Computer Tips Archives - Page 3 of 233

Give an older PC new life by replacing Windows with Linux

Posted on July 14, 2026

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In this post I’m going to explain what Linux is, and more importantly, what it can do for you as the owner of an older PC that’s running a version of Windows that has been abandoned by Microsoft (i.e. they have stopped supplying security updates for it).

As you probably know by now, Microsoft is no longer releasing security updates for many versions of Windows, which means computers that are still running them are wide open to hackers and malware.

But an awesome free operating system called Linux can make using that unsafe computer safe again.

[Read more…]

Prevent hackers from spying on you via your PC’s microphone

Posted on July 6, 2026

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A while back I wrote a post explaining how hackers are using rogue apps and other forms of malware to spy on folks via their computers’ webcams.

That post also explains how to prevent it from happening.

As it turns out, some miscreants have been spying on us via our machines’ microphones as well. And in some ways that’s just as bad as having them spy on us via webcam. [Read more…]

How to quickly lock down ALL of Windows’ privacy settings

Posted on June 26, 2026

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Like Windows 10 before it, Windows 11’s default privacy settings are extremely invasive.

You can change a number of privacy settings to make both Windows 11 and Windows 10 just as stingy with your personal info as their predecessors were, but Microsoft has scattered those many settings all around the various nooks and crannies of the Windows user interface.

[Read more…]

5 ways to get a second opinion after a clean antivirus scan

Posted on June 22, 2026

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Do you always get a warm, fuzzy feeling after your latest malware scan responds with “Scan complete. No malware found!“?

Most folks do, and I must admit that I feel pretty good about those “all is well” reports myself.

But I’m going to share a little secret with you…

[Read more…]