Hey all,
My main PC is still (!) not up and running, and as I continue waiting for warranty replacement parts to arrive, I've been thinking about backup systems to handle another failure like this.
I think about data backups often, but honestly, I really haven't thought much about having fallback hardware to use in such a situation. It's an interesting topic, and one that sends my nerdy mind spinning in many different directions. How much time and money am I willing to devote to making myself more or less "immune" to an unexpected hardware crash?
Of course, having good data backups is much more important, since all the replacement hardware in the world won't help you recover from a catastrophic loss of the only copy of something important. If you haven't already, definitely prioritize that first. But assuming that's out of the way...
Considering backup/fallback computer hardware leads to a few questions that highlight the trade-offs involved:
- What's the minimum necessary to perform the tasks you must accomplish with reasonable efficiency?
- What's the cost (income, time, enjoyment, whatever) of being unable to accomplish those tasks as expected?
- How likely is a downtime-inducing hardware failure?
For the last 3-4 weeks, I've had many opportunities to think about these questions--especially the first one. Fortunately, I was able to switch to my (much older) laptop right away and limp along with that for a couple of weeks. But at the beginning, I didn't know how long it was going to take to fully address my desktop PC problems. If I had, I would have searched for a better solution right away.
As the days wore on, I recognized a couple of important factors:
- My work is much less efficient with one monitor than with two.
- My ability to focus is much worse when my desk surface is covered with random temporary computer hardware.
- As much as I like Linux (which my laptop runs), key parts of my day job really need to run on Windows.
Part of me was sorely tempted to buy replacement hardware right away and deal with returns or eBay sales later. But even if I had the spare cash for such a purchase, that seemed unwise since the failed parts were nearly new and still under warranty. So, I opted not to do that.
Another part of me wanted to look for cheaper hardware to buy expressly for backup purposes. There's more merit to that approach, since the cost is low and benefit is high. If I'd known how drawn out this process was going to be, that's exactly what I would have done...probably found an off-lease compact desktop from eBay or even Facebook Marketplace around $100 and just plugged it into the same keyboard, mouse, monitor, and other accessories. Those little desktops have reasonable resale value, and they're small enough to keep on a shelf.
By the time I realized how helpful that choice would have been, I was already weeks into the process and optimistically hoping it would only take a few more days.
Alas, I was wrong.
Yesterday, it finally dawned on me that I actually had something almost as good as a backup mini desktop PC just sitting near the top of a pile of stuff meant for eBay sales. An even older laptop with a still-active Windows installation! It was supposed to be sold months ago, but that task has persistently fallen too low on the priority list. My inaction turned out to be my (metaphorical) salvation.
One USB dock and the world's ugliest cable mess later, and I have that poor laptop driving a multi-monitor Windows development station for me once again. It's not ideal, but honestly it feels so much better than the obvious band-aid situation I had before. I've only been using it for a day, but I'm kicking myself for not figuring this out sooner.
This was the perfect temporary solution to my ongoing problem. It cost nothing except for some time. Buying a bit of old, cheap hardware wouldn't have been a bad idea, but this is a better choice as a backup plan, as insurance against another hardware failure.
This level of "hardware failure insurance" is perhaps more than what many people need. You might be able to fall back on using your phone or tablet in an emergency, or you have enough cash set aside to buy a replacement if you absolutely had to. Or maybe you, like me, could cobble together a working franken-puter in a pinch using parts hanging around your home or office.
Whatever your situation, have you ever actually thought about it? Especially those three questions above, about your most basic computing needs and the costs of not being able to fulfill them normally? Tidy Bytes is all about data organization and--secondarily--safety and security, but those concepts also extend to your computing hardware.
If you have any questions about what kind of hardware-specific backup plans might be worth considering, let me know. I love talking through this kind of thing.
Until next week, happy data-taming!