Tekee Tim's Tips

How can I safely recycle my computer?

If you've replaced your PC or Mac and would like to dispose of the old one or sell it, then you need to be careful that you've erased all the data on the disk so that no one else can access any of your files.

Most people store a lot of private and sometimes sensitive documents on their computers and if someone else gets the machine, it's possible that they could recover this information so you do need to take some steps to ensure this doesn't happen and we'll show you some of those steps here.

What to look for when buying a new computer

When you're looking for a new computer, there are a few things you need to bear in mind when making a decision.
In this week's tip, Tekee Tim will help you through the process.

Get Smart with your filing

If you like to keep your files and emails organised, the Mac has great features to help you do this automatically, with Smart Folders and Smart Mailboxes.

Smart Folders allows you to create a folder on your Mac that looks like a normal folder, but instead of you having to move or copy your files into it, it will ask you for a set of rules and automatically display files that match.

Saving time with templates

If you're typing the same types of document over and over again in your word processor, you can save a lot of time by saving it as a template. Templates are easy to set up and use in all word processing packages, here we'll show you how to set up a simple template for a letter in Word and Pages.

How do I save attachments from my email?

If you receive attachments via email, it’s important to save them onto your computer. Once you’ve done this you can edit the attachments, email them on to other people and file them away into your filing system.

Below we’ll show you how to save your file attachments from Mac Mail, Outlook and iPhone/iPad Mail.

Using Malwarebytes to clean up your computer

If you think you might have malware on your computer but your regular anti virus isn't showing anything, running Malwarebytes can help you find and remove anything that might be hiding on your computer. Below, we'll run through how to install and run it on Mac and Windows.

Using "Find My" on Mac and iOS

Most Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad, MacBooks, iMacs and even Apple Watch can be tracked using the built in Find My app. This can be really helpful if you ever lose a device. In this tip, we'll show you how it works.

Creating a playlist in Apple Music on macOS

Apple replaced iTunes in macOS Catalina with the new Apple Music app. A lot of the functions for music are the same but creating playlists and adding songs is slightly different so we thought it was time to revisit how to make a playlist of your favourite music.

Using Hot Corners to save time on macOS

There's a small but very useful feature called Hot Corners in Mac OS X and it can be a very easy way to clear all the windows off your desktop or start your screen saver or put your display(s) to sleep if you're leaving your computer and don't want people to see what's on the screen.

We'll show you here how to set it up and how easy it is to use.

Can I edit my Pages, Numbers or Keynote documents via the web?

If you're a Mac user and you use the free Pages, Numbers and Keynote office suite that Apple supply with each new Mac, iPad and iPhone, then you already know how powerful and easy to use they are.

You might not know that you can actually edit, share and collaborate on documents via the web, just like you can with Google Docs.

Protect yourself on public WiFi with a VPN

Did you know that when you connect your phone to a public WiFi network, whether it's in a coffee shop, a hotel or even in guest network in an office, you're potentially letting everyone else on the network see all the websites you're visiting and potentially even your login information for websites? Here, we'll show you how to avoid this problem.

Annotating PDFs on your Mac

If you're sending photos or PDFs to people it can be very helpful to add your own annotations, whether it's to give someone directions or point something out in the photo. This is very easy to do using Preview on the Mac and below we'll show you how to do it.