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Learning the Basics
Saving your work
Saving your work
Before you turn off the computer using the Shut down
command, save your work on the internal storage drive,
external media, flash media, or optical disc. This is one of
the most important rules of computing.
Many applications offer a feature that saves documents at
regular intervals. Check your program’s documentation to
see if it has an automatic save feature.
Backing up your work
Back up all the files you create in case something happens
to your computer. You can back up your files to different
types of media such as CDs, DVDs, external storage media,
or to a network, if available.
To back up several files at one time, use the Microsoft
®
Windows
®
file recovery program preinstalled on the
computer’s internal storage drive. Also see “Backing up your
data or your entire computer with the Windows® operating
system” on page 146.
HINT: Backing up all the files on your internal storage
drive may take a considerable amount of time and
multiple CDs/DVDs. You may prefer to use a high-
capacity file recovery system, such as an external hard
drive.
Using the optical disc drive
(Available on certain models.)
Optical storage is a popular medium for software, music,
and video. Digital versatile discs or Blu-ray Discs
™ provide a
significant increase in data storage and support features that
were not available on previous video platforms. These
features include wide-screen movies, multiple language
tracks, digital surround sound, multiple camera angles, and
interactive menus.
