How do you "do" your email? Do you use a dedicated email program, or do you visit a website and "do" your email there? It seems like I ask this question of a customer at least once or twice a week. They call me, wondering about a particular email problem and, in an...

What do you do when your house has been smashed into a pile of rubble by a massive killer tornado? If you are like most folks, you try to gather what's left of your "stuff" and move on. What do you do, however, if your computer has been crushed by debris, thrown half...

If you can't trust visiting the U.S. government's Department of Labor website, what on the Internet can you trust? I asked a similar question in March, 2011, in my column titled, "Careful where you click," as I wondered, "Who would think that looking at ads found on...

Few computer users remain who don't know their computer should have some sort of antivirus protection. Whether it's a Windows PC or a once-thought-to-be-immune Apple Mac, good antivirus protection is a must-have. Like most things related to computer safety and...

I do not trust computers. Let me rephrase that; I trust computers, but only to do one thing: fail. Computers of all types, whether desktop, laptop, iPhone, tablet, PC, Mac, Android, iPad, cellphone or TV (yes, Virginia, most modern televisions are computers), are...

Few computer users remain who don't know their computer should have some sort of antivirus protection. Whether it's a Windows PC or a once-thought-to-be-immune Apple Mac, good antivirus protection is a must-have. Like most things related to computer safety and...

You may recall my February 10th column discussing "the cloud" and online file storage ("What's the deal with the cloud?") and how the cloud is being used more and more to store everything we use and possess in our digital lives. Using cloud services to store and share...

When you take my free computer safety class next Tuesday evening, March 26, at the library (visit my website for details), you will see why you need the ability to download and install files from the Internet on your own. One thing you can count on with computers...

Come to the Norman Public Library March 26th at 6:30 p.m. and I will teach you how to build an onion; a computer security onion, that is. Call the library at 701-2697 to register for my free, one night only, computer security onion-building class. Why would I teach...

If you use a computer, wow, have I got a good deal for you: come to the Norman Public Library Tuesday, March 26th at 6:30 p.m. and I will teach you how to use it safely, to keep the Internet bad guys out of your life. In my free class called "Fight The Internet Bad...

Recent reports show that a high-powered hacker group called "Comment Crew," under the control of Unit 61398 of the Peoples Liberation Army of China, has been engaged in a long-term campaign of cyber-attacks against over 120 American companies, as well as United States...

Wow, it's been a while since I've seen a more over-hyped, yet lesser-understood term in the world of computing than "cloud." What is "the cloud," anyway, and why am I supposed to want one? "The cloud," is a term derived from the phrase "cloud computing," a concept...

A recent discussion on Facebook reminded me of two words: caveat emptor, a Latin phrase often translated as, "Let the buyer beware." In this case, I would have changed the phrase to "Let the downloader beware." The discussion centered on a notice that is popping up on...

Whether you do online banking and shopping or not, it's good to know what sort of personal, private information actually resides in your computer. The longer we use our computers, the greater the odds things are there we are unaware of, or have simply forgotten. Your...

Just because someone has cool tech doesn't mean that's the end of the story. The next step is to accessorize that cool tech with useful add-ons that can bring new functionality and protection. There's nothing wrong with sometimes adding silly bling, either. Protection...

Every year about this time I have to reassess the Internet Christmas shopping situation. Billions of dollars in electronic form are flying down wires, through the air and across the Internet, more this time of year than any other. This keeps the Internet bad guys...

Tis the season to give tech, and all of Santa's boys and girls perk up at the thought of a new, shiny tablet computer. Choosing which tablet to give can be a confusing foray into a deep pit of advertising hype, though, as the market seems flooded with a jillion...

To be effectual at my job as a "computer guy," I have to be constantly learning. Just when I think I've seen it all, something new comes along, forcing me in a new direction. New problems, new solutions and new ways of doing things: that's life in the computer age....

If someone called you on the phone, said they were from the "Windows Technical Department" and claimed they needed to remotely repair your computer because it had been hacked, would you believe them? Numerous customers have been telling me stories similar to this for...

141,458 years; that's how long Microsoft says their new Windows 8 operating system was in the testing stages before being released to the general public on October 26. To be fair, they actually state the figure at 1,240,000,000 hours, which converts to a little more...