Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 247 of 254

Q&A: What happened to the icons and shortcuts on my Desktop?

Posted on May 27, 2013

Question from Ken B.: Rick, I turned my computer on this morning (Dell XPS 15 laptop w/Windows 7) and my desktop was blank. After it booted up everything on the desktop was missing, including the Recycle Bin, the Computer icon and all of my shortcuts. I don’t know what happened to make then disappear, but I desperately need them back ASAP.

Can you please tell me how to get all of my desktop icons and shortcuts back without reinstalling everything? I’ll be indebted to you for life my friend! Thanks in advance for you help.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why can’t I send messages to my friend on Facebook?

Posted on May 26, 2013

Question from Karan F.: Hi Rick. I hope you can help me. I have a close friend who finally got around to creating a Facebook account after much prodding from me and a couple of her other friends. We exchanged several messages a few nights ago, then I logged off and went to bed.

When I logged back into Facebook the next day, I opened our previous conversation and tried messaging her again. I couldn’t. The previous messages were still there, but her name was in black. I tried clicking on her name so I could message her from her profile page, but it wouldn’t click.

Finally, in desperation I searched for her name in the search box and it said it couldn’t find her account. I called her to ask what was going on and she said she didn’t know but she couldn’t log in. Sorry, I know this is long but I really need to find out what’s going on? Do you have any clue as to what might have happened?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: What is red switch on back of my PC labeled 120V/240V for?

Posted on May 25, 2013

Question from Amir H.: I just bought a new computer and on the back is a switch labeled 120V/240V. What is this switch used for and do I need to change it? Thank you.

Rick’s answer: Hi Amir. The switch you’re asking about is used to select the proper input voltage for the computer’s power supply unit (PSU).

Here in North America the power that comes out of a standard wall outlet is roughly 120 volts AC, but in many places around the world it is twice that (approximately 240 volts AC). The red switch on the back of the PSU needs to be set to match the output voltage of the wall outlets where you happen to live. [Read more…]

Q&A: Is there anything I can do to get my laptop fixed without the extended warranty paperwork?

Posted on May 18, 2013

Question from Margaret L.: I have a serious problem Rick. I bought an HP laptop from Best Buy on February 6, 2012 and I also took the three year extended warranty. The laptop died and now I can’t find my receipt or extended warranty paperwork.

Best Buy said there’s nothing they can do without the paperwork except send it off to HP for repair at my expense. Is there anything I can do to get them to honor the warranty I paid for? I’m just so frustrated right now.

Rick‘s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I upgrade the RAM on my DELL Inspiron N5110 to 12GB by adding one DDR3 8GB RAM stick?

Posted on May 17, 2013

Question from Felipe G.: I have a Dell Inspiron N5110 laptop (Windows 7 – 64 bit) with a single stick of 4GB RAM installed from the factory.

I checked and there is one empty memory slot in this computer. Can I upgrade the RAM to 12GB by plugging a single 8GB DDR3 RAM stick into the empty slot?

Rick’s answer: Hi Felipe. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the answer to your question is no. The maximum amount of RAM supported by your laptop’s motherboard is 8GB. [Read more…]