Technology 101, Week 4

After raiding my armageddon stash of possible articles, I found one that would be especially useful: How not to freak out when dealing with a computer problem. Now I know it sounds crazy that this list would be useful, but you'd be surprised at how many people do this wrong. If you follow a few simple steps, you can avoid calling the IT guy, whoever that is at your office or home.

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1. Reboot the computer.

The most important step of fixing any computer problem is REBOOT THE COMPUTER! Most people complain to the smart people in their office, and they come to their desk and the first question they ask is, "did you reboot your computer?" and most of the time their answer is, "No." Then the person reboots the machine and everything works fine.

2. Reboot the computer again.

If you rebooted the computer, and you still have a problem, reboot it again. This can be a seriously important step in solving a problem. Even though you already rebooted the computer, rebooting it again can either completely fix it, or confirm that you really have a problem. And if it suits your fancy, you can even reboot it again.

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3. Surf the internet for a solution to your problem.

Unlike back in the early to mid 1900's, we have a huge database of knowledge available to us at any time of the day, any day of the week. If you do consult the internet for a solution to your problem, make sure that it is a trusted source. A good way to do this is to read comments on the solution. If they are good comments that say the solution works, it's probably a good thing to try. If the article has a lot of bad comments, you should probably go and try something else. If there are not more than 5 comments period, it's not something to try.

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4. Ask a friend.

Sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to ask people that may know the answer. People can share knowledge with each other quite quickly over the internet, but it's best to ask face-to-face. Hackers can get ahold of email accounts and send you false information. If you don't meet in person, don't trust any suggestions over email or instant messaging.

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(IT is your tech department)

5. The last resort.

If a reboot has been done twice, the internet has been surfed, and people that might know don't have any answers, then it's time to consult your IT office. Dependence on IT can make a person seem like they don't know what they're doing, and are unqualified to be working with computers, so don't use this solution unless it's absolutely necessary.


Avoiding Problems.


The best way to solve a technology problem is to avoid it entirely. Always save your work every minute to avoid loss of work. Don't just unplug your computer, shut it down correctly (even i'm guilty of this). If you are on a windows machine, it's a good idea to go through all of your programs and delete any that you don't remember installing. Just be careful, because if you delete something that was installed with Windows and is necessary for the machine's operation, something could go wrong. Things to leave are network and graphics drivers, and most things that are distributed by Microsoft. Do this every time you download anything from the internet! It's even a good idea to add checking installed programs to your everyday routine.

If you are downloading a program, make sure the website you are getting it from is the company's website. If you are downloading Java, only download it from java's website. Check the URL bar on the top of the screen to make sure. There have been times where someone has downloaded Java, and gotten a bunch of random, useless applications, and no Java.


Well, thank you! and if you have any tech related questions that you want answers to, just leave me a comment! I would be happy to research and write about it!
Goodbye for now!