Refresh Computers Tech Talk
Audio files of our weekly radio show on WDBO where we talk about your electronic life. Help and advice are given on a range of technical issues from computers to everything internet-related.
Episodes
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 th...
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 harvestin...
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 k...
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 physica...
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...
Your phone disappears and suddenly it hits you: your bank, your email, your photos, your texts, your whole digital life is sitting in someone else’s hand. We break down the calm, practical steps that actually limit the damage, starting with the settings you should turn on before anything goes wrong. Greg Rhodes and Refresh Computers technician Adam Littlefield explain how Find My on iPhone and Android tracking...
Your internet bill keeps climbing, your Wi-Fi still drops in the back room, and somehow every provider claims you “need” gigabit. We push past the buzzwords and talk like real humans about what internet speed actually fits a normal household, why streaming is more efficient than it used to be, and how to test your connection the right way so you see what your device is truly getting (not just what your I...
Your inbox suddenly won’t let you log in, your friends start getting weird messages, and that sinking feeling hits: someone’s inside your account. We break down how to respond without spiraling, starting with the fastest move that matters most: changing your password from a trusted device on a familiar network. From there, we talk through practical cybersecurity habits that actually hold up in the real w...
That “cheap promo” you forgot about can become the most expensive line item on your card. Greg Rhodes and Adam Littlefield kick things off with a painfully relatable story: a local subscription that quietly quadrupled in price for months before it got noticed, and it sparks a bigger conversation about how the subscription model is built to fade into the background.
We break down a practical subscr...
Your passwords protect you, but they can also lock your family out of the things they’ll urgently need one day: email, photos, cloud files, bills, banking access, and even social media accounts that can turn into scam magnets if nobody can secure them. We sit down with technician Adam Littlefield from Refresh Computers to talk through a clear, practical plan for managing your digital footprint so the people yo...
A “brand new” computer can still be behind on critical updates, packed with bloatware, and one bad setup choice away from becoming slow and frustrating. We sit down with Greg Rhodes and Adam Littlefield from Refresh Computer Superstore to lay out a practical, real-world new computer setup plan that prioritizes speed, security, and fewer headaches later.
We start with the part most people skip: dec...
Checking your bank balance shouldn’t feel like stepping onto thin ice, yet a lot of people still hesitate to go fully digital. We walk through what actually makes online banking safe, why it can be safer than paper statements, and the simple habits that do the most work: strong unique passwords, two-factor authentication, paperless statements, and real-time bank alerts that catch suspicious charges fast.
A stolen password is annoying. A stolen identity can haunt you for years. We start with one of the highest-impact moves you can make in about 15 minutes: freezing your credit so lenders can’t pull your report and thieves can’t easily open new accounts in your name. We walk through what a credit freeze actually does, why you must do it with all three credit bureaus, and when a fraud alert might be a bette...
Your TV probably has better specs than the shows you’re feeding it, and that mismatch is why shopping by buzzwords feels so confusing. We walk through what the labels actually mean and what matters in real life: choosing the right screen size, deciding between LED, QLED, mini LED, and OLED, and why 4K is the practical sweet spot for most homes while 8K is still mostly a premium “future-proof” bet. ...
More screen time at home can be a gift and a risk at the same time. We talk through a practical, non-creepy way to make the internet safer for your kids, your teens, and even older family members using simple “guardrails” instead of surveillance. Think parental controls that block sketchy downloads, reduce scam exposure, and keep app installs and purchases from happening without you knowing, all while ke...
A scam doesn’t have to be “sophisticated” to work. It just has to make you panic. Greg Rhodes and Adam Littlefield from the Refresh Computer Superstore dig into the patterns behind today’s most common tech scams, from robocalls and fake overdue notices to gift card demands and messages that try to shame you into staying quiet. We keep coming back to one practical move that stops a lot of dama...
The fastest way to waste money on a laptop is to shop like you’re buying a status symbol instead of a tool. We walk through a simple, real-world method for choosing the right laptop without overpaying, starting with the one question that actually matters: what are you going to do with it day to day? From there, we translate the jargon into practical guidance, including why an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 class...
You can feel it happening: AI is becoming the default helper for everything from writing to repair work, and that’s exactly why we wanted to separate what’s genuinely useful from what’s just noise. Greg Rhodes sits down with Senior Technician Mike from the Refresh Computer Superstore to explain how AI actually fits into day-to-day tech troubleshooting, especially when a new device shows up with unf...
Your name is not just a name online anymore. A quick search can surface your home address, phone number, relatives, and other personal details on data broker and people-search sites you never agreed to join and that’s exactly the kind of information that powers robocalls, spam texts, and more targeted scams. Greg Rhodes and Refresh Computers technician Adam Littlefield break down how this data gets collected, ...
Cable is expensive, streaming prices keep creeping up, and somehow the one thing you actually want to watch live is still sports. We walk through a realistic plan for watching NFL games without a traditional cable bill, including how to combine streaming services with a simple over-the-air antenna for local channels. Along the way, we talk about what exclusivity deals mean for fans, why you do not need every subscri...
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