51–60 of 221 posts
Linux machine, subscribe to more adblocker malware prevention lists - my mother's laptop has more ticks on the adblock subscription lists than squares - and in case of my father an awkward conversation where I told him a list of safe porn sites.
If you are stuck on Windows or Mac you can try a program that restores the computer to a safe state on reboot, like Deep Freeze.
Not a bad idea. What are your thoughts on file-syncing using DropBox? Solutions have to be easier than breathing - I used to take a regular image of the PC for backup purposes but then my dad would complain he couldn't actually view the files.
https://www.us-cert.gov/sites/default/files/publications/dat...
I am the opposite of most comments here. Don't stupid her away to a mobile device. We got our mom a computer, a cheap one, and told her to play with it. Break it. Click everywhere. Soon enough she was playing with windows settings. Soon enough nothing worked. She now knew you can brick computer, she is more careful. We fixed the computer and she explored the internet. She asked how she could download wallpapers, we i…
It's like me trying to fix my own car just for the sake of knowing how to fix my own car. Nope. No thanks. I'll take it to the garage when it's broken.
For most people I would recommend an iPad or a smartphone.
Story time: My father complained of virus and malwares on his computer. I came home, formatted his hard drive and re-installed windows. I go to eat lunch with my mother in the kitchen, a few minutes later I hear "[baby], I have a virus on my computer!". WHAT? The first thing he did was to google for "chrome" on internet explorer and use the first result. The first result is a google ads for a malware containing chrom…
For whatever reason, the web got to this point where non-technical people get infected within minutes, whatever advertising revenue is lost by content creators isn't worth my headaches providing tech support to family members and friends.
Use Deepfreeze or something similar. You'll mark a their documents directory as excluded and then every time they restart their machine it'll be back to the exact state it was in when you first set it up. You don't want to have to support them using a new OS for the first time - you'll be in for a headache. I use Deepfreeze for anyone who is a "problem user" and most don't even realize they have it if it's set up rig…
This is the answer.
I still think that the second-best answer is to get a tablet or phablet. My grandmother has mostly switched to an iPad and the vast majority of real problems disappeared. There's the occasional 'how I do get photo to target ', but nothing serious.
Feels a bit like defeat though.
While I'm loathe to recommend a walled garden solution and not a particularly big Apple fan, this is exactly where such a solution shines. An iPad is perfect for this situation.
I am the opposite of most comments here. Don't stupid her away to a mobile device. We got our mom a computer, a cheap one, and told her to play with it. Break it. Click everywhere. Soon enough she was playing with windows settings. Soon enough nothing worked. She now knew you can brick computer, she is more careful. We fixed the computer and she explored the internet. She asked how she could download wallpapers, we i…
> She asked how she could download wallpapers, we introduced her to torrents and file sharing But... why?
Instead, you can safely download one of the top wallpaper torrent package on Pirate Bay and get thousands of good quality wallpapers.
Story time: My father complained of virus and malwares on his computer. I came home, formatted his hard drive and re-installed windows. I go to eat lunch with my mother in the kitchen, a few minutes later I hear "[baby], I have a virus on my computer!". WHAT? The first thing he did was to google for "chrome" on internet explorer and use the first result. The first result is a google ads for a malware containing chrom…
This might be the best argument for using an adblocker indiscriminately. For whatever reason, the web got to this point where non-technical people get infected within minutes, whatever advertising revenue is lost by content creators isn't worth my headaches providing tech support to family members and friends.
tldr: Linux. I had more or less the same issue (except things still booted) with my parents about 5 or 6 years ago. In a move I thought was insane, I put them on Xubuntu. I moved them to Mint for a while, but they are back to Xubuntu. It's my preferred distro, and the Ubuntu base (for good support) and XFCE (Windows familiarity) made me comfortable it was Mom and Dad proof. Aside from showing them where things are, t…