Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 2 of 258

Q&A: How do I wire two switches to control one light fixture?

Posted on January 13, 2026

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Question from Dewey: Hi Rick. I have a wiring question that I hope you can help me with.

I want to install a light fixture on my back porch and use two switches to turn it on and off. One switch will be located outside on the porch and the other switch will be on the inside wall next to the door.

My question is how do I wire this up so that either switch will control the light without having to touch the other switch? [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I get Chrome to display the page’s full URL in the address bar?

Posted on January 11, 2026

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Question from Daniel: Rick, I hope you can you help me with a problem I’m having.

I recently started using the Chrome browser and I’ve noticed that it doesn’t show the entire URL of the current web page in the address bar.

For example, for your site it only shows ricksdailytips.com and nothing else for the home page URL. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I create a Desktop icon for putting my PC to sleep?

Posted on January 8, 2026

Question from Alan: I know there are several ways to put a Windows PC to sleep but what I’d really like to have is a desktop icon I can click on to put it to sleep with just a double-click. Is there any way to created one?

Rick’s answer: The answer to your question is yes, Alan. And it’s very easy to do. [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I buy my own modem or rent one from my ISP?

Posted on January 8, 2026

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Question from Mike: I have cable Internet through Xfinity and I pay $14 a month to rent a cable modem from them.

While shopping for a router on Amazon I noticed that they also sell cable modems.

Would you recommend buying my own cable modem since the $168 I pay Xfinity every year for a rental would actually buy one outright? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I replace the rechargeable batteries in my solar lights with better ones?

Posted on January 7, 2026

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Question from Sue: I have 16 solar deck lights around the railing of my deck.

These lights are a little over a year old and their cheap AA rechargeable batteries now only last about an hour or so after the sun goes down.

I really like these particular lights so I’d prefer to replace the batteries instead of the lights themselves.

Can I safely replace the old rechargeable batteries in these lights with something like Energizers? [Read more…]