Tech Questions & Answers Archives

Q&A: What’s a good program for retrieving a router’s password?

Posted on July 1, 2026

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Question from Thomas: I hope you can help me Rick.

I can’t log into my router because I lost the password and I need to log into it to make some much-needed settings changes.

I’m so frustrated right now that I’m seriously thinking about not even putting a password on my router and Wi-Fi connection once I manage to get into the settings screen again.

I heard there are programs that you can download from the Internet that’ll hack into your router and give you the password. Can you recommend a good one? [Read more…]

Q&A: Do I need to run manual scans with my antivirus app?

Posted on June 30, 2026

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Question from Curtis: I have my antivirus program set to run automatic scans on three nights each week (I read somewhere that three times a week is the best schedule to follow).

My question is will those three automatic scans be enough to protect my computer from viruses or should I run manual scans too just to be safe? [Read more…]

Q&A: Do SSDs need to be defragmented?

Posted on June 29, 2026

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Question from Roger: Rick, I followed your advice and replaced the hard drive in my laptop with a solid state drive (SSD).

I’m absolutely blown away by how much faster the laptop boots up and how much faster my programs load.

I do have one question though. I read in another forum that SSDs don’t get fragmented and they never need to be defragged. Is that true? [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I buy an extended warranty for my new computer?

Posted on June 28, 2026

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Question from Angela: Rick, I have a question about extended warranties.

I bought a new laptop last Saturday and as the cashier was ringing me up she tried her best to talk me into buying a 2 year extended warranty for almost $100.

I paid just a little over $400 for the laptop and $100 seemed excessive to me, so I declined.

Do you think I made the right decision? I have up to 30 days to change my mind and go back and buy it. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I connect my iPhone to a TV for watching Netflix?

Posted on June 27, 2026

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Question from Marcella: I used to watch Netflix on my computer but it got fried by lightning.

I’ve decided that I don’t really need a computer now so I won’t be replacing it.

I now watch Netflix on my iPhone but I’d really like to watch it on my 32 inch TV. I know I could use AirPlay but my TV doesn’t support it.

My boyfriend said I should be able to connect my phone to the TV through its HDMI port somehow, but he isn’t sure how to do it because my phone has a lightning connector instead of HDMI. [Read more…]