Rick's Daily Tips

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Q&A: Can I add USB 3.1 Type-C ports to an older PC?

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Question from Chris G.:  I have a Dell OptiPlex 9020 mini-tower desktop PC that has both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports on it.

The hard drive died a while back and I replaced it with a 1TB SSD.

I couldn’t believe the difference in speed adding the SSD gave me!

I use this machine for my work computer, and even though it’s pretty old it works really well for me now that I’ve installed the SSD.

I’ve been using an external USB hard drive for my backups but I’m thinking seriously about getting this Crucial external SSD to speed up the backup process.

The problem is this Dell doesn’t have any USB 3.1 Gen 2 – Type C ports to plug the external SSD into.

Is it possible add at least one USB 3.1 Gen 2 – Type C port to the Dell OptiPlex 9020 without having to replace the motherboard?

Rick’s answer:  [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I block the ‘Memories’ of just one person on Facebook?

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Question from Carla:  A couple of years ago I had a really bad breakup with an ex. It hurt me so much I ended up in therapy.

We were together for 9 years and I have thousands of posts on my Timeline about the things we did together, and it seems like one of them is always popping up as a “Memory”.

Every time one of those bad memories pops up it puts me in a funk for the rest of the day.

I know I could never go through my Timeline and delete all those disturbing posts.

My question: Is it possible to block all of those posts about my ex from showing up as Memories on my Facebook newsfeed but still allow other ‘good’ posts to come up as Memories?  [Read more…]

Heads-Up: Big change coming to my Tech Tips Newsletter

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I’ve been using a service called Constant Contact to write and deliver my daily Tech Tips Newsletter emails for about two years now, and for the most part it has worked out fine.

But recently I’ve been receiving reports from subscribers that they’ve stopped receiving my emails.

I did some investigating and found out that this seems to be a new, but quickly growing problem with emails sent via Constant Contact.

[Read more…]

Q&A: Can I replace the rechargeable batteries in my solar lights with better ones?

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Question from Sue:  I have 16 solar deck lights around the railing of my deck.

These lights are a little over a year old and their cheap AA rechargeable batteries now only last about an hour or so after the sun goes down.

I really like these particular lights so I’d prefer to replace the batteries instead of the lights themselves.

Can I safely replace the old rechargeable batteries in these lights with something like Energizers?  [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I contact someone on Facebook if there’s no Message button?

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Question from Anita:  Rick, I have a problem, and I’m hoping you can help me figure out a solution.

When I was in grade school my best friend in the world moved away and I never saw her again. I think that was around 4th grade if memory serves.

The thing is I finally tracked down her profile on Facebook, but there’s no “Add Friend” button and no “Message” button. I can see her Timeline but I can’t post anything on it.

Do you know of ANY way possible that I can contact my long-lost friend?  [Read more…]

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