Massive Malware: a reader asks… I have a 6+ year old Dell laptop that is running very slowly and weird things are happening. I have Avast free antivirus on it for protection, and my Windows 7 has all the available updates. What should I do? Ok, the first thing you should do is recognize that computer viruses are very much old news in the world of threats to your digital life these days. Hackers who develop attacks are hard at […]
iPhone 7 buy? a reader asks… I have an iPhone 5s, and an iPad 2 mini and a Macbook Air, so I’m pretty much a Mac girl. My iPhone battery no longer lasts me too long, and I’m constantly looking for a place to charge up. So I guess it’s time to get a new iPhone. Can you give me some advice on what to get? I’m on a fairly tight budget, and the thought of spending over $500 on […]
Siri Voice Training: a reader asks… I have an iPhone and a car with Bluetooth for hands-free phone and such. While I’ve figured out how to make and receive calls and play music from the phone, I’ve encountered a real problem with getting Siri to understand me. When I say for example “Play Fleetwood Mac” it always gives me a list of other names and asks me which I want to play instead of just playing what I want. Is […]
Harden against Hackers: a reader asks… Can you give me a quick list of the things I should do to make myself and my computer/smartphone/tablet harder to hack? Sure, here’s the abbreviated list (my top 6) of what you can do to keep hackers from easily getting into your digital life: don’t use an Admin user account on your computer for daily use. Create a Standard user account on your Mac or PC to use for daily work, and only […]
Chromecast Tip: a reader asks… I have a Chromecast connected to my TV, and I’m often seeing problems with my Wi-Fi connection, even though my Verizon FIOS router is nearby. Like right underneath the TV in the cabinet the TV sits on. Is there a way I can get better Wi-Fi reception on my Chromecast? I get good Wi-Fi coverage for my laptop everywhere in my apartment, it’s just the Chromecast device. Whether you have the older version of the […]
TGIF-Amazon Prime: a reader asks… Happy Friday! Should I pay for Amazon Prime? Amazon Prime costs $99 a year, or $10.99 a month. Shipping charges for stuff you buy online can easily be as much as that, depending on how much you shop. Add to the fact that you can buy just about anything on Amazon.com, and I think many people can consider it a good value – I certainly do. The benefits of Amazon Prime are many, here’s just […]
Dropbox Hack: a reader asks… I read about how Dropbox got hacked and lost 70 million user logins. I use Dropbox, do I need to worry? Actually, you can spend your worry-beads on something else. Had your account been at risk, Dropbox would have asked you to change your password. This hack is worrisome for a certain subset of Dropbox users: those who’ve had accounts since 2012 or before, and those who’ve never changed their password since about mid-2012. And while […]
Microsoft Account: a reader asks… I just got a new Windows 10 computer. Microsoft wants me to create an online account with them and tie my user account to it. Should I do this or follow your previous instructions and just create a local account? My last article on this subject, Win 10 Local Account showed you how to create a Windows 7-style local account on your computer. Microsoft would much rather you create an online account with them, and tie […]
Dead Mouse: a reader asks… I have a new Lenovo all-in-one desktop PC with Windows 10. Sometimes when I try to wake it up, my wireless mouse and keyboard won’t work. Restarting the computer doesn’t make any difference. I’ve tried replacing the batteries, but they still go out from time-to-time. I’ve used your trick of unplugging the USB button and plugging it back in – that fixes the problem temporarily. But it still happens, often at odd times. Can you […]
Video Chat: a reader asks… I’ve got a new Windows 10 laptop with a webcam and an Apple iPhone 6s. I would like to do video chat with my friends. Is there one best app or service I should use? I’m on a fixed budget so I don’t want to have to pay a lot for this privilege. I previously wrote about this in my article Easy Video Phone Calling, but it’s time for an update. When deciding on which […]
Mac Drag-n-Drop: a reader asks… My Macbook Air has lost the ability to drag and drop files. I tried your tip of dragging photos from my Apple Photos app to a Finder window open to my Dropbox folder, and it didn’t work. I have El Capitan and my MBA is only a year old. Can you help? A common problem that affects your ability to drag and drop is a matter of file permissions. It’s quite possible that your User […]
Smartphone Frustration: a reader asks… I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 I bought online almost a year ago, and I use Consumer Cellular phone and data service. A few months ago I noticed two problems start to happen, but not all the time, just intermittently. First, my cellular service is nowhere near as good as it used to be, especially in my home. Before June I had rock-solid cell service just about anywhere in my house, now I have […]
No Win10 Update: a reader asks… I have Windows 10 on my Lenovo IdeaCentre K330 desktop PC. I upgraded from Windows 7 last year. I read that the Windows 10 Anniversary Update has been released, but my Windows Update shows there aren’t any updates available. My About System screen shows I’ve got version 1511 installed, and my system is activated. Is there some reason why I’m not getting the latest updates? The Windows 10 Anniversary Update was released to the […]
Fake Infection: a reader asks… Help! I opened an email and clicked on a link in it, and got a big warning on my screen saying that my computer (a Macbook Air) had been hacked. It gave me an 800 number to call, which I did. The tech support guy had me install GoToAssist so he could help me. He showed me some screen and said that a hacker was trying to take over my IP address (whatever that is), […]
New Windows Won’t Update: a reader asks… I’ve been trying to get my Dell laptop fixed. The hard drive crashed, so I bought a new SSD (thanks for that tip!) and installed it. I didn’t have a Dell System Recovery disk, but I did have a Windows 7 64-bit SP1 installation disk, so I installed Windows. I then got and installed a bunch of Dell drivers from their support website – even followed the order of install. So now I […]
Fingerprint Reading: a reader asked… I recently switched from a Blackberry to an iPhone 6s, and am having trouble with the fingerprint reader. I’ve enrolled several fingers and both thumbs, but I can’t get the reader to unlock my phone reliably. Any advice? That’s a common problem with folks who’ve transitioned from a device that has physical keys to one with virtual keys – muscle memory has you using the tips of thumb and fingers to tap the teeny tiny […]
Old VHS tape recycle: a reader asks… In trying to clean out/declutter the house, I unearthed what appear to be 10 unused VHS tapes. Since they are obsolete (or almost so), how do recycle or dispose of them safely? I looked in your library but didn’t come up with the answer. More and more municipalities are going towards single-stream recycling which makes it easy to drop just about anything into the recycle bin. Sometimes this can actually cause more problems, […]
iPhone Buttons: a reader asks… I have a complaint about my darn iPhone, I can’t tell what’s a button to tap on the screen and what isn’t! The new flat look for the iPhone as well as websites and software programs (MS Office 2013 I’m looking at you) is a huge step backwards in my opinion. Is there something I can do to make my iPhone easier to use? I agree with you completely! Today’s flat design concept makes everything […]
Windows Protection: a reader asks… I just bought a new Windows 10 laptop PC. Can you tell me the basic things I need to do to protect my computer from hackers? The most basic thing to do is to use good protection software on a Windows computer. Windows 10 does come with some very basic protection mechanisms, but they really don’t do enough to protect you from today’s threats. For the best protection, you really need three items: Anti-virus, anti-malware, […]
Lost Home Page: a reader asks… Today I lost my Yahoo as my Internet Explorer home page and I can’t seem to get it back. Of course, all my favorites were attached to it. I have a Dell laptop using Windows 7. Any help? Internet Explorer is often subject to being hijacked by dodgy websites you visit, or by apps or software you download and install. Often these can happen simply because you clicked on something without really reading and […]
Chromebook: a reader asks… I’ve got a different question for you: What do you think of Chromebooks at this point in time? I’m considering replacing my aging laptop, and it looks like my choices are another macbook, a Windows 10 laptop, a tablet with a keyboard, or… a Chromebook. I am a student on a limited budget and want to spend less than $700. Thoughts? So, first things first, I like Chromebooks! They start up in about 10 seconds, and […]
iMessage on iPad: a reader asks… I have an iPhone 5s and an 1 year old iPad. Just recently I updated the iOS on them both, I had ignored that for a good long while. The problem appeared after I updated, it seems like my iPad now has a texting app that’s getting all my text messages from the iPhone. My Mac also has this and I don’t want either! Can I turn them off? Anytime my phone rings or i get a […]
What’s a PUP? a reader asks… I use the anti-malware program you recommend, and when I scan my Windows PC it shows me things called PUPs. I usually select them and quarantine or delete them, but I’m curious. What are they, and should I always get rid of them? First off, thanks for taking my advice and using Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium, which provides full-time protection against malware and Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs). PUPs may be completely innocuous, but almost always […]
Back-to-school Laptop: a reader asks… I’ve got a teen heading off to college in a few weeks, and I want to make sure he has the right technology. He has an iPhone 6, and we’re shopping for a laptop – or should he get an iPad? If not, should we get him a Macbook Air, a Macbook Pro, or a Windows PC? It boils down to a few key questions. Namely, your budget for a laptop, his experience (and your’s) […]
Win10 Anniversary Update: a reader asks… I have a laptop that I upgraded to Windows 10 last year. I’ve been reading about the Windows 10 Anniversary Update that’s supposed to fix a bunch of stuff with Windows. It’s supposed to be available now but I haven’t seen it on Windows Update. Do I need to manually install this update? I wouldn’t be too anxious about installing the update. Microsoft reportedly put it on the Windows Update list, but is rolling […]
PSA: No More Ransom: Just a quick public service announcement. If your PC has been infected with Ransomware and you don’t have a full system image backup, then you may be thinking of paying the ransom to get your files back. Before you do this, check out this website: Of course, you’ll need to visit it from an uninfected computer, and download a set of possible keys you could use to decrypt your hard drive. No guarantees, but it’s definitely […]
Office 365 Confusion: a reader asks… I just bought Microsoft Office 365 for my Windows 10 PC. I haven’t installed it yet, because I’m confused about what to do. It looks like the default installation is Office 32-bit, version 2016. But my PC has Windows 10 64-bit. Also, I have MS Office 2010 already installed. Do I need to uninstall that? First off, Office 365 doesn’t necessarily do an upgrade of your existing Office programs, it just installs the latest […]
Win7 Update Rollup: a reader asks… I just replaced a crashed hard drive on my Dell Inspiron laptop, and installed Windows 7 fresh. I see it’s Service Pack 1, but there must be hundreds of updates since then. Do I have to do all those updates bit by bit or is there a faster way to get my system up-to-date? There is, with the “Windows 7 SP1 Convenience Rollup” that Microsoft released. This standalone update package brings any Windows 7 […]
I hate Edge! a reader asks… I recently upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows 7 on my Lenovo laptop PC. Everything is working fine and I’m happy with Windows 10 except for one thing. I just hate the new Edge browser! In Windows 7 I used Internet Explorer and it was fine. I had my favorite add-ons working just fine. But that disappeared in Windows 10 and all I have is this Edge browser which doesn’t run my add-ons. I’m […]
Too Orange? a reader asks… I use Night Shift on my iPhone so that at night the screen isn’t so blue. Unfortunately, now it’s very orange-looking. Is there a way to adjust the color so it isn’t so bad? I want to stop that blue light at night so it doesn’t keep me awake, but the orange tint is so bad it’s distracting. Yes there’s an adjustment on the Settings page for Night Shift. Go to Settings, then Display & […]
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