Rick's Daily Tips

Review: Timeusb 12V 100Ah Pro LiFePO4 Battery

Posted on July 11, 2023

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About a year ago I decided to put together a basic solar power system to power my home office so I could keep working during our somewhat frequent short-term power outages.

Being new to the world of solar power, I spent quite some time researching how it all worked and what types of components are needed to build a basic off-grid solar power setup.

It actually ended up being quite simple as there are only a few parts that are really needed to make it work. [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I buy an ‘All-in-One’ computer or a regular desktop PC?

Posted on July 10, 2023

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Question from Wilma: 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, but I really don’t want a laptop.

I’d love to hear your honest opinion of All-in-One computers. [Read more…]

Q&A: Why is my PC’s hard drive making a clicking sound?

Posted on July 9, 2023

Question from Nancy: Rick, my desktop PC has started making a faint, but noticeable clicking sound when I first turn it on.

It only clicks for about 8-10 seconds, then it boots up normally and runs fine until I shut it down.

It’s hard to tell for sure, but I took the cover off the side of the computer and the clicking sound seems to be coming from the hard drive.

I haven’t downloaded anything recently or made any changes to the system that I’m aware of.

This machine came with Windows 8.1 but it’s been updated to Windows 10.

Do you have any idea what I can do to stop the clicking? [Read more…]

Q&A: What does the term ‘bottleneck’ mean?

Posted on July 9, 2023

Question from Alvin: I recently retired after working for the same construction company for 43 years.

Now I’d like to take up something new to occupy all this free time that I suddenly have to fill.

I’ve always wanted to learn about computers so I’ve started reading a few tech blogs, and RicksDailyTips is one of them (thanks to my brother Keith for recommending it).

I’m not tech savvy by any stretch (I hope to change that eventually) but I do believe I’m progressing ok for an older dude who still uses a flip phone.

There’s a term that keeps popping up in the articles I read that I just can’t seem to get my head around. Can you tell me what the word “bottleneck” means in regards to computers? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can you use the same USB thumb drive with both Windows PCs and Macs?

Posted on July 8, 2023

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Question from Kerrie: I have a MacBook Pro and don’t own a Windows computer.

If I copy files from my MacBook Pro onto a thumb drive will my sisters be able to copy those files from that same thumb drive onto their Windows PCs?

[Read more…]