Tag Archives: Computer

Favorite: Windows utilities from Piriform

Posted on May 18, 2011 by quill

Some utilities you use once in a blue moon. Some utilities you end up using every day until they become indispensable.  One company that makes shareware that is part of my everyday toolkit is Piriform. CCleaner cleans out cache files, … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Favorites, Free stuff, Software, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Add a SSD to a 2012 or older MacBook Pro or Unibody MacBook

Posted on May 18, 2011 by quill

One way to increase the performance of a MacBook Pro is to change the hard drive out for a fast Solid State Drive (SSD).  The problem is that large SSDs are still more expensive than hard drives, so getting faster … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Hard Drives and SSD, How-To, Mac questions, Product Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Q. What is running on my PC?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

How do I tell what programs are running on my machine that aren’t listed on the Task Bar? Hit Control – Alt – Delete — this brings up the Task Manager. Windows XP http://vlaurie.com/computers2/Articles/taskman.htm Windows 7 http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/reap-the-benefits-of-windows-7s-task-manager/2576 You can now … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Performance, Security, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

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. How do I use Photoshop?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

Here is a collection of learning resources for Adobe Photoshop, the premier image editing program. I like the Missing Manual series of books the “Missing Manual” series http://missingmanuals.com/ Peachpit Press has good instuctional books, and video podcasts here http://www.peachpit.com/podcasts/index.aspx Adobe … Continue reading →

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Q. I have Illustrator – how do I use it?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

Adobe Illustrator is an immensely powerful vector graphics drawing program. It can be intimidating for first time users. I recommend any book in the “Missing Manual” series http://missingmanuals.com/, and the Peachpit Press “Non-Designer’s Book of” series by Robin Williams   … Continue reading →

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Q. What is a Dell Service Tag and where do I find it?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

The Service Tag is Dell’s name for a serial number, and allows Dell to identify your individual machine. It should be on a sticker glued to the bottom, back or side of your computer case. Using Internet Explorer 5.5 or … Continue reading →

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Q. Doesn’t a new computer come with Office?

Posted on May 17, 2011 by quill

Microsoft Office software is included on a computer’s drive only if it was purchased in a bundle with the machine.  Far more often, what is pre-installed on a hard drive is the Microsoft Office Test Drive version, a trial version … Continue reading →

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Q. My HP computer didn’t come with disks

Posted on May 14, 2011 by quill

Hewlett-Packard, like many manufacturers, is saving money by not including Windows recovery or install DVDs with new machines.  The customer is expected to spend a couple of hours when they first unpack the machine, and burn their own disks.  Guess … 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 →

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

Q. What is a Rootkit?

Posted on May 14, 2011 by quill

A rootkit is a persistent virus that is much harder to remove than a normal virus because it gains privileged access to the machine, modifies the system at a low level and cloaks its visibility. Once established, rootkit infections often … Continue reading →

Posted in Computer Questions and Answers, Security, Viruses and malware, Windows questions | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Favorite: TrueCrypt open source encryption

Posted on May 13, 2011 by quill

Here’s something that makes me shudder – when I hear someone complain that they lost their USB memory ‘keychain’ drive, and then to hear them say “yeah, now I’m out $30 to buy a new one”.  It’s not the money, … Continue reading →

Posted in Favorites, Free stuff, Hard Drive News, News, Security | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Hybrid SSD/hard drive setups

Posted on May 13, 2011 by quill

Lately there has been a choice to make between conventional hard drives and flash based Solid State Drives (SSD).  The decision boiled down to speed vs. cost vs. capacity.  SSDs can be blazingly fast, but they are expensive, and limited … Continue reading →

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Q. How do I get a Word document into Photoshop so I can save it as an image?

Posted on May 13, 2011 by quill

Word documents are not images. Photoshop is an image editor – we’re talking apples and oranges here.  We’ll take it as a given that you will only get one page at a time into Photoshop. If you want an image … Continue reading →

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Kingston introduces USB 3.0 keychain drives

Posted on May 13, 2011 by quill

Kingston has released new USB 3.0 models of their DataTraveller USB memory drives. The USB 2.0 interface imposes limits on data transfer rates of storage media; USB 3.0 raises the bar on flash drive performance.  The drives are backwards compatible … Continue reading →

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