Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: How do I set Windows 11’s Power Mode to ‘Best Performance’?

Posted on September 25, 2026

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Question from Keegan: I recently updated my PC from Windows 10 to Windows 11.

With Windows 10 I had the power mode set to “Best Performance”, but I can’t figure out how to change it in Windows 11.

I could be imagining things, but it seems like Microsoft made a lot of changes to the Windows interface.

How do I set my computer’s power setting to “Best Performance” now that Windows 11 is on it? [Read more…]

Why you should never run two antivirus apps at the same time

Posted on September 24, 2026

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I’m often asked to remove viruses and other forms of malware from ailing computers, and many of those machines are running two or more antivirus programs at once.

The problem is, when it comes to antivirus apps, more is not better. I know that probably sounds like it can’t be true, but it actually is.

Before I discuss why that is, here’s a quick overview of the two primary types of anti-malware programs: [Read more…]

Q&A: Does a laptop need a surge protector?

Posted on September 23, 2026

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Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Della: I just bought my son a new laptop at our local big box store.

As we were walking up to the register to pay, I asked the salesman if he could recommend a good surge protector for it.

He said laptops don’t need surge protectors because they aren’t connected to the power grid while you’re using them and the chargers that come with them have surge protection built into them.

That just didn’t sound right to me. Was he right or do I need to go ahead and buy a surge protector for my son’s new laptop? [Read more…]

Why you need to lock down your email account tight

Posted on September 22, 2026

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Have you ever stopped to consider just how important your email account is?

Like most people you probably use email to send messages to friends and family members and receive updates from the various services you’ve signed up for.

But did you know your email account is one of the most import online accounts you’ll ever use?

In fact, after your online banking and other financial accounts, your email account is probably THE most important account you have. [Read more…]

How (and why) to run Windows’ Disk Cleanup tool

Posted on September 21, 2026

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Over time Windows PCs can gather a lot of clutter, and all that junk takes up valuable disk space.

And on rare occasions it can cause the Windows installation itself to slow down and become unstable.

As you can see, it’s very important to keep your machine as free of clutter as possible.

Luckily, all recent versions of Windows come with a handy tool called Disk Cleanup that will quickly and easily remove most of the accumulated digital clutter for you. All you have to do is run it. Here’s how: [Read more…]