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YourHub.com \\ Englewood \\ Stories \\ Tips & Techniques \\ Computers/Electronics

Nerds On SIte - July News!

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Contributed by: Carl Frank on 7/21/2006

It's mid-July, and VERY HOT in Denver. One way to stay cool indoors is to read this newsletter!

1) Some of you may still be using MICROSOFT ANTISPYWARE to keep spyware away from your computer. Microsoft AntiSpyware is a BETA program, and will expire in less than TWO WEEKS. If you have already replaced it with another product, such as a 2006 version of Norton/McAfee/CA, you're all set. If you haven't replaced it or aren't sure, check START - SETTINGS - CONTROL PANEL - ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS. If you see a listing for Microsoft AntiSpyware, you should uninstall it. If you thought you had it, but don't see it, look to the bottom of the list; it's replacement is now known as "Windows Defender" (and is listed alphabetically in the W's).

2) BACK TO SCHOOL is coming in about a month for college students, a bit more for lower grades. I saw Dell's ad in today's paper, advertising in BIG print desktops for $299 and laptops for $499. Note: See the "further reading" article below on why the lowest end (ie "cheap") computers aren't always best.

3) FUN STUFF. Video users may have used "Windows Movie Maker" to edit digital video and create WMV (Windows Media Video) files. Microsoft now has free "Photo Story 3" software to help you convert your digital photos into WMV slideshows with your own voice annotation or MP3 background music. Download it (and other free/beta software) from http://tinyurl.com/3uagf. It's not as capable as commercial programs such as ProShowGold (www.photodex.com), but you can't beat the price. With a CD or DVD burner and CD/DVD recording software, you can then create VCD (video CD) or DVDs, which you can play on your TV set's DVD player.

4) Finally, just a quick reminder about BACKUP. As the use of digital music/photography/video continues to grow, remember that digital photos don't have negatives, and a hard disk crash could cause you to LOSE family photos. PLEASE take some time to at least 'burn' these to CD or DVD. Or, get yourself an external disk drive that you can copy your "MY DOCUMENTS" folder to (My Documents also contains My Music, My Pictures, and My Videos). If you have multiple user profiles on your machine, remember that there is a separate "My Documents" folder for each user. Nerds On Site has a very inexpensive secure online backup solutionif you don't want to hassle with CD/DVD or external drives. But of course "How you do it" is not nearly important as just "That you do it"!

That's all for this time, Happy Computing!

Thanks for reading, and feel free to call or write with any followup questions.

Carl Frank
Nerds On Site, Denver & Area
303-901-8422
carl.frank@nerdsonsite.com
http://www.nerdsonsite.com

Further Reading:
Cheap Computers and YOUR next PC
by Chris Novak (NOS POD Leader Chicagoland)

Measuring PC performance used to be SO easy; the processors were 286, 386, 486, and the speed numbers were easy to read. Now we have Celeron, Sempron, Pentium-4, Pentium-M, Athlon-64, and Intel's latest "Core Duo". Since others have written better articles, let me just point you towards
http://www.tomshardware.com/2003/02/17/benchmark_marathon/index.html

When you see 'Celeron' or 'Sempron' you're getting cheap, slower processors. When you see 'Core Duo', you're getting the best Intel has to offer, with TWO processors stacked into a single chip. NOT double the performance, but at least a 20% boost, and much better able to handle necessary background tasks (like Norton/McAfee/CA Internet Security) while you do your real PC work .

If you're looking to buy a college student a desktop or laptop and expect it to last for the next four years, I seriously doubt that Dell's basic offers ($299 desktop, $499 laptop) will do it (the college may have some suggestions). When do you need more processing power? Basic users who email, browse, and word process ONLY, probably don't need more than a Celeron or Sempron. But even a basic user wants their PC to last as long as possible. 6 years ago, state of the art was Windows ME or Windows 2000, and 128 or 256MB was all you needed. Today it's XP with 512MB, next year it's Windows Vista with 1-2 GB minimum (all those background tasks).

Manufacturers are beginning to mark PCs as either "Windows Vista Capable" (ie some of the functions will work) or "Windows Vista Premium Ready" (ie ready to upgrade and really perform well).

If you're going to tackle "media" projects such as digital photos/video and burning DVDs of slideshows and home movies, you're going to want more processing power (along with a DVD-burner, and extra disk storage). High-end PC Games are going to NEED high-end processors AND special graphics adapters with their own "graphics processor" and memory. And those of you who carry a laptop constantly, are going to need them as light in weight as possible.

So, your next PC or laptop needs to reflect your own balance of needs and desires, and all choices will be compromises to a certain extent. Some things you can change, such as adding memory or increasing the hard disk size. But if you decide a 14" laptop has too small a screen, or a 17" laptop is just too heavy or bulky, you'll need to replace the device in order to change.

And don't forget to budget for the 'extras'. A student should have a locking device (especially for a laptop), and a 'USB flash disk' of at least 512MB. Extra software (Microsoft Office, XP Professional, Adobe Photoshop Essentials, etc) can often be purchased at student rates via the college bookstore. And finally, an extended warranty (like 3 yrs parts & labor with next day service) is NEVER a bad idea!

Which printer to get? That's another newsletter.....

As always, feel free to consult with your Personal Nerd !

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Carl Frank

Denver

Carl Frank has posted 9 stories and 0 comments since joining on 9/14/2005. Carl Frank 's average story rating is 5.

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