At this point, those of you who don’t have a great deal of technical knowledge are probably wondering “What exactly is a non-Unicode Application, and why would I want to run it?” A Non-Unicode application is, essentially, any program that’s not written in the default language of the Windows platform. That’s a horrifically simplified...

If you’re the sentimental sort, you probably have a computer you’ve owned for years and years. It’s a reliable old rig, chugging along through whatever tasks you assign it like an old, puttering station wagon. Sure, it might not be the most glorious system out there, but it works, right? It does what you want it to do. That’s the worst...

Ah, the ubiquitous "grandma" user. This is the type of user idiots like to spout out when talking about things like tablets and Macs, e.g. "So easy, grandma could use it." We all know what these folks are really saying is, "So easy a knuckle-dragging mouth breather with a 1st-grade education could use it". Right. Before continuing,...

Any of you reading this have been here before: You’re in the middle of an important project whether it be personal or business, and you encounter an error or an unexpected problem getting something done on your computer. Murphy’s Law seems to dictate that the more important the project is to you, the more complex or trying the problem seems to be. If...

Something that happens periodically while driving is white line fever, a.k.a. highway hypnosis. That’s when you get in a car, drive somewhere and completely forget the trip. The same thing can occur at the computer. You get on the internet, surf around for a few hours, but can’t remember a damn thing you did during that time. It happens to the best...

Everyone at some point or another has bought computer hardware only to find out it wasn’t powerful enough, or that money could have been saved because too much was purchased. Sometimes it’s tough to find that happy medium where you get what you want without spending too much. This is a quick true-or-false list on some of the more common computer...

Okay, it’s time for some PC-builder stuff (hey, it’s required I do one of these every so often because after all it is PCMech, right?) When people hear "scratch-built", they think, "Oh, okay, I have to buy a case.." Stop right there. A true scratch-built is when you either physically construct the case or retrofit some type of box...

We all use our computer for different things. Personally, I use mine to run an internet business. This means my web browser is pretty much always open and I am online all the time. I write blog post and I produce videos. I organize my photos and videos on the computer as well. What about you? And if you wish to elaborate, feel free to post a comment on this post...

Yesterday by chance I logged into a Yahoo! Mail account I hadn’t used in a while, and lo and behold there was a notice from Yahoo! that stated GeoCities would be officially closing October 26. Many of you will think, "Yeah? So?" The deal here is that it’s a final notice, as in the last one. For anybody that uses GeoCities that didn’t...

This is a call for all of you out there to post a comment telling us what you’re running right now for a computer. It doesn’t matter if it’s old or new, pre-built or custom, fast or slow, laptop or desktop, etc. Post your specs. If you have multiple computers in the home, go ahead and name them all. What I’m looking for here is a simple...

This article concentrates on the crap you download and not the crap that just accumulates over time. It honestly amazes me how much I download. If you’re like most people (including myself), you probably have a downloads folder where you place everything. Then seemingly all of a sudden the folder contains 6 gigs or more worth of files, with the top 3...

Going "niche" market means to be specialized to one particular product. And if the product you sell has enough of a following, it sells itself just by brand alone. Selling a new PC is tough because you simply cannot compete with Dell. They will always be able to sell for less than you can. And if not Dell, some other big name PC maker will always have...

The single largest advantage of building is the ability to transfer parts from build to build. What this means is that when I upgrade, I don’t have to build a complete computer each time. And this is where the true savings come in when you build PCs. For example, I don’t have to buy a new case, nor do I have to buy a new optical drive. I also...

If posed the question as to what you think the worst possible thing could happen to a PC is, your answer would probably be, "when the hard drive dies". Wrong. The worst possible thing that can happen is fire. This is when something in your computer overheats, catches fire and starts melting the "guts" (motherboard, chips, etc.). Fire is the...

Periodically I get asked the question, “So, what are you running?”, in relation to my computer box, its OS, the apps I use, the hardware I use and so on. Before I list off my stuff, Dave uses a Mac Pro quad-core with I believe 9GB of RAM. His monitors are dual Dell 24-inchers and an older third one that I can’t remember the make/model of at the...

You may have a loud computer box. Whenever you turn it on, the whirring sounds of the fans, optical drive and hard drive may really annoy you. Here are 5 ways to quiet that box down. 1. Upgrade to a new hard drive Many hard drives get louder as they get older. Your ears are not fooling you if you have an old hard drive. Getting a new one can cut the noise out...

Buliding PCs hasn’t really changed all that much save for the fact the parts are different compared to years past. However standard cases are still ATX/Micro-ATX, nobody has yet to perfect the screw-less case (although many have tried), quarters are still cramped when you work on the inside of a computer box and the tools you work with can either make...

Are certain computer parts better than others when it comes to building your own PC? Yes. Are certain computer parts better than others concerning Microsoft Windows? That’s another yes. If you stock your built PC with parts that are the right choice the first time, your Windows installation will run better and faster. [hidepost=1] When most people hear...

In the days of old people would keep computers as long as 5 years or longer. However these days a new computer barely gets past 3 years before needing replacement – or so it seems. You can easily get 5 years out of a computer if you buy it correctly the first time. In fact, you most likely already own a computer that you can get a few more years out...

In the days of old people would keep computers as long as 5 years or longer. However these days a new computer barely gets past 3 years before needing replacement – or so it seems. You can easily get 5 years out of a computer if you buy it correctly the first time. In fact, you most likely already own a computer that you can get a few more years out...