Author: Dave Farquhar

What does No Internet Secured mean?

Dave Farquhar Troubleshooting
What does No Internet Secured mean?

What does No Internet Secured mean? It’s potentially the least helpful error message in all of Windows 10. And it doesn’t help that it doesn’t look at all like an error message either. So let’s talk about what it means when Windows 10 says No Internet, Secured, and more importantly, how to fix it.

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What is a runbook?

Dave Farquhar Servers and Networking
What is a runbook?

What is a runbook? It’s an IT phrase you hear thrown around a lot these days and everyone assumes you know what one is. I actually wrote runbooks at a couple of different points in my career without knowing that’s what I was doing. So it’s OK if you don’t know what one is. I’ll explain it.

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Best furnace air filter

Dave Farquhar DIY
Best furnace air filter

The best furnace air filter to use depends almost entirely on who you ask. You’ll get a very different answer if you ask an HVAC technician than if you ask your doctor. The reason is simple. They both see the purpose of the furnace air filter differently.

Of course, there’s a trade-off for each.

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Radio Shack laptops

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
Radio Shack laptops

Tandy didn’t invent the laptop, but Radio Shack sold more laptops than anyone else in the 1980s. Here’s a look back at the pioneering Radio Shack laptops. They may have been unsophisticated by today’s standards, but they were very innovative for their time.

Radio Shack also sold desktop and home computers, but its laptop line was a huge success.
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How to remove latex paint from plastic

Dave Farquhar DIY
How to remove latex paint from plastic

It’s not hard to remove latex paint from plastic when you need to, even if the paint already dried. Here’s how to remove latex paint from plastic.

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What is a bot in computer terms?

Dave Farquhar Software
What is a bot in computer terms?

You hear the word “bot” thrown around a lot today. It’s in conversations, on the news, and even in stand-up comedians’ routines. So everyone assumes you know what it means. But what is a bot in computer terms?

Don’t be afraid to ask. I’ll explain it.

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What is Internet speed?

Dave Farquhar Servers and Networking
What is Internet speed?

You may have noticed different Internet plans have different prices, and the difference between the packages is the speed. But they may not explain it. So what is Internet speed? Read on.

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How to hook up a monitor to a laptop

Dave Farquhar Hardware
How to hook up a monitor to a laptop

It didn’t used to be hard to connect a monitor to a laptop, but the large number of different connectors and seeming lack of standards makes it harder today. Let’s cut through the confusion and figure out how to hook up a monitor to a laptop.

Why is it so hard? Because adapters and cables have higher profit margins than laptops. But don’t worry. We’ll sort out how to make the connection, then how to extend or mirror the built-in display.

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Silicon Power S55 SSD is a hard bargain

Dave Farquhar Hardware
Silicon Power S55 SSD is a hard bargain

The Silicon Power S55 SSD frequently goes on sale and is usually the cheapest SSD you’ll find. But is it a bargain? I dug into it to find out.

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What does BBS mean, or bulletin board system?

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing
What does BBS mean, or bulletin board system?

What does BBS mean? In the 1980s and early 1990s, before the Internet was available for home use, hobbyists would set up a computer with a modem on a phone line to see who would call in. In some cases, hundreds of people did. Here’s a look back at the days of the BBS, or bulletin board system, and what people did with their modems in days of yore.

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