Common Computer Myths

Most people that use a computer have a pretty basic knowledge of how they work; enough to get along. And that’s okay—we don’t all need to be computer geniuses. We all can’t be experts in everything. We all have different talents and interests. Of course, there are often misconceptions that accompany topics we may not know a lot about. For example, there is a myth that claims we only use 10% of our brains. The truth is you use your entire brain over the course of a day. You might not use the whole thing all the time. Another example: people say all the time that lighting never strikes the same place twice. In reality, lighting tends to hit the same place more than once. Today let’s look at a few common computer myths.

I can’t have a virus because I have an antivirus program.

There are a lot of people who think that just because they have antivirus software they cannot get viruses. I can’t count the times I heard someone say “I have the best security software, so there no way I have a virus.” My favorite is, “What’s the point of paying for security software if it can’t stop viruses?” I understand this is frustrating for a lot of people. It’s important to understand that antivirus software is good at protecting you against threats that already exist and that the program knows about. However security software cannot protect you from something it knows nothing about, and new viruses crop up all the time. It’s impossible to protect against all threats—new viruses have been created in just the time that’s passed since you started reading this article. That’s how fast they're created. In most cases malware, spyware, and viruses are a direct result of something done by the user (you or a family member) like downloading or running free programs like screens savers, toolbars, etc.

Mac computers don’t get viruses

You may have heard people say that Apple computers don’t get viruses. This very untrue. In 2012, 600,000 Macs were infected by a specific Trojan called flashback. Apple made headlines again in February when they confirmed a major security flaw in iOS and OS X. Recently the number of malware found for Macs has gone through the roof. Because of their recent rise in popularity, more and more viruses are being written for Macs all the time. I’m not saying ditch your Mac, but be aware that viruses pose a threat to any computer.

You should let your laptop top battery fully run down before recharging for better battery life

This used to be true with old nickel cadmium batteries. However, with new lithium-ion batteries it’s better not to wait. Newer batteries have a number of charge cycles that start to lose the ability to hold a charge. Also, some batteries, if you let them run all the way down to 0% power, can develop a chemical resistance to recharging. It’s better just to recharge your computer when you have the opportunity.

We’ll have some more fascinating myths for you next week. Don’t forget to check back!