Are You Getting the Right Beginner Computer Help for Your New Computer?
When you bought your new computer, did you get any beginner computer help about how to properly set it up? There are a lot of nasty problems that can cause your computer to act up - even right after you get it.
The problems you can run into get considerably worse if you connect to the internet. Virus protection and internet security are an absolute must when you're online with your computer.
A lot of computer stores and computer salespeople don't always tell you all the things you need when you're buying a computer. They don't necessarily do it intentionally - sometimes they are just hesitant to try to sell you more. They've got a deal on the line and sometimes don't want to seem pushy.
Not only that, but they’re usually pretty familiar with all these things. They sometimes don’t realize that for a beginner computer help can be much more difficult.
What Should You Have Bought Along With Your Computer?
There are a few things that you absolutely need to have when you're hooking up a new computer. Beyond the obvious - like power cords and printer ink - there are things like anti virus programs and firewall software.
A lot of "name brand" computers - like Hewlett Packard or Sony, for example - include some of these programs. Others, especially "house" brands, often don't.
The following is a list of the things that I would consider mandatory for a new computer system:
- Surge protection power bar
- Antivirus software
- Internet firewall - could be a software program or a physical (hardware) box
- Spyware cleaning software
- Blank CDs or DVDs
These items will protect your computer from the most common types of problems.
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Note: for the new computer users reading this,
some of the terms in the above list might not
mean much. We have a glossary of some of the
more common terms you'll see relating to your
new computer on our site.
Click here to open a new window to see our glossary.
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After you get your new computer hooked up and running, there are some things that you should do right away. Again, these items are often overlooked by the salespeople in most computer stores. (If your salesperson has told you many of these things already, congratulations! You've found someone who cares enough to warn you about potential problems before they happen. This is quite rare, so treat that person well!)
The following checklist covers the first steps you should take with your new computer. You can click on each item in the list to get a more detailed explanation of how to do each one.
Run Windows Update for the latest Service Packs and security patches
Microsoft updates Windows on a regular basis, as new security risks and problems are found. No matter how new your computer is, there will be updates available since it was factory-loaded.
Update Your Internet Security Software
As with Windows, there are updates for these programs constantly (sometimes more than once a day) as new viruses and other risks are found. To keep your computer safe, you need to update these
with the newest version.
Make recovery disks for your computer before needing computer repair help
This one will depend on the brand of computer you’ve bought. Most house brands won’t need this to be done but if you’ve bought a brand name system – like Compaq or
Hewlett Packard for example – you will most likely have to make a set of recovery disks for it.
I know it’s hard to take the time to do these things (after all, you want to use that new computer, right?) but making the time now can save a lot more time and headache later.
If your computer gets infected with a virus, or spyware, or some other problem it isn’t usually covered by the warranty. The warranty usually only covers problems with the equipment itself, not the software on it.
In most cases, you’ll have to pay to have the computer store fix these kinds of problems, even within days of buying the system. If you’re dealing with a good shop, they might do it for free but even then you’ll be faced with waiting for it until they get it finished.
Incidentally, if you’re reading this before you buy a new computer, you might want to ask whether the computer store will do these things for you before you take the computer home.
Not all will, and some will charge for the service, but you might find that some stores are willing to do these things in order to get the sale. It never hurts to ask…