How to manage computers

Managing my computer at home is a lot like managing the computers in my library at school - I have to be constantly aware of what kids are doing on them. With viruses running rampant on the internet, kids never think a computer crash will happen to them. They never think there are viruses out there just waiting to invade their files, or that a power surge could cause them to lose their documents. I've learned the hard way how blocking the fan on the computer with a picture frame will cause the hard drive to overheat. I've also learned that not paying attention to my battery life on my laptop may cause me to lose my working document if I haven't saved it recently. Yes, I've had my share of hard knocks when it comes to computer management; I try to pass those lessons down to my kids and my students so that they don't have to suffer the frustration of losing files.