Karlston Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Windows 10 requires some new skills to use it with ease, and those seniors who may have been used to Windows 7 or Windows XP would be the to lean a few new tricks. If you are looking on how to configure Windows 10 for your elderly family members to carry out basic things like checking email, browsing and watching YouTube on a computer, then this guide offers some pointers on how to go about setting up a PC for the elderly. Set up a Windows 10 PC for senior citizens Unlike young people, older adults find it hard to get accustomed to the technology. It is difficult for seniors to keep in pace with technology and to use Windows 10 can make things even more complicated. Setting up a computer for your elderly people requires your ideas and efforts. Fortunately, Windows provides a few ways that make the system easy for senior citizens which require less work from elderly people and keep every effort smooth over accessing the computer. In this article, we outline some tips and tricks to set up a Windows 10 computer for senior citizens to ease their system accessibility and ensure that they have a trouble-free time using their Windows computer. Install a good Antivirus While the default Windows Defender & Firewall are robust enough to protect your PC, some of you may want to consider installing a good free Internet Security Suite or a free Antivirus as it can prevent a system from getting attacked by harmful malware and offers several other protection modules. Since the software is free, there will not need to renew the subscriptions – which the elderly are likely to forget! It is recommended that you install an antivirus before handing over the computer to seniors. The anti-virus alerts the user with a pop-up message when the computer has an incoming threat. This data security utility ensures that an elderly can have a stress free time browsing the internet, checking email, and watching YouTube. Change Ease of Access settings Ease of Access is a feature that provides an option to set up accessibility settings from the logon screen. The seniors can make use of these features that help them to use the computer without a display using a narrator, magnify the content on the screen using a magnifier and use the keyboard to toggle sticky keys, filter keys, and on-screen keys. Additionally, it helps users to change font size, pointer size and turn on mouse keys to use keypad. Uninstall unwanted apps and disable unwanted programs from running in the background Ensure a trouble-free time for seniors while using a computer by saving the battery and data usage. To do this, all you need to do is, stop unwanted programs from running in the background. Go to settings and navigate to Privacy. Click on Background Apps. Turn off the toggle button for all the apps to prevent apps from running in the background. You may also remove unwanted Startup programs. Remove Preinstalled Bloatware If you are setting up a new Windows system for an elderly, it is recommended that you remove all the unnecessary preinstalled software also known as bloatware. Bloatware consumes a lot of memory space and RAM which can eventually slow down your system. Moreover, the numerous and unnecessary bloatware that are spread all over the place on your desktop can confuse the elderly while using the computer. You may use a Crapware Removal Tool. Set up an Internet connection You need to set up an internet connection for the PC. Check if it is a WiFi or an Ethernet and proceed accordingly. Make them aware of some Online Safety Tips Guide for Seniors. Install necessary software You might want to consider installing 3rd party software – like maybe a browser like Firefox or Chrome, 7-Zip, Microsoft Office, VLC media player, an email client like Microsoft Outlook, Skype, etc. Update Windows 10 OS & the installed software & Device Drivers Installing the latest drivers to your PC is always a good idea if you are handing over your system to an elderly. Running the latest driver updates on your desktop makes your machine safe and ensures that your elderly have a trouble-free time using the computer. It is necessary to make sure that the hardware of your computer is compatible with the latest updates, as Outdated and faulty drivers can cause system lag, hardware, and software issues. That being said, performing a full driver update can solve all the problems with the device and boost the system performance Remove system password on wake up from sleep mode As part of the security measure, we usually set the system to ask for password everytime the computer wakes from the sleep mode. This can cause confusions to older adults when the system displays a prompt for the password everytime it resumes from sleep mode. To ease the use for elderly, configure the options to remove the Sleep password so that one can directly login to Windows after exiting sleep mode. Setup the Mouse Properties to show the location of a pointer on pressing CTRL Key If your computer screen is large, it is quite possible that a mouse pointer can go missing. In cases like these, it is difficult for seniors to locate the pointer on the computer screen. Thankfully, the Windows provide an option that will show the location of the cursor or pointer immediately on pressing CTRL key. Follow the below steps to activate this option. Navigate to Control Panel and click Hardware and Sound Under the option Devices and Printers, click the Mouse to open the Mouse Properties window. Go to Pointer Options tab and select the option Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key Click OK to apply the changes. Install Classic Start Since Classic Shell is no longer being developed, use Classic Start. It is a free software which can help seniors to quickly access recently used files and applications. Using this software, one can customize the start menu with different styles. Additionally, it allows the user to search for documents and programs easily. Source: How to set up a Windows 10 PC for senior citizens (The Windows Club) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalju Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Pretty funny, but I didn't find the most important thing - what kind of person is senior? I mean, am I already? I just got 80. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlston Posted February 9, 2019 Author Share Posted February 9, 2019 6 minutes ago, Kalju said: what kind of person is senior? Depends on the age of the person you ask. Usually around their age plus 20 years. So for me, senior citizens are 82 or older. 80? That's impressive, well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalju Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Good! Then I'm not very old yet. That's why I thought to use Windows 10 and have not had no problems still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arachnoid Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Why do you consider senior citizens are unable to use an already installed and configured system without modifying it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlston Posted February 9, 2019 Author Share Posted February 9, 2019 I'm not. From experience, we older folks (and many not-so-older) just want an easy-to-use uncomplicated system more like WIndows 7 and 8.1. Anyway, most people I know customise every OS install in some way. That's what the "Personal" in Personal Computing means. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigmedion Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Hi all, I just passed 75 last year and I'm on W10 pro 1809 up to date, no problem with it, despite a 10 years old PC, (I'm not a gamer 😅) but cutomized for my need: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalju Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 @Bigmedion Everyone and always customizes and it's absolutely normal. I have also made many changes as I like and what's needed for my work, but I hate such recommendations and tutorials, because they are very often copied from somewhere and full of mistakes. And most of all, there is no difference how old is somebody, if between the two ears is still everything on the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debebee Posted February 9, 2019 Share Posted February 9, 2019 Give them IOS or Apple OS Nothing simpler than that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KXR75 Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlston Posted February 10, 2019 Author Share Posted February 10, 2019 The gentleman's clearly at an age where he possesses wisdom, and is doing the sensible thing. But I didn't realise Windows 10 had a My Computer. But seriously, most of us here have at least reasonable computer skills. It's easy to lose sight of the fact that some people are not as cluey and need help, sometimes even to do basic things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straycat19 Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 12 hours ago, Arachnoid said: Why do you consider senior citizens are unable to use an already installed and configured system without modifying it ? It's Windows 10 and most senior citizens are not computer literate so they can't deal with the endless problems that Windows 10 presents. When 10 first started coming out in 2015, a group of us volunteered to go to senior citizen centers and installed Linux on the centers computers and any one who wanted it installed on their home computer just had to sign up. We ended up installing Linux on thousands of computers and providing free tech support to anyone that needed it. We stay in touch with the Senior Citizen Centers in the various cities thru one email account that all the volunteers have access to, so if there is a problem one of us will be able to respond to it. This system has worked out so well that we are still getting requests to install Linux when someone gets a new computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pc71520 Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Senior Citizens need a piece of mind. Does Windows 10 offer a piece of mind? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitorio Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 11 hours ago, teodz1984 said: Give them IOS or Apple OS Nothing simpler than that That is certainly true. The issue is the price for those who mainly received social security income as their main income source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radpop Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 Seniors must set their working asana right. Wrong practices can lead to cumulative trauma disorders or repetitive stress injuries, which create a life-long impact on health. Symptoms may include pain, muscle fatigue, loss of sensation, tingling and reduced performance. Compared to youngsters, seniors have one big advantage which relieve pain for good: it's D-eat-H! 🤓 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debebee Posted February 10, 2019 Share Posted February 10, 2019 a lot of seniors i know will not be using computers. as. much as the young ones.. unless they are productive computer users .. e. g. writing a book.. most of them. will be hard to teach.. remember the saying You can't teach an old dog new tricks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radpop Posted February 12, 2019 Share Posted February 12, 2019 I assume that many pc users don't realize that Windows 10 is the Killer OS. Linux has killed up to boredom, while Vista and 7 with their frequent crashes have provided natural breaks to the work and contributed to blood pressure fluctuations. 10 instead, it is mesmerizing, magical, addictive... It works, works... and that's why your setup is so important! On 2/10/2019 at 5:20 PM, Radpop said: Seniors must set their working asana right. Wrong practices can lead to cumulative trauma disorders or repetitive stress injuries, which create a life-long impact on health. Symptoms may include pain, muscle fatigue, loss of sensation, tingling and reduced performance. Compared to youngsters, seniors have one big advantage which relieve pain for good: it's D-eat-H! 🤓 The youth's physical and mental changes are initially reversible, but they become chronic if long-lasting daily use continues. Concentrating difficulties cause some accidents, even deaths, when young walks unnoticed to the front of the car or some other blindly rolling object. Walking against the wall brings mostly only bruises and bumps. However, an increasing number of youngsters are half-blinded and their physical state reminds stooping rusty fish hook. For young ones 10 offers the opportunity for aging of tens of years a day, but for seniors, the corresponding change is always deadly dangerous. Think about the risk and experimentally add 30 years to your age before you start the daily relentless use of magical Windows 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitorio Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 On 2/10/2019 at 12:52 PM, teodz1984 said: most of them. will be hard to teach.. remember the saying An. old. dog is hard. to learn new tricks There is also a saying that said: It's never too late to mend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debebee Posted February 13, 2019 Share Posted February 13, 2019 RE: It's never too late to mend Are you referring to the proverb meaning It is never too late to apologize for something you have done or try to repair something you have done wrong. ex.Sue: I still miss Tony, but it's been a year since our bigfight and we haven't spoken to each other since. Mother: Well, it's never too late to mend; why don't you call him up and apologize? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vitorio Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 On 2/13/2019 at 6:31 AM, teodz1984 said: RE: It's never too late to mend Are you referring to the proverb meaning It is never too late to apologize for something you have done or try to repair something you have done wrong. Means "You're never too old to change your ways. Learning is always possible. ( Compare You can't teach an old dog new tricks.)" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radpop Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 1 hour ago, vitorio said: You're never too old to change your ways. Learning is always possible. That's right. Everything depends on how motivated You are to learn new things. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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