New Computers:
Q: I want to buy a new computer, but there are so many to choose from. And all those technical terms they use like processor speed, RAM, cache etc. How do I know I am getting the right computer for my money and me?
A: Computer shopping can be a bit scary for a first time buyer and even for seasoned computer users. There are all kinds of deals on brand name computers like Compaq and HP listed every week in the papers. Dell and Gateway advertise on TV and by mail. There are laptops, desktops and hand helds to name a few. So what is right for you? It all comes down to what you want to do with the system. If all you want is email and Internet access, maybe an emachine is right for you. If you want to play games, a desktop with a lot of speed and memory and a big screen might be the right thing. If you want to work from home, you may want a desktop that has what you need to get your job done. If you want mobility, a laptop or hand held might be what you are looking for. Bottom line is, first you need to decide why you want a computer and what you might want the computer to do for you a few years from now. No doubt there is a lot of decision making to do before spending a lot of money on a system that may be out-of-date a couple years from now! TIP: Make sure the system you buy is upgradeable!
Computing Made Simple can offer some insight on buying a new computer. For a small fee, a consultant will work with you individually to help you make the right decision for you. Or you can attend a group seminar on Buying a New Computer also offered by Computing Made Simple. Call today for details!
Q: What about those so-called deals on custom built, used or refurbished computers?
A: There are companies that build custom machines for you from parts they have in stock. Other companies buy machines from people upgrading to new systems, clean them up and resell them. Some of these companies are great…but don’t fall into the pitfall of too little research when going this way. Some companies are reputable, other not so reputable. Some of these companies offer great deals because they use cheap components in their systems. A company that has been around for a while and offers a great warranty (1 year or more on parts at minimum) on their systems is usually a good choice. BUT BEWARE of companies selling systems with little or no warranty! They may be dirt-cheap…but then they may only work for a month or so before need major work! Then there is buying from the Want Ads. Buying from a home user that most likely does not know much more about computers than you do can be a disaster…then again…maybe you don’t get a lemon – it’s a gamble. If you don’t know what to look for in a used system – don’t go there! Dell offers refurbished systems at very attractive prices. They usually come with a 1-year warranty. Just remember – where used, custom made or refurbished machines are concerned, research is the key.
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Technical Issues:
Q: I have a computer that is a few years old. It’s a bit slow and clunky and keeps telling me I am out of disk space. Do I need a new computer to keep up with the times?
A: Not necessarily. If you have a computer that has an Intel Pentium 4 processor that is at least running at 1GHz, it could be that all you need to do is clean up your system and optimize the operating system for better performance. Anything older than that probably is not worth putting too much money into. If the machine has never had any service, it’s a few years old and has been used a lot, it could be that the hard drive is fragmented and you need to DEFRAG. This is not as bad as it sounds, but depending on the size of the hard drive and the amount of data you have saved, it might take a while. The DEFRAG program comes with the Windows operating system and can be found under the ACCESSORIES\SYSTEM TOOLS folder.
If you have been surfing the net for a long time and have never done any maintenance to your system, maybe you just need to clean up your temporary Internet files.
To delete these files:
- Open Internet Explorer;
- Choose the TOOLS option from the top menu bar;
- Choose INTERNET OPTIONS; (note - You should be on the GENERAL tab)
- Under the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES section, Choose DELETE FILES to clean up unnecessary temporary Internet files. If you have a lot of files out there, this may take a few minutes – so be patient!
Want someone else to clean it up for you? Check out the specials in our Home Services section.
Q: I have cable modem access and I can’t get into the Internet or my email. How do I fix this?
A: Check is to see if you have an IP address. This is the number given to your system by the access provider that allows you access to the Internet. If you don’t have one – you can’t get there! Depending on the version of Windows you are running, there are different ways to determine if you have an IP address.
For Windows 95/98/ME
- Click START
- Click RUN
- Enter: winipcfg
- Click OK
- Select your Ethernet Adapter from the drop-down list box which will display. (On many systems, the PPP Adapter is displayed by default and you will need to make the selection by using the drop-down menu.)
- Click RELEASE (You may receive a message that adapter address is already released which you can ignore.)
- Click RENEW
- Wait and verify that a proper IP address has been obtained.
For Windows NT4 Workstation, 2000 and XP
- Click START
- Select PROGRAMS and then COMMAND PROMPT
- Enter: ipconfig /all
- Enter: ipconfig /release
- Then enter: ipconfig /renew
- Wait and verify that a proper IP address has been obtained.
If the IP reset did not work, it could be your modem needs to be reset. Do this by shutting down you system and powering the unit off for a few minutes. This will clear any problems the modem may be having. When you power the system back on, hopefully this has solved any problems and you are able to reconnect.
If this does not work, your best bet is to contact your cable provider and see if they can reset the connection on their end. Let them know that you have already performed the above checks!
Q: When something goes wrong with my system and I call for technical support, I feel so overwhelmed and confused. I don’t really understand how this thing works! How do I learn more about my computer so I can feel more confident and in control?
A: Computing Made Simple offers training in your own home or in the classroom setting. Check out the “Troubleshooting 101” class also known as “What to Do Before Calling Technical Support”. This class teaches the basics of computer support starting with an overview of the anatomy of the computer. You’ll learn the “lingo” and know what to do BEFORE making the call to technical support and listening to that groovy on hold music for a half hour!
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Viruses and Other Nasties:
Q: My system was working fine until I downloaded a program from the Internet and installed it. Now nothing seems to work right. What did I do wrong?
A: Free programs and “shareware” from the Internet can be great things! They can also harbor viruses and parasites in the form of Adware, Spyware and Stealth Networks! If you have recently downloaded a program and now things are not working quite right, you may have inadvertently given yourself one of these nasties! You should ALWAYS have an up-to-date Anti-Virus program running on your system. A free trial of Norton Anti-Virus comes with a lot of new systems. McAfee is also has Anti-Virus programs to protect you. The Anti-Virus software is worth the money! Don’t skimp here! BUT BEWARE! You are only as protected as your software allows – what I mean is there are always new nasties being created out in the cyber world so even with these programs, there is a chance you may get infected. There are all sorts of third party programs available for identifying Adware, Spyware and Stealth Network invasions, but they also have pros and cons.
Q: What are Spyware, Adware and Stealth Networks?
A: As defined by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Computer Incident Advisory Capability (CIAC) organization, these are programs are intentionally packaged with legitimate software to display advertising on your screen, gather information on your browsing habits, and to sell your unused CPU cycles and disk space. Current applications are relatively benign but could easily be used for an invasion of privacy or other malicious purposes. They run primarily on Windows systems, but could be run on other systems. Adware and Spyware are the most common forms of parasites today. These programs tag along with a legitimate program and install themselves when you install the main program. Then these programs start gathering data on you and your browsing habits and start popping up annoying ads on your system. Not a huge problem, but they are a pain to remove. Removing the main program you installed WILL NOT get rid of the Adware! The Adware needs to be removed separately and this can get tricky.
Q: I installed KaZaA on my system so I can download music and now there are all kinds of weird things happening! Is KaZaA a bad program?
A: No – KaZaA is not bad, but the parasites that have been tagging along with it are! The fine prints in KaZaA’s terms say it all! Most of us don’t read this information when we install programs. We just hit the “I Agree” button and move on. But here is the fine print that you should be looking for:
We may add, delete or change some or all of the software’s functionality provided in connection with KaZaA at any time.
Note here that they can change the functionality of KaZaA at any time to add new features. There is no mention here of asking you if you want the feature change. In fact, the following statement says they can do it automatically.
You acknowledge that KaZaA or parties appointed by KaZaA may from time to time provide programming fixes, updates and upgrades to you, including automatic updates to the KaZaA Media Desktop, through electronic dissemination and other means. You consent to such automatic updates and agree that the terms and conditions of this Agreement will apply to all such updates.
You have agreed to let KaZaA change these terms and conditions at any time to whatever they want and they do not have to notify you about the change. By continuing to use the Software after the policy change, you are agreeing to those changes even though you don’t know that a change has occurred. Again, they can do anything they want with your system and you have agreed to let them do so. When the KaZaA package is installed, there are several other packages piggy backed on it. In fact, because of its popularity, KaZaA has sold itself to marketing companies as a way to get their software on a user’s system. While you can choose to not install that software, you must opt-out. That is, the software is installed automatically unless you do something (uncheck some check boxes).
- b3d Projector – A program for displaying 3-D images from Brilliant Digital.
- Medialoads – A media downloader.
- New.net – A browser plug-in to access domains, like .mp3, .sport etc.
- SAVENOW – A plug-in for great shopping offers.
However, if you uninstall KaZaA, only KaZaA and the b3d Projector are removed - all the others must be removed separately.
(Source: http://www.ciac.org/ciac/techbull/CIACTech02-004.shtml)
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Networking:
Q: I have a small wireless network running in my home. Usually, it works pretty well. But, every now and then I have to reset my cable modem and wireless router because none of the systems on my network can get out to the internet. Once I do the reset, everything is fine for a while. All of the computers are fairly new and running Windows XP. I consider myself pretty computer savvy, but this is driving me nuts! What is causing this?
A: This could be tricky. There are a number of reasons why you may be experiencing intermittent problems with your connection. Since it appears all of your systems lose connectivity at the same time, I would rule out a problem with the computer itself. It is more likely coming from the network end. I would start with the cable/DSL modem. It’s possible you have a faulty modem. It’s a common problem and most cable and DSL providers are happy to send a replacement for free to replace the original one they sent you. (This assumes you did not purchase your own cable/DSL modem separately.)
The next place to look is your wireless router. Again, since all of the systems are losing connection, and resetting seems to temporarily fix the problem, it may be a problem with the configuration of the wireless router; that the router needs a firmware upgrade or even possible that the router is faulty and needs to be replaced.
To check the configuration of your router, open the Internet Explorer program and on the URL line enter the IP address for your router. This is what the computer knows as the “default gateway”. This number for a Linksys router is usually 192.168.1.1. If you are not sure and this number does not work, use the following steps. Click Start -> Run; type cmd in the box and hit enter. This will open a command prompt box. At the prompt, type “ipconfig /all” without the quotes and hit enter. This will give you the IP information for your system. All you need is the default gateway number and you are all set. If you do not have an IP address listed or it starts with 169.254.x.x, then you are not getting an IP address from the router at all and it is likely you need to replace the router.
If you have a valid address from the router (192.168.x.x), type the default gateway IP address in your Internet Explorer URL line and hit enter. A box asking for an ID and password should appear. If you did not change the password on the router when you put it in, then it is likely the id is Admin and the password is either Admin or it is left blank.
Now that you are in the routers configuration, check the status page and verify that you have a WAN address. This is the IP address given to you by your cable/DSL provider. If you have a valid address (not 169.254.x.x or 0.0.0.0) then it would appear your modem is working fine since it is passing this information to the router. If it does not have a valid address, call your provider and let them know what you have found. It could be a bad modem or a problem with the line.
Now go to the Administration page and check the version of Firmware that is currently on the router. Most routers allow you to update the firmware right on the Administration page. If yours allows this, try checking for and installing any firmware upgrades you find. There are usually step by step instructions to obtain and install the firmware. If you are currently without connection, make sure you have done your reset so you are online and the firmware update can download. Many times, firmware upgrades can fix disconnecting problems with the routers.
If you do all this and still have a problem, try doing a hard reset on the router to bring it back to factory settings. To do this, locate the small reset button on the router (you will need a paper clip or something small to hold the button in with) and with the router powered on, press and hold the button for at least 60 seconds. This will also reset the id and password, if you changed it, back to default. Since you have a wireless router, make sure to reapply any changes to the SSID and security that you had entered previously. Then test and see if the connection holds.
At this point, if the connection still is not holding and you have replaced the cable/DSL modem; updated the router firmware; reset the router to factory default; and had the cable/DSL vendor check the line then it is time to replace your router – it is likely dying a slow death and will eventually start disconnecting you more and more until it stops all together.
Q: I have two computers in my home both running XP Home. They are connected to the internet by a linksys router that hooks up to my cable modem. We only have one printer in the house. Is there a way to share the printer between both computers?
A: Yes. There are actually a few ways to do this. One way is to purchase an A/B switch for the printer. With this option, the printer plugs into the printer port on the A/B switch and each desktop computer then plugs into the unit. You simply switch the unit from Computer A to Computer B depending on which one is printing. This configuration assumes that the computers are in close proximity of each other so they can both be wired into the switch. With this configuration, you do not have to have both computers on in order to print.
The second option is to share the printer on one of the desktop computers. This configuration requires that the computer the printer is physically attached to (we’ll call this one Computer A) is up and running for the other computer (Computer B) to print.
For this to work, both computers should be in the same “workgroup”. Since you are running XP Home, they are most likely already in the same default workgroup of MSHOME already. To verify this, right click on the My Computer icon and select Properties from the list. Then click on the Computer Name tab and it will show you the computer name and the workgroup it is currently a member of. If one of the systems is in a different workgroup, or you want to change the name of the workgroup, select the Change button and follow the instructions to change the workgroup name.
On Computer A, open the Printers folder (Start->Control Panel->Printers) and right click on the printer you want to share. Select the Sharing option then click the radio button to share the printer. On Computer B, click “Add Printer”. Select the Network Printer option and follow the instructions to select the printer shared from Computer A. The drivers should be installed from Computer A, if not; you may have to insert the printers CD to install the proper drivers to allow the printer to function.
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Small Business:
Q: I have a small business with less than 10 computers. I don’t need a lot of support, and I don’t have an on-site technical person. When I do need help, it ends up costing me a fortune! Can Computing Made Simple help?
A: Yes we can! Computing Made Simple offers hourly rates to our small business customers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts as well as maintenance programs designed to save you money. See our Small Business Support page for more information.
Q: I have a small business. I am not “computerized” yet but I am thinking about moving into the computer era. Can Computing Made Simple help?
A: Yes we can! Computing Made Simple offers computer consulting services to small business customers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. We can help you decide what type of computer system(s) is best for your specific needs. Do you need more than one computer? Do you need a network? Do employees need remote access to the office systems? We can help you make an informed decision on what to buy and even obtain quotes from our distributors so you know how much your technology will cost you.
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