Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 162 of 258

Q&A: Did I just trash my laptop?

Posted on November 8, 2019

Question from George.: I think I might have messed up big time Rick, and I’m hoping you can help me.

I ordered new RAM for my old (but beloved) Dell Inspiron 14z laptop, and when it arrived I was so excited that I absent-mindedly tried to install it without shutting the system down.

Dummy me, I removed the battery but forgot to shut the system down or unplug the charger. As soon as I inserted the first of new RAM stick I saw a spark. My heart just sank.

Now the computer won’t turn on. No lights, no sound, and the screen stays black when I press the power button. I tried re-installing the original RAM and even tried a hard reset. Nothing works.

I know the battery and charger are working because I tried them with my wife’s laptop (they are the same exact model).

Is there something else I can try, or is my laptop toast? I’m hoping it’s a simple fix because the warranty ran out a LONG time ago.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I watch a DVD on Windows 10?

Posted on November 5, 2019

Question from Shannon: I’m a movie buff and I have a large collection of movies on DVD.

I have a DVD player in every room in my house but I also love watching them on my computer while taking short breaks from my work (I’m self-employed and I work from a home office).

The problem is I could watch a DVD with Windows Media Player on my old computer but it won’t play DVDs on my new one.

Is it not possible to watch DVDs with Windows 10? Surely you can, but how?

This is very frustrating so I hope you can help me. Thanks in advance.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I remove the hard drive from my laptop?

Posted on November 1, 2019

Question from Ethan K.: Hi Rick. My uncle gave me his old HP Pavilion dv4 1123us laptop because the hard drive died.

I have a hard drive to replace it with but I can’t get the old hard drive to come out of the laptop. I removed all the screws that hold the hard drive in place, but one side of it refuses to budge.

Is there another screw that I’m not seeing? I’d really appreciate any help you can give me.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I use RAM in my PC that’s faster than my motherboard’s rated speed?

Posted on October 28, 2019

Question from Eric: My computer’s manual says the motherboard supports DDR3 RAM at speeds up to 1333Mhz.

I want to replace the old RAM sticks with new ones to max it out but right now the slowest DDR3 RAM sticks I can find locally are rated at 1600Mhz.

I don’t want to order online if I can possibly avoid it but I don’t want to damage my computer either.

Can my computer use the faster RAM or would it cause problems?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Is it ok to replace a computer’s power supply with one of higher wattage?

Posted on October 25, 2019

Question from Debra F.: I need some advice in order to settle a disagreement between me and my boyfriend.

My computer stopped working and my boyfriend says he can fix it by replacing the power supply. He put the one out of his PC in there just to see if everything else still works, and it does.

The original (bad) power supply is rated at 350 watts but he wants to replace it with one that’s rated at at least 600 watts.

My question is will the extra wattage put out by a stronger power supply damage my computer? My boyfriend says it won’t but it seems to me like it would. Which one of us is right?

I’d also appreciate it if you could recommend a good brand that doesn’t cost a lot. Thanks in advance for your help.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]