Computer tips for working from home

Computer tips for working from home

Working from home is a commonplace occurrence these days, with the COVID-19 virus forcing scores of office employees to relocate and hunker down in their homes.

Since it’s tax season, one may be tempted to write-off part of their home as an office. But first check with your accountant, who will advise you not to even think about it – unless your home office is used frequently and not just because of the epidemic.

Are you infected or infecting others? Think of the COVID-19 folks who are asymptomatic, that is they are infected but show no symptoms but can still infect others. Perhaps Mary Mallon comes to mind, also known as Typhoid Mary, who spread the disease but had no symptoms herself. Some computers are like that.

Is your computer infected?

Your computer may not look infected, according to that lame free anti-virus software you have now – but it may be. It’s highly likely that your computer has one of these stealth asymptomatic apps. Now you’re the risk that could infect everyone in your company.

Yes, that innocent game you just downloaded to fill your free time, the driver update software you installed because you thought it was necessary or perhaps those pop-up ads may contain the seeds of your destruction. Many of the “free” games, pop-up ads or automatic update programs are frauds designed to give you a little something free but open the door for malware to enter. Get some military-grade cyber security anti-virus, anti-malware “end-point” software to cure the issue.

Webcams

Webcams are a way to socialize without being there and are great for meetings and person-to-person communications with your company and friends. Use a webcam on Skype for individual contact. Skype is easy to set up and free (or very cheap) to operate. Go to skype.com/en/download-skype/ to start. By the way, both parties, the caller and the called, should have the same software to be 100 percent compatible.

If your company is large enough, you may have an Information Technology (IT) group to guide you through your work-from-home setup. Do it yourselfers should be careful using Zoom Video and other free conferencing apps, because they are full of nasty creatures. This makes having a great cyber security app essential for trouble-free use. Call your tech for advice, loading and setup.

Our customer H.C. just called with a Zoom issue even though he has our military-grade cyber security, a special version of Bitdefender administrated by ComputersUSA.

If you are using a laptop at home and want a larger display, most laptops support an external monitor. I don’t like to squint at my laptop or tablet display, so I use a larger monitor. It really helps the eyes, especially when used for longer periods of time.

When you can’t get a strong signal for WiFi, try a booster or stronger WiFi USB connector. Sometimes the signal isn’t as strong as you need where you want to do your work, so use a repeater or booster to get a stronger signal. A weak signal may still work, but it will slow down your connections.

Printing

Setting up your printer for WiFi makes it easy to enjoy your work-at-home zone and print from anywhere in the home.

If you need more tips, just call. Or, if you just purchased a whatchamacallit-thingie for your computer and can’t make it work, give us a try.

Call your local technical support at 925-672-9989. Let’s talk.

William Claney is an independent tech writer and former owner of Computers USA in the Clayton Station. Email questions or comments to willclaney@gmail.com.

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