Entries Tagged 'PC Hardware' ↓

Laptop prices continue to fall, aiding students about to enter college or university:

The For years, students have had to pay a sizeable premium for laptops over desktops. That reason was limited demand – laptops were mostly used by businesspeople – which prevented manufacturers from achieving economies of scale. But now, some of the same components used in laptops are turning up in other devices. The small disk drives, for example, can also be found in iPods, while liquid crystal display screens are increasingly being used in TVs. This has helped laptop makers like Dell Inc., Gateway Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. slash their prices.

Laptop prices hit new lows

Originally posted 2005-08-31 20:17:18. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Author: Michael Braid

Article: Are you frustrated with your PC? Is it feeling sluggish or crawling at a snail’s pace? Are programs running slower than they used to? Are you just plain fed up with frequent slowdowns, freezes or crashes?

Then it’s time to stop what you’re doing and optimize your system to improve PC performance!

Follow these 6 simple sure-fire tips to help improve PC performance and you’ll be surprised by the results! Each comes with an indication of how often you should do it.

Improve PC Performance Tip #1: CLEAN UP YOUR WINDOWS REGISTRY (Frequency = Daily)

This is an essential, but often overlooked, task to improve PC performance. In fact most PC users are unaware of the necessity to regularly clean the Registry as Microsoft does not include a cleanup tool in any version of Windows.

Every time a program is installed it makes changes to the Windows Registry – a huge internal database of Windows’ settings. Virtually all Windows programs, and Windows itself, store a massive array of information inside the database. These thousands of entries control the behavior and appearance of virtually everything on your system.

Changes to your PC system are not always handled correctly in the Registry, leading to conflicts and the slowing down of your PC. Over time this leads to a bloated and possibly, corrupted Registry. Reasons for this include:

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Originally posted 2005-08-07 15:53:43. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Author: Larry Andrew

Although there are many things that can affect the performance of your computer, there are a few simply things you can do each month to help keep your computer running at maximum performance. This article will focus on two problems that impact the performance of your computer and will then explain what you can do about it.

Problem #1: Computer Hard Disk Files Your computer is always writing information to your hard disk, no matter what you do. Your computer attempts to keep all file information in the same location on your hard drive. As you add and delete files, blank spaces are left between your files. As you add new programs or files, your computer tries to use these blank spaces.

Over time, this reading and writing of files can affect the way your computer performs. The files eventually become scattered in multiple locations on your hard disk rather than in the same location.

Your computer will still find the information. However, the more scattered the information becomes on your hard drive, the more accesses your computer has to make to find (and gather) the information. This requires your hard disk to work harder and do more reading/writing than is necessary. It will slow down your computer by as much as 200% and causes increased wear and tear on your hard drive.

Problem #2: Spyware If you use the Internet, at some point you will download a file or software program onto your computer. Sometimes you will know something is being downloaded to your computer. Other times you will have no idea. (Although this article will not talk about small files called “cookies”, you may want to look up information on this subject. Cookies are written onto your computer from the Internet.)

Free computer programs (often referred to as Freeware) are a big hit on the Internet. Every day thousands of users download these “free programs”. Although there are some great freeware programs, these programs often have advertisements or tracking code associated with their use. The term “Spyware” refers to programs that gather information about your computer and (Internet) surfing habits without your knowledge. This information is then sold to a third party company as a means of generating revenue.

The problem with Spyware is that it also impacts the performance of your computer. It can make your computer very sluggish and unresponsive.

Three Steps to Improved Computer Performance Now that we’ve discussed two problems that affect the performance of your computer, let’s discuss three things you can do to get your computer performance back to normal. You should do these three steps in the order presented. Ideally, you should repeat them about once a month or whenever you notice a change in your computer’s performance.

Step #1: Delete Spyware The first thing you should do is to delete spyware files or programs from your computer. To do this, you can use a free software program such as Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition from LavaSoft. To get the program, go to www.download.com and search for “Ad-Aware SE” (without the quotes). Select “Download Now” and follow the installation instructions. Once the program is installed, you can scan your computer for spyware files. Then, you can select and delete them from your computer. Note #1: Always be sure to use the “Check for updates now” option to keep your program current. Note #2: You need to be aware that when you delete spyware files, some of those “free” programs you downloaded may not continue to work correctly. If you have a program you’ve downloaded and want to continue to use, check very carefully what you select to delete from the “Scanning results” once the scan has been completed.

Step #2: Clean up your Hard Disk Once the spyware is removed, you need to clean up temporary and unwanted files from your hard disk. To do this on your windows PC, select the start option in the lower left hand corner of your computer screen. Then, select the program option. Under the program option, select “Accessories”. Under the “Accessories” option, select “System Tools”. From the System Tools option, select “Disk Cleanup”.

Select the drive you want to clean from the pull-down menu and select OK. Usually, this is Drive C. If you have more than one hard drive, select one at a time. This program will then scan your computer for files that could be erased from your computer. You can safely erase all temporary and Recycle Bin files. You can also check the box of any other files you want the program to erase.

Step #3: Defrag your Hard Disk Once all the spyware and temporary files are removed, you need to defrag your hard disk. This process simply rewrites your computer files so they are no longer scattered all over your hard disk, but are written in the same location for quick sequential access.

To defrag your hard disk on your windows PC, select the start option in the lower left hand corner of your computer screen. Then, select the program option. Under the program option, select “Accessories”. Under the “Accessories” option, select “System Tools”. From the System Tools option, select “Disk Defragmenter”. First, select the hard drive from your computer. Usually, this is Drive C. However, many computers have multiple hard drives. Select one at a time.

You can select “Analyze” to have the program check out the hard drive and see if it needs to be defragged. The program will prompt you at the completion of its analysis. Use the defragment option as prompted.

Note: If you’ve never used this option before, I would recommend that you select the defragment option.

Once, you’ve completed these three steps, your computer and hard disk should be able to operate at maximum performance. Don’t forget to repeat these steps at least once a month or whenever you notice a change in your computer’s performance.

About the author: Larry Andrew is an educational consultant, author and publisher of www.ez-software-review.com. Learn how to purchase cheap, reliable and quality software for your home, school and business.

Originally posted 2005-03-30 20:13:19. Republished by Old Post Promoter

I’ve ordered my new computer.

I spent time digging through Ars Technica and Extreme Tech (a pity isn’t it what has become of the old Ziff-Davis websites?).

Much of what they favored is carried by a good North Carolina chain of computer stores, Intrex. It was from Intrex that I decided to buy my new computer.

ASUS Motherboard

Motherboard: Asus P4P800-Deluxe: seemed as feature-rich a motherboard (as the PCMag guys might put it) as I could buy. I did check out the new PCI-X machines but they were just too damned expensive. As it is I don’t have any 1394 or wi-fi devices.

What the Hell, I buy Intel

CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.8GHz Retail Box with Fan, HT, 800MHz FSB, Socket 478. This choice was mostly determined by the motherboard I selected. Buying an AMD CPU might’ve been a bit cheaper but I didn’t like the available motherboards quite as much. It was a close call. I probably could’ve bought a slightly cheaper processor but have regretted the couple of times I did that. My purchases are aimed at the future as much as the present. A losing battle I’ll admit.

SATA Drive

Hard drive: WD 74GB 10000rpm SATA Hard Drive, 8MB Buffer, 5-Year WD Warranty. I started to buy a smaller drive. It isn’t as if I’ve come close to using the 25 Gig on my present PC but felt what the heck: never know when I’ll suddenly feel a hunger for multimedia (Is there a reason other than porn? Not that I have an appetite for AVIs, MPEGs and the like.).

Video

Video card: GeForce4 MX440 – only because the ASUS motherboard doesn’t have video built in. I’m not a gamer or designer so I didn’t worry about performance.

Memory

A Gig of DDR PC3200 (400MHz) Memory. Four times what I have on my present box.

DVD +-RW

Removable media: LiteOn Black 8x DVDRW Drive: DVD+-RW, DVD+-R, CD-RW, CD-R . Mostly because Intrex carries it and I’ve seen some kind reviews.

CD Drive

I’m also getting: TEAC 52x Internal IDE CD-ROM Drive – everybody needs two right? Really adding this to my monitor purchase gets me a $50.00 certificate from Amazon so I’m hoping I can make this drive pay for itself.

Multifunction floppy

Damned floppy: Mitsumi 3.5″ Black Floppy Drive with 6-in-1 Flash Media . I’d planned to skip having a floppy drive this time. I haven’t used one in a couple of years. Then I read I’d need one if I wanted to flash my computers’ BIOS or install RAID. Don’t own a bit of flash media. Should I go out and buy some? My first CD-ROM drive was from Mitsumi. Bought it so I could install OS/2 Warp (the unlamented days of 20+ floppy disk installs), the drive never gave me a lick of trouble though I saw lots of bitching about them.

Computer Case

Housing: Antec Sonata Quiet Black Case, 380W Power Supply . I might’ve had to worry over this more but having decided to buy my PC from Intrex I felt safe with spending a trivial amount extra for a sturdy case with a substantial power supply. No, I probably don’t need a full sized tower case but it is something of a house tradition (my current box has four CD players in it, pity only two of them work).

OS

Operating system: Windows XP Home. I really wanted to buy XP Pro. There are some neat Unix tools for Pro but really I know that I’d add them and forget them.

ViewSonic Monitor

Monitor: ViewSonic P95F+B 19 inch CRT Monitor . I invested more sweat and searching into choose the monitor before selecting this. It wasn’t an easy search. Gamers and graphic designers have different priorities than someone like myself. I wanted a monitor that displays clear, readable text at a tolerable refresh rate. Digging through the web and reviews wasn’t that much help. This monitor won as much for the lack of complaints I found as anything else. The near comptetitors were another ViewSonic monitor and a couple of Samsungs. I spent a fair amount of time looking at monitors from NEC and Mitsubishi as well. As much fatigued from searching and reading as sure in my choice I chose this monitor.

What does it cost

This will set me back about $1500. I could’ve trimmed it readily by getting a lesser motherboard, CPU or even less RAM. The monitor cost could easily have been chopped in half. My goal was to feel that I stood a good chance of being able to power whatever tool I might want to use and cut down on some of the distressing pauses.

Originally posted 2004-07-28 19:53:09. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Dimly I remember having a mouse. Can’t remember if it came with my first computer (an 8 MHz IBM XT clone) or I bought one at Babbage’s (remember when they sold computer parts – then again I don’t know if the chain still exists). There wasn’t much to do with a mouse under DOS so it quickly got buried in a box.

When OS/2, the first graphical OS I ran, required a pointing device I bought a trackball. I’ve been using trackballs ever since.

Evidently I’m one of the few trackball fans. After I ordered my new PC I suddenly realized I hadn’t specified a keyboard or trackball. A look at Intrex’s input devices page didn’t show a trackball.

The Logitech Cordless MX Duo looked mighty tempting. But it was a mouse. I don’t want to have to slide the damn thing around. (And don’t know why, graphic artists aside, someone wouldn’t prefer a stationary trackball to a mouse.)

A quick check of Amazon showed that trackballs are still available, not many of them though. Then I remember I have a LogicTech trackball I’ve never used.* I ordered a ViewSonic keyboard – why instead of generic? – damnifiknow.

* An ancient trackball on one of my used bookshop’s computers was failing so I went and bought a new one. While the knew one was close kin of the trackball I wanted to replace I couldn’t get it to work.

Windows XP has an amazingly stupid problem: it is inextricably wedding to the pointing device you have connected at time of install. If you want to install a different mouse or trackball you have to edit the registry. In the end I managed to revive the old trackball.

Originally posted 2004-07-29 05:55:40. Republished by Old Post Promoter

I got my new PC. Sort of.

I went to Intrex this morning and picked up the box and keyboard.

When I setup my checking account I went for RBC Centura’s bottom tier account. Didn’t know that meant I could only take a $1,000 out a day. My debit card was refused as a debit card (gets you a 1% discount at Intrex) and as a credit card (my bank sales that it can be used without a PIN but I can’t help but feel this only makes it easier for someone to rob me).

I’ll say one think for Centura Bank: their automated customer service system is fast. Once I got to the human beings one handed me off to another to yet another before I spoke to somebody who’d let me spend my money. I was told the daily spending limit was for my protection. But if I upgrade my account they’ll protect me less stringently. How kind.

Anyway the new computer is here. But not he monitor which Amazon didn’t say they’d ship until tomorrow. (If past orders is any indication it’ll come from a nearby warehouse and should arrive quickly once sent.)

I was put my old monitor on the new computer, network the machines and do some rudimentary stuff like register Windows XP but can’t find the ethernet cable I’ve been tripping over for the last year or so. Now that I need it the cable has slithered out of site.

It isn’t a big deal but you know how it is: I’ve paid my money and want to see the BIOS sign on and find out how much faster the Pentium 4.2 GHz and SATA drive are compared to my PIII 450 MHz and vanilla IDE drives. Not to mention quadrupling memory.

Of course the bigger, fresher monitor may thrill me more than any of the above.

Originally posted 2004-08-02 14:55:33. Republished by Old Post Promoter

“Where Can I Find The Best Case Mods Online and Save Money”?

Author: Kevin Taylor

Are you captivated by the stunning Case Mods you’ve seen online but shell shocked at some of the prices.

What is a case mod, some of you may ask? Have you every wanted to spice up that boring bland box you call your computer?

Well you can and there are lots of people online with fantastic clever ideas on themes, gee whiz lights, sounds, and much much more. Here is a list of top places where you can get information, buy stuff, and chat with others about your ideas.

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Originally posted 2005-05-12 13:06:09. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Keith Park

This guide deals with troubleshooting a PC that won’t boot to the point where it at least starts loading an operating system (hardware related problem). This article is intended for a person who has a little knowledge of PC’s and is comfortable opening up and working inside a PC. If this isn’t you, then I recommend taking your PC to a qualified PC repair shop. This is meant as a general troubleshooting guide and by no means covers every scenario that can occur, any omissions or mistakes were not intentional and will be updated as necessary.

Now let’s get started..

Keep it Simple

First and foremost, I cannot stress enough that when it comes to troubleshooting PC’s, KEEP IT SIMPLE! You will save yourself a lot of time and effort if you start looking for the simplest and most obvious solutions first.

With that being said here is a list of a few things you should start checking first..

1. Check the Power Cable
(reason: ensure the PC is getting power and that the problem isn’t simply a bad power cable)

Is it plugged into the back of the PC tightly?
Is it plugged into a power source?
If it is connected to a power bar — is the power bar plugged in and turned on?
If possible try a different power cord and/or power bar
Is a breaker blown in the building? Try a different wall plug

2. Check the monitor
(reason: make sure the monitor is still working. When you boot a PC you expect to see something on the monitor, if you don’t, one may think their PC isn’t working when in fact there is something wrong with the monitor)

Is the power cable plugged in tight to the back of the monitor?
Is the power cable plugged into a power source?
If it is connected to a power bar — is the power bar plugged in and turned on?
Is the monitor turned on?
Is the monitor’s video cable plugged tightly into the video card on the PC?
Are the contract and brightness settings of the monitor adjusted correctly?
If possible try a different monitor.

3. Visually check the power supply
(reason: a PC may boot to a point with a failing power supply but can quickly overheat causing it to the PC to stop functioning)

Does the fan turn when the PC is turned on?
Does it feel hot to the touch?
Do any lights come on when the PC power button is pressed?

4. Check the keyboard
(reason: a PC needs a keyboard to boot, most times if there is a keyboard problem a message will be displayed on the screen, however this may not always be the case and the computer may just stop booting)

Is the keyboard connected to the PC?
If possible try a different keyboard.

5. Check the floppy and CD drive
(reason: when a PC boots, by default it will try and boot from the floppy or CD drive first. If there is a disk in either of these drives even if it is not a bootable disk, the PC may try to boot from the disk. Most times an error is displayed when it can’t boot from the disk but this isn’t always the case)

Is there a disk in the floppy drive?
Is there a disk in the CD drive?

A person may think that it is a waste of time to check such simple things and want to skip the above checklist. I cannot count how many times I have been called to troubleshoot a PC only to find that a power bar was turned off or there was a disk in the floppy or CD drive. Take the time now to check the easy things— I guarantee you it will save a lot of headaches and frustrations.

Advanced Troubleshooting

When a computer is first turned on, the hardware runs a Power-On Self Test (POST). If errors are encountered during this POST test, they are usually indicated by a beep or in the form of a code displayed on the screen. With this error code you can determine what part of the system is having problems and find a solution. You have probably heard a beep code in the past and just not realized it. You know the one or two short beeps your computer makes when you first turn it on, that is a beep code indicating everything checks out OK. With some PC’s it may seem like there isn’t any beep code, what is probably happening here is there is a problem with the internal speaker inside the PC, it is either not present, not functioning any longer or not connected properly to the motherboard. If this is the case in your instance, check to see a visual code is being displayed on the monitor, if nothing then skip ahead to the next section.

To check for an error code on your PC, turn the computer on and listen for any beeps or look on the monitor screen for a code. As I mentioned, one or two short beeps indicates everything is OK, if you experience any different sequence or length of beeps, write down what you heard, (e.g. 1 long beep followed by two short beeps) or write down the error code on the screen. Error codes vary from PC to PC depending on the manufacturer of the motherboard inside the PC. It would be beyond the scope of this guide to include every manufacturer error codes as some may be missed and some may change as new technology is introduced. Performing a search on the Internet using your favorite search engine will find many sites specific to your PC. They will have a list of codes, what they mean and potentially how to fix them, look for the code you wrote down previously. The hardware generally checked by the POST test is the motherboard, CPU, power supply, memory and video card. If the error code indicates a problem in one of these areas, make sure all cards in the PC are seated correctly in the motherboard slots and that the power supply cables are connected snuggly to the motherboard. If all of this has been done and you still receive an error code then chances are the device has failed and will need to be replaced.

If the POST test doesn’t reveal the source of the problem the next step is to open up the PC.
Staying with the theme of keeping it simple we will want to try and start the PC with the minimum hardware required to boot a computer. All you need to boot a PC is the motherboard, memory, some sort of media (floppy disk, hard disk, CD, etc.) and a video card. What we will want to do is remove or disconnect any unnecessary hardware.

Leave one form of media drive connected to boot with, preferably the floppy drive if available, and disconnect all other drives.
Remove all cards except for the video card.
Remove all memory except for one stick
Insert bootable media (floppy disk, CD, etc.) and power on the PC

If the PC doesn’t boot with the minimum hardware then the problem may lie with the video card, memory or the motherboard. Try using a different stick of memory if you have one as well try using a different video card. Friends and family can be great sources for this, ask to borrow their video card or memory from their PC, just make sure to return it when you are done. If swapping the memory and video card don’t work then you more than likely have a problem with the motherboard and it will need to be replaced.
If it does boot.

Turn it off
Insert or connect one hardware device that was previously removed
Try booting again.
Repeat these steps until the computer no longer boots.

Once the PC doesn’t boot again the last hardware device that was connected is the problem and should be replaced or permanently removed.

If you get to this point and your PC still doesn’t want to load an operating system then it is time to have a qualified computer technician look at the problem or purcahse a new PC. You gave it your best shot but sometimes a fresh set of eyes can see something that may have been missed.

Author: Lee Asher

Installing a PCI wireless card might seem like a bit of an adventure — after all, you have to open the case, find where to put the thing, close it again… and then you have to deal with the software! Even if you’ve never opened your computer before, though, you shouldn’t have too much trouble with it if you follow this simple 10 step guide.

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Author: Gary Hendricks

Are you confused by the vast array of motherboards out there? Choosing a good motherboard is one of the most daunting tasks when building your own computer. All your system’s components eventually connect back to the motherboard, so if you choose an inappropriate board, your system is going to have problems.

I personally feel the motherboard is one component you shouldn’t scrimp on – buy the best you can afford. Seriously. I’ve seen many otherwise good PCs bogged down by a bad motherboard.

This article will help you choose a good motherboard – read on to learn about the various factors to consider when purchasing one.

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