Age needs one voice. Now it has:
Age UK is the new force combining Age Concern England and
Help the Aged in England.
The new force combining &
Baffled by broadband? Vexed by viruses? We help you to get the most out of your computer with our 26-part guide.
Companies are legally obliged to consider disabled people when designing their websites. They should allow users to boost text size and support screen-reading software.
‘If you intend to download movies, you will need a limit higher than 10GB and a speed of up to 8MB,’ says Michael Phillips of independent comparison site Broadband Choices. ‘For basic surfing, email, banking and sharing photos you require a download limit of 2 to 4GB and a speed of 2MB – although 8MB is becoming the standard.’
Decide whether it’s worth getting a ‘bundle’, where you get landline and digital TV with your broadband. ‘If you don’t use your landline then take a stand alone broadband package.’ says Michael Phillips of independent comparison site Broadband Choices.
Add to favourites:Find the best broadband, TV or home phone deal with Age UK and Simplify Digital
Community Broadband Project
The BBC offers Computer Tutor and Website courses, and Learn Direct also offers a range of home and office IT subjects.
Age UK also offers a number of regular face-to-face computer training courses, in plain, jargon-free English. Try your local Age UK for details, or search our local directory for your nearest provider.
Find a training course near you
Downloads can be an extremely convenient way to buy music. Digital music comes in three main formats: MP3 is universal, but Microsoft’s WMA and Apple’s (maker of the ubiquitous iPod) AAC offer far better sound in smaller files.
The downside is that both often include digital rights management (DRM) codes that control what you can do with purchased music, stopping you from transferring it to other devices or burning more than a set number of CDs. Another big annoyance for iPod fans is that it will not play WMA files, severely limiting choice.
Add to favourites: iTunes
Should you use your internet service providers' (ISP) email service or a web-based service such as Hotmail or Gmail?
It all depends on whether you only access your email fromm home, or are likely to want to check for messages when you're out about about.
Many people get their emails using the Outlook or Outlook Express application from their laptop or desktop PC.
The beauty of the likes of Gmail or Hotmail is that they're not fixed to your home ISP, so you can check them using a smartphone, or at the local library. for example.
Add to favourites: Gmail
Hotmail
‘Check the screen size, especially if you have problems with your eyesight. Look for at least a 17-inch screen to view things comfortably,’ says author Sue Price.
The surest way to get the computer you want is to make a list of everything you want it to do and take it to the shop with you.
Although people do use other search engines, Google is far-and-away the most popular.
The key to effective web searching with the likes of Google, says Dan Gookin, author of PCs for Dummies, is to stick with key words and use the most important ones first.
‘If you’re looking for an efficient toaster you should type in "toaster efficient" instead of "efficient toaster". Also, use double quotes to keep specific words together. They can also help you search for the little words. For example, to find fire and ice use: “fire and ice” .’
Dan adds: ‘Use the minus sign (-) to remove references. For example, if the cheese you’re searching for is also the name of a boy band, typing stilton-music directs the search engine to look for stilton but not list pages with the word music.’
The first or main page of a website, usually contains more detailed links to other sections or content. You can normally get to a Homepage by clicking on a site's logo at the top of the page.
The Apple iPad has led the way in creating a huge market for portable, handheld computers - the tablet.
Tablet computers primarily use a touchscreen, doing away with the need for a mouse and a separate keyboard.
Tablets are particularly useful for older people, as they are very intuitive and don't require a huge prior knowledge of computers.
Dont know your megabytes from your motherboard? Or your URL from your USB? Using a computer means learning another language. But don’t panic – online jargon lists will spell everything out for you, and explain what to do, in plain English.
Add to favourites: BBC - Webwise Jargonbuster
The number of Facebook users aged 64 and older is increasing faster than any other age group. The social networking website enables you to build a profile, keep in touch with friends, view photos, and so on.
There are downsides: your profile is your billboard to the world, so never give details that might allow criminals to steal your identity – such as your exact address, home phone number or your bank account details. Check your privacy settings, or your profile could appear in search engines. Add to favourites: Facebook
The BBC website offers some great resources to brush up on most European languages, plus Mandarin Chinese and Urdu.
The University of the Third Age runs online courses on a range of subjects, from botany to Renaissance Italy, and the Open University has online components in most courses.
Add to favourites: BBC languages
Read more about U3A
Open University
Mobile phones are morphing into a universal source of information, help and advice, thanks to their ability to surf the web easily and the latest group are commonly known as smartphones.
For comfortable surfing, you need a smartphone with a big, sharp screen such as Apple's iPhone, HTC's Desire or Samsung's Galaxy.
The networks are introducing ‘all you can eat’ mobile web tariffs that make surfing much cheaper. This means you pay a flat fee every month to use the web, make calls and send texts. Watch the terms and conditions however, as you're often tied into a 24-month contract.
RSS feeds help you to filter the news so you are alerted to the stories that interest you without having to plough through the sources yourself. They allow you to see when your favourite websites have added new content and you can get the latest stories straight to your desktop free. Look for the orange RSS logo.
Don't have a computer at home? The People’s Network provides free internet access in public libraries across the UK. UK Online centres can help you to learn the basic computing skills that can get you online. Call 0800 771 234 for further details.
However, public computers may not be suitable for internet banking or shopping, so make sure you log off any sites you visit and always wipe your history. To do this, open the internet link and click on the ‘tools’ menu, then ‘internet options’, then ‘clear history’.
Add to favourites: People's Network
Organising the photos from your digital camera on your computer makes them easy to store and share.
With many online shops, including Snapfish and Kodak, you can email pictures in and get prints by post. Back up your images to a CD or an external hard drive.
Alternatively, you can store your photos online with sites such as Flickr and Picasa, meaning you can keep a digital copy without filling up memory cards at home.
In the help section of most programs you will find a list of keyboard shortcuts that will help you to copy, paste, quit and so on which cuts down switching from keyboard to mouse and back.
Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for injury to the muscles of the hands, wrists, arms or shoulders by overuse, particularly from typing.
Symptoms include numbness and tingling in hand and fingers. The RSI Awareness campaign offers advice on how to avoid and treat the condition. Add to favourites: RSI Awareness
Use a secure website when entering credit card information. This means that the information you send cannot be read by anyone else.
Here are some ways to spot a secure website:
Another option is PayPal, which enables you to shop online with your debit or credit card or bank account without sharing financial details with the seller. Apacs, the UK payments accociation, advises signing up for Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode, which allow you to register a private password with your debit or credit card company. Join online or ask your bank for details.
Add to favourites: Download our information leaflet Internet Safety - Staying Safe Online (PDF 1MB)
Talk is cheap – and online it can even be free. By downloading software from providers such as Skype or GoogleTalk you can call other users all over the world for free, and all you need to buy is a headset, which costs around £5.
If you both have webcams you can make free video calls – great if you have relatives abroad. But you can’t make emergency calls on Skype or GoogleTalk.
To keep your PC in top condition, you need to keep it clean – both on the outside, by cleaning screens and keyboards, and inside.
Dan Gookin says: ‘First, have Windows automatically update itself. Back up the files and keep that copy in a safe place. Perform disk maintenance every so often: check the hard drive for errors and run a disk defragmentation programme.’
Add to favourites: Microsoft online safety
It’s quite easy to install protection. Most PCs will offer you free virus protection, possibly with a 30-day trial for upgrades such as Norton or Zone Alarm. AVG has a free virus protection download from its website.
Windows has a built-in firewall, which is adequate for most purposes. To check yours is turned on, see your control panel under ‘Start’.
Nearly all modern laptops have wi-fi (wireless internet connection) capabilities and many locations, such as cafes, railway stations and airports, have wireless access points.
But is wi-fi secure? Dan Gookin says: ‘For a home network set-up, especially if it's password protected or allows limited access, security is fine.’ But you should think twice about sending sensitive information over the internet in a public area where it could be intercepted.
Apacs, the main industry voice on e-banking fraud, advises people to be wary of unsolicited emails – called ‘phishing’ – or calls asking for personal details or card numbers.
Always access banking websites by typing the web addresses into your web browser. Never go to a website from a link in an email. Forward phishing emails to reports@banksafeonline.org.uk (this helps to track new scams).
Add to favourites:
Download our information leaflet Internet Safety - Staying Safe Online (PDF 1MB)
Bank Safe Online
Get Safe Online
YouTube allows everyone to upload and view video clips online.
One of its main attractions has been Geriatric1927, a man from the Peak District - born in 1927 - who recounted his wartime experiences and everyday grumbles on his online video posts.
If fame doesn't appeal, you can set privacy settings so that only family and friends can see your videos.
Add to favourites: YouTube
Remember to turn off your computer at night. The energy used by office equipment left on standby over Christmas is, apparently, enough to roast 4.4 million turkeys.
10 hints for silver surfers (PDF 120 KB)
We are not responsible for the content or reliability of external websites that we link to. Listing shouldn't be taken as endorsement of any kind. We can't guarantee that these links will work all of the time and we have no control over the availability of linked pages. If you decide to access any of the third party websites linked to this Site, you do so entirely at your own risk.
Set your location to see what Age UK offers in your local area.
Join in and help us by running an information or training event during 19-25 March.
A practical guide to getting online.
Invaluable tips about how to stay safe while you're browsing the net.
A simple guide to buying a computer for beginners.
If you're new to the internet, start here.
Downloads
A download is a document (like a research report, a leaflet, or an application form) that can be transferred from our website to your computer. You can download a file, view it on your screen, print it, or save it to your computer.
PDF stands for ‘portable document format’.
Most downloads on this website are PDFs. We use this format to ensure that the document looks the same on everyone’s computer (website pages, by contrast, appear differently depending on how people have set their computer up).
Computers use a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader to download PDFs. If you try clicking on a link to download a PDF and it doesn’t work, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.
The process is quite straightforward and is free.
PDFs cannot be changed. If you need to be able to type into a downloaded document (for example, if we are offering a letter template that you need to put your name on) we will provide it as a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF. You can then download it, type into it and save it to your computer.
Downloads will open on your computer in a new browser window.
Inside this window (below all your web browser menus), there will be a toolbar with options for you to print or save the document.
Close the browser window to return to the Age UK website.
We have made every effort to make our PDFs accessible to screen readers. Here is an overview of your accessibility options available in Acrobat Reader. Please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Reader website to ensure that they are included in your version of the programme.
You can use Adobe Reader to read a PDF out loud with the following shortcut keys:
You can also convert a PDF into a web page by following these steps:
You can convert a PDF document into a text file for use with other software and hardware such as Braille printers by opening the PDF and choosing ‘Save as text’ from the File menu.
Set the appearance of this website so you can read it more easily
To see information relating to Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales set your preference below: