Practical Help Library – Page 26 – Practical Help for Your Digital Life®

Practical Help Library

Vacation Phone

September 27, 2016

Vacation Phone: a reader asks… I have a Verizon iPhone and am heading for a vacation overseas. Should I get one of those airport rental phones, or buy a SIM card for my iPhone to use while I’m on vacation, or ??? Any suggestions you have are appreciated! While you can certainly do either of those options, there is another option for you. Verizon has a phone loaner program, click this link: https://www.verizonwireless.com/archive/mobile-living/network-and-plans/mobile-phone-abroad-verizon-rental-loaner/ For vacations less than 3 weeks, Verizon […]
Wipe iPad

September 26, 2016

Wipe iPad: a reader asks… Is there a way to wipe all personal data from an Ipad2 and still have it be usable? It’s actually very difficult to make an iPad unusable. In order to complete the process of resetting your iPad to wipe all your personal data, you restore it back to factory conditions with the iOS operating system intact (whatever version you had running before the reset), and the default apps that every iPad comes with. Resetting the […]
Wipe my data

September 23, 2016

Wipe my data: a reader asks… I have several older laptops that I’d like to donate, they’re still working and run Windows 7. I’ve found a local place that will take them, but I want to clear off all our personal files and data before I give them the laptops. Is there an easy way to do this? When you donate a computer, you lose control over the device, so it’s always best to wipe your personal information and data […]
Wireless Earbuds

September 22, 2016

Wireless Earbuds: a reader asks… I’m going to get the new iPhone 7 and I’d like to get some wireless earbuds. Other than the new AirPods that Apple’s going to start selling in a month or so, is there anything else on the market I could or should buy? As soon as the headphone jack-less iPhone rumors firmed up, wireless headphone manufacturers started gearing up with new offerings. Of course, Apple announced the AirPods which will be available in late […]
Fake Zeus Popup

September 21, 2016

Fake Zeus Popup: a reader asks… We just setup a new Mac Mini 2 days ago. I was surfing around in Safari and must have accidentally clicked on something I shouldn’t have. My screen went black with a warning message and then a popup came that told me I was infected with the Zeus virus (screenshot attached). A couple of minutes later a voice started coming telling me to not ignore this warning and to follow the instructions. What should […]
Webcam Woes

September 20, 2016

Webcam Woes: a reader asks… I have a Dell all-in-one PC with a built-in webcam. It works just fine when I’m using Google Hangouts, Facebook Video, but when I sign into a GoToMeeting as a participant, it won’t show my video. I can hear and talk to the participants but they can’t see me. What can I do? If you’ve been trying to use GoToMeeting’s web app (using a web browser), you should know that the company has pretty much […]
Mac Startup

September 19, 2016

Mac Startup: a reader asks… My 2011 15″ Macbook Pro (with El Capitan) has been giving me trouble for about a week, and it just got a lot worse. It was crashing and restarting a few times over a few days, and then it went into endless restarting loop where the initial grey screen with the bubble line filling up to halfway, and then the screen going black and it repeating. Before I take it in to see the geniuses […]
Massive Malware

September 16, 2016

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?

September 15, 2016

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

September 14, 2016

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

September 13, 2016

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

September 12, 2016

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

September 9, 2016

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

September 8, 2016

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

September 7, 2016

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

September 6, 2016

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

September 5, 2016

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

September 2, 2016

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

September 1, 2016

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

August 31, 2016

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

August 30, 2016

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

August 29, 2016

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

August 26, 2016

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

August 25, 2016

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

August 24, 2016

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

August 23, 2016

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

August 22, 2016

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

August 19, 2016

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

August 18, 2016

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?

August 17, 2016

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 […]

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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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