|
Remember how the “electronic age”
and the
“paperless office” were going to make our lives so
much
easier and more productive? To some extent, that has happened
– at least until the day your computer quits or your data
gets
lost or damaged. Then it seems more like purgatory than
paradise!
Here are a few hints to help keep your system running smoothly:
Back up your data,
including your email and calendar.
How much data can you afford to lose and then re-enter piece by piece,
before your business grinds to a halt and/or you rip out every hair on
your head? A day? A week? A
month? Whatever the
answer is, that’s the maximum amount of time you should have
between backups for your critical data. There are many
different
ways to back up data, and backups don’t have to be
complicated. You should also consider whether your biggest
fear
is a computer crash, or a fire or break-in. If
you’re
concerned about catastrophic events like fire, you should store backups
off-site. for more information
Save your work
regularly while you’re on the computer.
Crashes can happen due to power failure, computer problems or human
error. If you get in the habit of saving your work every few
minutes, you won’t have to redo as much if your computer
crashes.
Don’t
panic – check your recycle bin.
When you delete a document, it goes to the recycle bin on your computer
before it is permanently deleted (unless you delete from a network
drive). For Windows computers, double-click on the Recycle
Bin
icon on your desktop, then right-click on your document, and select
Restore from the popup menu.
Always use
the correct shutdown procedure to turn off your computer.
For Windows computers, click the Start button in the lower left corner
of the screen, then select Shut Down. If that
doesn’t work,
you may have to push and hold the power button on your computer to shut
it off, but you should only do that if the Start button procedure
doesn’t work.
Restart your
computer if you’re having problems. An
error in one program can drag down the performance of all your
programs. If everything seems to be slowing down, or if
you’ve gotten an error such as “This program has
performed
an illegal operation”, shut down your computer (using the
correct
shutdown procedure), and then restart it. This frees up your
computer’s memory and lets it start fresh.
Buy a combination
UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and surge protector for your
computer.
Surge protectors alone will protect your computer from power spikes,
but sags or “brownouts” can do just as much
damage. A
UPS contains a battery that keeps power steady, and usually costs under
$100. The extra benefit to using a UPS is that if the power
fails
while you’re working, your computer won’t quit
right
away. You usually have about 10 minutes of battery power, so
you
can save your work and correctly shut down your computer.
Computers are wonderful – when they work! These
simple techniques can help save you time, expense, and frustration.
Back to
Article Directory
By: Diane Henders, Bright Ideas Personalized
Learning Inc. For more information or computer training services,
please call Bright Ideas Personalized Learning at (403) 269-2347.
|
