User's Manual

Learning the Basics

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.