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If Something Goes Wrong
Develop good computing habits
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.3
Develop good computing habits
Make sure you are prepared.

Save your work frequently.

You can never predict when your computer will lock, forcing
you to close a program and lose unsaved changes. Many
software programs build in an automatic backup, but you
should not rely solely on this feature. Save your work! See
“Computing tips” on page 61 for instructions.

On a regular basis, back up the information stored on

your hard disk.

Here are some ways you can do this:
❖Copy files to diskette, following the steps in “Saving your
work” on page 66.
❖Connect a tape drive to the system and use specialized
software to copy everything on the hard disk to a tape.
Some people use a combination of these methods, backing up
all files to tape weekly and copying critical files to diskette on
a daily basis.
If you have installed your own programs, you should back up
these programs as well as your data files. If something goes
wrong that requires you to reformat your hard disk and start
again, reloading all your programs and data files from a
backup source will save time.

Read the user’s guides.

It’s very difficult to provide a fail-safe set of steps you can
follow every time you experience a problem with the
computer. Your ability to solve problems will improve as you
learn about how the computer and its software work together.
Get familiar with all the user’s guides provided with your
computer, as well as the manuals that come with the
programs and devices you purchase.