Building Your Own Home Server

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For many reasons, you may want to build your own home server. You can put together your own server, customized to your specific storage and networking needs, thanks to barebones kits that are easy to assemble.

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How Can I Avoid Putting Electronic Garbage in Landfills?

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It’s bad for the environment, not to mention illegal in many cases, to dispose of your old, unwanted computer in a landfill. Fortunately, computers’ parts can be recycled, and in many cases a nonprofit can refurbish the computer for use by schools or other needy organizations.

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How Can I Safely Start Using a Previously Owned PC?

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A gift of a previously owned PC is a usually a welcome one. But be prepared to spend some time and effort verifying software licenses, reinstalling programs, ensuring security against viruses and malware, cleaning the computer inside and out – and possibly even formatting the hard drive and starting from scratch.

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How to Make Your Laptop Last as Long as Possible

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Laptop computers are costly, but you can make yours last longer by taking good care of it. A sturdy case, minimal exposure to bumps and dirt, and keeping the laptop cool will all go a long way toward getting years out of your laptop.

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How Can I Safely Give Away or Donate a PC?

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Before you donate your old PC, be sure you’ve transferred over or archived all the data and programs you will need in the future. Then, use a utility to rid the drive of personal information.

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How Can I Keep My Network Router Secure and Problem Free?

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It’s important to update your network router’s firmware regularly to keep it secure and operating at its best. Fortunately, you should only need to check for updates once a year or so, and the updated firmware can be easily downloaded from the manufacturer’s Web site.

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How to Tell If Your Windows XP Computer Has High-Speed USB

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Determine if your Windows XP computer supports high-speed USB by checking the with the device manager for a high speed port. You must be sure to always match your device purchases to your computer’s capabilities.

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Hard Drive Recovery

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If Windows won’t start at all, it’s likely there’s a serious problem with your hard drive. Perform a few tests to make sure, and if the worst is true, you’ll need to hire a recovery service.

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Upgrading Your Laptop’s Hard Drive for Space and Performance

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Adding a new hard drive to an old laptop computer will not only add memory but speed up performance as well.

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How Can We Recognize DDR1 and DDR2 RAM?

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DDR1 and DDR2 RAM modules are close in name and appearance, but definitely not interchangeable. Learn the differences between the two or take your old RAM module to the store with you to avoid buying the type that won’t fit in your computer.

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How to Erase a Hard Drive Safely and Completely

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If you’re giving your computer away to charity, or otherwise disposing of it, you’ll likely want to first erase the hard drive to avoid having your private information seen by strangers. Simply deleting files and/or formatting the hard drive will not do the job completely.

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