Part Four of our “Back to Basics” series focuses on the “Tools of the Trade”. What good is a computer when you don’t have the tools that you need to be the most productive you can be? It’s important to know your machine, but it’s another thing entirely to know just what you need to maximize your computing experience. From selecting a browser, to ensuring your computer is protected with a proper anti-virus program, we’ve got you covered. Come along for the ride since a craftsman never blames his tools, and neither should you!
Let’s take it from the top. You’ve read our post on selecting the proper Internet service provider for your application, haven’t you? If you missed it, click here. Now that you have Internet access, how do you actually access the Internet? With a program called a web browser, that’s how. If you own a P.C. with a version of Microsoft Windows on it, your computer will come pre-loaded with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer. Likewise, if you own an Apple product (including Mac, iPhone, iPod, iPad), look to Safari which is Apple’s answer to Internet Explorer. If you’re not happy with the speed or features offered by the browser you’re currently using, there are others available that are free of charge, including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera. Simply search in Google (or Bing, Yahoo, Dogpile, etc.) for the browser of your choice, click the download link, and follow the instructions to install your new browser on your computer. If only someone would have a breakdown of the different browsers and what they have to offer…oh wait, we do! Read “Just Browsing: A Guide to Web Browsers” for more information.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do for your P.C. is install an anti-virus program on it. If your computer is going to be connected to the Internet, you NEED anti-virus protection! It’s impossible to stress this enough. Apple boasts that their computers don’t need anti-virus software because viruses don’t apply to them. That may be the case now, but you never know what the future will hold. For now, we’ll focus on the rest of the population who needs it. Move the cursor with your mouse and hover (but don’t click) it over each of the small icons to the left of the clock at the bottom of your screen. As you hover over each picture, you’ll see that Windows will tell you what each program is. By the way, if you see a small arrow pointing upward, click on the arrow to reveal more icons. Many new computers come with a subscription to an anti-virus program such as Norton or McAfee. Now I’m sure there are fine people out there that work for these companies, but I’m sorry to say that their programs suck. Having a computer “protected” by Norton is like having nothing at all. Anyway, if you double-click with the left mouse button on the picture of your choice, the program will open. If a message appears saying that your subscription has expired for whichever anti-virus program you have, make sure to immediately renew or download a different program. Likewise if you can’t find a program installed on your computer, either head to your favorite technology store, or download a new anti-virus program from the Internet. We’ve even had good luck with free versions of anti-virus programs. We often recommend AVG Free or Avast! Free to our clients as they work better than many “paid” options.
Now that we can access the Internet, and the computer is safe from viruses, we’ll probably need to do a little work. If you’re looking to work on a document, be it a letter, resume, etc., you’ll need a program designed to do just that. Really, you have three options: you can download the free OpenOffice, or purchase Microsoft Word or Corel’s WordPerfect. We’ll start with the paid versions. Again, it’s possible that you already have Microsoft Office on your computer. Older computers used to come with this software installed for you as part of the purchase of a new computer. In the last few years, these computers have been harder to find, and you’ll likely have a free trial installed on your computer which will allow a limited number of times the program can be used for free before it needs to be purchased. Microsoft Word is the program needed to work in word processing. You cannot buy it separately, it’s only available through Microsoft Office. The good thing about this is Office comes with other programs as well, depending on your needs and budget. Every version offers the aforementioned Word, Excel (for spreadsheets), PowerPoint (for presentations with animation), and OneNote (for note taking). It’s also possible to purchase “bundles” that include Outlook (for e-mail and calendar), Publisher (for, surprise, publishing), and Access (for software developing). A special development of Microsoft Office can be purchased for Mac as well. Corel’s WordPerfect is just for word processing. If you need a lot of formatting and editing options in a document, you’ll want WordPerfect. There isn’t a version of WordPerfect for Mac currently. OpenOffice is similar to Microsoft Office in that it includes a variety of programs. OpenOffice will open files created with Microsoft Office, and it’s free. OpenOffice is an option worth looking into. It’s available by searching for “OpenOffice” on the Internet, then downloading and following the installation prompts. There is no CD or DVD installation for OpenOffice unlike the other two.
I hope you have a big toolbox because we’re just getting started! Next week we’ll introduce more “Tools of the Trade” that no one should be without.