Tag Archives: Computer

Computers Internet Networking

How to reset and secure my wireless router?

April 30, 2011 – 12:00 am

Q.

I was wondering if you could please help me!

I was trying to configure my wireless settings so that they are secure for all of my computers. However, I completely messed everything up! I don’t remember exactly what I did…just that I need a REDO button! I am able to connect wirelessly from my desktop computer, however, when trying to connect from my laptop, it says that it is unable to connect. I think the settings on my laptop have been messed up…and maybe it would be better to just reinstall the router?? My “dlink” connection is available but it will not let me connect. I was wondering if you could please help me.

My router is a DIR-615

The only thing I remember about what I did was that it printed the following when I tried changing things so my network was secure:

Wireless Settings
Network Name (SSID): Wagner
Network Key (WEP/WPA Key): ***********
Key Provided Automatically (802.1x): 0
Network Authentication Type: WPAPSK
Data Encryption Type: TKIP
Connection Type: ESS

A.

On the back of the router will be a small reset button, usually recessed into the plastic.  Using a paper clip, a pen, or something similar, depress the button for a full 30 seconds.  This will reset the router to it’s factory default.

As far as the D-Link software goes, if it were me, I’d uninstall it from the computer(s).  You do not need the D-Link software to access the router’s configuration, you just need to enter it’s IP address (usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.268.2.1) in a web browser.

As far as security goes – there is no such thing as a “secure” wireless connection, but there are steps you can take to make it very hard to crack.  Most important is using WPA for the encryption, and making the password as long as you can, using “special” characters (things like -’><}{][|\)(*&^%$#@!, etc…) – this will make it extremely hard for someone to crack. In your example (which I blanked out with *’s), you were using all numbers for the Network Key. NEVER use all letters or all numbers for a password with wireless – it makes it simple to crack. ALWAYS use a mix (something like “!a1^b2^c3!”).

Hope that helps.

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Cell Phones Computers Internet

How do I send a text from my computer to a cell phone?

April 8, 2011 – 4:10 pm

Q.

How can I text a cell phone from my computer without using my data included in my cellphone service?

A.

For almost every make of phone, you can use Yahoo Messenger to send texts to cell phones. You don’t need to install YIM on the computer, you just need a Yahoo ID (free), then you can use Yahoo’s Web IM and send messages to a cell phone number.

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Computers Home Electronics Television

Streaming NetFlix on TV from PC

April 5, 2011 – 9:16 am

Q.

If I have a USB male to male cable and have it run from my PC tower to
my TV, will I be able to stream NetFlix through it?

A.

The USB port on most televisions is used for mass storage purposes, I.E. to view movies or pictures stored on the USB storage device (flash drive, external hard drive, etc.), and won’t be able to be used for streaming purposes. A simpler solution would be to buy a video / audio cable setup for the PC and connect it to one of the television’s auxiliary ports.

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Computers

HELP! My computer keyboard isn’t working right.

April 2, 2011 – 1:15 pm

Q.

For all the people who think this is a joke asking this question on a computer, YOU’RE WRONG! There is such thing as another computer which I’m using right now… The Keys that are working are… ty[]\ asdfghjkl;’ zxcvbnm,./ and the shift key, enter key, tab key, caps lock key, and the number don’t work except for 5 and 8 PLEASE HELP!!!

A.

Either the wiring in the keyboard is shorted, the connector has a broken pin, or the controller chip in the keyboard has gone south. Buy a new keyboard. Newegg.com has great deals on them, and they deliver fast. With the shipping, should cost about $20. I would suggest a Microsoft or Logitech keyboard, as they tend to last forever.

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Computers

Can I upgrade the Ram in my Dell Dimension 3000from 512MB to 2GB?

April 2, 2011 – 1:14 pm

Q.

I have a Dell Dimension 3000, and it has 512mb of RAM, I want to install a 2gb ram but it only has the two slots which are full can i replace one with the 2gb RAM?

A.
Probably not – Dell motherboards are notorious for not working well with mixed RAM sizes. Your best bet is to buy a 2GB (1GB x 2) kit from Crucial.com, remove the RAM you have, and install the kit RAM. Not only will you have 2GB (which is plenty for almost anything a Dimension 3000 is capable of running), but having 2 matched sticks installed will allow for running in Dual Channel mode, which will increase memory speed overall. When purchasing the kit, look for 1) a lifetime waranty, and 2) the lowest CAS timing numbers, and 3) the highest speed (Mhz), in that order.

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Computers

Is there a way to improve my CPU speed for this game?

April 1, 2011 – 11:45 am

Q.

I just bought a new PC game and I ”accidentally” kinda rushed and bought it so I didn’t take time out to check the minimum requirements. The problem is my computer runs at 1.6 GHz and the game requires 1.8 GHz..now the game runs but, really slow…. I don’t need any scanners or clean-up programs. Nothing is wrong with it besides my CPU speed, ”which I want to speed up”…I already know my computer is fine no virus’s or any useless files taking up room, its brand new…..period. I just wanna know if there are any overclocking software, or something close to it that I can use…

A.

If it’s a new PC, and it’s 1.6Ghz, I’m going to go ahead and assume it’s a low-end laptop or netbook. There is really no way to improve the CPU speed, but that’s not likely the issue. Most low-end laptops, and almost all netbooks, use an Intel integrated GPU (graphics card), usually the i945 or i965 chipset. Neither is suitable to playing 3D games, or any game that has a lot of graphic motion. Unfortunetly, in the case of a laptop or netbook, there is now way to fix this – they just really aren’t made for playing graphically intensive games.

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Computers

Network controller not found after reinstalling Windows.

March 31, 2011 – 7:53 am

Q.

So I had a virus and I reinstalled Windows on my laptop after clearing the hard disks, only to find that I lost my network controller, now I’m clueless..the troubleshoot is useless, telling me to plug in an ethernet cable when it is Wi-Fi Capable…where can i get the drivers? It’s a Toshiba laptop and network adapter is a Realtek PCI Family, something along those lines. What do I do? Thanks in advance!

A.

It’s very common for this situation to occur – most Windows disks that come with a PC are “just” Windows, they don’t contain any of the required drivers for the PC’s hardware. You need to download the drivers from the manufacturers website (in your case Toshiba). For this, obviously you’ll need a working Internet connection and a way to transfer the software. A USB flash drive and your local library are your friends in this instance. Just make sure you have the model number and serial number for the laptop – they can be found on the backside.

Be prepared to find several different drivers for hardware – a laptop (or any computer really) will often have drivers for multiple devices that may or may not actually be in the model you have. Best bet – download them all, try each one – they’ll either work or won’t. Make sure you grab ALL the drivers – mouse (trackpad), sound, video, modem (if it has one), wireless adapter, ethernet adapter, etc…

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Computers

Problems booting Windows after an Ubuntu uninstall.

March 31, 2011 – 7:52 am

Q.

I accidentally uninstalled Ubuntu from my computer by deleting the partitions. Now, whenever I boot up the computer it says error: no such partition grub rescue> I think I might have deleted grub along with Ubuntu and now I can’t get Windows 7 to boot! Does anyone have any solution to the problem?

A.

What you have done is essentially removed Ubuntu, but left the boot loader (GRUB) in place, which is still looking for the Linux partition(s). If GRUB is still functioning, and was the primary bootloader, you can (usually) hold the “Shift” key while booting, which will bring up the GRUB boot menu, and allow you to boot into Windows. If Grub wasn’t the primary bootloader, or if it is damaged, the other option is to boot the computer from a Windows install disk, drop to the command prompt, and run the commands “fixboot” and “fixmbr”. This will reset/replace the bootloader with the Windows bootloader and allow Windows to live again.

Another option is to reinstall Ubuntu again, which should offer you to set up the bootloader as before.

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Computers

Windows 7 or Windows XP, which is better for this computer?

March 26, 2011 – 3:36 pm

Q.

My system specs: Intel Pentium 4 @ 2.8 GHz 2GB of DDR2 Ram @ 800MHz Nvidia 7100GS graphics card 5400rpm Hard Drive I have both (64-bit)operating systems but I don’t know which one is best. The ONLY thing this computer will be used for is Mozilla Firefox and Windows Media Player. Things to consider are: Boot time Hardware Acceleration(for Mozilla and WMP) CPU usage Usability(This is my moms computer) Most Future Proof. I can do tweaks to both systems which will leave Win 7 using only 700MB of Ram and XP using only 250MB of Ram. I will also adjust the video performance. Thank you for all your help.

A.

A computer with a P4 2.8Ghz and 2GB of RAM will run Windows 7 quite nicely. Boot times will definitely be better than with Windows XP. Windows 7 is the “defacto standard” for most newer hardware, so as far as “future proof” goes, Win7 is the answer. If there are any programs that actually “require” XP (older software), a better option than using 2 partitions is to use VMWare and run XP inside of Win7. VMWare is free, and works wonders in this situation. Multiple partitions, dual-booting, and “inexperienced” users = constant headaches.

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Computers

Will using one stick of RAM in a motherboard designed for dual channel work, or do I need 2 sticks?

March 26, 2011 – 3:34 pm

Q.

I have one 4GB RAM stick on me but I was wondering if I need to buy another identical one or if I can just run that single ram stick in the slots even though they are designated as dual channel?

A.

You can use just one stick of RAM is a motherboard designed for dual channel operation, but if you get another, you need to match it (CAS/RAS, timing, and size/layout, i.e. 4×64) for the dual channel functionality to work properly.

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