Chrome

Paul has two laptops running Linux with the Brave browser installed on both. He's now experiencing a lot of updates every other day. What gives? Leo says it's normal. Browsers are constantly updated because they are the front-line defense against infection. Google has lately updated the chrome browser 13 times this week, for example. So, what Paul is seeing is Brave updating their browser as Google updates Chrome since they're both based on the Chromium architecture. 

Don uses Chrome, and his browser page will freeze when he uses Gmail. But if he closes it, he can use the browser. Leo says that tabs are sandboxed in Chrome, so Google may see that the tab is running in the background, and as such, it's freed up resources through "tab freezing." It's a recent feature of Chrome. You can turn it off, but it does free up memory and resources for your computer.

Dale is getting notifications from Google on his laptop. Leo says that those are ads triggered by some software that Dale is using. Leo says it could be a browser hijack that's causing it. He can go into browser settings and turn off notifications from sites he visits. In Chrome, it's turn off browser notifications. He may have to do a little digging in the menu settings.

Michelle bought a new laptop running Windows 10 S mode, but she can't install Google Chrome.  Leo says that Windows S mode won't let her download and install third-party apps that aren't in the Microsoft app store. So she has to get out of S mode. She can turn it off, download Chrome, and then turn it back on. But keep in mind that Microsoft's new EDGE browser is based on the Chrome engine. So she could just use that. Turn off S mode and life will be much easier.

Russ wants to control his Chromebook from his tablet. Can he do that? Leo says that there's an extension called Chrome Remote Desktop. It's in the Google Play Store. 

Robert wants to know how to delete Facebook on one machine without it returning on another when they sync up. Leo says that Google Chrome makes bookmarks and if you have a bookmark for Facebook in Chrome on one computer, it'll return on another through sync. So turn off sync. If you are also signed in on a public computer that could cause it as well.

Chris is looking for a good tablet that won't break the bank. Is there a Chromebook tablet? Leo says there is, but he doesn't recommend it. The best Android tablets are made by Samsung, and the Galaxy Tab S3 is about $450. Leo says that Google had a great tablet called the Pixel C, but they don't make it anymore. If budget is an issue, then the Amazon Fire tablet is the best because they are heavily subsidized.

Anna clicked on a link in Facebook, which took her to a site that popped up a big warning with a phone number. She restarted her PC, and after that Chrome wouldn't let her access Google anymore. She also saw a warning flag in the system tray. Leo says the warning in the system tray is from Microsoft, so she can click that. It will probably take her to the security center where she can see if it offers any sensible information. She can run IE, but can't run Chrome, though. When she launches Chrome, she gets a blank white screen and it freezes.

Wade wants to know if he can use network attached storage (NAS) with his Chromebook? Leo says he can mount the NAS as a drive, and he can access his NAS through the web. But to do a direct backup using Chrome may be nontrivial. Wade should check out the Chrome extension Network File Share.