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...

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...

Situation: You’ve decided that you’re going to build a new computer. You put your part list together (case, mainboard, RAM, hard drive, processor, etc.) and then come to the point where you have to purchase an optical drive. Seems like a waste of money, doesn’t it? On the Linux side of things, it has been proven that you can install a full...

It amazes me to this day how many people are unaware to basic tenets of ergonomics concerning daily computer use. Ergonomics as it pertains to you is to use your computer in a way that minimizes any damage to your body, hearing or vision in any way. Instead of getting into all the technical crapola about it, I’ll instead just do simply question/answer...

I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida where PCMech is based out of, but I’m not a Florida native. I originally hail from the state of Connecticut in the northeastern portion of the United States known as New England. That region typically has harsh winters; everyone there is very familiar with what a Nor’easter is. When the cold comes (even well...

If one were to ask me what I believe are most innovate computer inventions, USB is definitely one of them. The reason is because USB is the Swiss Army knife in the computer world. It can basically do just about anything. USB can transfer data, audio, video, access storage (i.e. flash memory), access power, be used for wired or wireless networking and so on. In...

Shopping for a computer case is at times a daunting task because there are so many to choose from. The video in this article will show you how to use NewEgg to review cases on your own without spending a dime. When finished you’ll know how to get to reviews and details on which case is right for...

There’s the old catch-22 phrase “You need a job to get experience; you need experience to get a job.” Is it true you have to go thru years of college and certifications and internships just to get some work? No. In fact you can get decent work in computers armed with nothing but a high school diploma and the willingness to work. If you think...

Chances are there’s a local computer exposition that takes places a few times a year near where you live. I’ve attended several of these over the years and I can honestly say that yes, you should go to one if you haven’t. There’s usually only one reason to go to one of these: To buy computer stuff. What type of stuff will you see at an...

Remember the days when the the Internet was new and when we were all spellbound at the idea of having our own desktop computer? Learning the workings of the computer was of prime importance. You had this piece of powerful equipment on your desk and you wanted to explore all the possibilities it presented. Fast forward to today. Things have most certainly...

Oh, the wonders of magnetic stuff. You can never get enough of it. This magnetic wonder is called the MagnoGrip, available from ThinkGeek. Although this is labeled as a product "for the car" I can definitely see other uses for this – particularly those who tinker around with computers and electronics quite a bit. If you’ve built computers...

I can guarantee that most long-time computer users that read PCMech have a lightning story or two (or more). If you’ve used computers long enough you will inevitably get something zapped. For example, years ago dial-up modems would commonly get zapped – thru the phone cable. Enough of a charge would travel across the wire after a strike and the modem...

This section lets you configure the wireless part of the router. This usually includes the SSID, channel, and encryption settings. [hidepost=1] Channel and SSID The SSID sets the name for your wireless router. Pick a fairly unique SSID. When you’re traveling, you’ll see many “linksys” “default” “smc” and other...

A router is any device that acts as a gateway between 2 or more separate networks. In our case, that means that the local network is connected to the Internet, and vice versa. The router ignores traffic local traffic or traffic it is not configured to handle, but when Internet access is attempted from within the local network, it springs into action. With NAT...

Sharing files and folders between computers is one of the most common applications for a network. You can share single files, folders, even whole drives (bad idea!) if you want to. Sharing a folder is convenient because you simply have to tell Windows to share the folder rather than tell it to specifically share every file in that folder. Windows will...

I have discussed previously in this book how IP addressing and DHCP servers operate. If you are interested in some of the technologies behind this, back up and have a read. For now, let’s just get down to business and get you sharing an internet connection. The first thing you might need to do is configure your router. The good thing here is that many routers...

In order to get your PC’s to talk, it is necessary to perform some simple configuration. Here are the items that will need to be visited:IP Addresses. Each network adapter needs to have an IP address. Luckily, this functionality is usually taken care of automatically by your switch or router. Installation of Microsoft Network Client software. This is the...

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/BYON/08_wireless_networking.flv 610 458] [/hidepost] [hidepost=2] Download video (MOV) [/hidepost]