GEEK FREE

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
13 January, 2018

I tried to resist writing on these because they are everywhere in the media already and there have been new developments almost daily as companies frantically prepare their responses to the vulnerabilities. You can follow new security updates easily by looking at the Security Alerts and Updates on our own SenCom web site. The technical details and many helpful links and manufacturers’ responses are also contained in the following alert by Homeland Security.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
26 December, 2017

There are two methods that most people use for handling email. The most common method these days is using a web-based email client. Examples are Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL, Gmail, or anything else that opens up in your web browser to connect to the host email servers to view or send email that is stored by the servers. The other method is an email program or app that installs and runs on your computer and connects to the host email servers to download the new mail to your computer for storage. Outlook Express and the older versions of the full Outlook program available from Microsoft as part of the Office suite (not to be confused with outlook.com which is web-based) are examples.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
3 December 2017
(Updated 29 November 2019 to add a link under Instagram)

There could be many reasons for needing or wanting to delete old internet accounts, if for no other reason than removing personal data from inactive accounts to reduce the chances of it being hacked. Finding instructions on how to do it may be a bit of a challenge. Sometimes the instructions provided by a particular internet site are hard to find or understand and are explained more clearly by other sources that provide “how to” articles or videos.    Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
1 November 2017

In October we were hit with two particularly onerous public alerts about security threats known as KRACK and ROCA. KRACK is the WPA2 vulnerability, which potentially affects the security of anyone using wi-fi communications. ROCA is the encryption key vulnerability, which potentially affects anyone using devices or software that uses encryption keys generated from chips made by Infineon, which has about 30% of the market share for such security chips.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
17 September, 2017

Firefox version 52 and later ended support of legacy plug-ins such as Java, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Silverlight, and others. For an explanation of the reason behind the change see this Mozilla link:
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/npapi-plugins?as=u&utm_source=inproduct

Beginning with version 57 which is planned to be released on November 14, 2017 support of legacy extensions such as LastPass will also end and they will be replaced with WebExtensions. This change has also been incorporated in Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome browsers. Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
5 August, 2017

I have encountered Windows XP and Windows Vista computers running extremely slow recently. Checking Task Manager for the highest CPU processes (with “show processes from all users” selected) showed an instance of the svchost.exe process at a constant 99% CPU usage on computers with single core processors or 50% on computers with dual core processors (one core at 100%), and the process was using by far the highest amount of memory of all processes. Searching the internet for clues on the cause led to several articles on the symptoms being related to a problem with Windows Update.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
27 July, 2017

Windows Search has been around for several Windows versions, and frankly I never gave it much thought and rarely used it until Windows 8 came along, and then I found it was the quickest and easiest way to find where Microsoft had put all of the stuff I used to know where  was in Windows 7. I was aware of the option to index your hard drive or not in the disk properties, but had never made the connection with Windows Search until recently when I came across an article suggesting to speed up old computers and free up disk space by turning off the indexing if you do not rely on Windows Search that much and don’t care if it takes longer to find something when you do use it occasionally.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
17 June, 2017

I have never been a fan of loading up my internet browsers with extensions (or plugins or add-ons), mostly because they used to be offered by a third party (other than the browser developer) and they modified the browser programming code which sometimes made the browser slower or misbehave or could even introduce malware. All of the major browsers have moved to a different programming structure that does not allow extensions to modify the browser code. Instead, the code for the extension is kept in a separate secured area with strictly controlled access to the browser. This has made browser extensions much more secure and safer to use.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
13 May, 2017

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The security and quality updates released in this week’s (May 9) patch Tuesday cycle was the last you will receive if still running the original Windows 10 version 1507. To check which version of Windows 10 you have, you can go to the Start icon, click the Settings icon, click System, and then click About. The version will be listed below the Edition as on this example, which is version 1703 (Creators Update):   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
9 April, 2017

What is the Creators Update?
Windows 10 undergoes major updates introducing new features once or twice a year. On April 11, 2017 the next major update that will begin rolling out is called the Creators Update because of several new features planned to enhance the creative capabilities of the operating system. Unfortunately many of the planned new features are not ready to be released, so the update will not be as significant as first expected. It is still a major update in that it completely replaces your existing version of Windows 10.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
25 March, 2017 (*Updated 21 June, 2019)

You may be familiar with the use of PayPal for sending money from your PayPal account linked to a credit card or bank account to another person’s PayPal account for Ebay purchases or receiving payments from others when selling items on Ebay. It has been around for a number of years and since being split off from Ebay, it is being accepted by many other types of stores and for peer to peer payments. There are a number of competing services available now. TopTenReviews “The Best Mobile Wallets of 2017” lists Android Pay, Apple Pay, Capital One Wallet, eWallet, Gyft, Key Ring, LevelUp, Samsung Pay, and Walmart Pay in addition to PayPal.
* The original link is no longer available, but a similar article is “10 Ways to Pay with your SmartPhone” at:
https://fueled.com/blog/10-ways-to-pay-with-your-smartphone/
Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
25 February, 2017

Around this time of year I like to start looking at seed and nursery catalogs for some new plants to try out. I ordered some plants from a couple of places in the past and since then I have been inundated with catalogs from numerous places. Looking through them I began to notice that many of the items in different catalogs seemed to be identical and then I noticed that most of them had addresses in Bloomington, Illinois. Two were on one street with numbers very close together and two were on another street with numbers very close together. Could there really be that many different companies operating nurseries next to each other in one city the size of Bloomington?   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
2 February, 2017

Most of us rely on passwords for secure access to accounts on various websites. Besides the possibility that weak passwords can eventually be broken, there are more and more elaborate phishing schemes to trick you into entering your password in a fake login screen that looks legitimate but is there to steal your password. Many major companies are now joining an alliance to support a standard 2-factor authentication process that is easy and economical to greatly improve login security.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
9 January, 2017

There are a lot of new developments in technology that should make 2017 a very interesting year. The recently held Consumer Electronics Show 2017 in Las Vegas offered a sample of what could be this year’s hot items.

Interestingly it seems that 2-in-1 convertible laptops are becoming the computer of choice over traditional laptops or tablets. Many CES 2017 reviewers were especially impressed with the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
19 December, 2016

Tips for what I look for in a laptop:

I look for at least a 6th generation i3 processor. i5 is better but will cost a little more. I7 will be the most powerful, most expensive, and will run the battery down faster. It is essential for running the latest video games that the youngsters play.
AMD, Atom, Celeron, Pentium processors are too slow in most cases and I would avoid them unless maximizing battery life is your primary concern and you can live with a sluggish computer.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
23 November, 2016

Solid State Drives, or SSDs as they are known, are becoming more common as the capacities have grown and the prices dropped to levels that most consumers can now justify for their new computers or as replacements to aging mechanical hard drives in their existing computers. Now is a good time to get up to speed with this rapidly changing technology.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
11 October, 2016

The 7th generation of Intel processors (also known as Kaby Lake or Kabylake) are showing up in the newest computers, right now in tablets, notebooks, and laptops, and by the first quarter of 2017 in desktops. This should mean there will be some good bargains for existing 6th generation (Skylake) processor-based computers for those who do not feel the need to have the latest technology available. So what do the newest processors offer? For most users, probably not a whole lot.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
16 September, 2016

Allowing your internet browser to save the login user name and password for a website can be convenient, but what if you need to change the information or delete it? This blog will cover how to find and manage the saved login user names and passwords in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome.   Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
20 August, 2016

The FCC is on a new campaign to end the “scourge” of robocalls. They have put together a Strike Force of over 30 tech companies to come up with solutions to the problem. For a few years now, the FTC has even held contests awarding cash prizes for technical solutions to the problem. Several products are already available as a result of these incentives. Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
23 July, 2016

We are in the last few days of the free Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7, 8, or 8.1 which will end on July 29. If you have Windows 8 or 8.1, there is no reason I can think of to pass up the free upgrade to Windows 10. If you have Windows 7, especially on an older computer, I can understand your reluctance. I have two older computers that have not been upgraded and I keep wondering if I might regret not doing it later even though I really prefer to keep them at Windows 7 for the foreseeable future.  Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
22 June, 2016

A little over a month remains until the July 29 deadline to take advantage of the free Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7, 8, or 8.1. It is still not known if waiting until the last days of the free update will include the next yet-to-be-released major Windows 10 updates or not. I would not recommend waiting past about July 22 to find out to give yourself time in case you have problems downloading or installing the free upgrade. Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
27 May, 2016

A modem converts the signal from your internet service provider, whether it comes from telephone, cable TV, or fiber services, to an Ethernet signal that provides the internet service to your computer or other internet-connected devices. It could be called a dial-up modem, DSL modem, cable modem, or fiber modem depending on the type of internet service you have. At a minimum, the modem will have an AC power adapter, an Ethernet output port that provides your internet signal, and an input port and/or cable from one of the following: Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
26 April, 2016

The Internet of Things (IoT) is defined in Wikipedia as “the network of physical objects– devices, vehicles, buildings and other items– embedded with electronics, software sensors, and network connectivity that enables these objects to collect and exchange data.” The number of online devices equaled the world population in 2008. By 2020 it is expected there will be at least 6 online things per person in the world. Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
1 April, 2016

Most of us have bookmarked pages in a browser but often do not take the time to organize them into folders. We also may have accumulated a lot of bookmarks (Firefox, Chrome) or favorites (Internet Explorer) in one browser and wish to copy them to another browser on the same computer or to a browser on another computer. These are the topics on what will generally be referred to as bookmarks for simplicity, for all three of the mentioned browsers. Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
5 March, 2016

In the last month, I have talked with 4 people who have had encounters with fraudulent computer “technicians” after getting a popup on their computer looking like a blue screen of death (BSOD) that claims to be from Microsoft informing them of viruses or malware on their computer and providing a telephone number from a “Certified Microsoft Partner”. Fortunately, all of them got suspicious and ended the call before providing their credit card number, but just letting a fraud have remote access to your computer for a moment can put you at risk of having your files encrypted or deleted by them if you refuse to pay for their service. Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
3 February, 2016

Here are a few recent news items I have run across while browsing on cold winter days.

End of Google Chrome Support for Windows XP and Vista and Older Mac OS

Starting April 2016, Chrome will continue to function on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OS 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8, but will no longer receive updates and security fixes. Since most malware is introduced to your computer through either browsing or email, this could increase your security risk if you continue to use Chrome after April on these older operating systems. Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
14 January, 2016
By Joe Callison
(updated 29 November 2019 to fix broken link)

As the number of people migrating to Windows 10 increases, either intentionally or accidentally, I have been hearing some common questions.

How do I revert back to the operating system I had?
If your system was updated to Windows 10 unintentionally or you are having problems with it and want to revert back to your previous operating system, remember that you only have 30 days to do so from the day it was updated.

Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
12 December, 2015
By Joe Callison

I have tried out many free software tools and programs over the years and a few of them have become long-time favorites of mine that I consider essential for my computers and I highly recommend them to others. There are probably several other good programs that do the same things and other things that I have not covered. I would be interested in some of your favorites if you want to share them with the community. Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
1 December, 2015
By Joe Callison

A new year is fast approaching, and with it comes some important dates to be aware of in the computer world for 2016:

January 12, 2016 – Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for Internet Explorer versions prior to Internet Explorer 11. Note- You must have Windows 7 or later operating systems to run Internet Explorer 11. If you are still running Windows XP or Vista, then you should use a different browser such as Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome rather than the older Internet Explorer versions. Continue reading →

GEEK FREE
10 November, 2015
By Joe Callison

Computer reliability data is much like reliability data for automobiles or any other major consumer products. You may get a bad one buying the statistically most reliable brand or you may get a really reliable one buying the statistically least reliable brand. Still, you probably want the odds to be in your favor when considering your purchase. It also helps to know how a brand’s reliability is trending over several years, since any brand can have ups and downs over time. Continue reading →