Practical Help Library – Page 35 – Practical Help for Your Digital Life®

Practical Help Library

Do what computer experts do

July 31, 2015

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

July 30, 2015

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

July 29, 2015

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!

July 28, 2015

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

July 27, 2015

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 …?

July 24, 2015

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?

July 23, 2015

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

July 22, 2015

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

July 21, 2015

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

July 20, 2015

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?

July 17, 2015

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!

July 16, 2015

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

July 15, 2015

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?

July 14, 2015

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?

July 13, 2015

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

July 10, 2015

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?

July 9, 2015

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 […]
Malware Attack Response

July 8, 2015

Malware Attack Response: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I just opened a FedEx email on my tablet with a zip file. I clicked on the file to extract but no further. Obviously I just messed up! I shut it down immediately. I’m usually so cautious — Can’t believe I was so dumb & careless today!! Did I do the right thing and is there anything else I should do? I did receive another email from the same “FEDEX” Aruba (!) email […]
Drowning in Paper?

July 7, 2015

Drowning in Paper? a reader asks… Hi Chris, here it is the 21st century and with so much automated, I find I’m still buried in paper! Receipts, bills, notes, advisories, it just keeps filling my mailbox. I shovel all the junk mail right into the recycle bin, don’t even open it or read anything (all those wasted advertising dollars!) but the paper still piles up. Do you have any fairly easy way to deal with all this? Absolutely. First let […]
Old gadgets don’t last

July 6, 2015

Old gadgets don’t last: a reader asks… My Windows 7 laptop computer is starting to make funny noises, but it’s only about 4 years old. How long are all these gadgets supposed to last anyway? The short answer is, unfortunately, not long enough for many (most?). Today’s PC’s are made as cheaply as possible so you pay the lowest cost. For the most part, that market has driven down to the lowest cost, and you end up paying for it […]
Internet down?

July 3, 2015

Internet down? a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have Verizon FIOS internet service and this morning I opened Chrome up and got this screen that says my webpage isn’t available. I looked at my (almost new) router and all the lights are green. This isn’t the first time this has happened, and it usually fixes itself after a few hours, but I’d like to keep this problem from happening at all. Any help? Based on the image you sent, you […]
Apple Music Tips

July 2, 2015

Apple Music Tips: a reader asks… I just updated my iPhone to iOS 8.4, and the Music app is all changed. It’s offering me a 3-month trial and looks different than the old app. Can you please give me some tips on this new app? The last day of June 2015 saw a new update for iOS as well as an update to the iTunes program for computers. Apple Music is a new music subscription service that competes with Spotify, […]
Small Biz SEO Marketing

July 1, 2015

Small Biz SEO Marketing: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’m a one-person consulting business and have a website that I setup from an online firm that caters to my profession. Recently I received an email telling me about “SEO”. Should I invest money in this? Small businesses generally don’t have large marketing budgets, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a marketing effort. Likely a very small part. You can certainly spend money with any one of the hundreds of firms trying […]
Who ya gonna trust?

June 30, 2015

Who ya gonna trust? a reader asks… Hi Chris, I keep getting this little ad as to whether I want to install a new version of Malwarebytes anti-Malware….before I accept, I wanted to be sure this is ok and not some virus..Thanks! I’m assuming you’ve taken my advice and installed Malwarebytes Anti-malware on your Microsoft Windows computer, great! So quick answer, if the ‘little ad’ is a popup that appears near the bottom-right of your desktop screen, then yes, you […]
Apple Macbook Problems

June 29, 2015

Apple Macbook Problems: a reader asks… Hi Chris, my 3 year old Macbook Air is acting really slow! I use Google Drive and it says that my “startup disk is full” and that I do not have space. I deleted files on my Google Docs account and even though it says that there is 0 out of 15 GB being used, the notification will not go away. And I had to start copying photos to my desktop because iPhoto stopped […]
Don’t just toss that old hard drive!

June 25, 2015

Don’t just toss that old hard drive: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I took your advice a few years ago and got a computer with an SSD. Unfortunately, it seems to be dying (the SSD, not the computer). I read your guide about replacing it, and am ready to handle that (I have a screwdriver!). My question is, to dispose of that old SSD when I’m done – should I do the same as if it was a regular hard […]
Not getting Email

June 24, 2015

Not getting Email: a reader asks… For some reason, some people who send me email to my work address aren’t getting through. They are getting reject notices that include a code “550 5.7.1”, and I don’t see anything, not in my inbox nor my junk mail folder. Any advice? After getting a little more information, this turns out to be a case of an overly-aggressive anti-spam service employed by your work. Your work email is handled by Microsoft Exchange Server, […]
Apple ID Reset Snafu

June 23, 2015

Apple ID Reset Snafu: a reader asks… Good morning Chris, I made a mistake and inadvertently sent a reply to a dummy apple account fraud notice that said someone made a purchase of music and wanted to verify I made the purchase. When I got to the website, I’d forgotten my Apple ID password, so I did the password reset thing. That sent me an email with a different Apple ID so I stopped there, deleted all the messages and ran a Norton full […]
Iphone Battery Life Tips

June 22, 2015

iPhone Battery Life Tips: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have an iPhone 6 and love it – except for how little use I get out of the battery. It doesn’t even last a day! I haven’t done anything weird with it, just installed some apps and use it (ok, alot). I don’t watch videos at all, but do listen to music, surf the web and run my favorite apps. I heard that closing down apps (with the double-press of […]
MS Office – 365 or 2013?

June 19, 2015

MS Office – 365 or 2013? a reader asks… I’m confused, I went to go buy the latest version of Microsoft Office for my computer (to upgrade from Office 2007), and I’ve got no idea which to buy! Can you tell me what’s the difference between all the flavors? Microsoft is changing the way they sell software, moving away from regular purchasing to a subscription model. The latter is Office 365 – a subscription-based software license for which you must […]

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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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