Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Will I have to overclock my PC again if I reset Windows?

Posted on March 8, 2023

Question from Brandon: A guy I play games with online told me how to overclock my computer to make it run the games faster.

I followed his instructions and did it and everything was great for about 2 days.

Then I must have downloaded a virus or something because my computer has started acting strange. It’s locking up on me and shutting down on its own.

I ran my virus checker but it didn’t find anything so I want to follow your instructions to reset Windows 10 to see it that will fix it.

If I reset Windows will it wipe out the overclocking? I’d hate to have to go through all those BIOS settings again.

[Read more…]

Q&A: How do you take just part of a house off-grid to go solar?

Posted on March 7, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Keith: I just finished reading your post about taking your home office off-grid and I found it very encouraging because I’d love to that for just a couple of rooms in my own house.

My question is how do you take just part of a house off-grid while leaving the rest of it connected to the power line? [Read more…]

Find out if your Internet service is down without calling your ISP

Posted on March 6, 2023

Unfortunately, Internet outages are to be expected from time to time.

Storms knock down transmission lines, backbone cables get cut via construction mishaps, routing and switching gear go belly up… the reasons for Internet outages are many.

The thing is, when your Internet stops working it can be hard to determine whether the problem is an actual Internet outage or an issue you’re having with your own modem, your router and/or your connected devices. [Read more…]

Q&A: Will charging a device overnight damage the battery?

Posted on March 4, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Harlan: Hi, Rick. I just recently found your blog and I love your tips. Great stuff!!

I have a question for you if you don’t mind.

A friend of mine told me that letting my phone and laptop charge overnight will damage the battery by overcharging it.

I do this all the time and I’ve never noticed a problem. Is it ok to charge my gadgets overnight or should I avoid it? [Read more…]

Scam alert: Beware the ‘You’ll get a second one free scam’

Posted on March 3, 2023

I’m sure you’ve seen those commercials on TV where an overly excited pitchman extols the virtues of a great new widget.

You know, the one that’s guaranteed to make your life better “or we’ll give you your money back!“?

Whether it’s the awesome “liquid rubber in a can”, the amazing “twist-o-matic kitchen utensil” or some other “this widget will so change your life” thingy, the pitches are usually pretty much the same: [Read more…]