Computer Tips Archives - Page 2 of 231

Don’t want to pay big bucks for Photoshop? Try this awesome free virtual clone

Posted on December 12, 2025

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

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

I used either Photoshop or Photoshop Elements as my go-to image editing app for many years, and I’ll admit they are amazingly powerful. But I eventually realized there are two major drawbacks to using them:

1 – As you can see right here, they are expensive.

2 – You can only install one licensed copy on two computers at one time.

There really isn’t anything you can do about #1. Neither edition of Photoshop is cheap, and that’s just the way it is. [Read more…]

Linux replacements for popular Windows programs

Posted on December 10, 2025

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

A while back I wrote a post explaining how to give an old PC new life by replacing Windows with Linux as a means of extending the useful life of older PCs.

After that post was published I received a number of emails asking for a list of Linux programs that can replace the Windows programs they’d leaving behind if they made the switch.

I decided that it might be a good idea to publish that list in its own blog post, and here it is: [Read more…]

How to clone a hard drive or SSD by simply pushing a button

Posted on December 8, 2025

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

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

I have written several posts that explain how to clone a hard drive or SSD, and every time I think I’ve found the simplest method possible I eventually discover an even easier way to do it.

Well, I’ve found yet another way, and I honestly don’t think cloning a drive could be any simpler than this.

The Sabrent USB 3.0 to SATA Dual Bay External Hard Drive Docking Station literally makes the process of cloning a hard drive or SSD onto a target drive as simple as pushing a button!

This is all you have to do to clone a standard SATA hard drive or 2.5″ SATA SSD using the Sabrent docking station: [Read more…]

My backup plan for absolute protection against data loss

Posted on December 4, 2025

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

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Folks often ask me what they should do to keep their PC working smoothly and keep their photos and other data secure from loss.

Without exception, I always offer the following recommendations: [Read more…]

Why you should travel with a Chromebook instead of your regular laptop

Posted on December 2, 2025

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

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Do you travel often for either work or pleasure?

If so, you probably worry about the possibility of a thief absconding with your laptop along with all the sensitive data that’s stored on it.

And that’s indeed a real concern since most Windows PCs, by default, do a poor job at protecting stored data from prying eyes – even if the machine is protected with a password or PIN. [Read more…]