Tech Questions & Answers Archives

Q&A: Who makes better laptops, Dell or HP?

Posted on November 6, 2025

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Question from Anita: I’m planning to buy a new laptop to replace the one I have now. It has never performed well so I’d like to try a different brand.

I’ve been asking around about recommendations for a good brand, and most people seem to like either Dell or HP. The problem is there doesn’t seem to be a consensus.

I’ve been following your blog for a while now and I really trust your judgment. Which is better in your opinion, Dell or HP? [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it safe to keep using an antivirus that has expired?

Posted on November 4, 2025

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Question from Jimmy: A few months ago I bought a new laptop that came with McAfee Antivirus pre-installed on it.

I thought it was the real McAfee program but apparently it was just a trial version because this morning I got a notice saying the trial subscription had expired.

I tried to uninstall it so I could install Malwarebytes Premium but I can’t get it to uninstall. It gives me an error every time I try to remove it.

My question is would it be safe for me to keep using the McAfee program that’s installed on my laptop even though it’s expired? [Read more…]

Q&A: Will photos stored on an unused hard drive last forever?

Posted on November 1, 2025

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Question from Stella: I have thousands of family pictures that I’ve copied onto an external hard drive, which I keep locked up in a fireproof lock box.

My question is will those pictures last forever or is their lifetime limited in any way?

[Read more…]

Q&A: How can I delete all of my Gmail messages at once?

Posted on October 27, 2025

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Question from Kenny: I love your site man. Too cool!

I hope you can help me with a Gmail question.

I have over 7000 messages in my Gmail Inbox and about as many in my “Sent Mail” folder.

I’d like to wipe out all those old messages and start fresh, but it would take forever to go through there and delete them a page at a time.

My question is do you know of a way to delete all of my Gmail messages at once? [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it legal to sell ‘free’ software?

Posted on October 24, 2025

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Question from Gordon: I have a very simple question for you, Rick: Is it legal to sell free software?

I’m asking because I just bought a DVD off of eBay that contains several software programs for troubleshooting and maintaining a PC, but I have just found out that ALL of it is freeware that’s distributed under the GNU GPL License. [Read more…]