Rick's Daily Tips

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…]

Q&A: Would you recommend buying a refurbished monitor?

Posted on April 16, 2022

Question from Milton: I’ve been looking for a really wide monitor for my desktop computer, but they’re really expensive.

I can’t afford to spend several hundred dollars for a monitor so I started looking at some refurbished monitors (Amazon calls them “renewed).

I found a really nice 34 inch LG widescreen that caught my attention. It looks like just what I’ve been looking for.

My question is do you recommend buying refurbished monitors? [Read more…]

Q&A: Do you think I should try fixing my laptop myself?

Posted on April 15, 2022

Question from Andrew: I have a Toshiba Dynabook Satellite Pro C50-H laptop that I bought new just 3 months ago, and it already has a problem.

When I turn the laptop on I can smell a faint burning smell and see faint whiffs of smoke coming out of the keyboard.

The thing is it boots up normally and works fine and no part of the laptop seems to get hotter than it should (to the touch at least).

My question is do you think this might be something I can fix myself or do you recommend that I just go ahead and send it back? [Read more…]

Q&A: Will I have to reinstall Windows if I upgrade my PC’s RAM?

Posted on April 11, 2022

Question from Connor: I’m thinking of swapping out all of my RAM for a better set, and I was wondering if I would need a fresh Windows install to make it work.

If reinstalling Windows isn’t required, but recommended, please tell me why that is. Thanks!

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]