Computer Tips Archives - Page 2 of 165

Scam alert: You do NOT have to pay for driver updates for your computer

Posted on October 20, 2020

Several people have messaged me recently asking about “driver update notices” that are popping up on their computers.

These messages are usually presented in pop-up windows or messages in the notifications area at the bottom-right corner of the screen.

Regardless of how these messages show up, the vast majority of them are scams.

The notices typically say that your computer’s hardware drivers are out of date, which could lead to serious problems unless they are updated. The scammers then ask you to pay a fee in order to download and install the updated drivers. [Read more…]

Reminder: You won’t have to enter a Product Key if you reinstall Windows 10

Posted on October 18, 2020

Have you ever had to reinstall Windows from scratch after replacing a bad hard drive, being hit with a severe malware attack or some other digital disaster?

If so, you probably remember having to type in your Windows Product Key so Microsoft could reactivate your Windows installation.

I have always considered having to re-enter the Product Key to reactivate a machine’s Windows installation to be an irritating waste of time.

And even worse, if you couldn’t find the Product Key when you needed it you were simply out of luck.

Thankfully, Microsoft has changed the way they handle Windows Product Keys (and made it a lot better in my opinion). [Read more…]

Click here to see an aerial photo of YOUR house. Yes, really.

Posted on October 18, 2020

Google Maps is capable of displaying an aerial photo of virtually any property on planet earth.

And yes, that very likely includes your very own home or place of business.

That means you can easily take a look at your property and see it the same way you would see it if you were flying high above the earth in an airplane.

[Read more…]

Q&A: How do I make the text bigger in my web browser?

Posted on October 18, 2020

Question from Amelda R.: I hope you can help me. I dropped a book on my keyboard and something happened to my screen.

Now, whenever I visit a website in Firefox the letters on the screen are so tiny I can barely read them.

How can I get them back to normal size? Everything is fine when I use Edge, but I really prefer using Firefox.

Rick‘s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I retrieve a forgotten password from my web browser?

Posted on October 17, 2020

Question from Eddie N.: Hi Rick. I hope you can help me with an odd situation I’m in.

I opened an online account several years ago (I’d rather not say which company) and I let Firefox store the password.

Ever since then I’ve always logged into that account using the stored password.

I’m getting ready to buy a new computer so I won’t be able to use the stored password to log into that site anymore.

The problem is I have forgotten the password. I’ve tried resetting it but it asks for my email address and none of the ones I can think of trying will work.

I know the password is still stored in Firefox because it comes up (covered with asterisks) and I can log in with it. Is there any way to retrieve that password from the browser?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]