Rick's Daily Tips

Check your favorite websites for the ‘Heartbleed” vulnerability

Posted on April 10, 2014

Are any of the websites that you visit affected by the dangerous “Heartbleed” bug? If so, your login information as well as your personal and financial info could be at risk of being stolen by hackers.

Thanks to our friends at LastPass, you can easily check to see if any of your favorite websites are affected by Heartbleed. Simply visit this page and type in the URL of the site. Repeat for each website you’d like to check.

Note: You only need to do the Heartbleed check for sites that use SSL encryption.

Q&A: Where can I find a Windows 8.1 sound card driver for an older PC?

Posted on April 9, 2014

Question from Annette H.: I have a Compaq Presario 7200 that I just can’t bear to part with. I recently upgraded it to Windows 8.1 and I’m absolutely thrilled with it!

But there’s one problem that I really need your help with. The sound card isn’t working and the Device Manager says there’s no driver for it installed.

The sound drivers on the website don’t include drivers for Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, only Windows XP through Windows 7. Is there anything I can do or will I need to buy a new sound card?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Microsoft officially ends support for Windows XP

Posted on April 8, 2014

Well, today is the big day. As of today, Microsoft has officially stopped supporting Windows XP, a move that effectively ends the useful life of the most popular version of Windows ever for the vast majority of users.

While there are circumstances under which XP can still be safely used, the millions of people who have their XP machines connected to the Internet should probably make the move to either a different operating system or a new computer. [Read more…]

How to place icons for Control Panel and File Explorer on the Windows Desktop

Posted on April 7, 2014

microsoft-windows If you access the Control Panel and File Explorer as often as I do, clicking an icon on the Desktop to access them can be a real time saver. I do it all the time.

Although accessing either of these essential tools is faster and easier than ever before in the latest versions of Windows, there’s absolutely nothing faster than just clicking on an icon.

It’s actually quite easy to add File Explorer and Control Panel icons to the Desktop in Windows 7 and Windows 8/8.1. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Q&A: If I buy a refurbished iPhone 4 from Apple will it come with iOS 7 installed?

Posted on April 5, 2014

Question from Belinda D.: I’m thinking about buying a refurbished iPhone 4 directly from Apple. If I do, will it have iOS 7 on it or will I have to upgrade it to iOS 7 after I buy it?

If I have to upgrade it myself I might just go with a new iPhone 5c. I’m really not very tech savvy lol. Thanks in advance for the info. I LOVE your site by the way!!

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]