Upgrades Go Wrong

A Cautionary Tale: Leader of the Pack?

A Cautionary Tale: Watch the Help You Get

Chapter 9: Stabilizing Your Operating System

The Quest for a Well-Running PC

A Cautionary Tale: Updated Into Oblivion

One More Before We Go

Chapter 10: Understanding and Troubleshooting Hardware Failures

A Cautionary Tale: There’s Hot, and Then There’s HOT!

A Cautionary Tale: In the If-it-Ain’t-Broken, Fix-it-Until-it-is Department

Chapter 11: Avoiding Power and Overheating Problems

A Cautionary Tale: Building a Healthy Respect Based on Intense Pain

Buying Refurbished Equipment

A Cautionary Tale: The Brewing Storm in the Basement

Chapter 12: PC Performance: Diagnosing, Monitoring, and Troubleshooting

A Cautionary Tale: Getting Up to Speed with Upgrading Computers

“Mine is Bigger (or Better) than Yours”

Chapter 13: Recovering Lost or Damaged Files and Applications

A Cautionary Tale: Open and Look

Work-Arounds Don’t Always Work

A Cautionary Tale: When “Borrowing” Software Can Bite

Chapter 14: Disaster and Recovery Essentials for Your Small Network

Your Networking Setup Options

A Cautionary Tale: Don’t Let Me Scare You

A Cautionary Tale: Don’t Assume

Chapter 15: Finding Help Online

Information You Should Not Give Out

A Cautionary Tale: Choose Your Helper Wisely

A Cautionary Tale: Don’t Make Them Drag the Info from You

Chapter 16: Starting from Scratch the Smart Way

A Cautionary Tale: Don’t Be Hit by Formatter’s Remorse

A Cautionary Tale: The “Fun” Doesn’t Always Stop Here

Chapter 17: Resurrecting a Dead Hard Drive

Immediate Safety Concerns

A Cautionary Tale: Why a Good Swift Kick or Slap Probably Isn’t Going to Help

A Cautionary Tale: Consider This

A Cautionary Tale: Don’t Assume You Have Protection

Chapter 18: Knowing When to Call the Professionals

A Cautionary Tale: Keep a Copy

Unhappy Realities of Warranty Exercising

A Cautionary Tale: “I Waited Forever on Hold, and Then They Rushed Me Off the Line”

A Cautionary Tale: The Blame Game