Jun 30, 2008 | computers, hardware, Office, security, shopping, Vista
[Originally posted November 26, 2007] Thinking about a new computer – home, home office, small business? Let me give you some generalizations that will help you get started. (As always, gamers will be looking for faster processors and hard drives, more memory,...
Jun 29, 2008 | Apple, computers, hardware, Microsoft, software, Vista, WinXP
[Originally posted October 30, 2007]I wish we could count on the software and hardware vendors to play fair and treat us well, but it’s not happening. We have to take responsibility for our computers.When Windows XP and Vista are installed on freshly formatted...
Jun 26, 2008 | hardware, network, security
You probably have a router or firewall device on your network – the little box that your DSL or cable modem plugs into. Make sure you’ve changed the default password on the router! Virtually every router is designed to display a control panel when you put...
Jun 16, 2008 | computers, hardware, Vista, WinXP
I bet you don’t know how to turn off your computer. Lots of people ask me why their computer doesn’t turn off when they hit the power button on the front of the case after the system crashes or freezes. Hold the button down for 4-10 seconds. The computer...
May 28, 2008 | computers, hardware, Vista, WinXP
I’m starting to get annoyed when I sit down at a Windows XP computer because it’s missing so many things that I take for granted in Vista. I just reformatted a hard drive and installed Windows XP from scratch for a client and it required far more work than...
May 27, 2008 | computers, Dell, hardware, mobile, Vista
On a Dell laptop, it is crucial to DISABLE one “power-saving” feature guaranteed to drive you mad. In Vista’s “Power Options” panel, the bottom item on the left is “Dell Internal Network Card Power Management.” It is intended...