How-To Geek

I'm not ashamed to admit that for me, every day starts with booting my PC first, everything else second. But the one time I had to rush out instead of sitting down at the computer, my PC refused to boot. This resulted in a stressful couple of hours, hours during which I ran a checklist in my mind, wondering what was wrong with it.

The calendar has flipped to October, and Hulu has an eclectic list of new shows and movies hitting the service. Anyone up for some "Wonderwall?" One of the most talked-about reunions finally comes to streaming in a new documentary this month. Another movie to watch is an intriguing horror featuring one of the stars of Severance.

We've all experienced that moment when something about your internet connection feels off. Maybe you're on a video call, and it is intermittently choppy, or maybe you're gaming and something is slightly weird about the way you're moving, so you launch into your usual troubleshooting procedure.

I built my first PC over 20 years ago, and since that first one, I've basically never stopped. But of course, in that time, I've probably made just about every PC building mistake imaginable, too.

Lenovo's latest premium laptop, the Yoga 9i 2-in-1 Aura Edition 14, boasts a lot of premium features. From its all-metal chassis (with polished edges around the bottom case) to the extremely nice OLED panel, here's why I think this is the Windows laptop to get in the sub-$2,500 price range.

An old TV remote is easy to overlook. Once the device it came with is gone, the remote usually ends up in a drawer with a pile of other forgotten electronics, destined to sit there indefinitely or eventually become e-waste. But just because you no longer need it for its original purpose doesn't mean the hardware itself is useless.

Fresh Windows installs often ship with apps most people never open, and some quietly keep running in the background. You can clean up much of this using only built-in tools, with no third-party debloaters or modified ISOs. Here is how to do it safely.

xTool has long been a big player in the personalization space, focusing primarily on lasers. Eventually, xTool released some lasers with CMYK inkjet print heads on them. However, earlier this summer, xTool launched the O1 Omni, its first UV printer, and I've spent the past few months with it. Here's why I think the xTool O1 Omni is a complete game-changer for small businesses.

Android dominates the smartphone market, and Google TV is a strong streaming platform. That same success hasn't followed Google's attempts with PCs — and it's not for lack of trying. Back in 2015, it tried to put a desktop OS in a streaming stick.

Netflix's documentary collection is a rich place to explore titles for your watch list. Whether you are digging for a documentary on your niche interests or just looking for an entertaining watch for a night in, the streamer has quite a lot to offer.

One day, OneDrive just appeared on my PC. Before I knew it, it was syncing files, backing up my entire desktop, and storing photos.

Did you know that you could use your Milwaukee M18 battery to power a fridge on the job site? What about using an M12 battery to stay warm with a powered jacket? Here are five fun things you didn't know you could use your Milwaukee batteries to do.

When a Chromebook ages, it often sits unused and collects dust. However, with a little effort, you can breathe new life into your old device. From passing it down to your kid to turning it into an e-reader or a digital photo frame, here are some ways to repurpose your old Chromebook.

I've had issues with my homelab dying in the past for several different reasons. Services hogging all the RAM have caused things to crash, and I've even had problems with the mini PC overheating. When my self-hosted services stopped working recently, I assumed that it was for a similar reason, but the problem turned out to be caused entirely by a faulty Ethernet cable.

It's usually the case that when you want to add capabilities to your smart home, you need to invest in new hardware. Sometimes, however, you can take a different approach with existing devices that lets you replace the firmware, not the hardware. Doing so can remove cloud dependencies, expose hardware that wasn't previously accessible, and even enable capabilities that the original firmware didn't offer.

Windows and Linux both handle everyday computing, but they differ sharply in how much control they give you. Four Linux features in particular reflect design choices that Windows has never matched in the same way. Here is what they are and why they matter.

Anyone who knows me also knows I'm no big fan of laptops. As a PC builder for 20+ years, it'll surprise nobody that I prefer to just build my own thing instead.

Android Auto is a great tool to use when driving. It lets you use the best of your phone and cast it to your infotainment system. You can connect wired or wirelessly, depending on what your car supports.

Google Messages works fine until you start wanting more from it. It feels so outdated because it's plain and basic. I guess that's good because you don't need to learn a bunch of different settings and features. Still, plenty of apps can add great features to Google Messages.

It's a frustrating situation when your gadgets become useless long before the hardware actually fails. You may have old devices stuffed in a drawer that are no longer supported or are simply outdated. Open-source software could give you a reason to pull them out of the drawer again.