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...
May 27, 2008 | computers, hardware, mobile, Vista
Vista is very smart about power management! Use the default settings, you might be pleasantly surprised. As always, the goal is to make a computer more like other appliances – ready to be used within a few seconds after turning it on. Any computer –...
May 22, 2008 | computers, hardware
The same problem has now turned up twice in two weeks. So far I’m not aware of any recent update or change that makes this happen, but keep this in the back of your mind in case it comes in handy. The symptom is a black screen and a blinking cursor after the...
