People new to using computers will inevitably make some mistakes, and some of these mistakes are particularly common.
Being Taken In By Fraudulent Emails
As with anything new, everything can seem interesting and exciting when using a computer for the first time. This can lead to problems, however, when it comes to opening emails. New computer users can be too trusting, and can be taken in by, for instance, a fraudulent email that seems to be an official email from their bank. The email will probably ask for personal details. Rolling over the link with a mouse will reveal that the link provided doesn’t lead to their bank at all, but is an attempt at deception. Another mistake a computer novice may make, when opening emails, is to open attachments, which supposedly offer something interesting. Sadly, these attachments may carry viruses.
A Lack Of Organisation
The new computer user will often be inclined to save more files than they really need. Consequently, the first few emails that they receive will be left in their inbox, and then the amount of messages will grow and grow until finding the important emails become hard to find. This problem will be the same regarding files on the computer itself, when there are no specific folders for the files to go into.
Problems With Connecting Devices
Connecting devices don’t always go smoothly for experienced computer users, but this can be really frustrating for the computer novice. A problem may occur and just be a cable that’s not fitted securely enough, but for anyone with little experience of using a computer the problem may seem more serious. They are more likely to think that there is a problem with the device itself. A failure to understand the instructions can be another problem for the computer novice.
Installing Too Many Programs
Because the computer novice doesn’t have experience of what are the best and most relevant programs for them they will tend to install many more programs than they actually need. Though many modern computers now have a great deal more disk space than they had even a decade ago, it’s never a good idea to have too many programs on a computer – especially when a great many will never be used. This is one common mistake that those new to computers will often make.