Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: I need either a WiFi Extender or a Mesh WiFi system. Which one should I get?

Posted on January 1, 2025

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Question from Amanda: I bought a smart TV for my living room but the WiFi in there is too weak to maintain a solid connection.

There’s enough signal in there for my laptop and tablet to use the Internet with no problem, but it just doesn’t allow the streaming to work as it should.

I’ve been doing some research about ways to boost the signal on that end of the house and I keep seeing the terms “Wi-Fi Extender” and “Mesh WiFi Systems”.

I’m really confused about these devices. What’s the difference between them and which one should I get? [Read more…]

How to quickly find out what your used computer is worth

Posted on December 31, 2024

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Do you have a used computer that you’re planning to sell?

If so, you might be wondering about what it’s worth so you can determine how much you should ask for it.

Or perhaps you’re planning to buy a used computer and you want to make sure you don’t over-pay?

Determining the actual value of an item used to be pretty difficult, but the Internet has given us a great tool that can give us that info in a hurry: Ebay. [Read more…]

How to preview a link in the Chrome Android app before you actually open it

Posted on December 30, 2024

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I have four different web browsers on my Android phone, and I use all of them at various times for different purposes.

The browser I prefer to use when reading articles and blog posts is Chrome because it has several features that I happen to find extremely useful.

One feature that I absolutely love (and use often) is “Page Preview“, a nifty little tool that allows you to preview the web page a link is pointing to before you actually open the page in a browser tab. [Read more…]

Q&A: Will installing an SSD void my new laptop’s warranty?

Posted on December 29, 2024

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Question from Markus: Hi, Rick. I recently bought a new laptop that came with a 1 year manufacturer’s warranty, but I paid extra for a 3 year extended warranty.

I’d really like to swap out its 1TB hard drive for an SSD (as you often recommend).

I have not read anything anywhere about potential consequences if one does this. Could this possibly be considered an “unauthorized” activity and therefore void either the laptop manufacturer’s warranty or the extended warranty that I purchased? [Read more…]

How to recover an accidentally deleted Gmail contact

Posted on December 29, 2024

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Have you ever accidentally deleted a Gmail contact that you didn’t intend to delete?

Even worse, have you ever logged into your Gmail account and discovered that all of your contacts had mysteriously disappeared?

Unfortunately, these things happen from time to time, and we often don’t realize it until several days have gone by.

Luckily, it’s very easy to recover any Gmail contacts that were deleted within the last 30 days. [Read more…]