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|
| HARDWARE |
| Q. hear
a single long beep when turning on the pc & no display on
the monitor, what might be the problem? |
| A.
Your RAM could not be detected by the machine. Check weather there
isn’t any loose connection or alignment problem with the ram.
If every thing is right your ram is gone. |
 |
| Q. hear
a single long beep & three short beeps when turning on
the pc & no display on the monitor, what might be the problem? |
| A.
Your display section may in trouble. If you have display card on
the mother board probably it has loose connection or is gone. If
onboard display is there motherboard should be brought to service
technician for repairs of display section. |
|
| WINDOWS |
| Q. What is the Windows "Registry"? |
The Windows Registry is a database where
all the information about your computer is stored. Everything from
colors, installed applications, or changes you make in Control
Panel, are included in the Registry database.
It is possible to break Windows by changing the Registry. Any changes
you make should be done with caution. If you take the simple step
of making a backup copy of the Registry, you virtually eliminate
the possibility of disaster.
The Registry is edited with a tool found in your Windows folder.
That tool is the Registry Editor. It's called Regedit.exe and is
included with Windows for the purpose of viewing and editing the
Registry. |
|
| Q. Where can I find my BIOS version
in Windows? |
A. When Windows starts,
the OS loads information about the main computer BIOS and video
BIOS and stores the following information under the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DESCRIPTION\System registry sub key:
• • SystemBiosDate
•
• SystemBiosVersion
•
• VideoBiosDate
•
• VideoBiosVersion
This information appears in the registry for informational purposes
only; changing these items' values has no effect on the system. |
|
| Q. In Windows, where are
all the places to look for programs set to launch on startup? |
A. The
two easy ones are in your Windows Startup group, and in your Services
list.
The Startup group can be found in your Programs list, under the Start
menu. Most third-party programs that launch when Windows starts will
be found there.
The next place to check is your Services (if you have a version of
Windows in the NT family, like Win 2000 or XP.) You can find this
list by going to your Start menu, then Programs > Administrative
Tools > Services. Be careful when poking around in the Services
list - many of these services are necessary for running your computer,
so don't go stopping them unless you know exactly what they do.
Go to Start->Run and type msconfig
this lists all of the programs that are running on startup |
|
| Q. What
is the maximum file size for Windows' NTFS? |
A. Theoretically
PCGUIDE says virtually no limit due to extensions.
As a general rule 4GB was initially the max, but each service pack
and upgrade has increased that to some degree. Now with NTFS5 (Windows
2000/XP) There is talk of new systems with hundreds of terabytes.
I still believe there is a practical limit as each cluster is only
so many bytes ~4KB, and the you have up to 36 bits on an Pentium
CPU to address them. 2^36 * 4KB = 2^48 bytes. every 2^10 bytes increases
by 1K. so 10 * 4 = 40 ~ 1000: 1,000,000: 1,000,000,000: 1,000,000,000,000
Bytes then 2^8=256 or roughly 256 Trillion Bytes. 1,099,511,627,776
= 2^40 = 1 Terabyte. So somewhere around 256 Terabytes. The good
news is with SATA and new RAID configurations, It will be a short
time when this is a REAL value for a high end server. |
|
| Q. What is the maximum
partition size for Windows' NTFS? |
A. For partitions other
than the boot/system, your original comment sums up the situation
pretty well.
For Intel boxes there is an adittional limitation. This is caused
by the BIOS on the motherboard. This uses Int13 to access the disk/partition
it is to boot from. The Int13 data structures for disk geometry limit
the max usable partition size to 7.8GB. Any larger than this and
you'll probably get a 'disk not found' type message.
Once the boot code on the disk has loaded the NT OS via the NT Loader,
the BIOS Int13 is no longer used and we get into Terrabyte territory |
|
| Q. Is it true that Windows
ME still has legacy DOS code? |
| A. Yes, just like windows
98 and 95, the windows ME code is based on DOS. Most of the commands
actually happen through the windows shell but behind it all, there
is MS-DOS. Don't worry though, windows ME is the last os that will
be based on the DOS code. (Oh, and if you haven't actually bought
it, it's just a re-build of windows 98 with a few new features.) |
|
| WINDOWS
98 |
| Q. I have lost my Windows
98 installation key, how can I find it? |
A. The
installation key is stored in the Windows 98 registry and can be
checked as follows:
1 Start the registry editor (regedit.exe)
2 Move to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
3 Double click the Product Key name and copy
4 Click OK
5 Close the registry editor |
|
| Q. How
do I make a Win98 boot disk, remove windows 98 from my computer,
and then re-install it? |
A. A
win98 boot diskette can be made by going to the control panel and
selecting add/remove programs then select the Startup Disk TAB
and the click on create disk. You must have a 1.44 MB formatted
diskette with NO bad sectors. This will allow you to boot to a "DOS" prompt.
from the "A:" prompt type
format c: /q ;answer yes to are you sure?
md c:win98
copy D:win98 C:win98 ; where D: is your CD-ROM
c:
cd win98
setup
You will need the WIN98 or WIN98SE FOLDER from the Install CD and
the 25 character registration code. I usually make a text file with
the CD key and put it in the WIN98 directory on my hard drive.
WIN98 Directory on the Hard Drive? YES!
I copy the WIN98 directory to the hard drive and run the setup from
the hard drive. Then I never have to look for the 98 CD when a program
asks for it. |
|
| Q. Can you install Windows
98 SE on a PC that already has Windows ME installed on it? |
A. NO!!
and why would you want to????
If you reformat your drive, you can put whatever you want on it.
Note: Reformatting WILL DESTROY all data on your PC.!!!!! |
|
| WINDOWS
XP |
| Q. How much hard drive
space does a standard installation of Windows XP use up? |
A. Through
experience, I've discovered that most xp installations, home and
pro, only take about 1.5 GB. It really depends on the computer
though.
Microsoft recommends a hard drive with 1 or more GB free. I think
the 1.5 GB sounds fair because of all the "temporary" files
MS copies to the Hard drive before the install. These files stay
on the drive until the install is completed and then removed at the
last boot of the install (the first XP boot). |
|
| Q. How can I set up XP
to auto-logon when I startup? |
| A. Yes, you can. To set
up an auto-login, all you have to do is not create a password and
also only have one username. XP will load that account by default. |
|
| Q. How can I add Plug and
Play (PnP) support for a parallel port in Windows XP and Windows
2000? |
A. If
your computer isn't detecting legacy devices (e.g., some early
Zip drives) connected through the parallel port, you might want
to enable PnP support for parallel ports. To enable PnP support,
perform the following:
1. Start the System Control Panel applet (go to Start, Settings,
Control Panel, then click System in Win2K or go to Start, Control
Panel, then click System in XP).
2. Select the Hardware tab.
3. Click Device Manager.
4. Expand the Ports (COM & LPT) section.
5. Right-click the parallel port and select Properties.
6. Select the Port Settings tab.
7. Select the "Enable legacy Plug and Play detection" check
box
8. Restart the computer if prompted. |
|
| Q. Why should I upgrade
from Windows 2000 to Windows XP? |
A. There
really is no really good reason to do it. Windows 2000 and Windows
XP are unbelievably similar in that they run the same performance
wise and are equally stable. Windows Xp does have more features
though. These include, Internet Games, Easier to Use Start Menu,
and also CD burning integration. XP also includes the Luna scheme
that makes Windows just look "pretty." (Thats the Blue
windows and the green start button). Windows XP also doesn't include
Java Virtual Machine which is used on many websites. Luckily, you
can go to Java.com and download Sun Java. (Sun Java created Java
so they know their stuff)
It's really up to you. If you want the features I've mentioned, then
go for it. If you dont care about those small improvements, then
dont. If you really want to know, I upgraded my Windows 2000 Pro
to Windows XP Pro about a month ago. It doesn't matter to me which
one I use. |
|
| CAMERA |
| Q. How
do digital cameras work? |
| A. In
contrast to a conventional film camera, in a digital camera the
light is
focused onto an image sensor called a CCD (charge coupled device).
The CCD is a collection of light-sensitive photo sites that produce
an electric charge when struck by light. These charges are converted
into numbers that are stored in the memory (usually on a memory
chip). From there, the whole image can be displayed, sent to a
computer, or even printed directly on a printer. |
|
| Q. What resolution do I
need for high quality pictures? |
| A. For
4 inch by 6 inch pictures, you need at least 0.9 mega pixels. For
5x7 prints, you need at least 1.3 mega pixels. For 8x10 prints,
you need at least 3.0 mega pixels. For 8.5x11 prints, you need
at least 3.5 mega pixels. For putting up pictures on web sites,
a 2.0 mega pixel camera should be enough. |
|
| Q. How many pictures will
fit in the memory? |
| A. The
exact number depends on the size of the memory card (or other type
of storage used), the camera's resolution, the compression quality
setting, the exact type of camera, and even the type of pictures
taken. For example, a 3 mega pixel camera might make 0.8 MB pictures
at the highest JPEG quality setting, therefore fitting about 160
pictures on a 128 MB card. |
|
| Q. What is JPEG and TIFF? |
| A. Two
most popular picture storage formats used by digital cameras are
JPEG and TIFF. The JPEG format uses lossy compression (some data
judged by the algorithm to be less important to the human viewer
is discarded) to achieve small file sizes. The TIFF format uses
lossless LZW compression so no information is lost, however the
pictures are typically much larger. High-quality JPEG setting is
preferable for most uses. |
|
| Q. What batteries are used
in digital cameras? |
| A. The
flash and the LCD display use a lot of battery power. For this
reason most digital cameras need rechargeable batteries. Some cameras
come with chargers. Many cameras that take rechargeable NiMH AA
batteries can use regular alkaline batteries in an emergency. |
|
| Q. What are OLED displays? |
| A. OLED
is a new type of display technology meant to replace LCD screens
used to preview pictures. The major advantage of OLED is that they
glow only when needed, using less battery power. They also don't
need a layer of filters and shutters as do LCD screens, making
them brighter when viewed from an angle. Their main current disadvantage
is a shorter life span and degradation over time when used. |
|
| Q. Do digital cameras have
better quality than film cameras? |
| A. Newer
high-resolution digital cameras (6+ MP) approach and exceed the
quality of the 35mm SLR film cameras. Price to quality ratio is
still better for film cameras but the digital cameras offer many
benefits such as instant previews, no cost to additional photos,
computer photo editing, or private printing that film cameras cannot
match. |
|
| Q. How to move pictures
from the camera to the computer? |
| A. Most
cameras use the USB 1.1 standard cable for uploading the pictures.
Some support USB 2.0 or FireWire (IEEE-1394) for faster uploads.
Of course, cameras that can save pictures on CDs don't need a cable. |
|
| Intel, Intel logo, Intel Inside, Intel Inside
logo, Intel Centrino, Intel Centrino logo, Celeron, Intel
Xeon, Intel SpeedStep, Itanium, and Pentium are trademarks
or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries
in the United States and other countries. |
|
