Daniel Banks – Daves Computer Tips

How To Prevent Chrome’s Automatic Sign-in

Daniel Banks — Mon, 22 Oct 2018 05:03:59 +0000

If you use Google Chrome, you might not have noticed that version 69 introduced a controversial change that Google conveniently failed to inform you about. This significant change allows Chrome to use your login information to automatically sign in to Chrome’s built-in local user account in order to synchronize your profile data among all Google services. It’s called “Identity Consistency”.

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Nuke The Nasty Servers – HOSTS File Blocking

Daniel Banks — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 06:08:01 +0000

In a perfect world, all content on the Web would be free. But in case you didn’t get the memo, it’s not a perfect world. Someone, somewhere, somehow, has to pay for the bandwidth and content you are consuming every time your Web browser retrieves a Web page. Due to this unfortunate reality, many sites on the Web are slathered with banner ads. Personally, I don’t mind paying my dues, to an extent…

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Windows 10 Nagware Is Being Removed

Daniel Banks — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 12:49:22 +0000

Rejoice, you Win 10 holdouts! Microsoft has released an update for Window 7 and Windows 8.1 that removes the Get Windows 10 (GWX) advertising App and other elements related to their underhanded tactics of prompting users to accept Windows 10 upgrades. This is good news for those Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 holdouts who somehow managed to avoid Microsoft’s aggressive and deceitful push of the…

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Electronics Frontier Foundation Blasts Microsoft

Daniel Banks — Mon, 29 Aug 2016 08:41:24 +0000

Ever hear of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)? My guess is that most have not. However, in the fast-moving and ever-developing age of electronics, they are a very important organization. The EFF is the “leading nonprofit organization defending civil liberties in the digital world.” For 26 years they have been your advocate for online privacy and freedom of expression as it relates to…

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Windows 7 and 8.x Forced Cumulative Updates

Daniel Banks — Fri, 19 Aug 2016 05:02:53 +0000

Microsoft will impose a change to the way it will offer updates to pre-Windows 10 computers. No more picking and choosing between individual patches for security and system reliability. These patches will be offered only in a single “Convenience Roll-up” update. A Roll-up is multiple patches rolled into a single update package. The move will have two primary objectives: It will reduce update…

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Chrome To Block Flash Content By Default

Daniel Banks — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 05:17:23 +0000

The programming code that brought the flat, two-dimensional Web to life on your computer monitor is now on life support. For well over a decade, Flash has brought us both eye-popping on-screen functionality and heart-stopping security vulnerabilities. It has been both loved and maligned, and it is now one step closer to being forgotten. Back in February of this year (2016), DCT brought you a…

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Microsoft Forces Cortana – The Gloves Are Off

Daniel Banks — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 06:26:39 +0000

is now available and being pushed to computers through Windows Update. Microsoft has included several new ‘features’ that come with this update. Notable features include a number of User Interface (UI) improvements to the Start Menu, Notification Center, Task Bar, and greater integration of the Windows 10 Virtual Assistant named “Cortana”. Actually, the term “greater integration” is an…

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Disposable eMail – Good Defense Against eMail Abuse

Daniel Banks — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 05:20:24 +0000

If you spend enough time online, sooner or later you’ll wish you had a disposable eMail account, or, a way to track whether or not someone has “shared” your eMail address. Maybe you want to subscribe to a mailing list for a weekly newsletter about collecting antique thimbles. Perhaps you want to sign up for a discussion group on a Web site devoted to planting peach trees in your living room.

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How To Activate 2-Step Verification for Gmail Login

Daniel Banks — Thu, 14 Jul 2016 05:03:04 +0000

Recently, it was reported that a prominent security expert acquired a database with 272.3 million eMail accounts, with passwords, from a hacker in a Russian underground forum. All it cost him was a nice review of the hacker’s skills. The stolen IDs/passwords contained accounts from Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Microsoft eMail, along with a large collection from Mail.ru, one of Russia’s largest eMail…

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Improve Security – Stop Using Passwords

Daniel Banks — Tue, 12 Jul 2016 17:53:20 +0000

Security experts have shown us over the past couple of years how little effort some people put into coming up with the passwords that will secure their online accounts, routers, eMail, etc. It seems that so many people demonstrate an amazing indifference to the potential consequences of a weak password or they simply don’t understand the difference between a weak password and a strong one.

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How To Turn Your Old Smart Phone Into A DashCam

Daniel Banks — Thu, 30 Jun 2016 05:08:25 +0000

Got a new Smart Phone? Not sure what to do with the old one? Why not turn it into a DashCam or Home Security Cam? There’s an App for that! Many people never think of the many productive ways they can use their old Smart Phone once that shiny new one arrives. Often, it just goes in the top drawer of the dresser, ignored until it’s forgotten. Don’t do that. Just because that older Smart Phone…

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Why I Use Firefox

Daniel Banks — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 05:35:56 +0000

On my computer, the one thing I use the most is my browser. It is hands down the most important application on my system. Over the years I have tried several other browsers. Ultimately, I always come back to Mozilla’s Firefox. In my view, no other browser offers any features or usability differences significant enough to become my favorite full-time browser. Every browser has it’s better points…

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How To Setup Google 2-Step Verification

Daniel Banks — Wed, 25 May 2016 12:19:47 +0000

Recently, it was reported that a prominent security expert acquired a database with 272.3 million eMail accounts, with passwords, from a hacker on a Russian underground forum. All it cost him was a nice review of the hacker’s skills. The stolen IDs/passwords contained accounts from Gmail, Yahoo! Mail and Microsoft eMail, along with a large collection from Mail.ru, one of Russia’s largest eMail…

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How To Customize Android Phone DNS

Daniel Banks — Fri, 06 May 2016 09:04:12 +0000

In a previous article, Faster DNS – Improve Online Experience, we discussed improving your internet experience by customizing your computer’s DNS settings. But did you know you can do the same with your Android mobile devices? Android, of course, is the open source operating system owned by Google. Since Android is a Google product, as you might expect, Google’s own DNS servers are programmed…

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