Rick's Daily Tips

Do you have cable Internet? Save big by buying your own cable modem!

Posted on October 28, 2014

If you get your Internet service through Comcast, Charter or some other cable TV company, you are probably paying a hefty monthly rental fee for your cable modem. But you can save that rental fee by buying a modem of your own.

For example, if you have Comcast cable Internet, you’re probably paying $7 per month just to rent their modem. That’s $84 per year!

A better alternative in my opinion is to tell your cable company to keep their modem and buy your own!

The modem that I use and recommend is the Motorola SURFboard SBG6580 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem and Wi-Fi N Router. (#ad)

This is an exceptional cable modem/wireless router combo that’s currently selling on Amazon for about $100. [Read more…]

83 of my top Facebook tips, tricks and answers – all on one page!

Posted on October 28, 2014

I’ve posted a ton of Facebook tips and tricks on this blog, and answered quite a few Facebook questions as well. The problem is they are all scattered out across the blog, making them difficult for readers to find in a hurry.

This post will serve as sort of a hub for all things Facebook. If I’ve written a post that’s in any way related to Facebook, you’ll probably find a link to it on this page. With that in mind, here we go… [Read more…]

Quickly find out how much a used PC, smart phone or other gadget is really worth

Posted on October 26, 2014

worthmonkey Do you have a used computer, cell phone, tablet or other device that you’re wanting to sell? Or perhaps you looking to buy one?

The most difficult part of buying or selling a used electronic item is making sure you negotiate a fair price. But I recently discovered a nifty website that makes it quite easy by giving you a fairly accurate estimate of most any gadget’s true resale value. [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I turn off Auto Correct in Internet Explorer?

Posted on October 25, 2014

Question from George T.: Hi there Rick. Love your site! Hopefully you can help me with a problem. I recently installed Internet Explorer 10 and the Auto Correct feature is driving me nuts. Can I turn it off?

Rick‘s answer: You’re not alone George. Virtually every comment I have heard about I.E.’s Auto Correct feature is a complaint, and I’m not a big fan of it either. Luckily, it can easily be turned off. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Is your Samsung 840 EVO SSD running slower than it should? Here’s how to speed it up.

Posted on October 23, 2014

samsung-840-evo-series-250gb-ssd A while back I purchased a 120Gb Samsung 840 EVO solid state drive (SSD) for my desktop PC, and I love it.

At first this drive was lightning fast, but before long I noticed that it had slowed down to the point where it was really no faster than a traditional spinning hard drive.

I double-checked all the settings and made sure there was plenty of free work space available on the drive, and nothing seemed to be amiss. Frustrated, I did a Google search to see if anyone else was having problems with their Samsung SSDs, and sure enough, they were. [Read more…]