Monthly Archives: May 2011

Q. I have some RAR files that were sent to me, What do I do with them?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

RAR is a compression format, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAR, and the files you have are compressed archives of one or more original files.  First, you have to decompress the RAR archives. Here are some utilities that can do that 7-Zip (Free, Windows) http://download.cnet.com/7-Zip/3000-2250_4-10045185.html?tag=mncol;1 … Continue reading →

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Q. I downloaded Audacity to edit MP3s, now how do I use it?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

Audacity is a great open source audio editor program, available for Windows and Macintosh http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Here are some learning resources for it Audacity Tutorials http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/tutorials.html Wiki http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Category:Tutorial Tutorial Videos on YouTube Removing vocals with Audacity http://wiki.audacityteam.org/index.php?title=Vocal_Removal Mixing two songs together … Continue reading →

Posted in Music recording, instruments, hard & software, Software | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. How can I tell which computer on the network is downloading huge amounts of stuff through my company’s router?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

Excessive bandwidth use could indicate a user who is downloading or uploading movies, torrents of pirated software or streaming video, or it could be malware on the machine. Either way it can impact network performance for everyone, could result in … Continue reading →

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Q. What is the fastest disk setup for Photoshop

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

Photoshop (as well as other high-end graphic and video production software) is a heavy user of hard drive access.  The speed of the hard drive in a machine and the way that hard drive use is organized can have a … Continue reading →

Posted in Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, Memory, Performance, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. How can I connect two computers that are 1 km away, without a cable?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

Connecting two networks through the air at long distances (100’s of meters to several km) is possible with low power WiFi equipment as long as you have line of sight between the two locations. It requires choosing the correct antennas … Continue reading →

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Q. I’ve just done a restore on my machine, and the (DVD, printer, video) doesn’t work

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

Go to your manufacturer’s website, support, drivers and downloads section, and download all the latest drivers for your specific model and install them. Run all the Windows (or other OS) updates. When you do a restore, you are resetting the … Continue reading →

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Q. Will this new video card work in my machine?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

The questions you always have to ask when installing a new video card in a desktop or tower machine are: Is there an available PCI-e x16 slot with space beside it for the video card’s fans? Is there physical room … Continue reading →

Posted in Windows questions | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. My iBook or Powerbook battery is not charging or being recognized, yet it works fine in another machine

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

First you need to to a Power Manager reset PMU reset) on your machine http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1431 Then recalibrate the battery http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1490 Keep in mind that batteries last from one to three years and they steadily lose capacity.  Apple’s criteria is the … Continue reading →

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Q. How can I tell what year a certain website was created?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

You can’t know when the actual web pages were created, but you can look up in the WHOIS domain records when the domain was originally registered. Go to http://whois.domaintools.com/ and enter the domain name of the site.

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Q. How can I tell if my hard drive is failing?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

If you suspect that your disk is having trouble, make sure you back up your data files to another drive or to DVD-R as soon as possible. One symptom of a failing drive is long pauses to do anything. Another … Continue reading →

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Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

Your new router will have a different WPA password and SSID (network name) compared to your old router. Have you set the new router up?  Each WiFi machine will need to reconnect to the new router and have its settings … Continue reading →

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Q. I have hooked my laptop to a TV/External monitor/Projector and it isn’t displaying anything

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

Have you pressed the key that controls screen mirroring?  On Toshiba notebooks it is usually Function F5, or consult your manual. On Windows 7, hit Windows-P  or right-click on the desktop and choose Graphic Properties. Or go into Control Panel … Continue reading →

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Q. I bought something on PayPal and it was never delivered. How long do I have to make a claim?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

Go here to file a PayPal dispute cms.paypal.com/cgi-bin/?cmd=_render-content&content_ID=security/buyer_protection_resolution You have 45 days to file a dispute.  Follow the instructions on the PayPal Buyer Protection pages.  Do not let the seller talk you into waiting longer than 45 days, even if … Continue reading →

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Q. How do you put an iTunes gift card on the computer?

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Trevor

First, do you have an iTunes Store account? If you don’t, you need to open iTunes and create an account, and there will be an option for entering the gift card in the creation process. A credit card is not … Continue reading →

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iPhone for blind users: CBC Radio feature

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Trevor

Interesting audio article from CBC Radio : Spark on iPhone accessibilty for blind users www.cbc.ca/spark/2011/04/repeat-of-spark-125-may-1-4-2011/ using the VoiceOver feature from Apple support.apple.com/kb/HT3598 Nora Young interviews Austin Seraphin, who says what makes it work is the tight integration between the iOS, … Continue reading →

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