What Should You Do to Improve Your Computer Troubleshooting Skills?

Improving your computer troubleshooting skills so you become more tech savvy is never an overwhelming task given the sheer number of ways anyone can learn to do so, given the right amount of diligence. So if ever you think that learning and improving your computer troubleshooting skills can’t be done online, think again, because that’s basically where you start.

Do your online research

The first and most important step in becoming computer savvy is to learn how to use the search engines to your advantage.  It’s important to learn how to correctly pose a question for search, and how to use Google, Yahoo, or Bing to find your answer. Basically, if there’s something you don’t know about a computer, the first thing is to check out the first few hits of a search to get some information. For example, when someone gets a specific virus or has a specific problem affecting their computer, a quick search will often show how to resolve it. After a few years of using search engines to research different things about computer troubleshooting, you begin to form a solid working knowledge without even trying.

You won’t know unless you practice

Don’t be afraid to try something on a used computer. After all, there is hardly ever an action you can perform on a computer that will permanently break it. That being said, make sure you have back-ups of anything important if you plan to try it on your own computer. Find a used computer on Craigslist for cheap. This provides a great platform for you to practice troubleshooting. If you don’t have a computer you can experiment, you can check out episodes on creating a virtual computer, “How to Use a Virtual Machine” by searching on Google. A virtual machine allows you to mess up anything you want because you can reset it back to any point in time, or just start over.

Read a lot

There are free courses for Windows, Apple, and Linux users on the internet. If you want to get more acquainted with Windows, you can find a ton of tutorials and other learning material on the Microsoft website. The same goes for Apple, which provides more than enough documentation for you to study. If you want to learn about Linux, there’s a full course on edx.org that is partially narrated by the creator of Linux himself. For anything else, there are endless and awesome series of YouTube videos that covers almost any computer topic you can think of in extreme detail. A little bit of time and practice with this material and you’ll gain a pretty comprehensive understanding of computers. And to think all of this is for free.

Students Will Find These Free Apps Highly Useful

Summer don't last long enough for kids, and it can be a stressful time to get everything in order so that students have new clothes, school supplies, dorm stuff, and...back to school apps? According to a 2015 study, 77 percent of students reported that using tablets and smartphones has helped improve their grades, and 62 percent said that tech helps them feel more ready for class.

Below is our compilation of apps that will help you get back to school the right way. And since it's pretty common sense that students don't have much of a budget to work with, you can download all of these apps for free.

Evernote

Free: iOS, Apple Watch, Android, Windows

Evernote is considered as one of the most popular note-taking apps for quite a while. Its clean, uncomplicated interface makes it perfect for students wherein they can take notes, make to-do lists, set reminders, attach files, create agendas and access everything through any device. Evernote doesn't have a storage limit, but free users are limited to an upload limit of 60 MB per month. You also have to activate push notifications to sync all your notes when the app isn't running. The camera feature is highly useful, because it allows you to save any photo, document, Post-it note or business card.

Dropbox Mobile

Free: iOS, Android, Windows

As a student, you save, send, and lose a lot of files -- usually in the depths of your inbox. The free Dropbox Mobile app lets you store and share up to 2 GB of documents, photos, and videos in one secure location. It's easy to add notes to files you want to share, too, which is ideal especially when your group project seems to be taking forever. Recently, Dropbox partnered with Microsoft so that users can edit Microsoft Office files straight from their mobile phones and save them to their Dropbox accounts.

You may also want to consider Dropbox Paper, a collaboration platform that allows multiple people to edit the same document.

WolframAlpha

$2.99; iOS, Android, Windows

Meet your know-it-all bestfriend, which also happens to help Apple's Siri. Dubbed as the "Star Trek computer," WolframAlpha holds more than 10 trillion pieces of data and 50,000 equations. The app, which costs $2.99, uses these information to compute answers and generate reports on topics ranging from trigonometry and astronomy, to genealogy and mythology. It provides you with graphs, step-by-step explanations, and formula details.

EasyBib

Free: iOS, Android>

EasyBib takes over one of the most time-consuming parts of writing a research paper -- the bibliography. This app helps you format your list of references in more than 7,000 citation styles, including the most common APA and MLA formats. Just type in the name of the book and EasyBib will give you several options to choose from and then makes a citation for you. The app has a website that does the job just as well, but with the app you can take a picture of a book's bar code and then generate a citation for it.

My Study Life

Free: iOS, Android, Windows

The My Study Life is a free app that replaces any paper planner by keeping track of your workload across multiple platforms and devices. Manage your classes with week and day timetables, keep track of your tasks and upcoming exams in the cloud, and receive notifications to keep you updated with your exams and class schedules. The calendar is very easy to read, thanks to its clean interface and the ability to color code your classes.

Now you'll enjoy school more with My Study Life!

Tiny Scanner

Free: iOS, Android

Tiny Scanner is an app that is perfect in making sure your handwritten class notes are at least legible enough to send to a classmate. The app uses the camera on your phone or tablet to scan documents and export them into PDFs that you can email or save to your camera roll. You can also crop and color-correct your images before you export them into PDFs.

Is It Important To Learn Basic Computer Skills Before Starting a Business?

Of course it is, and this is a resounding, “Yes.” Basic computer skills or computer literacy refers to the ability to use computer programs in an effective manner in order to improve any small business. Basic computer skills have become increasingly important as even small businesses have started to depend upon computerized technology to get the work done. Computer skills can mean that you can perform tasks that others may not be able to, and you are familiar with and able to work with programs that businesses use. You will have a better chance of being successful in business if you are able to navigate computers and use common or specialized computer programs. Thus, here are some of the reasons why learning basic computer skills before starting a business may spell the difference between breaking out or just breaking even.

It’s More Profitable

The ability to use more common programs such as Microsoft Word or Excel or even specialized programs can mean that you have the computer skills to greatly start up and eventually improve the business. You could make more money because you get the work done faster. Basic computer literacy can be easily learned by taking short-course classes in school or college or get training from seasonal workshops in your city or from a tech company.

Improved Work Performance

Knowing basic computer skills allows you to get work done in a more organized, efficient and timely manner, especially if you run a business that requires you to use a computer on a frequent or regular basis. Computers feature programs such spreadsheet, word-processing or presentation programs that help you to organize your thoughts. If you work with a database in your business, you won’t be able to complete important tasks without computer knowledge. Even if you have a manual labor business such as in construction or food service, you may need to use a computer to conduct research on industry or company trends, regulations or news; run a cash register or complete training before starting work.

Communication

Knowledge of how to access the Internet and basic computer skills opens up many different possibilities for you to communicate with employees and customers. Within the workplace, you can use instant messaging programs, social media websites or e-mail to communicate about work and tasks. Computer skills means that you can communicate with customers using multimedia, such as sound or video presentations, as well as answering their queries. If you have a business that requires you to travel, it is important for you to know for you to communicate with employees and customers from another location, as well as being able to remotely access data in your office even from a distance.

Top Android Myths That Need to Wiped Out

Being an open-source operating system, Android is susceptible to a lot of misconceptions. It may seem like a lie, but despite the things that Android has accomplished, there are still some that don't trust it due to those false myths and beliefs.

1. Switch to 2G to Save Battery Life

It is a fact that 2G use less power than 3G, however, constantly changing between the two will consume a significant amount of your device's battery. The best thing you can do is stick with one and take the necessary precautions so that you can save as much battery life as you possibly can.

2. Android is Too Complicated for Beginners

There are a number of users who think that Android is just too complicated and that they will have to struggle just to get the hang of it. Steve Ballmer's 2011 words didn't help when he said that you have to be a computer scientist to use it. The key is to start with simple tasks first, and then once you have mastered that, move onto more complicated things. Never try to do something you are not ready for. If you do run into something complex and you can't figure out, a Google search along with a couple of video tutorials should probably do the trick.

3. Task Killers are Greatly Needed for Android

We have all heard different forms of argument whether task killers are needed or not, but the reality is they could actually be harming your device. Task killers only tell you how much memory they are freeing up and don't tell you the number of CPU cycles the app uses. What's important here is the CPU and not the memory since it's the CPU that makes your device to act sluggish. You will actually be slowing down your Android device with these task killers since some of the apps you kill will start back up again, using your device's CPU.

4. Android is Infested With Malware

It's not true that the synonym for Android is malware. It's an open-source platform, but that doesn't mean that your device will be infected with malware the first five minutes you start using it. Android is secure enough, however there are some things you need to do (or don't do) to avoid your Android device from being infected with malware. Whenever you download an app and you feel that it's asking for too many permissions, say no to it and try to find another one. Always try to download apps from the Google Play Store and try to install a reliable security app. Do not click on suspicious emails or links while navigating using your device.

5. Android Lags or Crashes More Than iOS

You may have also heard that Android crashes and lags more than the competition. In the beginning, Android did lag, but which system didn't, right? When using Android you are more likely to experience crashes and lags right after downloading a new build of an app or getting a new version of Android.

The main factors as to why your Android device has these problems is because of excessive manufacturer customization to the software, not enough hardware power, and poorly optimized third-party apps. But if you are using a device with enough power and apps from the right sources, there's nothing you should worry about.

The Long-term Pros and Cons of Being a Tech Savvy Business Owner

Of course, this pertains to small or medium business (SMB) owners since large businesses normally have their own IT department and aren't necessarily owned by multi-billionaire tech savvy people, unless you're Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg.

If you run traditional business, you may have your hands already full with productions and distribution, purchasing, marketing and selling, HR management, and accounting and finance. As an SMB owner, you may not have an in-depth understanding of any of these fields or any have a good grasp of some of them, so if HR came to you and talked about a new labor law, with a sufficient explanation you could make the best decision.

However, to run a modern IT company, you really need to be tech savvy. In fact, it would be better if you were both tech savvy and a degree holder in any computer related course. Naturally, it's understandable that if you're not tech savvy and a degree holder in any computer related course. Naturally, it's understandable that if you're not tech savvy you'll have a hard time hiring or assembling IT team and employees who will become the bread and butter of the business. While you can always hire a consultant to do it for you, you won't even be able to evaluate the quality of their advice. It's hard to make cost effective decisions when you have no idea what's really going on.

However, in the long run, there are still pros and cons of being a tech savvy SMB owner.

The Pros:

You Can Run the Business with no Blindfolds
Being a business owner of an IT company and not being tech or IT-savvy will be like running a business blindfolded. But if you're tech savvy, you can easily sit through IT staff meetings without a blank look on your face. And you won't be stumbling in the dark because:

• You know why the technology works.
• You know how the technology works.
• You know which technology works.

So, instead of being a naive business owner who gets taken for a ride by consultants and IT employees, you will be able to make informed decisions rather than running your business with blindfolds.

You Can Communication With You IT Team

If you have a computer science degree, you will get a broad understanding and have intelligent and meaningful conversations with the members of your IT team. You can easily talk to your whole IT team regardless of position or task and discuss everything from designing, modifications, customizing, problems, solutions, installations, security, and the like.

You Avoid Expensive Business Blunders

Technology is too complicated for any one person to be familiar with all its specialties, but the knowledge gap between a non-technical person and technical person is an immense gulf.

Just a Couple of Cons:

You Earn What You Earn

You have no assurance of a regular salary and compensation. It all depends on you, your business, your clients, your market, and your business offering. The small business owner doesn't have an employer setting a stable compensation plan. There is no real assurance of how much you'll have next month. So as a tech savvy person, you still need to study other non-IT stuff like marketing, inviting investors, business and finance, etc.

You Depend on Yourself Too Much for Tech Support

You may be a tech savvy owner, and you may think that because of this and the fact that all your employees are IT or tech savvy, you won't need tech support. However, not unless you, the proprietor, an IT graduate or computer hardware engineer, being a computer support professional is far different from being a web developer or systems analyst. Being subscribed to a tech support company will, in the short and long run of things, greatly benefit you business since you can't afford to have regular tech support staff. Having tech support will be one of the best tech savvy decisions you will be doing for your company.