Dennis Faas

Infopackets Reader Fred J. writes: " Dear Dennis, Like you, I use an on-premise version of ConnectWise ScreenConnect to provide technical support to my clients. A recent security vulnerability ( CVE-2024-1709 ) this past February forced me to ... upgrade ScreenConnect to their latest branch (currently version 23.9) in order to patch the system. Prior to that, I was using an old Linux version of ScreenConnect from 2016. A few weeks after the upgrade, however, the 'Administrator' user I use to log into my on-prem ScreenConnect is locked out because bots keep hitting my login page in order to guess ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Steve T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I use Chrome as my web browser and when I right click on a web page, I often use the option to 'View page source' so that I can copy its contents and edit the HTML using another program. The problem ... is that in 2023, Google released an update to Chrome that changed the right click menu. Now, I am forced to scroll through the menu in order to get to the 'View page source' option. This is painful and time consuming since I do it many times a day. Last year I came across a few articles that suggested going to 'chrome://flags/' via the web address ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Gina P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently checked my Windows 11 Update and Security (i.e. Windows Update), and I see a bunch of failed updates for Hewlett-Packard - USB - 2/10/2017 12:00:00 AM - 44.1.2402.1741 . I've rebooted my ... machine three times today, and I see 6 corresponding failures for Hewlett-Packard - USB - 2/10/2017 12:00:00 AM - 44.1.2402.1741. From what I gather, appears that the HP USB update is attempting to install twice each time I turn on the machine or reboot. It also appears to have been failing to install for well over a year. I've searched google on ... (view more)

What's one of the best one-stop video/image quality enhancement and editing software available for Windows? Answer: Digiarty's VideoProc Converter AI! From the makers of WinX DVD Ripper and WinX Video Converter comes VideoProc Converter: a ... multi-award winning software program that is a one-stop video/image processing program that allows you to restore and enhance video image quality in 1 click, convert video/audio, rip DVDs, edit video, download videos, video to GIF maker ... plus much more! The latest version of VideoProc Converter AI includes the ability to upscale old pictures and video ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Stuart V. writes: " Dear Dennis, Both my wife (Suzanne) and I are running Windows 22H2 (version 10.0.19045) on a shared home network. Suzanne's printer is an older HP 4250 Laser Printer (circa 2015) which she has connected to her ... PC via USB connection, and is marked as a 'shared printer'. However, when I try to connect to her printer (via This PC -> Network -> Her Computer -> Right click HP 4250 -> Connect), it gives me an error 'Windows cannot connect to the printer. Operation failed 0x0000011b '. I have tried everything I can think of but can't fix this. Can ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Steve C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've managed to get myself caught up in Instagram sextortion and I don't know what to do. A few weeks ago this beautiful woman DM'd me on Instagram, claiming to be 21. After a bit of harmless ... back-and-forth, we exchanged some photos. Later on, things got a little more heated and I sent some nudes (but only after she initiated). She's got my phone number, though for the past week we've been communicating on Snapchat. A few days ago, her 'father' called me on the phone (from a New York area code) and claims she's under age and threatened to go ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jim H. writes: " Dear Dennis, My Thunderbird just updated to version 115.3.2 (dubbed 'Supernova') and the menu layout has changed. Specifically, the Menu Bar (which I previously enabled) is now no longer at the very top - it's ... below another menu. I prefer to have the Menu Bar at the very top of Thunderbird. Any idea how to fix this? " My response: I have also noticed this unwelcomed change and found a few articles describing the process that were overly complicated or missing information. I've decided to simplify it with my own instructions. How to Fix: Move Thunderbird ... (view more)

Did you get caught up in a romance scam? Are blackmailers threatening to expose your pictures and videos through Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or LinkedIn? If so, you've come to the right place. Got questions? I've got answers! Contact me here to ... receive a complimentary phone consultation. Ask up to 3 questions, up to 15 minutes FREE . I've been studying this scam extensively since 2019, have completed over 1,000+ cases, and I'm happy to share my knowledge and experience with you. Too shy for a call? Keep reading - there's LOTS of good advice below, including insight into this crime you'll ... (view more)

Apple has acknowledged widespread complaints regarding overheating issues with the newly launched iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. These problems stem from a variety of factors, with a key contributor being a software glitch found in iOS 17 and a few ... apps. iPhone 15 Pro Max Heats Up to 98F Shortly after the iPhone 15 series hit the market, reports began to surface from users who experienced excessive heat or overheating with their new devices. Some users even found it uncomfortable to hold their phones, and there were instances of infrared thermometers registering temperatures exceeding 80 degrees ... (view more)

An increasingly prevalent method of seizing control over an individual's iPhone and permanently locking them out of the device is causing concern. As outlined in a recent report by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), certain iPhone thieves are exploiting ... a security feature called the recovery key. This technique makes it exceedingly difficult for owners to access their photos, messages, and other data. Disturbingly, some victims have reported unauthorized access to their financial apps, resulting in drained bank accounts. (Source: wsj.com ) How the iPhone Recovery Key Exploit Works It's important ... (view more)