Backing Up Your Data in Windows XP

Backing Up Your Data in Windows XP

by: Kara Glover

If you haven’t backed up your important data at least to a CD, you should do so IMMEDIATELY! A computer, any computer, can crash at any time, whether itกs a new computer, an old computer, a really expensive computer, or a cheapy.

This article will teach you how to back up your My Documents folder on a CD, since the My Documents folder is where people usually keep most of their important stuff. I only discuss the method for Windows XP here, because methods for other operating systems tend to vary.

(By the way, you need a CD burner (or CDRW) to do this. If you’re not sure if you have one, look at your CD drive(s) and see if you see ‘rewritableก written in tiny tiny letters. If so, you can burn CDs. If not, well you might want to think about getting a CD burner installed in your computer.

1. Open your CD burner. Thereกs usually a button on the outside you can press to open it. Place the CD in the burner. The side you will burn onto should be face down. Close the burner, again using the same button you used to open it.

2. Wait a minute. A box should pop up on your screen with a variety of choices. Click once on the choice that says กOpen Writable CD Folder Using Windows Explorer.ก (Thereกs a picture of a manilla folder next to it.) Your choice should turn blue. Click OK.

3. A box opens up representing the empty CD you want to burn. Now take your mouse pointer and place it on the top blue border of this box. Press and hold (don’t click) with your left mouse button, and drag the box down into the lower righthand corner of your screen.

4. Locate your My Documents folder on the desktop. If this folder isn’t on the desktop, you should put it there for convenience sake. See the tip How to Put a Shortcut on your Desktop.

5. Now simply press on the folder with your left mouse button and drag the folder onto the empty box representing your CD in the lower right corner. You should see the contents of your folder being copied over. If you get a box asking if you want to copy ‘thumbsก files, you can say กYesก or กSkip.ก Itกs your choice. These files aren’t important, trust me. You can also check the box to repeat your answer for each of these files to save time.

6. When the folder is completely copied to your CD box, clik on กWrite these Files to CDก on the lefthand side of the box. A กwizardก pops up.

7. Click Next in the wizard (ignore the CD name and date underneath) Wait for the CD to burn. Youกll see a green line progress across the screen.

8. When the CD is done, it should pop out of its drive, and you can click on Finish in the wizard. Label your CD with a Sharpie or other felttip pen, and you’re all backed up!

About The Author

©2005 by Kara Glover

Kara Glover is a Computer Tutor and Troubleshooter. You can find her online articles and tutorials on topics such as Microsoft Word®, Excel®, and PowerPoint® at her website: http://www.karathecomputertutor.com

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 21

by Kara Glover

All About Spam

All About Spam

by: Kara Glover

Spam is annoying. Period. Why people would want to send all of us stupid messages about buying prescription drugs or getting some outrageously good mortgage rate is beyond me. Well, not really.

You might ignore those emails. But not everyone does. And thatกs why they’re sent. Emails cost so little (or nothing) to send. So sending out a million of them could be a cakewalk. Letกs say one out of every 1,000 recipients falls for their ploy. Someone just got 1,000 new customers!

How in the heck did those spammers get your address in the first place? Well, they actually use a variety of techniques. They use programs called spambots to search the web and pick up any email addresses that could be listed on websites. They use whatกs called the กDictionaryก technique, where they take a wellknown email extension (earthlink.net, for instance), and make up all kinds of possible user names to go with it. For example, with me they could try the usernames กkaraก, กkara1ก, กkara2ก and so on, until they can confirm one of those connected to an earthlink.net extension is a valid email address. Kinda like going page by page through the dictionary.

Ever fill out a registration form on a website and find a little checkbox, probably near the bottom, asking if you want to receive additional information, newsletters, or something of that nature? Often the box is checked, and in order NOT to receive the info, you have to UNCHECK it (or else). Well if you miss those types of boxes on the wrong kinds of sites, your email addresses may be handed to spammers on a silver platter. Well, almost. Often a zillion email addresses are sold for next to nothing to spammers on CDs. (Couldn’t you almost call those silver platters?)

Many internet service providers (those guys that keep you connected to the internet so you can send and receive email) use a variety of methods to block spam before it ever gets to you. Nevertheless, we all know that some spam inevitably gets through to our inboxes. Thatกs when we need to take a proactive stance and install some sort of software to filter it out!

© 2005 by Kara Glover

Feel free to reprint this article in newsletters and on websites, with resource box included. If you use this article, please send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: [email protected]

URL: http://www.karathecomputertutor.com

About The Author

© 2005 by Kara Glover

For help on installing antispam software, check out this article on Kara Glover’s website: http://www.karathecomputertutor.com. You can also find more articles, tips and tutorials on topics such as Microsoft Word., Excel, and PowerPoint there. Kara is a Computer Tutor and Troubleshooter.

[email protected]

This article was posted on March 13

by Kara Glover