Technology Administrator
Jeremy Craven
Some Helpful Hints and Reminders for Faculty, Parents, and Students:
-
Don't forget to update your Anti-Virus Definitions. $50.00 may sound like a lot of money, but how much is your information worth? Don't wait till a malicious virus wipes out your hard drive. An ounce of prevention.....
-
Take any "Virus Notification" forwarded to you from a friend of a friend, etc. with a grain of skepticism Most of these messages are called 'bots' and are designed to grab valid email addresses so that they may be sold to an advertising firm; thus, your inbox being filled with *spam*.
-
Real Virus Threats can be verified by going to www.sarc.com OR another computer professional website.
-
DON'T ever follow the directions that say to search your hard drive for a file and then to delete it. These are commonly referred to as "Redneck Viruses". The files that are typically searched for are files that are included in Windows. Of course, you do find them on your hard drive, and when you delete them?????? Maybe your computer will work, maybe it won't.
-
Occasionally run a spyware detection program on your pc if you are on the Internet. A pretty good one that is free, yes, I said FREE, is called SPYBOT. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
-
Do you know where the term "SPAM" comes from in regards to unsolicited email? It was from an old Monty Python song consisting of the word "spam" said/sung repeatedly.
-
If you don't know something, ask! Don't be afraid of your computer, it is supposed to be a time saver.
-
Instead of playing Free Cell, minesweeper, solitare, etc, how about reading something about using a computer? Some very good resources are: www.techtv.com, www.cnet.com, www.zdtv.com, www.microsoft.com, www.linuxquestions.org, http://www.annoyances.org/
-
Periodically check your operating system for updates and patches.
-
Technology doubles in speed every 18 months, so if you are trying to always have the fastest computer, you may want to think about leasing options.
-
Don't blindly follow a salesperson into a computer sale. Do research, check online stores, check your local stores, ask questions about support. The cheapest is not always the worst, nor is the most expensive always the best.
If you have comments/suggestions about the technology program, please let us know!