There’s no turning back. Once a novelty, the Internet is now
trans-
forming how Americans live, think, talk and love; how we go
to
school, make money, see the doctor, and elect presidents.
This
isn’t just about the future—it’s about the here and now.
--
Newsweek (September 20, 1999, 39)
Opening Your Horizons-Internet Literacy
for Seniors
An Opinionated Survey of Internet Access
for Beginners
Why should you learn how to use the Internet?
What is the down side?
· "I'm too old for a computer!" "Computers are for young people!" "I'm computer illiterate!" Those kinds of affirmations cripple your perspective and create a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure and victimhood. Keep reading and move beyond.
· You increase your exposure to scams and identity theft--take responsibility for educating yourself early to avoid problems. Be extremely suspicious of any website that asks for personally identifiable or financial information, like Paypal.
· Computers cost money, if you are broke call an ewaste recycling center or a local computer repair instructor and ask for suggestions.
· Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD). IAD can occur for those people who develop unhealthy dependencies on the Internet use. Remember, your family is more important than surfing the web. If you don’t believe me, you are already in trouble.
My personal opinion and evaluation
There is a generation gap, nobody was born knowing this stuff but early exposure makes for an easy transition. Many seniors look to young people as a source of advice or wisdom about technology. Just because young people have tried new ideas early doesn't mean they have the life experience and maturity to not to jump off a pier into shallow water and be disabled for life or worse. What am I trying to say--young people live in a world of their own, they are often spending their parents money and taking foolish chances based on a short-term view of life. They live on the bleeding edge of technology in a throw-away world--throw away cameras, throw away cell phones, you get the idea. Just because their decisions suit their life style doesn't mean their advice will suit a senior life style. I am a senior. What you will hear from my pen is my opinion based on thirty plus years as an IT professional. I paid my dues.
How to choose and buy a computer
· Read responsible suggestions by a consumer advocate.
· Assess your needs. A beginners needs are usually minimal.
· Don’t buy a laptop unless money is no object and the cost will pay for itself. Laptops are fragile, wear our faster, typically cost at least twice as much to buy and a lot more to repair. The parts are proprietary instead of generic as they are on desktop machines. Computer salespeople love the commissions.
· Desktop machines are a much safer buy. You can waste $2000 on a fancy new desktop computer and get no more for your money than if you spent $300-400 at PC Club or Walmart. Spend about $200 for the computer, about $100 for the monitor (unless you can get someone to give you one on craigslist) and use the rest for software, a router, a flash drive and power protection. Many people can get a perfectly usable computer by just putting the word out to their friends that they are looking for a leftover machine.
· Normally used machines are a bit risky unless you are getting it for free. It might have hidden problems and it might be stolen. If you decide to buy locally, check out the serial number in advance at stolencomputers.org. Refurbished (aka recertified) machines with a substantial warranty may save you some real money. NewEgg.com is one of the best sites because you can specify the price range of the machine you want up front by using the advanced search feature.
·
Get Windows XP, not
· Avoid buying a machine with an AMD processor, if the processor fan slows down or stops there is no protective thermal cutout, the expensive CPU chip will just burn out. That chip is the single most expensive part in the machine.
· If you decide you want to pay extra for a brand name, find out where you would call for technical help before you buy and call the number. If the phone is answered by someone in India, think again real hard about whether this is right for you. Be aware that brand name hardware usually comes loaded to the gills with unwanted trial and demo software called Crapware which slows down your machine and can cause misunderstandings and problems.
·
Also check the returns policy before you buy.
Many chains and sites like Best Buy,
· If you have special needs or feel you want a better understanding of what you are getting check out a book like Buying A Computer for Dummies.
· Once you get a machine, be sure to save any manuals and disks that come with it or any other accessories you may accumulate in a safe place. If someday you sell the machine or give it away, pass them on to the new owner.
· Never buy an emerging technology product until it has been for sale for at least two years. eg Blu-Ray. You pay much, much more for the product.
· Protect your new hardware by feeding it with clean power. In less than one second a spike from your power company can turn your computer motherboard into toast. Don’t let it happen and don’t skimp. APC makes a wide range of quality products.
How to learn to use a computer
There
will usually be some kind of user introduction and help files on a new
computer.
I would advise new users to learn about their machine first and learn about the Internet second. Public libraries have books on computer and Internet literacy, find at least one book you like, read it and practice, some libraries give lessons as well.
Try Windows XP for Seniors : For Senior Citizens Who Want to Start Using
Computers (Large Print) by Addo Stuur or try Windows XP For Dummies Quick Reference by Greg Harvey for starters
if your library has it, it is much smaller and less overwhelming than the other
dummies XP books.
Many sites offer free instruction such as Senior's Guide to Computers - A Beginner's Tutorial which includes step-by-step, plain English tutorial for the Windows PC. and
Computers for Retirees has a computer book for seniors which provides a tutorial geared toward seniors and retirees. All 27 chapters are free for access. Seniornet.org has a set of mouse practice exercises.
If you are totally new to using a mouse and keyboard think about a training video like Help for the computer shy if you are having trouble acclimating. Limit your learning to bite-sized chucks, say 30 minutes at a time. More advanced videos are available from Computers for Seniors and Professor Teaches.
You can even learn to type with software or online at many different sites.
(http://www.google.com/Top/Reference/Education/Distance_Learning/Online_Courses/Typing/)
Remember -- practice makes perfect -- or at least almost perfect -- when it comes to learning how to use a computer.
Buy a compact flash drive and blank optical media like a small container of CD-R and DVD-R discs before you turn your machine on the first time. If when you do turn it on for the first time, your machine offers you the opportunity to create backup disks, follow the instructions and create the set of disks. Store them in a safe place. Floppies are passé, don’t waste your time and money dealing with them.
Learn how to backup files. Get in the habit of doing this every week.
Learn how to defragment your hard drive and do it at least once a month.
How to connect to the Internet.
Connecting to the Internet can be done many ways, via a slow dialup modem connection, using a DSL digital connection, using the data services of a cable company, using Wi-Fi wireless technology at a public outlet or using expensive sporadic broadband wireless technology supplied by a cell phone carrier. Broadband may be bundled with some other service like the Blackberry or the Kindle. Some users might even think they want a satellite connection, but it is the most expensive option available and normally used only by companies.
|
|
Sample Company |
Medium |
Data Rate |
Approx Cost |
|
|
Dialup |
56 kbs |
Free |
|
|
|
DSL |
768/128 kbs |
$20/mo. |
|
|
|
Cable |
1.5 mbs |
$35/mo. |
|
|
|
(site specific) |
WiFi (G) |
54 mbs max |
Free hot spot |
|
|
Broadband |
400 kbs |
$40/mo. |
|
|
|
NMARSAT BGAN |
Satellite |
350 kbs |
$7/mb |
Quiz: Q.Where does DSLextreme get its name? A. The $250 early termination fee.
If you decide to buy DSL, get it from your phone company, not some discounter. It can be cheaper to buy the service online than over the phone, get both quotes. Current practice is that they will mail you a box and expect you to set up everything yourself. A house call may cost you around $200. Think about any geeks you know or third party installers in your area if you are intimidated by wiring issues.
AT&T support is in the
The DSL box from the phone company may include a second install disk from a company like AOL or Earthlink. Try getting along without these extra cost and unneeded sources of advertising and other problems.
Some cities have implemented free Wi-Fi service for all residents. Write your mayor and city counsel, let them know what you want.
Once you have an Internet connection be sure that you:
o Have a router between your computer and the connection.
o Install a virus and spyware checker like free AVG.
o Install Adobe Reader if you cannot read Acrobat .pdf files.
o Download and install the free Firefox browser and make it your default.
o Sooner or later some product or site will tell you to install Java. Think hard about how badly you really need the item before you allow the install.
Routers
A router is a piece of hardware that can act as a firewall to reduce the risk of malware infections. Linksys, D-Link and Airlink101 are popular brands. Around $20-$30.
Malware
Malware is a collective term for all types of computer infections. Install a virus and spyware checker. AVG offers a free product for the budget-minded. The same way dirty power is the biggest single cause of hardware problems, malware is the single largest cause of software problems. If you do not choose to take a proactive stance with a line conditioner and antimalware products, you are a sitting duck on both counts. If you don’t feel you have an appreciation of the dangers of malware, take some time and read The Zombie Hunters by Evan Ratliff in the New Yorker. The biggest risks for contracting infections come from email attachments in spam, use of Microsoft Internet Explorer, and downloading software from the Internet. Malware infections often specifically target antivirus products from Norton and McAfee and completely erase them from your hard drive, other brands are more resilient.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe.com supplies a free ebook reader on their site. The reader may come bundled with your computer. If it does not install a copy so that you can read the pdf files you will find posted all over the Internet. You will find free copies of books in this format and many newsletters and other useful documents.
Install a Safe Browser
Design problems inherent in Internet Explorer are the single biggest cause of malicious software infections. Avoid it as much as possible. Try Firefox first.
If you ever decide to use Internet Explorer make sure it is locked down and disable (uncheck) the Enable Install on Demand item in the Advanced Settings for Browsing that will eliminate the driveby browser hijacking "feature" of IE. An even better solution is Reduced Permissions for IE.
The first thing you need to know is that all those underlines you see sprinkled on web pages are not for decoration, they are links. If you click on one with a mouse you will probably go sailing through cyberspace to a new webpage on the same site or a new website somewhere else. If you hover over an icon or a picture or a word and your mouse pointer turns into a finger, you are dealing with a link.
There are many search engines available, start with Google. Google creates a master index of pages it finds on the web. It remembers all the words and phrases on each page it finds and lets you look at pages that have those words or phrases. The Google homepage has a text box where you enter the words or phrases (called keywords) you want to find. If you put a minus in front of a word it will exclude any page containing that word, for example beatles –volkswagon –bug –insect would help you avoid ambiguity if you are a beatles music fan. To indicate that you want to search for an exact phrase, put the phrase in quotes. There are Basic Tips and over a dozen handy special shortcuts which Google calls Everyday Essentials that you should review and practice with. Google has an advanced search page that will let you narrow your search even further.
You should be aware up front that Google has many special purpose searches available, but in the beginning focus on learning to use the basic search text box found on the home page. It is much more productive to use several search terms than just typing in one word.
Want a reference overview, a list, a tutorial, a review, an item for sale, an article?
For a reference overview try an encyclopedia article in the Wikipedia.
If it is a list, find some of the items that will be in the list and string them together or try a phrase in quotes like “list of colors”
For tutorials look for the word tutorial in the title of the page with advanced search.
For general product reviews try epinions.com and AskSimon.com.
To find an item for sale start at Amazon.com or ebay.com.
If it is an article in a magazine or newspaper, look in a library database like Infotrac.
Is it a user manual? Then it will probably be an acrobat pdf file on a vendor site which you can access from the Google advanced search page.
If you want a more precise keyword, try a keyword generator for ideas.
Try to visualize what the page will look like that will contain the information you want to find. What phrase would normally be used to present the answer--for a birthday try “was born on”
If you have a mental block scroll down a reference link page for inspiration.
How to use the World Wide Web
Sandy Berger’s Great Age Guide to the Internet ISBN: 0789734427 –
good choice
Internet Literacy with Student CD by Fred T Hofstetter ISBN: 007321454X
Reading the Web: Strategies for Internet Inquiry by Maya B. Eagleton 1593852177
Read the reviews on Amazon.com, think about your needs and decide.
Video: Internet for Seniors: a step-by-step guide for the computer shy
Call your public library and ask about free Internet literacy classes in your area.
Yes, you can muddle through without a book or a class, but your usage will be more narrow, less effective and more disappointing. Look around for a used book copy on a site like Bookfinder.com or Addall.com.
There are many more specialized books on searching with and using Google like:
Googlepedia: The Ultimate Google
Resource by Michael Miller ISBN: 078973639X
Google: The Missing Manual, 2nd
Ed by J.D. Biersdorfer ISBN: 0596100191
Don’t wind up in the pot of the 71% of adults who are frustrated because that can’t find what they want on the Internet, hone your skills, practice a lot.
The web is a hodgepodge. Think of the smartest and the dumbest person you know. Think of the neatest and messiest person you know. Think of the most honest person you know and the biggest storyteller, the most loving and the most spiteful. Assume they all have personal websites and imagine what the web must be like. It’s worse than that because every site was done on a different date, some are 10 days old, some are 10 years old. Unless you are visiting a site that you know and trust, be very skeptical of what you read on the web, learn how to authenticate online information.
Tutorial sites:
Internet101.org - very nicely done beginner's Internet tutorial
that is well-arranged and well-presented
Finding Information on the Internet : A Tutorial – emphasis on advanced searching
Hand Picked Link sites:
Kathy Schrocks Guide – by an educator
Librarians Internet Index – by librarians
The Invisible Web
There is a presumption by many that if Google indexes a website, all its resources will be represented in the hit lists that Google generates. This is wrong for two reasons 1) the webmaster can choose which pages will be indexed and 2) if there is a database on the website, chances are that unless the webmaster went to great design pains, the contents of the database will be invisible to Google. There is much more of this type of hidden data on the web than there is visible data, just like an iceberg, and it is called the Invisible Web after a book by the same name by Chris Sherman. The best way to access such data is to look for link lists of specialized online databases. Public libraries and universities often subscribe to expensive online databases like Infotrac and WorldCat and allow their patrons to access these databases by logging onto the library site from home. The bigger the library, the more money they have for such big ticket items. Contact the largest library in your area by phone and ask about getting a card if you don’t have one.
Getting Started with Basic Services-Things to Try
· Use Google.com and the Wikipedia for searching and encyclopedic coverage
· Learn about disposable mailboxes at sites like Mailinator.com
· Check the news at NPR, BBC, CNN and sample Senior News Outlets
· Is your favorite radio station online at RadioTower or MikesRadioWorld
· SunSounds of Arizona offers audio readings of newspaper and magazine articles
· Try out instant weather reports, and up-to-date movie listings and IMDB.
· Learn to use your library from home
· Browse through hand-picked Silver Links selected for Senior Citizens
· Learn about the myriad variety of available travel services.
· Survey the many Consumer Affairs Advocacy and Protection links
· Obtain on-line evaluations from epinions.com and AskSimon.com
· Explore shopping options on Amazon.com or Ebay.com
· Visit forums and support groups
· Experiment with online communities and chat rooms for new friends
· Learn about how to use Skype to make free calls (wiki)
· Google Directory of Senior Health Topics and AARP
Rule Number One is that no legitimate person will EVER call you on the phone or send you an email that asks you for your password, period. A common ruse is that an email will arrive telling you of technical difficulties or a suspected security breach and asking you to follow a bogus link in the email that leads to a legitimate looking page with a phony logo that will ask for your password. This is called a phishing or spoofing attack and is very common for Paypal, ebay users and bank customers. Report these immediately to spoof@paypal.com or spoof@ebay.com. If you get other kinds of spam that appears to come from either company report it to abuse@paypal.com or abuse@ebay.com.
Rule Number Two is that you should never reply to an email from
someone you don’t know that asks for money. Known generically as the Nigerian
scam, such letters escalate until your bank account has been bled dry.
I have a personal rule not to do electronic banking on the web, your choice. The zombie infection rate too high in my opinion. One bot herder may control over a million zombies and you may be none the wiser if one of them is you. Hackers can find the name of your bank from your browser history and send a convincing looking letter from your bank threatening to freeze your assets. A pharming attack can route your normal access to your bank to a bogus lookalike site which will steal your bank user name and password. Why ask for headaches and worries? If you have a router between you and your internet connection, it is very important to change the password, be sure to write it down, even if you paste it to the bottom of the unit. This simple step can stop a drive-by pharming attack.
Passwords
By and large people’s passwords
are very predictable especially from beginners. Your name, self-image, favorite
game, team, color, cartoon character, pet, food, beverage, recreational
substance, TV show, magazine, car, day of the week, tennis shoe. These are
really bad choices. Once you get on the web passwords proliferate beyond
anything you initially imagine. Your computer may offer to help you remember
the passwords you choose, but if your hard drive dies you could be in big
trouble unless you have a record elsewhere. Any word that appears in the
dictionary is not a good choice unless it is broken up in ways that make it
unpredictable like p@s$w0rD. The word password
is off limits and any variation of it should not be used. Ideally a password
should be at least eight characters and a mix of upper case, lower case, numerals
and special characters. Find a way to create and store passwords safely and
back them up religiously. Hackers pick the low-hanging fruit first.
A year from now there will be lots of things that you will wish you did differently on the Internet. Make a really big deal out of the privacy of your email address. One way to do this is to create two addresses, one very private, one totally public. Save the private one for use in transactions where money is changing hands. Another way is to make liberal use of disposable addresses such as those available at Mailinator.com. Spam is a leading cause of malware infections and anything you can do to avoid it is time well spent. Gmail.com has a very good free spam filter. I get 3000 pieces of spam every month and don’t see any of them because Gmail puts them in a folder called Spam and I never look in that folder.
Create a strategy in advance. Stay away from coupon and greeting card sites it they ask for an email address, many such sites are run by spammers. If you want to read news on a site and the site wants you to register with your email address you may be interested in the password database at Bugmenot.com.
Web Payments
Do not start to shop on the Internet until you are totally comfortable with your web browser and how it behaves. Limit your early shopping to high profile sites with an established reputation. Notice that when private information is requested the first letters of the URL change from http: to https: and a locked padlock icon appears at the bottom edge of the browser window. These two changes signal that your private data is being encrypted before it leaves your computer for safety purposes. Get in the habit of looking for these two visual cues and if you don’t see them, buy somewhere else. A HackerSafe logo on a website is a placebo, security experts continue to assert that 70-80% of such sites that store customer financial data are vulnerable to an attack known as cross-scripting or XSS for short. NIST has an XSS hall of shame.
If you do not see a shipping charge
stated for a purchase before you enter your credit card number, do not
purchase the item. I would suggest that you create a separate bank account
exclusively for Internet purchases and keep no more than $50 in it. If you want
to buy something expensive, put the extra money in with just enough lead time
to get by. Paypal is used a lot on ebay. Unfortunately many people
misunderstand the risk level. Paypal is not a bank, it is a funds transfer
agent and as such it is not subject to rigorous
Chat rooms are different from forums. Think of a forum as an extension of email and chat as a typed phone call. Instant messaging is a form of chat. SMS is instant messaging to a cell phone which imposes a fee for every message on the owner of the phone. Some chat services have a video component so both parties must have digital cameras commonly called WebCams to participate. There are security risks associated with chat. Chat has been used to infect computers with spyware, viruses, trojans, and worms. If you choose to use chat be sure that you are satisfied that all security issues have been laid to rest.
Free Toolbars
If you are ever offered an opportunity to download or install a free toolbar, just say no. Web browser toolbar addons are controversial. They take away valuable space from your browser windows and worse are often a ploy for malware infections. Advertisers buy time and space for access to your eyeballs from the companies that promote these toolbars. Once installed they can be almost impossible to get rid of. Some toolbars index your entire hard drive which can be a major performance hit and others like the Google Toolbar constantly “phone home” with an updater application causing other network and laptop maintenance problems. Stay away from toolbars or the day will come when you end up paying someone to get rid of them.
Activating Wi-Fi on a Router
Nowadays most new routers come with a pair of antennas and default settings that have the security turned off. This is the formula that guarantees that most routers will be misconfigured out of the box. All the companies want is to be sure there will be no incoming support calls. The well-being of the consumer comes last. Unless you have a large living space there is usually no good reason to leave the Wi-Fi on. It is just an invitation to hackers to come in and party. If you have young people in the house you probably won't have much choice. Handhelds, laptops, cell phones or all of the above will drive the whining to a fever pitch. My experience is that over 90% of Wi-Fi routers are ripe for the picking. If you decide to use Wi-Fi be sure to buy a wireless card that supports WPA encryption and set the router to use that setting. There is a 30-minute video that explains some of the many configuration issues and a random passphrase generator if you want maximum security.
Computers are not designed for privacy or security. Privacy is
virtually nonexistent and security is an afterthought. Computer forensics
technicians have powerful tools that allow them to uncover an immensely
detailed picture of how you use your computer and any private thoughts you may
have placed on your machine.
Likewise the Internet is not designed for privacy and the security in use is at a very low level. Cookies placed on your hard drive by retailers allow them to track your browsing habits. Log files at ISPs and sites visited record certain details of your Internet usage habits. As a matter of fact record retention of emails is legally mandated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for public companies.
This said, imagine how vulnerable you would be if someone else could secretly log onto your machine while you were using it and monitor your activity. This is called backdoor access and is masked from you by something called rootkits which cloak the visitor. Such tools are used by hackers for many purposes including identity theft, scams and extortion. If you are ever tempted to do something you might be ashamed of on the Internet, don’t do it at home. Every keystroke you type may be sitting in a keylogging file and your hard drive.
Way too many companies on the web will
ask you to register to use their site. That is they will ask you for your email
address, a password, and frequently your birthday or address to view the
content on their site. Unless you are dealing with a government agency or a
government regulated entity like a bank or insurance company these sites have
no business having this kind of personal information about you on file. They
will not be able to verify information you supply and regardless of how fancy
their “Privacy statement” sounds they should not be trusted with it. Adopt a
set of personal policies about what you will hand out and to who, that is, in
addition to a set of personal email addresses, decide on a standard internet
birthday, and a way to construct a set of memorable passwords. Tim Berners-Lee,
father of the World Wide Web, celebrates
Unless you are a security specialist don’t ever get the idea that no one will know what goes on when you use your machine. Microsoft distributes a free utility called TCPView that allows you to monitor what kind of data is coming into and leaving your machine. Secured computers with classified information are not allowed to connect to the internet for a very good reason.
Identity Theft and other Scams
There is a common misconception promoted by shredder companies that identity theft is something related to dumpster diving. Identity theft is big business and personal information is purchased in wholesale quantities from brokers that subvert employees of insurance companies, credit agencies, medical claims people, loan and real estate companies and the like.
Even if your web doors are locked your data will be
somewhere in someone else’s database on the web. Every week hundreds
of thousands of personal records are compromised. Every year tens of
millions of personal records are lost, stolen or sold outright to criminal
elements. Only a handful of states like California have laws saying you must be
notified if your data is compromised. Approximately 10 million Americans are affected
by identity fraud each year, according to the U.S. Federal Trade
Commission. It will take an average of fourteen months
for someone to have clues that identity theft has happened.
Small time criminals may try to use your machine to steal your identity but there is really no way you can stop identity theft at the wholesale level. About all you can do is monitor your credit status and nip it in the bud as early as possible.
Strict liability is a legal doctrine associated with hard-to-convict offenses like drug possession and kiddie porn. A strict liability offense is one where intent is not in the definition of the crime, that is, the prosecutor simply has to show that the item in question was on your hard drive and nothing more. All the police have to do is break down your door, put you in cuffs, grab your computer and if the forensic technician says he found kiddie porn on your machine, you go to jail. It makes no difference that it came from your kids, your roommate, your zombie infection, whatever. If its there, you go to prison. If you have any doubts, ask Rabbi Juda Mintz who spent several years in federal prison. Zombie infections are a big deal. Make sure you have malware protection installed on your machine.
In Twin Cities Computer User, July 2002, Roger Hughes (from the St. Paul Companies’s Data Security Advisors) writes that Mcafee and Norton cannot detect all hacking tools or “zombie” programs even if properly used, and that most businesses should hire security professionals for routine audits as a due diligence protection. He writes, “Under the new Patriot Act, if your company is hijacked by a terrorist—your network, your Web site, whatever—and that terrorist uses it somehow to attack a government agency or critical infrastructure you personally can be charged with a crime of aiding and abetting a terrorist act. You can go to jail and get up to a $100000 fine, or you can just get nailed with an injunction that shuts down your company for 90 days….If somebody’s credit information get hacked because you didn’t do your due diligence for data security, you personally can be sued for that.”
A new trend is emerging where stores will no longer give you a rebate form. They tell you to find it on the Internet yourself. Frequently it is not there or the product will not qualify if it was purchased from certain chain stores. Rebate fraud is rampant.
Troubleshooting
Sooner or later something confusing will happen that makes you think your computer is broken. Before you do anything remember the three basic rules of thumb:
Rule 1: Try to evoke the problem more than once.
Rule 2: If applicable, quit the program, launch it again and try to evoke the problem.
Rule 3: Shutdown the computer, restart it and try to evoke the problem.
Sometimes it seems like computers are moody, something you know how to do just will not work the way you expect it to. These problems are often temporary glitches that go will go away if you keep trying. Resist the temptation to ask for help unless you have tried more than once. If the problem persists try to remember what you were doing just before the problem first appeared. Write it down step-by-step. Be careful to use the exact words used for each menu selection that you used to make the problem happen. Can you reproduce the problem or is it intermittent? If an error message appeared to alert you to the problem, record the exact text of the error message by typing it out or saving a snapshot of it. The malfunction will fall into one of three areas—hardware failure, software failure and user-generated problems, usually the later.
Try to remember whether you recently installed or deleted any software from your machine. When you describe the problem use the most precise words you can and present the sequence in a stepwise fashion. An important part of computer literacy is acquiring a technical vocabulary. Learn what things are called--window, dialog box, selection, progress bar, menu, mouse pointer, icon, desktop, system tray, etc. If you can’t describe the problem or understand the solution, it will cost more in the end.
The most devastating condition is if you can not get the machine to boot to the desktop where you can see the icons that are usually displayed. If this happens you are at a real disadvantage unless you have access to a second machine to help you find answers. In this case you will probably need help from someone else like a repairperson or a geek pal.
Remember to backup your files and defragment your hard drive periodically.
Keep your machine clean. The dustier your environment the more often you need to open the box and blow it out with a duster. The dust forms a thermal blanket that will cause machines to overheat and turn off unexpectedly during normal operation. It will take several months for the dust to build up depending on how dirty your air is, how many fans your PC and how often you run it.
With software problems you usually will have an opportunity to seek help on the Internet. Many software problems are related to infections and there are free online tools that can help. Unfortunately there is much, much more rogue antispyware software on the market that will infect your machine than there is reliable software that will protect it. Only certified software is to be trusted for scanning your machine. The dozens of other free offers you will find on the internet to scan your machine for free should be ignored. Three free certified products that allow you to do an online scan are:
Kaspersky.com online checker (http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner)
Bitdefender Online Scan (http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html)
Housecall online check at trendmicro.com (http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ )
There are cadres of self-help
volunteers on a number of malware forums such as CastleCops, GeeksToGo, and BleepingComputer. If you are
confident enough to try to fix your own hardware, you might want to try a forum
at Toms Hardware. There are
expensive services like GeekSquad at BestBuy or FireDog at
Good Luck and Happy Surfing!!!
I think the rewards outweigh the risks, jump in with your eyes wide open.
Keywords:
beginners beginning seniors newbies noob computer literacy Internet literacy
adult
how to buy a computer how to choose a computer how to choose an ISP how to
learn how to connect instructions instructor computer basics computer tutorial
computer lessons computers 101
Internet
basics Internet tutorial Internet lessons Internet 101 newbies basics newbies
tutorial newbies lessons seniors basics seniors tutorial online help how to
search choosing a search strategy
AARP
access acrobat adobe advice advise advisers advocacy advocate airlink answered questions
and answers FAQ antimalware antispyware apc asksimon attack authenticate AVG
backdoor backup basic blackberry bleeding edge bookfinder.com books boot brands
broadband browse browser browsing budget-minded bugmenot.com bundled businesses
buy buying cable California cameras carrier castlecops certified changing
chapters chat cheaper classes cloak commission communities companies company
computers connect connection consumer crapware credit card crime criminal
criminals cross scripting customer dangers data databases defragment desktop
detailed details dialup digital directory discs disks distributes dlink
doctrine drive driveby dsl ebay educating educator emails enclosures encrypt
encrypted encryption encyclopedic English epinions.com error established
evaluations ewaste experience experts explore explorer extension extensions
extortion extra facts failure file filename files filter financial firefox
firewall fix flash drive folder forensics forums fraud free geeks geekstogo gmail
google google.com googlepedia guarantees guide hacked hackers hackersafe
hacking handhelds handpicked hardware hijacked hijacking homepage Internet http
https hype identity theft IM imdb in-depth index indexed indexes India inexpensive
infect infected infections information infotrac infrastructure installer
installed intent intermittent Internet introduction invisible ISP comcast
keyboard kiddie porn child pornography kindle laptops laws learn learning legal
legally strict liability librarians libraries links linksys listings lists
literacy litigation log logging machines mailboxes mailinator.com make
malfunction malicious malware menace manual maturity mcafee media medical menu
message instant messaging intel microsoft mikesradioworld mintz motherboard mouse
network news newspapers NIST norton old older online opinion opinionated
padlock home pages password paypal desktop pc pdf prison privacy private
problems products professionals programs proprietary protect public purchase
purchased purchases question and answer radiotower rebate repair repairperson
reports resources responsibility responsible retirees reviews risks rogue
rootkits routers safe safer safety Sarbanes-Oxley scams scan searches searching
security self-help seniors services shipping shop shopping sites skeptical
skype software spam spammers spending spyware stores suggest suggestions
technicians technology theft timewarnercable topics trojans troubleshooting
tutorial new user generated utility virus viruses volunteers vulnerable walmart
world wide web webcams webmaster websites wifi wi-fi wiki wikipedia windows XP
wireless worldcat worms wpa youtube zombie
Caveat
Lector and legal disclaimer: The
information contained in this Web site is for general guidance on matters of
public interest only. There are inherent hazards in electronic communication,
there are guaranteed to be delays, omissions or inaccuracies in information
contained in this site. Accordingly, the information on this site is provided
with the understanding that I am not engaged in rendering professional advice
and services, just my personal opinion. As such, my reading of the sources cited
should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional competent
advisers. Before making any decision or taking any action, you should consult a
professional. The information sources for the generalizations presented here
are cited and readers are encouraged to consult them directly for the best
understanding of the intricate issues involved. I will not be liable for any
direct, indirect, consequential, special, exemplary, or other damages arising therefrom. If you learn to use search engines effectively
you should be able to find and evaluate the answers the Internet has to offer
yourself and completely ignore the advice and tools presented here. That way
you will be able make decisions based on
your own lifestyle and level of risk adversity. This is just first base.