Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why does Windows 10 keep changing my default printer?

Posted on November 30, 2022

Question from Darren: I love your blog Rick, especially the questions and answers section.

I hope you can help me solve a problem I’ve been having ever since I replaced my old computer with one running Windows 10.

I use two printers with my computer. The first one is an Epson inkjet that I use every now and then to print photos. The other is a Brother laser printer that I use to print most everything else.

With Windows 7 I could leave the laser printer as the default printer, then switch to the inkjet manually on the rare occasions when I needed to use it. But with Windows 10, every time I print to either printer, that printer gets set as the default printer.

I really want the laser printer to remain as the default and switch to the inkjet manually when I need it. Is there any way to stop Windows 10 from changing the default printer without my permission? [Read more…]

Q&A: Am I connecting too many devices to my laptop’s USB ports?

Posted on November 24, 2022

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Ariel: I have an HP dv6000t laptop that originally had Windows XP on it.

While my son was in for a weekend visit he installed Linux Mint on it after reading your article about replacing Windows with Linux.

I mainly use this laptop for reading my cooking groups on Facebook and printing the recipes that interest me.

The Linux is working out great but I’m having a problem with the USB ports.

[Read more…]

Q&A: How can I prevent my new Chromebook from slowing down over time?

Posted on November 24, 2022

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Brad: I recently bought my first Chromebook and I really like it because it’s a lot faster than I expected for a laptop this cheap!

My question is what can I do to keep it running this fast?

[Read more…]

Impact of using technology on teacher-student interpersonal communication

Posted on November 24, 2022

You might have heard teachers talk about one class being better than the other. Have you ever thought about why it’s so?

The answer is simple. Great teacher-student interpersonal communication. Interpersonal communication is exchanging information and ideas between two or more individuals.

This could be through verbal or non-verbal methods. In every class, there is a face-to-face exchange of information. This could be through voice, body language, or gestures. Your communication skills determine how well students will understand the intended message. And this is the goal of every teacher. [Read more…]

How to quickly find the MAC address on a Windows 11 PC

Posted on November 21, 2022

If you ever have to call tech support for any issue that’s even tangentially related to networking or Internet connectivity, you’ll likely be asked to provide your machine’s MAC address.

Just so there’s no confusion, MAC addresses aren’t necessarily associated with Apple’s MAC line of computers.

Yes, Mac desktop computers and MacBooks have MAC addresses, but so do Windows PCs, Linux boxes, Android devices, iPhones and every other such device that connects to a network. [Read more…]