Hardware

" How can I make my computer faster? " The simplest answer to this question is to add more RAM to your PC. RAM allows your computer to process things faster by holding frequently used information for a longer period of time. The longer data is held ... in memory, the greater chance that this data will be used again for computation. The end result is that data is loaded and unloaded at a faster rate, which saves you time. In order to answer the question of how much RAM is required for a computer, we need to inspect two main areas of interest: how much RAM is already inside your machine, ... (view more)

Have you ever had a RAID before? RAID is a technology used to increase hard drive performance and fault-tolerance. What is fault-tolerance? The hard drive inside your computer is responsible for storing programs and user data. RAID performance ... refers to the time that it takes the hard drive to read and write information; fault-tolerance deals with the means to protect data stored on the hard drive. RAID is an acronym which stands for Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive (or Independent) Disks. Generally speaking, the word 'Array' is a techy-term which represents related information formed in a ... (view more)

This article has been a 3 part series. Feel free to read part 1 or part 2 if you missed it already. As I mentioned part 2 of my article, I don't want to use my LCD monitor in its native resolution because images and text are too small. On the other ... hand, the display image at 1280 x 1024 resolution is incredibly clear. RE: My final thoughts on purchasing an LCD monitor Before completing this article, I received an email from Craig W. where he gives his opinion and comparison on LCD and CRT displays. He writes: " As a full time graphics developer/ 3D modeler, I would say that I have tried ... (view more)

Last week, I left you with some thoughts on my LCD Monitor purchasing experience. If you didn't catch the first part of the article, you can read about it here . The article from last week signed off with a cliff-hanger, where I was about to tell ... about some things that I didn't like about my LCD monitor. RE: LCD Native Resolution While I was completely amazed out how crystal clear my LCD monitor was at 1280 x 1024 resolution*, the fact is that the LCD monitor looks crystal-clear *only* at this resolution. This is referred to as the monitor's Native Resolution. Generally speaking, native ... (view more)

I recently purchased a Samsung LCD (model: SyncMaster 760V TFT) for my Desktop behemoth computer. If you didn't already know, LCD stands for Liquid Crystal Display. The most noticeable features of an LCD monitor is the fact that the screen is ... perfectly flat, has an incredibly clear display, and its "backside" is very thin. Commonly referred to as a "flat screen monitors", LCD displays are most recognizably used in conjunction with a Laptop computer. Having two identical hard drives in RAID format allows me to transfer information to / from the computer 2x as fast (compared ... (view more)

I received a few emails regarding last week's Visitor Feedback suggestion on " How to clean a mouse to ensure proper operation &quot ;. A few of you suggested not using a screwdriver / knife to chisel the dirt off the wheels of computer mouse. ... When I wrote the Visitor Feedback for that particular day, I envisioned my old "ball" mouse which came with steel wheels. I completely forgot about those old ball mice with plastic wheels -- in which case, my suggestion for using a knife or flathead screwdriver may potentially damage the wheel -- although, I think you would have to chisel ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Pat O. write s: " Dear Dennis, Could please you explain why my mouse has become resistant to my direction, and maybe advise of a remedy? It is particularly hard to handle when required to click on specifics like buttons and tabs ... when it then feels strongly like it is being pushed aside. Any ideas? " Similarly, Rick D. asked: " My pointer/mouse, is locking and jumping all over the screen. I was told to lower the acceleration, so I did. It still kept doing it. I am out of ideas, so any suggestions that you can give would be more than appreciated. " My ... (view more)

Yesterday I wrote about a problem concerning the usage of the mail queue on the infopackets web server. To recap: whenever the Infopackets Gazette newsletter is sent out (to the list of readers), some emails are entered into a temporary holding area ... (called a "mail queue") if they are unable to reach the recipient. This is a potential problem for the infopackets web server because the mail queue can "overflow" and cause the server to run out of storage spac e. Recall: The Mail Queue Polling solution I was able to save the web server from potentially running out of space by ... (view more)

I recently received a question from a fellow Infopackets Reader, R. Barnes. He writes: " Great newsletter as always. I was wondering if you could explain the new AMD processor speed ratings. I've seen them in mail order catalog and TV, but haven't ... heard an explanation of their '2200+' statements. I would assume that it is indeed the speed of their processor but how are they in relationship with say a 1.2 GHz Athlon processor, or even a Pentium 4 1.3GHz? " That's a good question. The speed rating that AMD is using for its new line of XP processors represents their new " ... (view more)

Have you ever flashed your BIOS? The BIOS is a chip built onto a circuit board that contains a set of instructions. The instructions are responsible for controlling the device and how it interacts with other peripherals. For example: a main board ... (motherboard) contains a BIOS (CMOS) which stores information about your computer, such as the size of your hard drive, COM ports, buffers, and the like. Flashing a BIOS simply means to update the code of the BIOS instruction. This is done with two separate pieces of software: the BIOS flashing program, and the BIOS update itself. The BIOS flashing ... (view more)