Hardware

Infopackets Reader Judy R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I am looking for a laptop that would support an online business. I have a decent computer at home, but would like to have a separate computer for the business. I was thinking of a laptop; are there ... any you would recommend? I would need some ability to back-up. We have DSL High Speed Internet at home and would like to go wireless. We're a little lost on how to do that, though we have the parts. PS: I enjoy your newsletter -- some of it is way over my head, but I am getting some good basic information. Keep up the good work. Thank you. ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Felix P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have a brand new Dell 8400 computer. Whenever I boot the computer, I receive an error message which reads, "Digital Input: cannot display this video mode". I've made numerous calls to Dell, have ... checked my settings, video card drivers, etc, but to no avail. Dell even sent me a new flat panel monitor and a tech came to my house and replaced the video card, but the problem persists. The computer and monitor appear to operate properly. Any suggestions? " My response: The problem you are describing is normal behavior for ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jean T. asks, " How can I change the print color when printing a web page? Some web sites use color and I would like to print in black because black ink is cheaper to maintain. " My response: Defining the print color or print mode ... is usually done at the time of printing the page. Each "print option" window is different for every user because it is the print driver which defines the options available to you at the time of printing a page. And, it is the printer manufacturer that defines how the print driver operates. The next time you go to print a page, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jim L. writes: " Although only two and a half years old, my hard drive is starting to make very strange noises, especially at startup, which sometimes dissipate after having run for a while, but not always. I'm extremely concerned ... that if I don't transfer everything to a new hard drive soon that I will loose it all. I remember that you had recommended a program that would allow easy transfer of data from one hard drive to the other. Will this program transfer my OS (Windows 2000 & Office 2000) and personal data as well? My hard drive is portioned into C and D ... (view more)

Recall -- Last week I posted an article in which Infopackets Reader Ron H. asked for alternative solutions to using a PC mouse. Ron wrote: " I recently had a stroke which has left me paralyzed on the right side of my body. As a result, I am now ... unable to use the computer mouse with any degree of accuracy. I was wondering if you or any of your Readers could recommend a product that I can use to help me navigate my computer in place of the mouse. I am currently typing this email to you with the aid of Dragon NaturallySpeaking , which inputs words on the screen using my voice. Any ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Don R. writes: " Dear Dennis, Continuing on with your recent discussion on video transfer to computer (and to CD): I've heard that there are ways to set up my PC to record TV shows on an automated schedule (similar to " Tivo "). I ... have a newer system with Windows XP and two DVD burners. Is this difficult to do? " My response: No, it's not difficult to do; at the minimum requirement, you would need a video capture card (or a video card with an input port), software to schedule when to record your shows, a sound card, and enough hard drive space to store ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Samuel C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have many VHS tapes created from the use of my old JVC personal camcorder (analog). I would like to transfer the VHS video onto my computer and then to CD. I've tried researching this issue on ... the web, but am so confused because the lingo is too technical for me to understand. I have a 2 year old computer (Dell) with all the bells and whistles, currently running windows XP Home Edition. Can you help? " My response: In terms of hardware and software requirements, you will need: a camcorder or VCR to play the VHS video a video card ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ronald H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently had a stroke which has left me paralyzed on the right side of my body. As a result, I am now unable to use the computer mouse with any degree of accuracy. I was wondering if you or any ... of your Readers could recommend a product that I can use to help me navigate my computer in place of the mouse. I am currently typing this email to you with the aid of Dragon NaturallySpeaking , which inputs words on the screen using my voice. Any assistance you or your Readers can provide would be greatly appreciated. " My response: I am ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Melissa P. writes: " Dear Dennis, Is there an easy way to fix and repair damaged sectors on a hard drive? Windows keeps reporting to me that my hard drive may have damaged sectors. " My response: A damaged sector *may* be an ... earlier warning sign that your hard drive is about to fail. If you have 1 damaged sector, it may not be all that bad. If you have many damaged sectors, that's a different story. Here's the skinny -- Inside your hard drive are typically 2 ~ 4 discs (called "platters") stacked on top of one another, and read / write heads between each ... (view more)