Why you should never Google tech-support numbers

Why you should never Google tech-support numbers

Need help from HP? Or Dell? Or just about any other computer or device maker? Don't fall into this trap.

Can you spot the real HP support number? Surprise: Every single one is a third-party company itching to charge you money.Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

It sounds harmless enough: The printer won't print, so you hit up your favorite search engine and look for a tech-support number for the printer manufacturer. That's the fastest way to find it, right?

Allow me to relate a true tale that was just shared with me:

[I was] having trouble printing from my laptop to our HP wireless printer, which until a couple days ago was working just fine. Called HP help line and had the most bizarre experience. Previously, when I first installed the printer, I had the best help-line call ever and we were able to solve the problem. This call was among the worst.

The technician hooked into my PC remotely, downloaded a program that was checking for errors, etc., then proceeded to try to sell me their annual service for PC repair, etc., for "only" $199 per year. I could not get the guy off the phone. In fact, after telling him to get the hell out of my computer and hanging up on him, he called me back and harangued me for using bad language and demanding to know how I was going to get my computer fixed without their assistance!

Wow, that's a pretty damning indictment of HP tech support. Except, as you've probably guessed by now, this user hadn't reached HP at all. Instead, he'd searched for "HP tech support" or some variation of it and called the first number he'd found. Pretty easy mistake to make, especially if you're agitated with your computer or printer and don't pay close attention to the search results.

Same exact thing happened to my dad last year: He needed tech help with something, searched for a support number and ended up with a third-party support company that offered remote help -- and a hefty bill to go with it.

The moral of both stories: When you need help with a tech product, don't use a search engine to find a support number. Instead, head directly to the company's Web site, then click the Support link to find the number you need. It may take a bit longer, but it's the best way to be sure you don't fall into this trap.

Update: Like many people, I frequently use "Google" as a verb, hence this post's headline. It seemed clearer than "Why you should never use a search engine for tech-support numbers." But I recognize the disconnect in showing a Yahoo screenshot, especially when Google itself is actually better at returning valid support-number search results.

Indeed, as shown in the screenshot below, a Google search for "HP tech support" returns a large HP logo and accurate phone number -- no doubt easier to spot than the ads above it. For the record, my feeling is you shouldn't use Bing, Google or Yahoo if you're looking for tech support for a particular company. You should go to that company's website.

Google does a little better at steering you to the correct number, but still shows misleading ads.

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How to enable Smart Lock for Google Apps accounts

How to enable Smart Lock for Google Apps accounts

Google Apps users will need an admin to enable the feature before it can be used on a Chromebook.

Smart Lock setup on a Chromebook.Jason Cipriani/CNET

Google recently launched its Smart Lock feature on Chromebooks, where a user can unlock his or her laptop simply by having an Android device nearby.

The feature was easy to setup on Gmail account, but as noted in this guide walking users through the setup process, my Google Apps account was lacking the feature altogether.

After some troubleshooting, reaching out to Google's PR team, and subsequently talking with Google Apps Support, I was able to figure out the process for enabling Smart Lock on an App account.

Since Smart Lock is disabled by default for Google Apps users, you'll need to have admin privileges or ask the admin for your account to enable it.

You can do this one of two ways. The first and easiest, is to visit admin.google.com and sign in to your account. From there, click on Device Management followed by Chrome. Enable Smart Lock and Save Changes.

However, I ran into issues after receiving the above directions. When I went to the Device Management panel, Chrome was nowhere to be found. Eventually I discovered you can access Chrome settings by signing into your admin page (same link as above) and clicking on Apps followed by Additional Google services, then Chrome Management. As with the previous method, once you're on this screen you simply need to enable Smart Lock and save the change.

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Prevent your Mac password from being bypassed

Prevent your Mac password from being bypassed

These two security utilities prevent thieves from being able to reset your password to gain access to the contents of your Mac.

A nefarious individual could purloin your Mac and bypass your user account password in order to access your data or wipe your system clean and begin using it as their own. It's possible to reset a password by booting into Recovery Mode or from an external drive.

Thankfully, there two precautions you can take to protect yourself and your Mac from intruders. One is a software-based encryption tool, and the other is a hardware-based encryption tool, both of which are built-in utilities of OS X. The software tool is a utility called FileVault, which you may already be using. The hardware tool is a firmware password you can set in Recovery Mode.

FileVault Disk Encryption

FileVault encrypts the data on your Mac so unauthorized users can't access your files. If you are usingOS X Yosemite, then you are likely already using FileVault. When you installed Yosemite, one of the setup screens asked if you wanted to enable this utility.

To check to see if you are using FileVault, open System Preferences, click Security & Privacy, and then click the FileVault tab. To enable FileVault, click the lock in the lower-left corner to unlock it and enter your admin name and password. Next, click the Turn On FileVault button.

Screenshot by Matt Elliott/CNET

You'll get a recovery key, which you'll need if you want to reset your password. Be sure to keep this recovery key in a safe spot. Alternatively, you can store it with Apple. If you choose the latter, you will be asked to create three security Q&As -- three hoops to jump through should you need to ask Apple for your recovery key in the future.

After a restart, FileVault will begin to encrypt the files on your drive. You can still use your Mac while FileVault works in the background, though its performance may be a bit sluggish.

Firmware Password

Even with your files encrypted with FileVault, someone could grab your laptop, enter Recovery Mode and wipe your hard drive clean and start fresh. While this keeps your files from prying eyes, it certainly doesn't prevent a thief from happily using your Mac after a fresh install of OS X. A firmware password is a hardware-based encryption tool that requires a password when booting to Recovery Mode or from an external drive.

Matt Elliott/CNET

To create a firmware password, you will need to reboot your Mac and enter Recovery Mode by holding down Command-R when it begins to boot up. When the OS X Utilities screen appears, click on theUtilities menu in the menu bar and select Firmware Password Utility. Next, click Turn On Firmware Password, enter a password, and click the Set Password button. Finally, click Quit Firmware Password Utility, and choose Restart from the Apple menu in the upper-left corner.

One word of caution: make sure you don't lose track of your firmware password. If you forget it, you will need to take a trip to your nearest Apple Store to reset it.

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