Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Dawn F.: My friend told me about a Windows app called “TuneIn Radio” that lets you listen to live radio on your computer.
I found the app in the Microsoft Store but when I click on it to install it nothing happens. I tried installing a couple of other apps too just as a test and none of them will install.
Can you tell me how to fix this? I really want to give TuneIn Radio a try.
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Howard C.: I just bought a new computer with Windows 10 and I can’t figure out how to burn files onto a blank CD or DVD. Can you tell me how to do it?
Rick’s answer: Congrats on getting a new computer Howard! I hope it serves you well for many years to come!
To answer your question, it’s actually pretty easy to burn files to a blank optical disc in Windows 10. Just follow the steps below: [Read more…]
Question from Ron: My Toshiba laptop seems to have an intermittent short in the motherboard power connector.
Most of the time it acts like the AC adapter isn’t even plugged in, but if you wiggle the connector a certain way it will sometimes start charging the battery and the screen will get brighter.
I know the problem isn’t a bad AC adapter because it does the same thing with my wife’s adapter plugged in (we have identical laptops).
This laptop is only 14 months old (2 months out of warranty) but I don’t want to spend almost as much as I could buy a new one for to get it fixed. I’m afraid it might need a new motherboard, but I’m hoping it’s something a lot simpler and cheaper.
Do you think this can be fixed without laying out too much cash?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Renee: I just bought my 9 year old son his first computer. It’s an Acer laptop with Windows 10.
Can you recommend a good parental control software program that doesn’t cost a lot (hopefully free)?
Ideally the program would prevent him from visiting porn sites and downloading any programs.
Any advice you can give me will be much appreciated. Thanks.
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Ronnie M.: Hi Rick. I have a really strange problem that I need help with.
We’ve had Xfinity Internet for years and the Wi-Fi has always worked perfectly until recently.
A couple of weeks ago my Dell laptop started causing our Wi-Fi network to completely shut down every time I turn it on.
The Wi-Fi can be working perfectly on our other computers, on our phones and on the kids’ Xbox, but within 5 minutes after turning on my laptop the Wi-Fi stops working on everything in the house. The devices still show an active connection but we can’t do anything on the Internet.
The crazy thing is I don’t even have to be using the Internet on my computer for this to happen.
In fact, I don’t even have to have a web browser open. It just happens. But the Wi-Fi starts working again on the other devices just as soon as I shut my laptop down.
Do you have any idea what could be causing this? I thought it might be a virus but I have three antivirus programs running on my computer and none of them are finding anything.
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]