BleepingComputer.com: What tutorials do you want to see?

These are all great ideas Unfortunately I got my hands full ...but I do plan on getting back into the tutorials very soon. Prob after the holidays:

This is what I have on my plate, with the various stages of completion:

Tutorial 1: Steps to take before connecting a computer to the Internet (70% done)

Tutorial 2: New features of XP Service Pack 2 (Gathering Notes)

Tutorial 3: Tutorial on the XP SP2 Security Center (Gathering Notes)

Tutorial 4: PestPatrol Tutorial (30% done)

As you can see I like doing a few tutorials at the same time, otherwise I may go mad.

If there are any topics that anyone here is familiar with I would gladly accept tutorials from you

And you are absolutely right, I have 0 hardware tutorials but that will change. Here are the ones I eventually want to do:

Upgrade/Replace Hard Drive
Upgrade Drivers
Upgrade Video Card
Tour of the inside of a computer
Generic Upgrade Tutorial

I am sure more will come as I go

As you can see there is a lot on my plate...but I do hope to get going with them.

For the turtorial that I am currently working on (dual output video cards), maybe I should write one for general hardware first. I couldnt really expect for someone to understand the difference betweeen PCI and AGP, if they have never opened up their computer themselves...

A nod, Jason.

A full plate, indeed, Grinler.

Thanks, Grinler - just what I needed!

Luci2a

Love to see a "this is the minimum task scheduler items" that you need to set to properly maintain your computer tutorial. such as defrag, etc.

A tutorial on the interpretation of the results of the GDI detection tool, in suitably simple terms for us newbies would be very welcome indeed! I'm tearing my hair out right now - I just don't follow any of it, and don't know where to start
Luci2a

Since I am a big believer that 95% of computer users are basically clueless, I'd love to see some 'dumbed down' tutorials that I can send to folks who 'just don't get it'. My mom responded to a spammer with this messages "...who are you and why don't you stop sending me e-mails!" (needless to say she got a virus soon afterwards!)

Nonetheless, I'd love to see a teaching tutorial on security issues related to e-mails (the tool that most of the clueless engage in most often and most recklessly) including:

• How to send mails with a Blind Carbon Copy so that one doesn't broadcast everyone's e-mail addresses
  
• How to learn whether the e-mail you recieved (and are about to forward) is a hoax. I typically send then a link to the item at snopes.com and beg them to think before hitting the forward button
  
• What phishing is, and more important what it looks like. Let them see in the tutorial what to look for in these message to tip them off that the item is potentially lethal.
  
• How to set up filters to screen out junk
  
• How to use programs such as ePrompter (my favorite) to screen mail
  
• How to handle spam

I realize that there are many different e-mail clients and it wont be easy but assuming over half of all newbie/clueless users are using either Outlook Express or AOL mail, I think using these as examples might help.

I am on a mission to try and teach newbies/clueless that computers aren't nice, easy to use appliances like a television or a refrigerator.

Tutorials noted and added to the list Thanks

luci2a:

I use and recommend Sygate Personal Firewall, which is free, for several reasons. First, there do not seem to be the compatibility issues with it that some users find with Z/A. Second, it seems to have more features than Z/A; I find the back-trace and "who is" functionality usefull, as well as the different logs. You can also make decisions by application rather than by individual instance.

You might, when your current subsciption to Z/A runs out, investigate using Sygate.

Best regards,
John

Just a thought, but maybe the tutorials should be graded into beginner, intermediate, and expert categories, depending on the intended audience. Having written quite a few system user manuals and documents, I came to realise that in many cases the method of presentation for the new user (baby steps, lots of pictures and screen prints) was not always appropriate to intermediate and "power" users; consequently, I would always write an introductory manual for brand new users, as well as another manual with complete documentation. For example, a tutorial for secure Email, could be classified as intended for the beginner and be mostly "how to" for first-time users.
It seems to me that first time users, at least at the present time, are often the relatively young and the relatively senion members of society; both of these need very simple and printable step by step instructions for accomplishing a particular task. There is also an intermediate group, who have been using computers for basic purposes and now wish to learn more, or have come across needs and problems that require some quidance (hardware installation or upgrades come to mind here).

Regards,
John

Oops, looks like I accidentally started a new topic, instead of adding a reply here.

Here's my post.

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic3569.html

Quote

A good thought, I might add, jgweed. I'm beginning to see value in hyperlinks, and maybe the use of a graduated scale for more in-depth focus kinda like footnotes could be used. I personally would rate most Microsoft "knowledge bases" as say 3 on a scale of 3. A discussion of services might perhaps include a link to a user more adept at communicating to other users like BlackViper, and be a 2 for intermediates and a brief yes/no to some select ones running as defaults in XP might rate a 1, mainly 'cause daunting as the language surrounding services may be, ya' gotta know a little bit to survive in the present climate of the internet and the operating system updating game.

BTW, FinestRanger, it's those little goofs that get ya' where your goin' sometimes. Welcome aboard BC, no matter where ya' begin.

John
Just noticed your reply of two weeks ago! Thanks very much. I will have a look at Sygate. My faith in ZA has collapsed since the version 5 fiasco, and even though I went back to v 4.5 I still have problems with it from time to time.

Your suggestion of graded tutorials is very sensible - hope Grinler can take the workload!

Grinler - your work on the tutorials and this site in general is quite awesome. Thank you very much.
Luci2a

This thread is an interesting read.

I have been reading about the problem of setting up AVG7 to correctly handle Mozilla and OE email clients in several other boards, including the user forum at AVGFree. I tried several suggestions posted here and there and none of them seems to work (or they were just poorly written or I am just stupid).
If someone could figure it out and post a *clear* step-by-step instruction, I am sure many people would use it.
Cheers,
John