Tech Tips for Writers is a (occasionally) weekly post on overcoming Tech Dread. I’ll cover issues that friends, both real-time and virtual, have shared. Feel free to post a comment about a question you have. I’ll cover it in a future Tip.
Q: I’m writing a very (very) important paper and all of a sudden, the screen froze. I can’t save it, or anything else. What do I do?
A: Programs do freeze for no reason sometimes, but not often (I’m assuming you take care of your computer–defrag, don’t download with abandon, update it occasionally). Before you declare a dog-ate-my-homework sort of catastrophe, try this:
- Check your desktop for an open dialogue box and close it. You might have to answer its question first.
- Push escape four times. You might have inadvertently got yourself into something you don’t even know you’re in. Escape often lives up to its name.
- Click your program on the taskbar. You might have gotten out of it by accident.
90% of the time, your computer is back to normal. If you’re one of the ten percenters, I hope you saved early and often (every ten minutes).
Ask Leo has a few more suggestions:
- Wait
- ALT+TAB
- CTRL+ESC
- CTRL+ALT+DEL
- A graceful, controlled restart
- A forced restart (holding down the power button)
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“The content presented in this blog are the result of creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”
Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.
