Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: How do you restart a frozen iPhone?

Posted on October 19, 2023

Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter

Question from Joan: I got my first iPhone a few weeks ago. It’s a used one that my sister gave me after she bought a new one.

It seems to be ok but last night it froze up on me. I couldn’t figure out how to restart it like I could with my previous Android phones.

The battery was pretty low so I ended up just letting the battery die on it.

I turned it on after the battery finished charging and it seems to be working ok now.

My question is, how can I make it restart if this ever happens again? [Read more…]

How to change the default search engine in Microsoft Edge

Posted on October 18, 2023

Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter

When it was first released, Microsoft’s Edge web browser used Bing as its default search engine, and there was no way to change it.

Well, Edge still comes with Bing set as the default search engine, but you can now switch it to Google or one of several other popular search engines.

If you like using Edge but would prefer to search with something other than Bing, you can follow the steps below to change the default search engine to the one you like best. Just follow the steps that match the device you are using. [Read more…]

My favorite tool for completely ‘wiping’ a hard drive

Posted on October 17, 2023

Due to security concerns about data theft and identity theft, it’s important to completely erase a hard disk before giving it away, selling it, or even tossing it in the trash.

The thing is, simply erasing a bunch of files doesn’t actually remove those files from the hard drive.

It merely deletes the pointers that Windows uses to identify and locate the deleted files. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I put a shortcut to a website on my iPhone’s Home screen?

Posted on October 17, 2023

Question from Elise: Hi, Rick. First of all I want to tell you how much I love your site. I’ve learned so much from you over the years.

Now I need your help if you don’t mind.

I’ve always used Android phones but I decided to try an iPhone this time around. I really like it so far but I have a question. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I remove web results from my Windows searches?

Posted on October 16, 2023

Question from Bill: I hope you can help me with a Windows issue, Rick.

When I click the Start button and search for something it always gives me a bunch of results from the web right below the regular results it found on the computer.

I’d love to get rid of those web results because I’m always clicking on them thinking it’s finding something on my computer when it’s really on some website.

Is there any way to omit the web results from my Windows searches? [Read more…]