Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why does my laptop shut down our Wi-Fi network every time I turn it on?

Posted on September 22, 2018

Question from Ronnie M.: Hi Rick. I have a really strange problem that I need help with.

We’ve had Xfinity Internet for years and the Wi-Fi has always worked perfectly until recently.

A couple of weeks ago my Dell laptop started causing our Wi-Fi network to completely shut down every time I turn it on.

The Wi-Fi can be working perfectly on our other computers, on our phones and on the kids’ Xbox, but within 5 minutes after turning on my laptop the Wi-Fi stops working on everything in the house. The devices still show an active connection but we can’t do anything on the Internet.

The crazy thing is I don’t even have to be using the Internet on my computer for this to happen.

In fact, I don’t even have to have a web browser open. It just happens. But the Wi-Fi starts working again on the other devices just as soon as I shut my laptop down.

Do you have any idea what could be causing this? I thought it might be a virus but I have three antivirus programs running on my computer and none of them are finding anything.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why does my computer shut down after running for just 10 minutes?

Posted on September 21, 2018

Question from Dale J.: Rick, I have a really weird problem with my HP desktop computer. One day last week it just started shutting down on its own after running for about 10 minutes.

I researched the problem online and one of the articles I read said one of the fans might have stopped working. Per the writer’s instructions, I removed the side panel in order to check to see if any of the fans weren’t spinning.

All of the fans appeared to be operating normally, but the weird thing is the computer never shut down. I left it running like that all day, then re-installed the cover. Sure enough, it shut down after just a few minutes had passed.

I removed the cover again, and again the computer ran just fine without shutting down. Am I doomed to use this PC forever with the cover removed?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Review: Lenovo ThinkCentre M710e Business Desktop Computer

Posted on September 20, 2018

It seems that most computers on the market these days are either general purpose computers or gaming PCs.

But did you know there’s still a thriving market for business-oriented computers?

The typical business PC is something of a cross between general purpose machines and gaming rigs.

Business computers need a hefty amount of processing power and RAM but they don’t really need a powerful graphics card like a gaming PC.

The Lenovo ThinkCentre M710e Business Desktop PC (#ad) hits that sweet spot quite well. Take a quick look at these specs: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why are some computers noisier than others?

Posted on September 18, 2018

Question from Lexie H.: I was out shopping for a new computer today and I noticed that some computers make more noise than others.

The salesman I was talking to said it’s normal for some models to be louder than others but he couldn’t explain why that is.

Can you tell me why some computers are really loud while others are really quiet? Also, are the louder ones better or worse than the quiet ones?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]