Articles in Category: Hardware

Computers, computer systems and the physical components and accessories that make them what they are.

Why a Chromebook?

Chromebooks can be a viable alternative for those who do most of their computing online and are looking for a simpler, perhaps more stable, yet powerful device.

How Do I Remove a BIOS or UEFI Password?

A BIOS password provides a surprising amount of security on a computer — so much that if the password is lost, chances for recovery are slim.

Why Doesn’t My Internet Speed Match What I’m Paying For?

In general, faster is better, but make sure you’re testing properly so that you get an accurate report.

Picking Up and Setting Up My New Desktop

My new machine was ready! I’ll show you where it came from, and the laundry list of things I did first.

A Recent Update Prevents Me from Booting. How Do I Fix It?

Recovery from an unbootable machine isn’t as daunting as it sounds… with a little preparation.

Designing My New Desktop

Looking carefully at how I use my computer, and with help from my chosen manufacturer, I’ve configured my new desktop machine.

The Results of My Year-Long Laptop Experiment

A year ago, I replaced two laptops and a desktop with a single laptop. It’s time to evaluate the results.

Will My Old Computer Run Windows 10?

There are several options to extend the life of an older machine, depending on its capabilities.

Why I Bought My Wife a Mac (Updated)

My wife’s computer was struggling and it was time to replace it. After evaluating her usage, her willingness to make a change or two, and my own experience, I made a decision that might surprise some.

How to Speed Up Your Older Computer: Five Options

Here are five common options to speed up and extend the life of an older computer.

How to Diagnose Wi-Fi Signal Strength Issues

Diagnosing an unexpected drop in Wi-Fi signal strength can be challenging. I’ll review some things to consider, as well as some steps to take to perhaps sidestep the problem.

Why Doesn’t My New, Empty Hard Drive Show All the Advertised Space?

Terms used to measure disk space can be ambiguous. As a result, a megabyte to you might not be the same as a megabyte to your computer.

Can I Recover Old Files from an External Hard Drive?

It is possible to recover deleted data from an old external hard drive, but success depends on how that drive has been used since the data was deleted.

Should I Partition My Hard Disk?

Partitioning, or splitting a single physical hard drive into multiple drives, has pros and cons. I’ll look at those and make a recommendation.

Are PCs Doomed?

While the ratio of PCs to mobile devices may change over time, I believe PCs will not be going away any time soon. They’re just too darned useful.

Is My Hard Disk About to Die?

There are signs we can use to determine if a hard drive is about to fail, but it’s also common for a drive to fail without any indication at all.

How Do I Best Extend My Wireless Network for Laptop Access?

It can be difficult to get wireless network coverage throughout your home. I’ll look at a couple of ways to extend your wireless network.

My Computers Keep Crashing — Is It Me?

It’s easy to feel cursed if computer after computer you deal with has problems. It’s often not you at all.

How To Keep an External Hard Drive Useful and Healthy Longer

My best practices for external hard drives concern software, hardware, and — you guessed it — backing up.

How Do I Print An Email or Webpage and Have It Work?

Many websites don’t expect you to print their contents. As a result, many don’t print well. I’ll review why that is, and the things to try.

How Do I Password-protect a Flash Drive?

There are several approaches to password-protecting a flash drive, one of which might be designed for exactly the task at hand.

What is “Quick Removal” and How is it Changing in Windows 10?

Windows is changing the default setting for “Quick Removal” for external drives. I’ll look at why, and what it means.

Can I Use External Hard Drives as NAS Storage?

External drives can indeed be used as part of your own home-brew NAS. It’s probably easier than you think.

How Do I Get Data Off of the Hard Drive in a Dead Computer?

Extracting data from a hard drive in a dead computer isn’t typically difficult, unless it’s the drive itself that caused the problem.

The Journey to My New Computer: RAM Upgrade

I decided my new laptop needed more RAM. I’ll walk you through the replacement process.

Should I Defrag My External Drive, and If So, How?

You can defrag your external drive using Windows File Explorer, from the command prompt, or using a third-party tool. But should you?

The Journey to My New Computer: Success and Failure

My new machine is in service. Here’s what I installed, how it’s performing, and how at least one aspect failed.

The Journey to My New Computer: Update, Update, Update

My new machine is backed up, so the first thing after Windows setup is to update, update, and update again.

The Journey to My New Computer: The First Thing I Do

How I resolved a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma: I have to turn the machine on to back it up, but I want to back it up prior to turning it on.

The Journey to My New Computer: Choices

I’ve reviewed my needs, so now it’s time to translate those into specific decisions about what to purchase.

The Journey to My New Computer: Just What Do I Do All Day?

The most important information you need when selecting a new computer is understanding exactly what you plan to do with it. I’ll review my needs.

The Journey to My New Computer: Taking Stock

It’s time for me to buy a new computer, and I’m taking you along for the ride.

Do I Need to Update My BIOS Regularly?

Your system BIOS is software, but updating it regularly may not be appropriate. Updating it to fix a bug, of course, would be.

Why Doesn’t My External Drive Appear When Plugged In?

When attempting to back up a new Windows 10 laptop, I inserted one of my external USB drives and … nothing. Here’s what I did.

Can I Convert an External USB Hard Drive into an Internal One?

External hard drives are handy and portable, but occasionally, it might be nice to move all that storage into your PC. You probably can.

Should I Cover Up My Webcam When I’m Not Using It?

There’s nothing wrong with covering your camera, but it’s probably not worth the effort.

How Do I Create a Bootable USB Thumb Drive from an ISO?

If you don’t have a CD or DVD drive, you may be able to turn that ISO image into a bootable USB thumb drive.

What Should I Do About the VPNFilter Router Exploit?

The VPNFilter malware that impacts routers is complex and difficult to know what to do about.

If Shutting Down Windows Cleanly Is So Important, What Happens When the Power Just Goes Out?

We’re all told to shut down Windows before turning power off, but what if the power just goes out? If you’re not protected, bad things can happen.

My Computer Has Started to Shut Down Randomly. Could it Be the Fan?

Airflow through your computer is an important part of keeping it cool and running well. Dust and dirt often block fans.

How Do I View the Contents of My Hidden D: Drive?

Partitions may be hidden for good reasons. Here’s how to peek inside.

Is it Safe to Just Turn Off an External USB Drive Without “Safely Removing” First?

“Device cannot be stopped” can be a frustrating error if there’s no obvious cause. Turning off device power or unplugging anyway isn’t really safe.

Do I Need All These Partitions?

Newer machines often come with multiple partitions. While it’s tempting to remove them, there’s little to be gained.

My Mouse and Keyboard Stopped Working, but Work Elsewhere. How Do I Fix Them?

If your mouse and keyboard stop working, you may be able to repair the situation — if you can overcome one huge obstacle.

Hard Disk Failure Is Imminent! What Do I Do?

“Hard Disk Failure Is Imminent” is a message you want to take very seriously — so seriously that hopefully, you’ll have planned for it beforehand.

How Do I Shut Down a Machine with No Display?

It’s not difficult to shut down a machine if you can’t see its screen — as long as you plan ahead.

Are USB Ports Going Away?

All technology changes, and yes, USB ports will someday disappear. “How quickly?” is the real question. I’m not terribly concerned.

Making Things Look Bigger in Windows 10

Windows 10 makes it easy to make things bigger on the screen.

What Should I Look for in a Replacement Hard Drive?

It’s always a good idea to look for the “best”. The problem is that when it comes to hard disks, “best” is a moving target.

How Do I Fix “Invalid System Disk” Error?

An “invalid system disk” error has several possible causes. Two of them will make you hope you backed up recently.