Recent Comments


Comment by Frances on Rubber Bands, Duct Tape, and Hives - Your Guide to the Windows Registry (June 5, 2023 08:06 AM)
With regard to the "are you sure you want to do it?" nag, I had an Amiga 3000 for which I required floppy disks for transferring programs from the int...
Comment by Robert van Ruyssevelt on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 3, 2023 09:46 PM)
I find microsoft a right pain. It keeps trying to make me use features like Bing and other things I don't want to use. It has now locked me out of my ...
Comment by chris on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 2, 2023 03:00 PM)
Maybe I am missing something. Instead of going through all of this, can't you just write down your passwords? I have a Rolodex with all of my account...
Comment by Neil McPherson on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 11:15 PM)
Hi Bob, Your instructions to creat a password recovery disk above did not work for me. There was nowhere in 'User Accounts' to do this. The instructi...
Comment by Ernest N. Wilcox Jr. on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 11:04 PM)
There is one more way to make sure you never lose access to your local account. I have a desktop PC and three laptops. One of the laptops is my primar...
Comment by Hill on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 09:50 PM)
I think that if your disk is encrypted, and you kick off your password with one of these tricks and then log in without the password, your disk doesn'...
Comment by DaveM on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 09:19 PM)
All great information (as usual). But important to note that none of this applies if you sign into Windows with a PIN - a completely different beast t...
Comment by Cold City on Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution (June 1, 2023 07:35 PM)
Thanks to the openness of Microsoft compared to Apple you can get around. A friend of mine inherited an iPad but the first owner was dying of a diseas...
Comment by BillP on How to Erase Your Hard Drive - Going Nuclear? (June 1, 2023 05:45 AM)
To Steve and Ernie: After the drive is wiped, download Windows from Microsoft, and install it. It will automatically activate, once the computer is co...
Comment by Thomas on Review: PC Matic Gets a Zero! (May 31, 2023 04:37 PM)
I used PC Matic for a year or so. This month, I switched due to PC Matic's handling of software installations. Their White List must be really short a...

Forgot Your Windows 10 or 11 Password? Here's the Solution

You forgot your login password for Windows 10 or Windows 11? Or maybe you 'inherited' a Windows computer and you can't log in. There's hope, but resetting a forgotten password for a Windows 10 or 11 PC can be complicated by several factors. In this article, I’ll show you how to create a Password Reset disk as a preventive measure, and also how to reset your password if you don’t have the disk. Let's dig in...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on June 01, 2023 | Category: Windows


How to Erase Your Hard Drive - Going Nuclear?

How important is it to completely erase ALL personal data from a hard drive before disposing of it? Savvy users understand that deleting a file doesn't really make it go away. And even formatting a hard drive doesn't guarantee that your files are unreadable. So how can you be certain that every bit of your data is gone before selling, donating or disposing of your hard drive? Here's some good news on that front…

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Posted by Bob Rankin on May 30, 2023 | Category: Hard-Drives


Rubber Bands, Duct Tape, and Hives - Your Guide to the Windows Registry

In some Windows troubleshooting articles you’ll find a suggestion to fix a problem that involves editing the Windows registry. There’s always a dire warning attached, along the lines of, “Do not attempt to edit the registry unless you know what you’re doing! One wrong registry edit can render your machine unusable!” That's true, but with a bit of caution, you CAN safely edit the registry. (Just beware of hives.) Here's what you need to know, and some helpful examples...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on May 26, 2023 | Category: Windows


Geekly Update - 04 May 2023 (giraffes ahead...)

Has AI advanced to the point where mind reading is possible? Did passwords become obsolete this week? Is it safe to poke a robot? And can giraffes predict the statistical likelihood that your hard drive will soon fail? Get answers in today's Geekly Update... it's jam-packed with the latest tech news. This issue is guaranteed to make you 146% smarter -- you'll see why. Read, think, and, comment!

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Posted by Bob Rankin on May 04, 2023 | Category: Tech-News


So I Just Googled Myself...

Have you ever used Google or Bing to search your own name, address or phone number? In an age of powerful search engines, social media, artificial intelligence, and changing attitudes about privacy, you might be shocked to see what a casual searcher can learn about you. If you're okay with that level of transparency, then fine. If not, read on for some tips on what you can do about it...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on May 01, 2023 | Category: Reference


Geekly Update - 27 April 2023 (What is reality?)

Can a virus enter your smartphone via the charging port? How can you tell a deepfake video from the real thing? Have you been impacted by a recent data breach? And is it possible to jumpstart your car without a battery? Get answers in today's Geekly Update... it's jam-packed with the latest tech news. This issue is guaranteed to make you 146% smarter -- you'll see why. Read, think, and, comment!

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Posted by Bob Rankin on April 27, 2023 | Category: Tech-News


It's Nice to Share, But...

Two trends are clashing on the Web today. Security is more important than ever to protect yourself against ever-increasing cyberthreats. “Sharing” is equally big, thanks to social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and Instagram which make money when you share your intimate thoughts, experiences, and other life-stuff with strangers. But security and sharing do not mix well. Here's what you need to know about oversharing and trauma dumping...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on April 25, 2023 | Category: Social-Networking


Cable TV Too Expensive? Try These Free TV Options

I’ve written before about various options for watching TV shows and movies via online streaming services. The good news today is that while Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and Youtube are constantly raising prices for their services, a bunch of free options are popping up. Read on to learn how you can get local television channels, movies and popular shows without a subscription or monthly fees...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on April 24, 2023 | Category: Television


Forward Emails to Your Phone Via Text Message

You may not prefer to be notified (bothered) by your phone every time an email hits your inbox. But email from a spouse, child, boss, or other important contact may be something you want to know about right away. Here is a free, easy way to forward selected emails via text message when those things happen...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on April 20, 2023 | Category: Email


Recover Deleted Files on Windows or Mac

'Yikes... I didn't mean to delete that file!' It happens to everyone... it could be a stray mouse click, a senior moment, or fumbling fingers. And the document, spreadsheet, or photo you just spent hours creating or editing is gone. Or maybe not. Fortunately, 'deleted' doesn't necessarily mean 'gone forever' on a hard drive. Here are some things to try when you want to recover a deleted file...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on April 19, 2023 | Category: Hard-Drives


LifeLock: Will it Save Your Digital Bacon?

If you're concerned about identity theft these days, you're not necessarily paranoid. Frequent and massive data breaches provide scammers with the personal information they need to pull it off. If someone assumes your identity they can open new credit cards, raid your bank accounts, ruin your employment prospects, or even commit crimes for which you are blamed. With so much at stake, many people are paying $20 or more a month for identity theft protection services. But are they wasting their money? Here's the scoop...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on April 18, 2023 | Category: Finance


Would You Click This Link?

Your mouse hovers over a link... your trembling finger is poised to click... but you stop to think. Is there danger lurking behind that link? Do you know how to tell right away if a website (or link) is going to lead you into a world of hurt? A single click can trigger an unwanted download, a malware infection, stolen login credentials, ransomware, or identity theft. Here are some practical tips and tools you can use to click smarter...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on April 04, 2023 | Category: Security


REVEALED: How Creepy Marketers Get Your Email Address

Have you ever visited an online store, and later got an email from that website, even though you never provided your email address? I find this disturbing, and you probably will too, when you learn how and why this is happening. Read on to learn the source of mystery marketing messages...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on April 03, 2023 | Category: Privacy


Fileless Malware: The Ghost in Your Computer

A clever but pernicious software technique that's been known for more than a decade is being adopted by today's malware authors, complicating the work of anti-virus developers and digital forensic analysts. Tracking down so-called “fileless malware” is to detection of regular malware what ghost-hunting is to catching a garden-variety burglar. Read on to learn about this resurgent threat and what you can do to stop it...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on March 30, 2023 | Category: Anti-Virus


Geekly Update - 29 March 2023 (Are we doomed?)

Would you spend almost two hundred million dollars to add ten years to your life? Are you sharing too much with your mobile phone provider? When is a cropped photo NOT a cropped photo? And has artificial intelligence gone too far already? Get answers in today's Geekly Update... it's jam-packed with the latest tech news. This issue is guaranteed to make you 146% smarter -- you'll see why. Read, think, and, comment!

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Posted by Bob Rankin on March 29, 2023 | Category: Tech-News




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