Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Did I just completely fry my PC?

Posted on April 22, 2022

Question from Theresa: Hi, Rick. I’m really upset this morning because my computer was damaged due to a bad electrical outlet.

What happened was I hired an electrician to install an electrical outlet in my new sunroom so I could move my computer out there.

As soon as I plugged the computer in and turned it on I heard a loud POP and now I can’t get either the computer or monitor to come on.

My brother stopped by and checked the outlet and found that it has 238 volts on it instead of 120.

I have two questions: [Read more…]

Warning: Password Managers put your online accounts at risk.

Posted on April 22, 2022

It’s no secret that being connected to the Internet makes our computers and mobile devices vulnerable to hackers.

Passwords have long been used to protect our online accounts from those threats, but those once-trusted passwords are becoming less effective by the day as hacking methods become increasingly sophisticated.

In short, a simple password that’s just a few characters long offers very little real protection against the sophisticated hacking methods that are being used today. [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I be worried about someone getting my IP address?

Posted on April 21, 2022

Question from Rhonda: Rick, I have a question about something that’s been bothering me.

My brother was joking around the other day and he said I should be careful because he knows my IP address and he could get me into trouble if I don’t behave.

I know he was just joking, but it got me to wondering if someone could cause problems for me if they know my IP address? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can a dropped screw damage a PC’s motherboard?

Posted on April 17, 2022

Question from Bill: Yesterday morning I took the cover off my computer to see if the fans were running because the machine has been sounding quieter than usual.

They appeared to be running just fine but I think I might have really messed up. I dropped a screw onto the motherboard and the computer immediately shut down.

I removed the screw and pressed the power button and Windows started to boot up. But then it gave me an error message stating that Windows didn’t shut down correctly. It did finish booting up though and everything seemed to be working ok.

Should I be concerned? [Read more…]