Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Why does my PC beep and refuse to boot into Windows?

Posted on July 8, 2013

Question from Mika T.: I have an older Compaq EVO D510 desktop PC with 2GB RAM, 120GB hard drive and Windows XP Professional. I love this computer because it’s the first one I ever owned and I’d really like to keep it running if at all possible.

Here’s the problem: It was working fine till I turned it on one morning and it refused to boot up. It gives one short beep followed by two long beeps, then nothing. Is this a problem that can be fixed without shelling out a ton of cash?

Rick’s answer: Mika, the beeps you hear after pressing the power button are actually an error code that’s being output by your computer’s Power On Self Test (aka POST). That beep code on a Compaq PC typically indicates a problem with the video circuitry. [Read more…]

Q&A: Can I install Windows 7 on a second hard drive in my Windows 8 PC without losing any data?

Posted on July 6, 2013

Question from Antonio V.: I recently bought a Dell Inspiron 660s desktop PC from Amazon. It came with Windows 8 and I am very unhappy with it. I love the computer though.

I have installed a second hard drive and I was wondering if can install Windows 7 Pro (full retail version) on the second drive without losing any of my photos and other files that are on the Windows 8 drive?

After I transfer everything over I’ll remove Windows 8 and use Windows 7 exclusively. Thanks for your help in advance.

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

YippieMove – Easily transfer your emails, attachments and contacts to a new email service

Posted on July 3, 2013

Have you ever wished you could easily switch from one email provider to another without losing any of your stored emails, attachments or contacts?

For example, lets say you’ve heard that Gmail is the best thing since sliced bread, and you’d like to ditch your Yahoo Mail account and transfer all of your existing emails, attachments and contacts from Yahoo to a new Gmail account (or vice versa).

A great online service called YippieMove will complete the transfer for you in the background while you use your computer for other things. [Read more…]

How to make MP3s and videos open in Windows Media Player by default in Windows 8

Posted on July 2, 2013

If you’re one of the relatively few seasoned Windows users who have made the switch to Windows 8, you have probably already noticed that Microsoft’s Music App is now the default player for MP3s as well as most types of video files. But by changing a single setting you can have your music and videos open in Windows Media Player instead.

Of course there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having the Music App set as your system’s default media player, but most people (myself included) tend to prefer Windows Media Plater. If you’re one of them too, you can follow these steps to set Windows Media Player as the default app: [Read more…]

Alta Vista search engine to close for good on July 8

Posted on July 1, 2013

Those of you who have been using the Internet since its “Stone Age” days probably remember using a search engine called Alta Vista at some point during your online life. Back in the day, if you wanted to find something on the web, you more or less had two viable options: Yahoo or Alta Vista.

While Yahoo pretty much started the “indexing the web” business, Alta Vista soon became a formidable alternative (and my personal favorite) way of searching for whatever folks needed to find. But then along came the juggernaut that is Google, and the rest is history. And as of July 8, Alta Vista itself will be history. [Read more…]