Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Is it possible to be completely anonymous on the Internet?

Posted on November 4, 2022

Question from Lawrence: I have a very simple question for you Rick.

Is it possible to be completely anonymous on the Internet?

Here’s the scenario that I have in mind: [Read more…]

Q&A: Why is my ‘fast’ laptop running so slow?

Posted on November 2, 2022

Question from Judy: A while back I decided that I needed a new laptop and since it was to be used for work I wanted one that was pretty fast.

Based upon the recommendation of a friend I ended up buying an almost new refurbished Dell with an Intel Core i7 CPU, 16GB of RAM, a 1GB hard drive and Windows 10.

For a while the new laptop was lightning fast, but then it slowed down to a crawl. And it happened virtually overnight. [Read more…]

How to use your own personal web browser, settings and bookmarks on any PC – even a borrowed one!

Posted on November 1, 2022

These days most people who travel on a regular basis take along a laptop or mobile device that allows them to stay connected to the online world.

Sometimes that simply isn’t possible, and on those occasions it’s often necessary to “borrow” a computer.

If you have ever borrowed a computer while traveling or visiting friends and relatives, you know how frustrating it can be when you don’t have access to your own web browser and personal bookmarks. [Read more…]

Q&A: Why do USB-C hubs only have two USB-C ports?

Posted on November 1, 2022

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Ronnie: I have a MacBook Air that has only two USB-C ports on it, but I have four USB-C devices that I need to connect to it.

I’m looking for a USB-C hub with at least three USB-C ports on it but I can’t find one.

They all have either one or two USB-C ports and about a dozen or so other ports that I don’t need.

My question is why don’t they make USB-C hubs that have more than two USB-C ports on them? [Read more…]

How to quickly retrieve a forgotten WiFi password from your Windows PC

Posted on October 31, 2022

I receive dozens of questions every week from readers of the “Tech Q&A” section of this blog, and a question I get fairly often is “How do I retrieve my forgotten WiFi password?“.

It’s very easy to forget your WiFi password (aka Network Security Key) if your devices store it and log you into the network automatically.

Some people go months, or even years without typing in their WiFi password, only to discover they can no longer remember it when it comes time to connect a new computer or mobile device to the network.

If you’ve forgotten the password to your own WiFi network, I strongly recommend that you retrieve it from your PC and write it down for future reference.

Luckily, that’s very easy to do as long as your Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 PC is currently logged into the network. Here’s how: [Read more…]