Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why is Windows 8 not using all of my RAM?

Posted on April 3, 2015

Question from Rodney T: I have an Acer Aspire 5552G-7641 with 8GB of RAM. It came with Windows 7 which always showed the entire 8GB on the System Information screen.

My employer paid for a copy of Windows 8 so I backed up my data and wiped the hard drive, then installed Windows 8 (that was an ordeal in itself but I won’t go into it here lol).

Long story short, after installing Windows 8 the System Information screen is only showing 3GB of RAM even though the BIOS screen shows the full 8GB. Did I do something wrong? [Read more…]

How to tell Verizon to stop tracking your every move while you’re using the Internet

Posted on April 2, 2015

Are you a Verizon Wireless customer?

If so, did you know they secretly use cookies to track every move you make while using the Internet on their network with a mobile device?

Well, they do, and those cookies are actually “supercookies” that can not be removed! [Read more…]

3DP Chip inventories your PC’s hardware and helps you back up and install the proper drivers

Posted on March 26, 2015

Sometimes when we re-install Windows one or more hardware drivers will simply fail to be installed. Who know’s why this happens, but when it does we’re often left with the task of tracking the driver(s) down and installing them manually.

Depending on the device in question, finding a suitable driver can be difficult, if not impossible, especially if you can’t even identify the device in question.

A handy free tool called 3DP Chip can help you identify and track down the correct drivers for every hardware component in your computer. No more guesswork! It can also back up your computer’s current drivers and restore them at a later date and time. [Read more…]

Bitdefender’s free Adware Removal Tool offers extra protection against malware

Posted on March 26, 2015

Running a good full-time anti-malware program such as Avast is a must for keeping your PC safe from malware in today’s world, but even the best of these programs will miss a threat on occasion.

That’s why it’s so important to make regular use of on-demand malware scanners as well. [Read more…]

Q&A: Why won’t my laptop’s battery charge past 10%?

Posted on March 24, 2015

Question from Keenan R.: My 3 year old ThinkPad X230 2320HQU laptop won’t charge the battery past 10% no matter how long I leave it plugged in.

If I try to use the laptop while it’s running from on battery, it shuts off after just a few seconds. It runs fine with the charger plugged in, the battery just refuses to charge up.

How can I tell whether the problem is caused by the battery or the charger? If possible, I need to get it fixed ASAP. Thanks.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]