"Techie" Issues (for those using Windows computers)

From time to time, we get asked "How can I do this?", or "Why can't I do that?".  What follows is offered in good faith, BUT WE CANNOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MISHAPS.  The golden rules before making any changes to your computer are
 (a) Back up vital data (you should do this anyway, not least because hard disks can fail, and then you lose EVERYTHING!, 
       including irreplaceable items like digital photos of the family), and 
(b) Make a Restore Point (so you can undo any mishaps) - see your Windows Help and Support for how to do this;
(c) Close all open programs.

   1. Opening or Saving a Document produced in a different version of Microsoft Office  
   2. Reading a 'PDF file'  
   3. Keeping your data safe (and backed up) - very important!

1.  Opening or saving a document produced in a different version of Microsoft Office

If you weren’t already aware of it, Microsoft introduced a new set of document formats when they launched their Office 2007 suite of programs.  No doubt there were reasons for these changes, but one downside has been that the vast majority of us who use earlier versions of Office e.g. Word or Excel cannot naturally read documents produced in Office 2007.  To save all such frustrations, and extra e-mails, may I suggest the following for users for Office 2007, and for those of us still happily using an earlier version:-

If you are a user of Microsoft Office 2007, do please consider setting your default “Save format” to the older and far more widely used formats.  For Word versions 97 to 2003 this is "the "doc" format.  Instructions for doing this in Word 2007 are:-

1. Open Microsoft Word 2007
2. Click the “Office Button” (top left of your screen), then on the bottom of the list click “Word Options”
   
3. The “Word Options” window will open. Now click on “Save” in the left panel
4. Change the top option (in the right panel) “save files in this format” from “Word Document (*.docx)” to “Word 97-2003 Document (*.doc)“
5. Click “OK” and you’re all done!

Likewise, those of us who still use the older (and in most ways very satisfactory) earlier versions of Office can install an update from Microsoft which will allow us to read and send in e.g. “docx”.  Visit the following link to download the indicated file, but before installing PLEASE NOTE THE REQUIREMENTS TO FIRST UPDATE your Office with all earlier patches
www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en 

2.  Reading a "PDF" File

3.  Keeping your data safe (and backed-up) - 
       very important!

Unfortunately, hard-disks can and do fail!  Also - though one doesn't want to think of it -  theft or flood can occur.  And computers can be rendered inoperable because of a virus infection.  In all cases, the most valuable thing you will lose will probably not be your hardware, but the otherwise irreplaceable data (digital photos, documents, contacts lists, .....)  Less serious, but very frustrating, will be if your computer gets damaged (virus or Trojan), and will not start.  Could you restore your operating system and programs?  Even if you know how to, it can take a long time.

The solution is four-fold

(1) Ensure you use security software - and keep it up to date.

Such software consists, as a minimum, of 
(a) your Windows firewall turned on; 
(b) Windows updates accepted (Microsoft regularly issues patches for loopholes discovered in its software); 
(c) Good antivirus software - updated as a minimum once a day!  A good option, which is free for non-commercial home users, is
     Grisoft's AVG (from http://free.grisoft.com)

Additionally, do not be 'spoofed' into downloading other "offers" of antiviral software - there are lots of bogus offers.

Equally (and obviously) do not visit 'dubious' websites - e.g. sites which offer "cheats" to software, or contain soft porn will usually unknown  to you infect your PC.  Literature estimates are that approx 1% of all websites are malicious in this way.  Stick to kosher and well-respected sites.

(2) Separate your data from your programs.  

If your hard-drive contains just one partition (i.e. it is all called "C-drive"), split this drive into a minimum of two areas:
C- (for Windows and programs), and D- for your data.  This process is called "partitioning" your drive, and there are several freely available utilities freely on the web to allow you to do this.  Such utilities will always advise you first to ensure all your data is copied, so you may need to do step 3 below first. 
Then, after re-partitioning,  move all your data to this D-drive area.  (Right Click on the My-Documents folder and you'll be presented with the dialogue to move to another location).  Manually copy other any other data folders your have created to D-.  Likewise, if you have a mass of data files on your desktop, these too are better placed on your D-drive.

(3) Regularly (weekly), copy all your critical data to another medium.  

For low amounts of data this can be done to recordable media such as CDs (each can hold ~700 MB of data), or DVDs (each can hold ~4.7 Gigabytes (4,700 MB).  Alternatively, external hard-drives can be bought for ~£50, and they simply plug in to one of your USB ports.  £50 is honestly not a lot to pay for a high degree of security.  Just remember to keep all such removable media in a different place from your PC.

One of the best programs for making this copy process simple is Nero Express (you usually get a free copy with your CD- or DVD-drive).  It is basically a matter of Adding folders such as "My Documents" and other data folders.

(4) Take an image of (at least) your C-drive.  

Basically this is a complete copy of all the 1000s of files and settings - you copy them to another location (typically a DVD), and if disaster strikes you can within 15 minutes be up-and-running again.
It is, however, not a matter of simply copying all the files that you can normally see - but also all the special hidden files too.  For this, you need special "imaging software", but free versions of this are often available from the support section of the manufacturer of your hard-drive.  Thus for Maxtor or Seagate drives, you can download the excellent Seagate DiscWizard software, which is a simplified version of Acronis' TrueImage, which is one of the most respected imaging suites available.  You make separate copies of C- and D- drives (and any other drives you have), and also a bootable CD so that in the event of hard-drive failure you boot from this CD and then copy back your partitions.  The only thing you will need to do then is to re-update your Antivirus software, and any Windows updates.

Remember in all cases, there is limited security in storing the copies of your data on your main hard-drive.  If the hard-drive fails or disappears, so do your copies.  Always store such copies on removable media.

If you have any comments on the above, or suggestions for other  helpful tips, please do contact us