Mistakes
January 18, 2000
© 2000, Douglas E. Welch
Owning a computer can sometimes feel like more of a burden than
a convenience. They always seem to stop working right when you need them most.
The problems you experience, though, can often be traced back
to a few simple mistakes. Sometimes we have only ourselves to
blame for our computer problems.
Maintenance
It is simply a fact of computer life that most people neglect
the maintenance of the technology they own. Computers require
much more maintenance than your average car and respond much more
dramatically when they do not get it. While a maintenance free
computer world would be quite wonderful, reality is far different.
Computer, printers, hard disk, scanners all need regular cleaning
and their software needs to be updated on a regular basis. This
includes not only your major programs such as Microsoft Windows, Word or Quicken, but also items like printer drivers, the small programs that
allow your computer to talk to your printer.
In the past, you had to go hunting for information and updates.
Today, the situation is much improved. Many programs, including
Windows 98, contain automated features that remind you to check
for program updates on a regular basis. Some programs will even
use your Internet connection to automatically find, retrieve and
install updates directly from the manufacturer. While these systems
can help you keep some of your software up to date, you still
need to watch for a wide variety of other, smaller, updates.
One way to keep everything current is to visit your software manufacturer's
web sites on a regular basis. This is especially important for
your most critical software and hardware. For example, if you
use Intuit's QuickBooks to manage you company's finances you will want to make sure that
the software is always working at its best.
There are also many web sites that act as clearing houses for
updates and other information. These include Frank Condron'sWorld O'Windows and BugNet. These sites seek out the latest and greatest information and
consolidate in one, easy-to-read, location. Macintosh users can
find similar resources at Macintouch, MacFixIt and VersionTracker>. All these sites are updated daily.
However you get your maintenance information it is important to
remember that it is an on-going process. You are never really
"done" with the process, but keeping up to date as new updates
are released makes the burden a little easier to bear.
New versions - don't be too eager
While it is important to install updates in a timely manner, this
is not to say that you should install the newest version of any
software that comes out. Where updates are usually released to
solve specific problems, entirely new versions can actually introduce
new problems.
You can identify new versions of software by a new version number
or year in their title; for example, Quicken 2000, Windows 98
Second Edition or Adobe Acrobat 4.0. With major revisions such
as this it is often better to let others discover any major problems
before you install the new version. In some cases you may find
that you don't want to install the new version at all. Sometimes
you will find that the new version contains a major flaw or significantly
changes a feature that you use heavily. I recommend waiting for
a few weeks before installing any major, new version of your software.
The web sites mentioned above will provide you with early reports
on the new software that will point out any problems discovered
by more adventurous people who have already installed the software.
It is often better to wait until the first minor revision is released
before updating at all. It usually takes at least one try to get
all the major problems worked out of a new version of any software.
You can make your computer life easier by keeping informed about
the computer hardware and software that you use. Watch out for
new software updates, but carefully evaluate each one before you
install. There are more resources available than ever before to
help you in your task so take advantage of them at every opportunity.
Douglas E. Welch is a freelance writer and computer consultant
in Van Nuys, California. He also writes Career Opportunities, a weekly column on high-tech careers and A Gardener's Notebook. You can find more of Douglas' writing on his web page at: http://www.welchwrite.com/
He can reached via email at douglas@welchwrite.com
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