Most Recent Entries

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Why Does Software Only Seem to Get Bigger?

It's a march of technological progress: computers can do more, and we expect software to do more. That leaves those of us with older machines in a difficult spot.
2024-03-18

How Can I Recover an Outlook Password Without Resetting It?

Microsoft doesn't know your Outlook.com password. Honest. That makes recovering it without changing it challenging.
2024-03-16

How Do I Tell Who Sent an Email?

It's extremely unlikely. I'll walk you through why that is and one way you might get lucky.
2024-03-15

Isn’t Putting Two Factor Codes in My Password Vault Less Secure?

Storing 2FA codes in 1Password alongside passwords might slightly reduce security, but the risk is minimal, especially compared to the convenience.
2024-03-14

How to Protect Yourself From a Two-Factor Hack

Two-factor authentication isn't perfect, but it's much better than not using it at all. Here are the various risks and what you can do to protect yourself.
2024-03-13

Can My ISP See I’m Using a VPN?

Virtual Private Networks have characteristics visible to your ISP. I'll discuss what they can and cannot see.
2024-03-11

100% Disk Usage in Windows: 12 Things to Try

100% disk usage can happen for many different reasons. I'll review the most common and give you recommendations for each.
2024-03-09

What Is the Thunderbird Email File Location in Windows?

Thunderbird stores everything in what it calls a profile. I'll show you how to locate yours.
2024-03-08

How I Use AI at Ask Leo!

I write all my own articles, but I often use AI as a tool along the way. I'll walk through a recent example.
2024-03-07

Is There a Way to Use OneDrive as a Dumb Hard Drive?

Yes, you can use OneDrive online without using OneDrive on your PC or going to OneDrive.com. I'll show you how.
2024-03-06

How Do I Recover My Outlook Account?

Outlook.com, Hotmail, and Microsoft account compromise and loss happens. Here's how to get your account back depending on what happened to it.
2024-03-04

Should You Use the Free Backup Software that Comes with Some External Drives?

Many external drives include free backup software that I never use. I'll explain why, and what I do instead.
2024-03-02

Can I Recall an Email From Gmail or Outlook.com?

You may have heard of a feature called "message recall". For all intents and purposes, it's not real.
2024-03-01

When You Change Your Phone Number, Change Your Phone Number

The ability to keep your old phone number when getting a new phone can avoid several headaches. If you get a new number, there are steps you must take.
2024-02-29

What Is a Pig-Butchering Scam?

Pig-butchering is a nasty term for a particularly painful type of scam. Here's how to protect yourself.
2024-02-28

What’s the Difference Between Memory and Disk Space?

The difference between the various things we could call "memory" is a fundamental computing concept. I'll review the basics.
2024-02-26

Everything Is Awesome!

A movie I watched reminded me that we are surrounded by awesome. I need to do a better job of reminding myself, and you, of all the awesomeness I see.
2024-02-24

Could Malware Record My Chats and Video Calls?

If you're curious what might happen if a hacker was in control of your computer, the question really is "What can't they do?"
2024-02-23

Should I Accept Cookies On My Computer?

You'll be asked again and again whether or not a site can leave cookies. I'll explain why, what the ramifications are, and my suggested answer.
2024-02-22

Dealing With the Demise of Authy Desktop

Authy's desktop version is going away (darn it!). Here's how I will replace it.
2024-02-21

Why Do Ads Follow Me Around the Internet?

Advertising networks notice what interests you. It might be a little creepy, but it's not malware.
2024-02-19

How Do I Convert PDF to Word for Free?

PDFs were never meant to be edited or converted. There are some workarounds, though. I'll show you one that's free.
2024-02-17

Is There an MSN Sign-In to Hotmail?

Microsoft's history with email and email addresses is long and reflects changing strategies within the company.
2024-02-16

Are the Bad Guys Winning?

Media hype makes it seem like the bad guys are winning. They're always in the lead – but don’t believe the hype.
2024-02-15

How Do I Move Emails From One Account to Another?

Moving email from one account to another just takes some configurating and drag-and-dropping.
2024-02-14

Can My ISP Monitor My Internet Connection?

Your ISP controls your internet connection, and it's easy for them to monitor the data you send and receive. The question is, why would anyone monitor your internet?
2024-02-12

Increasing the Odds That Windows Network Sharing Will Work

Networking is... tricky. Here's a process that works fairly reliably for me.
2024-02-10

Why Are My Mail Folders Not Showing In Outlook?

You've got your online email nicely organized into folders. Then you move to a desktop program, and none of the folders come with you. What now?
2024-02-09

Another Way to Protect Yourself From 2FA Loss

A little bit of preparation when you set it up can make losing your Google Authenticator 2FA device a minor inconvenience.
2024-02-08

Why I Don’t Believe in Conspiracies

There are many conspiracy theories in the tech industry. I'm a hard one to convince, and you should be, too.
2024-02-07

How Can Newsletter Senders Tell That I Haven’t Opened Their Newsletter?

It's impossible to truly determine if someone opened an email, but newsletters worrying about their reputation try to get an idea.
2024-02-05

Set Up Windows 11 With Only a Local Account

Setting up a Windows 11 machine without a Microsoft account is possible, though it's not obvious how.
2024-02-03

How to Make a Windows Image Backup

While it's not the best tool, it's a tool you already have. Here's how to use the Windows 7 backup tool to create a Windows image backup.
2024-02-02

How Do I Reinstall Software Without Installation Discs or Download Files?

If you bought it, save it -- even if it is just a downloaded installation .exe file and activation code.
2024-02-01

The Surprising Ways Your Videos Can Expose Your Location

Something many people do every day may expose their location in ways they don't know.
2024-01-31

Can I Get Malware From Opening an Email?

It used to be that simply viewing a malformed email could allow a virus to spread. Thankfully, that's no longer the case.
2024-01-29

Does What’s on My Desktop Affect My Computer’s Speed?

A cluttered desktop doesn't slow down your computer in and of itself, but could be a symptom of deeper problems.
2024-01-27

If External Hard Drives Can Fail, Should I Bother with One?

Any hard drive can fail. Failure is a fact of life, but data loss does not need to be.
2024-01-26

How to Read Phone Charger Voltage Specs

Power supply labels can be difficult to read and interpret. I'll review what matters.
2024-01-25

How to Keep Windows Running Smoothly With Routine Maintenance

Much like an automobile, it can be useful to periodically look under the hood, clean things up, and make sure that all is as it should be.
2024-01-24

How Do I Fix Windows Update?

Windows Update can get confused or stuck. I'll review ways to fix Windows Update, including what I refer to as the nuclear option.
2024-01-22

I Lost My Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Device. How Do I Sign In?

Fear of second-factor loss prevents some people from using two-factor authentication. There's no need to fear that scenario.
2024-01-20

How to Change Your Email Address On Gmail

You can change your Gmail address by creating a new Gmail account. If that's not really what you want, you'll need to see which workaround you can live with.
2024-01-19

Dealing with PC Clutter

Files accumulating on your machine can result in increased PC clutter, decreased performance, and less stability.
2024-01-18

I Gave AI My Search History and Here’s What It Told Me

I was listening to a podcast recently in which one of the hosts described giving ChatGPT the history of the questions he had asked it and then asking it to build a profile on him based on that. It was interesting, of course, but it got me to thinking… why not use internet searches as ... Read more
2024-01-17

How Do I Recover Flash Drive Files?

Flash drives are popular, convenient, and extremely useful. But they can fail. Take preventative measures right away.
2024-01-15

What Does Signing in to My Microsoft Account Really Mean in Windows?

Let's sort out some of the differences between logging in using your Microsoft account and logging in using a local account.
2024-01-13

Your Biggest Struggles: 2024 Edition

I asked what was bugging you. Here's what you told me.
2024-01-12

What If Password Autofill Won’t Work?

Password vaults are sometimes unable to auto-fill fields. There are several ways to work around this.
2024-01-12

If They Got Into My Account Once, Could a Hacker Get In Again?

Once your account has been hacked, there are many things you need to consider to prevent it from being hacked again.
2024-01-11