Computer Tips Archives - Page 203 of 233

2 popular alternatives to the Facebook Messenger app

Posted on August 9, 2014

A while back I wrote a post alerting users that Facebook is removing the messaging feature from the popular Facebook Mobile app and encouraging everyone to download the Facebook Messenger app to use in its place.

Since then several people have asked me if there are any alternatives to the Facebook Messenger app, so I decided to do a little research to see what’s available and which apps are the most popular among Facebook users.

As it turns out, there are several third party messenger apps that can stand in for Facebook Messenger. Below I list a couple of the most popular ones along with links to each app in both iTunes and the Google Play Store. [Read more…]

Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit plugs security holes that haven’t even been discovered yet!

Posted on June 27, 2014

By now you’re probably familiar with all the security holes that keep popping up in Flash, Java and other popular software, providing easy ways for hackers to install malicious software onto your computer.

In fact, Java alone is so insecure that I completely uninstalled it from my PCs a long time ago, and I recommend that you do the same. [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I transfer my bookmarks and stored passwords from Firefox to Chrome

Posted on June 25, 2014

Question from Jules P: Hi Rick. I stopped using Internet Explorer and switched to Firefox a couple of years ago because IE was crashing all the time. I like Firefox, but after trying Google Chrome I noticed that it loads the pages I visit a lot faster than Firefox.

My question is now that I’ve started using Chrome, how can I transfer my bookmarks and stored passwords from Firefox into Chrome?

Rick’s answer: Chrome is a great browser for sure Jules, and I’ve used it as my primary browser for some time now. It’s easy to import your bookmarks, stored passwords and other settings from Firefox into Chrome. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Make your mouse wheel work in the window that’s currently under the mouse

Posted on June 1, 2014

wizmouse You might have noticed that when you have two or more windows open at once, in order to scroll the contents of an inactive window you have to first click it to make it the active window. This can be quite annoying if all you want to do in that window is scroll the contents up or down a bit.

Well now there’s a nifty little free download that will make your mouse work the way it should have worked all along. It’s called WizMouse, and once it’s loaded your mouse wheel will scroll the contents of the window that’s directly under the mouse pointer without making that window active! What a time-saver! [Read more…]

Avoid malicious websites by installing the AVG Secure Search toolbar

Posted on May 21, 2014

Regular readers of this blog know that I’m not a fan of toolbars. Quite simply, this is because most of them are actually malware. There is one exception however, and that is the AVG Secure Search toolbar.

The AVG Secure Search toolbar helps prevent your computer from downloading viruses by scanning web pages for malware before you actually visit them, then warning you if malware is found. That way you can avoid visiting the page and unknowingly infecting your computer with the malware contained within the infected page’s code.

Installing the AVG Secure Search toolbar is easy. Here’s how: [Read more…]