Fake BSOD: a reader asks… I have an HP laptop with Windows 10 and recently got this error message. It lists an 800 number that I should call for help with the error. Before I grab my phone, is this legit? In a word, no. This is a scam. Likely you were attempting to get the Microsoft Security Essentials program to protect your computer, but clicked on a link that wasn’t really from Microsoft. Instead of getting the official program, you […]
New Apple? A reader asks… I have an iPhone 5s which is still working. The battery doesn’t last as long, but I’ve adjusted my charging habits. I also have a 2011 11″ Macbook Air but the battery expanded so my trackpad doesn’t work right anymore and it’ll only work when plugged into electric. But I generally use it only at my desk. Do you think it’s time I upgraded my stuff? I’ve come into some money (a small inheritance), so […]
Bitdefender & Malware: a reader asks… I just got a new Lenovo laptop PC with Windows 10 on it. Taking your advice, I purchased Bitdefender (the Total Security 2017 version). Do I really need the other two products you recommend? That’s Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium and Anti-Exploit Premium. The website says that Bitdefender protects against malware as well as viruses. Protecting your new computer is really a combination of software product(s) and taking care to use your computer safely. At this […]
Look for https://: a reader asks… I’ve been reading about how Google is trying to force all websites to start using SSL and encrypting all data between my web browser and the website I’m visiting. Do you think this is important and why? Yes, I think it’s very important that webmasters (those who craft and create websites for you to visit) take steps to protect you. Foremost is encrypting information passed between your web browser and their servers. This has […]
Vista Age: a reader asks… My aging Dell desktop PC has Windows Vista on it, and I don’t see many updates coming anymore from Microsoft. Is it time for a new computer? I think it’s about time. You’ve got maybe six more months of basic security support coming to you from Microsoft, and then they’ll pull the plug on Vista (on April 11, 2017). Every Windows product has a lifecycle. The lifecycle begins when a product is released and ends when […]
Snopes Facebook: a reader asks… I recently saw on Facebook a notice from someone that we now have to post some legal language in order to protect our status updates from being made public, even the one’s we’ve deleted. the posting starts “Everything you’ve ever posted becomes public from tomorrow….” and goes on for awhile. Someone told me to check Snopes.com to see if it’s real, and they say it’s an old hoax from several years ago that’s continuing to […]
Is Blogging Hard? a reader asks… I’ve been thinking about starting a blog, but really don’t know where to start. Is it difficult? Can you give me a quick primer? Blogging is a great way to share information. Anyone with something to say can blog, and it’s how many of the new standard information outlets started (such as The Huffington Post and The Drudge Report). Getting started can be quite easy, or more involved. While it may seem a little […]
One thing: a reader asks… Quick question: if there’s only one thing I can do to secure my digital life, what would it be? Quick answer – exercise good password management. I’ll try to keep the answer as short as I can, although I’ve written extensively about this subject in many past articles. You need to use strong and unguessable passwords that are unique to each and every online entity you deal with. There’s no way a human can really […]
Bye Yahoo: a reader asks… I’ve been reading about all the problems with Yahoo, them snooping all my email, losing all our account details to hackers, and now it seems like at least once a week the email service is down. I’m ready to leave for another email service provider. Do you have any recommendations, and can you give me some hints on making a seamless transfer? Let me start off by saying that Yahoo, like most free email service […]
Am I protected? a reader asks… I have a 1-year-old HP laptop with Windows 10 (I upgraded last year from Windows 8). Everything runs fine and I took your advice and have Bitdefender Internet Security as well as both Malwarebytes’ programs. But sometimes weird things pop up on my screen and I’m not sure if there’s something wrong. A friend told me that some malware can disable your protection programs without any indication that they’re really not working. Is there […]
PC Moving Day: a reader asks… I’m in the middle of swapping out my old Windows laptop for a new one. My old one has Microsoft Office (I have a 365 subscription), but I use Gmail in my web browser for email (not Outlook), as well as the Google Calendar and Contacts. I use Google Chrome (logged in to my Google account), and have a few programs I’d like on the new computer (like iTunes). Mostly though I want to […]
Securing the cloud: a reader asks… I use Dropbox for storing files online as a backup to my computer. I’ve been reading about cloud-based storage and hacking, and I’m a little worried about the safety of my files. I know that the files are encrypted during the upload and download process (from Dropbox servers to my computer), but what about the security of those files while they’re on Dropbox servers? I’m looking at a third party encryption tool: Boxcryptor. Do […]
Good Video Editor: a reader asks… I have a fairly powerful Windows desktop PC with an Intel i7 processor, 16gb of RAM, a dedicated graphics card and 2 monitors. I’ve been using Windows Movie Maker but would like to step up to something more powerful, yet not too difficult to learn. Can you recommend a video editing program? There are a lot of good video editing programs out there, some are approaching the power of professional-grade programs such as Avid […]
MacMail Password Woes: a reader asks… This message pops up on my Mac when I tried to send an email last night. I tried one password but it was rejected. My Mac Mail program has been working fine for years, just last night this started and I keep getting the pop up message every few minutes. Any thoughts? I’m doing some guessing here, but it’s possible that your Keychain (the Mac’s database of remembered passwords) didn’t work right when your Mac’s […]
Ghost Music: a reader asks… When I woke up my PC this morning, it was playing music. There was a window listing titles of songs, but when I closed the window, the music kept playing. I wish I had taken a picture of the window, but I didn’t. I would love to figure out which app it was (I actually like the music) and why it started overnight, but the only clue I see is “Windows Audio Device Graph Isolation” […]
Fix Win10 1607 Update: a reader asks… I’ve got a Lenovo desktop PC with Windows 10 on it. My computer has been trying to get the latest Windows Updates (aka the Anniversary update or version 1607) for a few days now, and it keeps failing and reverting my system. My computer then tries again the next day and repeats. This has been going on for a week now. What should I do? The simplest solution is to bypass the Windows […]
Backup Win10: a reader asks… Hi, I have a 2 year old Dell laptop PC with Windows 10 on it (I upgraded when it was free last year). I notice that my computer just updated itself to version 1607 and it seems to have completed ok now after a lot of rebooting over 2 days. But I’m worried that I might lose my files and know I should be doing backup. Can you tell me how to backup my computer […]
Google’s Pixel: a reader asks… Now that Samsung’s officially killed their newest smartphone/phablet (the Galaxy Note 7) before it kills more people, I’m currently deciding on one or the other of these two smartphones: Google Pixel and Apple iPhone. I’m leaning towards the Pixel because I’m comfortable with Android. Is there anything I need to consider in this? I’m a Verizon customer btw. Ok, so my first bit of advice is that if you get a Pixel, order it directly […]
Program Uninstall: a reader asks… Sorry for the dumb question, but exactly how do I uninstall a program from my Windows 10 computer? If you’ve never done a program uninstall before, it’s completely understandable that you’re unsure where to start and what to do. The answer to your question is that ‘it depends’. Some programs can be uninstalled directly from their program folder, some must be uninstalled either from the Settings > Apps & Features window, or from the Control […]
The Name of Things: a reader asks… I’m having trouble following some of the instructions you give, mostly because when you name something, I don’t know what it is. I have an HP laptop computer with Windows 7 running on it. Here are the names you say that I don’t know: Start Button, Task Bar, Hyperlink, & Icon. Also, I’m not sure what you mean by select versus click. Can you give me a little tutorial please? Sure, Windows 7 […]
Mac Support: a reader asks… Help! I’m having trouble with my Mac and AirPlay to my 4th gen. Apple TV and my Bluetooth headphones. I just upgraded to the latest OS (Sierra) on my 2013 Macbook Pro. Before the upgrade, I was on El Capitan and everything worked smoothly, I could AirPlay to my TV and listen on my headphones just fine. Do you have a solution for me? Your question relates to an article I wrote awhile ago: Why can’t […]
Many Remotes: a reader asks… I have a Pioneer laserdisk player, a Sony DVD player, and a Verizon FIOS TV box – these are all connected to my Bose sound system and my Toshiba flat-screen TV. You can guess that I’m in remote control hell, my Verizon remote turns the TV on and off and controls the TV volume plus changes channels on my FIOS TV box. I have to use my Toshiba remote to switch the TV inputs between […]
Driver Updates: a reader asks… I have an HP laptop with Windows 7 on it (I decided not to take the free upgrade to 10). Lately, I’ve been seeing a little bulletin from “Driver Updates” that pops up every morning. … I am supposed to download certain areas…Is this safe to do? I am reluctant to go ahead with this… Here’s my opinion on driver updates: you should only get them from the manufacturer of the hardware. There are plenty […]
iPhone Raise to Wake: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have an iPhone 6 that I just updated to iOS 10. I saw one of the new features of iOS 10 called ‘Raise to Wake’ but I can’t find it on my phone. Is the setting hidden somewhere and if so, where? Thanks! Unfortunately, the Raise to Wake feature of iOS 10 requires a newer model of iPhone than yours. Specifically, the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, SE, 7 and 7 […]
Fake IRS Calls & More: a reader asks… I don’t get a lot of calls on my landline, but most of what I do get sound like scams. For instance, I get this recorded message from the IRS saying it’s my last notice before they take legal action. Now I’m starting to get these types of calls on my cell phone (I have an iPhone). Is there any way to stop this stuff from happening? I last wrote about this […]
Teeny Screen: a reader asks… I’m 82 and my son got me a smartphone (an iPhone 6s Plus). He’s been really nice about taking the time to show me how to use it. I’m thrilled with it in most ways, but one. The screen is just so small! Even with bifocals it’s hard to see what’s on the screen, most times I can’t even read the teeny-tiny print. What can I do? Your son was very thoughtful in that he […]
Mac Missing Pictures: a reader asks… On my new iMac, the Finder window is missing a folder on the left-side for Pictures. I’m using the Photos app to manage pictures, but don’t see the actual picture files in Finder. I used to see this on my older Mac. When Apple came out with the new Photos app (in OS X Yosemite 10.10), Apple decided that all users were only going to use the app for dealing with their photos instead […]
Mac Name Change: a reader asks… I’ve been trying to change the name of my Macbook Pro, and it doesn’t seem to be working. When I go to the System Preferences, Sharing app, I see the field for the name and have overwritten that with a new name. But when I go look on my other Mac or iPhone or iPad, the computer that shows up still has the old name. Am I missing something? There are two things you […]
Backup Software: a reader asks… I’d like to use an automated backup service for my Windows laptop computer. What do you think about CrashPlan? I’ve previously looked at other automated solutions like Mozy and Carbonite, and a quick perusal of CrashPlan shows much of the same sort of capabilities and usage. Where CrashPlan comes out in front though, is that they keep backup copies of files even after you’ve deleted them from your computer. So if months go by and […]
Mac Backup Change: a reader asks… Both me and my SO have Macbooks, and we share an external hard drive we use as a Time Capsule. We each plug it in once a week and run Time Machine to back up our Macs to the drive. Recently I sent my Macbook in for service to replace a failing graphics adapter. When I got it back, everything was working fine. Except when I plugged in the Time Capsule drive and got […]
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