There are thousands of
basic computer tips
on this website alone, however in this article I am going to narrow it
down to only the top 10 tips. These computer tips will be extremely
handy for the newbie computer user.
#1. Shut Down The Right Way
Learn
how to shutdown your computer correctly. This is very important and is
often taken for granted. If you do not shut down the computer correctly
it can cause an endless amount of problems. When a computer is shut down
suddenly, and without warning, the computer is usually in the middle of
an operation. The main problem is that if an operation is interrupted
it usually remains unfinished and leaves stray or corrupt files
lingering on your computer.
Tips to shut down your computer
The
same applies when you want to remove a USB flash drive from your
computer. You must do this correctly to ensure that the computer has in
fact finished with the USB stick. If you remove the USB during a file
transfer you might corrupt the USB drive and it’s contents.
#2. Know Where Your Files Are Being Saved
Know
where to store your files the files that you create. You should not
save files just anywhere on your computer. Everything you save or create
should go into your documents folder in Windows XP, Vista and Seven.
The Windows XP documents also has other folders in it such as my
pictures and my music. On Windows Vista you need to save your files in
your username section. For example my username is Mitz. This folder has
documents, pictures, music, and so on in it.
To get to your pictures, documents and more, simply click on the start menu at the bottom right of your screen.
You should not save files in C: drive or even in C:Program Files. See
How to organize computer files and create new folders and
Organize your Computer Files
#3. Install All Software To The Default Location
Install
programs to the correct location on C: drive. This is an easy task, as
all program , by default, get installed in C:Program Files.
Unfortunately sometimes people presume they need to choose where to
install a program and change the default destination.
#4. Don’t Mess With IT
Do
not change default settings. “If it is not broke, don’t fix it.” People
touch things they are not supposed to and cause problems. Most of the
time if you just use your computer, and not fiddle with its settings,
then your computer will run smoothly and without problems.
#5. Get Rid Of Trial Programs
Uninstall nagging trial programs and unused programs in the correct way. See how to
Remove Programs.
It is important to know how to do certain tasks correctly, and removing
programs is one of them. Too many people think that if they remove the
desktop icon, then the program has been deleted also. This is not true.
Each program has files scattered in different locations on your computer
hard drive. These need to be removed by correctly and thoroughly.
#6. Take Some Lessons
Complete
a computer basics course. It will save you money on repairs in the end.
People can easily rip you off when repairing computers. I have seen
people get charged $100 for a tech guy pressing CTRL ALT DEL on the
keyboard to bypass the password login section on Windows XP. The
customer nearly had a heart attack when she had forgotten her password
again, bought the computer to me, watch me start it and press those
three keys to get in.
I used to repair computers and I have seen and heard about a lot of rip off’s.
#7. Take Computer Maintenance Seriously
Learn how to perform computer maintenance and stick to a schedule. See Mitz’s
computer maintenance checklist There are also some free programs in the
Freeware that will help you keep you computer running smoothly.
#8. If You Need Antivirus – GET IT NOW!
Buy
an Antivirus program if you plan to be on the internet. Don’t skimp on
this one. Getting a virus can crash your entire computer and even damage
hardware components. It is not worth risking your computers health by
skimping on a an Antivirus program. Free Antivirus programs are OK in
some circumstances, however they cannot protect you when you get hit by a
serious virus. See my tips for getting the right
virus removal software.
#9. Keep Updated
Perform
regular updates. This is a great basic computer tip that is often
overlooked. This includes downloading and installing Windows updates and
Antivirus definition updates. They are both as important as each other.
Firstly Windows updates usually contain necessary patches and updates
that keep your computer up to date and ready for almost anything.
Without these updates, your computer could be vulnerable to attacks and
also prone to problems with programs. The updates are there to keep your
computer up with the times, not to spy on you, as some people might
think. Also updating your virus definitions is a vital process and needs
to be performed to keep your computer safe. If you do not update your
virus definitions, your virus checker will only be looking for outdated
viruses, not the newly developed ones.
#10. Backup or Risk Losing Files
Backup
your files. The best thing to do with your files is to store them on a
separate partition or hard drive to the operating system. For example if
you had C: drive and D: drive you should have Windows installed on C:
drive and your saved files D: drive. This way if your computer crashes
then the files will still be safe…But this does not mean you do not have
to backup important files. You should have two copies of any important
files and they should be stored in different locations. For example if
you saved a group of photos in C:/users/mitz/pictures you should not
store the second copy on C: drive. You could backup the file to an
external hard drive or even a disc. See
What to Backup
Radio Broadcast software i give support to on the African Radio stations.
Donnie Conrad trained me on the support of the Scan Master 2. I can be reached in the whole of Africa to give you support. this training was conducted in October and ended on 24th of the same month.