Search Results for: how to create system image backup

Warning: Make sure you back up your PC before installing the ‘Windows 10 October 2018 Update’!

Posted on October 4, 2018

Well, Microsoft has now released their massive annual Fall update for this year.

They’re referring to it as the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, and as usual they’re preparing to roll it out to user’s PCs in stages.

This update is already available for folks who want to install the update manually instead of waiting for it to “roll out” to their machines via the regular update cycle.

Lots of folks have already installed the update on their machines with with no problems whatsoever, but others haven’t been so lucky.

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Warning: The upcoming ‘Windows 10 October 2018 Update’ might break your PC’s Windows installation.

Posted on September 25, 2018

Well, October is just around the corner and that means Microsoft will soon be releasing the annual Fall update to Windows 10.

Unfortunately, the upcoming release of the “Windows 10 October 2018 Update” will end up preventing a lot of PCs from booting up into Windows after the update is installed.

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Q&A: What’s the best laptop hard drive I can buy for $100 or less?

Posted on September 18, 2018

Question from Andy: The 750GB hard drive in my laptop has started making strange noises and I’m afraid it’s about to go out on me. I need to replace it ASAP but I don’t know which drive I should buy to replace it with.

I’d really like to get an SSD to make the laptop run a lot faster, but my budget for the drive is only about $100 (or preferably less).

I checked around and the largest SSD I can get for that price is way too small for my needs. I really need something that’s at least as big as the drive that’s in the laptop right now.

Can you help me find the fastest hard drive I can get for $100 that’s at least 750GB?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why is the D: drive on my refurbished computer already full?

Posted on August 20, 2018

Question from Wanda: Rick, I just bought a refurbished computer with Windows 7 Home Premium on it.

In case you’re wondering why I bought a refurbished machine, it’s because I hate Windows 8 and Windows 10 so I decided to by a refurbished PC in order to get Windows 7.

LOL You probably think I’m crazy, but that’s why.

Anyway, this machine is showing two hard drives in Windows Explorer, a C: drive and a D: drive.

When they refurbished this computer they supposedly reinstalled Windows from scratch. I haven’t put anything at all on the D: drive, yet the Windows Explorer shows it as being full with hardly any free space left.

I can’t open that D: drive to see what’s in it making be think it might have a virus.

Is it possible for the equivalent of a brand new computer to have a virus that’s filling up the hard drive? My Norton isn’t finding anything.

Any help you can provide will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to install a Solid State Drive (SSD) in your laptop

Posted on July 18, 2018

A while back I wrote a post explaining the benefits of replacing your hard drive with a Solid State Drive (aka SSD).

Of course the greatest benefit is the amazing speed increase you’ll gain by replacing your hard drive’s spinning platters and read/write heads with an SSD’s lightning-fast memory chips.

You might recall that in that post I recommended paying a PC Tech to swap out the drives for you, but since then I’ve had a couple of emails from folks who really wanted to try upgrading their laptops themselves, prompting me to decide to write this post explaining the procedure.

But before we get to that, if your laptop was made in such a way that the entire case has to be partially disassembled in order to access the hard drive, I still strongly recommend that you hire a qualified PC tech to remove the hard drive and install the SSD for you. Just sayin’.

On the other hand, if your laptop’s drive bay is easily accessible via a small removable cover you can swap out the drives out yourself. Just follow the instructions below.

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