My dad is 47 years old and the best hy-tech thing he`s good at is the mobile phone. Now he has a computer, but has no idear how to work on it. He only knows how to turn it on/off and play Solitaire:)) I know.... How am I supposed to teach him how to operate it....I have to mention we live in different cities and messenger is waaaaay out of his league. Any idears on a crash course for using a computer...
2006-07-26 01:12:26 · 18 answers · asked by Scooby 6 in Computers & Internet ➔ Other - Computers
The best thing to do is to go visit him,and download aol,msn.or yahoo messenger whatever you use on his computer and have it automatically uploaded when he turns the computer on.
Give him a crash course on passwords and security,and add yourself to his friends list,when you go back to your home call him on the phone and work do a test to see if he hears your bling,ding,or whatever sound it is when you message him.
I am 46 and live in different cities from most of my family and instant message with my children,mother ,sisters,nieces and nephews all the time.
If he gets good at it you can even use voice message on aol messenger or whatever works best on your computer.
It saves on the phone bills.Next time you visit you can set up a microphone for him at his computer and I am sure he will get the hang of it.
Yahoo messenger is good because it shows offline messages ,so you can message him when he doesen't have the computer on. Most of my family likes aol messenger ,I don't pay for any of the messengers,they are free. I have an msn account which hardly anyone I know uses that to message,but I have that messenger also.
Good luck
I am sure once you set up the messenger on his computer,things will run smoothly.
2006-07-26 01:24:03 · answer #1 · answered by Dfirefox 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
My old WinXP computer had a program that came from Microsoft the is a Step-by-Step Interactive tutorial to using almost everything on XP. I no longer have it but I remember it being under Accessories in the Start Menu. You may not have it and if you don't you might want to call or e-mail Microsoft to get it...it should be free.
2006-07-26 01:19:23 · answer #2 · answered by andrewav2009 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ms.Scooby,
Unless you tell us in what part of the world u asking that question from..how can we guide you ??
I am 64 years young and I learnt PC just abt 10yrs ago from crash course at NIIT,in Bombay,India !
So if you arnd this part there are lots of Institutions to help him give a crash course ! & if he is somewhere near my area.. I dont mind offering a lesson or two to make him enough savy to operate & chat w/u everyday !!!
Let me know. Until then, Lots of Love,Light & Laughter 4 U now,Always & 4ever !!- Subhash
2006-07-26 01:24:37 · answer #3 · answered by 4u_subham 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have to give him a reason to want to use the computer. He likes solitaire, guide him to yahoo card games where he can play with others. Have messenger installed for him, then show him the advantage of chatting to his little girl during the day. The biggest thing is to make it simple. Most people complain of 2many passwords and log ins for emials and such. I use roboform, it fills and submits for you. Find his interests, then make it simple to access.
2006-07-26 01:25:03 · answer #4 · answered by dm23805 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, I don't know where he is living - but I'd expect there are some local courses for beginners. Here in Switzerland there are special offers for people 50+ getting in touch with mobile phones and the internet, so look out.
2006-07-26 01:17:52 · answer #5 · answered by swissnick 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get him simple easy games to play on the computer. Once he is used to that, get him to look things up on the net, stuff he is insterested in. For the net having a broadband helps as there is no dial-up or passwords etc.
Before you know it he will be hooked. Next thing you know he will be hacking your computer :) Oo, make sure he has a good anti-virus programe running. Don't want his new experiance on the web to be a nightmare.
2006-07-26 01:19:41 · answer #6 · answered by Starguru 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think a class local to him,some are free or small cost.
Once he is able to get on the internet he can go to google,fourms etc.
I am 49 and have two years experience.
I learned by listening to Leo Laporte "the computer guy" on the radio
and going to google and asking questions.
2006-07-26 01:21:28 · answer #7 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would try to teach him one thing at a time. Find something he will use regularly, like typing documents in Word, or checking the weather online, or whatever. If he uses it every day, he will quickly feel more comfortable using it and become more proficient.
2006-07-26 01:20:38 · answer #8 · answered by Nick 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Patience, messenger may take him a while to get to. It took my Dad a few months before he got the hang of it.
He will discover a bit more each time he goes on it.
2006-07-26 01:21:13 · answer #9 · answered by Keanu 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why dont u hire a teacher that will help him teach computers and maybe u can make arrangements with the teacher so that whatever u tell him he will teach that.It works provided ur father learns . :)
2006-07-26 01:17:08 · answer #10 · answered by akar 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋