Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Emil P.: Ever since I updated my computer to Windows 10 it’s been hanging up at shutdown.
It displays a window saying that the system is closing X number of apps and shutting down.
But then it says that an app is preventing Windows from shutting down and asks if I want to shut down anyway or click cancel.
Sometimes it will name the app that’s hanging the shutdown but sometimes it won’t.
This is a screenshot of one of these messages: [Read more…]
Note: Facebook has removed the “English (Pirate)” option from the list of supported languages, rendering this post moot.
Original post continues below…
Facebook has an enormous user base that literally spans the globe, which means they necessarily support a number of other languages in addition to English.
One of those supported languages is “Pirate English”. And yes, I am very serious.
Once you set your preferred language to Pirate English, you’ll be greeted with “Pirate language” in various places on the page (don’t worry, it’s all family friendly and in good fun!).
If you’d like to give it a try, follow these simple instructions to become a “Pirate” on Facebook: [Read more…]
Question from Kyle H.: I have an Acer laptop with Windows 7 and I’ve had a problem with it from day one.
Every time I touch the trackpad the mouse pointer starts shaking and it’s really irritating.
This has been going on ever since the day I bought the laptop and Acer hasn’t been any help at all.
Do you know why it’s doing this or if there’s anything I can try to maybe get it fixed?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Do you still have a laptop or desktop PC that’s running Windows 8.1?
If so, you should know that Microsoft ended the “Mainstream Support” cycle for that version of Windows on January 9.
In a nutshell, that means they won’t be releasing any new feature updates for Windows 8.1.
However, they will continue releasing security updates and major bug fixes throughout the “Extended Support” cycle (which is scheduled to end on January 10, 2023). [Read more…]
Don’t you just hate it when you’ve settled in for the evening and your doorbell rings?
Or while you’re away on vacation, do you worry about burglars ringing your doorbell to see whether you’re home or not?
The ingenious SkyBell Video Wi-Fi Doorbell (#ad) lets you easily handle situations like these without even having to get out of your easy chair – or even while you’re lounging on some faraway beach!
When someone pushes the button to ring your doorbell, you’ll be instantly alerted via your Android phone or iPhone.
And thanks to a built-in camera, speaker and microphone, you’ll be able to see the person standing at your door and carry on a conversation with him/her from anywhere in the world via your smartphone. [Read more…]