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Why Does My Computer Crash Randomly?Random crashes are annoying and difficult to diagnose. I'll review common causes and steps you can take to determine what's happening on your computer.2025-04-03 - #4437 |
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No, No One Is Forcing You to Buy a New MachineThe most common complaint about Windows 11 is based on a fallacy.2025-04-02 - #179314 |
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Why Are My Incremental Backups So Large?Incremental backups can be larger than expected, and that's okay.2025-03-31 - #19762 |
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Let’s Chat About: CivilityI find myself reacting more to those who are less then pleasant when they leave their feedback.2025-03-30 - #179634 |
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A New Unit of Measurement?In which we use the world's bestselling book to make gigantic numbers a little more tangible.2025-03-29 - #18758 |
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Protecting Your Data: Why I Avoid Most Pre-Installed Security and Encryption SoftwareExternal hard drives often come with security and backup software. I'm not convinced it should be used.2025-03-28 - #179153 |
Restore the Right-Click Menu in Windows 11The change to the Windows 11 right-click menu is annoying to many people. We can fix that (for now).2025-03-27 - #179134 |
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Why Email Forwarding is Broken and What to Do InsteadLearn to pull your email together rather than push it.2025-03-26 - #179142 |
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The Email Tracking Myth: Why You’ll Never Reliably Know If Your Message Was ReadWe often want confirmation that an email has been opened, delivered, or read. In the age of spam, it's not possible with any accuracy.2025-03-24 - #18771 |
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Let’s Chat – About Experiments and FearWhy ask and wait, when you could just experiment?2025-03-23 - #179450 |
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How to Send Email from Your Own Domain (Without Getting Blocked)Anti-spamming measures complicate email. This makes sending "from" your custom domain a little trickier.2025-03-22 - #178975 |
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BitLocker vs. Cryptomator: Why I Use Both (and When You Should, Too)Use different tools for different purposes.2025-03-21 - #178937 |
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Why Might a Backup Program Talk About Sector by Sector Backups?Backup programs occasionally tell you that a partition will be backed up sector by sector. We'll look at why and what it means.2025-03-20 - #178870 |
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Microsoft Killed WordPad. Here’s How to Revive It.WordPad is being removed from Windows 11. We can get it back.2025-03-19 - #179007 |
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Why Doesn’t My New, Empty Hard Drive Show All the Advertised Space?Terms used to measure disk space can be ambiguous. A megabyte may mean one thing to you and another to your computer.2025-03-17 - #2304 |
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Why Does My Microsoft Account Have Two Passwords?It can seem like your Microsoft account has a split personality. We'll examine when that might happen, why, and what to keep in mind when it does.2025-03-15 - #178789 |
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What Happens If I Lose My Microsoft Authenticator App?Microsoft Authenticator is not necessarily two-factor authentication, but the two do share one important characteristic: the need to prepare for loss.2025-03-14 - #178753 |
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How Do I Eject My USB If the “Device Is Currently in Use”?The "This device is currently in use" message can be annoying and confusing if you're not using the device. We'll look at how to proceed safely.2025-03-13 - #178694 |
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How Do I Recover From Turning the OneDrive Backup “Feature” Off?OneDrive's backup "feature" is confusing even when it comes to turning it off.2025-03-12 - #178741 |
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Where Can I Download Windows?You can download some versions of Windows from legitimate sources. If you have a legal retail product key, this can be your replacement media.2025-03-10 - #5052 |
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Let’s Chat About MicrosoftI reflect on Microsoft, and some of their many disappointing decisions that would indicate average consumers aren't really on their radar.2025-03-09 - #179112 |
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Why Am I Getting “We Received a Request to Reset Your Facebook Password”?Why they happen, and what to do about them.2025-03-08 - #35868 |
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Someone’s Sending From My Email Address! How Do I Stop Them?Email spoofing is rampant. Spammers can send email that looks like it came from you, and there's little that you can do about it.2025-03-07 - #1887 |
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Does a VPN Protect Me From Telemetry and Other Data Gathering?VPNs don't impact data tracking or collection. We'll look at why that is and what you might want to do about it.2025-03-06 - #178489 |
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What’s the Difference Between Windows 10 and Windows 11?As we approach the end of Windows 10 support, it's worth asking the question: what's the difference, anyway?2025-03-05 - #178677 |
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How Can It Be Safe to Give My Information to Anyone?If we listen to the news, we might never leave the house, much less go online. I'll review why that kind of thinking is opportunity lost as well as how to stay safe.2025-03-03 - #18269 |
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If AI Is Plagiarism, Then We Are All PlagiaristsThoughts on AI, and plagiarism, in a first, less formal ... Ask Leo! chat? Coffee talk? Ramble? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯2025-03-02 - #178836 |
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How Do I Switch to a Local Account Sign-in for Windows?Windows 10 and 11 setup want you to log in with a Microsoft account. I'll show you how to restore a local account sign-in.2025-03-01 - #20106 |
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How to Create an Image Backup in EaseUS Todo FreeAn image backup is the best protection you can have. Here's how to do it using a reliable, free program.2025-02-28 - #178321 |
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Cryptomator vs VeraCrypt: Which Do You Want?Cryptomator and VeraCrypt are both excellent encryption tools. We'll look at how to choose the right one for your situation.2025-02-27 - #178308 |
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How Do I Store Files on My Computer and Not OneDrive?OneDrive complicates an otherwise straightforward situation.2025-02-26 - #178431 |
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What is IMAP and How Can It Help Me Manage My Email?IMAP is a protocol that makes dealing with email on multiple devices much easier.2025-02-24 - #5965 |
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Can I Use an External Keyboard with My Laptop?Go ahead. Plug it in. External keyboards are useful for many things.2025-02-22 - #8856 |
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Why Didn’t Microsoft Fix the Bug I Care About?I'll look at why some bugs might never get fixed -- even those you consider important.2025-02-21 - #18480 |
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Why I’m Switching to SignalSignal's the current gold standard in keeping your conversations truly private.2025-02-20 - #178123 |
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OneDrive Backup Versus Using OneDrive for Backup, Even Though OneDrive Isn’t BackupThe word "backup" is used in confusing ways when it comes to OneDrive. It's worth understanding how it all works so you can choose what's best for you.2025-02-19 - #178091 |
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What Happens at Windows 10 End of Support?The end of support for Windows 10 means Microsoft will no longer issue security updates. Here's how to continue using it safely.2025-02-17 - #145971 |
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Am I Wasting My Time Reporting Scam and Spam Emails?Reporting spam in your email program with the spam button is critical. Reporting it by forwarding it somewhere isn't going to do any good.2025-02-15 - #8457 |
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Using OneDrive as an External DriveHere's another way to use OneDrive online storage without ever installing it on your PC.2025-02-14 - #177993 |
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If Offered, Which Do I Want to Download: .exe or .msi?If you're offered an .exe file or an .msi file when downloading, I'll help you choose the one you really want.2025-02-13 - #177972 |
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Getting Rid of Copilot in Microsoft Office AppsThere's an easy way to turn off Copilot in some Office apps. Others require a harder way.2025-02-12 - #177814 |
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If I Could Tell You Only One Thing…What's most important to know about keeping your computer secure?2025-02-10 - #22985 |
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What Happens When I Mark Something as Spam?Marking spam as spam is an important tool in the war against it. Exactly what happens when you do so is clouded in mystery.2025-02-08 - #5330 |
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What is Secure Delete?Secure delete is one approach to making sure your files can't be recovered.2025-02-07 - #27809 |
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How to Back Up 1Password and Why You ShouldBacking up is important, and that includes your password vault.2025-02-06 - #177851 |
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Should I Always Sign Out of My Online Account?It is safe to stay signed in to your online account as long as you're protected from a few specific scenarios.2025-02-05 - #5310 |
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Are Free Email Services Worth It?Free email services and accounts are convenient and ubiquitous. They can be used safely if and only if you take responsibility for that safety.2025-02-03 - #2217 |
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Change for the Sake of Change?People often complain that the latest update to their favorite software is just "change for the sake of change". I don't think so.2025-02-01 - #19522 |
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Are Backup Images More Fragile Than Just Copying Individual Files?I'm often asked if backup images are more susceptible to failure than storing the contents as individual files. My take: not really.2025-01-31 - #18693 |
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Do Not Search for Support Phone NumbersYou want a phone number to call. Scammers known this and try to insert themselves in the process.2025-01-30 - #177623 |
