Tips For New Users

I am posting after a long time. But this is very important post for new computer users as this tells you some basics about protecting your data and making your computer fast. There are some basic things that must be known to every computer user since it helps in improving the efficiency of both the user and computer. It shows you way of saving your data against any mis behave. So the post goes on:-

* Prepare a back up for your Data

There is no guarantee about the life and safety of your hard disk. It can corrupt at any time without any prior warning and in some cases the loss of important informations like Documents, music, videos etc. which are of high priority to you may cost you a lot. So it is important for you to have a proper backup of your important files. This might lessen your grief. there are various ways of preparing backup for your hard disk. you can do this:-

 + Store your important files in an external USB as back up.

 + You can use CDs and DVDs too for this purpose.

 + You can also store your information online on cloud based websites like "Google Drive."

 + There are many software present in the market that help in preparing a backup and updating it       regularly.

I suggest the fourth one best as it saves you from the tension of updating your backup which is a plus point over the other ways mentioned above.

* Shock Protection

You must protect your computer from voltage fluctuation and sudden power cut-outs. Because this might damage your computer badly costing a lot for repair. So it is better to use a surge protector.

SURGE PROTECTOR

(A plug-in device that is designed to help protect the computer from surges and spikes.) or the most common device UPS.)

 Investing a little on these devices may reduce the risk of investing thousands.

* Update Your Softwares Regularly

The feeling of walking with the world is unexplainable. Everyone wants to be updated, so why not apply this thought to softwares too.

There is no perfect thing other than a updated software and a wonderful working hardware. Updated softwares can prevent many disasters. After developing the software or program the developer may find some lackness or errors in the software, which he improves in the later updates of the software. So it very necessary to regularly update you softwares to keep them working smoothly. In case of famous softwares and operating systems, hundreds of updates and service packs can release during it's life span. In addition to updates you must also install necessary plug-ins for various softwares. This helps in proper and advance working making your work efficient.

* Keep Your Computer Safe

Nowadays computers (Laptops, Tablets, Notebooks, Smartphones) have become the heartbeat of human race. Without computer there world comes to a full stop. So it very important for every computer to work properly as fastly. But this is not possible if the computer is ill. So we need to give vaccines to protect the computer from any future diseases. Here the diseases are "Computer Viruses" and vaccines are "Anti Virus" softwares.

For every computer connected to any form of Network be it LAN, MAN or WAN  it is utmost important to be protected from threats. These threats affect the working of your computer; They reduces the speed of your computer, Corrupts your files, etc. etc. So if you're using Microsoft Windows or any other operating system, we highly recommend having some good antivirus program installed and running on the computer. It's also a good idea to have a malware detection program running on the computer to pickup any spyware or malware that an antivirus may not have detected. It is very important to do full system scan at regular intervals and check for updates on the internet regularly. At last I suggest every user to be completely aware of other security risks such as chain mails, phishing, and spam while on the Internet.

Ways of reducing risk of virus attacks:-

- Never download any data from untrusted or unknown source.

- Be very careful about the use of Flash drives and CDs. Always scan them before use.

- Never install unknown softwares.

- Don't open unknown mails that sounds attractive. They may be a trigger to virus attack.

- Never open unknown links on the websites.

Internet is the most common virus hub so you really need to be conscious about what you do on the net, or you will suffer.

* Be a Program Friendly User

There are a number of programs and software on the net that may be of interest or use. Programs make your work easy; so always look for new and interesting programs(be sure to look at trusted sources only).

Become friendly with and know about free programs to popular commercial programs. For instance,very computer user needs a word processor program installed on their PC. The most common word processor known to all is MS Office which is worth a few hundred dollars. So instead of purchasing MS office we can look for free alternative programs on the net which are as capable as MS Office. Also Instead of using the default windows media player, which supports only a few formats we can look for other free options too.

So in this way we can make our computer look like a computer of a geek and can sort out many of your software needs.

* Know Your Computer Mouse

A mouse can buttons ranging from 2 to 4 depending on which type of mouse you are using. The Four mouse buttons are:-

- Left Mouse Button

- Right Mouse Button

- Scroll wheel

- Thumb Button.

Number of computer user either new or old are unable to use the mouse to it's full potential. They are unaware of the works that a mouse can do. The most common and known button on the mouse is the Left Mouse Button. Which is used to click and open files, folders, programs etc. but this is not the limit. Other mouse buttons are also of numerous use. The uses are described below:-

+ Right Mouse Button : The right mouse button is often used to open contextual menus, which are pop-up menus that change depending where you click. For example, if you right click on the desktop, you may see a menu pop up that includes "Change View Options" and "Change Desktop Background." If you right click on a folder, the menu might include options such as "Open" and "Properties." Certain programs, such as video games, may use the right click to perform other functions, such as firing a secondary weapon in a first-person shooter. Most programs, however, use the right click to open contextual menus.

+ Scroll Wheel : It is used, as the name suggests, for scrolling. It can often also be used as a third mouse button by pressing on it. Some modern mice can scroll horizontally as well as vertically, using a tilting scroll-wheel (introduced by Microsoft). You can also use scroll wheel to open various links in different tab by pointing the cursor on the link and clicking the scroll wheel.

It's common knowledge that control-scrolling increases/decreases font size and that alt-scrolling slows down scrolling in firefox, but did you know that shift-scrolling shuffles through your history for that page? Shift + Scroll Up shuffles forward, and Shift + Scroll Down shuffles backwards.

You can also Zoom in and Zoom out of Inter browser, Documents ect. By pressing the Ctrl button and scrolling up or down.

+ Thumb Button :  Many new computer mice have buttons on the side of the mouse. These buttons can be programmed to do anything, however, by default the left-thumb button can be used to go back on a web page. This makes browsing the Internet more enjoyable since you do not need to move the mouse cursor to the browser back arrow button in order to go back a page.

* Being Self Dependent

All of you use a number of programs and softwares which may not be so friendly to you and you might be facing problems with some of the functions of that program. Now it is not easy to learn all the functions of all the programs since there are innumerable programs in the world. So many a times a situation comes when we need to seek one's help regarding some unknown functions. But if you are intelligent then you need not wait for some help, because help is only one button far. Just press F1 button and a pop-up window will open showing

you the way for your answer. Actually every program has it's help directory for users which is included in the program itself. If you still are unable to sort out the problem then you can seek online help. I am damn sure you will be satisfied here.

* Keyboard Shortcuts

Various keys or key combinations performs a number of task more faster than the same task done in proper steps. These keys or key combinations are referred to as keyboard shortcuts. The keyboard shortcuts must be known to every computer user since it increases the productivity of user and make the overall computer experience more playful. It also reduces the amount of time you spend in front of the computer screen. Learning shortcuts is a very tough and boring work so it is much better to practice a certain number of shortcut keys at once and when you become totally confident on them, practicing another set of shortcut keys. In this way you can become a shortcut master. Using shortcuts instead of following full steps shows your skill and impress the person who is watching you.

it shows your computing experience, So the most basic and primary thing I would suggest to any new computer user is to practice as much shortcut keys as he can.

Learn how to use shortcuts.

[If someone here thinks that the contents are not up to the mark or needs some improvement or wants to add something to this, then please post you views and comments in the comment box below.]