Long gone, but now back… sort of. :)
Wow! Yesterday’s item, “New, free Chrome extension checks for password hacks in real time” generated a ton of replies… and questions! For example, over on the AskWoody lounge, a number of readers expressed concerns about explicitly asking a Google product to examine your passwords. As I explained there, I completely understand the reluctance to invite…
Google’s new Password Checkup extension for desktop Chrome automatically checks your passwords, as you use them, against a Google-developed database of some four billion known hacked/stolen logon credentials. (Fig. 1) Note that this is not the same as sites like have i been pwned , which check to see if your email address (not passwords) appears…
Reader Troy Marcotte* asks: “Is there any way to recover data from a computer that has been factory reset?” If the device was simply reset using an ordinary factory recovery DVD/flash drive, or the like, then yes, some data may still be available. With a standard factory reset, the drive usually gets reformatted, and fresh…
First, scan the “possibly infected” system using an external, self-contained, bootable, DVD- or flashdrive-based anti-malware tool. (Examples; many are free.) Boot and run the suspect PC from the anti-malware DVD or flash drive — not from the possibly-infected hard drive. The anti-malware tool then runs, scans, and cleans all the files on the hard drive….
Older Windows Secrets/LangaList columns are in the process of being moved to their new home at AskWoody.com, and may not yet be publicly available. In the interim, I’m reprinting selected columns here to help ensure readers can find and access information I’m referencing in new columns. The column below was originally published in the May…
I hope it’s not a surprise to you: Internet Explorer 10 is in its final months; and will no longer be supported by Microsoft as of January 2020 — the same “end of life” as Windows 7. As the Microsoft TechCommunity Blog bluntly states: “You will have until January 2020 to complete the transition from…
Uncle! OK, OK, I give in! When I recently resurrected the Langa.Com site, and started working again with the old Windows Secrets gang over at AskWoody.com, I assumed my current laptop would be up to the task. After all, it had served me well for the last few years. I was wrong. It’s not an…
If this is a new problem — if the laptop used to charge normally — your battery is likely showing its age. It’s now requiring more power to recharge, and is overtaxing the power supply, leaving you with an either-or choice — charge the battery or run the PC. A new battery will likely restore…
First, be sure your hard drive is the true bottleneck: If you’re using Windows, open Task Manager/More Details and select the Performance tab. If your hard drive is a truly the bottleneck, you’ll see something like this: If the problem is the hard drive, you can help by giving it a tune-up. First, free up…
Reader Bernie Holladay* writes: Fred, I have a question about the USB-C port. I needed to spec a USB connection for my new PC and choose Type-C. It was for a connection to a USB powered cooling pad for a laptop. It worked fine but when I shut down I noticed the fans were still…