Security – Daves Computer Tips

How To Stop Gemini From Reading Screen

Jason Shuffield — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 05:04:20 +0000

Last week, we covered how to adjust Facebook Display Settings. If you missed that article, you can find it here: How To Adjust Facebook Display Settings This week, I want to cover something on privacy. Not on Facebook, but a Google AI feature called Gemini. I want to bring this up because I received a notification that Google turned on Gemini, and it would automatically capture information on…

Source

Patch My PC

Terry Hollett — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 05:15:50 +0000

I recently ran WinGet to update the apps on my computer. It ran OK with one small snag. WinGet Breaks 4K Downloader Plus I was made aware of a program called “Patch My PC”. Thanks, Mindblower. A search shows it’s been covered before in past articles. Read: Top Notch Free Software Updater How To Patch My PC So I decided to try out the latest version. I downloaded the portable…

Source

Update Your Phone’s Emergency Address

Jim Canfield — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 05:01:14 +0000

In a previous article, I mentioned that some of my clients experienced poor phone coverage. Their problems varied from issues occasionally popping up to major issues where their calls went directly to voicemail, low or spotty volume, and messages arriving late. I showed that the phones could use Wi-Fi Calling, which usually fixed the issue. However, when using Wi-Fi Calling…

Source

Turn Off Activity History For Privacy

Terry Hollett — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 05:03:11 +0000

After watching some YouTube videos, I discovered that Microsoft keeps a log of your activities in a file called “ActivitiesCache.db”. I thought it was only for Windows 11, but I also found the file on all of my Windows 10 computers. The path to the file on my system is C\Users\Terry\AppData\Local\ConnectedDevicesPlatform\L.Terry\ActivitiesCache.db It’s a hidden file, so you have to show…

Source

How To Disable Data Sharing On Roblox

Jason Shuffield — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 17:20:29 +0000

If you missed it last week, we covered how to hide suggested reels on your Instagram app. Here is the link: How To Hide Suggested Reels On Instagram This week, we are going to change gears and look at Roblox. My kids and my wife play on this platform together. Yes, I do too, and I have been doing some research on it. What I recently found out is that Roblox sells and shares your data by…

Source

How To Stop Phone From Watching You

Jason Shuffield — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 17:31:34 +0000

If you were here last week, we discussed how to enable certain settings on the Chrome app. You can find out about that article here: How To Activate Essential Chrome Mobile Settings I wanted to keep on the subject of keeping you safe on your mobile device. In my research, I have now found out that your phone might be watching you through your camera app, too. Plus, it could be sending that…

Source

How To Turn Off Map Location Instagram

Jason Shuffield — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 11:26:59 +0000

Last week, we had a lesson on how to set the magnification shortcut on your Motorola. If you missed that, you can find it here: How To Set Magnification Shortcut On Motorola This week, I want to jump on over to a social media platform called Instagram. I’m bringing this up because they did an update that shows your location on a map. So if any stalkers are looking for you, this can let them…

Source

Microsoft Now Rolling Out Windows 10 ESU

Jim Hillier — Wed, 06 Aug 2025 04:02:45 +0000

In a recent blog announcement, Microsoft confirmed that the Windows 10 ESU (Extended Security Updates) program is now live and the company is in the process of rolling out enrollment options to users. The program extends support for security updates for one year past Windows 10’s end-of-support date (14th October) and currently includes three enrollment options: Plus, of course…

Source

This Small Action Can Help You Stay Safe On Your PC

Jim Canfield — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 04:01:56 +0000

How using separate Admin and Standard User Sign Ins can improve your safety. A dual account system means having two user accounts: one with administrative privileges and one without. It is recommended to use your standard account on a daily basis. This approach is widely used to improve security, manageability, and productivity on computers and networks. Here are the main benefits How Are…

Source

How To Deny Facebook Access To Photos

Jason Shuffield — Thu, 17 Jul 2025 17:26:25 +0000

Last week, we covered ‘How to Enable Charging Animation On Samsung.’ If you missed that fun article, you can find it here: How To Enable Charging Animation On Samsung This week, I’ll be discussing how to keep your photos safe on your mobile device. You might be asking, Why would my photos be in danger? That is a good question, and I’m going to tell you. The Facebook app has access to your…

Source

Public Wi-Fi Best Practices

John Durso — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 04:25:15 +0000

For those of us living in a hemisphere where Vegemite is NOT considered fine cuisine, summertime is approaching. That means surf, sun, travel, and time with family. It also means you may need to use public Wi-Fi. Public Wi-Fi is an open network often available at coffee shops, fast-food restaurants, libraries, hotels, and other locations. It is convenient, and when traveling, it may be the only…

Source

How To Manage Instagram Comments

Jason Shuffield — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 20:56:35 +0000

Last week, we covered how to hide the reaction count on Facebook. If you missed that, here it is: How To Hide Reaction Count On Facebook This week, I wanted to talk about the platform Instagram. Many of my articles give you tips on social media apps. Today is no different, and when I was looking around on this app, I found another feature that I think you should know. ‘What would that be?

Source

Opera – Extension Requires Additional Permissions

Terry Hollett — Thu, 15 May 2025 19:49:26 +0000

I received this message from my Opera browser on two separate computers. The message read: “The extension upgrade requires additional permissions. Go to the extension manager to accept the upgrade.” Then, an option to click reads “Go to Extensions”. Clicking on it sends you to the Extensions page. The only one with an upgrade notice was the “Bitwarden Password Manager” extension.

Source

Adding A VPN To A Home Network – Part 4

John Durso — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 04:27:22 +0000

In parts 1, 2 and 3 of this article, I explained what a VPN is, the reasons to put a VPN on a router, equipment concerns, how to add a VPN client to a router, what modifications to make to the default settings, how to how to create rules to get traffic to the VPN client, and how to manually assign an address to a device on the network. In this article, I will cover creating rules to bypass the VPN…

Source