Articles in Category: Hardware
Computers, computer systems and the physical components and accessories that make them what they are.
Audio CDs — What Format Should I Use to Burn My Audio CDs?
Audio CDs are different from data CDs. Typically, your burning software needs to know how to create audio CDs, and you need to explicitly tell it to do so.
Why Do I Have to Hold Down the “Fn” Key to Get Normal Letters?
Computer manufacturers use the Fn key to cram more virtual keys onto smaller laptop keyboards. Sometimes it can get confused.
It’s A Cold Day You-know-where…
My most recent computer has something in common with my very first.
Why Don’t I Have An On-screen Volume Indicator?
On-screen volume indicators are handy, but surprisingly they’re not actually part of Windows. We’ll look at alternatives.
Why Won’t My External Drives Shut Down Automatically?
External drives normally shut down or go to sleep after some period of inactivity, or when the computer is turned off. If not you may have to manually turn them off as well.
Why is only the left hand part of my page printed?
When printing some programs will automatically scale what you see to fit your printer’s width. If not, you might only get a portion of what you expect.
Why does my clock reset on every power-on?
When your computer is turned off or unplugged, a small battery keeps the computer’s clock running. If that battery runs out, your clock will reset.
Why is my Windows screen sometimes stretched beyond my monitor’s borders?
Usually an issue with the monitor, we’ll look at ways to adjust your screen.
Why Doesn’t My Keyboard Work Until Windows Is Running?
Solvable? Perhaps, but probably not. But if it makes you feel any better, I have exactly the same problem.
Why Does My Screen Go Black After the Windows Screen When I Boot?
It usually means your desktop settings don’t match your video card’s or your monitor’s capabilities.
Why can't I add files to my CD-R?
We’ll look at why you might not be able to add files to a CD-R.
What’s a “Stack Overflow”?
I’ve now received a couple of reports of stack overflow problems after people have upgraded to Norton Internet Security 2006. Here’s what I know so far.
My upgraded computer keeps shutting down – what should I do?
An upgraded computer may shut down because the existing power supply isn’t strong enough. Here’s why.
Are Mac’s inherently safer?
Yes they are. No they are not. And I just know what the comments on this article are going to be like…
How Can I Tell If I Have USB 2.0?
USB (Universal Serial Bus) 2.0 is a significantly faster version of USB 1.1. Determining which you have is not at all obvious. But it is fairly easy.
Why does my 31 gig drive have only 10gig of space after formatting?
The part that concerns me most is why did the behavior change? I assume that you were able to access the partition we’re talking about without problem before that. Unfortunately in reformatting, you’ve probably lost any data that may have been out there. That’s partly what reformatting commonly does: erase the contents of the drive … Read more
How Do I Configure My Static IP Address?
Once you’ve been assigned a static IP address you’ll need to configure the network-connected device manually to use it. We’ll look at how.
Can I use a USB RAM stick to increase system memory?
Flash memory is not the same as the type of memory used as your system RAM. They have different characteristics and they’re accessed differently.
Must I reformat if I replace my motherboard?
Reinstalling Windows is often recommended when replacing a motherboard with a different model. But there are scenarios where it may not be needed.
Why Does the Mouse Pointer Jump around the Screen?
Fortunately for most cases, there is a simple solution to why your mouse pointer would jump around the screen.
Can I use my Webcam as a Motion Detector and Security Monitor?
You’ll need some tools to get yourself started, but it is possible to use a webcam as a motion detector and security monitor.
How do I set up my computer – simply?
If you don’t want to spend a lot of time tweaking an elaborate setup, I present a basic, simpler, and quicker set of instructions to setup your computer.
How should I set up my computer? (Part VI)
In this sixth in a series of articles covering my new computer’s setup, we continue by making final adjustments to my computer and installing lots of software.
How should I setup Outlook?
In this fifth in a series of articles covering my new computer’s setup, we continue by making adjustments to Microsoft Outlook.
How should I set up my computer? (Part IV)
In this fourth in a series of articles covering my new computer’s setup, we continue by making adjustments to Microsoft Office and by using Tweak UI.
How should I set up my computer? (Part III)
In this third in a series of articles covering my new computer’s setup, we continue by making additional tweaks to the operating system and utilities.
How should I set up my computer? (Part II)
In my first article on setting up my new computer I walked through some of the basic actions I took to get my new machine configured. The saga continues!
How should I set up my computer? (Part I)
In previous articles I discussed the process I used to select a new computer for myself. Next, we’ll step through configuring my new machine.
What’s Dvorak, and why did my keyboard layout suddenly change?
If what you type isn’t what you get, one possibility is that your keyboard is configured for the Dvorak layout. We’ll look at how to check and fix it.
I have one machine on my network that when hogs all the bandwidth when it's on. Any ideas?
A malfunctioning network card could easily clog or cause other problems on a network.
How do I backup to DVD? How can I copy video DVDs?
Backing up to DVD is easy with a backup program or a DVD burner. Copying a video DVD, however, requires a different tool, and may be illegal.
What Does the ‘X’ in a 48X Speed CD-ROM Mean?
CD-ROMs and now DVDs have become common components in computer equipment. But what does it mean when someone says the speed is 48X? We’ll explain.
