Windows Tools, Help & Guides

In my last article (An Explanation of the Pros and Cons of Using RAID on Your Computer), we discussed the problem of heat build-up during the very hot Auckland summer months and how a RAID 5 configuration with 4 disks can sustain the failure of a single disk. RAID protections provide one part of what should be an overall strategy to protect your data and your computer from heat.

In this piece we divert a bit from our standard hardware/software fare and look at the computing environment as a whole. We will postulate that a tidy workspace is, in fact, a happy workspace and suggest a few tricks to make your work-space more productive and more comfortable.

The three biggest factors driving the design of my workspace are heat, noise and clutter. If I can minimise these three and maximize my computing power and productivity (all within family budget constraints, of course), I will have archived the objective.

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The purpose of this post is to confirm the confidence I have in RAID technology as expressed in the earlier post “RAID“. It is occasioned by my recent plans to write a very different piece.

Background: the Warning Signs

Summers can get pretty hot here in Auckland. The average temperature for this time of year is 24 degrees Celsius (that’s 75 degrees Fahrenheit to North Americans) with 99% humidity so it’s no simple matter to keep a computer cool.

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In this guest post, James Ricketts discusses how to handle PC sound card problems. Find out more about James at the end of this post.

You just double-clicked your favorite song, turned the volume up, but guess what – there is no audio! You wait wondering what the cause could be, but still no luck. Your speaker simply refuses to produce any sound.

You frantically scan your sound file for a virus and the scan results show everything is clear. Your computer is new, so the cause cannot be a faulty sound card, or incorrect entries in the windows registry.

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On Windows Guides, we’ve shared our Windows Experience Index (WEI) score before but there was no way to easily compare scores and the number of entries was pretty low. Fear not, “We Share” is here:

Learn where to download WEI Share and how to share and compare your score with others online.

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If I told you about Sandy Bridge theres a chance you don’t know what I am talking about. If I write that Intel is preparing a revolution in processor technology, maybe you can take the subject a more seriously. However, if I comment that the processor, which will appear at the beginning of the next year, is not going to be the fastest Intel processor ever, maybe you think that call that a revolution maybe is a bit exaggerated.

In this article, I’ll tell you a little about the Sandy Bridge processor from Intel.

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If you’re selling your computer, sending a faulty drive back to its manufacturer, donating your PC, or sending it to the curb, you should take precautions to ensure your data is properly erased. This guide explains:

• Why you should properly erase your data.
• What precautions you should take when erasing data.

Then I’ll show you three different techniques you can use to completely erase your hard drives:

1. Using Windows Explorer to format your drive.
2. Using Darik’s Boot and Nuke (DBAN.)
3. Using a drill.

Okay, I won’t show you how to do number three but it’s a perfectly feasible option.

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