Hide Google Meet in Gmail

Google really wants everyone to try out Google Meet. So they built it into their Gmail page design, some months ago. Google Meet probably roosts in the lower-left corner when you visit Gmail.com on your computer. But not everyone uses Google Meet. And some people want that valuable screen real estate back, for their email … Read more

Impostor Accounts on Facebook

A common scammer tactic is to create an impostor account on Facebook. They snag a copy of your profile picture, use your name and pretend to be you as they sign up on the Facebook site. Their FB profile will look a whole lot like yours, and then they will attempt to fool people with … Read more

Your Local Gift Economy

Freecycle was started some 18 years ago as a way of networking, in order to give things away. No sales or deals permitted, this was a tool for people to give things away with no fees or strings attached. And Freecycle is still around today, with groups spread all over for people to find & … Read more

Goodbye, CCleaner

For years, CCleaner was many people’s go-to program for cleaning up a Windows computer. It quickly finds and deletes temp files and other junk from a system. But these days, there are more reasons to get rid of it than keep it around. It’s time to say, “Goodbye, CCleaner!” First, it’s main function is replicated … Read more

Recovering Permanently Deleted Emails

It is common for a scammer to delete things after they compromise someone’s email account. After recovering a stolen email account, you may notice that your Inbox is empty, or your address book has nothing in it. Checking the Trash folder, you’ll probably find nothing there, as well. They’ve covered their tracks, adding more insult … Read more

Compromised Email – Recovery Tips

If your email gets hijacked, you’ll figure it out quickly enough. People will start calling you to ask why you sent those out-of-character messages… Scammers steal their way into email accounts every day. If your email gets stolen, the first and best thing to do is: Reset your email password. But that may not be … Read more

Apple’s Activation Lock

Having trouble with an iPad you just bought second-hand? A common problem with used Apple devices is that buyers can’t get them to work properly, due to Apple’s Activation Lock. Apple created the Activation Lock feature to protect against device theft. When an iPad, iPhone or newer Apple computer is properly signed into iCloud services, … Read more

Free Credit Freezes

In 2017, Equifax experienced a large data breach that exposed millions of peoples’ sensitive data. Fines, litigation and media uproar ensued. But perhaps most significant was that our government mandated that the big 3 credit bureaus offer free credit freezes to consumers. Previously, the big 3 would charge you a fee any time you requested … Read more

Removing Flash Player

We are finally done with Flash Player, and Adobe has announced that they will block Flash content from running later this month. That’s OK, because the web has largely moved on from Flash to more modern tools. Shutting down Flash content is more of a formality and an extra way to protect everyone’s computers. But … Read more

Antivirus Uninstall Tools

When you uninstall an antivirus program, you should remove in the standard way: On a PC, you should go to Start -> Settings -> Apps, select the program under Installed Apps and click it to get the Uninstall button. On a Mac, you would use Finder to go to your Applications area, and drag the … Read more