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Tips for Phone and Computer Security
The iPhone has a reputation of being hard to hack, but how can you know for sure? There’s an app for that. Although Apple has strongly limited access to data that security tools would like to access to tell if the phone has been compromised, a new app called iVerify includes a series of detailed…
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Tips for Holiday Wishlists and More
For the coming holiday season computer purchases for Mac or Windows, look for desktops or laptops that have 8 GB of RAM, ideally a solid-state drive, and at least two USB ports (you might want to buy a USB hub to expand that number). And avoid the lower end and slower processors like the i3…
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Protect Your Computer and Yourself
Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) are a necessary addition to protecting your computer (and other electronics) from both power spikes and power drops or brownout conditions. UPSs are a combination of a battery and a surge protector, with some of the outlets just providing surge protection and the remaining ones designed to provide battery power. The…
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Resetting Passwords and Deleting Voicemails
You need to be wary of password reset notifications sent to your email. Online services go through their records to match lists of compromised passwords at other sites with what might be stored on their own systems. In some cases, they force a password reset and email users that request. Scammers take advantage of this…
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Windows Security and Updates
One of the top antivirus programs for Windows 10 is Microsoft’s free Windows Defender, which is surprising to many who feel that free programs are less capable. The independent IT security institute AV-TEST found that Windows Defender was one of a few programs to attain top scores across its testing criteria. One of the least…
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Speeding Things Up
Copying many files in Windows can be time-consuming, but there are tools that make the process go faster than using File Explorer. One of these dedicated apps is called TeraCopy (codesector.com/teracopy), which uses special algorithms to speed up the copying process with the option to verify those copied files. Various things that you might be…
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What to Do When Tech Gets Wet
Whether you get caught in the rain or spill a glass of water, it’s good to review what to do if your phone or laptop gets wet. The first thing to do, as soon as possible, is power off your device. Hold the power button down on a laptop for 10 seconds or hold it…
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How to Survive the End of Windows 7
On January 14, 2020, security updates will end for Windows 7. If you are still using this system, there are many questions to consider. How much will it cost to update to Windows 10? How old is your computer? Do you still need Windows, or are you thinking of switching to tablets, phones, Chromebooks or…
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How to Help Older Computer Users
Providing computer help for older friends or someone in your family can be a challenge. The biggest issue is that older people may not have the knowledge base you have or may not want to learn all of the tricks you think they would benefit from. I find it best to have them give me…
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It’s the Little Things That Count
Do you try to quiet your children by handing them your iPhone? There’s stuff on there you don’t want messed up by curious little fingers. There is a way to lock the iPhone, by using Guided Access, that will still let your little one use one app. Go to Settings, General, Accessibility, Guided Access. Then…
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Changes Coming to Flickr & Google+
Are you using Google+? If you have a personal account, you should have received a notice from Google about that service going away on April 2 and the steps you should take to download your content. If you are not sure and are worried that you might lose something, go to plus.google.com and sign in…
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iPhone Hacks and Online Photo Fun
The iPhone/iPad Lightning charging port is great at collecting lint that ends up making it hard to tightly plug in the charging cable. You might even think the port is broken. But save your money, because it is easy to clean out with a tweezer. Do you sometimes have trouble on your iPhone with moving…