iPhone bugs me: a reader asks… I have an iPhone and it seems like all the time when I’m using it, these things pop up at the top of the screen and cover what I’m looking at. Sometimes I get 3 or 4 in a row, all saying the same thing. Can I get these to stop? What you are seeing are notifications from installed apps. When you install an app on your iPhone, it usually sets itself up to […]
HDMI and DRM: a reader asks… I have a home theater system with components plugged into the HDMI ports in my AV receiver, and HDMI connected to my flat-screen TV. Every once in a while, instead of seeing the video from a component, I get a blue or blank screen. The only way to fix it is to turn everything off and then back on again. Is my equipment malfunctioning? Most likely, nothing is malfunctioning from a hardware perspective. What […]
Website Ads, Oh Google! a reader asks… I use Google Chrome (and Gmail). I’ve been noticing that websites (including yours) are starting to show me advertising that’s laser-like in its focus. The ads are for stuff I was just looking at sometimes, and certainly things I’ve been looking at online. It’s a little creepy that these websites know so much about my web-surfing habits. Should I be worried? I’m going to say ‘not really’ – the websites you visit (including […]
M.2 drive: a reader asks… I’m building a Windows PC for gaming and general use. The motherboard I’ve selected has an M.2 port on it, and I understand I can use that with a solid-state hard drive. Is this a better option than the usual SATA SSDs that are available? You should check the specs on any M.2 drive to make sure they a) physically fit with your system, and b) have an increased input/output capability. The first issue deals […]
The New Google Drive: a reader asks… I read about how Google Drive has improved by adding the ability to backup your computer automatically. Can you tell me how this works? The new app is called Backup and Sync and replaces both the Google Drive app and the the Google Photos backup app on your Mac or Windows PC. You can download the installer from https://www.google.com/drive/. While the original Google Drive app created a Google Drive folder on your computer and […]
Huge Apple Photos Library: a reader asks… Call me a pack rat, but I have tens of thousands of digital photos I’ve collected over the years. I use the latest Apple Photos App on my 1-year-old Macbook Pro, I have extra storage space for them paid for on iCloud, and I have an Apple 3tb Time Capsule for my Mac’s Time Machine app. Here’s my problem: I’m running out of SSD space on my Mac. Is there a way for […]
DriverUpdate Fakeout: a reader asks… I bought a new HP printer and figured out how to install it except that there continues to be a message about getting a “Driver Update” which appears to cost….Is this an important thing to do? I notice that now I have to turn the power on the printer every time I want to print something…but that doesn’t seem like a big deal. Alas, you’ve been caught by an imposter to the driver updater app […]
More space on Mac: a reader asks… I have a 2015 Macbook Air that I bought new. I thought I was being smart and ordered it with the maximum storage memory, 256gb. Two short years later, I’m finding that my hard drive is full. Is there a way I can add file storage space to the Macbook easily? It seems like we all tend to use whatever storage memory we have, so even as hard drive sizes go up, we […]
Setup Comcast Email on iOS: a reader asks… This may be a dumb question, but I have Xfinity from Comcast and have a Comcast.net email address. I have an iPhone and want to add that email account to it, but when I look at the list of email service providers on the Add Account page, Comcast doesn’t show. Which do I pick? Apple provided a few email service provider types on the Add Account menu, but they didn’t bother to […]
Macbook Snafu: a reader asked… I have a 2016 12″ Macbook that developed a problem. AppleCare replaced the ‘logic board’ and when I got it back, it had the MacOS on it but none of my personal files, settings or apps – it was like a brand-new Macbook. They didn’t warn me. I didn’t mention this to them but I do have an old Time Capsule, and had Time Machine working on the Macbook (at least a few weeks ago). […]
Which iPad to buy? a reader asks… I’m done with computers. I’m going to buy a new iPad and just use that for everything. I’ll use Pages to write letters and such, and do email (Gmail) and surf the web. I really don’t need anything more at my advancing age. I already have a printer that’s AirPrint capable, and I’m only going to use this at home on my wifi network, so it now comes down to which model of […]
Chrome full-screen: a reader asks… I was working away on my computer, using Google Chrome when all of the sudden the window went to full-screen. There’s no button at the top-right to shrink it down again and I can’t even see the darn tabs. What do I do? It’s likely that you accidentally hit a keyboard shortcut for full-screen mode, that’s the F11 key. It’s a toggle switch, pressing F11 turns on full-screen and pressing it again restores your web […]
Laminator Woes: a reader asks… I run a small non-profit and we use a laminator for all kinds of things, cards, papers, flyers, etc. I’ve had this workhorse laminator for several years with no trouble. We recently hired a new person and they didn’t know that you have to put the plastic sheets inside a carrier that protects the laminator from the plastic pouches. Needless to say, melted plastic got onto the rollers and now the laminator jams all the […]
Clacking Keyboard: a reader asks… I recently got a new Windows 10 desktop computer that I’ll be using for gaming as well as regular work. It came with this cheap keyboard which I’d like to replace, the keys are too uncomfortable, don’t seem as responsive and don’t light up. Can you recommend a good keyboard for gaming? Mechanical keyboards are all the rage for gaming, because they have a fairly large amount of key travel, and because you can get […]
Windows 10 Uninstall Apps: a reader asks… I just got a new Windows 10 computer and am having trouble getting my brain upgraded from Windows 7. I want to uninstall some unneeded programs, but I can’t find the control panel anymore. How can I do this now? Most of the functions of the old Control Panel have been taken over by either the Windows Settings menu, or by the secondary start menu. Get to the Windows Settings menu by clicking […]
iPhone Do Not Disturb: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have an iPhone 5s and leave it on my nightstand every night. The problem is that every time I get a text message, email, or news alert, it makes a noise. Turning off the ringer switch doesn’t really help as those noises turn into vibrations that the nightstand seems to amplify. Can you tell me how to turn this off? The fastest way to shut off both noises and vibrations […]
Win10 Creators Update: a reader asks… I have a Windows 10 computer and read about the Creator’s Update coming soon, but my computer still doesn’t show it on the Update page. Is there a way I can get the update faster than the ‘phased rollout’ that Microsoft is doing? If you just can’t wait for the update, you can get it sooner. Visit this website: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and click the blue Update Now button to start the process. It may take a […]
Recycle Computers: a reader asks… I have some old laptops that I’d like to donate to an orphanage. 2 run Windows XP, 1 runs Windows Vista, and 1 runs Mac OSX 10.6. What do I need to do to prepare them for donation? They need to be in working order, but I need to make sure my personal files are erased securely. The first thing you should recognize is that Microsoft no longer supports either Windows XP nor Vista, so […]
Wet Mac: a reader asks… I made a big mistake, while working, I spilled a smoothie on my 2011 Macbook Pro. It worked for a few hours after that (I tried to clean it up as best I could). I shut it down and now it won’t turn on at all. Is there anything I can do? AppleCare is long expired and I’ve already tried letting it dry out for a few days. Most likely, the best you could do […]
Windows 10 Tablet Mode: a reader asks… I got a new Windows 10 laptop (HP) and for some reason it started working weirdly. Now the Start menu only shows full-screen and all the time unless I’m in an app. All windows (even the settings screens) show only as full-screen and I can’t shrink them down. I don’t know what happened – what should I do? It sounds like you accidentally turned on “Tablet Mode” on your laptop. The icon at […]
New Windows Defender: a reader asks… I have a new Windows 10 computer (and just got the Creator’s Update). My last computer used Windows 7, and I read your article https://positek.net/windows-protection-2/ that talks about the new Windows Defender. My question is, can you tell me what’s different about the new Windows Defender from the old one (part of Microsoft Security Essentials)? In the Windows 7 days (and even into Windows 8/8.1), Windows Defender was a pretty anemic app that Microsoft tossed […]
Update my Router: a reader asks… I got an email that says my Netgear R7000 Nighthawk router needs a firmware update. 2 Questions: is this real? and if yes, what do I do to update my router – I have a Macbook Air with no ethernet and the instructions say to use ethernet to connect to the router. You are right to be suspicious, email is not the best way for hardware vendors to advise you that updates are needed. […]
Easy Windows Backup: a reader asks… Is there a way I can use my Dropbox Plus (1tb of storage) account to make keeping my Windows 10 computer backed up easier? Unless you have a huge media library in Dropbox, you’re probably only using a fraction of the storage space you’re paying for on Dropbox. So definitely you can use Dropbox to streamline your backup plan. Take a look at my article Change Windows Default Folder Locations which shows how you can move […]
Lost Mac Recovery: a reader asks… I have a Mac with an external drive working with Time Machine for backups. If my Mac crashes or is lost or stolen, is it easier (certainly less time) to recover from a Time Machine backup than an iCloud backup? Should I do both? Kudos to you for thinking about how to recover from a disaster before the disaster strikes! Most folks find out the hard way that pre-planning makes recovery so much easier. […]
Mac Partitions: a reader asks… I have a 1T LaCie external hard drive that I have used as backup regularly. When I got it at an Apple store, they divided it into 500G for video and 500G for everything else. The everything else has now run out of space (and I have very little in the video section). Easy to re-partition? From the LaCie website, looks like I have to erase everything? Generally, you can split a drive into 2 […]
Use a timer: a reader asks… Do you have a handy piece of consumer technology that can help me? I’m a cook and have to time a number of things throughout the day, from letting bread rise to baking times. Sometimes I have several things on a timer at once. My oven only has one timer. Do you have a smartphone? As they say, there’s an app for everything. Besides the built-in timer capabilities of your average smartphone, there are […]
Get my Files! a reader asks… My Windows laptop has developed a problem and I need an easy solution. I think the hard drive is ok, but the laptop itself is broken (screen cracked, won’t boot up). Is there a place where I can get the data from my hard drive extracted so I can save my personal files? I will be getting a new computer. Certainly you can pay someone to extract your data and give it to you, […]
Restart Your Computer Loop: a reader asks… Every time I use my laptop computer I receive this notice: “Restart your computer to finish installing important updates”. I can not follow thru with the update alert and then my computer is automatically shut down unless I request a 4 hr delay. I don’t know what to do to stop this alert, and I’m not very technical, so an easy solution, please? This is a vexing problem that can affect any version of […]
Critical Updates? a reader asks… I am getting a pop up box for Lenovo System Update that says I have critical updates available and they recommend I install them. Should I install them? I haven’t done any updates from that program since I purchased the laptop. Unfortunately, there’s no simple answer, some updates are truly critical and you need to apply them to your system asap, some are not only ‘not critical’ but installing them would activate features you don’t […]
iPhone Speakerphone doesn’t: a reader asks… I need some advice. I have an iPhone 6s. I recently updated the iOS software. Ever since my voicemail is kluged up. The speaker function in voicemail which I use all the time no longer works. I have tried several things from online Help sites but nothing works. I was thinking of rebooting by holding home and sleep/wake button but nervous I may screw something else up. Have you seen this problem and can […]
"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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