Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: How can I remove Tuvaro Search from my web browsers?

Posted on May 13, 2014

Question from Fran A.: I have a problem Rick. Somehow the start pages of all my web browsers have gotten changed to Tuvaro Search Engine and I can’t get rid of it. Even if I manually reset my home page back to what it was before, the browsers always open up to Tuvaro Search.

I ran my AVG Antivirus, Malwarebytes and Spybot and none of them got rid of this thing. Of course I also tried removing it with the “Uninstall a program” thingy, but that didn’t work either. Can you tell me how to remove Tuvaro from my browsers?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Bitly hacked – Users urged to change their passwords and API keys ASAP

Posted on May 10, 2014

If you have an account with the URL shortening service Bitly, the company recommends that you log in to your account ASAP to change your password and reset your API key.

Of course this will only affect you if you actually have an account with Bitly. It’s entirely possible to use the service to shorten a URL without opening an account, and plenty of people do.

If you do have a Bitly account, follow these steps to change your password and reset your API key: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why can’t I connect my Wi-Fi devices to my new Xfinity Modem/Router?

Posted on May 9, 2014

Question from Bethany Y.: Comcast just replaced my old cable modem with a new Xfinity Modem/Router (Model # SMCD3GNV). The wired connections work perfectly, but I can’t get any of my wireless devices to connect via Wi-Fi.

The Wi-Fi signal is very strong and I’ve checked the Wi-Fi settings several times and everything seems to be correct. But I just can’t get any of my devices to connect.

Any idea how to fix this? I called Comcast tech support 3 times and the foreigners on the other end of the line can’t help me.

They finally scheduled a service call from a technician but they won’t be here for almost a week! I need my Wi-Fi working ASAP!! I really hope you can help me.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Google takes aim at Windows by adding more offline capabilities to Chrome OS

Posted on May 8, 2014

Google’s Chrome Operating System is a huge hit among users who simply want to use their computers to access the Internet and Internet-based services. In fact, the number one selling laptop on Amazon right now is a Chromebook.

But as popular as Chromebooks already are, Google plans to widen their appeal even more by adding features that will allow them to do many of the things that Windows machines can do when they are offline. For example, the latest version of Chrome OS allows you to watch entire movies offline. And by the way, you can even edit video on a Chromebook now. [Read more…]

7 tips for keeping Windows XP secure without Microsoft’s support

Posted on May 7, 2014

Microsoft’s abandonment of Windows XP means you’re now on your own when it comes to protecting your XP-based machines against security threats.

Although they have already broken their promise not to release any more security updates for Windows XP, Microsoft likely won’t release more of them unless they feel pressured to do so.

In my opinion, the best move for XP users is to simply move to another operating system, but I realize that doing that is simply impractical for a lot of folks, especially small business owners.

If you feel that you really need to keep using Windows XP, there are several things you can do to keep your PC(s) as safe from security threats as possible: [Read more…]