If you know me, you know that I swear by Malwarebytes. I use it on all computers – Mac or PC for initial clean up and to get rid of obvious malware. One of the categories of items that Malwarebytes finds and deletes is what they call PUP files, or potentially unwanted program files.
What are these files and why am I mentioning them? These are programs that you probably don’t want and did not download and install on purpose. You might have clicked on the wrong thing or didn’t see a checkbox when doing another download but now you have this new “junk” on your computer, and you don’t know how to get rid of it or even how it got there.
There are many different programs that fall into this category. A few I have dealt with are OneLaunch, Wave Browser and Shift Browser.
This is why I always tell people to make sure they know what is installed on their computers. If you see any of these icons on your desktop, get rid of these programs immediately!
These all work the same. They take over and become your default browser. They try to look similar to either Chrome or Edge hoping you won’t notice. What they really do is force you to use their search engine to build up their numbers and force you to go to websites you wouldn’t normally go to. I saw a customer just yesterday and he told me that Edge opens up every time he logs into his computer. He demonstrated this for me, and it turns out it was Wave not Edge. Since the colors were similar, he didn’t notice. Once we uninstalled Wave, he didn’t have a browser pop open each time he logged in.
I have seen these redirect you from a real site to a fake site. As I said before, I don’t know exactly how they get installed, but I know it isn’t from people going out and looking for them. If you see these on your computer, you should immediately uninstall them and make sure your preferred browser is set up as your default and your preferred search engine is also your default.
If you are not sure how to uninstall these, or you just need help identifying if you have these or similar “pup” files on your computer let me know and I can help get rid of them. It will probably improve your computer speed.
Want to get my computer services updates and reminders directly into your email inbox? Sign up for my FREE Newsletter!
I have talked about this many times before, but last week it happened to one of my customers again. His computer would not boot up after a restart and it kept going to the repair options. He Googled where to go from there and tried to fix this himself.
One of the options is System Restore. Your computer has the capability to periodically create restore points so that if there is a problem and the computer fails to start you can restore to a point in the past where it was still working.
When my customer tried this option, the computer said that System Restore was not turned on. The default used to be that it was automatically turned on and you had to go in and turn it off if you didn’t want it. That is not how it is now. If you want to have this safety feature ready for you it has to be turned on. If my customer had been aware of this, it would have saved him a lot of time and money. After he tried all of the Google ideas, he called me, and I had to reinstall Windows to get his computer working again.
If you want to make sure this is turned on on your computer, it is pretty easy to do. If you have the search bar next to the start button –
You can type “system restore” and it will give you the option to create a restore point. Click on that and it will tell you if System Restore is turned on or off. You only need it for your main drive, not any others since they don’t have the operating system on them.
This one simple thing can help make sure your computer keeps working. If you need help with this, I can walk you through it. Here is a video that explains this and another big issue that can make you lose access to your computer:
Want to get my computer services updates and reminders directly into your email inbox? Sign up for my FREE Newsletter!
It seems like everywhere you turn lately some kind of AI (Artificial Intelligence) is being talked about. Some tout it as the next big thing, while others, in the words of mama from The Waterboy, see it as “The Devil.” I am sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
While I was researching my second book – The Higher Education Scam, I interviewed many people. One of them mentioned to me what they heard about AI from a supposed expert. This expert said, “you will not lose your job to AI, but you will lose your job to someone who knows how to use AI.”
Based on all of this, I thought this would be a good topic to write about, so I decided to ask ChatGPT to write an outline for me. Here is the conversation:
I asked:
“I am writing about how to get started using AI in my monthly newsletter this month. Can you give me an outline and a few pointers?”
ChatGPT said:
Absolutely, Duane — that’s a great topic for your monthly newsletter. An article like this can position you as both helpful and forward-thinking for your clients. Here’s a clear outline and key pointers to get you started:
Newsletter Title:
“Getting Started with AI: What You Need to Know”
Outline:
1. Introduction: Why AI Matters Now
Briefly define AI in simple terms.
Mention how it’s already changing the way small businesses and individuals operate (e.g., chatbots, automation, content creation).
Reassure readers: you don’t need to be a tech genius to get started.
2. Real-Life Examples of AI You May Already Be Using
Voice assistants (Siri, Alexa)
Auto-correct or predictive typing
Spam filters in email
AI in photo editing apps or customer service chats
Grammarly – Writing assistant with AI-powered suggestions.
Canva’s Magic Tools – AI image and design generation.
Google Gemini or Microsoft Copilot – For document help or web search.
Otter.ai or Fireflies.ai – Automatically transcribe meetings or calls.
Include a tip: Try using AI to write your next social media post, respond to a tricky email, or create a to-do list.
4. Do’s and Don’ts for Using AI Effectively
✅ DO start small—experiment with one tool at a time.
✅ DO fact-check—AI can sound confident but still be wrong.
❌ DON’T share sensitive client data with AI tools.
❌ DON’T expect it to do your job for you—use it as a helper, not a replacement.
5. How Duane’s Reliable Computer Services Can Help
Offer help choosing and setting up AI tools.
Offer a 1:1 intro session or group demo.
Mention any AI tools you’re integrating into your own service (e.g., EDR with AI-driven detection, automated maintenance alerts, etc.)
6. Final Thoughts / Call to Action
Encourage them to give AI a try this month.
Offer a quick consultation to help them find the right tool.
Example: “Reply to this email with ‘AI HELP’ and I’ll send you my top tool recommendation for your business.”
Pointers for Writing:
Keep it conversational and non-technical.
Use real-world analogies (e.g., “Think of AI like a really smart assistant that doesn’t sleep.”)
Include a screenshot or short demo gif if possible.
Keep it short and skimmable—use bullet points, bold key ideas.
Would you like help drafting the full article based on this outline, or do you want to write it and have me review it?”
This took about ten seconds for ChatGPT to give me this outline and some pointers. I don’t normally just copy and paste the response into a document. I usually use it as a starting point, but I wanted to show you a real-life example of what it can do and how it works.
I have been using AI for a couple years now. I regularly run emails through it if I want them to sound more professional, less threatening, or more concise, for example. I also use a program called Otter.ai when I am in meetings. This program will listen to the entire conversation and then transcribe it for me. It then creates an outline and lists any action items. I do pay for this tool, but it saves me hours per month, so it is well worth it.
If you haven’t tried AI yet, you can go to chatgpt.com and create a free account. It is best to create an account because over time ChatGPT will learn more about you and become even more helpful. Just don’t share sensitive information with it. In other words, AI could possibly help you do your taxes, but since it searches online you don’t want to input your social security number.
It is also important to verify any information that AI finds because sometimes it is wrong. I heard about a jr attorney that used AI to prepare for trial, and he found a case that was very similar to his current case, and he used it as an example in the opening statement which a senior attorney had to read. As he read about the other case in the courtroom the judge looked it up on his computer only to find it did not exist. I am sure someone lost their job over that one.
If you are interested in learning more about AI or trying it for yourself, reach out to me. I can help you set up an account and get you started.
Want to get my computer services updates and reminders directly into your email inbox? Sign up for my FREE Newsletter!
The average US home in 2023 had 17 internet connected devices. Between smart TVs, smart home devices like Alexa and Hey Google, security systems, smart watches, phones and of course computers, making a change to your wifi name or password can be an all-day task of setting up devices again. Just getting a new router or switching to a new ISP is a scary thought.
I had a customer call me recently because he decided to switch from CenturyLink internet and go to Verizon with their whole house wifi pod. He received the new router in the mail and followed the instructions and was successful in getting his computer on the new wifi but none of his other devices connected. He called me to come to help and having gone through this last year, I was ready for the challenge.
The first thing I did was verify his new connection and connect to my laptop so I could make sure the internet was working properly. Next, I ask him to tell me the previous wifi name and password. He had added one character to the old wifi name for the new wifi name. The passwords were the same. I logged into his new system and changed the new name to what the old name was and in just a few minutes all of his many devices began to connect to his new internet.
We did not have to reset any of his devices. Every one of them is connected to the new wifi. So, if you are switching ISPs or even just getting a new router, use the same name as before and the same password and you will probably have all of your devices reconnect also.
If you need to change the wifi name or password because they are compromised, do some research beforehand, so you have all the information at hand to quickly reset all devices. If you need help with this, I am available for this type of work.
Want to get my computer services updates and reminders directly into your email inbox? Sign up for my FREE Newsletter!
I have talked a lot about password managers in the past and thought I would bring it up again. I know many people are reluctant to try them because they don’t understand how they work or how to set them up. In this article, I will explain all of that and also give you the reasons to go this way and some possible pitfalls too.
If you are currently keeping all of your passwords on a document on your computer and you occasionally update it and print out a new copy, moving to a password manager will simplify your life. No more multiple entries with some scratched out and dates next to each when it was last changed, or the last time you remember changing it. When I help someone set up a new computer and they use the printed document method it usually takes 30 to 45 minutes longer to set up their computer since we have to try multiple passwords and then reset most of them anyway since the person doesn’t remember the correct password. Since they are paying me by the hour, they actually spend more than the yearly cost of a password manager just by having me reset their passwords.
If you are currently keeping all of your passwords stored in a browser and you rely on that browser to keep all of them straight you might be in danger. Those passwords are not secure and could easily be stolen or accessed. With a true password manager, you have one master password that you need to remember to keep all other passwords secure. Typically, you log in to your computer and then log in to the password manager whenever you need a password. This can also be used on more than one device so if you have a computer, phone and tablet all of your passwords can be shared with all three devices, but they are still secure behind your one master password.
Setting up your password manager is easy if your passwords are stored in your browser. You can easily import them directly into the password manager from your browser. Once they are all loaded into the password manager you can delete them from your browser, and this will greatly improve the security on your computer.
So here is the quick Pros and Cons:
Pros –
Better security, you need a master password to access all of your other passwords.
Passwords can be available on all of your devices.
Only one password to remember.
Password managers will help you reset or change passwords.
No paper copies lying around to get taken or lost.
You can even keep credit card numbers securely in the password manager.
Cons –
Most password managers have a small cost if you want to share across your devices.
You must remember that one password. Most have no recovery if the master password is forgotten.
As you can see, having a password manager is a smart step towards better computing. I know setting up things like this can be daunting, but I can help you through the technical stuff. Call me if you want help with this. Here is a link to my favorite password manager:
I got a new phone recently. I have been putting off getting a new one for a couple years because I didn’t want to deal with resetting all of my MS Authenticator entries. I have close to 30 entries in my MS Authenticator because I am an admin for many different companies. I have helped others reset their authenticators before, but it usually doesn’t work easily, and it becomes a pain to fix it. After reading up on how to do it correctly, I decided to back my authenticator up to my Microsoft account and make the change.
It didn’t work out how I had hoped. The only entries that worked on my new phone after restoring my authenticator were my personal accounts. All of the accounts I manage for others did not work and required resetting them.
When I tried to reset them, I realized that I had added all of the recommended methods when I set them all up. I was able to get a text or email to get into the account and then I could easily go in and reset the authenticator. What I thought would be a nightmare turned out to be easy.
Why am I telling you this? My recommendation is, whenever you are setting up two-factor authentication, set up all of the methods they have available. This will allow you to easily get into your accounts even if your authenticator doesn’t work.
I know all of these extra steps are no fun, but they do keep your accounts safe. I recently had a couple of people at one of my companies that were getting text codes every few minutes for their email accounts. Since we had two factor set up, they did not lose access to their emails and the crooks did not get into their email. We were able to log into their accounts, reset their passwords and then sign out all instances so the crooks lost their ability to attempt to get in.
This happens often. Most months I get at least four or five people with this issue. As I have said before, if you don’t have two-factor authentication set up, Login to your accounts and get it going. If you need help with any of this let me know.
Here is a video I made about two-factor authentication.
Want to get my computer services updates and reminders directly into your email inbox? Sign up for my FREE Newsletter!
This recently happened to a customer of mine. He is writing a book, not for the general public but something for his kids to read about his journey and life lessons. He has been working on this for years and he is almost finished with it. He is writing it in Word and recently added most of the pictures to it. He called me because he can no longer open this document. It tries to open and then he gets an error message and it closes. This is his only copy, so he was very concerned. After trying a few other programs to open it and converting it to different versions of documents, we finally got it open but there were some errors. Eventually he was able to copy half of the document to a new document and then delete it from the original. This gave him parts one and two and he can safely complete his book.
Document size is a problem many people experience. It might be like my customer when you have difficulty opening a document or it might be when you try to send a document to someone in an email. Yes, your email also has size limits for attachments.
So how can you avoid file size issues? It depends on the type of file and what you want to do with it.
For sending files as attachments, both Gmail and Microsoft max out around 20 MB for all attachments. So, if you have more than one attachment the total of all documents must be less than the limit. The easier way to send large documents is to save them in your OneDrive or Google Drive and then send a link to share the file(s). You can also use Dropbox for this if that is where you store your online files. If you right click on the file or even a folder in your online drive, one of the choices is “share”, add their email address, or copy the link and put it in a new email. As always, I am happy to help with this if needed.
If you are working on a document in Word, Excel, or another program. Consider putting it into two or more documents. You can always google “max size limit” for the type of document you are working with. It is much better to do this before you get an error that prevents you from opening your document. You can also adjust the size of pictures that you add to your document. This usually requires a photo editing program to reduce the file size of the picture.
Hopefully you never get this type of error, but if you do I have a few programs that can sometimes help. Reach out if you need to.
Want to get my computer services updates and reminders directly into your email inbox? Sign up for my FREE Newsletter!
It seems like Wifi has been around forever, but it only came out commercially in 1999. We have all become so accustomed to having it that anytime there is a break in service or if it comes and goes, we feel like our world has come to an end. Many of the “emergency” calls I get are about wifi or internet.
Based on this, I thought I would give you some quick fixes to the common issues I hear about.
Home wifi is spotty or doesn’t reach certain rooms/floors. First, realize that the equipment you typically get from your internet supplier is not the strongest. For most homes I recommend getting a mesh wifi system. This is a series of small pods. One pod needs to connect to your existing router and create a new network, each subsequent pod is wirelessly connected to the others and spread about your home to give complete coverage. These pods even have ethernet ports so you can wire a few items to each pod if needed. This set up can also work in offices that are not wired for the internet. Also, they make pods that are waterproof so you can even extend your network into the yard. I can offer recommendations and help with installation if needed.
Computer wifi or ethernet port quits working. This is a very frustrating situation that I hear about often. Yesterday my internet connection worked fine but now it doesn’t even show a connection. There are a few levels to this one. Sometimes the settings just magically get turned off. I don’t believe it is intentional or even accidental because the settings are usually buried a few levels deep in the many settings menus. Some laptops have physical buttons on either side to turn wifi on or off, or they might have a function key that does this. If you can locate one of those, the repair can be very simple. If not, you can go to the Device manager and actually turn your wifi card off and back on. Sometimes this works. Occasionally the internal wifi card or even the ethernet port quits working all together. This used to be a big deal, I would have to open the computer and then replace the wifi card or for ethernet add an expansion card to a desktop. Laptops used to be very difficult to fix ethernet cards since laptops don’t have expansion cards. Now all you have to do is get a USB adapter for either wifi or ethernet. These are not expensive and fix the issue in minutes.
I hope you never experience issues like these, but if you do I can help you get back on the information super highway in no time.
Want to get my computer services updates and reminders directly into your email inbox? Sign up for my FREE Newsletter!
I know I have talked about this many times, but the end is definitely near and to ensure you stay safe on the internet it is important to have a plan in place to either upgrade if possible or plan on getting a new computer. Either way I am happy to help. In the past couple months, I have helped a few people get their computers ready for the upgrade when they initially received notice that their computer could not upgrade.
There are a few things that can keep you from upgrading. The first is having a processor that is not supported. If this is the message you receive, your choice is simple. You need a new computer. Actually, you will probably be pleasantly surprised by the increase of speed when you do get a new one since modern processors are so much faster and efficient than the older ones. If this isn’t the message you get about not being able to upgrade but instead you get a message about TPM and security I can most likely help you solve this issue.
If you do need a new computer, reach out to me and I can help you find the right computer. I have people messaging me all the time with specs on computers asking if this or that is a better deal and the right computer for them. I don’t want anyone to end up spending too much on a computer, or worse not getting enough power in a computer. In many cases, I will even do the shopping for you and then bring you the computer and complete the setup for you. Since this is usually something that can cause many people a great deal of stress.
If your reluctance to switch is just that you don’t like change, I suggest you take the plunge and move to Windows 11. I have said this before, but there are a few new features that make the change well worth it. The first great change is the improvement to Snap-Assist. This is the tool that allows you to break your screen into two equal parts, four equal parts, or even a few other options, effortlessly. It was easy in Windows 10, Here is a video that shows the old way:
But, in Windows 11 it is even easier. You can do it all from the maximize box at the top right of any open window.
The next feature that I like is PhoneLink. This allows you to make and receive phone calls on your computer instead of your phone, deal with text messages on your computer, access your pictures and get all phone notifications. I use it all the time to take a link from my computer and then text it to someone, get pictures from my phone for use on my computer and even make phone calls just by clicking a number on my computer.
There are a few things that look a little different than the old version, but it works very similarly, and it shouldn’t take very long to get comfortable with it.
Want to get my computer services updates and reminders directly into your email inbox? Sign up for my FREE Newsletter!
Last month, I received an email from a customer because she had just realized that she gave all of her personal information to a website that she thought was a government site but turned out not to be. She was concerned about identity theft and thought she might have just given scammers a free look at all of her personal information.
The site she went to was govplus.com. I did a little research about this site by checking out Trustpilot.com. According to TrustPilot:
“Trustpilot is an online review community that connects businesses and consumers through genuine feedback from customers about their buying and service experiences.
Since we started Trustpilot in 2007, our purpose has always been to help people. As a free and open review platform, we work to build trust between consumers and businesses.
We want to help businesses collect reviews to engage with their customers, fix problems, and achieve success by improving their services. We also want to help consumers learn about businesses so that they can make informed decisions when buying products and services. These things are only possible with customer feedback.”
Trust pilot had many reviews for the govplus site and none of the reviews mentioned being scammed or having their information stolen. Thankfully, my customer didn’t find a fake site. It was what I call a helper site. This type of site isn’t connected to the government, but they claim to make your process easier to get the government services you need. They usually charge a fee for this help. Based on consumer reviews, Govplus is very helpful and makes the passport process very easy.
There are many companies that do this sort of thing. Every year when my LLC is up for renewal, I get a letter in the mail that tells me it is about to expire, and they offer to help me with the process. In this case, I can easily go to the Colorado website and quickly file the necessary paperwork myself and pay just $10 to renew my LLC registration. The letter that I get wants $100 for this process. I always just throw these letters away. It isn’t really a scam, but it is a big waste of money, and it won’t save you any time.
It isn’t just government services that are targeted in this type of help. I also receive notifications from some official sounding domain seller when I have a domain that is up for renewal. In this case, they are trying to get me to switch my domain from GoDaddy to their company, but they make it sound like they are just being helpful. The cost for hosting my domains with this other company is usually many times the cost I currently pay to GoDaddy. It is important to be aware of this type of potential scam.
How can you protect yourself?
When on the internet, make sure you look at the actual website URL when searching. The most important part is what is between the “WWW” and the “.com, or .gov”. All federal government sites will have the “.GOV”, most state and local government sites will too, although some might have the .ORG”
If you receive a letter about renewing something, whether it is for a government service or anything else, read all of the fine print. If a company doesn’t divulge everything in their letter it is mail fraud and can cause severe penalties. They usually list in very small print that this is not required, and you can file this for yourself by going to the state website. This is what the LLC renewal always says, but the print stating this is very small, and all the rest is very large and “demanding.”
However you are contacted, you can always go to the official website for whatever agency you need to work with and ask them about the letter or other site. Many times, they will have a FAQ section, which stands for Frequently Asked Questions.
If you really are not sure, you can reach out to me. I would much rather give a little advice than try to clean up after a scam.
I hope this explanation helps in your future dealings with government and other services. There is nothing wrong with using these helper services, but it is best to be informed so you don’t accidentally give out all of your personal information. The above article is a reprint from my monthly subscription newsletter Email ScamBusters Monthly Report, every month I highlight a couple of scams and show how to spot them to keep yourself from getting scammed. The people that initiate these scams are usually outside of the USA and they are able to quickly disappear after the scam to avoid getting caught. Education about scams is the only way to prevent getting scammed. If you or someone you know needs this type of education, you can get this monthly report in your inbox every month. I charge $30 per year for the Email ScamBusters Monthly Report, partly to cover costs and also, I have found people are more likely to read it if they pay for it. To subscribe just follow this link.
