Tech Questions & Answers Archives - Page 32 of 258

Q&A: Can a PC with an antivirus app still catch a virus?

Posted on December 28, 2023

Question from Arlen: I bought a new laptop in August 2022 and paid the people at Best Buy to install Webroot antivirus on it.

This machine has always worked great but a few weeks ago it locked up on me with a message saying it had been taken over by a hacker.

I was finally able to shut it down by holding the power button in but when I turned it back on it went right back to that same screen.

I took it to Best Buy and the technician said it had a virus and they were going to charge me $150 to remove it. [Read more…]

Q&A: Do I need new cables and network adapters for my new router?

Posted on December 27, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Nina: I have what’s probably a really basic question about networking.

I just bought a new router that has 1 Gb wired Ethernet ports on it. My kids and I have three desktop PCs that were all wired to an older (and much slower) router.

Do I need to buy new Ethernet cables and network adapters for the PCs in order to take advantage of the much faster speed supported by the new router? [Read more…]

Q&A: What do I need to know about LED light bulbs?

Posted on December 26, 2023

Question from Carl: Back when the government started talking about banning incandescent bulbs I bought up a bunch of them in various wattages and stored them in my basement.

I figured I’d have enough bulbs to last for a long, long time. Well, it turns out that I was wrong.

Unfortunately, most of my precious stash of incandescent bulbs ended up getting broken so I’m having to switch to LED bulbs a lot sooner than I had planned to.

What do I need to be concerned about when I go shopping for LED light bulbs. I know they’re more expensive than regular bulbs and I don’t want to waste a lot of money buying the wrong ones. [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I buy a larger power supply than I currently need for a home-built PC?

Posted on December 20, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Julian: My older brother has offered to help me build a gaming computer using the money I got for my birthday.

He gave me a list of parts to order and everything looks ok, but I have a question about the power supply.

He said a 600 watt PSU will power everything I’m planning to put inside the system but that I should buy a 750 watt PSU in case I ever want to add anything else to the system.

The thing is the 750 watt power supply that he recommended will cost about $40 more than the 600 watt one I’m looking at on Amazon.

What I’d like to know is do you think it’s worth an extra $40 to buy a larger power supply than I really need, and do you think the 600 watt power supply will be big enough? [Read more…]