In my video about changing your Windows 10 password, some people asked, "What happened to your desktop icons?" In response, I've created a brief video explaining how my icons were gone and how I could get them back. Just click below! https://youtu.be/VB_mCNvemqQ
Author: John Grubb
I've been working on computers since 1983! I love helping people resolve their computing issues and sharing preventative measures, as well.
Windows 10 Password
People often visit our Remote Technical Support page (https://support.4kcc.com) to ask how to change the password they use to log-in to their computer. Or, they never have used a password but want to start using one now and they need to know how to set one up. In response to these requests, I've created a …
Local Or Worldwide?
Mac users have understood this for a long time. If you really want to use a Mac machine, you have to have an Apple ID. For Windows users, it started with Windows 8 and continues with Windows 10. You need a Microsoft account to get the most out of your device. On Windows machines, there …
Cornucopia of Caution
For this post, I'm going to highlight some of the words of caution I've given customers over the last few weeks: Warning Phone Messages * Neither Apple nor Microsoft will call you on the phone to tell you that there's an issue with your computer or it's not up-to-date. They will try to convince you …
Annoying Notifications
For users of Windows 10, all those notifications which appear in the lower right-hand corner of the screen can be overwhelming. Actually, sometimes they're just downright annoying. The Windows operating system itself causes quite a few of the notifications but apps can be major culprits, as well. The good news is that you can control …
Scam Phone Number(s)
Yesterday, after we closed, we received a phone call which automatically went to voice mail. Since I was still sitting at my computer, I saw the call come in and I listened to the message. What I heard was a computer voice asking me to call their number. The message was repeated and then the …
Like A Horror Movie!
Yesterday morning, before we left for church, I went on to my computer to check something. When I opened my email, there were hundreds of email messages like the two pictured below. These emails indicated that something I had sent out was undeliverable. It all started around 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. As I sat there, …
Tag, You’re It!
When Joyce was proofing some blog posts for me, she brought up the "Tags" that appear at the bottom of each post. She asked me to explain to everyone why those tags are there. Tags are used to aid in searching. For instance, at the bottom of our blog "Who Shot Liberty Valance" you'll see …
Speaking Of Screenshots
In our last post (Who Shot Liberty Valance?) we explained how easy it is to take a screenshot in Windows 10. Here's a screenshot for you: In the picture above, I've circled "Access Site" in red. If you are an Xfinity xFI** customer like we are, you might see this screen when you click on …
Who Shot Liberty Valance?
I admit it. The title of today's blog post has nothing to do with its content! The picture above is from the 1962 movie "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance." You might also recall there was a song of the same name by Gene Pitney. (If you want to hear it, click HERE.) Today's post …
An iPhone Peek
In today's blog post, I'm giving iPhone users a sneak peek at iOS13 which is due out in September. (With apologies to my Android users but please read on because there's something which I hope will interest you farther down.) The picture you see above is my iPhone in dark mode. Yes, that's a new …
Google Photo Books
You didn't think I forgot about our series on Google Photos, did you? Of course not. In today's post, I'm sharing my video on how to use Google Photos' Photo Book option. https://youtu.be/6LlwT8lcaM8 In case you missed the first three posts about Google Photos, you can read them here: Google Photos - IntroductionGoogle Photos - …
Microsoft Service Agreement Email: Yes, It Is Legit
Recently, we've been getting a large number of people logging in to our Remote Technical Support to ask whether a particular email is legitimate or not. The email appears to be from Microsoft but people aren't sure if it really is. (To see a slightly larger view of the email, just click on this picture:) …
Continue reading Microsoft Service Agreement Email: Yes, It Is Legit
QOTW Archives
Besides this blog, many of you receive our Question of the Week email. In the email, we answer a question that a customer has asked us. These questions and answers are very informative as I hope you find these blog posts. But, what if you didn't receive an email or you deleted the email and …
Shut Down Smartphone?
If you've been a customer or friend for a long time, you know that we always recommend you turn off your computer at least once a week. This allows the RAM (memory) to defrag and your computer will run faster once that happens. You might wonder, as others have, should you do the same thing …
Primed To Save
Today and tomorrow are Amazon Prime Days. There are some awesome savings if you're a Prime member. Just click on the banner above to start saving!
Google Photos – Assistant
In this post, we're taking a look at the Google Photos Assistant. This is a brief video (just over two minutes) and it should give you an idea how Assistant works. However, what you really need to do is get into Assistant and play with it! You can't hurt anything and you might have some …
Two Items For Today
I'm interrupting our series on Google Photos to bring you two items for today. Because of a special event, we will be closing at 2:00 p.m. today. We will be open normal hours tomorrow and Friday.We have one laptop left of the two we purchased as closeouts. You'll recall the info: 15.6″ HP LaptopIntel i5 …
Create An Album – Google Photos
In our last post, Google Photos - Introduction, we explained the various sections of Google Photos. Today, we're going to examine the "Album" area of Google Photos in a brief video we've produced. If you're not subscribed to our YouTube channel, please do so when you view this video. Also, feel free to "Like" the …
Google Photos – Introduction
In my last post, "It's All About Placement" I explained how placing a photo inside the text area of an email isn't always a good idea. I also mentioned that attaching a photo might not get the job done either, because it's so difficult to tell whether you should trust an email attachment. Instead, I …
It’s All About Placement
People often ask us why one of their email recipients can't see a picture they've sent. There are multiple answers to this question but we're going to explore just one of them today. Take a look at this screen capture of an email that's almost ready to send: As you can see, the picture is …
Laptop Special
Normally, I don't use the blog to advertise computer specials - I usually do that in the Question of the Week email. But, I wanted to share this one with you. It's a closeout and I bought the last 2 and they'll be coming in at the end of the week. Here's the info on …
One For The Good Guys!
It was three years ago last month when I posted this video: https://youtu.be/RK2i8RtCP60 In this blog, I've written these posts about scammers who scare you into letting them onto your computer: Are Foreigners On Your Computer?Anti-virus Not Working?Fake NewsGift Cards=ScamBad Anti-virus?The Weakest Link In The ChainLet's Go Phishing!A Different Kind Of FishingWindows License Key Expiring?SE …
Access Reminder
https://youtu.be/V9rT9184o7Q
Florida’s New Texting Law
If you're one of our Florida customers or if you just want to visit Florida to play tourist (watch out for the big mouse in Kissimmee), you need to know about the new texting and driving law which goes into effect today, July 1, 2019. Our local paper, TC Palm, has an excellent article on …
Microsoft Access Training
The results from our recent survey are in - we have a ton of people who would like to learn something about Microsoft Access! In response, we're offering six hours of online training. We'll do one hour and fifteen minutes (75 minutes) of live training each week for five weeks. If you miss a class, …
Search: Look Before You Leap
In my post on June 25, 2019 - www What? - I talked about searching and the number which is sometimes added after the www. Today, I want to share what you should look for BEFORE you click a search result. Let's look at the first seven search results from a query I made entitled …
Address Change
A question that we're asked frequently is: "How do I change my email address?" There are many reasons you might want to change your email address. For example, you might be changing ISPs (Internet Service Providers) and you'll be losing your address with the original company; you might be unhappy with changes your current email …
www What?
If you've been using a computer for any length of time, you're probably familiar with the beginning letters of many web addresses: www. The www is often used to represent "World Wide Web" but, in reality, it is simply the host name of a web server. In the example above, for HP Drivers & Downloads, …
Battery Recall
Apple has recalled older 15" MacBook Pro computers for free battery replacement because of an overheating issue which could cause a fire. If you have a MacBook Pro that was manufactured between September 2015 and February 2017, you need to check if it is one of the units recalled. You will do that by entering …