Bringing a Laptop to Shows: Pros & Cons

[chefjeanine]

I'm sorry if that sounds dumb.....

Join the club. . . . :blushing:

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

1 bit = 1 binary digit8 bits = 1 byte, or, 1 character1k = 1 killobyte = 1,024 bytes. (Don't ask why 1k is actually 1,024. You don't want to know.)1Mbyte = 1 megabyte = 1 million bytes = 1,024,000,000 bytes.1,024 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte1,024 Gigabytes = 1 TerabyteIt gets even bigger, too, but this list is enough.2 bits = 25¢

 

[chefjeanine]

1 bit = 1 binary digit

8 bits = 1 byte, or, 1 character

1k = 1 killobyte = 1,024 bytes. (Don't ask why 1k is actually 1,024. You don't want to know. your right, I don't want to know. )

1Mbyte = 1 megabyte = 1 million bytes = 1,024,000,000 bytes.

1024 Megabytes = 1 Gigabyte

1024 Gigabytes = 1 Terabyte

It gets even bigger, too, but this list is enough.

You don't expect me to remember this do you? I suppose I could print it out and tuck it somewhere safe.

 

[wadesgirl]

So, a USB flash drive with 2 GB....that would be good?


I'm sorry if that sounds dumb.....

My 1 GB is not even 10% full and I basically just use it to back up PP. I got the 1 GB when it went on sale over a year ago but now the 2 GB are cheaper than what I paid for the 1 GB.

 

[chefjeanine]

A long, long time ago when taking a computer class meant learning "basic" (if my very poor memory serves me right), I probably knew all this stuff.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Well, you're going to have to learn the metric system sooner or later. Like they told me in school, the United States will be completely converted to the metric system by 1986.

 

[chefjeanine]

Well, you're going to have to learn the metric system sooner or later. Like they told me in school, the United States will be completely converted to the metric system by 1986.

I won't and you can't make me. They threatend me with that in grade school (which was before 1986). It never stuck!!!!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

A long, long time ago when taking a computer class meant learning "basic" (if my very poor memory serves me right), I probably knew all this stuff.

That's a programing language - BASIC - Beginner's All-purpose Syntactic Instruction Code. (Some say the S means "Symbolic," like it mattered.)

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I won't and you can't make me. They threatend me with that in grade school (which was before 1986). It never stuck!!!!

The Metric Police are liable to contact you with a nasty Kil-O-Gram.

 

[chefjeanine]

That's a programing language - BASIC - Beginner's All-purpose Syntactic Instruction Code. (Some say the S means "Symbolic," like it mattered.)

Yep. Many, many years ago I learned a programming language. Thank God computers have come a long way.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Another thread successfully shot to hell!

 

[kam]

I just ordered a laptop and can't wait to start taking it to shows....

But, I have a desktop computer too. I plan to use both. So, my question really deals with moving the data back and forth...

Is this how I would do it??:
1. Backup P3 from Desktop
2. Load Backup from Desktop onto Laptop
3. Go to show, enter show into P3
4. Backup P3 from Laptop
5. Go home
6. Load Backup from Laptop onto Desktop
7. Work on Desktop until next show and start over at 1.

This way I am always loading backups?? Did that make sense?

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

In PP, when you exit, it asks (well, demands, really) that you back up your data. Just change the drive letter to your jump drive.In the PP utilities, one of the options is to Restore. Choose the jump drive letter as the source of the restore.The other thing you could do, which is what I do, is just use the laptop as your TPC computer and then you don't have to screw around with moving data back and forth.

 

[katiemoser]

Tried it, too much troubleMy director says she always takes hers, so when I got my new laptop in January I tried it.

After several shows with it, I decided it's too much trouble. People don't want to come over to me, I'm often walking over to them to get their form (they are often chatting and don't want to be interrupted ("just tell me the total"). I do more one on one chatting up with them during the show. Plus I talk about all my "stuff", i.e. fundraisers, booking benefits, business oppurtunity during the show.

I find it most helpful at home. When I get home from a show, I enter everything right away, then call the host the next day with their total so they know what they can order, or if they're close to the next level.

It just works better for me that way. I am trying to streamline how much I carry into the house to make it look easier (not like I'm moving in! haha)

Just another opinion!

Katie

 

[kam]

In PP, when you exit, it asks (well, demands, really) that you back up your data. Just change the drive letter to your jump drive.

In the PP utilities, one of the options is to Restore. Choose the jump drive letter as the source of the restore.

The other thing you could do, which is what I do, is just use the laptop as your TPC computer and then you don't have to screw around with moving data back and forth.

Yes, I was thinking that this might be the best way - but DH is planning on using the laptop a lot - especially around football (Fantasy Football) time.

Is there an issue with restoring a lot??

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

No, not at all. The backup/restore utilities actually go pretty fast. The biggest trick is making sure you are restoring the most recent backup. When I was a rookie in this business, I made a backup one day that was backwards - in other words, I did a restore instead of a backup and blew away the entire month of April.

The utilities are a lot better now - the utilities assume you're stupid enough to do what I did. They go out of their way to protect you from yourself.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Oh, one more thing about backups/restores:1) Create your show on the main computer - I'll assume it's your tower.2) Create a backup. DO NOT DO ANY OTHER WORK IN PP ON YOUR TOWER!3) Restore the backup to your laptop - it is now your main TPC computer.4) Do your show and enter all appropriate data.5) Backup your data from the laptop.6) Restore your data to your tower computer - it is now you main TPC computer. DO NOT DO ANY OTHER PAMPERED CHEF WORK ON YOUR LAPTOP.Be sure to only use one computer at a time and you'll never have a data issue.(PS - It's a good idea to back up your data to other media, too. Like backup your data to a CDRW once a week and again once a month. That way, you always have something to fall back on if your jump drive fails.)

 

[chefann]

Just for information, P3 doesn't demand a backup each time you exit, the way PP does. So you need to stay on top of it, if you're using P3. It does pop up a window when it's been over a week since your last backup, but that's it.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Thanks for adding that - you can tell that, thanks to all the wonderful things people have been saying about P³, I'm still using P² and will continue to do so until they stop supporting it or I just bite the bullet and start using it.

 

[kam]

Oh, one more thing about backups/restores:

1) Create your show on the main computer - I'll assume it's your tower.

2) Create a backup. DO NOT DO ANY OTHER WORK IN PP ON YOUR TOWER!

3) Restore the backup to your laptop - it is now your main TPC computer.

4) Do your show and enter all appropriate data.

5) Backup your data from the laptop.

6) Restore your data to your tower computer - it is now you main TPC computer. DO NOT DO ANY OTHER PAMPERED CHEF WORK ON YOUR LAPTOP.

Be sure to only use one computer at a time and you'll never have a data issue.

(PS - It's a good idea to back up your data to other media, too. Like backup your data to a CDRW once a week and again once a month. That way, you always have something to fall back on if your jump drive fails.)

OK, Thanks. I will have to remain very "aware". I figure I'll be OK if I only use the Laptop for shows and don't let myself use it in between. It should be pretty easy to keep it straight (I hope). Really the laptop is for DH (using it for shows was the added bonus that pushed us over the fence to buy one).

As far as backups right now, As soon as I create a new backup, I rename the old one with the date of the previous backup. So all my backups have the date in the filename so I hopefully can't mess it up. The current one has no date in the filename.

Thanks for all the suggestions!