I want to review fifteen computing-related rules you should follow. If you’ve been a customer of ours for a long time, most of these should sound familiar. The same is true if you’ve been a blog subscriber for a while. Unfortunately, we see people all the time in Remote Technical Support who aren’t following some (or Heaven forbid, all) of these rules. With that in mind, here they are:
Password-Related Rules
- Never use one password for everything.
- Don’t store your passwords in a file on your computing device.
- If you have a lot of passwords, use a Password Manager.
- Regardless of what a browser tells you, don’t store passwords there.
- Always use secure passwords: Upper case, lower case, numbers and symbols.
- Never use words that can be found in a dictionary.
Computer-Related Rules
- If you use a desktop or an all-in-one, be sure to have it plugged in to an Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS).
- For laptops, tablets, smart phones, smart watches, always use a surge protector when plugged in and/or charging.
- Turn your computer off at least once a week (not restart, off) for at least 15 minutes. (I normally suggest you pick a night of the week, shut off, then turn it back on the next day.)
- Use online back-up, like Carbonite, to back up your data. Only use external drives as a redundant back up.
Email-Related Rules
- Don’t “unsubscribe” from an email list unless you actually know you did subscribe.
- When sending an email to people who don’t know each other, always us BCC. (Blind Carbon Copy.)
- Be careful when it comes to attachments. Only open those that you were expecting and that you’re 100% sure are safe.
- Learn to be a detective when it comes to determining if an email is a fake or a scam.
- Use a strong, strong password for your email. Hackers love to break into email accounts as there’s a plethora of useful information there.
Seriously
Seriously, it’s true. These are fifteen computing-related rules you should follow. If you do, you’ll stay out of a ton of trouble on your computing device.
thanks for the greart info
Denny…As always, I really appreciate your feedback! Thanks so much.
Thanks John.
Lynne…You’re welcome, of course! 🙂
Great reminder! Question: is it okay to use a verification text rather than a password on your email? In other words, I use Yahoo, and it sends me a text with a code to put it. But I notice it does ask if I want to continue that way or do I want to use a password. Should I be using a password instead or is this code way okay? Also, on my iPhone, I can just go into my emails without doing anything. Should I be signing in and out of there on the phone? No hurry for a reply, just when you have time. Thanks, Bro!
Sis…Using the verifcation code for Yahoo is fine. In fact, it’s actually safer than using the password. Microsoft, for example, now allows you to totally eliminate your password for their accounts and only use an authenticator or SMS text code.
Thanks, John. Excellent Compute and Password Tips. I see I shall have to make some easy changes in passwords, but becoming an e-mail detective isn’t so easy.
You did request I call on Thursday eve on/after 6:00 as you needed quite a great deal of time find my G-mail, but Now I see it’s back…but oddly many folders are missing. I would so appreciate any help you could give. Don’t know what happened…most are personal and important to me.
Kendra Feb.10
Kendra…Thanks for your positive feedback. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you last night. When you were calling, I was on long distance with a customer in Texas who was having a major issue. I was on with him for a very long time. I was also slammed in Remote with other people all with big, big issues. I know your Outlook folders and emails are important to you and I will get with you soon and have you log in so I can help. Thanks for your patience!
thanks John, glad to say I am following all 15 rules