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Hardware Tips

Keep Your Computer Clean

I am often asked what is the best way to clean a computer. Here’s how to do it safely:

In past tips, we discussed the importance of good air circulation around your CPU (Central Processing Unit)…the big box where you put CD’s and disks. One spot to start your cleaning is looking at the back end of the CPU and make sure that the vents do not contain too much lent and dust. If so, use a can of compressed air to blow the dust and lent away. It is best to keep your computer off when blowing the dust
from it.

If you feel up to the task, opening the CPU case and blowing out the inside of it is helpful as well. Again, shut the computer off first.

Flash Memory Drives

A flash memory drive (a.k.a. thumb drive or USB drive) consists of a chip of memory (flash) mounted in a plastic case with a USB interface on one end (see the illustration for some examples). With Windows Me, 2000, XP and Macintosh computers, flash memory drives automatically get recognized as another storage drive on your computer. No installation CD’s, no formatting, just fast, safe removable storage.

In addition to their instant recognition and portability, flash drives offer the BEST way to backup day-to-day information like financial data, address books, genealogy, word processing documents, and spreadsheet documents.

Two other great advantages of flash drives are their speed and durability. You can copy 200 megabytes worth of data (literally thousands of word processing documents), in less than a minute! And because there are NO moving parts, the memory is quite stable and long lasting.

To use a flash memory drive, follow these steps:

1. Insert the drive into a USB port on your computer.
2. Wait approximately a minute (first time only) for the computer to recognize and install the device (Windows 98 need to install a driver)
3. Double-Click your My Computer icon to verify that another drive shows up (usually the first letter after your CD-ROM
4. In Windows XP, you can now RIGHT click on any folder or file and then Click Send To —> Removable Drive. This will instantly make a copy of the document or folder on your flash drive.
5. In Windows Me or 2000, you can copy and paste a folder or file to the flash drive or open the flash drive in a new window and drag your files to it
6. If you use a financial program, simply use the program’s built-in backup function and have it back up to your flash drive
7. To delete information from a flash memory drive, open up its icon in My Computer, then click on the file or folder you want to delete, and push DELETE on your keyboard

Digital Cameras

The Photo Marketing Association show was last week in Orlando, Florida and there were dozens of new cameras announced for the consumer level. If you have been putting off purchasing a new camera because you wanted to wait for the latest models, now is the time to consider making that purchase. This is also a great time to buy the older models at a closeout price.

Here are the important features that you want to look for:

Megapixels – The higher the megapixel, the larger you can print your images AND the more you can crop out of the photo and still get a sharp image. With a six megapixel image you can make a 5×7 out of a quarter of the image, by comparison you can’t print an entire two megapixel image any larger than 5×7. However, megapixels don’t make the camera, there are some crummy 6 megapixel cameras on the market.

Optical Zoom – I would be willing to argue that this is the most important feature on a digital camera. The more powerful the optical zoom, the better you can compose the shot. Powerful optical zoom also allows you to take close up pictures from farther away. This can make for great candid and wildlife shots.

Computer Add-ons and

Adding a few computer components or peripherals to your computer can breathe new life into your system and make you more productive at the same time. In this week’s tip, you will find some easy ‘do-it-yourself’ ideas for your computer.

Cordless Mouse and/or Keyboard

Lose the wires! Cordless mice make a great gift for a computing friend, and certainly for yourself. When shopping for one, make sure to get an optical mouse…unlike their predecessors with the little ball in the body, optical mice never get dirty or ‘sticky’ when moving them on your desk. Cordless keyboards help you optimally position your keyboard without having to stretch or strain the cords.