Tag Archives: Computer

Q. After I renamed my SD card files, the photos no longer showed up on my camera, but it shows up on my computer. How do I fix this?

Posted on February 17, 2020 by quill

A. As you have accidentally found out, cameras require photos to be in specific places with specific naming conventions. The directories on the SD card will have specific names. Usually the image files themselves are sequentially numbered, such as IMG_01281.jpg … 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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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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Keeping clean is cool

Posted on July 26, 2012 by quill

Enemy #1 The number one enemy of computers is heat. Excess heat can damage components outright, or cause accelerated wear over time. Especially with laptops and all in one machines, a great deal of engineering goes into conducting heat away … Continue reading →

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Q. Is a Quad Core processor better than a Dual Core?

Posted on July 20, 2012 by quill

While the answer might be obvious, it is not as straightforward as “more cores are better”. First of all, we need to be on the same page when comparing CPU (Central Processing Unit) technologies. There are big differences in computing … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I upgrade the hard drive in a Windows laptop?

Posted on June 30, 2012 by quill

Most modern notebook machines have hard drives that can be replaced with a larger, faster 2.5″ SATA hard drive or upgraded to a 2.5″ SATA Solid State (SSD) flash drive. Older notebooks may have 2.5″ IDE (Parallel ATA) hard drives, they can still … Continue reading →

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Q. What is a Retina Display?

Posted on April 3, 2012 by quill

“Retina” is Apple’s marketing name for a high resolution LCD display for smartphones (iPhone), tablets (iPad), media players (iPod Touch) and future products such as computer monitors and iMacs. What does “Retina” mean? The term Retina refers to the assumption … Continue reading →

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Q. What RAM memory and hard drive fits my Apple eMac G4?

Posted on February 21, 2012 by quill

Apple Macintosh eMac G4 machines took two different types of RAM – PC133 SDRAM and DDR-333 (PC2700 or PC3200 can be used.) In both models, the RAM is accessed through a trap door on the bottom of the machine. If … 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 →

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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 →

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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. What hardware do I need to make professional recordings?

Posted on May 28, 2011 by quill

See the companion article on digital recording software When you want to record music and get a good sounding result, you will want better quality and more flexible audio interfaces than the Mic jack on your computer.  Getting the audio … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Music recording, instruments, hard & software | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments