Outlook Glitch Solved: a reader asks… I use MS 365 with Outlook on my Windows 10 PC, and after a recent Windows Update notice that my applet list which usually sits below the list of favorites and folders on the left-side of Outlook is now a vertical bar to the left of the favorites and folders list. I’ve closed and reopened Outlook, restarted my computer and it’s still there. What can I do to fix this and put the applet […]
Old PC, New Life: a reader asks… I have a 5 year-old Windows 10 PC that has been giving me trouble. I know these things are like kleenex, and should probably replace it, but I want to avoid that if possible. Is there anything I can do to breathe new life into my older PC? I’m pretty handy with a screwdriver and can follow instructions 🙂 Five years ago was still the early days for Windows 10 (it was released […]
Gmail Missing Mail: a reader asks… I been using Gmail for years, and have lately been having trouble. Emails I expected (including your newsletter) aren’t appearing in my inbox. Several people have told me they emailed me but I haven’t received the emails in my inbox, and don’t see it in the Spam folder either. Can you help? I think the answer to your quandary is in the way that Gmail has configured their webmail interface at https://mail.google.com. Google changes […]
Hi, thanks for your article on moving the OneDrive location. I have different question – can I use OneDrive for all my personal files? Not just the Microsoft Office files. I’ve used Dropbox and Google Drive, but having 1tb of storage space on OneDrive means I could back up everything, and have it available to me anywhere anytime. So first, is it secure enough to use for everything? And second, how would I set this up to make it as […]
Hi, I have a Verizon.net email account, and I’ve been using it on Outlook 2013 using that on my Windows 10 PC. It’s been having a lot of trouble working ok, and I’m not sure why. Can you help? Let me start by saying that you shouldn’t be using an old version of Outlook. Old versions of application software are significant security risks, and you don’t want to lose control of your email account. Onto why you’re having trouble accessing […]
Move OneDrive Location: a reader asks… I use Microsoft 365 and have the OneDrive app installed. On my PC I have two internal hard drives, one that holds my operating system and one where I store my personal files and data. When I setup MS 365 and installed OneDrive, it installed it in my personal folder space, which is on the C: drive. How can I move that to the other drive? When you install either MS365 or the separate […]
Tech Updates: a reader asks… Do I need to apply updates to my computer, smartphone, tablet, etc. as soon as they become available or can I delay things? Annoying as always, keeping your technology up-to-date is a chore, but a necessary one. Some things get updated once a year or so, some once a month, some even more often. The main reason for keeping up-to-date is for your own security. Out-of-date software, firmware, operating systems, etc. are a security concern, […]
Speech Recognition: a reader asks… I’d like to explore how I can write on my PC. I’m recently retired and over my career there was never a need to learn to type, so I didn’t. I always had a secretary who took shorthand and not only transcribed what I dictated, but also cleaned up what I said so it looked good on paper. Has computer technology advanced to that point yet? I’m considering writing a book, so I looked into […]
Auto-iMessage from my iPhone: a reader asks… My mother is forgetting a lot of things lately, and I’d like to remind her to take her pills every day. We both have iPhones and I’ve been sending her a text message to remind her. That works just fine except that sometimes I forget to send her the text. Since I’m saying the same thing every time, is there a way to schedule a repeating text message? I can’t find any way […]
Zoom Tip, Permissions: a reader asks… Like many people during the pandemic, I use Zoom a lot. Recently I upgraded to a Pro account and now have a lot more choices about things I can do. I can’t seem to find all the controls and permissions options, esp. for my participants. Do you have any tips? Zoom has a ton of features and capabilities, and most people barely scratch the surface of what they can do with Zoom. So kudos […]
Converting Old Video: a reader asks… I have some old VHS tapes, and a VCR to play them, which has 3 RCA out plugs along with an S-Video out. What I’d like to do is convert them to mp4 files. Is there an easy way to do this on my Mac without spending too much money? You will need some sort of hardware converter to get the video from your VCR into your Mac, and some software to turn the […]
Stop the Windows 11 Nag: a reader asks… I read your Windows 11 Now or later article and am putting off upgrading my PC for now. The only problem is that I keep getting these popups saying to install Windows 11. Is there an easy way to stop those popups? Yes! Microsoft isn’t exactly subtle when they want you to upgrade to the latest version of Windows. Not all PCs in use today are eligible for the upgrade, but if […]
Apple/iCloud Family Sharing: a reader asks… My family all uses Apple devices. I have an Apple account for me, and my husband has his own. We have two kids who are just now getting old enough to need their own accounts, plus another baby on the way. So far, the kids have been using my iPhone and iPad and I’ve let them add music and apps, but that’s getting old. It’s time for them to have their own. So we’re […]
Firestick in Canada: a reader asks… I have a home theatre consisting of the following equipment: a Benq PE 7700 projector, a Sherwood Newcastle R-863 receiver w/surround-sound speakers, a Cambridge DVD player, and a new Amazon 3rd Gen Firestick. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get this all working together with the new Firestick and am not having any luck. I tried a converter box, but that isn’t getting me what I need. Can you help? Ok, you […]
The Right Macbook Air Options: a reader asks… I have a 10 year old Macbook Air (256gb hard drive-getting full) and it’s time to replace it. I see the new Macbook Airs are limited to only two models, one with a 7-core GPU and one with an 8-core GPU. I use my current Macbook Air as a desktop (with a separate monitor, wireless keyboard & trackpad) as well as mobile. I like to create & edit the occasional movie video, […]
Slow Computer – Fix or Replace? a reader asks… I have a Lenovo C340 Type 4773 S/N: {redacted} that’s suddenly become very slow with lots of “not responding” messages. I recently started getting bootup messages “Start PXE over IPv4”, which forced me to go into the Boot options, then exiting to get the system back up and running. If I leave the system running overnight, the next morning I get a message saying “the operating system cannot be found” and […]
Facebook Hacked? a reader asks… My Facebook account has been hacked. I think someone managed to guess my password, and logged into my account, then changed the password and email address. I can no longer log into my own Facebook account. I’ve tried using https://www.facebook.com/hacked and https://www.facebook.com/help/203305893040179 but have not been successful at regaining access to my account. I’ve reported that my account was hacked numerous times but Facebook (the company) has done nothing. What else can I do? Short […]
Tracking Me? A reader asks… Do you have any advice for someone who’s worried about being tracked? I’m divorced, and my ex seems to know way too much about what I’m doing currently. Is it possible they’ve put some tracking on my iPhone, iPad or computer? How can I make sure they can’t track me? I use Google Chrome and Gmail. If before the separation/divorce you were sharing things like online accounts, you may not have changed all that. You […]
Fake Bills on the Rise: a reader asks… I received an email bill from Best Buy for Geek Squad saying that I was charged for services and providing a phone number if I have questions. First off, my bank and credit card apps show that nothing’s been charged. So is this fake or should I call the number to check? Do not call the number, or take any other action than to block the sender of that email. You can […]
Windows 11 now or later? a reader asks… Should we consider “upgrading” to Windows 11? I have always been told to hold off installing any new Microsoft apps until they work out “most” of the “beta bugs.” However, if we install Windows 11 now, what is the risk? For Windows 11, I’d wait on it for a few months at least. Likely any Windows 10 PC more than 3 years old isn’t compatible. You can run a compatibility check using […]
SmartTV and ARC: a reader asks… I have a Yamaha RX-A710 receiver and I just switched from cable to Amazon Firestick. I have a Samsung 8000 series TV and both are about 10 years old. I have an HDMI going from the HDMI out on my receiver to my TV. I have the Firestick plugged into HDMI 2 on my receiver. This setup works fine for the Firestick, but anytime I try to use my SmartTV apps, the audio never […]
Share Document Laptop to Desktop: a reader asks… I have two computers, a desktop PC that I use at home, and a laptop that I use for work. I drafted a document on my laptop and tried to save it to a thumbdrive. I kept trying to click on “Save As” and could not get to the thumbdrive. It only saved to OneDrive. I went to the desktop PC and clicked on the OneDrive icon, but the document isn’t there. How […]
Bu-Bye AOL, where’s my Addressbook? A reader asks… I’ve finally given up on AOL email. After being sold off once again, the customer support is just as bad as it was when Verizon owned it. I’ve got a new email service ready to switch, and am starting to use that instead. Thanks to you I also figured out how to get my AOL mail imported. The only missing piece now is my old AOL addressbook. I know that I can […]
Apple Device Critical Update: Apple released new versions of iOS, WatchOS, iPadOS and macOS just as they were announcing the newest iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches in September 2021. Apple notes these updates as critical, so if you have an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or Mac (iMac, Mac, Macbook), then you need to update asap. For those with Apple TV boxes, the latest update was released in July 2021. For iPhones, the current version is 14.8, although version 15 will […]
AOL Mail in Gmail: a reader asks… I use Gmail nowadays, but have an old AOL mail account that I’ve not quite abandoned. I’ve had Gmail set up to bring that AOL mail (virtually all junk) into my Gmail inbox, but recently that stopped working and I’m getting error messages in Gmail. I’ve tried setting up the mail import in Gmail a few times but it isn’t working. What can I do? I use Gmail in Chrome by the way. […]
Can’t Edit Emailed Document: A reader asks… I occasionally get Microsoft Word documents emailed to me to edit and send back. I’ve tried opening them but somehow any changes I make don’t get saved. What am I doing wrong? I use Outlook for email tied to my AOL email account. The first thing you need to know is that the attachments you see in email are basically “view-only”. In order to do anything with them you must make a copy […]
Certificate Warning on Mac: a reader asks… I have a Macbook Pro with Big Sur and MS 365 installed. I use Outlook for my email service through a Microsoft Exchange server. Lately, I’ve been getting this popup “Verify Certificate” warning. I hit the Continue button, but it keeps coming back every once in a while. This has been going on for a couple of days. What can I do about this? Microsoft put out a bulletin on this issue with […]
Terminal App in Mac and Dock-Explained. a reader asks… I have a 2021 M1 Macbook Air that is working just fine. One thing I’ve noticed is that the apps that show on my Dock change from time to time. In particular, there’s a black square icon labeled “Terminal” that seems to appear at random in the dock. Is this something I need to be worried about? Can you give me a quick tutorial on how the Dock works? The Terminal […]
Update iPhone/iPad Today: Apple has released an update to iOS, version 14.7.1. Apple warns that this update is critical as vulnerabilities that it patches are being actively exploited by hackers. Hopefully, your iPhone and/or iPad are set to update automatically, and you should already have gotten this update. If you are on version 14.7 or earlier, you should open your Settings applet, tap General, then Software Update and install any update it finds. Also, turn on Automatic Updates (if it […]
PrintNightmare? A reader asks… Do I need to worry about this? I have a Windows 10 computer and have automatic updates turned on. Not really. Microsoft pushed out another patch for this threat dubbed “PrintNightmare” as KB5004945 that should have come to your computer automatically sometime in the last 24-72 hours. you can check to make sure you have it by clicking Start > Settings > Update & Security and clicking the View Update History link. As a quick recap, […]
"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:
