Rick's Daily Tips

Review: Dell Inspiron i3552-3240BLK 15.6 Inch Laptop

Posted on October 10, 2017

Dell Inspiron i3552-3240BLK Laptop — (#ad)

Windows 10 has been out for quite some time now, and there are a plethora of new laptops running Windows 10 to choose from these days.

I recently had a chance to check out the new Dell Inspiron i3552-3240BLK 15.6 Inch Laptop (#ad), and it appears to be a pretty solid machine.

Even though it has a full-size screen and keyboard, thanks to its relatively thin design it feels compact when you’re carrying it around. That’s a big plus when you’re having to slog your way through an airport or walk to the library. [Read more…]

Review: WordPress Security: Protection from Hackers and Crackers

Posted on October 10, 2017

If you write a blog that runs on the WordPress platform, I don’t have to tell you how important it is to keep your blog safe and secure from hackers.

I’ve written about WordPress security several times in the past, but I’d like to tell you about a great Kindle ebook that explains in detail why hackers want to break into your site, how to prevent it, and how to recover if they ever do.

I’ve been using WordPress for many years, and I thought I knew everything I needed to know about keeping my WordPress blogs safe and secure. I was wrong.

In WordPress Security: Protection from Hackers and Crackers (#ad), author Lambert Klein provides tons of information that you can use today to ensure that your blog will remain up and running smoothly for years to come. Among other things, you will learn: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why does my computer want to hibernate when I do a regular shutdown?

Posted on October 9, 2017

Question from Michael D: My computer has a strange problem Rick, and it’s driving me up the wall.

When I shut the system down, everything that was open when I shut it down opens back up when I turn it back on.

Every program reopens, every browser and website reopens… It’s like I hibernated the machine instead of shutting it down. But that’s not the case. I always do a normal shutdown.

Can you help me resolve this? My computer is a Dell Inspiron 3464 with Windows 10 Home.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Review: CUK MSI GT72VR Dominator Virtual Reality Gaming Laptop

Posted on October 7, 2017

Gaming laptops are getting more powerful all the time, even as their prices continue to drop.

A perfect case in point is the awesome new CUK MSI GT72VR Dominator Virtual Reality Gaming Laptop.

To be blunt and straight-to-the-point, this machine has just about everything a serious gamer could want in a laptop. It’s even VR-ready right out of the box!

This is quite simply one powerhouse of a machine. Let’s take a quick look at the specs: [Read more…]

AOL Instant Messenger to shut down in December

Posted on October 6, 2017

AOL Instant Messenger (aka AIM) is probably the oldest Internet instant messaging service still in existence today, but that will soon change.

If you’re one of the millions of people worldwide who still use AIM to chat with friends and relatives you’ll need to migrate to something else before the end of the year.

I’ve had a feeling this day was coming for some time now since so many AIM users have switched to Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and SnapChat in recent years.

For what it’s worth, AIM outlasted both the once hugely-popular Yahoo Messenger and MSN Messenger services, but now AOL has succumbed to the Facebook/WhatsApp/ShapChat steamroller as well.

AOL released a new help article this morning with the details of the impending shutdown. Here are the five most important takeaways from that article: [Read more…]