Photos – From cell phone to computer
Lately I have been getting a lot of questions about the “best” way to get photos from a cell phone to a computer. There are two basic approaches; Direct Wired connection and Over the Air transfer. With the Direct Wired connection, we connect the cell phone using the...
What Do You See in the Clouds?
Many of my clients are unaware that they are storing files on the cloud. In fact, many don’t really know what the cloud is, or if they should care. Let’s start with what it is. The Cloud is a general term referring to online storage of files. These might be business...
What’s the Point of Restore Points?
Windows has for many years had a facility called Restore Points. These are a snapshot of your system, and typically created just before you make a change. Big changes like updating Windows will often create a Restore Point before it does the update. Some applications...
Should I Buy a Mac?
Many of my clients are switching over to Macintosh laptops and desktops. I often get questions about how hard it is to switch over from Windows to a Mac. The truth is that if you made the change from Windows 7 to Windows 10, you will find the change to a Mac less...
I have Anti-Virus, how did I get hacked?
Many home users and businesses have the feeling that they don’t need to worry about Cyber-Security. They don’t do things on their computer that are questionable, and they have anti-virus running on their computers. So, they feel that there is not much to worry about....
There are many advertisements telling us that we need a VPN to protect our data. So, what is a VPN, and why would someone need one? VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. When the first VPNs were commercialized, they allowed access to the corporate internal network...
Fool me Once…
It is a well known fact that there are “sucker lists” which contain the contact info of folks who have fallen for an online scam. These lists are sold and re-sold to wanna-be-scammers. If you have fallen victim to a scam, the chances of more scammers contacting you...
New technology this season?
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are behind us, and the holiday giving season is directly ahead. For many this means new computers, tablets, or cell phones. Now we need to address getting our important documents and files moved from an old device to the new one. It also...
Got Backups?
1 out of 10 folks I work with has a backup of any kind. That’s taking a big risk with important files. If a hard drive fails, and there are no backups, everything is lost. Last month I had the unpleasant task of telling a client that their hard drive had failed. They...
Scams, more Scams, and #$&! Scams
Just when I thought I had a handle on the fake Microsoft or Apple Phone scams… My mother who is in her 80’s told me about a phone call she had received from the “Dish Network”. The call started off with a person telling her that they were with the Dish Network, and...
Using the Snipping Tool in Windows
Did you ever wish you could capture part of a webpage or show someone something that is happening on your computer? Lots of my clients take a picture with their phone and send to me. But there is a tool built right into Windows for taking pictures of what is on your...
Office365 Subscription… Is there an alternative?
I remember when software was a lot less expensive, and if you bought it you owned it… forever. It seems like that model is being pushed aside, in favor of subscription-based software licensing. Most of the software I use on a daily basis, I do not technically “own”. I...
Do you need a color printer?
Ink cartridges are expensive, often more expensive than the printer they go into. I ask many of my clients this question: “Do you need Color?”. Most hesitate before answering, but eventually tell me that they really do not “need” color. In my home office I have two...
Remote Support ~ Who is on the other end?
With the advent of Coronavirus, many services are no longer immediately available to us. Getting help with your computer, while essential to you, does not seem to be listed on the US Government’s “Essential Services” List. This could leave you wondering what to do if...
What does it cost to update from Windows 7 to Windows 10?
Contrary to popular belief, you need not purchase a new windows 10 license, if you are updating from windows 7. So, the answer to the question is “It typically costs nothing to update to Windows 10.” All you need to do is download the Microsoft Windows 10 Update...
Tax Season Scams – Recognizing the telltale signs
From IRS Tax Scams Consumer Alert webpage: Thousands of people have lost millions of dollars and their personal information to tax scams. Scammers use the regular mail, telephone, or email to set up individuals, businesses, payroll and tax professionals. The IRS...
Microsoft Locked my Computer!
I would never have imagined that so many of my clients could be scammed this way. This Fake Tech Support scam is quickly becoming the number one issue that I deal with. Below are a few ways to tell if you are about to be scammed by a notification on your computer....
Windows 7 vs Windows 10
Jan 2020 Article: Possibly the subtitle of this article should be “You vs Windows 10”. The fact is that we don’t like change. This is especially true if others have had problems with the change in front of us.
So you Want to Cut The Wire…
Since my article about Streaming (in July of this year) I have been asked several times about how one would go about “cutting the wire”. This is the term used when folks get rid of their cable provider for TV entertainment.