5 Golden Computer Rules to
Live by
If you follow the
5 golden computer rules below,
you'll find sailing along on your computer is much smoother when you sit down at the keyboard.
1.
Back up your data. This is No. 1 for a reason.
If your hard drive crashes and you lose your stuff, you'll be pulling your hair.
Hard drives are much more reliable than in the old days but bad things still
happen.
Windows includes backup
software. Or you can just simply copy your files to an external device. You only need to
back up your personal data (documents, music, pictures, videos, favorites, and
any files or folders you have saved on your desktop).
There isn't much point in
backing up to your main hard drive. If it fails, it will take the backup with
it. The safest medium is something you can remove such as an external hard drive
or a flash drive. Backing up to a CD or DVD isn't a good idea because these can
deteriorate over time and become useless. The best type of backup is an online,
off-site backup service.
2.
Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software.
There isn't really any reason why you should pay for Internet security. There
are some excellent ones out there that are free and some are highly rated by
Consumer Reports.
Also make certain that you
have a firewall. The purpose of a firewall is to keep your computer invisible to
hackers.
If
you use a broadband connection to the Internet, and just about everyone today
does, you're at great risk without a
firewall. It really isn't necessary to install a third party firewall anymore
since Microsoft has made great improvements to theirs.
Warning! Never have more than one anti-virus program or firewall
running on a computer. They conflict with each other and will cause a computer
to behave unpredictably. The exception to this rule is that Windows 10 includes
its own Internet security program called, Defender. Defender has been designed
to co-exist with other Internet security programs so having more than one on a
Windows 10 computer is perfectly OK. But still need to have only one firewall on
a Windows 10 computer.
3.
Never open attachments you weren't expecting or
forwarded emails. I don't
care if the email came from granny. She may well have not sent the
attachment and she certainly didn't create the email if it was forwarded.
Attachments from unknown sources are quite possibly a virus. A self-replicating virus could pick up
your granny's address in someone else's address book, and use it as the return
address. Or, it could infect her computer and e-mail itself to you. Either way,
your anti virus software should catch the virus. But why take the chance?
4.
Sign up for broadband, if it is offered in your area.
If you're older, you remember the switch from black and white TV to color. Take
it from me, broadband will give you the same feeling. The slowest broadband is
five or six times faster than dial-up. True, it's more expensive. But sometimes
you can get a deal. Besides, the cost is worth it. Once you get a taste of
broadband, you'll never go back.
5.
Don't forward the lame jokes or virus warnings that circulate on
the Internet.
In fact, don't forward anything unless the forward was created by someone you
know and trust. PERIOD!!!
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