I need help - 101 year old trying to use 1st computer

[mangurian]

I play bridge tournaments online with an elderly lady.
She was given the computer for just that purpose.
I can't visit because of the virus.

The tournaments are played using the browser and she know how to log on to the bridge site.
Every so often, while we are playing, her browser window disappears and the home screen comes up.
She says it happens even though she has not clicked on anything.

She had another 2nd hand computer given to her and the same thing happens.

I am a Windows (boooo!) person, but can someone help me diagnose her problem?
Many thanks - she is a good soul.

 

[glenthompson]

Which bridge site are you using? BridgeBase.com by chance? If so, it doesn’t respond well to internet hiccups. If her connection is flakey that could cause problems. I play solo on that site and get kicked out when I have a bad cellular or WiFi connection.

 

[casperes1996]

So based on this being in the iMac forum I take it the computer she was given is an iMac?

The problem here is that there isn't really such a thing as a "Home Screen" on a Mac. If she's using a trackpad with the computer there's a possibility she's either pinching with 4-5 fingers, invoking Launchpad, which you can kinda think of like the Start menu I guess? It's basically just an app launcher. She could also be spreading out 4-5 fingers, which makes all windows swoop away so you can see the desktop, like the button at the bottom right of Windows. - If she does either, the reverse action will get her back, so if she's pinching, spread the fingers, if she's spreading her fingers, pinch them.
She can also just click the Safari icon again.

The way Mac apps are supposed to be programmed, a single app can only have one open instance at any time - As many windows as you want, but only one app instance. So clicking the Safari icon 100 times will still only have it open once, you'd need to click new window instead to have a new entry point, so there's no issue in just telling her to click it again.

Since I'm not sure what she refers to as the Home Screen I am not sure I can offer more guidance than that. Or explain how it might be happening. It could also be the Lock Screen I guess in which case she should click her profile and if password protected, re-enter her password, though depending on what's happening there, this could've closed down the game session.

 

[mangurian]

Which bridge site are you using? BridgeBase.com by chance? If so, it doesn’t respond well to internet hiccups. If her connection is flakey that could cause problems. I play solo on that site and get kicked out when I have a bad cellular or WiFi connection.

Yes. Bridgebase. She says when it happens some sort of picture of a landscape show up, so I was guessing it was a "home screen." Wouldn't a lost connection just result in an error message in the browser (I am guessing Safari).
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So based on this being in the iMac forum I take it the computer she was given is an iMac?

The problem here is that there isn't really such a thing as a "Home Screen" on a Mac. If she's using a trackpad with the computer there's a possibility she's either pinching with 4-5 fingers, invoking Launchpad, which you can kinda think of like the Start menu I guess? It's basically just an app launcher. She could also be spreading out 4-5 fingers, which makes all windows swoop away so you can see the desktop, like the button at the bottom right of Windows. - If she does either, the reverse action will get her back, so if she's pinching, spread the fingers, if she's spreading her fingers, pinch them.
She can also just click the Safari icon again.

The way Mac apps are supposed to be programmed, a single app can only have one open instance at any time - As many windows as you want, but only one app instance. So clicking the Safari icon 100 times will still only have it open once, you'd need to click new window instead to have a new entry point, so there's no issue in just telling her to click it again.

Since I'm not sure what she refers to as the Home Screen I am not sure I can offer more guidance than that. Or explain how it might be happening. It could also be the Lock Screen I guess in which case she should click her profile and if password protected, re-enter her password, though depending on what's happening there, this could've closed down the game session.

She says when it happens some sort of picture of a landscape show up, so I was guessing it was a "home screen."
She says she is using a mouse.

 

[mangurian]

At one time, I think you could set up a Windows machine so that hovering the cursor over a link/button for more than a certain amount of time will result in an automatic clicking. Is there anything like that on a MAC?

 

[jbachandouris]

I’m not sure how you’re going to solve this problem without someone going there. If it’s internet, the cable technician will have to show up. If it’s a hardware issue, again, a tech will have to show up.

Dealing with an 80 year old is hard enough with me actually being there, wouldn’t want to be in your shoes with a 101 year old. I am able to visit my mom everyday as she lives alone. She has a PC as I’m not trying to teach her Mac.

 

[casperes1996]

She says when it happens some sort of picture of a landscape show up, so I was guessing it was a "home screen."
She says she is using a mouse.

So for quite a few releases Apple has used things like mountains and an image of the Catalina islands as the default wallpaper, so it could very well be her desktop.

The Apple Magic Mouse also supports some gestures, and of course there are keyboard shortcuts, but I doubt she’s using those. If she somehow got multiple desktops set up, swiping across APple’s Magic Mouse with two fingers well swipe between virtual desktops, but again, clicking the Safari icon should bring her right back.

I would suggest having her send you screenshots or enabling remote access, but that’d probably just create a billion more issues about how to do that.
Or actually, maybe she could take a picture with her phone (if she has a camera phone?) and send that to you for you to post? Of course a picture of after this has happened - just in case the Safari icon (or whatever browser she uses) is not there for her to just click. - But let that be the first attempt

 

[casperes1996]

At one time, I think you could set up a Windows machine so that hovering the cursor over a link/button for more than a certain amount of time will result in an automatic clicking. Is there anything like that on a MAC?

Not as a default option in the OS. - I’m sure there’s an app for doing that, but not by default. Though there’s like a peeking feature you can enable where you can see what’s behind a link before opening it, but that’d either incorporate a keyboard modifier or a trackpad

 

[mollyc]

It could also be a hot corner. I have one setup to go directly to screensaver but I bet there is a desktop option also

 

[wilberforce]

Try disabling the screen saver, to at least eliminate this possible cause:

Apple logo in top left corner
System Preferences...
Screen Saver
Start after: Never

 

[casperes1996]

It could also be a hot corner. I have one setup to go directly to screensaver but I bet there is a desktop option also

Good point; There absolutely is

 

[mangurian]

Try disabling the screen saver, to at least eliminate this possible cause:

Apple logo in top left corner
System Preferences...
Screen Saver
Start after: Never

This could be it. Sometimes, you can wait a 1-5 minutes for your turn to bid or play. How do you exit the screensaver? Just move the mouse or must you enter a password?