From The Tips Box: Makeshift Routers, Dull Tweezers, USB 3.0 Ports

Readers offer their best tips for using an old computer as a router, sharpening dull tweezers, and finding recipes for your favourite restaurant dishes.

Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favourites. Got a tip of your own to share? Add it in the comments or send it using the contact tab on the right.

Use an Old Computer as Makeshift Router

MitzumiKare replaces his router with an old laptop:

I found this while trying to save money. I have a modem without a router built in. Instead of buying a router, I did this: I set one of the older laptops in the house up with an ad hoc network, connected it to the modem, and set it to share the internet connection. I connect the other computers in the house to the ad hoc network and boom — Wi-Fi without spending money on a router as long as the main computer is on.

This probably isn’t a good permanent solution, but if your router breaks or has other problems, this is great as a backup.

Sharpen Old Tweezers with a Nail File

Ann Bush makes an old pair of tweezers more effective:

Figured out how to make my dull tweezers tweeze better. I took a nail file and pinched it with the tweezers and slid it across the surface a couple of times. Then I ran the tweezing edge of the tweezers across the nail file too. It sharpens it pretty well. Works like a charm!

Find Recipes for Your Favourite Restaurant Dishes Online

Werdna5225 shares a tip for making your favourite restaurant meals at home:

Olive Garden and Red Lobster list the recipes for their meals on their websites (see Olive Garden’s here and Red Lobster’s here). In fact, all restaurants owned by Darden list recipes.

Other restaurants may do something similar, so it’s worth checking up on their websites if you want to know how to make a certain dish.

Get Front USB 3.0 Ports Working, Even If Your Motherboard Doesn’t Support Them

This is a quick tip of my own. My computer case has a USB 3.0 port in the front, but my slightly older motherboard doesn’t have a header for it — it only has USB 3.0 ports in the back. Since USB 3.0 is eons better than USB 2.0, I wanted to use that port. So, I found an adaptor that connected the 20-pin cable from the case to a male USB port, routed it through the back of my case, and plugged it into one of the back USB 3.0 ports. I lose one of the back ports on my computer, but it means I can use USB 3.0 in the front, which is fine with me!