I never owned a home PC until 1990, and had studiously avoided letting "modern technology" inavade my private life. When I finally caved in, it gave me an awareness of the problems faced by everyday Joes in the street, who are not tech savvy. And my heart really goes out to such persons who comprise probably 95% of PC users. And that's coming from my background of having a tertiary education qualification in electronic engineering ... although I had never really gotten into PCs. My brother is such a one, and calls computers "stone age technology".
I discovered that in order to use the help menu, you first needed to do a course to understand what the hell they were talking about. How can you be expected to know something you haven't been taught? What? Are we meant to be psychics?
The other major problem, which goes hand in glove with the first, is when non-savvy persons are asked to make choices about adding/deleting/ignoring things about which they don't have a clue! Freeware is notorious for optionnal add-ons, but even many programs/apps purchased retail still have optional bloatware. And unless you really know PC tech stuff most users wouldn't have the slightest idea of whether they should or should not have something, and opt for the "recommended" fast install as opposed to custom install. Hence they cop all the crap. I still oftern struggle to know whether certain things are necessary or dangerous to leave in or out. In the early days I always loaded every module of every program, like Office for example; or Nero. And constantly ended up with a heap of bloatware.
I constantly get friends/acquaintances ringing up after they have updated a program. For example one guy did an update and found he kept a thing called "Uniblue" popping up during boot up every time her turned on his PC . He didn't have a clue how it got there or how to get rid of it. And why would he? Earlier on I had reloaded Windows for him and left it in pristine condition. However, I knew it was only a matter of time, and that after a few updates and using the "recommended" settings to install, it would soon be a mess again. Which it was.
The problems are inherent in the nature of the beast!
The truth is PCs are NOT simple machines! You don't get to drive a car without adequate instruction and passing a test. And to have any hope of using a PC continuously and successfully, it is essential to take some kind of instruction course. Unfortunately most people don't want to know about it. They just want to pick it up and use it like dialling a telephone.
A few ago I built my first radio control plane. It took 2 months to build, and 20 seconds to destroy on it's maiden teat flight. I had been advised by the guy in the model shop that despite the fact that I'd flown light aircraft, RC models were a totally different ball game and I should use an instructor. But of course I knew better! lol! So I ate humble pie and did the smart thing and got an instructor, and finally got my wings a few weeks later, without another smash.
I knew another guy who learned how to fly by hands on experience without an instructor. It took him 20 smashed modes planes and 2 years to do it, not to mention endless hours of building and repairing.
Computer hardware is an exact science. Electronic components obey the laws of physics and always do exactly what those laws dictate. Similarly computer programs faithfully do what the commands tell them to do. But the components are made, and commands are written, by fallible human beings, and therein lies the problem.
There is an endless plethora of companies and programmers manufacturing and writing software and they are all put on one PC and not expected to conflict and work seamlessly. Hardy ha ha! Hell, I know a lot of techos and PC savvy persons who have enough trouble dealing with such problems without expecting Joe public to know how to deal with them.
And then of course there are the hackers and malcious software persons who seem to derive their sense of life purpose by disrupting other persons lives.
After 13 odd years, which seems like 3 life times, of obsessively delving into the mysteries of "computer world", I think it's fair to say that I am above the average user. However, I acknowledge that there is a lot more I don't know than I do know!
Phew! That's my 2 cents worth! Hang on ... better make that $2 worth!