Missing Person: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve been trying to locate a long-lost elder relative with no luck so far. I’ve looked on Facebook, done a bunch of google searches – nothing. I’m not ready to hire a skip-tracing firm. Do you know of any online ways to find someone’s whereabouts? Without spending money, you are pretty limited. I imagine with the google searches you’ve done variations on the person’s name, as well as linking their name with any […]
Windows 10 now?: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I reserved my Windows 10 free upgrade, and followed your advice about waiting to upgrade. It’s now been a few months, should I take the plunge now? I currently have Windows 8.1 on my Asus laptop – a model Q200E ultrabook, and everything works. Let me warn you about laptops – a lot of the hardware inside is customized to fit into the small space of a laptop. So even if the […]
Mini-CD in Macbook Pro: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I recently purchased a USB-connected turntable so I can import my old vinyl records (300+) into my digital music library. I have a Macbook Pro with a CD/DVD slot in the side. Here’s the problem: the turntable came with the driver installation on a mini-CD. I know my slot-loading drive can’t handle those easily. My wife has a PC with a tray-loading CD drive, but I want to install the program […]
Gmail Mail Merge: a reader asks… Hi Chris, can you tell me how I can avoid being labeled as a spammer? I routinely use my Gmail account to send emails to my softball team. I’ve been getting complaints that my emails are getting blocked as spam, especially when someone replies to everybody instead of just me. So I’m guessing that you’re putting all those email addresses into the To: box of your outgoing email. So everybody who gets the email […]
Windows 10 Start Secrets: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I recently upgraded to Windows 10 (from Windows 7) and am really lost. Microsoft done me wrong and changed so much. Now I don’t know how to do all the stuff that I was so used to being able to do in Windows. I’m most disappointed in the new Start menu, which doesn’t do nearly what the old reliable Windows 7 start menu did. Got any tips? Sure do! The first […]
Multi-screen PC: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have a Windows 7 desktop PC, and I was wondering how difficult it would be to outfit it with two display screens? I can use a screwdriver but am not a techie by any stretch of the imagination. Right now I have an old 15″ display (not the wide-screen type), and I’m ok with spending a couple hundred dollars to upgrade my system for dual-screen. You should have no trouble adding a […]
Don’t sound like a spammer: Here’s a quick PSA for you – every week I look down a list of over 8,000 junk email messages that my anti-spam service caught. I’ll only peruse it very quickly and then select all and delete. Very occasionally I’ll see a message that really isn’t spam, usually because it’s from someone I recognize, and the subject line is meaningful to me. Among all the blatant spam that’s easy to spot, I see a number […]
Quick iPad Fix: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have an iPad Air 2 and I’m finding that sometimes the darn thing works really slowly. The only way I have to fix that problem is to shut it off and turn it back on (that’s your 80% rule, right?). That works for awhile, but sometime in the next few days it happens again. Is there a faster way to fix it? Actually, yes there is and it’s pretty simple to […]
Changing MacBook Pro’s Hard Drive: a reader asks… I have a MacBook Pro (3rd gen) and did order that solid state drive to double my nearly full stock drive. I’d like to get the best solution to be time efficient in swapping drives out (There was some mention of putting some iOS drive swapping software on a thumb drive that would help the process along). In any event, I’d like to hear your approach to this task. Since you have a 3rd […]
Password management: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve read what you say and recommend about password managers, but I’m not convinced. We don’t do online shopping, banking or social networking. We visit websites but almost never create a user account. So we really only have three passwords to remember, our email account password, our Apple ID and our Macbook’s login password. Do you think we qualify for an exemption? You might, but only if you are really good about what […]
Help for Senior – Echo: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’m trying to help my mother who’s a senior citizen and has vision issues. I’m giving serious consideration to buying her an Amazon Echo so she can use it to get information, like the time and weather, and to play music. Can you give me some advice on the pros and cons, and if there are any other devices out there you think might be helpful? Thanks! The first thing […]
Windows 10 Fall Update Fail: a reader asks… Hi Chris, over the summer I upgraded my laptop to Windows 10. So far things have been relatively ok, had to re-install a few programs and it took some fiddling to get my printer to work. Things have been ok up to now. Microsoft released a fall update to Windows 10 (version 10586), but I can’t get my computer to download and install that update. I’ve tried cleaning out my Windows Update […]
Smartwatch Gift? a reader asks… Hi Chris, can you give me some advice about giving a smartwatch to someone as a gift? I’m not sure which watch to give my special someone. I can tell you that it’s a she (I’m her significant other), she likes to exercise and jog but isn’t a fanatic about it, and does tend to use her smartphone a lot. She’s always checking Facebook and Twitter, and we both use SnapChat alot, plus email and […]
Stop iPhone Ringing! Here’s a quick tip that you might know, but that, apparently, many people don’t. You know how when your iPhone rings and you decide you don’t want to take the call but let it go to voicemail? Most people just let the phone ring and ring. I’ve seen this behavior in taxi (and Uber!) drivers, on commuter trains, on the streets and even in restaurants and other public places. Most times it’s only mildly annoying, but it […]
Use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware: A member asks… Hi Chris, in Practical Help, you mention using the Malwarebytes anti-malware tool. What is this and how do I use it? Malwarebyte’s Anti-Malware is a great go-to tool for both computer repair professionals and computer users (tech-savvy or not). For your Microsoft Windows PC, it’s a great secondary tool to your anti-virus program or internet security suite – which may not be able to catch everything that hackers throw at it. Computer viruses are […]
Laptop Power Options: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have a Windows laptop. Can you tell me what Power Options I should set to get the most out of my laptop? Ok, here’s a quick rundown of the Windows Power options. For Windows 7 & 10, just click the Start button and then type “Power Options”, for Windows 8/8.1, you have to invoke the search bar charm (swipe in from the right of the screen). You’ll start with the general […]
An updated version of this advice is at https://positek.net/safe-digital-life/ Digital Life Security Checklist: Here’s a revised version of my handy list of things you need to do (or not!) to have a healthy and secure Digital Life. This applies if you use any consumer technology, including computers (Mac or PC), tablets, smartphones, online banking or other services, social networking, or any electronic device or service that has any of your personal information. Feel free to print this out and share. […]
Verizon email policy: a reader asks… Hi Chris, while I’m a Verizon customer, I currently use an alternate email service. I’ve set my Verizon email account to auto-forward to my other email account, so I’m still getting emails that folks send to my Verizon account, and I want to continue receiving them. I just received an email from Verizon saying they’ll delete my Verizon email account if I don’t access it soon. But I am not sure how to “access” […]
A member asks… Do you have any recommendations for backup/recovery software for PCs. On my Macs, I am very fond of Time Machine, and I recall with pleasure when I replaced my wife’s old Mac with a Mac Mini a few years ago, and the backup-restore was totally seamless. Is there anything as smooth as that for the PC? I should add that I’m definitely in the “keep everything” camp, and my usual policy for overloading disk drives is to […]
Format my hard drive: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have an old Gateway computer with Windows XP on it that I’d like to donate. Before I do, I want to format the C drive so none of the existing data is there. I do have my current Windows computer. Can you give me a quick way to reformat the C drive on the Gateway computer? I previously wrote about how to prepare your computer for donation and options for […]
Ransomware Recap: a reader asks… Hi Chris, a friend of mine was using her laptop and all the sudden got this weird screen saying that the computer was locked and that she had to pay a fine to get it unlocked. She’s beside herself, because she can’t get anything on her computer to work – that screen keeps popping up. What can she do? I’m so sorry for your friend! This is a really nasty and nearly unsolvable problem – these […]
Slow Chrome Fix: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I use Google Chrome on my Windows 7 laptop, and I’ve noticed that it’s gotten a lot slower than it used to be. I read in something you wrote earlier about not keeping too many tabs open, but I really need to have a bunch open for my work. Is there any way I can speedup Chrome? For your situation, you can turn to an experimental feature that recent versions of Chrome […]
A clean iPhone: a reader says… One tip for your clients. Do not run an iPhone through a washing machine. Even for a short cycle…. I threw my jeans in the washer thursday night and my phone was in the pocket. When I heard the clunking a little while later I realized what I had done. I tried all the tricks, including rice, vacuum pumped plastic bags, desiccants, etc. It has gone through a variety of attempts at life, but I am afraid […]
Win10 whether you like it or not: Anyone who’s got a computer with Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 on it has already seen the ‘free Windows 10 upgrade’ notifications that Microsoft forces you to put up with. Microsoft is doubling down on that, they’ve upgraded their Windows Update engine (the automatic updates you get for Windows and other Microsoft programs) so that the Windows 10 upgrade is an ‘Optional’ update – and will soon be changing it again to make […]
iPhone Email Folder View: A reader asks… Hi Chris, I have a new iPhone and set it up to use my email – by myself – yay! I’m still learning how to use the iPhone, and I’m wondering exactly how to look at folders other than my inbox in the mail program. Can you help? I can certainly help you with that! I’m assuming you are using a modern email service like MS Exchange Server or a webmail service like Gmail […]
Over the last few years there’s been an explosion by consumers video chatting with each other. The difference between a regular audio-only phone call and a video chat is enormous – once you’ve tried making a video phone call, it’s really hard to go back to just using the plain old telephone. After all, a lot (some say most) communication between people is non-verbal! Businesses have used video conferencing services for a long time, but now with the ubiquitous webcam […]
Memory Aid: your camera: A reader asks… I’m overwhelmed by stuff I’m supposed to keep track of, from business cards to gift ideas! Is there anything I can use to help me get more organized and remember everything? It’s a common complaint in our 21st century lives. Too much – of everything! But let me focus on a quick tip that can help you get more organized on at least a few things, such as those pesky business cards and gift […]
Teeny Font Fix: As you surf the web, some sites are designed so you can easily read the content on them. Others, not so. This problem can be compounded by age-related eye problems. We all know that after about age 40, reading glasses are often needed, and after age 60, many folks resort to a magnifying glass just to read the paper! So what can you do to make web pages easier to read? Read on! Fortunately, all the major web browsers have […]
Safely copy or move files: A reader asks… I never know when dragging files from one place to the other in file Explorer whether it’s going to copy the files or move the files. Is there any way to know which is which? Copying and moving files can actually be dangerous with modern drag-and-drop capabilities. I’ve seen folks accidentally drag and drop their Windows folder into another location and suddenly the computer stops working! Here’s where the right-click (2-finger click […]
Time Capsule for you: If you have one Mac in your home, an Apple Time Capsule might be worth the investment, even if you have iCloud. If you have multiple Macs, it becomes less of a ‘might’ and more of a ‘is’. And even if you have a mix of Apple Macs and Microsoft Windows PCs, it is worth having a Time Capsule as an easy way to share files between your Macs and PCs. So what is a Time […]
"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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