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I am a man, I have needs

This article is a repeat from the newsletter last week, but I thought I would post it all by itself for two reasons. First, I have had a lot of comments on it this week. Second, all these tech names will create more yahoo search terms and we will make a few cents from it. Here it goes…

I bought a new computer last week. The new system is dual core, 1 GB of RAM, 200 GB hard drive and DVD burner and card reader.

I remember the first two or three computers I purchased. I remember how exciting it was to

Transferring LP’s and Cassettes to CD

One of my customer's today was using an older Windows 98 machine to try and transfer LP's to her computer so she could then burn CD's. I will have some links at the end of this article for products that help perform this feat, but first I want to put into perspective the time involved:

  1. The average song is 4 minutes long. By the time you adjust levels, start and restart the song and then end the song to get it just right, you will easily spend double the time per song just to get it from the LP or cassette to the computer and saved.
  2. Because you are moving from an analog to a digital format, certain pops, hisses and other noises will enter the equation. Many of the products that I will link up offer software solutions to help 'clean up' the artifacts. On average, it will take approximately 50-70% of the total time of the song to complete this process. 
  3. You will need to convert the file from the .wav format to .mp3 to save space on your hard drive. This takes approximately 25-30% of the total time of the song.
  4. Lastly, you need to finally compile and burn the CD's. Plan on about 25-30% of the time per song to complete this step.

Taking these four factors into consideration, if you have a four minute song, it will take about 16-20 minutes to complete the process. Multiply this by the number of songs you have and the time investment is HUGE. Yes it is possible, but don't be surprised at the time involved. Factors that will decrease (or increase) this time include:

  • Processor speed of your computer
  • Available RAM (the more the better)
  • Free hard drive space
  • Your knowledge of the process and the products. 

All that being said, here are some products to consider when deciding to transfer your old 8-tracks, LP's, and cassettes to CD:

Should You Leave Your Computer On or Shut it off?

Ah, the age old question about our computers. Since computers came into the home, users have asked; 'should I turn it off or leave it on?' I'm going to try and not muddy the waters any more than they already are in this short article. I will share some facts and some opinions in this article that will help you make the decision for yourself.

First, let me say that there is no definitive answer on this subject and if you ask twenty computer people whether to leave your computer on over night, you will probably get 50% on one side of the fence and 50% on the other side.

That being said, let me present the facts about computer energy consumption:

Photo Restoration

Digital Photo Restoration

Restoring old photos is one of the coolest things you can do in digital photography. The best part is that anyone can do it. All it takes is a scanner and a nice image editing program.

Important Photo Restoration Tools

There are many several tools that you just can't do without when it comes to restoring photos.

Cloning tool

Organizing and Backing Up Photos

Getting organized:

The best way to get your photos organized is to start with a system that works for you.

My system is to create a single folder for all my digital photos on my hard drive. Inside that folder, called "Digital Pictures," I place a sub-folder for each month of the year. In each month's folder I may place more folders for each activity held during that month.

For example: Digital Photos –> April –> Easter –> Grandmas

I then place the digital pictures into their respective folders.

Future proofing your new PC

We have talked at length about the upcoming Windows Vista on our show and eluded to it here on the site. Microsoft says that it will come out in the first quarter of 2007 which leaves us about six months give or take. Adam and I had our first look at Vista during this year's Consumer Electronic Show (CES). We weren't impressed. Since then, I have read many Vista articles, reviews, blogs and even downloaded the beta version of Vista. I'm still not impressed.

All that being said, at some point you may want to upgrade to Vista (or its upgrade). I don't recommend waiting for Vista before buying a new PC because I truly believe that Vista will be a flop for the first six or so months (putting us into 2008). BUT, when you are buying a new computer or laptop, you might as well plan a little for the future. Here's what I'm telling callers and clients this month about what to look for in a new computer.

Maybe I should run a backup today

I spent much of my day working with a client who had lost everything on his hard drive. The motor died. We checked with a couple of data recovery services on the web and one said it would cost $1100 to recover, the other said the price would start at $599 (lowest possible estimate).

I have seen clients lose important information before and it is heart breaking, but it was what my client said later that I think is of note.

People often ask us how often they should back up or how they should backup. While the answers to these questions vary, there is one time that you should always backup everything that is important.

New Computer Specs

Computer prices continue to drop and get more powerful. I answer the question, "What should I buy?", many times every week. The answer seems to change about every six months. Today, I’m going to list my advice that should hold for at least six months:

Primary use is Internet, email, small games, and word processing:

  • Any processor 512MB of RAM
  • Any size hard drive
  • Mimimum CDRW Drive

Primary use is as above + digital photography:

  • Pentium IV (NOT Celeron) or AMD equivalant
  • 1 GB of RAM Built-in card reader 100 GB Hard Drive DVD burner
  • Separate video card (not built-in) or ability to add one

Uses are as above + video editing and/or high end games or other processor intensive program:

How to burn a CD or DVD in Linux

Paul from Texas called today and wanted to know how to burn a CD or DVD in Linux. We aren’t big Linux (an alternative operating system) users so we found a web site to use that explains how to do it:

 Linux Tutorial