Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Dana G.: I read an article the other day that said if your computer uses too much virtual memory it will really slow down your programs and stuff.
My laptop (a Dell w/Windows XP) is running really slow lately, and I was wondering if that could be the problem. And if it is, how can I stop it?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Dulce F.: Rick, I have an HP Pavilion G60 laptop that won’t turn on unless the charger is plugged in to the wall.
I’ve tried removing the battery and putting it back in and a few other things that my nephew suggested, but so far nothing has worked.
Can you tell me what’s wrong and what I need to do to fix it? This is so frustrating because I’ve only had this computer for 3 years! Thanks so much for your help!
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Mark V.: I bought a brand new Toshiba Satellite C55-A laptop from Best Buy a couple of months ago, then had to go out of town on business for 6 weeks before I could even open the box and try it out.
When I got back home I hooked it up and found out that the Wi-Fi connection is really SLOW!!! I know it’s not a weak signal from the router because both my 5 year old HP laptop and my iPad 4 get great wireless speeds in every part of the house.
I’ve tried everything I can think of, including resetting Windows 8 to the factory default. No luck!! Any ideas? Neither Toshiba nor Best Buy were any help at all since I had to wait so long to try it out!
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Cameron G.: Rick, I have a 7 year old HP desktop PC that’s served me very well over the years, but I decided to replace it after reading your post about Microsoft ending support for Windows XP early next year.
A good friend of mine says I can save a lot of money by buying the parts and building my new computer from scratch, and he even offered to help me. But I’m skeptical about about actually saving any money that way because I looked into it a few years ago and the numbers didn’t seem to add up.
What do you think about it? Can I really save money by building a PC from scratch instead of buying one outright? And if so, do you have any tips that might help me save a few extra bucks?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Sara T.: My iPhone used to display the sender’s full name on the Lock Screen when I receive a message, but after updating to iOS 7 it only displays the first name. How can I change it back?
Rick’s answer: I’ve had several other people ask me about this Sara, so this change must really be annoying to a lot of people. That’s why I figured I might as well turn the answer to your question into a tip.
Here’s how to get the full name back on your Lock Screen message notifications: [Read more…]