PCinfospace

WOW! now there’s a subject!

• Printer does not print:
  This is the most common problem I see with Printer repair.  First and foremost be SURE you have ink in the cartridge or cartridges.  If you just put a new cartridge in be sure you removed the seal that covers the jets.

1. Double check to be sure your USB cable or Parallel cable is “really” plugged in. Try another cable if need be. Some have been known to be bad.  Parallel cables are close to obsolete but some printers can use either one.
2. Check to see that the power plug is plugged in.  While your at it, check to see if the surge protector or power plug is turned on.  I have seen bad surge protectors also.  If lightning hits it or a large surge it may need to be replaced.  Some have fuses also.  The fuse could be blown.  You can plug the printer directly into the wall if you want to be sure.
3. Is the power light on? Most surge protectors have power lights.
4. Are there any error messages either on the printer or your computer?  Mostly any error that appears on the printer will also appear on the computer.
5. Is there a paper jam?  This is common especially on top loading models such as Lexmark printers.
6. Reboot the computer and try again if all of this checks out.
7. Each printer has a self test.  You need to check documentation that came with your printer to see what key or keys to push.  This is the only way to be sure there is nothing wrong with the printer itself.  If the self test is successful the problem is either the cable or the computer.
8. Here is a link that may help if you still can’t resolve the problem.  There is a lot of on line help available (Example: Error for HP Officejet 5510v)
9. Google it.  YA! I know some of you hate that.  You can also use other search engines or a catalog site such as Yahoo.  Actually ask.com is a very good search engine also.  I found it most effective if I put a question mark after a question.  Why would that make sense?  A lot of people on line like to take short cuts.  This is not one of those times.

• Other possibilities
  Computer issue.  It could be possible that the particular version of the operating system will not see the particular printer.  Be sure that the driver  you pick is the right one for your version of the  operating system. (Win98, Win-ME,XP, Vista etc.)  Most drivers can be downloaded from the Internet.The driver (software that allows the printer to work) can be called Firmware also.

READ THIS !!! Is it under warranty? If so PLEASE check with the store you bought it from or call the manufacturer.  Store warranties vary.  I have seen some that are only 10 days and some that have been as long as 30 days. Most Manufacturer warranties are one year long unless you purchased a longer warranty.   If all else fails I would suggest to buy a new printer.  To find a technician in your area that can solve the problem will be way to expensive.  Printer are considered as throw away.  Many things are that way now days.  It will probably more expensive to fix it than to buy a new one. If you decide to dispose of it please check you local area recycling laws.  You may get fined if you do it wrong.

First I want to explain the difference between computer repair and computer information.  There really isn’t much in some cases.  I feel a computer repair can be anything from a simple software problem to an actual malfunctioning or broken part. A lot of repair that I have done and still do is software related.  Even the operating system (Win98,Win-ME,XP,VISTA etc.) are considered as software and need repair even more than other programs that run on them.

We will go into many areas that you may not even have imagined.  I want to cover Desktops,Laptops and as many peripheral devices that I can in as short of time as possible.

I feel I need to write this article because to many people get memory mixed up with storage.  I am not going to reinvent the wheel here.  I have put some links to sights that I feel explain the subject pretty good.  If you buy something off their sites so be it.

Memory is your working space.  If you didn’t have memory you couldn’t even type a letter, run a program or anything else.  It is the life blood of why computers work in the first place.

The main kind of RAM in today’s computers is  Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM).  However, numerous types of RAM exist.  This is due to the fact that computers keep changing.  Technology changes so fast that it is all but imposable to keep up with.  You need to be sure what type of RAM you have in your computer before you upgrade.  Types of memory

What if you run out of memory (RAM)?
This would not be good! The first thing you will notice is that it gets difficult to get anything done.  It slows down everything you are trying to do. When this happens the program you are running will attempt to find memory any place it can get it.  The only place to go is  the hard drive.  This is called paging.  The problem is that it will attempt to access areas of the hard drive that are already being used.   Certain programs can take up a lot of memory and once in a while it is a problem when your trying to work with a lot of programs at a time.

How can I solve this?
There are two things you need to look at.

• How big is your hard drive? If your hard drive is almost used up this could be a big problem and may in fact cause a crash if there isn’t enough room to start with.

• Can you add RAM?  Hopefully your motherboard will allow you to add more RAM.  Put in as much as you can afford.  This is the single best thing you can do to upgrade and improve the performance of any computer.
• You should close any programs your not using. I feel this is important.  It may make your day a lot easier because it will speed up the program you are actually working on.

What if my computer is still slow?
You may have a Virus.  This is the main cause of this symptom.  There are numerous other possibilities but this is the big one.  Spy-ware is also a possibility.  If you feel you have run out of energy trying to figure it out I feel you need to take it to an expert in your area.

For more detail there is a lot of info on the web.  I like this one: How stuff works

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I am writing this because numerous people have asked me if their video card, known as a graphics card, is adequate for what they want to do.  Some times that’s a hard question to answer because I very seldom get the full story.  Some times they just say that their game will not work.

The first thing to do is find out what the system requirement of the game or program is.  This is normally right on the box.  The manufacturer doesn’t always make it easy to figure out.  It is usually on the side panel in small print. You absolutely must pay attention to this.  If you don’t you will waste your money on a game that will not work.

Most of the video cards that come with computers these days are integrated right into the mother boards.  This is both good and bad.  It makes the computer less expensive to buy.  It doesn’t allow you to upgrade without having to spend quite a bit of money.  If you have a laptop your out of luck unless you have a high end video card already integrated on the motherboard.  If you have a desktop computer you will probably be able to upgrade.  However, the type of motherboard that you have will limit your ability to get what you want.  You MUST know what you mother board will accept if you do upgrade.  If it isn’t compatible it either will not fit the AGP (accelerated Graphics Port) or PCI express port or it will not bring up a screen.  Older card may work in the PCI slots.  Please verify the type of slot you are dealing with before buying anything.

I recommend to find somebody that can find out what you have in your computer.  It can get complex.  The reason it can be difficult is that video companies are having a hard time keeping up with the technology.  Some times a certain type of Video card goes obsolete before it even gets popular.

If your game or program doesn’t work it may be your graphics card.  If you have further question you may need to find a technician in your area that can help you.

You will see this written at least two different ways but it still spells trouble.

This is some bad stuff!!! I mean, this is some bad stuff!  Yes! I did repeat myself.  I can’t stress it enough.  If you neglect this you will be destroyed.  Well! almost.

It is an attempt to get your personal information.  It is an attempt to be you if possible.  Credit card numbers can be accessed if you buy things on line.  Some people have had a lot of “bad” or fraudulent charge on their card before they caught it.  Some got their money back, others didn’t.

How is it distributed?

Almost any way imaginable.  E-mail is a popular way to distribute it but you can get it by just opening a web site. I have had some computers that were so bad (large amount of spy-ware) that I had to totally start over. That is to say I had to reformat the drive and put all the programs back on again. One person tried to tell me to use Norton Ghost. Yup! it will create an image (exact copy) of your hard drive. It is a great product for backing up your system. BUT! if you have a virus or spy-ware of any kind it will also copy that. In other words: DON’T DO IT!! After going through the hard work of reloading your system, drivers, programs etc. you don’t want to load on the same files that corrupted it to start with. You MUST load all programs from scratch. There is no short cut as far I’m concerned. Young people just out of college try to tell me how to do this all the time. FORGET IT!!! Do not use unlicensed software.  I encountered some of this in the past.  Other than the fact it usually is garbage, it is also illegal.

How do I know I have it?

This may not be easy.  “Normally” (There is no such thing as normal) your computer keeps getting slower and slower.  You may not be able to do some tasks as easy as before. Your computer may not boot.  Many times you get pop ups or it keeps going to the same web page no matter what (known as redirects), a further definition will be at the bottom of this article.  Things start happening that you can’t control.  I can go on and on. Mostly you will know something is wrong.  Normally you can not send e-mails either.

How can I keep this from happening?

An even bigger question!  The best way is to prevent it to start with.  Do not go to porn sites or “high risk” sites.  You WILL get spy-ware if you go to these sites.  Do not open e-mails if you don’t know were they came from.  If your using outlook or similar programs turn off Automatic review.  Ya! I know you like it.  But so do the spy-ware people.  Have the best Anti-Virus / spy-ware program you can afford.  It is very important to keep them up to date and activated.  If you let an Anti-Virus program expire you are no longer protected.  I will not suggest any one program but I do give reviews on this site.

Definition ofThis is where someone accessing a domain name is routed to a different domain name/URL. There are different methods of doing this, the most common are:

REDIRECT

Header redirect – this is where the browser is instructed to leave the current url and move along to the new site, the url displayed in the address bar is that of the new location.

Javascript/META refresh redirect – this is where code on the page instructs the browser to leave the current url and move along to the new site, the url displayed in the address bar is that of the new location. META refresh redirects also include the option of a timed delay before the redirect takes place.

Frame/Stealth redirect – this is where frame set code is used which loads the new location into a frame on the existing page. This page is normally configured to be 100% so in effect it means the entire screen. This has the advantage that the url displayed in the address bar remains that of the typed url.

As you can see I did put a link for Norton Anti-Virus with Spy-ware protection.  I have tested this product and I feel they have done it right.  In the past it didn’t really protect you from Spy-ware.  I no longer put a separate spy-ware protection program with it.  You can still do that if you are unsure or scared.