Rick's Daily Tips

Cracked laptop screen? Order a replacement screen yourself and save $$$

Posted on April 1, 2013

cracked-laptop-screen If you ever find yourself needing to have a cracked laptop screen replaced, you can save quite a few bucks by ordering the replacement screen yourself and then taking the new screen along with the laptop to a repair shop for installation.

If you allow the shop to order the replacement screen on your behalf, they’ll most likely order it from a company called ScreenTek. They’ll tack on a hefty profit and then charge you a labor charge for installing it.

The labor charge is a no-brainer (unless you have the skills required to replace the screen yourself), but why pay the repair shop a premium for the replacement laptop screen just to have them order it for you? You can order the screen yourself and save a bundle! [Read more…]

TopWinPrio – Speed up the active program in Windows by giving it extra CPU time

Posted on March 30, 2013

topwinprio Microsoft Windows shares it’s processing time (CPU cycles) with every program that’s running, including the programs that are running in the background. This makes the program you’re actually using at the time run slower than it really has to.

A free utility called TopWinPrio allocates extra CPU cycles to whichever program is currently active while reducing the number of CPU cycles allocated to those running in the background. This makes the active program run faster. [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I uninstall Internet Explorer 10 from Windows 8

Posted on March 30, 2013

Question from Tina F.: Rick, I recently bought a new laptop for my 12 year old son and it came with Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10.

I won’t go into the reason why, but I would really like to uninstall I.E. from the computer in order to force him to use either Firefox or Chrome. The problem is I can’t seem to find Internet Explorer listed on the Remove Programs list in the Control Panel. How do I delete it?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Add the Control Panel to the Desktop Right-Click menu in Windows 7

Posted on March 26, 2013

windows-7 There are several ways to open the Control Panel in Windows 7, but if you use it a lot like I do you can add it to the menu that pops up whenever you right-click on the Desktop.

Important: This tip requires editing the Windows Registry, a procedure that if done incorrectly can render your system unstable, or even unbootable.

By following this tip you understand and agree that it isn’t my fault if lightning strikes your favorite tree, your flowers all shrivel up and die or your computer refuses to start up properly after editing the Registry.

If you agree with everything I just said, then feel free to create a Restore Point and then proceed as follows: [Read more…]

T-Mobile does away with all wireless contract plans

Posted on March 25, 2013

T-Mobile has effectively put an end to wireless contracts, opting instead to allow all customers to sign up for “pay-as-you-go” service similar to the plans offered by Straight Talk, TracFone, Virgin Mobile and others. Could this be a trend sweeping the industry? I happen to think it is.

Pay-as-you-go cell phone service has been offered for years by TracFone and their no-contract brethren, but the concept really hit its stride when Wal-Mart jumped into the game with their Strait Talk service. The thought of being able to switch carriers at a moment’s notice without having to pay a penalty is causing customers to jump ship in large numbers when their contracts expire, switching instead to companies that don’t require a contract. [Read more…]