Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 216 of 258

Q&A: Will I need to reinstall Windows if I upgrade my PC’s motherboard and CPU?

Posted on February 14, 2015

Question from Andy T.: A few years ago one of my co-workers helped me build a computer from scratch and we installed a full retail copy of Windows 7 Home Premium on it. I recently tried to upgrade the memory but found out that I have already maxed out the RAM for this motherboard & CPU combo.

Since I really want to add an additional 8GB of RAM and run USB 3.0 natively, I’m planning to upgrade the motherboard and CPU. I’m just wondering if I’ll need to reinstall Windows.

Will I? Or should I, even if I don’t have to?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I get rid of the ‘SecureBoot isn’t Configured Correctly’ message?

Posted on February 12, 2015

Question from Stephen Y.: I recently upgraded my computer from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 and I keep getting this message whenever I’m on the Desktop:

SecureBoot isn’t Configured Correctly

I’ve tried everything I can think of and I can’t find a way to fix this. Can you tell me what I need to do to get rid of this annoying message?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I get my picture to load in Photoshop Elements without causing an error?

Posted on February 12, 2015

Question from Lexie: Rick, I have Photoshop Elements and I love it, but I have this one image file that I can’t get to load.

I’ve tried opening the file by right-clicking on it in Windows Explorer and selecting “Open with > Photoshop Elements” and by using the “File > Open” dialog from within Elements. It simply refuses to load and I get an error message every time.

I only have this problem with one photo that I desperately need to edit and print. All other photos load correctly, and even the one that won’t load into Elements opens fine in Internet Explorer and Google Chrome.

Any idea why this might be happening? This is on a Dell Dimension desktop PC with Windows 7.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I find out what model number my computer is?

Posted on February 10, 2015

Question from Beverly L.: Rick, I have a four year old Dell laptop computer that I’m planning to sell on Craigslist.

The problem is I have no idea what the model number of the computer is. The label on the bottom is faded so badly that I can’t read it. I also can’t remember how much memory is in it or how big the hard drive is.

I do know that this PC has Windows 7 on it. How can I find out what the model number is, how much memory it has, and how big the hard drive is?

Rick’s answer: Beverly, you can easily find that information with a quick bit of detective work. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I completely uninstall a program in Windows without leaving any stray files behind?

Posted on February 5, 2015

Question from Curtis: I downloaded the trial version of Nero 2015 Classic onto my Gateway computer with Windows 7, but then I decided I didn’t want to keep it.

I used the “Uninstall a Program” app in the Control Panel to remove it, but I’m still finding parts of it in at least three folders. How can I uninstall it and get rid of ALL of its files?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]