My laptop crashed. Nothing is accessible anymore. Not even a single file that I built for two years can be read. It is really a big nuisance.
This happened after installing the Windows update. For sure, a lot have experienced this. After the update, the laptop froze or it became slow. For all the years I have used a Windows-based laptop, this never fails to happen. Either it crashes the laptop or makes it slow.
In an office setting, this is not a problem. IT support will always be there. They are experts and have relevant exposure in the tech world that can always help you fix whatever IT problems you have. From simple as granting access to making your computer run smoothly again, they have the solution.
In a remote work environment, where there is no physical office, the absence of IT support is a dilemma. So what are you going to do?
Not anticipating the issue
I was so confident that my laptop would run ever smoothly. For two years that I have been using it for my remote work, it has never failed me. The speed is always what I expect it to be. Smooth and will do what I want as quickly as I move the mouse, click, or type anything on the keyboard. It launches my files and applications within an acceptable time. I can go online on any site without any lag.
This made me feel comfortable that made me forget the one thing I used to do 10 years ago – backing up my files.
I never thought that the laptop would crash. For two years, it never did. After every Windows update, everything runs smoothly. My workflow is not affected. This also made me forget another thing – wear and tear.
Looking for help
When we are in an office setting and our computers are provided by our companies, IT support is expected. We expect them to fix our computers and replace them as necessary without any cost to us. They can even recover our lost files. Thus, it is never a problem. In fact, most rejoice because of the temporary stoppage of work and the burden of getting back online is with IT support and not ours. We just have to wait.
But, in a remote work environment, it is the very opposite. There is no IT. We have to look for someone who could help. The burden is on us to get back up online. A faulty equipment will not be replaced by the company. We have to replace it out of our pockets. Or at least spend some money to get it fixed.
We have to ask around to look for a reliable IT that could help fix the problem. I found one. But, his diagnosis resulted in the hard drive is not functioning anymore. It has to be replaced. This meant that I wouldn’t have my files anymore. I have to rebuild everything. Everything.
Accepting it will happen
Lesson learned. This type of situation will happen. There is no escaping it. It is inevitable. Laptops get old and will break down due to wear and tear. Outside of buying a new one, it is more important to ensure that our files can be recovered.
I just remembered a person who called when I was a customer representative. She was crying because her laptop just went black and her thesis due the following day was saved on it. We tried troubleshooting but in the end, there is no other way but to replace her old laptop. Yeah, I did not learn from this.
Accepting that this problem will occur made us take the necessary steps to get back on track as quickly as we could. The first thing, and the most important thing, is to back up the files to an external hard drive. We can back up to another one as a double fail-safe. Now, I do this every day. I built a short bat code so every time I click, all new and modified files will get saved on my external hard drive.
Another thing is maybe build a fund for a replacement or repair. It costs money to replace a laptop, or at least have it repaired. And everything gets worn down. So, in a span of 5 years, it is good to replace our equipment, or at least to the point it is not working to the level we need.
Summary
Working from home or remotely is a good thing, at least for me. But, the absence of physical IT support and company accountability can be a real headache. Everything falls to the employee.
We need to anticipate problems to arise. Backing up files and building a fund to buy a new one will ensure that if something happens, we can quickly get back on track and continue our work.
By doing these, we are being responsible and ensuring that we provide the results of our work as expected by the people around us.
Related Article: The Most Common Causes Of Laptop Crashes And How To Prevent Them
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