Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Heather: I recently bought a new laptop that has Windows 10 on it. One of the first things I did was download Chrome because that’s my favorite browser.
Now every time I load Chrome a message pops up suggesting that I give Edge a try.
I don’t want to use Edge because I like Chrome! How can I stop Windows from bugging me about switching to Edge?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
If you’re a blogger there’s a good chance that your blog is powered by WordPress.
If it is, I recommend that you check the version of PHP that’s currently active on your web server. If it’s running a version that’s lower than 7 you really need to update it to at least PHP 7.0 before the end of December.
If you’re unfamiliar with PHP, that’s the web programming language that the WordPress core files are written in. In other words, PHP is the engine that powers your WordPress blog.
As with virtually everything else that’s related to WordPress, older versions of PHP will eventually be retired and stop receiving security updates. And that’s about to happen with PHP on December 31, 2018.
Facebook is a wonderful service that makes it easy to keep in touch with family and friends, but as we all know, using it can be an exercise in frustration at times.
One of the biggest frustrations for many Facebook users is how the newsfeed keeps getting switched from “Most Recent” to “Top Stories”.
Unfortunately, toggling the newsfeed from “Top Stories” to “Most Recent” seems to only work for a little while. Before you know it, you’re back to looking at Facebook’s list of “Top Stories”, whether you want to or not.
But guess what? There’s now an easy way to make your newsfeed stay on “Most Recent”, and after testing it for several days I can tell you that it works like a charm! [Read more…]
Microsoft dramatically changed the Windows user interface when they released Windows 8, and most users (myself included) didn’t like many of the changes.
To their credit, the folks up in Redmond listened to our feedback and made Windows 10 look and feel more like Windows 7.
Most importantly, they brought back the beloved Start Menu.
The Windows 10 Start Menu is still a bit different from the Start Menu in Windows 7, but I actually like it better. That said, we all have different tastes so it’s not a bit surprising that some folks prefer the Start Menu from Windows 7.
Every week I receive at least a couple of emails from folks asking if there’s a way to force Windows 10 to use a Windows 7 style Start Menu.
Well, the answer to that question is yes, thanks to a fantastic free utility called Classic Shell. Just follow the steps below to install it on your PC: [Read more…]
Question from Brittney F.: My old computer stopped working and I had to buy a new one.
I need to install my old (but great) HP Deskjet 1050 J410 printer on the new computer but I’ve lost the installation CD.
Also, the old computer had Windows 7 on it but the new one has Windows 10.
Do you know of a way to get this printer to work with my new computer?
I’d really appreciate it if you can help me out. I really need a printer and I’d rather not have to buy a new one if I can help it.
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]