Rick's Daily Tips

How to see which Android apps have access to your Contacts

Posted on January 5, 2023

If you have a smartphone or tablet, you’re probably aware that the apps on your device have permission to access certain features and caches of info that are present on the device.

While it’s true that you have the option to revoke most any permission that an app might claim for itself, do you actually take the time to review your apps’ permissions and revoke the ones the apps really don’t need in order to perform their stated functions?

If you’re like most folks, the answer is probably no. [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I stop my PC’s hard drive from shutting down?

Posted on January 3, 2023

Question from Amber: After my Windows computer has been sitting idle for a few minutes the hard drive just shuts down.

When I get back on the computer and press a key or move my mouse I can hear the drive starting back up again and I have to wait several seconds before I can do anything.

This is extremely irritating. I don’t mind the hard drive shutting down when the computer goes to sleep but I want it to remain active while the computer is up and running.

How can I fix this? [Read more…]

Use this app to identify (and block) unknown callers

Posted on January 3, 2023

Do you hate getting calls from people who use *67 or some other method to hide their name and number from your Caller ID display?

Yeah, me too. And unfortunately it’s happening more and more every day.

But did you know there’s a smartphone app you can use to identify (and block) those unknown callers?

[Read more…]

Q&A: Why is my computer’s CPU overheating?

Posted on January 2, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Darryl: Several years ago I paid a friend of mine to build me a desktop computer.

This machine has an Intel CPU and 8GB of RAM. There is no video card because it’s using the integrated video on the motherboard.

This machine has worked perfectly for years but now it’s started overheating and shutting down on me. The CPU temperature reached 170 degrees before it shut down last time.

What could be causing this? [Read more…]

Q&A: Why won’t Microsoft Defender turn on after removing McAfee?

Posted on January 2, 2023

Question from Ray: I know that Microsoft Defender disables itself if it detects a second antivirus is running but that it’s supposed to automatically turn back on if you remove the other antivirus program.

Well I recently uninstalled McAfee expecting Windows Defender to turn back on, but it didn’t. I keep getting a message saying my computer is unprotected.

Why is this happening and how can I fix it? [Read more…]