One of the biggest problems I have encountered with people and computers is their general lack of basic computer knowledge. This leads to so many problems and furthermore, leads to people being pissed off/angry at computers. This is merely a generalization, but I have dealt with computers now for almost 8 yrs. and I see this daily.
Here's just some general stuff that I've encountered that I'd like to share.
1.) Always plug your computer and components into a surge protector. This doesnt mean buy a cheap one. Get a good surge protector. You should pay about $35-50 for it. The reason? So many times people have had power surges due to storms & outages, lightning strikes, and just power failure that have caused damage to their computer. Why? Because unlike a lot of other electrical components (TV, VCR, etc etc) your computer is much more sensitive to these. Just one power surge on an unprotected system is enough to damage components and kill your computer.
2.) Always use a ground plug to plug your computer in. Several people still live in older homes with the old standard 2 prong plugs. You can purchase adapters that have you run the face plate screw thru them....and these help ground the computer. Simply forgetting to ground your computer can cause major damage. A friend of mine who I built a computer for, didnt ground his outlet. His wife overloaded the circuit that plug ran on by plugging in too many Christmas lights. This wound up frying several components within the computer. He also didnt use a good surge protector. These first two items are critical to computer safety and yours as well.
3.) If your going to be away for a long period of time, unplug the computer. This is easily done by just unplugging your surge protector. I suggest this because its an easy thing to do and it's good for piece of mind. If I know there are going to be bad storms in the area, I've unplugged it from the wall just to prevent any kind of damage. This isnt always necessary, but use your judgement. If your going to be away for more then a day....it wont hurt anything.
4.) If you notice that your computer isnt coming on, make sure its plugged in. Make sure the monitor is turned on. Make sure the cables are hooked up correctly. So many times have I seen a person go bonkers over their computer not working only to find out someone's unplugged a cable or managed to yank something lose. It happens quite a lot, and it's a very simple thing to do. I personally like to tie my cables off with zip ties to prevent myself from kicking cables or snagging them on anything.
5.) Don't shove your computer into a cramped area. These require airflow to help cool the machine and also to keep the machine clean inside. By placing it in a cramped/enclosed area...you are making it harder for the machine to work and possibly enabling more dirt/hair/crap to get into the machine. I have found lbs of cat/dog hair, insects, and even a mouse inside a computer. If you can get a computer desk, that's great. They have specially designed areas in those desks for the computer that still allow for decent airflow to the computer.
6.) All computer brands have good and bad things about them. It's like buying a car, you go for what you need....but you also get the most bang for your buck. I have been around *******ly every major make of computer (Dell, Apple, IBM, Sony etc) and all of them can be both good and bad. If you've had a bad experience with something, you should express that by explaining it. However, just because you had problems with something doesnt mean someone else will. I work with Dell on a regular basis and we expect roughly 5-8 out of every 120 machines to have an issue....this is just common sense. Same with clothing, automobiles, and anything else that's on a production line.
7.) If you dont know what you are doing, STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The absolute worst mistake you can ever make with computers is trying to do things you both dont understand or dont know how to do. Always, always, always try and ask questions of someone before you do something major to your computer. Trying to reinstall Windows or use a registry cleaner can do major damage to your files and your computer. While you can easily do many of these things, it's always a better idea to ask someone that knows, even if you have to pay for it. Why? Because in the event that you do do something wrong, you can be ready for the consequences.
8.) Computers need to be cleaned and wiped off just like every other surface of your house. People will eat/drink over their computers and often leave crumbs, spills, and other crap in their keyboard or on their computer tower. These need to be cleaned off or you can damage a keyboard/mouse. These arent expensive items, but can cause you frustrations and minor problems. On flat panel monitor screens, a slightly damp cloth is all you need. Using high powered cleaners can actually damage the screen due to the harsh nature of their mixture. If you truly feel the need to use a cleaner...dilute it heavily with some water into a bowl.
9.) Before you waste a ton of money upgrading a computer or trying to have something fixed, try hopping online at a library or a friend's computer and do a little research. Visit some computer forums and/or browse for deals online. You can also check with friends to see if they know anyone who is reliable to do computer work. Invest in one of the Dummies books if your curious about learning. They have those books for everything from Windows For Dummies down to Paint Shop for Dummies.
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Looks OK to me, may want to mention that when you get up to the $55 mark for a surge protector they may want to consider a UPS. I know Best Buy has them for that price, will only run the PC for a few mintues though. Keeps works from being lost.
A UPS unit is a surge protector/backup power supply unit. These are used primarily in businesses for computers, but they are starting to see more use in homes and home offices. These will help prevent your computer from shutting down for a small, limited time should the power go out.
These can range in price from $50 to $3,000-5,000.
In case the power was to go out at your house, this would give you roughly 3-5 minutes to go shut your PC down without losing any open files and also prevent you from having hardware damage due to sudden power loss. It's not perfect, but it will save you some hassle.
I have a question. I'm running a 17" flat panel monitor at 1024X768
Is there any settings I can change to get the entire DF page to fit in the screen? At one time it did quite a while back, but no longer does. I don't want to simply reduce it as that makes it very difficult to read
Right click on an open area of your desktop and select properties. You should see something like display settings. Click on that and you should get a screen that has a slider bar. That will change your screen resolution. I am on a 1280X800, on a 17" laptop screen.
You might try 1024X768
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Something else to add: Don't neglect the inside of the PC! The fans will suck up every bit of dirt and dust in the air, and after awhile it will cover the inside of your PC and Fans, causing the PC to run hotter, and therefore slower, and also risk fire.
To clean the inside of your computer:
1) Unhook everything from your tower, and make sure you know where everything gets plugged back into. I recommend taking your tower outside, and placing it on a table. You want a cool, dry area free of dirt and grease.
2) Remove the side panel. This is usually as simple as remove two thumbscrews from the back and sliding the panel back until its free.
3) DO NOT touch any of the components in the PC until you've grounded yourself. Any static electricity can discharge into the electronics and damage them. You generally don't need to remove anything or disconnect anything in a PC to clean it, so don't bother, especially if you are not familiar with building PCs.
4) Get a can of "Dust Off" or similar product. It's commonly called "canned air" and doesn't have any chemical cleaners. DO NOT use a cloth, swiffer, or any aerosol or spray cleaning products like Pledge, Windex, anything. Any chemicals can damage or destroy electronic components. I personally recommend "Dust Off" i use it all the time and it won't harm PC components. For the love of god, don't get any liquid inside your PC.
5) Use Dust Off to blast the dust out of your computer. The most common places for dust to really build up are on fans and heatsinks. Heatsinks are blocks of metal fins, commonly made of copper. Air circulates through them to remove heat, and dust will often build up on them. Also spray around the vents of the PC case, most easily spotted on the sides or back of the case, but usually there is one at the front of the case on the bottom.
6) When using dust off, or similar canned air product, you will notice the can will get cold. Despite whatever directions may be on the can, never spray for more than 20 or so seconds, and never invert the can. Doing either can cause propellent to spray out, and may cause damage.
7) Replace side panel, hook your tower back up and enjoy a clean, better breathing PC. I clean my PC every 3 months, but I run mine constantly. For the average user, cleaning every 6 months is fine.
If you accidentally disconnect wires inside your PC and are not sure where they plug in at, do not force them. Generally, most PC components will only plug in where they are supposed to go, but not the case with motherboards. On board sound, USB, Firewire, and other connections often have similar pin setups and will fit in the wrong spot, but doing so can damage the motherboard.
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In to what Pyro said - I do NOT at ALL Spray ANY compressed/canned Dust more than 5 seconds, not 20, I use this to clean my wireless keyboards and all that... I do what Pyro does with the computer but I also Swiffer (I use the duster wand, not the hand wipes) dust the sides and top of the computer externally about every 3-4 days, this does help with the dust build up on the side vents and the fan. But regardless, do it at least once a week.
Also, placement of the computer, I see this often and I have recently fixed related things to the issue I am about to talk about - Ventalation to the computer...
If you have holes on the side panels of your computer, give them at least 2 inches of breathing room so they have ventilation, these are air intake vents for the fan when it blows out the hot air from the computer (duh kind of thing) Give the back fan at least 5 inches of breathing room from a wall, cabinet wall or whatever, this will keep your computer from overheating a lot quicker and something going **POOF** and something gets fried!
For laptop users: I recommend getting a "cool mat" or at least a platform that raises your computer up by at least an inch. These vary in price, and also types there are, they come in something as simple as a foam platform for $10 all the way to $30-40+ USB powered fan panels... Laptops get a lot hotter a lot quicker than a desktop, and are easliy overheated if not taken care of.
I have watched my mom fry at least one laptop because of not allowing it to have ventilation to cool itself.
As an added bonus to the increased ventilation, it makes it easier to type, as it is at a more natural angle for your hands. (that is why there are the level adjusters on keyboards to hook up to desktops and the wrist pads are often angeled down away from the keyboards)
i usually use a vacuum and suck out all the dust and i try not to get to close to the components. but lately there really hasnt been any dust in there due to my glass desk that i got. my computer is off the rug and very open and ventilated. looks kinda like this but has 2 more smaller glass tops on the side...one lower and one higher. http://www.computerdesks.com/compute...mputerdesk.cfm
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Basic Computer Tips & Info
