Rick's Daily Tips

Step-by-step guide to installing the free Windows 8.1 update on a Windows 8 machine

Posted on March 29, 2014

windows-8-1-update Several of my recent posts have discussed the importance of updating a Windows 8 installation to Windows 8.1.

After receiving a number of requests for instructions for installing the update, I thought it might be a good idea to publish them as a tip. As you’ll soon find out, it really isn’t all that difficult to install the free Windows 8.1 update.

The first thing you need to do is make sure that all available Windows Updates have been applied to your existing Windows 8 installation. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Review: Lexar JumpDrive S33 USB 3.0 Flash Drive

Posted on March 28, 2014

Most of us who are old enough to remember the days of the floppy disk have a special appreciation for modern USB flash drives. It used to take a large stack of “floppies” to hold just a few really large files, and those floppies were susceptible to all kinds of problems that are virtually unheard of nowadays.

The invention of the USB flash drive solved virtually all of the problems that plagued the floppy disk, including the big one: extremely limited storage capacity. In fact, I saw an ad just a short while ago for a USB flash drive that can store up to 512GB of data!

There are several companies that manufacture and sell flash memory devices, and one that I have always liked is Lexar. [Read more…]

Microsoft will pay you $100 to upgrade from Windows XP to a new Windows 8 machine

Posted on March 23, 2014

The folks at Microsoft have been trying for a long time now to get users to move up to the world of Windows 8, and so far with only limited success.

They’ve tried everything from bragging about the new OS in cheesy commercials to “forcing” Windows XP users onto something new by detailing plans to stop supporting XP early next month. But so far they’re having a hard time overcoming the public’s obvious dislike for the new Windows.

Well, now they have taken their Windows 8 campaign a step further by resorting to, well…good old fashioned bribery. [Read more…]

Google is now encrypting 100% of Gmail messages

Posted on March 22, 2014

gmail Google has just announced that, effective immediately, every email message sent via their popular Gmail service will be encrypted end-to-end.

Encryption has been an option for Gmail users for some time now, but this change turns it on by default. That’s good news for users who are concerned about the privacy and confidentiality of their personal and business communications. [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I make my files open in desktop programs instead of apps in Windows 8.1?

Posted on March 20, 2014

Question from Allison T.: I just upgraded my computer from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 and I’m having a big problem. I’ll be so grateful if you can help me fix it.

When I click on a photo in Windows Explorer it always opens in a Start Screen app instead of one of my desktop photo editors (I have 3 of them). How can I fix that?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]