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 […]
Laptop for a teen: A reader asks… I was thinking about buying my 13 year old son a Microsoft Surface as I’m not ready to invest in a MacBook Air for him. I wanted your opinion on the Microsoft Surface 2. Hmm, this isn’t really a good comparison. The first thing I should tell you is that the Microsoft Surface product line (Surface, Surface 2) is a tablet alternative (to the iPad). And not a favorable comparison, since you can […]
Avoid a Computer Disaster: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I seem to be jinxed. Every few months I have some serious computer problem that takes forever to get fixed and keeps me getting work done. My laptop isn’t more than a couple of years old and has Windows 8.1 on it. I’ve got Norton Internet Security running and I run malware software and CCleaner to get rid of junk that accumulates. Yet I’m still plagued by problems. Can you tell me how […]
Old computer? Donate or Recycle! You may find few takers for donating an old computer. Your county or city may offer electronics recycling, either no-cost or nominal cost. But before you just turn over your old computer to someone else, make sure you wipe or scramble the hard drive! Your personal data should remain personal, and once you give someone else your computer, you have no control over it from then on. So before you get rid of that old computer, take a […]
Mouse Busted! A reader asks… Hi Chris, I have a Windows 7 laptop PC and am using a mouse that connects to my laptop’s USB port. For the past two mornings, I have had to take the battery out of my laptop to get the mouse to move! I have been ok once I did this, but it’s really annoying to have to do this, can you help? Microsoft Windows and the laptop manufacturers have some pretty standard ways they setup […]
Facebook Videos Won’t Play: a reader asks… The videos I receive from FB friends don’t play. When I click on the triangle/circle it disappears and nothing happens. every now and then one will work. ??? I use a Windows 7 PC with Internet Explorer 11, and I have Flash Player 19 installed. Playing video from the internet on your computer can be a complicated affair, primarily because there are so many moving parts that all have to work together in […]
iPhone screen non-responsive: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve got an iPhone 6 Plus and I’ve found that the screen goes unresponsive on me. I’ve waited hours and it doesn’t start working again. The only way to fix it is to do a hard shutdown (hold down both home and power buttons) and then restart. That fixes it for awhile, but then the problem happens again. I do note that the home button (and fingerprint reader) still work, but no […]
A reader asks… Should I skip the 16gb iPhone 6s and go right to the 64gb? I hate to have to pay an extra hundred bucks, but I’m worried that 16gb isn’t enough. Thanks! Yes, please skip that, Apple had some good economic reasons to keep the cheapest iPhone 6 with a paltry 16gb of storage memory, but frankly it just isn’t worth the hassle you’ll most likely go through. Just about anyone who owns an iPhone starts using the […]
Fake Email Hallmarks, or How to Recognize a Fake Email: These days our email inboxes are full of junk email – lots of which we can easily identify and delete. And some email from people we know that we’re sure is ok. But mixed in with that are emails that appear to be legit, but really aren’t. And it’s often hard to tell the difference! So here are some tips to help you figure out the good stuff from the […]
Basic MS Windows Protection: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I don’t have a lot of time to spare (waste) on messing around with my Windows computer. What’s the least amount of protection junk I have to do? My first answer is, what’s your comfort level with being hacked? Are you ok with having everything on your computer and online being in the hands of someone who’s happy to take advantage of you? I’m guessing most people aren’t too happy. I […]
Read a Web Page Clearly: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I really like your articles, thanks! Just one problem tho, I like to read them and also print them out to share with other people, but they don’t always print out neatly. And sometimes I get confused with the ads that show up inside the articles. Is there a way that I can look at web pages like yours cleanly without all the extra stuff? Thank you, I’m glad you’re […]
Watch your (CC) six: A member asks… Hey Chris, you give great advice, thanks! One thing you mention is that I should watch my credit card transactions like a hawk. So every month when I get my statement, I look over all the transactions to make sure they’re legit. Is there anything more I should be doing? Congratulations, you are doing more to protect your online identity (and your money) than most people do! In the military, we used a term […]
Smartphone Case? a reader asks… I just got a new smartphone, and am somewhat of a klutz – I drop things pretty often. Should I buy a case for my phone? It’s never wrong to get protection for your smartphone, it’s usually a sizable investment, at least in terms of the monthly fees and 2-year contract – which greatly outweigh the up-front cost of any smartphone. You can consider two different types of protection: A replacement plan either from your […]
iPhone Sync Slip-up: a reader asks… Hi Chris, When I have been deleting emails from my iPhone, they aren’t deleting on my desktop Outlook – both use Microsoft Exchange server (I get my service from Sherweb). I think you once mentioned a way to set it so it deletes from both, but can’t find that Practical Help article. Sorry, the old article you mentioned was talking about older email services (POP or Post Office Protocol) and a way to get those to […]
As an alternative to buying Gmail for business, you can use a free, personal Gmail account with your own domain name, your company email, or a ‘vanity’ email account you might have. It’s easy to setup Gmail to let you send email as if you were using that email account. These days using webmail is much easier (and safer) than downloading email to a program (like Outlook) onto your computer. If your computer should crash, all your email and stuff would be gone […]
Mac OS X Update: a reader asks… Hello Chris, my Mac is telling me that there’s a free upgrade to my operating system available. Should I take it? Can you tell me how to go about this? I’m afraid of messing up my 4-year-old Mac. If you’ve been keeping up on the upgrades to Mac OS X (the operating system), then you’re currently using Yosemite (version 10.10.5 currently). But don’t worry, if you’re still using an older version you can […]
U.S. Chip Credit Cards-Secure? A reader asks… Hi Chris, I just got a replacement credit card from my bank, this one has what looks like a circuit board embedded in it. Is this new card more secure than my old one? I could also title this article “Think Chips and Dip are Secure?” The answer to your question is: for today, a flat-out no. The answer for the next few years is going to be little, if any. Eventually your chip card […]
New Computer, Old Software: a reader asks… We need to replace our Windows Vista desktop. Now that Windows 10 is out, I’m inclined to go with that but need to know whether all/many of my old programs will work. For example, are drivers available for my 3-4 year-old printers? Will an old version of Photoshop Elements work? What versions of Office still work? If I have to replace old software and printers, I’ll get a desktop with Windows 7. I’d […]
Bitdefender 2016 – how to upgrade: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I took your advice and am using Bitdefender Internet Security 2015. I see that there’s now a 2016 version available. So, how do I upgrade, and do I have to pay again? While I still maintain that Bitdefender Internet Security is the best option for consumers to protect a Microsoft Windows computer, it isn’t perfect. One of my biggest complaints against Bitdefender is that upgrading versions is not as […]
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