Archive for ‘hardware

Check the health of your hard drive

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One of the frustrating things about computers is that the hard drive can die at any time.  Sometimes this happens without any warning – it just crashes (are your files backed up safely in case that happens?).  In other cases, you might see some signs of hard drive failure – noises that aren’t normally [...] Read more »

How to share your printer with anyone, over the internet

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It’s pretty common now for a house to have several computers and one printer.  Our house has been that way for a while – we all share the one printer, and most of the time it works out fine.  Sometimes, however, it would be nice to share the printer with someone else – maybe [...] Read more »

Is a firewall necessary?

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[google1 count="on"] You have probably heard the term “firewall” sometimes, in relation to computers and security.  Let’s talk about what a firewall is, and if you need to make any changes to your computer setup in order to be secure. First of all, what is a firewall? Basically, a firewall is what its [...] Read more »

Does defragging really help?

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[google1 count="on"] I get questions sometimes about defragging a computer.  Does defragging really help?  Does it hurt anything?  Should I defrag my computer?  How often?  What software should I use to defrag? First of all, here is what “defragging” actually means. When you install software on your computer, all of the data doesn’t [...] Read more »

How to free up some hard drive space

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I remember what it was like back in the early days of personal computers.  The first computer we bought that actually accessed the internet was a Packard Bell.  Bought it around 1993 or 1994, and it was a “bargain” at $2400.  I remember having the choice of either 4 mb of memory (RAM), or [...] Read more »

Which Kindle is best for you?

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[google1] UPDATE: Amazon has now released several NEW Kindle models.  I have done a full review, comparing features and prices.  Check it here: Comparison of the new Kindles. No doubt you have heard about the Kindle E-book reader.  It seems like it wasn’t so long ago that a lot of people were saying, “Electronic [...] Read more »

How to avoid problems when buying a computer

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Christmas is coming – it’s only about a month away now.  As happens every year, a lot of people will be getting a new computer.  That’s exciting!  But before you go out and get a new laptop or desktop computer as a gift for someone (or for yourself), you should know what to avoid. [...] Read more »

How to break in a new laptop battery

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If you use a laptop, there is one thing you can just about count on: eventually, the battery will need to be replaced.  Even if you run the computer on regular electricity, a laptop battery will wear out over time.  However, there are some things you can do to get the longest life out [...] Read more »

Keep your laptop running cool

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If you use a laptop, one of the things you need to be aware of is heat.  Since all of the components in a laptop are squeezed into a tight space, there tends to be more heat generated than with a desktop computer.  Of course, this heat is offset through the use of heat [...] Read more »

How to install new memory in your computer

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One of the best things you can do to speed up your computer is to add more memory.  This does not mean hard drive space; removing some programs won’t give your computer more memory.  Memory is a physical thing that has to be installed inside the computer.  But it’s not hard to do. [...] Read more »