I continue to impress upon anyone who will listen that you can protect your home computer for free. Ditching paid protection software can save you lots of money! But this isn’t always as easy as it sounds. Norton, for example, like to upsell and install many different programs on their customers’ computers. And if your … Read more
PC users have used the Windows Notepad program for decades. It’s a barebones text editor that came out in the 80’s to help introduce user to the “computer mouse”. Over the years, it’s seen some modest tweaks and upgrades, but now I think Microsoft has gone too far. Their AI now appears inside of our … Read more
When watching an on-screen progress bar, I often comment to my client that we shouldn’t put too much stock into the information it presents. If it shows a “Time Remaining”, we may see that figure swell and shrink with little rhyme or reason. A Percentage-style progress bar may creep towards 30%, and suddenly surge from … Read more
For anyone on a Windows 10 computer who also uses TurboTax Desktop software, I have some bad news for you. It looks like the TurboTax Desktop 2025 software will require Windows 11 to run. TurboTax Desktop (for tax year 2025) will refuse to install on a Windows 10 machine. So Windows 10 / TurboTax software … Read more
I get a lot of questions about HEIC files. Specifically, clients tell me: “I just received this picture file and can’t open it! I just wanna see this picture of my grandkids…” If someone sends you an unusable photo, this may help you figure out what the HEIC is going on. What is HEIC? HEIC … Read more
It is uncommon, but someday your computer may tell you that it is running low on disk space. Using File Explorer or Finder, you can often sniff out some large files to delete and move on. But rarely, this turns into a mystery. Sometimes a drive is full and you cannot easily tell what is … Read more
A PDF handler is just a fancy-pants term for “a program you use to open PDF files.” Perhaps the best-known PDF handler is Adobe Acrobat Reader, but it is not your only option and I no longer recommend it. Adobe used to be the best and safest PDF viewer, but it has fallen from grace. … Read more
In the past, HP would install a variety of software and desktop icons, for you to use with your printer. One app in particular was called the HP Print & Scan Doctor. While many of you may still have and appreciate this fix-it tool, I must now recommend you remove it from your PC. Because … Read more
Antivirus companies are hungry. They know that their home-use customer numbers are dwindling, as more and more people figure out that you can protect a modern computer for free. So, to maintain their revenue, they resort to sketchy tactics. Much of their poor behavior revolves around “auto-renewal”. If you still pay money for your security … Read more
It is very common in the tech world, for one company to promote another, in order to boost business and earn commissions. I don’t go around looking for kickbacks, but I see and understand why companies seek referral bonuses and such. I am dismayed to report, though, that HP is now promoting a software that … Read more