Rick's Daily Tips

Yet another security flaw found in LastPass password manager

Posted on April 5, 2017

I’ve written before about the dangers of trusting a password manager to keep your passwords and the online accounts they correspond with secure.

Well, here’s yet another example that illustrates why I believe password managers are inherently risky.

One of the researchers with Google’s Project Zero has discovered and reported a very serious security flaw in one of the browser extensions that supports the popular LastPass password manager service.

According to the Google researcher, this flaw could potentially allow a hacker to insert malicious code into the flawed browser extension and steal your passwords – the very thing a password manager is supposed to prevent. [Read more…]

Why you shouldn’t believe that new study claiming manufacturers fib about their laptops’ battery lives

Posted on April 5, 2017

The folks at Which? claim that a new study they conducted shows that most manufacturers overstate the battery life of their laptops by huge margins (by hours instead of minutes).

I don’t believe that to be accurate, and I’ll explain why.

Which? says they tested a slew of laptop models by several major manufacturers by using them to continually access the Internet over Wi-Fi or watching videos until the battery goes from fully charged to completely empty.

The conclusion they drew from the results of those tests is that most manufacturers are overstating their laptops’ battery lives by as much as 50%. In other words, they are basically saying the manufacturers are fibbing to their customers.

I believe that conclusion is flawed because the study was apparently conducted under the assumption that most laptop owners use their machines in one of those two ways. Well, most users don’t. [Read more…]

Q&A: Do I need to upgrade my PC’s power supply before I install my new graphics card?

Posted on April 2, 2017

Question from Jeffrey M.: Hi Rick. I just bought a new graphics card to upgrade my Gateway computer but I don’t know how to hook it up.

The new card needs to connect to a wire from the power supply that has an 8 pin connector, but I can’t find one. There are a couple with 6 pin connectors, but they won’t mate up with the connectors on the card.

Is there any way to connect this video card to my computer? Do I need to upgrade the power supply too or just return the graphics card and buy a different one?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: What’s the safest way to straighten bent pins on a CPU?

Posted on March 28, 2017

Question from Byron J.: Hi Rick. I have a serious problem and I need your help.

I bought a new Intel Core i7-4790K CPU the other day to go in a gaming rig that I’m building.

I removed the CPU from the packaging and placed it on the table. As I was working I dropped a screwdriver on the CPU and bent several of the pins.

None of the pins are bent really bad, but I’m afraid I might break them off when I try to straighten them out. As you know, this is a very expensive CPU and I don’t think I’ll be able to return it if I break a pin off.

Can you tell me the best way to straighten bent CPU pins without breaking them off?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I buy a new PC with Windows 7 on it?

Posted on March 25, 2017

Question from Henry P.: I’ve been shopping online for a new computer and I found out that there are still some Windows 7 computers available. My question is should I buy one?

I really like Windows 7 but I want to make sure I won’t end up buying a headache now that Windows 10 is the norm.

Do you know of any reason why I should buy something with Windows 10 on it instead of Windows 7? Something I’m missing perhaps?

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]