Data Doctors Tech Tips

No matter how technical you may or may not be, there is one thing that everyone knows: backup the data files you care about .Because we specialize in data recovery, we've seen virtually every scenario over the past 30 years when it comes to critical data that has been lost. Beyond equipment failure and traditional data loss, we all now need to be concerned with the growing instances of ransomware. Just having a local external backup drive isn't enough these days because everything from...

When it comes to the holidays, some of the most popular gifts are without a doubt electronics.This invariably leads to the disposal of our older tech, which if done improperly, can be a very bad thing. Unfortunately, most consumers have no idea just how many toxins are used to manufacture our gadgets, so they just throw them in the trash. To keep these toxins from polluting our ground water, consider repurposing your old tech as someone else may be able to use it. Charities, homeless...

It's no secret that as the weather gets colder, the number of people that get sick increases as a result.Being exposed to those that are sick is how most of us become sick ourselves, so knowing where a large number of people are sick can be helpful. An app called SickWeather acts as a forecasting tool that shows you where lots of people are saying that they are experiencing symptoms. It does this by scanning social media posts and other data sources to gather signals of areas that show hot...

With virtually every interaction we have online, there's a good chance that you'll be asked for an email address as part of the process.For those interactions where you only need to have a valid email address to get something you want, but won't need to interact with them ever again, there's a clever and free option. A website that calls itself '10 Minute Mail' provides random email addresses that are only good for ten minutes. Start by visiting https://10minutemail.com which will publish...

The days of manually searching through classified ads in the physical world was disrupted by a website we all know as Craigslist.Searching for those one of kind or used items has gotten easier via the Internet, but today's tip will take it to another level. If you spend lots of time searching for items on Amazon, eBay or Craigslist, today's tip is for you. An awesome all-in-one search tool exists for all three sites at Search Tempest https://www.searchtempest.com Instead of having to go...

Those wonderful apps have turned what was once simply a voice communication device into miniature marvels in the palms of our hands.On top of that, how wonderful is it that there are so many free apps to choose from? As it turns out, free is not always free when you consider the big picture of these apps. Both your cellular data usage and battery usage can be impacted by the use of free apps on the regular. Researchers have actually studied this issue and published real data on the...

Computer hardware is pretty useless without useful software programs, which can end up costing as much, if not more, than your computer.While the big-name programs are what most people end up buying, there are alternative programs that can perform the same function at a much lower cost. There are many software programs that are known as 'open source' options that are available to anyone that wants to try them out. A great tool for finding this type of inexpensive software is located at:...

If you have a young child in your extended family, it's a pretty safe bet that they are enamored with mobile technology such as a smartphone or tablet.Tablets in particular can actually be used for educational purposes instead of just becoming a digital babysitter. A platform designed to turn tablets into more of an educational tool is from a company called Osmo. Instead of creating an addictive app that keeps the child's eyes solely on the screen, Oslo creates interaction via the tablet...

Malicious hackers have refined their techniques via social engineering to trick unsuspecting victims into clicking on things they normally wouldn't.Phishing scams are one of the more common traps they setup and getting victims to those phishing websites has also evolved beyond phishing email messages. They know that the comments section is a great place to try to draw victims to their boobytrapped websites. Typical out of context posts that are clearly someone spamming the comments are...

Isn't always the case that just when we need to get something really important printed out at home, the 'out of ink' message pops up.I'm not sure how we got to the point in time that the cost of an ounce of printer ink is like buying a precious metal. The industry took the sell cheap razors to sell razor blades approach years ago but one of the companies decided to buck the trend. Epson created a line of printers that focused on an economical way to refill the ink in our printers. Their...

The vast majority of email messages floating around the Internet is still junk messages that qualify as spam.Because of this, there are layers of spam filters that every message you send is subjected to and when you innocently use a specific word, phrase or image it's possible that you message looks like spam. These filters use a scoring system that isn't the same as a human reviewing your messages, which will determine the fate of every message you send. There are many keywords that you...

Our phones have become a central storage device for our precious memories and personal info, which is why they're highly targeted by ID thieves.Getting their hands on your phone, especially if its unlocked could allow them to take over all your accounts via email password reset requests in no time at all. Make sure you've setup some form of unlock code, fingerprint or facial recognition so a stranger can't just pick up your device and start using it. Another thing to keep in mind this time...

It's hard to think about how we used to research just about anything before the Internet and Google's powerful search engine.The power of search has been elevated by something known as search operators, which further clarify what you want to find. One pretty useful but relatively unknown one is the 'range' operator that allows you to ask for results within a specified numeric range. This is done by simply placing two periods (..) between the numeric values that you specify. Let's say...

This is the time of year when tech gadgets become hot commodities and the manufacturers know that.Buying any tech gadget solely based on price is a good way to end up with buyer's remorse. The lowest-priced device in any electronic category is rarely ever the 'best deal' because of what it takes to make something cheap. Cutting corners when manufacturing any tech device means that critical components will not perform as well, such as batteries or displays. One key element in making a good...

One of the most frustrating situations when dealing with a large company is that getting to the human that can actually address your issue is very difficult.Increasingly, these big firms are doing their best to bury telephone numbers online as a means to reduce the number of calls they get. There was a time when using Google to search for the proper number was effective, but with all the scammers setting traps these days, there's a better way. A web resource called Get Human has done its...

The cellular phone providers are constantly marketing to all of us as to why their network is the best in the country.What they never talk about is whether their 'awesome' service will actually be available where you need it, like where you work and live. Fortunately, there are resources that aren't based on marketing campaigns that can help you make the best decision for you. Unless you live in a very rural area, the data available via the Root Metrics website is very helpful right down...

With broadband Internet service being the norm these days, we all need a way to allow more than one device to share the connection, which is known as a router. The router's job also includes protecting your devices from the outside world by creating a hardware firewall between you and the Internet. This very important device can be exploited when the user never updates the default password that's encoded on the router at the factory. This is known as the admin password, which is different...

Google Maps are the gold standard for knowing what is around us in the present day, but did you know that it's also able to show you the past as well?Because their mapping vehicles have been capturing 'street views' for over a decade, there are multiple versions of what those streets looked like from every pass they have made. If you've ever picked up the yellow pin man and dropped him on a street on a computer, there's an entire library of street images at your fingertip. In the upper...

When it comes to our computers, it's easy to get impatient when it isn't doing what we want it to do quickly, which can tempt some users to simply hit the power button to turn everything off.If this is something you've done or are still doing, you should know about the residual issues that can become a problem as a result. The standard operation for a computer includes the creation of lots of temporary files that are supposed to be thrown out when you decide to shut down or restart your...

Virtually every business will at some point end up needing a type of project management system to accomplish a goal.Sophisticated project management software is complicated and expensive and isn't appropriate for one-off project needs. When you need a powerful, but easy to use platform for this type of task, look into the free tools at https://trello.com It doesn't require everyone involved to go through an intense training program to use and it works on virtually every type of device...