Rick's Daily Tips

Rick’s Daily Pick: Acer Aspire 3 15.6″ Laptop Computer

Posted on September 15, 2026

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

My “Pick” for today is this well-equipped, but affordable Acer Aspire 3 15.6″ Laptop Computer.

With RAM prices through the roof these days it’s hard to find a good general purpose laptop with a decent amount of RAM for a reasonable price.

This one has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of super-fast SSD storage in addition to a very capable AMD Ryzen 7 CPU.

I believe it’s a great value for the money given today’s market conditions.

Click here to check out the Acer Aspire 3 15.6″ Laptop Computer at Amazon.

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

Picture of the Day: “Equine Acrobat”

Posted on September 15, 2026

Today’s POTD features a beautiful (and apparently very talented) horse engaging in a bit of show-stopping acrobatics. This was taken in Kentucky’s iconic ‘horse country”, just a few miles east of Lexington. 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 – September 2026

Posted on July 31, 2026

Note: The links on this page are affiliate links.

September’s winner will receive a fantastic CyberPower 1500VA/1000W Sinewave UPS Battery Backup / Surge Protector.

This will keep your computer, modem and router online for a full hour after your power goes out, preventing a dangerous instant shutdown that could damage your computer gear and cause you to lose any unsaved data that’s currently in the machine’s RAM.

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 September 30 and the winner will be notified by email. The winner will be selected at random.

Good luck!

Complete list of Windows 10/11 keyboard shortcuts

Posted on September 14, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Virtually every release of a new major Windows version includes a slew of new Windows shortcuts, and Windows 10 and 11 have plenty.

In fact, the latest versions of Windows provide dozens of them for you to use at any time!

Some folks prefer to use the mouse and avoid using the keyboard as much as possible, but others love the speed and efficiency gained by replacing three, four or more mouse clicks with a single keystroke combination.

If you’re one of them, check out this extensive list of keyboard shortcuts you can use to do virtually anything in Windows 10… [Read more…]

5 simple habits that protect you from most cyber threats

Posted on September 14, 2026

Most successful attacks against individuals do not involve sophisticated hacking. They exploit a handful of predictable human behaviors, and closing those gaps blocks a disproportionate share of real-world attack paths.

This post covers five specific habits, the exact threat each one blocks, and what to do if you suspect you have already been compromised.

Why Do a Handful of Habits Cover Most Real-World Attacks?

[Read more…]

Q&A: Why do drive letters start with ‘C’ on Windows PCs?

Posted on September 13, 2026

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Brittney: I have a question I’ve been wanting the answer to for a long time and nobody seems to know the answer.

Now that I’ve found this site I’ll ask you.

I’ve noticed that the drive letters in computers always start with “C” and go up from there?

There doesn’t seem to be an “A” drive or a “B” drive. Can you tell me why that is? [Read more…]