Slow Windows: a reader asks… I have a Windows 10 computer that sometimes acts really slowly, and sometimes not. It’s maddening! Do you have any advice for how to fix this? Unfortunately there are a lot of possible reasons why your computer runs slowly at times. Two of the most obvious are 1) if you don’t have enough Random Access Memory (RAM) installed on your computer. A modern Windows 10 computer should have no less than 8gb of RAM, and […]
Update Windows 10: a reader asks… Windows 10 is telling me I should update (screenshot attached). Should I go ahead and do this? I remember reading somewhere that I should wait on installing updates. Do not wait any longer, install the updates. Microsoft came out with a major update to Windows 10 in April 2018 (version 1803), and while there were a very few cases where the update didn’t go so well, almost everyone who updated had no problems. I […]
Porn Scam: a reader asks… I just sent you a threatening email I got. I have not been watching porn but this person knows some part of an older password I used to use. Can you advise on what I should do? This is scary and makes my skin crawl! This is another creative scam thought up by hackers on the darkweb. For years now, lists have been for sale on the darkweb – lists of passwords and partial passwords […]
Password Confusion: a reader asks… I recently changed my email hosting service provider (with my same vanity domain name), and now when I try to log into webmail, I have trouble. First off, the system used to remember my email address (for the username field) and now I have to type it in every time. Also, whenever I type in the new password (my tech guy set it up for me), I get a “The login is invalid.” message. When […]
iPhone App Problem: a reader asks… I’ve got an iPhone and have been a bit mystified by all the popup warnings I see. I’ve downloaded some apps, and they don’t always work. Sometimes they say I have to turn some setting on, but I’m not sure what that setting is. The apps I’m trying to get working are: Google Maps, Dark Sky, and Chrome. Can you help? It sounds like you aren’t reading the warning messages very carefully. Let me […]
Firestick and Blu-ray Player: a reader asks… I have a Sony Blu-ray player model BDV-E3200 and a Dell Monitor model S2216H. I recently bought an Amazon Firestick and am having trouble figuring out how to hook everything up so it all works with 5.1 audio. Any advice? First, I’m going to assume that your Blu-ray player is connected via an HDMI cable to the Dell monitor. That model of monitor only has a single HDMI IN port, so there’s no […]
MS Office Fouled: a reader asks… On my Windows 10 laptop, something is going on (I suspect Windows initiated related to quick access) such that I cannot open Word or Word documents. I am trying various things, but so far-no luck. Perhaps you have some ideas? Sounds like it’s time to repair your Microsoft Office software. Any one of a number of things can go wrong that can make this happen, and the first fix to try is a Quick […]
Can’t send to AOL addresses: a reader asks… I’m a small business owner with a website (cheap hosting service). I use that company’s domain email ‘webmail‘ service and can receive email from anyone to my domain address. I can send to just about anybody, but all my emails to aol addresses get rejected by aol. The rejection notice is kinda cryptic. What should I do? Everybody is in the fight against spam, unwanted email. Spam accounts for over 80% of […]
Galaxy won’t stay on Wi-fi: a reader asks… my galazy won’t stay on wifi. when I connect to wifi , it will disconnect within a few minutes . I have tried it on two different wifis , I have also restarted the phone and taken the battery out, same result. Did you check out my article My Galaxy Won’t Stay on Wi-fi yet? That has some things to try for your home network, but since you said it’s happening on […]
My Password: a reader asks… I’ve been using a variation on a password theme all across the internet for all my accounts. It’s a combination of a remembered password and some characters unique to the website or service I’m logging into. Is that ok or should I do something different? Nowadays, it’s all about password length and guess-ability. Hackers use technology that can go through all the possible combinations of characters,letters, numbers and special characters at speeds that make short […]
Web Host Recommendation? A reader asks… I am a new small business owner, and want to put up a website. I’ve been doing some research and see that I can setup one using Weebly or Wix, and GoDaddy and Network Solutions have these website design tools that are supposed to be very easy to use. I don’t intend to sell anything online otherwise I’d just use shopify.com, but do want the flexibility to change things around on my website at […]
Reading Mode for Web Pages: a reader asks… So, I have to do a lot of research that requires me to look at lots of news websites — the worst of which, oddly enough, are in Israel and Nigeria (lots of ads, social media stuff, etc.). All I’m trying to do is to capture the headline, text and date. Copying and pasting into word is really irritating and consumes a lot of time. I started to use “Clean print” in April […]
Don’t fall for this scam: a reader asks… Help! I had a problem with my HP Officejet Pro 8710 printer which stopped working with my Lenovo laptop PC after a recent Lenovo update. I looked up HP online and called a number which got me connected to somebody at helpme.net (800-546-2856). They remotely connected to my computer with Zoho Help and installed Avast Premium on my computer, then tried to sell me a $200/year ‘software firewall’ to protect my Windows […]
Fake Tech Support: a reader asks… Hi Coach, I got a phone call today from Microsoft Tech Support. They said that my computer was infected, and they had to fix it remotely. They wanted me to let them take over my computer to fix the problem. I declined but am worried that my computer is infected. What should I do? I have a Windows 10 PC and am using Windows Defender and the Malwarebytes product you recommended. You did the […]
Safe Dating Tech: a reader asks… I’m a woman re-entering the dating scene after a long time. I’m using these dating sites and services, but am a bit concerned about the potential for creeps out there. I know enough to get a separate email account so bad dates can’t troll me, and to create separate social media accounts. But don’t know what to do about cell phone and text messaging and don’t want to have to have a second phone. […]
iPad Can’t Record Zoom: a reader asks… Hi I’m using Zoom to do video chats with my clients. I’d like to be able to record the videos, but there doesn’t seem to be a way for me to do that. I’m using my Apple iPad and have a free Zoom account. The short answer is that you need a computer (Mac or PC) in order to record the video chats to the hard drive. Firstly, the free version of Zoom […]
Using File History: a reader asks… I have a Windows 10 PC. Can you tell me how to backup my computer? I read your advice about using File History, how do I set that up? There are a lot of different programs and utilities that you can use to back up your computer, but Windows 10 comes with one that is perfectly adequate – File History. Before you jump in and try to turn that on, you first need someplace […]
Password Advice: a reader asks… I read your advice on basic computer protection, thanks! Can you tell me a little more about managing my passwords? Sure! If you are very limited in the number of online places you go, then you can get away with writing down passwords. For most of us, we need the help of a password manager. That’s because the current cardinal rules for passwords are: Long passwords. Forget about password complexity, just make your password as […]
Simple Answer to PC Protection: a reader asks… Can I get a simple answer please? There are so many computer protection programs out there, what should I do to protect my Windows 10 desktop computer? Simple answer: Use the built-in Windows Defender, and supplement it by buying, installing and using Malwarebytes Premium ($40/year). Get it at https://www.malwarebytes.com/. Don’t bother with the free version, pay your money and get full-time protection. Now that that’s out of the way, let me explain the […]
PDF App for Mac: a reader asks… I have a Mac, and am having trouble with certain PDF files. When I open a PDF I can see the file just fine and print it. But some PDFs such as IRS forms are supposed to be capable of being filled out online, then printed or saved. My Mac can’t do anything with those except the usual view and print. What do I need to be able to fill out these forms? […]
iPhone Airdrop? a reader asks… So I’m sitting in a restaurant with some friends. We all have iPhones and one person is showing off her pictures. We all say “we want that one!”, but we all want different pictures. She texted each of us a separate picture. Is there an easier way? Well, you could use Airdrop but it will be marginally easier. I laid out the arcane place that Apple hid Airdrop in its latest version of iOS (in […]
HDMI to Old TV? a reader asks… Hi, I bought a new Amazon Firestick, and want to use it with my older Panasonic projection HDTV Model# PT-56TW53 – which has no HDMI ports. I bought an HDMI converter “HDMI2AV 1080p Mini” made by BlackWeb that has 1 HDMI input port, and 3 output ports (red, yellow, & white), along with RCA cables. I tried hooking the converter up to the video ports on the back of the TV, But all […]
Win10 Admin Account Disabled: a reader asks… My Windows 10 computer recently started getting an error message every time I restart the computer. It says my “Administrator” account has been disabled and to see my system adminstrator. It just started a few weeks ago and I’ve been ignoring it, since my user account works fine. The warning stops my computer from booting up till I click the OK button so it’s just annoying. Is there an easy fix? This is […]
Outlook shows name not email: a reader asks… I have Office 365 and when looking at my Outlook inbox, I see the sender’s name in the To column, but not their email address. Is there a way to get it to show the full email address? The reason why is I’ve been getting emails that show the name of someone I know, but when I open the email the From address is not their email address. This is a vexing […]
Reboot your Router: a reader asks… I’ve been reading in the news that I should reboot my router, and possibly do more stuff. Not sure what to believe these days or do. I have Verizon FIOS. Any advice? At this point, my recommendation is along the lines of the FBI’s recommendation and reinforced by a Dept. of Justice notice: unplug electrical power from your router, wait 60 seconds and plug it back in. Given that this threat is ongoing, I […]
Gmail Retract Email: a reader asks… I use Gmail and have found that sometimes I’ve accidentally hit the send button too quick. Is there a way for me to cancel an email that I’ve already sent? Yes, this is something that Gmail users have been asking for forever. Google added that feature in awhile ago, but it’s easy to miss that setting. It’s called “Undo Send” and you can use it to set a hidden sending delay of up to […]
Laptop Brands: a reader asks… I’m in the market for two new laptops to replace our aging ones. My wife and I are PC folks, not interested in the Mac. I have two questions: What are your top brand recommendations for light and powerful laptops, and what are your recommendations on specifications? We don’t do anything really taxing (no video editing or gaming), but do have a lot of multi-tasking going on. Thanks for your help! The first question is […]
Laptop for Analytics: a reader asks… I’m going to start Graduate school in the fall, working on a Masters in Business Analytics, so I imagine I will be working with large sets of data. I spoke with someone who did the program this past year and he used the school issued Thinkpad (I have an X1 carbon with an i5 now) and he said that the laptop specs weren’t really necessary. He said that the only issue he faced was […]
Mac BootCamp vs. Parallels: a reader asks… I’ve got a Macbook Air and occasionally need to use Windows. Do you think I should use Boot Camp or Parallels? It really depends on your needs and how you want to operate. Let me go over the differences in the way the two options operate. They both give you an alternate computing environment to work in, and if you want to use Microsoft Windows, you’ll need to buy a software license. With […]
Macbook Pro Fix? I have a 6 year old MacBook Pro which has been incredibly slow for quite a while. The rest of my family can’t even stand to use it. For example, when I click on a URL, often it will take 15-30 seconds to load the site, and sometimes it just beach balls until I leave the computer. I had initially thought that the slow response time was due to having Mac versions of Office products (Excel and […]
"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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