Rick's Daily Tips

Review: Unlocking WordPress – Easy Steps For Getting a Hosted Blog Up and Running Fast

Posted on November 25, 2015

WordPress is by far the most used blogging platform available today thanks to its ease of use and amazing configurability. Millions of blogs and websites are currently running on WordPress, including some of the world’s largest and most visited websites.

A wonderful new Kindle ebook called Unlocking WordPress – Easy Steps For Getting a Hosted Blog Up and Running Fast will help you start blogging right away by walking you through the process of creating your own self-hosted WordPress blog, step-by-step.

With the help of this easy to follow illustrated guide, you’ll have your very own self-hosted WordPress blog up and running on your own domain in minutes. You’ll then learn how to properly configure your new blog and customize it to suit your needs and preferences. [Read more…]

This laptop is faster than most desktop PCs!

Posted on November 25, 2015

msi-gt80-titan-sli-009 In the world of computing, it’s pretty much a given that the fastest desktops will out-perform the fastest laptops, but there’s a new laptop from the folks at MSI that beats most desktops in head-to-head tests.

The MSI GT80 Titan SLI-258 is a veritable beast of a machine that features a blazing fast Intel 2.7 GHz Core i7 CPU and an NVIDIA Geforce GTX970M SLI graphics co-processor with 12GB of dedicated video RAM to create a truly awesome user experience. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I install the free Windows 10 upgrade using just a Windows 7 product key?

Posted on November 25, 2015

Question from Todd J.: My company has just informed us that they’re going to replace all of the 3 year old Dell XPS 15 laptops in our division with new machines by the end of the year.

They’re going to remove the hard drives from all the old laptops and destroy them, then give the laptops to us to keep.

I’ve been told that computers running Windows 7 qualify for a free Windows 10 upgrade, but only if Windows 7 is currently installed on the hard drive. The problem is our IT guys are going to remove the hard drives before they transfer ownership of the laptops to us employees.

My question is will I be able to install a replacement hard drive and then download Windows 10 and activate it using the Windows 7 product key that’s printed on the bottom of the machine?

From what I’ve heard it sounds like I’m going to have to buy a copy of Windows too, but I’d like to know for sure so I’ll know what all I need to do in order to get the laptop back up and running again.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Get awesome Black Friday deals right now at Amazon!

Posted on November 23, 2015

Everyone knows that some of the best bargains of the year can be found while shopping on Black Friday, and chances are you plan on joining in on some of the local Black Friday events.

But if you’d rather skip the crowds on Friday morning, Amazon is giving you the chance to snag some pretty amazing Black Friday deals right now (and throughout this entire week)! [Read more…]

Great news: Microsoft has simplified the free Windows 10 upgrade procedure

Posted on November 22, 2015

First of all, let me say that I really appreciate Microsoft’s generosity in letting Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users upgrade their PCs to Windows 10 for free.

That being said, they made the upgrade process a bit tedious for users who wished to do a clean install of Windows 10 on their machines instead of doing a simple in-place upgrade.

For whatever reason they designed the upgrade process in a way that required you to first upgrade your existing Windows 7 or 8.1 installation to Windows 10, then wipe the drive and reinstall Windows 10 using your old Windows Product Key. What on earth were they thinking? [Read more…]