Tech Questions & Answers Archives

Q&A: Does ‘Tax Free Weekend’ apply to Amazon purchases?

Posted on August 8, 2026

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Question from Stella: Our state’s annual back-to-school “Tax Free Weekend” is going on right now.

I know that certain items can be purchased tax-free at local stores during Tax-Free Weekend, but what about things we buy online at Amazon?

I usually buy most of my kids’ back-to-school stuff from Walmart to take advantage of the tax savings, but there are a few relatively expensive items I’d prefer to buy from Amazon if I can still get the tax savings. [Read more…]

Q&A: Will a USB 3.0 external hard drive work with a USB 2.0 hub?

Posted on August 7, 2026

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Question from Melissa: Hi, Rick. I just bought this 4TB external hard drive to back up the hard drive in my new laptop.

I really like this drive because it will store a LOT of photos (I’m a photographer).

Due to a dearth of USB ports, the external hard drive will have to connect to the computer through a USB hub.

My question is can I use the hub I already have or will I need to buy a new one? [Read more…]

Q&A: Is there a way to boost the weak cellular signal in my home?

Posted on August 6, 2026

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Question from Deneen: My husband and I recently moved into a new home that’s located in a very hilly area.

We both have iPhones but the T-Mobile signal inside the house is very weak. We have no problem sending and receiving texts but we have lots of really irritating dropped calls.

We sprung for Xfinity Internet when we moved in, but we’d rather not have to install a landline phone if we can help it.

Is there any way we can boost the weak cellular signal enough to prevent the dropped calls? [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it illegal to install third-party firmware on a router?

Posted on August 5, 2026

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Question from Scott: I have a relatively old Linksys router that my son recently installed DD-WRT on, and it works really well.

Last night I heard a guy say that it’s illegal to replace a router’s firmware with third-party firmware. I love DD-WRT but I don’t want either myself or my son to get into trouble over it.

Can you tell me if it’s really against the law to replace a router’s factory firmware with open-source firmware like DD-WRT? It seems to me that if it was you wouldn’t be able to download it. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can you recommend a good online photo editor?

Posted on August 3, 2026

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Question from Roger: Hi, Rick. I’d love to have your advice on a good online photo editor.

I bought Photoshop Elements and installed it on my desktop computer several years ago. That computer got destroyed by lightning so I bought a new desktop PC and installed Photoshop Elements on it from that same disc, and it worked fine.

Well, that replacement PC is getting pretty long in the tooth now so I bought a computer to replace it. When I went to install Photoshop Elements on the new computer it told me I had already installed it on two machines and it wouldn’t let me install it on the new one. [Read more…]