Rick's Daily Tips

8 really cool iPhone tricks that aren’t commonly known

Posted on January 10, 2023

One billion of us have iPhones, meaning they completely dominate the phone market. However, many of us are not using our iPhones to their full potential. There are many cool iPhone tricks that people are just not aware of yet.

On top of this, Apple is constantly adding new features to iOS, making it challenging to keep up with what your phone is capable of.

My intention today is to fill you in on eight amazing iPhone tricks you might not have heard of to ensure you use your phone to its total capacity. [Read more…]

Q&A: Is cleanmgr.exe a virus?

Posted on January 9, 2023

Question from Melinda: I have a question about my Acer Windows laptop, Rick.

Yesterday morning I asked a friend on Facebook a computer question and his reply was that I need to run a file called cleanmgr.exe.

I’m a little leery about running .exe files because I remember reading that they can be dangerous.

Here’s my question: Is cleanmgr.exe a virus or is it safe for me to run? And if it’s safe, do you think I should run it? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I connect several short Ethernet cables together to make one long one?

Posted on January 7, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Steve: I could use some advice, Rick. I need a 200ft Ethernet cable to run between my router and a Desktop PC that’s located on the far side of my office building?

Do you think it would be ok to connect eight 25 foot Ethernet cables together with RJ45 couplers? I already have the cables and the couplers are dirt cheap.

Do you think this would work ok? I’d like to save some money if we can, but we really need to have this machine get (and stay) online most of all.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Does your browser need to be updated? Find out now.

Posted on January 6, 2023

These days most people are aware that viruses, spyware, adware and other types of malware are lurking in the shadows of the Internet, just waiting for an opportunity to sneak onto their computers’ hard drives and perform all kinds of mischief.

What many folks don’t know however is just how easy it is for a computer or mobile device (and the sensitive data stored on it) to become compromised simply by using an out-of-date web browser that doesn’t have the latest security updates installed.

[Read more…]

Q&A: Why does Firefox always reopen the last page I visited every time I load it?

Posted on January 5, 2023

Question from Marc: Beginning last Tuesday, every time I load Firefox it opens the page that was open when I quit the previous session. It’s really irritating.

I must have done something wrong, but I don’t know when or how. Can you tell me how to get Firefox to always open my home page every time it loads?

Rick’s answer: Marc, somehow a key setting has been changed that’s causing Firefox to behave that way, but luckily it’s very easy to fix. Here’s how: [Read more…]