Articles in Category: Internet

The Internet – the global network of networks and one of the most significant and powerful things to have come along ever.

Investigate

How Do I Determine a Shortlink’s Destination?

Link-shortening services make it hard to tell a link’s final destination. When you receive one in an email, you may want to do some detective work to see where it’s going before you click.

www.

When Is “www” Needed and Why?

The “www” in website addresses is now typically optional and even redundant, but there was once a reason as to why it was required in URLs.

OMG! Porn Spam!

Does Getting Porn Spam Mean You’ve Been Surfing Porn Sites?

Porn spam doesn’t mean anyone did anything illicit. Everyone gets spam, and some of it is porn. Lack of spam doesn’t imply you’ve been good, either.

Teaching via Zoom

Why Is My Zoom Video Breaking Up?

Video break-up on video calls and conferences is common. There is one common culprit, but it can be difficult to diagnose.

Go Away

What Do I Do About Websites Bugging Me About Notifications?

Responding to notification permissions is annoying. In some browsers, we can turn that off completely.

Bitcoin

How Does Bitcoin Mining Work?

What does it mean to mine something that doesn’t physically exist? And why might it use so much electricity?

OneDrive Too Big

What if My OneDrive is Too Big for My Hard Drive?

Cloud storage is ubiquitous, convenient, and BIG. There are options if OneDrive is too big for your hard drive.

Password: 123456

Is It Safe to Let Your Browser Remember Passwords?

Letting your browser remember passwords is a convenient feature. With that convenience comes risk — often significant risk. Most folks are much better served by using a password vault. I’ll explain why.

Dealing With Video Starts and Stops While Watching: Two Common Causes and Three Possible Solutions

There are common causes, and sometimes simple solutions, for a video that starts and stops as you watch it.

Secure cloud storage

The Two Types of Cloud Data Threats and How You Protect Yourself

All cloud data threats boil down to one of two things. I’ll review them and lay out what you need to do to keep your data is safe in the cloud.

Cookies!

How Do Cookies Work, and How Do I Delete Them?

Deleting cookies is an easy task. Whether it’s necessary or not is another matter.

How Do I Change the Browser Home Page in Windows 10?

How Do I Change the Browser Home Page in Windows 10? Take Control with Quick Instructions for Edge, Firefox, and Chrome

Sometimes installers change your browser home page “for you”. Other times, homepage content changes. I’ll show you how to be more productive and set your homepage to what you want.

No Flash

What Do I Do About Adobe Flash End of Life in 2020?

Support for Adobe Flash will end at the end of 2020. The good news is that most sites have stopped needing it. For those that do, there’s really no alternative.

How Do I Copy Text From a Copy Protected Website?

How Do I Copy Text from a Copy Protected Website?

Assuming your intent is legal or at least moral, it’s not hard to copy content from a webpage that attempts to prevent it.

How Do I Delete Files From OneDrive, but Not My Computer?

How Do I Delete Files From OneDrive, but Not My Computer?

There are a couple of ways to delete files from OneDrive without deleting them from your PC: move them or stop using OneDrive.

Getting Rid of Bing in Windows Search

Getting Rid of Bing in Windows Search

We can’t change the search engine used by Windows Search when searching the web, but we can avoid Bing by not having Windows Search search the web at all.

Could OneDrive Get Hacked? What You Really Need to Worry About

Could OneDrive Get Hacked? What You Really Need to Worry About

Yes, OneDrive could get hacked. So can any online service. The real question is, how likely is it, and are there other things we should be worrying about instead?

Diagnosing a Slow-loading Webpage with Firefox

Firefox and other browsers include diagnostic tools. I’ll show how to use the network tool to diagnose slow-loading web pages.

Copy

How Do I Copy a Webpage?

Copying a webpage is not terribly difficult, but getting everything to display as it appeared can be a challenge.

No Bing

How Do I Get Rid of Bing?

How to say, “Thanks, but no thanks” to Bing — to the extent that you can, that is.

How Can I Make an Income Working Online?

Making money online sounds like a wonderful opportunity. It is, if you have the personality for it.

https

Are HTTPS Connections Really Safe?

HTTPS is an important part of keeping your data safe, but it’s only a part. It’s important to understand what it does and doesn’t mean.

False

How Much Can I Trust Information on the Internet?

Information on the internet ranges from truth to fiction to intentional misinformation. It’s important to develop a critical eye towards everything you read.

Internal Server Error

What’s an “Internal Server Error” and How Do I Fix It?

An “Internal Server Error” happens within the web server attempting to show you a web page. It’s usually a server-side problem out of your control.

Microsoft Edge

Edge Redeemed

Microsoft Edge has a bad reputation as an under-powered web browser. That’s all about to change.

Passwords on Sticky Notes (Don't Do This.)

View Your Saved Passwords in Google Chrome

Google Chrome can save your and display your passwords. That’s convenient, but is it secure?

Inspecting

Diagnosing Web Pages with Inspect

Modern browsers include a webpage debugging tool that you should know about, even if you aren’t a web developer.

Missing an Image?

Why Don’t Pictures Show When I Visit Some Websites?

There are many reasons pictures don’t show on websites. Some you can control, but others are problems with the websites themselves.

Recommended!

Why Are There No Objective Review Sites?

Looking for objective reviews isn’t a spectator sport. I’ll look at why this is a complex question.

Time Options in Google Search Results

Why Do Search Results Not Have Dates?

Google’s search tools can help you find websites that have been tagged with particular dates. But be cautious; dates may not mean what you think.

Google Search

The Most Important Skill You Can Improve

If I could have you prioritize one thing to improve your online experience, this would be it.

How Do I Change My DNS to 1.1.1.1 in Windows 10?

How Do I Change My DNS to 1.1.1.1 in Windows 10?

Alternate DNS providers can be faster, safer, or both. I’ll show you how to change your DNS setting for Windows 10.

How Do I Change My Website to Be an https Secure Site?

How Do I Change My Website to Be an https Secure Site?

Setting up an https-secure website is both simple and complex. The HTML doesn’t change, but you’ll need different hosting for the secure layer, as well as a certificate, to provide the security of https.

Supercookies and Evercookies and No Cookies at All: Resistance Is Futile

Supercookies and Evercookies and No Cookies at All: Resistance Is Futile

So-called “supercookies” and “evercookies” track the websites you visit even if you regularly disable or flush normal cookies.

Does technology isolate or connect?

Does Technology Isolate or Connect?

There are those who feel that technology is isolating us from the world. I couldn’t disagree more.

Dealing with Browser Problems

Dealing with Browser Problems

Browser problems can be caused by any number of things that may or may not include the browser itself. I’ll review common troubleshooting techniques.

Is copyright still an issue if something's not available anywhere?

Is Copyright Still an Issue If Something’s Not Available Anywhere?

Copyright is a complex topic, but the practical implications are simple. I’ll look at availability, copyright, and more.

Firefox Clear History Dialog

How Do I Clear the Browser Cache in Mozilla Firefox?

It’s fairly easy to clear Mozilla Firefox’s cache. Here’s how… and why you might want to.

Edge: Clear selection

How Do I Clear The Browser Cache in Microsoft Edge?

Clearing the Edge cache is a simple process. While you’re clearing the browser cache you can also clear a few other items.

Clear browsing data in Google Chrome

How Do I Clear The Browser Cache in Google Chrome?

It’s fairly easy to clear Google Chrome’s cache. While you’re clearing the browser cache you can also clear a few other items.

Delete Browsing History in Internet Explorer

How Do I Clear The Browser Cache in Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE)?

Clearing the Internet Explorer cache is a simple process. While you’re clearing the browser cache you can also clear a few other items.

A portion of Internet Explorer showing Ask Leo! after pressing F11.

How Do I Get My Web Browser’s Menu and Toolbar Back?

The menu bar and toolbars in web browsers are very easy to hide, often by accident. I’ll show you a couple of ways to get them back.

How Do I Remove Myself from the Search Engines?

How Do I Remove Myself from the Search Engines?

The internet has a very long memory. Removal from search engines is practically and perhaps literally impossible.

OneDrive Sign In

Back Up Smartphone Photos Using OneDrive

Smartphones are a popular way to take snapshots and videos. Tools like OneDrive are great for making sure those are backed up automatically.

Internet

What’s the Difference Between the Web and the Internet?

“Internet” and “web” are often used interchangeably, but technically they’re very different things.

IE Uninstall button

How Do I Uninstall and Reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 10?

Because Internet Explorer is really a component of Windows itself, uninstalling and reinstalling, while possible, is somewhat different than other applications and has different implications.

These are not browser cookies

What are Browser Cookies and How Are They Used?

Browser cookies are a simple and powerful way websites can leave information on your computer to use when you return.

Chrome? Firefox?

How Do Chrome and Chrome Relate?

Another case of bad tech terminology leads to more than one kind of chrome, some of which have no relation to the others.

Save As PDF in Office Online

Is Online Document Conversion Safe?

Online document conversion services can be safe, or they can represent a real privacy risk. I’ll look at the options.

The New Firefox

What’s Your Take on Firefox Quantum?

Firefox Quantum is the latest revision of the Firefox web browser. It claims to be faster and less memory-hungry. I tried it.