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Keep your mobile devices charged during extended power outages with a solar powered USB charger

Posted on February 17, 2015

solar-usb-charger
(#ad)

If you live in an area plagued by frequent power outages, keeping your cell phone and other mobile devices charged can be a real challenge.

I wrote a post a while back explaining how a spare battery backup unit is a great tool for keeping your devices charged up.

But if you’d rather not have to deal with keeping another battery backup charged and at the ready, there is a great alternative available: a solar powered USB charger. (#ad)

One major advantage of solar chargers is the obvious: As long as the sun shines you can keep a charge on your devices’ batteries. Of course that’s also the main disadvantage – no sun, no charging. But most models have a built-in backup battery for charging your devices during times of darkness or heavy cloud cover.  [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I get my PC to boot up after Windows Update failed?

Posted on February 17, 2015

windows-7Question from Sierra F.:  Rick, I’m in trouble and I need your help!

My computer was installing Windows Updates when the power flickered off and back on. It happened so quickly that the computer didn’t even shut down, but it somehow aborted the update process and an error on the screen said the update wasn’t successful.

I tried to install the updates again, but it said no updates were available. I then tried to restart the PC, but it hangs up about half way through the boot process. Please, please, please tell me how to fix this without reinstalling Windows 7? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

Rick’s answer:   [Read more…]

How to disable the new sound effects in the Facebook App

Posted on February 17, 2015

facebook-app-logoIf you use the Facebook App on your mobile device (which I don’t recommend as explained in this post), you have probably noticed that a recent update has caused it to start chirping and making other weird noises when you take certain actions.

If you’re one of the many users who find these new sound effects irritating, you can easily turn them off with just a few taps.

Follow the directions below to disable sounds in your Facebook App:  [Read more…]

The Charms Bar (as we know it) won’t be included in Windows 10

Posted on February 16, 2015

windows-10Do you find the Charms Bar in Windows 8.1 to be almost as irritating as an itchy rash? If so, you definitely aren’t alone.

Apparently Microsoft received so many complaints about the Charms Bar that they decided to virtually eliminate it from the new Windows 10 for Desktop users.

Why they ever included it in the first place is a mystery to me. It always seems to pop up when you don’t need it, and many of the tasks that I believe would be best suited for it aren’t on it!

Which reminds me… [Read more…]

How I added 4 wired Ethernet ports to my garage for only $21

Posted on February 15, 2015

ethernetA while back I found myself needing a wired Ethernet connection in my garage. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on the project, but I knew it would some work.

The problem is the garage is on one end of my long ranch-style house while my cable modem and wireless router are located in my office near the other end of the house.

After a bit of reflection, this is the solution that I came up with:  [Read more…]

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