class=”basefont”>Well, it’s finally here. Another new standard for analog modems. For those of us trying to “squeeze that last 5 miles per hour out of the same tank of gas” (Kevin Lacey, firmware development manager at U.S. Robotics) , get that last little bit of download/upload speed known as throughput, this promises to...

Lately I’ve been getting lots of questions about cache sizes as related to speed. As it seems everyone is squeezing the last drop out of their processor/RAM combination, I thought I’d share a little “trick” that works. It may cost you a bit of money, but the rewards are worth it. Explanation:...

Plenty has been said already about the Windows registry, and how it handles the “behind the scenes” running of Windows 9x. Some people love the idea, and some hate how it seems to cause more errors, BSOD’s (Blue Screens of Death), and GPF‘s (General Protection Faults) than any previous operating system.One must remember that, until...

Here’s something I’ve revived from the “old” DOS / Windows 3.1 days. It seems to work much better for some, than others, but most will no doubt find a use for it. It’s called RAMDRIVE.SYS and is still included with all versions of Windows 9x and ME. Getting it to work in ME may be a little difficult, but below is the standard...

For some, the mention of the word sends them screaming into the night dreaming of IRQ’s, PCI, HSP, and numerous other acronyms. For others, it’s a vital lifeline to the internet that one can’t live without. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing (to misquote someone), but I’m going to try and de-mystify some of the workings of those...

aka How to completely backup and restore your Windows configuration without reinstalling anything (almost). In an ongoing search for easy and free ways (well almost free) to maintain a smoothly running system, I’m presenting a procedure that I use a lot, and recommend to anyone with enough hardware and the guts to try it. It’s a relatively painless,...

Now that Windows ME has been around for 6 months or so, I thought it time to help inform the rest of the world (well…at least those of you reading this) my opinions on Microsoft’s latest. Some of the "off the shelf" computer manufacturers are including it with their newest systems, although there are still a few Windows 98 and 98SE systems...

First, I would like to personally thank the modem manufacturers that contributed modems for this test and comparison. The time and trouble they took to export their products to Canada, and the costs involved in shipping, import taxes, and duty, made this somewhat intimidating, but, they graciously contributed nonetheless.They are: Boca, Diamond, Viking, CNet,...

How many times we’ve heard and seen that word, “backup”?We see it in every software package we buy. We hear it every time we talk to the local computer technician (or should).How many times have we heeded that advice? Probably not often enough, and we’ve all lost something important.Backing up your precious programs that you’ve paid...

It seems everyone got a CD burner ( CD-RW ) for Christmas, and it also seems that people are making their share of drink coasters, that is, burned CD’s that don’t play at all, or don’t play in your home or car CD player, and end up being used to keep water marks off the furniture. There are a few basic principles that apply to every system...