Computer Tips Archives - Page 173 of 227

Always use an ‘ad blocker’ browser extension when downloading free software

Posted on April 6, 2017

I use lots of awesome free programs and apps, and whenever I recommend them on my blog I try my best to warn you when the download page has deceptive ads on it.

If you’ve ever visited one of the major free download sites, you surely know the type of ads I’m taking about. They usually include a big honking “DOWNLOAD” button that tricks folks into downloading an entirely different program than the one they came looking for.

Unfortunately, those fake download buttons are both annoying and dangerous because some of the programs they link to are actually malware! [Read more…]

Q&A: Will Microsoft Office 2010 work with Windows 10?

Posted on March 25, 2017

Question from Ellen R.: I used Microsoft Office 2003 on my old computer but the hard drive died and I had to replace it.

I still have my Office 2003 installation discs but I can’t get it installed on the new laptop. I’m guessing that it’s just not compatible with Windows 10.

My brother has a copy of MS Office 2010 Professional that’s still in the box and it’s never been opened or registered. He said he would ship it to me from Scotland if it’ll work with my system, but he doesn’t want to waste money to ship it to me if it won’t work.

My question is will Microsoft Office 2010 run on Windows 10? If it will it’ll save me from having to buy a copy of MS Office that I really can’t afford right now.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Windows 10: Free up wasted space by deleting the Windows.old folder

Posted on March 24, 2017

Did you upgrade your computer from an older version of Windows to Windows 10?

If so, your computer’s hard drive or SSD contains a Windows.old folder that contains the files from the previous Windows installation.

The storage space taken up by this now-unused folder is wasted space, but with today’s massive hard drives that isn’t really an issue for most users.

But that being said, it can be a very serious issue if your PC has a small hard drive or SSD that’s running out of available storage space. [Read more…]

Create a Homegroup in Windows for sharing files, folders and printers on your local network

Posted on March 5, 2017

Recent versions of Windows make it easy to create a Homegroup for easily sharing files, folders and printers with any or all of the PCs on your local network. In fact, it only takes a few mouse clicks and keystrokes to set one up.

Note: There are a couple of things to consider before you create your Homegroup and begin sharing your computer’s resources: [Read more…]

If your computer is under warranty, keep your old RAM sticks after a memory upgrade

Posted on March 3, 2017

A while back I wrote a post explaining how adding RAM to your computer can give it a major speed boost, but I inadvertently left out a very important detail…

If your computer is still under warranty when you upgrade its RAM, make sure you keep any old memory sticks that you remove from the machine as part of the upgrade process.

That way if something happens and you have to send the computer in for a warranty repair, you can temporarily remove the new RAM sticks and re-install the original ones. [Read more…]