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Internet Tips

Open Multiple Home Pages with Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, OR Internet Explorer – Video Tip

Now that Internet Explorer has caught up (sort of) with modern browsers, I wanted to point out yet another function of tabbed browsing (click here for the popular and informative tabbed browsing tip ). If you like to check multiple sites every day or maybe use your browsing sessions for research, let your browser do some of the work for you by opening multiple pages at the same time.

Mozilla Firefox

  1. Open the first page you would like to see every time you start Firefox
  2. Click File –> New –> Tab (or Ctrl + T) to open a new tab
  3. Open the next page you want to see every time you start Firefox
  4. Repeat steps 1-3 for as many pages as you want to open automatically
  5. Click Tools –> Options from the menus
  6. Click the "Main" button at the top of the options screen
  7. Click "Use Current Pages" button in the Startup section
  8. Click the OK button at the bottom of the screen

Internet Explorer 7 (IE7)

  1. Open the first page you would like to see every time you start IE7
  2. Click File –> New –> Tab (or Ctrl + T) to open a new tab, or click the new tab button next to the current tab
  3. Open the next page you want to see every time you start IE7
  4. Repeat steps 1-3 for as many pages as

Disable MalwareBytes purchase nags

If you use MalwareBytes, it can nag you for payment. Unless you want the hands-off functionality (automatic scans and updates), you can disable it. You can quickly and easily run and update it anytime you like and not get nagged to purchase it. Here’s how to stop getting the upgrade pop-ups: Start MalwareBytes, then: 1.  Click Settings from list of options on… Read More »Disable MalwareBytes purchase nags

Gmail Search – Video Tip

I have written and recorded many, many Gmail tips, but I came across this concise and informative Gmail tip about searching your Gmail account made recently by Google. Check it out!

Measure the distance of your walk, run, bike with Google Maps – Video Tip

If you are working on a new year’s resolution to walk or run more, or you just want to measure how far it was to walk from your hotel to the restaraunt, this tip is for you. There a million and one other uses for this tip as well.

The Gmaps Pedometer is an easy to use tool that a runner put together using Google Maps to be able to quickly map out distances on city streets. The creator did a remarkable job of preserving the simplicity of Google while marrying it with a useful set of tools for exercise folks and tourists. I didn’t mention it in the video, but if you are touring a foreign city and want to know why your dogs are so tired at the end of the day, pull up Gmap Pedometer to see how far you walked! It works for any city in the world.

So whether you are a runner, walker, biker, orRead More »Measure the distance of your walk, run, bike with Google Maps – Video Tip

Great article from HowToGeek.com about downloading & Security

I came across the following article from HowToGeek.com last week and wanted to share it with you. It drives the point I make constantly here at HelpMeRick.com…be careful what you download, where you download, and how you install downloads. The HowToGeek site has a paid staff that puts together these articles, and they are always thorough, well illustrated and easy… Read More »Great article from HowToGeek.com about downloading & Security

Fake Security Alerts & other Internet Bad Guys CAN be prevented

Over the past few years, 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 you need to know about this type of infection:

  1. 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.
  2. It is preventable.

Over the years, security and keeping computers running clean has been a common soap box for me. Listed below are just a handful of the articles youRead More »Fake Security Alerts & other Internet Bad Guys CAN be prevented

New Email Attachment Handling in Gmail – Video Tip

Recently, Google made some changes to attachment viewing and handling in Gmail. Instead of just downloading or viewing an attachment, Gmail users can: Preview attachment Print attachment Save attachment to Google Drive Open attachment in alternate program Download attachment In the short video below, I outline these changes and how to get them to work for you. Also, I demonstrate… Read More »New Email Attachment Handling in Gmail – Video Tip

Setting your email privacy setting in Gmail – Video Tip

This week Google announced that Gmail customers have the option to receive email from Google+ (their social media site). Don’t be taken in by media hysteria, you can decide whether or not you want this enabled or not. I don’t like that Google implemented this feature with the default setting set to the most loose security (letting anyone contact you… Read More »Setting your email privacy setting in Gmail – Video Tip

How to switch away from iGoogle AND be happy about it! – Video Tip

More than a year ago, Google announced the demise of iGoogle on November 1, 2013. iGoogle gives users the ability to create a customized page with all the digital items that are important to them. You can add score and sport tracking, financial portfolios, weather watching, email at a glance, news of your choice, and much more. All customizable and… Read More »How to switch away from iGoogle AND be happy about it! – Video Tip