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General Computer Tips

   
 

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A useful Web page of general computer tips.

 
 Several methods  There are usually two or three ways of doing things on today's computers, including the following:
(1) use the mouse, and toolbar buttons;
(2) use Menu options from the Menu list;
(3) use a keyboard shortcut (eg. the <Ctrl> key and another keyboard key).
To be productive, look for the options and find the one that suits you best.
Windows and Browsers
keep copies and history		 Windows and Web Browsers automatically keep copies of things that you do. When Web surfing, a number of things are automatically saved to your hard drive (some of these things are customisable). Look for: Cookies, History, Recent Files, Temporary Internet Files.
Backup your data What would you do if your computer and all the data in it disappeared overnight? It could be stolen by a burglar, or the hard disk drive could crash, or water or smoke damage could destroy it.
It is very wise to take backup copies of your information from time to time.
Contingency Plans People at home can probably do without a computer for a few days (if it was stolen or destroyed). However, people in business would probably be lost without it. If it does happen, all you need is your latest backup, and another computer to load it onto (and a place to do it).
In small to medium businesses where there are several staff members using a number of computers, it might be difficult to locate an alternative place to operate. A small amount of time invested to consider these things, and to have at least a brief Contingency Plan prepared, will mean that you will be able to be back in business fairly quickly.
Depending on its content, such a plan might be called one of the following: DRP (Disaster Recovery Plan), BRP (Business Recovery Plan), BCP (Business Continuity Plan).

* - Merlin's Blue Fact Sheets are so named because the first versions (produced in 1989) were printed onto blue paper to help them stand out in a pile of plain paper. And today on the Web, the page background is blue.

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Please feel free to print this web page, and/or pass it on to others, provided that it is printed in entirety including the Copyright notice and home page web address below. Some of the computer terms used here are explained in our on-line Glossary of (Computer) Terms (it will open in a new Window). For a more complete glossary have a look at our Merlin's Techno-Guide. To search this web site for specific information, you can use the PicoSearch facility on our home page. Or to search the Web using a search engine, try browsing a Search Engine, Directory, Portal Web site from our (extensive list) Search Engines page, or the abridged version of the same page.

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This site built and maintained by Robert B. Brain (in his spare time).
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© Copyright 1999-2003, Colonial Pioneer Publishing (ABN: 52 791 744 975).
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Last revised: 20 May, 2003.

Important: The information provided here is not advice. It is intended as a guide only, and may not be complete, nor relevant to every situation. It should not be relied upon. Any product or company names that might be mentioned here may be registered trade marks or trade names and owned by the respective companies, and they are are quoted here in good faith, without recommendation or endorsement.