Before I begin writing about my
tips for everyday computer use, maybe you ought to know a little about me and
how I know that these tips really do work. There are three things you
should know about me:
1) I love tech. I often get that “look” from my wife because I ask to upgrade our
computer or smartphones nearly every week (but hey, at least I ask right?). I could easily spend
hours just taking my computer apart to clean it, or reorganizing my file system. I love tech.
2) I have been working with computers my whole life. I installed my first hard drive and operating system (Windows 95) when I
was about 10. First thing I did as a married man right after the honeymoon was
build us a computer from scratch. I did all the research and ordered the parts and put it all
together. My wife was more
easily impressed back then. Since
then I have built 4 more computers, each customized for a different
situation.
3) I work as a Helpdesk technician. I am always fixing things
on my co-workers’ computers… not just their computers at work mind
you, their personal computers too. I have also built and sold computers
to people and then end up staying at their house for an hour giving
them tips to make the computer last the way it was intended. I love helping people, and I am very excited about this
opportunity that I have to write and give tips to people that need to use
computers, but don’t have the time or energy to research how to effectively use
their computers.
So, now that you know a little bit about me, here is my first tip for you:
Windows has the ability to have multiple accounts
For those of you that have
children, spouses, or parents that seem to click just about everything they see
on the web, this is for you. Windows has the functionality of creating
user accounts for multiple people… What does this mean exactly? It
means that you can set up each child with their own account and their own
password; your kids will love this because they will think they have control,
and this is where tip number two comes in:
Make yourself an Administrator
and all of your children (spouse, parents, roomies, etc) standard users. This will make it so they can’t install games and crap that they
find on the internet without your permission. Because with you in control, you can keep your browser from looking like this:
 |
| Tip: Don't install Toolbars (most of them are useless and have malware) |
Now you’re asking, “But if my kids have their own password, how
can I monitor what they are doing?” I’ve got a solution for that.
If you set yourself as the administrator, you can change their passwords
at any time… like if you have a child
that needs to get their homework done before playing games.
So now you might be saying “OK, this sounds great, but how do I do
it?” Well, young grasshopper, that is why I am here.
STEP 1 KNOW YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM
Whether it be Windows
XP, Windows 7, or Windows 8. Find out by pressing the Windows Key (bottom left hand side in
between Ctrl and Alt) and the Pause|Break key (Just above the number pad
on the right side of the keyboard) at the same time. A window will pop up
and will look like any of these 3 pictures:
Windows XP
 |
| This could be Windows XP Home, or Professional |
Windows 7
 |
| This could be Windows 7 Home, Professional, or Enterprise |
Windows 8
 |
| This could be Windows 8, 8.1, 8 Pro, or 8.1 Pro |
Tip: You can install a program while logged on as a Standard
User in Windows 7 and Windows 8, however you will have to enter your
username and password to do so (it will pop up with a box asking for a password
when you try to install something).
Having multiple users for a family will
make it so that if another user on the computer does something to their browser
(such as making their homepage yahoo), it won't affect your browser because you
are on a different account. It also makes it so that another user cannot
accidentally delete your important documents. My wife and I have separate accounts so that she can sign into her google chrome easier and not affect mine.
I hope this helps you with your computer woes. If you have a question or a particular thing you want me to write about, comment on this article. Make sure to check back next week for another tip!
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