Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why won’t my PC boot up with new RAM sticks installed?

Posted on April 8, 2018

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Question from Seth: I need help with a RAM upgrade issue, Rick.

My computer came with 4GB of RAM already installed (two 2GB sticks). It has two empty RAM slots open.

I bought two 8GB RAM sticks and installed them in the empty slots.

When I try to start up the PC with the new RAM sticks installed, I hear a beeping sound and an error message comes up on the screen.

If I remove the new RAM sticks and leave the old sticks installed the computer boots up OK.

What can be causing the computer not to boot up with the new RAM sticks installed? Thanks.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Microsoft adds Ransomware protection to Office 365 Personal users’ OneDrive storage

Posted on April 6, 2018

Ransomware is a type of virus that encrypts all the data on your computer’s hard drive or SSD and then demands that you pay a ransom to a hacker in exchange for the decryption key.

In other words, it holds your files and data hostage until you pony up the amount demanded for the ransom.

And the danger is very real. In fact, ransomware attacks are now one of the most common types of malware attacks being perpetrated on the public. [Read more…]

6 of my favorite websites and blogs: How many of them do you read?

Posted on April 5, 2018

As you well know, the Internet is a massive repository of information on virtually any topic you can think of.

In a nutshell, whatever it might be that interests you, you’re sure to find plenty of websites and blogs that cover it in various levels of detail.

Like you, I have a short list of favorite places on the web that I visit regularly for the latest news, information and tips on the topics that interest me the most.

I thought you might be interested in some of them, so I have listed my top six favorites below (and surprise – not all of them are tech related): [Read more…]

HazeOver helps Mac users concentrate on the task at hand

Posted on April 5, 2018

If you’re a Mac user who tends to have several windows open on the desktop at any given time, you might find yourself getting distracted at times by all the other stuff that’s on the screen.

If so, there’s a fantastic app called HazeOver that can help minimize the distractions from background windows.

In a nutshell, Hazeover dims everything in the background while keeping the active window bright and clear. You can still see everything that’s dimmed in case something important changes, but your attention will remain focused on the active window.

Here’s a short video that shows HazeOver in action: [Read more…]

Scam alert: Hackers have stolen your info if you have an account on PaneraBread.com.

Posted on April 3, 2018

Are you a Panera Bread customer who has opened an account on their website so you can place orders online?

If so, your information has likely been stolen by hackers.

Our friends at KrebsOnSecurity have announced that PaneraBread.com has been leaking customer information to hackers for at least 8 months.

The breach apparently affects over 37 million Panera customers.

If you are affected by the breach (and you almost certainly are if you ordered online at PaneraBread.com at any time during the last 8 months), hackers now have the following information on you: [Read more…]