Computer hardware tips

Where to download drivers for my computer?

2008-09-26T10:11:00.001-07:00

Hardware tips -> Where to download drivers for my computer?

Computers do not function alone. There are many external devices that are connected to the computer for various reasons. For example, Modem, Sound Card, Network card, printer, scanner and many other devices are connected to the computer. When we buy these hardware devices they come with the drivers (usually in CDs). The manufacturers of these devices develop these drivers. Because to use these devices these drivers are necessary. We usually keep these CDs safely when we buy them. But as time passes, we may forget where we kept those CDs. When these drivers are required later where do we look for such drivers. Consider these scenarios:

You formatted your hard disk and reinstall the OS. So you need to reinstall all the drivers for your external hardware.
You buy a used computer from someone but forget to get the driver CDs.
Your computer has all the drivers, but you want to upgrade the drivers. But you are not sure about the driver name and the device manufacturer.

To solve all these issues you need to download drivers from somewhere. There are many websites such as

www.windrivers.com
www.windowsdrivers.com
www.driverguide.com
www.pcdrivers.com

If you know which driver you need you can goto any of these websites and download the appropriate driver. If you don not know which driver you want then these websites will not be of any help. Therefore you should first know about the drivers in your computer.

Driver upgrade utilities:

If you would like to test the drivers in your computer and see if they are functioning properly or needs to be updated then you can use the Driver Detective utility. Goto www.drivershq.com . You will see the 'Driver Detective' link. If you click on this link, this utility will check all the external devices that are currently connected to your computer and list all the drivers. If the list shows 'Bad' for any of your device such as scanner for example, then the driver for your scanner needs to be installed. If you click this link the appropriate driver will be installed.

Another such utility is Driver wizard software. You can download this utility from http://drivermagic.com/p/nph-home.php This utility will also check all the drivers in your computer and you can install any drivers that is BAD.

Belare Advisor is another utility that can be used to detect all your hardware from your computer. You can download this utility from www.belare.com

Hard disk maintenance and partitioning

2008-09-26T10:10:00.003-07:00

Hardware tips -> Hard disk maintenance and partitioning

To check whether our hard disks or floppy disks are functioning properly, the Operating system provides many tools. But they are not sufficient enough. When the hard disk or the floppy disks are giving problems that cannot be solved by the tools provided by the OS then we need third party software to resolve this. Then we start searching for such software or utilities. Here I have listed a few of them and where to find them.

Norton System Works:
The system maintenance tools such as Norton System Works by Symantec can be used to test the hard disks. Its true that most of the tools required for maintaining the hard disks are found in this software. But it is not free.

But using some free tools that can be downloaded from internet and the tools provided by the OS itself, the hard disk maintenance and troubleshooting can be accomplished. Here I have listed these free tools.

Data Recovery Software:
Sometimes if you format your hard disk unknowingly and you want to restore the data that you lost then you can use the 'Unformat' command provided by 'DOS' operating system. But since we do not use DOS anymore, there are free tools available that can do this.

Bitmart Restorer 2000 Data Recovery.
This tool can be downloaded freely from www.bitmart.net

R-Studio Data Recovery Software.
This tool can be downloaded free from www.data-recovery-software.net
Partition Table Doctor
If you mistakenly partitioned the hard drive and you want to reverse back then you need a tool to unpartition. How nice it would be to have an opposite command for fdisk such as unfdisk. One such utility is the partition table doctor. You can download this tool from www.ptdd.com
Active Partition Recovery
You can download this tool from www.partition-recovery.com . This tool can be used to partition or unpartition your hard disk drives.
Spin Rige
This software is developed by Steve Gibson and is available from http://grc.com . This software is used to research your hard disk deeply. This free utility is useful to see things like your rotation speed of hard disk etc.
Fdisk / Diskpart
If you are a Windows 9x user then you can use the fdisk command. If you are a windows 2000 / XP user then you can use the diskpart command provided by the OS itself.
Bootlt
You can download this utility Bootlt from www.terabyteunlimited.com . This works on all the operating systems. This single utility can be used to partition your hard disk into multiple drives and formatting them etc.
Scandisk / Chkdsk
To scan the hard disk to find any errors and to repair the disk you can use the scandisk command in windows 9x versions. In Windows XP you can use the chkdsk command to repair your hard disk.
PC Inspector File Recovery
If you delete the files from your hard disk, windows deletes the file from that folder and stores it in the 'Recycle bin'. If you had emptied the recycle bin and you need to get back the file then you can use this tool, PC Inspector File Recovery. You can download this free application from www.pcinspector.de
HDClone Free edition
To backup the hard disk or create an image of your harddisk, you need the backup/imaging software. You can use HDClone free edition for this. Download this tool from www.miray.dc

Scanner buying tips

2008-09-26T10:10:00.001-07:00

Hardware tips -> Scanner buying tips

Documents and pictures can be converted into digital images using scanners. The price of scanners have tremendously fallen and is now affordable for any household. Therefore many would like to know about buying a scanner. MFD (Multi Function Device) are also available which integrates scanning, faxing and printing facilities all in one device. This report is about the scanner and its features.

Scanners are ranging from $100 to $1000. There are many models available both for office use as well as for home use.

How much resolution is needed for my scanner?

1. If you just need to scan documents or images occasionally and you are not too much concerned about high quality then a cheap low resolution scanner such as 600 dpi(dots per inch) can be selected.
2. If you need to scan documents from many different media and you are going to use it commercially and need many additional features then a scanner with medium resolution such as 1200 dpi will be suitable for you.
3. If you have to scan things like 'negative's or you would like to use the OCR feature then you have to buy a high resolution scanner such as 2400 dpi

Some tips to buy the right scanner

The price of the scanner is directly proportional to the optical resolution of the scanner. For example a scanner with 1200x600 resolution will be cheaper than 1200x2400 and so on.
Also check the 'color depth' of the scanner. A 36 bit color depth scanners are now obsolete. 42 bit and 48 bit scanners are mostly available. It is better to choose a scanner with 48 bit color depth.
Check which PORT the scanner supports. Most of the modern scanners use USB. Some scanners have SCSI interface. So before you buy the scanner check whether your computer has USB port to connect the scanner.
Check that the scanner comes with all the required cables to connect to the computer
Check whether 'onsite support' is provided. If not you may have to carry the scanner to the dealer if it doesn't work.
If your main intention of buying a scanner is to scan from books (big) then check whether the top cover can be detached or there is a provision to lift the cover to 3 inches atleast.
If you would like to scan a document, import it to MS Word and then edit the document then you need the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software. So check whether the scanner comes with the OCR software CD. Some scanners do not come with this software. If you would like to have this then choose a scanner that does come with the CD.
If you would like to scan 'negatives' then you need to buy a 'Transparence Adapter'. See whether you can connect this to the scanner.
If you would like to scan a large collection of documents automatically without manual intervention then you need to buy the 'Automatic Document Feeder' (ADF). See that the scanner you choose supports this so that the ADF can be connected to your scanner.

Control buttons in a scanner

There are many buttons in a scanner. FAX, Print/COpy, Email, OCR, CD an Web are some of the buttons. Your scanner may or maynot hav all of these buttons. Let us see what are these buttons for.

If you would like to scan a document and at the same time FAX the document to a FAX number then 'Scan to FAX' can be used. You need not have a separate FAX machine.
If you need to scan and at the same time print the document or save a copy of the document as a file in your computer then the 'Scan to Print/Copy' button can be used.
'Scan to email' is used to scan and send the document to any email address. On pressing this button your favourite email client such as 'outlook' will start and the scanned document will be attached to the email. You just need to enter the email address and send.
'Scan to OCR' is used to scan the document and open it in your OCR software to edit.
The same goes for 'scan to cd' to write the scanned document to a CD and 'Scan to Web' is used to publish to a website after scanning.

What is virtual memory and when it is used?

2008-09-26T10:09:00.003-07:00

Hardware tips -> What is virtual memory and when it is used?
The use of virtual memory is not visible to the PC user. Which means while working at the computer we will not know whether the virtual memory is being used as there will be no indication. The reason will be obvious if you know how virtual memory functions. Usually the RAM memory in computers are now either 256 or 512 MB. Some computers also have 1Gb RAM memory. But this RAM size is not sufficient for most of the tasks that we do in computers. For example after we start the computer and open MS Word and MS outlook, then the RAM memory is occupied by these applications. Therefore if we open more applications without closing the existing applications then the RAM memory is not enough. While opening another application, the operating system will see which are the applications currently not in use and then move those unused applications to the hard disk temporarily. Therefore temporarily the RAM memory is free and can be used by this new application. This happens automatically by the operating system and therefore not visible to the PC user. This is called virtual memory.

What to do with my old computer?

2008-09-26T10:09:00.001-07:00

Hardware tips -> What to do with my old computer?
Everyday there are many new application software launched. Most of these new applications do not run on old computers. The minimum requirements for most applications are not suitable for old computers. Therefore many, either upgrade the computers or buy a new computer. It is good to upgrade and switch to the latest computer. But then the question arises, what to do with the old computer? Some take the old boxes from their store rooms and put the old computer and store it. Some just don't know what to do with the old computer. If you are one of those who doesn't know what to do with your old computer, here are some tips to make use of your old computer. Sell your old computer Your friends, your neighbours, inform everyone you know that you have an old computer to sell. There may be someone who wants to get a computer very cheap. Even if they offer to buy at very very low price, just sell it to them. Remember that old computers do not have much commercial value. It is better than stocking it in your store room for no reason. Remove parts and sell Remove each computer part separately and try to sell individual parts. Some may be looking for just one part of the computer like keyboard, mouse, hard drive, video card or network card. Or try the Yahoo auction website. You can list your computer there and wait for people to bid. Donate your old computer free. Many schools, community centers or even someone poor whom you know may need your computer. Even some voluntary organisations may accept your donation of your old computer. Learn about computer hardware What is a motherboard? what are the components? How to remove and fix hard disk? Where is the RAM in the computer? Which is the power connector? Which is the data connector for harddisks and floppy disks. How to fix them? If you need to know the answers of these questions then use your old computer to learn about the computer hardware. Open it and learn them. Create a computer network You can connect your old computer to your new computer and create a computer network. You just need two network cards and cables. You can then enjoy the network's benefits. You can use a single internet connection in two computers. You can play Multiplayer Games. You can install the games in these two computers and you can play a two player game with your fried. Isn't it better to play against a person rather than the computer? Install Linux and try it Linux is a free operating system. You can install and try linux in your old computer.

Types of Computer Memory - RAM, ROM, Cache, Virtual Memory

2008-09-26T10:08:00.004-07:00

Hardware tips -> Types of Computer Memory - RAM, ROM, Cache, Virtual Memory
Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM) are essential computer memory. Virtual Memory and Cache are other terms we often hear related to computer memory. What is RAM? As the name suggests, Random Access Memory can find and access the data randomly. Sequential access is the opposite of Random access. In Sequential access, to retrieve the data that is stored in the middle, all the data from the beginning has to be read sequentially until the searched data is found. So it takes time. Where as in RAM, the data can be directly jumped to the middle if necessary without having to read the data sequentially. So the reading is faster. In computers and printers RAM is used. In fact, RAM is the most important memory in computers and printers. Types of RAM. Dynamic RAM and Static RAM (SRAM) or two types of RAM. Of these, Dynamic RAM is cheaper and commonly used. Static RAM is very fast. A dynamic RAM has to be refreshed many thousand times in a second. Static RAM does not have to be refreshed. RAM is a volatile memory. Hence, when there is a power cut, all the data in the RAM memory is lost. RAM is always referred to as the Main Memory. RAM is a READ / WRITE Memory. All the programs and data that we use in computers have to be first transfered to RAM from hard disk before it can be used. Therefore the higher the RAM size the faster is your computer. What is ROM - Read Only Memory ROM also uses Random Access method to read data. The only difference is that the data written to a ROM memory can only be read. You can write to it. Since RAM is volatile, the data is erased when the computer shuts down or power is cut, but ROM is non volatile. Therefore the data in ROM is always there even when there is no power. All the computers have a ROM. The most essential programs that are required to start the computer are stored in this ROM memory. Calculators, Laser Printers use ROM. PROM - Programmable Read Only Memory - is a part of ROM memory. When manufactured the PROM is empty. Then data is written to it using a special device. EPROM - Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory - is a type of ROM that can be erased using Ultra Violet rays and then re prorammed with different data or programs. EEPROM - Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory - is a type of ROM that can be erased by using current. What is Virtual Memory? A part of the hard disk can be used as a Virtual Memory. Generally the size of the virtual memory in a computer is 2 or 2.5 times greater than the RAM memory size in that computer. Assume you are starting an application. But there are already many programs started previously that is occupying the RAM space. And the remaining space in RAM is not sufficient to use the new application that you are starting. Then the virtual memory is used. Now the Operating System comes into play. It decides which are the applications that are not currently used and then moves them from the RAM memory to the Virtual memory in Hard Disk. Therefore the RAM is now free and the new application can occupy the space and be started. If the program that is moved to the virtual memory is used again then the Operating System brings that application back from virtual memory to the RAM and some other idle application is moved to the virtual memory. Therefore the virtual memory is also referred to as Swap memory. What is Cache ? A part of the main memory (RAM) can be used as Cache or it can be separate chip. The commands that are often used, or data often used will be kept in this static RAM. This static RAM is called Cache memory. But there are also Cache memory that comes independently from RAM. Level 1 (L1) and Level 2 (L2) are types of cache memory. The cache integrated inside the microprocessor is categorised as L1 cache. For example Pentium Processor comes with 16KB cache. This is SRAM. The cache between the Microprocessor and the RAM is L2 Cache. This is also SRAM category.

Computer slow, Computer hot, Computer hangs - How to solve?

2008-09-26T10:08:00.003-07:00

Hardware tips -> Computer slow, Computer hot, Computer hangs - How to solve?

In order to increase the speed and performance of your computer, buying a new computer is not the only solution. You can upgrade your existing computer. It is not very expensive to upgrade computer. You can upgrade selected parts. Here let us see some tips for upgrading your old computer to speed up your computer and increase performance.

Upgrade the BIOS

BIOS - Basic Input Output System - is a software in your computer. BIOS determines how to communicate with the basic hardware installed in your computer such as Memory, Drives, Display, CPU, Keyboard etc.

After you bought your computer new devices may have been introduced in the market. Security may have been enhanced. There may have been Patches for detecting and rectifying system errors. If you upgrade your BIOS you can get all these.

Go to your Motherboard manufacturer's websites and see if you can upgrade your BIOS. There are also third party BIOS providers. You can buy and upgrade your BIOS software for your old computer.

You can Use Overclock

If the speed of your CPU is not sufficient then you can increase the speed of CPU using Overclock. See your 'User Manual' of your motherboard and see if there is an Overclock upgrade facility.

You can do Overclock by changing the jumper settings in your motherboard. You can search for manuals on how to do this from internet.

But if you do Overclocking the CPU will be overheated very fast. Hence the CPU may get worn out soon. If you do not want to take the risk then do not do overclocking. If the warranty period of your computer is not over then do not do overclocking. Because some comapnies do not give warranty if they come to know that you used overclocking.

Use a new hard disk to Boot.

If you already have a hard disk and it is almost full then you can buy a new hard disk. In which case, you should change your new hard disk as C: drive and your old hard drive as drive D:.

You can make the new drive as Master and the old drive as Slave. The hard disk drive user manual will have details on how to configure the hard disk as master or slave. It is done using a jumper at the back of the hard disk.

The Operating System and the Application software can be installed in Drive C. and these data has to be removed from the old disk properly. This may take some time. If you are not prepared to spend time on this then there are software that can be used to transfer the systemd files, hidden files and data files from your old hard disk to the new hard disk.

Power Quest's Drive copy ( www.powerquest.com ), Micro House's EZCopy
( www.microhouse.com ), Symantec's Ghost ( www.symantec.com ) can be used for this.

Additional tips for increasing computer performance

If your computer often hangs or you get 'General Protection Fault's then the CPU or the RAM memory is not fixed on the motherboard properly and may be loose. Open the cabinet and remove and refix the CPU and RAM.

If your computer get very hot after some time or if the computer hangs after a few hours then the CPU fan and SMPS fan may be faulty. Or there may be dust and dirt around these fans. So open the cabinet at specified intervals (every month once) and clean the computer's motherboard, fan etc using a vacuum cleaner.

At frequent intervals check whether all the cables are connected tightly. Similarly check that all cards in the motherboard's expansion slots are tightly secured.

What is a Tablet PC? Tablet PC Vs Notebook

2008-09-26T10:08:00.001-07:00

Hardware tips -> What is a Tablet PC?
Tablet PC Vs Notebook

Many find typewriting in Computers very tedious. If only the computer can listen to someone speaking and then automatically convert speech to text. Yes, it is possible. Speech Recognition software are plenty in the market.

What if the computer can convert natural writing to text instead of typing? This too is possible using the 'Character Recognition' and 'Transcriber' technologies used in PDAs and Tablet PCs.

What is a Tablet PC?

Tablet is a computer. It is smaller in size than a notebook and bigger than a PDA. Therefore you can carry Tablet PCs easily.

A special feature in Tablet PC is the 'Slate'. Students can use this feature just like a slate. It comes with a special pen, using which you can write on the slate and the computer will read and convert it into text.

The slate in Tablet PC is nothing but a special monitor and 'Stylus' is the special pen used to write on the slate.

The Operating System in a Tablet is either Windows XP Tablet PC Edition or Windows CE.

Many Tablet PCs comes with a keyboard. Therefore those who want to type can use this keyboard. And those who do not like to type can use the stylus and the slate.

Just like desktop PCs, Tablets also can be equipped with MS Word, Exel, PowerPoint, Email, Browser etc.

Notebook Vs Tablet

Most of the Tablet manufacturers make their Tablet PCs to be able to be used as a notebook too. For example, Acer and Toshiba Tablets can also be used as a notebook. If the monitor of the Tablet is turned 180 degrees and faced other side it becomes a notebook.

Some brands in addition to slates also provide keyboards. So if you insert the keyboard it will become a notebook and if you take out it becomes a Tablet. HP makes this type of Tablets.

Some brands just come with the slate. ViewSonic makes this type of Tablet PCs.

Who Needs a Tablet PC?

Those who don't know typing, or those who know but do not like to type or those who type very slow are some of the people who can buy a Tablet PC.

Doctors who would like to store the details of the patients faster, Lawyers who want to record the details of a case also can use Tablet PC.

Students, Teachers, Press reporters, Stenos also can use Tablet PCs.

Do you need training to use Tablet PCs?

Yes. You need to train the Tablet PCs. Because the Slate has to recognize your handwriting style. If your hand writing is very legible and clear then you don't have to worry. Tablet will easily recognize your hand writing.

Configuration of Tablet PCs.

Generally Pentium III M or Crusoe chips are used at a speed ranging from 800 MHz to 1.5 GHz.

The screen ranges from 10.4" to 12.1" with a resolution of 1024x768.

The weight of the Tablet usually ranges from 1.4Kg to 1.8 Kg, so it can be easily carried around.

The price ranges from $3500 to $6000

Things to do before you upgrade your computer cards

2008-09-26T10:07:00.003-07:00

Hardware tips -> Things to do before you upgrade your computer cards

If you open the computer and look at the motherboard you will see many expansion slots. You can insert Modem card, sound card, video card, scanner card, network card or many other computer cards. There will be some free expansion slots for future use.

You may like to upgrade some of the existing cards. For example instead of 33.6K modem you may want to upgrade to faster 56K modem, or instead of the normal video card you are using you may wish to upgrade to a 3D video card.

Here are some tips and things to do before you undergo such upgrades.

Backup your data

If you install any card in your computer, you also have to install the driver software for that card. When you install the drivers be aware that some of the existing files in your computer will change. Or some files may get corrupted and become unusable or totally deleted. Therefore it is always a good practice to backup the existing files in your computer.

If possible, a total hard disk backup is recommended. But if you are unable to backup the hard disk (which is usually the case most of the times) then at least back up the files in the root directory and the windows directory. If you don't have the time to do this then at least back up the windows registry before doing any upgrade.

Gather details about the card

Make sure that you get all the accompanying manuals, cards and getting started guide if any together with the card. Read them patiently before you start doing anything. If there is a newer driver available for the card then download the driver from the website.

Before you buy a particular card, get some feedback from your friends and colleagues if they have already used the same card. If you have any IT friends then get their advice if possible.

Search the Microsoft's knowledge base in their website about the card you are going to buy and see if there are known bugs or problems related to that card.

Release your body's static current

The static current in your body may spoil the card. The chips in the card may be damaged. Hence before touching the card, release the static current from your body.

If you touch any water pipe the static current will be released. If you cannot find a water pipe you can shut down the computer and touch the metal cabinet of your computer. When you do this do not remove the power plug from your computer. Because the static current from your body will get released through the ground wire of your computer's power plug.

Insert the card slowly and firmly

Insert the card slowly into the expansion slot in your motherboard. Sometimes you may need to exert more pressure. But make sure that the motherboard does not bend or break. So carefully insert but ensure that it sits firmly in the slot.
Secure the card using Screws.

After a few months the card may come out from the slot. To prevent this, use the screws to tightly secure the card with the cabinet.

Remove the driver of the old card

It is better to remove the old driver before you install the new driver. TO do this select the 'My Computer' icon in the desktop, right click and select 'properties'. Now select the 'Device Manager' and select the old card from the drive (eg. your old sound card) and then click on the 'Remove' button. For some cards you may need to use the Add/remove programs option in control panel.

You can use the above method to remove the driver of all the hardware except the display driver. Since the display is very important. However you can double click the 'Display Driver' in device manager and then click the 'Update Driver' button.

Install the new driver

The driver will be in the floppy disk or the CD rom that came with the card. Install it. You can refer to the user manual of your card to install the driver. When you are installing the driver do not stop the process in between as it will damage the files. If during the installation process you think you are installing the wrong driver then let it install fully first, then you can remove it as mentioned above.

Keep your driver CD safely

After you install the driver reboot the computer and you can start using your new card. But remember to keep the driver CD in a safe place. Because you never know when things can go wrong. If you have to reinstall then you will need these CDs.

What is an USB drive? USB drive buying tips.

2008-09-26T10:07:00.001-07:00

Hardware tips -> What is an USB drive? USB drive buying tips.

Is it possible to store 2GB to 4GB of data in a device half the size of your pen? If you asked this question a few years back the answer is NO. But now it is very much possible. These are called USB drives or THUMB drives.

Those drives like pen drive or thumb drive that can be inserted to your USB (Universal Serial Bus) port in your computer is an USB drive.

Floppy drives and hard drives are secured to your computer using screws. Therefore they are permanently fixed to your computer. To disconnect and install it in another computer is not an easy task. Moreover these drives need power cables and data cables separately to function. But an USB drive is entirely different.

It is very easy to use an USB drive. You just have to insert the USB drive into your computer's USB port. You need not open the computer's cabinet for this. There is not data cable or power cable in USB drives.

As soon as you insert the USB drive into your USB port you can start using it. You need not install any software to use this. Reason: The newer Operating Systems such as Windows XP and most of the linux distros know how to detect these USB drives automatically. Immediately the OS will mount the USB drive to your computer and assign a drive letter such as E: or F: and will be available in your usual file explorer such as windows explorer.

If your Operating System is old (such as Windows 98) then you may have to install the appropriate driver software for your USB drive. The driver comes in the CD together with the drive or you can download the driver from the manufacturer's website.

What is bootable USB drive?

Just like the bootable floppy disk or a bootable CD you can also boot the computer using a bootable USB drive. But your computer's BIOS should support this facility.

Buying tips for USB drive (Thumb drive, pen drive, jump drive etc)

Storage size of USB drive

USB drives are also called as Pen drive, Thumb drive, Jump drive, Key chain drive etc. These drives come in various storage capacities. USB drives are available from 16MB to 4.4GB.
Speed of USB drives

Currently the USB2.0 is the standard widely in use. The speed of USB 2.0 is 480 MBPS. You may think that USB 2.0 based USB drives will have this 480 Mbps speed. But in reality there are three types of speed in USB drives.

They are Low speed, Full speed and High speed. Low speed refers to a mere 1.5 Mbps speed. Do not get misled by the 'Full speed' term. Full Speed USB drives have 12 Mbps speed. Only 'High speed' or 'hispeed' USB drives have 480Mbps speed. Remember to buy USB drives that are faster to read and write.

So do not just see whether it is USB 2.0 but also see the speed.
Write Protected USB drives

See if the USB drive has a write protect switch. Because if you do not want to accidentally delete the files or do not want to accidentally write to it then this switch will be useful.

Video Projector buying tips

2008-09-26T10:06:00.003-07:00

Hardware tips -> Video Projector buying tips

The use of Video projector in Offices, Companies and Universities are getting more and more popular. The projector which is also referred to as the 'LCD Projector' and 'VGA Projector' are getting cheaper and cheaper.

Projectors are used to show important programs and presentations. Teachers like projectors as projectors are very useful in teaching. Easy to carry portable projectors are also available in the market.

Here are the buying tips for choosing a good projector

There are two types of projectors based on the technology they use. The 'Liquid Crystal Display' (LCD) and the 'Digital Light Processing' (DLP) based projectors. The LCD projectors are very cheap compared to the DLP projectors
The weight of the LCD projector is very high compared to the weight of the DLP projectors. Therefore those want to carry the projectors easily then you should buy a DLP projector.
If the size of the projector is small then there will be minimum connections available in the projector. Therefore if you go for more features and do not care about the size then you should choose a bigger projector.
If you want to be able to connect VCR, VCD or camcorder to the projector then you should check whether these connectors ara available.
You should check the light brightness of the projector. This is measured in lumens. Different projectors have 1000, 1500, 2000 or 3000 lumens. If you are going to use the projector in a small room then 1000 to 1500 lumens is enough. If you are planning to use your projector in big halls, auditoriums then choose the 3000 or higher lumens projector.
Also remember that the resolution is very important. If you need sharp and clear pictures then you should choose the projector with high resolution. Projectors are available at 800x600, 1024x728, 1280x1024 resolutions. The price of the projector will increase with the increase in resolution. Also note that the computer monitor's resolution and the projector's resolution should match when you give presentations.
Also check the contrast ratio of the projector. The ratio should be high for example between 400:1 projector and 2000:1 projector the latter is better.
See if the VGA, SVideo, Composite Video connectors are available. Similarly check if the 'Audio In' connector is available.
Check the 'tilt mechanism' provided in the projector. This is used to tilt your projector, upwards or downwards based on your requirement. Usually the projector will rest on four screws which are adjustable. Some brands come with two screws behind and one screw in the center front. You can adjust these screws to adjust the projection to fit the screen.
Check the life of the 'bulb' in the projector. Check the price of the bulb in case you need to change it.
See the menu options provided in the projector and whether it is easy to operate using the remote control and whether it is easy to connect to the computer.
See if the laser pointer comes with the remote control or given separately. The laser pointer with the remote control is better.
See if the projector can be locked using a password. This is very useful if you do not want unauthorized use.
Also check if there is a 'control panel lock'. This will prevent the use of projectors without the remote control. So only those who have the remote at hand can operate it.

Digital camera buying tips

2008-09-26T10:06:00.001-07:00

Hardware tips -> Digital camera buying tips

Nowadays digital cameras are replacing conventional film cameras. It is true that many people prefer to buy digital cameras then normal cameras. There are many reasons for this change. With digital cameras there is no need to keep the film safe. No need to wait to see the photos until the whole film roll is finished. No need to bring to a studio to print. The advantages of buying a digital camera are many. So many want to buy digital cameras.

But what are the different types of digital cameras? How much is its price? Which digital camera to choose? And many such questions are common while buying digital cameras.

Here are the buying tips for choosing a digital camera. The price ranges from $120 to $700. So based on your budget and your requirements you should choose the various features in a digital camera.

Compared to digital cameras with CMOS sensors, digital cameras with CCD sensor is better. The CCD sensor cameras are smaller in size and produce a better quality.
The resolution should be high. 640x480, 1024x768, 768x1280, 1024x2048 are some of the resolutions in digital cameras.
The camera memory should also be high. If you need greater clarity the digital camera's internal memory should be high. Generally 2, 8 or 16MB internal memory camera's are available. So choose a higher one.
See the interface of the digital camera to a computer. Both USB interface and Parallel ports are available. But a USB interface camera is better because of the speed and easy to use features.
A camera with Viewfinder is good. Using this you can view the picture other than from the LCD.
Optical zoom is most important. Even if it is expensive choose the camera with an optical zoom
See if you can increase the camera's memory. Compact Flash card, smart media or Memory sticks can be used to increase the camera's memory. Never choose a camera in which you cannot change the camera's memory.
Usually in order to print the photos, you will have to first copy the photos from digital cameras to the computer and then print it from the computer. But there are cameras which can be directly connected to the printer to print. If printing photos are your main job then choose a camera that can directly connect to a printer
Some digital cameras are capable of capturing short videos. If you need this feature then see if the camera has this feature.
Choose the digital camera with a fast shutter speed. If you are buying a digital camera for use in your profession then you should have a camera with very high shutter speed.
See if the camera is user friendly and easy to use. See if the buttons are easy to press.
See if the camera is designed such that your fingers never come in between the flash or the lens. Choose a camera that is designed based on Ergonomics.

Types of Flash memory cards

2008-09-26T10:05:00.003-07:00

Hardware tips -> Types of Flash memory cards

Flash memory cards are used in Notebook computers, Digital cameras, Music players, PDAs and Car Stereos. Since these flash memories are cheap and the storage capacity ranges from 8MB to 1GB many people are buying these cards.

There are many types of flash memory cards. There are also USB drives and external hard disks in the market. So before you buy any cards you should first find out whether it is suitable for your notebook or computer. In this article we shall discuss about flash memory cards.

Difference between normal memory and flash memory

In an ordinary memory chip there are many cells. Each cell has either 0 or 1 state. When this cell is charged, its state will change. Which means if it was 1 then it will change to 0 and if it was 0 it will change to 1.

Remove the charge from the memory chip and the cells in the chip will forget their states. It will no longer retain its state.

But a flash memory is different. Even if the power is disconnected from the flash memory chip the cells in flash memory will still remember and retain its last state. This is the speciality of the Flash memory.

Thats why flash memory is better than the normal memory. But even flash memory has its disadvantages. The speed of a flash memory is too slow. Generally the speed of flash memory is 1Mbps. But flash memory with double or triple this speed are also available. The price of flash memory is more expensive than normal memory.

Types of flash memory

Smart Media

Smart Media cards were first introduced at 2.7" size and at a thickness of a playing card. Since it could be easily bent the possibility of getting spoiled is high. Smart Media cards can be used in digital cameras and music players. If you want to use this in your computer you need to buy a PC card adapter. The smart media card with 1.8" length, 1.5" breadth and 0.06" thickness are not widely in use.
Compact Flash

Compact Flash cards are used in Digital cameras, notebooks, PDAs, Music players and car stereos. Compact Flash cards are available with 4GB storage capacity and 1.4" length, 1.7" breadth and 0.2" thickness. Research is being done to increase the storage capacity of compact flash cards to 16GB.
Memory stick

Many companies are now manufacturing memory sticks. There are many types of memory sticks which are used in digital cameras, notebooks, PDAs, music players and car stereos. Some even get confused between Memory stick, Memory stick duo, Memory stick & select, Memory stick pro. The size of each of these types of memory sticks are different. The storage capacity also differs 128MB, 256MB, 1GB, 2GB and 4GB.
Secure digital

As though the confusion in memory stick is not enough secure digital type of flash memory are also available. Secure digital flash memory cards can also be used in digital camera, notebooks, PDAs, Music players and car stereos. All popular brands manufacture secure digital cards. Computer experts predict that secure digital cards have very good future. The secure digital cards are very small in size. The size of usual Secure Digital cards (SD card) is 1.2x0.9x0.07.

More recently MiniSD cards are available which are even smaller in size (0.8x0.8x0.5). The storage size is 256MB or 512MB.
XDPicture cards

Fuji and Olympus cameras use XDPicture cards in their digital cameras. The size of XDPicture cards is 1.0x0.8x0.5. The storage capacity of XDPicture cards are 512MB or 1GB.

How to print on both sides of the paper?

2008-09-26T10:05:00.001-07:00

Hardware tips -> How to print on both sides of the paper?

While printing using Laser printers, you need to insert pages one by one to print. Because of this, only one side of the paper can be printed at a time. But most of the times we may want to print on both sides of the paper. If you are facing with a similar need to print on both sides of the paper, then follow these tips.

First insert a paper. Carefully note, which side of the paper is being printed by the printer. After printing the first page, printer will alert saying that the paper tray is empty. Now insert the same printed paper but this time insert it the other way, so that the printer will print on the blank side of the paper. Now press on 'resume printing / continue printing' button. As soon as you insert the paper, the printer will use its sensors to sense and suck inside to start printing the second page.

But the method described above is not the best way to print on both sides of the paper. There is another easier method. When you give the 'Print' command, in the Printer dailog box, look for the 'Pages' section and type numbers '1,3,5,7....' (which is all the odd numbers). Remember to use a comma in between two numbers. In some printers you will see 'Odd Pages' option. If your printer has this option then you can just select this option instead of typing all the odd numbers in the Pages box. Now your printer will print all the odd pages of the document and start printing. Again see which side of the page is the printing page. After all the odd pages are printed, take all these printed papers and place them again in the paper tray (note that you should place them such that the printing side is correct). After you place them, again give the 'Print' command and either type all the even numbers such as '2,4,6,8...' etc or select the 'Even pages' option. Now you will get both pages of the paper printed correctly.

Note that some newer printers are more intelligent and has an option to specify that 'print both sides' of the paper. If your printer has this option then printer will print the first page and automatically the paper will be sucked in for printing the second side of the page.

What is MFD (Multi Function Device)? MFD buying tips.

2008-09-26T10:04:00.004-07:00

Hardware tips -> What is MFD (Multi Function Device)? MFD buying tips.

It is very difficult to find an office without computers. Computers alone cannot help to make an efficient office. There are other computer related devices required in an office. For example the documents that you create using computers cannot be printed without a printer. Next, you need a scanner to scan documents, letters etc and bring to the computer. An
office also requires a photo copier to copy printed documents and letters to make additional copies. Finally to send out documents to outside world a FAX machine is required.

Consider that you need a printer, Scanner, Photocopier and a FAX machine. If you buy these machines separately you need to spend more money and these machines will occupy more office space.

MFD (Multi Function Device) integrates all these four functions into a singe device. Therefore you only buy a single machine and save money and space. There are many MFD brands such as HP, Epson, Canon, Lexmark, Samsung and Brother are available. The price of most of these MFDs are affordable.

MFDs are also called 'All-in-One' device. Printing, Scannig, Photocopying and Faxing all in one device. Most people now do not use FAX and therefore
there are many MFD models without FAX.

Buying tips for MFD (Multi Function Device)

As mentioned above all MFDs can Print, Scan and Photocopy. Some MFDs can additional send FAX.
Generally all MFDs are Inkjet printers. This is because, Inkjet printers are cheap. But the inkjet cartridges are very expensive and hence the maintenance cost becomes very high. Therefore there are new models of MFD which uses laser printers. The maintenance and printing cost in laser printers are lower and the printing quality is high.
Some MFDs have the email feature. So just like FAXing a document, you can also scan a document and email it to an email address using the MFD. Lexmark calls this feature as 'Scan-to-mail' where as HP calls it as 'Digital Sending'.
Some MFDs have the ability to directly scan, print and photocopy without the need to connect to a computer. This is also referred to as 'Direct USB printing & Scanning'.
Some MFDs have the ability to photocopy and print both sides of the paper.
MFDs can be connected to the network and shared. So many computers in the same network can scan, print, FAX, email or photocopy using the same MFD.
Some MFDs can do Multi Tasking. Most of the MFDs can scan, photocopy or print, but cannot do two or more tasks at the same time. But some models have multi tasking so while you are faxing a document you can also send email or start printing at the same time.

Computer buying tips

2008-09-26T10:04:00.003-07:00

Hardware tips -> Computer buying tips

Today computers have become a necessity in every home. More and more
middle income households are now owning a computer now. That is why there
are many different branded PCs at different prices. It has become a tough
decision to choose the right computer. If you do not know the different
components in the computer and their functions, it becomes even more
difficult to choose. In this article let us see the various components in
a computer to help you in your choosing the right computer for you.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

Most of the computers have Pentium Processors. Pentium processors are very
popular CPUs. Pentium Processors are manufactured by Intel.

Other than Pentium, Intel also manufactures Celeron processors. AMD
manufactures Athlon processors.

If you want to save money then go for Celeron processors. If you want
higher performance then choose Pentium processors.

Pentium processors come in 2.6 GHz, 2.8 GHz, 3.0 GHz and above while
Celeron processors come in 950 MHz to 2.80 MHz speed.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

There are many types of RAM namely DDR and SDRAM. The type of RAM you
choose depends on the motherboard you choose and what your motherboard
supports.

Get a RAM as big as possible. 256MB of RAM is the minimum RAM required for
a decent computer. But it is recommended that you go for atleast 512MB RAM
or even higher if possible.

Motherboard

Intel, Asus and Mercury are some of the motherboard brands. Generally
computer buyers overlook on motherboards. This is wrong. A good quality
motherboard will provide an efficient and faster computer.

The Chipset of a motherboard is very important. Intel's 845 and 915G
chipsets can take in Pentium processors. Likewise nVidia's nForce 4SLI
chipset takes AMD's Athelon 64 and Athelon 64 FX processors.

Hard Disk

Harddisks with 7200RPM speed are available. Harddisks with 40GB, 80GB,
120GB storage capacity are available. 80GB harddisk capacity is suitable
for home as well as office use.

HardDisks come in two types of interfaces. EIDE or SATA among which SATA
interface is better.

Graphics Card

Graphics card is integrated inside the motherboard. Unlike before the
graphics card and the motherboard are now integrated. Intel's Extreme
Graphics, Graphics Media Accelerator 900 are popular. If you go for nVidia
motherboard then Riva TNT2 graphics card is better.

Sound Card

Like graphics card, sound cards are also integrated in the motherboard.
Many motherboards come with Ac97 Audio cards.

CD Drives

Until 2004 the sale of CDROM drives was good. All computers came with 48x
or 52x CD drives.

But sales of CD Writers took over CDROM drives in late 2004. From 2005 it
is DVD writers and the combo drives that can handle both CDs and DVDs. So
choose either combo drives that can read and write CDs and read DVDs or go
for DVD Writers.

Monitor

15" and 17" monitors are very popular. The CRT monitors occupy more space
on the table and consume more power. Where as the flat LCD panel monitors
occupy less space and consume less power. So choose a LCD monitor

KeyBoard

A simple keyboard is usually sufficient. You may also try multimedia
keyboards or Internet keyboards. But most computer users usually do not
use these additional short cut keys provided in these new keyboards.

Membrane keys or mechanical type keys are available. Of these Mechanical
keys are more durable.

Mouse

Optical mouse is better than the ordinary mouse. The ball inside the ordinary mouse tends to gather dust and therefore the optical mouse is better to use.

Others

If you are an audio buff then you can buy good speakers, earphone and head set.

Try to get integrated network interface card and modem if you will be using networking or dialup internet.

What is Dual Core Processor?

2008-09-26T10:04:00.001-07:00

Hardware tips -> What is Dual Core Processor?

By the invention of new chip Intel organization makes a milestone in the usage of personal computer. The chip contains two new functional processors. The personal computer containing this kind of chip would able act as double-brained system. Past 12years empire of the Pentium chips comes to an end. This new invention had brought on the silver jubilee of the invention of personal computer.

This chip had been brought 40years after the invention of moor’s law. Moor’s law says that the capacity and speed of the processor will be doubling every 2 years while the cost remains same.

By using this dual pc we get high clarity of video, picture and audio’s. even though we get digitalize pictures in 3D effect.

Uses of dual core processor:

It can handle to entirely different type of processes as fast and easily at same time. For example a dual core chip can do the work of making imagination about the four car’s traveling path and also it can observe the path for it. We don’t want improve the speed of cars. by this dual core chip we do the music file downloading and games downloading on same time. At the same time we can also handle high capacity of data’s also. Before the dual core technology we use Hyper-threading technology, which can manage two different processes at single time. But dual core technology handles four different processing at single time.

What is the meaning of chipset?

We know about the word chipset in production of pc. What is mean by chipset? And what is the work of it? Shall we discuss about it?
Chipset is the most important part of our desktop computer’s motherboard. All works are done around it. Chipset manage the work of how to execute commands which would be executed first how the output is get. Work done by using the memory. This the main work of chipset.

A chipset contain two bridges namely south bridge and North Bridge. North Bridge contains the working parts like CPU, system memory and work between graphical memories. This is called as Intel memory controller hub. Intel organization calls the graphical and video processes as graphical memory controller. South Bridge is called as integrated controller hub. It contains 3GB serial ATA, raid level matrix, high definition audio, USB ports. CPU is the central part of computer. It is called as central processing unit up to now we use the CPU, which contain only one CPU, but dual core chip.

While computer is processing CPU should acting very fast for this huge amount of heat will be produced it won’t cool by the fan, which is fixed on the CPU. Instead of this we use dual core chip means it will reduce the heat. New edition software designed as the facility using dual core. So the execution time must be reduced for example in Internet we can view and copy was ten sites at a single time at the same we can also make work on word processor also.
Lets consider that you are hearing MP3 songs in mp3 player, suddenly u want to edit a picture from the Photoshop and mail it to your friends. Computer speed will be decreases when tasks are increases. In future more number of Technologies important take over in dual core chip.

New Digital Devices

2008-09-26T10:03:00.003-07:00

Hardware tips -> New Digital Devices

MP3 Player:

Apple’s IPOD device gets an unique position to enjoy listening to songs and to store it. Recently Sandish Corporate introduces a device namely Sansa player, which is same as IPOD. But its memory capacity is two times greater than IPOD. It’s memory capacity is nearly 8GB here we can load and hear 2000 songs. 4GB IPOD player and 8GB Sandish player are sold for 250 $.
Sandish Organization produces their flash memory chip by own, so that the cost of flash memory chip will get reduced. They got a unique position to give the chips for worldwide.

Three-in-One device:

Index Technology Company introduces a new device, which is the combination of MP3 player, PEN drive and FM Radio. It is very Useful to the Users.

Two models of 3 in 1 devices are introduced based on their memory capacity of 512MB and 1GB. 3 in 1 device have the options of MIKE, VOLUME CONTROLLER, PLAY, FORWARD, REVERSE, SEARCH, REPLY, REPEAT. It also gives EARPHONE, USB combining drive and also one-year guarantee. 512MB 3 in 1 player cost Rs.2999 and 1GB 3 in 1 player cost Rs.3, 800

Lenova’s ThinkPad:

Lenova produce tow notebook computer’s by using the dual core chip of Intel’s. They are respectively named as ThinkPad Z61 and R60.Thinkpad Z61 has 14.1-inch screen and R60 has 15.4-inch screen. Its initial price is 60,000 Rs.

Problems and Tips while using USB ports

2008-09-26T10:03:00.001-07:00

Hardware Tips -> Problems and Tips while using USB ports

Some readers says that while is inserting flash drive in USB port. The system didn’t recognize it how could we overcome it.

First of all we should know the two types of USB ports.

USB 1.1: This is the first type of USB. It designed as per the speed of transferring 1.5mb/sec data’s. This is designed instead of serial and parallel port for the use of USB port. This is basically used only for connecting mouse and keyboard. System would be struggled for data overloading.

USB 2.0: This kind of USB ports is used for large scale into data transfer. More readers ask that how to identify these two kind of USB ports. To identify the model use the following commands. Start=>My computer=> properties. And click Hardware tab after than select Device Manager. Now you got the list. In that list select the plus symbol that is located after “Universal Serial Bus controllers” if your system have USB 1.1 mean it displays as “Host controller (or) Open Host Controller”. Else USB 2.0 is used mean it displays like.” Enhanced host controller (or) USB 2.0 controller.

Your windows operating system says that the connected USB get speeded. When you are connecting the high speed USB to logo speed USB port of the system, but most of the reader saying that while connecting the USB device to the system. The device was not getting detected. Commonly while inserting an USB device to the system. Window XP will say new hardware found. This message will display in the hard disk. While inserting the USB device it will get auto play, and enquire whether to open the files as file (Or) audio format (Or) video format? It assigns a drive letter for it. If all the details mentioned above had not displayed means the inserted device had not matched with your operating system. You can solve this by doing below.

Go to Start => control panel =>Administrative Tools and click in administrative tool. After that double click on Computer Management.
In that left side select Disk Management, at the right side a drive displays with the name of a removable drive. This is the drive thus containing to same name of already using drive.
To change it right click on the while bar then a got a list.
Now select “change drive letters and paths”.
Now you can select the letter that you want. Click the “change” option.
The letter that you selected it should be already used one.
After finishing this you should get a warning message.
Now click ok to it.
Now close the computer management console while clicking the My computer icon.
You can see the USB drive’s letter.

We face more problems on problem on using USB port. Some part may become in accessible due to the power shortage of computer. These kinds of problems happen on USB 1.1 ports only. These problems happen only on windows 2000 and the before edition while getting these kind of problems. We just disconnect the instruments after that connect one by one.

Now a days the new version computer consists of at-least four USB ports. Two ports are fixed in backside and the remaining two parts are fixed in front side. Windows XP packages will manage these ports without any problems.

How to reformat boot disk and hard disk?

2008-09-26T10:02:00.003-07:00

Hardware Tips-> How to reformat boot disk and hard disk?

Whenever an error occurs in an operating system or any important programs or whenever system collapses. The question arising is, is there any boot disk? Some people ask booting disk! What is this all about? Others feel for not creating such things.
To avoid you from facing this problem I am giving this tip.

What is boot disk?

A boot disk & booting disk is all the same. These are not different. Basically the disks that consist of programs, which help a computer to function and startup, are called a boot disk. Mostly the computer boots from their hard disk only. We go for boot disk only when there is the problem in the hard disk. A boot disk can be a floppy disk, ACD, or DVD. For a boot disk to perform its function it should consist of files. Computer should know to understand and accept this files. The disk should consist of all O/S files or at least essential O/S files.

When and how you will use boot disk?

Whenever the operating system or the files of operating system in hard drive does not get loaded properly in to the memory, we use boot disk. How this happens? This happens when the system is not able to read OS files in the hard drive due to data blocks or due to some other error. The data block can be remove using the disk repair or the hard drive can be formatted and the operating system can be reinstalled.
Our friends suggest reformatting the disk whenever small errors are taking place. But before reformatting think carefully and act.

First of all what is formatting?

We can see what happens when it is done. When we start to reformat. Its start from the hard disk of the computer. We here only important information in the computer is saved. Any way it becomes like clean state after you have reformatted. Some people would reformat their disk ones in 6 months or a year. This is the good idea but not essential one as some IT companies will provide boot disk or installation CD this will help us to reformat, because of this computer attains the state when it first came to you whenever you can do a reformat whenever or program crashes without any explanation and the computer collapses and all or measures to repair it fails you can reformat. There are 5 stages in the reformatting. I will explain the basic stages here.

1. First of all you have to take a backup of all the files in the hard drive of or computer. Here the files means not only that data files and also program files, application files, software files, the favorite website addresses and e-mail are to be back up. You have to remove the unwanted files from you are system no need of back up such unwanted files.
2. Next you have to create a boot disk in the case of you don’t have boot disk. You have to select the boot disk as floppy or CD according to your computer and check the boot disk it correct or not because its important for next stage.
3. In the third stage is little more confused don’t work. It’s easy when we understand .In this stage we have to reformat and partition the hard disk partition means dividing the hard disk for our facility. Due to this we can handle the drive partitions. Depends upon our file types. When we reformat the drive the files and in formations are fully deleted, so that only we create the back up. When we partition the hard disk its ready to get the files.
4. The major part of formatting the hard disk is finishes after that we have to installed all the programs first of all we have to install OS for that we should have installation CD feed the CD into the drive and install. It as per the commands
After that you have to install the programs and copy the files from your back up. After finishing this you get a Internet connection to view your favorite website and listen music your hard drive get new look you can use your computer as new.
5. The above all basic hints only it explain the common stages in the process.
Do you want to know briefly you can get it from websites? It contains more explanation and pictures. Down load it to read.

What is Four-in-One computer chip?

2008-09-26T10:02:00.001-07:00

Hardware Tips -> What is Four-in-One computer chip?

Two months back Intel started a revolution on P.C by releasing DUAL CORE CHIP. After that now it releases the CPUs with 4 chips in November 2007. In dual core chip we get a new experience on 3D games. But four-in-one chips will increase the potential of the server. The chips would be released on 2007.It would increase the usage to the computer in home and in office. Mr.Ottelni chief of Intel says that the four-in-chip is 70% more effective than the dual core chip. Now Intel 65 Nm Tech, by next year it use 45Nm Tech. (1Nm = 1/109 m). In 45 Nm techs we can fix the transistors closely into the chip. If we fix more number of Transistors in a small space, it will increase the efficiency. If we fix four-chip combination it increases the efficiency and also reduce the heat.

In his seminar Ottenli shows a silicon wafer chapathi. It contains 80 Tera flop chips by using the chips we can execute 1 Lakh crores digital actions within one second. Now it is in starting stage, soon it comes to trade oriented if can execute a job of a computer, which contains thousand chips.

He also shows the P.C named community P.C that is designed by specialist in Bangalore Intel. This computer is more compact and air tight batteries. They are also manufacturing computer named schoolmate, which is used by students. It is a small notebook computer for school students. It doesn’t have hard disk, instead of that flash memory is used. It costs around Rs. 13,500. In future its cost must be reduced and will be used by all school students.

Computer Monitor troubleshooting steps

2008-09-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hardware tips -> Computer Monitor troubleshooting steps

Consider now your computer works properly. But the monitor has a problem. The monitor problems irritate us while we want to get things done fast. Follow these steps to troubleshoot your monitor.

1. First of all check if the power supply to the monitor is ON. In old type of computers the power supply is given in the CPU but in recent computers the monitors have own power cable.. Check if it is fixed correct and If the switch is on. If the power supply comes to the monitor the LED will glow in the monitor. Otherwise it does not glow.

2. After that you have a switch control in monitor for adjusting the monitor setting. You can adjust to get display. Children may change the settings mistakenly. We can check it out.

3. After that check whether video cable is connected to the CPU firmly.

4. If you have any other monitor you can connect with CPU by using the same video cable and also the problem continuous that means the video cable has a problem.

5. If you can connect your monitor with another CPU then we decide the problem is in your monitor. You have to change your monitor or repair the monitor by the technician.

6. When booting the computer the monitor that is identified maybe incorrect then we decide the problems in your display card. Try to change the monitor driver if you have the CD. Or change the video card.

After fixing new display card, if the problem continues then change your monitor. Don’t buy a second hand monitor. Buy a monitor based on new technology releases when you buy a new monitor. Recently the flat LCD monitors are cheep.