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Review: Pawtec External USB 3.0 Aluminum 8X DVD-RW Optical Drive
Many new laptops now come without an optical drive built-in, and that’s fine if you no longer have a need to play music or movies from DVDs, install software that’s distributed on discs, or back up your data onto blank writable DVDs.
But what if you still need access to an optical drive on occasion?
The easiest way to solve this problem is to purchase an inexpensive external USB optical drive. Just like external USB hard drives, these drives simply plug into an open USB port, allowing you to do everything you could do with an internal optical drive without the burden of the extra weight.
I recently had the opportunity to check out the Pawtec External USB 3.0 Aluminum 8X DVD-RW Optical Drive, and I really like it. [Read more…]
Q&A: Why does Firefox always reopen the last pages I visited every time I load it?
Question from Marc H: Beginning last Tuesday, every time I load Firefox it opens all the pages that were open when I quit the previous session. It’s really irritating.
I must have done something wrong, but I don’t know when or how. Can you tell me how to get Firefox to always open nothing but my home page whenever it loads?
Rick’s answer: Marc, somehow a key setting has been changed that’s causing Firefox to behave that way, but luckily it’s very easy to fix. Here’s how: [Read more…]
Q&A: Is there a downside to choosing an ‘All-in-One’ computer over a laptop or regular desktop PC?
Question from Wilma F.: My 6 year old desktop computer died and I’m in the process of shopping for a new one.
I really like the look of some of the All-in-One computers that I’ve seen.
And I also like the idea of not having to deal with a tower box or a bunch of extra cables.
I’d love to hear your honest opinion of All-in-One computers.
The upsides of buying one are obvious. Do you know of any downsides to be aware of when comparing them to laptops and desktop computers?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Protect your Windows PC from hackers by disabling Quick Assist / Remote Assistance
Microsoft Windows has an extremely useful feature called Quick Assist (or Remote Assistance depending on your Windows version) which allows someone else to temporarily take control of your PC over the Internet in order to fix a problem for you.
Quick Assist and Remote Assistance have helped countless PC users get their computer issues resolved quickly and efficiently without having to send their PCs back to the manufacturer or haul them to a repair shop.
Unfortunately, hackers can also use the feature to take control of computers located half-way around the world in order to install malware and steal personal information such as credit card or bank account numbers.
Important: NEVER allow anyone who calls you from out of the blue claiming
to be from Microsoft to remotely take control of your PC for any reason. This
person will be a hacker, NOT a Microsoft rep!
I recommend that you disable Quick Assist or Remote Assistance until you actually need to allow a trusted remote technician or support rep to use it to help you solve a problem. [Read more…]