Practical Help Library – Page 38 – Practical Help for Your Digital Life®

Practical Help Library

You Need a Password Manager

March 25, 2015

You Need a Password Manager! Are you worried about hackers stealing info from banks, credit card companies, retailers and even government? Your online identity being stolen? You’re not alone! Everybody is grappling with the problem of keeping safe, and it seems like every day you read about another data compromise. If it’s not Target or Home Depot, it’s J.P. Morgan or Dropbox. My advice is to just take it for granted that everybody you deal with has been compromised, and take steps to […]
SmallBiz Website

March 24, 2015

SmallBiz Website: A member asks… I am curious to find out what blog system you’re utilizing? I’m experiencing some small security issues with my latest site and I’d like to find something more safeguarded. Do you have any solutions? Practical Help is powered by WordPress, the most popular content management system (CMS) used on the internet. WordPress is on 48% of Technorati top 100 blogs, and writers publish over 46 million posts monthly using WordPress. Not bad for something that’s free! […]
Keep Your Android Safe

March 23, 2015

Keep Your Android Safe: Android-powered smartphones around the world are extremely popular, in part due to their lower cost (compared to Apple iPhones), and also because they are very customizable. Users can configure them in zillions of ways, and install apps from many different places on the internet. Therein lies a risk – Android-powered smartphones are much more vulnerable to hackers and malware. But fear not, you can easily limit your risk and exposure by following some simple rules. Now […]
Headset Jack Confusion

March 22, 2015

Headset Jack Confusion: a reader asks… I’ve recently gotten myself all messed up with headsets and earbuds. I have a cordless phone in the house, along with an older cellphone and both Android and Apple smartphones, plus our laptops. So at home we have several sets of earbuds and headsets to listen to music, use the phone and such. Sometimes the jack I’m trying to plug into is either too small or too big for the plug on my earbuds, […]
Time for a new laptop?

March 17, 2015

Time for a new laptop? A reader asks… Hi Chris, my four year old Sony VAIO laptop is starting to go on me, some parts have broken off, the screen is scratched, and Windows runs like a dog. I’m ready to get a new laptop and want to stick with Windows, do you have any recommendations? If you buy just about any new laptop today, it will have Windows 8.1 on it, which many people find a crappy version of […]
Windows Disk Missing?

March 13, 2015

Windows Disk Missing? A reader asks… Hi Chris, I was wondering if you could help me, I have a 3 year old Dell laptop and my hard drive crashed. I bought a new hard drive and stuck it in, but I don’t have a Windows 7 installation disk that I can use to install Windows. Do you know if I can get one without having to pay money to Dell? Am I being outlandish? This isn’t such an outlandish concern! […]
Mac Keychain Password?

March 12, 2015

Mac Keychain Password? A reader asks… After I log into my computer, I get this message. I don’t know what Keychain is and I can’t get to my desktop. “Keychain” is just the Mac’s word for the feature that collects and saves all the passwords you use on your computer. The Keychain gives out the correct password for applications that need it. That feature itself is locked by the Keychain password, which is usually the same as your login account password […]
Backup Options Redux

March 10, 2015

It’s time to take another look at the computer backup scene. I’ve previously written about the Time Capsule for a Mac household, about ways to make backup automatic with online services (here and here), and some things to consider and other options (here). So let’s recap this and give you strategies to deal with the whole process of backup and recovery (!) in the event of disaster. Get yourself ahead of most people who don’t bother backing up – sooner or […]
FIOS Router Password

March 9, 2015

FIOS Router Password: A member asked… Hi Chris, I just got a new FIOS router and am trying to self-install. I got it all hooked up right, and now I’m trying to log into the router controls. The instructions say to go to a number address on my web browser, and that shows me a login screen. I type in the username just fine, but when I start to type in the password, it looks like my keyboard is malfunctioning […]
Windows 7 Envy

March 6, 2015

Windows 7 Envy: a reader asks… Hey Chris, I just got a new computer and it has Windows 8 on it. I really hate the new start screen. Is there any way to get the old start button back? Sure there is! I previously wrote about this here talking about the little program from www.startisback.com called StartIsBack Personal Edition (costs $3). Another option would be the free Classic Shell (get it here). Or you can just wait a bit for Windows 10 to come […]
Gmail Organizing

March 5, 2015

Gmail Organizing: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I recently switched from AOL email to the trendier Gmail. I’m finding it challenging to re-sort my mail into folders like I had in AOL. Any suggestions? The short answer is that Gmail is already self-organized, welcome to the 21st century of email! Gmail offers a lot of advantages besides just being easy to use anywhere, on any device. Such as helping to manage spam (see this article), serving as a master inbox […]
Facebook Primer

March 4, 2015

Facebook Primer: a reader asks… Hi Chris, I’ve recently setup a Facebook account on my computer and am starting to use it, but don’t really know what I’m doing. Can you give me a rundown of the basics please? Facebook continues to change (as all things online do), but here’s some info as of right now. First off when you create an account at Facebook, you go thru some steps, providing some basic personal information including your email address (or […]
Missing Mac Mail Password

March 2, 2015

Missing Mac Mail Password. A member asks… Hi Chris, I use the Mail program on my Mac to read email. It’s set up to access my Apple email account (…@me.com), as well as 2 other email accounts. Whenever I run Mail, I get a popup that asks me to type in my email password, but I haven’t changed my Apple email account. I usually just hit the Cancel button and go on, and am able to read my Apple email […]
Leave MS Windows Running

February 28, 2015

Leave Microsoft Windows running: So the good news is that your Microsoft Windows computer doesn’t get tired – you can leave it running and it’ll keep working for you for many years. Most computers have only two moving parts – the spinning hard drive and the cooling fan – the latest computers only have the cooling fan (they have a solid-state hard drive). These moving parts are subject to wear and tear, but their service lives are very long. There are […]
Windows Patch Tuesday

February 26, 2015

You may already know that Microsoft issues a number of security updates on ‘Patch Tuesday’, which usually occurs on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. For most people, you should set automatic updates so your computer will update itself without you having to do anything (or anything much). But please be aware that automatic Windows Updates are applied in the middle of the night unless you change the schedule. So the simple thing to do is leave your computer running […]
Color-code Outlook Emails

February 26, 2015

Color-code Outlook Emails: A member asked… Hi Chris, I have Outlook 2010 installed, and I have emails forwarded to it from several accounts. I use a gmail address for emails from a volunteer job and I want to watch out for those emails. So I’d like to set it up so that any emails sent to my gmail address are colored red. Is this easy to do? Microsoft changed the way this handy feature works in the 2010 version – […]
Windows Update error code 80073712

February 25, 2015

Windows Update error code 80073712 – A reader asks… Chris, my Dell Inspiron with windows 7 has a problem. Whenever I try to do a windows update I get an error code 80073712. Running a complete scan using windows security essentials does not seem to help. any ideas? I’ve previously written several solutions to Windows Update problems (here, here and here), but the error code you list indicates a bit more serious problem. So the fix may be more involved. Let’s start […]
Automate your Backup

February 24, 2015

One of my almost-famous sayings goes like this: “97% of people don’t bother to backup. But of the people who suffer a hard drive crash, 100% of them regret not doing so.” Everybody giving advice in technology says the same thing – backup your files. Yet almost nobody bothers to do this. Why? It’s too much work, too complicated, too hard, or takes too much time. So let me propose a simpler way to take care of this chore. Google users can install Google Drive on […]
Sharing Home Videos

February 23, 2015

These days sharing home videos is becoming as popular as sharing photos. Most smartphones and even some regular cell phones have video capture capability. With the popular iPhone and virtually all Android-powered smartphones, you can shoot a video and quickly upload it to your YouTube account, making sharing quite easy. If you use Facebook, you can upload videos as easily as you upload photos to post on your wall. For a handy printable tip sheet, please click this link: SharingHomeVideos.pdf (Adobe PDF, get free reader here) But […]
Quickly Fix Your Technology – Practical Help’s Tip of the Day #TOD008

February 20, 2015

Murphy’s Law prevails, if something doesn’t work right, it’s gonna do that at the worst time. How frustrating! When it comes to consumer technology, that becomes a giant time-waster and can really add to your stress level. But fear not, I have a simple tip that solves the problem most of the time, and doesn’t take a whole lot of time to do. This tip works for just about anything that uses technology – computers, smartphones, tablets, printers, televisions, cable […]
Setting up Touch ID on iPhone/iPad

February 19, 2015

The latest iPad Air and the iPhone (5s ,6 and 6 Plus) have a dazzling security feature. Built right into the Home button on the face of your iPad Air or iPhone is a sophisticated fingerprint sensor, and this feature is called Touch ID. This allows you to use your fingerprint to both unlock the device for your use, and to be used in place of your Apple ID password for purchases from the App Store or almost any other place […]
Slow Windows PC? Fix it!

February 18, 2015

So a few years ago, you bought a shiny new PC, and it was fast as lightning, and life was good. Now, it seems sluggish and hangs for long stretches, making using it a royal pain. In the days of Windows XP and low system specifications, this was best solved by adding RAM and a bigger hard drive. These days of Windows 7 (or 8.1) and systems that have lots of RAM and big hard drives, there are things you either did or didn’t […]
Cell Phone in your Car? Top 5 Do’s and Don’ts

February 17, 2015

Despite the passage of numerous laws in most states or countries prohibiting or limiting the use of cell phones while driving, everywhere I go I see people using their phones in their cars. So regardless of the legal aspects, here’s my top ten list of the best practices for using a cell phone in your car – assuming you’re going to do that no matter what anyone tells you: 5. Get a mounting bracket for your phone, so it’s handy […]
Simple PDF Printing from a Tablet?

February 11, 2015

A member asks… This is a problem I could probably winnow through, but maybe you have an idea of what the easiest solution might be. We have a home studio and often need to print out pdfs for students. Today, I go to my PC in another room, find the pdf, and print it out. Simple, but not convenient. I would like my (non-technical) wife to be able to view/search the list of pdf files residing in a single directory […]
Programming your FIOS remote when you get a new TV

February 9, 2015

It’s a great day when you get that brand-new big-screen TV and are ready to watch movies and TV in all their glory. The only annoyance is that your new TV came with its own remote, and you already have one from your TV service provider. This can be from Cox, Comcast/Exfinity, or Verizon/FIOS (plus others). In most cases the remote will control at least your converter box and your TV – but this first has to be set up. […]
Battery Backup Beeps Annoyingly, What to Do!

February 4, 2015

Battery Backup Beeps? A member asks… The last time the power went out, I was reminded of a major annoyance with UPS units, of which I have a half-dozen or so. They beep incessantly, and there is no switch or setting that I’m aware of that can turn them off. To me, that’s just plain stupid for a power outage that may run for a couple of hours. I tried to take one apart to find the speaker, but lacked […]
Blur vs. LastPass

February 3, 2015

Blur vs. LastPass: a reader asks… I just ran into a product called Blur which seems to be like LastPass but on steroids. It blocks tracking, provides email masking, and lots of other things. The visual appearance is very slick and user-friendly (like Venmo compared to PayPal). I’m just using the tracking block feature right now, but I’m curious what you all think of it, especially compared to LastPass. Let me first say that Blur does a lot of different […]
Weird Google Searches!

January 30, 2015

Weird Google Searches! A member asked… All of the sudden every computer, iPad and smartphone in the house is acting strangely. When we do a Google search, Google sends us to Google Australia (we are in the USA), and dodgy-looking websites appear in the search results! Can you tell me what’s going on and how to fix it? It sounds like your home network’s router has been hacked by some nefarious netizens. What they likely did is accessed your router and […]
Lots of email accounts? How to get them all in one inbox!

January 29, 2015

A member asks… I have email with AOL, Google, Outlook and Yahoo. Mostly I use the AOL address. Is there a way to have all email accounts merge into one in box? It’s not uncommon for folks to have multiple email accounts these days. And also for most of those accounts to be with online services. Generally, most people are fine with checking different websites because they use their different email accounts for different purposes – like one for junk […]
Android security?

January 28, 2015

Android security? A member asks: I have an Android tablet and Android smartphone, which I really enjoy! Do I really need to have an anti-virus app on these? And, which do you recommend? I’ve been looking at Avast, Lookout, and Sophos. I’m hoping I can get something that keeps me secure but isn’t too complicated that I get lost trying to figure it out. Thanks! Right now, I recommend that users of Android tablets and smartphones use a protection program. The […]

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About Me

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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