3 Ways You Can Avoid Disaster With Your Personal PC
Updated: Aug 17, 2020
It’s true to say that tech can be quite tricky. Even when thinking about your personal tech, a lot can go wrong with these systems. It can lead to a potential disaster that you’re not prepared for. This might mean a loss of data or it could involve issues with the security of your personal information. Luckily, there are some tactics you can consider to avoid issues with your personal PCs. Here are the best options that we recommend.
Backup
One of the easiest ways to avoid a potential disaster with your personal PC is to back up your files and systems. Most computers and Macs will provide you with an option to do this on the first day that you switch it on. The benefit of this is if there are any issues with the files on your computer, then you have a neat little backup that you can immediately access. You can, with the right backup, restore the entire computer from a malfunction or a tech error as if nothing ever went wrong at all.
Now, there are a few false assumptions about this process that will often stop people from backing up their PC or Mac. So, let’s explore these and make sure that we know why they are not relevant at all.
First, contrary to popular belief a backup will only take hours one time. Assuming you are backing up your systems regularly, let’s say once a week, it will probably just take minutes. Second, it won’t slow down your computer when you are using it normally. Although, you might notice a slight slow down while the backup is taking place.
A big benefit people often overlook is that you can actually delete files on the main system and simply keep them stored in the backup. This is useful if you have files that you need but that you don’t use on a regular basis, like photos of family holidays and videos.
You might think that the best way to backup your system is with an external hard drive. However, just like a computer, a hard-drive like this will eventually fail, leaving you with nothing. As such, you need to make sure that you are instead using a cloud. No hard-drive is needed here and your cloud backup is accessible whenever you want it. There are different ways to complete a backup and you can learn about how to conduct this process on a Mac with sites like https://setapp.com/how-to/how-to-backup-your-mac.
Use A VPN
Now, you might have heard of a VPN or you might not. Regardless of your level of knowledge you probably have at least a few false assumptions about this too. First, a VPN stands for the virtual private network. Each computer network is provided with an IP address. Using this IP, it’s possible to track you and connect your searches and every internet activity to you or rather, the owner of the computer.
With a VPN, you are provided with an alternate IP address that you can use. Essentially, your signal is bounced around a few different servers. This makes it far more difficult to track, though certainly not impossible. The biggest assumption about a VPN is that it’s a tool for conducting illegal activities. It’s true if you access a Torrent site, a question will immediately pop up asking if you want to use a VPN. So, it can be a useful tool for criminals but it’s actually beneficial for other purposes too. Windscribe is a great VPN and you can see more information about this on https://privacyaustralia.net/windscribe-review/.
You might be tired of companies gaining so much data about you and your scrolling habits. You might be wondering why ads are coming up from sites that you have visited in the past. Quite simply, this is because you are being tracked and traced by a massive variety of different companies online. They are able to track your usage online and then use the data to access you. They might even be able to gain your contact details.
With a VPN this is far less likely and more difficult. As such, it’s a useful tool even if you are one hundred percent sure that everything you are doing online is completely legal.
Passwords
You might think that if you trust everyone in your home, then there is no reason to put a password on a personal PC. There is certainly no reason to have multiple forms of security, right? Wrong, because it’s possible that you suffer a break-in. If this happens then the PC is always going to be a target, even if it’s not a particularly great model. A criminal will do this because it will allow them to immediately access any and all personal data. Imagine if you have your passwords autosaved on your computer. They would immediately be able to access your bank account and siphon all the money.
There are a few ways that you can handle this. The first step is to make sure that you are putting passwords on all your systems. You should also think about encrypting files that are particularly sensitive. You need to make sure that the passwords aren’t easy to guess either. The last thing you want is to allow a criminal to simply guess the password after a couple tries. This means that using any personal info relevant to you is a massive mistake. A criminal will always be able to find this information after breaking into your home.
You also need to make sure that the passwords that you use online are all different. While annoying and frustrating when you forget how to access a particular resource, it’s far more ideal than one key being able to open all doors.
It is worth paying attention to the prompts. If your password is deemed to be a weak, then you should take the time to change it. You can learn about creating strong passwords on https://blog.avast.com/strong-password-ideas.
We hope this helps you understand how to prevent a potential disaster with your personal computer system. By taking the right steps, you will be able to protect yourself and indeed, your family.
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