Computer Tips Archives - Page 82 of 227

How to clear the contents of the Windows Clipboard

Posted on July 3, 2023

As you probably know, Microsoft Windows has a “Clipboard” for storing text, photos and other information that we “copy” or “cut” from a web page or other document to paste into yet another document.

Truth be told, the Clipboard is easily one of the handiest tools in all of Windows.

It’s always there waiting for us when we need it, and it will gladly store most anything we need to copy from one location and paste to another.

Most people don’t give a second thought to the security of the Clipboard. After all, we rarely have anything stored in there can could be considered a security risk.

However, there are times when it might be wise to erase the contents of the Clipboard. Here are a couple of common examples: [Read more…]

Why you need a Battery Backup Device: A real-world example

Posted on July 2, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

I receive dozens of emails every day from readers of this blog, most of them requesting assistance with computer problems or offering suggestions for posts on the blog.

I also receive quite a few messages offering feedback on one of my posts, and I always appreciate them.

I received a very nice message from a lady named Suzanne, and I’d like to share it with you: [Read more…]

Speed up your PC by replacing the hard drive with an SSD

Posted on July 1, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

In a previous post I discussed how adding RAM to your PC would give you the biggest bang for the buck when upgrading your computer.

Adding RAM has always been one of the most cost effective ways to speed up a PC, and it still is.

Today I’m going to tell you about an equally amazing upgrade that could potentially speed up your computer and hurtle it right into the fast lane. [Read more…]

How to (almost) always get the most recent results for a Google search

Posted on June 29, 2023

Have you ever done a Google search on a topic only to discover that most of the search results consisted of pages that were created years ago?

That isn’t always a problem when searching for “facts” because many facts just don’t change over time.

For example, if you type largest planet in our solar system into Google, the answer you receive should be Jupiter whether the article you click on was written in 1998 or 2023. After all, Jupiter hasn’t gotten smaller and the other planets haven’t grown any larger.

On the other hand, if you search for latest medical research some of the pages returned by Google could possibly be woefully out of date.

Luckily, there’s an easy way to ensure that your Google search results are at least fairly recent… [Read more…]

How to quickly check the balance on most any gift card

Posted on June 21, 2023

Have you ever found a gift card that you had forgotten about lying around the house and wondered if it had a spendable balance on it?

If so, you probably stuck it in your wallet or purse and asked the cashier to check the balance on it the next time you visited that store.

But there’s an easier way to check the balance on gift cards from hundreds of retailers, restaurants, gas stations and more.

In fact, you can quickly check the balance on most any gift card using your own computer or smart phone. Here’s how: [Read more…]