This tool is 99% effective against malware

Too many cybercriminals are trying to worm their way into your system and steal from you. Even the most tech-savvy folks can be fooled. You don’t even need to click anything to download malware anymore.

That’s why you need powerful software to sniff out malicious files. I trust my sponsor, TotalAV. It’s simple to install and use, and it’s received the VB100 award for detecting more than 99% of malware samples for the last three years in a row. (Yeah, that’s a big deal.)

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⚠️ This one’s not for Windows newbies: Disk Cleanup may not clean as much as you’d like. Remove hidden files using Advanced Disk Cleanup. First, make a backup. Then, press Windows key + R, type cleanmgr /sageset:1 and hit OK. Select the file categories you want to zap and click OK again. Start the deep clean by going to either Run or cmd (Command Prompt) and typing cleanmgr /sagerun:1. Optimize this prompt by creating multiple lists; just change the number at the end, like /sageset:2.

Is your Wi-Fi router spying for China?

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Federal officials are raising red flags over TP-Link, warning their products might be linked to Chinese espionage. Plus, Redbox files for bankruptcy, Taylor Swift drops cassettes, and Apple’s next iPhone features AI.

If your pics or music are on a hard drive: Data company Iron Mountain says 20% of the hard drives they get from the ‘90s are dead on arrival. Even when stored in perfect conditions, these drives deteriorate; most last only three to five years. Don’t let this happen to you. Use an adapter to transfer your files to a new external drive.

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Trivia

Let’s flash back to 1990, when the first internet search engine was released. Was it called … A.) WebCrawler, B.) Archie, C.) AltaVista or D.) Lycos?

Find the answer here!

Stop blabbin’: Dropbox’s AI may share your files with OpenAI and other third parties. Don’t remember signing up for that? Me, neither. To turn it off, log in to Dropbox, hit your Account icon, go to Settings, find the Third-Party AI tab and toggle the switch to Off.

💻 Don’t throw your computer out the Windows: Resetting your PC to its factory-fresh state for better performance (without losing your files) is possible! Open Settings and choose System > Recovery > Reset PC. Just make sure you choose the Keep my files option (you’ve got everything backed up anyway, right?).

📄 Talk data to me: OpenAI paid users can upload a mountain of PDFs, data files and images. It will spit out a full analysis in moments — something that might take a human team months. It’ll even answer questions and generate charts, too.

🖥️ PC slo-o-o-o-wing down? Click Start > Settings > System > Storage. You’ll see how much storage is being used. how much is still free and a breakdown of what’s taking up the space. Bet you don’t need anything under Temporary files.

Lock your credit files immediately

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Another huge data breach — 2.9 billion records exposed, including Social Security numbers. Here are the quick steps you need to take right now to protect yourself.

Mac shortcut: You have a folder full of photos all named “IMG_2348” or some nonsense. Open the folder, hit Cmd + A to select all the files, then right-click and select Rename. Replace “IMG” with something like “Hawaii.” Bam! Done.

File cleanup: You have separate PDFs that should all be in one file. In Adobe Acrobat, go to Tools > Combine Files to merge multiple PDFs into a single file. Don’t pay for Adobe? No sweat. Here’s a free site I like for editing PDFs.

Print text messages for court (or anything else): For iPhone, iExplorer lets you access, view and transfer music, messages, photos and files from any iOS device to Mac or PC. On Android, you can use SMS Backup & Restore.

🚨 Mac alert: Hackers are rigging search results with fake ads for the hot, new Arc browser. Clicking leads you to a copycat site that hosts a malicious DMG file. (Do not go there, folks.) It sneaks past macOS security to steal your passwords and files. The legit Arc browser URL is arc.net. Stay aware!

🚨 Don’t chance it: TeamViewer, the go-to remote access tool, was hacked by Russian spies. The company says the breach was limited to its corporate network, but, hey, I’d assume they accessed customer files, too. If you have it, change your password pronto and set up 2FA. Share this one with your favorite IT pro.

Ask for forgiveness, not permission: Microsoft now automatically backs up your files to OneDrive — yep, without asking. Want to deactivate it? Right-click on the OneDrive icon > Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup and deactivate any folders you don’t want synced.

Bring it back: Don’t panic if you’ve accidentally deleted important photos or videos on your Mac. Open the Photos app and follow the Recently Deleted link in the sidebar. Your “deleted” files stick around for 30 days.

♻️ Manage the recycling: It’s up to you how long files stick around in your PC’s Recycle Bin before being wiped forever. Click System > Storage > Storage Sense to choose to delete them after one day, 60 days or never.

Store secret photos and files on your phone

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Your phone holds all your precious info — photos, files, apps, everything. It should stay private unless you decide to share it.

🔎 Quick search: Hit the Windows logo key + S. You’ll get search results across your files and the web. On a Mac, Cmd (⌘) + spacebar is your search shortcut.