Rick's Daily Tips

How to change the default network connection in Windows 10

Posted on October 14, 2016

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Have you ever tried switching your laptop to a wired Internet connection when your WiFi connection was spotty?

If so, you probably know that Windows can be pretty stubborn when you try to use a network connection that isn’t set as the default connection.

Luckily, it’s quite easy to change the default network connection in Windows with just a few mouse clicks. I explained how to do it in earlier versions of Windows in this post. Today I’m going to tell you how to do it in Windows 10. Just follow the steps below: [Read more…]

HP releases firmware update to reverse ban on third-party ink cartridges

Posted on October 13, 2016

Back in September HP stealthily released a new firmware update that blocks the use of third-party ink cartridges in some HP Officejet printers.

Customer backlash was quick and fierce, prompting HP to apologize and pledge to remove the ban just a few days later.

At the time, they said a new firmware update to reverse the ban would be released in the near future. As promised, the company has now released the new firmware update.

If you own an HP Officejet printer that was affected by the third-party ink cartridge ban, you should now be able to download and install the “ban reversal” update. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Samsung halts production of the Galaxy Note 7 smartphone

Posted on October 11, 2016

galaxy-note-7 Korean electronics giant Samsung has decided to stop making their new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones for good and recall ALL of the phones that are currently in use – even the replacement phones from the original recall.

As you probably know, the high-end Galaxy Note 7 got off to a very rocky start when some of the phones began over-heating and catching fire almost immediately after the new phone hit the market.

Samsung quickly recalled all of the phones that had been sold to date and provided free replacements for them, but then the replacement phones started over-heating as well. [Read more…]

Facebook: How to show all the photos sent or received via chat or instant message

Posted on October 2, 2016

Have you ever sent or received a photo in a Facebook Chat or Instant Message and then tried to scroll back through the conversation at a later time trying to find it?

Or have you ever wanted to view all the photos that you and a chat partner have shared with one another all at the same time?

If so, you surely know how difficult it can be to track down one or more images that are embedded in a long message thread.

As luck would have it, Facebook makes it very easy to display all the images contained within a specific chat or IM thread very quickly, and all together in one place. Here’s how: [Read more…]

How to set up a VPN with Hamachi

Posted on September 29, 2016

If you travel frequently, you probably use public, unencrypted Wi-Fi fairly often since it’s available for free at restaurants, shopping malls and many other public places around the globe.

If you do use public Wi-Fi, everything you send or receive over the Internet is out in the open for any hacker to intercept and use as he pleases.

But a Virtual Private Network (aka VPN) will let you send and receive your data through a secure, encrypted “tunnel” even when you’re connected to the Internet via an unencrypted Wi-Fi connection. [Read more…]