You have read a hundred of these
You’re right to be sceptical. Most tech sites sell you the idea of effortless solutions: a few clicks, a quick download, and your computer will magically work better. But the truth is messier. We don’t just describe how things *should* work—we document how they *do* work, warts and all.
That means admitting when a ‘fix’ takes three tries, when a software update breaks something else, or when the simplest troubleshooting step requires unplugging half your setup.
We test on real hardware, not perfect lab machines. We use the same operating systems, the same budget peripherals, and the same flaky Wi-Fi routers that most people deal with every day.
If a guide says ‘just restart your router,’ we’ll tell you which models need a hard reset, which ones forget their settings after a power cycle, and how long to wait before giving up. That’s not just honesty—it’s the only way to save you time.
The result? No fluff. No ‘just try this’ without context. Every ‘solution’ here has been tried, failed, and retried until it either works or we explain why it won’t—and what to do instead.
This one actually means it—and then proves it with the crashes, the reboots, and the hours spent watching things go wrong.
Anyone can write that they test things
We don’t test on virtual machines or pristine setups. If we’re reviewing a laptop, we’ll install the OS fresh, then immediately install every driver, update, and piece of junkware that comes preloaded—because that’s what real users deal with.
We’ll run stress tests until the fans scream, force shutdowns to see how well it recovers, and leave it in sleep mode for 48 hours to check for battery drain. If a guide says ‘disable this service,’ we’ll tell you which ones Windows *actually* lets you disable without breaking updates.
For software, we install it on three different machines: a clean Windows install, a Linux box with custom tweaks, and a secondhand machine running the oldest supported OS version. We open it, break it, and try to recover—then repeat until we hit a pattern.
If a ‘troubleshooting step’ fails 60% of the time on one OS but works 90% on another, we’ll say so. No averages. No hand-waving.
Hardware reviews? We buy the cheap models, the mid-range ones, and the ‘premium’ versions—then put them through the same abuse. A mouse that ‘feels smooth’ might be slippery on oily fingers; a monitor with ‘great colors’ might wash out under fluorescent lighting.
We note the quirks, the compromises, and the outright failures. If a product survives a week of this, it’s worth recommending. If not, we’ll tell you why—and what to buy instead.
Here, it means smashing keyboards, forcing crashes, and leaving devices on charge until the battery swells.
About the author
Gordon Dubois is the founder and editor of *Mail Tips*, where he turns tech frustrations into clear, actionable guides. His first computer was a self-built desktop from spare parts, and his love for figuring out how things *really* work never left him.
The rules we work by
- 1No shortcuts for the reader
If a step saves us five minutes, we’ll say so—but only if it saves *you* time too. We won’t skip explaining why a shortcut works (or why it might not). And if the shortcut fails 30% of the time, we’ll give you the full method instead.
- 2Assume the worst hardware
We test on the slowest machines we can find: old laptops with 4GB of RAM, cheap SSDs that throttle under load, and monitors with terrible color accuracy. If it works there, it’ll work anywhere. The cost? Buying and keeping a graveyard of ‘minimum spec’ devices that most people would throw away.
- 3Admit when we’re wrong
If a ‘fix’ stops working after an update, or a product review gets outdated, we’ll note it—and sometimes rewrite the guide entirely. The cost? Losing traffic to older posts. The payoff? You get advice that doesn’t go stale in six months.
- 4No corporate or vendor payola
We don’t accept sponsored posts, affiliate kickbacks for specific brands, or free hardware in exchange for reviews. The cost? Missing out on ‘exclusive’ launches. The payoff? You know we’re not pushing a product because someone paid us.
- 5Write for the person two steps ahead
We don’t assume you’re a beginner—or an expert. If a guide explains basic terms, it’s because someone searching for ‘how to fix a blue screen’ might not know what a blue screen *is*. If it skips hand-holding, it’s because the next step requires actual thought. The cost? Some readers will find it too simple, others too complex. The payoff? It actually helps.
When we break one of these rules, it’s usually because we got lazy—or because a product or OS change forced us to cut corners. The first time it happened was with a Windows update guide: we skipped testing on an older build because ‘it should work the same.’ It didn’t.
The guide was wrong for three months before we caught it. Now, we have a ‘second pair of eyes’ policy for anything that involves system updates or hardware stress tests.
This will not be right for everyone
Close this page if you’re looking for flashy demos of the latest gadgets, step-by-step tutorials for ‘beginner-friendly’ software, or guides that treat your computer like it’s brand new.
We don’t do ‘how to set up a new PC’—we do ‘how to fix a PC that’s already falling apart.’ If you want polished, ad-free tech content that feels like a magazine, this isn’t it.
This site is for people who’ve already Googled a problem three times, tried the top three ‘solutions,’ and are now staring at a screen wondering if they should just buy a new machine.
It’s for the person who knows their way around Task Manager but still gets frustrated when a driver update turns their speakers into static. It’s for anyone who’s spent more time troubleshooting than they have using their own computer.
You could just be told what you want to hear
We could tell you that every ‘fix’ here works 100% of the time, that all hardware is created equal, and that updates never break anything. But that’s not how tech works—and lying to you would just make your problems worse.
Instead, we’ll say things like: ‘This fix works 70% of the time for Wi-Fi drops on Windows 10, but fails if your router is more than five years old,’ or ‘That ‘optimization’ trick actually makes your SSD wear out faster.’
Worth telling us
- The exact version of Windows/Linux/macOS where a ‘universal’ fix stops working—and what to do instead.
- How long a ‘quick’ troubleshooting step *actually* takes (spoiler: it’s rarely quick).
- Why a ‘recommended’ piece of software is terrible for power users, even if it’s free.
The guides are grouped by category: App, Coding, Hardware, Operating System, Outlook and PowerPoint.