"We apologize for the inconvenience, but Windows could not be accessed or located."

It happens to the best of us. A complete operating system failure. One day you might turn on your p.c. and that dreadful message is on your screen as plain as day. You don't know what you could have possibly done, as your computer was working fine just a little while ago.

Panic is usually the first thing to set in. Something like an operating system failure can literally put home business owners out of business indefinitely. The cost and time involved in trying to repair a p.c. and the months or even years of lost information is overwhelming and frightening to think about.

This doesn't have to happen to you if you are prepared.

When you think about it, our businesses are at the mercy of technology. The technology is only as good as long as it's working properly. What a wonderful world we would live in if technology were flawless.

The reality is that systems fail. Computers are machines and machines sometimes break down. It doesn't get any simpler that than. We have no other choice than to be prepared for when those times come, especially IF we want to make sure our home business suffers very little down time.

There are some very easy things you can do right now to make ensure your peace of mind for your business. You need to be back up and running as quickly as possible in the event of an operating system crash.

1. Document everything including usernames, passwords, merchant account numbers, important websites and especially software unlock codes. Anything that is not written down on paper is subject to be lost.

2. Back up your hard-drive as necessary for how often you have new updates that you cannot afford to lose or rebuild.

** Important! If you have to completely reinstall your operating system, the "My Documents" folder is usually lost. Make sure you don't forget this folder when you do the back up.

3. Make sure all of your .exe, zip and software install files are on a disk. This is easily done by backing them up or burning them onto a CD. You should already have the system restoration and any other store-bought software disks handy.

The actual repair or reinstall of your operating system may simple or it may be complicated. If you are well versed in this area, you may be able to restore the system yourself. If you're like most of us, you may have to call a computer repair professional.

When your p.c. is restored, you will be able to simply reinstall your software and documents files from the disks you created. If you have access to a secondary p.c., you can install your programs on the backup computer in the interim.

Regardless, you will rest much easier knowing that you have taken some basic steps necessary to prepare yourself and protect your business.

This very same scenario happened to me just recently. It could have been a disaster for my business, but it wasn't. I was prepared and was back up and running within 24 hours.

Don't wait until it's too late.

To Your Success!

Patty Gale