New Computer | Castellini on Computers - Computer help for beginners

Posts Tagged: new computer

Application Tips — No Comments
28
Sep 09

Print Your Own Manual

photo credit: World Bank Photo Collection

To save on printing, shipping and packaging costs, many software and hardware companies no longer provide printed manuals. One of the top complaints I hear from computer users is; “I wish there was a manual.” Instead of printed manuals, many manufacturers use online manuals or Adobe Acrobat files on the item CD to house their manuals.

Often times these manuals contain great information, but can be hard to thumb through on your computer screen. My Canon camera came with a 250 page manual in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format on the CD. Instead of battling with the online version, I took the CD down to a local printer and had them print and bind it in small format. The total cost was under $25, and now I have a Continue reading →

Email of the week — No Comments
2
Aug 09

Email of the Week – 013

photo credit: Tal Bright

QUESTION

Name: Beth

From: Missouri

OS: Windows Vista

———————-
Dear Rick,

I have a new laptop using Vista Home Premium 64-bit.

Advice on how to set it up?
email, browser, virus/ad/spy programs, etc? I am sure there are many people out there who want to know how to set up a new computer.

Usage – I will be setting up a network with my desktop (windows XP). I homeschool, so will do grading, lesson plans, research, etc. I email, do a little photo editing, sell/buy on eBay, multi-task with more than one program running and/or page open, etc. I am not a gamer. I also use it a lot for recipes, and knitting and sewing tips/patterns, and I am looking into getting a pattern drafting program.

Is it worth updating to Windows 7?

Also, I used firefox on the other computer. It took longer to load than IE, and used a lot of CPU in the process. Why?

ANSWER

Thanks for writing and congrats on your new computer. As to setting it up, click here to read my article describing how-to setup a new computer. It will cover all the things I do for my clients (and myself) when setting up a new system.

As for updating to Windows 7, yes, I Continue reading →

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 →

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 4 Comments
10
Mar 09

New computer users

photo credit: liewcf

Today alone, I ran across two brand new computer users. It irritates me when I see commenters on some of my YouTube videos and elsewhere on the web make fun of the fact that some people can’t copy and paste or create a table in Microsoft Word or perform any number of computer tips I teach through this site and via my instructional videos. Computers can be intimidating enough for someone new let alone have the added pressure of insensitive bafoons make snide comments about their skills. We all started at the beginning at some point in our computing lives and we all still need help from time-to-time with technology.

I wonder if these types of people would make the same kind of observations in person as they do on the Internet, or if the anonymity of the Internet makes them more boorish?

General Computer Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick / Windows Tips — 2 Comments
8
Mar 09

Keep track of your original computer documentation and make restore CDs

Lately too many customers have had to wait for repairs on their computers because I needed to order recovery CD sets from the manufacturer. This time and expense can be avoided if you do two simple things when you buy your new computer:

1. Save all disks and/or documentation that comes in the box
2. Since most manufacturers no longer send along recovery CDs and operating system CDs, it is up to you make them. Look for a System Tools or System Recover CD wizard in your Programs menu to help you with this task. After making them, put them with the computer’s documentation and keep track of where they are.

Hopefully you will never need these items, but you will be happy you have them when you do need them.

photo credit: jm3

Riding Shotgun with Rick — No Comments
29
Dec 08

Don’t buy a new computer yet

2009 is upon us and computer prices are incredibly low, but if you can wait a year to buy a new computer, I would highly recommend it. Why? Microsoft plans on releasing the next version of Windows either late in 2009 or early in 2010. All indications point to the earlier release since Microsoft is anxious to bury Vista.

Last week, Microsoft extended the life of Windows XP for a fifth time! This indicates the continued reluctance (especially in the business world) to adopt Windows Vista. Currently, you can get XP installed on a new computer only through Dell’s business web site and through some independent builders. Buying a copy of Windows XP from limited vendors doesn’t help much either since so many of the new computers out there today don’t ship with or have Windows XP drivers available for video, audio, Ethernet and other hardware components.

I still firmly believe that if you don’t use any Windows specialty software and tend to use your computer only for email, Internet, digital photography, word processing, and games, you should seriously think about an Apple computer or installing Linux/Ubuntu on a new or existing computer an bypass Windows altogether. If you don’t want to follow that advice or need specialty Windows software, stay with what you have for another year until Windows 7 is released.

The beta (test) versions of Windows 7 are being released now, and I plan to install and keep up with them in the next couple of months. Keep your eye on the site for more information on Windows 7 as I learn more.

Riding Shotgun with Rick / Videocasts — 2 Comments
23
Nov 08

Rick’s Answers his email Videocast – 021

Some wide ranging questions this week about strange AVG and keyboard problems, Ubuntu, transferring files to a new computer, a Kim Komando mention??, AOL high speed, and much more. Brought to you by questions from Joan, Janet, Jon, Karen, James, Charley, Mike, Joe, Geri, Don, Papa C, Howard and Anne.

Hardware Tips / Riding Shotgun with Rick — 21 Comments
14
Nov 08

Netbooks are NOT made for Windows XP or Vista

EeePC One year ago, ASUS started a fire storm of new computers that now go by the name of netbooks with the release of their EeePC. I wrote about this subject just a few months ago, but with the holidays approaching and netbooks are high on gift giver’s radar screens so I want to explore netbooks a little more in depth.

Netbooks make attractive gift giving ideas for a few reasons:

They are inexpensive; usually cost less than $400.
They are extremely portable (2-3 pounds).
They are cute.

Here are some facts you need to know about netbooks:

Netbooks run on an Intel Atom processor that has roughly half the power of a typical laptop Intel or AMD processor.
Netbooks utilize a very basic graphics system.
Maximum RAM is 1 GB (very few exceptions)
Hard drives are usually solid state flash memory ranging from 4-16GB. More expensive models have small hard drives with up 160 GB of space)
Screens are no larger than 10″
Keyboards are 80-90% of a typical laptop keyboard.
They do not have CD or DVD ROMs.
Prices range from $300-700
Most have built-in web cams
All have wi-fi capability and Ethernet as well
Some models run a Linux operating system, some Windows XP, and a few attempt to run Vista.

Netbooks are in no way meant to replace a desktop computer or even a laptop. Instead, netbooks are designed to be used as a second or third computer for traveling, Internet or email access in another room of your home, light word processing or document creating/editing, making Internet phone and video calls, instant messaging, and even listening to music.

Because netbooks run on tiny batteries and less powerful processors, trying to run a large operating system like Windows XP and especially Vista is completely impractical. Windows XP with all its updates and service packs and security software requires a strong processor and a minimum of 512mb of RAM or 1 GB of RAM on a slightly older processor. Also, Windows XP, and especially Vista) require above average graphics processing to function with any oomph. Vista barely crawls on dual core processor with 1 GB of RAM and is completely useless on a netbook.

Linux, on the other hand, can be completely customized for a less powerful computer like a netbook and doesn’t need to be burdened by excessive updates and security software. This makes Linux a perfect fit for the netbook Plus, Linux laptops come pre-installed with complete office compatibility, games, multimedia software and more…all things you need to spend extra for with a Windows install plus you need to have an external CDROM to install all of these things on a netbook since it has no CDROM.

If you are in the market for a netbook for yourself or to give as gift this Christmas, by all means go for it. I love my little Asus EeePC and think they make the best travel companions and work great for getting a small amount of work or email done while watching TV or sitting outside. But know up front their purpose and don’t expect more from them. Here are my recommendations when shopping for a netbook:

Do NOT spend more than $400.
Get one with a Linux operating system, NOT WINDOWS.
Make sure it has a built-in web cam. You will like having the ability to make video calls while on the road.
Purchase a 4-16GB extra SD Card for storage, but realize that it isn’t meant to be storage machine.

If all this still makes your head swim a little, here are my top 5 netbook suggestions (in no particular order):

Again, keep in mind that netbooks are not meant to be a replacement for a desktop or a full-time laptop, but an adjunct to them for traveling and quick access to a computer. If you already own a netbook, leave a comment below sharing how you use yours and what your experience has been with it.

Riding Shotgun with Rick — 6 Comments
13
Oct 08

Get a new computer for almost free

Piggy Bank If you would like or might even need a new computer, but aren’t crazy about spending $500-1500 in our current financial environment, consider upgrading your computer for free. Yes, I said free. The only investment you will incur is some time. “How”, you ask? By upgrading your computer’s operating system to one of the many Linux options. As many of you know, I started dabbling and learning more about Linux a little more than two years ago. Linux offers a secure, completely functional, modern operating system for free. Linux falls under the guise of Open Source software (available for free and developed by a collaboration of many programmers) and has spawned many different versions to suit all sorts of users.

The most popular version of Linux the past few years, and the one that hooked me, is Ubuntu. Ubuntu has risen to become, arguably, the leader in Linux operating systems. Ubuntu’s popularity stems from the solid community behind the product that supports and develops it, the incredible array of software that comes installed automatically including full Office compatiblity, networking, photo and multimedia tools, and even games. To get the equal functionality that Ubuntu gives users upon installation, a Windows user would have to shell out nearly $1000 for software alone. Ubuntu throws the knockout punch by offering all this for not only free, but also in a package written well enough that it installs in under 20 minutes and runs on hardware that would buckle under the weight of Windows Vista.

Search my site for more information about Ubuntu, read some stories at Ubuntu Story, and definitely visit the Ubuntu web page for more information as well. For many home users and some small businesses as well, upgrading existing computers to Ubuntu will save time, money and extend the life of many computers. Think about it…you do have a viable choice.