laptop Archives - Page 4 of 18

How to use your iPad as a laptop

Posted on September 11, 2023

Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

It’s no secret that Apple’s iPad line of tablets have amazing touch screens and quite functional virtual onscreen keyboards.

However, it’s also no secret that most people find it much easier to type using a full screen physical keyboard and “tapping” doesn’t give you the same level of control you can get with a mouse.

For most typical “tablet” tasks the iPad’s virtual keyboard and touch screen work just fine, but if you do a lot of typing and/or image manipulation you might be better off attaching a physical keyboard and mouse to your iPad so you can use it like a laptop. [Read more…]

How to prevent your laptop from getting stolen on campus

Posted on August 20, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

These days, laptops are as common in our schools as backpacks, notebooks and pencils. In fact, most colleges (and many high schools) now require that every student own one.

Unfortunately, laptops also tend to disappear when you aren’t looking. In fact, many campus police departments receive more reports about stolen laptops than any other item.

Simply following just a few simple common-sense rules can help keep your laptop safe and sound regardless of where you might happen to be on campus. [Read more…]

Q&A: Is the fan in my laptop going bad?

Posted on August 8, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Erica: I have a question about the cooling fan in my Dell laptop.

When I’m using the laptop I rarely hear the fan at all.

However, when my son is playing his games the fan speeds up for several seconds and then slows back down at random times.

It sounds really awful when it speeds up like that.

My question is do I need to have the fan replaced? [Read more…]

Q&A: Can you put a DVD drive in a laptop that didn’t come with one?

Posted on July 25, 2023

Note: The links in this post are affiliate links.

Question from Devin: A few weeks ago I ordered this new Dell laptop and found out after I got it that it doesn’t have an optical drive.

Is it possible to add a DVD-RW drive to a laptop that didn’t come with one from the factory? [Read more…]

Q&A: Should I shut a laptop with an SSD down before moving it?

Posted on July 16, 2023

Question from Jim: I took your advice and upgraded my laptop with an SSD and the increase in performance is truly amazing.

My question is since the hard drive is now solid state how critical is it that the laptop be totally shut down before moving or transporting it? [Read more…]