Tech News/Tips/Tricks

Follow the below mentioned tips to fix a slow running computer:  1) The first thing you should do is to save any open files and quit any applications that are running. Try rebooting your computer to see if that is a quick fix — there really are a lot of users out there who leave their systems running as close to 24/7 as they can, and this could lead to your system slowing down.  2) Make sure your Windows operating system and virus scanner are both up-to-date. To check this from Internet Explorer, click Tools along the top menu, then select Windows Update. Most anti-virus programs will also have an auto-updater or an update-on-demand function that will enable you to download and install the most recent updates for the software.  3) You should also consider any recent changes that have been made to your system immediately before you noticed the slow down issues starting. This includes things such as new hardware or software being installed. For software, doubl...

All hard drives share a basic structure and are composed of the same physical features. However, not all hard drives perform the same way — the quality of the parts inside the hard drive will affect its performance. Following is a description of the common features of the hard drive and how each part works in relation to the others. Hard drives are extremely sensitive equipment and the internal workings of a hard drive should not be handled by anyone other than an experienced professional. The Platters The platters are the actual disks inside the drive that store the magnetized data. Traditionally platters are made of a light aluminum alloy and coated with a magnetizable material such as a ferrite compound that is applied in liquid form and spun evenly across the platter or thin metal film plating that is applied to the platter through electroplating, the same way that chrome is produced. Newer technology uses glass and/or ceramic platters because they can be made t...

How a motherboard works inside your computer The main circuit board inside your computer is called a motherboard. The motherboard contains the connectors for attaching additional boards, such as the CPU, BIOS, memory, mass storage interfaces, serial and parallel ports, expansion slots and all the controllers that are required to control standard peripheral devices such as the display screen, keyboard, and hard drive. Collectively, all these chips that reside on the motherboard are known as the motherboard's chipset. You can think of the motherboard as a communications center. The purpose of the motherboard is to provide the means for all the other components and peripherals to talk to each other.  You may be able to upgrade to a faster PC by replacing the CPU chip (processor) or improve performance by adding RAM (memory). There are different types of motherboards depending on the type of CPU is was deigned to use. Motherboards are divided into categories based on what ty...

The best way to have any computer component cleaned is to have it professionally serviced, but if you no longer have a service warranty, or if you picked up a second-hand item and want to clean it to see if it even works, here are some tips on how to clean some common items. Precautions When working around electronics there are some precautions you should always take when cleaning: The best way to clean any computer component or device is to follow the manufacturer's instructions in your user manual. Always power off the system first Always use anti-static wristband or other professional grounding devices Never work on carpeted surfaces Never spray cleaning fluids directly onto computer components. Always spray the cleaner onto a cloth then wipe Do not allow any cleaner to run or drip near circuit boards, or near seams on device casings. Never allow circuits or electronics to become damp or wet. Some cleaning solvents can damage components. In most cases, w...

Graphics Refers to any computer device or program that makes a computer capable of displaying and manipulating pictures. The term also refers to the images themselves. File Format A format for encoding information in a file. Each different type of file has a different file format. The file format specifies first whether the file is a binary or ASCII file, and second, how the information is organized. Common Graphic & Image File Formats Some of the most used and common graphics formats used today ate TIFF, JPEG, and GIF. The Tagged Image File Format (TIFF) is widely used in business, offices, and commercial printing environments. Initially TIFF was designed to alleviate the problems associated with fixed file formats and to eliminate the need for proprietary image file formats. In Web-based publishing, three file formats have become the widely accepted standard. Presently Internet browsers can only read JPG or GIF and PNG images, without the user installing a separ...

What Is a PDF? Short for P ortable D ocument F ormat, PDF is a file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF captures formatting information from a variety of desktop publishing applications making it possible to send documents and have them appear on the recipient's monitor (or printer) as they were intended to be viewed. A properly prepared PDF will maintain the original fonts, images, graphics as well as the exact layout of the file. A PDF file can be shared, viewed, and printed by anyone using the free Adobe Reader software regardless of the operating system, original design application or fonts. Originally PDF was mostly used by graphic artists, designers and publishers for producing color page proofs. With its evolving technology, however, today PDF is used for virtually any data that needs to be exchanged among applications and users. It is an open file format specification and PDF is available to anyone who wants to develop tools to create, view or manipulate PDF docu...

RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory) are types of computer memory that provide users with access to information stored on a computer. Here are the top five differences between the two types of memory: RAM is Random Access Memory.  ROM is Read Only Memory. RAM is the memory available for the operating system, programs and processes to use when the computer is running. ROM is the memory that comes with your computer that is pre-written to hold the instructions for booting-up the computer. RAM requires a flow of electricity to retain data (e.g. the computer powered on). ROM will retain data without the flow of electricity (e.g. when computer is powered off). RAM is a type of volatile memory. Data in RAM is not permanently written. When you power off your computer the data stored in RAM is deleted. ROM is a type of non- volatile memory. Data in ROM is permanently written and is not erased when you power off your computer. There are different type...