Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why won’t my new USB keyboard work until after Windows loads?

Posted on May 1, 2014

Question from Aaron T.: I have an older Dell desktop computer and the PS/2 keyboard that I dearly love finally bit the dust.

I went out to buy a replacement keyboard, but I couldn’t find one that plugs into the PS/2 keyboard connector. I ended up buying a USB keyboard instead because that’s all I could find.

The new keyboard works great, but ONLY after Windows finished loading. But sometimes I need to use the keyboard while the machine is booting up. Is there any way to fix this?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Microsoft issues patch for massive IE security flaw

Posted on May 1, 2014

A couple of days ago I wrote about a massive security flaw that affects every version of Internet Explorer since version 6, and to their credit Microsoft really got on the stick to push out an update to patch the hole in each and every version of IE as soon as possible – which turned out to be this morning.

The surprising thing about this suite of patches is that Windows XP is included among them. Microsoft had initially suggested that a patch for XP would not be issued, but they obviously changed their mind – most likely due to intense public pressure. [Read more…]

Massive security flaw found in every version of Internet Explorer

Posted on April 29, 2014

Microsoft has announced that every version of Internet Explorer since version 6 has a massive security flaw that allows hackers to place viruses directly onto your PC, even if you are running up-to-date anti-virus protection.

And yes, this includes YOUR version of Internet Explorer so there is really no reason to check.

All you have to do to have your PC “catch” a virus is to visit an infected website with your Internet Explorer web browser. That’s all. You don’t have to click on anything, just visit the site, and wham – you’re infected! [Read more…]

How to prevent Netflix from automatically playing the next episode of a TV show

Posted on April 28, 2014

If you’re a Netflix subscriber, you might have noticed that when you reach the end of an episode of a television show the next episode in the series begins playing automatically. Whether or not this happens for you will depend on your Netflix settings.

Some people love this “Post-Play” feature, but others hate it. If you fall into the latter camp, it’s easy to disable Post-Play to prevent the next episode in a series from playing until you want it to. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I delete the Organizer from PhotoShop Elements 10?

Posted on April 27, 2014

Question from Ariel P.: Rick, I have used PhotoShop Elements 10 for a long time, and although I really like the Editor I absolutely loathe the Organizer!

My problem is every once in a while I’ll accidentally click the wrong link on the Welcome screen and load the Organizer when I didn’t mean to. When that happens I have to exit the Organizer and start Elements again from scratch. And it’s really irritating!

Is there any way to delete the Organizer portion of PhotoShop Elements from my computer and leave only the Editor installed? If there is, I can’t figure it out.

Thanks for helping me with this. If it makes a difference my PC is running Windows 7/64 bit.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]