Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 4 of 258

Q&A: Is there a way to silence a noisy mouse?

Posted on January 2, 2026

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Question from Maggie: My computer is in our bedroom and my mouse makes a loud clicking sound that drives my husband up the wall when he’s trying to sleep.

I tried the instructions from several articles I found online about silencing the mouse in the Control Panel, but nothing works.

I believe it’s the mouse itself that’s generating the clicking sound. Do you know of any way to make it stop making that irritating clicking noise? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can a phone catch a virus from an infected email?

Posted on December 26, 2025

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Question from Theresa: Rick, I was wondering if it’s possible for an infected email to load a virus onto a smartphone?

Last night I was using my iPhone to check my email and I accidentally opened an email that appeared to be from China while I was trying to delete it. When the email opened up it said it was downloading a file.

I haven’t noticed any problems with the phone so far. I’m cautiously optimistic because I’ve always been told that only Windows computers are subject to virus infections.

Do you think I have anything to worry about? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can you give me advice on choosing a new laptop?

Posted on December 22, 2025

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Question from Janessa: My company allots every employee $1000 every 2 years to buy a new laptop, and I have until January 28 to pick one out and put in the request for it.

I’ve checked out some laptops online and I’m really confused about what I should buy. Even though the company is paying for it, this laptop will be mine to keep. The problem is there are so many to choose from!

Can you point me in the right direction? [Read more…]

Q&A: Do I need to back up my SSD like I did my hard drive?

Posted on December 21, 2025

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Question from Kyle: The hard drive in my computer died and I replaced it with an SSD per your suggestion.

I’ve read that SSD’s are a lot more reliable than hard drives and that they rarely go bad.

My question is do I need to back up my SSD like I did my hard drive? [Read more…]