Recent Comments


Comment by Ken H on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 15, 2025 07:34 PM)
I don't want to memorise a bunch of alternative ways to do something I already know how to do easily enough. I just tried Ctrl+rt. arrow and it crashe...
Comment by Ken H on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 15, 2025 07:34 PM)
I don't want to memorise a bunch of alternative ways to do something I already know how to do easily enough. I just tried Ctrl+rt. arrow and it crashe...
Comment by Mike H on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 14, 2025 09:30 PM)
I often use CTRL + Shift + T to restore a browser tab I closed in error. ...
Comment by Ken H on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 14, 2025 08:59 PM)
Just tried to read on my iPhone. Now I see what the people calling this unreadable because of all the ads are talking about. I don’t have the proble...
Comment by Ian on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 14, 2025 08:04 PM)
Many, many thanks for this:- after using a Mac since the late 1990s, I have just bought a Microsoft Surface with Windows 11 so these are really useful...
Comment by David Serfass on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 14, 2025 07:26 PM)
This isn't a keyboard shortcut, but it is useful and it has been available for quite a while.Click the mouse button and a small circle will appear wit...
Comment by Jeri on [TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts (February 14, 2025 07:25 PM)
One I use all the time: Paste without Formatting CTRL + SHIFT + V...
Comment by Michelle on How to Do Online Genealogy Research (your family tree) (February 14, 2025 01:54 AM)
The FTDNA Rankin Project is a great research tool using Y-DNA to assist in family research. It helped my family locate Rankin's relatives in County Ty...
Comment by GARY OMALLEY on How to TurboCharge Your Internet Connection (February 12, 2025 11:26 AM)
Does Microsoft 365 apps cause slowing of internet speed?...
Comment by Robert T Deloyd on How to TurboCharge Your Internet Connection (February 12, 2025 02:44 AM)
Get a good ad blocker that will do the job... “On average, advertising doubles the amount of time it takes to load a webpage. Offending ad quality i...

[TIP] Try These Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Check out these handy Windows 10 and 11 keyboard shortcuts that can save time, wrist motions, and for some people, carpal tunnel pain. Keyboard shortcuts are combinations of two or more keys (or a key and a mouse button) that, when pressed simultaneously, perform a task that would normally require moving the mouse around, clicking, and possibly navigating sub-menus. There's even a useful super-secret keystroke that very few people know! Here are some keyboard shortcuts you should know, and try for yourself...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on February 14, 2025 | Category: Windows


How to TurboCharge Your Internet Connection

It's a common question: “How can I speed up my Internet connection?” Unless you enjoy watching paint dry, a slow internet connection can be very frustrating, especially when you're trying to stream a movie, play an online game, or download a file. Sometimes the slowdown is beyond your control; the Internet is subject to traffic jams and congestion, just like any other highway. However, there are several steps you can take to speed up your internet connection. Here's a trove of tips and tools that can turbocharge your telecommunication tranmissions. Or maybe just increase the speed of your Internet connection...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on February 11, 2025 | Category: Networking


Geekly Update - 04 February 2025

Is your favorite video game getting Smell-o-Vision in the near future? Should your web browser be reminding you to breathe? Is Mark Zuckerberg leaking oil from a loose neck bolt? And is it time to get serious about the Windows 10 end-of-life deadline? 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 February 04, 2025 | Category: Tech-News


12 Identity Theft Mistakes (how many have you made?)

According to a report produced by Javelin Strategy & Research, identity theft affected over 15 million U.S. consumers in 2023, with losses over $23 billion. Spikes have been noted in 'new account fraud' and 'account takeover fraud' -- two of the most damaging types of ID theft. I haven’t found stats for 2024 yet, but we can assume they’re equally dismal. Read on for my tips on avoiding fraud and identity theft, and see if you've made any mistakes that can make it easier for scammers to victimize you...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on February 03, 2025 | Category: Privacy


Geekly Update - 29 January 2025

Has Siri predicted the winner of the 2025 Super Bowl? Is a powerful new Chinese AI chatbot a threat to the rest of the world? Will the Blue Triangle of Death be showing up on your electronic device? And what happened to those mystery drones? 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 January 29, 2025 | Category: Tech-News


[ALERT] ATM Skimmer Scams On The Rise

A teenager and his parents were arrested this week, charged with running a scam involving ATMs and card skimmers that impacted over 900 people. And that's just one recent example. The biggest threat to financial networks is not ransomware, phishing, or denial-of-service attacks. It’s “ATM skimming,” the illegal capture of debit card data and PIN numbers by a “skimmer” device inserted into an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). Here's how to spot a skimmer and how to protect against this type of scam...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on January 28, 2025 | Category: Finance


Geekly Update - 23 January 2025

Has the new U.S. president unveiled an interstellar teleportation device? Will artificial intelligence cure cancer in 2025? Should naughty robots be punished with pushups and squat thrusts? And how does one take a good photo from the window of a space craft that's moving at 17,150 miles per hour? 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 January 23, 2025 | Category: Tech-News


Is This a Fake Virus Alert?

A concerned reader asks: “Bob, I'm worried that I might have a computer virus. My computer will sometimes stop and a warning says I have a virus, and I must call a number on the screen. Then supposedly they will walk me through the process to fix it. Is this true? I have antivirus installed but still, it pops up now and then.” Is this virus alert real or rogue? Here's my diagnosis...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on January 21, 2025 | Category: Viruses


Geekly Update - 15 January 2025

Has the arrival of way-too-cute robots lulled us into a false sense of security? Will AI make it way too easy for cybercriminals to trick us? Is Microsoft pretending to be Google? And why are mice wearing virtual reality goggles? 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 January 15, 2025 | Category: Tech-News


[RECOMMENDED] 10 Free Software Programs

So, you got a new computer, or maybe you're looking to spiff up your current model. It's a good idea to remove all those non-essential programs that came preloaded, and then install the best freeware for everyday computing. Here are some of my top free software recommendations for your computer. Read on!

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Posted by Bob Rankin on January 07, 2025 | Category: Software


AskBob's Best of 2024 - Part Two

Did you catch Part One of my “Best of 2024” series? Well, buckle up, because today I’m serving up another round of ten wildly popular AskBob articles! These gems were carefully curated with assistance from a network of quantum robots, secret nodes on the blockchain, clandestine satellite feeds, and some AI software I may or may not have 'borrowed' from a guy named Vinny who works at the Large Hadron Collider. I hope you'll dive in, leave your own comments, and share them with your email buddies and social media contacts. Let's go!

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Posted by Bob Rankin on January 06, 2025 | Category: Reference


AskBob's Best of 2024 - Part One

I want express my sincere THANKS to YOU and the 130,000+ others who have subscribed to the AskBob newsletter since 2005. This year I celebrated the 19th anniversary of this newsletter, and there are over 3000 articles here now. Many of you are regular readers and contribute comments, which I love. And since I love numbers almost as much as words, I asked my robot to scan the server logs to find the most popular articles of the year. Here are ten of the top articles for you to review. I hope you'll check out each one, leave your own comments, forward this to a friend, and tell them to sign up for more AskBob in 2025!

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Posted by Bob Rankin on January 03, 2025 | Category: Reference


[WOW] ASCII Artwork - An Internet Treasure

Have you experienced ASCII art? Long before the graphical World Wide Web was invented in the early 1990s, people were creating computer images that required no special hardware or software to view. ASCII art is composed only of plain text characters, and can be sent by e-mail without attachments. Take a stroll into Internet history, enjoy some ASCII art, and learn how to make your own…

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Posted by Bob Rankin on December 20, 2024 | Category: Cool-Stuff


The Click That Could Cost You

Your mouse hovers over a link... your trembling finger is poised to click... but then 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 December 19, 2024 | Category: Security


14 Computer Facts That Are Not True

Hey... did you know? At midnight on March 31st, the Internet will be temporarily shut down for the annual Spring Cyber Cleaning? Read on to get the scoop on this, Abraham Lincoln's opinion on fake news, and other dubious “facts” about computers and the Internet...

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Posted by Bob Rankin on December 18, 2024 | Category: Reference



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