5 basic tech tips every computer user needs
Every so often, do you start doing something on a computer and have to stop yourself by saying: “That’s not a good idea.”
Fortunately, that is all that is required for some to prevent themselves from doing something they shouldn’t. Ultimately preventing possible disasters or a ruined day for themself (and business). But not every computer user has the understanding or the control to stop themselves from making such a mistake.
With that in mind, here is basic tech advice you can use and give your fellow coworkers – courtesy of Jack Wallen, an IT pro
1. Don’t start clicking buttons when things go wrong
I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had to stop an individual from randomly clicking buttons when something goes wrong with their computer. It doesn’t matter if they’re using Linux, macOS or Windows, when something isn’t working, the default action is to start clicking things. They may or may not know the things they are clicking, but should they click the wrong thing, they could wind up rendering their PC useless until you undo what they did.
The problem is the lack of understanding that some settings options aren’t exactly user-friendly. Imagine, if you will, you somehow wind up accidentally opening the Windows Registry Editor and starts clicking around and deleting entries. You know what happens then – nothing good.
It’s imperative that you, as a responsible employee and tech user, understand that when something goes wrong, you need to immediately contact your Technology Partner or help desk support to fix the problem. Just randomly clicking buttons can do more harm than good.
Don’t have a Technology Partner or technical support, contact our team today and experience the CommWest Difference.
2. Check links before you click them
Phishing and other internet scams are going strong. I would say that at least 50% of the email I receive daily is attempted phishing scams. Are you savvy enough to be able to quickly tell what is an attempted scam and what isn’t?
Two ways to easily see if something is a scam:
- hovering your mouse over a link and seeing if what is revealed matches the expected domain of the sender
- copying the link and pasting it into a notepad to verify the legitimacy of the link.
For example, I have been receiving emails that are obvious scams to convince me I’ve won a Dyson vacuum. Now, I know those emails are scams, because I can see the tell-tale signs, such as the entire body of the email being nothing more than an image, misspelled words and the like. One of the first things I do when suspect emails arrive is to check the sender. If the sender’s address doesn’t match the domain of what’s being promoted in the email, chances are pretty good it’s a scam.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCE >> Email Red Flags
3. Don’t panic when things go wrong
As long as Mr. Murphy has a say in it, things will go wrong. It’s inevitable. Printers will stop working, networks will go down, applications will crash and operating systems will cease to respond. When those things happen, you and your employees mustn’t panic, as panic leads to button clicking and other behaviors not conducive to a healthy relationship with technology.
Make sure there is an understanding that when something goes wrong all one must do is pick up the phone and let their Technology Partner know. The problem will get fixed and they will get you back to being productive.
Don’t have a Technology Partner or technical support, contact our team today and experience the CommWest Difference.
4. Don’t install random apps
If your business doesn’t already have a security policy put in place that prevents the installation of applications on PCs, it is recommended to help educate your team on the dangers of randomly installing untrusted software. I remember, back in my days of serving as tech support, how often I’d go to help a user who said their PC had become unresponsive, only to see they’d installed a ton of browser extensions. Those users assumed browser extensions were safe, not knowing just how bad they could be.
A policy that prevents users from installing software will go a long way to help keep you and your employees from making the mistake of installing malicious software.
To discuss what a policy would look like specifically for your business, contact our team.
5. Be organized
I’ve witnessed my fair share of chaos on computers. Desktops covered with files, folders and shortcuts, directories riddled with random files and folders, and PCs with absolutely no sense of organization. When you and your business approach PC usage with a nod to organization, you achieve a level of efficiency never before experienced. Most often, this begins with the file manager.
Education on your filing system and the importance of keeping it tidy is important so that they save and create folders/documents in logical places. This thought process goes for desktop shortcuts as well.
Utilizing your storage or filing system in an organized and logical manner will allow you and your Technology Partner to avoid constantly putting out fires due to a lack of common sense.
Don’t forget about backup and recovery of your files (data) as well. It is one thing to save a document poorly or misplace it, but what is your plan when it is deleted, lost, corrupted, or ransomed?