TECH SUPPORT: Save your files to save yourself
At the end of each semester people come into the Help Desk with a thesis they have been working on for eight months. It has been saved on a floppy or Zip disk that has just gone south for the winter.
We have some pretty good software for recovering Zip disks, but we can’t recover the data all of the time. Here are some tips to keep you from having to retype that 250 page book you are working on.
The number one rule is never, under any circumstances, have just one copy of your files. One floppy or Zip disk, or even one hard drive is not enough. If it is a file you want to keep, save multiple copies of it. Save one on a floppy disk and on your hard drive and then e-mail another to you. You can also use a Zip disk if it is available.
When I am working on an important file I have put a lot of time into, I have three or four copies. That way I know I won’t lose it, and it also makes it easier to work on — I have my e-mail anywhere, but my hard drive is always at home.
A lot of people say, “But I have had this disk since high school, and it has never had a problem before.” That is the disk that will die the fastest. Floppy disks are cheap because they are meant to be disposable — as in use them twice, then throw them away. They are also very fragile, so don’t keep them right under your organic chemistry book where you will know where it is. This will kill the disk. Also, don’t put you disks near any speakers or any other kind of magnet. Floppy disks don’t like magnets.
Zip disks are more reliable than floppy disks, but they still have their problems.
One of the biggest problems with Zip disks involves using multiple disks at a time. If your Zip disks have the same name and you switch them without closing all windows displaying the contents of the first one, the computer assumes that the second is the first, and writes the names of all of the files from the first disk on the second. This can usually be recovered, but it is a pain. When you use Zip disks, rename the disk. If you want to rename the disk, just right click on it and select rename. Also remember to eject the disk by right -clicking on it and selecting eject instead of pressing the eject button on the computer.
Storing your files on your hard drive at home is pretty safe, but nothing is perfect. We get several hard drives at the Help Desk that are in some stage of dying or dead. Just because your files are on a hard drive does not mean they are safe. I still recommend you keep more than just the copy on your hard drive.
You should look at some more permanent storage mediums if you liked your paper and want to keep it. It is good to print off and keep a hard copy of your files. Also, I recommend you burn the file to a CD. Burned CD’s are compatible with most existing CD-ROM drives, and are pretty robust as long as you don’t let your kids get to them or leave them on the counter. If you do not have a CD burner, you can bring your files to the Help Desk and we can burn them for you. There are also CD burners in a couple of the computer labs on campus.
If you happen to lose something, you can bring your disk to the Help Desk and we can run some recovery utilities on it to try to get your information back. We do not always recover everything, but we will try for you.
This should help you keep those files safe. If you need more help, give us a call.
Matt Lorimer is a junior majoring in education. Comments can be sent to helpdesk@cc.usu.edu.