I think I have automatic updates set for my Windows PC, but it never seems to tell me there's an update, and my experience with Windows and Microsoft is that there are updates typically every week or so. Is there some way i can manually run a Windows Update to see if there's anything pending or available for my Win7 laptop?

I've finally gotten an iPhone 4s and am, of course, excited to play with Siri. It thinks my name is Susie, however, which is really weird. From what I can tell, that's one of the contacts in my address book on the iphone, but why does it think that's me, and how do I fix it?

My kids are a menace. At least, they are when they get their hands on my iPhone and iPad! Well, now that I think about it, they're just all-around menaces. :-) I'd like to add some sort of restrictions to my iOS devices so that they can't just go and buy stuff willy-nilly. This is possible, right? How do I enable content and purchase restrictions on my iPhone and iPad?

I've been reading about the privacy mess surrounding Carrier IQ, a company that apparently supplies diagnostic software for cellphones, and am anxious about my privacy. I have an iPhone and Apple has variously said that they have it, that they don't have it any more, and that they still have it but are going to remove the Carrier IQ utility. What's the story and how can I disable it on my new iPhone 4s?

I'd like to let my friends check in to my house on Foursquare when they get to my place for a party, but I really don't want to have my address be out there for the public at large. Is there some sort of solution where I can retain my privacy but still be a Foursquare venue?

Dave Taylor shares another tech tips video to help you increase your Facebook account security by connecting it to your cell phone and setting an SMS password.

Keywords: Inside Scoop, facebook, security, sms, password

Dave Taylor shares tech tips for increasing Facebook privacy and security settings.

Keywords: Dave Taylor, Facebook, privacy, security, Inside Scoop

I've used iPhoto for a long time on my iMac and one of its best features is the ability to select a pile of photos and share them with my Facebook friends. I've recently shifted to Aperture and like its additional power and capabilities but can't get it to connect with my Facebook account any more. If it matters, I did set up the Facebook 2-step verification security, as you recommended. Are these related?

It's not the first time that malware of some sort has reared its ugly head in the Mac OS X world, but MacDefender -- and its variants MacGuard, MacProtector and "Apple Security Center" -- are particularly onerous because the programmers have figured out how to install the software on your computer without you having to enter your admin password. There's a simple tweak you can make to your Web browser that makes you far, far less likely to get into the digital blackmail of a program that requires an expensive upgrade to remove unnamed viruses from your computer though...

I'm freaking out! I sent $200 via Paypal to a friend of mine to help her out in a bind and she said she never saw the money or even a notification show up. Upon closer examination, I realize that I used the wrong email address for her. Now I'm afraid that someone else is getting the money! How can I cancel the transaction ASAP?

My husband has been logging in to my Amazon.com account and buying stuff for himself because I have some gift card credit on my account. I don't want to get into a fight with him, I just want to change my password so he can't do it any more. How do I change my Amazon.com account password?

Hi Dave, I've got two email accounts but someone changed my password and security question. Is it possible to recover my emails accounts at all? Many thanks.

I don't understand how, but I clicked on a video link to check out something my friend had posted on Facebook and suddenly I'm getting email from friends saying I'm a spammer. What's going on? How do I fix it?

A colleague of mine had a very weird thing happen yesterday: he checked in to a restaurant just before a lunch meeting, and some random person called the restaurand and asked to be connected to him. He had no idea who it was and it's set off quite a firestorm in the office about whether anyone in the company should use geolocation checkin games. I think it's a bit overblown, but want to know, how can I see who are my Foursquare friends and remove those I don't know?

Just bought a new Apple iPad 2 and want to prep your old iPad 1 for resale? You might be lucky and sell it to a relative (or be really nice and give it to them, for that matter), in which case it isn't a crisis if some of your information remains on the device, but if you're tapping into Craigslist or eBay, you'll want to know exactly how to reformat the iPad back to its out-of-the-box state for the new user.

After switching over my Facebook account to always use an encrypted connection [see Connect to Facebook Securely with SSL] I would like to do the same with other sites I visit. Gmail supports it [see Secure Gmail Connection], but what about Twitter? Is there some way to connect to Twitter with a secure, encrypted SSL connection?

A friend just pointed out to me that because my iPhone 4 has a GPS built into it, it always knows where I am, and that it records that information in every picture I take with the phone. Since I often post pictures online, I don't want them to all have my exact location hidden within. Is there a way to turn this off?

I just realized that my daughter has my iTunes account password because I got a receipt for about $25 worth of purchases that I'm sure I didn't make. I don't even like Eminem, Lil Wayne and don't even know who Wisin & Yandel are... ?

I'm dealing with my daughter, but it seems reasonable to also change my iTunes Store password. Except I have absolutely no idea how to do that. Help! How do I change my iTunes account password?

Okay, so I turned on 2-step verification, which is cool, but now I can't log in to my Google Voice app on my iPhone. This is not good, Dave. How do I fix it??

I hear that there's a new security system you can enable on Google Gmail and the rest of the Google suite that requires you to have your smart phone along with your password? What's the security system called [ed note: "2-step verification"] and how can I use it for my own account?

I have switched from Microsoft Word on my MacBook and iMac to using Apple's Pages document editing program. I like it a lot but can't figure out how to create password-protected files, which is important for the work I do as a therapist. I searched on Google and found a bunch of people saying it's not possible, but Apple wouldn't have created a program like Pages without including this feature, would they? How do I password protect or encrypt a Pages file, Dave?

I often use public wifi networks to access my Facebook account and am a bit paranoid about my privacy and security. Is there some way to force Facebook to use SSL (https) to securely connect me each time, encrypting information both sent and received?

I have a very specific question for you, Dave, so I hope that's not a problem? I did a bunch of shopping online and really wanted to keep keep copies of the receipts, but many Web sites have a "Print" button for printing receipts. What I want instead is a copy on my computer, ideally in PDF form, so I can avoid anyone else seeing what's on the printer (and blowing the surprise). Even better, can the PDF files be password protected and secure?? I have a big iMac if that makes a difference.

I have a nifty wireless wifi speaker setup in my office where we use AirPlay on our Apple devices to send music to the speakers from iPhones, iPads and our Mac computers. Works awesome and it's built around an old Airport Express, but I realized that anyone can find and access the speakers, not just people in my office. Is there a way to password protect the speakers?

I'm paranoid about passwords and now that there are more stories of password and account data circulating I want to change everything! But I can't figure out Skype. How do I change my Skype account?