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 …
Mrs. Brown You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter
If you read today's blog post title and thought of the 1965 hit song by Herman's Hermits, I congratulate you. (If you've forgotten the song or never heard it, it's at the bottom of this missive.) Unfortunately, the song has nothing to do with today's subject. Instead, I want to introduce you to Kari Brown. …
R.I.P. Facebook
This week, I received notices that seven of my Facebook friends were having birthdays. I think that's a great feature. Only thing is, two of the friends in question are deceased. One of them has been gone for a number of years. It's true - none of us really want to think about our demise. …
What Good Is It…
It happened twice this week. Two customers who use Carbonite as their online backup had no idea which email they used for their account nor did they know the password! The idea of online backup is that if something happens to your computer, you'll be able to recover your data. That's a great idea! I …
Before There Were Computers…
The other day, I was in a customer's home on a service call. When I was finished, they paid me with a check. However, they didn't handwrite the check, they put it in their typewriter and typed the check. Many young people have no idea how we used typewriters in our daily lives, way back …
Just Another Example
Think back before personal computers and the Internet. When disasters occurred, it could be days or weeks before information got out to others about whatever was happening. In this day and age, the Internet speeds up "getting information out" to those not in the affected area. Here in Florida, we know all about hurricanes and …
To Love Your Pet…
This past Friday, we took Gus to the Vet for his yearly checkup and shots. Unlike some dogs, Gus actually likes going to the Vet. He fusses all over the staff including the Vet himself. Besides getting his yearly checkup, we always purchase Gus' dog license at the same time. This year, instead of the …
Marco…Polo!
Yesterday, at our November live seminar, I talked about the app, Marco Polo. One of those in attendance asked me if you could post your videos from Marco Polo to Facebook or some other app. At the time, I wasn't sure of the answer so I didn't fake it. I promised to get back to …
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 …
If It Can Happen To Me, It Can Happen To You
This morning, I went to my primary computer - which was on all night, by the way - and I saw a message that Windows wasn't activated. I went to settings and sure enough, I saw the message you see above. Keep in mind that my computer has been activated since I purchased it and …
Continue reading If It Can Happen To Me, It Can Happen To You
Thursday, Friday & Saturday
Just wanted to remind you of the following: Thursday (tomorrow) - Email 102 Webinar 2:00 p.m. Email 102 Webinar Sign Up Friday - 11:59 p.m. - Our latest contest ends. If you missed it, click here: Not Always Serious Blog & Contest Saturday - 10:00 a.m.-12 Noon - Seminar at Trinity Church in Jensen Beach. …
Gift Cards=Scam
Gift Cards Here's a scenario that just happened to one of our customers (read carefully so you don't fall for this scam): Someone called on the phone claiming that they had accidentally deposited $6,000 in our customer's bank account. They suggested they log into their bank and they would see the pending deposit of $6,000. …
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 …
Time To Search
November is Native American Heritage Month and it's time for you to get busy searching and learning about these first American occupants. I remember a long, long time ago, when I was in third grade, my teacher introduced us to a vinyl record of American Indian music. I recall it being mysterious, compelling and beautiful. …
Fall Back
Just a reminder that this Sunday, Daylight Saving Time ends and we turn our clocks back an hour. Of course, most of your electronic devices (smartphones, smart watches, computers, etc.) will automatically make the change. But, if you still have some mechanical and digital clocks, you'll need to change them manually. Just a thought: many …
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 …
Happy Internet Day!
Click to View Video Today, October 29th, is Internet Day! In recognition of this celebration, I thought I'd share a few Internet facts: As of October 2018, there are more than 1.9 billion websites on the Internet.95 million photos are uploaded onto Instagram every day.Over 78% of North Americans use the Internet.Combined, there are 4.9 …
When You Care Enough…
Since 1910, Hallmark has produced quality products. The company's offerings include paper greeting cards, electronic greeting cards, their beautiful Christmas ornaments, Crayola, Hallmark Hall of Fame TV Movies and so much more. Of course, their three Network Channels get lots of attention throughout the year but especially during the Christmas Season. Joyce and I 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 …
Oh No!
Instead of my cold getting better, it's actually worse today. So, unfortunately, I am forced to move our webinar "5 More Apps Every Smartphone User Should Have" from this week till next. I've rescheduled for Monday, October 29, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. If you haven't registered already, please click this button: Webinar
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 …
Not Always Serious
Being on the Internet shouldn't always be serious! Sometimes, we can just sit back and have a little fun! That's exactly what we're going to do in today's blog. At KCC, today is "Riddle Me" day! Here's how it works: Watch the video at the end of this blog post. Then, when you think you …
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 …
Mirror, Mirror On The Wall
At our seminar on Saturday (October 20, 2018), we talked about using Acronis True Image software (see button below if you want to purchase it!) to create a mirror image of a computer's hard drive. What is a mirror image and why would you want to create one? Of course, we always use online backup …
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 …
R.I.P.
According to statista.com, in July of this year, 83% of the computers on the Internet were running the Windows Operating System. (As an aside, Microsoft says more than 500,000 machines are running Windows 10.) That's a staggering percentage. It's likely that neither Paul Allen nor Bill Gates could truly conceptualize such a feat. Yet, these …
South Dakota
Last Monday, on Columbus Day, I ran a contest. I said: "Use either the Bing or the Google search engine to find out which state celebrates Native American Day in place of Columbus Day." We received a slew of answers and most people commented with the correct response - South Dakota. South Dakota is the …
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 …