There is always the option of calling upon a company like Geek Squad, from Best Buy, if you have the extra $350 to repair your computer. Let’s also state here their idea of computer repair is not what you need at all, unless you are looking for someone to come to your home with the intention of selling you software you don’t need, instead of repairing your computer. Later I will indulge all of you reading, my experience with this company, and how it brought amusement into my world

Going through only the computer repairing techniques we need to know, I will not waste your time with confusing nonsense about how a computer works, or how did the computer get broken in the first place where it is in need of computer repair? Who cares right? What’s done is done, lets just fix the darn thing.

I will show you how to do computer repair the easiest, most simplest way possible. We care about making our current computer situation better as it exists at this exact moment, ridding it of needing computer repair.

The computer repair basics presented here and the articles that follow will be more than enough to eradicate 90% of your home computer repair problems, completely resolving them all so you don’t have to search the internet anymore for “computer repair” and how to fix your computer problems.

You could be thinking, as I at one time did when I knew very little about computers or repairing them, that it will be near impossible to understand these square mysterious beeping towers or how they work none the less. It is a lot easier then you might think! You just need to know the what information is important about computer repair, discarding all the unnecessary stuff that most computer repair companies say in order to confuse you so you hire them. We do not need them! We have ourselves and by gosh darn it, we have this helpful article to guide you thought basic computer repair.

Computer repair steps are all the same.

Let’s repeat, computer repairing steps are all the same, no matter if it is you doing it or a computer engineer doing it. The computer engineer goes though the basic steps while repairing a computer system, the same steps we are going to go over in this article. He might know what to do in that chance of 10% when a computer is more damaged then normal, but we are not going to worry ourselves with that odd chance.

There are not hundreds of computer gurus that develop new and innovative ways to repair computers. Computer repair techniques have already been mapped out for us, and proven, so lets just utilize other peoples work and findings about computer repair, after all its free and legal!. Think of the same situation where you look up a recipe online to cook a fancy meal, it is the same idea!

Now, I have been prepping you for too long telling you why I think you can do it. You know you can do it, you just need to believe in yourself and take computer repair one step at a time. I cannot stress that enough. Computer repair has to be done in steps…1) before 2). Yes it sounds obvious but be strict on yourself about his, especially while learning how to do computer repair, you will make it easy on yourself.

Usually when we fix something in life we have identify the problem.. blah blah. Skip identifying the problem! (not how you learned it in school huh?) Lets not even try to pinpoint a problem that needs repairing with our computer yet!

We are going to first do a few very easy computer repair basics that will solve almost all computer issues (shhh overpriced Geek Squad doesn’t want you or anyone to know this).

First Guide in Computer Repair

1) Click the Start Menu, a button that is visible while hovering over the start menu is the “run” button. Click the run button and a small window in the bottom left of your screen comes up.

2) Type “msconfig” (with no quotation marks) in the box that is within the window.

3) Another window comes up, now go to the tab to the right called “start up”

4) Near the bottom of the window is a button called “disable all” click that button

5) Then click the “apply” button just below the “disable all” button.

6) X out of the window (close the window) and another window pops up. Click the “restart now” option.

And there you have it! You just taught yourself how to do a very easy computer repair technique which will solve alot of your computer repair issues.

For example, it is crucial for businesses to keep information they have secure so that hackers can’t access the information. Home users also need to take means to make sure that their credit card numbers are secure when they are participating in online transactions. A computer security risk is any action that could cause loss of information, software, data, processing incompatibilities, or cause damage to computer hardware, a lot of these are planned to do damage. An intentional breach in computer security is known as a computer crime which is slightly different from a cybercrime. A cybercrime is known as illegal acts based on the internet and is one of the FBI’s top priorities. There are several distinct categories for people that cause cybercrimes, and they are refered to as hacker, cracker, cyberterrorist, cyberextortionist, unethical employee, script kiddie and corporate spy.

*The Hacker.

The term hacker was actually known as a good word but now it has a very negative view. A hacker is defined as someone who accesses a computer or computer network unlawfully. They often claim that they do this to find leaks in the security of a network.

*The Cracker.

The term cracker has never been associated with something positive this refers to someone how intentionally access a computer or computer network for evil reasons. It’s basically an evil hacker. They access it with the intent of destroying, or stealing information. Both crackers and hackers are very advanced with network skills.

*The Cyberterrorist.

A cyberterrorist is someone who uses a computer network or the internet to destroy computers for political reasons. It’s just like a regular terrorist attack because it requires highly skilled individuals, millions of dollars to implement, and years of planning.

*The Cyberextortionist.

The term cyberextortionist refers to someone who uses emails as an offensive force. They would usually send a company a very threatening email stating that they will release some confidential information, exploit a security leak, or launch an attack that will harm a companies network. They will request a paid sum of money to prevent the threat from being carried out, a bit like black mailing.

*The Unethical Employee.

An unethical employee is an employee that illegally accesses their company’s network for numerous reasons. One could be the money they can get from selling top secret information, or some may be bitter and want revenge.

*The Script Kiddie.

A script kiddie is someone who is like a cracker because they may have the intentions of doing harm, but they usually lack the technical skills. They are usually silly teenagers that use prewritten hacking and cracking programs. *The Corporate Spy.
A corporate spy has extremely high computer and network skills and is hired to break into a specific computer or computer network to steal or delete data and information. Shady companies hire these type people in a practice known as corporate espionage. They do this to gain an advantage over their competition an illegal practice.

Business and home users must do their best to protect or safeguard their computers from security risks. The next part of this article will give some pointers to help protect your computer. However, one must remember that there is no one hundred percent guarantee way to protect your computer so becoming more knowledgeable about them is a must during these days.

When you transfer information over a network it has a high security risk compared to information transmitted in a business network because the administrators usually take some extreme measures to help protect against security risks. Over the internet there is no powerful administrator which makes the risk a lot higher. If your not sure if your computer is vulnerable to a computer risk than you can always use some-type of online security service which is a website that checks your computer for email and Internet vulnerabilities. The company will then give some pointers on how to correct these vulnerabilities. The Computer Emergency Response Team Coordination Center is a place that can do this. The typical network attacks that puts computers at risk includes viruses, worms, spoofing, Trojan horses, and denial of service attacks. Every unprotected computer is vulnerable to a computer virus which is a potentially harming computer program that infects a computer negatively and altering the way the computer operates without the user’s consent. Once the virus is in the computer it can spread throughout infecting other files and potentially damaging the operating system itself. It’s similar to a bacteria virus that infects humans because it gets into the body through small openings and can spread to other parts of the body and can cause some damage. The similarity is, the best way to avoid is preparation. A computer worm is a program that repeatedly copies itself and is very similar to a computer virus. However the difference is that a virus needs to attach itself to an executable file and become a part of it. A computer worm doesn’t need to do that, it copies itself to other networks and eats up a lot of bandwidth.

A Trojan Horse named after the famous Greek myth and is used to describe a program that secretly hides and actually looks like a legitimate program but is a fake. A certain action usually triggers the Trojan horse, and unlike viruses and worms it will not replicate itself. Computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses are all classified as malicious-logic programs which are just programs that deliberately harm a computer. Although these are the common three there are many more variations and it would be almost impossible to list them. You know when a computer is infected by a virus, worm, or Trojan horse if your computer displays one or more of these things:

* Screen shots of weird messages or pictures appear.

* You have less available memory than you expected.

* Music or sounds plays randomly.

* Files get corrupted.

* Programs are files don’t work properly.

* Unknown files or programs randomly appear.

* System properties fluctuate.

Computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses deliver their payload or instructions through three common ways.

1 – When an individual runs an infected program so if you download a lot of things you should always scan the files before executing, especially executable files.

2 – When an individual boots a computer with an infected drive, so that is why it’s important to not leave removable media in your computer when you shut it down.

3 – When an unprotected computer connects to a network. Today, a very common way that people get a computer virus, worm, or Trojan horse is when they open up an infected file through an email attachment.

There are literally thousands of malicious logic programs and new ones come out by the numbers so that’s why it’s important to keep up to date with new ones that come out each day. Many websites keep track of this. There is no known method for providing 100% protection for any computer or computer network from computer viruses, worms, and Trojan horses, but people can take several precautions to significantly reduce their chances of being infected by one of those malicious programs. Whenever you start a computer you should have no removable media in the drives. This goes for CD, DVD, and floppy disks. When the computer starts up it tries to execute a boot sector on the drives and even if it’s unsuccessful any given virus on the boot sector can infect the computer’s hard disk. If you must start the computer using removable media for any reason, such as when the hard disk fails and you are trying to reformat the drive make sure that the disk is not infected.

How can you protect your computer?

The best way to protect your computer from any of the above is by using good quality internet securities software. Purchasing this from a reputable security company is recommended to ensure that your software is kept up to date with the most recent virus signatures. If you are not up to date an unrecognised virus will not be stopped by the software. A full security package will protect you from viruses, Worms, Trojan horses, keyloggers and will detect when a hacker is attempting to hack into your computer and prevent them from gaining access when you are online or connected to a network. It is not advisable to use a free antivirus service as these do not provide adequate protection and are a false economy. Recommended internet security software companies are:- Norton, McAfee and others.

Step 1: Scandisk

You should run scandisk at least once a month. This will make sure that your computer can read all of the information on your disk. How will this speed up my computer? I’m glad you asked! You see your computer has in it’s hard drive what the technicians call redundancy. What I mean is if your computer is trying to read a file and the data isn’t read correctly from the disk, the computer tries to read that information again and again a set number of times. This results in slower loading times. When scandisk is ran regularly this keeps your disk free of these storage errors and thus enables the computer to get the information it needs from the disk as fast as possible. Scandisk should be run before the next step each and every time.

I know you’re asking, how do I run scandisk. It’s simple. Find that icon on your desktop or in your start menu labeled ‘My Computer’. In there you will see a listing of all the drives in your computer. Right click on the drive you want to scan and go to properties. There, you will have a tools tab. Click on it. You will see a button that says check for errors. This is scandisk or also called checkdisk on different versions of windows. There are 2 different modes, Standard or Thorough. Standard checks and makes sure that all the bits and pieces of your files are in the spot on the disk where it thinks they should be. In other words, it checks for filing errors. Thorough does a standard check as well as it tests each spot on the disk where the drive can write something and makes sure that what it writes, it reads back the same thing. If it doesn’t read the same information back, it marks that spot as bad so that it is not used. This keeps down that redundancy thing we spoke of earlier. Wasn’t that easy? Now, on to Step 2.

Step 2: Defrag

Defrag should be run once a week if you use your computer more than 14 hours a week. This equates to about 2 hours a day. Most people who actively use their computer will fall into this category. Defrag, whose real name is disk defragmenter, is your best friend for speed. You see when your computer writes something to the disk; it starts the disk to turning and drops bits of the data you want to write wherever there is a hole. It then tells the filing system where it placed that piece. So your file could be literally broken into 20 pieces! Your disk takes longer to load the file because it has to jump around to different spots to gather the pieces together when it needs it. Defrag takes care of this by gathering the pieces all together and writing them back to the disk in one piece. This way when you need the information, it’s all right there. To run defrag it’s the same as where we went for scandisk. You go to ‘My Computer’ and you right click on the drive you want to run defrag on and go to properties. There go to the tools tab. Click the Defragment button. Wow this is getting easier by the minute! On to step 3.

Step 3: Background Programs

Background programs really slow down your computer’s performance. They accomplish this by using up your computer’s resources. Resources are the combined power of your processor (brain), memory, and disk space. These 3 are the equivalent to horsepower. This is where you will gain a lot of your speed back as well. If you look at an area of your screen right now, I can show you a fraction of some of these that you never thought of. The area I want you to look at is called your system tray. It is located next to your clock, which is opposite your start menu. If your start menu is on the left side, then the clock is on the right. Next to the clock you will see these little icons or pictures. These are programs that run on your computer whenever it boots. Guess what, these are background programs. They are there to help load things you need faster. If you are following this guide you really don’t need most of them. Do you?

Here’s how you get rid of them and most of the others that you can’t even see as well. Sorry folks who are on Windows 2000, this step won’t work for you. If you read to the end I will give you a bonus that will make up for it, I promise. Ok, for the rest of you, click on start. Click on run. Type msconfig. Click ok. You should get a system configuration utility. Be very careful here and follow my instructions exactly. Click on the startup tab at the top. You will have a list of all the programs that run when your computer boots or starts. If you look down the list there will be some names that are familiar to you. When you see those names I want you to think: “Do I really need this program running all the time?” If the answer is no, uncheck the box. For example, some of you may have heard of RealPlayer. There’s a smart start icon associated with it. You really don’t need real player running when you are only going to be playing FreeCell now do you? On to step 4.

Step 4: Temporary Files

Temporary files hold up space on your disk. These files are most of the time useless. Temporary files are just that; files that were temporarily created by a program or installer. They are supposed to be deleted when not needed any longer, but a lot of programs do a poor job of cleaning them up. Helping them out will get you more speed for your horsepower. For example: let’s take temporary internet files. When you go to a website every element of that website’s decorations are stored in a temp file on your computer. Your computer does this to help supposedly. It’s supposed to help by when you visit the same site again; the elements of the website will already be on your computer and therefore don’t have to be downloaded again. This in theory should speed up your surfing right? Wrong! Here’s what really goes down. For every element of the website, your computer reads every temp file to see if it matches. Every single file in your temporary internet files folder! To get a grasp of this here’s what I want you to do. Open internet explorer. Go to the tools menu and click on internet options. Click the settings button. Then click the view files button. Do you see what I mean? Every file! Now…Close the temporary internet files window. Click OK on the settings window. Do you see that button next to settings on the internet options window? It’s labeled delete files. Click it. Check delete all offline content. Click ok. When the hourglass is gone, you are all clean! This should be done once a month. This will keep your whole computer running smoothly. The secret lies in Internet Explorer. It’s integrated so much into windows, when it has a problem, windows has a problem. What I am saying is when you opened my computer in steps 1 and 2. You were using internet explorer. Ok. Nuff said. On to step 5!

Step 5: Antivirus

Good Antivirus software is an absolute must! There are several choices to choose from. Some cost money and some don’t. Viruses hide on your computer and wreak havoc. If you don’t have antivirus software on your computer, you will never know they are there. They sit and hide out until their appointed time and then interfere with your computer. Viruses are programs written by people with too much time on their hands and not enough morals. They sit and think of ways to make your day bad. Some viruses will sit on your computer and do nothing but open up connections to other servers all over the internet. What does that do? It slows your computer down drastically! Nuff said. Your choices are to get paid antivirus software like Norton, Mcafee, or Computer Associates. If you don’t have the cash to spare then you can go to your favorite search engine like Yahoo or Google and enter in ‘free antivirus download’ and get a list of all kinds of scanners. Some is far better than none. Some of the best free software that I have found are AVG, Avast!, and ClamWin. If you have a fear of installing software, never fear. There are also free online virus scanners. Again, you go to your favorite search engine and type in ‘free online virus scan’ and you will get plenty of results. Beware though, with these scanners you run the risk of getting infected still. The reason is you have to go to the site and scan the computer yourself, preferably once a week. In that time a virus could have already infected your machine. Antivirus software that you install on the computer checks every file, every time it’s used thus drastically decreasing the chances of infection. It’s like a flu shot. Some of the good online virus scanners are Norton, Panda, and BitDefender. Now, on to step 6.

Step 6: Recycle Bin

It is very important to keep your recycle bin empty. What I mean is this, you don’t want to have hundreds of files sitting in your recycle bin that you deleted 6 months ago. They are taking up valuable space. Windows uses your drive as memory to run programs. When you run out of physical memory, it uses what’s called a page or swap file and stores it there. These recycle bin files are taking up space that windows could be using for memory. Every bit of memory you can get adds to your horsepower. So for God’s sake, please keep your recycle bin tidy. Get rid of things that you are sure you won’t need again. When you go to delete something, and you are absolutely sure you won’t need it again, you can hold down the shift key and press the delete key to permanently delete it without sending it to the recycle bin. And now, last but not least, step 7.

Step 7: Adware and Spyware

I like to call these small time viruses. The industry calls them parasites. Norton calls them extended threats. Do you get my drift? What is adware and spyware you may ask? They are actually quite similar. I’ll start first by explaining the ways that you can get them on your computer. Let’s say you download a ‘free’ program to run on your computer that you think is pretty neat. If you are like most of us, you don’t take the time to read the license agreement. If you did, you would find a line similar to: by installing this product you agree to install xyz product which will be used to send marketing information to the makers of the software. Do you see how they get you? One of the other ways you can get it is by going to some random website. It doesn’t matter what it is, but they have this script that runs as the page is loading and it installs the adware and/or spyware on your computer. The last way that I will discuss here is through a virus. There are viruses out there whose sole job is to download adware, spyware, keyloggers, and other malicious software on to your computer. These things really slow your computer down. Here’s how they work.

Adware and spyware install on your computer and watch what you do, where you surf, you know what you are interested in. They then open a connection to a server and report your activities. They are very good at what they do! Where adware and spyware differ is spyware does nothing but report your activities. Adware on the other hand reports your activities and the server it reports to in turn sends it an ad to display on your computer. Now, just like there are antivirus programs out there, there are now very good antispyware and antiadware programs on the market. Noadware, Spybot, and Adaware are a few of the good ones.

In conclusion there are 7 major ways to speed up your computer with simple maintenance and preventative measures. Run scandisk, defrag, get rid of excess background programs, delete temporary files, get some antivirus software, and also get a good adware and spyware remover utility. I hope you have found this information useful. I hope that I have helped someone here with this information and I pray that you will check out some other very useful information at

- Computer does not start properly. Error massages came out during startup.

- Application does not work properly.

- Disk or USB drives cannot be read.

- Printer does not print.

- Pulldown menus are not the same as before.

- Disk drive runs suddenly for no reason.

- Unusual error messages appears.

- Computer slows down or freezes.

- Computer crashes.

- Files LOST !

- Files CORRUPTED and cannot be read.

In the your computer files, you observed :

- File size changes for no reason.

- Date Modified does not match with date of last use.

- An increase in number of files when nothing has been added.
To prevent any of these catastrophic events happen to your computer. It is absolutely necessary to protect your computer.

An anti virus software maybe your answer to most of these problems.
Why do I say anti virus software maybe the answer to most of these questions?
Because, some of the problems listed above may not be the cause of a virus.

Some of it may be caused by :

- Software loaded into your computer without your knowledge. The purpose of these software is to monitor your computer activities or even to get some information from your computer without you knowing it! These kind of software are commonly known as spyware. (You can get anti spyware software from here.)

- Computer hard disk is running out of space. This will cause the computer to slow down.

- Too many programs are running in the computer. Background programs that loads to your computer every time you starts your computer. If the computer do not have enough memory to process all these programs, it will cause the computer to slow down.

- The computer may be running a schedule program that you may not have notice. Some time such programs are loaded to the computer when it is installed. The manufacturer thinks that it is absolutely necessary that the computer runs the program periodically. Example of these software are: Windows Updater, Anti Virus software (It is important to keep you anti virus software up-to-date.), Backup program etc.

- Too many programs are running in the computer at the same time.

Nevertheless, it is still very important to have an anti virus software loaded, updated and running in your computer.
However, no antivirus software can help you to remove or clean up all viruses completely. Therefore, it is important to prevent virus from attacking your computer. So an anti virus software should be the first software program to be loaded and running in your computer. You have to update the anti virus software right after you have successfully loaded into your computer.

It is very very important to update your anti virus software regularly. New viruses are discovered frequently, not updating your anti virus software will make these new virus to attack your computer easily.

What if you are already using your computer with all your important information loaded and you have no anti virus software in your computer?
Then, you cannot delay and must get an antivirus software loaded, updated and scanned immediately.
After the anti virus software is updated, restart your computer. Start scanning your computer before you run any program. If there are no virus detected, you are a lucky one. If there are, choose a solution that the anti virus software recommend.

What if, after your computer is scanned and virus is found. And you have chosen the solution that the anti virus software recommend but the software says that it cannot be cleaned. You can either delete or quarantine. Then, you may have a problem. If you are absolutely sure that you and the computer does not need the file, than delete it or quarantine it. If the file is critical to your computer, then you have to find a same file that is not virus infected to replace the infected file, if you can find. If it is your file, you might have to do the same.

You also need to restart the computer and runs the anti virus software again to confirm that the computer is free from virus. If it is infected with too many viruses or too many viruses cannot be cleaned, a total software rebuild of your computer is needed. If you have backup your computer periodically, then you can restore your last backup. Provided the last backup is virus free. That means you have to do anti virus scan for your computer again after you have restore your computer from the backup files.

You do not need to have two antivirus software. However, it is good to keep at least two antivirus software in your computer. One will constantly monitor your computer for virus activities and the other will scan your computer for virus only when you want to.
However, you should have at least one anti virus software installed if your computer slows down significantly after two anti virus software are installed.

Hurricane season or not, you should always be backing up your data. Whether you plan on riding out the storm (a bad idea) or evacuating to another location, you should have a backup of your computer data either on an external hard drive or optical media such as CD-Rs or a DVD. Be sure to keep your data in a very safe place, such as a water proof safe. Never leave your backup by your computer.

Next, you should have the following things to make life after the storm easier:

1. Phone numbers for insurance, computer or computer parts companies, and phone numbers for all local ISPs (including dial-up and satellite).
Having your insurance phone number and phone numbers for your computer company will help get your computer replaced faster if it is damaged. I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to have phone numbers and even access disks for all of your local ISPs! After Katrina, the Internet was the only way many people could contact the outside world. As fate would have it, my broadband was down for 3 weeks and none of the other broadband ISPs would except new orders due to the storm, leaving me with my old friend Dial Up, whom I thought I had buried 8 years ago. Your best bet is to use a satellite ISP as they have no equipment that can be destroyed by a hurricane and cause an outage.

2. Back ups of all your file, have all application and game discs, CD keys, drivers, and operating system discs on hand.

3. Photos of your computer as well as proof of what parts are inside.

In the event your quad SLI rig is destroyed, you don’t want your insurance company to replace it with something of a significantly lesser value, do you? It’s very easy for people to claim “I had this, this, and this and it all cost me $3000 last month.” after their 3 year old Athlon XP rig is destroyed. As a result, your insurance company may be hesitant to replace your expensive computer parts unless you can prove you own them. Also know to what extent your insurance (including flood insurance) will replace damaged property. While some policies will cover the replacement cost of damaged property, some may only cover part of the damage cost. Also know what your deductible is.

4. Blog or Social Networking Profile

Social networking sites such as myspace were great after Katrina. Friends could find out where other friends had evacuated to simply by reading each others’ myspaces.

5. Generator and Gas

A generator can power many things, including home computers! Check with your local generator supplier about any local laws about generators, how to safely and properly set one up, and how well they will work with computers. Because generators provide unstable power, a battery backup UPS and a surge protector are a must. Do not count on gas to power your generator being available in the aftermath of the storm. It’s best to have a good supply of gas as well as a few empty gas containers on hand.

Part II: Evacuating with Your PC

Like any family members or pets you may have, your PC isn’t something to leave behind if you can avoid it. While your first priority should be getting out alive, you should consider bringing your PC with you if you can room in your car. You can’t count on your destination to have good computers, high speed Internet, or any entertaining activities for that matter. Being in another place during a hurricane is stressful. Between watching your home town being walloped on CNN and The Weather Channel, the people around you as well as yourself will be tense and worried. Having a nice computer to browse the web with and play Battlefield 2 is a sure entertainer. In fact, the Internet was the only place where I could get information about my very neighborhood after the storm! Local newspaper message boards were packed with evacuees from all over my area and had plenty of information about damage to share.

Even if you can’t bring your PC, at the very least bring your hard drive with you! If your home is looted in the aftermath of the storm, the last thing you want is your personal data in someone else’s hands. Be sure your hard drive is in an anti-static bag to avoid needless damage to it.

If taking a long road trip, you should probably place some sort of padding or foaming (even a blanket will work) around your computer or hard drive to protect it from the vibrations of the car. Don’t bring your monitor unless you have an LCD and there’s room for it.

Part III: Leaving Your PC at Home

If you don’t have room for your PC in your car, don’t plan on staying with it during the storm. There are several safeguards you can take to prevent unnecessary damage to your computer:

1. Cover any open parts of your computer case (such as fans and vents) with tape.
Don’t use duct tape unless you want to risk taking paint off your case or a sticky mess.

2. Cover your computer with as many trash bags as you need. At least 2 trash bags per computer are recommended.

3. Consider how high your home is above sea level, the risk of flooding, and other factors.
If you know your home could flood, you should put your computer on the second floor. But if you know your roof is weak and could easily blow off, don’t put it on the second floor! Find an enclosed space with no windows (such as a closet) as close to the center of your home as possible. If your computer case has a side window, make sure it’s facing towards the ground or against a wall. If you can, place other objects around your computer to offer it additonal protection from blowing rain and flying debris.

Part IV: When the Worst Happens

In the event your PC becomes damaged during the storm, don’t fret. If the damage is from a fallen tree or a piece of flying debri, there is nothing you can do. If your computer becomes flooded, however, there are steps you can take to recover it. Below is a basic guide on how to recover a flooded computer.

1. Do not turn on the computer! Make sure it is unplugged!
While you may be anxious to see if your computer can run, don’t do it if you know it’s been exposed to water. You’ll just end up causing more damage if you do. Remember to keep your computer unplugged.

2. Remove components that work.
If you can see a water line in your computer, take out all the components above it and put them in a safe place.

3. Let your computer dry.
Let your computer dry for a week or so. One drop of water in a running computer could mean disaster.

4. Remove the CMOS battery and other parts.

5. Use a solution of 90% alcohol or more to wash the various components of your computer, including connectors. If necessary, use a paint brush to remove stubbon crud.

6. Let your computer dry completely.

If the above doesn’t work or you have data you can’t risk losing on your hard drive, consider professional computer recovery. Do not plan on salvaging the power supply, CMOS battery, the hard drive, optical drives, or any fans if they have been flooded. Also remember to take pictures of any damage to your computer before you attempt to fix it for insurance purposes.

Hopefully this guide will help people save their computers from hurricane related damage. A computer is a very useful tool that should be part of any good disaster supply kit. Trust me when I say it’s an important thing to have around. However, remember a computer is only a material possession. Like all material objects, they can be replaced. Human and animal life, however, cannot. Use good judgement when deciding whether or not to take your computer with you and while repairing it if it damaged.

Disclaimer: In no way is the author responsible for any actions you may take to save your computer from a hurricane or fix it after flooding. Any actions you choose regarding hurricanes and computers are taken at your own risk. For the sake of all, please use common sense during any natural disaster.

At Myshopping.com.au you can compare the prices of a wide range of different computers from different vendors and of different specifications. This guide will help you find what you’re looking for.

Mac or Windows (PC)

At the outset, you need to decide what you are going to use the computer for. This will help you make the fundamental decision of whether you should go Mac or PC. Although, with the advent of the dual core processor (an Intel chip now used by Mac) the differences are narrowed a little, there are still some choices that can help you favour one system over another. Historically, Mac computers have a reputation for greater stability that comes from a more robust operating system than Windows based computers. Largely for this reason, Macs have been the computer of choice for the graphic design industry, the music production industry and the video production industry. This has prompted the software manufacturers to make professional software packages for these disciplines that favour the Mac operating system. Although they have packages supporting the Windows operating system, they are often less capable.

Consequently, if you are engaged in these industries and need your computer for this type of work, you should consider Mac. Mac computers appear to attract fewer viruses and software malfunctions than do Windows based PCs. On the down side, there has always appeared to have been limited software support for Mac systems.

Another decision that may guide your choice is the aesthetics of the computer. If you have limited available space, there is nothing quite like the iMacs or the mini Macs for space saving. iMac’s all-in-one desktop units are compact and complete with all the connectivity you need. However, the look of other brands may be more to your taste, with many models available in compact packages and modern colour schemes to suit practically all dйcor. Now that you’ve made that basic decision, you can start comparing the apples with apples.
Mac
Windows XP Home
Windows XP Professional

The Components of Your Computer

The two factors that determine the price of your computer are size (yes it does matter) and speed. Either or both of these two dimensions are a factor of practically every component that makes up the machine. Naturally the highest price tags go with the combination of biggest and fastest.

CPU

The heart of the computer is the CPU (central processing unit). You need to decide which CPU you want driving your computer. These come from different manufacturers, and the current development of the technology is called Dual Core, which means that there are two processors on the one chip. Dual Core technology delivers more performance with less energy requirements. Intel and AMD are the two leading CPU manufacturers, and they offer different products under different names.

Current processing speeds range from about 1.4 GHz (gigahertz) through to 3.46 GHz. But it is not simply just a matter of speed. There are other considerations. Mac Operating Systems have a different architecture to Windows and will perform many functions faster with a slower speed CPU. A dual core chip at 1.4 GHz will deliver a better performance that a Pentium 4 chip at 1.8 GHz. A 1.4 GH dual core chip running a Mac with OSX Tiger, will perform better than a 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 processor running Windows. You need to decide what you want your computer to do, what your major software requirements are before you decide on the CPU processor.

However, for everyday use, a processor faster than 1.8 GHz will deliver excellent performance. As a rough rule of thumb, choose a Celeron for low cost computing, a Pentium 4 for mid-range budgets, or an AMD Athlon for bigger budgets. You can compare computers based on Pentium, Celeron, Athlon or Dual Core CPUs by searching those specifications on Myshopping.com.au and finding different vendors and brands using different processors.

RAM

This is where bigger definitely means better performance. RAM is the system memory that enables the computer to use its programs and swap data between the hard drive and the program functions. It’s important to match the speed of the RAM of your computer with the speed of the CPU. The more RAM you have available for your programs to work, the faster will your computer run. Most computers today come with at least 256 M (megabytes) of RAM. But memory is a relatively cheap component, and it costs little extra to upgrade to 512 M or greater.

HARD DRIVE

For a detailed explanation of hard drives, please see the article on Myshopping.com.au dedicated to Hard Disc Drives.

The hard drive of the computer stores your program files and your data. As computers have advanced, so has the need for more capacity to operate programs and store data. People working in media fields tend to work with very large files and require large storage space. Most computers in today’s market come with a minimum of 40G of hard drive space. However, this can be upgraded (usually in 20G chunks) to as much as 200G or more. The effectiveness of your hard drive also can depend on its physical speed (5400-7200 RPM) and the speed at which it can transfer data between the computer’s RAM and the hard drive. Faster means better performance.

REMOVABLE MEDIA

You will want to have a CD-R or (CD-RW) drive installed in your computer, and or possibly a DVD or DVD-R. For reading a CD ROM, all that is required is a CD drive and for watching DVD movies, a DVD ROM drive. However with a CD-R drive, you can record your own data and music CDs, and with a DVD-R drive, you can burn files in a DVD format, allowing you to store movies and data in far greater quantities. The CD-RW (DVD-RW) drives allow you to use re-recordable media. Your decision will depend on what you want to use your media drives for and what you want to store.

Other removable media will possibly include flash card storage, which is usually plugged in via the USB ports on the computer.

MONITORS

For a detailed explanation of monitors, please see the article on Myshopping.com.au dedicated to Monitors.

The monitor for your computer is integral to its function and aesthetics. If you are working in graphics you may want to stay with a CRT monitor. However most bundle offers these days are supplied with LCD monitors, which have the advantages of smaller space requirements, use lower energy and offer wider screen images. However they generally are more expensive (although prices are dropping everyday), can frequently be not as bright, have limited viewing angles and sometimes require a digital interface connector.

For graphics intensive work, LCD screens do not have the same capacity to render colours in gradients as CRT monitors. Once again, size matters. Bigger screens cost more than smaller ones.

VIDEO AND SOUND

For a detailed explanation of video cards, please see the article on Myshopping.com.au dedicated to Video Cards.

The interface between the CPU and the Monitor is provided by the video card. One of the basic decisions you need to make is whether you require a 3D or 2D card. Video cards come in two different types: those that use an AGP (accelerated graphics port) on the computer motherboard and those that use the PCI bus. Data transfer rate is critical to video performance. Faster video cards use an AGP, and this proves a faster data transfer than PCI cards. Most video cards also have their own video memory installed on the card, a feature that increases a computer’s memory performance. Today, these memories are often 128M or 256M, and can be more in the higher-end cards dedicated to sophisticated video work or gaming. Video cards performance is also affected by what is known as clock speed or clock rate, cards with a faster speed offer faster performance.

Cheaper computers, and laptops and notebooks, have an integrated graphics chip included in the motherboard instead of a discrete video card. This type of configuration is not as powerful or as fully functional as having a separate video card, which can allow more comprehensive gaming, the use of multiple monitors and faster and better rendering of images.

For a computer to reproduce the sounds recorded in games, movies and music products it requires a sound card. Quality of sound can be affected by the sound card your computer has installed. It’s important that you know how you want to use the sound reproduction processes of your computer. If you are a musician and want to record audio, then you will want to be sure that you have excellent connectivity, good midi access and at least 16-bit (CD quality) audio reproduction. Sound cards give you the possibilities of full cinema surround sound, and the many subtle effects employed by high-end games.

Nearly every computer comes with a set of stereo speakers. However it pays to have a good listen to what you’re buying. Make sure you listen to program that you are familiar with (take your own CD along) and compare the sound in a quiet environment. Many speaker systems for computers have poor frequency response and are underpowered. For desktop use that does not involve a quality listening environment this may be satisfactory. But if you want to listen to music and watch movies for the full effect, then you need to consider buying a good quality set of speakers. Use the search facility of Myshopping.com.au to compare specifications and prices of different speaker systems.

KEYBOARD AND MOUSE

The choice of keyboard and mouse are personal choices. Sometimes it depends on what you do on your computer, whether you have formal typing skills or whether you’re a two-finger hack. Serious writers may prefer an ergonomic keyboard. Keyboards frequently have different clicks and responses to others. You may prefer an infrared cordless keyboard and mouse. You may prefer an optical mouse on which you don’t have to clean the rollers. Optical mice have no rollerball, and can be used on most flat surfaces, but they are more expensive.

CONNECTIVITY

Today, connectivity is everything. Your computer can have wireless connections to all of your peripherals: printer, scanner, and other computers. Having an onboard modem will only be really important if you are using a dial up internet connection. Broadband modems tend to be peripherals and you can connect via USB, wireless or firewire. It does pay to consider how you will connect to the internet and other peripherals. It’s not always convenient to get behind your computer to plug something in or unplug it. Some sound cards have a front face panel with all the connections you need. The USB ports on Macs are conveniently located. Many PC manufacturers haven’t caught on to the fact that it’s important for some people to easily access the connections to their computers.

To compare the different bundle offers from different brands, and to compare the different components by their specifications, search the Myshopping.com.au database for exactly the specifications you are seeking. You can compare prices and vendors, and order what you need online with a few clicks.

I found it hard to find research that had been done on this topic because not only is the research on the effectiveness of computers in the classroom scarce but the research that is there is often done by software companies and therefore may be biased. (Emmans 2001). Even though there is no clear-cut answer to the question of a computer being a friend or foe in the classroom, having an unsolvable question of good or bad brings many issues to light.

For example, the fact that much of the software designed for children is appealing to them. If nothing else, it at least holds the children’s attention. Though this may seem like a positive characteristic, consider this, just because a television show holds your attention, does it necessarily educate you? The answer to this is simple, maybe some do, but certainly not all do, mostly they are just simply entertaining. This causes me to raise an eyebrow at some, not all, software. As a teacher, one must not use time-fillers, cause a child can watch television or play on a computer at home, but as a teacher, we must educate, and if there is no educational value in the software, what good is it for a teacher?

On the defense for teachers, another reason for computers being a shortcoming is that sometimes the software is not obvious that it is non-educational. This can be a common mistake of any educator, being fooled that a product could be educational when it is merely entertainment software dressed up in an educational costume aimed at these gullible teachers.

According to Cindy C. Emmans (2001), a professor of Educational Technology at Central Washington University, on software in the classroom…

” Often feedback is the key to learning, and computers are appealing because this feedback can be immediate, which is of course a very effective learning tool. Unfortunately, this feedback is not often as effective as it might be, perhaps because it is not easy to return to the original question to try again, or the student must begin at the beginning to review the original content rather then backing up a step or two. In some cases, the feedback for the wrong answers is more appealing than that for the right answer, causing students to try and get the wrong answer simply for the entertainment value”.

Gerald W. Bracey sums it up adequately in a journal article called Principal by basically saying that the bells and whistles are all there, but the education is not, because it was not produced by someone who understands how children learn. (1996, p.6).

More arguments in the research area continued in September of 2000, the Alliance for Childhood published a statement against the use of computers in schools. More than 85 experts in various fields including psychiatry, education, and philosophy signed the statement in which calls for a suspension on the promoting introduction of computers into the nation’s elementary schools until there is a more careful assessment of their effect (Hafner, 2000). Another influence in opposition to computers in classrooms is that of Jane Healy, an educational psychologist and the author of “Failure to Connect,” a book criticizing educational applications of computers. Thomas Crampton interviewed Mrs. Healy and she declared that computers “can hurt children’s personal skills, work habits concentration, motivation, (and) the development of social skills” (IHT, October 2000, p. 19).

Another reason that computers in the classroom would prove to be a disadvantage is the availability of computers in the classroom to each individual student. It is rare to find a school that, in each classroom, has a computer supplied for each student. This then brings up the problem of scheduling and rotating the students to the computers available. (Tiene 2001) This begins a whole new ball game in which you are now consuming a lot of time in which could be used for more productive measures rather then scheduling computer time for each student. If this is the case, and only a specific amount of students can be on the computer at one time, then you are dividing your classroom, and not integrating it, as it should be. This causes many difficulties in teaching a whole group instruction, which leads to problems in skill development, since the attention of some students is lacking. (Tiene 2001).

On the Colorado state education web site (2003), I was able to find questions that were asked to teachers regarding computers in their classrooms. The teachers were asked, “What do you find unattractive about teaching in a computer based classroom?” The one teacher commented that, ” Students have a tendency to come in a print out their papers at the beginning of class instead of coming into class with a hard copy…” Another teacher said, ” Technological difficulty, your whole lesson could be shot for the day if the computer would go down”. When the teachers were asked about the difficulties they faced themselves and with the students due to computers in the classroom, they answered, ” It is hard to get the students attention when they are on the computers.” Another teacher commented, ” There are times that I send them to work and instead they are interacting with each other.” Another teacher stated her fear of the computer classroom by saying that, ” Students are at their own screens, they’re in their own little world, and they are not talking to their classmates, sometimes I think that they don’t even know half the names of all the people in their class.” (Barnes 2003)

I feel that these teachers comments are very important when looking at the issue of computers in the classrooms, because these are the people that actually interact with the children in the classroom, they are not just some random research study by a software company, these people are the real thing, and they see how computers are effecting their classrooms.

Another issue of computers in the classrooms regards the child’s health. If a child were to be functioning on a computer for a long interlude of time or with incorrect positioning they will inadvertently obstruct their own health, some problems caused from this include muscular-skeletal injuries and vision problems. (MacArthur & Shneiderman, 1986).

Another issue concerning computer use in classrooms is that a lot of teachers have not been trained to use a computer, and many do not know how. An enormous amount of time would have to be consumed for the teachers to learn both the hardware and the software of the computer. They also would need time to collaborate with other teachers. Time is something that many teachers spend planning lessons and the weekly events of their classroom. The other problem that was just mentioned was the training of the teachers. Some educators do not have local training options available to them. Some do not have the time or money to spend on it. Another issue is that even if a teacher does go through training, there are always unsuspected things that can go wrong with a computer. If a teacher were to base their whole lesson on a computer, and it were to crash, and the teacher just being minimally skilled in using computers, would not be able to fix the system so that they could continue their lesson. (Tiene 2001).Therefore an on-site technology expert would be needed on site at all times in case any of these incidences would happen, and quite frankly I do not think that there are too many school districts looking for another expense.

Another reason for computers being a disadvantage in the classroom is that if the computer is Internet accessible, if this is the case, then the children can be exposed to Internet content that is not appropriate for their age level. They can also be exposed to child predators, which is a huge concern in today’s world.

Though this may seem far-fetched it truly is not in an article published on the gurdian angel websitein 2000 states,
“The facts are plain. Children are being targeted, solicited, and made victims by pedophiles. What do the ratios or statistics matter? Isn’t even one too many? These predators range from the simple minded closet pedophile who has surfaced because they believe they are safely anonymous behind their account alias, to the highly organized and skilled child pornography rings that operate predominantly off of US soil, behind quick discard web sites, and anonymous re-mailers, pushing their hideous wares for big profits. Have you ever heard of a child being molested or kidnapped in your hometown? Don’t you teach your kids to watch for certain things and, not to talk to, or go anywhere with, strangers for just that reason? This is our point. Just as there are real world lessons that you teach your children, there is a necessity to teach them cyber-world lessons. ” (Hook, 2000).

To put this quite simply, are you sure that your child is being watched very closely when accessing the Internet at school? It sure would be hard for one teacher to keep a close eye on each individual student in the classroom when they are all accessing the Internet at the same time. Therefore are you, as a parent or a teacher, really quite sure that a computer is necessary to learn in school? I mean, didn’t you, the parent or teacher, learn in school without the computer? I agree that learning the latest technology is a necessity, but I do not agree with using computers for classes like mathematics or reading.

To sum it all up, Computers in the classroom lacks research of it being an advantage in the classroom. Computers in the classroom may not provide the students with the proper education that they need if the software being used is not adequate. Computers may not be, depending on the school, made available to each student. The attention of the students is harder to get when they are on the computer. An inexperienced teacher in the technology area may cause many problems in the classroom, and consume valuable time that could be used to educate. Most schools do not provide an on site technician in case a difficulty may arise. The children’s health may be affected by long-term use of the computers, and probably the most frightening one is that these children can be exposed to child predators and unfiltered inappropriate content through the web while they are in school and in their classrooms presumed to be receiving their education.

Okay, maybe not exactly like that. But, wood shop and machine shop owners are experiencing the devastating effect manufacturing dust can have inside their shop computers. And they are looking for answers.

It doesn’t take much to ruin your day, especially, when metallic dust meets sensitive electronic components. Electricity chooses to travel in the shortest route possible, and little bridges of metal dust make great short cuts. Zap! WRRrrrrrr…

And wood dust makes a great insulating blanket. That’s okay if you’re lost in a big wood bin and freezing to death, but to a hard working computer it can be bad news. Heat sinks and fans attempt to dissipate the heat from within your computer, but a layer of dust can reduce or prevent this transfer of heat. Also, computer fans can malfunction when dust and grime are allowed to build up. Things heat up. Computers die. Data is lost. Business suffers.

Okay, what’s the answer then? How do you protect your computer from dust?

The actions you are willing and able to take to protect your computer equipment from dust depend on a large number of individual circumstances. Regardless of your situation, I recommend you take a three-front defensive position and optimize for each of the following areas:

o Computer room environment

o Protective computer dust barriers

o Computer maintenance

Let’s look at each of these areas individually.

Computer Room Environment

Control the environmental conditions surrounding your computers. The ideal solution would be to keep your computers and monitors in a clean, climate controlled computer room. In other words, take them out of the danger area. Of course, this is unrealistic or undesirable to many shop owners, who want, or need the computers to operate in the immediate work area.

So what then? Do what you can to control the dust and air pollutants in the shop. Use and maintain dust collectors for woodworking machines and a ventilation system for the shop area. And, if you can’t move the computers out of the shop, try to move them across the room, away from welding, grinding or direct contact with billowing sander dust.

Protective Computer Dust Barriers

These include computer dust covers, dust filters, computer dust bags, and computer enclosures. Each has its advantages and limitations as described below. Determine which option is the best solution for you.

Standard computer covers are made by a number of manufacturers. Usually plastic or vinyl, they are cheap, but effective in keeping dust off your computers and monitors. However, they may only be used while your computer equipment is shut down. And, you must remember to put them on. Every day. In other words, they are almost useless in a busy shop.

Computer filters, on the other hand may be used while the computer is running. Also very cheap, these small pieces of loose mesh material are placed over fan air intakes in the computer case to remove dust from incoming air. Some have experimented with using panty hose, Brillo® Pads and other household items with some success. The main drawback with computer filters is their small surface area. They clog up quickly in dusty areas and must be cleaned, or changed frequently to allow the unimpeded flow of cool air into the computer case. Another drawback is that they leave other openings in the computer case unprotected, allowing fine dust to infiltrate the CD ROM drives, floppy drives and other small openings.

Relatively new on the scene, computer dust bags are a combination computer cover and computer filter. Designed for the harsh, dusty and smoky conditions inherent to wood shops and machine shops, these innovative covers entirely encase the computer processor or monitor at all times, allowing the entire surface of the bag to act as a huge dust filter to remove dust from incoming air. Monitor dust bags have a see-through, anti-static front to allow a clear screen view, and are very effective in keeping dust, wood chips and other debris out of the cooling vents. At around $20 or less, the recommended life-span of the computer dust bag is 3-12 months, depending on the level of dust in the shop. A possible drawback to using the computer dust bag is reduced access to CD and floppy drives. However, it is possible to use these drives if you cut a hole in the dust bag and cover it with a door flap, which is included with the bag. You may also have to cut an access slot to use your USB ports.

Finally, computer enclosures are typically metal or wood, box-like cabinets which your computer processor and monitor are placed in to protect them from the surrounding environment. A variety of fan and filter combinations introduce fresh air into the enclosure. Computer enclosures have the added advantage of protecting your equipment from blunt force trauma, such as a falling 2×4, chemical splashes and other things harmful to your computer. Filters must be changed regularly. Disadvantages include high price, greater amount of space required, and filter maintenance.

Computer Maintenance

Finally, the third part of a sound computer dust protection strategy is computer maintenance. Yes, that means cleaning. Does that scare you? It’s easier than you think. You don’t have to buy all kinds of expensive tools and cleaning agents, and no heavy scrubbing or complicated disassembly is needed. The most important thing is to maintain a regular computer cleaning schedule. It may be as simple as opening the computer case once every three months to blow out the dust. Educate yourself on the computer cleaning basics and decide the right course of action for yourself. For a copy of the Standard Operating Procedure, “Computer Cleaning and Dust Protection in an Industrial Environment”, which you can modify to fit your own requirements go to http://www.computerdust.com. It’s free when you sign up for “The Computer Dust Solutions” newsletter.

Just as numerous insects and animals perish when attacked by the army ant, a great number of computers are killed by dust every day. Don’t let it happen to you. Follow the common sense ideas shown here and stop computer-killing dust in its tracks!

Like a lot of things in life, a computer memory upgrade seems
more complicated than it actually is. Most of the apprehension
comes from a lack of knowledge. Let’s face it, the average computer
user may only have a vague idea about RAM, Motherboards, Graphics
Cards and the like.

They know their computer works when they turn it on and that’s all
that really matters to them. However, what most people don’t realize is
that with a little investment of time and a few dollars, they can make
their computer work better and faster. It’s an investment that will
quickly pay for itself; not only will you save time when doing your
daily computer chores, but the overall enjoyment of your computer or
laptop will greatly increase.

It’s best to tackle this problem or task with some good information
concerning all the factors involved in the upgrading of your computer’s
memory. Let’s start with the basics and work from there.

Get Out Of Jail Free Card!

(*Shortcut! Don’t have the time or desire to read all the ‘ins and
outs’ of a RAM or memory upgrade but still want to upgrade your
system. Go to the author’s resource box below and click the link.
It will take you to a page where you can find a Memory Advisor tool
which can scan your system and tell you which memory upgrades are
possible with your particular computer or laptop.)

First Step: Know Your RAM

RAM or random access memory. This is what the computer uses to run
applications and data on your computer. You need it to run your
computer’s OS operating system, your need it for handling graphics,
files, web-browsing, e-mail and multi-tasking. RAM is vital to the
operation of your computer. As a general rule, the higher the amount
of RAM you have, the faster your computer will work or run.

To complicate things somewhat, there are many types of RAM. The type
of RAM in your computer or laptop may depend on the year it was
made.

From mid-2004 a lot of the computers have DDR2 (double data rate,
second generation) SDRAM (Synchronous Dynamic RAM). Before that time
many computers had DDR (double data rate, first generation) SDRAM.
Most older systems use SDR (single data rate) SDRAM, fast page mode
(FPM), or extended data out (EDO).

To complicate things even further, most of the types of RAM comes
in different speeds!

DDR2 SDRAM is a new standard that can boost conventional SDRAM
memory up to speeds well over 200MHz and beyond. For example, the
new IBM ThinkPad T43, thanks to the Sonoma Chipset or platform has
533MHz DDR 2 SDRAM.

This is much better than standard SDRAM which tops out around 150-166MHz
and DDR SDRAM which starts at 200MHz and goes up to around 400MHz.

Keep in mind, DRAM means Dynamic Random Access Memory and SDRAM means
Synchronous Dynamic RAM.

And to really confuse you, having a faster RAM speed does not (by itself)
make your computer go faster, you must upgrade or increase the AMOUNT of
RAM in your computer system to increase performance. Also keep in mind
your computer was made to accept a specific memory speed and there’s no
benefit from going beyond that limit.

It’s usually recommended that you get the fastest speeds for your
system, this will permit for better compatibility and make it easier
for future upgrades.

Second Step: Know Your Machine

Without a doubt, compatibility is the most important factor in
buying a memory upgrade for your laptop or computer. It’s essential
that any upgrade be compatible with your computer or machine, i.e.
otherwise it just won’t work.

Therefore, you have to know the amount and kind of RAM you have
in your computer or laptop. The best way to find this is to check
your owner’s manual. It should tell you the type of RAM your system
is using, it should also tell you the maximum amount of RAM your
system can take.

Obviously, an easy way to make sure you don’t exceed the maximum
memory on your computer, just subtract your current memory from
the allowed limit listed in your system specifications. For instance,
if your computer takes a maximum of 512MB of RAM and you have 256MB
installed, then you can upgrade to an additional 256MB of RAM
(512MB – 256MB = 256MB).

You should also be aware that DDR is not backward/forward-compatible,
which means that if you’re upgrading a computer that doesn’t have
DDR technology, it won’t take a DDR upgrade.

Likewise, DDR2 is not backward-compatible, which means if your system
doesn’t have DDR2 technology, it won’t accept a DDR2 upgrade.

So check your system very carefully and see what kind of RAM it has and
the maximum amount of RAM it will take. You must also check to see if
your computer’s warranty will be null and void if you install the RAM
yourself! Some manufacturers actually seal your computer case and you
must have an authorized technician to install your RAM.

Third Step: How Much RAM Do You Need?

It’s generally agreed that you need at least 256MB for Windows XP and
Mac OS X. You will only need 128MB for other operating systems in Windows
or Mac. Most general office work and heavy multi-tasking may need 512MB of
RAM. Gamers or Professional Graphic workers usually need the most RAM -
up to 2GB or more of RAM.

Please note, installing a faster speed RAM (as noted earlier) will not
increase the speed of your computer or laptop. The only way to increase
the speed of your computer is to increase the AMOUNT of RAM you have
in your system. Going from 256MB of RAM to 512MB of RAM will speed up
your computer. Going to 2GB of RAM will make it go even faster. Benchmark
testing has shown that you can get from 28% up to 43% increase in
performance, depending on the amount of RAM increase.

However, there’s always a spoiler, other parts of your computer must be
able to handle this increase. Your computer will only go as fast as your
slowest link. In other words, you may have to upgrade other elements in
your computer to receive the benefits of a memory upgrade. Make sure you
check this factor first before your make your memory upgrade. Otherwise,
you may just be wasting your time and money.

Another consideration is the Memory of your Video or Graphics Card
in your system. The amount of VRAM is the major factor in your display’s
resolution and color depth. A faster and more powerful upgrade in your
Graphics Card will give you increased performance especially for handling
graphics and videos, as in 3D Gaming.

Fourth Step; Ordering Your RAM

There are over 110,000 different memory upgrades you can choose from!

There are many places to order your RAM, from your local computer store
to online sites. If you’re ordering online, one the most highly rated
sites is Crucial.com – these people are memory experts and know their
memory! They are a part of Micron, one of the largest DRAM makers
in the world.

Perhaps, what’s more important, Crucial has very high consumer
satisfaction ratings from other third party rating sites. This gives
you an unbiased recommendation or indication that the service and
product is top-notch. Even more important, they have the
Crucial Memory Advisor(TM) tool which will scan your computer system
and tell you what memory upgrades are available. They also back
up their products with a lifetime warranty.

Some other thing to keep in mind when ordering your RAM. Many desktop
systems or computers use what’s called “non-parity” memory which
means it does not need ECC (error correction code) or “parity”
modules.

Registered, buffered, and unbuffered are other terms that
will come up — they refer to how a certain memory module
processes signals. Usually, most PC systems take unbuffered
RAM and rely on the motherboard controller to help process
memory. Registered RAM is used mostly in servers.

Fifth Step: Installing Your New Memory or RAM

If you order your RAM online, you will receive your RAM module in
an anti-static bag, along with detailed instructions on how to install
your RAM. On modern system boards, RAM is installed on SIMM or DIMM
modules (SODIMM in notebooks).

One of the most important things to do when installing RAM or working
with your Computer is to ‘Ground Yourself’ to make sure you
don’t ‘Shock’ your computer with static electricity. You can take
some simple precautions to prevent this from happening. If you have
wrist straps designed to prevent shocks, you need to wear them.

If you don’t have wrist straps, here’s a simple way to
ground yourself:

You should turn off your computer, monitor, plus all accessories
(speakers, printer, scanner). Unplug your computer and any
accessories. Then quickly touch an unpainted part of your computer
case and keep your feet planted in one position while installing
your RAM. If you walk around, repeat the process above before you
touch any internal parts of your laptop or computer.

Open up the back of your computer or laptop. Depending on your model,
you may need a screwdriver. If you have a laptop or notebook, the memory
slots are sometimes located under the keyboards. Most times, it’s in the
back of your laptop; check your manual for the location of your laptop’s
memory.

Depending on your upgrade, you may have to replace your RAM module with
the New one, in other cases, you will be adding any extra module or
two. Follow the specific directions that come with your RAM upgrade; installing the RAM is only a matter of a Push and a snap! Your RAM
upgrade will snap into their memory slots without too much difficulty.

Before you close the case, turn your computer or laptop on to see if
your new RAM is installed. You will see it on the startup screens or
you can easily check it by going into ‘My Computer’ under properties, if you’re using Windows.

Basically, this is how to do your own computer or laptop memory
upgrade. There may be other elements or aspects you might want
to check out before installing your new RAM but follow the guidelines
above and the detailed instructions that come with your RAM module or
modules and you should be OK.

If you have any trouble, click the link in the resource box below. They
have extensive detailed guides that you can follow. If may be a good
idea to check out these guides first, before you order your memory, to
see the kind of procedure you will have to do to install your RAM.
Realizing how simple this procedure is may relieve some of your initial
fears concerning a memory upgrade for your system.

This site also has ‘live’ help where you can chat to Expert Memory
Technicians if you are still having problems.

The origins and roots of computers started out as many other inventions and technologies have in the past. They evolved from a relatively simple idea or plan designed to help perform functions easier and quicker. The first basic type of computers were designed to do just that; compute!. They performed basic math functions such as multiplication and division and displayed the results in a variety of methods. Some computers displayed results in a binary representation of electronic lamps. Binary denotes using only ones and zeros thus, lit lamps represented ones and unlit lamps represented zeros. The irony of this is that people needed to perform another mathematical function to translate binary to decimal to make it readable to the user.

One of the first computers was called ENIAC. It was a huge, monstrous size nearly that of a standard railroad car. It contained electronic tubes, heavy gauge wiring, angle-iron, and knife switches just to name a few of the components. It has become difficult to believe that computers have evolved into suitcase sized micro-computers of the 1990′s.

Computers eventually evolved into less archaic looking devices near the end of the 1960′s. Their size had been reduced to that of a small automobile and they were processing segments of information at faster rates than older models. Most computers at this time were termed “mainframes” due to the fact that many computers were linked together to perform a given function. The primary user of these types of computers were military agencies and large corporations such as Bell, AT&T, General Electric, and Boeing. Organizations such as these had the funds to afford such technologies. However, operation of these computers required extensive intelligence and manpower resources. The average person could not have fathomed trying to operate and use these million dollar processors.

The United States was attributed the title of pioneering the computer. It was not until the early 1970′s that nations such as Japan and the United Kingdom started utilizing technology of their own for the development of the computer. This resulted in newer components and smaller sized computers. The use and operation of computers had developed into a form that people of average intelligence could handle and manipulate without to much ado. When the economies of other nations started to compete with the United States, the computer industry expanded at a great rate. Prices dropped dramatically and computers became more affordable to the average household.

Like the invention of the wheel, the computer is here to stay.The operation and use of computers in our present era of the 1990′s has become so easy and simple that perhaps we may have taken too much for granted. Almost everything of use in society requires some form of training or education. Many people say that the predecessor to the computer was the typewriter. The typewriter definitely required training and experience in order to operate it at a usable and efficient level. Children are being taught basic computer skills in the classroom in order to prepare them for the future evolution of the computer age.

The history of computers started out about 2000 years ago, at the birth of the abacus, a wooden rack holding two horizontal wires with beads strung on them. When these beads are moved around, according to programming rules memorized by the user, all regular arithmetic problems can be done. Another important invention around the same time was the Astrolabe, used for navigation.

Blaise Pascal is usually credited for building the first digital computer in 1642. It added numbers entered with dials and was made to help his father, a tax collector. In 1671, Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz invented a computer that was built in 1694. It could add, and, after changing some things around, multiply. Leibnitz invented a special stopped gear mechanism for introducing the addend digits, and this is still being used.

The prototypes made by Pascal and Leibnitz were not used in many places, and considered weird until a little more than a century later, when Thomas of Colmar (A.K.A. Charles Xavier Thomas) created the first successful mechanical calculator that could add, subtract, multiply, and divide. A lot of improved desktop calculators by many inventors followed, so that by about 1890, the range of improvements included: Accumulation of partial results, storage and automatic reentry of past results (A memory function), and printing of the results. Each of these required manual installation. These improvements were mainly made for commercial users, and not for the needs of science.

While Thomas of Colmar was developing the desktop calculator, a series of very interesting developments in computers was started in Cambridge, England, by Charles Babbage (of which the computer store “Babbages” is named), a mathematics professor. In 1812, Babbage realized that many long calculations, especially those needed to make mathematical tables, were really a series of predictable actions that were constantly repeated. From this he suspected that it should be possible to do these automatically. He began to design an automatic mechanical calculating machine, which he called a difference engine. By 1822, he had a working model to demonstrate. Financial help from the British Government was attained and Babbage started fabrication of a difference engine in 1823. It was intended to be steam powered and fully automatic, including the printing of the resulting tables, and commanded by a fixed instruction program.

The difference engine, although having limited adaptability and applicability, was really a great advance. Babbage continued to work on it for the next 10 years, but in 1833 he lost interest because he thought he had a better idea; the construction of what would now be called a general purpose, fully program-controlled, automatic mechanical digital computer. Babbage called this idea an Analytical Engine. The ideas of this design showed a lot of foresight, although this couldn’t be appreciated until a full century later.

The plans for this engine required an identical decimal computer operating on numbers of 50 decimal digits (or words) and having a storage capacity (memory) of 1,000 such digits. The built-in operations were supposed to include everything that a modern general – purpose computer would need, even the all important Conditional Control Transfer Capability that would allow commands to be executed in any order, not just the order in which they were programmed.

As people can see, it took quite a large amount of intelligence and fortitude to come to the 1990′s style and use of computers. People have assumed that computers are a natural development in society and take them for granted. Just as people have learned to drive an automobile, it also takes skill and learning to utilize a computer.

Computers in society have become difficult to understand. Exactly what they consisted of and what actions they performed were highly dependent upon the type of computer. To say a person had a typical computer doesn’t necessarily narrow down just what the capabilities of that computer was. Computer styles and types covered so many different functions and actions, that it was difficult to name them all. The original computers of the 1940′s were easy to define their purpose when they were first invented. They primarily performed mathematical functions many times faster than any person could have calculated. However, the evolution of the computer had created many styles and types that were greatly dependent on a well defined purpose.

The computers of the 1990′s roughly fell into three groups consisting of mainframes, networking units, and personal computers. Mainframe computers were extremely large sized modules and had the capabilities of processing and storing massive amounts of data in the form of numbers and words. Mainframes were the first types of computers developed in the 1940′s. Users of these types of computers ranged from banking firms, large corporations and government agencies. They usually were very expensive in cost but designed to last at least five to ten years. They also required well educated and experienced manpower to be operated and maintained. Larry Wulforst, in his book Breakthrough to the Computer Age, describes the old mainframes of the 1940′s compared to those of the 1990′s by speculating, “…the contrast to the sound of the sputtering motor powering the first flights of the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk and the roar of the mighty engines on a Cape Canaveral launching pad”. End of part one.