Hardware Tips

How to burn a CD with Windows XP

photo credit: nickwheeleroz (on holiday)

Floppy disks have long since departed from the computer landscape. Most comptuer companies have not included floppy drives as standard equipment for at least two years. I say good riddance except for one thing…they were easy to use. Computer users felt comfortable copying and backing up information to these slow, yet convenient drives.

For quick and roomy storage today, I recommend flash memory drives (click here for a tip describing these).

However, almost all computers now come with a CD/DVD burner drive…a CD/DVD drives capable of creating (burning) CD’s. Capable is the operative word in this sentence because many computer users still feel daunted by the task of burning a CD. Windows XP aims to help simplify the process and does a reasonably good job at it. Here’s how to burn a CD with Windows XP: Continue reading →

How to Use the “Extra” Keys on Your Keyboard

photo credit: Don Solo

There are roughly 50 keys on your keyboard that you use on a regular basis, but there are at least 104 total keys on your keyboard.

So, what are those other keys for?

Here is a list of the keys you may not be using that can make your computing life a lot easier – in no particular order.

F1 – The F1 key is located above your number and letter keypad. In almost any program anywhere in Windows, pressing F1 will bring up your help screen. From the help screen you can look up topics and learn more about the program you are using.

PRINT SCREEN (PRT SCR, PRNT SCR, etc.) – Located to the right of the F keys, the Print Screen button is handy for capturing Continue reading →

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25
Jun 09

Adding RAM to increase computer speed – Video Tip

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-23 Pedro De La Rosa

photo credit: lucam

Since Service Pack 3 for Windows XP (security update) was released late last year, many of my XP clients started experiencing slower performance. This upgrade put an additional strain on systems with less than 512mb of RAM. Upgrading the RAM will make a big difference in speeding up the system again.

RAM is the temporary memory that the computer uses to give us the feeling of programs opening and running with some pep. It’s like giving your computer a larger desk to work from so it can spread out and find things more efficiently. RAM also allows us to open multiple computer programs at the same time with less impact on the speed of the computer.

256 megabytes used to be a lot of RAM. Today, I’m recommending users have at least 512 megabytes for Windows XP machines and consider a full gigabyte. If buying a new PC with Vista 2 gigabytes (2048 megabytes) is absolutely the minimum and 3 GB or more is even better.

Instead of spending a $500 and up for a new computer, adding extra RAM can breath new life into any computer. Continue reading →

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18
Jun 09

Customize the mouse to fit your needs – Video Tip

Too many people start using a computer and don’t know how to customize its settings to best suit there needs. The mouse is one of the worst offenders…especially for low vision folks or computer users with other disabilities. This short video tutorial will help anyone get the mouse to work the best way possible for their own individual needs. Continue reading →

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2
Jun 09

Digital Readers and E-books

photo credit: pt

Amazon released their version of a digital reader, called the Kindle, in late 2007. It received a lot of attention at the time, but not as much as its new version released this spring. Amazon states that more than 285,000 books are available for download and purchase, 50,000 audio books, and there are many magazine and newspaper articles also available for download (including my blog). A full text book can be downloaded in about 60 seconds and most books cost around $9.99. For newspaper, magazine, and blog subscriptions, the Kindle automatically syncs the content to the Kindle over the air (no cables needed).

Currently, two Kindles are available for purchase; one holds up to 1500 books and the other up to 3500 books. Current Kindle users seem extremely happy with the device and the technology based on online reviews.

Intrigued by the buzz surrounding the Kindle, I downloaded Continue reading →

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27
Apr 09

Device to Convert LPs to MP3

I’ve written about converting LPs to MP3 before, but I just stumbled on this new device from Denon that makes it even easier to convert LP music to digital music. Just plug a USB flash drive into the turntable, play your LP and off you go…mostly. Check out their site for more information.

Denon USA | DP-200USB.

Hardware Tips / Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 1 Comment
27
Apr 09

Save paper & ink – PrintWhatYouLike.com

photo credit: jpeepz

If you haven’t taken advantage of my tip on how to print just what you select from a web site/email or my tip on finding printer friendly versions of articles you want to print (which can be combined with the first tip), then you might want to take a look at the Print what you like web site linked below. This Web 2.0 web site lets you enter the address of a web site you want to print then gives you tools to arrange its elements, remove ads, and much more. Take a look and let me know what you think!

Save paper & ink printing only what you want « PrintWhatYouLike.com.

Hardware Tips / Internet Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 8 Comments
2
Apr 09

DSL Users – The line filters are important

I run into this issue a few times every month and don’t know why I haven’t written a tip about it yet. When a computer user signs up for DSL (Digital Subscriber Line), a DSL kit is delivered to their home. Like many of us, the instructions get pushed to the side or are left in the box, and the user starts plugging everything in to get online as quickly as possible. Or, they may call the neighborhood tech guru and give him or her a cup of coffee to help get connected. And being the tech guru they are, the instructions still don’t get read.

One of the items included in the DSL kit is a bag of funny looking devices that look like a short phone cord with a box on the end of it. Those devices are the DSL filters. Since DSL is delivered through the phone lines, the DSL data signal needs to be separated from the voice signal so that both the voice and data signals stay separate and clean. If you don’t use the filters, both your voice quality and Internet quality/speed suffer.

All DSL users need to disconnect any phone in the house, conected to the same number as the DSL line, then put a DSL filter in the wall jack, then plug the phone into the DSL filter. The only phone jack that is not filtered is the one that you connect to your DSL modem…leave this one unfiltered, just plug a normal phone cable between the jack and the DSL modem.

The only exceptions to this rule may be when an installer comes to the house and places a filter on the entire house at the phone box outside.

By following the above steps, you will reap the reward of faster, more stable Internet connections, and clean, quiet phone calls. Again, this is for DSL users only. If you connect via a cable or satellite connection, this tip does not apply to you.

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27
Mar 09

Modems and Routers need air too

home network, cable, linksys, voip, motorola

photo credit: osde8info

I talk and write a lot about making sure that your computer has plenty of ventilation around it so it won’t over heat. Computers suffer greatly when exposed to too much heat. That same principle, however, also applies to high speed cable and DSL modems and routers we use to share those high speed connections. If you examine one of these units, you will notice that they contain many vents on their cases. You will also notice that they can get quite warm.

To prolong their life and function, it is important to keep them well ventilated:

Keep your high speed modem and/or router in an open area, not in a small unventilated cabinet
Do not stack them on one another
Do not cover them with a cloth or other box
Check them for excessive heat by holding your hand over them. If the box feels too hot, then you need to figure out a better place to keep it.

Like computers, heat can adversely affect the performance and longevity of your high speed Internet equipment. Follow this simple advice to keep your high speed Internet running at optimum capacity.

Hardware Tips — 6 Comments
14
Mar 09

Four techniques for erasing your old hard drive

photo credit: Jason Schlachet

When you replace an old computer, you need to take steps to protect the data that was on that computer prior to donating it, selling it or even throwing it out or recycling it. Too many computer degenerates use the data that can be found on old hard drives to try and steal your identity. You can avoid this by using one of the following four options:

One free program that will completely cleanse a hard drive is called Autoclave. You can download and read the instructions here.
Darik’s Book and Nuke also provides a way of thoroughly cleaning the data from an old hard drive.
A third option to cleaning your old data form a hard drive is Active KillDisk. They offer a free and a pro version of this software.
My last, and probably easiest, fastest, and safest method of guaranteeing your old data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands is to to open the computer and Continue reading →