When More Is Better: The Bonus of a Second, Internet-Ready PC

If you’re fortunate to have another, working, Internet-ready device, particularly another PC, you’ll find this is a big boon to you in trying to deal with a dead or disaster-ed system.

With a second available PC, you can

• Try to finish what you were working on before the interruption.

• Go online to manufacturers’ web sites and other help sites to research your problem. (See Chapter 15, “Finding Help Online,” for more information.)

• Check the second PC to see if everything on the first PC appears to be connected in roughly the same way.

• Troubleshoot using this second working system.

Let me talk a little about that last advantage because it’s one that not everyone thinks about when trying to work through a thorny problem.

When I suspect I’ve got a problem with a device on one system in my home or office, I try swapping that device onto another machine.

Here’s an example: If I’m having difficulty determining whether a display problem is rooted in the video adapter or in the monitor, I take the monitor from the problem PC to the other PC and try it there. If the monitor works fine when installed to the second system, I can probably rule out the monitor itself as the source of problems on the first PC. Next, I try the video cable from the second system on the first system to rule out that the cable from the first PC is damaged. Once I clear the cable and monitor as likely suspects, I can look at the video adapter and its driver.

But I also do this with drives, keyboards, printers, and even components you install internally such as video adapters and memory.

While you have to exercise care here that you don’t end up with two non-functioning systems, the options that a second PC can provide are broad and very helpful. After all, if you take your PC into a shop, it’s possible a technician will test part of your system in much the same fashion. It’s a standard troubleshooting technique.

All right. You should now have your PC Recovery Resource Kit pretty much complete, and it should include the following:

• Hardware tools like screwdrivers and an anti–static wrist strap

• Boot/startup disks

• Essential install CDs (such as for Windows and your applications/utilities), disks, and data

Don’t forget to remind yourself to keep your PC Recovery Resource Kit well-supplied and updated.

Now it’s time to draw up a master plan to prepare for the worst so that you can get back to PC work and leisure after a disaster of almost any type. Let’s move to Chapter 5, “Drafting Your Disaster Recovery Plan,” to begin planning and implementing this.