Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why won’t my TV work with my computer?

Posted on May 7, 2026

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Question from Glenda: I bought a used TV at a yard sale and I want to use it as a monitor for an old desktop computer that I’m going to use just for watching Netflix.

I plugged an HDMI cable between the computer and the TV and nothing comes on the screen. It’s like it isn’t getting any signal.

I know the HDMI port on the computer is working because it works with the old monitor just fine. And I know the TV is working because I hooked it up to my cable box.

What could be causing the computer to refuse to work with the TV? [Read more…]

How to charge any iPhone with a USB-C charger

Posted on May 6, 2026

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Have you ever needed to charge your iPhone only to discover that you forgot to bring your lightning cable or charger with you?

If so, you’ll be glad to know there’s a simple way to charge all of your lightning-compatible Apple devices using a standard USB-C wall or car charger. [Read more…]

Q&A: Will an SSD go bad just sitting on a shelf?

Posted on May 5, 2026

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Question from Glen: A while back I read your post about replacing a computer’s hard drive with an SSD and it sounded like a pretty good idea.

I finally ended up buying a 1TB SSD to replace the hard drive in my old Acer laptop, but the laptop’s screen went bad before I had a chance to make the switch.

I really didn’t want to spend a lot of money to have the Acer fixed so I just ditched it and started using my wife’s Dell laptop.

The Dell has a 1TB hard drive so I don’t really need the SSD at this time. Can I put the SSD on a shelf and keep it for a backup in case the hard drive ever fails, or will it go bad after a while if I don’t use it? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can spilling something on a keyboard damage the entire computer?

Posted on May 4, 2026

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Question from Kayla: I spilled a large glass of coke all over my keyboard.

After I saw what I had done I immediately unplugged the power cable from the computer and disconnected the keyboard from the computer too.

I’m not worried about the keyboard since they’re so cheap, but it’s the tower that has me worried.

Do you think I can just buy a new keyboard and plug it in or do you recommend having the computer checked out by a repair shop first to make sure it’s not damaged? [Read more…]

How to disable auto-playing videos in the Facebook app

Posted on May 4, 2026

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It seems like Facebook is constantly making changes to our Newsfeeds. Every once in a while they’ll make a change I actually like, but most of their changes end up irritating me in some way.

One of the changes I detest most is how videos now start playing automatically when they scroll into view on our Newsfeeds.

Several people have asked me recently how to prevent the Facebook mobile app from automatically playing videos after they scroll into view. [Read more…]