So, some of you out there are confused as to why you’re always getting viruses or your computer is constantly turning against you. And not to sound harsh, but it’s probably because you haven’t been properly learned on the rules of being a computer owner. For kids like me who’ve been born with a smart phone in their hands, we learned via trial by fire. We were responsible for single handedly destroying family computers sheerly from clicking on porny ads or downloading malicious software. However, for a lot of members of the older generation (or for those who are just technologically handicapped) who are much too trusting for computers or have no idea what they’re doing. Well, this article is for you guys.
- Don’t click or download anything you don’t 110% know what is
I mean this should be self explanatory: don’t click on shit you don’t trust. But this rule extends beyond banner ads and obvious spam email. But honestly, this extends to everything.
When it comes to emails or Facebook links, you should never follow the links unless you’re very sure that it’s not malicious. There are a lot of scams that will target college kids with job scams or older generations with seemingly innocent stuff. Just be careful. If you’re not sure about a link copy the link and put it into Google first. There are plenty of scam advisories too so if it’s scam Google is likely to tell you so. - No, there is no African prince out there who needs your money.
When it comes to donations and emails you really shouldn’t give out your payment information unless you’re 100% sure that you’re giving money to a trusted and secured site.
When it comes to GoFundMe pages it is likely to be an honest fundraiser… however, you should be cautious of people who are trying to appeal to your empathy in order to take your money. - Always save and back up
You may be familiar with saving your work as you go when it comes to essays, spreadsheets, or other kinds of projects. However, a lot of people don’t know that they should be backing up their entire computer to either an external hard drive or through a service like BackBlaze or something of the like.
Also you should come up with some sort of naming convention for your files. Sure, photos can be combinations of random letters and numbers, but the files should be marked by date or category. Additionally, you should save your files as something obvious (not just keyboard mashing) because how the hell else will you find something when you so desperately need it. This will also save you from awkward situations that can arise while file sharing at work or printing stuff out.