Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween, computing fans! It’s that time of year again, and a good time to reflect on how scary the computer must have seemed to your mom or dad when he or she got his or her first one, and how much simpler it all seems now.

Are Computers Scary?

Computers aren’t supposed to be scary, even for older people. They are supposed to make life easier, and they do, for millions and millions of people every day. When something appears to go wrong with the computer, that’s scary too, but it’s important to remember that it’s not the end of the world.

Don’t Fear the Computer

With regular backing up of data and quality data storage, a good anti virus, anti spam protection program, a quality registry cleaner, and some basic knowledge (such as can be found on this blog), a “broken” computer doesn’t need to be cause for alarm. There are plenty of problems you can resolve yourself, and when your data is backed up, even if you need to bring the computer in for repair or replace it, you should be fine.

So relax and enjoy your computer, and leave the scary stuff for the trick or treaters!

Kid’s Broken Computer

The advice in this blog is for you to help your mom or dad keep their computers up and running, but don’t forget, some of this advice may be helpful for your kids too. While kids today seem to come right out of the womb with a mouse and keyboard in their hands, learning computers is really like learning anything else, and the earlier you start, the better.

Kids and Computers

When you start with your kids and computing, you want them to be supervised of course, and you may not want to allow your younger children access to the internet right away. But there’s no reason you can’t get an early start showing your kids how the computer works. That includes showing them what to do when things go wrong, whether it’s simply making sure everything is turned on and connected, or it’s running anti virus software or a registry cleaner. Kids catch on fast, and what you show them now will probably be picked up quickly and you wont have to worry as much down the road.

Take the time to show them what you know, and who knows, before long, they’ll be probably teaching you a thing or two about fixing computers!

Has Your Dad Gotten His Anti Virus Protection Yet?

Is your dad’s computer safe from viruses? We’ve talked over and over of the importance of getting good anti virus protection and having it working for you all the time, but some dads seem to still be reluctant to take the plunge.

Anti Virus Fears

One of the main concerns may be that it’s too difficult. Dad’s afraid he can’t install the software without screwing something up, or he’ll accidentally delete something that he will need later. But downloading and using anti virus software couldn’t be easier.

Anti Virus Made Easy

The quickest and easiest way to do it is to go to CyberDefender.com and just click for the free download. Dad will get a step by step instruction guiding him through the entire process, which is usually just a matter of a few mouse clicks. There’s no worry about accidentally deleting the wrong thing, because the software quarantines anything that looks dangerous and asks you what you want to do before removing anything.

If you’ve never done it before, installing anti virus software may seem a little scary. But actually getting a virus that erases your hard drive is a lot more scary, so let’s get going with that virus removal!

Software vs. Hardware Fixes

When trying to help dad with his broken computer, it’s important to make sure he knows the difference between hardware problems and software problems. Hardware problems, like the modem issue discussed earlier this month, can only be resolved through replacing the broken part or having an experienced repair technician fix the part. Software problems can be resolved by methods that you can do at home, such as uninstalling programs or drivers, cleaning the registry, or getting rid of viruses.

Hardware vs. Software

When your dad calls you with a computer problem, make sure he can isolate whether it is hardware or software that is at issue. Hardware problems may include: Broken fan leading to improper cooling, broken AC adapter meaning power cannot get to the machine, dirt or liquid in the computer shorting or damaging internal circuits.

Software vs. Hardware

Software problems may include: Faulty driver installed, virus causing crashes, corrupted registry entries resulting in conflicts that give rise to a Blue Screen of Death, software not compatible with computer not working.

If your dad has a software problem, encourage him to try to fix it himself, and not to jump to the conclusion that it is a hardware problem. If it’s definitely a hardware problem, it’s time to leave things in the hands of the experts.

Here Comes Windows 8

Just when you got dad used to Windows 7, along comes Windows 8. This isn’t the first time Microsoft has come up with a new OS, and it probably won’t be the last time you’ll have to walk your dad through this situation. Here are a few things to make sure dad keeps in mind.

There’s Plenty of Time

Windows 8 probably won’t be released until early 2012, if then. There’s plenty of time to make the changeover, so there’s no need to panic.

You Don’t Need to Upgrade

When Windows 8 does come out, there’s no need to run out and buy an upgrade for your existing computer. Windows 7 should be working for him just fine, and if that’s what his system uses, he should keep using it until he’s ready to buy a new computer. If his Windows 7 computer lasts another year or two, that will give Microsoft time to work out all the Windows 8 bugs, or who knows, even come out with a better version of Windows.

Windows 8 Is Nothing to Be Afraid Of

Frankly, no preparation is really necessary. Windows 8 is being designed to be extremely user friendly, from the Metro UI interface designed to make the screen look more like an iPhone app-friendly screen, and even featuring a simpler Blue Screen of Death. Really, Windows 8 is probably something more to be looked forward to than worried about.

 

Dad’s Broken Modem

My dad recently had an interesting problem with his computer. His internet was running interminably slow. We did the standard fixes, ran our anti virus software, ran the registry cleaner and so on, but nothing seemed to work. We did a speed test, and sure enough, the internet was running way slower than it should have.

Finding the Answer

Finally, we contacted tech support, who informed us that there was no problem with our service. The computer checked out, everything was plugged in correctly. We tried power cycling by unplugging the modem and plugging it back in. Finally, the support person asked us… “How long have you had your modem?”

Old Modem/New Modem

The modem, of course, was my old modem, and had probably been around since just after the days when you had to plug your handset directly into the modem for it to work. In fact, we found out that the modem he was using doesn’t even exist anymore. We ordered a new modem, set it up when it came a few days later, and what do you know, the internet was running as good as new!

Another lesson: If all else fails, check the age of your equipment!

Dad’s Broken Computer After Football

Has your dad experienced serious computer problems right after watching the NFL online? The problem might be a virus.

Illegal Streaming and Viruses

That’s not to say that you will get a virus by watching football online through legitimate means. Watching games and highlights through NFL.com, Hulu.com, or DirecTV shouldn’t cause your dad any problems. However, there are unscrupulous vendors out there offering to stream NFL games directly to your dad’s computer without league authorization.

In addition to the fact that this is illegal, it can be dangerous for your computer. You may be asked to download a media player that is actually a Trojan Horse containing spyware, and the act of streaming through these sources may open the computer up to other threats.

Legal Streaming and Solutions

If you suspect your dad is streaming video this way, put a stop to it and run a quality anti virus program right away. Set him up with one of the aforementioned ways of getting NFL games or other video on the computer safely and legally. Or hey, if you have a local team, you might even want to head over, pick him up and take him to an actual game or two.

Parents and Computer Classes

Every now and then, you or your parents may see ads for computer classes. These may be basic computer skills classes, or they may be to teach how to use a specific computer tool, like Microsoft Office, for example. Should you sign dad up for one of these courses?

Your parents don’t need computer classes, but they might enjoy them. Between you and your parents, you should be able to set them up so that they can handle the basics, but once your parents become proficient, they may want to see what else the computer can help them do. In addition, computer classes geared particularly to older users may be a fun social activity to get parents out of the house and productive. Plus, once they’re done, they might be able to teach you a thing or two about computer use.

Finding Computer Classes for Parents

You may want to do a little research before signing up your parents for a computer class. The organizers will probably let you take one class for free, or sit in on a class just to see what it’s like. If you and your mom or dad think it will be a good fit, go for it!

Teach Parents Tech: Videos for Parents

Don’t have time to help your parents with all of their computer problems? Now there is a solution that can take some of the burden off of you. TeachParentsTech.org allows experts to help your mom and dad with basic computer problems with a simple to understand instructional video.

TeachParentsTech.org

TeachParentsTech.org is the brainchild of some Google staffers who found that they and their tech savvy friends were overwhelmed by computer questions from parents whenever they came home for the holidays. Their solution was to create a pile of simple computer tech videos available on their website. All you need to do is choose the appropriate tech support video and send it to your parents. They can open and view the video at their leisure, and hopefully will have one or two fewer computer questions for you the next time you come over for dinner.

Technical Training Videos

Of course, a video isn’t a complete substitute for one’s own child, but if you are the child of parents who may be less than tech savvy, this can be a good way to lighten the load. It’s also a good way to get your parents in the habit of using new technology, as they watch the videos on their computer to learn what they need to know.

Easy System Restore

Remember that if all else fails, a System Restore is a great way to get dad’s computer back on track. Best of all, System Restore is easy to use. A few minutes with your dad can show him how to use this stress saving, system saving tool.

How to use System Restore

To use System Restore, all your dad has to do is go into his System Tools and find the System Restore option. Once he clicks System Restore, he will be asked to choose a restore point. These restore points are usually scheduled around Windows Updates and product installations, because these are the points where significant changes are made to your system, and where a problem is most likely to occur. Finding the correct restore point can also give your dad a good idea of what the source of the problem may have been.

Creating a Restore Point

Your computer should create restore points automatically, but just in case, you may want to create a few restore points yourself. This way, you will know that you can get the computer back to a safe configuration when you need to. This will allow you to update drivers, run antivirus programs, or do whatever else you need to get dad’s computer back on track.