Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: How can I prevent my water pump from destroying my electronic devices?

Posted on February 26, 2018

Question from Anita K.: About 2 years ago I bought an old farmhouse that’s located way out in the country.

I love living here, but I have a serious problem that I hope you can help me find a solution for.

I get my water from a well, and every time the pump turns on my lights dim and other strange things happen.

I don’t know why but it’s causing my light bulbs to blow on a regular basis. I’ve also lost three TVs (all used if that makes a difference), several phone chargers, a wireless router and two computers.

Needless to say, I need to get this fixed as soon as possible. I called an electrician and they want $85 just to come out and check it.

I’m hoping you can tell me what I need to do. What do you think is causing it, and how can I fix it?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: What could be wrong with my Surface Pro 3?

Posted on February 23, 2018

Question from Billy P.: I dropped my Surface Pro 3 a few days ago and it shut off when it hit the floor.

I thought I had destroyed it for good but when I pressed the power button it started up just fine.

I used it three days in a row and everything seemed normal but last night I turned it on and nothing happened. No lights, no sounds, no nothing.

I’m hoping this is just a simple fix since it worked ok for a while after I dropped it.

Can you tell me how to get the back off of it and what to check once I get it opened up?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Is Hostgator a good web host for a WordPress blog?

Posted on February 20, 2018

Question from Caitlyn D.: In 2009 I started a book blog on WordPress.com. I blogged just for fun at the beginning, but then I started making some pretty good money from affiliate commissions.

I read an article a few days ago that said I should move my blog to my own domain if I’m serious about making money. Well, I am.

That same article also recommended that I use Hostgator to host my blog. I’d like to have your opinion about them. Do you recommend them for hosting a WordPress blog?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to snag items on ebay for $1 or less

Posted on February 20, 2018

Every day thousands of ebay auctions end without receiving a single bid, and many of these auctions are for valuable items that have a starting bid of $1 or less.

Why so low? Because lots of ebay sellers like to start their auctions off with a ridiculously low price with the hope that a bidding war will ensue and drive the price way above the item’s actual value.

Sometimes this strategy works, and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s a gamble, and the sellers know it. That’s why you shouldn’t feel guilty if you end up snagging a $50 item for 50 cents.

How do you track down these super bargains? Well, as luck would have it there is a very cool website for that: [Read more…]

Review: 2018 Premium HP 17.3″ Business Flagship Laptop PC

Posted on February 20, 2018

The new year brought with it several new mid-range Windows 10 laptops, one of which is the 2018 Premium HP 17.3″ Business Flagship Laptop PC. (#ad)

I recently had a chance to check one of them out.

To be blunt, I ended up liking this laptop ok but it does have some serious downsides, which I’ll get to later.

Although this is being billed as a business laptop it would also make a decent general-purpose PC. I wouldn’t really recommend it for use as a gaming laptop at all, but it should perform fairly well at most other common computing tasks.

First, let’s take a look at the specs: [Read more…]