One of the questions I answered recently was about computer overheating. In this case, the individual wanted to know the “right” temperature for his processor — but he didn’t mention which processor he was using or its speed.

His underlying problem was that his computer would spontaneously turn off occasionally. This is usually an indication that the motherboard has shut down automatically to prevent overheating and damage to the CPU.

Many computers allow you to monitor the temperature of the processor, the power supply and perhaps other points, too. You may have to run a special program for your motherboard or computer to be able to see these.

The average temperature for the CPU depends on which processor you’re using. Each manufacturer has difference specifications. For that matter, each of their processor models and speeds has different specs.

Check the manufacturer’s site for specifications on your specific processor — it will tell you the acceptable operating temperatures. I would want to be in the low half of the range.

If you suspect temperature, get a can of compressed air. Open your case and blow the dust out the heat sink and the power supply.

Continue reading Is Your Computer Overheating?

I answered a question recently from someone who wondered whether a router was necessary with a cable Internet connection.

No if’s, and’s or but’s, I recommend a router for any cable or dsl connection.

Whether you intend to have multiple computers connected or not, the router will give you another layer of security. Most significantly, the router will actually gives your computer a “non-routable IP address”. The router isolates anything on the local area network (LAN) side of the router from the Internet (the Wide Area Network - WAN).

This isolation, and the “Network Address Translation” that the router does for your computers, means that you can access computers on the Internet, but no computer on the Internet side of the router can touch yours. All they can do is send a response from your computer to your router ” your router will know how to get the response to your computer.

If you watch, you can find a good deal on a wired router. If you get a wireless one, make sure you can actually disable the wireless function — I used to have a Belkin where there was no option to turn off wireless. If you doesn’t use wireless, turn off the wireless functions.

Continue reading Router for 1 Computer?

I bought a new 1 GB SanDisk Cruzer Micro flash drive recently.

When I got to the store that had advertised the drive, they were nowhere to be found. When I asked about it, they had some “in the back.” If the store had actually had the items on the shelf, I probably wouldn’t have been surprised by the U3 Launcher that tried to install software when I inserted the flash drive into my computer.

I had just been reading back issues of Brian Livingston’s Windows Secrets newsletter — where he had the exact same problem.

The Cruzer Micro was actually formatted internally into two “drives”: one non-writeable “CDROM” drive (that’s the icon that Windows showed for it) and one writeable flash drive. In other words, SanDisk had grabbed a chunk of my flash drive’s memory, written auto-running software to it, and then made that portion of the drive non-writeable.

Continue reading U3 Flash Drives

Subscriber Rolf wrote to ask about the speed differences between hard drive “virtual memory” and RAM memory chips:

Hello Mr. Stockdale,

Since you actively solicit questions in your newsletter I can therefore feel like I’m not imposing too much of your daily schedule to answer a question or two from those of us (like myself) who don’t have much computer savvy. As for me, well, I have more questions than you’d ever have time for; but for now I’ll settle for one question, and I thank you in advance for taking time for a reply. My question is this -

Kindly explain in as simple terms as you can why free or clear space on hard drives can’t act as readily or responsively in lieu of RAM. In other words … the so-called ‘virtual’ RAM. I’ve read in a few separate places that while a computer can use this virtual RAM, it doesn’t do it as efficiently as more available RAM chips, and that it is generally slower. Why can’t this virtual RAM process, then release data as quickly as normal RAM? Thank you. Rolf
+++++++++++> The Irish Viking <+++++++++++++++++++

In four words: mechanical versus electronic speeds.

Continue reading Speed of Virtual Memory versus RAM