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If Something Goes Wrong
Develop good computing habits
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❖Copy files to a CD or other media, following the steps in
“Saving your work” on page 70.
❖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 media,
such as a CD, 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 is 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.
Your local computer store or book store sells a variety of self-
help books you can use to supplement the information in the
manuals.