Refresh Computers Tech Talk

Send us Fan Mail Your browser is probably the most important app on your computer and also the easiest place to accidentally create chaos. Greg Rhodes and Adam Littlefield dig into the everyday habits that quietly wreck performance: running multiple browsers, letting tabs multiply into the hundreds, and relying on random extensions that promise “protection” while eating resources. We walk through simple browser basics that make an immediate difference, like signing into Chrome or Edge so book...

Send us Fan Mail A “free download” can be the moment your computer starts running slow, your browser fills with pop-ups, or your accounts get compromised. Greg Rhodes and Refresh Computers technician Adam Littlefield break down what free software is truly worth using and what’s a hard pass, especially the so-called cleanup tools and driver updaters that push nonstop notifications and often care more about harvesting data than fixing anything. We also dig into antivirus reality in 2026:...

Send us Fan Mail A scary pop-up says your storage is almost full and your files will be deleted unless you pay. Do you click, ignore it, or panic? We walk through how cloud storage actually works so you can make smart calls with OneDrive, iCloud, Google Drive, and Google Photos and avoid getting pushed into a scam. We also explain what “cloud” really means, how syncing differs from backup, and why many services let you keep both local files and cloud copies so you are not stuck when the inter...

Send us Fan Mail Your computer usually whispers before it screams, and ignoring those whispers is how people lose photos, documents, and whole weekends. We walk through the most common “your PC is failing” warning signs we see at the shop every day: corrupted or unreadable files, missing folders, basic tasks that freeze the whole system, and the classic mechanical hard drive clicking or grinding that signals real physical damage. We also explain why SSD failure can feel quieter and faster, ho...

Send us Fan Mail A fake captcha that asks you to copy and paste a command into PowerShell sounds absurd until it happens on a site you trust and it looks “normal.” We walk through the newest wave of pop-up scams security folks call ClickFix, why it’s catching even experienced IT users, and the simple rule that keeps you safe: no legitimate website will ever require you to run a Windows command to prove you’re human. We also share what to do if you already followed the steps, including the fir...