SAVE01) A really important Tech Tip, a little technical, but super important you do this (FREE)

LISTEN TO AUDIO, READ, OR BOTH?

The audio broadcast is posted for your listening pleasure, it is the same as what you can read below. Listening, listening while reading, for some, this is like being in front of a college professor giving a lecture and is a great way to learn. And others like to only read. Whatever works for you, both are available.

ABOUT THIS CHAPTER

This Chapter helps you realize you can learn some important techie stuff when it is presented properly, slowly and methodically, and logically, and simply.  This Chapter is super important for your computer’s security, truly the number one, numero-uno, security measure you should take.

Please read this Chapter even if you feel a little lost at first, it will all fall into place. This Chapter is a great test for both of us, did I present the topic in simple enough terms? Did you understand it?  That’s my goal, present a topic in simple terms, and have you understand it. If you fail your test, that’s a reflection on me that I’d like to avoid. Something I always stress, if you don’t understand something, ask a question! Answers are easier than frustration, and if chose to not continue with the rest of the book, which has much simpler and more interesting topics than this, in the words of the immortal Dan Aykroyd, it would really bummer me out.

If you’re a real techie you’ll most likely understand right away what I talking about in this Chapter. You probably still won’t do anything about it because you won’t think it’s necessary, but hopefully this Chapter convinces you otherwise and you run the way I run my own system. For the record, in over 40 years of running Microsoft™ operating systems, I have yet to ever get a virus.

By the end of this Chapter, I believe you’re going to say “wow, I need to be sure my system is running the right way”. I’m going to teach about a security issue you probably never knew existed. And by the end of the Chapter, you’re going to realize that it doesn’t matter that the topic was a bit techie, if a topic is presented properly and simply, you’ll be able to learn just enough to make use of it. No need to go into every last detail, just enough to make it useful. In the case of this Chapter, just enough so you understand why you want do what I recommend in Chapter 03 on complex passwords and Chapter 04 which puts in place the stuff I discuss in this Chapter.

We all fear security problems, viruses, identity theft and all of the other dangers we face having our computers connected to the Internet and being on websites like our online banking, Amazon™ and social media sites such as facebook™. I’m here to help you make your system more secure. Although we’re going to help make your system more secure, we always need to be concerned about online threats, even with the best security protocols in place. Security is addressed throughout this book wherever necessary.

Here’s all of Chapter 1, the 20-second-long short version:

I’m going to do something that I had not originally planned. Instead of slowly building through the Chapter’s topic, I’m going to tell you everything right here in about 20 seconds. I’m doing this for the techies, not for the average reader, so again, don’t worry about not understanding one word of the next paragraph. I want to be sure the techies, who I’m hoping are helping their parents and grandparents, to understand why I don’t want to lose their attention:

The 20-second version:
There are 2 types of computer users, ADMIN and REGULAR USER.
You’re probably running as an ADMIN which is really dangerous and you can infect your entire machine really easily, you should be running as a REGULAR USER.
The end.

At the end of this Chapter you should come back and read that again, as you’ll be able to say “yup, I know exactly what he means.” And by the end of the Chapter you’ll know why this is a really important topic for me to be starting this book with.

Please bare with me one more minute while I tell the techies something: If you’re a techie, you probably understood that and I’m guessing you aren’t jumping out of your seat to update your system because you probably don’t think it’s necessary. Hopefully this Chapter convinces you otherwise and you run the way I run my own system. Or at least set up your relatives and customers systems this way. For the record, in over 40 years of running Microsoft™ operating systems, I have yet to ever get a virus. You want to do this so if you do get a virus, it will most likely be limited to just your user account area and not your entire OS forcing a full system reinstall and a loss of three days rebuilding your system. You’ll find not running as an Admin causes no issues and isn’t an inconvenience. You won’t be forced to login to your Admin account as the system will just prompt for an Admin password when needed. Ok, end of techie talk, thanks for baring with me. Back to reality. I’ll limit this little techie interludes, but with this first Chapter being such an important topic I really want to keep their attention.

If you are wondering why I don’t just tell you how to do this, I like to present things in a logical order, one Mr. Spock would approve of. First I explain to you why you should do this. Then in Chapter 03 I’ll teach you what a complex password is and simple ways to create one. Then in Chapter 04 we’re going put together what you learned and make some changes to your system. If I just said hey, you really need to do this, the moment something sounds a slight bit confusing you may just skip to the next Chapter. If I can convince you the topic is really important, I know you won’t ignore it, even if that means having someone help you in Chapter 04, but I think you’ll do fine.

NO CONFUSING TERMS

About the most confusing terms you’ll read are probably going to be names of programs, such as Change User Account Control Settings, but don’t worry, that’s just the name of a program, not a term you need to understand.

And remember each Chapter has dictated audio for your listening pleasure. This website works great on phones. While following the suggestions of the Chapter, you can keep the audio going and pause/start/rewind as needed. Some people do like to listen as they read along and I do try to keep the audio the same as the typed text you are reading.

If you’re a macOS™ user, you should also understand the concepts in this Chapter as they pertain to you as well. If needed, have a knowledgeable friend help setup your system properly.

WHAT IS YOUR DESKTOP – JUST A GOOD THING TO BE SURE YOU KNOW

I promised to explain things, and this may seem simplistic but maybe not to everyone. I suggest reading all sections. If I’m explaining something you think is simple, like your desktop, it will usually be only a paragraph or two, and you never know what little Tip-Bit™ you’ll pick up. I made up the phrase, Tip-Bit™.

So the technical word I’m going to explain is desktop, which is truly a technical term. It’s so common for words to be thrown out there and you are just expected to know what they mean. Even something like desktop, you may have an idea what it is but that’s it, just an idea. Could you actually tell someone what your desktop is?

Your desktop is what you see on your screen when you first turn it on after logging in. It includes your program icons, your Start Menu where you find all of your programs listed, and basically everything that is visible on the display. A web browser such as Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Brave, Safari or one of many others, are actually computer programs. If you were to open your web browser to get to a website, that is now a program running on your desktop. Your desktop is a big wide open road, icons are like houses, and an open program like your web browser is like a car moving around on the road.

Even your phone’s screen is a desktop. When you have a program open, the program’s display window is not your desktop, the program is being displayed on your desktop. Even your text messaging app is a program running on your phone’s desktop. If you have a question about what your desktop is, use the Comment form at the bottom and let me know. It’s not critical, but you should know what is referred to as your desktop.

PASSWORD OR NO PASSWORD

When you first turn on your computer, if your system asks you for a password, FANTASTIC, not everyone is set up with a password! Be sure you read Chapter 03 which talks about how to make a good complex password.

If your system does not require a password, this is the equivalent to leaving the door of your car unlocked, the windows down, a full tank of gas, and the keys in the ignition. Please be sure as you go through this, even if you make no other system changes, be sure to create a good password for your Windows™ user account. Chapter 03 tells you have to create a good password and Chapter 04 shows you how to update your system with your new complex password.

WHAT IS A USER

So what is a user? I’m sure you realize you are a user as you do use your computer. 

As a user, you automatically get a special area for your files (documents, music, pictures), I’m sure you’ve seen your DOCUMENTS folder. The DOCUMENTS folder is like your own private filing cabinet. That area is linked to you as a user. You can think of an entire office being like your computer and a filing cabinet in the office is your DOCUMENTS folder is. Your private area.

If you use programs, such as Word™, to create documents, or Excel™ to create spreadsheets, you save pictures and photos, or have your music collection, the system will want to save them in your private filing cabinet.  A luxury of having all of your important stuff in this one place is it makes backups a lot easier since all you need to worry about is your personal filing cabinet, which is really your DOCUMENTS folder. A later Chapter discusses backups and how to make them.

THERE ARE 2 TYPES OF USER YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

There are many different types of users, for the scope of this book I’ll concentrate on the two you should be familiar with, a REGULAR USER and an ADMIN. Each user type is assigned different powers.

Think of a REGULAR USER as a guest in a hotel with a key to just one room. 

Think of an ADMIN as being the hotel manager, the one with the master-key giving access to the entire hotel. 

Lets equate that to what type of user you should be on your computer, and lets just assume you are an ADMIN as you most likely are: 

A REGULAR USER is the equivalent to being a hotel guest with a key to just one room and the use of some facilities such as the pool and laundry. The equivalent on your computer is your hotel room is like your DOCUMENTS folder, your private area. Like being a guest at the hotel with a right to use the pool and laundry, you are given the right to use your computer’s resources which are things like your printers, scanners, speakers and microphone.

If you lose your key, a criminal can only get into your one small hotel room and not the entire hotel. This is the same as a hacker getting in but only giving them access to one small area, your hotel room, and not your entire computer, being the entire hotel. Unfortunately, that one small area does include your private DOCUMENTS folder. This is why you need backups. The advantage however is a hacker is not able to get the key to the entire hotel and can’t destroy an entire computer, just your one small area, an important area, but at least it’s just one small area so it makes a virus much easier to recover from.

An ADMIN is the equivalent to being the hotel manager, the one with the master key to the entire place. This person can get into everything on the computer. In the wrong hands, such as those of a hacker, getting into an ADMIN account is like losing the hotel’s master key. The entire hotel, making your entire computer susceptible to bad things happening. If the hotel manager loses the master key, a criminal can invade the entire hotel. This is the same as a hacker getting into an ADMIN account where they can destroy everything on your computer including the operating system.

So what does all of this mean in English? You should be running your own computer as a REGULAR USER and not as an ADMIN. Chapter 03 will help you create complex passwords, and Chapter 04 will help you make simple changes to your system so you run safely as a REGULAR USER. 

I’m going to assume you are running as an ADMIN which is how most people run. Nobody came in the box with your computer telling you how to properly setup your system. You just followed the on-screen directions and it made you an ADMIN without saying “ok, now go create another user account as a REGULAR USER and use only that in real life”. 

Running as the proper user-type, and some general knowledge discussed in this book on how to spot a threat, is your strongest defense against your computer system being invaded.

Now I’m a really advanced user, I know how to check if an E-mail is dangerous spam, I know when not to click on a potentially dangerous link, I know to not open E-mail attachments that may be dangerous, and you know how I run? As a REGULAR USER.

If something bad happens to an ADMIN account, the entire computer is at risk and often has to be completely reloaded from scratch, even your programs will have to be reinstalled, everything can get lost.

If running as a REGULAR USER and something bad happens, like the hotel room key, only your small area, such as your DOCUMENTS folder, should be able to be destroyed. You’ll still need to do some work and restore a backup to get everything back, but you can be back running in an hour or two, and not two or three days with many hours of work to do, and very likely needing a lot of help.

CHECK POINT

This is a good check point. If anything you have learned so far seems confusing or you have questions, this is a good time to stop and catch up, don’t continue. Reread if needed, listen to the audio, maybe listening while reading will help get past any rough spots. And always know you can ask question! I really don’t mind questions and I truly encourage them when they are needed.

It’s best to understand each section and don’t let confusion build, it only leads to frustration. And we don’t want any frustration. The whole point of this book is for you to learn some great tech tips, and not become frustrated. I’ll try to point out good places, like this, to be sure you’re good before continuing to the next topic. And remember, this first topic is not a simple one, it’s an important one.

So what is it an ADMIN can do that a REGULAR USER can’t?

Remember all that talk how REGULAR USERS can’t do everything and don’t have access to everything like an ADMIN?

When only an ADMIN is allowed to do something, it’s means Admin Privileges are needed.
A REGULAR USER is not allowed to do what requires Admin Privileges.

Only an ADMIN has the hotel’s master key, and there are things the system won’t let you do with a regular hotel room key. That master key is like having Admin Privileges, you’re allowed to do about anything you want, go where you want, damage what you want, right or wrong, good or bad, the master key allows total unrestricted access.

If you are a REGULAR USER and you do something that requires Admin Privileges, your system is actually going to tell you. It will literally stop, your desktop will disappear, and a screen will pop-up asking for your for an ADMIN password. Here’s a picture of what that looks like:

If this does not look familiar, if you don’t recall ever seeing this pop up, almost definitely you’re running as an ADMIN. If you are not an ADMIN and you do anything that requires Admin Privileges, a screen like this will take over your entire desktop, it can’t be missed.

An example of when you would see this is when installing a new program or updating an existing one. If the update installs without asking for a password, you are an ADMIN. Only an ADMIN is allowed to install a program, and that includes most program updates.

ARE AN ADMIN OR A REGULAR USER?

We’ve established how much safer it is to run as a REGULAR USER and not as an ADMIN so lets see what type of user you are right now, even though we can assume you’re an ADMIN.

Just running your everyday programs should never require admin privileges, it’s a really rare thing to need them. If you are a REGULAR USER and you install a new program, update an existing program, or anything only ADMINS are allowed to do, that is, something that requires Admin Privileges, the system will tell you, it will stop everything it’s doing and ask you for the ADMIN password. This is actually great safety feature as you’ll know your system is trying to do something only an ADMIN is allowed to do. 

LETS TEST TO SEE WHAT TYPE OF USER YOU ARE

There are a few ways to definitively tell what user type you are. Try this one. Although it is not 100% perfect, it will be correct most of the time, and it’s easy to try.

On Windows 10™, at the bottom of your screen, click your mouse in your Type here to search box as shown in the picture. On Windows 11™, if you don’t see a search box, look for the big ? icon in the bottom center, that’s your Search, just click on the ? icon

In the Search-box, type the word USER (not case sensitive), but don’t hit ENTER. Windows™ will automatically search and it will display what it finds. You should see something similar to this picture saying Change User Account Control setting:

Now click on the box on the right that says Change User Account Control settings and lets see what happens?

If you get into the User Account Control Settings with a screen that looks like the one below, or even remotely like it, then you ARE running as an ADMIN.

If you got into the User Account Control settings screen, just click the X in the upper right to close it, we’re done with it. I just wanted to see if you could get into that program without being asked for a password.

If instead of seeing the User Account Control Settings program, did your system ask you for a password, like the screen below?

If yes, then you are a REGULAR USER which of course makes me happy. You may just close the password request windows, we’re done with it. But we still want to have a complex password and that’s discussed in Chapter 03.

RECAP

At this point, you should know there are two types of users, REGULAR USER and ADMIN.

And you should know how you running your computer, as a REGULAR USER or as an ADMIN.

I bet you’re feeling a little surprised right now that you just read all this new tech stuff and you probably feel you actually understood it, at least mostly. And mostly is pretty good, but still, if you have questions, don’t hesitate, let me know, I’m happy to answer them.

You just learned all sorts of new stuff. You learned about the two main types of users and have a good understanding why an ADMIN is really a special user type that if not used properly can be pretty dangerous to your system.

You learned you should be running, your own computer, as a REGULAR USER.

And you know if you are currently running as a REGULAR USER or as an ADMIN.

After you read Chapter 3 on complex passwords we’ll get to Chapter 04 and help you set up your ADMIN and REGULAR USER accounts. All we really did so far was introduce you to an important tech topic and the only reason I started with something that seems a bit complex is because of how important this topic is for system security.

YOU ARE DOING GREAT! And remember, ask questions, it makes me happy to know you understand what I’m teaching.

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

Have a question on this Chapter? See the section below, ‘Submit a Comment’. Chances are, someone else probably has the same question. And, I may see a question and realize I need to simplify or rewrite something for clarity. Since this is not a hard printed book, updates are easy. 

Always remember:

“There are no silly questions, only silly answers.
And an answer without a question is only a statement”.
Mayor Adam West™