Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 157 of 259

Q&A: Can I replace a bad power supply with one from another computer?

Posted on August 7, 2020

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Larry G:. Rick, I have a two Gateway Desktop computers, neither of which are operational.

One has a bad motherboard and the other has a bad power supply.

Can I replace the bad power supply with the one in the computer that has the bad motherboard? If I can I won’t have to go buy one.

The power supplies look exactly the same and have the same cables and connectors, but the working power supply is rated at 400 watts and the bad one is only 350 watts.

I read your post about replacing Windows with Linux and I’d really like to get one of these machines working so I can install Linux Mint on it.

What I need to know is will replacing a power supply with a more powerful one damage a computer?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Does ‘Tax Free Weekend’ apply to Amazon purchases?

Posted on July 29, 2020

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Stella H.: Our state will be observing its annual back-to-school “Tax Free Weekend” starting this Friday.

I know that certain items can be purchased tax-free at local stores during Tax-Free Weekend, but what about things we buy online at Amazon?

I usually buy most of my kids’ back-to-school stuff from Walmart to take advantage of the tax savings, but there are a few relatively expensive items I’d prefer to buy from Amazon if I can still get the tax savings.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I connect a second display to my iMac?

Posted on July 14, 2020

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Kelley: I recently bought this 21.5 inch iMac and I’d like to connect a second display to it.

I have a really nice 1 year-old 27 inch HP monitor with two HDMI connectors that I used with my old Windows computer.

I’d love to use that monitor if I can.

My goal is to have Photoshop running on the 27 inch screen and everything else on the 21.5 inch screen.

Can you tell me if the HP monitor is compatible with the iMac? If it is, how do I connect it to the computer and set it up in the software?

If it won’t work with the iMac can you recommend a good 27 inch monitor that will?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I keep using Chrome or switch to the new Microsoft Edge browser?

Posted on June 30, 2020

Question from Judy: When I purchased my PC with windows 10, it came with Microsoft Edge as the web browser.

I preferred using Google Chrome so I installed it and set it as my default browser.

The other day Windows updated and automatically installed a new version of Microsoft Edge.

Now I’m not sure if I should keep Chrome as my default browser or use Edge. What do you recommend?

Also, should I delete whichever one I decide not to use?

I would appreciate your thoughts on which is the best way to go. Thank you.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]