TECH

November 2006
"Upgrading"

Microsoft's Internet Explorer 7 is ready for download now and I have already received a few calls about installations problems from friends and clients. Please remember to turn off your anti-virus and anti-spam software before you start the installation process. If you leave them on and the program tries to install itself in one of the protected areas of your registry, you will get an error message.

August 2006
"Playing problems"

I went to a client's house to fix what she called "problems playing" her computer game. I looked the system over and fixed other problems she was having but, the CD player problem had me stumped. The computer could see the drive, the drive did light up, I could hear the CD spin. I tried installing a different drive to test the port and used the same disc. It did not respond. I changed the cable and tested the same disc in the drive. Nothing seemed to work. Then I thought, what if it is the disc. Let me try a different disc. I put a different disc in the drive and like magic, it worked. I then looked at the first disc. The picture shows how what I saw. Dust, grease, and smudged fingerprints clouded this disc. I took a cloth and with a little rubbing alcohol, cleaned the surface. The disc worked fine afterward. Key: drive problems could be due to a dirty disc. Check your discs.

July 2006
"Dual Monitors"

I love using two monitors when creating on my computer. This includes webpages, pictures, or presentations. Most graphics software have multiple menus that would normally squeeze onto one screen. I can use the extra monitor to place these menus. It makes work so much more convenient. Setting this up is super easy. You need a video card with outlets/connectors for two monitors.

1. Turn off your computer and install the new video card.
2. Connect one monitor and then start the computer. I suggest you connect the monitor that you wish to be your primary monitor first.
3. Install your video card drivers and make sure it can detect and name the first monitor.
4. Turn off your computer and connect the second monitor, then restart the computer.
5. Windows will detect the second monitor.
6. The software that came with the video card will have software that allow you to choose a primary and secondary monitor, and allow you to choose continuous (what begins on one screen continues on the next screen).
7. Begin using them...

June 2006
"...Free Microsoft programs..."

I spoke to a customer the other day and he was asking me to recommend a good program to back up his hard drive. Then he said he did not want to spend more than $20. Windows operating system is not just an operating system (OS). Bundled or grouped together with the OS are powerful programs that can help you do mundane tasks like organize and maintain your system, and fun things like Internet browsing and making movies. Windows has a backup utility that helps you to backup your hard drive in various styles using varying methods. If you want to learn more about using this and other maintenance programs that come with Windows, take our class on Easy Computer Maintenance. It is loaded with step-by-step slide shows and videos that teach how to use these programs.

April 2006
"...Adding Hardware..."

The Windows XP operating system tries to make adding hardware easier. It has a large database of drivers to pull from so there were two devices (a nic card and modem) that I installed without needing the installation disk. I am not used to the operating system being so pushy. By this I mean that XP is constantly trying to anticipate what you want to do and trying to do it for you. I pressed the "never mind, let me do it" option quite a few times instead of using the XP shortcuts. Some times it seemed like being with an annoying little brother, "let me do it, let me do it", but you can always choose the option that lets you work on your own.

March 1 , 200
"The power supply"

If I told you that building a computer is easy you probably would not believe me, but it is. The hard part in computing is fixing the darn things. So many problems mimic other problems. Also there is something I like to call the cascade effect. One failing device can take another one with it. A bad power supply can damage any other component inside your case. So what are the signs of a bad power supply? Most commonly if your system is locking up constantly, or it starts making a noise (it sounds like the fan is scraping something or straining), and begins having weird errors like trouble writing to your CD-R.

If your power supply fails you will press the computer's power button and not hear the fan spin. You may see a brief flicker of the power light but this is just a little left over power.

Whenever you are having problems with a particular program or device, the first advice a technician will give you is to restart your system. Why? Restarting the system resets the computer. Especially if you are using one of the Windows Operating Systems. They were designed to work better after a restart. Sometimes after you use a program it is still taking up space in your memory or is still opened in Windows. To check which programs are open press the <ctrl>, <alt> and <del> keys once, altogether, and this will open up the close program dialog box. Look inside at the list of programs currently running. Restarting the computer gets rid of those programs that hung around after you finished using them. In a later entry I'll talk about stopping some of those other programs from starting when you computer starts.

Answer to "Ask the Tech's" question

A visiting surfer asked about a problem she was having installing the upgrade to software she had on her computer. She kept getting an error message that looked like this " memory could not be read from 000XE00..." Once I saw the word memory in the error message, I had to ask myself why can't the program access the memory? It was then that I realized that the program could not install because she must have some form of spysweeper software protecting the memory and protecting against program installations. So, remember the proper stages involved in the installation process.(1) turn off spyware and virus protection software, (2) install software.