How to Survive a Laptop Disaster while Abroad

A lot of things can go wrong when you're traveling. However, one of the most panic-inducing would have to be your laptop crashing.

Especially if you're traveling for work, a computer crash can be like having your office go up in flames. If you're concerned about this happening to you, here are a few steps you can take to get to your important information.

Undo Your Last Action

Although this solution will depend on what your computer is doing, you may be able to undo your last action to get your computer up and running. If this doesn't work, try the restore feature on your PC to reset the computer to the time before the problem occurred. If you notice a blue screen or can't access any programs that will allow you to make changes, then don't continue to work with the computer.

Visit a Professional Repair Service

If you're abroad, it may be difficult to fix your computer yourself, but consider seeking out tech support. Keep in mind that your options may be limited depending on your location. It may also take some time to repair your computer and you should plan for up to two weeks. Although you may be able to get your computer back in a shorter time frame, it's always a good idea to carry a backup laptop or to have a plan in place for when you run into problems. If your computer is essential to your work, then make sure that you contact a professional quickly.

Bring System Recovery Info with You

In today's online-based world, it's important to have your information backed up on a regular basis. Before you travel with your computer, make sure to have a flash drive with plenty of storage to back up your essential information. This way, you'll be able to recover any information and can worry about repairing your computer later. Most flash drives are small today and you'll probably need one with at least 16GB to be practical.

Recover Your Data

If you've backed up your data to an external hard drive or some type of cloud-based storage, then you will be able to recover this information. It's a good idea to try out either of these options. Since many of us don't take the time to backup data though, you may find yourself without these options.

Another option is to use a company that can extract the data from your laptop. You could contact a data recovery company to perform digital forensics. Whether you've experienced physical damage to the computer or failure of the operating system, a data recovery provider can deliver great results and may be able to recover all or a significant number of your important files.

Keeping your computer up and running doesn't seem like a problem, but laptops often fail. This occurrence is even more problematic if it happens when you're traveling abroad. Use this information to plan for your next trip and you'll have a better chance of getting through a computer crash.