Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 152 of 258

Q&A: Is it legal to install third-party firmware on a router?

Posted on November 16, 2020

Question from Scott: I have a relatively old Linksys router that my son recently installed DD-WRT on, and it works really well.

Last night I heard a guy say that it’s illegal to replace a router’s firmware with third-party firmware. I love DD-WRT but I don’t want either myself or my son to get into trouble over it.

Can you tell me if it’s really against the law to replace a router’s factory firmware with open-source firmware like DD-WRT? It seems to me that if it was you wouldn’t be able to download it.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Is there a way to boost the weak cellular signal in my home?

Posted on November 14, 2020

Question from Deneen L.: My husband and I recently moved into a new home that’s located in a very hilly area.

We both have iPhones but the Sprint/TMobile signal inside the house is very weak.

We sprung for Xfinity Internet when we moved in, but we’d rather not have to install a landline phone if we can help it.

Is there any way we can boost the weak cellular signal to a usable level?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I move my PC’s Taskbar back to the bottom of the screen?

Posted on November 13, 2020

Question from Ervin S.: Last night my son was using my computer (Acer All-in-One Desktop with Windows 10) to play a game on his school’s website.

At some point something must have went wrong because when I turned the computer on this morning I noticed that the taskbar had somehow been moved to the left side of the screen.

I tried to move the task bar back to the bottom of the screen but it won’t move. It’s like it’s stuck on the left-hand side. Can you tell me how to get it back on the bottom where it belongs?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How hard is it to replace a damaged laptop screen?

Posted on November 4, 2020

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Andreas G.: My favorite laptop (an ASUS X551M) fell off of my kitchen table and it cracked the screen.

It isn’t cracked that bad, but unfortunately the entire right side of the screen is black and completely unresponsive.

I really like this laptop and I’d love to get it fixed but I can’t afford to spend a lot of money on it.

How hard is it to replace a laptop screen? Do you think I could do it myself?

Also, do you have any idea how much it would cost to get a replacement screen?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Where can I buy a replacement power supply for my Xbox One game console?

Posted on November 1, 2020

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Michael Y.: I recently moved and in the process I lost the power supply for my Xbox One game console.

I need to buy a replacement power supply but I don’t know where to get one.

Can you tell me who sells them?

Rick’s answer: Michael, there are actually a number of places where you can buy a third-party replacement power supply for your Xbox One.

The thing is many of them are cheap, low-quality knock-offs that could end up damaging your expensive Xbox One machine. [Read more…]