Rick's Daily Tips

Review: Quantum Byte Fanless Mini PC with Windows 8.1

Posted on November 4, 2015

Tiny computers like the Raspberry Pi are becoming more popular every day because of their tiny form factor and low prices. And they are so much fun to work with!

Well, now there’s a full-featured ultra-small form factor desktop computer that runs Windows 8.1. And trust me, this is no toy!

The Quantum Byte Fanless Mini PC with Windows 8.1 is one of the most fascinating machines I have ever seen.

Although it’s roughly the size of a 3.5″ external hard drive enclosure, this machine is literally packed with all the power and features you’d expect to find in many entry-level laptops and desktop computers. [Read more…]

How to easily block Windows Update from installing Windows 10 without your permission

Posted on November 3, 2015

Millions of users have updated their PCs from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, but plenty of others haven’t installed the update and they have no intention of doing so in the future.

If you are one of those folks who really don’t want to upgrade to Windows 10, Microsoft is planning to make it harder to avoid it in the coming year. [Read more…]

How to add extensions to numbers in your smart phone’s address book

Posted on November 1, 2015

iphone Do you make frequent calls to someone at a business where you have to enter an extension number in order to reach that person? If so, you can easily append the extension right to the end of the number so you won’t have to enter it every time you call.

I’ll explain how to do that, but first we need to discuss two common ways that switchboards handle calls to extensions:

1 – Most switchboards will answer your call and give you a list of menu options. If you know the extension number of the person you wish to speak with, you can dial it at any time without waiting for the message/menu to finish “talking”.

2 – Other switchboards require you to listen to the entire recorded message/menu before entering the extension number.

With that preliminary discussion out of the way, here’s how to append an extension number directly to the end of a telephone number on your smart phone: [Read more…]

000webhost has been hacked. Account holders need to take action now!

Posted on October 30, 2015

000webhost is one of the largest free web hosting companies on the web, because…well, they don’t charge anything for hosting their customers’ websites.

Approximately 13 million businesses and individuals have websites hosted with them, and now every one of those customers are at great risk of having their websites and other online accounts hacked.

I won’t post the link to 000webhost’s website because it is currently in maintenance mode as they try to mitigate the damage from the hack (you can Google it if you’re curious), but if you are one of their customers you need to take immediate action to protect your website’s information and sensitive customer data. [Read more…]

Review: Dell Inspiron 11 3000 Series 2-in-1 Convertible Touchscreen Laptop

Posted on October 29, 2015

If you love the convenience and ultra-mobility of a tablet PC but also need the power and functionality of a full-blown laptop, the days of having to choose between the two are over thanks to a new breed of PCs known as convertible laptops.

In a nutshell, convertible laptops combine a powerful tablet PC with a standard keyboard and pointing device. When used in the traditional way, these PCs give you all the power and flexibility of a laptop, but swiveling the keyboard 360 degrees converts it into a powerful windows tablet! [Read more…]