Category: Technology

When it comes to computers, there is a common misconception that devices start to slow down from essentially the moment that you turn them on for the first time. While it’s true that today’s technology may not be quite so “state-of-the-art” even as soon as six months from now, that doesn’t mean that everything you buy will need to be put out to pasture quite so quickly.

In fact, there are a number of basic steps that you can take to keep your computers running totally efficiently – so long as you’re proactive about the process, that is.

Regular Computer Maintenance: Breaking Things Down

By far, one of the most important regular maintenance steps that you can take to keep your computer running perfectly involves downloading updates whenever you’re able to do so.

Note that this includes updates to both the operating system and to any critical apps that you’re using. On a MacOS computer, you can find operating system updates by going to the “System Preferences” screen and selecting the “Software Updates” button. On a Windows machine, you can find the same option by opening the “Control Panel.”

In addition to offering important security fixes, operating system software updates often include crucial changes to the code that help your machine grow more efficient over time. This is why, even though they’re admittedly a minor inconvenience, you should still make it a priority to download them.

If you’re willing to put additional money into your machine to increase its lifespan, you should definitely focus on adding more RAM. There are certain hardware-based components of a computer that you essentially have no control over, with the motherboard being the primary example. If you decided that you wanted to upgrade the motherboard, you’d essentially just be building a new computer.

But if you spend a few hundred dollars on RAM, you can easily swap it out yourself and enjoy an almost instant speed boost as a result. If your computer came with 4GB of RAM, the best thing to do would be to upgrade to at least 8GB. If you’re willing to go to 16GB, that’s even better – the machine will feel as good as new and you won’t have to think about an upgrade for years to come.

Keep in mind, however, that you’ll need to make sure you’re buying RAM that is comparable with the machine you have. Determine the model number of your computer and check online for which types of RAM are compatible.

Finally, if your computer has a traditional hard disk drive, you could always upgrade to a flash-based solid state drive for an instant performance boost. It will make even the most resource-heavy apps feel faster. Just be sure to back up the contents of your old hard drive before you make the change to help guarantee that you won’t lose any critical data in the process.

Few people like the experience of turning on their computer in the morning only to be greeted by a series of messages saying that updates are available and need to be downloaded. Many of us even put these updates off for long periods of time, consistently clicking on the “Remind Me Later” button. This is particularly common with operating system updates as, even though the OS is a major part of how your computer is able to function, it’s still something of an “out of sight, out of mind” situation.

In reality, this is definitely not something that you want to do. Operating system updates are far more critical than most people realize for a number of different reasons, all of which are worth exploring.

Why Operating System Updates Matter

One of the biggest reasons why operating system updates should be downloaded immediately has to do with the security flaws that they often patch.

Yes, it’s true that sometimes OS updates can seem superfluous – meaning they make changes to built-in apps that can seem inconsequential or they adjust the graphical user interface (GUI) in a way we might not actually enjoy.

But more often than not, the major changes that an operating system update is bringing happen on “the back end.” This means it is fixing the code that average users never really see.

If a security vulnerability with an operating system is discovered – and rest assured, one will be – an update is likely pushed out to address it. Every day that you don’t download and install that update is a day that your machine is potentially vulnerable to hackers with malicious intentions.

This is also a big part of the reason why it’s so important to pay attention to when the “End of Life” date is on an OS. Microsoft’s Windows 7, for example, was undeniably one of the more popular versions of Windows to ever be released. However, Microsoft announced years in advance when they would stop supporting it. It’s simply not feasible to pay programming teams to regularly update software that is a decade old when they could be working on whatever the newest version happens to be.

If anyone continued to run Windows 7 after the “End of Life” date, they would essentially be running a computer that could be easily exploited. Any piece of personal data on that machine – be it bank statements, photos, confidential documents, etc. – could be easily taken advantage of because no further updates were coming.

Therefore, it’s always important to update your operating system whenever the opportunity arises because those updates only happen for a very good reason. Likewise, when a newer version of your operating system is released, which happens with both Windows and MacOS on an annual basis, you should download and install those, too. For the most part, they’re all about protection – making the minor inconvenience of the download process more than worth it in the long run.

Did you know that at this point in 2022 something like 83% of the world’s population has a smartphone now?

That’s more than 6 billion smartphones.

Here’s another statistic for you. Roughly 60% of fraud, from all sources, starts with a compromised mobile device. 

Does that make you a little nervous? Does it inspire you to maybe learn a little more about how to keep your smartphone safe and secure? You’re not the only one. These four hacks (unfortunate choice of words there) will help.

 

1. Learn About Passcodes

 

You lock your phone, right? Right?

Ok, good. Now, make sure you lock it securely.

The rule for passcodes (or passwords) is simple. More complicated is better.

It goes like this. If someone wants to access your phone, they’re probably not going to try to guess your passcode one combination at a time. They’re going to use a computer system to do it. That means that a lot of guesses can go through per second.

You’re not protecting the phone from a person as much as from a computer dedicated to cracking your password. When you think about it in those terms, then you realize you want a passcode that is too complicated for a computer to figure out.

If you’re using numbers and letters, don’t use real words, and add as many characters as possible. If it’s a geometric lock, get creative. 

As for biometric locks, they go both ways. An attacking computer won’t be able to fake your fingerprint or face, but they’re really only as secure as your passcode anyway.

So, whenever possible, make your passcodes more complicated.

 

2. Two-Factor Authentication Is Your Friend

 

Let’s make this as simple as possible. Single-factor authentication is when you need a password to log into something. Two-factor authentication is when you need a password and a connected device or account.

The second factor can be your smartphone or an email address (usually), and it basically means that unless a hacker has access to your password and the second factor, they aren’t getting in.

Complications are good, right? This means that a hacker has to be good at hacking and an effective thief. It’s probably the best security feature you can use.

 

3. Trust No One

 

Yes, we all appreciate the irony. How can you trust this advice if you don’t trust anyone?

Classic political thriller lines aside, when it comes to taking links and downloading things to your phone, skepticism is extremely healthy.

The easiest way for someone to steal your password, account information, or even your current physical location (yes, it is creepy) is through a malicious link or download.

This is the golden rule of the internet. If you didn’t specifically ask for it, assume it’s malicious. That goes for emails, links, downloads, and anything else. Unsolicited internet activity is the enemy.

 

4. VPNs Don’t Protect You

 

This one might hit hard — especially considering the fact that every social media account ever seems to be sponsored by some major VPN provider.

 

Look. VPNs are very useful for a lot of things. They are not protective features. A VPN doesn’t make any of the malicious links and downloads (that you now distrust) safe to access. That’s not the point.

 

A VPN can help you access content in other countries. It can make it a little harder for internet companies to track your activity. When you make and manage it yourself, it’s a great way to create a private connection between two devices.

 

But, none of that includes protecting you from phishing emails, keyloggers, or any number of countless threats on the internet.

Few things are as frustrating as a slow smartphone. From freezing and glitches in apps to delays when you’re just trying to make a call, you could be dealing with several issues. Whether you’re all about your iPhone or prefer to stick with Android, all types of smartphones are basically a computer you hold in the palm of your hand. That being said, operating systems can get slow, even with your phone. Take a look at five common reasons your phone is slower than it should be and how to tackle the issues.

1. Lacking Space

Hands-down, the biggest reason for a turtle-slow phone is lack of space or memory. In simple speak, everything your phone does is a computing process. These processes require a certain amount of space to happen. If you’ve used up all of your GBs of memory with dozens of apps and a million photos of your cat, the phone will struggle to complete basic processes.

Solution? Free up space by giving unused apps the boot, moving photos and videos to the cloud, and investing in a bigger memory card.

2. Poor Battery Health

The typical smartphone battery is built to give you about 300 to 500 charges. From here, the battery capacity drops by about 20 percent. The thing is, when your battery is low, it changes how quickly the phone can handle certain tasks. Some systems are automatically designed to change certain functions based on battery life in an effort to conserve what juice is remaining.

Solution? Grab a charger for a top-off for the battery or invest in a new battery or phone if necessary.

3. Older Operating System

Just like computers, operating systems (OSs) in phones are constantly getting upgraded to the next-best system. The latest apps are designed to function optimally with the latest OSs. If your phone has an older operating system, this changes how apps function, which can definitely mean certain tasks are slow-going. Even though most companies will update their OS automatically for a while, you don’t really get major OS overhauls.

Solution? If your phone is more than two years old, there is a chance your OS is outdated. Time for a new phone maybe?

4. Multiple Apps Open

You jumped from Insta back to Facebook, played a game of Candy Crush, then checked your cash flow in your mobile banking app, and proceeded to Amazon to grab that new book. Sound familiar? In the span of a few minutes, you could have five apps still running on your phone, and this can definitely slow things down. Also, some apps run in the background all the time, even if you clear them out.

Solution? Close what you’re not using. Open app permissions and determine what is running all the time that could be slowing you down.

5. Weak Wi-Fi

Sounds like common sense, but sometimes, weak Wi-Fi is not so easy to recognize as the culprit behind a slow phone. If you’re connected to a network that has a low download speed, it can take forever for things to load. If you’re on a low upload speed, you’ll have trouble posting vids on social media and sending those cute cat pics to your friends. Remember, you can find a ton of free speed-checker apps to use to test your signal strength.

Solution? Switch over to data if you can to test the theory that slow Wi-Fi is to blame. If so, find yourself a better connection.

Phone still acting like a sloth?

If you’ve checked all the above and your phone still acts like a three-toed sloth, you may have bigger problems to contend with. Malware, a dying OS, and even internal damage could be to blame. Get with your local tech geek to get a proper diagnosis.

Having a stable Internet connection in your home or office is about so much more than just easily visiting your favorite websites. It’s how we communicate and collaborate with others. It’s how we keep in touch with those who matter most to us. It’s what allows all of our devices access to the Internet, regardless of where we’re using them or what we’re trying to do.

If you’ve recently set up a network in your own home but are running into connectivity issues, there are a few key tips that you’ll definitely want to take advantage of moving forward.

How to Extend the Range of Your Wireless Network: Breaking Things Down

One of the most important things to understand about extending the range of your wireless network is that router placement is of paramount importance.

The Wi-Fi signal being broadcast by your router doesn’t go out into your home or office in a straight line. Instead, it is transmitted in a circle around the device itself. The farther away you get from the router, the weaker (and thus slower) the signal will be.

Therefore, rather than putting that router in a closet on one side of your house (and therefore experiencing signal degradation problems on the other), try to place your router in a centralized location. Doing so can help make sure that the entire environment is covered, including any basements or second floor spaces that you might be dealing with.

If you have a particularly large home and are experiencing network issues, investing in a mesh Wi-Fi system would likely be the best bet for you. Here, you’ll still have a primary router that is responsible for bringing your Internet connection into your home and broadcasting it to all of your devices. However, you’ll also have one to two satellite routers that you can place in strategic locations for maximum coverage.

So if you’re experiencing issues in your master bedroom on the second floor, you can place one of the satellite routers in that space. It will pick up the connection from the primary router and amplify it, making sure that all devices in the area have equal coverage. Many popular hardware manufacturers offer mesh Wi-Fi hardware, with Netgear and Google being just two examples.

In the event that you need to employ a series of Wi-Fi extenders throughout your home (which are different from mesh Wi-Fi), there are a few things you’ll likely want to keep in mind. An extender simply takes a signal and “boosts” it in terms of range – but you’re still dealing with the fact that the farther you get from the primary router, the slower your connection will be. For the best results, you’ll likely want to contact your Internet service provider and increase the speed of your connection before network extenders are employed. That way, you can still make sure that the devices that are the farthest away from the network have a stable connection to function as intended.

Bringing home a new computer can certainly be a fun experience, especially if you’ve been working on an older machine for quite some time. In a lot of situations, you just don’t realize how sluggish your legacy equipment has been until you have the chance to use something that has been manufactured more recently.

While that new computer is likely ready-to-go out of the box, there are still a few important steps that you should take to help make sure you’re getting every last bit of the performance that you’ve paid for.

Breaking in a New Computer: An Overview

When you bring home a brand new computer for the first time, one step that you should take immediately involves removing all of those pre-installed programs that you don’t actually need.

Those applications go by many names, with "bloatware" being among the most common. This is especially true if your new computer is running the Windows operating system, which is notorious for this kind of thing.

Go into the Control Panel in Windows and select the option labeled "Programs and Features." This will give you a detailed overview of everything installed on your machine. Select the applications you have no intention of using and click the "Uninstall" option. Not only can this give you an almost instant performance boost, but you can free up quite a bit of valuable hard drive space as well.

Note that this issue isn’t quite as prominent on a computer running the MacOS operating system. Still, you can open "Finder" and head to "Applications" to achieve largely the same effect. Just drag any programs you don’t plan on using it into the Recycle Bin.

Next, you’ll want to check to see if any updates are available for your new machine. On a Windows computer, you will once again do this via the Control Panel. On a MacOS machine, you can click the "Apple" button in the top left corner of the screen and select the option labeled "System Preferences."

Keep in mind that just because you bought a new computer doesn’t mean it was manufactured yesterday. There’s no telling how long it had been sitting on a store’s shelf and, in that time, important operating system and other software upgrades may have been released that you don’t have access to quite yet.

In addition to bringing new features to your computer, these updates often include bug fixes, security patches and other essential changes that you don’t want to go without. So make sure that everything is fully updated before you start adding new software or using the computer in earnest. 

Finally, you’ll want to choose a backup solution to keep all of your important files and documents protected. On a MacOS machine, you can go into the "System Preferences" menu and set up an external hard drive to be used for backup purposes via Time Machine. Windows computers have a similar feature that will once again be in the Control Panel. Make sure that backups are set to occur at least once a day so that you don’t need to worry about data loss or other issues moving forward.