Backup important data
A computer or its hard drive
can fail at any time and without warning. When it does all your
personal documents, letters, pictures, music, video, etc. is lost and in
many situations cannot be recovered or costs a lot of money to be
recovered. Make sure you have backups of all your important data so it
is not lost when the computer fails.
Protect the computer
Make sure to protect your computer from electrical surges, brownouts, and black outs. At the very least, every computer user should have a decent surge protector
on their computer and phone line if they use a modem. Surge protectors
can help protect your computer during an electrical storm and could save
you hundreds of dollars in repair, if it were to get damaged. It is
also a good idea to have the computer running on a UPS, which can help prevent damage to a computer during a brownout or blackout.
Keep computer and its programs updated
There
is no such thing as a perfect software program or hardware drivers.
After the developer has released their program they may discover errors
and release updates to fix these problems. In the case of major software
programs and operating systems, there can be several hundred updates
and service packs released during its life time. Making sure your
computer and its programs are up-to-date can help prevent problems.
In
addition to updating a program, programs that use other programs or
plugins may also need updates, for example, it is very important to make
sure all the plugins for your Internet browser are also up-to-date.
- How to update a Microsoft Windows computer.
- System information tool to check your browser for the latest plugins.
- What hardware device drivers should be updated?
Keep the safe from viruses, spyware, phishing and spam
Every
computer connected to the Internet or other network need to be
protected. If you're using Microsoft Windows, we recommend having some
form of antivirus program installed and running on the computer. It's
also a good idea to have a malware detection program running on the
computer to pickup any spyware or malware that an antivirus may not have
detected. Finally, every computer user should also be fully aware of
other security risks such as chain mails, phishing, and spam while on
the Internet.
- What is a computer virus?
- What are the current available antivirus programs?
- See the chain mail, malware, phishing, spam, spyware, and virus computer definitions for further information about each of these terms.
Read, understand, and watch for tricks
One
of the most common mistakes new computer users make is agreeing to
dialog text boxes, agreements, or other prompts without reading the
dialog text box or understanding it. Before clicking any Ok or Install
button, make sure you understand what you are doing. If you do not
understand the prompt, click the Cancel button or close the box.
Also,
while installing any program watch for any check boxes. Often free
programs, plugins, and updates have check boxes that ask if it's ok to
install additional programs onto the computer. For example, when
installing the Adobe Flash plugin there is often a check box to install
an additional antivirus, firewall, toolbar, or other program. If left
checked (often checked by default), these additional programs will be
installed and may cause problems or frustration because it is not
something you wanted.
Clean the computer clean
Keeping
the computer physically clean can help keep the computer running
smoothly, help prevent issues such as over heating, and help protect you
from getting sick. While cleaning the computer, it's also a good idea
to clean the data on the computer. Microsoft Windows users can run
ScanDisk to check the hard drive for errors and Defrag to keep the data
on the hard drive organized. It's also a good idea to go through the
installed programs and uninstall anything you no longer use.
- Cleaning the computer and its components.
- How do I run Microsoft ScanDisk?
- How do I run Microsoft Defrag?
- How to uninstall a program in Windows.
Be familiar with free alternatives
Be
familiar with and know about free alternatives to popular commercial
programs. For example, almost every computer user needs a word processor
program installed on their computer. Instead of purchasing Microsoft
Office, which is several hundred dollars use a free alternative such as
Open Office that is just as capable.
Take full advantage of all the mouse buttons and wheels
Many
new computer users only use the left mouse button. Use the mouse to its
full potential by also using the right mouse button to access the
context menu. For example, if you highlight text and then right-click
that text it will bring up a menu that will allow you to copy, cut, and
perform many other options that text, the same thing applies to files.
Although
most users already use the mouse wheel to scroll up and down on a web
page, this wheel can also often be used as a third-button by pressing
down on the mouse. Some computer mice also allow the wheel to be pushed
right-and-left on to perform additional features such as moving forward
and back on a web page.
Finally, many computer mice
also have side buttons also known as thumb buttons that can be
programmed to do any number of features, including going back on a web
page or opening a magnifier.
Use included help files and the Internet
Every program includes some type of online help that can often be accessed by pressing the F1 function key
while in the program or through the file help menu. If the included
help does not answer your questions, searching the Internet or using
online help services such as Computer Hope can answer those questions.
Become familiar with and use shortcut keys
Every
computer user should become familiar with and use keyboard shortcuts.
Knowing these shortcuts can drastically increase your productivity on
the computer and make your overall computer experience much more
enjoyable.
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