So much of we hear about just isn't panic-worthy, even if news reports make it seem like it is.
As I watched a “major” security issue1 unfold a few years ago, I read the media reports seeming to claim that the end of the world (or at least the internet) was upon us. I felt like I was supposed to be panicking.
I didn’t, and neither the world nor the internet ended.
It’s not in my nature to panic. That’s just the kinda guy that I am. Panic may occasionally be called for, but usually it does more harm than good.
I hear from people who have lost their accounts permanently way too often. Here's how to avoid being one of them.
Question: I keep looking at your videos on account recovery for Gmail and Microsoft and Facebook and others, and you’re no help at all. I don’t have the information you say I need to get back into my account. But it’s MY ACCOUNT! Why can’t you help? Why can’t I get back in?
That’s a synthesis of the comments I get frequently on some of my most viewed content: my articles and videos on account recovery.
Folks are often pissed at me because the process doesn’t work, even though I usually start by saying, “This process might not work.”
Call this tough love if you like: there’s really no one to blame but yourself, no matter how many “thumbs down” you give me. Instead, learn from the situation and take the steps you should have taken to begin with to make sure this never happens again.
Alternate email addresses can allow you to regain access to your account if it's hacked or you forget your password.
Question: OK, I’m confused. How does the recovery email on Google work? Where do I get the messages? Do we really need a recovery email?
Yes, you need a recovery email for every account that offers the ability to set one.
Recovery email is one of those concepts that is easy to take for granted and assume everyone understands. Even if you do, you might want to review the concepts and ensure that the recovery email addresses you have are set up properly.
Reusing passwords -- even strong ones -- is risky. If one site gets hacked, attackers try that same password elsewhere. Worse, once exposed, it’s saved bv hackers and reused in future attacks. I’ll discuss why this matters, how to check if your password’s out there, and what to do instead.
A reader recently commented:
Question: It’s a good idea to get a feel for how strong your password is. There are plenty of password-strength tools online. You don’t need to put your password into some random website (I wouldn’t ever recommend that), but having a good sense of the strength or weakness of your password is really important.
I disagree.
You don’t need a password-strength tester.
You should, however, use a password-found tester. And while it’s not “some random website”, there is a website I suggest you use.
What I didn’t talk about in much detail is that through clever use of cookies — typically associated with advertising — some services gather and use more information about you.
We need to talk about tracking and third-party cookies.
Apps don’t last forever, and when one you rely on disappears, it can take your data with it. I'll show you how to protect yourself so you stay in control.
Exporting data from a password vault. (Screenshot: askleo.com)
Question: While I am not particularly concerned about my privacy (all that stuff on the internet was out there before the internet, it was just a little harder to find), I am not particularly trusting. I realize that TrueCrypt was open source and Lastpass etc. are all paid services, but what happens if they go belly up? What happens if they hire some idiot and all of their software goes up in smoke? I have a hard time trusting these services, or any others for that matter, and these are things I want under my control.
What you describe happens more often than one might think.
There are people who use an application for some time and suddenly find that the company is no longer in business, and there’s no way to get an update. Sometimes that means they can’t migrate to current versions of their operating system if they want to keep running that now-unsupported software.
It’s something I consider when selecting important software. Depending on what programs we’re talking about, there are approaches you can use to back up your data and protect yourself from potential software obsolescence or disappearance.
Trying to print a cute photo from a website and wondering why it looks fuzzy on paper? I'll explain why that happens, what you can do, and when high-quality results are possible.
(Image: askleo.com)
Question: I would like to know the simplest way to print a small to medium image from a webpage and have it print out as a crisp picture to fit an 8-1/2″ by 11″ sheet.
This question has one simple and one complex answer.
The simple answer is that most of the time, you can’t.
Do you think your passwords don’t matter because you use 2FA everywhere? I'll break down why weak passwords still put you at risk, how attackers work around 2FA, and the steps that keep your accounts safe.
(Image: Gemini)
Question: If I’m using 2FA everywhere possible, do complex passwords matter as much? Doesn’t 2FA protect me against compromised passwords?
2FA (Two-Factor Authentication) adds a strong safety net, but it doesn’t replace the need for good passwords. As the first factor, passwords work together with 2FA to protect you from different kinds of attacks.
Windows 11 proved the old “Windows 10 is the last version” claim wrong, but was it that claim a lie? I'll look at where it came from, what Microsoft actually said, and how headlines can twist a message.
(Screenshot: askleo.com)
With the end of support for Windows 10 having passed (or been extended, or something), I’ve heard from many people complaining, “But Microsoft said Windows 10 was the last version of Windows!”, often followed by some form of “neener neener!”
In my opinion, Microsoft did not lie when “they” said, “Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows.” Let me don my asbestos underwear and explain what I think happened.
Tired of chasing updates for all your programs? This tool pulls all of them into one place and keeps them up to date for you. I'll show you how UniGetUI can save you time, reduce clutter, and make managing your apps almost effortless.
UniGetUI. (Screenshot: askleo.com)
It’s common advice to keep your system and all your installed applications as up to date as possible. Windows Update takes care of Windows and many of its apps, as well as other Microsoft apps like Microsoft Office.
But what about everything else?
The reality is a mishmash of applications that install update checkers that run all the time, apps that check for updates each time you run them, apps that check for updates every so often as you run them, and, of course, apps that don’t check for updates at all.
RAID might sound like a clever backup shortcut, but it’s not. In fact, relying on it could make things worse. Learn what RAID does, how it helps (and doesn’t), and why it still won’t save your data when disaster, malware, or mistakes strike.
(Image: canva.com)
Question: Do you think RAID 1 is a viable alternative for backing up?
No. No. No. Absolutely not.
And, by the way, NO!
RAID is not backup technology and should never be considered a replacement for backing up.
I’ll review what RAID is and, most importantly, what it is not.
Emailing your entire contact list with a notice that you've changed your email address is NOT the way to change your email address. I'll show you what to do instead.
(Image: ChatGPT)
From time to time, I get emails like this one:
Hello everyone,
Just letting you know we have changed our email address to {email address removed}.
Our old address, {email address removed}, was compromised. Please delete it.
We will stop using our old address immediately.
Thanks,
{name removed}
{new email address removed}
On one hand, this is an easy way to let your friends and family know that your email address has changed.
On the other hand, there are serious drawbacks to this approach. Let’s review the most common and what you should do instead.
Outlook.com accounts are hacked into and lost every day. Here's how to ensure you won't lose email or contacts if it happens to you.
(Image: ChatGPT)
Question: How do I back up the email I have hosted on Outlook.com? Contacts, too.
Most people don’t back up their online Outlook.com accounts. All their email is stored in exactly and only one place: in that account stored on Microsoft’s online servers. When the account is hacked or lost for any reason, all that email disappears, often forever.
Remember: if it’s only in one place, it’s not backed up.
To avoid the possibility of losing everything, backing up your Outlook.com account — or any online email account — is critical.
Scammers' favorite tricks include old lies told in new ways. I’ll show you how these scams work, how to spot them before it’s too late, and the simple steps you can take to protect yourself, your money, and even your identity.
(Image: ChatGPT)
It’s no secret that scams are rampant and that older folks (which these days includes me) are being targeted heavily.
Ever get an email from yourself that you didn’t send? You’ve likely been spoofed. I’ll show how spammers fake your address without touching your account at all, why it happens, and what (little) you can do about it.
(Image: ChatGPT)
Question: OK, I know that spammers can send email spoofing the “From:” address to make it look like it came from me. But how? How do they gain access to my account to do that? Have I been hacked?
No. You have not been hacked. They don’t need access to your account.
“From” spoofing means faking the “From:” address on an email to make it look like it came from you. To do it, spammers don’t need access to your account at all. I’d say that 99.99% of the time it has nothing at all to do with your account, which is quite safe.
They only need your email address.
While your email account and your email address are related, they are not the same thing.
AI tools like ChatGPT sound smart and sure of themselves. I’ll explain why blind trust in AI answers can be risky, how its confidence can fool you, and what simple habits will keep you from being misled while still getting the most from this amazing technology.
(Image: ChatGPT)
Don’t get me wrong: used properly, AI is an amazing tool. I use it myself daily for everything from idea generation to image creation to summarization and more.
I also use it for search and Q&A. Mostly. Sometimes. With a great deal of trepidation and skepticism.
When I hear people “just” use AI now in place of more traditional tools and techniques, I get worried… really worried.
Does whole-disk encryption slow your computer? You might be surprised. The bigger risk is losing access to your data if you’re not careful with your encryption keys and backups.
(Image: depositphotos.com)
Question: Does whole-disk encryption only affect performance while the computer is starting, or does it have a constant effect on the computer’s overall performance?
Neither… and both.
Encryption in general, and whole-disk encryption specifically, has come a long way since it was first introduced many years ago. One of the most striking changes is its impact on performance.
I’ll put it this way: I would not let performance concerns hold you back from using whole-disk encryption.
Buying a new computer? Whether you click Buy Now online or walk into a local store, both have perks and pitfalls. I'll help you weigh convenience, cost, and trust so you can make the best choice for your situation and know where to turn if things go wrong.
(Image: copilot.com)
Question: Which is better, purchasing a laptop computer at a brick & mortar store or online?
There is no “better”, I’m afraid. Either can be great and either can be a nightmare.
It really depends on you, the resources you have available, and the specific stores — online or off — where you shop.
I recently replaced two old and very different machines with two identical, newer computers. I’ve become quite enamored with them.
They’re not for everyone, and some of the details I’ll share might be a bit geeky to digest, but if you’re about to replace a desktop computer, the upshot is that this class of PC might be worth your consideration.
Ever wonder why your antivirus program didn’t catch that virus? It’s not broken. Security is a race, and the bad guys are usually ahead. Learn why security tools can’t stop everything, what that means for you, and the most important step you can take to stay safe.
(Image: iStock)
Question: I’ve been an independent computer repair tech for over 12 years now. The question I get the most (and have the hardest time answering) is this: how come my antivirus program didn’t stop me from getting this virus? When you’re installing AVG, the program says that only 3% of today’s security problems are caused by traditional viruses. Is this true? Is it true for the other antivirus programs as well?
In other words, why don’t anti-malware tools work better? Why don’t they work the way we expect them to?
I fault AVG for the phrase “traditional viruses”. I think that puts an unrealistic spin on your expectations. Malware is malware, and that includes viruses, spyware, ransomware, rootkits, zombies, and gosh knows what else. What they mean by “traditional” is unknown, and I have no idea where the 3% figure comes from.
But there’s a kernel of truth in AVG’s statement. No matter what program you run, there’s still a chance your computer will get infected.
Lost your password vault? You’re not locked out forever. It's just an inconvenience. With some patience and the right steps, you can reset your accounts, rebuild your vault, and protect yourself from future mishap.
(Image: adobe stock photos)
Question: Do you have a general technique for creating new passwords for every single site that needs them? Yes, I did the unthinkable, I lost my password vault account, and have to start over.
The technique is simple.
The technique is also time-consuming and ponderous.
Let’s review it, and what you can do to avoid this situation in the future.
Want to email a big group without looking like a spammer or getting blocked? I'll show you why the usual tricks don’t work well and walk you through safer, smarter ways to send group emails, from simple groups to full newsletter services.
(Image: ChatGPT)
Question:
1: I have been working on figuring out how to send emails to a large group of people at a time. I have an organization, and would like to send weekly emails out to them. Right now, I have 1500 people, but am actively signing people up and expect to have several times more over the next couple of months.
2: When I travel, I send e-mails to a selection of friends (all of whom have explicitly asked to be on the list of recipients, and who presumably therefore do not mark them as spam). But my ISP sees multiple addressees and an overseas IP address, assumes spam, and prevents it from being sent. I have taken it up with them, and their attitude is “Your problem, not ours.”
First, thank the spammers. 🙁 Because of them, email services — the ones you use to send as well as those used by your intended recipients — have been forced to make this more difficult than it should be.
What we might do without thinking about it too hard makes us look like spammers. Hence, our messages don’t get through — either bouncing, landing in spam folders, or just disappearing entirely.
And yes, it’s our problem, not the email service’s.
Gmail is taking away the handy “Check mail from other accounts” feature in 2026. If you use it to manage multiple email accounts in one place (Gmail), you’ll need an alternative approach. I'll cover what’s changing, why it matters, and the options you have left before your mail disappears.
(Image: askleo.com)
I’ve recently learned that Gmail will remove the ability to check email from external accounts.
If you don’t use it, you don’t care. If you do use it, I’m guessing you’ll care deeply.
I fall into the latter category; for years, I’ve used Gmail as a one-stop collection of all my email from all my email accounts.
Thinking of skipping or delaying Windows 11? You can keep using Windows 10 safely, but changes are inevitable. From security updates to app support, here’s what happens if you stay put. Learn how long you can expect things to keep working before problems appear.
(Image: ChatGPT)
Staying with Windows 10 — not updating to Windows 11 — is a valid choice. I’ve written about how you can keep using Windows 10 safely after support ends.
But there’s more to it than that, isn’t there? Over time, things will change. It’s important to understand what those things are and how you need to prepare.
