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What should I back up?

Recently, you have heard me talk a great deal about flash memory drives and there usefulness for backup. One of our listeners/newsletter readers, recently asked what files are important to backup.

So, tip number one in backup is to backup only those files that you create. These include but are not limited to:

  • Financial program data (Quicken, Money, etc) 
  • Email and other address books 
  • Saved email messages
  • Important word processing documents, spreadsheets and/or databases you have created 
  • Calendar/appointment information 
  • Digital pictures (from digital cameras AND scanners) 
  • Internet favorites or bookmarks 
  • Genealogy research 
  • Downloaded programs or utilities (backup the original installation file) 

You get the picture. Anything important to you that you have created and don’t want to lose, should be backed up.

Programs (with the exception of downloaded programs as noted above), do not need to be backed up because you can rebuild them with original installation CD’s and disks.

For even more information about backup use our site search engine to search for backup for even more specifics about backing up your important data.

Simple Advice to Protect Your Computer and Your Sanity

This tip, if followed, could substantially limit the number of phone calls we get on the radio show and put a dent in my computer troubleshooting and training business. I can sum up the entire tip in one phrase you have heard me utter many times on the radio show:

"If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it."

 

I know ain’t isn’t a word, but if AOL can say "You’ve got mail", please allow me a little latitude.

Computers present the largest potential money and time pit ever created. Because the computer age is still very much in its infancy, the myriad of new upgrades and gadgets make it difficult too leave our machines alone. My advice to computer users every where is to take a step back and look at what you do with your computer, what you would like to do and how does it all fit.

Recycle a Floppy Disk

Floppy disks, as slow and old as they are compared to CD’s and Zip disks, still provide a useful tool in our computing lives. They dutifully back up our important files and allow us to share those files between computers and colleagues.  

However,  did you realize that a floppy disk is reusable?  You can turn those old floppy disks into newly usable media again by following these steps:

  1. Insert the floppy disk into your computer

  2. Double Click on ‘My Computer’

How to Format Your Hard Drive and Reinstall Windows

WARNING:  I have done my best to outline the steps in this somewhat arduous task, but undertake this procedure at your own risk. Because of the vast differences in hardware and software, I cannot possibly cover every nuance. Please use this Tip as a guide and not the end all. AND BE SURE TO BACKUP ANYTHING YOU DON"T WANT TO LOSE PRIOR TO UNDERTAKING THE TASK!

Since many of the sites that I used to refer listeners to regarding this subject have either disappeared or no longer have the information, I am starting a multi-part tip outlining the steps to reformat your computer. In this week’s tip, I’ll explain the what, why’s, and when’s?

What does it mean ‘format my hard drive’? Formatting a hard drive erases all current information (for all practical purposes) and let’s your computer start with a clean slate. Formatting deletes all applications AND data from your computer. The process itself requires very little technical know how. What comes after the format involves the techy knowledge.

Why would I need to format my hard drive? If your computer uses Windows 95/98 or Me, I recommend formatting and reinstalling Windows at least every two years as a maintenance routine. Performing this routine purges your computer of any little errors and irritations that have cropped up and thus makes your computer feel and run like ‘new’ again. You also would need to format and reinstall if you have encountered innumerable error messages or encounter a runaway virus.

When should you perform this purging and restoration of your computer? I answered that question along with the ‘why’ above….at least every two years for any Windows version but Windows XP. Windows XP appeared almost two and a half years ago and has proved to be quite stable and resilient so I’m reserving judgment as to how often it should be done for XP.

If you use a name brand computer like HP, Compaq, E-Machines or even some Gateway systems, they come with a disk or disk set (on CD’s) called "Restore Disks". These disks make the process very easy. Put the disk in, shut your computer off, turn it back on and follow the on-screen instructions. REMEMBER, this will erase all data on your computer, so backup anything you don’t want to lose.

Use the Internet to stop solicitor calls

Two years ago, Colorado became one of the first states to institute a "no-call" list that consumers could sign up for to prevent solicitation phone calls. This past week, the FTC started a national "no-call" list. These lists must be checked by phone solicitation companies every three months to updated their databases. If a solicitor calls you and you are registered on the "no-call" list, you can file a complaint and the solicitor will be fined fairly substantially ( up to $11,000 per incident for the national list).

As opposed to spam (unsolicited email), phone solicitors are regulated and must comply to certain rules. Therefore, these lists do work. Colorado residents who signed up two years ago report that their phone solicitation calls are almost nil. In less than twenty-four hours, the national list had almost one million people sign up. The FTC expects nearly sixty million numbers to be registered by next summer. 

Lose the ads in the Netscape Messenger (email) Preview Pane

Here is how to get rid of those email ads from Netscape:

1. Click on Start –> Find –> Files or folders 

2. Type: *prefs.js in the "find" box 

3. Make sure the Look in box says My Computer 

4. Click Find now 

5. The search should yield at least two files (depends on how many profiles you have set up in Netscape) 

6. RIGHT click on each of the files and click Edit 

7. Type or copy and paste the following line into the file: user_pref("mailnews.start_page.enabled", false); 

Learn about Your Favorite Hobby or Share your Experiences

With over a half billion people online worldwide and growing by more than one hundred million annually, the Internet is a great place to congregate and discuss hobbies, politics, sports and more. Are you interested in Model A Ford restoration, raising cockatoos, RV traveling, cross breeding tulips, or programming Access? These and thousands of other topics are freely available for discussion on the Internet.

In the beginning, there were newsgroups. Now, email discussion groups are more popular and easier to participate and benefit from. Email discussion groups bring together people of like interests for discussion, information sharing and Internet camaraderie. 

Get Home and Back Quickly!

No, the Internet has not found a way to "beam" us hither and yonder…yet!  

I’m referring to navigating around your word processing, email or other text related documents quickly.

Don’t underestimate the power of the keyboard as you create your written masterpieces.  Moving quickly from one part of your document to another saves loads of time and the keyboard can help.  Try these keyboard shortcuts:

  • Home – pressing this key will move your cursor to the beginning of a line

Clone Your Printer

If you routinely print two or more kinds of documents (i.e. draft printing for email, normal for word processing, and high quality with photo paper for photos), each requiring its own printer settings, you’ve probably found it cumbersome to have to re-enter all the printer properties every time you change documents. 

You might find it easier to actually install the same printer twice, but with different names and settings. This way, you can simply select the "printer" (actually the group of print settings) that you like the next time you execute your print job.

Backups: Don’t try to double-click on them

I received many emails this week thanking me for the tip on how to back up your address book. Don’t forget that I also have past tips on how to print your address book as well, check out the archives below. However, I also received many questions regarding why when you try to double-click to view a back up file an error occurs.

When you backup a database from within a program (like Quicken, Quickbooks, your address book, genealogy programs, etc), using the File –> Export or Backup function, the program performs two functions. The first step transforms the original data file into a proprietary file format for storage. Secondly, the program compresses the data so it takes up less space. By performing both of these functions, the file becomes unreadable by simply double-clicking on it. At this point, it is known as an archive file.