Just a few raindrops can ruin TV watching at Joey L.’s house. His family has three satellite dishes that won’t work when it rains. “That can be frustrating when you have a huge, high-powered satellite and it doesn’t work,” says Joey, 12, of Chicago.
Besides TV troubles, Joey’s iPod has issues. “I have an older iPod, and it tends to freeze,” he says.
And his family’s Internet connection goes out occasionally, which means a trip to the basement to figure out what went wrong in the cable box. But Joey loves computers, so when his has a breakdown, he can easily reboot or repair the problem, he says.
Like Joey, lots of kids have tech troubles. Technology is supposed to make our lives easier. But when your printer won’t print tomorrow’s homework, your cell phone can’t get a signal and a big e-mail message just froze your computer, modern conveniences can seem pretty inconvenient.
Computer viruses are a common problem for Parker R., 13, of Wheaton. “I’m on the Internet often,” Parker says. “When you get [a virus], you feel like your world will explode. Everything you have on your computer is disappearing and not working correctly. You’ve just got to keep your cool.”
He says he avoids freaking over frozen screens by remembering, “there is always a way to fix it.”
Parker usually can handle most tech meltdowns and malfunctions. He recently built his own computer and uses his homemade PC for games, Internet browsing and Flash animation. “I do my homework on there and everything,” he says.
Because he built his computer, Parker knows where to look when there’s a problem. He also helps out when a classmate’s Palm Pilot fails. Every kid in his grade has a Palm Pilot to log homework assignments and upcoming projects. Parker says the gadgets are helpful but sometimes a student’s agenda randomly gets erased.
A blank Palm Pilot might seem like a great excuse for not having your homework–sure beats blaming the dog. But many kids feel frustrated by tech troubles. When that happens, Parker suggests asking your computer teacher or a member of the school’s computer club for help. He also recommends typing questions into Google or checking out books from the library.
You can learn a lot on your own too. Amanda K., 13, of Crystal Lake is teaching herself HTML. She has her own Web page and an online community called a “guild” that’s devoted to all things Harry Potter.
But when Amanda’s family’s Internet connection goes out, she has to wait for her brother to come home and reset the router. That can mean hours off-line, so she usually finds something else to keep her busy.
Though Amanda has no choice but to get up from her computer, taking a break from your tech troubles can be a smart solution. Don Norman, professor of computer science at Northwestern University, says he sometimes gets up and walks away from a slow computer.
Why do computers get so slow? Norman says programs such as Microsoft Word are written by many people. Sometimes the computer gets confused when the program instructions are unclear. “It’s not your fault,” Norman says.
Instead of banging your head against a computer with a frozen program, Norman recommends quitting the program. If quitting doesn’t work, shut down the computer.
But keep in mind: The more programs you are running, the slower the computer may move. “Everything we do slows down the computer,” Norman says.
Bad downloads also can screw up a system. Joey once downloaded from the Internet a program his friend recommended. His computer started running so slowly, he had to wipe his system clean. “I had to reinstall the software five times,” he says.
Since then, Joey has learned how to erase “every trace on my computer that has to do with the Web.”
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Not again. Microsoft has encountered a problem” and needs to shut down. Meanwhile, Internet Explorer can’t find the browser. What a pain. Here’s what kids should know about their PC problems:
– Computers are clueless. Kids expect computers to be smart. Think again–you’re actually the one in charge. “The computer is dumb,” says computer science professor Don Norman. “It doesn’t even know you’re there.”
– Big e-mails mean a big wait. Sending photos from your last sleepover? It could take time. Large e-mail files mean the computer has more to think about, so it might slow down other programs or stall the Internet. “It can’t deal with anything else at the same time,” Norman says. So prepare yourself for a wait or adjust your e-mail settings to block unwanted big files.
– Downloads can be dangerous. Some downloaded programs are poorly written and move slowly. Others are filled with viruses that can seriously mess up a computer. Both Joey L. and Parker R. say their computers moved slowly after they downloaded viruses.
– The task bar is your friend. If a program suddenly freezes, try using the system’s task bar before rebooting. For many computers, that just means hitting the “Control,” “ALT” and “Delete” keys at the same time. When the task bar pops up, tell it to shut down the problem program, Norman says.
– Some Internet connections are timed. You’re chatting online when the connection cuts off. What’s up? Some dial-up lines are timed so the modems aren’t tied up. Kids either have to be patient or go for a high-speed cable connection that is “always on,” Norman says.
