{"id":5392,"date":"2024-02-18T07:21:12","date_gmt":"2024-02-18T12:21:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392"},"modified":"2026-07-13T04:56:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T09:56:33","slug":"disaster-to-done-3-steps-to-bounce-back-after-a-computer-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392","title":{"rendered":"Disaster to Done: 3 Steps to Bounce Back After A Computer Crash"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-85bp3-f856194ef33e7bc72ec0d3bf98278fce\">\n.flex_column.av-85bp3-f856194ef33e7bc72ec0d3bf98278fce{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-85bp3-f856194ef33e7bc72ec0d3bf98278fce av_one_full  avia-builder-el-0  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><p><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-k0pon615-92ea21455f84089b14b66129c69212c2 '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><h1>Disaster to Done: 3 Steps to Bounce Back After A Computer Crash<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-k0pop9td-bbcbe599b29853166e54fa81e9bef78a '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For all the potential such topics as artificial intelligence, the metaverse and similarly tantalizing subjects offer, small businesses are often best served addressing fundamentals first. For example, <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">one of the most likely and common technology-related frustrations small businesses suffer is unplanned downtime caused by a desktop or laptop failure<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. Whenever a key employee\u2019s computer, in particular, fails, smaller firms must typically obtain and configure a replacement to restore operations. Unfortunately, the number of ways computers fail typically far exceeds the options available for quickly recovering a dead PC or Mac. <\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">The best time to speed up the replacement of a dying or broken computer is <\/span><\/b><b><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">before<\/span><\/i><\/b><b><span data-contrast=\"none\"> the machine gives up the ghost<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Maybe you already knew, or at least sensed, that fact. But you can\u2019t exactly go out and purchase and preconfigure computers for each employee in your small business. It doesn\u2019t make sense having capital tied up in assets that just sit in boxes depreciating.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Yet, the challenge remains. Organizations, especially small businesses, almost always need a failed computer replaced and back up and running quickly. Several factors often conspire to make such crises particularly stressful, however.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Smaller companies typically don\u2019t have the resources to keep multiple extra computers on hand. Nor do they usually boast a sizable IT department that\u2019s already prepped computer images and supporting infrastructure needed to stage and deploy a replacement within just a few hours.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Instead, smaller firms often must recover computers the hard way: from scratch. And when production lines are held up, customers are waiting on orders or users are unable to fulfill their responsibilities, other significant issues can arise, too, including delays processing orders or financial transactions and being unable to communicate with customers, receive payments or submit payroll.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The best bet is to prepare in advance for a desktop or laptop failure. Such contingency planning need not necessarily even require purchasing new equipment. Follow these three steps to help your small business prepare for inevitable computer failures, minimize corresponding disruption and eliminate unnecessary stress.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>1. Confirm and monitor backup status<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Whether a user continually copies files to a thumb drive, the organization employs an automated offsite backup or an external hard drive is configured to collect daily backups, ensure all the data on computers important to your business\u2019 operations are safely stored in a second location. When hard drives fail, all the corresponding data can be lost.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Data loss resulting from power surges, failed hard drives and other factors commonly occurs. Only by continually backing up important files and information to a second source can you be assured data can be recovered quickly to a new machine when the need arises. When replacing a PC or Mac, it\u2019s sometimes necessary to recover files from a backup first before getting a user running again, so ensure a backup will prove available when the time comes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>2. Record software licensing information for each important workstation<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Trust IT consultants with decades of experience when they say small businesses need to document their software information. Often, and especially within smaller organizations, applications are purchased and deployed over time. Software licensing information, subsequently, can end up in a variety of locations or even be lost.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">You don\u2019t want to experience unnecessary delays trying to recover a point-of-sale machine, an accountant\u2019s QuickBooks software, a key designer\u2019s Adobe programs or an industry-specific or proprietary app. Yet, the inability to track down an app\u2019s registration information, license number, credentials or product key (necessary to reinstall and activate the software) is one of the most common delays encountered deploying a replacement computer.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Prepare in advance. Record license information for all the important programs and computers within your business and place the information within an easily accessible location to help ensure recoveries proceed quickly without undue delays.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>3. Prepare a hardware replacement plan<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Before you can replace a failed computer, you need a second workstation to take the first one\u2019s place. Rapidly obtaining a business-grade PC\u2013the kind that includes a Windows professional operating system that can properly connect to Windows server-powered networks\u2013is sometimes a challenge. If you place an order on a Monday, you might be lucky to receive the replacement computer that same week. Most small businesses can\u2019t wait that long to restore a key employee\u2019s workstation, though.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Plan in advance. Is there another computer in the office that\u2019s sometimes used by an intern or a part-time staffer? Maybe you could redeploy that system to buy time when a key user\u2019s computer fails. Or, if the business has more than 20 employees, chances are it needs to regularly replace computers anyway. Consider purchasing a single spare that can be pressed into service quickly. After all, the more workstations in use, the higher the likelihood one will fail.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As long as you have a plan and understand any corresponding implications\u2013such as the intern might not be able to work for a few days while awaiting a replacement but at least your controller will be back up and running\u2013you\u2019ll be better prepared. A basic hardware replacement plan will<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> also help you avoid being caught by surprise by the easily overlooked but consequential dependency of requiring an appropriate replacement.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Seeking more small business tech tips?<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This year Louisville Geek celebrates its 20th anniversary of servicing and supporting small and medium businesses. Over the decades <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/news\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">we\u2019ve collected proven expertise we regularly share<\/span><\/a> <span data-contrast=\"auto\">to help SMBs benefit from such knowledge. Consider checking the site regularly to stay current with technology tips impacting your small or medium-sized business.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For example, you may find the following topics helpful:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/news\/top-10-technology-mistakes-businesses-make\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Top 10 Technology Mistakes Small Businesses Make<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/news\/is-your-computer-ready-for-2024-take-these-18-essential-steps-to-ensure-youre-prepared-for-next-year\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Is Your Computer Ready For 2024? Take These 18 Essential Steps To Ensure You\u2019re Prepared<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\u25cf\" data-font=\"\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/news\/the-5-most-common-it-mistakes-smbs-should-avoid-in-2023\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The 5 Most Common IT Mistakes SMBs Should Avoid In 2023<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Should you have other questions, drop us a line. You can reach Louisville Geek at 502-897-7577 or by emailing <\/span><a href=\"mailto:sales@lougeek.com\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">sales@lougeek.com<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5394,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Computer Crash Recovery: 3 Steps to Bounce Back<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Your business doesn&#039;t have to suffer when a workstation crashes. Mitigate downtown and get your computer back up and running in three steps.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Computer Crash Recovery: 3 Steps to Bounce Back\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Your business doesn&#039;t have to suffer when a workstation crashes. Mitigate downtown and get your computer back up and running in three steps.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Louisville Geek\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-18T12:21:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-13T09:56:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Shutterstock_1012317487-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"LouGeek Marketing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"LouGeek Marketing\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Computer Crash Recovery: 3 Steps to Bounce Back","description":"Your business doesn't have to suffer when a workstation crashes. Mitigate downtown and get your computer back up and running in three steps.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Computer Crash Recovery: 3 Steps to Bounce Back","og_description":"Your business doesn't have to suffer when a workstation crashes. Mitigate downtown and get your computer back up and running in three steps.","og_url":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392","og_site_name":"Louisville Geek","article_published_time":"2024-02-18T12:21:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-13T09:56:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":2560,"url":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Shutterstock_1012317487-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"LouGeek Marketing","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"LouGeek Marketing","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392"},"author":{"name":"LouGeek Marketing","@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a381cd0bd66b806f0da449297a82ce8a"},"headline":"Disaster to Done: 3 Steps to Bounce Back After A Computer Crash","datePublished":"2024-02-18T12:21:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-13T09:56:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392"},"wordCount":1283,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Shutterstock_1012317487-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Tech Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392","url":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392","name":"Computer Crash Recovery: 3 Steps to Bounce Back","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Shutterstock_1012317487-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2024-02-18T12:21:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-13T09:56:33+00:00","description":"Your business doesn't have to suffer when a workstation crashes. Mitigate downtown and get your computer back up and running in three steps.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Shutterstock_1012317487-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Shutterstock_1012317487-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":2560},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=5392#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Disaster to Done: 3 Steps to Bounce Back After A Computer Crash"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/","name":"Louisville Geek","description":"Empowering Local Businesses and National Enterprises with Comprehensive IT Services","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/#organization","name":"Louisville Geek","url":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/lougeek_full_logo-black-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/lougeek_full_logo-black-1.png","width":1671,"height":506,"caption":"Louisville Geek"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a381cd0bd66b806f0da449297a82ce8a","name":"LouGeek Marketing","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/865f8a8b853c689f8443338c8f8d08b8e9a9f0bcab6dcd97b1cb63a5efeda3fa?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/865f8a8b853c689f8443338c8f8d08b8e9a9f0bcab6dcd97b1cb63a5efeda3fa?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/865f8a8b853c689f8443338c8f8d08b8e9a9f0bcab6dcd97b1cb63a5efeda3fa?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"LouGeek Marketing"},"url":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?author=2"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5392"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6950,"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5392\/revisions\/6950"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}