Non-technical people need tech tips, too! Here are some of my favorite tricks for making the most out of online resources and technology. Have a question? Fill out the suggestion form below and I might create a tip just for you.
Running out of hard drive space on your computer? Don’t forget to empty your trash! Mac users: Go to the Dock (the bar at the bottom of your screen), click on the Trash icon and choose Empty Trash. PC users: Find the Recycle Bin on your desktop. Right-click and choose Empty Recycle Bin. Remember, you cannot get these files back, so it doesn’t hurt to check what’s in the trash first. Just double-click on the icon to see what’s inside.
Besides being a delicious treat, it’s also a small piece of information that is downloaded to your computer when you visit certain websites.
For example, when you visit Amazon.com it often recognizes who you are. This is because it saves a small bit of information on your computer when you register, so every time you go to the site, it remembers you.
Cookies are not harmful and do not contain viruses, they are just simple text files. They cannot access any information on your computer, they just help a website recognize who you are and if you’ve visited before. If you don’t like this feature, you can usually remove or disable cookies in the Privacy/Security settings for your browser.
An IP Address (Internet Protocol Address) is a unique number assigned to computers (or other devices such as printers, routers and modems) that allow them to connect to each other over a computer network.
It’s like the mailing address for your home. In order to receive mail, people need to know your address. Similarly, in order for you to get information to and from your computer, other devices need to know your IP.
Don’t forget to keep your browser up-to-date. The latest version is generally more secure, stable and renders websites more accurately.
Download the latest browsers here: Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome, Internet Explorer.
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