Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: How do I find out what model number my computer is?

Posted on February 10, 2015

Question from Beverly L.: Rick, I have a four year old Dell laptop computer that I’m planning to sell on Craigslist.

The problem is I have no idea what the model number of the computer is. The label on the bottom is faded so badly that I can’t read it. I also can’t remember how much memory is in it or how big the hard drive is.

I do know that this PC has Windows 7 on it. How can I find out what the model number is, how much memory it has, and how big the hard drive is?

Rick’s answer: Beverly, you can easily find that information with a quick bit of detective work. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Will your medical records be safe from hackers once they’re made available online?

Posted on February 9, 2015

doctor As you probably know, many hospitals, doctors offices and other health care facilities have either already digitized their patients’ medical records or are making plans to do so in the near future.

And if some in the federal government have their way, everyone’s medical records will eventually be accessible to medical personnel via the Internet.

While having your medical history available online would certainly make it easy for a doctor in a far away town to quickly access your records in an emergency, it would also make them vulnerable to hackers and anyone else who would like to get their hands on your sensitive private info for nefarious purposes. [Read more…]

You’ll soon be able to use your current phone when you switch to a different carrier

Posted on February 9, 2015

iphone Would you like to switch cell carriers but are hesitant to do so because switching would require you to buy a new phone?

Well, starting on Wednesday, February 11 you’ll be able to switch to a new carrier and keep right on using the phone you already own.

One of the most irritating things about owning a mobile phone has always been the way most of them are “locked” to prevent them from working with any carrier except the one they were originally intended to work with. But thankfully that’s about to change. [Read more…]

Review: HP Stream 7 32GB Windows 8.1 Tablet

Posted on February 7, 2015

Inexpensive Android tablets are selling like hotcakes because of their affordable sub-$100 purchase price.

But a new generation of low-priced Windows tablets has arrived, and they are quickly becoming the tablet of choice for budget-minded consumers. A great example is the attractive 32GB HP Stream 7 Windows 8.1 Tablet. (#ad)

The 7 inch screen makes it easy to carry this tablet in a pants pocket, yet it comes packed with plenty of power. In fact, its speed and versatility rivals that found in some entry-level laptops.

Although it’s quite inexpensive, this tablet comes equipped with a beautiful 7 inch 1280×800 color touch display, a 1.8 GHz Intel Atom processor, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, 802.11bgn Wi-Fi, and two USB ports.

Windows 8.1, a complimentary 1 year subscription to Windows 365, and 1TB of Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage is also included!

What’s more, this isn’t some cheap tablet with an unpronounceable name. It’s made by HP, one of the most trusted brands in the tech world. [Read more…]

Google’s Matt Cutts on how Keyword Density affects Search Engine Rankings

Posted on February 7, 2015

Google’s algorithm for ranking web pages takes numerous factors into consideration when deciding which pages deserve to be ranked highest in the search results pages (SERPS).

One ranking factor which is very often misunderstood (and frequently abused) is an article’s Keyword Density.

Many webmasters and bloggers believe that using a keyword or key phrase as often as possible on a page will cause that page to rank higher in the SERPS, but that isn’t really the case at all. [Read more…]