Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Mark C.: I upgraded the RAM in my computer from 2GB to 8GB but Belarc Advisor says it only has 3.49GB installed.
Do you think I might have bought the wrong kind of RAM? I bought what the Memory Advisor at Crucial recommended for my laptop. Or maybe they just sent me some bad memory? How do I find out what the problem is?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Glenda L.: Hi Rick. I recently made the switch from Gmail to Outlook.com and I no longer have a need for my Gmail account. I need to keep my umbrella Google account though because I use other Google services besides just Gmail.
I have two questions for you:
1 – How do I transfer all of my old Gmail messages to my Outlook.com account?
2 – How do I close the Gmail account once the messages have been transferred?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Joseph K.: I have an HP desktop computer that came with Windows Vista. The hard drive died and I had to replace it and I can’t find my Restore disks.
I can order a set of Restore disks from HP but I was wondering if I should just buy Windows 8 instead? A friend told me that I can probably get Windows 8 for about twice what I’d have to pay for the Vista Restore CDs. Your advice will be greatly appreciated.
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Gary M.: Rick, Microsoft is forcing me to get serious about upgrading from Windows XP to Windows 8 (or 8.1). I just finished reading your recommendation to install an SSD drive and convert my XP internal drive into an external USB drive.
I was thinking along similar lines, but figured I would make my existing XP drive into a drive D: after upgrading to Windows 8. Why would converting it to an external USB drive be better?
Thanks, Gary
Ricks answer: [Read more…]
Question from Ken F: Hello Rick. I bought an iPad 2 to use when I’m out in the field doing wildlife research for the non-profit group that I work for. I chose a tablet over a laptop because when I’m in the field I need to use it for up to 48 hours at a time without recharging the battery and without turning it off.
I need to know if it’s possible to make my iPad’s battery last that long? And if so, how can I make it happen?
Rick’s answer: Ken, the iPad 2 has a decent battery life right out of the box, and there are indeed things you can do to make the battery last as long as possible. But I think stretching it out to 48 hours might be out of the realm of possibility.
That being said, I do have a few suggestions for you: [Read more…]