Category Archives: Technology Tips

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Tech Tips Series: How to create a secure password

One of the areas I see computer users slack on is password creation.This can be dangerous. You want data to be secure!

English: A candidate icon for Portal:Computer ...

A secure password means a secured account. Image via Wikipedia

Why does this happen? Many computer users will choose passwords that they feel are easy to remember.

Weak passwords can be an open door to your email account, bank account, or even website!

Unfortunately, they usually choose passwords that hackers and bots (programs that search for vulnerable passwords) can easily decipher.

Here are a list of popular passwords that were revealed when accounts from a popular site was hacked:

  1. 123456
  2. password
  3. iloveyou
  4. abc123
  5. qwerty

Do you notice anything about these passwords? Here are the things that I notice:  Read more...

  • They are short. Most were six characters or less
  • When they contain numbers, they are in numerical order
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Tech Tips Series: Backing Up Your Data

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

One of the most frustrating issues you can have with your computer is a hard drive failure.

When your hard drive fails, you can lose all of your data. This means the loss of family photographs, work documents, music, and more.

It is enough to make you want to pull your hair out. Or curl into a ball and cry. It is a devastating experience.

Let me start with what your hard drive is and how it operates.

Your hard drive is the storage unit of your computer. All of your information is storage on this device. Your pictures, your music, your documents.

If you are having trouble picturing what your hard drive does, imagine your food pantry. You have a space where all of your food is stored. Your hard drive is the computer’s pantry.  Read more...

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Tech Tips Series: 5 Must Have Firefox Browser Extensions

Mozilla Firefox Icon

Image via Wikipedia

Welcome to the first installment of Tech Tips. Tech Tips will be posted within the first week of each month.  The posts in the series will be related to software, Windows shortcuts, and related topics.

I am kicking off the first of the series by showing you the 5 Firefox extensions that I believe you should be using.

 

If you do not know, Firefox is an internet browser similar to Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. Firefox is huge on customization. The main way you customize your browsing experience is through extensions.

Four of the five extensions are free. One is a paid extension but well worth it.

Lets take look at the 5 extensions that I have found to be extremely helpful.  Read more...