hard-drive

Wipe vs Shred vs Delete vs Erase: What’s the Difference?

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By Marco Horn /  Tim Fisher

Wipe vs Shred vs Delete vs Erase: What’s the Difference?

You can delete a file without erasing it, erase a drive without wiping it, shred a file without deleting it, and wipe hundreds of files at once…that were already deleted.Confused?
I’m not surprised! These four terms—wipe, shred, delete, and erase—might sometimes be used interchangeably but they shouldn’t be.
Each word implies something different being done to a file, folder, or even space that looks empty, on a hard drive, flash drive, or some other storage device

Here’s how these concepts differ and why it’s important that you understand exactly how they do:

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Why Your Laptop Is Running so Slow?

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By Marco Horn /  Tim Fisher

Why Your Laptop Is Running so Slow?

Tips to speed up your laptop so it runs like new again Is your laptop running slow?
No matter whether it’s old or new, a Windows PC or a MacBook, using a slow laptop isn’t an enjoyable experience.  If you’re looking for ways to make your laptop run faster by upgrading it with faster storage and RAM, or by removing items that could be slowing you down, such as malware, viruses, and even anti-virus apps, or you just want to streamline your laptop for optimum performance, then this is the place to start.
We’ve gathered these laptop performance-related tips that can breathe new life into your old laptop, or make your new one really take off.

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5 Simple Fixes for Most Computer Problems

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By Marco Horn /  Tim Fisher

5 Simple Fixes for Most Computer Problems

You may have already decided that the computer problem you’re dealing with is too hard to fix yourself, or at least not something you’re interested spending your time doing.
Try these simple fixes before calling tech support.

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Cooling PC

11 Ways to Keep Your Computer Cool

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By Marco Horn /  Tim Fisher

Your computer contains a lot of parts, almost all of which create heat when your computer is on. Some parts, like the CPU and graphics card, can get so hot you could cook on them.
In a properly configured desktop or laptop computer, much of this heat is moved out of the computer’s case by several fans. If your computer isn’t removing the hot air fast enough, the temperature can get so hot that you risk serious damage to your PC. Needless to say, keeping your computer cool should be a top priority.
Below are eleven computer cooling solutions that anyone can do. Many are free or very inexpensive, so there’s really no excuse to let your computer overheat and cause damage.
You can test your computer’s CPU temperature if you suspect that it’s overheating and that a PC cooler or other solution is something you should look into.
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new laptop

Should You Upgrade or Replace Your Laptop?

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By Marco Horn /  Tim Fisher

Deciding whether to upgrade or replace a laptop is a big decision, and it can be complicated to know when or even if you should. You need to consider if the labor is worth it — if it’s cheaper to replace or rebuild, and whether or not you actually need to do it.
The different components on a laptop are not as easy to replace as are the ones in a desktop computer, but it certainly is possible to upgrade a laptop if you have the patience and proper tools. That said, some of the suggestions below involve using external hardware to supplement for outdated, missing, or damaged internal components.

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How to Fix It When Attachments Are Not Showing in Outlook

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By Marco Horn /  Brad Stephenson

Attachments are one of the most commonly used features in the Microsoft Outlook email app, but it can often be hard finding the attachment function, seeing attachments in Outlook emails that have been sent to you, or knowing when an Outlook attachment has been uploaded to a message correctly.
These kind of Outlook issues can affect small and large attachments and a variety of file types.
Instructions in this article apply to Outlook 2019, 2016, 2013, 2010; Outlook for Office 365, and Office.com.

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What to Do When Your USB Ports Aren’t Working

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By Marco Horn /  Jeremy Laukkonen

When your USB ports suddenly stops working, the problem can always be tracked down to either a hardware or software failure. Some of these problems are the same across both Windows and Mac, while others are unique to just one or the other.

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Cleaning printer

How to Clean a Printer and Scanner

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By Marco Horn /  Jordan Baranowski

One of the best ways to keep printers and scanners working at optimal levels for longer is by giving them regular cleanings. If you notice streaky, blurry, smudged, or otherwise distorted images when printing documents or scanning images, here’s how to clean a printer or scanner yourself before opening up your wallet for a costly fix or replacement.

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Important Questions to Ask a Computer Repair Service

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By Marco Horn /  Tim Fisher

Before you drop your computer off at a local computer repair service or call them for in-home or in business service, there are several very important questions you should ask.


How Much Do You Charge per Hour?

Asking the cost of a service seems like a question you’d be unlikely to forget but I am always amazed by stories of customers in absolute shock at the hourly rate for a particular computer repair service — after the fact.

Rates vary, and so do charging schemes (some computer repair services are billed per service, don’t wait until it’s time to pay the bill to find out how much per hour you’ll be paying.

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Extend Your iPad Battery Life

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Apple has a specific time duration that each iPad Battery should last based on regular usage, but actually reaching that value is quite a task. In this article we are going to explore a few popular methods to accomplice that.

 

The reason behind the disconnect is the software. Even though Apple creates great hardware, their software is a bit lacking. It’s common for us to see a 64 GB iPhone running out of space even when using iCloud for storing everything.

 

In addition, there are a whole bunch of iPad models out there right now all with different versions of iOS installed, which is problematic. An iPad Air 2 can be updated to iOS 10, but an iPad 2 can only be updated to iOS 9 currently.

 

In this post, We'll list out as many ways we know possible to improve the battery life of your iPad by adjusting settings in iOS. we'll try to make a note if the feature is not available in an older version of iOS.

 

Method 1 – Adjust Auto Brightness


Obviously, while you are using your iPad, the screen itself will be the biggest drain on the battery. The screen itself uses about 90%+ of the battery, unless you need maximum brightness consider dialing it down a bit.

 

Firstly, it just hurts our eyes to have the screen so bright in a indoor / dimly lit area. By default, the screen should adjust automatically, but we have found that many times it’s brighter than we need. Just swipe up from the bottom of the screen and you’ll see the brightness slider at the top right.

 


Method 2 – Disable Bluetooth & Cellular

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