Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Apple has just released a critical security update for OS X on Macs that are running Yosemite, Mountain Lion or Mavericks. They also warn that operating systems that are left unpatched will remain wide open to hackers.
Unlike Microsoft, Apple rarely releases security updates (because frankly, they rarely need to), but the bug patched by this update is a very serious one. [Read more…]
The ability to open a web page in a new browser tab instead of a new window is one of computing’s most popular upgrades of all time.
But there is one annoyance with tabbed browsing that really gets on my nerves, and that’s how new tabs open in the background instead of opening out in front where you can see them without having to first click on the new tab.
Getting Internet Explorer and Firefox to open new tabs immediately is simply a matter of changing a setting. [Read more…]
Question from Beverly K.: Hi there Rick. I need some help. All of a sudden my computer started doing some odd things when I press certain key combinations.
My daughter took a look at it, and she said she believes the keyboard is set to use British English instead of American English. How do I change it back? I’m using Windows 7 if that makes a difference. Thanks.
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Another day, another major hack. This time the victims were folks who shopped at one of the company’s 1,400 brick and mortar retail stores during much of 2014.
If you shopped at a Staples retail store between April and October 2014 and paid for your purchase(s) with a credit or debit card, I recommend that you check this list carefully to see if your store had its Point of Sale System hacked. It very well could have. [Read more…]
Question from Roger: Rick, I’ve had DSL through Verizon for 3 years with no problems whatsoever till 3 days ago when I installed a new FAX machine. Whenever the FAX machine is connected to the phone line my Internet stops working until I unplug it.
Before I bought this FAX machine I’d never had one connected to my phone line before. I’d always just used eFax. It’s hard to believe that one piece of equipment can stop the Internet connection dead in its tracks, but it does.
Do you know what I need to do to fix this problem? It’s a pain having to stop using the Internet and plug in the FAX machine every time I need to use it (which is several times a day).
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]