Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 3 of 258

Q&A: Which is better, Wi-FI or a wired Ethernet connection?

Posted on October 19, 2025

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Question from Kalin: I really love your blog Rick, especially how you answer people’s tech questions.

I know that most of the questions you answer are practical in nature but mine is somewhat theoretical so I hope you won’t mind answering it for me.

The question is this: If you have a choice, do you prefer using a wired Ethernet connection or Wi-FI to connect to the Internet? [Read more…]

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

Posted on October 16, 2025

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

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

And they aren’t just a little more expensive either. The MacBooks seem to be at least double the cost of similarly equipped Windows machines.

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

Q&A: Should I let my neighbor piggyback off my WiFi network?

Posted on October 15, 2025

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Question from Mallorie: I need some advice Rick, and it’s sort of a touchy situation.

We live in a duplex and our neighbor has a 14 year old son who bought a Straight Talk phone from my daughter.

The thing is she didn’t reset the phone before she sold it to him because he said he’d like to just take over her phone number, and she said that would be fine.

This phone still automatically connects to our WiFi network, and I know for a fact that he uses our WiFi a lot because he told my daughter that he does.

My question is do you think he could cause us any problems by piggybacking off of our wireless network? [Read more…]

Q&A: Do Macs have a ‘System Information’ screen like the one in Windows?

Posted on October 11, 2025

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Question from Keith: Hi, Rick. I hope you can help me figure out what I just bought.

One of my neighbors sold me a used MacBook that she inherited after a family member passed away. She let me have it for $50 just to get rid of it!

She doesn’t really know anything about the model or specs of the machine, and I don’t either because I’m a Windows guy. All we know is it’s a MacBook and it appears to be relatively new.

What I’d like to know is do Macs have a ‘System Information’ screen like the one in Windows that’ll tell me what’s inside this thing? I plan to sell it (hopefully at a profit) so I need to know exactly what’s in it.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]