These methods may also work in your application program. If not, you may need to reset the computer, as described below.

Caution

It is best not to turn off the computer to stop a program or command. If you created new data and have not yet stored it, the data will be erased if you turn off the computer. The computer stores your data in its memory area (RAM) until you save it; but the data is erased each time you turn off or reset the computer.

Resetting the Computer

Occasionally, you may want to clear the computer’s current settings or its memory without turning it off. You can do this by resetting the computer.

For example, if an error occurs and the computer does not respond to your keyboard entries, you can reset it to reload MS-DOS and try again. However, resetting erases any data in memory that you have not saved; so reset only if necessary.

To reset the computer, MS-DOS must be either on the hard disk or on a diskette in drive A; so if you do not have a hard disk, insert the Startup diskette in drive A.

3-4 Using Your Computer