Rick's Daily Tips

Internet Explorer 10 now available for Windows 7

Posted on February 28, 2013

Microsoft recently released Windows 8, and along with it they also released Internet Explorer 10 as part of the package.

The guys and gals in Redmond are boasting that IE 10 is 20% faster than IE 9, and several independent tests have confirmed that it is indeed speedier than its predecessor, although by how much varies considerably from test to test.

I haven’t performed any speed tests of my own, but after using IE 10 during my normal work day for a while I can say that it is noticeably faster. I still prefer using Google Chrome as my primary browser, but I find myself using IE 10 more than I ever used IE9. [Read more…]

How to remove Event Invitations on Facebook without declining them

Posted on February 25, 2013

Do you sometimes receive invitations to events on Facebook that you have no interest in attending, but you’d rather not decline them because you don’t want to risk offending the friend who sent you the invite?

I think we all do occasionally, and luckily we can handle those situations delicately with just a few mouse clicks.

It’s easy to remove a Facebook event invitation without your friend even knowing about it. Here’s how: [Read more…]

Shortcut to loading a web page with Windows 8

Posted on February 25, 2013

Regular readers of this blog know that I’m no big fan of Windows 8, but I must admit that it does have several new features that are pretty neat. One of my favorites is how you can search for virtually anything simply by typing anywhere on the Start screen.

Well, thanks to a tip from one of my Facebook friends (Thanks Steve!) I now know that this also includes web pages!

For example, if I want to see what’s new on Flickr all I have to do is type www.flickr.com while viewing the Start screen and my default web browser will open up with the Flickr home page displayed within it. Pretty neat, huh?

Of course the fastest way to load a page you visit on a regular basis is to simply click the Bookmark link in your browser, but if the browser isn’t already open this is a real time saver. Give it a try!

Q&A: Why does my PC beep and refuse to start up?

Posted on February 24, 2013

Question from Gail T.: Hi Rick. I have a Gateway FX-6800-03h desktop computer that I’ve owned for over 4 years with no problems whatsoever. It has Windows 7 on it, and last Christmas my brother upgraded it to 12 GB of RAM and added a 2 TB hard drive for me as a gift.

I love this computer but now I have a big problem! I recently went out of town for a few days and when I got back I couldn’t get Windows to load. All it does when I press the power button is give one long, continuous beep and nothing ever shows up on the screen.

Please, please, please tell me this is a simple fix? I can’t really afford a new computer right now. Thanks in advance!

Rick’s answer: [Read more…]

Shut down your Windows 8 PC by simply pressing the power button

Posted on February 23, 2013

As I explained in this post, Microsoft made a number of baffling changes to the user interface when they designed Windows 8, and one of the most frustrating changes of them all is in the procedure for shutting down the computer.

Starting with Windows 95, shutting down your PC was a simple and straightforward process. All you had to do was click Start > Shutdown and Windows would immediately begin the process of shutting down the PC and turning off the power.

But with Windows 8 there is no Start Button to click on. To compensate, the guys and gals in Redmond decided to provide a Shutdown button that you have to jump through a series of hoops just to find!

Luckily, it’s quite easy to configure Windows 8 to shut down the computer just by pressing the Power button. Here’s how: [Read more…]