Rick's Daily Tips

How (and when) to repair or reset the Windows 11 Settings app

Posted on October 10, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

The Settings app is home to many of the settings you can change to tweak Windows 11 and make it work better for you.

But just like any other app, the Settings app can occasionally go sideways and stop working as it should. And in extreme cases it can stop working at all.

There are a number of things you can try in order to fix the Settings app if it starts acting up on you, but I always start with first trying to repair the app. [Read more…]

How to add a shortcut icon for any website to your iPhone’s Home screen

Posted on October 10, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Do you have a favorite website that you visit on a regular basis with your iPhone?

If so, you probably have that site bookmarked in Safari so you can quickly launch it whenever you want to visit it.

But did you know you can actually place an icon for your favorite site(s) right on your iPhone’s Home screen?

[Read more…]

How to convert a bare hard drive or SSD into an external USB drive

Posted on October 9, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Hard drives and SSDs are a bit on the expensive side these days so it makes sense to repurpose any bare drives you might have laying around and put them to good use.

If you have a working hard drive or SSD laying around you have a great option for putting it to good use: convert it into an external USB hard drive. All you need to do is purchase a very inexpensive external USB drive enclosure and plug your drive into it. It really is that simple. [Read more…]

Scam alert: Don’t fall for this dangerous virus notification scam

Posted on October 9, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

As you probably already know, scams and hoaxes are everywhere these days, and some of them are quite believable and compelling.

It’s very easy to fall for some of these scams because they mimic actions that are taken by legitimate security apps.

One of the most dangerous scams that’s making the rounds right now is the insidious “Your computer has a virus!” scam. There are several variations of this scam, but they typically work something like this… [Read more…]

Did you know Google is an excellent ‘site search’ tool?

Posted on October 8, 2026

Want to get my easy to follow Tech Tips in your email?

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

You’ve probably noticed that the built-in search tools on most websites often do a horrible job at helping you find the exact content you’re looking for on those sites.

For example, if you make even the slightest of a misspelling of a single word in your search term, the search will usually come up empty.

What’s more, most site search tools won’t suggest posts/pages from the site that are closely related to, but slightly different from the actual search term.

Google excels in situations like those, and that’s why I almost always use Google instead of a website’s native search tool.

[Read more…]