Like all tomes of wisdom the golden rules of computer
happiness exist for your protection and benefit, from novice to master the
principles are the same, it is in progress, that a journey is measured
And progress requires applied knowledge combined with time,
and that’s the first thing to adjust
Time & knowledge are the key resources we need to learn
something new, for most of us, time and our perceptions of it is the challenge,
so the first thing to do is make time not just any time, learning the computer
time, this is special time that has special rules, before we can define this
time, we have to have a space the two go together, time without space is a void
and nature does not provide that option
Set yourself up to succeed
This simple idea means give yourself a chance prepare think
about what it is you are doing and what you will need to do it, dial down your expectations don’t expect to
understand everything first or even second time thru, Make sure your tools are
up to the task it’s no point taking a knife to a gun fight, the biggest mistake
is to blame yourself for technology failures, your only fault often lays in the
wrong equipment, many times first computer is a hand me down or a cheaper second
hand machine, that can often prove to be the
root of many people’s learning problems ,My
Pop use to say second hand cars were buying someone else’s problems, a truer thing
has never been said, with computers , however the simple facts are sometimes
budget will dictate capability
If you are a novice with a second hand computer
the
following guidelines will save you time and much frustration
First look at what you actually have
Q 1 – are there disk with the computer?
Q2 - If so what exactly are the disk I have?
Q3- Is one of the disk and operating system XP/Win7 or vista
is there a Key code
Q3- If no disk is there an active recovery partition?
Q4- Is the computer loud or appear to generate heat
Q5-Is it slow ie: do you see the hour class or a spinning
circle a lot
Q6- When you turn it on can you make a cup of tea before the
computer is ready?
The first couple of question refers to software and our ability
to recover or repair the machine in the advent of the inevitable mistakes that
we all make when learning something new
The next few go to the actual physical state of the machine
some computers like cars have done hard miles and others have low ks, sound and
heat will tell you a lot about any machine.
Assuming you got a disk, assuming you got an operating system,
or assuming there is an active recovery partition, the first thing you want to
do is reformat and reinstall the computer, this has the effect of resetting the
computer so at least software wise its brand new this process will erase everything
from the previous owner as well, giving you your best chance to start with a
clean slate
I recommend you get a computer professional or very trusted knowledgeable
friend to take care of this step for you
The questions above are equally as relevant when purchasing
a new computer for the first time, obviously you would not expect a new machine
to run loud or hot, equally you would not expect to buy a new computer without
Disks or a recovery partition, Make sure the salesman has explained exactly how
the recovery option works and how to create your factory recovery disk, again
assuming they don’t include DVDs in the deal. Which they don’t to their
shame.
To be continued
