Dell Dimension L___cx - Manual (Page 20)

1-4 4 Dell Dimension L Series Systems Reference and Troubleshooting Guide
Preventive Maintenance
The following sections contain maintenance procedures that you should perform reg-
ularly to keep the system in top operating condition.
Preserving Data
Everyone inadvertently deletes files at one time or another, viruses can corrupt files,
and hard-disk drives can fail after extended use. To avoid data loss, regularly back up
the data files on the hard-disk drive. If you should lose the contents of your hard-disk
drive, you can reinstall programs, but your data files will be lost if you do not have a
backup.
Your Dell-installed drivers and online documentation are preserved on the Dell Dimen-
sion ResourceCD. Use this CD if you ever need to restore the drivers and
CD if you ever need to restore the drivers and
documentation that came on your Dell-installed hard-disk drive.
NOTE: In case of warranty replacement of your hard-disk drive, you hard-disk drive, you will receive a
blank, formatted drive from Dell. You must reinstall application programs and restore
data files.
Scheduling Backups
Dell recommends that you back up the hard-disk drive at least once a week, with a daily
backup of those files that have been changed. Following these guidelines ensures the
loss of no more than a day's work. As further insurance against data loss, keep dupli-
cate copies of the weekly and monthly backups at an off-site location. Doing so ensures
that you lose no more than a week's work, even if one of the on-site backups becomes
corrupted.
Backup Devices
Tape and Zip drives are convenient and affordable devices that can back up data at
rates of up to 2 megabytes per second (MB/sec) and can often run unattended. Dell
recommends these drives and their associated backup software for use as system
backup devices. Depending on how many data files you have, you can also use dis-
kettes as backup devices.
Virus-Scanning Software and Data Transfers
With thousands of known viruses and with the prevalence of data transfers over tele-
communications lines, Dell recommends that you use virus-scanning software to
protect your computer. Regularly update your virus-scanning software as described in
the software documentation and load updates immediately.
Use the virus-scanning software before installing any software from unlicensed
sources, either downloaded from the Internet or on diskettes. Making regular backups
as discussed in the previous section provides insurance in case a virus does infect
your system.