Tag Archives: Windows

Q. My machine feels slower than before, what do I do?

Posted on February 25, 2020 by quill

Q. My machine feels slower than before, I have done all I know to make it feel like before but no luck – do I need to upgrade? A. Performance slows when your software demands more than your hardware can … Continue reading →

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How to test a hard drive (Windows)

Posted on February 25, 2020 by quill

First. last and always – Back up There is no substitute for having regular and verified backups of your data. If you don’t have a backup routine, you need to establish one, ASAP. How do I know a drive is … Continue reading →

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Q. I have a broken iMac Mid 2011. Can I re-use the iMac’s SSD drive with a Windows machine?

Posted on February 19, 2020 by quill

A. Your iMac Mid-2011 came standard with a 3.5 inch hard disk drive. (Note: The Apple Fusion drives were not brought out ’til the Late 2012 model, so your particular iMac has no socket for a SSD blade). Therefore, the … Continue reading →

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Can I build a gaming computer under $1000 March 2018 edition

Posted on March 15, 2018 by quill

It’s March 2018 and we are revisiting our exercise in budget computing: Can we build a computer that will give acceptable gaming performance for under $1000 Canadian? Here’s what’s new: DDR4 RAM has doubled in price, and dragged SSD pricing higher along … Continue reading →

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I have lousy WiFi reception – what can I do?

Posted on May 1, 2015 by quill

I can’t get good WiFi reception in my living room, my router is in the basement on the opposite side of the house In order to achieve reliable WiFi performance, you have to get a strong radio signal from the router … Continue reading →

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USB 3.1 and USB Type C: What *is* that port?

Posted on April 29, 2015 by quill

The latest iteration of the USB standard is making its way onto motherboards and into notebooks.  With USB 3.1 Type A connectors and USB C (or Type C) connectors, 5 Gbps and 10 Gbps, we have a bit of ‘splaining … Continue reading →

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Superfish malware installed on new machines exposes HTTPS browsing

Posted on February 21, 2015 by quill

If you have a new Lenovo laptop, do this today: Check for Superfish and eliminate it Software called Superfish, a “Visual Search enhancer” product pre-installed on new consumer laptops from Lenovo among other brands, has been revealed to have severe … Continue reading →

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NoScript with Firefox gives a higher level of security to web browsing

Posted on April 30, 2014 by quill

Web browsing is full of hazards. Even reputable websites can have poisoned banner ads from third parties, which can attempt to hack your machine or browser settings. You don’t even have to click on a “bad” website to be the … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, General Computer, Internet and Networking, Mac questions, Security, Software, Viruses and malware | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Internet Explorer Zero-day vulnerability – time to change

Posted on April 28, 2014 by quill

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser has been exposed to have a vulnerability that hackers have been exploiting — before Microsoft has had a chance to respond with a patch. (this is the meaning of the term Zero Day, a hole … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Security, Viruses and malware | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. What is a NAS drive and how would I use it?

Posted on March 19, 2014 by quill

NAS stands for Network Attached Storage.  It means any stand-alone hard drive or storage unit that is connected to an Ethernet network, and can be shared by the devices on that network. This is distinct from a USB or Firewire … Continue reading →

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New ‘NetFlix’ phishing scam

Posted on March 4, 2014 by quill

There is another variation on the bank account phishing scam – this time targetting NetFlix customers and with the potential for a lot of harm. A pop up screen or email claiming that your Netflix account has been suspended, with … Continue reading →

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Don’t fall for a parasite – watch your installers

Posted on May 3, 2013 by quill

Parasites … nobody wants them. But you almost certainly have at least one, in your computer.  Did you ever wonder how a Ask, Yahoo, AVG or other browser search toolbar suddenly appeared on your computer screen? Or why instead of … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Internet and Networking, Viruses and malware, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. How do I remove Visual Bee or Conduit from my browser?

Posted on April 29, 2013 by quill

VisualBee or VB or Conduit Search are search “aids” for web browsers and a toolbar; but you should avoid these.  They are rogue search engine redirectors that are included with downloads of various shareware installers (you have to be careful … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I get rid of ib.adnxs.com

Posted on October 13, 2012 by quill

ib.adnxs is browser redirect malware that installs into your browser, and sends your web searches to different sites instead of where you want to go. It will persistently popup its own addresses in your browser.  It will change your home … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I remove Scour Search from my browser?

Posted on October 3, 2012 by quill

Scour is a search “aid” for web browsers and a toolbar; it is a rogue search engine redirector that is included with downloads of various shareware installers (you know, the ones you have to be careful enough to unclick the “Install … Continue reading →

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