Rick's Daily Tips

Chrome will soon start blocking annoying ads by default

Posted on June 7, 2017

Don’t you just hate those annoying ads that hide the actual content of a web page until you click a hard-to-find “Close” button?

Or how about the ones that force you to wait ten seconds while a timer counts down to zero?

And even worse, those ads that start playing audio at maximum volume just as soon as the page is loaded into your browser?

Well, I happen to despise those annoying types of ads, I’m guessing that you despise them too.

And apparently the folks at Google agree with us. [Read more…]

Q&A: My screen is displaying everything sideways! How do I get it back to normal?

Posted on June 5, 2017

Question from Belinda G.: Rick, I need your help bad, but please don’t think I’m crazy after you read this!

I was checking my email with my 17 month old on my lap when she started tapping the keyboard. All of a sudden the entire screen image rotated 90 degrees to the right and I can’t figure out how to get it back to normal.

Please help??? I’m tired of having to lay on my side to read the screen! By the way, it’s a Dell desktop computer with Windows 10.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Review: HP Spectre 13.3 Ultrabook Laptop

Posted on May 31, 2017

When it comes to laptops these days, thin is in – as in the thinner the better!

The problem is, as laptops become thinner, sacrifices must often be made in terms of performance, features and connectivity.

With their new Spectre 13.3 Ultrabook, HP has managed to create one of the thinnest laptops ever without sacrificing much of anything at all! [Read more…]

Q&A: Why can’t I make my screen brighter after upgrading my laptop to Windows 10?

Posted on May 27, 2017

Question from Lina W.: A while back my laptop updated from Windows 7 to Windows 10 on its own. I just woke up one morning and there it was!

It turns out that I like Windows 10 ok, but now I can’t get the screen to brighten up much at all.

I have the brightness setting turned all the way to maximum and it still isn’t as bright at it was with Windows 7.

How can I get my laptop’s brightness control to work as it should?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Scam alert: Chipotle hacked with major credit/debit card breach

Posted on May 26, 2017

Did you dine at a Chipotle Mexican Grill any time between the dates of March 24 and April 18, 2017?

If so, you should know that your credit/debit card info might have been stolen by hackers.

Company officials reported earlier today that hackers installed malware on their payment systems that allowed them to steal customers’ credit/debit card data. [Read more…]