Practical Help Library

  • Identity Theft Protection

    Identity Theft Protection

    March 9, 2016

    Identity Theft Protection: a reader asks… I’ve subscribed to TrustedID which is sold through AARP. It seems quite comprehensive, and also provides access to your credit score from all three providers at any time. I’m no longer tempted to subscribe to the (expensive) individual credit card or bank id protection services. What do you think of TrustedID? My short answer is that 1) I don’t think their services are worth the cost, and 2) no automated service will give you […]

  • Post Win10 Upgrade

    Post Win10 Upgrade

    March 8, 2016

    Post Win10 Upgrade: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I just finished upgrading to Windows 10. I followed your advice and am using a local account, have turned of Cortana, and set my privacy settings as private as I can. I think I’m all set except for one problem. I use Bitdefender Total Security 2016, and after the upgrade it won’t update, it won’t activate, and the antivirus feature won’t turn on. What should I do now? Despite Microsoft’s exhortations to […]

  • Is the Cloud Cloudy?

    Is the Cloud Cloudy?

    March 7, 2016

    Is the Cloud Cloudy? a reader asks… I feel that my cloud access is totally out of control. Everyone–Google, Microsoft, Apple, and many other smaller vendors–make it easy to sign up, and cheap to extend the storage. Apple and Google are particularly insistent because their apps are closely tied to their cloud services. I mostly use 1TB Dropbox for most of my important files and Acronis’s unlimited cloud storage for backups. I doubt I can avoid iCloud, but there are bits […]

  • WhatsApp on 2 Phones

    WhatsApp on 2 Phones

    March 4, 2016

    WhatsApp on 2 Phones: a reader asks… I have an AT&T iPhone I use in the US, but I travel a lot. My work gave me a T-Mobile smartphone for use overseas. I use WhatsApp to communicate with everyone. How can I switch my WhatsApp to the T-Mobile phone when I travel, yet still have it use the same AT&T phone number so all my contacts can still get hold of me? First off, here’s what you shouldn’t do: change the […]

  • Old Printer

    Old Printer

    March 3, 2016

    Old Printer: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have a really old HP Laserjet 2100 printer that has a cable to connect it to the computer with a (gasp!) old-style 25-pin plug. The printer still works great and I’d like to keep using it as long as it lasts, but I finally replaced my old laptop with a newer one ( Windows 7) that doesn’t have that kind of port. Do you have a low-cost solution for me? Or do […]

  • Fingerprint Hack?

    Fingerprint Hack?

    March 2, 2016

    Fingerprint Hack? a reader asks… Hi Chris, I read an article that says it’s easy to hack the fingerprint sensor on an iPhone. Do I need to be worried? Short answer, no. I read the same article from Business Insider, and it’s either a shill piece by the maker of a fingerprint sensor in a lame attempt to bolster his own product, or (in my opinion) an irresponsible piece of pseudo-journalism that seems to be so rampant these days, intended […]

  • Anonymous Surfing

    Anonymous Surfing

    March 1, 2016

    Anonymous Surfing: Not just for the bad guys! You might have heard about hackers using the Dark Net, or the Deep Web to buy and sell hacking tools. That’s where anonymous surfing gets a bad rap. But for the rest of us, there can be some very good reasons to surf without leaving an identity trail behind you as you go. For instance, journalists who are researching stories or political dissidents who don’t want their government breathing down their necks. […]

  • Zoom & Print

    Zoom & Print

    February 29, 2016

    Zoom & Print: a reader asks… Hi Coach, do you have an easy way for me to be able to print part of a page blown up in size? I often print Adobe PDFs that have architectural drawings, and the pages are actually very large, but when I print them they must shrink down the whole page to fit on standard size paper. Is there a way I can take just a part of the page and print that bit […]

  • iPhone Yellow Battery

    iPhone Yellow Battery

    February 26, 2016

    iPhone Yellow Battery: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I noticed this evening that my battery indicator is no longer green, but kind of yellow orange. I wasn’t able to plug in anywhere today and drew my battery down to the red. When I got home I plugged it in and after awhile it turned from red to yellow orange. Did I mess up my battery by draining it too far? First off, no need to worry. The battery indicator turns […]

  • Simple Outlook Solution

    Simple Outlook Solution

    February 25, 2016

    Simple Outlook Solution: a reader asks… Hey Coach, I’ve used Outlook for years tied to my Verizon email account. I now find myself in the situation where I use a few computers, a smartphone and a tablet. Can you give me a straightforward and simple solution so my email, contacts, calendar, tasks and notes are all kept in sync across all these devices? I’m frustrated with read versus unread messages not the same, and with having to enter contacts and […]

  • Instagram Photo Editing

    Instagram Photo Editing

    February 24, 2016

    Instagram Photo Editing: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I use Instagram on my iPhone, and I find the editing function pretty minimal. Same for the editing tools in the iPhone’s Photos app. Is there anything better? I’m always forgetting to set my camera app for square photos, so they don’t look good on Instagram. Instagram offers quite a few editing tools in the app, but noticeably missing are such basic tools as crop, and redeye reduction. While the default Instagram view […]

  • Old Windows

    Old Windows

    February 23, 2016

    Old Windows: a reader asks… I was working on my old desktop and opened up Google Chrome and received an interesting alert. Do I have any options or just have to update Windows? Or just switch internet browsers? I only use this computer for remote office access via google chrome, surfing the Internet, Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. This has less to do with your Chrome web browser than with overall computer security. This warning simply means that Google doesn’t consider either Windows […]

  • Senior-proof the Touchpad

    Senior-proof the Touchpad

    February 22, 2016

    Senior-proof the Touchpad: a reader asks… Hi Chris, my father is 83 and uses a Windows 7 laptop with a touchpad. I’m his ‘tech support’ and am always having to help him with strange problems that happen. When I ask, he’s not giving me good intel on what was happening just before the problem surfaced. I suspect that he’s misusing the touchpad, but he doesn’t want to switch to a regular mouse – I’ve offered to buy him one, but […]

  • Play my iPhone on the big screen

    Play my iPhone on the big screen

    February 19, 2016

    Play my iPhone on the big screen: a reader asks… I have an iPhone 6 plus, a Netflix account, and an LCD TV (currently connected to my FIOS TV box). I would really like to watch Netflix on the big screen, but I don’t want to have to buy an Apple TV. Is there a cheaper alternative? There are always alternatives! In your case, you need to check for two capabilities on your TV: If you have an unused HDMI […]

  • Back Online

    Back Online

    February 18, 2016

    Back Online: After more than just a few days of our online presence being anything but (…online), we are back up and running with a new website hosting company and a more robust email provider. Let me tell you what happened. Over the last few years, our readership has grown – thank you! We were continuing to use Bluehost for our website hosting service, and their reliability and service have waned while our needs increased. The ‘last straw’ happened earlier […]

  • Windows 10 Privacy

    Windows 10 Privacy

    February 12, 2016

    Windows 10 Privacy: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve upgraded to Windows 10, and things seem to be working fine. But I’m a little concerned about privacy, especially after reading some reviews online. What can I do to stop Microsoft’s built-in spying? When you first upgraded to Windows 10, Microsoft very strongly suggested you create a Microsoft account to log into your computer. That opens up a lot of doors into your computer use to the company. If you did, […]

  • Printer Cartridges

    Printer Cartridges

    February 11, 2016

    Printer Cartridges: a reader asks… Hi Coach, I have an HP inkjet printer and it seems like I’m always buying new ink cartridges. They’re costing me more than the printer cost! Do you think I should try a refilling or non-HP brand replacement cartridge? Short answer: No. But read on. You are seeing the results of our printer and ink marketing engine in full swing. Manufacturers have reduced the price of the printers themselves to the point where they aren’t […]

  • New Mac Setup

    New Mac Setup

    February 5, 2016

    New Mac Setup: a reader asks… Hi Coach, I finally succumbed to the PC-to-Mac drumbeat, ditched my old Windows laptop and got myself a shiny new Macbook Air. I’m new to the Mac scene – do you have any tips on how to setup my Mac and things I should do? I also have an HP Officejet printer, an iPhone and an iPad. I use Gmail, do online surfing and shopping and use Word and Excel. Oh, and I’m a […]

  • Strong Wi-Fi

    Strong Wi-Fi

    February 4, 2016

    Strong Wi-fi: a reader asks… Is it possible to configure a home network of two access points so that your device (in my case, it’s usually an iPad or iPhone) picks up the stronger signal as you move from one location to another?  I seem to always start working with slow internet access and then notice that it’s because my iPad is still connected to the more remote and far weaker signal. Unfortunately, the kind of control you’re looking for […]

  • Printer Won't

    Printer Won’t

    February 3, 2016

    Printer Won’t: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’m having a problem with my printer. It was working just fine till this morning, but I’ve sent several print jobs and nothing’s printing. I’ve checked the cable (fine), restarted the printer (looks ok), made sure there’s plenty of ink and paper (check), but nothing will print. Any advice? I have a Windows 7 PC if that helps. Take a quick look at the bottom right of your screen where all the little […]

  • Browser Padlock

    Browser Padlock

    February 2, 2016

    Browser Padlock: a reader asks… Hi Chris, some websites I visit have a green padlock (like your website) and some don’t. I know it has something do do with security, but can you give me a quick primer? Sounds like you’re using the Google Chrome web browser (or perhaps Firefox). The green padlock to the left of the URL lets you know that every bit of data that passes between your computer and that website is encrypted so hackers can’t […]

  • Photo Resizing

    Photo Resizing

    February 1, 2016

    Photo Resizing: a reader asks… Can I ask you a quick question and if there is a simple answer, will you tell me?  I am trying to attach photos on-line to a site but they have to be 5MBs or less and everything I have seems to be way more.  Is there an easy way to make them 5MBs? I use a Windows 7 PC. Let me give you the simple answer first, and then go into some detail. First, […]

  • Macbook Air puffed out

    Macbook Air puffed out

    January 29, 2016

    Macbook Air puffed out: a reader asks… Hi Chris, my 2011 Macbook Air started developing a problem last week and it’s getting worse. Last week I noticed that the left side of the trackpad wasn’t clicking anymore. This week the lid won’t close all the way and it looks like the case is warped. What should I do? Sounds like you’ve got a case of the expanding (puffy) battery. The picture you sent doesn’t look too bad, I’ve seen expanding […]

  • Safari Crash Fix

    Safari Crash Fix

    January 28, 2016

    Safari Crash Fix: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve been experiencing an intermittent problem with both my Mac and my iPhone. When I run Safari, sometimes it just crashes and shuts down for no reason I can figure out. This happens when I type in something to search for in the URL bar but doesn’t happen when I type in a website address. Do you have a quick fix for this? Apple’s default web browser on the Mac and iOS, […]

  • Windows 10 Standard User

    Windows 10 Standard User

    January 27, 2016

    Windows 10 Standard User: a reader asks… I have a new computer with Windows 10 on it. Everybody says to use a ‘Standard’ account for everyday use, and don’t log into your ‘Administrator’ account. I know I could do this easily in Windows 7, but I’m stumped on what to do in Windows 10. Can you point me in the right direction? Microsoft really has made things both easier and harder for folks with Windows 10. Likely you created a […]

  • Fake AmEx emails

    Fake AmEx emails

    January 26, 2016

    Fake AmEx emails: a reader asks… Hi Coach, I’m getting more suspicious all the time, thanks to you! Can you please verify that the email I’ve forwarded to you is a fake? It’s from American Express and warns me about a problem with my account. I don’t want to go someplace and find that my AmEx card won’t work, but I’m afraid to click on anything in the message. You are right to be wary, the email is a stone-cold […]

  • Make a boot USB

    Make a boot USB

    January 25, 2016

    Make a boot USB: a reader asks… Hi Coach, I’ve got a problem. I have a Windows Ultrabook and want to wipe the SSD and install Windows fresh. I don’t have any system restore feature I can find. This was a former work computer that got re-imaged. I do have a valid, unused Windows 7 installation DVD, but the ultrabook doesn’t have a DVD drive. I’ve got a desktop PC with a DVD drive though. I’ve been looking online for […]

  • Mac Maintenance

    Mac Maintenance

    January 22, 2016

    Mac Maintenance: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have a 2-year-old Macbook Pro and the operating system is version 10.9.6. Since I got the Mac I have just been doing the usual, surfing the internet, online shopping, email (I use Mac Mail and a gmail account), along with a few other things I’ve installed over the years. I never really thought about maintenance, since when I switched over from Windows, the Apple guy said Macs don’t need all the work […]

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