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I work in software research and development, so my tips are going to relate to computer software.
Tip #1: Make sure that you read EULAs, Privacy Policies, etc., at least once. The amount of information that gets bought and sold daily about you is astounding. If you don't want everything you do to be public knowledge, use psuedonyms and do things as anonymously as possible. With a few cleverly crafted searches, someone can turn something as innocuous as a username and a location into a real name, real address, or even social security number.
Tip #2: If you think as program is behaving strangely, try to record what you do before (and after) it starts to act up. Before trying to seek assistance or reporting the issue, see if you can duplicate the error. People like me love to help, but if you can't remember what you did before it happens, it can be almost impossible to help. Things like clicks, mouse movements, keypresses, and even the information you entered is invaluable. Likewise, if you see an error message - copy it down VERBATIM. If you paraphrase it, ala "it said something was null...", it's very little use. Error messages are written so that someone who understands the program will have a better idea what is acting up.
Tip #3: If you do find a legitimate error in a program, don't be shy about reporting it. It's likely that hundreds of other people are experiencing the same issue, but aren't speaking up. Many times we make assumptions about the quality of a product when no one complains; but in reality, they don't like how the interface functions, or it's too slow, or they're getting random errors.
Tip #4: Make backups, but don't be afraid of 'breaking' things. If you're afraid of your computer, it's likely that you're not usually it to its full potential. Be OK with making mistakes, because it allows you to explore all the functions a given program may have. You can learn things about Excel, Word, etc., without ever reading the manual. Just start clicking things and checking checkboxes and see what happens. You might be surprised.
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"I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel
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