Teaching Safe Computing

I fix computers.  My customers are the end users of Windows based PC’s.  From home computer repair to educating people on computer use, those are the things I love to do.  Now more than ever seems to be a growing need for safe computing education.  There are constant threats online and bad things can happen instantaneously even to good people.  A little paranoia will go a far but the proper education will take you even further.

Computers have become more of a necessity rather than a luxury.  Children seem to come out of the womb with some sort of digital device and master using laptops as quickly as they can completely cripple them with viruses.

I have worked with many parents and the laptops or desktop computers that they have given their children to use. Some parents are lucky and able to teach their young child or teenager the best and safest way to use the Internet and preserve their windows based PC.  Some parents come to me asking how they can keep their kid off of really popular sites like Facebook.  Ummmm…. that’s probably next to impossible!  Still other parents are at their wits end because their teenager has completely ruined the best laptop in the house for the 3rd time straight due to visiting questionable websites that just download Trojans and other malware as a welcoming gift.

There are times when computer privileges must be revoked all together.  But in today’s digital age, we all know that is just a bandaid on a gushing wound.  There are great software programs out there that can implement Parental Controls to aid with monitoring your child’s online activity.  But really, the absolute best way to keep your children, yourself, and your computer systems safe from online threats is EDUCATION.

Look, this stuff isn’t going anywhere.  It is advancing at warp speed.  A simple click of a mouse can do amazing things these days.  But, if we teach our kids safe computing than we have a fighting chance.

Some things that can keep you and your children safe online are:

• When using social networking sites such as Facebook, check your privacy settings to make sure everything about you is not disclosed to every random searcher online.
• Create limited user accounts for your children and password-protect your administrator account on the computer.
• Don’t install every toolbar for your browser that you encounter.  Some toolbars are really just spyware or adware.  They can slow down your internet surfing speed and collect information on your browsing behavior.
• Maintain a good Antivirus program.  One with Parental Controls will help. I recommend Bit Defender.
• Keep your Antivirus program active, updated, and run system scans daily.
• Read every pop-up message you get from your Antivirus program and click the appropriate action buttons when necessary.
• Keep your operating system updated with critical security patches.  Windows XP is up to SP3 and Vista is up to SP2.
• If you are using Windows 2000 consider an upgrade since Microsoft is not even supporting it anymore.
• Use browsers other than Internet Explorer.  Try Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, or Opera.
• Practice clicking the red “X” in the upper right corner of dialog boxes when unsure about a pop-up box.
• Avoid Limewire.com and BitTorrent.com.  Those sites are at the root of every crippled computer or laptop that a teenager once used.  They are file sharing sites that just download viruses to your system.
• The most important updates for your computer will come from Microsoft and your chosen Antivirus program.  Beware of imposters.  There is a fake internet protection program that will look completely legitimate as if it is coming from Microsoft or another valid Antivirus program.  There are more than a dozen different names for this thing and most of them start with the letter “A”.  If it pops up on your computer do not interact with it.
• Read every pop up message carefully.  Don’t become complacent and blindly click OK with anything.
• When installing a new software program always read through the setup screens.  Programs will often bundle other unwanted software and install it by default.  Reading through setup screens will help keep those unwanted programs out of your system.

When all else fails, consult a qualified computer repair technician sooner rather than later.  One that will take the time to help you avoid future problems is ideal.