Personalized Computer Services

Date

Contents

10/31/2024

Using AirTags or Tile to Track an Elderly Parent's or Spouse's Location and Keep Them Safe

9/30/2024

Three Random Words: An Easy Way to Create Strong Passwords

8/31/2024

A Folder’s Modified Date Tells a Very Different Story Than a Document’s

7/31/2024

How to Talk to a Computer Consultant or Repair Person or Tech Support

6/30/2024

“Private” or “Incognito” Web Browser Windows Are Not What You Think

5/31/2024

Should You Continue Renting Your Internet Modem or Buy Your Own?

4/30/2024

Writing Better Emails and Texts: Asking Multiple Questions

3/30/2024

Writing Better Text Messages: Keep It Short but Clear and Other Simple Ideas

2/29/2024

Writing Better Emails: Use More Whitespace and Other Simple Ideas

1/31/2024

Do Your Scans, Copies, or Faxes Have Lines or Streaks or Spots?

12/31/2023

Top Reasons to Create a Spare User Account on Your Computer

11/30/2023

Email: How to Handle "Mailbox Full"

10/31/2023

Are Your Computer Speakers Too Soft?

9/30/2023

Do You Need a USB Wifi Adapter?

8/30/2023

Check Washing: How to Protect Yourself Against Fraudulent Altering of Your Checks

7/31/2023

How to Handle "Your Online or Cloud Storage Is Almost Full"

6/30/2023

Your Printer's Ink or Toner Is Low - Wait Longer or Replace Now?

5/31/2023

Two-Factor Authentication: What If Your Cell Phone Is Not Working or Lost?

4/30/2023

LibreOffice: Free Software That Can Open and Convert Older and Obsolete Documents, Including Word, Excel, Publisher, WordPerfect, AppleWorks and More!

3/30/2023

Does Your Phone or Tablet or Computer Screen Turn Black Too Quickly?

2/28/2023

Your Cell Phone: Reduce Screen Brightness, Extend Battery Life

1/31/2023

Social Media: What's a #hashtag? #confusion #curiosity #WhyShouldICare

12/31/2022

Find Your Vaccination Records Online: COVID, Flu Shots, and More

11/30/2022

How to Spot Fake Antivirus Renewal Scam Emails

10/31/2022

Dictation: Talk to Your Computer or Mobile Device, It Does All the Typing

9/30/2022

How to Stop a Runaway Printer

8/31/2022

Online Bill Payment: Pros, Cons, & Myths

7/31/2022

Should I Turn My Computer Off, or Leave It On?

6/30/2022

Cut, Copy, & Paste: Not As Simple As You Might Think

5/31/2022

Why Is My Computer Slow? What Can I Do About It?

4/29/2022

Legitimate Companies and Government Agencies Do Not Have You Buy Gift Cards to Pay Them--It's a Scam! Hang Up the Phone!

3/31/2022

Your Gmail May Stop Working on 5/30/2022 When Google Removes the 'Less secure apps' Option

2/28/2022

Did Your Email Inbox Suddenly Change - Missing Messages? Can't Find Anything? Just Looks Wrong?

1/31/2022

Protect Your Privacy When Searching: Use Startpage or DuckDuckGo instead of Google or Bing or Yahoo

12/31/2021

iPhone/iPad/Android: Forgot Your Passcode? Reset Will Erase All of Your Data, Unless You Have a Backup

11/30/2021

How to Research a Product or Service Online More Effectively

10/31/2021

Windows 11: Don't Rush to Get It, Let the Next Computer That You Eventually Buy Come With It

10/30/2021

Older Macintosh: Are You Getting Strange Errors Loading Websites? Why It Started 10/1/2021, How to Fix It with an Updated Security Certificate

9/30/2021

I Sent an Email - Did They Receive It? Did They Read It? Part 2

8/31/2021

Internet by Candlelight: Are You Prepared for a Power Failure?

7/31/2021

Simple Ways to Improve the Battery Life of Your Computer and Mobile Devices

6/30/2021

Proofread Before Send: Avoid These Common Email Mistakes

5/31/2021

Online banking & credit cards: How to get useful alerts via email or text messages

4/30/2021

Proximity Sensor: Useful New Security Feature or Major Remote-Help Inconvenience?

3/31/2021

What It Really Takes to Make Your Existing Passwords More Secure

2/28/2021

Can You Save an Online Form and Return to It Later?

1/31/2021

You Don't Need a Microsoft Office Subscription to Get Word, Excel, PowerPoint, or Outlook, You Can Just Buy Office

12/31/2020

Getting Rid of Your Old Printer/Copier/Scanner/Fax? Do This First to Protect Your Privacy!

11/30/2020

If Your Internet Connection Stopped Working, What Would You Do?

10/31/2020

Is Your Keyboard Driiving yoU crzy? Are You Suddenly Unable to Sign In to Your Account, or Even Your Computer?

9/30/2020

Zoom & Skype Virtual Backgrounds: How to Use Them, Do They Work?

8/31/2020

Black Screen: What to Try When Your Computer Won't Power On

7/31/2020

Two-Factor Authentication: Improve Your Online Account Security, Decrease Your Convenience

6/30/2020

Word & Excel: How to Fit Your Document onto One Page

5/31/2020

Is Your Modem or Router Preventing You from Using the Full Speed of Your Internet Service?

4/30/2020

Smart Surge Protectors: A Mostly-Dumb Idea

3/31/2020

Zoom.us: How to Join or Host an Online Meeting

2/29/2020

Should You Use an Ad-Blocking Extension in Your Web Browser?

1/31/2020

Meetup.com: Find Social, Educational, Business Events and More Near You

12/31/2019

Passwords: Give Them to Your Executor & Power of Attorney In Case You Die or Become Disabled

11/30/2019

Organizing Your Passwords on Paper: A Simple Approach

10/31/2019

Do Not Upgrade Your Macintosh to macOS 10.15 Catalina Now, Wait 6-12 Months

10/30/2019

Windows 7 Support Will End on January 14, 2020 -- It's Time to Move to Windows 10

9/30/2019

Convenience vs. Security: Should You Use Your Web Browser to Remember Your Passwords and Credit Card Numbers?

8/31/2019

Printer Advice: Simple Ways to Save Ink and Toner

7/30/2019

The Top Reasons You're Having Trouble Clicking or Double-Clicking with Your Mouse

6/30/2019

Don't Start (or Renew) Another Online Subscription Before Asking These Important Questions

5/31/2019

Don't Forward Another Email Newsletter Until You Learn How to Protect Your Subscription

4/29/2019

Can Your Bookkeeping Be Automated?

3/31/2019

QuickBooks Online: A Brief Look at the Pros and Cons of Cloud-Based Bookkeeping

2/26/2019

Have You Ever Lost Everything That You've Typed Into an Online Form? Me, Too!

1/31/2019

Web Page Bookmarks and Favorites Don't Always Work, Here's Why

12/31/2018

11 Simple Ways To Take Better Digital Photos and Videos

11/28/2018

Capitalization Confusion: When Does It Matter If You Type UPPERCASE Letters vs. lowercase?

10/31/2018

Skype for the Holidays: How to Improve Your Next Online Video Chat with Family, Friends, Colleagues, and More

9/28/2018

Email confusion: What is your "account"? What happens if you delete it?

8/29/2018

A Brief Look Back at 20 Years of Computer Consulting

7/31/2018

My Most Common Troubleshooting Advice: Power It Off, Then On Again

6/29/2018

Going Paperless, Carefully Part 3: An Updated Perspective

5/29/2018

Don't Make These 6 Common Email Mistakes

4/30/2018

What's the Best Way to Clean Out Duplicate Files from Your Computer?

3/27/2018

The Problem with Carbonite, a Popular Online Backup Service

2/28/2018

Buying a New Computer in 2018? Read This!

1/30/2018

Gmail: "Allow less secure apps" Option Must Be ON for A Regular Email Program to Access Your Account

12/29/2017

Google: How to Search Inside a Specific Web Site Using the "site:" Operator

11/29/2017

Did You Change Your Email Password? Here Are 8 Other Places You May Need To Update Next

10/31/2017

Does Your Computer Suddenly Power Itself Off? It May Be Overheating

9/30/2017

Moving to Another Country? Cartridges You Buy There May Not Work in Your Printer

8/29/2017

I spilled something into my keyboard--Now what do I do?

7/25/2017

How to Clean Your Keyboard

6/27/2017

Skype: The Top Good (and Bad) Things You Should Know

5/30/2017

Should you install software updates and patches immediately? What's your hurry?

4/30/2017

Is Your Computer Acting Strangely? Don't Panic! Your Network or Internet Connection Might Be Down

3/31/2017

No Sound? Sound Too Low? Try These Ideas

2/28/2017

Online Dating: How to Protect Your Privacy

1/31/2017

Label Your Wireless Network, Printer, and Computer, It Will Help You Later

12/30/2016

More Fun and Useful Web Sites

11/30/2016

The Best and Worst Places to Store Your Passwords - Are Yours Secure?

10/31/2016

Sending some photos in an email? If you add captions, send a Word or PDF file instead!

9/30/2016

Should your website be mobile-responsive?

8/30/2016

Microsoft Word: How to see your document "life-size" on screen (hint: it's not 100%)

7/31/2016

Watch YouTube Videos in Less Time and with Better Comprehension

6/28/2016

Too many USB devices? Get a USB hub!

5/31/2016

Want to get rid of an old computer? Don't sell it, donate and deduct it instead

4/29/2016

What's a Blog? Should You Start One?

3/31/2016

Does Your Printer Have the Secret Ability to Print On Both Sides?

2/29/2016

Microsoft Word: What's the Best Way to "Push" Text to the Next Page?

1/31/2016

Do You Ever Wish You Could Be Notified When a Web Page Changes? Try FollowThatPage.com

12/31/2015

Should You Use Online Bill Payment? Can You Throw Away Your Checkbook?

11/30/2015

How to Write Better Emails, More Likely to Be Read

10/30/2015

My Most Universal Computer Advice: Turn It off, Then Back on Again

9/30/2015

How to Drive from Here to...Halfway There

8/31/2015

A "Virus" Warning Popped Up? Don't Call That Number, Don't Get Scammed

7/29/2015

Hackers Can Break Into Your Online Accounts *Without* Guessing Your Password! Use This Simple Tip to Protect Your Email and Other Accounts

6/30/2015

Disposing of a Computer or Phone or Tablet? Don't Give Away Your Personal Data as Well!

5/28/2015

A Cheap and Careful Way to Clean Your Computer Screen

4/28/2015

ZAP! How to Deal with Static Electricity

3/31/2015

I Attached My Files to an Email and Hit Send, but It Won't Go!
[Because I attached more than 8mb of attachments]

2/28/2015

I Sent an Email, Did It Arrive? Did They Read It?

1/31/2015

A Voice on the Phone Told You What? Don't Believe It!

12/30/2014

Going Paperless, Carefully Part 2: Use Document Scanning to Reduce Your Mountains of Paper!

11/30/2014

How to Measure Your Internet Speed, and Possibly Improve It For Free

10/31/2014

Are Things on Your Screen Sometimes Too Small to Read? Here Are 8 Ways to Make Them Larger

9/30/2014

Are You Always Searching Through Your Email? Try Saved Searches!

8/31/2014

The Top Three Things You Should Know About Using a UPS (an Uninterruptible Power Supply or Battery Backup)

7/31/2014

The Top Two Things You Should Know About Surge Suppressors

6/30/2014

Microsoft Word: Problems with Paste? Try Paste Special!

5/30/2014

How to Send Secure, Encrypted Email for Free
["Print" to an encrypted PDF, send that PDF as an attachment]

4/25/2014

Microsoft Word: When I Type, It Replaces (and Forward-Deletes) My Existing Text!
[Overtype mode vs. Insert mode]

3/31/2014

Use Email Rules & Filters to Organize Your Messages

2/28/2014

Moving Your Email from POP to IMAP? Read This!

1/31/2014

Buying A Computer Monitor? Read This!

12/30/2013

More Amazing, Wonderful, and Useful Web Sites

11/29/2013

Buying A New Computer? Read This!

10/29/2013

Web of Trust: Additional Protection From Malicious Web Sites

9/30/2013

join.me and LogMeIn: Two Good Ways to Get (or Give) Remote Assistance
- Kadansky Consulting, Inc. Celebrates 15 Years in Business

8/26/2013

Your Computer Will Probably Die Sooner Than You Think -- 10 Simple Things You Can Do Now To Prepare

7/30/2013

Can I Add A Second Monitor To My Computer? What About A Projector?

6/30/2013

9 Reasons I Don't Like Gmail.com

5/28/2013

The Biggest Myth About Gmail
[Myth: Using Gmail means that you must use the Gmail web site for your email--Not true!]

4/25/2013

Going Paperless, Carefully: Print to a PDF!

3/29/2013

Why Do YouTube Videos (or Other Streaming Content) "Stall" During Playback?

2/28/2013

Does typing a password you cannot see drive you crazy? Me too!

1/30/2013

What To Do When Your Web Site Gets Hacked (Broken Into and Destroyed)

12/28/2012

I Delete Email From My iPhone/Android/iPad, But It Still Comes Into My Computer--Argh!
[Use IMAP (if your email account supports it), webmail, or your server's App for your smartphone.]

11/27/2012

Track Changes: What Did You Change In My Word Document? What Did I Change?

10/31/2012

I Can Receive Email When I Travel, But I Can't Send!

9/28/2012

6 Things To Do When Your Friend's Email Account Gets Broken Into

8/31/2012

When I Tap on My iPad or iPhone, I Get More Frustration Than Results!
[Try a capacitive stylus]
- 14th Reason I Don't Like Cloud (Online) Backup and Storage Services

7/31/2012

Cleaning Out and Organizing Your Email--Not Easy, But Worth the Effort

6/27/2012

13 Reasons I Don't Like Cloud (Online) Backup and Storage Services

5/30/2012

Save vs. Save As -- What's The Difference?

4/30/2012

I Try To Change The Font, But It Doesn't Always Work!
[You need to click first!]

3/30/2012

Plugging In An External Drive Automatically Backs Up My Computer, Right?
[No, it doesn't! You should use good backup software, carefully set up, with your backup drive.]

2/28/2012

Don't Let Your Computer Die From Heat Stroke!
[Get it dusted out, and upgrade its RAM to the maximum while you're at it]

1/31/2012

Dangerous Information Hidden in Your Digital Photos, Part 2
[How to detect and remove your physical location stored from your photos]

12/29/2011

Dangerous Information Hidden in Your Digital Photos, Part 1
[How your physical location can be stored in your photos' metadata]

11/29/2011

Protect Your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint Files From Data Loss With AutoRecover

10/31/2011

Don't Change Your Technology Just Because Someone Tells You To

09/29/2011

Don't Let Apple's "Lion" Bite You! [Mac OS X 10.7]

08/31/2011

What Do I Do About Email When I'm on Vacation or Traveling?
[Don't try to set a vacation reply or "out of office" message in your email program. Instead, sign in to your webmail and set it there.]

07/27/2011

5 Problems With Webmail That Can Drive You Crazy!

06/30/2011

How can I get my email on more than one computer?
- Martin's E-Newsletter referenced in Chicago Tribune

05/18/2011

The "mugged in London" scam - Prevent thieves from breaking into your email account

04/26/2011

Should I forward these urgent emails to all my friends?

03/30/2011

How can I stop email spam?

02/24/2011

My computer could get infected through Skype?

01/26/2011

Your inkjet printer's dirty little secret [Waste ink collects inside your printer]

12/29/2010

Does using your credit card online make you nervous? [How to use temporary credit card numbers, also consider PayPal]

11/30/2010

My computer is infected? Or could this be a scam?

10/27/2010

How do you get there from here? Use your computer to get maps and directions

09/29/2010

Finally! Cordless phones that don't block your wireless computer
- I recommend: Gary Jorgensen, Car-buying/selling Consultant

08/31/2010

Data Security: What's the best way to protect my electronic files? Use encryption

07/21/2010

"Automatic" doesn't mean what you think
- Staples reduces its "ink rewards" from $3 to $2 per cartridge starting July 1, 2010
- Microsoft discontinues its Bing cashback program on July 30, 2010

06/28/2010

Data Security: How can I protect my paper records?

05/26/2010

Why does Word sometimes print a blank page at the end?

04/21/2010

Data Security: Does the new law apply to you?

03/17/2010

Data Security: The new Massachusetts law you can't ignore
- From the mailbag: Two readers respond to last month's newsletter on paperless billing

02/24/2010

Should I sign up for paperless billing?

01/27/2010

Wireless is always better, right?
- Update on urgent online payroll deadline for Massachusetts employers

12/30/2009

How can I save money using my computer?

12/14/2009

If you own a business that's a Massachusetts employer, don't miss this new urgent online deadline

11/24/2009

How much time do I spend writing? [Microsoft Word - Total Editing Time]
- In the news: Real-world consequences of posting personal information online

10/21/2009

Should I leave my computer on, or turn it off?

09/23/2009

Moving to a new computer is easy, right?
- Kadansky Consulting marks 11th year in business

08/18/2009

Freecycle.org: It is better to give *and* receive

07/15/2009

A Tale of Two Computers [Dropbox & Syncplicity]

06/24/2009

How would I create a web site?

05/13/2009

The future of voice mail: Listen using your computer!

04/22/2009

How to succeed when calling Technical Support

03/18/2009

Why is my computer slow?
- Digital TV transition postponed to June 12, 2009

02/18/2009

Why would I use Quicken or QuickBooks?
- Good news: Staples broadens their Rewards program to take ALL brands of ink and toner cartridges

01/14/2009

Are you ready for the change to Digital TV?

12/17/2008

Amazing, wonderful, and useful web sites

11/19/2008

Should I get an iPod?

10/22/2008

Single-click or double-click?
- Martin's E-Newsletter featured again in Belmont Newspaper

09/24/2008

How do I send an email to more than one person?
- Update: Hot car serves as an actual oven!

08/27/2008

When I move, my email address has to change, right?
- Update: Hot car temperature measured!

07/23/2008

How can I save money on my cell phone bill?
- Summer tax tips

06/18/2008

Cut, Copy, and Paste - What's it all about?
- I Recommend: Anna Huckabee Tull, Custom Crafted Songs

05/21/2008

How do I search using Google?
- I Recommend: Michael Katz, Email Newsletter Consultant (My Guru!)

04/23/2008

How do I get the most from my printer?
- From the mailbag: A reader replies
- Martin's E-Newsletter featured in Belmont Newspaper again!

03/20/2008

The Truth About Email

02/27/2008

What's this thing on my screen? [How to take a picture of the screen]
- Martin's E-Newsletter featured in Belmont Newspaper
- I Recommend: Judy Rice, Health and Fitness Consultant

01/23/2008

My computer can help in cold weather? How? [Weather, school closings, etc.]
- Contest Winner: Send me your most horrible/most wonderful backup story
- I Recommend: Greg Antonioli, Remodeler

12/27/2007

Bonus Issue: End of year advice on protecting your computer and other devices
- Contest: Send me your most horrible/most wonderful backup story
- Summary of recent newsletter issues
- I Recommend: shopper.cnet.com

12/19/2007

What's the single best way to protect my computer? [Back it up!]
- New! Contest: Send me your most horrible/most wonderful backup story
- New! Product to avoid: Canon PIXMA MX310
- Inexpensive USB flash drives from www.microcenter.com

11/28/2007

Using the same password for everything is ok, right?
- I Recommend: Netgear XE102: Powerline Ethernet Adapter

10/19/2007

Passwords, passwords, passwords! How can I keep track of them all?
- I Recommend: John Spino, Estate Attorney

09/19/2007

After you delete something, is it really gone?
- I Recommend: Ed McManus, Insurance Broker - Automobile, Home, and Business

08/01/2007

Hot Summer Tips: Don't Leave It in Your Car! [Rechargeable batteries]
- I Recommend: Craig Tashjian, Personal Mortgage Planner

07/10/2007

How You Can Deal With All Your Piled-up Email
- I Recommend: Anne Goodwin, Professional Organizer