by James Turner
Let’s face it, bad things happen. Houses burn down. Rivers overflow into basements. Viruses wipe your hard drive. In any case, losing your data can be a painful, costly, time consuming nightmare. Luckily, if you own a Mac, there’s a fairly inexpensive way to get your data out of your house before something bad erases it from the face of the earth.
(more…)
by David Hakala
Whether you spilled coffee on your keyboard or it’s so full of crumbs it sounds like a bowl of Cap’n Crunch, sooner or later you will want a new keyboard. You want the “best” keyboard, of course. Here are a few guidelines for buying a new keyboard.
(more…)
by David Hakala
While every computer comes with sound capabilities built into its motherboard, they’re usually of mediocre quality. Discriminating users want more so they buy add-on sound cards. The features you need in a sound card depend on the type of listening that you do most.
(more…)
by Gabe Goldberg
Buying a new PC needn’t involve replacing all your older PC devices, no matter what the friendly store salesperson suggests. Though newer PCs often have only USB (Universal Serial Bus) ports, an amazing assortment of adapters are available to connect older sorts of plugs to USB ports.
(more…)
by Tina Gasperson
Q: I’d like to upgrade my older laptop’s hard drive from 30GB to 160GB or 250GB. Several companies claim 100 percent compatibility but the specs don’t seem to be compatible. How can I make sure I’m buying the right hard drive? — Mary
The safest route to finding a compatible hard drive to upgrade your laptop is to go to the manufacturer. Turn your laptop upside down and look for the manufacturer name and the model number and write them down. Now, go directly to the official Web site and search for replacement parts for your laptop model. By purchasing your new hard drive from the manufacturer, you can be sure that your upgrade will go as smoothly as possible.
(more…)
by Tina Gasperson
Up until a few years ago, computer monitors were all of the cathode ray tube (CRT) variety. You may still have one – if your monitor takes up most of your desk real estate and it take a furniture dolly to move it, it’s a CRT. The benefits of using an LCD monitor may justify the expense of buying one – and if your CRT breaks, you’ll have no choice, since suppliers no longer ship CRTs. If you’re considering a move to one of those sleek, flat LCD monitors, here’s what you need to know before you get out the checkbook.
(more…)
by Gabe Goldberg
When calling businesses, it’s common to hear the announcement, “This call may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance.” Everyone ignores or accepts the fact that a supervisor may listen in or evaluate the call after it’s finished.
But wouldn’t it be helpful to occasionally have access to a recorded call? For example, I might like to replay a complex call with a doctor, teacher, or lawyer, or I might refer back to a customer service call if I feel that promises haven’t been kept.
(more…)
by David Hakala
Using a wireless mouse is one way to reduce clutter. Also, you don’t have to worry about where to put your computer relative to the mouse. In fact, if you also get a wireless keyboard and a laptop “desk,” you can slack on the couch with your computer in the entertainment center, displaying your work on the giant wide-screen TV! Here are a few tips for choosing and using a wireless mouse.
(more…)
by Tina Gasperson
If you use a lot of peripheral devices with USB connections, such as flash drives, Web cams, wireless network adapters, keyboards, and other input devices, but you don’t have enough USB slots built into your computer, you can get a hub to expand your system’s USB capabilities.
(more…)
by David Hakala
A mouse can make the difference between “life and death” in a computer game, between winning and losing, enjoying the game or screaming in frustration. Fortunately, there are plenty of good gaming mice from which to choose, and they are not very expensive. Here are some key features to look for in a gaming mouse:
(more…)
by Gabe Goldberg
If you’ve used Microsoft Windows for a while, you likely have several — or many — favorite applications open simultaneously. And if you frequently switch among them, you’re likely frustrated by apps appearing and disappearing, depending on which ones you’ve clicked most recently.
Fortunately, Windows has a nifty but little-known facility for increasing your computer desktop real estate, and recent industry developments help take advantage of this. The first step is checking whether your video card — the part of your PC innards that controls what’s displayed on your computer monitor — has two connection ports. If so, you’re ready to proceed. If not, it’s simple to replace your video card or add one with a second port.
(more…)
Powered by WordPress