All posts tagged: disable

People who use public WiFi told to disable key setting now | Personal Finance | Finance

People who use public WiFi told to disable key setting now | Personal Finance | Finance

Published by Sam Flores

People have been warned (Image: Getty) People have been warned that when in public and using a Wi-Fi network that is not theirs, they need to be extra careful. And there’s a feature that many people may want to disable to stay safe. According to experts at Which?, when you use a public Wi-Fi, some devices automatically reconnect to networks you’ve used before. However, this can be risky if a network isn’t secure. The consumer champions urge people to review their current settings as soon as possible and if you need to change them, to follow these steps below. If you have an iPhone: Go to Settings > wi-fi and select the I icon next to the network. Disable Auto-Join. From the wi-fi screen, you can also select Ask to Join Networks > Ask. If no known networks are available, you will be asked before joining a new one. If you have an Android: Head to Settings > Network and Internet > Internet. Select the Cog icon next to the wi-fi network, then toggle Auto-connect. …

Your router’s most convenient features are quietly killing your network performance — here’s what to disable

Your router’s most convenient features are quietly killing your network performance — here’s what to disable

Published by skeptic

Modern Wi-Fi routers place a lot of emphasis on convenience and performance, rightfully so, given that user demand for both is at an all-time high. Even affordable models from TP-Link and NETGEAR include convenience-focused features for accessing, maintaining, and controlling wireless networks. The problem? Several of these features often have an undesired impact on network performance, speed, and reliability, especially on routers with limited processing power. Fortunately, disabling some of these features solves the problem for the most part. Related These 8 router tweaks instantly make your internet more reliable Say goodbye to lag, buffering, and connection drops with these tips. Band steering isn’t always that smart It often leads to stability issues Band steering, also called Smart Connect, essentially combines the 2.4GHz and 5GHz SSIDs of your dual-band Wi-Fi router into a single network name (SSID). The router then chooses the appropriate band whenever you connect a device. On paper, this feature sounds great: you don’t have to worry about connecting to the right Wi-Fi network. The real-life experience with band steering is far …

Windows 11 still runs dinosaur services like Fax at boot — here’s what you should disable

Windows 11 still runs dinosaur services like Fax at boot — here’s what you should disable

Published by skeptic

Windows 11 comes with dozens of background services that start automatically when you turn on your PC. Most are essential, handling networking, audio, and security. But a few are relics from a different era of computing, services like Fax and Distributed Link Tracking that made sense in the Windows 2000 days but serve no purpose on a modern personal computer. After I finally disabled some of these Windows services, I realized most of them had been quietly running for years without doing anything useful for me. To be fair, many of the riskier services already come disabled by default or need a manual trigger to activate. So, this isn’t about performance gains or freeing up system resources, because these services use a negligible amount of both, but about not running things you genuinely don’t need. Distributed Link Tracking Client A shortcut repair tool from the Windows 2000 era The Distributed Link Tracking Client is one of those services that sounds important until you learn what it actually does. Its job is to maintain links between …

This Windows AI feature runs in the background — disable it now

This Windows AI feature runs in the background — disable it now

Published by skeptic

Whether you ask for it or not, artificial intelligence is slowly becoming a part of your Windows experience. Now that Copilot is integrated directly into Windows 11, Microsoft isn’t just offering you a chatbot. Rather, it’s backing AI as a core part of how your PC works. Well, it’s a good addition for people who need AI for their everyday tasks. But the problem is that not everyone asks for it or needs it. Copilot promises faster answers, smarter workflows, and seamless system tweaks, but it also runs as a built-in, cloud-connected feature on your Windows 11 machines. I’ve rarely used Copilot on my machine. So, I don’t appreciate the idea of Copilot just sitting in the background all the time. That’s why I decided to disable it entirely. What is Microsoft Copilot in Windows Built-in AI companion Copilot is an AI-powered assistant that’s baked right into Windows 11 to improve your creativity and productivity. It’s designed to work as a one-stop solution to generate/rewrite text, answer your questions, summarize web pages, adjust system settings, …

How to disable standby mode on your TV – and does it really save on your electric bill?

How to disable standby mode on your TV – and does it really save on your electric bill?

Published by skeptic

Kerry Wan/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. The “Black Parade” turns 20 this year, and if that made you feel old, you’re probably also at the age where you’re wondering if you can save a bit of money on your energy bill by unplugging your TV overnight or when you go on vacation.  While it’s true that TVs used to be power-hungry devices that drew a lot of electricity, even when in sleep or standby mode, we’ve come a long way from the early days of flat screens and CRTs (no, not that one).  Also: How to disable ACR on your TV  With better tech comes better energy efficiency and lower costs, meaning while it’s no longer as impactful to leave your TV unplugged overnight, you can still gain full control over your TV’s power settings by disabling standby modes and LED indicators on a variety of models. Here’s how to do it, and more reasons why you should. How to disable standby mode Every brand sets up its menu options differently, and …

How to disable ACR on your TV – and why it makes such a big difference

How to disable ACR on your TV – and why it makes such a big difference

Published by skeptic

Adam Breeden/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Smart TVs track viewing habits with ACR tech. Collected data fuels billions in targeted ads. Turning off ACR protects privacy but takes effort. Most modern smart TVs come with a silent partner: Automatic Content Recognition (ACR). This ad-tracking tech monitors everything on your screen in real-time, feeding your viewing history into a database to build a precise profile of your habits. It’s the engine behind those eerily specific ads — and it’s likely running the moment you press power. Also: Own a Samsung TV? I changed these 6 settings to make the system run like new again What’s the incentive behind this invasive technology? According to market research firm eMarketer, in 2022, advertisers spent an estimated $18.6 billion on smart TV ads, and these numbers are expected to continue rising. How does ACR work? To understand how ACR works, imagine a constant, real-time Shazam-like service running in the background while your TV is on. It identifies content displayed on your screen, including …

Mozilla Adds Option to Disable New AI Features Coming to Firefox Browser

Mozilla Adds Option to Disable New AI Features Coming to Firefox Browser

Published by skeptic

Mozilla Firefox is adding new AI features this month, but you’ll have the option to turn them off, according to a Tuesday blog post from Firefox head Ajit Varma. “AI is changing the web, and people want very different things from it,” Varma wrote in the post. “Listening to our community, alongside our ongoing commitment to offer choice, led us to build AI controls.” Varma said in a November blog post that Mozilla planned to expand AI features for Firefox. This includes an AI chatbot sidebar and AI-powered summaries. But in this new post, Varma said many people want nothing to do with AI, so Mozilla will include a button to turn off AI in the latest update. A Mozilla spokesperson told CNET that Firefox is making its AI features optional, transparent and easy to control or turn off entirely. “The goal is always for a better browsing experience, one that keeps people in control of how they experience the web and now AI, as it becomes more common across the web,” the spokesperson said via email. The …

The one Google feature I disable immediately

The one Google feature I disable immediately

Published by skeptic

We all have features we swear by and others we immediately turn off. It really comes down to personal preference and how each of us use our phones. Over time, you start forming habits around these choices. In my case, there’s one setting I never skip when setting up a new phone, and there’s one feature on Android I disable without fail the moment I start using it. That combination has become part of my routine, and it’s exactly what I want to talk about here. What is this feature, and how does it work? When your phone stays one step ahead Credit: Shimul Sood / MakeUseOf It’s At a Glance, a feature that Google introduced on Pixel phones nearly a decade ago. You’ll find it as a widget that lives on both the home and lock screens, designed to surface important information without you having to dig through apps. It brings together a wide range of timely updates in one place. This includes updates like weather and air quality, as well as alerts, such as …

How to disable ACR on your TV (and why doing so makes such a big difference)

How to disable ACR on your TV (and why doing so makes such a big difference)

Published by skeptic

Adam Breeden/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Smart TVs track viewing habits with ACR tech. Collected data fuels billions in targeted ads. Turning off ACR protects privacy but takes effort. Did you know that whenever you turn on your smart TV, you invite an unseen guest to watch it with you? These days, most mainstream TVs use automatic content recognition (ACR), a type of ad-tracking technology that collects data on everything you watch and sends it to a central database. Manufacturers then use this information to understand your viewing habits and deliver highly targeted ads. Also: Own a Samsung TV? I changed these 6 settings to make the system run like new again What’s the incentive behind this invasive technology? According to market research firm eMarketer, in 2022, advertisers spent an estimated $18.6 billion on smart TV ads, and these numbers are expected to continue rising. To understand how ACR works, imagine a constant, real-time Shazam-like service running in the background while your TV is on. It identifies content displayed …