If you’re using Windows, there are a few things you should know to do. It’s not simply a matter of turning on your system and letting it run. Occasionally, you need to do more. Sometimes, you need to take an active role in your computer’s operations, whether it’s to change a setting, access a feature, [...]
This might be a little late in coming, but… It’s occurred to me that, when faced with the prospect of purchasing a new computer, the concept of Intel’s different processors might end up confusing quite a few people. It’s pretty obvious how their new line of processors stack up against the old (they’re better), but [...]
It’s becoming more common that both kids and adults are (re)building PCs to specifically run Windows 95 as fun side projects. Why Win95 and not Win98? Probably because there’s just more retro flavor to running a real Win95 environment, and the fact that it’s more of a challenge. Sure, you can put together a Win98 [...]
It took a while (a long while, in fact) before OpenOffice/LibreOffice got the whole printing-an-envelope thing down. In the bad old days it was ridiculously difficult to do because you actually had to create your own envelope template from scratch. Thankfully, it’s easier now, but the way it’s done still may confuse a few out [...]
Microsoft Word might be one of the foremost word processing tools around, but that doesn’t mean it’s of peerless quality. Ask anyone who has to use the application on a regular basis and there’s a good chance they’ll regale you with horror stories of the various foibles, flaws, and bugs that they have to deal [...]
The newest Flash Player 11.2 has introduced with it silent updates, meaning an updater periodically checks and updates itself silently, meaning you’re never notified when it happens. Some people appreciate this but there are many that don’t. Fortunately, the Flash Player installer asks you right up front if you want the silent updates to happen [...]
Chances are pretty good you probably have some blank CD-R discs. Maybe you bought a 100-pack spindle, only used maybe 20 or 30 of them, and the rest sit in the spindle, unloved and unused. You bought them, you you might as well use them. Before I list what you can do with those discs, [...]
Everybody knows that heat is bad for electronics. Keeping your computer in an area that’s too well-insulated or not properly ventilated is a sure recipe for disaster. In the most extreme circumstances, key components could end up simply melting. Circuitry can overheat and overload. I even had a friend whose graphics card actually lit on [...]
A general rule of thumb is that it’s never a bad idea to stuff in as much RAM as your motherboard can support. After all, one can never have too much memory in a PC (or a laptop for that matter). Do I believe in this rule of thumb? Yes, but with this condition: Stuff [...]
Well, I can’t say I didn’t see this one coming. Chapel Hill, North Carolina puts their note in the tech history books as the first town in the US to completely ban the use of a phone while driving; this includes both hands and hands-free methods. If you’re caught doing it, the fine is $25. [...]
I’ve got this friend. He’s a bit of a PC buff. Building computers (building anything he can, really) is a hobby he attacks with a sort of characteristic zeal. And his knowledge about computers rivals (if not surpasses) that of many so-called technology experts. However, there’s this weird thing he used to do. Every couple [...]
A question that many have had over the years is this: "Can I buy a laptop that’s cheap, and has no operating system on it for my laptop Linux build?" Yes, and it’s called the debranded laptop. Currently, all the debranded laptops on NewEgg are "formerly"-HP brand. On the high-price side of things, the most [...]
After seeing the comment discussion from my Do You Print? I Don’t. article, I noticed some people left some really good comments listing reasons why owning a printer is worth it. I decided to bite the bullet and actually buy a printer – but with the condition that I wanted to see how cheap I [...]
Most of you by now have probably heard that Google’s implemented a new privacy policy that came into effect on March 1st. A lot of you, however, likely don’t know just what this entails. What does it mean for your searches? Your personal information? Your privacy? Nothing good. The new policy, Google cheerfully claims, is [...]
Certain free image editors like GIMP are fantastic, save for one problem – it loads a bit on the slow side. Once it’s running it runs nice and quick, but on startup it takes a while to get going. The reason is because GIMP is a rather large image editor packed full of features, much [...]
