It's Geek To Me

Happy Birthday to I.G.T.M.!!! This is Issue #366, and we’re celebrating the column’s 7th birthday. A lot has changed since that first issue published on Thursday, July 26, 2007, in the now-defunct NEXT section the Northwest Florida Daily News. One thing that has not changed is people’s need for assistance with their computers and technology. […]

Q: HELP, Bill Gates has me prisoner~!!! The other day my ‘puter did it’s usual Windows Seven Update and downloaded a bunch of stuff Bill thinks I need. When I finished with the ‘puter I did the shut-down procedure and the advisory came up that it was downloading and would turn itself off. Fine, so […]

Q: Yesterday, when my husband booted up his laptop it had the sound, wireless and Network shut off. Also, it was put back to the Windows 7 classic version, which I thought was easy enough to correct but everything in the personalize was all greyed out. I discovered that everything in the start-up menu was […]

Q: In further amplification of your first question on 1 Jun 2014, (I.G.T.M. # 358) after a recent Microsoft Security Update, all of the active tiles on the start screen (weather, bing, travel, Kindle, Store, etc) continue to update, but if you click on any of them you get an error message that you are […]

Geek Note: This issue appeared only in the Northwest Florida Daily News as a filler the week the paper moved I.G.T.M. from Sunday in the Lifestyle section to Saturday on the business page.   Happy Independence Day, Geeks! Celebrate your freedom, but try not to blow-off any of your typing fingers while you’re doing it. Welcome […]

Q: I send out group emails to about 400 addressees for an organization I belong to. Every time I send one I get a mailer daemon message saying “[redacted]@yahoo.com is not a valid recipient”. I am certain I have no such addressee on my list. It’s just a nuisance but I’d like to get rid […]

Q: Switched from EP to WIN7 and IE 11. Can go to web sites however if I try to enter a password IE states IE is no Longer connected. Happens with all sites requiring a log in. Switched to AOL and their browser is ok. A lot of complaints about this on the “chit chat” […]

Q: First I would like to thank you for all the valuable info that you post in your column. It’s very helpful!!! I just have a simple question: Does “tinyurl.com” have an index of its problem solving downloads? – Carol O. Freeport, Florida A: You’re very welcome, Carol. Thank-you for being a loyal reader. I […]

Q: No problems as of right now. My question is about software. In the past, I have been using Ascentive software: 1. Active Speed (not optimized), 2. PC Scan & Sweep (13521 junk files detected), 3. PC Scan Pro (318 errors detected), 4. Spyware Striker Pro (not scanned). My Question is multifold: with the cost […]

Q: I have a windows 8.1 laptop. Just recently the windows App Store will not open. I have tried everything I can find online and nothing seems to work. Microsoft is useless on the subject. Please help! – Marte C. Odessa, Texas  A: “Will not open” is a somewhat vague description, Marte. Perhaps that is […]