10 dumb things users do that can mess up their computers

Overview: Users find plenty of ways to run into trouble, from gunking up their system with shareware to leaving it exposed to attackers to forgetting about using surge protectors. Share this list with your own users so they can sidestep preventable problems like these.

Technology may be changing at a lightning-fast pace, but one thing remains constant: Users make mistakes with their computers. Sometimes, the mistakes are just slip-ups that could happen to anyone (ourselves included). But other times, an avalanche of issues is unleashed simply because a user didn't know any better. It may look like they've done something dumb, but if we haven't taught them better habits, we've done something even dumber.

To help your users understand some of the basic practices that will prevent problems, IT pro Deb Shinder put together a list of typical things users do that can lead to trouble. For example, she says users may:

• Plug into the wall without surge protection
• Surf the Internet without a firewall
• Install and uninstall lots of programs, especially betas
• Click on every link they encounter in e-mails and on Web pages

This download is also available as an an entry in our 10 Things blog.

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Format: PDF | Size: 78KB | Date: May 2006 | Version: 1.0 | System Requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.0 or later | License: copyright | Downloads: 185625