Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: How do I remove the PIN from my Windows PC?

Posted on February 11, 2021

Question from Beverly: My 7 year old laptop stopped working last year and I replaced it with a new one that has Windows 10 on it.

When I was setting up the new laptop it asked me to create a password for logging into Windows.

Then it also asked me to create a PIN.

I’ve been logging in with the PIN ever since but I recently read an article that said passwords are more secure than PINs.

I’ve been logging in with my password since then but the log-in screen still gives the option to use the PIN when I click the “Sign-in Options” link.

If I can choose to enter the PIN instead of the password a computer thief would be able to as well, right?

My questions is, how do I completely remove the PIN from my laptop?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to quickly delete your entire Google search history

Posted on February 10, 2021

Did you know that Google keeps a record of everything you have ever searched for via their Google search engine?

Well, they do, and unless you have already deleted your Search history at some point in the past it dates all the way back to the very first search you made on Google!

Truth be told, Google has always provided a way to delete your Search history IF you knew where to look. The thing is, it was always very hard to find.

Luckily, Google has now made it a lot easier to delete your Search history.

[Read more…]

What to do if your Facebook friends start receiving duplicate friend requests from you

Posted on February 6, 2021

Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter

Well, the account cloning epidemic on Facebook is showing no signs of letting up.

In fact, it seems to be getting worse.

Every day I see frantic posts from several of my friends saying they’ve been hacked and not to accept a new friend request from them.

I know how alarming it can be when your friends start sending you messages saying they’ve received duplicate friend requests from you, but the situation really isn’t as dire as it seems. [Read more…]

16 awesome (and mostly free) tools for maintaining and repairing your Windows PC

Posted on February 6, 2021

Knowing how to keep your PC running smoothly and doing your own repairs is a lot of fun as well as a real money saver.

I’ve been working on computers for well over 30 years but I still gain a lot of satisfaction every time I fix someone’s computer.

There’s a lot to learn when it comes to the inner workings of a PC and the software that runs on it, and knowing how to put those skills to work in the most efficient manner possible is half the battle.

[Read more…]