The Desert Computer Tutor

Category: Security

  • What to Do With Your Outdated Gadgets?

    Our gadgets get outdated faster every year!  But don’t just let them collect and clutter your home or office.  You might be able to get some money for them; and if not, you can recycle them and get them out of your way.

    In any case, be sure to erase your data first.  Even if you’re giving away an old phone to a close friend or relative, you still don’t want them snooping around in your contacts, text messages, photos and email.

    Fortunately, erasing an iPhone or Android phone isn’t difficult at all. You just have to know where to look.

    Before erasing, make sure you backup the old phone. For an iPhone, connect it to a Mac or PC and launch iTunes. Follow the onscreen instructions to perform a backup of your apps, settings and other data.

    For an Android, backup important files to your PC or an external drive. Sync your contacts with Google cloud or your Gmail account.

    To erase an iPhone 3GS or 4, go to Settings>>General>>Reset. Tap Erase All Content and Settings, then press the big red button that says Erase iPhone. The phone will give you an estimate of how long it will take.

    You erase the iPad and the iPod touch the same way. Make sure your gadget is fully charged or plugged in before starting. Sometimes the process can take a while.

    If you want to double check, you can check the mail, phone, calendar and message apps to verify that everything is gone. If you sync the device to the computer again, it should show up as a new gadget.

    For an Android gadget, press Menu and tap Settings. Select SD & Phone Storage and then tap Factory data reset. Tap Reset Phone. All your information, apps and the SD card will be gone.

    Some manufacturers modify how Android works on their gadgets. If you don’t see the above options, check your phone’s manual or contact the manufacturer’s support website for specific instructions.

    If you have a newer older gadget, you can make back some of your money by selling it.  I recommend CashForLaptops.com  I sold my mom’s old laptop and got $60 for it.  It was so easy.  I applied online, they mailed me the packaging and label, kept me updated by email and paid promptly.  They didn’t want my old Blackberry but, hey, it was worth a try.

    If you can’t sell it, then please recycle it.  The easiest way is to drop things off at Best buy in Palm Desert.

  • Q and A: How to Get Rid of Spam Emails

    Mardi–Is there any way to block all the junk E-Mails we get?    Thanks–Jerry

    Thanks for the question Jerry.  I get this one often.

    We can’t really block them, but they can be filtered and redirected to your trash folder.

    Just mark them as spam instead of deleting them.  Next time, you get one from the same sender, it will go directly to your trash folder instead of to your inbox.

    You can also set up filters for certain subject lines, or words in the subject line.  For example, in gmail you can

    1. Select the message in your message list.
    2. Click the More button, then Filter messages like these.
    3. Enter your filter criteria in the appropriate field(s).
    Most email programs have this feature,  just poke around until you find filters or we can set up a time for me to show you how.

    On a related note:  Never reply to spam emails or unsubscribe, that just lets the spammers know that they have reached a real email address.

    In Joy,

    Mardi

  • Where Are Your Passwords? You don’t use the same one for everything, Right?

    I know passwords are a big nuisance.  If everybody would “play nice” we wouldn’t need them.  However, until the world has been totally restored to love and peace, we need to get a grip on passwords.

    If you use the same one for everything and someone figures it out or gets access to it, they will try your other accounts and may cause you a lot of grief.

    So, DO NOT USE THE SAME PASSWORD FOR ALL ACCOUNTS, PLEASE!!!!

    Here are a couple of solutions:  Think of a phrase that you can associate with an account and easily remember.  It could be a line from a poem, a song, a quote or a book title, etc.  Use the first letter of each word in the phrase instead of the words themselves.  Add in a number or two and a symbol like #, or @ or !.  I worked with one clever client this week that used the number 0 for the Os and 3 for the Es 1 for the Ls.  Really a neat idea!

    I know they say not to write them down, but do it anyway.  I can’t tell you how much computer tutoring time is wasted, trying to figure out forgotten passwords.  Just don’t store the list right next to your machine, where a burglar might find it.  If you want to take the list on vacation,  hide the identity of the sites that the passwords belong to, by using abbreviations.  This sounds like a lot to do when you read it, but actually you only do it once, and you will avoid a heap of stress and wasted time later.

    If somebody figures out your email password, they can log in as you and send bad emails to everyone in your address book. If they are able to change the password, you will not be able to get in and you will have to abandon that account and start all over with a new one.  That means getting all your friends to switch to your new email address and, even worse, having to tell them that somebody they don’t know has access to their email addresses.  So it you won’t take my advise for yourself, at least do it for your friends.

    Another option that I like, is a free application called Last Pass.  It generates mega-secure passwords and stores them in a vault on your computer that can only be accessed by a master password.  I use it and love it.  It may be too involved for some of you, but I’d be happy to show you how it works so you can decide.

    In any case, take a few minutes to get organized with the password thing, so we can spend our tutoring time on more fun activities…like learning new productivity tricks and playing with new gadgets.

    In peace and joy,

    Mardi