PC-100 We all know that, when it comes to memory, that SDRAM is the way to go. It is faster than EDO RAM, and supports higher bus speeds. EDO RAM is moving into the older systems, mainly, while even the bargain PC’s make the move to SDRAM. But, the world of SDRAM is not cut and dry. Standard SDRAM is great...

For those with these high end systems, or those planning on buying one, here is a brief explanation of the chipsets. These chipsets are all Intel since Intel dominates the Pentium Pro and Pentium II market. 450GX/KX “Orion” This is Intel’s first Pentium Pro chipset. They are high-priced chipsets. It comes in two versions: the GX and KX. The GX...

The power supply is a very important part of your computer, and also the most likely to fail. Also, if you are planning a big upgrade, a weak power supply can keep your new upgrade from working. How do you know your power supply is bad? Well, beyond the obvious problem of not turning on at all, there are some things you...

Plug-and-Play, or PnP, is a specification built into newer systems so that you can install devices built for it with minimal hassle. All of the settings, like IRQ’s and drivers, are taken care of so that, theoretically, you can have your new hardware working for you in a couple minutes. The Macintosh had PnP before...

We are entering a new age. An age where everything is electronic, where the internet supplants the newspaper, and where, pretty soon, even our fridge will be online. It’s the latest craze. Come on! Everyone’s doing it! And, yes, that means you, too. Even those who have held out through the computer’s development doing things the old way are...

Partitioning is one of the necessary steps to prepare a drive for use. It is the process of defining certain areas of the hard disk for the operating system to use as a volume. A volume is a section of the drive with a letter, like C: or D:. All hard drives must be partitioned, even if they will have only one partition called C:. A partition program writes a...

Intel\’s release of the new Pentium III processor was hyped up quite a bit. Here we have this new, great processor that is supposed to out-do the Pentium II. This is all great. But, in this new processor Intel started up a new idea, one that would eventually spark much controversy. And that is tagging each Pentium III processor with a unique serial...

The computer monitor allows you to interface with your PC visually. All PC monitors are capable of rendering both text and graphics. Most monitors on the market today are still Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors. LCD, or Liquid Crystal Dispaly, monitors have long help a monopoly over the notebook PC arena, but are now also becoming increasingly popular in the...

Materials The materials needed to create your network are readily available. For a simple LAN, you can get all of it bundled together in a kit. Many large computer stores have such kits. Let’s run through what you need: First, you must have two or more PCs to network. Make sure you have Windows installed on each machine. You can network DOS machines, but it...

Network interface cards, commonly referred to as NICs, are used to connect a PC to a network. The NIC provides a physical connection between the networking cable and the computer’s internal bus. NICs come in three basic varieties: 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit. The larger the number of bits that can be transferred to the NIC, the faster the NIC can transfer...

Networks are usually classified using three properties: Topology, Protocol, and Architecture. Topology specifies the geometric arrangement of the network. Common topologies are a bus, ring, and star. A bus topology means that each computer on the network is attached to a common central cable, called a bus or backbone. This is a rather simple network to set up....

What is a Network?First things first. You need to know what this thing is. Quite simply, a network is simply a group of two or more personal computers linked together. When configured in this way, the PC’s can share files, use a common printer or modem, etc. What Types of Networks Exist? There are many different network types. Let’s run through them here...

WinProxy is available from Ositis Software. They have a WinProxy Lite version for small networks that allows three clients to connect from one internet connection simultaneously as well as versions for larger networks. The WinProxy server (the computer that WinProxy is installed on) should be the computer with your internet connection.  All client computers...

Dial-Up Sharing It is rather easy to share a dial-up connection in Windows 9x or 2000/XP. For 9x users, enable Internet Connection Sharing on the PC connected to the Internet. For 2000/XP users, simply go to the properties dialogue for your Internet Connection in “My Network Places” and enable Sharing. Broadband Sharing Surely you’ve heard of a...

What’s a network without a printer? Sharing your printer among the network computers is a simple process. Follow these steps:The first thing you must do is tell Windows 95 to redirect printing from the LPT1 port to the network queue. To do so, double-click the Printer’s icon in Control Panel and then...