Computers are a way of life in college and it's hard to live without one. Most of us will lug our computer around for part of the day whether that be to class or the library and at sometime most of us will encounter a computer problem as well. This can be trouble with wireless, finding files, programs crashing, beer spilled on laptop, etc. Even if you have a mac, problems can still occur. I have seen many a mac that has been wrecked by spilled beer, spilled milk, stepped on by accident, and just randomly tossed around. Even if money isn't an issue to you, losing all the files you own can be an academic nightmare.
I therefore advise spending the extra money and buying an external hard-drive. I bought one during my first year of college when I was told my motherboard would need to be replaced. They said I could back up my computer, they'd take it for a few days, put in a new motherboard, then reboot it and bring it back to normal with all my data from my external hard-drive. My motherboard did not have to be replaced but I consider my external hard-drive crucial to college survival. At the time I spent $75 on a 320gig hard-drive from the campus computer store, which was probably overpriced and can now be bought for around $50.
My computer has not crashed but I have seen multiple students panic over losing music, files, homework, programs, etc. Think of buying one as part of your computer protection warranty plan when you buy a new computer. Once you have one you will probably also have it for life (or a long time).
I have a Mac and there is a free program called Time Machine (and pre-installed) which is really easy to use. I plug in my hard-drive and it instantly starts storing the data. I can retrieve data that I also put into the trash to delete a week ago. I can scan back to every time I saved work to my computer and retrieve it (even if I deleted it on my computer today, it is still on my hard-drive!). If my computer crashes I can get it fixed or buy a new one and then when it loads up for the first time just hit restore with Time Machine. It is a brilliant program and will restore all my programs I already bought, such as Microsoft Office and Apple Programs, as well as all my other files; my computer will be the exact same before it crashed.
It's a recommendation to buy a hard-drive and I understand many of us are short on cash, however the $75 bucks I spent on my hard-drive I could earn faster working than trying to go and reset my computer. It would be such a nightmare for me to try to find new music, retype files, and have to buy a new version of Microsoft Office (and learn how to use it). It's worth the extra cash so cut your alcohol consumption, avoid other unhealthy habits, don't order wings, and save that cash until you can buy it. AND if your computer crashes or finally craps out, you'll be darn happy you have that hard-drive!
Back up your s**t!
Stay Strong!
Best,
T-rev
(picture from http://cartoonsbysheila.wordpress.com/tag/computer-crash/)
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