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I have had my current computer for over 3 years. I had my previous computer for four years before selling it to a college student who still uses it two years later.

Using a computer for six years should be a somewhat rare occurrence but it is not. Data loss is all too frequent and is estimated to cost $2,900 per incident. Ouch! This is foolish when the problem could have been solved for under $300. Even more, hard drives have been failing at an increasing rate as we depend more and more on our computers – sometimes as high as 15% in a single year!

Especially in this economy, fully depreciating (and then some!) our assets is a high priority but so should avoiding a catastrophe.

I encourage this attempt at cost savings as long as you are managing your risk well.

Doing so includes:

• Automated data backups with multiple versions
  Examples: Mozy for Mac, Carbonite for Windows, Bacula for Linux
• Routine and scheduled Hard Disk replacements & reuse the old drive
  Example: Within the estimated life of the Hard Drive, often called MTTF, or every three years
• Contingency planning for downtime
  Example: Have a secondary computer or shared computer just in case.

Here is what has enabled me maximize my hardware investment while minimizing my risk.

1. I buy only Macs. Since Intel is inside, I can use Windows using a superior hardware setup. You don’t have to, but this is what I do.
2. I have Mozy unlimited backup my hard drive automatically, a little bit every day for about $25.00 a year.
3. I religiously replace my hard drive every 3 years and install a fresh version of Mac OS X.
   (Disclosure: Actually, I hate losing little screws so I buy a hard drive for $109.00 and have Jordan at my local Mac shop, Di-No Computer do it for me for $50.00.)
4. I put the previous computer hard drive inside a reusable portable hard drive enclosure that cost me $62.00.
5. I plug in the hard drive using the enclosure via Firewire
6. I use the Apple Migration Assistant to migrate all the relevant files, applications, and preferences (including my entire Windows installation inside Parallels) over to my new machine.

Total time: 4-5 hours

Time invested: 17 minutes to walk through the Apple Migration Assistant.

Total cost: $25 + $109 + $50 + $62 = $246.00

Peace of mind of low risk and having a Plan B just in case: Priceless

For Windows users, moving your previous PC is probably not desired due to performance issues and for Linux, Ubuntu has a Migration Assistant but mostly from Windows to Linux in the unlikely event you are moving in that direction.

p.s.

I migrate users from Windows to Windows on Mac all the time. I’d love to consider the benefits of this option for you. Let’s connect.