I went on vacation with my boyfriend last year and we both took our laptops. At one point, my boyfriend wanted to use my laptop because he said his didn't have online connection. I said sorry but I have personal stuff on my laptop and I wouldn't let him use it. I went out for a while and when I came back, my laptop was stacked right on top of his laptop on the table. When I asked why my laptop was sitting on top of his laptop, he said he didn't know, it could have been the hotel housekeeping that put it there.
Read More
Tags:
Dirty little tech secrets,
spyware,
key logger,
key logging,
Viruses,
Strong passwords,
PC Tips & Tricks,
Protection,
Ask-a-techie,
password protection,
password security,
Computer Protection,
Safe Practices,
Windows Tips,
computer keyboards,
Security
Dear Techie,
Being bored and an insomniac, I happened to come across a late-night commercial for a service called Carbonite. It claims to automatically back up all my data so if something happens (or as they say "Before disaster strikes") my data is all protected. I just can't really get my mind around what the service is. I have a few gigabytes of photos and documents stored on my PC and I am worried that it will die on me one day and I will be left without copies. Should I use this service? Will disaster strike me? Did I leave the oven on? Why is the number 42 important? The suspense is killing me!
— Freaked out non-geek
Read More
Tags:
Keeping your PC working,
online safety,
PC Tips & Tricks,
Hard drives,
Ask-a-techie,
PC tips,
PC Tips'n'tricks,
Windows Tips,
Security,
Data Backup
Hi Techie,
A message popped up on my screen that said "Delayed Write Failed" to my USB drive. What does that mean and what should I do?
Read More
Tags:
flash drives,
Ask-a-techie,
PC tips,
PC Tips'n'tricks,
Windows Tips
Techie,
I’ve been searching around for a new internet service provider since I moved into the Pioneer Valley. What is going to be a good choice for getting high-speed internet?
Read More
Tags:
dsl,
online safety,
cable,
ISP,
internet service provider,
PC tips,
PC Tips'n'tricks,
Windows Tips,
Speed up my computer
Dear Techie,
What are the main upside and downsides to using an external hard drive versus a hard drive installed in your computer?
—Driven
Read More
Tags:
HDD,
external hard drives,
flash drives,
SSD,
Ask-a-techie,
PC Tips'n'tricks,
Windows Tips
Dear Techie,
I have been hearing about Windows 8 being the next big thing from Microsoft. From what has been said so far, it sounds like Windows 8 has a lot of change in store. I remember how difficult some things were when I upgraded from Windows XP to Windows Vista. What things are changing?
Sincerely.
User who wishes Windows was “pane-free”
Read More
Tags:
OS reviews,
Windows 8 good or bad,
Operating System,
Ask-a-techie,
Windows Tips,
Windows 8
Dear Techie
I have an older computer that keeps saying my disk space is low. I haven’t installed anything on my computer that takes up space. What should I do?Thanks,
Spaced Out
Read More
Tags:
Low Disk Space,
temporary Files,
PC Fix,
Protection,
privacy,
Ask-a-techie,
PC tips,
Windows Tips,
Security,
Speed up my computer
Heya Techie,
Every time I put a CD or DVD into my media player program pops up. How can I stop this from happening? I want to be able to select what program opens what file.
Thanks,
Otto-matically Annoyed
Tags:
Disable Autoplay,
Operating System,
PC Tips & Tricks,
Ask-a-techie,
Windows Tips,
Security,
Windows Tweaks
Hi Techie,
I use Gmail for all my email for both home and business. I know they have backups of everything I write and send but I know that I should have backups myself just in case. Looking around Gmail, I can’t seem to find any way I can save and backup my years of email, what can I do?
GoogleWorrier
Read More
Tags:
Protection,
Ask-a-techie,
PC tips,
email,
Windows Tips,
Data Backup
Dear Techie,
The last time I updated Firefox (to the newest version, 8.0), it took out my list of bookmarks, and the top bar.. ie; (File, Edit, View, Tools, Help),
All that was left after this was this the Bing toolbar and Ask.com bar which I do not remember installing.
Ask.com was also installed on Internet Explorer. I didn’t want either Bing or Ask.com in either browser but they appeared one day. What can I do?
Thanks.
Read More
Tags:
Toolbar Removal,
Firefox tips,
PC Tips & Tricks,
PC Fix,
Protection,
Ask-a-techie,
Windows Tips,
Web Browser,
Security,
Windows Tweaks
