Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.
Question from Margaret: Rick, my daughter is in the 11th grade and she is taking a couple of computer classes. She’s having a problem that I hope you can help her with.
In her classes the students use their own laptops at their desks to follow along with the teacher and take online tests and quizzes.
The problem she’s having is the kids sitting to her right and left cheated on their exams by looking at her screen. [Read more…]
Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.
There was a time when it made sense to buy the most powerful computer you could afford.
Back then, advances in software often made computer hardware obsolete long before a component failed, but that’s typically not the case anymore.
Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.
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?
Question from Amanda: I need your advice, Rick.
My 14 month old laptop has started acting really weird and the warranty expired two months ago.
If I open the lid past half way the screen goes black just like I had turned it off. The computer is still running though.
The really odd thing is the screen doesn’t come back on until the lid is almost completely closed again.
I have three questions for you. [Read more…]
Question from Carla: Is it safe to leave a laptop running in it’s laptop bag while I’m on my way to work?
I often find myself finishing up a project at the last minute and leave my computer running and crunching numbers during my commute.
A co-worker told me it’s a bad idea to carry a laptop while it’s running. Is she right?
Rick’s answer: Yes, I’m afraid your co-worker is right, Carla.
Laptops need proper air circulation or else they’ll eventually overheat and burn up. The damage done to the internal components can be gradual, but if they keep over-heating they WILL fail at some point. [Read more…]