I remember when the first “dummies” computer books came out years ago. I was both sorry I hadn’t thought of it first as well as put off by the dummies title.

Most of us aren’t dummies — maybe I’m too southern, but calling someone a dummy doesn’t seem like a good way to nuture a relationship with readers. Besides, most people aren’t dummies when it comes to computing. Instead they may be ignorant. That’s entirely different than being stupid. Stupid people have trouble learning. Ignorant people are without knowledge when it comes to a specific topic. For instance, I’m ignorant when it comes to carpentry and brain surgery.

With all that in mind, consider today’s column the “A Basic Computer Guide for the Ignorant.” We’ll talk about the very basics of keeping your computing relatively hassle free.

No. 1: The smartest people recognize the areas where they have gaps in their knowledge. When it comes to computing that means you should avoid the very most common cause of computing disaster — fixing something that you don’t understand, or installing a program that you know nothing about you’ve found on the Internet.
Take my word for it, your biggest enemy is the person who brushes your teeth every morning. If you avoid crazy over-your-head fixing and installing, you’ll be miles ahead of the competition.

No. 2: Overcome your ignorance when it comes to routine maintenance. Spend some time reading — in this column, or on the Web, or even with one of those yellow Dummies books — about anti-virus protection and programs that stop adware and spyware. Then get a program for each: Either the commercial suite of programs from Norton that includes both anti-virus and anti-spamware, or freeware from http://free.grisoft.com for viruses or a program such as this one — http://lavasoft.com/products/ad_aware_free.php — for adware/spyware protection.

No. 3: Emulate a good newspaper reporter and be skeptical, even cynical, when it comes to believing what you read. Some e-mails will tell you that you need to log onto your bank account, others will invite you to give eBay all your personal information. These e-mails all differ a bit but they have one thing in common — they are an effort by crooks to either steal your personal information and then your money, or to plant a virus in your computer.

If you feel you just can’t ignore the e-mail (and you really should ignore it) then pick up the telephone and call the bank or other institution and ask if they sent the e-mail.

No. 4: Use a password that is hard to figure out. That means it should not form a word you can find in the dictionary and it should contain at least eight characters composed of letters and numbers. For instance, here’s a horrible password: Lucy. That’s the name of my beagle. Here’s a decent password: 73rtrnrd2. If your Internet provider or the Web site allows, using a combination of lower case and capital letters is even better, like 73rTrnRd2.

It’s perfectly OK to write down passwords if you have trouble remembering them, as long as you keep them hidden away in your desk or a drawer at home. After all, if the computer crooks can start pawing through your belongings at home, this virtual reality stuff has gone way too far.

(For those living with roommates or other disreputable folks, then you’ll either need to memorize the passwords, or hide them away securely).

No. 5: Now that you’ve protected your machine from viruses, spyware and hackers as best you can, you need to protect it from nature. That means buying a UPS — an uninterruptable power supply — and using it.
These things are big batteries that have a gizmo that converts the DC battery current into AC power that your computer can use. Besides keeping the machine going long enough to shut it down in an orderly fashion after a power outage, they filter the current that your machine uses in regular operation. That filtered current avoids feeding your machine voltage surges that can kill it.

No. 6: Make back-up copies of the data you’ve created. The easiest way is to buy an external hard disk that connects to the USB port. So there’s no assembly required and, most often, the disk will include software to do the backups. My guess is that the data on your computer is worth more than the computer itself. So making regular back-ups is a flat necessity.

Even if you are completely ignorant when it comes to computers, these tips will get you headed toward the light. Think of them as five small steps away from ignorance.