how to Connect a drive from My Computer or Windows Explorer

1.	To connect a drive from My Computer, click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Explore. To connect a drive from Windows Explorer, right-click Start, and then click Explore.
2.	On the Tools menu, click Map Network Drive.
3.	In the Drive box, click a drive letter.
4.	In the Folder box, type the UNC path for the server and shared resource in the following format: \\server name\share name. You can also click Browse to find the computer and shared resource.

You can map shared drives and shared folders. When you access a shared drive or folder you can also access subfolders if you have the appropriate permissions. However, you cannot map a drive for a subfolder that is not explicitly configured as a shared resource.

how to Connect a drive from My Network Places

1.	Click Start, click My Network Places, click Entire Network, and then double-click Microsoft Windows Network.
2.	Double-click the domain that you want to open.
3.	Double-click the computer that has the shared resource you want to map. All the shared resources for that computer automatically appear in the window.
4.	Right-click the shared drive or folder that you want to map, and then click Map Network Drive.
5.	Click the drive letter that you want to use, and then specify whether you want to reconnect every time that you log on to your computer. Note Network drives are mapped by using letters starting from the letter Z. This is the default drive letter for the first mapped drive you create. However, you can select another letter if you want to use a letter other than Z.
6.	Click Finish. A windows opens that displays the contents of the resource you mapped.

Free up disk space

By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.
Use Disk Cleanup to:

•	Remove temporary Internet files.
•	Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).
•	Empty the Recycle Bin.
•	Remove Windows temporary files.
•	Remove optional Windows components that you don't use.
•	Remove installed programs that you no longer use.

Tip: Typically, temporary Internet files take the most amount of space because the browser caches each page you visit for faster access later.

To use Disk Cleanup

1.	Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
2.	In the Disk Cleanup for dialog box, scroll through the content of the Files to delete list. Choose the files that you want to delete.
3.	Clear the check boxes for files that you don't want to delete, and then click OK.
4.	When prompted to confirm that you want to delete the specified files, click Yes.

After a few minutes, the process completes and the Disk Cleanup dialog box closes, leaving your computer cleaner and performing better.

How to decide what data to back up

There are many ways you can unintentionally lose information on a computer. A child playing the keyboard like a piano, a power surge, lightning, floods. And sometimes equipment just fails. If you regularly make backup copies of your files and keep them in a separate place, you can get some, if not all, of your information back in the event something happens to the originals on your computer. Deciding what to back up is highly personal. Anything you cannot replace easily should be at the top of your list. Before you get started, make a checklist of files to back up. This will help you determine what to back up, and also give you a reference list in the event you need to retrieve a backed-up file. Here are some file suggestions to get you started: • Bank records and other financial information • Digital photographs • Software you purchased and downloaded from the Internet • Music you purchased and downloaded from the Internet • Personal projects • Your e-mail address book • Your Microsoft Outlook calendar • Your Internet Explorer bookmarks If you haven't already decided where you want to store your backup copies—external hard disk drive, CDs, DVDs, or some other storage format—and you want to know more about your options

Making backup copies manually

Depending on the version of Windows Vista you have, there are two approaches you can take to back up files: Automatic Backup, which backs up just your files and data; or Complete PC Backup, which backs up everything on your computer, including the operating system and applications.

To access the Backup and Restore Center:

1.	Click Start, and point to Control Panel.
2.	Click System and Maintenance and then click Back up your computer.

Windows Live OneCare Backup and Restore

Windows Live OneCare is a service from Microsoft that helps protect your computer and provides a built-in backup tool. Windows Live OneCare is currently in beta and is free to try.

Windows XP Professional: Use the built-in Backup utility

If you use Windows XP Professional, you can use the built-in Backup utility to help you make copies of files, settings, or everything on your computer. You can even use the utility to back up certain files on a schedule that you specify. Here's how to start using the Backup utility:

1.	Click Start, and point to All Programs.
2.	Point to Accessories, and then point to System Tools.
3.	Click Backup.

If you've never used the Backup utility, the first screen you will see is the Backup or Restore Wizard welcome window. Click Next and follow the instructions on the wizard. For a more detailed step-by-step guide to using the wizard,

Windows XP Home Edition: Add the Backup utility

If you're using Windows XP Home Edition and you want to install the Backup utility, you must locate your original Windows XP CD first. Add the Backup utility manually to your computer from the CD by following these steps:

1.	Insert your Windows XP CD into the drive and, if necessary, in My Computer, double-click the CD icon to display the Welcome screen.
2.	On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP screen, click Perform Additional Tasks.
3.	Click Browse this CD.
4.	In Windows Explorer, double-click the ValueAdd folder, then Msft, and then Ntbackup.
5.	Double-click Ntbackup.msi to install the Backup utility.

Note: If you bought a computer with Windows XP Home Edition and you don't have the original Windows XP CD, contact the computer's manufacturer or visit the manufacturer's Web site for more information. You can also use separate backup software that you purchase online, at a store, or the

Regardless of what version of Windows you use, you can manually make a backup copy of any file or folder by following these steps:

1.	Right-click the file or folder that you want to back up, and then click Copy from the menu.
2.	Now, in My Computer, you can right-click the disk or external hard drive where you want to store the backup copy, and then click Paste from the menu.

That's it. After you've copied all the information you want to back up onto your chosen storage format, don't forget to keep it protected

Backup and Restore Windows Center

Windows Backup and Restore Center

The file backup and restore features in Windows Vista make it easier for you to keep your data safe from user error, hardware failure, and other problems. The Windows Backup and Restore Center gives you one place to manage all backup and restore features.

Depending on the version of Windows Vista you have, there are two approaches you can take to backing up files: Automatic Backup, which backs up just your files and data; or Complete PC Backup, which backs up everything on your PC, including the operating system and applications.

Automatic Backup

Automatic File Backup helps to keep your files safe and is available in almost all editions of Windows Vista (it is not included in Starter and has only basic functionality in Home Basic edition). Windows Complete PC Backup is available in the Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions, and performs a complete, image-based backup of the entire computer.

Help protect your files and your work by backing them up.

Scheduled and Network Backup

Two particularly useful Automatic Backup features are the ability to do a scheduled backup and the ability to back up your files to a network location. (These features are available in all editions of Windows Vista except for Home Basic.)

To help make protecting your files as convenient as possible, with Automatic Backup, you can back up your files to an external hard drive, secondary hard drive, writable CD or DVD, or to a network location. Best of all, Windows Vista will automatically make backups of your data on the schedule that you set, so you never have to worry about forgetting to back up your work.

File Backup Scheduling Wizard lets you schedule when backups occur.

Previously backed-up versions of files use only a bare minimum of disk space. If only a small part of a file changes (such as one slide in a presentation), only that portion gets tracked and saved.

Of course, backup is only as useful as the process you use to recover your work, and Windows Vista makes this a cinch. A recovery wizard helps you select the files or folders you want to restore and prompts you for the backup storage medium you used. Then it restores your files.

By the way, if you've accidentally written over a file, say saving an older version of a report you're writing over the top of a newer version, then the Shadow Copy feature can help you recover a prior version of that file.

Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore

Available in Windows Vista Business, Ultimate, and Enterprise editions, Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore is a comprehensive, image-based backup tool that will help you out of a tight spot if you need to recover your entire system.

While file restore is useful in cases of file loss and data corruption, Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore is most useful for disaster recovery when your PC malfunctions. This feature helps you create complete PC backups, and then in the event of a serious system issue or data loss, Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore can restore your entire PC environment, including the operating system, installed programs, user settings, and data files.

You can restore your PC back to its original state or onto another PC. Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore can be initiated from within Windows Vista or from the Windows Vista installation CD, if the PC is not able to start up normally from the hard disk.

System Restore

System Restore enables you to restore your computer to an earlier state without losing data. This is ideal if your computer is not operating well because of a configuration change, a problem with an application, or the introduction of viruses or other unwanted software. By restoring to an earlier point—a point before your computer began displaying problems—you may be able to easily resolve the problems. (Applications that have been installed since the restore point will be removed.) You don't have to worry about taking periodic system snapshots—System Restore automatically creates easily identifiable restore points. You can also manually create restore points at any time.

beging A Freelance Writing Business

Starting A Freelance Writing Business

If you’ve always dreamt of writing for money, you may want to look into freelance writing as a way to make money. And contrary to popular belief, it’s not as difficult as it may seem once you know what direction you need to go.

Freelance writing can include Internet clients, magazines, web sites, and any other customer that needs something written for their business or organization. With your talents, you can help provide them with the words that they need to succeed as well as make money for your household.

What You Need To Be A Freelance Writer

The first thing that you will want to do is look around the Internet for places that are helping freelance writers get a good start. Some of these places include auction-like sites that can create a bidding competition for jobs that businesses have for writers. Sites like Elance.com and Guru.com are great places for a beginning writer to make money.

What you do is create an account that will allow you to bid on various jobs that you might be able to do. You create a proposal of the work that you will provide as well as the price that you are charging. When you win the bid, you are winning the chance to write and make money from that effort.

To increase your chances of winning, you will need to have a portfolio of work that you can share with prospective clients. Try to find something that you have written and might be applicable to the kinds of jobs that you will be looking for. As you win jobs and start writing, you will make money because of the experience that you have.

And to make money with freelance writing, you will want to be sure that you have a computer as well as printer and fax to be able to communicate with your client directly and efficiently.

Growing Your Freelance Writing Business Over Time

As you take on new jobs and responsibilities, you will begin to gain enough experience to make money at increased rates for increasingly interesting jobs. In the beginning, you want to accept jobs that you know that you can handle and that you understand. Complete them to the client’s expectations and beyond in order to secure a favorable rating for your work.

If you want to make money with freelance writing, it’s best to become versatile in all of the styles and markets that you can write for. That might mean that you learn how to write for web sites as well as for magazines and ebooks. Try to learn about every possible avenue so that you can be the best writer for anyone’s needs.

As you gain clients and experience, it won’t be as difficult to make money. Keep adding to your portfolio and keep trying to recruit new customers to your services. While it might seem to be a great idea to just work for one person, you might want to branch out into other areas as well.

Another way to make money as a freelance writer is to offer editing and reviewing services as well. You can do these kinds of projects in the middle of writing projects to keep your own proofreading skills fresh.

There is an initial ‘rough’ phase that freelance writers go through when they begin to make money because they’re not sure how much work they can tackle at one time. But as you progress, you’ll learn what you can do, how fast, and how well you can do it.

If you’ve ever wanted to make money as a freelance writer, all you have to do is start looking for people who need your special talent and then start typing.