Make Plans To Crash Your Computer Today!

by Bill Platt

I recently seen a question offered by someone in a newsgroup, the question went like this. I was showing my friend how much I knew about computers, and I screwed up her system. Can you help me fix it? After a satisfactory solution was offered, this individual stated that she would not be so cocky next time around, and she would just stick to her own machine.

I can't tell you how many times I have worked on machines that someone who knew about computers screwed up. I also can't tell you how many times I had to fix machines that I screwed up when I thought I was king.

Sometimes, I wonder out loud whether amateurs should not try to fix the machines of another when they are not nearly as sharp as they think they are. But, honestly, when I think back to my own beginnings, I really cannot go so far as to say that. The reason being is that I learned more about computers by screwing them up and having to fix them, than I ever learned by not trying to do something.

I know someone who runs a business and has all the software necessary to be able to put their paperwork into the computer and learn new and better ways to run their business, but they are afraid of their computer! They are afraid that they will screw something up, so their computer acts as a $1500 paperweight!

My point is this. In order to learn about computers, you must be willing to go poking around inside the system, to try new things, and to not worry about the consequences of what could go wrong. Make a backup of your system, then go around prodding and poking and see what it is you might be able to learn. With a backup in hand, you can screw up as much as you want without fear of disaster.

A good friend of mine constantly takes this concept to the limits. He makes his backups, and then he spends hours trying to crash his machine by making changes here and there. As a result, he is always able to teach me some- thing new about computers and troubleshooting computers.

THE MORAL TO THE STORY IS:
It is better to have tried, failed and overcome, than to never have tried at all.

FURTHER EMPHASIS TO THE MORAL OF THE STORY:
Babe Ruth is well known for his homerun record, but Babe Ruth to-date holds another record which has never been broken in the history of baseball. And that record is: the "Most Strikeouts Ever Recorded by a Single Player"!

Bill Platt is the Owner of http://WindstormComputing.com, a large computer support knowledge-base. Copyright ? 1999, 2000 by Bill Platt.

First published on BankersOnline.com 6/18/01