Dave Dicken Computer Solutions, LLC

08/24/2026

While I'm on a privacy & ad rant, here's some good info. on removing ads from Facebook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNwxWDD2G7A

I wasn't able to find 1 or 2 settings on my phone or web page but, overall, I think it'll help with the ads.

-Dave

I'll walk you through all of the ways Facebook tracks your activity...

08/17/2026

Here's some good videos on managing Google & Google accounts.

I am NOT a fan of Google & the way your account data & logons propagate every device & who knows who else gets access to that data.

My advice, use Google accounts sparingly & be sure to log out any place where it's not specifically needed to make something work. Also, periodically take a look at each Google account (if you have more than one), audit every device listed & sign out any device not recognized or needing an active log in. Logging out of a device won't break anything. Worse case if you have to log in again. I hope you know your Google account password :-o

Google Quietly Added This to Your Phone — Turn It Off Now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36hYwMLiOYs

How To Sign Out Of Google Account On All Devices:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my1B7_kakPM

Here's how you can sign out of your Google account on all devices i...

08/17/2026

Here's something similar to my earlier post but for Android phones....

Do NOT Open Your Bank App Before Changing These 3 SettingsIf you ...

08/17/2026

I like this & wish I could find one that applies to Android. I may create my own after I figure out the equivalent settings.

I'm not a fan of facial recognition so that would be up to you as to whether you enable it or not.

I'll show you 5 settings you need to change before opening your ban...

08/15/2026

Here’s a little something I just dissected this morning…..

If you’ve ever noticed, browsers like Edge, Chrome, FireFox, etc. can often be seen running many, many instances in your Windows Task Manager, even if you only have 1 tab open.

Some of these are valid & useful (browser extensions you added, multiple tabs or groups). However, I find that vast majority of these are attributed to subframes related to ads appearing in your browser. While not necessarily harmful, they can slow down browser & computer performance, of course, who wants all those annoying ads??

Take a look at my screenshots where I show before & after Windows Task Manger Edge & Chrome instances, before & after Edge & Chrome browser task mangers & how to find your browser task manager.

If you go into the task manager of your browser you can see all the subframes. Browsers vary but if you find the 3 dots or lines (“the hamburger”) in the top, right of your browser, look for “More Tools”, then “Task Manager” (see screenshot). Doubleclick.net, smartadserver.net & similarly named subframes are dead giveaways.

I started using a popular browser extension called uBlock Origin, which appears to block most, if not all, of these subframes. Note that uBlock Origin only works on non-Chromium browsers (i.e. FireFox) but NOT Edge or Chrome, which are Chromium-based. For those use uBlock Origin Lite. So far they appear to perform the same & greatly reduce the number of running subframes seen in the browser task manager & Edge.exe or Chrome.exe tasks seen in Windows Task Manager.

https://ublockorigin.com/

Going to ublockorigin.com, your specific browser type (Edge, Chrome, FireFox, etc.) will be detected & will be shown for download. If desired, download & enable the respective uBlock Origin or uBlockOrigin Lite extension & then restart your browser, making sure all browser instances seen in Windows Task Manager (Chrome.exe or MSEdge.exe) have stopped. You can either wait for several minute for all of them to stop, stop them (End Task) in Windows Task Manager or just reboot your computer.

If needed, the uBlock Origin extension can be easily disabled. So far, I haven’t needed to.

Sure, this is a little complex but if you need help let me know.

-Dave

07/15/2026

This is very cool.....

https://pcmanager.microsoft.com/en-us

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9pm860492szd?hl=en-US&gl=US

Microsoft PC Manager is a utility app for your PC that effortlessly enhances PC performance with just one click. Enjoy seamless storage clean-up, efficient file management, and a host of other powerful features designed to keep your PC running smoothly.

06/25/2026

I would recommend installing KB5095093 ASAP. It'll come to your PC eventually but the sooner you get some restore points created the better. The restore points are essentially a system backup & can really get you out of a jam, if your system crashes.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-11-kb5095093-update-rolls-out-new-point-in-time-restore-feature/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6pv2w4ni3M

NOTE: The restore point feature IS NOT enabled by default. So you would need to go in and enable it to start creating restore points.

If you need any help with this or need any help making questions sure your system & data (files, photos, etc.) are being backed up, please let me know.

DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE TO MAKE SURE THINGS ARE BEING BACKED UP PROPERLY!!

-Dave

Microsoft just dropped a massive optional preview update for Window...

06/21/2026

I've changed my e-mail address. Please use the following now:

[email protected]