Author Archives: quill

Q. Can I build a gaming computer under $2000? (Dec 2011 edition)

Posted on December 18, 2011 by quill

Updated December 2011 A few things have changed since our last article.  Hard drives are way up in price, and SSD drives and RAM have come down in price.  Let’s see how this affects our sub-$2000 gaming machine build.  Once … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, General Computer, How-To, Performance | Leave a comment

The hidden MacBook RAM upgrade

Posted on July 28, 2011 by quill

Apple has consistently published specifications for machines that state limitations on how much RAM the machine can take. In some cases, experimentation has found that certain Macs can take more than the ‘official’ amount of RAM. iMac, MacBook and MacBook … Continue reading →

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Q. Can I build a $1500 – $2000 gaming computer?

Posted on July 27, 2011 by quill

See the previous article on building a sub-$1000 gaming computer Once we get to a $1500 – $2000 budget for a gaming machine, we can look at a better-appointed case and some serious graphics power. We’ll start with the over-clockable … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, How-To, Performance, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. Can I build a gaming computer for $1000?

Posted on July 20, 2011 by quill

An exercise in budget computing is to build a computer that will give acceptable gaming performance for under $1000. The biggest bang for the buck component in a gaming computer is the video card, so sacrifices will have to me … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, General Computer, How-To | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. My Macintosh loses its settings and date?

Posted on July 9, 2011 by quill

If your Mac reverts to a date in the past when you turn it off, or forgets its Startup Disk or Network settings and time, then it means that the PRAM (parameter RAM) memory is getting reset, and the primary … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I know if a website has a virus?

Posted on July 5, 2011 by quill

Downloading files from websites (especially pirated files) is risky no matter what. The files may not be what you think they are, and may contain malware installers.  Or the site may be ‘poisoned’ and try to automatically download malware to … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Internet and Networking, Security, Viruses and malware, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. I’m selling a Windows 7 machine – how do I get my data off?

Posted on July 5, 2011 by quill

First back up ALL of your personal data. Don’t forget your email data files and your browser bookmarks If the machine has the option to make System restore CDs do it now. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Create-a-system-repair-disc Also go to the manufacturer’s website, download … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I get my Bookmarks onto a new computer?

Posted on July 4, 2011 by quill

Bookmarks or Favorites in a Web browser can be moved from one browser to another, or from one computer to another. Go into your present browser, and look for the function to export bookmarks or favorites. This will result in … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Internet and Networking, Mac questions, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q.Why am I missing 7% of my hard drive space?

Posted on June 30, 2011 by quill

You format your new 500 GB hard drive and it comes up 465 GB – 7% less – where did the extra space go?  Strange as it seems, you’re not missing any bytes on your drive, it’s a difference of … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, General Computer, Hard Drives and SSD | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. What is Thunderbolt?

Posted on June 25, 2011 by quill

Thunderbolt is a new computer data interface format that combines high speed data transfer plus digital video into one cable. The release of the Apple Mac Book Pro in February 2011 introduced Thunderbolt to the market, followed by the iMac … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Hard Drive News, News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

iPad + Wireless + portable storage = Wi-Drive

Posted on June 24, 2011 by quill

One criticism of Apple’s popular iOS devices (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch) is that they don’t have Secure Digital flash memory card slots. This means that to back up the data from an iOS device or to access additional data … Continue reading →

Posted in Hard Drive News, iPad, iPhone, iPod, News, Smartphone News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Favorite Sites: Experimental Musical Instruments

Posted on June 8, 2011 by quill

One of my earliest musical memories is of pulling all of the pots and pans out of the cupboards, arranging them around the kitchen floor and hitting them with wooden spoons.  Later, it was filling bottles and glasses with water … Continue reading →

Posted in Favorites, Music recording, instruments, hard & software, Web News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. Can I make music on an iPad?

Posted on June 7, 2011 by quill

Making music on iPad and iPhone An iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone is a computer in your hand, complete with a stunning display and touch screen interface. With a tool this portable and powerful, it’s a natural next step to … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Music recording, instruments, hard & software | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Q. Can I plug my guitar into the computer?

Posted on June 2, 2011 by quill

Guitar Audio Interfaces You could plug an electric guitar jack directly into the microphone or line input jack of a computer and it may record a sound.  But it will probably be a really awful sound, not at all what … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Music recording, instruments, hard & software | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. What is a USB microphone?

Posted on May 31, 2011 by quill

See companion article on Software for computer recording See companion article on Hardware for computer recording A USB microphone is a hybrid – it is a microphone cross-bred with a USB audio interface, so that it can plug directly into … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, General Computer, Music recording, instruments, hard & software | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment