Streaming Sports with VPN? A reader asks… I’ve finally ditched cable and am using Youtube and other streaming apps. The problem is that my local games are blocked and I can’t watch them, such as on MLB.com. My local games are on MASN.com, but that service appears to only work with cable TV services. I read about using a VPN to bypass the local blackout restrictions such as on MLB.com, and it appears that it has to be done at […]
Apple iPhone Update: a reader asks… I have an 3yo iPhone that’s telling me to update iOS. I’ve been putting it off for awhile now, Is it ok to keep putting it off? I’m on iOS version 17.6.1. It wants me to update to iOS 18. iOS 18 came out awhile back, we’re now on version 18.3.2, so you’ve missed a number of updates. As long as your iPhone is an XS or newer (from 2018), or a 2nd or […]
Excel Freeze Top Row: a reader asks… I use Excel once a year when I do taxes but can never remember how to show a table where the top row is always there as you scroll down the page. Is there a simple answer? Over the years Microsoft has continued to change their menu system, and it seems like commands migrate around the ribbon controls. But yes, you can easily set Excel to automatically freeze the top row or however […]
New Windows 11 PC Configuration (update to my 2019 article for Windows 10): a reader asks… Taking your advice about getting a new Windows 11 PC to replace my Windows 10 PC. I want to make sure I do things right. I do have a Microsoft 365 Personal subscription, and I’ve already gone through the Windows 11 setup screens – the computer looks like it’s ready to use. Can you tell me what I should be doing to set it […]
MS365 Price Increase. a reader asks… I read that Microsoft is increasing the price of their 365 subscription, by like 30%! Ostensibly the increase is due to adding Copilot to the Office apps. Like others, I don’t want to use Copilot and don’t think I should have to pay for something I have no intention of using. Do I have any options? Short answer, yes. Longer answer is it depends on what type of MS365 subscription you’ve got. Microsoft announced […]
Combining Spreadsheets: a reader asked… It’s tax season and I’m trying to combine multiple spreadsheet files (saved as .csv) which I’ve downloaded from my bank (12 monthly activity spreadsheets). I’d like to create one Excel file on my PC that contains all the data from all 12 of those spreadsheets. Is there an easy way to do this? I’ve tried instructions from https://www.ablebits.com/office-addins-blog/merge-multiple-csv-files-excel/ but they don’t work. I’m guessing you are dealing with 12 of the same type of data […]
Dump Copilot: a reader asked… I’m going to answer your question first, but read on below for why you might want to give Copilot a try. Microsoft is the developer for their artificial intelligence “feature” which they’ve dubbed Copilot. You may see a new icon on your toolbar, which opens the Copilot desktop application. Recently, Microsoft embedded Copilot into their 365 apps, and lots of people have been annoyed by the fact that not only has Microsoft added this feature, […]
Email Verification: a reader asks… As a small business owner, I get a lot of junk email. Sometimes from ‘myself’ in that an email comes from me (but not really me). I have my own domain and get my email from the same company that hosts my website. My domain name is reserved from one company, and I had them setup that domain to point to the company that hosts my website. How can I make sure that nobody else […]
Calendar Invites Don’t Work. A reader asks… I use Outlook for email, calendar, & contact lists on my Windows 11 PC. Sometimes when I get an appointment invitation it shows up on my calendar automatically, and the email just has buttons to Accept, Tentative, or Decline. But sometimes what I get has a file attachment in it, and I when I try to open it, some other email app opens. Why does this happen, and how can I get that […]
Beware Phantom Hackers: a reader asks… You have a good start by reading my articles here, as I’ve been talking about this non-stop for years. Of course, you know not to trust phone calls, email and text messages (even those that look like they come from someone you know, your bank or other company). The FBI recently issued a (not-so-new) new warning about “the Phantom Hacker” where an imposter pretends to be a customer service representative from tech support, your […]
Windows 10 End of Life: a reader asks… I have a Windows 10 computer that works just fine, but I keep getting these warnings that I need Windows 11 – and a new computer. Do I really? I use MS Word, Excel and such with a subscription to Microsoft 365, as long as I keep paying the subscription will that still work if I don’t replace the computer? My opinion, you have till October 2025 to replace your Windows 10 […]
Gmail Doesn’t Open Links: a reader asked… What you’re clicking on are “Mailto” links aka email addresses on web pages. When you click on one of those, it usually opens the default Mail app on your computer. A fresh Windows 11 computer (Windows 11 is a Microsoft product) may have a Microsoft mail app set as the default. That’ll be either Mail or Outlook (if you have MS 365 apps installed). Since you use Gmail, you’ll want to set the […]
Holidays are the Time for Scams: a reader asks… Lately, I’ve been receiving a lot of emails from Paypal saying that someone has billed me. I never ordered anything from any of them, and rarely even use Paypal anyway. Has my Paypal account been hacked? Not hacked, you’re simply the victim of opportunistic scammers. The holidays are a time of year when scammers are really pushing to try to fool people into doing things they shouldn’t. This year, one popular […]
Bluetooth Fix: a reader asked… Actually, the most likely reason is that your Bluetooth hardware has failed. Less likely is that a recent Windows update might have messed up your Bluetooth configuration settings. While you can certainly take your computer to a reputable company for repair, my first suggestion would be to spend $11 and replace the Bluetooth receiver. That’s easier than it sounds – you don’t have to open the case and mess with the internals. All you need […]
Text Message, Authentication or Passkey? a reader asks… I’m looking at improving my online security by implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA). I’m trying to figure out which is best, getting a text message, using an authentication app, or using a passkey? Any advice? My first bit of advice is this, you’re right in terms of listing the options from worst to best security when it comes to multi-factor authentication. The standard username and password combo by itself isn’t enough to prevent […]
Laggy iPad Woes: a reader asks… I have an iPad that’s only a few years old, and works great on everything except one single app (forScore). On that app, the screen response is very slow, sometimes seconds go by before a tap or swipe has any effect. Sometimes when I tap and nothing happens, I tap again, and a few seconds later the app has registered both of my taps, with unpredictable results. My iPad is fully updated on padOS […]
Best Home Office Scanner? A reader asks… Hello Chris, I’m researching for the best home office scanner for personal documents and small business. There are many options in the market and it can get very confusing. Is there any specific brand name that you are familiar with? I won’t mind to spend a little bit more extra money. The short answer to your direct question is that I’m partial to Ricoh (formerly Fujitsu) scanners. That said, researching specific brands and […]
New TV, Old AV Equipment: a reader asks… I just got a new SmartTV flat-screen TV (Samsung S90D 77″ OLED) and am trying to integrate it with my existing home theater system (my receiver is a Yamaha RX-A2030). I connected the TV’s HDMI IN to my receiver’s HDMI OUT, and can watch my DirectTV just like before. But my new SmartTV has streaming apps on it, and when I try to use those, the sound comes out only through the […]
Adobe Acrobat Mess: a reader asks… I use a Windows 11 PC with Google Chrome, and I have Adobe Acrobat. I think I have something messed up somewhere because PDFs open in Microsoft Edge (when opening a file on my computer), and when clicking on a PDF link in Chrome, it doesn’t open the PDF but tries to download the file (which I hardly ever want). I can’t seem to find the right settings to fix these problems, can you […]
Malwarebytes Browser Guard Snafu: a reader asked… This is actually a problem between the version of Browser Guard you have installed and the latest version of Google Chrome. Google recently updated your browser which broke the Browser Guard extension a bit. The solution is to remove the Browser Guard extension from Chrome, and then install the latest version of it from the web. Here’s how to do that: First, Uninstall the extension from Chrome: Click the Settings icon in Chrome, […]
New Home Laptop-Choices? A reader asks… I’m looking for a new home laptop. I’d like to avoid using a docking station, and want to connect my laptop to my home router with an ethernet cable. Looking at Dell laptops, there are so many choices! Can you help advise me? Dell has designed different laptop lines for different types of needs. They have gaming laptops in their Alienware and G series lines, high-end computing laptops in their XPS line, solid business-class […]
Fix or Replace my PC? A reader asks… I have a Windows 10 laptop that’s about 5 years old. It’s been working ok, but getting slower and slower as the years have gone by. Now, the computer is having problems almost every day, and I have to restart it. Sometimes it just shuts down on its own, sometimes it freezes for awhile, then resumes acting normally. I don’t have a lot of software on it, just Microsoft 365 apps and […]
I Want My OneDrive Files: a reader asked… Recently, I purchased a new HP laptop and connected that to my Microsoft 365 Account and OneDrive. While this works fine, I would like to migrate/copy all my files/folders to my HP SSD and have viewed several “help” videos, including those at Microsoft, and I remain flummoxed about how this is — or can be — done. On my old desktop this worked fine, but it seems that all my personal files […]
Microsoft Purchase Scam: a reader asks… I received an email from Microsoft that looks real, has all the right links, etc. It says I purchased a global Microsoft 365 Business Premium product, which I haven’t. I’m not sure why I got this, it looks fishy. What should I do? This is a scam, albeit one that probably uses a legitimate email service provider (e.g., microsoft.com). You should report it to Microsoft so they can block the user from their email […]
Zoom MIcrophone Problem: a reader asks… I have a Windows 11 desktop computer with a webcam perched on top, which has a microphone. I also have a separate microphone for my podcasting work. I’ve noticed that sometimes Zoom works with one microphone, sometimes with another. I don’t use Zoom much so I’m not sure why it switches. Any tips? Your computer has its own audio settings for choosing which microphone to use, and Zoom has its own, independent audio settings. […]
Home Theater & Smart TV: a reader asks… I have a new Samsung Smart TV, and have connected that to my home theater system (powered by a Yamaha RX-A2030 receiver). I have DirecTV and a Sony Blu-ray player connected to this system (via HDMI). I ran an HDMI cable from the receiver’s OUT to the TV’s HDMI input, and also have an optical cable I ran from the Samsung TV to the receiver. When I use the DirecTV or Blu-ray […]
Webcam Zoom: a reader asks… I have a nice Logitech webcam (model C920) connected to my Windows 11 desktop computer. It has HD capability, but no zoom. Is there a way I can change the zoom level? Yes, Logitech provides a software package called Logi Tune which you install and then can use to zoom your webcam view and also digitally adjust in several ways to get just the view you want. You can download it from https://www.logitech.com/en-us/video-collaboration/software/logi-tune-software.html. Visit the […]
Printer Toner or Drum? A reader asks… I have an HP laser printer that’s only a couple of years old, and the print is already fading. I know I’m supposed to change the “toner” but there are two replacement numbers, a 30a and a 32a. Do I need to replace both? Actually, the toner cartridge 30a is what gets replaced when the toner is running out. The 32a is an imaging drum unit which can last many years before needing […]
No Chrome Add Profile Button: a reader asks… I’m sort of a power user, and have multiple Google accounts. On my Windows 11 PC, I used to be able to add profiles to Google Chrome and be able to switch profiles easily. But now, the button to add a profile is missing. How can I get it back? This is a sticky problem, and Google hasn’t given a decent answer to this even though other people have complained about this. […]
Help! My text got small! A reader asks… Somehow I’ve done something to my Windows 11 PC and I’m not sure how to get it back to normal. All my text has gotten very tiny and I can’t read it anymore! I tried looking in the Windows settings and found a display resolution setting, but that said 100% so I think it’s something else. I’m now afraid to change that, and don’t know what else to do. I’m afraid I’ll […]
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