Skip to content

burn

Easily replaced hardware items…

Sometimes I am accused of being too laid back about life and problems. I take that as a compliment and consider my low key approach to life to be an asset not a liability. When it comes to computers, many computer users should also take a low key approach to many hardware problems.

Keyboards and Mice

If you start having a problem with a mouse or keyboard, the first thing to try is shutting the computer off, unplug and re-plug cables, then try again. If they still give you problems, go out and buy a new one. Mice and keyboards can't and shouldn't be repaired…just replace them. Mice and keyboards both can be found for less than $20. If your mouse or keyboard is a cordless one, always check the batteries.

When to use a CD for backup

Our regular listeners hear us talk about this subject often, but it bears repeating as much as we can talk about it for your data's safety and your sanity. Backing up to CD's is a multi-step process and all the steps need to be followed for it to go right.

CD's work great for archiving data that won't change. This includes pictures, music, your finished novel, etc. CD's should only be burned ONE time. CD-R's have the capability of being written to many times, but this also increases the likelihood of problems with the CD. Burn them once and store them in a safe place.

Windows Vista makes networking maddening

I setup a new Windows Vista machine yesterday on a network with two Windows XP systems. My client wanted Vista to be the main computer that shared files and printers with the other two computers. It only took me 45 minutes to figure out how to set it all up. In Windows XP I can setup a network in less than 15 minutes – probably less than 10.

One of the first complaints I had early on with Windows XP was that it was loaded with too many wizards. This only bothered me until I started using the wizards. Now I depend on them.

A wizard is a feature that leads you step-by-step through the process of a complicated task such as setting up a network or burning to a CD. The Windows XP wizards turned out to be one of its biggest strengths. They made it easy for a friend, family member, or tech support person to walk you through setting things up.

Ubuntu Linux!!!

Ubuntu Desktop - click for larger view Last week I installed Windows Vista on my fine running XP machine (less than six months old) and have been tolerating it since then and learning about its quirks and features. I have actually been using Vista since September and besides the integrated search (which can be added to XP through multiple channels for free), I honestly do not understand what the heck Microsoft did for nearly six years between operating systems. Yes, it is pretty, but who cares how pretty it is…my email is slower, programs are slower, menus, options, and preferences have all been moved to different places…

Getting Better Prints from Digital Photos

One of the disadvantages to digital photography (if you can call it that) is that you don't get prints as often. Photos tend to sit on disk or on your computer's hard drive and never get shared. The photo album is sadly becoming extinct.

If you would like to start printing out some of those digital photos, here are some pointers.

Install Picasa:

We talk about it a lot, but not often enough. Picasa will make selecting, organizing and printing your digital photos easy. In fact, there is little or no need for any other software for most people.

Is it not ok anymore to be content with what we have?

I have had Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 sitting on my desk for more than three weeks now. I spent nearly $300 buying the stupid products so that I can install them on my machine, but I haven't. It's not because I haven't had time…I just have no burning desire to go through with the change yet. My Windows XP machine is running awesome, I like the configuration of my system and just don't want to upset the apple cart yet. I still occasionally turn on my backup machine that is running a beta version of Windows Vista, but I have only used it about ten times since I installed the beta version last September. 

What else has that actress been in?

We have talked about IMDB as a part of our favorite information sites in the past, but I think it deserves its own article and review.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database and it is one of the best sites on the web for answering the nagging questions we have so often such as, "What else has that guy been in?" or "What was that movie with Christopher Walken and Andy Garcia?"

IMDB can be used to resolve arguments like which movies had Samuel L. Jackson which ones had Laurence Fishburne.

A Confession: I don’t understand computers

I know how to fix computers, but I will freely admit that I don't understand them.

Today I saw two clients with very strange problems. One person had a problem that prevented their CD burner from writing and their computer from recognizing the sound card. However, the sound card and CD writer had just been replaced because of the same problem.

What was really strange was that the system sounds worked and the CD would record files just fine as long as you didn't use Nero.

After they had the CD drive and sound card replaced, everything had worked fine for about two weeks.

We need a new Internet Appliance

i-openerAt one of the first, now defunct, Comdex computer shows that I attended in the late 90's, I attended a round table discussion on Internet Appliances. This was a huge buzz word at the time, but unfortunately it was ahead of its time. An Internet Appliance did only two things…browse the Internet and email. The picture I'm showing in this story was known as the Netpliance from a company called I-Opener. The idea was great, but at the time Internet connections were dial-up only and the Internet had not attained a true critical mass of users.

Don’t buy the cheapest computer out there

"Buy 'em cheap and buy 'em often" is a phrase that I use alot when helping people understand my approach to computers. Since any computer you buy, no matter how much you spend, is only designed for today's uses, I don't like to over spend on a computer expecting it to last longer. I suggest that you buy your computer based on the most you need right now and when new uses come along in 4-6 years, just buy a new computer.

However, I saw a brand new Dell today that was a good example of why my advice shouldn't be interpreted as "buy the cheapest thing on the shelf."

Dell loves to advertise $399-$499 computers in their ads. I saw one of those machines today. It had a 2.4 ghz processor, 256 MB of RAM, no recovery disks and a 60 gigabyte hard drive.

While this system will run, it does it terribly slow and newer software will really have problems running on it.

I called Dell and ordered another 256MB of RAM and recovery disks. Now their $499 computer is a $599 computer and the specs are still lower than what they could have got from a store for $600.

My advice should not be understood as a recommendation to shop by price alone. Make sure you know your product. Compare the specs from every brand and price to see if what you are getting is truly a good deal or just a cheap computer. Our current minimum computer should have the following minimum specs: