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15 Troubleshooting Tips for Kids & Parents

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Healthy Computing September 1997 • Vol.3 Issue 9	Add To My Personal Library
15 Troubleshooting Tips for Kids & Parents

Troubleshooting
Tips

For Kids & Parents

An E-mail bomb? Pam Griffin (not her real name), a Beverly Hills-based medical professional, was stunned as the America Online (AOL) representative calmly explained why her account was suddenly canceled. Griffin's 12-year-old son had sent hundreds of electronic mail messages to AOL's president and CEO.

"E-mail bombs" violate AOL's terms of service agreement, and since each E-mail message included her son's E-mail address, the prankster wasn't hard to trace. The representative apologized for any inconvenience that shutting down her AOL service might have caused, and explained that AOL would not press charges because the offense, though serious, appeared to be more of a prank than a deliberate attempt to harm AOL. However, the AOL representative suggested Griffin pay more attention to what her children were doing online.

Good advice. Children and computers can be as natural as ham and cheese or as dangerous as fire and gasoline. Parents, educators, and industry analysts agree that the best way to avoid online problems is to spend time teaching children how to be good citizens in Cyberspace and then monitor their online activities.

"Just like driving a car will be at 16, I had to teach my daughter, now at age 7, that using a computer is a big responsibility," explains Adam Rodman, a Los Angeles-based screenwriter.

But whether a child is online or just playing a game on the family's PC, accidents happen. Some PC problems, such as a favorite game locking up or being thrown offline, can be simple to fix. Others require adult intervention, like checking for viruses before downloading a game or resurrecting a dead PC.

Even if you're new to computing and your children know more than you do, here are 15 tips that will nip many PC problems and troubleshoot the rest.

1. Start Me Up.

Very young children should never be allowed to use a PC without adult supervision. When your children are ready to drive solo, it's a good idea to show them the rules of the road. Specifically, make sure they know how to properly turn a computer on and off. This includes saving work and exiting out of each program one at a time using the proper exit commands. Failing to do so risks losing work and damaging or corrupting files. Teach children what all the buttons do—especially the reset and power buttons —where an accidental nudge or bad timing can lead to lost work and scrambled files.

2. Idle Hands.

Properly using a mouse and keyboard can make the difference between a great computer experience and a bad one. Even small children can learn to use a keyboard or mouse, especially if they are designed just for them (see "Accessories For Kids" in this issue). Make sure children know how to single- and double-click a mouse. With Windows 95 (Win95), many educational and software games take advantage of right-click features. Also, use a mouse pad. Not only do they come in terrific kid designs—everything from Superman to "Star Wars" characters—but the raised surface improves mouse traction and keeps the mouse away from paper and other clutter on your desk.

Finally, go over a few basic keyboard commands. Hitting the ESC key usually stops incoming information. Pressing the F1 function key calls up help. Most Window programs also have excellent help features available simply by clicking Help on the toolbar or menu. Griffen suggests making a cheat sheet of common commands for all software and online programs.

3. So Happy Together.

Review new games, educational software, and online areas with your children. Make sure they can handle the products before leaving them alone. Also, never let children install any software programs without supervision.

Driver's Ed . If you've installed a new program and suddenly other applications stop working, chances are a file or driver has been overwritten. One way to put things back the way they were is with a "software monitor" feature found in many Win95 uninstaller programs, such as Quarterdeck's CleanSweep 95 ($39.95, 800/683-6696, 310/309-3700, http://www.quarterdeck.com). Another way is to make sure you have the latest software updates, drivers, and patches. An easy way to do this is with CyberMedia's Oil Change ($39.95, 800/721-7824, http://www.cybermedia.com).

Win95 Games. For best results and fewest hassles, use Win95 with Win 95 games only. DOS games have a hard time running under Win95 and Windows 3.x, and can require that you tinker with Windows settings. Don't do it. Don't buy any game that won't run right out of the box. If you're having trouble with a specific game or application, check to see if the same problem appears in other programs. If the problem is confined to one program, try reading the manual or looking at the Help feature on the toolbar.

Reboot & Retry Again . If your computer ignores your mouse or keyboard commands, you may have to reboot (turn off, and then on again) your computer. For best results, physically turn off your PC rather than pushing a reset button. A "hard boot" completely clears all data out of memory. This solves many software problems, and if it doesn't, your PC is no worse for trying. This is something children ages 10 and older can do, provided you teach them how.

Another solution—provided you're using Win 95—is to press the CTRL-ALT-DEL keys at the same time. Look for the words "not responding" next to an application in the Close Program dialog box. Highlight the offending application, then left-click the End Task button. In some instances another Window will appear informing you that the program is not responding properly. Left-click End Task. If the application closes, go into every other open program, save your work, and exit Windows. Then restart, because Win95 may have become unstable when the initial application crashed.

If the frozen application does not close, see if Windows will let you switch to the other open applications (if clicking fails, try using the ALT-TAB keys), save your work, and exit by left-clicking Start, then Shut Down, then Restart Computer. If the application continues to freeze, call the publisher and see if they're familiar with the problem and have a software fix.

4. Online Safety.

Although "don't talk to strangers" is a basic law for all children, on the Internet everyone is a stranger. Unless you know exactly whom you're talking to, assume whenever someone tells you something about themselves it's a lie. Many online problems start in chat rooms. If your child is going to chat, make sure you check out the chat rooms. Discuss online safety. Make sure your children know not to give out any "real" information like where Dad or Mom works, their password, real name, or home address.

Keep current with software updates and new drivers with the help of CyberMedia's Oil Change.

Web Watcher. Many Web sites are not suitable for children. Others may clash profoundly with the values you want to teach your children. To monitor and control this, many filtering options have been developed. If you subscribe to an online service like AOL, take advantage of Parental Controls (Keyword: parental control). If you don't, check out Internet filtering software like Microsystems Software's Cyber Patrol (508/879-9000, http://www.microsys.com).

The best way to see what your children are doing online is go there with them. Also, talk to other parents in the same boat as you at places like AOL's Families (Keyword: families), Parent Soup (http://www.parentsoup.com), or Moms Online (http://www.momsonline.com). In the real world, you wouldn't let your child play at a stranger's house without checking the situation out first, and Cyberspace isn't any different.

5. Protect Your PC.

Try positioning your computer far away from household traffic, especially cooking areas or rooms where people smoke. Tuck the case housing the central processing unit, hard drive, motherboard, etc. under a desk or some out-of-the-way place where it won't be accidentally kicked. Keep the keyboard away from the edge of a desk so it won't be accidentally knocked off. If possible, buy a desk with a keyboard tray. (Standalone keyboard trays are available for about $40.) Buy a keyboard, computer, and printer dust cover and use them when the system is turned off. Finally, make sure your PC is turned off when you clean it. Use a soft sponge and a mild household cleaner like Fantastik.

Get Wired . Make sure all wires, cords, and cables are tucked out of sight away from children or curious pets. Rabbits dine on electrical wiring. Whenever possible, keep cables to the rear of your computer setup and, if necessary, tape them together or use a flex tubing product like Cord Control Kit (Get Organized, 408/438-0259, $10-$15) to tether and conceal computer cables.

Computer Cleaning . Clean the computer area regularly. Dust balls, animal fur, and cookie crumbs can be hazardous to your PC's health. Buy a can of compressed air (about $10) and blow out dust in the keyboard. If you feel comfortable doing so, twice a year pop the hood off your PC and blow dust out of inaccessible areas.

Mousing Droppings . Over time, a mouse gets dirty. Remove the ball and clean it and the rollers with isopropyl alcohol. Set rules for keeping the area around the computer clean. That means no eraser rubbings, crayon bits, spitballs, or snack food.

Power Surge . Protect your computer, modem, and fax with a surge protector. Surge protectors absorb high-voltage spikes caused by power surges, which can otherwise fry your computer and hardware add-ons. A good surge protector costs about $50 and has a UL 1449 surge protection rating of 330 volts stamped on the product or box. Every standard Pa namax surge protector (800/472-5555, http://www.pana
max. com) offers a no-questions-asked lifetime warranty on both the product and connected equipment.

Media Protection . Diskettes, CDs, and backup tapes must be kept clean and away from magnets; otherwise they won't work properly. In some cases, they can damage your PC. Buy your children a diskette or CD-ROM holder for their software. This keeps programs clean, organized, hopefully stored in one place, and out of the way.

6. Food Fears.

No eating or drinking next to the PC. The fastest way to destroy a keyboard or mouse is to spill soda pop or coffee inside it. If you must drink by your PC, use spill-proof cups.

7. Back Up Your Data.

If children are using the same PC you depend on, it's imperative to protect important and irreplaceable files by copying them to a diskette, tape, or Zip drive disk. "Accidents happen even to the most computer-savvy children," cautions Rodman. When it comes to computing, it's always better to be paranoid and safe than tragically sorry. Both Win95 and Windows 3.x come with built-in backup programs. Work files, financial records, or your great American novel should be backed up weekly, even daily. An easier strategy is to buy a Zip drive like Iomega's Zip 100 ($150, 800/697-8833, http://www.iomega.com). Each disk is capable of holding up to 100 megabytes (MB), more than enough for you and your children to store important files separately.

8. Child-proof Your Files & Computer.

Whenever possible, write-protect important diskettes. Turn the diskette over and in the left-hand corner you'll see a small manual tab. Simply shift it upward. A square hole will appear matching the one on the right side of the diskette. Wherever possible, use password protection options found in many programs to prevent unauthorized kid access. The best way to child-proof your system is to be prepared to quickly recover from an unexpected disaster.

9. Create An Emergency Boot Diskette.

PC problems come in many flavors. They include a game that won't install properly and error messages like Configuration Error, Invalid Setup, or Boot Disk Failure. The only way to override these messages, or any other problem that prevents your system from starting, is to restart your computer from the A: drive. This means you need a boot diskette.

If you're using Win95, stick a diskette in the A: drive and the Win95 software in your CD-ROM drive. Go to the Control Panel by left-clicking Start, then Menu, Settings, and Control Panel. Double left-click Add/Remove Programs, left-click the Startup Disk tab, then the Create Disk button. If you're using Windows 3.x., to format a new diskette in your A: drive and make it bootable, insert the diskette and type format a:/s. This should copy the following files: Io.sys, Msdos.sys, and Command.com. Then use File Manager to copy the following files: Autoexec.bat., Config.sys, Win.ini, and System.ini.

CyberMedia's First Aid can diagnose and repair many Windows 95 problems automatically.

10. Take Care Of Your Computer's Insides.

If applications seem to be taking longer to load, try running your disk defragmenter. If you're using Windows 3.x, exit out of Windows and from the C> prompt type c:\dos\defrag and press ENTER. If you're using Win95, go to the Disk Defragmenter by left-clicking Start, then Menu, Programs, Accessories, and System Tools. In Win95, you can quickly find out when you last ran ScanDisk, Disk Defragmenter, or Backup by opening My Computer, right-clicking the C: drive, selecting Properties, then clicking the Tools tab. You'll see information on the last time you performed these disk operations, plus launch buttons for each.

11. ER Utilities.

Although Win95 has a few basic maintenance programs, you'll find a fire truck full of hard-core yet easy-to-use utilities that can resurrect a dead PC and save the day. Special diagnostic programs like Norton Utilities for Windows 95 ($119, CD-ROM $129, 800/441-7234, 541/334-6054, http://www.symantec.com) and FirstAid (800/721-7824, http://www.cybermedia. com) can help you diagnose and fix many PC problems. Norton Utilities is famous for its ability to "unerase" files that have been accidentally deleted. FirstAid can repair many Win95 problems automatically and is a must-own utility if your children are running different PC games.

12. Practice Safe Computing.

The worst computer "bug" is a virus. The best way to prevent a computer virus is to scan all diskettes with antivirus software before copying anything to your computer—yes, even stuff you buy. Be especially wary of diskettes brought over by friends and f iles downloaded from the Web or online service. You can buy antivirus software in any computer store or download it off the Web. McAfee's VirusScan for Windows 95 ($65, 800/332-9966, 408/988-3832, http://www. mcafee.com) offers comprehensive virus detection, deletion, repair, and prevention. Antivirus software remains effective only if you download its monthly updates.

13. Keep Calm.

When you are confronted with a PC problem, stay cool—especially if you ever want your child to tell you when there's a problem in the future. Yelling and screaming won't fix the PC. Start troubleshooting with the simple solutions first. Is everything tur ned on? Are all the cables secure and connected? Computers and printers, like people, sometimes get confused when presented with too much information. Try rebooting your PC and/or turning off your printer, waiting 15 seconds, then restarting everything. In most cases, this should clear whatever is jamming up the memory. Hopefully the computer, software program, or printer will work just fine. Another easy solution is to simply reinstall the software.

14. Getting Help.

If you're using Win95, before calling tech support, try starting your computer in Safe Mode, which bypasses your system files. To activate Safe Mode, turn off your system, wait about 15 seconds, then turn it on. When you see the "Starting Windows" message display, quickly hit the F8 function key. If you do it right, you'll be presented with a short menu. Select the third choice: Safe mode, and press ENTER. If your system starts and your applications work, a likely culprit is a device driver tucked somewhere in a system file like Win.ini, System.ini, etc. You'll still have to figure out exactly what the problem is; however, it's a nice stop-gap solution if you're on deadline, or it's late at night, or you don't want to pay for after-hours technical support.

The cheapest way to get help fast is by making friends with parents already familiar with the games your children are playing. Chances are if your kids are playing WarCraft, for example, so are the neighbors. With any luck, they've run into and solved the problem that is stymieing you.

15. Calling For Help.

If you do call tech support, make sure you know the following information: your PC model, how many megabytes of random-access memory (RAM) you have, the hard drive size, the operating system and version number (Win95, Windows 3.x, DOS or Macintosh), what video and sound cards are inside, and what peripherals you're using (mouse, trackball, joystick, scanner, etc.). This information is in your owner's manual. Have your boot diskette ready, and if possible, have printouts of your Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, Win.ini, and System.ini files. Finally, if you're connected to the Internet, take advantage of online support. Most major software publishers—especially game and educational programs—have a Web site, where the answer to your problem may already be posted. Also, try sending an E-mail message to a tech support department after hours.

by Michael Cahlin

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