Your daily dose of practical, easy to follow tech tips!
Question from Gary M.: I have my photos and Lightroom catalog on my USB drive and move them from my laptop to desktop. It would make my life easier if it presented as the J: drive every time it’s plugged into either machine.
How can I force my external USB drive to present itself as the same drive letter every time it’s plugged in no matter which PC I plug it into?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Well, today is the big day. As of today, Microsoft has officially stopped supporting Windows XP, a move that effectively ends the useful life of the most popular version of Windows ever for the vast majority of users.
While there are circumstances under which XP can still be safely used, the millions of people who have their XP machines connected to the Internet should probably make the move to either a different operating system or a new computer. [Read more…]
Could Microsoft be working on plans to give away their cash-cow Windows operating system for free? According to several reliable sources, the answer could be yes.
It’s no secret that Microsoft’s share of the operating system market is dwindling by the day, and it all started way back with the release of Apple’s first iPad. The guys and gals in Redmond apparently thought users would consider tablet PCs to be toys, not suitable replacements for desktop and laptop computers.
Well, they were wrong, and by the time they realized it the genie was already out of the bottle. [Read more…]
Question from Joseph K.: I have an HP desktop computer that came with Windows Vista. The hard drive died and I had to replace it and I can’t find my Restore disks.
I can order a set of Restore disks from HP but I was wondering if I should just buy Windows 8 instead? A friend told me that I can probably get Windows 8 for about twice what I’d have to pay for the Vista Restore CDs. Your advice will be greatly appreciated.
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]
Question from Richard S.: Back in March 2011 I bought an HP Desktop computer with Windows 7 on it. I also bought a copy of Microsoft Office 2010 at the same time and got a discount on it because I bought it with the PC.
Now I want to upgrade Windows 7 to Windows 8.1, but I’m afraid that changing the Windows version will void my Office license since it came with Windows 7.
Can I safely upgrade my computer to Windows 8.1 without voiding my Office license?
Rick’s answer: [Read more…]