Hardware | WindowsTalk.org

Feb

5G Technology Promises to Improve Your Gaming Experience

by Contributed

According to the analysts, the next generation of wireless connection technology is going to light up the landscape – providing exponential growth in all sorts of product sectors. Gaming, always top of the list when new speeds hove into view, is set to get quicker and sexier, especially in streamed multi player modes where enthusiasts battle it out with game fans all over the world. Slicker controls, faster scrolling and more action with less pixilation means an immersive experience that even the most hardened cyber-gamer can’t help but breathe heavily at.

5G hasn’t technically been launched yet, mind – and when you think that 4G is still not truly rolled out across the country then you’ll understand there’s still a while to wait. So for now I’ll just make your mouth water with the promise of things to come. Some of which, I have to say, may confuse people who have been reading up on 4G connections.

5G is going to debut with a connection speed (where all other things are equal, of course) of 1.3 gigabits per second. That sounds pretty sensational – and indeed it is – but it also sounds familiar. Now where have I heard that before? Oh yes. In the industry definition of 4G, that’s right.

4G connection speeds are defined as capable of achieving in excess of 1 gigabit per second data transfer speeds, where the device doing the connecting is static (a static mobile device is a phone or laptop or tablet, rather than a car for example). So 5G is either the same as 4G, or the industry lied to us when it defined 4G , or…

Oh no, wait, mobile connection terminology is just confusing. We all know that. All you really need to know is that 5G is the latest industry term for the kind of super fast mobile connection that everyone wants to be able to use. When you have 5G, you’ll be able to watch movies streaming in on one mobile device and still have a bunch of other mobile devices connected to the same signal (wait, wasn’t that also what they told me about 4G?). No more running round the house turning everything off to speed up your streamed TV viewing then.

From a gaming point of view speed is critical. Modern games require an absolutely insane amount of processing power just to run properly (which is why a dedicated gaming platform, like the Dell Alienware series, has such a huge memory capacity and normally more than one processor). Clearly the faster the data is streamed into your system, the more fluidly it will be able to deal with the finished article.

Also, with the ability for a 5G network to accurately feed multiple mobile devices you can bet you’ll start seeing smart phones and tablets functioning as second screen capabilities for popular online games. Before long, this blogger reckons you’ll be seeing Call of Duty linkups where your smartphone works like a kind of comms device, which you actually have next to you to connect with other members of your team while the world explodes around you.

You should also be able to use the multiple device capabilities of a 5G connection to interact on social media streams while gaming. Whatever you can do to enhance the realism and engagement factor of your favourite online game, 5G can make it happen. Technically speaking you could end up streaming to more than two devices, using your computer screen as the visuals for the “real world” of the game, while a tablet and a phone (for example) become instrument readouts in an interstellar liner.

The old arguments will still apply to 5G – top of the list being that the more power you have from a connection, the more likely you are to get capped on it quickly. I would advise you to be very aware of the capping and fair use policies of your provider. And to keep your eyes out for white space streaming, a whole new kind of technology that hasn’t even hit the markets yet. Without wanting to give too much away right now – 5G could well be the last version of wireless connection you see before we all switch to something different.

Erika Jonathon is a freelance content writer by profession. She finds immense pleasure in writing technology related article including Time Warner Cable NYC.

Categories Hardware, Technology
Comments (1)

Jan

Common Brother Printer Problems (and How to Fix Them)

by Contributed

credit: 아우크소(Auxo.co.kr)

When your Brother printer breaks down, it can be extremely frustrating. Especially if there is an upcoming deadline, interview, or important sales call you need your printer to work. If you are experiencing printer problems, read below for a few possible solutions to get your printer working in no time.

”Printing only one document”

General – Multiple Printers

If your printer is only printing one document when you asked for more than one, then follow these steps. Go to your control panel and click on printers. Right click on the printer icon for your machine and select properties. Under the advanced tab, you will find a box that says enable advanced printing features. Disable and click OK.

“Won’t print black and white”

Brother MFC 290c, LC61

With this printer, you need to make sure that you have color ink full in addition to the black and white or it won’t print. Even though you aren’t using color in a black and white print, the printer will continue to say replace ink until the color is full also.

“Won’t print logo and text at the same time”

General Brother Printers

Some brother printers will not allow you to print a bitmap logo along with normal text; you have to print one or the other. Fortunately there are two workarounds for this:

1. Use the Anchor “As Character” setting for the images.
2. Export to PDF and print from the PDF document.

“Printer defaulting to fax instead of print?”

General Brother Printers

If your Brother printer is defaulting to fax instead of print everytime you go to print something, don’t worry the problem can be fixed. Right click on the printer in the control panel menu and click make it default.

“Brother toner quitting before its really done”

Brother HL-5170 DN

Sometimes brother printers will not let you print because it says that you are out of toner even when you are not. There is a way that you can trick the printer into letting you continue to print by placing a small piece of tape over the eye at the bottom of the machine if you remove the imaging cartridge. Just make sure that you look out for when the toner is getting low as this is the sensor that you are turning off.

“Replace Toner won’t go away”

Brother DCP-9045 CDN

If you have just replaced the toner but the printer still thinks it is empty, there is a very easy fix. Just like for electrical systems in cars that report the oil %, you have to reset the system every time it is replaced. To do this press the clear/back button on the control panel while opening the cover at the same time. This will give you the reset menu.

This list of helpful printer solutions was created by PrinterInks.com; for a vast catalogue of Brother ink cartridges and toners, check out what’s available on their site.

Categories General, Hardware, Technology
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Jan

The Best Parts Of Your PC To Upgrade

by Contributed

Upgrading a PC for yourself can actually be rather rewarding (especially considering there are monetary savings to be had), but to many it’s a daunting task. Whilst a full overhaul may never appeal to everyone, there are always components and peripherals you can swap or add that will do wonders for your system. If you’re building to play the latest games especially, consider swapping these parts for something new before you ditch your entire machine:

Graphics Card

Ever since the now defunct 3DFX’s Voodoo range, the first thing any PC builder replaces when they are upgrading is the Graphics Card. Featuring components that are very specifically engineered to make graphical computing tasks faster, these cards will still provide the biggest jump for most machines. They’re also the easiest thing to install in your machine, and finding a decent card is a pretty straightforward process (bigger numbers mean better cards, spend as much over £150 / $250 as you want to).

However, it’s important to acknowledge that there are limits to what a new card can do for you. Very old motherboards will be incompatible with modern graphics cards, (the latest PCI-E v2.1 and v3.0 specification may not be supported by older motherboards). More importantly though, a good graphics card can be held back by not enough ram, or a weak processor.

RAM

No full-sized machine set up for everyday tasks really ought to have any less than 4GB of RAM these days. A games machine ought to have at least 8GB, and 16GB ought to future-proof you against the more data intensive games just around the corner. Broadly speaking, more RAM means that complex visual and mathematical elements – models, textures and the like – can be stored close at hand. This reduces load times and the risk of sudden, prolonged loading spikes during gameplay. It’s also important to get high speed RAM. DDR3 RAM with a 1600Mhz (1.6 Ghz) speed is the current standard.

Hard Drive (Solid State Drives)

Hard disk sizes kept rising and prices kept falling, and now the days of the cheap Terabyte hard drive are a reality. We’re now finally in an age where a Hard-Drive is no more hassle to purchase and install than an optical disc drive. Buy a large enough drive, and never have to worry about your data again.

Or perhaps not. The fact is that the access speeds of a spinning hard disk drive and its data-reading head aren’t especially impressive in modern computing terms. The new pretender to the throne is the SSD – the Solid State Drive. In simple terms, SSDs are like large flash memory disks (not entirely unlike those in mobile devices). They can be accessed, written and rewritten almost instantaneously, translating into extremely fast data access speeds on any PC they’re added to. The only problem is size (well, and cost): you get about 1/6th of the capacity for nearly twice the price of a typical Hard Disk drive.

Nothing is stopping you from running a gaming PC with a SSD and a conventional Hard Disk drive, though. Stick your Operating System on the SSD and all your games on the conventional disk and you’ll be laughing.

Monitor

Often overlooked (though you’re almost certainly literally looking at one right now), having a good monitor is essential for gaming. The 1920×1080 resolution typical of ‘High Definition’ entertainment (e.g. Blu Ray) is the standard for current gaming PCs. But if you’re adventuring into screens of 27” and above, you should seriously consider investing in the sharpness of a 2560×1440 screen. High refresh 3D-capable monitors are certainly within reach too, and 3D technology is certainly most exciting when implemented in games.

Steph Wood has built several PC builds in the past, and is currently writing for Novatech who offer the best cheap laptops to UK customers.

Categories General, Hardware
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Jan

The 6 Best Budget Laptops Under $600

by Contributed

Portable, convenient and fun, laptops are a great choice for your home computer. They can be taken anywhere in the house and can even go along with you on errands. Traditionally, laptops have been expensive. However, they are rapidly falling in price and becoming more affordable. Here are some of the best budget laptops available for you to start enjoying today.

HP ProBook

Ideal for the computer user who wants to do a little of everything, this laptop retails for right around $500 dollars. The 15.6-inch screen allows great visibility, although it can make it a little cumbersome to move around. A separate number pad makes it easier to do worksheets while a 7,200 rmp hard drive ensures that the system will run fast. A fingerprint reader adds a nice security layer while the matte screen ensures that you can see your work even in bright sunlight. Ideal for students and small businesses, it may not be the best choice for anyone who will cart the computer around throughout the day. It’s also not the best choice if you are planning on doing a lot of gaming.

Lenovo IdeaPad

The best choice for gamers, this laptop offers resolution settings of 1366 x 768. A 750 GB hard drive can hold your favorite games, and the RAM and hard drive are both easy to upgrade. It can be slow to boot, and there isn’t as much processing power, so it may not be the best choice for people who are working on the computer. Gamers on a tight budget, however, will love the $500 dollar price tag.

Lenovo Essential G570

The large screen makes this laptop an attractive deal. Retailing for less than $500 dollars, this computer can handle most applications. The speed is a little slow for watching movies, but it can handle most other demands. The large 15.6-inch display is easy to see, and the 500GB hard drive can deliver the power most people are looking for.

Dell Inspiron 15R

Retailing for around $600 dollars, this laptop offers external expansion capabilities that allow users to customize it to better meet their needs. The storage, processors and memory can easily be upgraded, and Dell sometimes has specials allowing those upgrades to be made at no extra charge.

Acer Aspire One

Designed to be highly portable, this laptop features a lightweight, compact size and an impressive battery life. Weighing in at a little over three pounds, this laptop is extremely easy to carry. The battery will last from seven to ten hours, allowing you to cover meetings or take notes without carting around the power cord. Highly affordable, it only costs around $400 dollars. However, it has limited processing power and the keyboard may seem cramped, so it may not be the best choice if you need to do a lot of writing or other applications.

Dell Inspiron 14z

With a feisty red shell and a cool backlit keyboard, this is certainly a stylish computer. However, it has more to offer than looks alone. Its performance is strong, the battery life is good, and it delivers the performance you want. Excellent for carrying around on campus, this thin laptop is one of the best choices if you really want something slim and sleek. Retailing at around $600 dollars, it is worthy of being labeled one of the best budget laptops.

When you are ready for a laptop, you don’t have to set aside a small fortune. There are several budget laptops available that cost $600 dollars or less. Before choosing the one that’s right for you, determine what your needs and priorities are. A laptop with a 15-inch display may look fantastic, but it can be difficult to carry around all day. Likewise, one that is small and portable may not work for someone who needs the larger keyboard. Once you know what your top priorities are, you will be ready to invest in a quality laptop that is powerful and affordable.

Thomas Hathaway is a financial consultant and content contributor to a payday loans site, which offers information and advances when you may need money before your paycheck arrives.

Categories Hardware
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Jan

Scanner And Printer Computer Maintenance

by Mitz

Scanner and printer computer maintenance can be among the most annoying of all computer maintenance tasks. Not only do you often need to get your hands dirty, but each different device requires different computer maintenance. The first step is to make sure your scanner printer is installed correctly. After that, it is now time to see a few simple things you can do to make your life easier.

The Absolute First Computer Maintenance You Should Do

Right now, before you do anything else—even before you continue reading this article—stop and make a reference printout and reference scan.

I’ll tell you how to make these reference documents in a moment—first let me tell you why you need to make them.

A year or two from now, you may start to think that your device isn’t working as well as it used to. Your scans aren’t as crisp; your printouts don’t have the right colors. When that happens you’re going to need a reference document for comparison to see if quality really has gone down or if you’re just imagining things.

To create a reference printout, use the sample sheet your printer probably prints automatically when you press a particular button. (Consult your manual if you don’t know what button to press.) Or, and I prefer this option, print out a nice photo of a family member such as the baby in the family. Save this printout in a climate-controlled location such as your file cabinet.

Save 10% on PC Matic

To create a reference scan, scan a colorful document or photo. You can even scan your reference printout. Save the resulting file somewhere on your computer where you can find it again. Also save the document you scanned so that you can re-scan it later.

Computer Maintenance With Reference Documents

If you reprint or rescan your reference document and identify problems, then it’s time to perform actual computer maintenance on your printer or scanner.

Scanner maintenance is usually the more difficult—cheap scanners have few or no user-serviceable parts except the glass document bed which you can usually clean with ordinary glass cleaner. (If the surface is plastic, check your manual to make sure glass cleaner is ok—otherwise you could ruin the plastic.)

For this reason, I highly recommend buying a scanner that isn’t part of your printer. Multi-function devices are convenient and they save space, but when one device fails you either have to replace both devices or use even more space for the partial replacement. Of course most come together now so you might not have much choice.

Computer Maintenance For Printers

Many printers, even some of the ultra-cheap ones, can be maintained at home. The basic maintenance is simply replacing the ink or toner—I assume you know how to do this; if not, consult your user manual.

There are other parts in your printer which can be replaced. Every printer is different, so I don’t know what parts are in your printer, but your print manual probably lists them. The manual probably also tells you how often they should be replaced.

For best performance, you should replace printer parts when your manual says to replace them—but I’ll tell you a little secret: printer manufactures want you to buy replacement parts. It means more money for them. So if you think you can delay buying a new part, I suggest you do so. Instead of buying the unnecessary part, buy yourself a treat instead.

This is another reason I highly recommend using quality reference printouts—you can use a printout comparison to see if your printer is still performing well. If it is, then there’s probably no reason to waste computer maintenance time and money replacing still-useful parts.

Performing regular computer maintenance is something that everyday computer users often neglect. I have had thousands of customers that do not perform any computer maintenance and sometimes wait until they see a black screen with a blinking cursor , before they finally realize that looking after your computer is IMPORTANT! This goes for your external hardware and peripherals connected to your computer. My name is Mitz Pantic and I’ve been working with computers for over 25 years and love to teach people how to use their computers. Be sure to visit me at my computer tips website and say hello in the comments section. Also do not forget to sign-up for my free computer tips newsletter and receive a free 59 page Computer Terms Dictionary!

If you have any tips for computer or printer maintenance please share them with us by leaving your comment below.

Categories Hardware
Comments (19)

Jan

A Parent’s Guide to Buying a Laptop for their Student

by Jesse Langley

As college approaches, many students will need a laptop for classes. The laptop will become a constant companion: a repository for papers, a research tool and a source of entertainment or creative expression. Because of this, it’s important to find a laptop that balances the basics with the individual interests and needs of your child. Below are several factors to consider, along with specific recommendations you can take with you into the store or while browsing online.

Price

Depending on the other supplies your student needs for class, a new laptop could be the biggest purchase you make. When you are considering price you’ll also want to think about longevity—will your child be able to use this computer through college and beyond? You may save money getting a machine that can only handle typing a paper and checking email, but your student’s chosen path could easily require a new machine within two years, especially in art or engineering programs. Also consider your child’s track record and the odds that this computer may be lost, damaged or stolen in the first few months. Keep price in mind as you weigh the importance of all other factors. You can purchase a decent laptop for around $400.

Size

Here, you’re mostly thinking about portability. If your student is pursuing an online bachelor degree, he or she may prefer a large screen and high performance to an ultra-portable model. Other students may carry their computers with them to every class, so portability becomes more important. Laptops can range from under three pounds to over seven pounds; you’ll probably get the most value by landing somewhere in the middle.

Web and media capabilities

Almost every use of a laptop requires an Internet connection. Consider choosing a machine with a built-in wireless card; students can use an Ethernet cable to hook up directly, but if they plan to work outside of the library or in the park a good wireless card is essential. Also make sure the laptop has a DVD drive and a USB port—these are a must.

Memory and hard drive

Memory dictates how many programs can be running at once. For most students, multitasking is key, so you’ll want at least 256 megabytes. You can pay a little more and go up to 512 if you think it’s necessary. You might even look into DDR2 memory, which will use less battery life—it’s not available on all PCs, but might be worth the investment. The hard drive, on the other hand, handles actual storage. An English major may be able to store thousands of papers with 30 gigs of space where a graphic designer will be saving multiple versions of very large files and may need a bit more. If you aren’t sure, opt for a little less space. External hard drives are becoming increasingly affordable, and many files can be stored online.

Battery life

Both in the traditional setting and as part of an online bachelor degree, your student will need to use a laptop on the go. Battery life can be as long as four hours; balance that requirement with price and performance. A backup battery can be useful to extend usage time for the laptop.

These days, there’s a laptop available for every budget. Research different styles and manufacturers, and ask your student what will work best—with a little time and effort, you’ll be able to find the perfect laptop for your student’s college journey.

Categories Hardware, The Desktop Experience
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Jan

External Hard Drives Security Warning

by Mitz

You could be wrapping up your external hard drives, putting a bow on top, and then handing them to a thief. One of the top problems with external hard drives is that they’re very easy to steal.

But when external hard drives are stolen, you don’t just lose the drives—you also lose all of the data on them. Some thieves won’t care about the data; they’re just going to replace your data with their data. But some thieves will look through your data for anything else they can steal—passwords to your PayPal account, credit card information, even your home address so they can steal your identity.

How To Keep External Hard Drives Safe

You can do two things to keep your external hard drives safe: prevent your external hard drives from being stolen and prevent your data from falling into the wrong hands.

Physical security can be easy or hard depending on your situation. If you travel around a lot, the best option is to lock your external disk drives to something solid—like a desk. Most external hard drives include hardware that lets them use $20 laptop security chains.

Admittedly, locking down your external hard drives looks lame, but if you’re a poor college student, it’s a lot better than losing your external hard drives—and your almost-finished term paper.

You can also enhance the security of your external hard drives by permanently labeling them as belonging to you. Use cheap engraving tools from the dollar store and make sure thieves will see your mark before they steal your external hard drives.

Keeping Stolen External Hard Drives Secure

But if your external hard drives are stolen despite your protective measures, you don’t need to despair of handing your most sensitive documents over to some random thief.

You can secure your external hard drives by installing basic encryption software on your computer. The encrypted external hard drives can’t be read by anyone without your password. (Short passwords can be easily cracked, so make it a long password.)

Why doesn’t everyone encrypt their external hard drives? Three reasons stand out:

1. It requires special software—and that software needs to be installed on all the computers that use the external hard drives.

Worse, you can’t store the software on typical hard drives because you need the software in order to access the external hard drives. It’s a chicken-and-egg problem.

2. Encryption slows down the drive a little bit.

3. You lose all access to the data on the drive if you forget your password. There’s no password recovery service. (Although you can download free password cracking software that will slowly try to break your password.)

Still, I highly recommend encryption to anyone who keeps secure files on their external hard drives.

A Hidden Security Risk On External Hard Drives

You probably know that Windows will automatically run a program installed to a special file on external hard drives. Viruses install themselves into this special file so that they can spread to all the computers you use your external hard drives on.

This is one of the most common ways to get a virus these days because most anti-virus software can’t block these autorun applications.

Any virus on any computer you use can infect your external hard drives, and any computer you connect to can catch a virus from your external hard drives, so be extra careful about connecting to strange computers.

There is no doubt that we all need an external hard drive to use as a backup storage device for all of those important computer files we need to keep safe. An external hard drive is not the only way to save your files though. Here are 5 backup storage devices, but keep in mind that they all have their own unique security risks.

If you have any tips to make your files more secure please share them with us by leaving your comment below.

Categories Hardware
Comments (38)

Dec

Incomplete Or Obsolete: When To Buy A New Computer

by Contributed

Have you looked at your computer and realized that it isn’t fulfilling all of your needs? It isn’t as peppy as it used to be, and you are wondering if maybe it is time to move on. Maybe your computer is OK, but you would love a new one that has all the latest gadgets and technology.

What Are Your Needs?

If you are just looking for something that will allow you to read your emails and visit your favorite sites, you don’t need anything fancy. There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on a new laptop or a Tablet. It would be cheaper and easier for you to simply download a new version of your web browser, or clean out the cache every so often.

However, if you are a serious gamer, or you do most of your work online, you should certainly be upgrading every couple of years. You want to be able to stay connected wherever you are, and make sure that you have the memory capacity and the fastest Internet connection available.

Tech Savvy

If you don’t know what an app is, you don’t need a computer that allows you to sync with your smartphone, or to buy a new Tablet. It won’t be any use to you if you don’t know what it is you are buying. A simple laptop, or any computer with a keyboard and Internet connection should be fine.

For those who do know what a smartphone is, or enjoy reading books on their Kindle, it could be a good idea to buy a newer computer that can have those multiple functions in one device. The new Kindle Fire from Amazon will cost less than 200 dollars. A good computer can be both new and cheap at the same time.

Budget

Even if you want the latest technology, your financial situation could dissuade you from buying a new computer. While a new laptop, PC or Tablet could cost as little as 400 dollars, that could still be a lot of money in this economy.

In that case, simply downloading updates to your current computer should keep you going until you are ready to buy that new computer. For those who desperately need the latest technology, you can always use your phone as an Internet/app device.

So, should you upgrade, or buy a new computer? Upgrading is recommended for anyone who simply needs to use email and to visit the Internet every so often, doesn’t know how to use the newer technology or simply doesn’t have the budget. However, if you have the money and the know how, a new computer is always a good investment.

If your computer is grinding to a halt, freezing up, has constant error or is just generally too old, it is probably time to update, talk to Austin computer stores. Austin have 6 stores across Perth, so there’s bound to be one close to you, and each store has a service centre for any future upgrades or repairs.

Categories Hardware, Technology, The Desktop Experience
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Dec

Are You Lazy With Your Laptop?

by Contributed

As I sit here writing this post on my laptop, I am trying to do everything in my power to stop myself falling into the trap of the kind of person I am about to describe. In fact, I am slowly starting to realise that, despite my criticisms, everyone is guilty of being lazy with their laptops in one way or another. Laptops were designed to improve the productivity and efficiency in our everyday lives. From razor thin laptops promising us the personification of cutting edge technology to notebooks packed with clam shelled charisma, enabling us to work whilst enduring those claustrophobic commutes; we owe a lot to our laptops.

Unfortunately though, we’re all human and some of us have that unruly gene causing us to take things for granted. Olympians, scientists, Beyonce… they all have far superior chromosome construction to the rest of us mortals and probably don’t fall fail of the technological slobbery we’re accustom to. So take comfort in the fact that if you’re reading this, you’re probably part of the majority. So sit back, balance that laptop carefully on the corner of your armchair, stuff your face with food and comfort eat your way through a few home truths.

Ask Yourself, Are You Guilty Of The Following:

Your Desktop Is Full Of Files

If your desktop is starting to look like a communal trashcan of Microsoft Office documents, you’re falling at the first hurdle in laptop maintenance. Modern laptops are meant to save time, and having a desktop full of files means you’re wasting hours of your life hunting down what exactly it is you’re looking for. It’s the equivalent of owning an office full of filing cabinets and filing your paperwork under the carpet. Just stop it. Now.

You Never Move Your Downloaded Files

I bet you’re too scared to even look in your downloaded files folder because you can’t face the fact that one day, you’re going to have to filter through all of those .exe files and PDFs and actually find something you were meant to file somewhere safe. Tut, tut. Get into the habit of removing all of those installation files after you’ve installed the software. It’s not hard. Oh and if you’re going to download Katy Perry songs illegally, at least make an effort to file them away somewhere appropriate. Such as the recycle bin.

You Leave Your Laptop At Home

It’s 8.27 and you know you should have left your house at 8.15. You rush around in and out of rooms, checking that that your hair looks pretty and that you’ve your keys and railcard. You peer knowingly across the room at your laptop sitting on the couch, just outside of its home, the laptop case. You quickly scan the room to see if you can spot the charger. You can’t. You then erase the last five seconds because you can’t be bothered to go through the process of finding your charger and putting the laptop in its case and then the agonising final step of putting the case in your bag. C’mon son. You could have got a head start by working on the train but now you’ll be late and have to catch up.

You Throw Your Laptop Away When The Screen Is Broken

At the first sign of visual disturbance you bury your head, instantly decide it’s an unsolvable problem and resign your laptop to a life gathering dust in a cupboard, or worse yet, you kill it off. This is what’s wrong with our generation. We need to learn how to overcome problems and not buy our way out of them. Ever had a spot between your eyes? Ever battled with a coldsaw on your top lip after a few heavy nights? We don’t just go and hang people because a few minor imperfections. Take your laptop to a specialist and see if it can be fixed, better yet, learn about how to fix laptops yourself.

You Torture Your Laptop’s Battery Life

You’re sitting watching X Factor on your laptop, draining both your soul and battery life simultaneously when a little pop up message informs you that you’ve got less than 20% battery life left. This is a common occurrence and you know that 20% will see you through at least five of Simon Cowell’s ‘darling’ fuelled escapades. Before you know it, you’ve sat through five Motown karaoke covers and another message pops up from your laptop, desperately informing you that it’s on its last legs and only has 5% of life left. Your laptop has thrown its last flare and yet you’re glancing across the room at the laptop charger, sitting just feet away. You can’t be bothered to lean over and put your laptop on life support and so instead you concern yourself with idiotic mathematics, trying to work out whether five per cent of battery life will be enough to last the last 10 minutes of the show. Your laptop charge runs out before the show ends, you close the lid, sigh and fall back asleep.

You Postpone Updates

Windows is giving you FREE updates to improve the performance of your laptop but rather unwisely they also give you the chance to postpone those updates for 10 minutes, or a few hours. You click 10 minutes because deep down you know it’s best to update your laptop and you’ll be done what you’re doing in a few minutes. Before you know it, those 10 minutes have passed and your laptop kindly asks again if you’d like to update. You’re addiction to looking at ninja cats on YouTube takes over and you feel you’re going to be there for a while. You postpone for a few hours and then repeat this process on a daily basis. Then you complain when your laptop is running slow. Stop moaning, get off YouTube and update. Simple.

When Everything Messes Up You Hold The Power Button Down

This is like overdosing on sleeping tablets when you can’t handle a week’s worth of washing up. Sort of. You’ve let problems build up on your laptop and eventually your computer can’t handle it and freezes. Instead of playing it cool and taking a look at task manager and your computer performance to see what’s happening, you hold down the power button and assume this will solve all of your problems. You’re wrong. You’re temporarily avoiding the real issue, and if your computer has crashed it’s likely to be something that will come back to haunt you at some point once again. Deal with it.

You Don’t Clean Your Screen Or Keyboard

You wash yourself every morning (hopefully). When your house is looking a little grubby you give it a spring clean (hopefully). So why the hell are you shouting, eating, spitting and coughing all over your laptop and just leaving all that bacteria, dirt and crumbs to breed, colonise and infest your screen and tracks between your keyboard? It’s disgusting. You’re not a 14 year old boy so grab the Domestos and some screen wipes and clean up your act. You’ll feel better for it and so will your laptop.

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You Never Shut Your Laptop Down

How would you feel not sleeping for 7 days? A little tired right? Probably won’t be able to get things done as quickly? You might even crash and hibernate for days on end. You get my point. Rather than falling into the habit of constantly closing your laptop in a rush and never properly shut it down, get into the habit of giving it some sleep. Yes those 45 excruciating seconds of load up time when you switch your laptop back on are difficult to handle, but new laptops are designed to last, so start thinking of their long term health. Well done.

Scott is a writer who completed this post with 17% battery life remaining.

Categories Hardware, Technology
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Dec

Why You Should Not Attempt Computer Repairs On Your Own

by Contributed

Many of us know the horror of finding out something is wrong with the computer. It is a horror like none other. After all, it is not uncommon to think of our computers as a natural extension of our everyday lives; we use them to interact with our loved ones, to shop, to take classes, to fulfill our job functions . . . these days it is hard to find any one aspect of our lives that is not affected by our relationship with computers. Unfortunately, computer repairs can cost a lot of money. When you consider the hundreds (or maybe even thousands) of dollars you spent on your beloved techno-friend, it may be tempting to try and cut repair costs by brushing up on your knowledge and attempting the repairs yourself. Whatever you do, do not give in to this temptation, or else you may find that your computer problems become much more than you’d initially bargained for. Here are some reasons why you should not attempt computer repairs on your own.

Guarantee. When you pay a shop to repair your computer, that repair should come with a guarantee (if you are smart and shop around for a reputable computer repair service). This means that if your computer is still not repaired after the job is done, you have the chance to either return for service or be reimbursed. However, when you attempt to repair your computer yourself, there is no guarantee on your work, and you could end up putting a lot more time into fixing problems that you created.

No room for error. Basically, if you break your computer, you have no one to blame (or pay for it) but yourself.

Warranty. By going into your computer, you automatically void the warranty on certain computer parts that are only guaranteed if they are handled by a professional. That means that perfectly good parts, in perfect working order, might need completely unrelated repairs down the line, but that those repairs won’t be covered by a warranty because you chose to open your computer with your own, uncertified hands.

Know-how. This is perhaps the most obvious, but there are so many people out there who seem to completely forget about this all-important fact: you are not a professional. You don’t necessarily have the skills or the know-how to repair your computer, no matter how many Google searches you do.

Sure, you mean well . . . but unfortunately, when it comes to repairing computer problems, it is not the thought that counts. Your computer’s health is a big deal. Don’t risk its health care on an amateur.

About the Author: Bernardo Sartorius loves working with computers. He has done plenty of repairs for those who have attempt to do a recover partition project or install hardware without help. Treat your computer with care and it will last quite a while!