Rick's Daily Tips

When to click ‘Apply’ in a Windows dialog box

Posted on April 6, 2023

If you’ve been using Microsoft Windows for a while you’ve probably noticed that many of the dialog boxes you encounter have both an “Apply” button and an “OK” button.

If these buttons aren’t coming to mind at the moment, take a quick glance at the images on this page for a visual reminder.

The purpose of the “Apply” button is to make a settings change that you just made take effect immediately without closing the dialog box.

The thing is, clicking the “OK” button without clicking “Apply” works too, which brings up a question that I receive fairly often: “Do I need to click the “Apply” button AND the “OK” button after making a change?” [Read more…]

How to delete your entire Google search history

Posted on April 5, 2023

Did you know Google keeps a record of every search you’ve ever made?

Well, they do. And they’ll keep it forever unless you tell them to delete it.

As you can probably guess, there are many reasons why you might not want a record of every Google search you’ve ever made hanging around year after year.

Luckily, it’s quite easy to delete your entire Google search history in one fell swoop. [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I transfer videos from VHS tapes to DVDs?

Posted on April 5, 2023

Question from Evelyn: First off, I really appreciate the service you provide answering people’s tech questions, Rick.

I’s so kind of you to do that. I hope you’ll indulge me with a question of my own.

Sadly, my father passed away a while back, but before he passed he said he wanted me to have two large boxes of VHS tapes containing home videos and family recordings that he had made over the years.

I would really love to transfer the contents of those old VHS tapes to DVDs.

Can you tell me the best way to do that without spending a ton of money? [Read more…]

Avoid installing unwanted add-on software with this handy tool

Posted on April 4, 2023

As regular readers of this blog already know, I’m a huge fan of free software.

And thanks to the Internet there are thousands of great free programs available for instant download right onto our computers.

But truth be told, much of that “free” software isn’t actually free.

While it’s true that we can download tons of free programs without having to lay out any cash, we often end up paying in other ways. [Read more…]

Extend your reach by mounting your camera on a monopod

Posted on April 4, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Have you ever tried to take a picture while standing in a crowd only to come away with nothing but a photo of the back of someone’s head?

Have you ever tried to take picture from a bridge or ledge only to discover that you couldn’t get your camera out far enough from the edge to photograph your intended target?

If either of these situations apply to you, I have a simple solution for you…

[Read more…]