Practical Help Library – Page 13 – Practical Help for Your Digital Life®

Practical Help Library

Auto-renew Unasked

January 19, 2018

Auto-renew Unasked: a reader asks… I’m perplexed, my subscription to Bitdefender Total Security renewed automatically, but I didn’t click any buttons or make any changes. Not sure how that happened but, oh well. I read your latest recommendation on Windows 10 security (at https://positek.net/windows-10-protection/) but my subscription to Bitdefender is currently active. Should I switch or wait till the subscription ends? The answer to your question (switch now or later) isn’t for me to say. If you’re a frugal sort, then […]
Word 2016 Mail Merge – Categories

January 18, 2018

Word 2016 Mail Merge – Categories: a reader asks… I use Office 365 and have Outlook and Word 2016 installed. I have all my contacts organized by category. What I’d like to do is a mail merge in Word using just one category of contacts (I’m making a holiday letter). Using the Mail Merge function in Word doesn’t show me a way to filter contacts by category. So how do I do this? Unfortunately, filtering by categories wasn’t included in […]
iPhone X Shortcut

January 17, 2018

iPhone X Shortcut: a reader asks… I got a new iPhone X a few weeks ago. I transferred over everything from my old iPhone to the new one, and have figured out how to use FaceID. I’m slowly getting used to all the new ways of doing things. One thing has me mystified though: how do I quickly switch between apps? The iPhone X has lots of new gestures that may take a little practice for you to get familiar […]
Outlook Contacts

January 16, 2018

Outlook Contacts: a reader asks… I use Outlook (part of Office 365) for my email, calendar and address book. I see that some contacts have an image of the person and some don’t, but I don’t remember how I got those pictures added to Outlook. Can you tell me how to do this? The first thing you should do is collect good pictures as many of your contacts as you can. I suggest you store all those pictures in a […]
LastPass Quirks

January 15, 2018

LastPass Quirks: a reader asks… I’m ready to take your advice on using a password manager. Is there anything I need to know about LastPass before I pull the trigger? The LastPass website has a number of tutorials that you should spend the time to watch. Watch the basic tutorial at at https://lastpass.com/basic.php. You may also want to watch at least some of the screencasts at https://lastpass.com/support_screencasts.php. And the main manual is at https://helpdesk.lastpass.com/. If you’re new to password managers, you need to […]
Webcam Security

January 12, 2018

Webcam Security: a reader asks… I am looking at adding a wireless webcam or two to help monitor my home when I’m away. I’m worried about security, but also about the security of the webcams I get. I hear they’re not very secure. Do you have any recommendations? I’ve been looking at the Insteon cameras (and their other home automation gear). Unfortunately, most webcams (also called IP Cameras) on the market come from China, and are horribly insecure. In order […]
Your Passwords

January 11, 2018

Your Passwords: a reader asks… So what’s your current guidance on passwords? It’s a simple 3-prong strategy. First, make your passwords long (the more characters the better, even more than 20). Second, make them unique (don’t use the same password in multiple places), third, use a password manager (software program to help you manage your passwords). The only thing left to account for is any password requirements that specific online destinations have. Some websites require old-fashioned password complexity – meaning […]
Where did Airdrop Go?

January 10, 2018

Where did Airdrop Go? a reader asks… I updated my iPhone 6s to iOS 11 and everything is working great. Except for one thing. I can’t find Airdrop anymore! Did Apple discontinue that feature? No, they just did a nice job of hiding the control for Airdrop. When you have the Airdrop menu open, you can choose to either have Airdrop off, open for only your contacts, or open for anyone in range of your iPhone’s Bluetooth connection. Those choices […]
Windows 10 Protection

January 9, 2018

Windows 10 Protection: a reader asks… Ok, one more time, what protection should I use for my Windows 10 computer? Short answer: the built-in Windows Defender supplemented by a subscription to Malwarebytes Premium. Sure, Norton, Bitdefender, ESET, McAfee and others will attempt to convince you that you need their protection, but the truth is that for many/most consumers, Windows Defender does an adequate job. To add another strong layer of protection I recommend you add on a premium subscription to […]
Fake Email

January 8, 2018

Fake Email: a reader asks… I received an email in my Outlook inbox that I’m not sure what to do with. I’ve attached a screenshot of it and forwarded you a copy of the email. Any advice? First things first, do not open the file attachment! Unless you are already doing business with JMA Architects (supposedly the sender of the email based on the From address) and expecting them to send you something, this is 100% a scam. Your best […]
Browser Search Change

January 5, 2018

Browser Search Change: a reader asks… For some reason, as of yesterday, when I’m in Safari (on my Macbook), searches are now going through us.search.yahoo.com. Might you know how I can stop that. Annoying! You might have been victim of a drive-by search engine change. What happens is you visit a website and it (sometimes if you click on something) changes your default search engine. These can also add extensions or toolbars to your browser. For Safari, it’s easy to […]
Streaming Movies

January 4, 2018

Streaming Movies: a reader asks… Yesterday a friend told me I needed to get a Firestick…that it would connect me to the internet and allow me to watch first run movies currently in the theaters. I read about Firestick but I didn’t see anything that says I can watch movies currently running in theaters. Do you know if that’s true? The TV I’d connect it to doesn’t have embedded Wi-Fi and I’m not ready to replace it yet. I do have FIOS triple-play with […]
Your Processor Leaks

January 3, 2018

Your Processor Leaks: a reader asks… I just read about the security bug in Intel processors. Can you give me a quick rundown on what’s going on and what I should do about it? The start of 2018 brought us a new computer security worry. Google’s Project Zero team (and teams at Graz University and Cyberus Technology) discovered a huge security vulnerability with virtually all Intel (and probably AMD and ARM) processors. The vulnerabilities are called “Meltdown” and “Spectre” (there […]
Why not Windows XP?

January 2, 2018

Why not Windows XP? A reader asks… I have a Windows XP computer that’s still working, and I’m not convinced that I need to upgrade to a new computer. All I do is email and surf the internet. No online shopping, banking or social networking, and I don’t have anything on my computer that I consider personal. My computer is slow and a bit cumbersome, but I don’t see why I can’t just keep using it until it no longer […]
New Year Purge

January 1, 2018

New Year Purge: a reader asks… One of my New Year’s resolutions is to clean up my digital life, as you call it. I have a bunch of old cell phones, computers and other stuff that has collected in the basement. None of it is worth anything, so how do I get rid of it? Also, I’d like to go through my files and emails and purge old stuff. Is there an easy way to do that? Your best bet […]
Archive News of the Week

December 31, 2017

Over the course of writing Practical Help for Your Digital Life®, we wrote an ongoing article with snippets called “News of the Week”, discontinued in 2018. Rather than just delete all those, here is the column in one very long archive. . The News of the Week was organized along the lines of titles such as: Hot Flash Senior Moment Apps We Like Hardware We Like Hot Tips Click any title below to expand or close the topic [accordion openfirst=”false” […]
I got Airpods!

December 29, 2017

I got Airpods! A reader asks… My Christmas stocking had a set of Airpods in them, I’m ecstatic! I have an iPhone 7 and am ready to start using them. Do you have a quick instruction for how to set them up on my iPhone? It couldn’t be simpler! Open the box and unwrap your Airpods. Likely they already have a decent battery charge, but if you want to make sure, plug them into your lightning cable/charger for an hour […]
A Christmas Netflix

December 28, 2017

A Christmas Netflix: a reader asks… I got a gift membership to Netflix for Christmas, yay! It came in an email, so now what do I do? I have a Firestick connected to my TV, and an iPhone and I’d like to use it on either. So the first thing is to open that email and follow the instructions. That will have you create a user account on Netflix.com with a username (likely your email address) and a password (you […]
My Laptop Present

December 27, 2017

My Laptop Present: a reader asks… This Christmas my daughter got me a new Microsoft Surface Pro laptop. She was nice enough to ‘set it up for me’, but I’m not sure what to do with it. I’m in my 80’s and don’t do much besides email, facebook (pics of my grandkids!) and occasional surfing the internet. This new laptop has Microsoft Office 2016 on it, and she loaded Adobe Reader and a protection program you recommended (Malwarebytes Premium). Can […]
New Roku with Old Gear

December 26, 2017

New Roku with Old Gear: a reader asks… I would like to have the ability to use a Roku Express + on my old TV which is hooked up to a home theater system & DirecTV. My TV is a Samsung: Model LTN1735 S which does not have HDMI only RCA video in, S Video, & RCA component (480i). My home theatre system is a Sony DAV-HDX265 which does have HDMI And the DirecTV box is model HR24-100 this also […]
Ho, Ho Ho-hum iPhone Slowdown

December 25, 2017

Ho, Ho Ho-hum iPhone Slowdown: a reader asks… I heard on the news that apple is intentionally slowing down older iPhones. Needless to say this seems to be like planning for obsolescence. Argh. I’d like to learn if apple now being discovered might stop this practice, and which phone models are affected. I notice with the 11.0 upgrade and since my iPhone 6plus has been slower opening any app, and even voice activation like Siri and texting. The story you’re […]
Last Minute Gift

December 22, 2017

Last Minute Gift: a reader asks… I always put off my Christmas shopping till the last minute. Now I’m late and need to find something for my significant other. She’s into tech but already has all the toys. Any suggestions? Hmm, not much info on her to go on, but let me try. Here are just a few suggestions in no particular order, probably things she wouldn’t buy for herself but might secretly pine for. Amazon Echo Spot ($130). This […]
Present for Son

December 21, 2017

Present for Son: a reader asks… I have a son about to graduate high school and go off to college. I want to get him a present that will be useful to him at college. He already has a laptop and a cell phone. What would you suggest from a tech toys perspective? He might enjoy wireless earbuds, to free him from the cord connecting him to his phone – I’m assuming it’s a smartphone with access to Spotify, Pandora […]
Gift Laptop

December 20, 2017

Gift Laptop: a reader asks… I’m giving my SO a Windows 10 laptop for Christmas. I’m fairly savvy about using computers, her not so much. Other than wrapping it, should I get or do anything else to make her gift more meaningful? I think one of the best things you can do is to setup her laptop for her use before you give it to her. It’s easy to just take the box and wrap it up with pretty paper […]
Companion Present

December 19, 2017

Companion Present: a reader asks… I’m late on getting my husband a Christmas gift, too busy. He has a laptop computer, smartphone and tablet (all Apple), and doesn’t need a new one of any. Do you have any other ideas for a nice gift for him? I would suggest a companion present, something that goes with or works with something he already has. If he has a Mac, iPhone and iPad, there are some nice companion gifts that would work […]
Stocking Stuffers

December 18, 2017

Stocking Stuffers: a reader asks… Hi Coach, I’m shopping for stocking stuffers for my family, do you have a list of small tech things I could use? While it’s a bit late for full-on online gift shopping (delivery before Christmas), stocking stuffers are easy to come by in a variety of stores. I do have a list and am happy to share it with you. These cover the gamut from kids to adults, and from physical things to apps, software […]
Senior Wrap-up

December 15, 2017

Senior Wrap-up: a reader asks… As my parents age-in-place, I’m looking at simplifying their lives, particularly in the technology department. They don’t use cell phones, and share a computer (an older HP laptop with Windows 7). They do use email and look at websites, but I don’t think they do any online shopping, etc. What would you suggest as a computer upgrade for them? They and I are not into Macs by the way, so only PCs. So if your […]
Seniors iPad Shortcuts

December 14, 2017

Seniors iPad Shortcuts: a reader asks… Do you have a short list of things I could do to help my aging mother use her iPad? She uses Gmail with the built-in Mail app, and uses Safari to look at stuff online. I got her your recommended keyboard which she uses, and the iPad doesn’t have many other apps installed. She wants to read news and watch videos. If you just want a quick list of things you can do, let’s […]
My Parent’s Phobia

December 13, 2017

My Parent’s Phobia: a reader asks… I gave my aging parents a new iPad recently, and they are afraid to use it. They think they’ll break something if they use it wrong, or let hackers steal their identity (they don’t do much besides Gmail and Facebook). What can I say to convince them it’s safe to use? I’d suggest you demonstrate the sturdiness of the iPad. You can shake it, drop it on the carpet (gently), let it slip out […]
Senior’s iPad Keyboard

December 12, 2017

Senior’s iPad Keyboard: a reader asks… Ok, so I’ve got my elder parents a new 5th generation iPad to replace their old Macbook. got it all setup for them and it’s all great except they are having trouble with the touch keyboard. Are there any good add-on physical keyboards that would be good for them? There are several excellent keyboards on the market. Since they’ve used a Mac keyboard before, I’d suggest you get them one that’s closest to what […]

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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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