Category Archives: General Computer

General computer questions and answers, for both Windows and Mac OS machines

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 →

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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 →

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Q. Help I spilled liquid on my machine

Posted on May 27, 2011 by quill

Liquids and electricity don’t mix.  Keep drinks, potted plants, etc. away from your computer. The first thing if there is a spill is: Immediately turn the computer off, unplug it (or remove the battery if it is a laptop). Wireless … Continue reading →

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Q. Can I use faster RAM with the slower RAM I have?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

For example, your machine has PC2-4200 (533 MHz) DDR2 memory in it, and you have another module of PC2-5300 (667 MHz). Can you use it? Your motherboard’s memory speed will always be set to the speed of the slowest module … Continue reading →

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Q. My computer is broken and I need the data

Posted on May 14, 2011 by quill

If your computer has a broken screen, failed motherboard or bad power supply, the data on the hard drive is probably still OK – so you want to be able to get it copied to a new machine or another … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I transfer all my songs/ movies from one iTunes to another computer?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by quill

In your User folder, under Music or My Music, you should see a folder called iTunes. inside this are your music folders and iTunes settings. Note: This is the normal place for the files.  iTunes is capable of reading the … Continue reading →

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Q. I want to make and edit a video but i don’t have a program to do it.

Posted on May 10, 2011 by quill

If you have a Macintosh, it came with iMovie which is a basic and easy to use movie editor. How to use: http://www.apple.com/support/imovie/ Recent Windows machines came with Windows Movie Maker Win 7:  http://explore.live.com/windows-live-movie-maker?os=other Vista: http://download.cnet.com/Windows-Movie-Maker-Windows-Vista/3000-13631_4-10729231.html?tag=mncol;3 Win XP: http://download.cnet.com/Windows-Movie-Maker-Windows-XP/3000-13631_4-10165075.html Open … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I change my IP address? What are the risks?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by quill

It depends what you mean by changing your address, and what your network configuration is. When you are browsing, the IP address that the outside Web sees you as coming from is the WAN IP address assigned to your broadband … Continue reading →

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Q. Is there any Internet security threat if I only visit reputable sites?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by Trevor

Yes there is a threat even if you only visit ‘safe’ places.  You could get a virus through emails, which redirects your links from what you thought was a reputable site to a phony site.  Banner ads on a reputable … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I format an external hard drive on a Mac?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by quill

Before you can use a hard drive, it needs to be formatted, which organizes the data structure on the drive ready to accept data. In addition, a drive can be partitioned into two or more logical volumes, or it can … Continue reading →

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Q. How can I stop junk emails from arriving?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by quill

There’s not a lot you can do to stop people (or robots) from sending you junk email. In most cases it is not worth (and not even safe) to use the “unsubscribe” links in spam emails or to reply to … Continue reading →

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Q. What will adding more RAM to my computer do?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by quill

The key to computer performance is having enough RAM memory. RAM doesn’t speed a machine up, however. Rather, adding RAM removes a barrier to speed.  It’s like your car – taking your foot off the brake doesn’t speed it up, … Continue reading →

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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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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. 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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