How do I get better sound from a television?
Why modern televisions sound poor, the settings that help before you spend anything, and what a soundbar actually fixes.
beginner30 min4 min read
Technology
Phones, laptops, home networks and accounts — with a bias towards fixing what you have rather than replacing it, and towards security advice that is actually worth the effort.
590 guides
How do I keep a computer maintained?
The short list that actually matters — updates, backups, storage headroom and dust — and the maintenance myths that waste time.
beginner45 min5 min readHow do I keep group chats manageable?
Muting without leaving, finding what actually matters in a busy chat, and leaving a group without making it a moment.
beginner15 min2 min readHow do I log into my router's settings page?
The address, the password that is not the wifi password, and what to do when the sticker no longer matches — plus the settings actually worth changing once you are in.
beginner10 min3 min readHow do I make sure ransomware cannot destroy my backups?
Ransomware reaches every drive the computer can write to, including the sync folder. What survives it is a copy that is disconnected, versioned or immutable — and here is how to arrange one.
intermediate45 min5 min readHow do I recover an account I am locked out of?
Working through account recovery methodically, and the preparation that makes it possible in the first place.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I set up a new phone?
The order to set up a new phone in so nothing gets lost — backup first, migration, then the settings worth changing on day one.
beginner2 hr2 min readHow do I set up a streaming device?
Choosing between the platforms, the setup order that avoids the common problems, and the settings worth changing on day one.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I set up backups that actually protect me?
Building a backup that survives deletion, theft, fire and ransomware — which sync alone does not.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I share a computer between people?
Separate user accounts, what they do and do not protect, and setting up a machine children also use.
beginner30 min3 min readHow do I stop my phone autocorrecting badly?
Teaching the keyboard the words you actually use, clearing the mistakes it has learned, and turning off the parts that are not helping.
beginner10 min2 min readHow do I tell an investment scam from a real opportunity?
The three checks that filter almost all investment fraud, why cloned firms are the hardest version, and what recovery fraud looks like afterwards.
beginner20 min3 min readIs this message about a tax refund, rebate or grant genuine?
How government departments actually contact you, why refunds never arrive by text link, and the GOV.UK page that lists every genuine contact method.
beginner8 min3 min readMy bank will not refund the money I was scammed out of — what now?
Turning a refusal into a formal complaint, the reasons banks give and how to answer each, and the free Financial Ombudsman route that overturns a substantial share of them.
beginner30 min3 min readShould I install this update now or wait?
Security updates immediately, feature updates after a delay — and the specific situations where waiting is the wrong call.
beginner20 min4 min readWhat are AI tools actually bad at?
The failure modes that are structural rather than temporary, so you know where not to rely on them.
beginner10 min2 min readWhat do I do if a second-hand phone is locked to the previous owner?
A reset phone that asks for someone else's account before it will finish setting up. What the lock is, why it cannot be removed, and the order in which to pursue a refund — including your rights under UK consumer law.
intermediate35 min6 min readWhat is the digital landline switchover and what do I need to do?
The old analogue phone network is being retired. What changes, who needs to act, and the protections available to households that depend on a landline.
beginner25 min4 min readWhy are my Desktop and Documents inside OneDrive?
The setting that quietly moved your files, what the cloud and tick icons next to them mean, why the machine says it is full while the folders look empty, and how to get out of it without losing anything.
beginner30 min6 min readWhy are my photos showing up on someone else's phone?
Almost always one account on two phones rather than anything sinister — how to confirm it, and how to separate the two without either person losing photographs.
beginner30 min3 min readWhy are things missing after I restored a backup to my new phone?
A restore carries most things and never carries everything. The predictable gaps are authenticator codes, passes, downloaded media, some app data and anything the app stored only locally.
beginner30 min4 min readWhy do my smart devices keep going offline?
The 2.4GHz band problem, why band steering breaks smart plugs, and the fixed addresses that stop devices wandering.
beginner45 min4 min readWhy does my computer keep restarting on its own?
A machine that reboots without asking is telling you something specific. How to tell an update from an overheat from a failing power supply, using the log the computer has already written.
beginner25 min5 min readWhy does my computer turn on but show nothing on the screen?
Fans spinning, lights on, and a completely black screen. How to tell within a few minutes whether the fault is the display, the graphics output, the memory or the machine itself — and what the beeps and blink codes are telling you.
beginner35 min6 min read
Going deeper: DecisionHQ
Product and option comparisons with explicit criteria, rather than a single recommendation.
DecisionHQ is in development — GuideHQ covers the practical answers in the meantime.