Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter – Friday, September 10, 2021
Enjoy today's selection of practical, easy-to-follow tech tips.
Note: I want to thank you for sending your feedback concerning the switch from Constant Contact to Substack.
I was very pleased to discover that virtually every subscriber received the email, and that’s a huge improvement over Constant Contact.
I’m in the process of responding to every reply I received, but it’ll take a few days since there were so many of them. Thanks again.
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Topics covered in this issue...
• How to quickly check for power-hogging apps on your Windows laptop
• PC freezing up at random times? This tool can help fix it.
• Q&A: Can I add USB 3.1 Type-C ports to an older PC?
• Warning: Facebook’s privacy settings can’t fully protect your personal info
• Why you should always be prepared to switch your business to a competitor
• Info about my photo / file recovery service
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Today's Quick Tip....
How to quickly check for power-hogging apps on your Windows laptop
Does it seem like your laptop's battery charge runs out faster than a tank of $4 per gallon gasoline?
If so, the culprit could be one or more juice-hogging apps that's causing the system to consume an excessive amount of power while they're running.
Luckily, it's very easy to identify power-hogging apps on your Windows laptop so you can shut them down and make your battery charge last longer. Here's how:
1 - Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc key combination to open the Task Manager.
2 - Click the little "square" icon in the upper-right corner of the Task Manager window to maximize it.
3 - Over on the right-hand side of the Task Manager window you'll find a column labeled "Power usage".
Scroll down through the list of apps and look for any apps that are rated either High or Very High.
Once you identify the app(s) that are consuming a lot of power you can shut them down in order to make your laptop's battery charge last longer.
Of course if you're actually using a power-hungry app you won't be able to shut it down until you're finished with the task at hand.
However, if you're not actually using it you can shut it down immediately.
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The latest from Rick’s Daily Tips...
• PC freezing up at random times? This tool can help fix it.
This post discusses a handy tool that can help you diagnose and fix a Windows computer that freezes up at random times.
• Q&A: Can I add USB 3.1 Type-C ports to an older PC?
A reader wants to know if it's possible to add USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C ports to an older PC so he can use a super-fast external drive with the system. This post has the answer.
• Warning: Facebook’s privacy settings can’t fully protect your personal info
Think setting the privacy level of everything you post on Facebook is a fool-proof way to keep all of your personal info and photos away from strangers. Well, it isn't, and this post explains why.
• Click here to see today's 'Picture of the Day' .
Every morning I post a new photo that I find inspiring, intriguing, or just plain beautiful to look at. Jump-start your day by checking it out.
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Rick's Daily Pick...
Every day I feature a tech item that I’ve hand-picked to be among the best of the best.
Click here to see what I’m loving today.
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Today's post from 'My Daily Smile'...
Why you should always be prepared to switch your business to a competitor
Being more flexible than loyal towards the companies you do business with can save you some major bucks over time.
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Tech news that caught my eye...
• Apple cites four new iPhones, MagSafe charger in FCC filing ahead of Sept. 14 event
• 9 Expert Tips to Never Run Out of Content Ideas For Your Blog
• T-Mobile 5G Home Internet: Can a mobile company meet your home broadband needs?
• Asus is issuing BIOS updates to support Windows 11 on unsupported Intel CPUs
•How to Delete Social Media Followers Without Having to Block Them
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Rick's Photo / File Recovery Service...
Do you have precious photos and/or other irreplaceable files that you'd like to recover from a non-working computer?
Chances are I'll be able to recover them for you, even if the machine won't turn on or start up correctly.
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Thanks so much, and have an amazing day.
Your tech buddy,
Rick Rouse