Recently, one of my customers had a question about losing bookmarks in Firefox. Here is the thread from that: —————No I was not saving them under there, I had Star or something that said My Favorites that I used to click on. FireFox upgraded and since then I can not locate my favorites.————— Ahh – that is actually good then! …

*The following advice is based on my experience over the years servicing thousands of computers, instructing users, and researching common-sense approaches to security for the average users. If your computer gets infected by a virus or spyware or malware, it is because you have asked for it. Period. You may not have intentionally asked for it, but at some point …

Recently, I had a potential client email me with some questions. I’m reposting my reply here. ————I really need pages to load faster.———— Having more RAM will help the pages load a little faster; however, the only way to get more “speed” for your pages is to have more bandwidth for your connection. Think of your internet connection as a …

The following post is from an email with a client. Since the issue of screen resolution versus font size, etc, comes up from time to time, I decided to post it on my blog: ——————————- The smiley faces and fonts, etc, are found when you use HTML formatting for email. You have to be careful when using HTML in email, …

Recently a client (and friend) asked me about backing up her computer prior to installing XP SP3. That’s a smart idea considering all the SP3 issues that are occurring. Most people don’t think about data backup, but it is very important even for home computer users. Think of all the information that we store – pictures, email, documents, tax files …

As most of you know, I am no fan of Windows Vista. Arguably, it is on par with Windows ME – which was a total flop. Almost every business customer that I have still runs XP or pays me to install XP on their new Vista pc’s. They can’t stand Vista’s lackluster performance, DRM overhead, absurd RAM requirements, and odd …

I get asked over and over about how to stay safe with computing. After all, my business is keeping my clients safe after cleaning up their computers and networks. My system and recommendations work. Typically, I don’t get much repeat business for spyware and viruses. When I “fix” a computer and give my customers the safety rules, I typically don’t …

This happens all too often. You get forwarded an “Urban Legend” email like the one about Obama being the anti-Christ. One of the 500 people that have forwarded the thing (as attachments no less) has some spyware or adware running on their computer. You think to yourself: “Self, now so-and-so would never send me anything bad.” So you click the …

Well this is a scary thought – employees at utilities companies, government agencies, and other companies just looking through your account information. While the article focuses on Milwaukee-based WE Energies, I should imagine that the practice is very common-place. The IRS took 219 disciplinary actions, including firings and suspensions, against employees who browsed through confidential taxpayer information last year, according …

Recently I had a client forward an email to me. She was concerned that she may have some security problems due to an email she received. These sorts of emails use a social engineering scare tactic to try and entice you. Kudos to her for asking me about it first! This is a perfect example of what a SPAM and …