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computerwriter.com
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Getting a New Computer. Now What?Toronto Star Fast Forward column for December ??, 2000 Note: the following column was originally filed — ahead of time so I could take a small vacation — and was supposed to be run January 11, 2001. Apparently it was run in December, but I'm a little confused about exactly when. So, you got a new computer over the past holiday season, did you? Congratulations! Particularly if this is your first computer, you're in for a world of interesting times, or just possibly a world of hurt, instead. I want you to enjoy your new system and I hope you have many years of trouble-free computing ahead of you. So, before your computer and you get much older, here are 10 tips that will help you to achieve that goal. 1) If you were the one who bought the computer, stop shopping. Oh, in a few months, you can go back to the sources you researched prior to buying the system and begin to look with lust upon such items as more memory, a higher-capacity hard drive, faster graphics adapter, and such like. But, for now, continuing to look at ads - where you'll eventually (like maybe even today) find the computer you bought for less money or a more powerfully equipped model for the same price - will only make you crazy. 2) Get to know your system. Particularly if you bought an internationally advertised name-brand system, it probably came with all manner of software "bundled" with it. Your task is to try all of it before the software warranty (or any period of free technical support for the hardware) runs out. You don't have to become expert with the programs. In some cases that could take quite a bit of time. Instead, our task is to test to see whether the software is compatible with the other programs on the computer and whether any of it causes the computer to behave strangely. See below to see what I mean, and why. 3) If in doubt, exercise your warranty. The computer you bought, regardless of where you bought it or what brand name is or isn't on it, should work properly with all of the software and hardware that came with it. True, some of your "funny" results may have come about because of something your fingers did, but messages saying a program has performed an "illegal operation" or, worse, a blue screen filled with indecipherable numbers are not things a new computer should do. When you call the retailer who sold you the computer, or the famous name-brand company who built it, there are a few excuses you should ignore. It is not the operating system's fault (the computer should have been built to run the operating system that came with it properly). It is not the program's fault (see the sentence above). 4) If you bought a "white box" system from a local dealer, and especially if it was for a low, low price unmatched by anyone else, dig out the invoice, then remove the system's case (after turning it off) and try to check the components against the invoice. Are there discrepancies? You have an interesting conversation with the dealer ahead of you. 5) Check the software. Again, if that system was at a low, low price yet it came with all manner of software, it might be a good idea for you to call a few of the toll-free support lines to confirm that the program serial numbers are valid. You can usually find these serial numbers by clicking each program's Help menu (top of the screen), then looking for a line that says something such as "About <name of program>." Your first clue that something may be wrong will be that you got no discs, or no instructions on how to make backup disks, and no manuals or registration cards for the software on the system. 6) I'm sure you have all sorts of friends and/or family members who are experienced computer users who are just dying to help you learn how to make your computer work better. In fact, if your computer is faster than theirs, you can expect them to come out of the woodwork looking for a chance to try out your new system. I'll leave the question of whether or not to let them up to you, but I'll also add a cautionary note. If you're still new to this, get used to what you have before allowing well-meaning friends/family members to "improve" your system by adding programs to it or changing things you've already got. One of the saddest types of appeals for help I get from readers around this time of year is typically, "My computer was just fine until (friend or relation) came over and told me it would work better if s/he (installed / uninstalled / tweaked / changed ...) it. When it didn't work, s/he tried re-installing (Windows / the printer / the video driver ...). Now it doesn't work at all. Please help." 7) Under Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools in Windows Millennium Edition, there is an application called "System Restore." Find out what it does. Use it, in case my cautionary note in (6) above cannot be avoided. 8) I know you're eager to start using the Internet. Once you're there, the temptations will be limitless. But not everyone in cyberspace is nice. If you splurged for an "always on" broadband cable or high-speed phoneline connection, find out what a "Firewall" is (go to http://grc.com and take both the Shields Up! and Port Probe tests just to scare yourself silly). Research some of the products if you don't already have one (go to www.google.com and enter "Firewall" without the quotation marks for a long list. Hint: my two favourites, for what it's worth, are ZoneAlarm (www.zonelabs.com) and Norton Internet Security (www.symantec.com). 9) While we're on the topic, it is not a good idea to give out your name, your address, your phone number, or anything else about yourself that would allow some nasty to track you while you're engaged in a chat room or messaging session. You do not and cannot know whether the person(s) to whom you are "talking" are who they say they are, the gender they purport to be, or the appropriate age they suggest. 10) Finally, be patient with yourself. No one is hatched knowing anything about computers. When I got my first real one (long before there was any such thing as Windows or the Mac OS), I had absolutely no idea how to start a program, or to stop it. Over time, you will learn how to use it and to be both productive with it and to derive great enjoyment from it. But, to quote a movie of a few years ago, taking little baby steps is best. If you have no other resources, find a computer user group in your area and plan to join a group of people - some of whom will know more about the computer than you do and some of whom will know less - that will be eager to help you. Have Fun! |
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