Here's the problem: we all want our computers to run faster. It really doesn't matter that today's computers run like speed demons compared to the early years of personal computers. We simply want them to run faster. All computers tend to slow down over a period of time. This can happen because we add programs …
Category: Training
Let’s Go Phishing!
Take a look at this screenshot of an email I received yesterday: I've underlined and circled some things so I can point them out to you. The first thing of interest is the "From:" name and email address. Notice, it reads that it's from "[email protected]" but the real email address is showing and that address …
Let’s Come To Terms
After yesterday's post (Extensions: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly) was published, a number of people asked us about two terms we used. The first was "browser" and the second was "page redirect." Although I've tackled the definition of "browser" before (What????), I'll briefly repeat the definition here. A browser is software which interprets the …
It’s A Monday Cornucopia!
You'll recall that yesterday, I posted about the Super Blood Wolf Moon (http://www.4kcc.com/blog/2019/01/20/instead-of-going-to-bed-early/). The picture above was taken from our backyard at 12 Midnight. It was a little cloudy plus my iPhone X just couldn't get a closer view, so the picture's not great. If you look on Social Media, you'll see lots of people …
Smart Phone App Organization
Whether you own an Android phone or an iPhone, one of the biggest frustrations is the alphabetizing of apps. Both the Android and the iPhone have built-in features that will put apps in alphabetical order. Only, if you use the feature, you'll lose all your folders. Now, I don't know about you but I like …
My Blog In Your Inbox?
I get it. It's a pain coming to my blog everyday to see if I've posted anything. I post 6 times a week but not necessarily 6 days a week. For instance, today, I'll be posting 3 times in one day. There's an easy way around this problem! At the bottom of each of my …
Tablet Action!
First, let me apologize to the following computer users: Mac, Windows 7 and Windows 8 (8.1). Today's post is strictly about Windows 10. If you're a Windows 10 user and you're using a desktop computer or a laptop computer, you normally have a screen that shows your icons, etc. Just like the Windows desktop going …
Tie A Yellow Ribbon
All right, I admit it. The ribbon isn't yellow. Also, I'm not talking about a ribbon you can tie around a tree. What I am sharing today has to do with the ribbon you'll find in Microsoft Office products. We used to call those items at the top, toolbars. But, for a number of years …
Bad Anti-virus?
FAKE VIRUS WARNING The proliferation of fake webpages is mind-blowing! Fake pages like the one above seem to be popping up everywhere. Many will warn you to NOT turn off your computer. These messages will attempt to panic you into making the mistake of calling the number listed or clicking on a link. Customers often …
Windows 10 And Windows 11 Recovery – Part 2
In the last post, I explained the first method of trying to fix a Windows 10 or a Windows 11 problem - System Restore. (https://www.4kcc.com/blog/2018/11/30/oh-no-2/ Other Recovery Options Windows 10 and 11 give you several other recovery options, the first one is "Reset this PC." When you use this option, you are given a choice …
Continue reading Windows 10 And Windows 11 Recovery – Part 2
Push The Save Button
One of the complaints I hear often is that a customer will spend some time writing a document or creating an email only to have it disappear. This is annoying and frustrating, of course! In the early days of computers, this happened to me often. I decided that I didn't want to deal with the …
You Can (Ac)Count On Me!
My apologies to my Mac users as this blog only pertains to Windows PC users. With the advent of Windows 8 and 10, two new terms have been floating around regarding the user's account on a computer. When you set up a new Windows computer, you have the choice of using a "local account " …
Free Office Training?
I do a lot of computer training - free training like these blog postings and weekly webinars; paid training like monthly seminars and special training days; and, more paid training, one-on-one training with individuals and groups. I also like the direct people to free training. At our October seminar, I talked about the free Microsoft …
Rule #1
Today, I was reminded of the importance of what I call "Rule #1" when it comes to computers. If you've read our vacation guide (Click the button below to download it if you don't have it already.), you know that I always advocate rebooting (restarting) a computer when things aren't going well. Someone came into …
Remember Biology Class?
If you ever took a biology class, you almost certainly had to dissect a frog. While I'm not going to ask you to do that again, I am going to show you how to dissect an unknown email to determine if it's a fake. Above is an email I received this morning. I'm going …
Email 101 and 102
We're starting all over when it comes to email! We've discovered in Remote Technical Support (www.4kcc.com/rts) that many people have forgotten the basics of email. Plus, many email providers have changed their email sites and things are different. So, to help all those who need help, we're starting a series today during our weekly webinars. …
Computer User Basic Skill
Yesterday, I had someone log into Remote Technical Support (www/4kcc.com/rts) and in the course of our text conversation, they told me that didn't know how to copy and paste. This is such a basic computer skill that I often just assume everyone knows how to perform the tasks of cut-copy-paste. Just in case you are …
Search Hint
Look carefully at the picture above. Today, I want to point out a mistake that is often made when people use a search engine. When you're looking for something specific, it's important to look at the domain of the page you're going to go to if you click. Not paying attention to this detail often …
Webinar Moved
Due to me having a bad cold and not much of a voice, the webinar "5 More Apps Every Smartphone User Should Have" has been moved from today at 3:00 p.m. to tomorrow (Thursday, October 25, 2018) at 3:00 p.m. If you have registered, there is no need to register again. I apologize for the …
Snip & Sketch
For those of you using Windows 10, when your computer is upgraded to version 1809, you'll find a new tool. It's called "Snip & Sketch." It's a more robust version of the Snipping Tool which has been around since Windows Vista. If you've never used the tool, you've missed out on a great product. This …
5 More…
A few weeks ago, we held a free webinar entitled "5 Cool Smartphone Apps Everyone Should Have." It was one of our most watched and most popular webinars. Attendees and viewers have asked for more and we're complying! Join us this Wednesday, October 24, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. for "5 More Apps Every Smartphone User …
Up Time
People often ask me: "Is it okay to just put my computer to sleep instead of turning it off?" My answer to that is "Yes, as long as you turn it off at least once a week." (Otherwise, the computer's memory becomes fragmented and the computer will slow down.) But, suppose you forget when you …
Pet Peeve #1
My pet peeve #1 - you would think it would be a customer losing or forgetting a password. Although that is frustrating, that's not my #1 pet peeve. What is, however, is when information is not updated to recover or reset the password. Pet Peeve #1 Examples For example: recently, I was setting up a …
How To Be CERT-ain
I want to share with you a great government page regarding cyber security. It's the Department of Homeland Security site called US-CERT. On the home page, there's an opportunity to get on their email list for security alerts. You should sign up. Yes, some things in the alerts will be way over your head. Still, …
What????
What the heck is that? Well, that's a very small portion of code from our webinar page. (www.4kcc.com/webinars) All of the Internet would look like this if we didn't have something called a browser. The most popular browsers include: Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Opera, Vivaldi and Internet Explorer.# There are tons of other …
More Webinars!
We've scheduled two more webinars. Be sure to sign up for them by visiting https://www.4kcc.com/webinars! The first webinar is Wednesday, October 10th at 4:00 p.m. This free, 30-minute training session is entitled "5 Websites That Will Keep You Thinking." We're going to explore 5 sites that will keep your brain active, make you laugh, and …
October Update Features
In my last blog, I mentioned that I would share some of the new features of Windows 10 version 1809. There are lots of updates for those of us in the techie field but there are some pretty cool, new features for the home user, too. One of the areas of Windows 10 with the …
Windows 10 October Update
Yesterday, October 2, 2018, Microsoft released it's newest edition of Windows 10 - Version 1809. The update will slowly be pushed out to the millions of computers running Windows 10. Of course, here at KCC, I upgraded my main computer manually, as soon as the update was ready for download. When the update was finished, …
5 Computer Acronyms You Should Know
As I mentioned in a previous post, we love acronyms in the computer world. We have so many of them, we just can't keep up with them. But, in today's daily missive, I'm going to introduce you to 5 computer acronyms you should know. Additionally, I'm going to direct you to a new page on …
3 Ways
When it comes to hooking up your printer to your computer, there are three ways, although not all printers give you all three options. USB Cord With this method, a USB cord is hooked up between your printer and your computer. This is the most direct way of being able to print but it also …