For years it was a running joke among my peers: I was constantly being asked to help people recover their Hotmail password, so my friends would ask as well, in jest.

15 years later, the joke has changed. These days it's Facebook: lost or forgotten passwords, hacked or inaccessible accounts. Today the jests are all about Facebook. That article's worth a review if you have a Facebook account, as it includes a few things you can do to prevent the problem before it occurs.

Also this week:

If you've ever been confused by seeing different size numbers in different places for the same file, I explain why.

I got a message from a recent Windows 8 install complaining that my hardware was too new. Too new? That's a new one on me.

If you live in an area at risk of power issues -- anything from dirty power to hurricanes, tornadoes, lightning, and earthquakes -- which is pretty much all of us -- you might want to check out this week's article on protecting your computer (and more).

I mentioned that last week I was at a conference in Boise. While there we took the opportunity to record an episode of the Tech Enthusiast Hour podcast in person. It was a fun episode, including our own little "origin story".

Have a great week!

Featured

How Do I Recover My Facebook Password?

I stupidly forgot my Facebook login password and can't get on. Now what do I do? Can I have Facebook send it to me?

No, Facebook won't email you your password. If they do security correctly, they can't.

There are two approaches to try: the official way, and the not-so-official way. Even if you don't use the not-so-official way, you should know about it, as it represents a potential security threat.

Continue Reading: How Do I Recover My Facebook Password?
https://askleo.com/4388

This Week's Articles

Why is the Same File a Different Size in Different Places?

When backing up online, my pictures only take up ~65 GB, but ~88 GB are reported on my computer. Why?

This is something that's confused computer users for many years: the exact same file can show as taking up a different amount of space, depending on where you look and the characteristics of different disk drives.

Copy that file online and things get even more confusing.

I don't think I've ever seen this be something to worry about. Regardless of the differences, your file is still your file, regardless of where it's stored.

Continue Reading: Why is the Same File a Different Size in Different Places?
https://askleo.com/93651

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Why is Windows Complaining About Unsupported Hardware?

I recently moved my Windows 8.1 virtual machine from my older Mac Pro to my newer Dell XPS laptop. When I ran Windows 8.1, it would periodically display an “Unsupported Hardware” message followed by what was, to me, a very confusing error message.

It took me several tries to parse and understand the message, but the upshot seems to be that the CPU on my newer machine was too new, and Windows 8.1 wasn't going to support it.

And it was going to be downright annoying about it.

Continue Reading: Why is Windows Complaining About Unsupported Hardware?
https://askleo.com/94065

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How to Protect Your Computer from Power Problems

I use a surge suppressor and an uninterruptible power supply (battery backup). I live in the southeastern US, and we're prone to summer thunderstorms. My wife works for the State, and they never unplug their computers. I shut down and unplug everything from the wall socket when we have a close storm. What would your recommendation be? Or is that an unanswerable question unless you're here?

It may be unanswerable, but I won't let that stop me from trying.

I certainly can't give you a blanket “do this or that” answer, as the specifics of the situation really do play a large role in the solution. But I can tell you what I'd look at when I decide how far to take it.

Let me start by describing what I do. My situation is different than yours, but I think the process leading to my solution is a good example of the kinds of things that need to be considered.

Continue Reading: How to Protect Your Computer from Power Problems
https://askleo.com/4332

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