Articles tagged: The Best of Ask Leo!

A photorealistic image of a computer screen overflowing with icons, windows, and notifications, representing the abundance of features and capabilities added to software over time.

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.

VPN

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.

Password Frustration

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.

Disk Drives, Flash Drives, and RAM

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.

A cartoon-style image of a surprised person sitting in front of their computer. The computer screen is overflowing with colorful pop-up ads, each showing products that the person has recently viewed online, like electronics, books, and clothing. The person's expression is exaggerated with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, capturing their shock and confusion about the nature of these targeted ads. The setting is a quirky home office with a vibrant desk, a fun, stylized chair, and playful decorative items in the background.

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.

An image in an ancient Egyptian drawing style that depicts a giant, expressive eye with various internet cables and connections in the background. The artwork should mimic the aesthetic of ancient Egyptian art, characterized by profile views, flat figures, and bold outlines. The design should blend the theme of Internet Service Providers' potential to monitor internet activity with the distinctive art style of ancient Egypt, incorporating elements like hieroglyphics and traditional Egyptian color schemes.

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?

A 16:9 photorealistic image showing a magnifying glass hovering over an email icon. The scene is set on a desktop background, with the magnifying glass closely examining the email icon, symbolizing scrutiny and attention to detail. The email icon should look digital and modern, representing electronic communication, and the magnifying glass should have a realistic and detailed appearance, with a clear lens and metallic frame.

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.

Opening a Virus?

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.

Working on updates

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.

Thumbnail featuring a distressed-looking USB flash drive with an error message on a computer screen saying 'RAW'. The background includes faint symbols of a hard drive, a cloud, and a backup symbol, emphasizing the lesson on the necessity of backups and the risks of relying on a single storage device. The image conveys the urgency and importance of data recovery and backup, suitable for a video about recovering data from a failed flash drive and the importance of regular backups.

How Do I Recover Flash Drive Files?

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

Wireless internet in the home.

How Do I Get Wireless Internet?

You hear a lot about wireless internet, but it’s not something you can just connect to anywhere. It’s more often something you purchase and set up.

Password

How to Use Just a Single Password for Everything

It’s very tempting to use only a single password everywhere. That’s dangerous, and there are better alternatives.

Power Button

My Computer Doesn’t Work — What Do I Do?

People often ask what might be broken if their computer does nothing. It’s a long list, and I’ll look at some possibilities.

About Thunderbird

Thunderbird: a Free, Open Source, and Powerful Email Client

Thunderbird is a robust and powerful email program that can meet the needs of both light and power users. I use it all day every day.

Email Mailbox (conceptual)

How Do I Change My Email Name?

Changing your email name is usually easy, but changing your email address involves setting up a new account.

Frustration at a laptop.

My Computer Is Infected With Malware. Should I Just Throw It Out?

Malware is just software. It doesn’t destroy your computer’s hardware in any way. Some work will get you back up and running without needing to destroy anything.

No Forwarding!

Why Shouldn’t I “Forward to Everyone You Know”?

We often get forwarded email warning us about everything from lost children to free money to crooked politicians. They’re mostly bogus, and they’re known as urban legends. Here’s how to tell.

Cache

What Is a Browser Cache? How Do I Clear It?

Clearing your browser cache is the first thing to try when you encounter webpage problems. I’ll look at why and how to clear your cache.

Busy light.

Why Do I Have Constant Disk Activity in Windows?

Unexplained disk activity is easy to identify with the right tools. We’ll use Process Monitor.

Return to Sender

Will Email Bounce If I Send It to a Closed Account?

If you send email to an invalid address or a closed account, you may get a bounce back. You just can’t count on it.

Outlook Icon

What’s the Difference Between Outlook, Outlook, and Outlook.com?

Microsoft continues to confuse us with product names. I’ll clarify the difference between Outlook, Outlook, and Outlook.com, and help you decide which you want.

hiberfile.sys, pagefile.sys, swapfile.sys in Windows File Explorer

What Are Hiberfil.sys, Swapfile.sys, and Pagefile.sys, and How Do I Remove Them?

Hiberfil.sys, pagefile.sys, and swapfile.sys are Windows system files that support two very important features: hibernation and virtual memory.

Map with a pin in it.

How Do I Get Someone’s Location From an IP Address?

While getting someone’s name and address from their IP address is technically possible, it’s also difficult and requires law enforcement’s help.

Dropbox in the Google Play store.

Back Up Smartphone Photos Using Dropbox

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

Help!

What Information Should I Provide When Asking for Help?

When you ask someone for help, stack the deck in your favor by painting a clear picture of the problem you’re experiencing.

Windows 11

Should I Update to Windows 11?

Windows 11 is out to much fanfare, hype, and confusion. Unless you have specific reasons, you don’t need to upgrade yet, but there’s also no reason to avoid it.

Access Denied

How Do I Copy Files When Windows Says I Don’t Have Permission to Access This Folder?

When transferring NTFS-formatted disks from one machine to another, permissions can restrict access. I’ll cover both Widows GUI and command line solutions.

Credit Card

What Can I Do If Someone Uses My Credit Card Online?

Using someone else’s credit card online illegally is identity theft. There’s not a lot you can do except report it.

Download Button

Is It Safe to Download from Download Sites?

Download sites are just too risky these days. Don’t use them unless there is no way to avoid them, and even then, be very careful in your selections.

Privacy?

Every Application Adds Risk

Everything you download adds risk. Be safer using my three guidelines.

Privacy Settings

Privacy Begins with the Operating System

Privacy is a complex and far-reaching topic. One of the most basic and often overlooked players is the operating system on your device.

Email Mailbox (conceptual)

What are POP3, IMAP, and SMTP?

POP, POP3, IMAP, and SMTP are all acronyms used in configuring email. We’ll look at what they mean and how they relate.

No Forwarding

Can I Stop Others from Forwarding Messages?

It’s not only impossible to prevent email from being forwarded; you can’t even prevent that forward from being altered, forged or defaced.

Computer Frustration

Should I Buy a New Computer to Fix Malware?

Buying a new machine is a common knee-jerk reaction to a bad malware infestation. And it’s wrong. Not just a little wrong — it’s completely unnecessary.

Reply Button

How Do I Edit a Reply?

Edit a reply before sending it. Clean up your message, remove email addresses, and more.

Power Supplies and Cables

Can I Use a Charger With the Same Voltage but Different Amperage Rating?

Chargers and power supplies come in a wide variety of configurations. Choosing the right one is important. I’ll look at a few of the parameters.

Time passing

What Does “Not Responding” Mean?

“Not Responding” is Windows’ way of telling you that a program might have a problem. Sometimes it’s benign and sometimes it’s a sign of a deeper issue.

Delete!

How Do I Delete Multiple Emails When I Have a Lot to Delete?

It can be a challenge to delete multiple emails. I’ll look at some of the concepts and techniques used by various email programs to make it easier.

Hammering a Back button.

Why Doesn’t “Back” Always Work?

Occasionally, the back button won’t work and simply lands you back where you were. There are reasons, and there are workarounds.

Ask Leo! in 2003

How Do I Get an Old Version of a Webpage?

It’s generally not possible to recover an older version of a webpage, but we’ll look at a couple of straws to grasp at.

Microsoft 365 App.

Is a Microsoft 365 Subscription Worth It?

Before you dismiss it because it’s a subscription, take a look and do the math. Microsoft 365 might be surprisingly affordable for you.

Thumbs Down on System Restore

Don’t Rely on System Restore

System Restore doesn’t restore your system and has proven itself too unreliable to count on.

Credit Cards

How Do I Prevent Credit Card Theft?

There are some practices to help you avoid having your credit card compromised, but most card theft is out of your control.

Malware

Can I Check for Malware before Downloading Something?

Files cannot be checked for viruses before being downloaded, but there are precautions you can and should take.

No Spam

Why Is There So Much Spam?

Even though most of us might never fall for it, the reason there’s so much spam is simple: spam works.

Emakil w/ Attachment

Why Do Edits Made to a Document Emailed to Me Disappear?

Changes you’ve made to a document that was emailed to you can easily disappear. Let’s avoid that.

RAM & Disk

What is Virtual Memory?

Virtual memory is conceptually somewhere between RAM and hard disk space. It’s disk space used to maximize the amount of RAM available to programs.

Grumpy Monkey is Grumpy

WHY IS EVERYONE ON THE INTERNET SO GRUMPY?

Using all uppercase characters is the internet form of shouting, and is considered rude.

Traffic Jam!

What Are All These Programs Running After I Boot Windows?

When you start Windows, many programs start automatically as well. Some of them don’t need to.

100% Free

Why Do People Create Free Software?

Free software exists for reasons ranging from pure altruism to pure deceit.