This week I’ve heard “Help! I’m scared to update my WordPress Theme!” more times than I can count. And I hear it from clients using QuickBooks too. It’s one of those scary things, isn’t it? What if something goes wrong? Remember that one time, when nothing opened after? Or remember the story your friend told you about not being able to access his information for weeks & it cost hundreds of dollars?
I get it! I sometimes feel that little rush just before hitting “udpate” too.
But there are some really good things you can do to feel more confident and secure. And this can be done with all of your programs.
Backup your data
Okay, this is a BIG one. Most people are too shy to admit they don’t really know what “creating a backup” means. Does it mean one of those big backup drives they heard they should purchase, but haven’t yet? Or is it something completely different? Well, it doesn’t have to be anything complicated, at all. But it isn’t the same as just having Dropbox.net or Sugarsync on your computers, saving your files. You’ll literally need to go into the program itself, and find the “Backup” button (every program will help file to show you how create the backup file. Here’s what to do with the file after it’s created. Choose one or all of the options below.
- Flash Drive: If you have a flash drive, USB stick, memory stick (whatever you want to call it) you can really quickly do a backup of any of your data (I’m not talking about storing music and pictures, that can be different. But your standard business files).
- Save files to your computer hard drive, and then upload to cloud storage (online storage like your Windows Sky Drive) or burn to a CD
- Use an online backup service (for WordPress I use a plugin called Online Backup – easy to set up. Watch the video below)
Got it in a safe place? Great!
Take a big deep breathe, and pat yourself on the back. So many people don’t do backups and spend a lot of time in fear (or with their head in the sand) hoping they won’t ever have a problem. You’ve just taken power back & are running your business like a PRO.
Open the Program & click on the Update Button
Let it “do it’s thing”. The programmers have worked hard to make sure there will be no glitches or problems. You’re in good hands. But, if something doesn’t agree with something that’s already installed on your computer, and for some reason you need to go back to a previous version, it won’t be the end of the world (or even a huge hassle). You can always go back to the previous version of your WordPress Site, your QuickBooks program (or whichever software program you’re using) and work with the older version until after the bug has been reported & repaired.
Are you running anything in your business with a nagging reminder that says, “Please update!”?? Tell me about it. I’d love to hear.
Thanks for the reminder, Loralee!
I’m one of those who has experienced major problems when installing upgraded software. And funnily enough it was a Good Friday when it occurred one year.
So I am totally familiar the nervous feelings that arise when it’s time to hit that Update button!
But with everything backed up in advance, there’s really no need to worry.
Strange how holidays can be a time when funny things happen to our technology. It’s happened to me too (not Good Friday, or an update that I can recall) and I found myself not spending time with family and worrying about things. I wondered later… if I was unconsciously avoiding taking time off work?
So glad you don’t have to worry about anything this year. Enjoy your Easter weekend. ~ Loralee
I wish I had know about this when I was installing WP Backup (BTE) and WP Database Backup. Sounds like Online Backup does both, is that correct?
Really good question Joyce. I haven’t used WP DB backup, but I imagine this one tool does both. Sounds like you’ve got your bases covered already, there’s no need to switch unless it’s not working for you. The fact that you even have a backup plugin installed tells me you’re a highly responsible blog owner & business woman! Kudos! ~ Loralee
Thank you so much for the prompt!
Never had a problem up to now, but there’s no reason to not be cautious. These things do happen, eventually.
Crossing my fingers you don’t ever have to use your backups! But knowing you’ve got your backups gives me some peace of mind too!
It’s so responsible of you!
respect~ Loralee
I laughed when I saw the headline 🙂 read my mind exactly!
I once updated WordPress on my most lucrative site without running a backup first and yup, you guessed it: the site wouldn’t come back up.
It was a nasty 2 hours and never again without a backup!
Thanks for the great resources.
What a great story Dee! Those 2 hours must have been frightening. So glad things worked out though. And glad you’ve created a system for yourself to protect your resources in the future! Kudos!!~ Loralee