Hardware Solutions
Reveal Your Unknown Video Card
Have you ever discovered an unknown video card, long forgotten at the bottom of your hardware pile? It would be great to use for a home server or simple media PC - but there are no distinctive model numbers or product labels anywhere on the PCB, so how do...
Upgrading RAM…. making the right decision
One of the easiest PC upgrades that results in a noticeable improvement in the performance of a computer is a RAM upgrade. But before you purchase that new RAM, there are a few things that you need to consider. Here’s a quick checklist to help you make the...
Preventative Maintenance for your PC – Hardware
Many people overlook the fact that a PC needs regular maintenance. Some sites use the analogy that it’s like taking in your car for a tune up, but I’ve never liked it, as it suggests that there is a fair cost associated with it. Consider it more like cleaning...
Using Event Viewer to Help Troubleshoot Windows XP and Vista
One of the often overlooked methods for troubleshooting a system running XP or Vista is Event Viewer. Event Viewer is a component included with these operating systems and, as the name suggests, allows you to view the event logs on your machine. So let’s...
Why Does My New Hard Drive Show Between 127 GB to 137 GB When it’s Much Larger?
You add a brand new hard drive to your new system. You’re all happy of all the new space but the operating system tells you that there’s only somewhere between 127 GB to 137 GB available even though it’s much larger. You’re probably thinking that...
Software Solutions
New PC - Getting rid of Bloatware
Bloatware is all those programs that come preinstalled on many major brand PCs (HP, Compaq, Dell, etc). Although some of the programs are useful, for many people they are a nuisance that people put up with and never bother uninstalling. Here’s a little...
Software to Back Up Drivers on a PC
Ever come across the odd system where it seems no matter how hard you try, you can’t find the drivers for the system? Sometimes, it’s due to the fact the hardware is too old or sometimes the company that manufactured the item is no longer in business....
Internet Explorer Doesn’t Work Properly After Running an XP Repair Option
I had a system that the OS had become corrupted due to failing RAM and was locking on the desktop. As the customer had important data that they did not want to lose but could not tell me the exact location of these files, I chose to run a XP repair option...
Windows XP Requests Immediate Activation after the Reboot of a Clean Reinstall
So you’ve gone and reinstalled Windows XP on your system but after completing the installation and rebooting the computer, it’s asking that it be activated immediately. You’re unable to enter Safe Mode as it hangs before the desktop. You...
Copy and Move Files Faster and Smarter in Windows
Have you ever been frustrated copying or moving files in Windows? It seems to take forever and seems to slow the system down to a crawl. Sometimes you want to pause the copying or moving of files but in Windows your only option is to cancel the copy and the...