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Computers
This category includes questions and answers about computers and everything related to computers.
48,002 Questions
How do you know when there is and update for your computer?
It will usually tell you. Like if you turn it of it will say installing automatic updates. (B.T.W. I am using a Windows XP computer right now)
Is a magnetic device used to store information?
It is the magnetic elements in a magnetic disk that are used to store information.
Does the Dell Inspiron 531 have a built-in microphone?
The Dell Inspiron Model 531 does not include an integrated microphone. It does, however, have two 3.5mm jacks for microphone input (one in front and one in rear)
Is crt an output or input device?
Most CRTs were used in output devices.
However some CRTs were used in input devices as flying spot scanners to scan microfilm documents into the computer. This function has generally been replaced by LASER scanners, which can be used on opaque documents that the CRT could not scan.
How do you know if your computer is bad?
Most newer drives have built-in diagnostic tests known as "SMART." In your BIOS, make sure SMART monitoring is enabled. If there is a problem with your hard drive, it will display a message when you boot up.
For older drives, or for computers that don't support SMART in their BIOS, the drive manufacturers usually have diagnostic tools you can download for free from their website. These can read the SMART status of the drive, as well as perform manual read/write tests.
Ask them if they are sitting in front of the computer so you sound confident and professional in your wish to help the caller to help themselves to identify why they need phone support. Professionals in phone support know how much easier it is to help a caller if they can describe what the problem and fix the problem themselves. It also means they do not keep making the same mistake again and again
Answer
The key is to really listen to what they are saying. Ask them to bring up the system information and read it to you. It is simple and you know what kind of system they have. Patience and encouragement will get you through the call faster--not to mention using as few steps as necessary. We used to go by the SPUD method--system, program, user and data--to zero in on the issue.
How do you enlarge wallpaper on desktop?
hello,
this is a suggestion to your question
you can either ctrl++(zoom)the wall paper when you have downloaded it or you can give the proper measurements you want in the properties where you can change the wall paper. I hope my answer is satisfying.:)
What does ATI stand for in computer terms?
ATI (Array Technology Industry) was an organisation engaged in development of Graphic Cards & Controllers. ATI was acquired by AMD in 2006 and now ATI name is longer used.
Which video adapter card is compatible with with gigabyte GA 965P?
Probably anything here: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=2010380048%201069633099&name=PCI%20Express%202.0%20x16
From which stores can one buy a Dell computer in the UK?
You really should purchase a laptop in the country that you live in. They are wired differently for the electrical circuits of that country and the languages are different which can make set up difficult.
How many songs will a 2GB flash drive holds?
anywhere from 500-1000 depending on format and song length
apple ipod format is about 250/gb
windows zune is about 500/gb
these ratings are based off a 3-4min song average
What does point mean in a computer?
In computing, a "point" can refer to several concepts, but it often signifies a specific location or coordinate within a graphical interface or data structure. For instance, in graphics programming, a point may represent a pixel's position on a screen, defined by its x and y coordinates. Additionally, in programming, it can refer to a pointer, which is a variable that stores the memory address of another variable. Overall, the meaning of "point" can vary depending on the context in which it is used.
What is a 11 letter computer word?
Only one I can think of is Solid Disk Drive but it's 16 letters not 11
Where can one find information about computer screens service?
In case there's still guarantee on the machine it is strongly suggested to give the corresponding support a call in order to clarify the possible options for a replacement. Besides that one can give sites like "Laptopscreen" and "ScreenTek" a try. They offer replacement screens for all major brands.
What are the advantages of using wood as fuel?
Using firewood would have an advantage vs the use of electricity, because it is easily available and convenient to find, unlike electricity, of which its source we are all dependent on. The only thing nowadays not much of firewood can run your appliances!! I hope my answer can help!!! If you have any further questions, keep on surfing the internet and your questions WILL be answered, if not, that would meen you didn't search enough.
The client scans your computer to identify installed programs and their versions. With your permission it compares the created list against its database on a remote server. If there is a newer version of your installed software available, the client will let you know about the available update. In short, it is a utility that can help you keep your computer up-to-date. It's free and clean of spyware and viruses according to McAfee reports.
Why would a computer be restarting itself over and over?
While some of the entries below may work, most are simply too complicated for the average user and many are overkill. If it is spontaneously rebooting at relatively regular intervals it is MORE than likely a cooling problem. If no hardware has been changed inside the case since before it started doing it then that is most likely not the problem. Assuming all of the above, probably all you really need to do is check for a faulty fan (if the fan is the problem USUALLY it will be making noise different from what it was before the problem started.) If faulty, simply replace it. If the fan appears to be good then check for dust build up in the heat sink (sits on top of the processor and generally has a fan on top of it or a plastic conduit of sorts so it can utilize the case fan) or vents in the case housing itself. If, and only if, that doesn't fix your problem THEN you can consider doing some of the other stuff listed below. IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT, DON'T DO ANYTHING EXCEPT TAKE IT TO A COMPUTER TECH AND LET THEM TROUBLESHOOT IT FOR YOU. Simply replacing parts, unless you happen to have identical spares laying around, can drive the cost of repair very quickly to the point where you would have been much better off to have simply taken it to a professional to begin with.
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If your computer is about 5 years old, it could be capacitors on the motherboard.
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The problem could be a software conflict. You should probably uninstall any newly installed software and clean out the registry of any corrupt entries and remove all .tmp files from the hard drive. Also, check that your services start normally and there are no conflicts there either.
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It could be your CPU getting hot. Check the heat sink to see if it is hot. It could also be your RAM (get memtest and run it for a few hours) and it could be your power supply.
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You might have the w32.sasser worm (a backdoor Trojan). Norton AV has info and fixes for this for free.
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You could have the shut down temperature too low. You change this in the BIOS.
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The other side of the above answer, instead of your computers shut down temperature being too low, maybe your computer is just generating a lot of heat. You can check your running CPU temp at the BIOS screen.
If it's running to hot you can either add more cooling, or knock down how much heat is being produced.
To lower the temp you might do the exact opposite of overclocking (underclocking?), slow down your CPU and BUS speeds.
If you want better cooling add more fans, or if you really want it cool, install a water cooling system. It's more expensive (at least a hundred dollars) but it's worth it. Try the Aquaries Aquatake gear if your CPU temp is the problem.
Other products to consider: A digital temperature gauge that loads into an empty bay, so that you can just look at your computer and judge the heat.
More fans, maybe with some cool LED action.
A multi-speed fan controller, which will act like the gears on your ten speed bike. Multiple gears means multiple different fan speeds, and many will allow you to control many fans.
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Check APM settings in Control Panel
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The power settings probably have it do that. To keep it from doing that go to start > settings > control panel> power options> and make sure everything is on never. That might fix it.
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Make sure that your computer gets plenty of ventilation. Don't put it inside of a cabinet, or some other place where it doesn't get adequate air circulation. Move things like books and boxes from around it. Clean out the dust. Are the heat sinks plugged with dust?
Overheating can cause the capacitors on the motherboard to leak or explode, rendering your motherboard useless. If in doubt, ventilate.
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In addition to the above problems, you could also have bad RAM. To find out of your RAM is bad, swap it out with a set of good RAM (from another machine that is working, or if you don't have another computer perhaps you could borrow some from a friend). If the problem ceases, replace your RAM. If you swap it out and still have the same problem, then your problem lies elsewhere.
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Everything On the Page is a Possibility
If you are using Windows XP it could be faulty software or some sort of missing file in the Windows XP OS. Windows XP comes with a nifty little feature that detects software errors that can potentially fry some piece of hardware in your computer. If you are getting thrown face first into a blue screen with white text, it should tell you that it terminated Windows for the sake of your investment in the computer hardware (that's in a nutshell pretty much). If you do get the blue screen just reinstall Windows, but im guessing its just totally shutting down when you say "reboot". Its not common for Windows to hit a software malfunction and instantly reboot (should go to the the blue screen of death) but it still happens more frequently than it should. But for the most part it is probably not bad RAM seeing that if the RAM was bad it would not get past the motherboard diagnostic screens (the ones that tell you the Masters, slaves, and total RAM in KB) seeing the computer has no Random Access Memory to temporarily store and swap files for the tasks needed to run when you boot Windows. Obviously the RAM does work enough and everything is probably just fine as it is functioning enough to get to Windows and is a sign that it is overheating.
As stated above, overheating is probably the major concern here. Try leaving the side of the case off and letting it vent. Get some canned air computer duster and clean out the Fan and heatsink on the processor just incase that's what is overheating it. It is usually the CPU or Graphics Card that is overheating. If you think RAM is overheating, tape a stack of 2 or 3 pennies to each chip on the stick, copper makes for a good heat conductor. If the power supply is getting old it could be creating spikes in the computer's power. Don't count out the fact that it could be a problem with your home's power. Your power could cause a brownout. If you think that might be the start of all of this, get a UPS[Uninterrupted Power Supply] to fix the flux problem then a new PSU plus what ever you think is faulty(of course).
Do not plug in any good pieces of hardware into your computer until you know for certain that its just that piece, whatever it may be, that is toasted out only. Otherwise a messed up motherboard could just fry whatever you just bought or tried to use in about a nanosecond.
If none of the Answers here work for you and don't help by reading this, start from the top and work your way down. Determine your house's power stability (please, always use a Power Strip with the 3rd prong unless you want to watch your PC go *ZUMP* in the middle of a thunderstorm).
Simple guidelines to follow when figuring out the stability. Does my screen seem to flicker/shake when something turns on? Does the light on the power strip flick on an off or dim in and out? If possible buy a UPS and a large wattage capacity PSU from a trusted manufacturer (those generic ones are a great way to end a PC too).
Move onto the RAM and determine their status, usually by swapping as stated in an above Answer. If you have 2 sticks of RAM and more ports than you have ram, try taking one out, then swapping it and using the same port with the stick you took out first then just repeat the process down the line of RAM slots one at a time. If there is still no go, find someone gullible enough to test a potentially hazardous piece of hardware in their computer.
Next move onto the CPU, check the CPU Fan RPMs then figure out what the standard RPMs for that Fan is (you can figure this one out by probably looking around on the box to the fan or the fan itself most of the time). If you figure the CPU is overheating, which happens 75% of the time, get a water coolant system if possible or buy a High RPM fan with a tall copper (not copper plated) heatsink and find a good brand of Thermal Paste. Extensions you can buy for the standard heatsinks and fan setups are almost useless. Buy a Fan tube instead so it will direct the heat out of the case instead of just dispersing it inside the case.
Testing a CPU can get annoying considering finding someone willing and has the same socket as you do is extremely tough to find. If you cant find anywhere to test it, just leave it there and move along to the next step.
Check the Graphics card any way possible, not exactly hard to find a someone with a AGP or PCIe anymore. Next comes the hard and disc drives. If they boot up when you turn it on you should be good to go. If you are not satisfied with listening for some whirling and humming, it is even easier to find someone willing to test a HD or a CD/DVD. If you can't find someone to do that, just unplug the CD/DVD drives and go into your motherboard BIOS (assuming it at least gets to that point) and change boot device to a HDD.
Answer:
The issue could be the age of the computer or that there is a system failure
Check the motherboard capacitors. If they seem bulged from top and bottom with fluid popped out (if gone worse), the caps should be replaced.
Note that replace-capacitors should balance voltage. (New caps should be of the same voltage.)
There won't be the exact original cap available in store. But you could replace with same capacitance and a different voltage (larger).
What is the speed range of various internet access services?
Common Internet Speed Services:
1. Dial-up. 56kbits/s
2. DSL. 512kbits/s - 3mbits/s
3. Cable. 3mbits/s - 10mbits/s
4. Fiber Optic. 5mbits/s - 30mbits/s
*Speeds and services provided depend completely on specific ISP. Above are common ranges of speeds that many ISP's may offer today.
What are the other types of computer?
Tablet PC's, not as strong as Personal Computers, but still computers.
And of course super computers used for huge calculations which an ordinary PC can't handle.
Also a smartphone is sort of a computer.
How much would a desk for a home office cost?
The price of a leather office chair depends a lot on the brand, size, and quality of the chair. The lower end of chairs ranges from $70 to $200, and the upper range extends up to around $500 from some upscale brands.
When i try to turn on the computer nothing happens. no lights no beeps no fan noise?
Is it plugged in? Is there a switch on the back of the computer near where the cord from the wall plugs in? Some power supplies have their own power switches. If yours has one, try switching it the other way and turning the power on. Do you smell something like a burned smell, or like something got really hot? The power supply might have burned up. If the computer is plugged in, and there is no switch on the power supply, you need to take it to a repair shop.
What was the first public domain document on the Internet?
The first posted document was the declaration of independence in December 1971.
What did you understand by computer languages?
Our computers have their "own language". Haven't you noticed the modern language now a days? ttyl - talk to you later, omg - oh my god, wtf - what the f*** and SO many more..... are NOT computer language but domain, browser, nick, keypals and so on, are.
How does a laptop computer compare to a desktop computer?
Usually laptop computers have a worse performance when compared to desktop computers, considering both are in the same price range. What happens is that laptops have to sacrifice speed for the smaller form factor and battery longevity, so even when some parts have the same product series on their specifications, they perform worse in laptops because they draw less power. The more expensive laptops in bigger form factors (17"+ screen and US$1500+) usually have almost comparable performance to a US$900 desktop computer. However, smaller laptops in the US$1500 perform as well as a US$600 desktop computer.
What is terminal in computer system?
A terminal is an I/O device. It accepts output from a mainframe and acts as input to a mainframe. A dumb terminal has no processing abilities. However, it allows you to enter data from it into a main computer, and it receives data from a main computer. In some cases, this arrangement is used to reduce costs.
