Rick's Daily Tips

Have an unlimited data plan with Verizon? If so, you might be about it lose it.

Posted on January 12, 2017

Are you one of the relatively few Verizon Wireless customers who still have unlimited data plans?

If so, you need to start thinking about either switching to one of Verizon’s limited data plans or changing carriers altogether if you use over 200GB of data per month.

Our friends over at Droid Life and ars Technica are reporting that Verizon is planning to boot unlimited data customers who typically use over 200GB per month off of their unlimited data plans on February 16 if they haven’t voluntarily switched to a limited data plan by that date. [Read more…]

Q&A: How can I remove the ‘Boot Menu’ from my computer?

Posted on January 9, 2017

Question from Kevin B.: When Windows 10 was released I installed it, but I also decided to also keep Windows 8.1 so I could boot into either version at any time.

I had been booting into Windows 8.1 every now and then to access some files I have on there, but I recently discovered that the Windows 8.1 installation is no longer activated because its product key was transferred to Windows 10.

I guess that means I won’t be using Windows 8.1 any longer.

How can I have my computer skip the Boot Menu and boot directly into Windows 10? I’d just delete the Window 8.1 partition but I have a bunch of files in there that I don’t want to lose.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

How to adjust the brightness of your screen with just two mouse clicks

Posted on January 9, 2017

Do you wish there was a faster and easier way to adjust the brightness of your computer screen?

Well, there is, and it’s a real time-saver!

A nifty free utility called ClickMonitorDDC lets you adjust your screen brightness by simply clicking an icon in the Windows notification area and selecting a new value.

Alternatively, you can save even more time by hovering your mouse over the icon and rolling the mouse wheel to change the brightness level. Either way is fine – whatever works best for you.

ClickMonitor DDC is a tiny portable utility that doesn’t have to be installed, and it couldn’t be easier to use. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Microsoft to stop supporting Windows Vista in April

Posted on January 3, 2017

Do you still have a laptop or desktop PC that’s running Windows Vista? If so, you’ll soon have to decide whether want to keep using it or not.

Microsoft officially ended support for Windows XP about a year ago, and Vista is scheduled to get the boot on April 11 of this year.

What does this change mean for Vista users?

Well, your PC won’t simply stop working on April 11. In fact, you won’t notice any change at all from your perspective as a user. But there’s a problem… [Read more…]