Rick's Daily Tips

Review: Quantum Access Windows 8.1 Mini PC Stick

Posted on June 17, 2015

quantum-access-windows-8-1-mini-pc-stick-1 — (#ad)

Mobile devices are becoming more powerful by the day, and I am continuously amazed at how much computing power and functionality they can pack into such small devices.

Well, now fully-functional desktop PCs have become truly portable as well. A perfect case in point is the awesome Quantum Access Windows 8.1 Mini PC Stick. (#ad)

In a nutshell, this is a fully functioning desktop PC contained within a tiny package that looks somewhat like an over-sized USB flash memory stick. But instead of a male USB connector, it features an HDMI connector that allows you to plug the computer directly into your monitor’s HDMI port without having to use a cable.

Since the device plugs directly in to the monitor, all you have to do is plug in a USB keyboard and mouse and then get right to work!

Check out everything you get with this tiny machine: [Read more…]

Log out of Facebook automatically with Facebook Auto Logout

Posted on June 15, 2015

Important update: This extension is no longer available.

The original post continues below…

Do you ever worry about forgetting to log out of Facebook and having someone else gain access to your Facebook account? Well, if you haven’t you should because it happens all the time.

Even if you close your web browser you aren’t automatically logged out of Facebook. Someone else could sit down at your PC, open your browser and visit Facebook with your account already logged on for them.

And what if you don’t close your browser at all? If you leave your browser window open while you go into another room or run to the corner market, Facebook will happily sit there and await your return.

But what if something comes up and you can’t get back to your PC for a while? Someone else could easily come along and read your private messages and even chat with your friends while pretending to be you. Or worse. The possibilities for mischief are endless! [Read more…]

Why you should disable Adobe Flash on your PC (and how to do it)

Posted on June 12, 2015

Until fairly recently, Flash was required in order to properly display and use many of the world’s most popular websites. And since Adobe Flash is installed on virtually every PC in the world it has become a favorite target for hackers.

Adobe releases frequent security updates for Flash, but for varying reasons those updates often don’t get installed onto a PC in time to prevent hackers from exploiting the security holes the updates were intended to fix in order to attack the system. That’s why hackers love to use Flash to attack computers around the world. And that’s bad news!

But there is also good news: Modern web browsers that support HTML 5 have pretty much made Flash obsolete. If you are using the latest version of your preferred browser(s), you can safely remove Adobe Flash from your system and disable it in your browser and the websites you visit should still work just fine. And I strongly suggest that you do so.

With all of that in mind, I recommend following the steps below to remove Adobe Flash from your PC and disable it in your web browsers. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I install Windows 8.1 on a laptop that originally came with Windows Vista?

Posted on June 11, 2015

Question from Glenn W.: I have an old, but awesome 2008 era Dell Inspiron 1525 laptop that came with Windows Vista. It still works great except for the hard drive which just died on me with no warning.

I found out that I can buy a brand spanking new replacement hard drive for less than $50, but I don’t have a set of Windows Vista restore discs.

If I replace the hard drive can I also install Windows 8.1 in place of Vista? (I would actually prefer Windows 7 but they don’t sell it anymore.)

Or is this machine so old that only Windows Vista will work, which would mean I’m out of luck either way?

Sorry for the multiple questions, but this is all very confusing to me. I hate to throw away a perfectly good laptop just because the hard drive died.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]