tech tips - safe computing!Safe computing covers three areas
I'm a Macintosh user. I have a PC for when I need a Windows view of the web or want to improve my blackjack skills, so I keep up-to-date about safe computing on both platforms. Here are a few notes below about critical issues for both platforms. ergonomic considerationsIf you spend a lot of time in front of a computer, it is useful know how to create a safe and comfortable computer workstation. Regardless of your age, the wrong configuration over time - or bad posture under stress - can lead to physical problems that are slow to cure. Laptop computers are more challenging than desktop computers, and require different configurations. Computer Workstations - US Department of Labor, OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) e-tool to help you analyze your computer workstation, including a purchasing guide checklist. Laptop and Notebook Computers - guidelines for safer laptop and notebook usage, and examples of poor and optimum ergonomic configurations from the University of Technology, Sidney. Is your laptop a pain in the neck? - ZDNet industry news about a 30-year-old Silicon Valley software engineer with a severe case of repetitive strain injury. Also see Could RSI risks of laptop usage beget legal risks?, a blog article about the ZDNet story. computer hardware & software safetyA computer is a machine. Like a car, a computer needs regular maintenance and periodic tune ups to keep it running safely and efficiently. windows good practicesViruses are a constant treat for PC users. All Windows computers should have an anti-virus program to protect it from viruses, worms, Trojans, and blended threats. Most important, anti-virus programs should be updated regularly for new virus definitions. Spyware is an Internet treat. Spyware can slow your computer down to a crawl, let outsiders monitor your Internet browsing or gather other data about you, blast you with annoying pop-up ads, etc. Safe computing means calls for caution downloading "free" programs from sites, and never clicking on pop-up windows except to close them. Unfortunately, sometimes even just closing a pop-up window okays an unwanted download to your computer. I used to recommend software. Given how the world changes, the best approach is to read current reviews at VersionTracker. This link leads to all VersionTracker's information about security and privacy software. Tune up Windows with regular maintenance:
macintosh good practicesbest tip for keeping your Mac happyTune up OS X (any version) by regularly repairing Disk Permission. Go to Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility to repair disk permissions. This should be done whenever you add or update software, or whenever your Mac does something "odd." If your Mac is having problems that are not corrected by repairing Disk Permissions, check the hard disk by running Disk Utility in Safe Mode (OS 10.2 and higher): turn on the computer. When the tone sounds, press and hold the Shift key. The computer will run Disk Utility on the startup drive. When startup is complete, restart your computer normally. Occasionally, it's a good idea to "Verify Disk" with Disk Utility. If your disk needs repair, restart your computer from a startup disk. It appears that you are re-installing the software, but you're not. After you choose your language, use the Disk Utility program on the startup disk. Do not repair disk permission from the startup disk; they seem to need to be repaired again when you boot from your computer. When finished, select the Startup Disk for your computer and restart. Some problems can be solved by resetting your Mac's PRAM and NVRAM. For example, I found that "zapping the PRAM" corrected a monitor fluctuating brightness problem. For more information, read this Apple article. security and privacySo far spyware does not seem a problem for Mac users (knocking on virtual wood). Some Mac folks do not use anti-virus programs like Virex because it can slow down your computer a bit. Once you have lost a hard drive, it's hard not to take precautions. So I recommend using an anti-virus program on a Mac. I used to use Intego's Virus Barrier x4 because it didn't slow the system down. However, one update in March 2007 started to rewrite permissions on the root level so I removed the software. (See blog post about this.) If you want to install security and privacy software on your Mac, read VersionTracker's reviews and recommendations here. software compatibilityThe latest challenge for Mac users is making sure that system updates are compatible with software that you need to use.
good practices for all computer users
online resources
updated November 2007 read more tech tips |
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