Digital devices can be exasperating. Sometimes, they seem to have minds of their own and weird things happen. Other times, we learn there is a time-saving feature of which we were unaware. However, the good news is as we address these issues, we learn something new about our devices. We become more proficient and efficient.

February was an exasperating month for me, and here are some things I learned.

1. When a problem arises, always check to see if you need to update.

One night, I went to open an online course module and the screen stayed blank. I tried all the usual tricks including closing and reopening the app and powering my iPad off and then restarting it.

Nothing. So, I left the course and went to watch a fun video. Now I had no sound. I did an internet search and tried all of the suggestions. Still no sound on the video.

Finally, it occurred to me to check for updates. Sure enough, there was one waiting to be installed. It took about a half hour to install, but when the installation was finished, I had sound and access to the online course video. Phew, I didn’t need a new iPad!

2. Always check what is in the trash before you click/tap the “empty trash” button.

I was working on a slide deck for a new BoomerTECH Adventures course and a pile of screenshots cluttered up my desktop. I decided to trash them and then empty the trash. As the trash emptied the open slide deck disappeared. An expletive may have escaped my lips when I determined that the entire file folder was also gone. I never lose files, so I was mystified as to what had happened. I eventually realized that when I was dragging the screenshots to the trash, I must have inadvertently included the file.

I immediately searched retrieving “the trash” and learned that if I had acted within 10 seconds, I could have reversed the process. Unfortunately, my reaction times have slowed as my hair turns grey, so no luck.

I have a Mac and this is one time when I might have wished for a PC because Microsoft has a command-line utility called Windows File Recovery, available through their store that will retrieve files.

There is also expensive software for both platforms for retrieving files. I wasn’t willing to pay the price.

3. Always back up your files with an external hard drive or a cloud storage website such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

See the incident above!

4. Sometimes, a new operating system upgrade causes problems, and you have to delete and reinstall.

I installed an updated operating system on my Mac, and every function seemed to get very sluggish and unusable. I called Apple Support and a lovely young man troubleshooted a variety of approaches. Finally, he suggested that we delete the upgrade and reinstall it.

Twelve hours later, everything was working smoothly except Google Chrome. It was still operating in slow motion. Decided I would use the same strategy — I deleted the app and reinstalled it. It works fine now. Hint: Remember, apps live in the cloud, so when you delete them you can always reinstall them.

I’m pretty sure there are similar issues on the PC side!

5. Double-check to see if your devices have features that will make your life easier.

Just for fun, search for “cool features” plus the name of your device. I was going out of my skull sitting around recovering from a nasty cold. Bored, I searched and discovered I could split my screen on my computer.

I am using that feature right now. On the left-hand side, I have the Pages document up while writing this column. On the right side, Chrome is open so I can research possibilities. I don’t have to toggle between apps.

For my Mac friends, open an app and do a long press on the green button in the upper left-hand corner. A drop-down menu appears. Choose Tile Window to Left.

Then open another app, do a long press on its green bottom, and choose Tile Window to Right. You should find yourself with a split screen. Here is the site I used: tinyurl.com/362w4c75.

I had to go back to full screen so I could access the dock to open the new app.

For my Windows friends who don’t know how to split their screens, here is a site that explains it all: tinyurl.com/4yf9vn9z.

6. Carefully read the dialog boxes that pop up before you click OK.

I discovered I could unlock my Mac laptop with my Apple watch. At first, I thought it was magic and then vaguely remembered an option to do so appearing on my screen. I clicked OK without thinking too long about the consequences. Luckily, the consequences of that click were positive, but other options might not be. I now force myself to slow down, read carefully and think about possible outcomes.

Here’s a link that explains how to unlock your laptop with your Apple watch without magic: support.apple.com/en-us/102442.

The biggest lesson from my February digital adventures is probably don’t get exasperated; rather, prepare for an opportunity to learn.

BoomerTECH Adventures (boomertechadventures.com) helps boomers and older adults navigate the digital world with confidence and competence. Active boomers themselves, they use their backgrounds as teachers to support individuals and groups with online courses, articles, videos and presentations to organizations upon request.

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