Advice for Trouble-Free Computing in the ICL

Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, with computers bad things sometimes happen to good people. The advice below is intended to help you avoid the most common problems that we see on a weekly basis in the ICL.

Keep Backups of All Your Data

It is very important that you always save copies of your personal documents in at least two different places. Data corruption can occur anywhere, anytime, to anybody, and frequently does. The result can be the loss of days, weeks, even months of hard work. This is especially true of floppy diskettes , which are easily damaged. If you have to rely on floppy disks to transport and store your documents, ensure that you have copies on two separate diskettes. USB Jump Drives are an inexpensive method of storing your files and taking them with you. You can purchase these drives at the MicroOrder Center located in the Illini Union www.cstores.uiuc.edu/moc/moc.html .

Put Your Name and NetID on Diskettes

It is very easy to leave a floppy diskette or zip disk behind when you leave the ICL. When these are not labeled with your email address, you will be lucky to see them again. If we find diskettes labeled with your name and NetID, we will contact you to pick them up.

Copy Files to the Desktop Before You Work with Them

There is a greater risk of losing your work when you open files directly from the floppy disk. This is especially true of Word and other MS Office files. We recommend you first copy the files to the desktop, as follows:

• PC (Microsoft Windows XP). Here are two ways to copy your file(s) to the desktop:
  • A screen will pop up asking you what you want Windows to do. Click on "Open folder to view files using Windows Explorer." This will open a window containing all your files. Click and drag your file or folders to the desktop.
  • Left click on the start button and go to "My Computer," open the drive containing your CD or USB Flash Drive, after the new window opens, drag the files or folders to the desktop
• Mac:
  • Open your CD or USB Flash Drive, and then hold down the Option key while dragging the files or folders to the desktop. (Note: if you don't hold down the Option key, the files will remain on the disk despite appearing on the desktop).

Remember to copy the files back to your diskette after you make your final save. If you closed the window containing your CD or USB Flash Drive information and need help reopening it, please see the instructions above.

 

If you need help during your visit in the ICL, please go to Room 1.