Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 3 of 256

Q&A: Why do people buy Macs when Windows PCs are so much cheaper?

Posted on May 10, 2023

Question from Marla: My 7 year old HP laptop quit on me the other day so I’ve been shopping around for a new laptop.

I noticed almost immediately that Apple’s MacBooks are more expensive than comparable Windows laptops.

And they aren’t just a little more expensive either. The MacBooks are about three times more expensive than similarly equipped Windows machines.

My question is why are people willing to pay a huge premium to buy a MacBook when they can get a comparable Windows laptop for so much less? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can you use two cable modems in the same house?

Posted on May 8, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Michael: I’ve rented a room in a private home and I’ll be moving in next week. I have a question about my options concerning Internet access.

The room I’m moving into is already wired for cable and they have Internet through Comcast/Xfinity.

The thing is, my landlord won’t let me use his Wi-Fi connection. He said I’ll have to have to sign up for an account with Comcast and get my own cable modem.

Which brings me to my question: Is that even possible to have two cable modems in the same house? [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it safe to completely disable Windows updates?

Posted on May 7, 2023

Question from Michael: I recently bought a new desktop computer with to replace the one I’ve been using for the past six years.

It seems like the updates I’ve been installing on this new machine have all been filled with bugs because almost every time I install them something goes wrong.

The last time it happened my nephew had to completely reinstall Windows for me.

I’d like to completely disable the installation of updates on the new PC. Is it safe to do that? [Read more…]

Q&A: Will light bulbs make solar panels work at night?

Posted on May 6, 2023

Question from Mark: I saw your video on YouTube about how you took your home office off the grid and switched it to solar power.

I too have a small solar power setup (about 400 watts) that’s powering the lights and the TV in the small off-grid cabin I built for weekend getaways.

I tried running a portable refrigerator and a couple of other small appliances off the solar and they work fine during the day, but my 12V/100Ah battery is dead by morning when I leave everything running overnight.

My question is will solar panels work with artificial light? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can you switch back to Windows 10 after installing Windows 11?

Posted on May 5, 2023

Question from Melanie: For some time now Windows Update has been prompting me to update my PC from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

I’ve been putting this off because I’ve heard that lots of people who switch to Windows 11 end up hating it but they’re stuck with it because you can’t go back to Windows 10.

I was talking to a friend about this and she said that’s not true because you can actually go back to Windows 10 if you end up not liking Windows 11.

At this point I don’t know what to believe. I’d like to give Windows 11 a try but only if I’ll have the option to revert back to Windows 10 if I end up not liking it.

Can you clear this up for me? [Read more…]