Rick's Daily Tips

Super Control Panel – Access all Control Panel tools and settings from one screen!

Posted on April 12, 2013

super-control-panel The Windows Control Panel contains dozens of tools and settings for tweaking the way Windows performs many of its numerous tasks.

Most of these tools and settings are nested underneath a plethora of menus, making it difficult to find exactly what you’re looking for without doing a bunch of clicking and searching.

Lucky for us, there’s a very simple way to create a handy Super Control Panel app that lists every single Control Panel tool and setting on a single page, neatly filed under one of several easy-to-understand categories. Here’s the simple two-step process for creating your very own Super Control Panel: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I really drop my cable and watch TV online?

Posted on April 12, 2013

Question from Carla J.: I keep hearing how lots of people are dropping their cable TV and watching all their TV shows online for free. I only really watch 3 shows on a regular basis – Duck Dynasty and HGTV’s Curb Appeal and House Hunters.

It seems like I’m paying way too much just to watch 3 shows! I’d love to be able to tell Charter to stop my service and start watching my shows online, but this just sounds too good to be true. Is it?

Rick’s answer: No Carla, it isn’t. Millions of people around the world now watch their favorite TV shows over the Internet. And yes, many of those shows are absolutely free (not counting the cost of your Internet connection) and many others are available for a modest fee.

But before you call Charter and ditch your cable service, there are some things you need to consider: [Read more…]

How to set multiple home pages for your web browser

Posted on April 11, 2013

multiple-home-pages Most people have several websites they visit throughout the day. For example, I check my email at Outlook.com fairly often while occasionally checking for updates on Facebook and Twitter.

If you do the same, it’s easy to have several of your favorite websites load automatically in separate tabs every time you load your web browser. That way you’ll be ready to get down to business just as soon as the browser finishes loading.

Here’s how to set multiple homepages in Internet Explorer, Google Chrome and Firefox (simply skip to the appropriate section): [Read more…]

COMODO Internet Security – Get outstanding antivirus, spyware and firewall protection for free

Posted on April 8, 2013

In order to be fully protected against malware, hackers and other online security threats you need a complete Internet Security software suite. There are many such programs on the market, and I’ve tested several of them over the course of the last few months. One of my favorites is COMODO Internet Security.

COMODO comes with one of the best firewall applications available today. It blocks both inbound and outbound known threats from getting through in either direction while “sandboxing” unknown websites so they cannot spread viruses and spyware to the rest of the system. [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I retrieve my Windows Vista Product Key?

Posted on April 7, 2013

Question from Michael C.: I have a 4 year old HP Desktop PC running Windows Vista and it has gotten slower and slower in recent months. It’s so slow now that I think I really need to start fresh and re-install Vista.

I have the Windows installation discs, but since I can’t find the case they came in I don’t have a clue what the Product Key is. I know I can find the Windows Product Key somewhere in the Registry, but I can’t seem to find it. Where do I look? Thanks in advance for your help.

Rick‘s answer: Michael, beginning with Windows Vista Microsoft started encrypting the Windows Product key in the Registry which means you won’t be able to find it that way. But don’t worry, there is a very easy way to get it. Simply download and run a free utility called Enchanted Keyfinder. Follow these steps: [Read more…]