An idiots guide to computers

Akrasia

I know there are computers forums for computer questions and discussion, but sometimes people don't know that they have a problem with their computer so they never think to ask how to fix it

After hours seems to be the perfect place to post useful tips on how to make computers compute better without insulting the intelligence of our nerdy brethren over in the nether regions of boards.ie

I'll start the ball rolling

for windows 8 or 10 users, 'search' for 'Power options'

Laptop users. If you don't travel with your laptop or have it plugged in most of the time, who cares how long the battery lasts, so to speed up the performance of your laptop while it's not plugged in, go to the power options in your control panel and select an option that maximises performance over battery life. This also cures the darker screen you get when you plug out your laptop.

Alternatively, if you're someone who really cares about battery life and not performance, choose a profile that maximises battery life.

Don't be afraid to pick advanced options and turn things up or down depending on your preference

In fact, I recommend that everyone checks this setting right away because I noticed today that after my windows 10 upgrade, the laptop decided to change the settings to maximise battery life even while the laptop is plugged in.

I was playing a game and getting 19 frames a second, after I changed the power settings, I was getting 40 frames a second.....

Does anyone else have any useful tips that are easy to overlook and easy to fix?

Mourinho

For most problems, turn it off then on again :pac:

the_syco

Akrasia wrote: »

Laptop users. If you don't travel with your laptop or have it plugged in most of the time, who cares how long the battery lasts, so to speed up the performance of your laptop while it's not plugged in, go to the power options in your control panel and select an option that maximises performance over battery life.

If the power is plugged in all the time, it kills the battery quicker. A useless battery matters when your power goes and so too does your laptop, or if you need to show a presentation with no power source available nearby, your laptop becomes useless for it's purpose.

RoyalMarine

Uninstall Mcafee.

Lia_lia

Get a Mac?


(hides)

Turtwig

If you're not going to be using your laptop battery for an extended period of time remove it and place it somewhere the temperature won't get too extreme of the contacts won't get covered in dust.

frag420

ctrl-alt-dlt

PirateShampoo

Delete System 32, it will speed up your computer massively.













Don't do this...

Akrasia

the_syco wrote: »

If the power is plugged in all the time, it kills the battery quicker. A useless battery matters when your power goes and so too does your laptop, or if you need to show a presentation with no power source available nearby, your laptop becomes useless for it's purpose.

Yeah, that's true except that modern laptops stop charging the battery when it's full. When the battery is full, they just run directly off the power supply

To verify this, hover your mouse over your battery symbol on your taskbar and if it's plugged in and the battery is full it will say 'battery 99% not charging'

I've got a dirt cheap Asus laptop that's over 2 years old and the battery is still about 80% as good as it was when I bought it.

Anyway there are loads of people out there who never take their laptop out of their house so presentations don't really matter. If you're really worried about damaging your battery while it's plugged in, just take it out.

Junkyard Tom

The average PC/Laptop user does not need to pay for security software - there are lots of free security software providers that will protect the majority of devices.

Akrasia

PirateShampoo wrote: »

Delete System 32, it will speed up your computer massively.













Don't do this...

Also, don't give your laptop a bath.

jamo2oo9

If you put your laptop in the microwave, it'll recharge the battery in less than a minute.


Also works for phones and tablets.



Don't do this though...

dxhound2005

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

If you put your laptop in the microwave, it'll recharge the battery in less than a minute.


Also works for phones and tablets.



Don't do this though...

I have a microwave fire. You can have an evening in front of the fire in 5 minutes.

corner of hells

Akrasia wrote: »

Also, don't give your laptop a bath.

Is a shower ok ?

Akrasia

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

The average PC/Laptop user does not need to pay for security software - there are lots of free security software providers that will protect the majority of people.

I actually think windows defender is one of the best anti virus software packages out there.

But no matter what you have, it's not 100% effective if you're gonna be going on shady websites

The secret to fixing any computer problem is to google the error message

If google isn't working it's because your browser has been hijacked. In that case, use your phone.

Akrasia

corner of hells wrote: »

Is a shower ok ?

If the laptop is wearing a shower cap then it's probably ok.

Akrasia

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

If you put your laptop in the microwave, it'll recharge the battery in less than a minute.


Also works for phones and tablets.



Don't do this though...

Stand well back and always wear safety goggles

dxhound2005

What are all those buttons on the top row of the keyboard for? F1, F2 etc.

refusetolose

dxhound2005 wrote: »

What are all those buttons on the top row of the keyboard for? F1, F2 etc.

f5 is handy for refreshing stuff, webpages and the like
f6 puts the cursor to the address bar...

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Mourinho wrote: »

For most problems, turn it off then on again :pac:

Ok, Mr. Smartipants, we're not all tech-savvy, so can you dumb that down a little bit for the rest of us?

Akrasia

dxhound2005 wrote: »

What are all those buttons on the top row of the keyboard for? F1, F2 etc.

Now that's an excellent question.

On the bottom row of your keyboard you might see a 'FN' key near the CTRL key

Often these 'F' buttons have little pictures on them that indicate that they can perform some functions like turning off the mouse trackpad, or turning the volume up, or down, or off or turning the laptop screen on or off.

Hold the FN key while pressing one of the 'F' keys and be amazed at what happens

Also, the F (function) keys are usually reserved for changing settings in applications or games but you're best checking your manual for more information on these

_Tombstone_

Don't update something thats working.

^^Excludes the OS - Windows.



Updates only break things nowadays.

Akrasia

always click continue

Akrasia

top tips for boards computer users.

MT Cranium is on holidays. If you want to know the weather, look out the window.


If it's raining, expect more patchy rain. If it's still raining, expect breaks in the rain followed by more rain.

the_syco

Akrasia wrote: »

Yeah, that's true except that modern laptops stop charging the battery when it's full. When the battery is full, they just run directly off the power supply

Interesting. Must find out if the laptops in the house are Li-Ion, LiPo, NiMH or NiCd, as this is the main reason that this is their 3rd laptop.

PirateShampoo wrote: »

Delete System 32, it will speed up your computer massively.

Funny story; relatives computer stopped working after they deleted stuff off it to make it go faster. One such program that they never used was "Windows". Their local IT charged them €120 stupidity tax to reinstall Windows with the discs they gave him. Well, either that, or a pirate copy of XP.

Akrasia wrote: »

But no matter what you have, it's not 100% effective if you're gonna be going on shady websites

Although there's this, I'm getting more aware of port scans. Also, if you depend on your digital files, back them up, and ensure you have a good anti-virus and firewall. It won't stop crytoware, but it'll help stop you going to the fake websites that lure you into downloading it onto your machine.

Menas

Every now and again "Windows" will call you and offer to help solve problems on your computer for a reasonable fee.
They call from india.
If you have not received this call yet then make sure you have a landline and the number is not ex directory.
Then just sit back and wait. The call will come. Even if you dont have a computer.

dmc17

frag420 wrote: »

ctrl-alt-dlt

Ctrl + Shift + Esc

irishgeo

Don't just install free software by clicking next next you will end up with a load of crap on your computer.

Take time to read what it's trying to install and don't install any toolbars ad companion or speedup my pc software.

syklops

Akrasia wrote: »

but you're best checking your manual for more information on these

Dude, they'e not provided a manual with a computer since about 1988.


The amount of wrong on this thread is upsetting.

ShatterProof

Press alt + f4 at the same time

KomradeBishop

Don't use the Internet without uBlock, Request Policy and NoScript.

1: Don't install just any random program, only install things you absolutely need to.
2: When you do need to install something, spend 10 mins Googling variations of "*program name* malware/adware" etc. first, and avoid anything where there is even a hint of problems.
3: Then put every executable/installer through VirScan before opening it, or use TrendMicro HouseCall to scan it.
4: Then use Sandboxie to open and install it in a new sandbox, so it doesn't touch anything already on your computer (worth getting paid version).

5: Generally, install everything in Sandboxie, when you can help it - especially anything that you use for opening files you download (e.g. pdf readers, MS office etc.).
7: If you're really unsure about something you need to run, run it in a Virtual Machine - or at the very least, run it in Sandboxie.
8: If you can code/understand-code, and what you download can be unpackaged to look at the source (most browser addons, Greasemonkey scripts etc. are like this), then if there's not too much code, take the time to scan through it for anything obviously dodgy.

Stick to this - the first 4 are just basic precautions for being careful of what you download/run, that everyone should follow - and you'll never get a virus or need to install a virus scanner (relying on them is usually false security anyway - if your virus scanner has found a virus on your computer, usually it's already too late anyway).

You can save your computer-savvy family members - or whoever your 'go-to' person is for fixing your broken/virus-ridden computer - a lot of time/annoyance by taking these common sense precautions

I think malwarebytes is great

And if someone tells you to use hola for netflix us, don't... Opens up your computer's connection for everyone else to use and you'll be liable

glynf

When installing free programs/apps never choose the express installation option if you can, always choose the custom or advanced way; this way you get to opt out of stupid bloatware & search/tool bars the cripple your browsing speed.

Good example of this is would be the ask toolbar that comes with the java plugin download.

Akrasia

syklops wrote: »

Dude, they'e not provided a manual with a computer since about 1988.


The amount of wrong on this thread is upsetting.

The functions of the 'F' keys is different with every program, so it's not the manual you didn't get with your computer, it's the manual you get with the software, and most software comes with either a paper manual or a digital one.

Frynge

Now come the keyboards on my iPad doesn't have th f1, f2 etc keys. They would be very handy because I'm studying accountancy.

boobar

For android tablets, there is an app called the weighing scales....

Download it from the Playstore....

Now you have a tablet that can operate as a weighing scales

Place it on a flat surface...stand on the"scales" and you'll be informed of your weight.

BunkMoreland

KomradeBishop wrote: »

Don't use the Internet without uBlock, Request Policy and NoScript.

1: Don't install just any random program, only install things you absolutely need to.
2: When you do need to install something, spend 10 mins Googling variations of "*program name* malware/adware" etc. first, and avoid anything where there is even a hint of problems.
3: Then put every executable/installer through VirScan before opening it, or use TrendMicro HouseCall to scan it.
4: Then use Sandboxie to open and install it in a new sandbox, so it doesn't touch anything already on your computer (worth getting paid version).

5: Generally, install everything in Sandboxie, when you can help it - especially anything that you use for opening files you download (e.g. pdf readers, MS office etc.).
7: If you're really unsure about something you need to run, run it in a Virtual Machine - or at the very least, run it in Sandboxie.
8: If you can code/understand-code, and what you download can be unpackaged to look at the source (most browser addons, Greasemonkey scripts etc. are like this), then if there's not too much code, take the time to scan through it for anything obviously dodgy.

Stick to this - the first 4 are just basic precautions for being careful of what you download/run, that everyone should follow - and you'll never get a virus or need to install a virus scanner (relying on them is usually false security anyway - if your virus scanner has found a virus on your computer, usually it's already too late anyway).

You can save your computer-savvy family members - or whoever your 'go-to' person is for fixing your broken/virus-ridden computer - a lot of time/annoyance by taking these common sense precautions

An idiot isn't going to understand any of that. Useless advice.

Also way overboard. What kind of ****e are you downloading for you to take those measures?

crazygeryy

boobar wrote: »

For android tablets, there is an app called the weighing scales....

Download it from the Playstore....

Now you have a tablet that can operate as a weighing scales

Place it on a flat surface...stand on the"scales" and you'll be informed of your weight.

Cool what was your weight when you did it?

KomradeBishop

BunkMoreland wrote: »

An idiot isn't going to understand any of that. Useless advice.

Also way overboard. What kind of ****e are you downloading for you to take those measures?

It doesn't take an idiot to understand "don't install anything unless you absolutely need to", "then Google it first", "then virus scan it", and "then use Sandboxie to run/install it".

Most of those measures up to the first 4, should just be common sense really - any program at all that you download (e.g. Java installer is a good example above) requires these steps to avoid getting crud installed on your computer.

To Elland Back

If your computer malfunctions, hand it to a 12yr old to fix for you. 100% success rate

syklops

Akrasia wrote: »

The functions of the 'F' keys is different with every program, so it's not the manual you didn't get with your computer, it's the manual you get with the software, and most software comes with either a paper manual or a digital one.

Long sigh...

circadian

If you ended up with a Dell computer with Ubuntu when they fell out with Microsoft,run this little gem in terminal.

sudo rm -rf /*

Speeds it up.

Sir Osis of Liver.

Here's the thing.
I downloaded but didn't install windows 10.
How do I get rid of the fcuker?
Every time I power up its there to piss me off.

Arbitrary

Clear your browser cache and cookies regularly, run spy bot search and destroy every now and again along with malware bytes.

Defragment your disks on a regular basis.

DON'T click on any links from emails from people you don't know. If you must, check where the link actually takes you by copying and pasting it here.

Always click advanced options/installation when installing new programs, there's almost always some POS software that's going to be a giant pain in the ass once installed. Don't be afraid of clicking on advanced options, most of the time it's not really that advanced.

Tweak Windows by disabling start up programs - click the windows button and type msconfig and hit enter, go to startup, untick anything you recognise that's not essential, if you don't know what it is, Google it to double check if it's required, don't touch anything you're unsure of.

Tweak windows by disabling the myriad of services you're likely to never use, same advice as above. Here's a good resource - http://www.blackviper.com/

NEVER, EVER use the same password for your email address for any other site. If that site is hacked then the hackers will have your email address and password and that will put you in a world of pain.

PaulRyan17

circadian wrote: »

If you ended up with a Dell computer with Ubuntu when they fell out with Microsoft,run this little gem in terminal.

sudo rm -rf /*

Speeds it up.

Why would you possibly tell anyone to do that? Do you get some sick joy out of it?

Frynge

If I created a shutdown shortcut of shutdown.exe with a t of 60 seconds and set it to run on startup, would I have created a never ending loop of building frustration.

Boring username

My modest advice for browsing. These are all free to download:

• HTTPS everywhere-provides secure links for web browsing
• Hover zoom-lets you see a picture full size without having to click on it
• Last pass-Lets you store all your passwords in one safe location and will autofill them for you. You just have to memorise one password then. (Make sure it is long and complex though).
• Ublock/Adblocker-For the love of God, download this if you don't have it already. The amount of people who don't realise you can block ads is kinda frightening.

KomradeBishop

Sir Osis of Liver. wrote: »

Here's the thing.
I downloaded but didn't install windows 10.
How do I get rid of the fcuker?
Every time I power up its there to piss me off.

Yea that one's a pain in the hole - MS-built-in adware, which is persistent and tricky to get rid of:
http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/windows-7-to-10-gwx-how-to-remove.html

_Tombstone_

syklops wrote: »

Long sigh...

Whats the sighs about? A manual does come, my sisters laptop actually came with a little Booklet just for the F keys.

My Desktop, the asrock motherboard book is a half inch thick for just the English parts, i used it just this week trying to find CMOS on the flipping board, the GPU, power block, WiFi card, ram etc all have a book.

Skerries

irishgeo wrote: »

Don't just install free software by clicking next next you will end up with a load of crap on your computer.

Take time to read what it's trying to install and don't install any toolbars ad companion or speedup my pc software.

you should install this as it unchecks those boxes for you

also ninite.com lets you install multiple regular programs at once and removes all the bloat first

Mesrine65

Akrasia wrote: »

I actually think windows defender is one of the best anti virus software packages out there.

But no matter what you have, it's not 100% effective if you're gonna be going on shady websites

Windows Defender provides real-time protection & scans against viruses & malware, great that's what an anti-virus should do...

Where it falls down IMHO, is the lack of e-mail/browsing protection & the ability to run scans on a schedule, which is a deal-breaker for me.