So you have your new computer system. The question is, what if you break it? Don't worry, everything can be fixed... The problem is that sometimes that fix might mean reformatting your hard drive and starting all over again. Not a fun task. There are some precautions you can take to make that moment of dread less painful.

There are some essential files on your computer that you should always keep backups of:

1. C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT
2. C:\CONFIG.SYS
3. C:\WINDOWS\USER.DAT
4. C:\WINDOWS\WIN.INI
5. C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI
6. C:\WINDOWS\*.PWL (PASSWORD FILES)
7. C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE (DOS Based CD-ROM program)
8. Your CD ROM Driver Files (You should have a disk lying around somewhere with these on it)
9. YOUR REGISTRY (REGEDIT) (This backs up your System.dat file)

The first step towards protecting ourselves is to make a bootable disk. This can be accomplished by first going to DOS, going to the c:\windows\command directory and using the sys command to make a bootable disk:

1. Find a blank disk and insert it in the A Drive
2. [Start] [Run] command
3. cd \windows\command
4. sys a:

Next we want to copy our autoexec.bat, config.sys, user.dat, system.ini, win.ini, mscdex.exe and our password files to our disk also. Use your windows explorer to do this as some of these files may be hidden in DOS (note: You could always unhide them with the attrib function in DOS if you wanted)

1. Right click on your start button, [explore]
2. Locate the file you want to copy to the a drive
3. Right click on the file
4. [Send To] [3 1/2 Floppy A]

Great, we now have a bootable disk. Next we should make another backup disk with disk tools on it.

1. Find another Blank disk
2. [Start] [Settings] [Control Panel] [Add Remove Programs] [Startup Disk] [Create Disk]

This copies the following files to your new floppy disk

1. [Start] [Run] REGEDIT
2. [Registry] [Export Registry File]
3. Select a location and file name to save a backup of your registry. I usually back up directly to my home directory on my C Drive (note this file can get upwards of 5 megabytes in size). If you have 2 hard drives, you might want to make 2 backup copies, one on each drive.

Hey, that wasn't so hard was it? Now if our system goes down, at least we should be able to get it back up and running again. Oh and also, be sure to make a backup copy of any important data files (quicken, word documents, etc. that you couldn't do without)

You should occasionally run programs to check and defrag your hard drives. These tasks can be accomplished by:

1. Double Click on "My Computer"
2. Right Click on your "C Drive"
3. Select [Properties] [Tools]
4. Run the available diagnostic programs on your hard drive.

The Start button is the key to Windows '95. It is usually located in your bottom left corner (unless you moved it. A quick way to get to your Start button is [CTRL]+[ESC] for you keyboarders out there. Also some keyboards have a "Windows '95" quick button on them which will also enable your start button.

Creating Folders in Windows '95 is the same as creating directories in DOS or Windows 3.x. Folders are used to keep your files organized. You could put all your files in one directory, but after a while you would find that it is hard to locate things. With folders and sub-folders you have the ability to organize your files (or programs) so that you can find things (or delete things).

There are two ways to create a folder. To start out, go to your Windows Explorer. [Start] [Programs] [Windows Explorer] and select a folder in which you would like to make a sub-folder in:

1. Click your right mouse button on the right window. Next select [New] [Folder] and then name your folder.
2. If for some reason you have changed the function of your right mouse button, or you don't like using the mouse, you can always select [File] [New] [Folder] to accomplish the same task.

Tip: If you are saving a file (for example you are downloading a program from the Internet), you can make a folder on the fly. Look for an Icon that looks like this

Moving Files can be a little tricky in Windows '95 if you are used to the old File Manager. Instead of using the old [ALT] Drag and Drop technique we used to use, we now use the Cut and Paste philosophy. Just like any standard windows program, we can use [CTRL]+[X] to cut a file, and [CTRL]+[V] to paste a file. Pretty handy once you get used to it. You can also use the Windows standard [CTRL]+[C] to copy a file, and [CTRL]+[V] to paste the file if you would want a copy of the file rather than just moving the file.

Tip: If you forget these keys you can always use the file menus [Edit] [Cut], [Edit] [Copy], and [Edit] [Paste].

Shortcuts are the Windows 3.X equivalent to an Icon. A shortcut is not the actual file (or program), rather it is just a quick link to that file (or program). Thus, when you delete that shortcut, you do not affect the file at all.

Tip: You can tell the difference from an actual file and a Shortcut by the arrow in the bottom left corner. For example, the following is a shortcut to a program I have called Text To Speech.

Deleting Files in Windows '95 is a much safer ordeal than it was previously. Just like you old Macintosh guys we now have a Recycle Bin (Trash) that we can undelete our boo boos.

If you want to delete a file, using the Windows Explorer, simply right click on the file and select delete. Or, for you non right clickers, you can select the file (single click, don't double click) so it is high lighted. Then select [File] [Delete]. Pretty simple huh (too simple?). Well, if we messed up and accidentally deleted something we didn't want to, remember we can always get it back from the Recycle Bin.

Your Recycle Bin is located on your desktop, and looks like the following:

To undelete a file, double click on your Recycle Bin, Right click on the file you want to undelete, and select [Restore]

Hey, for you Macintosh guys, we're one up on you with this one. Not only can we undelete a file, we can also undo our last move. Say we moved a file somewhere, and we made a mistake. Simply select [Edit] [Undo], and your mistake will magically be fixed. YIPPEE!

Just like the Old Windows, we can still select multiple files at a time. In fact it's done the same way.

From the Windows Explorer, you can hold the [CTRL] button down and pick and choose which files you would like to select. If instead you would like to select a number of files in a group, you can use the [SHIFT] button instead and you will select all the files between the top file and bottom file you have selected. Lastly, if you want to select all the files in your folder you can hit [CTRL]+A or choose [Edit] [Select All].

These short-cuts are great for moving or copying multiple files at once.

A great tool for finding files or folders is the Finder. You can get to the finder by [Start] [Find] [Files or Folders].

Simply type in as much of the files name you can remember. Do not use any spaces. If your file name you are searching for contains spaces, simply type in one of the words of the file name, not the whole name. Once you have entered the search criteria, hit the [Find Now] button.

As you will soon find, just about everything in Windows '95 is customizable, and your desktop is the place to start. Using your right mouse button, right click anywhere on your desktop that is empty (do not click on an icon). Next select Properties. From here you can edit

1. Your background
2. Your Screen Saver
3. Your Desktop's Appearance (Fonts etc.)
4. Video Settings

You can customize just about anything you want from here. Be careful though, messing around too much may make your computer "UN-recognizable".

Your taskbar is the bar that you Start Button resides on.

One of the tricks I use is to "auto hide" my taskbar. This keeps my taskbar out of my way until I want to use it. When I want it, I move my mouse to the bottom of my screen, and Walla.... My task bar magically appears.

To customize your taskbar, right click on it (be sure not to click on a program icon). Next select properties. From here you can customize your taskbar to your own personal tastes.

If you work with graphics or web pages, you will find that one of the handiest features of Windows is the SendTo Folder. With it you can utilize multiple programs at the click of a button (your right mouse button to be exact).

If you a add a shortcut to your favorite programs into the C:\Windows\SendTo directory, you can simply right click on your file and instantly open it up in the program of your choice.

The Startup Folder is a carry over from Windows 3.x. Any programs, or shortcuts to programs located in this folder will automatically be started every time you start Windows '95.

The location of the Startup Folder is C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp

Tip: If you are trying to find a program that is automatically starting, and is not in your StartUp folder, try the win.ini file. [Start][Run] win.ini

There are two lines where your auto-starting program could be located:

1. Load=
2. Run=

A more efficient way to browse through your computer is to show only 1 window at a time.

1. Double Click on "My Computer"
2. Double Click on "C Drive"
3. [View] [Options] [Browse Folders that uses a single window that changes as you open each folder]
4. Now when you want to go up a directory simply hit the BackSpace key on your keyboard.

You can adjust the size and look of any window by moving your mouse over the column until it changes to a selector icon, selecting the column and dragging it to the selected size. (note, you must be in details view for this to work [View] [Details])

You can change the sort order of the files you are viewing by simply selecting on the column header of the column you want to sort by. For example, if you wanted to sort by the size of files in a directory, simply click on the size header. (note, you must be in details view for this to work [View] [Details])

Basically your control panel is the place to change all the settings of your Windows '95. From performance issues to adding hardware or software, you can do it all from the control panel. To get to your control, select [Start][Settings][Control Panel].