Apple owners — 5 quick security tweaks
Folks, if you upgraded to iOS 10 on your iPhone and/or iPad (and it didn’t brick your device) please read, and follow, this brief How To tutorial article.
* Five security settings in iOS 10 you should immediately change
“These tweaks will lock down your iPhone or iPad to protect your privacy.” Read more..
[ I suggest doing that even if you don’t believe there’s any such thing as Privacy anymore.. ]
* * *
Today’s quote: “Two persons cannot long be friends if they cannot forgive each other’s little failings.” ~ Jean de la Bruyere
Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
Big Brother is Facebook — Here’s what EVERYONE needs to do
Whether you ever had a FB account or not, you need to read this and do these things now.
* Stop Facebook tracking you across the web, change these settings
“Facebook member or not, the social networking giant will soon follow you across the web — thanks to its new advertising strategy.” Read more..
* * *
Weird: It was 9 years ago today that I posted my first ‘How To’ here.. My, my.. almost a decade.
Today’s quote: “Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” ~ Peter Marshall
Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
Quick Tip – Turn Off Auto Formatting In Word
If you’ve ever created a numbered or bulleted list in Microsoft Word, you know that Word automatically makes formatting changes once it senses a pattern in your list. However, the auto-formatted text can become a real chore to change when you want to begin a sentence with a number or bullet point without beginning a new list, or use your own listing style — then the “helpful” automation seems less than helpful.
Fortunately, you can disable (aka “turn off”) this automatic feature (and turn it back on again, later, should you want it again).
To turn off auto formatting:
In Word 2003,
- Click the Tools menu, then select AutoCorrect Options.
- Choose the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
- Remove the checkmarks from the Automatic Bulleted Lists and Automatic Numbered Lists, and click Apply.
In Word 2007, click the Office button (“File” tab in Word 2010)
- Click Word Options, and then click Proofing in the list
- Click the AutoCorrect Options button.
- Select the AutoFormat As You Type button (tab in 2010).
- Remove the checkmarks from the Automatic Bulleted Lists and Automatic Numbered Lists, then click OK, and click OK again.
(Optional: you may also want to un-check “Format beginning of list items like the one before it”, if you are using different list formats in your document.)
To “re-enable” the Auto-formatting feature, apply these steps but restore the checkmarks.
Today’s reco(s):
• Putting Registry-/system-cleanup apps to the test
“The most contentious software category has to be PC-system/Registry cleaners. Some users find them invaluable; other users consider them worse than useless.” Read more..
• Firefox updates for security, user add-on control
Mozilla on Tuesday released Firefox 8, the latest iteration of its open-source web browser, which includes a number of new features and defense against seven vulnerabilities.
The more noticeable adjustments to the browser include a search box that accommodates queries across Twitter. In addition, the new version prevents the default installation of plug-ins distributed by third parties, a move that is designed to put more control into the hands of Firefox users.” Read more..
• 30 Incredible Job Sites for Freelance Computer Techs
Are you a tech looking to do some freelance work? Check out this resource (other freelancers may want to look too).
Today’s quote:
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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Lost The Password? How To Reset Your Router
If you have lost or forgotten the User name and password, and cannot get in to your router’s control panel (or wireless access point) here are the steps you should follow to regain access, and control over your network settings.
1) If you do not know it already, determine the Make and Model of your router. This will often be found on a label on the bottom.
(“Make” is the manufacturer: Belkin, Netgear, Lynksys, D-link, for example; and the “model” will the “DIR 655”, or “WRT-54G” [your letters/numbers will vary].)
2) Use your favorite search engine and look up your router’s defaults – and write them down.
In the search pane, type the make, then the model, then “defaults” (D-link DIR 655 defaults, for example). From the list of results, look for the one that is the manufacturer’s Support page. Write down the:
- IP address (this will be something like “192.168.1.1”)
- Username
- Password
[note: if all you need is the User+Pwd, you can also go to http://www.routerpasswords.com/]
3) Open your web browser (Internet Explorer/Firefox/Chrome)
Type the default IP address you just looked up into the browser’s address bar (where the http://www.website.com goes) and press “Enter”.
This will open the router Control Panel login.
4) Try the default Username/Password (Often, this is “Admin” and the password is blank [empty].)
No luck?
5) Reset the router
IMPORTANT Note: resetting the router wipes away any changes you had made — and your connection settings to your ISP. You will have to create new user names and passwords and “wireless security keys” (WEP, WPA, WPA2) and reconnect to the Internet/ISP. (Which means you will have to reconnect each of your wireless devices by entering your new “key”.)
On the back of the router, look for a small button, or hole, labeled “Reset”.
• With the unit on, use a straightend paperclip to press the reset down for about 15 seconds, and then release it.
• The unit will restart on its own.
As soon as the lights stop blinking, the unit is ready.
Now repeat Steps 3 and 4, and this time you will be in, and you will have access to the router’s settings control panel.
Related:
- How to secure your wireless network
- How To Connect a Router Without the Setup CD
- Restricting Roommates Internet Use – Continued.
- A New Wireless Router “Internet security made me decide to buy a new router...”
Today’s quote: “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” ~ Japanese Proverb
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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Laptop Power Plan Settings And You*
Yesterday it came to my attention, in a rather distressing way, that my laptop’s battery had gotten too low –> my screen went black and the fan stopped. I looked at my power button and the blue LED was not lit. In a word, my laptop was “off”. (Or, dead.)
My first thought was “*Cripe!* What happened?! What button did I press!?!”.. as I had been happily typing away mere milliseconds ago. Chatting on IM, I confess.
After my initial panic, and my heart started beating again, I pressed the power button and nothing happened — which I know is an indicator that the battery does not hold enough charge for a safe boot up… (or, laptop is dead) and I realized that I had been running on battery for longer than I had thought.
So I took my laptop and plugged it in to the wall outlet.
The blue power LED came on, and Windows tried to load, and then gave me the white-text-on-black-screen “Windows did not shut down properly. Select a …”
I told it to “Start Normally” (the default), and luckily it did so. Computers don’t like sudden power interruptions, and sometimes such events can corrupt Windows beyond simple repair. Which is “bad”.
See, I had been operating under a misconception: I thought my laptop would warn me when my battery was getting low.. and I thought that if I let it get too low, it would automatically do a shutdown process – that it was programmed to do so.
Because sudden “off” is bad.
(And suddenly disappearing from a chat is rude.)
Well, yes, Windows laptops are supposed to. But I was using a “Power Plan” option that – to me, “must have” – setting was not enabled. Here’s how I turned it on again: Advanced Power Plan Settings.
1) Double-click the battery icon (down by the clock) or press Windows key+X to open the Mobility Center and double-click the battery icon (see, Travelers’ Tips for Maximum Laptop Battery Life).
2) click “More power options”.
3) click “Change advanced power settings”.
4) Scroll down until you see “Battery” and click the little “+” sign.
5) Click the little “+” sign next to “Critical battery action”
This is what you want your laptop to do when your battery becomes “critically” low.. and sudden off is imminent.
6) Locate the “On battery” option. Click on “do nothing”, and change it to “Shut down” – then click Apply.
Then “OK” your way out of those windows. You are done. Now your laptop will do a nice, safe, proper shutdown when your battery gets too low.. instead of the sudden black of a dangerous “off”.
Note: by default you have three “power plans”. I happened to be in “ultra-turbo full speed ahead” mode (aka “High performance”) so I needed to modify that one, but it pays to check all three!
That was drama I could have done without…
* Orig post: 9/11/2010
Bonus!
Today’s quote: “Where you find quality, you will find a craftsman, not a quality-control expert.” ~ Robert Brault
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved. 
post to jaanix.
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Facebook Changes Privacy Controls | More (Free) Streaming Music
Happy “hump day” to you, everyone. Not much time for writing today, but I wanted to share two items with you.
1) Facebook is a topic once again, as they are revamping how the Privacy (security) controls work. I think those of you who use Facebook should be aware of these changes — which hopefully will be improvements: please see, Facebook Rolling Out Security Update, Taking Page From Google+?
“Facebook on Tuesday introduced a number of new security features, some of which take a few pages from the Google+ playbook. Facebook said the changes will start rolling out in the next few days. When they do, Facebook will display a prompt that will walk you through the various updates.
“Taken together, we hope these new tools make it easier to share with exactly who you want, and that the resulting experience is a lot clearer and a lot more fun,“. For more, see this slideshow, as well as PCMag’s slideshow look at When Facebook Gets Creepy.”
2) A loyal reader wrote me privately after yesterday’s article on Spotify online streaming music service, and told me about a service they use (and I had not ever visited [aka “tried”].).
“I’ve been going to Grooveshark to listen to songs of my choice free for a few years now. No download necessary, and it probably has as many or more songs as Spotify.“
In my very quick look-see, I found that it has real AC/DC, and the Offspring songs I mentioned, and yes, they are right, it plays right in your web browser. I will be checking this out more thoroughly when time allows, but thank you, Dear Reader! (You know who you are.)
Today’s quotable: “A cynic knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” ~ Oscar Wilde
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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