162 If Something Goes Wrong
Develop good computing habits
On a regular basis, back up the information stored
on your internal storage drive.
Use Windows® to back up files, or the entire computer, to an
optical disc, or external hard disk. Here are some ways you
can do this:
❖Use the Windows® operating system to back up files or
your entire computer to an optical disc, or external hard
disk.
❖Copy files to a rewritable external storage device.
❖Connect your computer to the office network and copy
files to your network partition.
Some people use a combination of these methods, backing
up all files weekly and copying critical files to external media
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 internal storage
drive and start again, reloading all your programs and data
files from a backup source will save time.
Read the documentation.
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 of the documentation provided with your
computer, as well as the information that may 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.
Data and system configuration backup in the
Windows® operating system
The Windows® operating system offers some easy-to-use
features for backing up your Windows® settings and your
data - documents and other important files. Take advantage
of these features to protect yourself from much more difficult
and time-consuming restoration procedures, and to
safeguard your valuable data from loss.