As some have noticed, there isn’t a specific offering of Windows 7 Media Center Edition. This is because it’s not necessary being that the Windows Media Center software is already bundled into Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate editions. Many of you – including yours truly – remember when the Windows Media Player went from...

(Note: If you are running Windows XP or Vista legally, this article does not apply to you.) I’m not going to pretend for a moment that there’s more than a few of you out there running Windows XP illegally. You’ve seen the very nice $50 price tag of Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade and said, "Okay, I can afford that, but can I upgrade a...

One of the most reliable printers you can buy is a laser printer. They have less moving parts compared to inkjet (meaning more reliable), and for many models there is in-home printer service available should it bust – even if it’s out of warranty. Inkjet printers can be had on the cheap new, but as anyone knows it’s cartridges that burn a hole...

FedEx Office (formerly known as FedEx Kinko’s or just Kinko’s) is a 24-hour-a-day shop in most places where you can walk in to do a quick scan, print, fax or any other number of office-related stuff. To note: FedEx Office is just one example of a store like this. Even the sleepiest of small towns in the USA have some kind of local office store when...

Some people are confused (or just have the wrong idea) about what a computer server actually is. The technical definition is that a server is a computer dedicated to providing a specific service or services. Concerning what you would use in the home, the most common example is a file server, i.e. a computer where its sole purpose in life is to store files you...

As of a few months ago, I have gone from working exclusively at the office to working from home at least one day a week. So far my transition has been extremely smooth with relatively no speed bumps. Of course, this was prefaced on my part with making my two working environments functional for me. As a service to others out there who have considered working from...

This chapter is a video presentation. [hidepost=1] [flv:http://pcmech.s3.amazonaws.com/BYON/11_workgroups_and_protocols.flv 610 458] [/hidepost] [hidepost=2] Download video (MOV) [/hidepost]

So far, if you have been following the course, you should have an idea of some of the hardware that goes into creating a network, namely:Network interface cards Switches Routers Wireless Access Points Print serversGoing to the store to pick out your equipment can be a little confusing. Usually, you’re looking at a bunch of boxes each promoted to be the...