Frequently Asked Questions.
How do I turn off my computer when it freezes up ?
A. If you can not turn it off by using the Task Manager (Ctrl+Alt+Del) function, simply hold in the power button for 5 - 10 seconds. For more information see: My Computer Keeps Freezing
The letters on web pages are too big, how do I fix this ?
A. You can fix this by opening IE (Internet Explorer) and click the View tab then select Text Size, simply choose the size you want, or hold down the CTRL key and move the mouse wheel backwards or forwards while on a webpage.
A CD is stuck in my ROM Drive, how do I get it out ?
A. Reboot, sometimes this will allow you to eject the caddy or get a paper clip and straighten it out, poke it in the little hole in the front of the drive, push it a couple of times and this should eject the caddy.
How do I make my photos become my background wallpaper ?
A. Right-click the photo you want as your background and select "Set as Desktop Background", See also: Changing the Desktop Background.
How do I add webpage's to My Favorites?
My computer is running slow, what can I do to speed it up ?
A. There are many things you can do to speed up your computer. In some cases the Hard Drive is so full that it slows the computer to a crawl, it is best in this case to remove files that you do not use and then perform a disc clean and defrag operation. Ideally you should aim to have at least 20% of your Hard Drive space free. You can also Reformatt the computer but this does mean backing up what you want to keep ! Those are some very basic Software options, as for Hardware it is usualy best to add more RAM, this increases performance but only to a point.
How do I delete files and remove programs ?
A. You can delete files by right-clicking the file and then select delete, you can remove programs using the Add & Remove utility in Control Panel. Click Start, Control Panel, Add and Remove Programs, now simply select the program you wish to remove from your computer and click Remove.
To find out more information see; Add and Remove Programs.
How do I Defragment my computer ?
A. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disc Defragmenter then click defrgament. You can also use the "Run" command, click Start, Run, type "dfrg.msc". We recommend that you perform all of your scans and disc clean before defragging to achieve the best result.
For more information see: Disk Defragmenter.
How do I perform a disc clean operation ?
A. Click Start, Run, type "cleanmgr" and hit Enter, or you can also access this utility from the All Programs, Accessories, System Tools menu. From here you can in fact right-click and add it to the start menu, we often do this on all of our computers for easy access, you can also schedule this and other utilities to run automatically. Once you have accessed Disc Cleanup, simply select the drive you want, "usually C" and click OK then tick all the boxes and click OK. This process will take some time if it is not done regularly. Once a month should be fine for most users.
For more information see: Disc Cleanup
How often should I virus scan my computer ?
A. We recommend once a month at a minimum, you can scan once a week if you wish, the general rule of thumb is the more frequently you access the internet and download from websites the greater the risk is of getting viruses. A higher risk of virus infection usually points to the frequency at which you should scan your computer. You must also keep in mind that your AV Software is only as good as its last update, so ensure it is also updated as regularly as possible.
For more information see: Internet Security
Why do I need Antispyware Software ?
A. Working alongside your Antivirus Software is Antispyware, sometimes it is in fact inbuilt into your Antivirus Software, Antispyware does as the name implies, it removes spyware from your computer. In order for it to be effective, just like Antivirus Software you must regularly update this software before performing a scan to ensure you have the latest signatures or datfiles that cover the latest threats. Antispyware Software is imperative if you bank online, one of the key roles this software performs is keeping the "prying eyes" out of your business, given the level of Identity theft in todays cyberspace you must be as vigilant as possible to ensure your online safety and security.
For more information see: Internet Security.
What is the best Antivirus to get ?
A. This has been a contentcious issue with many technicians I have worked with, we all seemingly agree that perhaps no one is better than the other however most of us do have our favourites. Some people are absolute Norton die-hard fans, others not, personally I use AVG free from www.grisoft.com you can download the free version by clicking the following link http://free.avg.com/download?prd=afe, it is user friendly and does not use much computer resource. In fact almost all of our customers have this and it does not require an annual subscription that cost you money.
How do I virus scan a file or photo ?
A. The good news here is that viruses do not live in photos, they instead reside in the format that supports photos. If you want to scan a file, usually you just simply righ-click the file and select scan, this may however change depending on what AV you use.
My computer keeps shutting down what should I do ?
A. There are several reasons why this can happen, one very common one is overheating. This often happens on laptops as they do not get enough air going through them to cool them sufficiently. This results in the computer shutting itself down as a self protection mechanism. You can fix this by clearing the air vents both underneath and at the side of the computer using a small vaccum cleaner and compressed air. We often advise our customers to elevate the top of their notebook using door stops or something similar to enable better airflow. Faulty RAM can also cause random shutdowns as well. Also be sure to check all cables and connectors, both inside and out, a faulty molex or SATA power connector or cable that has worked its way loose from the motherboard controller or drive may cause a shutdown or even a non-bootable system. Umong various other hardware problems there are also software issues that will shut down your computer. For example the power settings found in Control Panel. We would recommend that you seek the assistance of a qualified technician should your computer continue to shutdown. The other thing that can cause shutdowns is a viral infection, these can even cause successive reboots, especially one known as a boot sector virus.
See: Virus Removal
See: Notebook Maintenance.
How do I stop spam?
A. There are a few ways to beat the spammers depending on what email program you use. Lets say that you predominately use Outlook Express, you can click the Message tab at the top of your screen and then click "Block sender" in the drop down menu. This is not the most effective way but certainly helps reduce the amount of spam that enters your inbox. Spam is very much the same as junk mail in your letter box and the more advertisers that have your address will fill it up with more junk mail in an attemp to saturate you with their adds. Spam is basically the same thing except the letter box is your email inbox, as you can see if advertisers do not have your address they can not send you loads of junk mail or spam. So the rule of thumb here is to be very careful who you give your email address to, some websites will disguise themselves as ligitimate services just so you can offer them your email. These websites in some cases then get paid for all of the adds they send to your email inbox. Its nasty business for those of us who may be unaware !! A real cure to beat spam if all your other efforts have failed is to get a new email address, this way no advertisers have your new address so they can not send you all of their junk mail. We also recommend that you excersize vigilance when opening emails. For more information see: Dealing with Spam
If you do not know who sent it? Do not open it! JUST DELETE IT!
What is the difference between a laptop and a notebook?
A. None, they are the same thing just with different names. For more information see: Notebooks.
Can I use my Computer to watch TV?
How do I email a photo?
A. Find the photo you want to email, right-click it and then select "Send To" then select "Mail recipient" and type in the email address of the receiver. For more information see: Emailing Photos.
What are cookies?
A. Cookies are small pieces of text file information commonly mistaken for tiny programs, they are actually there to be exchanged between your computer and websites, they remember things like user preferences, User Names and Passwords, they can also speed up your browsing experience.
They almost act as a traffic cop patrolling what websites you can and can not visit, they can restrict or allow you to view certain websites. This handling of cookies controls site access and is
manipulated via the Control Panel through Internet Options, under the Privacy Tab you can move the slider up or down to control access.
My network is running slow what can I do?
A. There are a few small things you can do, first of all goto the Control Panel and select Internet Options, then click the delete cookies button and also be sure to select the offline content. Then click OK. You can do much more than this but these steps are covered in different sections of this wbesite.
See also: Securing Your Network and Internet Security
How do I download pictures from the internet?
A. Easy, simply right-click the image and select "Save Picture As", this will by default place them into your "My Pictures folder".
What is an IP Address?
A. An IP (Internet Protocol) Address is a series of numbers that uniquely indentifies your computer on the network, it is almost like the equivalent of your telephone number that identifies your phone out of millions around the world. When other computers on the network want to connect with yours they will need to know your IP address so they know where to connect.
What are drivers and why do I need them?
A. Drivers are basically programs that tell hardware how to work. Hardware is defined as the physical equipment that makes up your computer, all these pieces of equipment need a set of instructions or "software" to tell them how to work. An example I always use is the family car, it sits in your drive way fat dumb and happy all day until you come along and drive it. The car in this example is the hardware and you are the software. So in effect you become the driver, or if you like, the instruction code or "software" that tells the car how to work. Without you the car can not do anything, so the car needs you in order for it to work.
What is a Hard Drive?
A. A Hard Drive or Hard Disc Drive (HDD) is the hardware in your computer that stores all of your files, photos, Windows etc. It is like a library, and the bigger the library, the more you can store.
Sometimes it is actually refered to as "storage", you can also have multiple hard drives setup in your computer for extra storage. Their capacity is measured in "Gigabytes" or Gigs.
What Operating System is best?
A. First of all an Operating System or "OS" is your Windows or the software your computer uses so you can interact with it. The answer here is basically a matter of personal choice, many people use Windows Xp or Windows XP Pro, some use Windows Vista and others Windows 7. Personally I recommend XP or XP Pro to many of our customers depending on their specific needs and requirements. This will most likely change as technology and software advances. We generally find however that Vista can be a resource chewer of computer power and seems to be a slower OS than the XP family. Unless you have a very powerful computer with plenty of RAM, (at least 2 Gig or more), and if you like working with photos then Vista is OK. Although Windows 7 looks very much like Vista and works like XP, it is actually faster than XP on the same machine in some cases.! My personal preference is XP for home users and XP Pro for business, having said that Windows 7 is fast pacing XP and will perhaps be the Os of choice. See Operating Systems under Notebooks.
Do I really need a surge protector for my computer?
A. Absolutely, a surge protector is a device that protects your computer from power surges or "spikes" in the power comming from the mains. Computers are very sussceptable to electrical spikes and even sags in the voltage comming from the wall outlet can cause you problems. I have seen many computers that have succumbed to the consequence of power surges. It can damage your computer and the best prevention is a good quality surge protector, we often find that you need to spend at least $50 to $60 for a good one. If you want to protect your computer invest in a good surgy!!
See also: Computer Maintenance
Will lightning damage my computer?
A. Yes it will, always turn off your computer during a storm and always unplug it from both the power outlet and the internet. Never ever use your computer during an electrical storm or for that matter any electrical device. !! It may be safe if it is a battery operated notebook running a 3G roaming wirelss connection. For more information see: Storms and Lightning
Is it true that you should unplug your laptop from the power and use the battery to make the battery last longer?
A. Yes, you should ideally unplug your laptop from the mains power once a week and then use the battery. This keeps the battery cells energised and also enables them to sustain their charge. Most laptop batteries vary from one another but if you want more information on this subject I recommend you look up the manufactures website. Most of them have a section that describes how to achieve the optimum use from your battery. Be mindful also that your "power settings" on your laptop affect the amount of power it will use from the battery, usually the harder the computer works the more power it consumes. See our section on batteries under Notebooks.
Is it safe to backup everything to an external hard Drive?
My Laptop screen is really dim, it wont light up?
What is the best laptop or notebook to get?
How do you change icons?
How do I make my screen look better?
How do I create a Shortcut?
How do I emial photos using Hotmail?
What do I do if I accidently spill something on my laptop?
A. You immediately turn it off and stand it on its side so as to drain off any fluid that may have penetrated the internal components. Be sure to remove the battery and any peripherals, dry the battery and do not turn the computer on until a qaulified technician has attended your machine. For more information on spillages, see: Spillages under our computer maintenance page.
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What do I do when my Laptop/Notebook won't Start?
How do I complete large downloads when it keeps stopping?
Download managers do exactly what the name implies, they simply manage your downloads, although some have extra features that you can add on or disable. See Download Managers.