Category Archives: Windows questions

Questions and answers specific to Windows machines and applications

How much RAM Memory can I install in my Windows computer? What does it depend on?

Posted on August 3, 2020 by quill

Your computer has a certain number of sockets for memory on its logic board. That will define how many modules can be installed. The machine will also have a maximum RAM module size that can be addressed. In most cases, … Continue reading →

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How to test a hard drive (Windows)

Posted on February 25, 2020 by quill

First. last and always – Back up There is no substitute for having regular and verified backups of your data. If you don’t have a backup routine, you need to establish one, ASAP. How do I know a drive is … Continue reading →

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Can I build a gaming computer under $1000? Sept 2019 edition

Posted on September 11, 2019 by quill

Posted on March 15, 2018 by quill It’s September 2019 and we are revisiting our exercise in budget computing: Can we build a computer that will give acceptable gaming performance for under $1000 Canadian? There’s a whole lot of new to look at … Continue reading →

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Can I build a gaming computer under $1000 March 2018 edition

Posted on March 15, 2018 by quill

It’s March 2018 and we are revisiting our exercise in budget computing: Can we build a computer that will give acceptable gaming performance for under $1000 Canadian? Here’s what’s new: DDR4 RAM has doubled in price, and dragged SSD pricing higher along … Continue reading →

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Where did the screw holes go? 8 and 10 TB hard drive mounting issue

Posted on June 8, 2017 by quill

So you’ve got your shiny new Seagate IronWolf or Western Digital Red Pro 10 TB hard drive and your’re itching to install it in your MacPro or NAS appliance.  You pull out the drive tray and grab your screwdriver and… … Continue reading →

Posted in Hard Drive News, Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, Windows questions | 1 Comment

USB 3.1 and USB Type C: What *is* that port?

Posted on April 29, 2015 by quill

The latest iteration of the USB standard is making its way onto motherboards and into notebooks.  With USB 3.1 Type A connectors and USB C (or Type C) connectors, 5 Gbps and 10 Gbps, we have a bit of ‘splaining … Continue reading →

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Can I build a $600 gaming machine?

Posted on April 26, 2015 by quill

The CAN$600 question is, can an uber-affordable machine deliver an acceptable gaming experience?  And the answer is: with the right expectations, yes. The first thing that has to go out the window is the idea that you have to play … Continue reading →

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Can I build a gaming computer under $1000? (Apr 2015 edition)

Posted on April 25, 2015 by quill

It’s April 2015 and we are revisiting our exercise in budget computing: Can we build a computer that will give acceptable gaming performance for under $1000 (In our 80 pound weakling Canadian dollars)? In the past year we have seen DDR3 … Continue reading →

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Superfish malware installed on new machines exposes HTTPS browsing

Posted on February 21, 2015 by quill

If you have a new Lenovo laptop, do this today: Check for Superfish and eliminate it Software called Superfish, a “Visual Search enhancer” product pre-installed on new consumer laptops from Lenovo among other brands, has been revealed to have severe … Continue reading →

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Ventir: New Mac malware, Trojan Horse

Posted on October 20, 2014 by quill

As reported by The Safe Mac here, and Kapersky Labs here, a new trojan horse “Ventir” has been discovered which infects Macintosh OSX.  The vector for infection has not been determined, but the Ventir installer must be run, either as … Continue reading →

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Another Phishing Email – “Your iTunes is frozen”

Posted on August 3, 2014 by quill

Online criminals continue with phishing expeditions. Phishing is sending phony emails that mimic legitimate emails from reputable sources, hoping to get you to click on them to download malware, or to steal your login and password when you arrive at … Continue reading →

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CryptoWall and Cryptolocker – what you need to know

Posted on July 2, 2014 by quill

Where did my data go? You might remember a series of viruses (or trojan horses) which “deleted” your data files and charged a ransom to get them back. These were frightening, but not fatal because they only hid files and with … Continue reading →

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NoScript with Firefox gives a higher level of security to web browsing

Posted on April 30, 2014 by quill

Web browsing is full of hazards. Even reputable websites can have poisoned banner ads from third parties, which can attempt to hack your machine or browser settings. You don’t even have to click on a “bad” website to be the … Continue reading →

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Internet Explorer Zero-day vulnerability – time to change

Posted on April 28, 2014 by quill

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Web browser has been exposed to have a vulnerability that hackers have been exploiting — before Microsoft has had a chance to respond with a patch. (this is the meaning of the term Zero Day, a hole … Continue reading →

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Routers – home and small business router vulnerabilities

Posted on March 18, 2014 by quill

We think (a lot) about keeping our computers up to date, virus free and protected with passwords. But stop and consider this: the wireless router that sits in the corner of the office and quietly handles all your WiFi and … Continue reading →

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