Page 14 - Oxted Local February 2024

14 February 2025
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Oxted Local 
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I thought if making the title of
this article “A foolproof way of
ensuring you are never frustrated
by your technology” however the
rest of the article would just be
blank.
Ah, technology. It can take you
from browsing cat videos to
screaming at a screen in under
five minutes. If you’ve ever found
yourself yelling, “Why won’t you
just work?” at your trusty device,
you’re not alone. Hopefully these
few pointers may help to reduce
the frustration.
Don’t panic – Randomly
hammering away at the keyboard
is likely to make things worse.
Try to work out what may be
causing the issue. Many programs
/ Apps have an “Undo” facility
that will reverse the last command
(or series of commands). Ah.. if
only we could “Undo” our own
mistakes.
Staring angrily at the loading
screen won’t make it do what
you want it to. Walk away, grab a
coffee, and remind yourself it’s just
a machine.
Turn It Off and On Again – I
know this is a cliché, but it often
resolves the issue. Think of your
device like a grumpy toddler.
Sometimes, it just needs a nap.
Restarting can solve countless
issues, from a frozen program
T I P S
TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY
to that weird error
message that seems
to say, “I know what
you need to do to
get this to work, but I
am not telling you.”
Google Is Your
Friend - When
something goes
wrong, don’t
panic—research it
online. There’s a 99%
chance someone
else has had the
same problem (and hopefully
found a solution). Be specific in
your searches: Instead of typing
“Why is my computer angry with
me?” try “Windows 11 update
stuck at 45%.” If the remedy
involves something challenging
like “editing the registry,” it would
be best to seek professional advice
before attempting it.
Back Up - Few things are more
frustrating than losing important
files. Imagine spending hours
crafting the perfect article, only
for your computer to pull a
disappearing act worthy of an act
on Britain’s Got Talent. Avoid this
heartbreak by setting up some
sort of automatic backup (even
a manual backup is better than
nothing). There are plenty of free
or low-cost cloud storage services
like Google Drive or OneDrive.
Don’t Fear Updates – I know
Frustration Free!
updates always seem to pop up at
the worst time but ignoring them
is like refusing to go to the dentist.
It’s fine for a while, but eventually,
things may become painful.
Schedule updates for when you’re
not using your computer or better
yet, let them happen overnight.
That way, it’s like the update fairy
fixed everything while you slept.
Remember, your computer doesn’t
hate you (AI has not progressed
that far yet). It’s just a bundle of
wires, circuits, and code trying its
best. With a bit of patience, you
can tame the tech beast and spend
more time enjoying the internet’s
finest memes. Failing that, there is
always the ultimate solution: find a
teenager to help.
© Martin Middleton - I.T.Aide
(see page 40 for contact details)