I had really good intentions of writing in my blog on a regular basis, but then life happened and things just got way too busy and the writing was the first thing to be put to the side! My youngest came home at the end of May, with her 2 kitties in tow to leave with me while she travels to Israel and around Europe for the next few months! So, now I live with 3 cats, who are still getting used to each other and the new ones are still getting settled into their new home, with no help from my very territorial boy! Along with the kitties, DD also brought me her laptop to fix for her. She’s by no means technically inclined, so has no idea about defraging a hard drive, saving documents/pictures/music to disc, etc. In short, her laptop is a MESS!!! I’ve been moving files of all kinds to my external hard drive and then burning hard copies of them as well. It’s painstakingly slow, to put it mildly. Prior to starting with the backups, I first scanned the drive with antivirus and anti-malware programs and found a plethora of malware and a few trojans! YIKES!!! Needless to say, I scan everything before I move it to my external drive (which I have to do in order to burn the files to disc, as her disk drive is not working)! I’m learning a ton through the process! I’ve signed up for a newsletter from makeuseof.com and receive Rick’s newsletter as well as Windows Secrets paid newsletter … thank goodness for these wonderful resources …. they are definitely life savers!
As I’ve been working on DD’s laptop, I got the idea of getting some type of formal training on computer maintenance, etc. so that I can perhaps start a little side business working mainly with seniors who have computers … in another life, I studied to become a social worker, with a focus on geriatrics and hospice care … I love working with the elderly, love to hear their stories, and find they have so much wisdom to share with those willing to listen to them! And … I love computers … have been interested in computers and had my very first one in the days of DOS … It boggles the mind to see the strides made in technology since the mid to late 80s!! A very good friend got me started by teaching me the basics, and bailing me out when I made major blunders, and is still a fabulous resource when I need him to be! But otherwise, I’ve taught myself pretty much everything by reading and through trial and error!
So, in light of my new intention to learn more and perhaps become certified/accredited in computer maintenance, I’m wondering whether any of you out there have any recommendations as to what courses would be worthwhile taking. I welcome all suggestions and am always open to constructive advice.
Monika M