You're just about to print a 3,000 word assignment, when Word freezes, or the computer crashes, or there's a power cut - and you don't have a saved copy of the document. Instead of screaming or starting over from the beginning, you can make sure it never happens again.

• Buy a portable USB hard drive (or two!)
  USB devices are a great storage and backup medium. They are portable, inexpensive and reliable with good storage capacity.

• Save your file as you create it. Save frequently thereafter:
  You can do this by:
  • Click the File tab > Save As... (Office 2010)
  • Click the Office Button > Save As... (Office 2007)
  • Click the File menu > Save As... (Office 2003)
  • Give your file meaningful names and ensure that your folders are well organised so you don't lose things!
  • You can now save your document by clicking the Save button on an Office 2010/2007 Quick Access Toolbar, or the Save button on an Office 2003 document toolbar.
  • Pressing Ctrl+S on the keyboard (ie. holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the letter S).

• Make multiple backups on different devices
  The more important the file, the more copies you should make of it, consider:
  • using two USB sticks.
  • uploading files to cloud storage like SkyDrive or GoogleDocs.
  • emailing files to yourself.
  • using your free student data storage.

• For important, long-term documents, make an historical backup
  Some documents, such as theses or dissertations, may take years to complete, and the longer this process takes, the more likely it is that a problem will occur. Ensure your document's safety and security. Do not save backups over backups as you may be unknowingly replacing a "good" copy with a "bad" one. Instead, follow this procedure:
  • Place all documents relating to a particular project into a single folder with optional subfolders.
  • Copy-paste that folder with a new name incorporating the current day's date. The new folder is the backup and should not be touched. In the event of a catastrophe, these folders will allow you to return to your document as it was yesterday, the day before, last week, last month or last year.

By combining these strategies - it is less likely that you will be unable to locate or recover files affected by technical difficulties.

Know the Emergency Keys

When the computer freezes or crashes, try pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete on the keyboard. If the computer responds, access the Task Manager and see if your application is still responding. If not - you may need to close the application. For Mac users, it's Command+Ctrl+Esc.

If this doesn't work, try the Reset button or switch off by pressing and holding the Power button for a few moments.
You Should not restart the computer unless it's absolutely necessary and if you are forced to do it often - you should have your computer checked by a technician.

Undo Your Mistakes

Most applications have an "Undo" command. In some cases, you can only undo your most recent action, but in Word you can undo around a hundred actions. It varies. To undo a mistake:

• Click the Undo Button on the Toolbar, or
• Press Ctrl and Z on the keyboard, or
• Click Edit, then Undo.

Find Lost Files & Documents

Use the Windows Search Tool to find files or documents on your own computer. (This facility isn't available in the Library, because you can't save to the hard drive of the Library's computers. Search for lost files on your USB drives using My Computer, or ask staff for help).

• Click the Start Button on the bottom left of your screen.
• Slide the mouse up to Search, then click on Files and Folders on the right.
• When the Search Dialog box appears, click All Files and Folders.
• Type part or all of your file name in the uppermost box.
• If you can't remember the name of the document, type *. and then the type of file extension, eg for Word documents type *.doc.
• Specify where you want to search in the Look in: box. You can use the drop-down arrow to change the drive to search.
• Choose any other options for your search by clicking on the arrows next to the options below the search boxes.
• Click the Search Button.

Save Time with Cut, Copy and Paste

Using the Cut, Copy and Paste commands, you can:

• Move or copy text or images or data;
  • within a single file - like a Word document.
  • between different applications - for example:
    • a graph or table from an Excel spreadsheet to a Word document
    • text from a Web page to a Word document
  • move or copy an entire file using My Computer or Windows Explorer:
    • from one folder to another on the same drive
    • from a folder on the hard drive of your computer to a floppy disk
    • from a folder on the hard drive of your computer to a folder on a server via a network

Using the Cut command:

• Use Cut when you want to move something.
• Highlight or select the material you wish to cut.
• Send the Cut command by:
  • clicking the Cut Button on the toolbar word_btn_cut.gif, or
  • clicking Edit and Cut, or
  • pressing Ctrl+X on the keyboard
• Click to put the cursor where you want the cut material to reappear, changing applications if necessary. You may have to open an application or switch to it if it is already open. Tip: Press and hold the Alt key and hit the Tab key to cycle through all open applications. Let go when you reach the one you want. Or click the right button on the Taskbar.
• Paste.

Using the Copy command:

• Use copy when you want to keep the original and make a copy of it.
• Highlight or select the material you wish to copy.
• Send the Copy command by:
  • clicking the Copy Button word_btn_copy.gifon the toolbar, or
  • clicking Edit and Copy, or
  • pressing Ctrl+C on the keyboard
• The material you copied doesn't seem to change at all. It hasn't, but a copy of it has been placed on the Windows Clipboard.
• Click to put the cursor where you want the copied material to appear, changing applications if necessary. You may have to open an application or switch to it if it is already open. Tip: Press and hold the Alt key and hit the Tab key to cycle through all open applications. Let go when you reach the one you want. Or click the right button on the Taskbar.
• Paste.

Using the Paste command:

• Check that you have the cursor where you want the highlighted material to be pasted.
• Send the Paste command by:
  • clicking the Paste Button word_btn_pste.gif on the toolbar, or
  • clicking Edit and Paste, or
  • pressing Ctrl+V on the keyboard
• Whatever was on the Clipboard will be pasted to the place you specified. You can paste the same thing many times - until it is replaced on the Clipboard when you cut or copy another item.

Use a Virus Checker

A virus can destroy years of work in a few seconds. All Ask I.T. and Library computers have automatic virus checkers installed and so should your own computer.

Manage your Files & Folders

Imagine that your computer is an electronic filing cabinet. In it, you can keep lots of named folders containing documents. A little forethought about structuring your folders will make life much more organised. (Note: Folders are sometimes also referred to as directories or subdirectories).

• Structure your folders to reflect the way you think. Do you organise your work by the subjects you study, or by the type of task - assigments, tutorials, labs?
• Use file and folder names which actually mean something to you. For example - PY101 assignment.doc rather than word1.doc.
• Create hierarchies of folders inside each other. In My Computer, click on the folder which will be the "parent". Click File, slide over to New, click Folder and type a name.
• Always put the file name and date of the document somewhere on the document itself.
• Don't use save to the default save location or to your desktop. Use the folders you've set up instead.

Come to a Class

Check out the class details, times and locations on the Ask I.T. Training Page. Ask I.T. Training classes run throughout semester at St Lucia, Gatton and Ipswich. Classes are free for UQ students and there is usually no need to book.