Rick's Daily Tips

Warning: Your smartphone photos can put your security at risk

Posted on September 20, 2023

Did you know that by default, every photo you take with your smartphone has the location where the photo was taken added to the photo’s metadata?

That means anyone who manages to view one of your photos can easily find out exactly where that photo was taken.

For most people this isn’t a concern because they only share their personal photos with family members and friends. After all, most of those folks will likely know where you live and work anyway, right?

The above being said, here are some things to consider… [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I see which websites can see my location with Chrome?

Posted on September 20, 2023

Question from Marcus: I know that some websites can see my location when I visit them with Chrome.

I know there are some sites that need to see my location (like Google Maps, for instance) but I’d rather keep my location hidden from the ones that don’t.

Is there a way to see which sites can see my location?

Also, is there a way to stop the ones that don’t need access to my location from seeing it? [Read more…]

Q&A: Why do they still bother with making desktop computers?

Posted on September 19, 2023

Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Ben: Everyone I know that recently bought a computer ended up buying a laptop instead of a desktop computer.

Since no one is buying desktops anymore, why are they still bothering to make them?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to quickly get the type, speed and amount of your PC’s installed RAM

Posted on September 19, 2023

Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter

If you have a Windows PC there are several excellent third-party tools you can use to collect all kinds of useful information about your computer’s hardware components and configuration.

I have actually written about a few of my favorites in the past, including the fantastic duo of HWiNFO and Speccy.

But if all you need to do is determine the amount, type and speed of your system’s installed RAM, you don’t need to install anything at all. [Read more…]

Scam alert: This dangerous scam will trash your PC’s Windows installation

Posted on September 18, 2023

Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter

Email scams are certainly nothing new, and there’s one making the rounds via email once again that causes tons of heartache every time it rears its ugly head.

And unfortunately, this one will trash your PC’s Windows installation if you fall for it.

As usual, the wording of the scam varies a bit, but this seems to be the version that most people are receiving: [Read more…]