Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why doesn’t Windows Update install all available updates at once?

Posted on June 24, 2013

Question from Eric: Rick, I have a question about Windows Update. I just got back from a business trip, and when I turned my PC on it had 11 updates waiting to be installed. After they were installed the computer rebooted, then informed me that there were 4 more updates that needed to be installed.

Why didn’t Windows Update just install all of the available updates at once? Just curious…It’s a hassle having to wait through two update procedures (and reboots) when it seems that one should have been sufficient. If it makes any difference, I have a Lenovo desktop PC running Windows 7.

Rick‘s answer: Eric, the Windows Update process can be a real head-scratcher sometimes. There are a couple of possible reasons why the Windows Update process is sometimes split into two events: [Read more…]

Facebook now allows you to post a picture directly into a comment

Posted on June 19, 2013

If you don’t see it already, you’ll soon notice a little camera icon on the right-hand side of the text box when you’re commenting on a Facebook post or picture. Click on the camera icon and you can upload a picture directly into the comment box.

This new feature is being rolled out as I write this, and before long all Facebook users will have the ability to insert photos directly into their comments. [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I restore the audio to my Youtube videos?

Posted on June 19, 2013

Question from Mary: Hi Rick, I’ve got a problem that I could use your help on.

The other day I was watching a video on my computer and dad started talking to me so I muted the sound, and now it won’t come back on at all.

When I click the sound icon, it does nothing. (I’m talking about the icon in the video box, not the computer’s sound icon.

The computer itself still has sound except when watching videos like on Youtube. What did I do and how do I fix it? I’ve restarted my computer hoping that would help, but no go.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I prevent my Android phone from automatically connecting to a Wi-Fi network?

Posted on June 17, 2013

Question from Donna T.: I have a Sprint Samsung smart phone running Android (no clue what version). It drives me crazy by automatically connecting to my wireless network every time I walk into the house. Even if I turn Wi-Fi off on the phone, the next thing I know it has connected again.

I never use my phone with my home Wi-Fi network and I’d like to prevent it from automatically connecting to it. How do I do that?

Rick‘s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I redirect my blog’s existing domain name to a new one?

Posted on June 16, 2013

Question from Adriana N.: Hi there Rick! My question probably has a simple answer but I just can’t figure it out.

I have a fairly popular book review blog with a domain name that’s based upon my own real name.

This blog has become fairly popular, and after reading a couple of articles on the subject I decided it would be in my best interest to purchase a different domain name for the blog and ditch the one that’s based upon my name.

My question is this: How can I redirect the old domain name to the new one without losing the existing traffic and Google rankings (approximately 800 unique visitors per day and PR4) to the new domain name? I really hate the thought of losing out on all that traffic and rankings.

By the way, my new blog is hosted on a Linux server from Hostgator (thanks for recommending them – they’re great!).

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]