Rick’s Tech Tips Newsletter – Sunday, July 18, 2021
Hello, and welcome...
This is your Rick's Daily Tips Tech Update for Sunday, July 18, 2021.
Topics covered in this issue...
--Is your Windows 10 PC sending updates to other PCs via the Internet?
--How to disable automatic app updates on your smartphone or tablet
--Q&A: Can I block a website I don’t want to see with Chrome?
--Q&A: Which brand of external hard drive is the best?
--Heads-up: Buying grocery items in ‘Family-Size’ packages won’t always save you money!
--Info about my photo/file recovery service
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Today's Quick Tip....
Is your Windows 10 PC sending updates to other PCs via the Internet?
By default, Microsoft configures Windows 10 to receive Windows Update files not only from Microsoft's own servers, but also from other Windows 10 PCs located around the Internet.
And guess what? YOUR computer is probably being used to update the computers of strangers at the same time.
Why do they do this? Well, it's really pretty simple...
Any update files that are delivered by PCs belonging to regular users don't have to be sent from Microsoft's servers.
That means Microsoft saves money by keeping their Internet bandwidth charges lower than they would be otherwise while also allowing them to get by with having fewer servers in their data centers.
Personally, I don't like that.
If you don't like it either you can stop your PC from sharing updates with other computers over the Internet (and vice versa). Just follow the steps below:
1 - Click the Start button, then click the Settings icon (it looks like a "gear" or "cog").
2 - Click Update & Security.
3 - Click the Delivery Optimization link in the left-hand column.
4 - Toggle the "Allow downloads from other PCs" setting to Off.
That's all there is to it. From now on ALL of your Windows Update files will come directly from Microsoft and your PC will NOT send any update files to other computers.
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From the blog...
How to disable automatic app updates on your smartphone or tablet
By default, most mobile devices are set to install app updates automatically as soon as they become available, and that can cause problems.
This post explains how to disable automatic app updates on both Android and iOS devices.
Q&A: Can I block a website I don’t want to see with Chrome?
A reader wants to know if it's possible to block an undesirable website from ever being displayed in her Chrome browser. The answer is yes, and this post explains how.
Q&A: Which brand of external hard drive is the best?
A reader asks for my opinion about which brand of external USB hard drive is the best. Read this post for my answer.
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. Jumpstart 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.
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Today's post from 'My Daily Smile'...
Heads-up: Buying grocery items in ‘Family-Size’ packages won’t always save you money!
Most folks believe they'll automatically save money by buying their groceries in larger "family size" packages. But truth be told, that often isn't the case.
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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 https://www.RicksDailyTips.com