Advice centre
Straight answers from the technicians who fix these problems every day. No sales pitch, no jargon — just what we'd tell you if you rang and asked.
37 guides on staying safe online, protecting your files and keeping your computer healthy.
Categories
- Security & Scams5 min read
Calls from "your bank" asking you to move money
The scam where a caller says your account is at risk and asks you to move money somewhere "safe" — and the one rule that beats it.
Read the guide - Security & Scams4 min read
"Hi Mum, this is my new number" messages
A message from a "new number" claiming to be your son or daughter, followed by an urgent request for money.
Read the guide - Security & Scams4 min read
A pop-up says your computer is infected
Those flashing warnings with a phone number to call are not from Microsoft. Here's how to close them and carry on.
Read the guide - Security & Scams5 min read
Banking and shopping online safely
Simple everyday habits that make online banking and shopping much safer, and how to spot a fake website.
Read the guide - Security & Scams6 min read
Helping an older parent stay safe online
How to help a parent or relative avoid scams while keeping them confident and independent.
Read the guide - Security & Scams4 min read
What to do if you think you've been scammed
A calm checklist for the first hour after a scam — who to ring first, what to change, and how to stop it happening again.
Read the guide - Security & Scams4 min read
Student finance and HMRC scam messages
Fake "your loan is suspended" or "tax refund" messages aimed at students, and how to check them safely.
Read the guide - Security & Scams4 min read
Renting safely: deposit and fake landlord scams
Fake flat adverts and "landlords" who take a deposit for a room that doesn't exist.
Read the guide - Security & Scams4 min read
"Easy money" job offers and money mules
Offers to earn cash by letting money pass through your account — and why saying yes is a crime.
Read the guide - Backup & Data4 min read
Back up your coursework before a deadline goes wrong
A broken or stolen laptop the week before a deadline is avoidable. Here's how to set up a backup in minutes.
Read the guide - Security & Scams5 min read
Getting your social media account back
What to do in the first hour after your Instagram, Facebook or TikTok account is taken over.
Read the guide - Security & Scams5 min read
Invoice fraud: "our bank details have changed"
An email saying a supplier's bank details have changed — or a customer paying the wrong account — and how to stop it.
Read the guide - Security & Scams4 min read
HMRC and Companies House scams aimed at small businesses
Fake tax demands, refund offers and filing fees aimed at the self-employed, and how to check them.
Read the guide - Security & Scams5 min read
Protecting your business email
Your email is the key to everything else. The steps that keep it out of a criminal's hands.
Read the guide - Backup & Data4 min read
Backing up your business files and accounts
If your laptop died tomorrow, could you still send invoices? How to make sure the answer is yes.
Read the guide - Security & Scams4 min read
Using your phone for work safely
If your business runs from your phone, a few simple settings protect your customers and your income.
Read the guide - Computer Problems6 min read
How to tell if your computer has a virus
The genuine warning signs, the symptoms people wrongly blame on malware, and the right order to do things if you think you're infected.
Read the guide - Backup & Data7 min read
A backup strategy that actually works
Why an external drive isn't enough, what 3-2-1 means in practice, and how to make sure the backup you have would actually restore.
Read the guide - Maintenance5 min read
Why Windows updates matter more than you think
What updates actually fix, what postponing them really risks, and how to stop them interrupting you without leaving the machine exposed.
Read the guide - Computer Problems5 min read
Is my old laptop worth repairing?
Which faults are worth fixing, which mean it's time to replace, and the one upgrade that revives most slow machines.
Read the guide - Working From Home7 min read
Protecting a small business from cyber attack
The handful of measures that stop the great majority of real attacks on small UK businesses — and how those attacks actually begin.
Read the guide - Security & Scams6 min read
How to spot a scam email or text
The signs that give a scam away, the clever ones that don't, and what to do if you've already clicked the link.
Read the guide - Security & Scams5 min read
Phone calls claiming to be from Microsoft or BT
Why these calls sound so plausible, what the caller is really after, and the steps to take if you've already let someone in.
Read the guide - Security & Scams5 min read
Passwords: the simple system that actually works
Why reuse is the real risk, how password managers actually work, and a system you'll keep using after the first week.
Read the guide - Security & Scams5 min read
Two-factor authentication, explained properly
What it is, which kind is worth having, where to turn it on first, and what to do if you lose the phone.
Read the guide - Security & Scams6 min read
What to do if your email account is hacked
The exact order to work through, including the hidden mail rule almost everyone forgets to check.
Read the guide - Security & Scams6 min read
Ransomware: how it gets in and how to survive it
How it really gets in, what to do in the first hour, and the one thing that turns a disaster into an inconvenience.
Read the guide - Working From Home4 min read
Staying safe on public Wi-Fi
What's genuinely risky on café and hotel Wi-Fi now, what's overblown, and when a VPN is worth having.
Read the guide - Computer Problems5 min read
You've deleted something important — what now?
Where the file has probably gone, the places to check in order, and the mistake that makes recovery impossible.
Read the guide - Backup & Data5 min read
Photos: how to make sure you never lose them
Why phone sync isn't a backup, how to rescue photos off old devices, and a setup that survives the realistic disasters.
Read the guide - Computer Problems6 min read
Why your computer is slow, and what actually fixes it
The real causes, in the order we find them, and which fixes are worth paying for.
Read the guide - Maintenance5 min read
Windows 10 is finished — your options now
What losing support actually means, how to check whether your machine can take Windows 11, and what to do if it can't.
Read the guide - Maintenance5 min read
Keeping a laptop healthy: heat, battery and dust
The handful of habits that add years to a laptop, and the ones quietly shortening its life.
Read the guide - Maintenance4 min read
Running out of space — what's safe to delete
Where the space has actually gone, what's safe to remove, and what you should leave well alone.
Read the guide - Computer Problems5 min read
Home Wi-Fi that drops out: the usual causes
Why it fails in certain rooms or at certain times, what to try in order, and whether a mesh system is worth it.
Read the guide - Buying Advice6 min read
What to look for when buying a new computer
Which specifications genuinely matter, which are marketing, and roughly what to spend for what you actually do.
Read the guide - Buying Advice6 min read
Setting up a new computer properly
How to get everything across, what to strip out of a new machine, and how to wipe the old one safely.
Read the guide