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: 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? 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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? 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 […]
Windows 10 Advice: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve been reading about Windows 10 coming out soon, and that upgrading will be free. Can you give me some advice on whether I should do the upgrade? Windows 10 officially hits in just a few weeks on July 29th, and yes, upgrading your Windows 7 or 8/8.1 computer system is free, provided you take the upgrade within 1 year (so by July 29th, 2016). There are some caveats: Your current Windows […]
Bigger font on smartphone: a reader asks… Hey Chris, I hope you have a quick and easy solution to my problem. I have a smartphone with a fairly big screen, but I still have trouble reading what’s on it. I should mention that I’m in my 40’s and recently had to start wearing reading glasses for close work. I hate having to drag those out just to see my smartphone. Any ideas? As any optometrist will tell you, after about […]
FIOS Remote hack? a reader asks… My Proscan is hooked directly via coax cable. I do not need a set top box or digital converter from verizon since i only have the local tv package. The Proscan remote is too small and the buttons do not light. I spoke with verizon and was told that their remote will only turn the tv off and on and have no other functionality since it is programmed to work with the box/converter. I […]
Diagnose my Internet: a reader asks… Hello, I’m at Starbucks writing this because the internet doesn’t work in my house today. Before I go crazy, can you help me figure out what’s wrong? I have Verizon FIOS internet with their router, and a few laptops, tablets and smartphones. Everything was working just fine till this morning, when my laptop couldn’t go to any web pages. I hope this is enough information, any help you can give me would be much […]
Windows PC Fixes: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I see you have tons of advice for specific problems with Windows computers, and I don’t have a real problem right now. But I want to be prepared for the next one, when it comes! Besides your website, do you have any good go-to places to look for solutions online? Absolutely! I use a number of tried-and-true sources to look for answers to problems as I get questions. After all, I don’t […]
Pretty Pictures? a reader asks… Hi Chris, everything I see online these days is pictures and videos. Can I use photos I find online when I post status updates on Facebook? Take a little care here, copyright issues can easily trip you up. Your best bet is to avoid the Google image search to find pictures you can use, and look for them at specific sites online. Here’s a short list of places you can go to find free images […]
A Case of Conficker – a reader asks… Hi Chris, I guess I should have worried about computer safety more than I’ve been. My computer started acting up lately, and a friend pointed me to your website. Have you heard of a computer virus called “Conficker”? I seem to have contracted it. Can you tell me how to get rid of it? Welcome! I hope you’ll take some steps to shore up your computer security. Conficker is a ‘worm’ that’s […]
BlackBerry Locked Up, can I fix this? a member asks… I really messed up here. On my Blackberry, I forgot my unlock code and tried a bunch of times to guess it. I guess I tried once too many, because now the Blackberry is locked up and nothing I can do will get it unlocked. Can you give me some options to fix this? Hmm, the 10th time you tried you should have seen a warning on the screen that […]
Your Photos – managed! a reader asks… Hi Chris, I have to admit, I’ve got a heckuva lot of digital photos! I jumped in with a digital camera years ago, and now use my new Galaxy S6’s camera a lot. I’m at the point where I (sheepishly) admit to having over 60 thousand digital pictures on my PC. So my pain is how to manage all that, everytime I think about trying to organize them, I just get sick – […]
iPhone Upgrade Problem: a reader asks… Hello Chris, I’ve got a stinky problem, can you help? I have an iPhone 5 and bought a new iPhone 6. They transferred the phone service over, but told me to use iCloud backup or a computer to get everything else. I don’t have a computer to backup my old iPhone, and I have too much stuff on my old iPhone to backup to iCloud. What can I do? This is the 2nd annoyance […]
Home Automation – a reader asks… Hi Chris, I was wondering if you knew anything about home automation? I’m thinking of getting some smarter lighting options, like LED, and maybe some ways to cut down on my home’s electricity usage? I’ve been playing around with home automation for over 15 years, so yes I’m a bit familiar. If you’re an Apple home (iPhone, Apple TV, iPad, Mac), then you’re probably looking at Apple’s HomeKit with great anticipation. You can already […]
DPC Watchdog Violation? a reader asks… Hi Chris, My Windows 8.1 computer is giving me fits! I’m getting an error and the dreaded blue screen of death, with something about a ‘watchdog violation’. It seems to be happening several times a day. My computer is protected by Norton Internet Security and Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, so I don’t think it’s an infection. Can you help? The error notification (DPC WATCHDOG VIOLATION) usually refers to problems with device drivers. For every major […]
Protect my Credit Card! a reader asks… I’m concerned about all the news reports say this company or that got their computers hacked and lost millions of credit card accounts. Can you give me some simple steps I can take to protect my credit card accounts? Certainly! There are a number of steps you can take, depending on what you have available. The most basic is to review your statement as soon as you receive it. If you see any […]
Bad Adobe PDF: a reader asks… I use Adobe Acrobat Reader to look at pdf documents. I recently received one that Adobe couldn’t open, and the error message said something about a corrupted file. Is there a tool out there that can fix this? You didn’t mention what version of Adobe Reader you’re using, so the first thing I should recommend is that you visit Adobe.com and make sure you’re using the latest version. The current version is Adobe Reader […]
My Computer’s Infected! a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’m ashamed to admit I haven’t thought about computer protection much, and never checked to see if my Windows 7 computer was protected. Now I’m screwed. My computer is infected with something that’s causing it to do crazy things and I can’t really use it for anything I want to do. What should I do now? Get thee to a clean computer (your friend’s, neighbors or anyone that works ok) with a […]
I can’t remember my Password! a reader asks… Hey Chris, I can’t remember my gmail password, and I never set up a darn alternate email address. I can’t get into my email to use their forgotten password feature. What do I do now? You’d be surprised at how common it is for us to forget our password(s), I’d say talking to any 20 random consumers, at least three-quarters don’t know their password. Some have it written down somewhere, but a […]
Don’t Tap-type, Dictate! It really doesn’t matter what type of smartphone you use, we all hate typing on those teeny keyboards. Partly because of the small screen, and partly because the keyboard keys are so much smaller than our fingers. Whether just jotting a quick text message or a short email, it’s tedious to use the keyboard, even with options like Swype for Android (& now for iPhone too). This pain started with text messaging on dumb phones with just a number keypad, and […]
Mac Emergency Boot: a reader asks… Hi Chris, my Mac is working ok now, but I’m wondering if there’s something I should be doing in case disaster hits? Other than backing up (I use Time Machine), is there anything you think I should do? For Mac users, system reliability is pretty much taken for granted. Macs just work – almost all the time! But almost does mean that occasionally they fail. For that, having an Emergency Boot disk (better yet, […]
Dirty Secret: The Cost of Fraud – a reader asks… Hi Chris, you’ve written a lot about credit card fraud and how to protect ourselves from it. That’s all well and good but why should we be overly concerned? After all isn’t credit card fraud simply absorbed by the banks and (slightly) reduces their profitability? Ahh, would that be the case, it would be a great thing. However the truth is that the cost of credit card fraud is universally […]
MS Office Read-only: a reader asks… Hi Chris why is Microsoft Office so unstable? Anytime I try to open documents or spreadsheets, they only open in ‘read-only’ mode and I have to click a button to make them editable. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling Office several times, that doesn’t seem to help. Even the Microsoft Store employees can’t fix the problem. Can you help? This is truly annoying, and can have a number of possible causes and solutions. It can […]
Simple backup – a reader asks… Can you give me the most uncomplicated way to backup my Windows computer please? I’d like to keep things simple without having all these online services and their complicated restore procedures. Backing up your computer is almost always uncomplicated, it’s the restoring part that gets complicated. So let me give you the simplest way to backup while keeping the restoral process simple as well (without using online services as you asked). First thing, you […]
"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.
Browse my library with over 1,000 of the types of questions and answers we all have about our consumer technology. Better yet, use the search bar above or pick a subject or keyword below to see a list of related posts you can read. And please sign up for my free weekly digest and occasional email alerts!
If you don't find the answer to your question in my library, ask me a question - anything about consumer technology. I answer questions large and small, from how to use Siri on an iPhone to how to protect your computer, tablet or smartphone. I take arcane language from manuals and translate that into easy-to-follow instructions. This gives you better ways to use your consumer technology - helping you get more out of the gadgets and services you already own and use.
I provide all the above, supported by my readers who find my answers valuable (patronage model). Please consider supporting me by sending any amount via 
(send to @PosiTek), or via 
(send to Support@PosiTek.net), or via 
using any credit card (no Paypal account required), or by mailing a check or cash to PosiTek.net LLC 1934 Old Gallows Road, Suite 350, Tysons Corner VA 22182.
I am not a non-profit, but your support helps me to continue delivering advice and consumer technology support to the public.
If you need more immediate or direct support, please see my 1-on-1 Tech Support page. I don't profess to know everything about everything, but I'm great at finding and giving you exactly the right answer in the way you need to hear it. Give me a try and let Your Tech Coach help you get your technology working for you, not the other way around!
Need more help using this website? Click here!
The information presented on this website and referred to in various social networking channels are the considered opinions of the authors. We accept no advertising, kickbacks or any sort of remuneration for any commercial products or services that we recommend or suggest. Furthermore, posts or links to external websites or other content do not imply endorsement, unless explicitly stated.
Any elements on this website that may be linked to or displayed, including trademarks and product/service images, are for educational purposes only under fair use copyright law. PosiTek.net LLC purchases licensing for commercial imagery used on this website via Shutterstock.com and any other imagery is licensed for our use via:
