Having worked with computers for some years, it always amazes me that so many people buy computers without ever finding out how to use it. The machine gets slower and slower as they fill it up with all the viruses, trojans, adwares and spywares that they inadvertently install until 18 months later they can barely use the machine. At this point they think it's broken and go and buy another one.
A computer should be able to last at least 5 years without an upgrade and at least 10-15 years if you don't fall into the trap of thinking that new software is better than old software. New software has more features, so it runs slower and just means you need a newer computer to run it, old software will run on anything. If you are not explicitly looking for the new features offered by an upgrade, don't do it. It will just slow your computer down, and potentially add new security holes.
And talking of security, this is the most important aspect of computer skills that everybody should know. It's a shame on our education system that this isn't mandatory in schools. Security can be a complicated field and there's too many different areas to go into on this website. If you do not protect your computer, you can suffer from viruses which can destroy your data, meaning everything you've saved is lost and you'll have to do it all again. Some viruses now are so sophisticated that they can even damage your physical hardware so that you'll have to buy new parts for you computer or even a whole new computer in some cases. You can also become vulnerable to hackers who can gain access to your system, even without your knowledge, and use your computer to run illegal activities or even sabotage your computer itself. Viruses and hackers can slow your machine down and gring it to a halt so that even the simplest task takes hours.
Another security aspect to consider is spyware. This is software that resides on your computer and monitors what you do. Sometimes it's not very malicious and just monitors the sort of websites you visit in order to market adverts to you. This can get very annoying. More malicious software can even record what you type into your computer so that your passwords can be identified and used to steal your money or do other illegal activities using your identity.
The trouble you can get into with computers is scary and it astonishes me every day that people spend so much money on computers without understanding how to protect themselves. Computers are expensive, so if you own one, you owe to yourself to find out about IT security.
