I want you to feel comfortable and confident in dealing with a lot of your computer conditions. But there is a point when you should NOT try to do it yourself. That point is where you don’t feel comfortable, and when there is too much to lose. Most computer problems that people have are NOT hardware related, they’re software […]
How to Contact a Professional
How to stay safe on the Web
Here’s the reality: The only way to stay completely safe on the web is to stay OFF the web. Wait, wait, I didn’t mean NOW, finish reading the article. Yes, when you connect your computer to other computers (and that’s the whole idea of the web), you do open your door to a certain amount of bad behavior. […]
This Thing Called the World Wide Web
I remember when there was no World Wide Web, when the Internet was not called the Internet. For today’s emerging generation of computer users, however, computer use IS the Internet or the Web. The journey from a room-sized machine churning out processed data to global information access from a handheld device weighing less than a pound probably does not fascinate […]
What can I get rid of, and how do I NOT mess it up?
I had a reader question on this subject, and this is a very good question. There are things that DO need to be on your computer, and things that DON’T. Knowing the difference between the two can determine whether or not your computer still runs after you’re done fixing it. These instructions pertain to Windows operating systems. If you need […]
Okay, so what IS the motherboard?
A motherboard is a printed circuit board that contains the stuff that makes up the computer, or it has slots to put some of that stuff in. Your computer is a box of electricity, and what makes it work and display stuff to you is the flow of that electricity. Each component in the computer has a printed circuit board […]
Dust
Dust, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad. If you see dust sitting on top of your computer, that’s not a problem. The problem is when it gets inside, or when it obstructs the airflow generated by the fans. In the Tip on Airflow, I recommended not putting the computer directly on the floor. That’s where dust […]
What you’ll find in Generalities
You’ll find definitions here, explanations, basic stuff. It’ll be computing terms in very broad descriptions.
RAM–What “Ewe” Need to Know (pun warning came too late)
what it is–in real people’s terms RAM stands for for Random Access Memory. It’s not storage, and it’s not the hard drive. It’s the thing your computer uses to keep track of stuff it’s working on right now or very recently. Your computer can’t start without it; if you don’t have RAM installed, it simply won’t complete the startup process. […]
Airflow
Somewhere on your computer—regardless of whether it’s a laptop or desktop—is a collection of vents. You can probably at times hear fan noises in that vicinity, and if you put your hand near the vents, you should be able to feel air coming out (assuming the machine is up and running). Airflow is VERY important to the health […]