Computer Basics

Sometimes, despite all efforts, it seems impossible to find a particular piece of information about your computer. This is especially frustrating when you're attempting to resolve a problem, and a support technician asks you to provide a simple piece of data. Wouldn't life be a little easier if information about your operating system, hardware resources and components, and software settings was all in one place? Microsoft System Information, which is included with almost all Windows systems, may be just what you need. To check out Microsoft System Information:
1. Go to Start > Run
2. Type "msinfo32" into the Open field
3. Click "OK"
Note: If "msinfo32" doesn't work, try "msinfo".

What is the "correct" way to remove a program from my computer?

The best way is to go to Control Panel/Add remove programs. Find the program you wish to remove, click on it and follow the on screen directions. If the program is not there you can check to see if there is an uninstall option when you go to the Program itself or in the start menu options for that program. As a last resort, you can move the program folder to the recycle bin but this will not totally remove it and may cause problems. Leave it on the computer if space allows.

How do I change the screen resolution of my computer?

Go to Control Panel > Display > Settings and adjust the resolution there.
Or
Right click on an empty place on the desktop, choose "Properties" from the menu and then Settings.

My mouse is erratic. How can I fix it?

There are a couple of things to recommend:
1. Try replacing the batteries in the mouse if it is wireless.
2. Try removing the mouse ball and cleaning the rollers inside the mouse with a Q-tip. Often that residue is quite sticky. They sell kits with a "velcro" ball you clean the rollers with by putting it in place of the regular ball.
3. If that doesn't fix the problem, buy a new mouse. Optical mice don't have balls.
4. If that doesn't resolve it, you may need to hire a technicians to trouble shoot the problem.

What does OEM mean?

How do I remove the ">" marks for an email before I send it on

1) Copy and paste just the text of the email into a page of WordPad, or a favorite word processor. The >>> that represent the number of times it has been forwarded can be removed from the text like this: With your text Pasted into WordPad, click Edit, then Replace. In the space provided type one > or what ever you may want to remove. Then click Replace All. Now you can again copy the text without the >> and paste it into a blank email page.
Or
2) Use a program like "emailStripper", available for free from http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm or "eCleaner" by purchasing "Auer's Utilities" from the club or downloading it from http://ecleaner.tripod.com/

How can I easily send a part of a received e-mail to someone else?

High-lite the part you want to send, Right click on it and select copy. Open new message, right click on page, and select paste, and the message should be there ready to go. Or you can select forward, and then high-lite the part that you don't want to go with the message, and press your delete key.

What is the difference between Save and Save As?

Use SAVE when you are revising an existing document.
Use SAVE AS when you are creating a new document from scratch or an existing document. This will keep the original document untouched in its original format and create a new document with a new name.

How do I "add" a sound to the Caps Lock key so I can hear when I accidentally hit it?

To add a sound to the Caps Lock key, go into Control Panel and double click (or single click in XP) Accessibility Options. Select the Keyboard tab. Check Use ToggleKeys. Click OK. This will also set sounds for Num Lock and Scroll Lock.

Is there a simple way to create a boot disk for various operating systems?

You can download a boot disk from www.bootdisk.com When you open the file, have a formatted floppy in the floppy drive, because it copies the files over automatically. With this disk, it will allow you to boot to dos mode.

What is the difference between an Intel Celeron and Pentium processor?

The reason for the Celerons existence owes to the advent of an AMD processor called the K6. AMD brought out a low priced alternative to the Pentium, and Intel, instead of drastically reducing their pricing on their "meat and potatoes" processor to meet that of the lower priced K6 (and eventually, the Athlon), introduced a "crippled" version of the Pentium, and called it the Celeron. (In response, AMD came back with an even lower priced processor of appalling performance called Duron, but that is another story)

Processors are commonly classified by their "Core" speed -- ergo, a 933 MHz Pentium III processor has a core speed of 933 MHz. There are however other significant features that are "classifiable" within a processor -- namely "bus" or "memory access" speed, and onboard "Cache" size (and speed). The Bus speed is the speed at which the processor fetches data from memory, and places it in the onboard Cache, and also represents the speed at which it communicates with its peripheral chipset. While each processor model operates at its own "native" Core speed, the bus speeds vary according to the motherboard (peripheral) Chipsets and memory with which they are designed to work. Likewise the cache size will vary from implementation to implementation. This distinction will become significant in as we move on.

The Celeron's basic design is identical to the Pentium. Actually, it is said that the die used to produce them is identical to that of the equivalent Pentium. It is also said that they actually were Pentiums that failed certification (performance testing). Their marketing, and a small "adjustment" imposed during the final stage of production, is what makes the difference between the Pentium and Celeron. For the equivalent core speed Celeron, Intel "constrains" certain features. If the equivalent Pentium has a 512K cache, the Celeron will have only 128 or 256K of the 512K cache enabled. If the Pentium has a 133 MHz bus speed, the Celeron is be limited to 66 MHz. This implies that not only is the cache memory reservoir from which the processor draws its data and instructions 1/4 to 1/2 the size of a Pentium, but the rate at which it is refilled is 1/2 that of the Pentium. So metaphorically, you'd have a straw filling a pail, as opposed to a 3" fire hose filling a swimming pool.

One only need examine the trends in Intel processor design to see the significance of cache and bus speed. Recently, Intel took a revamped PIII core, goosed its bus speed to 400 MHz from 133, increased its cache size to 1 Megabyte, and achieved performance with near equivalence to a P4, while running it at significantly lower core speed -- it now markets it under the name "Centrino," a performance notebook processor that sips power compared to a standard PIII. Similarly, the first P4 processors had only 256K cache & a 400 MHz bus, but were quickly boosted to 512K cache with a 533 MHz and then 800 MHz bus . Now, the cache size is shortly to become 1 Megabyte, with 2 and 3 Megabyte cache chips on the horizon. On the power server side, the Pentium Xeon chips already have 2, 3, 4, and 6 Megabyte onboard caches.

Now when someone says "Unless you are doing specialize work you won't notice the difference" he is dead wrong, unless they are comparing a Celeron with a core speed of 2.2 GHz with a Pentium with a core speed of 1.6 GHz. Ergo, comparing Apples and Apples, a 2 GHz Celeron is never a match for a 2 GHz Pentium, and the difference would not only be measurable, but noticeable -- sometimes profoundly so

Also, Intel uses "staged" marketing. While a 3 GHz Pentium may be the leading edge of the Pentium Market, the fastest Celeron available may only be a 2.2 GHz. Therefore, a Pentium and Celeron with the same core speed are never introduced at the same time. So, you see, there can be no real comparison of equivalent Celerons and Pentiums except retrospectively. When the Celeron of one speed is introduced, the Pentium of the same speed becomes "obscured" by virtue of the introduction of far faster Pentiums with improved technology as in the case of hyper-threading technology -- there are no Hyper-threading enabled Celerons

To make the point clear, in the auto industry, desirable features are introduced in the premium lines, and only filter down and become available on the economy lines after years pass. To ever say that at a point in time, the Lincoln Continental is comparable in feature and performance to a Ford Focus (same manufacturer), is fanciful at best. This is not to say that both autos do not perform according to their unique design, or are not suited to a particular use, -- I would never intentionally purchase a Celeron, knowing that not unlike cars of old, that my father had installed a "governor" that might limit functionality as well as my use, while outwardly appearing to be no different than any other car on the road -- unless I fully understood that at the point of purchase and price was the major consideration.

The one true measure that can be applied to the Celeron vs. Pentium issue is that of Price/Performance. If the Celeron and the Pentium were plow horses of the same size, the Pentium could do a factor of 1x times the amount of work that the Celeron could accomplish in the same time frame, therefore favoring the value of the Pentium But, if you measure the amount of work accomplished by each horse against the cost of each horse, the economics would favor the Celeron.

What is the difference between the *system tray* and the *quick launch tray*?

The system tray is that portion of the task bar (usually on the bottom of the screen-but you can drag it to either side or to the top!) that is on the right hand side displaying the clock and some of those programs that are running in the background. The portion on the left is the 'quick launch tray' because you can drag icons/shortcuts there and with a single click you can start or 'launch' the program.

How can I get rid of the noises when my modem makes a connection?

1. First choose Start, Settings, and then Control Panel to open the Control Panel.
2. Choose Modems.
3. Select the entry for your modem, and choose the Properties button to open the Modem Properties dialog box.
4. Choose the Connection tab, and then the Advanced tab button to open the Advanced Connection Settings dialog box.
5. The Extra Settings text box in the dialog box may already have some text in it. This text is actually a set of commands for the modem. Modem commands vary from one modem to the next, but most use the command MO - that's a zero, not a capital 0 - to tell the modem to keep the speaker off at all times. First make sure that the text box does not already have a command beginning with M. (And note that &MO, /MO, and MO are three different commands.) If there is an M command already, replace it with an MO command. If there is not an existing M command, simply type MO in the text box. (It's okay to add it at the end of other commands that are already there.) Choose OK, and Windows will send the command to the modem every time it dials a connection. If this does not work, you'll need to check your modem manual to see if the modem has an oddball command for controlling the speaker.

When I tried to make a corrections to some text, all the letters/words to the right disappeared as I typed in the corrections. What happened?

You probably pressed the "insert" key on your keyboard. The toggle to "insert" is "replace". The "replace" works in some programs but not all.

Where can one "Properly and Safely" dispose of a "dead" computer components?

All household hazardous materials including electronic components (VCRs, computers, monitors, etc.) can be dropped off at the Household Hazardous Waste Drop Off Locations in Lee County, FL. For information, go to: http://www.lee-county.com/solidwaste/ Find the information you want from the links. (In other locations, check with your waste collection company.)

Why does defragment (defrag) go only so far and then stop and start over again? I get the message "Drive's Contents Have Changed: Restarting..." How can I get it to finish?

One of the most common reasons that defrag does not continue is that there is something running in the background. A screen saver is a very common one. Our techies recommend that you restart your computer in "safe mode" and run defrag there. That way, you can be sure all background processes are turned off. You can find out how to get into safe mode from Microsoft at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;186978 for Windows 98 and at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310541 for Windows XP.

How can I check my E-mail when I am away from home?

Before you leave, check the home page of your ISP. Look for "Web mail" or something similar. If you can not get your mail there, here is a URL that works with any mail when you are away from home: http:///www.mail2web.com

How can I view the patches and hot fixes which have been downloaded onto my machine?

To see all that has been added to your machine, go to Windows Update and look at: VIEW HISTORY

How do I change the number of mouse clicks to open items?

Can a FAT32 drive be converted to NTFS without losing data?

Yes it can. To do so go to "Accessories" in the Start Menu and select "Command Prompt". You'll see a DOS-like box open to a command prompt. At the prompt, type the following command and hit enter:

The conversion won't start until you restart Windows. At that point, you'll see a strange screen on next startup. It will convert the file system and then reboot. Then you're done.

How can I add or change the choices available in the Send To box?

In the text box, enter *SendTo* (without the quotes and no space between the words).

How can I view the patches and hot fixes which have been downloaded onto my machine?

To see all that has been added to your machine go to windows update and look at: VIEW HISTORY

How do I open a RAR file?

A RAR file (Resource Adapters aRchive) is a compressed file (like a Zip file). You need a decompressing program to see the contents of a RAR file. One you can use is called WinRAR. A trial version is available at HYPERLINK www.download.com www.download.com

What steps should I take to replace the bios battery.

It is better if you go to the BIOS first and copy the settings and have them before you try to replace the battery, in case your system does not

use the default settings. Once this is done then you can safely replace the battery and if necessary duplicate the BIOS settings you had before.

3) In the Screen saver tab, click the Power button in the lower right-hand corner.

If your desktop icons seem to change on their own accord go to the desktop and right click. Be sure the auto arrange choice is unchecked.

This should keep your icons the way you want them!

This page has questions and answers concerning computers in general, especially the Windows operating system.

Computer Basics FAQ Table of Contents

How do I change the number of mouse clicks to open items?

Can a FAT32 drive be converted to NTFS without losing data?

Revised: 06/05/06.