We’re almost done, now for error messages. Error messages do not always indicate an error (or at least, not what you call error messages). Many so-called error messages are simply the program asking for more information. The first thing to do when you see an error message is to read it. Many computer experts may seem to violate this rule: that is often because they recognise common messages and know what they say without reading it. Below is a list of common error message buttons and what they usually do:
| Button label |
What it does |
|
OK |
It makes the box go away |
|
Yes |
It performs whatever operation the message box says it is going to |
|
No |
It does not perform whatever operation the message box says it is going to |
|
Cancel |
It closes the box and goes back to your program |
|
Abort |
It stops whatever you were trying to do |
|
Retry |
It tries again to do whatever you were trying to do |
|
Ignore |
It closes the box and goes back to your program |
Most error boxes have icons beside them to indicate their nature as well:
| Icon |
What it means |
|
|
The computer needs some more information before it can do what you’ve asked it to do. |
|
|
The computer is warning you that there may be something you forgot to do or did wrong. |
|
|
There has been a major computer error |
Computers can break. Things can go wrong, viruses can destroy information, and the person using the computer can do something wrong. To protect your data just in case this happens it is necessary to back it up. Backing up is making a second copy of data. If you are changing something and do not want to lose the original you can create a second copy on the hard drive to work with, this is a back up. However to protect your data in the case of major computer error it is necessary to back it up off of the hard drive. The most common way to do this is to put all of your data on CDs or DVDs.