Informative Services Group

Articles about Computers and Computing

Seven New Year's Resolutions

Written on January 9, 2000 by Robert & Karen Vanderzweerde

Appeared in Greenmaster Magazine

As I write this column, the New Year has recently arrived and we have all survived the Y2K bug with minor inconvenience. Our canned food has gone to the food bank, and we'll be drinking bottled water for quite some time! The only bug I encountered was the sticker from my last oil change that says my next oil change is due on January 10, 1910. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to all those who worked so hard to make Y2K uneventful.

The start of the New Year is always a good time to look at how you do things, and try to improve. Here are seven resolutions for 2000 for you to consider:

1. Clean up your hard drive. Go through your folders and delete old e-mails, obsolete letters, and junk. Organize the remaining items into folders that mean something. And make a note in your organizer or day-timer to do this every three or four months.
   

2. Back up your data now that your hard drive is tidy. Set up a routine so that you back up regularly. Alternate your backups (use one disk, tape, or CD this time and a different one next time) so that you will have at two backups at all times. The frequency of your backup depends on the importance of what you do on your computer and how frequently you change your data. For example, I back up all accounting and financial data every time I update. I back up Powerpoint presentations each time I update. I back up letters, correspondence, and e-mail once every 6 months.
   

3. Consider making an emergency start-up disk (ESD). The February 8, 2000 issue of PC Magazine has an excellent article on how to do this for Windows 98. If you are ever in a situation where Windows will not start on your machine, you can use the ESD to start your computer and retrieve important files.
   

4. Learn how to use the advanced features on your e-mail. Know how to set up a signature. Learn how to set your e-mail to automatically respond if you will be absent for extended periods (this may not be such a good idea at home). Set up your address book.
   

5. Stop wasting time with e-mail jokes. Try to get off the distribution list of people who regularly send jokes. And don't pass them on (well, except the really good ones!).
   

6. Install good anti-virus software. Set it up to automatically download updates from the Web each month.
   

7. Set a goal to learn something useful about your computer each quarter. Take a course, read a magazine or book, check out something technical on the Web, watch a TV show. Be curious. Most of us learn how to do simple, basic tasks, and never progress farther with our computers (or our fax machines, microwave ovens, or cars). Computer software is loaded with functionality that could help us simplify our lives, if only we knew how!