How To Use “My Documents” Correctly.

 

document-folderJust browse to your My Documents folder & take a look, there are folders for My Music, My Photos, My Video etc. Things are laid out exactly as you would in your house, you store things in the appropraite  cupboards & drawers, so you know exactly where they are ! You should do the same with the My Documents folder on your computer system.

If there isn’t a folder there for what you want, then simply create one by opening “My Docs“, right click on any blank area, then select New, then select Folder. To rename it simply right click on the folder in question & select rename, type in the new name & press enter, it’s as easy as that. Get into the habit of using the My Docs folder as your central point, because just about everything you do on your computer can be stored in My Documents, whether it be photos, dvds, mp3s, websites, articles, video files, software, art work, etc.

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When it comes time to backup your data / files, you now have a very simple & easy task in locating all your important files. It doesn’t really matter if your backing up to a DVD disc, a spare Hard Drive or a partition on an existing  Hard Drive, once you get into the habit of using the My Docs folder correctly, you will find there is no need to search your system for odd files you may have overlooked. Not only that, but you will now be able to keep your desktop much cleaner & tidier, which is not just easy on your eyes, it is much better for your computer to have as sparsely covered a desktop as possible.

As for software, we really have two choices here, when it comes to formatting your hard drive.

1.Yes you can backup your entire system & this way most all of your installed software would continue to work after reinstalling a backup. The only exceptions are likely to be those files affected by a virus infection, which was why we were doing a format in the first place ! Backing up your entire system can be very time & space consuming & I personally would only use this method, if I was backing up to another hard drive.

2. I much prefer a light weight backup where all my useful bits of software, music, dvds, websites & documents etc are all kept in their relevant folders & within My Docs (Any software is stored in a pre-installed state of course). This method is much faster & is ideal for backing up on pen/thumb drives, DVD discs or even a seperate partition on your current hard drive. In fact many computer manufacturers now use this method to put a rescue or recovery package on your computer. So when the unforseen happens & believe me it will ! It is no major drama, just simply a case of wiping the hard drive and starting afresh & believe me, this method is by far the quicker of the two. The only downside to this method is the fact that you will have to re-install all of the software you were using on your computer system. <<<Read More Click Here>>>