Bob's Computer Service

11/01/2026

You go to sign into your email or Microsoft 365 account and the page looks exactly right. Same logo, same layout, same fields you fill in every day. You enter your credentials and move on, not realizing the page was never real.

Fake login pages are one of the most effective tools attackers use right now. They are easy to build and nearly identical to the real thing. The link usually arrives through a phishing email, a text, or even a search result ad that looks completely legitimate. The moment you submit your username and password, that information goes straight to whoever built the fake page.

The warning signs are subtle but there if you look. Check the address bar carefully before entering any credentials. A legitimate Microsoft or Google login will always use the exact official domain, and even a small variation, a missing letter, an added word, or an unfamiliar extension, means something is wrong. If you arrived at a login page by clicking a link rather than typing the address yourself, that alone is reason to pause.

If you ever suspect you entered your password on the wrong page, change it immediately and check your account's recent sign-in activity. Enabling two-factor authentication on every account adds a critical second layer, because even if your password is stolen, attackers still cannot get in without the verification code.

10/31/2026

You may have heard someone say "just clear your cache" when a website is acting up. It works often enough that most people do it without really knowing what they are clearing or why it helps.

Your browser builds a local copy of images, scripts, and page data every time you visit a site. This is called the cache, and it exists to speed things up. Instead of downloading the same logo or stylesheet every visit, your browser pulls it from storage. The problem is that cache grows quietly over time, and stale data can cause pages to display incorrectly, log you out unexpectedly, or refuse to load updates to a site you visit regularly.

Clearing your cache tells the browser to start fresh and pull a clean copy of everything from the server. It does not delete your passwords or bookmarks. In Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, you can get there by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Delete and choosing Cached Images and Files. A good rule of thumb is to clear it any time a website is behaving strangely before assuming something more serious is wrong.

If you have questions about your browser settings or computer performance, Bob's Computer Service is here to help. Give us a call.

10/30/2026

This Week in Tech History

October 27, 1994 : The First Web Banner Ad Launches

Imagine surfing the early internet, where pages were mostly text and links—then suddenly, a bright rectangle pops up inviting you to “click here.” That was the world’s first web banner ad, launched by HotWired (the online arm of Wired magazine).

The ad itself? It was from AT&T, and it simply asked: “Have you ever clicked your mouse right here? You will.” And click people did—so many that the ad had a 44% click-through rate, a number that feels impossible today.

This single banner ad set the stage for the digital advertising industry we know now. It was the spark that grew into Google Ads, Facebook Ads, retargeting, programmatic buying, and the endless sponsored posts filling our feeds.

Without that small, curious rectangle in 1994, there might not be free news sites, search engines, or even social media as we know it, since so much of the web has been built on advertising revenue.

Love it or hate it, that little banner ad reshaped the internet into a business, not just a digital frontier.
⚡ Fun Fact: The very first ad didn’t try to sell anything, it was just about showing what was possible. A far cry from the targeted ads we scroll past today!

10/29/2026

It's Troubleshooting Thursday! You open a specific program and your computer freezes, slows to a crawl, or crashes every single time. Other apps seem fine. So what is going on?

When the problem is tied to one particular program, the issue is usually with that program itself rather than the computer as a whole. A corrupted installation, a recent update that did not apply cleanly, or a conflict with another piece of software are the most common causes. A quick fix to try first is uninstalling the program completely and reinstalling it fresh from the official source.

If reinstalling does not help, the program may be demanding more memory or processing power than your machine can comfortably handle, especially if it is an older computer. That is a good time to call in a professional rather than spend hours guessing.

10/28/2026

Word Wednesday! If you work on long documents, here is a shortcut worth committing to memory: press Shift+F5 and Word will jump you straight back to the last place you were editing. Press it again and it cycles through your three most recent edit points.

It sounds small, but if you have ever spent a full minute scrolling through a 20-page report just to find where you left off, you will appreciate it immediately. This also works when you first reopen a saved document, dropping you right back where you stopped.

Give it a try the next time you open a document you have been working on. It is one of those features that, once you know it, you will use every single time.

10/26/2026

Sometimes the most expensive computer problem is the one that almost happened.

Imagine finding out a former employee still has access to your business accounts months after leaving.

Or realizing that the backup you depend on could be destroyed right alongside your computers.

Nothing went wrong. No data was lost. No customers were affected.
But what if you hadn't been so lucky?

In my years helping local businesses, I've learned that the biggest warning signs sometimes come from disasters that never happen.

I wrote this article about four situations that could have ended very differently, and what business owners can learn from them.

Because sometimes a close call is your best opportunity to prevent something much worse.

The Incident That Almost Happened

A near miss with user access, email, or backups exposes a weakness that was already there. Four close calls and what a business should fix next.

10/25/2026

An email arrives saying someone requested a password reset for your account. You did not request it, but the message looks legitimate, complete with a familiar logo, a professional layout, and a link to "secure" your account. Most people either ignore it or click the link out of concern.

Ignoring it entirely is actually the right instinct, but clicking that link is where things go wrong. Attackers send fake reset emails hoping you will click through to a convincing login page designed to capture your credentials. Once you enter them, your real account is compromised, often within minutes.

If you receive a password reset email you did not request, do not click anything in the message. Instead, go directly to the website by typing the address into your browser and check your account from there. If someone really is trying to get into your account, changing your password directly is the right response.

10/24/2026

You add two-factor authentication to your email account and feel like you have locked things down. That is absolutely the right move, and it does make your account significantly harder to break into. But it helps to understand exactly what it protects against, and where it still has limits.

Two-factor authentication stops attackers who have your password but do not have access to your phone or authenticator app. That covers the most common threat: stolen or guessed passwords from data breaches, phishing pages, or credential leaks. Without the second factor, a stolen password alone is not enough to get in.

What it does not protect against is handing that code over yourself. If someone calls you pretending to be your bank or Microsoft and asks you to read the code out loud to verify your identity, the protection disappears the moment you share it. Legitimate organizations will never ask for your verification code.

The takeaway is simple. Turn on two-factor authentication everywhere you can, especially on email, banking, and Microsoft 365 accounts. Just remember that the code is yours alone. If anyone ever asks for it, that is the scam.

10/23/2026

This Week in Tech History

October 22, 2009: Windows 7 is officially released!

After the mixed reception of Windows Vista, Microsoft needed a comeback—and Windows 7 delivered. Sleeker, faster, and far more user-friendly, it quickly became one of the most beloved operating systems of all time.

What led to it? Vista had frustrated users with performance issues and heavy system requirements. Microsoft took those complaints seriously and built Windows 7 with speed, stability, and simplicity at its core. Features such as the redesigned taskbar, jump lists, and improved touch support set a new standard for usability.

The impact? Businesses and home users alike upgraded in droves. Windows 7 became the backbone of workplaces, schools, and households worldwide for over a decade. Even after official support ended in 2020, many machines continued to run it due to its rock-solid reliability.
Fun fact: Some surveys estimate that millions of PCs were still running Windows 7 even five years after support ended! That’s a testament to just how well it was built.

Did you ever have a PC running Windows 7? Share your memories below. What was your favorite part of it?

10/21/2026

Sometimes the best way to fix a computer problem is to see it firsthand.

Recently, I helped two clients right here in Longmeadow, MA, with very different technology challenges.

One was working from home near the Longmeadow Green and dealing with frustrating network problems that kept interrupting their workday. After troubleshooting the setup, I discovered the router was the culprit. A replacement and a few configuration changes got everything working properly again.

Another client near the JCC needed to move years of important, sensitive information from an older computer to a new one. This wasn't just about transferring files. It was about making sure nothing important was left behind and that everything worked the way they expected.

**Two different problems, but the same goal: making technology one less thing to worry about.**

I've been helping families and small businesses throughout Western Massachusetts since 2008, and these are the kinds of jobs that remind me why I enjoy what I do.

I recently shared these experiences, along with some helpful information about how I support Longmeadow homes and businesses.

Take a look: https://www.bobscomputerrepairs.com/computer-repair-longmeadow-ma/