Chromebook Notebook, good for Baby Boomers?

[purple buzz]

hi, i was wondering if i should get a Chromebook for my family member who is REALLY bad with computers? he uses his desktop to play games but for internet he usually gets viruses because he doesnt understand which ads to click or not to click on. he sometimes gets tired of his computer and turns it off because of his frustration of not understanding computers.

should i get him a Chromebook for searching the web? is chrome easy to use? cuz i dont like it because i am a tech and like my favorites/bookmarks, file menu, adding files, using usb, etc.. but he doesnt do ANY of that stuff and finds it complicated.

can you install Skype on Chromebook? can you install other stuff that uses the web? anything else i should know? thanks

 

[unksol]

If he's getting viruses you need to set up the PC correctly. A standard account, malwarebytes pro,ad blocking and MSE would probably take care of it. The only way he's not gonna click on stuff is if it doesn't show up.

If he gets frustrated just browsing the internet I don't see how a different OS is gonna help. If he needs on for some specific stuff set up a start page with everything he needs one click away

 

[losalgen]

can you install Skype on Chromebook? can you install other stuff that uses the web? anything else i should know? thanks

You cannot install anything on a Chromebook besides Chrome extensions. Whether there is an extension that works for Facebook's video chat with Chrome, I am unaware, but there are other alternatives to Skype if he's using a Chromebook (Google+ Hangouts, Google Chat, a number of other future extensions using the new ability to connect a computer's camera and mic without extra applications...).

As far as viruses and stuff, it's not likely he'll be as disturbed by the extra bloatware you'd have to install on a regular computer to keep them from screwing up the whole experience, and to restore a Chromebook, you merely have to read simple instructions and load the latest version from a USB (if it gets destroyed too badly). Chromebooks are like a browser in a computer. There are only web-based applications running on it, and you can basically run it over with a truck without losing anything if synchronization is set up to your Google account.

In all, Chromebooks are great for people who never need third-party programs (card reader programs software for banks, advanced photo editing or document/spreadsheet editing programs, programming IDEs, etc.) to live their lives. If you run the stable channel, you'll probably not have to worry about how the virus came in and hid the start menu icons, etc...

 

[jaguarskx]

Before going down the route of buying another device, I would install a good antivirus program that would warn the user about potential threats after clicking an ad and prevent potential viruses from being installed on the PC from shady websites.

Avast! is an example of such an antivirus program. Normally I would simply recommend getting Avast! Free, but you may want to install Avast! Pro instead which costs $40 per year for extra security features.

http/www.avast.com/en-us/free-antivirus-download

Malwarebytes is a good program for anti malware and works well with antivirus programs like Avast!. However, I recommend buying the pro version for $25. I use the free version which is good enough for me, but the free version is all manual meaning you have to manually install the updates and you have initiate scanning manually. The pro version also features additional features.

http/www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_pro/

 

[purple buzz]

Best answer selected by purple buzz.