Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 2 of 258

Q&A: How can I force Google to always show American search results?

Posted on November 12, 2025

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Question from Brett: I need your help with something if you don’t mind, Rick.

I just started a new job for which I’ll be traveling quite frequently, mostly to western Europe but occasionally to South and Central America as well.

I’m in the UK right now and every time I click on my bookmark to load Google it takes me to the British Google site.

I really need for my browser to load the Google search results for the United States at all times because only those results are relevant to the research I do for my job.

Do you know of a way to force Google to always show the American search results no matter which country I’m in at the time? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I use a powerline networking kit to share my Internet with the house next door?

Posted on November 8, 2025

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Question from Jane: Hi Rick. I recently read your post about using a powerline networking kit to access the Internet from a distant room.

Last night I began wondering if that solution would work in my situation.

[Read more…]

Q&A: How can I quickly see what time it is in a foreign country?

Posted on November 7, 2025

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Question from Glenda: My son accepted a job in Brisbane, Australia and he now lives there.

My problem is I seem to wake him up every time I call him. I guess I’m horrible with time zones.

Is there an easy way to quickly see what time it is over there so I can avoid disturbing him when he’s sleeping? Maybe an app I an install on my computer? [Read more…]

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…]