Help! My 87 year old Mom has a laptop....

[Mousey]

Now... Mom is about as sharp as they come. But it's been years since she fiddled with a computer (that was an old p86 they had in the activity room years ago). She got it so she could read Sunday school lessons, and daily Bible reading assignments, etc. I reminded her of the basics yesterday before I left and told her to just play around with it - click on things, get a feel for the mouse, etc. She's afraid she'll 'tear it up'. She just phoned (I'm at work) asking why everything is so little on the screen now. And there's a little box, how does she get rid of that, and how does she turn it off. And did she break it? Can I fix it? and....and...

She doesn't need or want internet access, so Meshing with her computer (for remote access) is out. She does live nearby so I'll go by at lunchtime to show her what I can (again). I need to find her a 'windows7 for dummies' book, but haven't had a chance to order one yet... or ... wait... maybe I could find one at Wally World?

Anyway... my question is... How do I get all the things that think no one has a computer without internet to quit popping up and asking for updates? I turned Norton's off (trial came preinstalled) but it still pops up when the computer boots up. So I guess I can install that? Then it will scream I'M NOT PROTECTED! at her. It wants us to register it, (it's a Compaq) but gives no other option than doing so online. I turned off auto update on Windows, and boy it gets irritable about that, doesn't it? Thought about taking it home with me and doing updates and registering it, etc., but dammit... not everyone in the freaking world is online! and I'm afraid doing all that online once would just escalate the 'update me!' tirade.

Back to work.... the office cat is glaring at me because she wants to lounge on 'her' keyboard....

 

[samoas]

Sorry, no answers for you

Now... Mom is about as sharp as they come. But it's been years since she fiddled with a computer (that was an old p86 they had in the activity room years ago). She got it so she could read Sunday school lessons, and daily Bible reading assignments, etc. I reminded her of the basics yesterday before I left and told her to just play around with it - click on things, get a feel for the mouse, etc. She's afraid she'll 'tear it up'. She just phoned (I'm at work) asking why everything is so little on the screen now. And there's a little box, how does she get rid of that, and how does she turn it off. And did she break it? Can I fix it? and....and...

She doesn't need or want internet access, so Meshing with her computer (for remote access) is out. She does live nearby so I'll go by at lunchtime to show her what I can (again). I need to find her a 'windows7 for dummies' book, but haven't had a chance to order one yet... or ... wait... maybe I could find one at Wally World?

Anyway... my question is... How do I get all the things that think no one has a computer without internet to quit popping up and asking for updates? I turned Norton's off (trial came preinstalled) but it still pops up when the computer boots up. So I guess I can install that? Then it will scream I'M NOT PROTECTED! at her. It wants us to register it, (it's a Compaq) but gives no other option than doing so online. I turned off auto update on Windows, and boy it gets irritable about that, doesn't it? Thought about taking it home with me and doing updates and registering it, etc., but dammit... not everyone in the freaking world is online! and I'm afraid doing all that online once would just escalate the 'update me!' tirade.

Back to work.... the office cat is glaring at me because she wants to lounge on 'her' keyboard....

Just thinking-You have the patience of a saint! I am irritated by the infrequent pop ups I get being online, so can't imagine the bombardment. Imagine it's driving your Mom nuts too.

 

[ksech]

Tell her to let go into 'sleep' mode for now. When you take it home tonight, go to add/remove programs and simply remove the preinstalled programs she won't be using. Although, installing and updating the Norton's isn't a bad idea if she does decide she wants to use the internet at a later date. (If she visits you and you have a wireless router she can connect off your router to surf the web, or go to McDonalds and use the WiFi or Barnes and Noble, etc.)

It's been a while since I owned a Compaq, but I think once you start to register it, you can actually 'trick' it and say you will mail in the registration at some point. There's somewhere you can access the start up programs, I just can't remember where right now...maybe try the help section of the computer ( searchstart up programs). deselect any programs you don't want to start up upon boot up.

Hope that helps!

Kim

 

[same_old]

What you need to do is go to Start menu>Control Panel>Windows update. Once there you should see something where you can turn the updates off altogether. That should do the trick.

 

[Pinababy69]

Agree with Ksech. The very first thing I did when I got my new computer was uninstall Norton. And then I proceeded to uninstall about a dozen or more other programs. Bunch of crap if you ask me, lol.

Honestly, switching over to a new computer with Windows7 took me about two weeks until I was even semi comfortable with it. I still don't care for it, truth be told. Gimme back my Vista, which I loved.

The new store bought computers come preinstalled with a ton of useless (IMO) programs...Norton being one of them. What good is a 30 day trial when I have zero intention of ever purchasing it?

Honestly Mousey, anything she's not gonna use...get rid of it. It may only serve to confuse her down the road. JMO.

Oh...and BTW, I hate Microsoft, in case anyone was wondering, lol.

 

[chayton]

A lot of the popup stuff with Windows 7 just goes away once the computer learns stuff, no? But yeah definitely uninstall Norton, that's a pig. If you have CCleaner, check the startup tab and disable any of the stuff that comes on at startup and tries to update too.

If you have the backup CDs you could reformat and reinstall windows and get rid of all the extra doodads too, can't you?

 

[cpdnd31]

Make it easier on yourself buy her a nook or kindle tablet or better yet an ipad - no mouse nothing you can do to damage it and ipads don't have the crap reg lappys have. You can download her books and or magazines once a week for her so it probably won't be as confusing. Just a thought oh and my mom wanted me to install 3 dice on her computer. LOL OMG I can just imagine one night of chat and the phone calls I would get. LOL


Now that I think about it you must be a saint.

 

[winbig]

A lot of the popup stuff with Windows 7 just goes away once the computer learns stuff, no? But yeah definitely uninstall Norton, that's a pig. If you have CCleaner, check the startup tab and disable any of the stuff that comes on at startup and tries to update too.

If you have the backup CDs you could reformat and reinstall windows and get rid of all the extra doodads too, can't you?

The backup cd's are actually recovery cd's...meaning that when you reinstall using those cd's, it takes it back to the way the computer was when you first got it.

I agree with Pina on this. Get rid of Norton's altogether. It's bloated, slow, and useless. If she gets online, use AVG. They have a free version, and it works great.

 

[skiny]

Install Grand Theft Auto 5.

She'll be too busy to notice the pop ups.

 

[Mousey]

Brief update (since you have all been so great with suggestions -- thank you!). Print on the screen was smaller... thank goodness she hadn't accidently changed resolution, but had (probably) somehow clicked and scrolled the View size down. The View (text size) was set on 'smaller', and I changed it to Larger for her. The box that she didn't know how to get rid of was damn Norton's suggesting (my paraphrase) 'don't you know your AV is disabled? are you an idiot? enable Norton's Av now, dammit!'. So that will HAVE to be uninstalled completely.

She still forgets that (when she remembers how) Shuts Down the computer properly it doesn't just turn off and go black immediately, so she thinks she hasn't done it correctly and keeps trying the Start/Shut Down thing, and the laptop has a hissy. She still doesn't like just closing it and letting it go to sleep. If she does, she thinks it's 'broken' when she opens it up and nothing is on the screen. LOL

I'll have to take the time Saturday to do some serious uninstalling....

Whenever I see her friend that suggested she get a computer, I'm going to be very much tempted to strangle the old biddy.

Anyone have any spare Valium?

 

[dominique]

She needs a kindle, not a laptop. The old ones, not the fire. They don't go online and are much easier to use. The fire Kindle does go online and is kind of like an Ipad. The old ones are "read only" and are super easy to work with.

 

[ksech]

LOL Don't get angry with me, BUT I give her a LOT of credit...Most people her age are very intimidated by computers. At least she has the courage to attempt to use one! I had suggested my mother get one of those e-machines so she could email all of her children and grandchildren, and now her great-grandchildren, she won't have anything to do with it (she's 82). She won't even consider investing in a Kindle or a Nook (and she loves to read), I told her at least with those she can change the print size so she can SEE the print easier. Darn parents are just too stubborn sometimes!

If you can't find a windows 7 for dummies book, try calling your local senior center and see if they know any place where they have free classes for seniors. It would get her out with people her own age and would free you up from having to teach her the little 'quirks'.