Beginner's General Computing Tips

Hey all!! I decided to put up a page for those who are
beginners as far as computers go. All you experts will
probably be bored, so SCRAM!!! Ha ha, ok, so what's
this about anyways?? If people are here on the site, they
MUST know how to use a computer?? RIGHT?? Not
always. There's allot more to using a computer than just
surfing the net, listening to music, watching vids, etc.
We've covered the maintenance parts, so let's get into
some of the more common tasks you can do with your
electronic buddy!!

(Please Note: This page is constantly developing, and the
kid ya know!! Please be patient for the step by step and
vids, as I have very limited time!! Thanks!)

To see the s-b-s (step by step) for a particular topic,
click the blue links.
(Some will not have links, they are just tips!!)

Digital photos are almost more common than regular
photos these days and this is a nice thing you can do
with computers. This is especially true with
grandparents!! Surprised? Think about it, you're kids
more than likely are waist-deep in the technology era,
right?
I'm SURE that 95% own digital cameras, as well as
computers, which is how you get your pics off the
camera. So why have them developed, when you can
simply e-mail them!!

Probably one of the nicest aspects of owning a computer
is the amount of information they can store and process.
Resumes are one thing most of us are familiar with. The
problem with them is if you have paid to have one done
for you, and you change jobs, guess what?? You get to
pay AGAIN to have you're resume updated! I realize not
everyone is a resume expert, but if you have a format to
follow, such as a paid one to start, then I see NO
REASON you couldn't do the same thing with say, word
processor, or Microsoft Works™. This way you eliminate
paper clutter, and spending huge amounts of money!!
(As all situations differ, there's no step by step on this
one.) Just a tip!!

Music, Music, Music!!! If you are like me, you probably
have bunches of media. MP3 file compression is a useful
tool to shrink you're stuff down stored on your
computer. Pretty convenient considering most
commercial DVD players have mp3 capability, as well as
most new cars.The issue with file compression is you do
lose SOME sound quality, so if you have to have
SUPERIOR sound, then DON'T COMPRESS. I have yet to
find a program that is capable of compressing and
retaining cd quality. You may consider getting software
for the tasks, such as CDburnerXP™ (freeware), or
Nero™ for faster cd burning. I have not personally tested
CDburnerXP, but it is very highly rated among the free
programs available. You can download this on the Free
Download Links page. Nero is a bit complicated, but a
very nice program to use. Again, no s-b-s, you'll have to
read the instructions for your particular program.

Did you know you can watch most of your favorite t.v.
shows on line for FREE??!! Well, you can!! Just type
what you want to watch into, say, Google search, press
enter. You will likely see LOTS of choices, some free,
some not. A word of WARNING: While most sites are
legit, I have come across a few that gave me a virus
(well, tried to!!) If you have your antivirus running (and
I know you do, right??!!), it should catch

One thing I want to mention before I go too much
further, is that although computers can store HUGE
amounts of info, what if your hdd crashes? I
learned this the hard way some time ago, GET AN
EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE!!!! For the most part, they are
cheap insurance, and as long as you only hook it to your
computer when you need it, less worry of a virus getting
in!!!!!!

One very important thing you should do: Backup your
computer!!!! of certain files you don't want to lose, and
burn them to a cd. To see how, click here

Do you use your computer alot, but hate waiting for it to
shut down, or boot up? Try using standby or hibernate!!
Click Here for s-b-s

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