Explanations

The screens that frighten people, explained calmly: what each one is, why it looks frightening, what a paid service would do about it, what Geek Doctor does, and what you can do yourself.

• The fake "virus" pop-up

  A loud warning says your computer is infected and gives you a phone number to call. It is lying. Here is how to tell, and how to make it stop.

• Notifications — the little boxes in the corner

  Where those little pop-up boxes actually come from, why some pretend to be warnings, and how to quiet the ones you never asked for.

• Updates — why your computer keeps asking

  What an update actually is, why it restarts at the worst moment, and why saying yes is usually the right call.

• Bluetooth — the invisible wire

  What Bluetooth is doing when your headphones or mouse stop answering, and the checks that fix it most of the time.

• What "virus removal" actually removes

  What a paid virus-removal service really does, step by step — and which of those steps your computer already does free.