Computers have invaded all parts of life; whether at home or work, you are likely to be faced with the devilish contraptions. It is no wonder that people end up screaming that “Computers make my life a living hell”.

It might be your work computer that plagues you. If it is then there is very little you can do about it except complain to the IT Department. If you are the IT person then you really are in a bad way. The best you can do is minimize your contact with the thing and hope for the best.

Keep your interaction with the beast on your desk to a minimum. Use the phone instead of bouncing e-mails around which just fill inboxes. Use a pen and whiteboard instead of spending many hours slaving over a presentation tool you don’t really understand. Sometimes low-tech is better.

The machine in your home is something you’ve spent money on to do accounts, play games or join the social networking revolution. When it goes wrong it’s your problem, there is no technician to come to the rescue.

Some PC’s and laptops come with a warranty that includes a helpline number. It mostly covers the hardware, but sometimes basic software is included and you could try to draw the support person into a conversation to get advice. Teenagers are a wealth of knowledge about modern technology, but they could be the reason your computer isn’t working and have gone to hide from your wrath.

Many computer stores run a health check service for computers that have ‘caught a cold’. Nasty viruses are a big problem, so protect yourself with anti-virus and a good firewall. Don’t be tempted to click random pop-ups that might contain evil programs. As a final resort, a very big mallet to the “any” key works while shouting “Computers make my life a living hell” to anyone who is listening.