Don’t use Public USB or WiFi: a reader asked… I’m getting ready to fly abroad and have a couple of questions for you. First off, is it safe to use the USB charger outlets at airports and aboard planes? I’ve heard conflicting advice. Second, is it ok to use public WiFi? Thanks as always for your advice! I recommend against using any publicly accessible USB ports built into charging stations or power outlets. Why? Since they’re publicly accessible, it doesn’t […]
Unsubscribe Warning: a reader asks… I get a lot of unsolicited junk email, and lots from mailing lists I never signed up for. I’ve tried unsubscribing, but the problem seems to be growing. What can I do? First off I have to warn you that clicking any link in an unsolicited email is risky. Hyperlinks in emails, on websites, even in text messages is absurdly easy to fake. Here’s an example: For many bulk emails that come to your inbox, […]
Scams Keep Coming: a reader asks… Is there any way to stop the scam emails? I get all kinds, and they look very real, but aren’t. I used your advice and looked at the email address in the From line (the actual email address), and it’s always some random email address, Gmail, Instagram, etc. What can I do to stop this? Unfortunately, it’s impossible to stop all junk, spam, or scam emails from reaching your inbox. There are ways to […]
Old computer Recycle: a reader asks… I have recently upgraded to a new Windows 11 PC, and transferred everything from my old Windows 10 desktop. Before I take my old Dell desktop PC to the recycle center, what should I do? Congrats on the new PC, and glad you’re looking at recycling the old PC. Here’s what I’d recommend you do to prepare that computer for recycling: Your quickest option is to reset the PC – this feature is built […]
Recover Text Messages: a reader asked… Help! My iPhone seems to have lost some of my most important text message conversations! I have it set to keep them forever, but some have gone missing. How can I get them back? I do have iCloud backup set to run daily, but the erase-and-restore-from-a-backup procedure sounds daunting. Is there an easier way? Yes there is! You don’t need to do a full iPhone erase-and-restore procedure because Apple thoughtfully put in a method […]
MS Teams Icon on Desktop: a reader asks… I have a Windows 11 PC and I use Teams for video conferencing a lot. I know I can pin the icon to my Start menu and Taskbar, but how do I add a desktop icon? Normally I right-click an item and create a shortcut, but that option isn’t available for the Teams app. Can you advise? Sure, this is one of those odd things where Microsoft software developers don’t follow the […]
Apple Passwords & Family Sharing: a reader asks… While I have a Windows 11 PC, I also use an iPhone and iPad, and my wife does as well. We’ve been using a 3rd party password manager, but would like to switch over and just use the Apple Passwords app. We want to be able to share passwords between our Apple accounts too. Can you give us some tips? I’m going to give you the instructions to do this to answer […]
MS Word Tip: Horizontal Line: a reader asks… I use Microsoft Word and Outlook. I’m confounded by this little problem: In an Outlook message draft, I can add a horizontal line easily, the Insert ribbon menu has a button for Horizontal Line. But there’s nothing like that in Word. Is there a hidden menu item somewhere to do this? Actually, in Microsoft Word, there is a Horizontal Line button, in the Home ribbon set of icons. Look in the Paragraph […]
More Data Removal Services Info: a reader asks: Where could I turn to for assistance to remove my digital footprint online? I.e. to remove from the web things I’ve posted on various social media, on websites, etc. Is there any person or firm you could recommend? I looked at your previous article but my question is a little different. Sorry, I don’t give recommendations on any online entity, software or service that I haven’t tested out and used myself. And I […]
Make a Checklist in Word: a reader asks… I’m trying to create a checklist that I can print and then check off for items that I want to verify I have. I’m working in Microsoft Word on a Windows 11 PC. I know how to make bulleted lists, but and can choose a different bullet type, but can’t find a nice checkbox. Is there some hidden control for this function? It seems like it should be something easy. Can you […]
OneDrive Snafu: a reader asks… I have a subscription to Microsoft 365 and had the OneDrive app installed on my Windows 11 PC. I followed your advice and put my personal folders inside OneDrive so they’d be copied up to the cloud. When I went to my computer this morning, the OneDrive app was not showing anywhere. How can I get it back? Computer glitches, like cockroaches, continue to creep into our lives, even with modern computers and operating systems. […]
Data Removal Services: a reader asks… I just learned about Incogni. Is this something you recommend? Actually, no. While I’ve not delved deeply into so-called data removal service providers like incogni.com, up to this point I’ve felt that it’s a service with very limited value, and don’t recommend it for anyone. That’s based on these three factors: Once a bit of your personal information is online and hoovered up by people in #3, you can’t fully remove it, even if […]
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 […]
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