KurtFeigel.com -Technology - Website Design - Video Production - Web 2.0

The Critically Important Backup Tutorial

Kurt Feigel — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:19:32 +0000

Cpanel WordPress users has your site stopped displaying correctly? When you login are all your pages and posts GONE?

Don’t despair…not yet anyway…your database is likely just corrupted. It happens. It’s happened to me.

There are too many reasons to list why it happens. Usually the information was only half sent by your ISP or some site glitch occurred and then BAM! messed up database.

But you ask “isn’t my web guy supposed to backup my site”…NO! YOU are supposed to backup your site. Even the most amazing website geeks like myself can’t possibly backup 40 to 50 websites every month. I remind my clients often to do this. Do they? Most don’t and then I get contacted with frantic requests to fix what is broken.

First I’ll show you how to fix your wordpress site (if you can) and then I’ll tell you some good advice about backups:

This advice is directed at those using Cpanel Hosting:

Login to your cpanel (control panel)

Navigate down to the “Database” section:

Click the Icon that says MySQL Databases

That will take you here to the following screen.

Then click REPAIR DB below CHECK DB.

Now navigate to your Dashboard and see if your posts and pages are all back to normal.

Now navigate to your site? All Fixed? You are welcome! Glad I could help!

If it didn’t work then you have big problems ahead of you. Sorry.

NOW ON TO BACKUPS:

VERY IMPORTANT: You must run a backup occasionally.

Kurt’s Backup Rule x 2:

Have it backed up 2 different ways (server, and site backup)
Keep it in 2 different locations( online (server), CD or DVD Disk or Hard Drive)

From the Cpanel you can do a simple backup that will save all your post/pages info

export all content (it will save to computer)

This above is the minimum you can do. It will allow you to restore your pages, and posts, comments and a few other content items.

IT WILL NOT allow you to restore your theme, plugins, or any other customizations you done. ONLY a full database backup can do this for you.

There are backup plugins you can use (not sure I like these yet, even if they are automated you still need to make sure they are backing up) One of these was installed on a client site ( that I wasn’t hosting) and he had a problem. His plugins got messed up and wanted to just do an easy restore from the database. 4 hours later we had his site back up(mostly) The database plugin wasn’t doing the weekly backups like it was supposed to. We managed to use a backup from when it first setup. Back in January.

Another Option:

You can login to the cpanel and run all sorts of backups.

To login to the cpanel visit http://cpanel.YourWebsiteAddress.com
User: ?????
Pass: ?????

Navigate to the “FILES” section (3rd box down) and click the BACKUP icon.

Watch the video tutorial listed at the top of the backup page.

You can do a database backup here. Save it to your hard drive. AND then every quarter run a full site backup and save it to your harddrive OR to the server. Note: if you do the full site backup it may fill up your server as it should create a duplicate of your site.

Both of these will enable a full restore of the site if anything catastrophic happens.

Servers are run by people and people make mistakes.
Sites and plugins also make mistakes.

It’s rare but don’t rely on either of them. Safeguard your site content and all the hard work you put into it.

Backup Today!

Kurt Feigel

www.centralvirginiastudios.com

Updates:

Some Plugins work with DropBox (a FREE online file storage site) which will allow you to send your backups to another server http://db.tt/DGbTJcCW

I found a great plugin called BackWpup click this link and do the old school download, upload, install method. OR install it under the plugins, add new, feature built into wordpress.

Video Fire Sale Continued

Kurt Feigel — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:55:44 +0000

We’ve sold much of the items we had listed in the past. Here is the list of items we still have. Yes both video cameras are sold. I’ve priced them with what I could get on EBAY minus fees and shipping. Sometimes even cheaper.

If it wasn’t a fire sale before it sure is now. Everything must go!

These were taken on the driveway after a yard sale. Items are ready for you to take them home.

ATA Road Ready case $65.00

DJ and AMP Odyssey Cases ($75 each)

FYI: The pics make the black look faded IT IS NOT.

Petrol ENG (professional size big cameras) hard shell camera bag $125.00

Tripod Wheels $30.00

JVC ENG tripod plate $65.00

ENG Power supply $25.00

4 Line Phone with desktop organizer (expandable with 5 – 2.4 ghz cordless phones) $75.00

I also have 2 SONY VAIO computers.

VGC-RA840G – $195.00
Includes Wireless Keyboard and Mouse and 15 inch monitor

PCV-RS620G – $195.00
Includes keyboard and mouse and 15 inch monitor

They are both in very good condition physically and performance is great. They were both used to edit video (weddings and commercial productions)

I’m closing down operations as a video producer and don’t need these any more.

If you have a student that needs a reliable computer to either play games on or to do word processing then this is perfect. I used both these computers to edit video and graphics/photos for weddings. No problems. Very fast.
Both have Windows XP.
If you would prefer I can install Linux for you instead of Windows.

California – Putting The Boot On Every Business Owners neck!

Kurt Feigel — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 03:25:21 +0000

California has once again harmed it’s citizens and small business owners. Governor moon beam has signed a law that would have made it necessary for Amazon.com to charge sales tax. Solution for Amazon.com; Eliminate ALL California based “affiliate marketers”.

Hello,

Unfortunately, Governor Brown has signed into law the bill that we emailed you about earlier today. As a result of this, contracts with all California residents participating in the Amazon Associates Program are terminated effective today, June 29, 2011. Those California residents will no longer receive advertising fees for sales referred to Amazon.com…And if you relocate to another state in the near future please contact us for reinstatement into the Amazon Associates Program…

We have enjoyed working with you and other California-based participants in the Amazon Associates Program and, if this situation is rectified, would very much welcome the opportunity to re-open our Associates Program to California residents.

Regards,

The Amazon Associates Team

So now not only will they STILL not get the sales taxes, but they will also miss out on all the income taxes that those affiliate marketers generated too.

California is a model of stupidity that all too often makes it’s way into D.C. politics. Watch out!

In 2008 I left the “Golden State” and moved to Virginia. I arrived on January 10, 2008. Was legally a resident Virginia for 2008. That didn’t stop the state of Kalifornia from sending me notices of failure to file my income taxes. It took me over a year to “prove my innocence” and show these buffoons that I was not a resident of their not so fine state.

If you have read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand you will see the model that California is patterned after. In the past the looters and moochers never ran out of victims. Well the victims are fed up and are leaving in droves. Solution for the not so “Golden State”. Stop stealing the gold from the producers and throw the moochers out.

Yeah…like that is going to happen.

Website Special For Bands

Kurt Feigel — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:21:31 +0000

If you have a band and would like a website I have a special I’ll be running for the next 45 days.

Customized WordPress Website for $575.00
* 1 Year Free Web Hosting ($99.00 Value)
* 1 Year Free Domain Name ($19.99 Value)
* Search Engine Optimization
* Email & Contact information
* Contact Form
* Your Photos and Your text in Your website
* Special Pricing **CALL**

I can have your website setup in as little as 1 week.

Call TODAY and you will get access to my FREE training tutorials

If you’d like to get a proposal that would specifically detail out all the great stuff you will contact me and I’ll send it too you.

Online Marketing Breakdown

Kurt Feigel — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 13:55:36 +0000

Here is a list of great things you can do to market and promote your site:

Download the PDF Copy

Online Fundraising:

www.piryx.com

Fundraising is now easy. Piryx’s social giving platform helps causes to raise money online fast and effectively.

Social Media:

Video Hosting:

www.youtube.com – Higher Distribution
www.Vimeo.com – Higher Quality

Email Marketing:

www.mailchimp.com

Unlike the cumbersome “Constant Constant” MailChimp is great oh and it’s free!

Website Promotion:

Promote your website with these linking sites and boost your search engine results

Many of these sites have an “RSS Feed” option that will allow you to automate your efforts.

Website Platforms:

with RSS Capability that are used for Blogging and CMS (content management solutions)
- www.Wordpress.com – Creates a free site but has limitations
- www.Wordpress.org – You can download the free content management
- www.Joomla.org – Is a powerful CMS
- www.Drupal.org – Was created by satan. Run from this at a very fast pace
Watchdogs sites are a powerful political tool that have worked very well here in the 5^th district against the political machine of the establishment left and right.
- See www.VirginiaFifthWatchdog.com as an example and get your free blog today at www.teapartywatchdogs.com

Hosting Your Site:

Hosting is where you site sites on a physical server somewhere in Cyberspace.

Hosting costs vary in range depending on the services you need.

Typically you can find hosting for less than $10 dollars per month. www.centralvirginiastudios.com

Automation:

Using tools like Hootsuite you can manage unlimited social profiles such as Twitter – Facebook – LinkedIn and others.

Where this really comes into play is when you are managing organization and political campaign profiles.

www.hootsuite.com – 2 teirs of service. 1 free and 1 paid.
www.tweetdeck.com – Desktop – Phone – Online applications

Inflation and Higher and Higher Gas Prices

Kurt Feigel — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:44:53 +0000

I missed yesterday and was off to a political training event so thought I’d comment on Inflation and High and Higher gas prices. http://www.usdebtclock.org

Reloading Test Day

Kurt Feigel — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:43:21 +0000

I hit the range with about 50 reloads I had made of mixed brass .40. The Magtech CBC brass was the poorest performer. As well as the federal…had 5 no fires on those rounds

Ron Paul – CPAC – Edited

Kurt Feigel — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:39:54 +0000

Ron Paul addressing CPAC in 2011. Video for Tea Party Review Magazine I was at CPAC for 3 days and this was the best part of it. Ron Paul is exactly the kind of representative we need in D.C.

D.C. Roads Illustrated disaster of government

Kurt Feigel — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:36:42 +0000

A little talk about the bad roads in D.C.

Rant about Northern Virginia Roads

Kurt Feigel — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 19:26:13 +0000

I was driving back from CPAC and after 30 minutes wasted driving in circles in D.C. I made it to the freeway. This is what I found. Shovel ready jobs? If you mean dig hole, fill in, dig hole, fill in, then yes the jobs are shovel ready. But hey It’s for the “children”. as if!