Windows Tools, Help & Guides

Slow computers need lots of patience

USB has become a daily part of our computer life. Almost any gadget or external device use the USB port to connect to your computer. Some devices also rely on our USB ports to get power or charge their battery.

Problem is that the USB ports doesn’t support true high-speed data transfers (at least until version 3 becomes generally available). Granted, USB is an ingenious way of connecting devices to your computer. It really revolutionized the home computer when it became a system standard. However, too much of a good thing, often results in sluggish computers and slooow file copying. Why’s that ?

In this article I’m going to try answer that and give you a few tips and tricks on how to improve your USB (and computer) performance and to avoid those sluggish moments.

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Hardware is by far the ugliest part of a computer because information on this subject is obscure and difficult to find.

For example, imagine you need to know what kind of RAM is installed or whether or not you have free slots on your motherboard: you’ll have a hard time finding an upgrade. You need a free slot to install new RAM, and you may need to use the same type of RAM on all slots.

Windows has an information tool, to see it press WinKey + R, type msinfo32.exe and press Enter. But the information is not exactly what you are looking for.

The device manager also has a lot of good information but sometimes you may need something more sophisticated.

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I don’t know if you’ve read it already, but I just did a piece on RAM (Random Access Memory). I thought I’d follow-up with this tutorial on how to upgrade your Laptops RAM. Most of us have one time or another upgraded our Desktop Computer (if not, I’ll tell you all about that in a later article). But have you ever tried to do so on a Laptop ? Or, have you backed off, on account of –  it’s so tiny, and therefore must be tough to do ? Well, actually it’s just as easy – or easier even. Here’s how… Read the rest of this entry »

We recently launched our suggestion box (Read about it here) where we ask you to help us improve our site, and to come up with suggestions as what articles to write. In response to that Bert H. asked us to write: “A clear and concise explanation about RAM. A lot of my co-workers are clueless about what it is, what it does, and why upgrading is simple.”

RAM the story behind…

RAM (or R.A.M) is an acronym for Random Access Memory (pronounced ramm). This is, your computers short time memory, which temporarily stores important data or information while the computer is working. In the early days of Computer Development, all data and information had to be stored on magnetic tapes in reels. In order to retrieve the data, you had to rewind the tape to the beginning and then search through the tape until you found the part needed. With RAM you didn’t have to do that anymore. The CPU (Central Processing Unit, or the number-crunching part of your computer) could access “randomly” parts of the memory, without having to search through the entire thing. RAM is organized and controlled in a way that enables data to be stored and retrieved directly from specific locations. Which of course saved a lot of time and energy. Thus making the computer faster and more efficient.

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I remember back when (in 1985) CDs hit the market. “They are practically indestructible”, “you can jump on them”, “Spill Jam on them”. The appraisal had no limit. The CDs were the ultimate sound and storage system.

Now, we know better. If your CD or DVD gets a scratched surface – it’s virtually unreadable. Which Is why many make backup copies of their disks – before they get damaged.

What do you do, if you don’t have backups?

There are many freeware applications that may save the contents of a scratched disk, tho the end result will depend on how scratched the surface is. Here’s my tip on how to make the unreadable, readable – again.

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If you don’t have a home network set up or if you have some of the components you need but haven’t set everything up yet, this guide is for you. In this guide, I show you what hardware you need to set up a home network, where to get it (if you’re in the UK), and give the basics of connecting it all together.

Please note that this is assuming you have an ADSL subscription (i.e. BT, TalkTalk, Sky, etc), and not Cable (i.e. Virgin). Also, whatever ISP (Internet Service Provider) you are using, if you have joined within the last few years, they should have sent you a free wireless router, with cables, anyway. If they haven’t, and you’re out of your contract, you should be able to speak to them and get them to send you the equipment out for free. For example, BT would send you their Home Hub, which is a really decent piece of hardware (especially as you can run a virtual “phone line” off of it, with BT BroadBand Talk!)

This guide is part of the Home Network Setup, Sharing, Streaming, and Backup Series. Learn more about setting up a home network, configuring file sharing and streaming, and performing network backups on the series homepage.

If you’re in the United States, please use the US guide to pick hardware. Otherwise, read on:

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