GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - Breaking up can be hard to do... especially around Valentine's Day! If you find yourself "untagging," here are some tips from the Geek Squad's Derek Meister on how to heal your digital life.
Protect or transfer your data: Even in the midst of a sad breakup, it's important to make sure that your personal data is safe and secure, especially if you share a computer with your ex-love. If you haven't backed up your data recently, it's time to do so now. Use an external hard drive, backup software or a spindle of DVDs and your DVD burner.
If you had a shared computer and are in need of a new one of your own, Best Buy and Geek Squad can make transferring your data easier for you.
Change passwords: Change all of your e-mail and Internet passwords, especially online banking accounts. No one should have access to your personal online information. When creating new passwords, avoid common words or phrases that you used when you were in that relationship.
Take memories with you: If you want to keep any pictures that your ex uploaded to online photo albums, save them to your personal computer so you always have access to them. This way, if your ex-flame ever deletes the album, you'll have a copy.
Before you start saving each of them individually, check out these free programs that can make your life easier. PhotoGrabber is an application that can download big groups of Facebook photos in a matter of minutes.
Pick&Zip is another free option that allows you to download photos from Facebook in a single zip or PDF file.
If you prefer a desktop application, then Fotobounce is a nice alternative. It is a tool that will help you view and download photo albums from Facebook or Flickr. It also has a great face recognition feature.
Obtain a new email address: If you shared a joint email account with your ex, it's time for a fresh start with a new account. You can make a free account on Hotmail, Yahoo! or Gmail and easily transfer your current contacts to your new online address book.
To avoid confusion among friends and family members, cancel your old account and notify all of your contacts that you have a new email address.
(Copyright 2012 KARE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)