FBI warning of possible Internet problem in July

This weekend, my local newspaper ran a story similar to this one at PC Magazine. It outlined (in usual newspaper sensationalism fashion) that “thousands of computer users could lose Internet in July”. I call it sensational because the headline alone (which I’m suspecting is all many people read) has two words that should calm people down a little, thousands and could. Currently, there are more than 1...

5 Steps to Using Online Financial Sites Safely

Every year computer users who use the Internet to check account balances, transactions, and even paying bills grows by nearly 30%. According to one Pew study, more than 50 million Americans use online banking services. 50 million sounds like a large number, but that still reflects less than 50% of online American adults. Bank web sites continue to evolve by becoming easier to use, more secure, and more helpful than ever...

Setting up a new computer

Prevention is the best medicine when it comes to avoiding illness in ourselves. Prevention in the computer world is no different. And like a newborn baby, a newly purchased computer is subject to many terrible diseases and problems if not properly cared from the moment it is taken from its cardboard box. I follow these steps when setting up a new computer system for my clients, and recommend this methodology for all new...

Web surfing 101…again

Catching up on my reading, I ran across yet another article outlining how easily unsuspecting web users can be duped into infecting their machines and voluntarily giving up their own hard earned money. You MUST read this article, IF you want to keep yourself, your wallet, and your computer safe. Wired published the article I was reading today in their Ocotober issue. You can read it by clicking here. Executive summary:  Bad...

How to password protect PDF files with Mac OS X &#...

A client today had a need to learn how to password protect PDF files on their iMac and MacBook Air. With OS X, the process is quite easy…here it is: ...

Holiday Computer Madness

Every year for the last 7-8 years, I bring up a version of this tip to help save you time and money during the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years visiting season. Please follow the advice. I can guarantee that it will save you and your computer lots of grief. With all the traveling done during the holidays, your computer is bound to be taken hostage by friends and family wanting to check their email or play a game or two....

5 Reasons why YOU should be moving to the cloud

I have written many articles about Web 2.0 or cloud computing. Cloud computing means that you work with programs and/or data that are not installed or saved on your computer. Instead, the programs and/or data live on an Internet connected computer (server) somewhere else in the world. Among other things, these computers/services provide: Security via the password and user name that you choose. Access to the service from any...

How to register for your Avast Free Antivirus Lice...

Adding to my new ongoing series of daily how-tos I write for clients is this one about registering the Free Avast Antivirus I now recommend. Occasionally the registration servers are not working when I install the program for a client, so I created these instructions for her to follow when the servers come back online. This should also help those folks who need to re-register Avast after the first year. Keep in mind that for...

Must read article for ALL computer illiterate user...

I detest the phrase computer illiterate, but unfortunately hear it almost daily in my work. I think the better way for a computer user who feels inadequate around the technology and the terminology is to refer to themselves as time challenged. Since illiteracy can be thwarted with a healthy dose of education, that leaves making the time to obtain that education the stumbling block. However, I used that too often uttered...

Rick’s guide to trouble free computing

In January, this web site and my business turned 16 years old. In that time, I have worked on thousands of computers ranging from the oldest DOS machines to the newest gaming and Mac monsters. My youngest client in that time has been 5 years old and my oldest was a 94 year old author writing a book for the first time on a PC. When your work in any field for a certain period of time, you start to spot patterns and...

More on Fake Security Ads and Scareware

Trying to explain why and how fake security infiltrates my client’s computer is difficult. Instead of trying to explain it each and every time, which can be daunting, I am going to suggest this article as a reading assignment. If you use Microsoft Windows, and you want to minimize the possibility of becoming infected by this almost unstoppable force, you MUST read, digest and then put into practice the information found...

Fake Security Alerts & other Internet Bad Guy...

Over the past year or so, the majority of my professional time has been digging computer users (Windows users only) out of jams where they were infiltrated by fake security software or spyware. Two things to know about this type of infection: No matter what type of security software you use and how much you paid for it, IT CANNOT PROTECT YOU IF YOU INVITE THE BAD GUY INTO YOUR COMPUTER. It is preventable. Over the years,...

How to use Malwarebytes – Video Tip

I am installing Malwarebytes more and more often these days to take care of spyware and adware problems. It isn’t 100% effective and you really should practice preventative measures (see article links at the end of this tip), but it is certainly worthwhile to add it to your security tool belt if you use any version of Microsoft Windows. Click here to download Malwarebytes Click the green button to start download Wait...

Practice smarter browsing to avoid malware –...

It seems that spyware, adware and other malware that doesn’t quite fall in the category of a virus grows by the day. Unfortunately, even the best protected computers and computer users can get hit by these sneaky destruction machines by tricking us (social engineering) to thinking we are either using, viewing or downloading something other than it is. In order to fight back, we need to be smarter Internet citizens in...

Stay safe when using public WiFi – Video Ti...

When traveling during the holidays or any time, it is extremely important to stay safe when using public wifi (Internet) at airports, coffee shops, hotels, etc. I recently came across a tool called Hotspot Shield that allows you to create a secure and private connection for all your browsing and email. It’s the same type of security that companies use for their employees when out of the office. It’s called VPN...