Preparing Computers For A Move
Remember the days when moving electronics meant just boxing up a TV and record player and being set up at your new home within minutes? Perhaps not – it was rather a long time ago. Today, no move is complete without a potentially hazardous and complicated computer/internet/home cinema/surround-sound migration process. Despite the advent of wireless technology, you’re still greeted by a spaghetti junction of wires when you finally pluck up the courage to look behind the sofa. Leaving aside the other gadgets for now, let’s look at how to get your computer ready for the road. Many of us keep crucial information on our computers, whether they be desktop, laptop, Mac or PC, and the loss of this information could have a drastic impact on our lives, so it’s something to take seriously.
Before your move, back up. If you haven’t got into the habit of backing up automatically, now’s the time to make it part of your computing routine. Even if you use various cloud services, it’s important to back up, so that you’re protected from any glitches or problems occurring in the cloud; they have been known to happen.
Give your passwords a thorough going over. If you’ve chosen easy ones (maiden names, dates, street names etc), then change them to something that can’t be guessed. In the unlikely event of your computers falling into bad hands during transit, you don’t want to make them easy to get into.
Get cleaning. Before your computer gets packed, vacuum it, especially if it’s a dust-gathering desktop. Vacuuming will prevent dust from getting shaken around during the move and possibly affecting the computer’s innards. Cast a careful eye and finger over the screws and if anything’s getting loose, tighten it up.
Pack it up. Electronics are best packed with special packing paper. Remove all peripherals and avoid using packing chips which can cause a build-up of damaging static. Use a system to help you remember which lead and which peripheral goes where when you’re reassembling things at the other end. For some, that means taking notes. For others, it’s a case of taping the relevant lead/dongle/adapter to the body of the computer to which it belongs.
We offer a full packing service which would cover all of the above as well as any other items you might have.
