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Configuring a Windows PC For a Senior Citizen?
An anonymous reader writes "I would like to know if there are any resources on the Web or elsewhere describing how to configure a Windows PC for an older parent not living in the same household. Assume little computer familiarity or aptitude. Some stuff is obvious, like using only a few large icons for favorite Web sites, or an icon perhaps for composing email and another for checking email. Other considerations are eliminating nuisance messages from Windows update and antivirus/firewall. What works and what doesn't? Can anyone who has worked/volunteered at a senior center offer some insights?"
You're doomed. Just give them your telephone number and book out 3 hours per week of your time for the rest of your life.
"I bless every day that I continue to live, for every day is pure profit."
A taxi.
http://spamdecoy.net - free throwaway anonymous email - avoid spam!
just give them a PC with no OS on it and an OpenBSD CDrom and Theo's phone number :D
Politics is Treachery, Religion is Brainwashing
My platypii died of a virus, you insensitive clod!
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
I know Fanboy Homos will get crazy and crucify me for what I will say but this is was my experience:
Like a good fanboy linux advocate, I installed Ubuntu on all my elderly relatives computers, my grand-dad, dad and mom, they all live on different houses, and hours of plane travel from me.
So, I even installed VNC so I could manage their GUI desktops if necessary. I showed them the pretty Gnome GUI and the pretty browsers and how to use e-mail, so they were pretty happy.
But, then it started: they couldn't access their preferred websites, because flash didn't install properly. So, I had to teach a 80 year's old how to untar and copy a library over to the mozilla directory, which was a pretty gruesome experience.
Well, Ubuntu was such a piece of crap for them that they started to call me screaming they need their good windows computers back because their friends were going to websites and they couldn't do the same.
So, as result, my elderly relatives found a Windows tech guy, the guy installed XP on their machines, and they were happy again.
I had to pay for their installations, but wasn't able to avoid being banished from family forever, thanks to the fanboyish failure machine: Ubuntu.
This Xmas, the windows tech guy will be seating at their Xmas dinner table while I will be eating Macaroni and Cheese from my microwave, alone at my house.
So, my advice to this guy asking about his elderly relative: Do not follow the fanboys here as they don't have real families and WoW NPCs really like when their kids or grandkids install Ubuntu on their PCs, but real people don't.
Do like this: Find a store selling LEGIT Windows XP copies. Buy one, install it, activate automatic updates. Install a good AUTOMATIC anti-virus, firewall and anti-spyware. Install Firefox and all the plugins. MAKE SURE THAT FIREFOX WORKS!!!!! (stupid FOSS...) Then activate Remote Desktop so you can fix the machine remotely. And, voila, you got a happy relative with a happy computer.
And you can have happy Xmases forever, without have to being cursed because of the homo-fanboy F*ckuntu...
And the plural of "pedant" is Slashdot. :D
That would be a collective noun, not a plural.
I'll get my coat....
This Xmas, the windows tech guy will be seating at their Xmas dinner table while I will be eating Macaroni and Cheese from my microwave, alone at my house.
Just go upstairs, already. Your mom will be happy to see you again.
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
This is the year of the Windows desktop!
93rd rule of Slashdot: No matter how obvious my sarcasm is, my comment will be taken seriously by someone.