Emergency iPhone ID: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I recently witnessed an accident and saw paramedics grab a victim’s iPhone and get some info from it – without any help from the victim who was unconscious! I’m assuming the iPhone was locked with a passcode, so can you tell me how they were able to bypass Apple’s vaunted security? Apple has long given the iPhone emergency calling capability, which you can access right from the lock screen. Down at the […]
IRS Scam: a reader talks about… I recently had a real problem with my tax return and the IRS, which I thought I’d share with you and your readers. I was one of the hundreds of thousands of US taxpayers who got scammed by fraudsters who took over my IRS tax file. Someone registered with the IRS and got access to my tax returns and filing information. I didn’t lose my refund, but it took some time to get everything […]
Gmail with my own address: a reader asks… Hey Coach, I have a vanity email address I got from Network Solutions (along with a website and webmail). I don’t want to have to check multiple places for email, can I use this with my Gmail account, but without giving out my Gmail address? Network Solutions’ control panel allows you to create email accounts with your web hosting services, and you’ve probably already created a mail account for your domain. So now […]
No iTunes Sidebar: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I upgraded to iTunes 12 recently, and notice the display is now very flat and very simple. I don’t see a sidebar with my library items and categories any more. Is there any way I can get them back? Along with iOS 8 for the iPhone and iPad, and OS X Yosemite for the Mac, Apple has released iTunes 12. It’s more than a flashy red icon though, there are a lot […]
Windows 10 Popup Annoyance: a reader asks… Hi Chris, can you help? I tried to follow your advice to delay installing Windows 10, but I must have made a mistake because the installation started. I cancelled it right away before it completed so I still am on Windows 7. But now I’m getting almost constant popups trying to get me to finish the installation of Windows 10? Is there any way I can stop this? Your best bet is to […]
Email Subject Line: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve got a question for you. I get a lot of email, and notice that some people are still sending email with a blank subject line. Also, I get emails with the subject line of “Hi”, or other subject lines that really mean nothing. Isn’t having a good and descriptive subject line in email important these days? Absolutely it’s important for several reasons. First, spam catchers will often flag emails with crappy […]
Smartphones-What’s the Diff? a reader asks… please explain the differences between android and smartphones. thank you Ok, let’s start with the generic term ‘smartphone’. A smartphone is simply a cell phone that includes some or most of the functions of a computer. So it can surf the web, use email, and run programs (called ‘apps’). Smartphones are made by many manufacturers, such as Apple, Samsung, HTC, Google, and Motorola. They usually have a touch-screen and very few physical buttons. A few might […]
Time to go bye-bye Java: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have a Windows 7 computer. When I look in the add/remove programs, I see two entries for Java. Do I need these or should I uninstall them? For most consumers, I think it’s time to uninstall Java from your list of installed programs. Please note that Java is not the same as JavaScript. Java is a programming language that can be used in software applications on your computer as […]
Safe Computing Practices: Whether you have an Apple Mac or a Microsoft Windows-powered PC, or an Android-powered tablet or smartphone, you need to follow these practices to keep your digital life safe. This is completely separate from any protection program or software suite that you might employ to help you, as these automated solutions are subject to being compromised by your online behavior. Nothing can protect you from yourself except you, by avoiding unsafe actions and following these safe computing practices, […]
RIP (almost) Flash Player: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve been reading about security vulnerabilities on computers, and it sounds like Flash Player is always getting hacked. Do I really need this program on my computer? Short answer, probably not. Most of the big video sharing websites (like YouTube) on the internet have transitioned to the newer (and more secure) HTML5 platform for playing videos. But there are still a ton of sites out there (not to mention web browsers) […]
Upgrade to Windows 10? a reader asks… Hello, now that Windows 10 is available, should I upgrade now or wait? You might want to peruse my previous article about this: Windows 10 Upgrade Tip, but let me give you a quick way to make a good decision (based on my opinion which has been fleshed out by researching what other computer professionals have to say): It’s a consensus that for most consumers, it’s better to wait at least a month or three. […]
Replace my 2nd hard drive: a reader asks… Hi Chris, My boot drive (C:) is an SSD that has Windows 8.1 and a few other programs but most of my programs (and lots of data) are on my D: drive. I recently ran chkdsk d: /f /x /r which ran for hours and found and corrected many, many errors. Seeing the handwriting on the wall, I am now backing up the entire drive (using Acronis) to another drive while I still […]
What the Experts do, Part II: a reader asks… Hi Chris, your Friday article, Do what computer experts do was very helpful, thanks! What about securing my Windows PC? Again, bare-bones please! Ok, this is right out of my playbook for Safe Computing Practices. The bare-bones steps are: Keep your system and programs up-to-date Use a top quality antivirus and a top quality anti-malware program Backup your files Again, this sounds easier than it is (in practice). Let me go […]
Do what computer experts do: a reader asks… Hello Coach, can you give me the bare-bones on protecting my digital life please? That’s really pretty easy to answer, but perhaps you might find it a bit more work to actually accomplish. The single most critical safe computing practice that would protect your digital life more than anything else is (drum roll please) Use strong passwords. Sounds simple, right? But what makes a strong password? First off, is the length of […]
Crowded Wi-fi: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I took your advice on figuring out why my home Wi-fi network is so spotty. I used the Acrylic Wi-fi snooper you suggested, and found that there are TONS of networks nearby. Here is what I get when running it for the first time; without even walking around with my laptop. Restarting my old Verizon FIOS router helped a little, but I still have lots of parts of the house with lousy or no […]
Windows 10 Upgrade Tip: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I reserved my Windows 10 free upgrade, and I should be able to upgrade now. But I haven’t gotten a notification and the Windows 10 upgrade window says I should wait till I get that. Do I have to wait? Should I? Ok, first off, if you are not a tech-savvy person but just someone who uses a Microsoft Windows PC, then I’d respectfully suggest you wait awhile before you upgrade […]
Android Hack Alert: Here’s what you should know. On Monday, a security researcher spilled the beans about a really bad security vulnerability in virtually all Android-powered smartphones. The vulnerability is called Stagefright, and a hacker can simply send you a multimedia text message that would open your smartphone to being remotely controlled by the hacker. The hacker could even delete the message, so your only warning would be a notification that you got an MMS message. You don’t need to […]
Protect my new Mac: a reader asks… Good Morning Chris, I just bought myself a new Macbook and am in the process of getting it setup. I have setup my user account with a password, logged into my Apple ID (for iCloud, iMessage and Facetime), installed MS Office for Mac 2011, added my printer and copied over all my personal files from the old computer. I switched from a Windows PC because I heard that the Mac is much safer. […]
Is your password …? a reader asks… Hi Chris, I just found your website, what a jewel! A quick lookthru got me a little scared. I’m embarrassed to say I use the same password for almost everything, and I’m now sure it’s easy to be guessed. And haven’t thought much about the whole security thing. I’ve been lucky so far, but know I need to fix some things. I’m going to take your advice about LastPass, and start changing passwords. […]
Two smartphones or one with two numbers? a reader asks… Hello, I have a Samsung Galaxy S6 and phone service from AT&T. Plus I have to carry around a second cellphone. Is there any way I could get a 2nd phone number to also work on my Galaxy phone? Thanks from Wild in Wyoming Tired of carrying two phones, eh? While standard cellphone service from AT&T won’t allow you to have multiple numbers on your smartphone, there is a solution […]
Sharing iPhone Info: A reader asks… Hello, I have an iPhone 6 and need some help. There are times I want to give someone else information from my iPhone, such as a website, a contact, or a photo. I know there’s some kind of sharing shortcut, but I don’t know where it is. Can you give me a quick tutorial please? Thanks from Belgium! Keep an eye out for the sharing icon (a rectangle with an arrow coming out the […]
Android battery life sucks: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have a Droid smartphone, and I have to say the battery life isn’t what I expected. It’s only a few months old, but I’m not even getting a day’s worth of casual use out of it. Do you have any advice or am I just stuck with a lemon? Battery life is always a problem with smartphones, we all want the slimmest, sleekest design, and unfortunately our current battery technology […]
My Old Router: a reader asks… I’ve got a 3-year-old Linksys router that’s acting kind of wonky these days. Everyone gets cranky when it goes in and out and we have to reset the router, which happens several times a week now. Is there something I can do to fix this? I have Cox internet service by the way. If you read last weeks’ article “Old gadgets don’t last“, the same advice extends to your router (as well as your cablemodem, switches, […]
Windows Clean-up Tools? a reader asks… Hello Chris, my Windows 7 computer is running pretty slow, and I was wondering if you had an opinion on the best utility software I could use to clean the registry, hard drive and optimize my system. I have to say that the market for these 3rd party utility tools has grown very fast. Seems like every week there’s another new utility program advertising to speed up your system, clean up the system registry, […]
My Galaxy won’t stay on Wi-fi! A reader asks… Hey Chris, I hope you can help me, I’m so frustrated! I got a new Samsung Galaxy S6 and really like everything about it except for one problem – it won’t stay connected to my home Wi-fi signal. Even though I’m close to my router, I either get a slow connection, no connection, or it connects but then drops out a little while later. Do you have any tips for solving […]
Mac Pinwheel – what to do: a reader asks… Hi Chris, my Macbook Pro is stuck – the pinwheel (beach ball?) has been spinning around for hours now. What should I do? When your Mac boots up and shows the pinwheel and never moves on, longtime Mac users call that the dreaded Spinning Pinwheel of Death (SPOD)! Windows users will immediately relate (they’ve got the ‘Blue Screen of Death’ aka BSOD). I’ve seen this problem before, and there are a number […]
What’s IPV6 and should I worry? A member asks… My company IT guys said that IPV6 is being activated today, and they are going to be upgrading equipment to work with it. That’s fine for my office, but do I need to do anything about this for my home network? The short answer is that you don’t need to worry about it. At some point in the future, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may require you to get an IPV6-compatible […]
Print a web page? a reader asks… Hi Chris, I love your articles, they are really helpful! The only problem is that when I print out the pages, they look all funny and it’s really hard to read the article. Do you have any tips that can help me? Thanks for the compliment! Printing web pages is seen by some in this day and age as redundant, since a) web pages by their nature change often, and b) full-time internet […]
Sharing Pictures – not with Email: a reader asks… good morning. i’m running into trouble sharing photos with my family and friends. my email service won’t let me attach more than one or two photos to an email and won’t let me send emails to a lot of people. i have alot of family and friends. what can i do to share my photos? Emailing pictures has never been a very efficient way to share your memories with others. Easy […]
What’s a PDF and why do I care? a reader asks… I’m running across files on the internet, like manual.pdf. Can you tell me how I can open this type of file? Is it safe? Quick answer: go to https://get.adobe.com/reader/, download and install the free Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, which can view and print this type of file. As to whether it’s safe or not, you need to consider the source, since PDFs can be constructed to carry computer viruses or […]
"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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