Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter – Saturday, August 21, 2021
Hello, and welcome...
This is your Rick's Daily Tips Tech Update for Saturday, August 21, 2021.
Topics covered in this issue...
--This one settings change blocks 99% of all hacking attempts
--Here’s a better way to scroll through your Facebook Newsfeed and Timeline
--Q&A: How do I delete ‘System 32’ in Windows 10?
--Q&A: How do I wire two switches to control one light fixture?
--Life tip: Never allow yourself to lose the desire to learn!
--Info about my photo / file recovery service
---------------------------------------------------
Today's Sponsor...
The Zen Habits blog is about finding simplicity and mindfulness in the daily chaos of our lives.
It’s about clearing the clutter so we can focus on what’s important, create something amazing, find happiness.
It has over a million readers. Click here to make it over a million plus one.
Have something you'd like to tell over 12,000 awesome subscribers?
Click here to sponsor an upcoming issue.
---------------------------------------------------
Welcome, new subscribers....
You can make sure these updates keep landing in your Inbox by adding my email address to your Address Book or Contacts List. Click here for instructions.
Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Click here to subscribe.
---------------------------------------------------
Today's Quick Tip....
This one settings change blocks 99% of all hacking attempts
You're probably aware that hackers are stealing passwords and using them to access numerous online accounts each and every day.
Something as simple as clicking a link in a phishing email and entering your login credentials on a fake login page is all it takes to hand access to an account to a hacker on a silver platter.
But luckily, there's one simple settings change that can be made to virtually any online account nowadays that experts say blocks 99% of all hacking attempts, even in cases where the hackers are able to steal the passwords.
This setting is usually called either Two-Factor Authentication or Two-Step Authentication, depending on the term used by a given account.
The premise behind Two-Factor Authentication is simple...
Enabling Two-Factor Authentication on an account forces would-be hackers to successfully enter a second authentication code AFTER entering the correct password before they are granted access to the account.
And since that second code is sent to the legitimate account holder's mobile phone, the odds are extremely low that the hacker will be able to get the code they'll need in order to log in to an account.
In other words, Two-Factor Authentication adds another extremely high and vanishingly small hoop a hacker must jump through in order to fraudulently access an account.
Although the specific steps required to enable Two-Factor Authentication vary from website to website, the process is usually very easy to complete once you find it in the website's Settings screens.
If you have trouble finding the Two-Factor Authentication setting for a given website simply do a web search for something like "enable two-factor authentication on [website name]" and you'll usually find several links to the instructions.
For example, if you wanted to enable it on your Facebook account you'd search for:
enable two-factor authentication on facebook
Pretty simple, right?
---------------------------------------------------
From the blog...
Here’s a better way to scroll through your Facebook Newsfeed and Timeline
This post explains a better way to scroll through Facebook than the way you're probably used to doing it.
Q&A: How do I delete ‘System 32’ in Windows 10?
A reader received a message telling her she needs to delete 'System 32' from her PC. This post explains why that's completely false.
Q&A: How do I wire two switches to control one light fixture?
A reader asks for help with wiring two switches to control one light fixture. The short video featured in this post shows how to do it, step-by-step.
Click here to see today's 'Picture of the Day'.
Every morning I post a new photo that I find inspiring, intriguing, or just plain beautiful to look at. Jumpstart your day by checking it out.
Rick's Daily Tips is hosted by InMotion Hosting. Click here to find out why.
---------------------------------------------------
Rick's Daily Pick...
Every day I feature a tech item that I’ve hand-picked to be among the best of the best.
Click here to see what I’m loving today.
---------------------------------------------------
Today's post from 'My Daily Smile'...
Life tip: Never allow yourself to lose the desire to learn!
This post explains why learning should be a life-long process, not something to abandon after receiving a diploma.
---------------------------------------------------
Wondering how you can help me keep doing what I'm doing?
1 - If you'd like to help support my work, you can do so by leaving me a tip.
Every penny of your tip will go towards my blog's web hosting and other related fees, which are substantial.
2 - You can Forward this email to a friend along with a short note of recommendation. (Just click the "Forward" button or link.)
Rest assured that anything you can do to help me keep helping folks will be greatly appreciated.
---------------------------------------------------
Rick's Photo / File Recovery Service...
Do you have precious photos and/or other irreplaceable files that you'd like to recover from a non-working computer?
Chances are I'll be able to recover them for you, even if the machine won't turn on or start up correctly.
---------------------------------------------------
Have a question, comment or suggestion? Hit the Reply button and reply to this email. I love hearing what you have to say...
Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse https://www.RicksDailyTips.com