You're no dummy, but you should know this

By BILL HUSTED

Cox News Service

September 7, 2008

I remember when the first "Dummies" computer books came out years ago. I was both sorry I hadn't thought of it first and put off by the title.

Maybe I'm too Southern, but calling someone a dummy doesn't seem like a good way to nurture a relationship with readers.

Besides, most people aren't dummies when it comes to computing. They may be ignorant, but that's different from stupid. Stupid people have trouble learning. Ignorant people are without knowledge.

For instance, I'm ignorant when it comes to carpentry and brain surgery.

With all that in mind, consider today's column "A Basic Computer Guide for the Ignorant." We'll talk about the very basics of keeping your computing relatively hassle-free.

No. 1: Smart people recognize they have knowledge gaps. If you're smart, you'll avoid the most common cause of computing disaster — fixing something you don't understand or installing a program you know nothing about.

Take my word for it, your biggest enemy is the person who brushes your teeth every morning. If you avoid crazy over-your-head fixing and installing, you'll be miles ahead of the competition.

No. 2: Learn how to do routine maintenance. Spend some time reading about anti-virus protection and programs that stop adware and spyware. Then get a program for each: either the commercial suite of programs from Norton that includes both anti-virus and anti-spamware, or freeware from http://free.grisoft.com for viruses or a program such as this one — http://lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php — for adware/spyware protection.

No. 3: Emulate a good newspaper reporter and be skeptical about what you read. Some e-mails will tell you that you need to log onto your bank account, others will invite you to give eBay all your personal information. These e-mails all differ a bit but have one thing in common — they are an effort by crooks to either steal your personal information and then your money or to plant a virus in your computer. If you feel you just can't ignore the e-mail, pick up the phone and call the bank or other institution and ask whether it sent the e-mail.

No. 4: Use a password that's hard to figure out. It should not form a word you can find in the dictionary, and it should contain at least eight characters composed of letters and numbers. Here's a horrible password: Lucy. That's my beagle's name. Here's a decent password: 73rtrnrd2.

It's OK to write down passwords if you have trouble remembering them, as long as you keep them hidden away at home.

No. 5: Protect your machine from nature as well as from man. That means buying a UPS — an uninterruptable power supply — and using it.

These things are big batteries that have a gizmo that converts the DC battery current into AC power that your computer can use. Besides keeping the machine going long enough to shut it down in an orderly fashion after a power outage, they filter the current that your machine uses in regular operation. That filtered current avoids feeding your machine voltage surges that can kill it.

No. 6: Back up your data. The easiest way is to buy an external hard disk that connects to the USB port. Usually it includes the needed software. My guess is that the data on your computer is worth more than the computer itself. So making regular backups is a flat necessity.

Even if you are completely ignorant when it comes to computers, these tips will get you headed toward the light. Think of them as six small steps away from ignorance.