Each week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products and all things digital.
Sometimes, choosing the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job. This week, I received questions about clean installs, social media search histories, commandeered security cameras and more.
Do you have a question you’d like to ask me? Tap or click here to email me directly.
Q: My Windows PC is a tired old nasty dog. Is there any way I can start over? It used to run much better than it does now.
A: Sometimes you need to pull out the big guns. After all, you can delete files and stop background tasks all you want and cleanse your hard drive of malware and install more memory, but if your computer is still dragging its knuckles, it may be time for a clean install.
This is a drastic maneuver, but it’s been known to work. The only catch is every file on your hard drive will be deleted. So how do you protect your data and programs from disappearing forever? You’ll have to plan this process carefully to make sure not a single byte is lost.
Luckily, with the advent of cloud storage and external drives, this process of backing up and restoring files has become a matter of routine. Tap or click here for detailed tips to clean your PC.
Q: My ex works as a computer tech. How can I check my phone for a keylogger? He seems to know a lot about my life and it’s creepy.
A: First of all, I hope you are keeping your distance from this guy in every other aspect of your life. Technology plays a major role in regular breakups, no matter how congenial because couples are so accustomed to sharing passwords, accounts and devices. You can spend months untangling it all.
This becomes all the more frightening when the breakup is ugly or hostile. So if you really believe your ex is capable of spying on your phone, you should take immediate action. Sadly, keyloggers and other spyware systems are often difficult to detect because they are designed to hide themselves.
At times, it can seem like the internet is in a constant state of change. Still, there are a few things we’ve been able to rely on over the years. Pictures of your cat will get more “likes” than any selfie you take. The comments on any political story will be a train wreck. And when you get a document by email, it’s going to be a PDF.
We’ve all had those uncomfortable situations at work. Maybe it’s a disagreement with a coworker or a tricky customer interaction — or even firing a long-time employee. Don’t you wish you could practice? Thanks to VR, AR and AI developer Talespin, you can.
Kim chats with Talespin CEO and co-founder Kyle Jackson about how the company is bringing workplace training to the digital age with its virtual human simulations.
It’s never been clearer: If you ever have a run-in with the law, your smartphone can prove your innocence…or your guilt. Here’s how your phone can be used against you.
We don’t care what your daily routine is. Whether you work from home or in a bustling office, you’re dealing with cranky children or a badly-timed car breakdown, stress has a way of finding you.
Conversely, you’ve got to actively look for peace and quiet. You can find a little zen in a sudden rainbow, a setting sun or the sound of waves. And sometimes, you can find it in some pretty surprising places, too. But the most surprising place to find serenity might be your smartphone.
No matter how much technology streamlines the world, some things will never change around the workplace. Mondays will always be the worst. There will always be an office football pool. And no matter how many alerts we set on our gadgets, sticky notes will always be the best reminders.
There are few words that strike fear into the hearts of digital professionals quite like the term SEO. It stands for “search engine optimization,” and it’s the secret that stands between you and website traffic. In this episode, Kim sits down with SEO expert Steve Wiideman. He’s worked with tons of brands — think Applebee’s, IHOP and Skechers. He knows how to launch a brand online, and he’s got the insider secrets to help you transform your website into a traffic magnet.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to check out this episode of our brand new podcast, Tech Refresh. The talented team at Komando.com dives into the week in tech news and all things digital. Plus, an old favorite is back: Brand New or Not True! See if the crew can stump Mike with a mighty convincing fake tech product. Check it out, and let us know what you think at podcasts@komando.com.
It doesn’t matter if you bring in millions a year or put all your effort into just keeping your small business running — you need to market your business online. With so many digital channels, how do you get the most bang for your digital marketing buck? Kim talks to Jeremy Wood of Hootsuite about using social media to connect with your audience. Mike Huber of Vertical Measures tells us about using social media to build an “owned” audience.
Each week, I receive tons of questions from my listeners about tech concerns, new products and all things digital.
Sometimes, choosing the most interesting questions to highlight is the best part of my job. This week, I received questions about password protection for apps, covert social media searches, smartphone tracking, converting music collections and more.
Although apps like Evernote and Google Docs are great for storing text, they cannot replace a pen and paper. There is something more intuitive about scribbling notes, and you have the option to sketch your ideas.
The Rocketbook Everlast Mini is a notebook that offers the best of both worlds. It works just like a traditional notebook, but you can back up every page to the cloud using your smartphone. Better still, you can easily erase the whole thing and start again.
It seems like there’s a new data breach or hack around every corner, and cybercriminals are always finding clever new ways to get their hands on your info. Here’s what you need to know to protect yourself this new year and beyond.
The new year is upon us, and it’s time to set some resolutions. Make your digital life better with three simple ideas with big impact. First up, your inbox needs help. I’ve got a simple way to manage it.
Is the neighborhood block watch a thing of the past? In many communities, social networking has replaced the need for people to wander their neighborhoods. Now sites and apps are your digital connection to your neighbors.
If the cost of Photoshop keeps you from getting deeper into photography, I can help! I’ll tell you about 3 alternatives you can use for free. And don’t worry, they’re beginner friendly.
Hidden cameras are everywhere, and if you’re concerned about your privacy on vacation … you should be. More and more travelers are finding cameras in rentals and hotels — often hidden in unexpected places. Kim shares why spy cameras have become so commonplace, how to spot them, and what to do if you’ve been recorded without your say.
So many of us make New Year’s resolutions whether it’s losing weight, getting organized, or learning a new skill. But what about New Year’s resolutions for your digital life? In this episode of Consumer Tech Update, Kim offers some resolutions we can all do to help us in our daily digital lives.
You may or may not have heard of Kimberly Proctor, a teenage girl who was brutally murdered by 2 young boys. Following a trail of digital clues like texting, emailing and even a World of Warcraft chat room, police tracked down her killers. In this episode of Komando on Demand, Kim talks to retired FBI agent James Fitzgerald and linguistics professor Tim Grant at how digital forensics can help solve crimes.
Star Wars’ The Last Jedi takes digital characters to a new innovative level. Learn the secrets directly from the computer engineers and animators who are bringing the characters to life. You’ll never look at Star Wars’ the same way again.
