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?

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

We take our computers for granted. We turn them on and they work (well, if we haven’t gotten tangled up in adware, viruses or Windows decides to misbehave <grin>).

As we do our Spring cleaning (that’s Fall cleaning for those of you in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other points south of the Equator), we do some of the major cleaning jobs around our homes. And, inside our homes…

But, who thinks of about cleaning the PC?

Read more in Spring Cleaning – Don’t Forget Your Computer

One of the newsletters I read each week is the Clif Notes Newsletter.

This week, Clif had a link to a great Vista cartoon at ctrlaltdel-online.com.

Thanks for the grin, Clif. I’m pretty sure anyone trying to change to Vista is going to recognize the feeling.

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.

Read more in Is Your Computer Overheating?

DesktopLinux.com has a great multi-part article where the author is installing Vista and Linux on the same computer for a showdown.

A Vista vs. Linux Matchup describes the installation, issues and compares Vista Ultimate and SimplyMepis 6.1, which is based on Ubuntu Linux.

So far, the articles in the series are “Part 1: Leveling the Playing Field, ” “Part 2: Dual-booting Vista and Linux” and “Part 3: Hardware Wars.” The series has more to go…

Kind of hard to believe, isn’t it?

The Windows Vista interface is the number one eye-candy item in Vista — and the only visible effect of upgrading that most people will see.

InfoWorld has an article that kind of takes Microsoft to task for such a blatant non sequitur. I say “kind of” since the article doesn’t quite go so far as to question how gullible MS thinks we are…
In classic MS style, an testing lab found that, despite Windows automatically downgrading the Aero interface to an interface like XP’s on computers that don’t meet their standards, this doesn’t mean that Aero slows PC’s.