Computer FAQ
OK. I get a ton of computer help questions over msn, email, phone, etc. I figured that I could answer most of them in a general way right here in a faq. Hopefully you can find an answer here, if not, then contact me :)
- My computer is running slow
- My printer won't work
- What's my ip?
- I want to download 'legal' programs/movies/songs but kazaa sucks, and suprnova is down!
- How do I prevent myself from getting a virus?
- I'm buying a new computer, any suggestions?
- My essay is saved on a floppy that won't work
- What email service should I use?
- I'm having trouble finding a page on google
- How do I reformat windows?
- My video won't play/sound won't work
- My torrent is downloading really slow
My computer is running slow
First off, if you haven't checked your system for adware, you should download then run Ad-Aware. This program searches your computer for adware and will allow you to remove it.
Your file system can also have a large impact on the performance of your computer, so make sure you have at least 15% of free hard drive space left on your computer, then run defrag(right click on your hard drive, go to properties/tools then select defrag).
You may also want to remove any programs from start-up that you do not use. To do this, go to start/all programs/startup and right click/delete any programs that shouldn't be there.
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My printer won't work
Is it plugged in.. to the wall and the computer.. is it turned on? If so, try re-installing the drivers that came with your printer(found on the cd that came in the box).
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Whats my ip?
Hit start+r then type cmd and hit enter. type ipconfig and hit enter. Your network information will be displayed.
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I want to download 'legal' programs/movies/songs but kazaa sucks, and suprnova is down!
I recomend using bit torrents. First you're going to need a program to download with. I use Bit Tornado for that. Next, you need to find a source for downloading--for this I generally use Bi-Torrent.com or TorrentSpy. With a torrent program installed, all you need to do is find a download, tell it where to save, then wait for it to finish. Torrents tend to be good quality, so you won't get skips in songs, etc. Be warned that if there are a low number of seeders, the download may take a while. Also, speeds tend to start out slowly.
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How do I prevent myself from getting a virus?
Well, personally, I don't use a virus scanner of any kind. I find the best way of keeping your computer clean and fast is to be careful! Don't download email attachments, unless you KNOW they are safe, this means not downloading files with ext's like .exe or .src !! Also, if you're downloading software, makesure it is from a good webpage that you trust. Most importantly: use windows update--this will greatly decrease your chances of getting worms or other nasty things on your computer.
There are a few good free scanners around: Stinger from McAfee does a scan and clean for about 50 of the latest viruses, or if you want a more full scanner, check out AVG-Free.
Another option is to change Operating Systems to Linux to avoid 99% of viruses out there.
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I'm buying a new computer, any suggestions?
First off, I'd go with a local computer shop(like superior computers in lamboth/london. You're going to get a great price, plus if you have any problems, you don't have to ship your box off in the mail. As for processor, I'm a huge AMD fan! No matter if you're going low or high end, they seem to have more bang for the buck. If you want something that is gunna be quick for a while, why not go with a AMD64.. mmmmm
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My essay is saved on a floppy that won't work
Welcome to the world of crappy floppy disks.. try to read the disk from another computer. If that doesn't work, well, there isn't too much hope. IMO, never use a floppy.. use email, ftp, or a thumb drive. and always backup assignments to more than one place! Better safe then sorry ;)
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What email service should I use?
Gmail all the way. I have all my email accounts forward there(well, except hotmail cause the bastards dont support forwarding). Gmail provides tons of features, plus it's free! If you don't have an account, I have a bunch of invites, and would be happy to spread them around.
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I'm having trouble finding a page on google
Take a few min to learn how to use google's search features. Google has some pretty powerful search techniques. eg: if you want to search for computer science on the university of guelph webpage, search for "computer science site:uoguelph.ca" and it will restrict the search to the university of guelph server!
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How do I reformat windows?
With any luck, you should just have to insert the windows cd that came with your computer, then restart it. On boot-up, it boot from the cd. After that, just follow the step by step instructions it gives you.
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My video won't play/sound won't work
This is probibally a codec problem. Generally, I find having XviD and DivX installed will play most movies. But, if these don't work, try using GSpot to see which codec is required for your movie to play.
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My torrent is downloading really slow
Torrent speeds can change a lot when downloading large files, especially when you have most of the file downloaded already--just stick it out for a bit, and it should be fine. When selecting a torrent to download, try to get one with a lot of activity, mainly seeds, this is the number of people that are uploading the whole file.
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more will be added soon