Normally at StarterTech we don’t delve in to the normal blog style posts where we relate personal stories, but this was just too odd not to.

Just two days ago we talked about making backups of your system. I was prompted to write that piece by my having just signed up for Backblaze, and I was in the process of backing up my system. As this is a long process, even two days later I wasn’t done and… my laptop hard drive failed today. Completely dead, as in a new hard drive is on its way to me.

So, with this in mind, it seemed appropriate to mention it to you all again that it really does happen without warning, and you should always be working to backup your system,

There are times where you have to shut down your system in a hurry, and the normal method just isn’t working. So, what do you do in these cases?

Let me say first off that you should always shut down your computer in the standard method. Anything other than what you usually do can cause damage to your files.

If the standard shut down isn’t responding, I suggest you follow the steps we wrote in How To Determine What Is Slowing Down Your Computer. At thet your top, you will see an option for “Shut Down”, and because of where you are in the system, hat sometimes seems to get a better response than going through the Start button.

Another option is to push in the on switch and hold it for several seconds. This will reset your system, but without the normal shut down process, which means this should be used sparingly.

The absolute last ditch effort is to unplugging the computer. You should use this only after every other method has been exhausted, and there are times where the computer will simply not to react to any sort of input, so you have to use this option.

Essentially, just always try to be a responsible computer user and shut down properly, but don’t fret if you have any other option.

There can be nothing more devastating than a loss of your data. Whether it be from equipment failure, theft, natural disaster or any other number of reasons.  This is exactly why everyone should back up their data, but knowing how is half of this battle.

There are numerous options for PC owners, but almost all of them rely on you being diligent in making them.  Most people know how to burn files to a CD-ROM, but will you do it often enough?  CDs and DVDs also can suffer from “disc rot” where little holes will form in the recording layer, making the disk unreadable.  You can certainly use the format, but it isn’t always the best solution.

You also can use external hard drives or a Network Additional Storage (NAS) to back-up to, but these also require you to remember to do it on a regular basis.  There is software you can purchase to do it for you automatically, but then you also face possible hardware failure, and if you have a fire, you still lose everything.

My personal favorite option is remote back-up to an off-site company.  I currently use two companies for this: Carbonite for my computer at work, and Backblaze for my laptop.

Carbonite is fairly simple in that you download their manager, mark which files you want to back-up to their servers, and any time you make a change to them, the system will automatically upload the new copy to their site.  Backblaze is brand new, it isn’t even open to the public yet, and takes the approach of backing up every file on your computer except for the files associated with your operating system.  There is zero thought process needed to using Backblaze, it just assumes it should do everything, and does so.

There are other services such as SugarSync and Mozy, but we have only personally used the two I mentioned before.  every service has their pros and cons, and you should research which one best suits your needs, but I do highly recommend everyone go with off-site back-ups.  These services do cost (generally around $5 a month), but when your computer crashes, it is worth it just for the peace of mind.  When my work computer recently crashed, I did not feel the usual dismay and panic that accompanied that in the past because I knew all my vital files were safely stored at Carbonite.  That feeling was worth every penny I have paid them.

RAM is short for “Random Access Memory”, and is possibly one of the most important parts of your computer.

When purchasing a computer, people can easily get lured in by the size of a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), but you can never over estimate the importance of how much RAM the system has. While HDDs stores the files and programs, RAM is the memory that handles everything on your computer that is currently being used. So, the more RAM you have, the more programs you can have open at any given time, or the smoother they will run.

Windows Vista greatly increased the amount of RAM that the operating system requires to run, and the minimum suggested requirement for smoothly running it is 2 GigaBytes (GB). Whenever a program tells you the minimum amount, they are being serious that really is the minimum amount you should work with, so if Windows Vista is saying you need 2 GBs, you should try for at least 3 - 4 GBs installed in the system so your programs will run smoothly.

Another thing to consider in your RAM calculations is what type of graphics card the system has.  If there is no information about the amount of dedicated video RAM, then you have to assume your graphics will be using space inside of the primary RAM.  This also can sometimes be listed as “shared memory” meaning that the video system and the main computing will be sharing the same memory.

As much as a higher number on the processing speed is nice, if you don’t have the RAM to go with it, it won’t matter how fast it says the processor is.  Always try to budget as much as possible for your RAM memory.

Solid-State Drives (SSD) are probably going to be the wave of the future in computing, but it’s not quite time for them yet.

For many years, computers have stored all of their data on magnetic drives known as Hard Disk Drives (HDD).  While these do a fine job, they have numerous problems with the fact they are made of magnetic platters that spin constantly, and do not do well when jostled due to the fact all data is written and read by a fragile metal arm.

SSDs will bring us a lot of advantages in the form of faster start times, less heat generation, less noise due to no spinning parts, lighter weight and more.  On the flip side, though, they can have problems with magnetic fields, have a limited number of write sessions and slower write speeds.

Even with its detracting factors, SSDs are improving all the time, and they will increase the lifespan of laptop computers and portable devices by quite a bit.  The biggest hold back from wide adoption right now is the cost is still running around $10 per gigabyte of store as opposed to HDDs being around $.20 per gigabyte.  Magnetic storage used to cost a similar price, and SSDs will eventually come down in price, it just won’t be for a while.

While the price may keep you away for now, expect these to show up in your computers more and more over the next few years.

While people are still sorting out whether to even switch to Vista, Microsoft is working full speed on the Windows 7 operating system. Unfortunately what little has leaked out on the operating system doesn’t look much more promising for the common user than Vista did.

Incomparability with existing peripherals, a demand for higher end hardware and a learning curve that is too much for most common users, Vista has been a rather large disaster for Microsoft. At a recent demonstration, Microsoft showed off a video of what the new interface will look like, and beyond still appearing a lot like Vista, they have come up with a whole new user interface that will radically change how everyone interacts with their computer.

One has to wonder how they plan to make this work with existing computer monitors and laptops, or are we all expected to buy all new equipment to work with this?  What about finer graphics work like you do with Adobe Photoshop?

We are still some ways off from this system, and perhaps things will change, but the work that Microsoft is doing with Windows as of late seems to be getting more complicated and uglier by the minute, and may be the best advertising to ever happen for Apple’s Mac computers.

Normally we don’t editorialize here at StarterTech, but it would seem it is going to become impossible to ignore just how badly things are going with the Windows OS, and considering their market share, it is difficult to ignore.

With spring upon us in the United States, it’s time for thunderstorms and black outs. Computers aren’t built to just shut down, and they certainly aren’t built to take the power surges that come along with them, so what can you do to protect them?

The absolute best thing you can do is unplug any computer during a thunderstorm, but if you must leave them running, then you may want to look into some form of electrical back-up unit.  These units will give you a limited amount of power running off of rechargeable batteries so that you have time to save whatever you are working on, and can shut down your computer you in the proper manner.

These units vary wildly in the amount of time they offer, how many of the plug-ins actually are connected to the battery, and how many of them are protected by surge protection.  This is one purchase you should definitely do your research and read up on what exactly each unit will do for you, and not just be lured in by price.  Also keep in mind that these batteries are very specialized and will need to be replaced about every three years to keep them fresh.  And one last caveat about these in that they can be very, very heavy.  The longer amount of time they will give you power for, the more they will weigh.

Once you have decided on a unit, you will need to figure out what is going to be plugged into the battery sustained outlets.  If a desktop, remember that besides your computer tower, you will also need to plug in your monitor so you can see what you are doing while you shut down.  If you are doing a lot of online work, while they will usually auto-save your work for you, you will need more outlets that run off battery to keep your modem, router and possibly a switch up and running.  For each of those items you are plugged into, you will need them running off battery to stay online.  My recommendation is always just worry about properly shutting down the computer, and ignore anything online.

Again, the best policy is always to unplug during a storm, but for those non-storm blackouts that happen, you can’t go wrong with having a back-up power source running.

I told you earlier I am in the market for new office equipment. I need to find a new fax machine and a new copier. A back up scanner and printer would also be nice but they can wait or may not even be in the immediate picture. Now to get started, I have to decide how basic or fancy I want to go.

I am not really a bells and whistles kind of girl—I really just want stuff to do what it says it will do. I want reliable service and the least amount of repair calls I can muster. My present fax machine is an HP (Hewlett-Packard) and it has given my office 10+ years of spectacular service. It has just been in the past few weeks that trouble has started. I have checked on the basic repair avenues and right now it seems counter productive and just downright wasteful to spend money on a ten year old piece of equipment when I can’t get a definitive gaurantee that I will have even 1 more year of service for my repair money. For me that is not an option so I am in the market!! This fax machine was huge—it took up a lot of space but it did just two things—fax and copy. No bells and no whistles other than plain paper usage which ten years a go was a bell and whistle. So what do I want now?

The same two functions are available on several machines from several manufacturers. I am starting my research with HP—in my office it has been king. I even have a 12+ year old laser printer (must have for shipping labels) that has not had trouble one! So the logical place for me to start is with HP—but where? Well, there are several places to go to shop, read reviews and place an order without ever leaving my desk—remember I live in a very small town. But also remember that you may do your research on line and then take your facts with you when you visit an actual facility so you will have all of your ammunition at hand when you are ready to buy.

I am going to search for a HP fax machine that faxes and copies and perhaps scans and prints at Amazon.com, Buy.com, and Staples.com—all offer reviews, discounts and free shipping for the most part. I am not committing to anything with any one of them, no salesman will follow me and if I have a question I am going to ask my son to explain things to me. If you are on this journey with me—no matter what you are looking for please let me remind you that we are here to help answer your questions—bells, whistles or plain old doughnuts—we are here to help.

While there is more than one way to connect a computer to a TV, we’re going to cover one of the easiest ways to do it with a laptop.

The first question most people would ask why you want to display your screen on a TV, and there are numerous reasons for this. Quite often I do this to show my family a movie trailer from a web site, or a video on YouTube, or if we have a business matter to go over, it is a quick way for everyone to be able to see the same materials without crowding around a small screen.

The simplest way to accomplish this is most laptops feature a SVHS (short for Super VHS) output like the one pictured here to the left. You will just need an SVHS cable for the picture, and most TVs today have one, if not multiple of these inputs.

As each computer and television are different, you’ll need to consult your owner’s manuals on how to change the input on your television, but most laptops will have some sort of sub key on your “F” keys (the function keys across the top of the keyboard) with a symbol for a television, or something that says something to the effect of “CRT/LCD”. Once you have located this selector, it will give you the option of changing your screen to the TV only, to the TV and laptop screen or back to the laptop only.

One caveat, as you can see from the picture at the top, the display is rarely perfect when it moves to the TV. While this isn’t a problem in general use, just don’t expect it to be perfect.

There is one more thing you’re going to need if you want to play audio along with the video, and that’s some sort of audio-to-RCA cable, such as the Belkin produced cable we have pictured to the left.  While this cable is actually meant for devices like an iPod, hence it also having an output for video, it works perfectly for connecting your laptop to your TV via your headphone output.  Once you plug this into the computer, you then plug the red and white cable to the corresponding inputs nearest the SVHS input, and you will have audio as well as video playing from your computer to your TV.

As I said, every model of computer and TV varies in all the finer details, but at least you now have a basic knowledge of what to look for, and how to get from one to the other.

Quite often if you have to call in for tech support on your broadband Internet connection, they will ask you if you have a router connected to your modem, but what is a router?

Typically called “routers”, the actual name for the pieces of equipment you put in your home to assist in running multiple computers is “residential gateway”. While you certainly can run your computers without a gateway, this device will allow your computers to not only talk to each other and share files, it will also allow your system to share the same Internet connection. So instead of plugging your modem directly into your computer, you would instead plug it into the gateway, and then your computers into the gateway also. Most of these devices today are Wi-Fi, so quite often you won’t even need to plug in your computers directly, but I personally always find it more reliable.

Besides allowing all of your computers to talk to each other, they can be a useful device to have around just for the convenience they give people who may visit you, and also as an added layer of security for your computer. Most gateways today come with a built-in firewall, making it that much more difficult for hackers to get into your system, causing potential damage. As for being useful to anyone who may visit your home, Wi-Fi is appearing in more and more devices from the iPod Touch to cell phones, so allowing someone to hop on to your connection to check their email is always nice, just make sure to secure the gateway from random users as should be listed in your instruction book that came with your gateway.

The other issue that is coming up more and more in technology is not just computers needing to connect to the Internet, but also video game systems, DVD players, VoIP phones and more are all using ethernet cables now to hook up to the gateways, as well as Wi-Fi. The ability for devices to talk to the Internet and download new software updates is becoming essential to any gadget’s operation. Eventually you will need to be connecting multiple devices to the Internet, so you may as well get to work on it now.

I can not stress this enough, though, if you purchase a Wi-Fi enabled gateway (router), make sure to follow the manufacturers instructions on securing your wireless signal so that no neighbors, are curious wander-bys can get on your network, or use your Internet connection for nefarious doings.