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 […]
Gmail Issue, Not Apple: a reader asks… I’ve been having this problem with my Gmail on my iPhone for awhile and its getting worse. It’s even carried over to the new iPhone I recently got. I keep getting a request to put in my password, and even when I do that, it keeps coming back. I had Gmail setup to use with the Mail app on my iPhone for years and it worked fine till awhile back when it started […]
Restart, Reboot, Repower: a reader asked… Quick question and hopefully quick answer: If I’m having trouble with my consumer technology – anything really, computers, smartphones, tablets, home automation, remote controls, etc. – what’s the first thing I should do to try to resolve the issue, and if that doesn’t work, what should be my next steps? Quick answer is the subject line of this article: Restart, reboot, or repower your device. Based on several decades of direct experience, that resolves […]
Unasked-for Account Recovery: a reader asks… I received an email from Facebook that said it received a request to reset my Facebook password. It included a reset code and a link to change my password. Before I do anything, thought I’d check with you – I didn’t ask for any account recovery. Should I reset my password? No need to panic. Firstly, anyone who knows your email address can use the forgotten password feature built into most online services to […]
Microsoft 365 Updates: a reader asks… I have a Windows 11 computer and a subscription to Microsoft 365. I recently read about a critical update needed for Outlook. I normally get my updates through Windows Update, but when looking at the history, I don’t see the update for KB5002620. When I check Windows Update it doesn’t find anything, even though I have the switch turned on to update all Microsoft products. What am I missing? Microsoft chooses its own timing […]
Android Phone Popup Blocker: a reader asks… Is there a good and trusted popup blocker popup blocker for my Android smartphone? I use Chrome to browse the web and everywhere I go I see ads and popups. Yes, and it’s built right into Chrome. It’s easy to turn on, here’s how. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chrome app and: Please note that some websites use popups as a necessary part of their operation, such as for logins, […]
iOS Outlook File Attachment Snafu: a reader asks… I use Outlook on my iPhone for email, tied to a Microsoft Exchange account. Sometimes I get emails with file attachments that I can’t open. It’s annoying and I’m not sure why. For example, I sent myself (from my work email to my personal email) a contact file, and the email came into my iPhone named “.vcf” and it can’t open, I can’t save it or do anything with it on my […]
Windows 11 Search Won’t: a reader asks… While Windows 11 is more stable than previous versions, it still isn’t perfect and errors crop up. Most likely your search index got corrupted. The search index is a database that Windows uses to quickly find files on your computer, and it works in the background creating a quick index of all the files on your computer so Windows File Explorer can locate files for you faster than actually searching your hard drive. […]
Windows File Quick Access Fix: a reader asks… What likely happened is that your quick access database file got corrupted. The fix for this is pretty easy, you can reset the database file from the old-style command prompt window using a specific command. Here’s how: First, make sure you don’t have a File Explorer window open. Then, open a Command Prompt window: Second, type this into the window (you can copy and paste): del “%AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations\f01b4d95cf55d32a.automaticDestinations-ms” Press your Enter key to […]
Protect Your Digital Life: a reader asks… I’ve been reading your articles about scams, hacks and what to do afterwards. Can you give me some tips on what to do before, so I don’t get scammed or hacked? Yes! Let’s be proactive about this, it’s much easier to protect yourself from internet crime than it is to recover from being a victim. Here are some strategies you can do to harden your digital identity and keep from being scammed or […]
Venmo Scam: a reader asks… I received an email from Venmo.com that said I paid somone using Crypto Currency and that it will auto deduct from my account every month. It also gives me a customer service number to call. Should I? No, simply no. This is a scam attempt. While the email might have come from Venmo,com, it’s not real otherwise. Likely some enterprising scammer bought a list of emails from the dark web that included yours, and requested […]
Apple Email Addresses: a reader asks… I’m a Mac & iPhone user and have an Apple ID with a mac.com email address. I would like to have an additional Apple email account that I can use, but still on my same Apple ID so my apps and keychain aren’t affected. Is that doable? If you want a separate Apple email account with a separate inbox and folders, then you’ll need to create a new Apple ID (at https://appleid.apple.com/). Then, add […]
Am I Being Tracked? A reader asks… I have an iPhone and recently noticed that I’m getting strange notifications that say an AirTag is following me. My husband did recently put AirTags on our cars, but I thought the warning is only for AirTags that don’t belong to us? Should I be worried? Given your husband’s recent action, I’d say don’t be worried. Most likely, your husband activated the AirTag on his Apple ID, and if you don’t use the […]
When a Scam is not a Scam: a reader asks… I received an email supposedly from an insurance claims adjuster with an attached PDF. I haven’t opened it for fear that it’s infected. I don’t use that insurance company and have never had anything to do with them that I know of. I forwarded the email to you, can you please take a look and tell me if this is a scam (as I suspect)? I took a look, and […]
Opening Files Snafu: a reader asks… I have a Mac and used Microsoft Word to create a document. I then saved it as a PDF. Now when I try to open that document, it opens in Adobe Acrobat. But I want to edit it – I can’t open it in Word. Every time I try to open it, it comes up in Acrobat. What am I doing wrong? I no longer have the original Word document. The quick answer is […]
Tech Support Silo: a reader asks… I recently replaced my iPhone and followed your advice, going to the Apple Store and having them transfer everything over from my old phone to the new one. But they got stuck and weren’t able to help me getting my gmail account activated on my new iPhone. Their advice was for me to switch to using Apple’s email service, which I don’t want to do. I’m using the standard mail app that comes with […]
Cox Email to Yahoo: a reader asks… I use Cox internet service, and they recently sold off their email service to Yahoo. I got a guide on how to transition to the new email service, but it was not easy to understand. I went back and forth with support folks at both Cox and Yahoo, and finally got email working again on my Mac’s Mail app and on my iPhones. There’s one snag left though, and I’m not sure what […]
iPhone Directions Tip: a reader asks… While typing in a street address in the Apple Maps app: as you type, some matching locations appear below that. If the right one pops up on that list, you can tap that instead of completing the typing of the full street address. If the place you’re going to is a business, try typing the business name instead of the street address. If you’re going to someplace that’s already in your Contacts, type the […]
Quick 3 Things: a reader asks… Boiling down advice into three things is certainly going to mean a lot of good advice goes unread, but I hear you, it takes a lot of work to have a safe and healthy digital life. The scammers and hackers are hard at work, and we all have to deal with issues of computers and smartphones (think malfunction or simply bad programming of operating systems and apps). But here goes – three quick things […]
Lock iPhone with Apple Watch: a reader asks… I read about this hack where you can setup your Apple watch to lock your iPhone. Unfortunately, the instructions aren’t correct and I can’t make it work. Can you give me better instructions? My friend got their iPhone stolen in a public place while it was unlocked, and I want to make sure that if it happens to me, I have a way to quickly lock the iPhone. Thanks to Tom’s Guide […]
List of Files in Folder: a reader asks… I have a Windows PC and I want to create a list of the files in a folder that I see in File Explorer. I know I can take a screenshot of that, but I end up with a picture – I need a list I can edit (e.g., text I can use in an email or word processing, etc.). How can I do that? What I want is a list of […]
Facebook Lockdown: a reader asks… I received a notification email from Facebook that looks very real, but I’m not sure what’s going on. The email said that they received a request to reset my Facebook password. I didn’t ask for this. Is someone hacking into my account? What should I do and do you know what’s happening? First off, if you didn’t request a password reset, then this email was not instigated by you. Second, the email looks to be […]
Blocking Ads: a reader asks… I use your recommended anti-malware tool, Malwarebytes Premium. When I installed that it also added the Malwarebytes Browser Guard to my web browser (Google Chrome). That’s all great, except for one problem: when I visit certain sites (like the MSNBC News site), I see a new popup I never used to see that asks me to “enable ads”. Is this malware? Actually, it’s not malware, it’s a completely legitimate way that this particular website employs […]
Another Day, Another Scam: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I got this email from Microsoft. Is it legit, or a scam? Unfortunately, it’s a scam, e.g., a phishing email. First off, Microsoft would never send you an email like this, no legitimate business would do this. Secondly, a casual search of the search term: “microsoft scam onedrive inactive” shows this link at Microsoft which defines this as a phishing scam and points to another Microsoft page that gives advice on […]
"I'm all about helping you deal with our 21st century high-tech digital world so you can enjoy a healthy and secure digital life!"
Hi! I'm Chris Gardner, Your Tech Coach giving you Practical Help for Your Digital Life® since 1996. My job is to translate geek-speak into clear and concise advice and give you easy-to-understand how-to's and instructions about your consumer technology products and services.
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