Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
In an earlier post I explained how Microsoft was making plans to automatically install the Windows 10 upgrade on as many PCs running Windows 7 and 8.1 as they possibly can.
Well, that time has arrived.
Starting immediately, the Windows 10 update files WILL be downloaded automatically along with the next batch of Windows Updates, and computers running Windows 7 or 8.1 that have automatic updates enabled WILL be updated to Windows 10 automatically. [Read more…]
Much to the chagrin of the Postal Service, the number of emails sent each day far exceeds the number of “snail mail” letters sent during the same time period. And for good reason…
Instead of writing a letter, stuffing it in an envelope, putting a stamp on it, mailing it, and waiting to see if it ever arrives at its intended destination at some point in the future, you can simply type out an email, click “Send” and have it land in the recipient’s inbox in seconds.
But the convenience and low cost (virtually free) of email comes with one major drawback: It is completely insecure. Since they are not encrypted, email messages can be intercepted and read at any “stop” along their digital routes.
As luck would have it, it’s easy to encrypt emails before they are sent using most any of the major online email providers (Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.) with a browser add-on called Enlocked.
Follow the steps below to check it out: [Read more…]
Regular readers of this blog know I’m not a huge fan of password managers, but many folks seem to to love them. And that’s fine – to each his/her own as they say.
If you happen to use a password manager, there’s a good chance that you us LastPass, the most popular password manager out there by far.
If so, I strongly recommend that you enable two-factor authentication to prevent crooks and hackers from breaking in to your account and stealing all of your important passwords.
Follow the steps below to set up two-factor authentication on your LastPass account: [Read more…]
It seems that free public Wi-Fi networks are everywhere these days. In fact, you’ll probably need to look no further than the nearest fast food joint.
The widespread availability of public Wi-Fi networks is great for when we’re traveling or the rare times when the Internet is down at home for whatever reason, but they do have one serious downside: They are typically unsecured.
To keep things as simple and non-intrusive as possible, the owners of most public Wi-Fi networks make them available as open, non-encrypted networks that don’t require a password. Unfortunately, these networks can leave your sensitive data wide open to hackers. [Read more…]
Question from Michelle K.: I’m the office manager for a small local insurance agency, and I need your help in finding an 8 port wired router (if they even exist).
We have a total of 6 employees who need to access the Internet though our LAN. Right now we’re using two 4 port wired routers, one connected to the cable modem and the other piggybacking off of that one.
We’ve been having some intermittent connection issues of late and we’re wanting to replace the two routers with a single 8 port wired router if at all possible. I can’t seem to find one though. The only thing I can find are 4 port routers.
If hope you can help me find an 8 port wired router. Do you have any idea where we might be able to find one? We don’t want Wi-Fi, therefore the request for a wired router.
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]