Search Results for: linux

Q&A: Would it be cheaper to buy a new PC or build one from scratch?

Posted on November 26, 2013

Question from Cameron G.: Rick, I have a 7 year old HP desktop PC that’s served me very well over the years, but I decided to replace it after reading your post about Microsoft ending support for Windows XP early next year.

A good friend of mine says I can save a lot of money by buying the parts and building my new computer from scratch, and he even offered to help me. But I’m skeptical about about actually saving any money that way because I looked into it a few years ago and the numbers didn’t seem to add up.

What do you think about it? Can I really save money by building a PC from scratch instead of buying one outright? And if so, do you have any tips that might help me save a few extra bucks?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I upgrade a bootleg version of Windows 7 by buying the Windows 8 Pro upgrade?

Posted on August 25, 2013

Question from Aaron: The hard drive crashed on my Dell Inspiron 14z laptop so I took it to a guy I know who works on computers. He replaced the bad drive and installed a bootleg copy of Windows 7 since I didn’t have a set of recovery disks.

My question is if I buy a Windows 8 Pro upgrade will it make my Windows installation “legitimate”? I’m not out to rip off Microsoft, just get my laptop back “legal” with a fully working version of Windows.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to center the open windows in Ubuntu

Posted on August 17, 2013

As I explained in this post, Ubuntu Linux is definitely worthy of consideration as a replacement operating system should you ever decide to ditch Microsoft Windows, but it does have a few quirks. Most of those quirks can easily be mitigated however.

One example is the way Ubuntu insists on placing every program window you open in the top left-hand corner of the screen and leaving it there. But there is a simple way to break those windows free of their constraints and move them to the center of the screen (a location that makes infinitely more sense in my opinion). Here’s how: [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…]

Would you buy a full-size PC running Android?

Posted on June 11, 2013

Android smart phones and tablets are selling like there’s no tomorrow, and more people are switching from iPhones to Android phones than the other way around. This means that Android based devices are extremely popular, and apparently getting more so all time.

Could Android also succeed as an operating system powering full size computers? Well, we’re about to find out because Acer and Gateway are in the process of testing prototypes of all-in-one PCs running Android. Which of course begs the question: Would you buy one? [Read more…]