I.
Generic Computer Questions
a. Hardware Q1: What is memory, and how much should my computer
have? A1: Memory is a generic term for where the digital
information inside a computer is stored. When a technician refers to a
computer's memory, they are usually talking about it's RAM (Random Access
Memory). Many people confuse this with a computer's physical storage,
which is a hard drive (see below), because both are measured in the same
units. When a computer is turned off, the contents of the RAM are lost
because it uses electrical charge to store information. The smallest unit
of memory is the byte; larger units are given metric prefixes according
to their approximate equivalent:
Most
new computers today have at least 64MB of RAM. Generally speaking, more
RAM is better.
Q2:
What is a hard drive? A2: The hard drive is where information in your
computer is physically stored. When the computer is turned off, this information
stays there because it is recorded in the magnetic particles on a disk,
which does not require electricity. When you install a program or download
a file, the information is put on the hard drive. The amount of memory
that a hard drive can hold is typically many times that of a machine's
RAM; today most new computers have at least 8GB of hard drive space, and
usually quite a bit more than this. Some people refer to the computer
case itself as "the hard drive", but this is wrong.
Q3:
What is a CPU? A3: The term CPU means Central Processing Unit.
It is the "brains" of the computer. It is also referred to as
the "Central Processor" and quite often simply as "the
chip". There are many different types of CPUs out there, from different
companies and running at different speeds. You can't always make an apples
to apples type comparison between chips that are different types. Sometimes
people refer to the computer case as "the CPU", usually to differentiate
it from the monitor.
Q4:
What is "Megahertz", and can I make my system
faster by adding more? A4: The term Megahertz refers to the speed of the
CPU. You can't add megahertz because it is not a physical quantity (just
like you can't add MPH to a car to make it faster). CPUs are designed
to run at a certain speed. To increase the speed of your computer, you
need to remove the CPU and replace it with one that runs at a higher frequency
(more megahertz).
Q5:
What does someone mean when they talk about their computer
"booting"? A5: This term is derived from an old saying about
"pulling oneself up by one's boot-straps". The boot process
is what a computer does when it is first turned on to load the operating
system (usually Windows). If a computer turns on and displays something
on the screen, but it does not load the operating system, then it has
POSTed but it has not booted.
Q6:
"POST"? What is that? A6: POST stands for Power-On Self Test. When a computer
is powered up, it runs several diagnostic tests on itself to ensure everything
is operating properly. If it is not, you will usually not get any video,
and you will probably receive a beep code (several beeps indicating what
is wrong).
Q7:
What is a slot? What is a card? A7: A slot is a mechanical interface on the motherboard
where a card plugs in. There are several different varieties of slots,
and generally you must have a card that is the same type as the slot it
will plug into. The same terms are used to describe both cards and slots.
Most video cards nowadays are AGP, and most new motherboards have an AGP
slot for them. (NOTE: a board can only have one AGP slot.) Most other
cards are PCI, and most boards have 3-5 PCI slots. Older cards were usually
ISA; many motherboards still retain 1 or 2 ISA slots, but newer designs
have none. Other types of slots/cards include MicroChannel (MCA) and EISA.
Adding a card is how you expand the capabilities of your computer: modems,
sound cards, network cards etc...
Q8:
I've never used a mouse before - what do the terms click,
right-click and double-click mean? A8: Most mice used on PCs have two buttons, although
some have 3 or more. The leftmost button is always the "left"
button, and the rightmost button is always the "right" button.
(For 3 button mice, the middle button is referred to as the "middle"
button.) When you are told to click, that means to depress and release
the left button once. When you are told to double-click, it means depress
and release the left button twice in quick succession, without moving
the mouse. A right-click is simply depressing and releasing the right
button once.
Q9:
My friend is left-handed, and I notice he always uses the
opposite button that he's supposed to. How can that be? A9: Windows (and many DOS mouse drivers) comes with
a feature to swap the function of the buttons for left-handed people.
Normally, the left button is the "primary" button and the right
is the "secondary" button. When you are told to click a certain
button, when they say "left" they really mean "primary"
and "right" really means secondary.
b.
Software Q1: What exactly is "Windows"? A1: Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation,
and is the generic term used to refer to several different products. Originally,
Windows was just a shell program that you ran on top of MS-DOS (and not
a very useful one at that). Eventually, it got to the point where most
software was written specifically to run from within Windows (version
3.x), but at this point Windows was still just a shell on top of DOS.
Another version of Windows was developed about this time called Windows
NT. (The "NT" stood for "New Technology".) This was
a full-fledged 32-bit standalone operating system designed for business
use. MS eventually created a true consumer operating system (sort of)
called Windows 95. OSR2, Windows 98, Windows 98SE and now Windows ME have
followed. Windows 2000 is really version 5 of Windows NT. Any or all of
these products can properly be referred to as "Windows".
Q2:
I have software which says it was written for Windows. Which Windows should
I use? A2: Most software nowadays that is "written
for Windows" will run just fine under Windows 95/98/ME or Windows
NT/2000, because they share most of the Win32 API. Beware of software
that specifically states only one version of Windows; it probably will
not run on other versions. Also, much software that runs under Windows
NT 4 Workstation will not work under Windows NT Server.
Q3:
If I use Windows, I have to use Internet Explorer
on the web, don't I? A3: NO! Microsoft would like you to think that,
but it simply is not true. You can use any web browser you like (as well
as any e-mail client, etc...). Netscape Navigator/Communicator is MS's
main competition. Eudora from Qualcomm is a fine e-mail client that is
not subject to the e-mail virus problems associated with Outlook/Outlook
Express.
II.
Windows 95/98/ME Specific Questions a. Configuration Q1: How do I find out what version of Windows is
installed on my machine? A1: The easiest way is to right-click on the My
Computer icon and select Properties from the menu that appears. A window
will appear with a heading of System near the top. Below this heading
will be a description of the operating system. It will say either Windows
95 or Windows 98, then a line with the numeric version:
4.00.950
Windows 95, original
4.00.950a Windows 95, original, Service Pack 1
4.00.950B Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2)
4.10.1998 Windows 98, original
4.10.2222A Windows 98 Second Edition
?.??.???? Windows ME
Q2:
How do I find out how much RAM I have? A2: Bring up the same window as in Q1. Below the
Computer heading, it will tell you (in MB) how much RAM you have.
Q3:
How do I find out how big my hard drive is or how much room I have left
on it? A3: Double-click My Computer. Right-click on any
drive you wish to find out about, and select Properties. A graph showing
total size, used and free space will appear. (NOTE: for drives > 2GB
under OSR2, the graph does not render correctly unless MSIE4 or higher
is installed.) Doing this for removable media devices (Zip, Jaz, floppy,
CD-ROM drives) will only work if there is media in the drive, and it will
only show data for that particular disk.
Q4:
What is Safe Mode? Why does my computer often boot up in Safe Mode? A4: Safe Mode is a special Windows mode of operation
that provides minimal hardware support. Usually your sound card, modem,
CD-ROM drive, network and most other add-in cards won't work in Safe Mode.
This mode is provided as a way to get into Windows to fix problems when
Windows won't start normally. If Windows detects that it did not boot
up properly the last time it was started, it automatically attempts to
go into Safe Mode, but you can bypass this and tell it to start normally.
Q5:
How do I force Windows to start in Safe Mode, or any other
mode? A5: When Windows first starts booting, it checks
to see if the F8 key on the keyboard has been pressed. If it has, it brings
up the Windows Start Up menu, where you can select Safe Mode or other
choices. The F8 key must be pressed before you see the "Starting
Windows" blue screen.
The,
"I don't know where to put these questions yet" section:
Q:
I want to upgrade my hard drive. What's the best way? A: Usually, the best way to
upgrade a hard drive is to replace the current drive with a new one, after
transferring all the files. This is preferable to adding a new drive as
a 2nd drive, or to installing a new drive as the boot drive but leaving
the old drive in the system. The main reason is speed: newer drives tend
to be faster, and chaining a new drive to an old one can make the new
drive slow down to match the speed of the old one. Also, if the drives
are from different manufacturers, sometimes they simply will not work
together properly. Another compelling reason is drive letter assignments:
when a drive is added or removed, drive letters change and can cause programs
to no longer function (even to the point where you can't uninstall them!).
This is especially true if the CD-ROM drive letter changes.
Q:
I installed a new 8GB hard drive, but I can only create
a partition of 2GB! Why? A: The most likely reason is that you are running
MS-DOS or the original version of Windows 95. Newer versions of Windows
allow FAT32 partitions, which can be any size and are generally more efficient
at storing information as well. See previous question about determining
Windows version. To use any drive > 2GB as a single partition, you
should upgrade to a newer version of Windows.
Q:
I once had a CPU fan go bad on me. My friend, who owns a name brand computer,
says he'll never have that problem because his system doesn't use a fan.
What gives? A: Every Pentium class CPU and above requires cooling
to keep it operating. We put heatsink/fan combinations directly on the
CPU, as this is the best way to cool a CPU. Many well known computer manufacturers
skimp on this and put just a very large heatsink on their CPUs. This severely
shortens the expected lifetime of the CPU and can cause problems even
before the CPU fails entirely. These manufacturer's justification is that
you will buy a new computer from them in a year or two anyway, so who
cares how long the CPU lasts?
Q:
I'm running out of space on my hard drive. Can't I just start deleting
stuff until I have more room? A: Yes and no. Yes, deleting files will make more
room, but you should be very sure you know what you are deleting and that
it is safe to do so. A good deal of people bring their computers in for
repair because they were "just deleting stuff and now it doesn't
work". If you are really that cramped for space, I recommend getting
a new, larger hard drive.
Q:
What's the best way to back up my data? A: There is no universal best way, because everyone
has different requirements for amount to be backed up, speed of the backup,
location of backup media etc... The only thing I can say to everyone is
to make sure you do back up. If you have some sort of removable media
drive (either disk or tape), that is usually a pretty good way to back
up. Just make sure that you use more than one disk/tape to do the backups,
and that you do not store the media with the computer. Small amounts of
data can be backed up to floppy. If you are on a network, the workstations
should back up to the server, or better yet should have all their data
stored on the server anyway. Prices have fallen on CD writers to the point
where they are a pretty good backup device now as well. If nothing else,
back up your data to another folder on your hard drive; it's not a good
solution, but it's better than none.
Q:
Everytime I turn on my computer, it insists on running
ScanDisk. Why? A: Windows (starting with OSR2) automatically runs
ScanDisk if it detects that the machine was not shut down properly. This
can be caused by many things, but the most prevalent is user error. First,
make sure that you actually follow the shutdown procedure and you don't
just flip the power switch. Second, wait until the "It is now safe..."
message to appear before removing power. Sometimes Windows gets stuck
on the previous screen and never shows the last screen. A good rule of
thumb is to let it sit for at least one minute on the "Wait"
screen before removing power. Starting the machine up in Safe Mode and
then shutting it down right away can sometimes clear up that little "hiccup".
If you abort ScanDisk, Windows will keep trying to run it every time you
start up until you allow it to complete successfully.
Q:
I have an older system that I want to upgrade. What are the considerations
involved? A: Depending on how old the system is and how much
you want to upgrade, you may be better off buying a new system. Your monitor
should still work with a new system, as well as your mouse and keyboard
(although you may need a KB adapter). If you plan on getting a newer faster
CPU, you will probably need a new motherboard. If you need a new motherboard,
you will probably also need new RAM. If your current case is an AT type,
I recommend getting a new ATX case instead of buying a new AT style motherboard,
as these boards won't be available much longer. Most new motherboards
have few if any ISA slots, so if you have more than one or two ISA cards,
you probably will need to replace them with PCI equivalents. Today's fast
CPUs require a lot of electrical power; you should really have at least
a 300W power supply for them. As you can see, it's not so simple anymore
to upgrade a computer because so much of the technology has changed in
recent years. An added benefit to buying a completely new system is that
you get a completely new hardware warranty.
