Rick's Daily Tips

Don’t wait for Microsoft! Add an awesome Start Menu to Windows 8.1 right now, for free!

Posted on May 19, 2014

Microsoft recently announced that a future update to Windows 8.1 will return the missing Start Menu (that should have never been removed in the first place IMHO) to the new Windows.

While this a very welcome change of heart on Microsoft’s part, who knows when the update heralding the return of the Start Menu will actually be coming down the pike?

If you really miss your Start Menu, you’ll be happy to know that you don’t have to wait for the guys and gals in Redmond to finally get around to sending it to you. Thanks to a handy free download called Start Menu Reviver, you can add an awesome Start Menu to your Windows 8.1 installation right now! Here’s how: [Read more…]

How to switch from ‘Top Stories’ to ‘Most Recent’ in the new Facebook app

Posted on May 17, 2014

Well, Facebook is at it again. They’ve made yet another change in their mobile app that makes “Top Stories” the default option for the news feed instead of “Most Recent”.

And not only did they make “Top Stories” the default, they also hid the setting that switches it back to “Most Recent”. But don’t worry, you can switch the new feed in your Facebook app back to displaying the most recent posts. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Q&A: How do I stop AVG Antivirus from blocking a game?

Posted on May 16, 2014

Question from Nelson F.: Rick, I installed “Need for Speed” on my computer and every time I try to run it my AVG Antivirus program blocks it. How can I stop this from happening?

I really like AVG, but I’ll gladly give it up if I have to because I like Need for Speed more!

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Comcast to start capping Internet bandwidth usage

Posted on May 16, 2014

If you get your high speed Internet service via Comcast (aka Xfinity), your wonderful unlimited monthly bandwidth allotment will be coming to an end.

How soon Comcast will begin capping your monthly data usage depends on where you live, and that time-frame ranges all the way from “soon” to “any time within the next five years“. [Read more…]

Review: Andget USB 3.0 External DVD-RW Recorder

Posted on May 15, 2014

andget-usb-dvd-burner A portable USB DVD burner can come in handy in lots of situations. For example, you might have a PC with a bad optical drive that you need to install a piece of software on. Or perhaps you want to listen to a CD on occasion.

As you know, there are still CDs and DVDs out there, and sometimes we do need to use them. Yes, even in this age of ubiquitous digital downloads, we still need access to a good optical drive from time to time.

That being said, in my opinion a portable DVD drive isn’t something that you need to spend a lot of money on. In fact, I believe that $30 or so is plenty. [Read more…]