Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Markus: Hi, Rick. I recently bought a new computer that came with a 1 year warranty.
I’d really like to swap out its 1TB hard drive for an SSD (as you often recommend).
I have not read anything anywhere about potential consequences if one does this. Could this possibly be considered an “unauthorized” activity and therefore void the computer’s warranty? [Read more…]
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Question from Anita: I’m planning to buy a new laptop to replace the one I have now. It has never performed well so I’d like to try a different brand.
I’ve been asking around about recommendations for a good brand, and most people seem to like either Dell or HP. The problem is there doesn’t seem to be a consensus.
I’ve been following your blog for a while now and I really trust your judgment. Which is better in your opinion, Dell or HP? [Read more…]
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Question from David: I recently bought a refurbished Dell desktop computer that came with 8GB of RAM installed. I want to double that to 16GB.
I ran the “Crucial System Scanner” you mentioned in this post and it said the machine can use up to 64GB of DDR4-2133 RAM.
I found an 8GB DDR4-2133 RAM stick on Ebay for less than half of what Crucial is selling them for so I bought it. I received the new RAM just 3 days after I ordered it but it won’t fit into one of the empty RAM sockets on the computer.
Do you think the problem is an error in the info I got from the System Scanner? [Read more…]
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Question from Oliver: I have an old Dell XPS 17 laptop that’s now running Ubuntu Linux.
This machine still works perfectly but the battery won’t hold a charge anymore.
Since it’s so old I don’t really want to buy a new battery for it.
Would it be ok if I just removed the battery and ran it straight from the charger?
These days most people seem to be looking for the thinnest, lightest and most powerful laptop they can find.
If you happen to be one of them, the sleek new Dell XPS9360-5000SLV-PUS Laptop (#ad) just might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
Thanks to its virtually borderless super-thin bezel, this attractive ultrabook has one of the smallest footprints you’re likely to find in a laptop with a 13.3 inch screen. And it weighs in at just 2.8 pounds!
But don’t let the small size and weight of this machine fool you. This is one powerful laptop! Check out this quick run-down of the specs: [Read more…]