Rick's Daily Tips

Rick’s Daily Pick: 5X Magnifying Glass with Light

Posted on April 5, 2026

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

My “Pick” for today is this super-handy 5X Magnifying Glass with Light.

I bought this to help me read the ridiculously tiny print on the instruction manuals that come with tech products today but it quickly became one of my favorite tools.

If you have difficulty reading fine print or working with small, intricate items this will help you out (a lot)!

Click here to check out the 5X Magnifying Glass with Light at Amazon.

Did you miss (or want to revisit) one of my earlier picks? You might find it right here.

Picture of the Day: “Spring Flowers at Lodi, Virginia”

Posted on April 5, 2026

Today’s POTD features some very colorful spring flowers decorating the intersection of Monroe Road and Bucks Bridge Road in Washington County, Virginia . I hope you like it.

Have lots of treasured photos of your own that you’d love to display in your home but you have limited wall space? A digital picture frame (#ad) is an excellent solution. Check them out!

Enjoy these Pictures of the Day? Sign up for my free Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter and you’ll never miss one (or any of my tech tips either)!

Monthly Tech Giveaway – April 2026

Posted on March 31, 2026

Note: The links on this page are affiliate links.

April’s winner will receive a fantastic APC UPS Back-UPS Pro 1500VA UPS.

Whether you’re a gamer looking to up your gaming experience or a regular user who is just looking for a great monitor to replace the one you have now, this is a fantastic option.

All subscribers to the Standard edition of my Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter have an equal chance to win.

Premium subscribers have two chances to win (their email addresses are added to the “pot” twice).

Not a subscriber? Just enter your email address in the sign-up form on this page.

Once subscribed you’ll be eligible to win each month’s drawing – starting with this month. Better yet, opt for a Premium subscription for double the chance to win!

The drawing for this month’s prize will be held on April 30 and the winner will be notified by email. The winner will be selected at random.

Good luck!

Q&A: Why do Windows PCs slow down over time?

Posted on April 5, 2026

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Question from Michael: I’ve noticed that every Windows computer I’ve ever owned runs lightning fast when I first take it out of the box, but before long they always seem to start slowing down.

Why do they do that? Do the parts just wear out or what?

Is there anything that can be done to reverse the slowdown and get the PC running like new again? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I completely disable my laptop’s camera?

Posted on April 4, 2026

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Question from Callie: I bought a new Windows laptop (an Acer) that has a camera built into it.

I don’t ever plan to use the camera for anything and I’d like to completely disable it.

I don’t want to just prevent apps from accessing the camera. I want to disable it completely.

Is it possible to do that? If it is, can you tell me how to do it? [Read more…]

Scam alert: Beware fake Gmail ‘account closure’ emails

Posted on April 3, 2026

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There’s a very dangerous email scam making the rounds again, and as before it’s catching a lot of Gmail users off-guard.

As usual, the text of the email varies a bit, but the message conveyed is always the same.

The email claims to be from Google in response to a request to close your Gmail account. [Read more…]