Practical Help Library

  • What's a "Healthy" Digital Life?

    What’s a “Healthy” Digital Life?

    September 3, 2015

    What’s a “Healthy” Digital Life? a reader asks… Hi Coach, you’ve talked about having a “healthy” digital life, but I’m having trouble understanding what you mean. Can you explain it a bit more? Thank you! I think a good way to understand it is to compare it to your physical life. Having a healthy physical life means (among other things) not being overweight, having at least some muscle tone, having the ability to deal with carrying heavy things, moving fast when […]

  • Have you been Doxed?

    Have you been Doxed?

    September 2, 2015

    Have you been Doxed? a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve become a victim of someone posting a bunch of information and pictures about/of me on various social media. Some of it’s true, and some isn’t, all of it’s embarrassing and not something I’m happy with being visible online. Is there anything I can do about this? Sorry to say, you’ve been doxed. Doxing is a nasty practice where someone collects information about you and makes that information public. It can […]

  • Can't turn it on!

    Can’t turn it on!

    September 1, 2015

    Can’t turn it on! a reader asks… Coach, I’m in a real bind! I popped for a Samsung Galaxy S6 from Verizon recently. It’s been working great up until yesterday, when it wouldn’t turn on. Nothing I could do seemed to make any difference. Before I take it in to the Verizon store for help, do you have any tips to help me? Smartphones such as yours can fall victim to various maladies that might affect them to the point […]

  • Emergency iPhone ID

    Emergency iPhone ID

    August 31, 2015

    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

    IRS Scam

    August 28, 2015

    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

    Gmail with my own address

    August 25, 2015

    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

    No iTunes Sidebar

    August 24, 2015

    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

    Windows 10 Popup Annoyance

    August 21, 2015

    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

    Email Subject Line

    August 12, 2015

    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?

    Smartphones-What’s the Diff?

    August 11, 2015

    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

    Time to go bye-bye Java

    August 10, 2015

    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 […]

  • RIP (almost) Flash Player

    RIP (almost) Flash Player

    August 6, 2015

    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?

    Upgrade to Windows 10?

    August 5, 2015

    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

    Replace my 2nd hard drive

    August 4, 2015

    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

    What the Experts do, Part II

    August 3, 2015

    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

    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

    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

    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!

    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

    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. […]

  • Two smartphones or one with two numbers?

    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

    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

    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

    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?

    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!

    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

    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?

    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 […]

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