Everyone makes a mistake from time to time. Mistakes
need not be fatal or even embarrassing. No matter what mistake you
make, someone else has already made it at some point. The goal is
to realize that you made a mistake as quickly as possible and to understand
that many mistakes are relatively easy to fix when you catch them
early enough. Many users run into problems when they fail to recognize
a mistake and then try to avoid responsibility for it when someone
else does see it. Therefore, the first step in fixing a mistake is
to look for it in the first place. The earlier you catch a mistake,
the faster you can fix it.
Chapter 12 helps you overcome mistakes.
Some of the fixes in this chapter are difficult; others are quite
easy. For example, most novice users can try the fixes listed in the
“Fixing Operating System and Disk Problems” section of Chapter
12. After all, if you can save the data on your system to a tape
or other media, you can probably retrieve it. The same goes for restore
points—they’re very easy to work with.
Depending on how well you know the applications you
use, you can also try the techniques in the “Repairing Application
Settings” section of Chapter 12. However, if you’re
also a novice with the application, you might want to get someone
to assist you the first time you try to restore the application settings.
Generally, applications give you two or three chances to fix the settings
before strange things start to happen.
Novice users should avoid the “Restoring DLLs and Executables”
section of Chapter 12. Restoring executable files
isn’t something that even advanced users take lightly because all
sorts of odd things can happen. For example, even when you restore
a DLL correctly, it could be the wrong version. The application might
fail to work because the code in the DLL is too old. Because you’ve
written over the damaged DLL, an advanced user won’t be able to fix
the problem very easily because the version information appears within
the DLL. In short, it’s normally best to leave executable file repairs
to the professional.
NOTE When you notice an error that requires professional
assistance, try to contact the professional before you do anything
else. The professional will help you shut the system down, if necessary,
and might be able to provide an estimated time of repair. The less
you do after noticing an error, the better. When in doubt and you
can’t contact a professional, close all applications and shut the
system down.
Other chapters in the book contain repair tips and
hints as well. These tips and hints are specific to one situation,
so you should avoid generalizing them. For example, just because you
can recreate an INI file for one application doesn’t mean you can
recreate it for another application. In fact, recreating the INI
file could damage the application further and make it difficult to
fix. Only use the other repair tips and hints in the book when you
understand the tip or hint completely and you can use it for the specific
situation that it addresses.