Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 3 of 211

Q&A: Should I replace my computer’s CPU cooler with a liquid CPU cooler?

Posted on January 14, 2020

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Alice: I bought a new HP desktop computer with Windows 10 and an Intel Core i5 CPU.

Overall, I really like this computer and I want to do everything I can to make it last as long as possible.

I’ve read that keeping a computer’s CPU cool can prevent it from over-heating and failing prematurely and that a liquid CPU cooler does the best job at that.

I want this computer to last as long as possible so I’m thinking about having my computer guy replace the existing CPU cooler with a liquid CPU cooler to keep the CPU as cool as possible while the computer is running.

I use this machine primarily for Internet (mostly Facebook and Pinterest) and watching Netflix as or playing an occasional game of “Words with Friends”.

Do you think that’s a good idea to replace the CPU cooler? I don’t want to spend the money if you don’t think it’ll make a big difference.

Looking forward to your advice on this matter. Thanks.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Which web hosting company hosts your Rick’s Daily Tips tech blog?

Posted on January 14, 2020

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Kate L.: I really love your blog Rick. I’ve learned so much since I started reading your tips a while back!

I have a question that I hope you won’t mind answering for me but I’ll understand if you’d rather not.

I’ve been blogging for about 2 years and my blog has really slowed down a lot over the last few months.

I did some research and read that WordPress gets slower as a blog’s traffic levels increase.

That has me thinking the slowdown is probably due to my blog’s traffic more than doubling to a little over 4,000 visitors a day about the same time things slowed to a crawl.

I’m pretty sure I need to move my blog to a new web host with faster servers. I noticed that your pages load really fast even though your site obviously gets a lot more visitors than mine.

Would you mind telling me which hosting company is hosting RicksDailyTips?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I completely uninstall Norton 360 from my computer?

Posted on January 13, 2020

Question from Dagan F.: Hi Rick. I’ve been using Norton 360 for years, but it has let a bunch of viruses slip through and get installed on my computer.

I read in one of your blog posts that you recommend Avast Free Antivirus, and I really want to ditch Norton and install Avast because my computer has lots of viruses on it.

Norton will remove a bunch of viruses every time I run it but they just keep coming right back.

The thing is I’m having a problem getting Norton 360 uninstalled so that I can install Avast. The Windows thingy that uninstalls programs got rid of some of the Norton files but some of them come right back when I reboot the computer.

How can I completely uninstall ALL the Norton files from my hard drive?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can a cell phone damage a credit card or a car’s remote entry fob?

Posted on January 12, 2020

Question from Cam H.: Hi Rick, I’ve been wondering about the following and wonder if you could help out.

I always carry my credit cards, my debit card and the key ring with my car keys and key fob on it all in my purse right next to my cell phone.

My question is could the battery or any parts of the cellphone or the electric current in the phone (which I leave turned on) somehow damage the key fob or erase the data on my bank cards?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Does the number of cells in a laptop battery really matter all that much?

Posted on January 11, 2020

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Anita F.: Hi Rick. The battery in my HP laptop went bad and I need to order a new one.

When I looked up the model number for my laptop on Amazon a thousand choices for replacement batteries came up.

What really confuses me is the number of cells each battery has. Some have 4 cells, some have 6 and others have 9.

Are more cells better? The batteries seem to be more expensive as the number of cells go up.

I guess what I’m asking is do you believe the extra cost I’d have to pay for a battery with more cells worth it?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]