10 Common Computer Mistakes people make while using a PC Here is a brief list mistakes that people commonly make. Be sure you read these. It can save you time, money, and aggravation 1 Using no Surge Protector If you dont have your computer, monitor, printer and other equipment plugged into a good surge protector, you are playing with fire. Everyday power surges and spikes can damage your equipment. A good surge protector will absorb the power surges and keep you equipment safe. Even a surge protector may not keep you equipment safe from lightning strikes, so be sure to read the instructions on the package and to keep the necessary documentation. 2 Having no antivirus software If your Pc is running Windows you will want to make sure that you have a good antivirus software installed and that it is set to update automatically. You dont have to spend a fortune on antivirus. Microsoft has a free program called Microsoft Security Essentials (microsoft/security_essentials). AGV (free.avgfree.avg) and Avast (avastavast) also offer good free antivirus programs. Remember, you should only have one antivirus program on your computer at any given time. 3 Cutting the power to your inkjet printer without turning it off The print head is the core of a inkjet printer. This is the part that sprays the ink on the paper. Many inkjet printers need to park their heads properly. This restricts the print head from moving accidently and also endures that the print head is positioned and sealed correctly and is not exposed to drying from the air. Turning the printer off by using its on/off switch will make sure the print head is properly parked. Dont turn it off by using the on/off switch on the surge protector or by pulling the plug. 4 Yanking a cable out of your computer Be sure to gently remove any cable that is attached to your computer. Some cables have screws that hold them in place. Some have plastic tabs if you yank the cable out. You might break the cable or break the computer point can be damaged where the connector goes in while it may seem minor, Sometimes it can be a costly repair to fix 5 Blocking Air vents All computers have air vents that are used to dissipate heat. If you pile papers over the vents or block the vent with something, your computer can overheat causing quite a bit of damage. If the air vent is on the bottom of a laptop you may what to get a stand to raise the laptop so that air can get through. 6 Letting your cat sleep on your PC Some cats love the warmth of the computer, but allowing them to constantly sit on or near the computer is a bad idea. Cat hair can clog the fan causing the computer to overheat. If you happen to have a cat, or any other animal that you just cant keep away, you will want to open the computer and blow out the hair and dirt every few months 7 Having a drink while using you PC It doesnt matter if it is water or whiskey, when liquids are spilled on computer equipment, damage is almost inevitable. Telling you to not eat or drink near the computer would probably be fruitless. So Ill just say, be careful to keep liquids away from computer equipment. 8 Moving a laptop with the power cord attached Laptop computers are made to be portable. But when you move your laptop from place to place, you always want to remove the power cable, USB drives, and any removable cards or other objects that stick out from the computer. This will eliminate the possibility that they will break off in the computer during transport and damage the ports. 9 Clicking on things you shouldnt Be careful what you click on. Rogue antivirus programs are rampant today. They seem to pop up out of nowhere. They will tell you that your computer is infected and ask you to click to let them remove the virus. When you do, they can infect your computer, even if you have an antivirus program installed. Learn all you can about the antivirus program that you have installed and what alerts it may give you. Ignore any other alerts, even if they seem legitimate. If you think you are being faced with a rogue popup of any sort, you can often get rid of it by just turning the computer off and restarting it. 10 Closing the cover on your old laptop without turning it off In most cases, this is not dangerous. In fact, it is how a laptop is supposed to work. You can close the cover and when you go back later, you simply open the computer and start working where you left off. Here is the danger. Many people are using old Windows XP laptops whose batteries are getting very weak. If you close the cover on such a laptop and let it closed for too long, it may run out of battery power before you open it. If that happens, the operating system can easily be corrupted. This is not a worry on newer computers with strong batteries. Nor is it a worry on Vista or Windows 7 computers that have built-in controls that handle this. But if you have an old XP laptop, you will want to be careful to turn it off before you close the cover for a long period.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 08:04:40 +0000
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