You're working on your accounts package and suddenly an error message flashes up on the screen. It's an experience that has happened to all of us.
Over the past couple of months, IT Zone consultant editor David Carter has been looking at the underlying causes of computer errors and offering advice on how to minimise the risks and effects of computer crashes.
David has some strong opinions on the subject - which have triggered a few lively exchanges with AccountingWEB members. If computer breakdowns are part of your life, some of the observations in his series should give you some comfort when confronted by the blue screen of death.
Part 1: Who's fault is it?
It is unrealistic to expect any physical or mechanical device to work correctly 100% of the time. So in practice most computer errors are not the fault of the software, but of the hardware. And of course, the hardware is your responsibility.
Part 2: Corrupt data
When a system goes down while you are in the middle of a transaction, there is a strong chance that the data may be corrupted. What are the commonest types of data corruption and how do you put them right?
Part 3: The upgrade curse
There is one instance when accounting software is error-prone ' when it's new. So when some salesman or IT type waxes eloquent about an 'enhancement' that's on its way, keep in mind a couple of handy rules.
Part 4: Time to call tech support
When there's nothing else you can do to fix the problem or bring the program back to life, you'll need to call technical support. Here are a few suggestions on how to get the best out of the person at the other end of the telephone.
Part 5: 'There's a fault in your software'
If you think there's a fault in your software package, your biggest problem will be to get your supplier to take you seriously. In practice, you will need to be able to reproduce the fault on demand. David Carter explains how and why.
