How-To Geek

Despite a lot of early handwringing, SSDs have turned out to be incredibly robust in the real world. Personally, I have several SSDs that are quite old, some are even from a decade ago! They're still going strong, and with care I'll probably get years more out of them, but I have also ended SSDs prematurely, and there are three prime habits to cultivate if you want to avoid that for as long as possible.

Google is finally rolling out a feature that lets users change their primary @gmail.com username without having to create an entirely new Google account. This is great for those who use a silly or embarrassing address they now regret, or for people whose names or circumstances have changed.

For sci-fi fans like myself, 2025 has offered an incredible selection of mature, hard-hitting thrillers set within the genre. Disney+ offered a tense, bittersweet-but-satisfying conclusion to Andor alongside a terrifying new tale in Alien: Earth, Apple TV+ has pushed boundaries with Severance, Foundation, and Pluribus, and now Netflix will round out the year with the long-awaited conclusion to Stranger Things. It has never been a better time to be a lover of the genre.

I’ve been using Android phones for over 15 years, and it’s hard to even imagine how many apps have graced my home screen in that time. A few favorites have risen to the top in recent years, though. I feel safe calling them essential.

The 2026 Toyota Corolla has always been the go-to for practical, reliable transportation, and the Corolla Hybrid takes that a step further with impressive fuel economy. If you want a safe, efficient sedan that won’t quietly drain your wallet, this is a solid choice.

When shopping for a power tool at the hardware store, you'll see options from DeWALT, Ryobi, RIDGID, Makita, Milwaukee, and more displayed in various colors. If you're a fan of Milwaukee, you've likely noticed different variations of the same tool in compact sizes or with smaller battery packs, which can sometimes be confusing.

Still familiarizing yourself with your new iPad? If you want to take full advantage of its capabilities, there are a few things you'll need to do first.

Linux is more user-friendly than ever, but there are still a large number of irreplaceable Windows apps that don't run on Linux at all. With one open-source program, I solved that problem for 90% of the Windows app I need on a regular basis. This is how.

If you're just beginning Bash scripting, you may often find yourself repeating the same commands again and again in your scripts, but a better way exists. I will explain what "DRY" means and how you should use functions to do it.

Did you buy a new Windows 11 PC or do a fresh installation of the OS? Do you want your PC to be powerful and feature-complete from day one? Well, here are five niche apps that you should install to make Windows do what it can't out of the box.

You don't actually need to spin up a virtual machine to run Linux apps on modern versions of Windows. Microsoft has built tools into Windows 10 and Windows 11 to run Linux apps natively. It's called Windows Subsystem for Linux or WSL, which allows you to run an entire Linux box that can interact with your Windows file system. Originally, you could only run the Linux command-line terminal with WSL, but the newer versions of WSL allow you to run Linux apps with a full graphical interface.

A NAS is an invaluable part of a robust backup solution, and more reliable than just plugging in a flash drive to make backups every once in a while. However, a NAS is also a miniature computer that can run additional services on your network. These are 6 that I always run on mine.

After I get a new phone, transfer the data from the previous device, and finish setting it up, I immediately pull up the app drawer and start hunting for bloatware.

As part of my job, I read about Linux distributions, test them out, and discuss them. Through all of that, I've noticed a few Linux distributions hyped and promoted that I think newbies in the Linux world (or people in general) should steer clear of.

With gas prices still unpredictable, fuel costs have become one of the biggest factors in choosing a new car. Few vehicles are as closely associated with efficiency as the Prius, but many shoppers still wonder whether its fuel-sipping reputation translates into meaningful savings in the real world. Beyond the EPA numbers, the question is simple: how much money does it actually save you compared to a conventional gas-powered car over time?

Over the years, I've flipped and flopped between various Excel keyboard shortcuts, but one has been my mainstay since I was a college kid: Ctrl+1. This memorable keystroke is my backdoor to tackling 80% of the day-to-day and advanced spreadsheet tasks.

My homelab is probably my favorite hobby to spend time on, but a year ago, I made a mistake in my media server setup. Recently, I fixed the problem by putting a tiny computer to use.

The Windows taskbar has been largely unchanged sinc he days of Windows 95, and features a disappointing number of customization options. Worse yet, since Windows 11 was introduced, you don't even get many useful right-click options on the taskbar anymore.

Steam and Valve are having a massive outage that is preventing anyone from accessing the digital store and playing games. This hits right when many people are hoping to squeeze in some holiday gaming on Christmas Eve.

Raspberry Pis are one of the most popular computers among tinkerers, and I use mine constantly for one thing or another. Despite their enduring popularity, they do have some downsides.