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, […]
Fighting Spam: a reader asks… Do I have to have contact info on my website? I run a small business and get virtually all my clients from word-of-mouth. My website has my business phone number and email address, as well as a contact form. The only inquiries I receive look like hackers! Totally creeps me out! They always land in my junk mail which I clear regularly but it totally bothers me! Unfortunately, junk mail (aka spam) is a consequence […]
Windows 10 Ransomware Protection: a reader asks… I read your articles regularly, and am starting to get more worried about ransomware. I’m just a consumer with a computer running Windows 10. What should I do to protect myself? Just a word of warning to all you consumers out there: The cybersecurity industry is seeing a lot more evidence of ‘commoditized ransomware use”. What this means is that those big, splashy ransomware attacks against big business are already coming to the […]
Android Ringtone: a reader asks… I just got a Moto G Power smartphone and it’s working great! One problem though, I downloaded a ringtone mp3 file, but can’t figure out how to set that as my ringtone. Can you help? Certainly! I’m assuming your smartphone is running Android 11. There are plenty of instructions online for how to set a ringtone for that (see further below). But there is a much simpler way to do this: Tap Files, then hunt […]
Doctor’s Computer Freezes: a reader asks… I’m a doctor and see patients all day long. I use my Microsoft Surface laptop to review charts, show patients information, etc. The problem that I have is that the computer screen goes dark after a few minutes, and when I want to use it again, it takes up to a minute before the computer responds. What can I do about this? It sounds like you are suffering from Microsoft Windows 10’s abysmal “Sleep […]
Your Risk of Being Hacked: a reader asked… Thank you for the excellent article “I’ve Been Hacked – What Do I Do?” It raised a question for me. I do online banking from my Windows 7 laptop. I don’t let it remember my passwords for banks. I have an older tablet as well as a new Samsung Galaxy Tab A7. I am using an older Android-powered smartphone but am considering upgrading to a Samsung S9. What I’m wondering is, am […]
It’s Windows 10’s Patch Tuesday: a reader asks… I have a Windows 10 computer. I know that Microsoft issues updates every so often. How should I treat those updates – urgently? Microsoft generally issues three kinds of updates to Windows 10: regular monthly updates on the 2nd Tuesday of the month (aka “Patch Tuesday”), important security updates on an ad hoc basis, and major version updates, usually twice a year. For most consumers I recommend you turn on automatic updates […]
I’ve Been Hacked – What Do I Do? A reader asks… I fell for it, had a computer problem and gave someone remote access to my computer to fix it. Now my files are disappearing, I can’t get into my email account (wrong password), and I’m seeing purchases I didn’t make on my credit card. What do I do now? My computer isn’t connected in any way with my employer, so this is affecting just my personal life. First, take […]
New Malwarebytes Version: a reader asks: I read your last article, but just saw a popup on my screen (Windows 10). It’s an update to Malwarebytes, which I have installed on my computer. Is this type of popup safe and should I update? Yes, if you have installed legitimate, commercial software on your computer, you should always keep it up-to-date. Malwarebytes.com releases new versions of its anti-malware protection software on a regular basis. This is to keep up with the […]
Don’t Fall for Scams: a Reader Asks: I’m worried, I’ve been getting calls from Microsoft Tech Support, and the latest one says my computer is infected and I need to let them fix it and install a “firewall” – which will cost me $500. Should I do this? A word of warning to all my readers: scams are at an all-time high and going up at a steep angle. The scammers are increasingly astute psychology experts who prey on our […]
Printer USB or WiFi: a reader asks… I bought myself a new HP Officejet 9025. This replaces an HP Officejet 8620 printer that was connected to my Windows 10 computer with a USB cable. The new printer has Wifi and when I set it up I connected it to my home network. I added the printer to that computer and everything seems to be working fine. Do I need to connect it via USB – is there any benefit? I’m […]
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