Think you know all there is to know about computers? Maybe—maybe not. There are a lot of misconceptions out there about these machines we live with, work with, and play with—and you might not know your PC as well as you think. Here are just a few popular myths and misconceptions about computers.
You should leave your computer on all the time. There’s a popular misconception out there that it causes more stress to your computer’s components to turn the machine off and on regularly than it does to leave it on over long periods of time. In older PC’s, the hard drive might develop a problem called “stiction,” where it has a hard time spinning into activation; however, that’s pretty rare in today’s computers.
Screen savers actually save your screen. It’s been a long time since screen savers actually did anything except show you pretty pictures. Older computers used to encounter a problem called “phosphor burn,” in which an image shown on your screen for a long time would be burned permanently onto your screen. This can still happen in some of today’s computers, but only if the image has been on the screen for a very long time—and the chances are extremely remote that you’d have an image appear on your screen for that long. Today’s PC’s have standby features that can be set to kick in automatically, blanking out the screen—which is just as effective at protecting your monitor.
Deleting your files erases them forever. Not true—simply deleting your files doesn’t make them disappear completely, and you should never consider your computer completely “clean” after dropping your files in the trash can. It’s possible to find old social security numbers, personal files, and other information on donated hard drives that owners believed had been permanently deleted. To get rid of information for good, zap it with a free eraser utility like Eraser.
Magnets murder your data. This was generally true in the days of floppy discs. But today’s CD’s and DVD’s are immune to magnets. So are memory cards, which are not magnetic in themselves. Hard drives are generally safe from magnets as well. An extremely powerful magnet can erase a hard drive, but not your garden-variety refrigerator magnets.
An antivirus program isn’t necessary if I use a firewall. Actually, an antivirus program and a firewall do different things. An antivirus program locates, isolates, and removes viruses from your system. A firewall simply prevents unauthorized users from entering your system remotely. Antivirus programs don’t provide this kind of security, and firewalls don’t know anything about viruses.
Restarting is bad for a computer. Hitting “restart” doesn’t harm your computer at all, and in some cases it may actually do it some good. Restarting the computer clears temporary files that get clogged up as you continue to use the computer; if you don’t restart periodically, your run time could slow down. Many computer problems are resolved when the computer is restarted, and tech support workers often suggest this first as a fix.
Updating your computer’s software makes it faster. You should automatically update your computer’s software whenever it notifies you that new software is available—this is to fix vulnerabilities that could leave you open to invasion by hackers or malicious programs. However, updating your computer’s software won’t necessarily make everything better; it can make your computer run more slowly if its running requirements are high enough.
Freeware is safe to download. Many free programs finance themselves by bundling adware in with their programs. When you download the free software, the adware installs itself as well. Adware can run in the background to show you ads when you are or aren’t using the freeware you downloaded; it can also monitor your browsing habits and keep a user profile on you, which it will share with advertisers. Many freeware programs have user agreements you need to click on before downloading the program; these typically contain information about the adware.
Computer technology has changed quickly in just a few decades—and what was true then isn’t necessarily true now. Many of these myths were actually true once, before technology improved. But today’s computers are more powerful, safer, and more stable—and many of these beliefs don’t stand up to further examination.
Eight Computer Myths and Misconceptions