Test your LCD Monitor
It can happen that your new LCD monitor is having dead or stuck pixels which can be rather unfortunate depending on the location of the pixels and the laws of the country […]
Different Keyboards on Asus Eee PCs
Having considered buying an Asus Eee PC I must admit that I never thought that the models could have more differences than just the color. I would have never assumed that the […]
Microsoft Touchwall
I really like to watch presentations and demonstrations about technology, especially on the TED website but also on other websites. I recently stumbled upon a presentation for Microsoft's Touchwall, an inexpensive rear-projection […]
Windows EeePC 900 cheaper than Linux model
Update: Bruno Miguel pointed out that the official Asus website for Australia lists different information. Both Windows and Linux EeePC 900 will have the same 20 Gigabyte storage capacity. The Windows model […]
Testing a newly build PC
Testing a newly build or purchased computer is essential for two reasons. The first is to make sure that the hardware does not get damaged.The main problem of most modern PCs is […]
Building a PC from Scratch
The computer parts for my new PC arrived two days ago and I would like to share with you how I build my new PC. This article covers the hardware part of […]
Blu-Ray hardware sales figures drop in 2008
The format war between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray is finally over and one would have thought that this would have a positive effect on Blu-Ray sales especially from the customer group that decided […]
I'm on a shopping spree
I did make two large purchases in the last two days. I finally ordered my new computer yesterday, or better the parts for the new computer, and cannot wait to build it […]
Monitor CPU Core Temperatures
I can't really say how many apps and tools for Windows provide you with the functionality to display the temperature of your cpu, graphics card or hard drives. I have been using […]
Building a PC April Progress
This is the final month of my Building a PC series that details the components that I will purchase for my new computer. To be able to compare components and prices I […]
Self-Destructing DVDs ?
Would you pay money for a DVD that would be readable for a period of 48 hours after taking it out of its vacuum-sealed packaging ? Sounds a lot like video rentals […]
Is faster RAM really worth the extra cash ?
When you build computers and purchase the peripherals by yourself you have to make several decisions. Will it be an Intel or AMD cpu for example, which hard drive will you choose […]
Silencing your hard drives
I just read an article over at Lifehacker that was called Silence Your Hard Drive with Elastic Suspenders and I thought I weigh in my 2 cents on the topic because I […]
PC Building Advice
You know, I have no troubles of linking to your websites or articles if they are great and make up for a good story. Beecher send in a link to one of […]
Add new functions to Canon's Digital Cameras
Adding new functions and features to hardware is normally accomplished by replacing the firmware with a new or hacked one that adds the new functionality to the device. It's slightly different if […]
Creative receives some serious community bashing
Things are heating up over at the Creative forum where Creative Labs have issued a statement that forbids the user Daniel_K of providing X-FI sound card drivers for Windows Vista that fixed […]
Analyze and Repair PC Hardware
I'm the family's computer guy and it is slowly spreading to family friends and even neighbors as well thanks to recommendations of family members. Recently my mum told my grandmother's neighbors that […]
Epson Software Resetter
One way to save lots of money is to refill printer cartridges instead of buying new ones. The process itself was rather messy in the past but it has become easier now and there are even shops that refill the ink for you. Some printer cartridges however have a chip build in that prevents that the printer is recognizing the refilled cartridges effectively preventing users from using this low cost method.
Building a PC March Progress
We are coming closer to the finish line. I'm thinking of making the purchase of the new PC components in the next month or the month thereafter. I would like to thank everyone for their great and valuable comments which pointed me into the right directions concerning some components.
Configure function for double right-click
I have always asked myself why there is no way to configure a function for double right-clicking. You can configure the left mouse button double-click but not the right mouse button one. Click Zap is a small application that lets the user configure a function for a double-click on the right mouse button.
Building a PC February Progress
Another month has passed quickly and I'm almost ready to buy the components for the new computer that I want to build. This article explains the changes that I made to the setup during the last month and all the components that I intend to purchase. I hope that this pc build could be inspiration for some of my readers who would like to build a PC as well but are not that sure about the right choice of pc components.
Monitor Calibration Wizard
Calibrating a monitor, be it LCD or CRT monitor, can be a tedious task. I for one have always doubts about the settings that I have chosen when setting up the monitor for the first time. Questions about the monitor's brightness, the colors, contrast are not that easy to answer if you only have to rely on your eyes and have no test patterns that help you determine the correct settings.
Eye-Fi Wireless SD Memory Card
My first thought when I heard about the Eye-Fi Wireless SD Memory Card was that no one would be going to need this SD card with build in WiFi but when I read a little bit further my opinion changed from No-one-needs-that to Wow-what-a-great-idea. The Eye-Fi SD cards come in sizes of 1 and 2 Gigabytes, the 2 Gigabyte version sells currently at Amazon for $99.99 which is way more than a SD card without WiFi would cost.
Goodbye BIOS Here Comes UEFI
UEFI which is an acronym for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface which will eventually replace the 20+ year old Bios. The new standard is backed by everyone so to speak including Intel, AMD, Microsoft, IBM, American Megatrends, Phoenix Technologies and Apple.
Samsung Syncmaster 2263DX
Most flat screen monitors these days come in sizes of 19'', 22'' and 24'' with a 16:9 ratio. The Samsung Syncmaster 2263DX LCD monitor is different. It does look like a normal 22" flat screen monitor if it were not for the little 7-inch monitor that could be added on top or at a side of it. It's a rather bold experiment in times where dual monitor setups become affordable to almost anyone.
Hard Disk Low Level Format
There are two types of hard disk formatting possibilities, low and high level formating. High level formatting is the widely known formatting that erases data on the disks while low level formatting nowadays refers to the reinitialization to the factory settings. One of the major differences between both types is that data can successfully be restored after performing a high level formatting of a hard drive.
Easy Monitor Calibration
A lot of things can be wrong if you setup a new monitor or never bothered to calibrate an old one. The screen could be to bright or dark for instance. I always hated calibrating monitors because it meant that I had to press all those tiny buttons on the monitor to access the functions but it is necessary for the best viewing experience.
Use a Magnet to protect your PC
A wonderful tip about a hack was send to me yesterday by Joe. It describes how to change the way a PC, or most other devices that use a power source, can be protected by by a simple magnet and some stuff that does not cost more than $5. All you need is a reed switch, a magnet and some duct tape. It does secure your pc as well from someone that wants to turn it on without your permission.
Hack your DVD Writer
Companies release new DVD writers all the time that have new functions and work better with certain type of media. They neglect DVD writers that they have produced before and it is quite common that those DVD writers will have problems with certain blank DVDs that have been newly produced.
Ridata introduces new Solid State Drives
Finally we are seeing the long awaited progress in the Solid State Drives market. Ridata was the first company to announce three new 2.5" SATA Solid State Drives in 32-, 64-, and 128GB capacities that have read speeds of up to 170 MB / per second and write speeds of up to 105 MB / per second.
Building a PC January Progress
It's only a few more months until I will make the final decision about the PC components that I will place in my new computer. I think I will finalize everything in the second quarter of 2008. But before I do that I list once again the components that I want to use in the new PC and hope to receive feedback if you think anything is missing or misplaced.
Lower Video Card noise by reducing the device's fan speed
Modern video cards come in two flavors. The noisy ones that have lots of horsepower and the silent ones that trade some of the horsepower for a reduced noise level. This is currently changing with the release of the Nvidia Geforce 8600GT but most users have an older video card in their computer.
Make your DVD Drive play all DVDs
Today I had a problem playing a Region 2 DVD on my Region 1 DVD drive connected to a PC running Windows. I was asked to change the Region of my DVD […]
What you should do before bringing the PC in for repair
Have you ever brought in a computer for repair to the friendly computer store next door or send your notebook to that big company that sold you it so that they could check what's wrong with it ? Did it ever occur to you that the technicians that would check the computer could do more than just checking ?
Upgrading to a bigger computer monitor
I do work with a Samsung SyncMaster 19" LCD monitor which is an awesome monitor. I used to work with two Samsung monitors of the same size but the second monitor had to replace the defect one at my mothers computer. Monitors with higher resolutions become more and more affordable and I thought it would be nice to purchase a monitor that is capable of displaying images in a higher resolution.
Where's that darn router password?
Every router and even many modems are secured by a password, and while it is often very easy to find out what it is, for instance when the admin password is listed […]
Buying a new PC December
I started to collect components for a new computer that I wanted to build last month and decided that it would be nice and helpful if I would post a monthly update on the components, prices and my decision. This is not only helpful for readers of this article but also for me because I know that some of you have way more knowledge of computer hardware than I have.
PC Upgrade Ideas for Christmas
advantage of adding RAM is the fact that you it is relatively easy to add to your system. Takes less than a minute to replace.
The second choice really depends on what you do with your computer. If you are a gamer you might consider getting one of those new Geforce 8800 GT which start at $270 and make it possible to play Crysis and other high end games in high details. Again, check your computer to see if it supports AGP or PCI Express Video Cards before going out and buying one that does not fit.
Change the default Wlan Channel to improve wireless connectivity
Are you living in a neighborhood with lots of Wlan activity ? You can check this if you do search for Wlans on your computer and find lots of them listed. It does not really matter if they use an encryption like WPA, WPA2 or WEP, as long as they are listed there they might interfere with your own Wlan channel which can be the cause for bad download rates and sudden disconnects.
Get System Information with PC Wizard
It sometimes is a good idea to check on the components that are installed on your computer. This is extremely important in my opinion if someone else repaired it or if it is a brand new computer to see if all the components are still inside and did not get replaced by other cheaper ones.
