Tiplet expert tips & tech support

March 2, 2009

How Do I Add More RAM to My Computer?

Filed under: computer hardware,computer memory — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. Your computer uses this virtual memory to do computations and calculations while the computer is on. Nothing is ever permanently stored in this memory, yet it is a big factor in the performance quality of your system. Most computer come with at least 1GB of RAM and extra space so you can add more. On older computers with less than 1GB and/or no extra space, you can even take out the existing RAM and replace it with a higher-capacity “stick” of memory.
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March 1, 2009

How to Use a Regular Computer Monitor or Large Display with Your Laptop Computer Instead of the Built-in Screen

Filed under: computer hardware,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

Have you ever wished your laptop had a bigger screen? Maybe you’d like to watch a movie or photo slide show in comfort, or share it with several people in your home. You may not have known that you can plug a standalone monitor or display into the back of your laptop. Take a look at your laptop. In the back, where the power adaptor plugs in, there is at least one other connection. The vast majority of laptops have a female VGA connector, which has 15 little holes in three rows. Some laptops also have an S video connector, which is round and has four tiny holes.
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Using the NAME Function in Excel 97, 2000, 2002, 2003, and 2007

Filed under: applications,computer hardware,privacy & security,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 9:00 am

by David Hakala

Excel formulas may require a lot of arguments. It can be hard to remember that “12*4” means 12 monthly payments for four years. It might be easier to read your formula if that argument read, “12Months*Years”. Well, you can give arguments and cells easily remembered names in Excel.
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February 27, 2009

How to Clean the Hardware on the Inside of Your Computer

Filed under: computer hardware,computer performance — Tags: , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

Dust is the enemy of computer components – but ironically, computer components seem to attract an inordinate amount of dust, which traps heat and clogs up the fans that work to keep your system at the right temperature. If your computer gets too hot, it will shut down to protect itself, but it could still be damaged by excessive heat. It’s a good idea to open up your computer from time to time and clean out dust and detritus.

The most useful tool for cleaning out the inside of your computer is a can of compressed air. This is available at most computer supply and office supply stores. Once you have your compressed air, shut the computer down and unplug it. You may want to take the computer outside for cleaning so you don’t spread the dust around your work area.
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February 26, 2009

How Do I Find Out What Hardware I Have in My Computer?

Filed under: computer hardware,Windows — Tags: , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

If it’s been a while since you purchased your computer, you may have lost track of what’s in it – how much RAM? How big was that hard drive? What kind of motherboard was that again? And so on. It’s helpful to know what you have in order to diagnose any problems or to upgrade. You’ll need to know what kind of RAM your computer takes, for instance, when you want to replace it or add more. The owner’s manual doesn’t always help, especially when you’ve already upgraded or replaced some parts.
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February 25, 2009

How to Install a Second IDE Hard Drive

Filed under: computer hardware,data storage and recovery — Tags: , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

If you’re running out of hard drive space, one option is to install a new internal hard drive. You don’t have to take your computer to a professional to have this done. It’s much more economical to do it yourself. If you’re intimidated by that thought, don’t be. Opening up your computer and putting in a hard drive is actually pretty easy. These instructions are for installing a second IDE hard drive on a computer with an existing IDE hard drive.
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How to Burn MP3 Music Files to CD Using Windows Media Player

Filed under: applications,computer hardware,digital media,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 9:00 am

by David Hakala

To make a data or Audio CD, a laser beam literally burns tiny dimples into the surface of a disc. That is why making a CD is calling “burning.” Windows Media Player supports burning of CDs in both data (ISO) format and CD-Audio (CDA) format.

CDA is the format in which commercial audio CDs are burned at the factory. A CDA disc can hold 70 to 80 minutes’ worth of music, regardless of the size of the original music files. CDA is a lossless format, so CDA files are faithful to the quality of the original file. CDA is needed if one plans to play the CD on an older CD player that does not support other file formats.
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February 24, 2009

How to Use an External Hard Drive to Back Up Photos and Other Important Files

Filed under: computer hardware,data storage and recovery,privacy & security — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

If you’re in need of extra storage space for your digital photo or music collection, or you’d just like to back up those files in case the inevitable hard drive failure happens, one of the easiest ways to add more space to your PC is by adding an external hard drive that connects via USB. An external hard drive is inexpensive, portable, and very easy to use.
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February 23, 2009

How to Restore Your Computer to an Earlier Configuration Using System Restore

Filed under: computer hardware,computer performance,data storage and recovery,Windows — Tags: , , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

If you get into trouble with some spyware, or you install a program or a piece of hardware that just doesn’t play nice with your computer, what can you do? You may have heard that using System Restore is a good way to “reset” your PC back to an earlier time, before the problems started happening. But what is System Restore, and how do you use it?
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February 21, 2009

How to Troubleshoot Your DirectX Installation

Filed under: applications,computer hardware,Windows — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

If you’ve had trouble installing a new game on your Windows PC, it may have had something to do with your DirectX installation. DirectX is a set of instructions that allows games and other media-intensive applications to run on many different kinds of hardware. If there’s a problem with your DirectX, then your application may not know how to work with your computer. DirectX comes pre-installed on your Windows computer, and you can run a built-in DirectX troubleshooting application called DirectX Diagnostic Tool to see if there are any problems.
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February 20, 2009

How to Change the Boot Order On Your Computer

Filed under: computer hardware,computer performance,Windows — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:00 pm

by Tina Gasperson

Chances are your computer is set to check your main CD drive for a bootable CD at boot time, and if there’s not one there, to boot from your main hard drive. Most of the time, that’s exactly what you want and there’s no need to change the order in which your computer looks for booting instructions. But if you wanted to run an alternative operating system from a memory stick, you’d need to tell your computer to look there first for its “marching orders,” so to speak.
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