3COM has a nifty tool to test your phone line for modem use.  Simply dial (847)262-6000.  Once connected type LINE and TEST at the prompts.  This is a toll call, but well worth it!

If you have Windows NT 4.0 and attempt to install a hard drive BIGGER than 10 gigs, you will get Bad Block ERRORS.  To resolve this, Install NTSP4 and All will be resolved.

Can't use the A: drive on your Dell?  The problem as being caused by software. Make sure the floppy is enabled  in the system setup. There may be something stepping on the BIOS. If so, the  NVRAM will need to be cleared. To clear the NVRAM go to the System Setup  (press DELETE when you see the message "Press DEL to enter setup"  right at the beginning of the boot process) and under the Advanced Menu set  the Reset Configuration Data to Yes, strike the F10 key at the top of the  keyboard to Save and Exit. Reboot the system for this to take effect.

Windows 98 and the later versions of Windows 95 allow you to convert your hard drive's file system format from the wasteful FAT16 to the more efficient FAT32. Smaller cluster sizes allow FAT32 to load programs faster and waste less storage space on small files. FAT32 also supports disk partitions larger than 2GB, which FAT16 does not. 

Experienced users should consider converting, but not before knowing the downsides. These next few tips will describe them. 

First, know that if you convert, you can't go back again. Windows 98 Disk Converter Wizard only works one way. If for some reason you decide you don't like FAT32, you might need to completely reinstall Windows or restore all your data from a complete preconversion backup.

Windows' standard Emergency Startup diskette, which helps you recover from disk errors and other disasters, can't read FAT32 formatted disks. Fortunately, you can create an emergency disk if you use a utility called FAT32EBD.EXE. You'll find this file on the Windows 98 CD, or you can download it from Microsoft's Online Software Library.

Because of the low-level format change, not all older software runs on FAT32 drives. All of Windows 98's disk utilities have been updated to work with FAT32, but not all third-party tools have been revamped. Check with the makers of your disk tools if you have any compatibility questions.

If you format your boot drive with the FAT32 file system you probably won't be able to use any dual-boot options. Most alternative operating systems, including Windows 3.1 for example, don't run on FAT32 drives. As an alternative, you could make a secondary drive FAT32, but then you would lose most of the performance benefits of the conversion.

The Windows 98 installation allows you to save your previous operating system so that you can uninstall Windows 98 and return to your old setup if you're dissatisfied. But guess what? If you convert your drive to FAT32, you'll lose this option. As mentioned before, the conversion is one-way. Thus, Windows 98 can't revert to FAT16 to run your old operating system.

Most compression software, like DriveSpace 3, for example, doesn't work on FAT32 drives. FAT32 conversion does free up space that was wasted under FAT16, but this rescued space is usually not equivalent to what you would see from a compressed drive. If you do decide to convert, your decision should be based on performance and efficiency needs, not on storage requirements.

In case you hadn't noticed, Windows 98 added the Update Device Driver Wizard to objects in the Device Manager (under Start, Settings, Control Panel, System). Now, for components such as your hard disk controller, modem, or video board, you can press the Update Driver button to hunt down updated drivers on the Web.

People are beginning to purchase larger monitors. It might not be too long before 17-inch models replace 15-inch models as the standard included with new computers. If you've moved up to a bigger screen, strongly consider increasing your screen resolution. On a 17-inch monitor, 800 by 600 resolution looks a little too large; Icons are bigger than postage stamps. To take advantage of a larger screen, try 1024 by 768 resolution. You'll obtain much more desktop real estate that will allow you to work with several application windows open simultaneously.

Your computer may hang if you use a Microsoft Office 97 program under Windows 95 along with a Cirrus Logic CL-GD546x video driver, version 1.31 (4.03.00.1131) for Windows 95. Microsoft suggests that you
reduce the hardware graphics acceleration setting for the video driver. Here's how: Click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and double-click System. In the System Properties window, click the Performance tab, then click Graphics. Move the Hardware acceleration slider one tick mark to the left of the Full setting. The following comment will appear in the window: "Most accelerator functions: Use this setting to correct problems with the mouse pointer." To solve the problem entirely, replace the video driver with one provided by the video card manufacturer, rather than using the generic Cirrus Logic Driver; or obtain an updated Cirrus Logic driver when it becomes available.

Install the Zip NT Tools software from the CD (or floppy) that came with your drive or download from Iomega.

Click Start, point to Settings, and then click on Control Panel.
Double-click on the SCSI Adapters icon. Note Windows NT installs the parallel port driver as a SCSI adapter.
Select the Drivers tab and then click in the Add button.
Choose Have Disk and make sure the Zip Software CD (or floppy diskette) is in your computer's CD-ROM dirve (or floppy drive).
Click on the Browse button, and then select the CD-ROM or floppy drive.
Choose the language you want on the CD, and open the WNTStuff folder, and then open the Parallel folder. If using the floppy diskette, continue with the next step.
Check that the OEMSetup.inf file is highlighted, click OK, and then double-click the Iomega Parallel Port driver.
Click Continue to install the driver.
Reboot the system when prompted to complete the installation.

 

A common question we receive concerns the mounting restrictions for hard drives. Basically, you can mount your hard drive in any X, Y, or Z axis direction without affecting the drive’s performance or operation. In other words, the drive will function normally whether it is mounted sideways or upside down.

Of course, the physical design of your system may limit the positions in which the drive can be mounted. However, in all cases, you should mount the drive with all four screws for good grounding. Also ensure that there is enough air space around the drive for adequate air flow, and avoid mounting the drive near sources of excessive heat (such as some CPUs).

A computer virus is a program designed to spread and replicate with the victim usually unaware of its existence. Computer viruses spread by attaching themselves to other programs or to the boot sector of a hard disk drive. When an infected file is executed or when the computer is booted from an infected floppy disk, the virus itself is also executed. Viruses typically reside in computer memory, waiting to attack the next program that is run or the next disk that is accessed.

What makes viruses dangerous is their ability to perform an event. While some events are harmless or annoying (i.e. displaying a message on a certain date or slowing performance or altering the screen display), some viruses can be very harmful by damaging files, destroying data and crashing systems and hard drives. Even benign viruses can inadvertently interact with other software or hardware to slow or stop the system. They can continually modify and destroy data, intercept I/O devices, overwrite files and reformat hard disks.

As online usage grows, we will become more vulnerable to viruses transmitted through Internet. Virus protection software works at many levels. It can scan your floppy disks and check programs for hidden viruses before they are run. It can also scan all types of files (programs, text files, spreadsheets etc.) on your hard disk for viruses. If you download lots of files from the Internet or swap floppy disks, you should run your virus utility when you start up the computer, otherwise you can get by with scanning for viruses once a month.

If you have two drives of varying speeds (for example, one rotating at 5,400rpm and one rotating at 3,600rpm), designate the faster drive as the master and the slower as the slave. The status of the drives is determined by setting small jumpers that are usually located next to the IDE connector on the drive itself. SCSI drives also need unique designations-they, too, are determined by jumpers on internal hard drives.

If you have trouble getting a new modem to work under Windows 95, try manually installing the modem as though it were a "standard modem." Use the Add New Hardware Wizard under Control Panel, but select No when it asks if it should search for the new device. Then make choices according to your modem's capabilities. Once the modem has been installed, you can edit its properties, adding any special string the manufacturer recommends for the modem's proper initialization.

If you're using a modem while traveling internationally and see a "no dial tone" response reported when you know there is one, try editing your modem's initialization string. Include the "blind dialing" code, X3, as in ATX3&F&C1&D2. If everything else is working properly, the problem should be solved.

When you increase resolution, the dots (or pixels) that make up the images on your computer screen become smaller and smaller, but if your screen doesn't increase in size, you end up looking at small dots, small icons, small text and so on. So if you need a high resolution, such as 1280x1024, consider a larger display. You can find smaller screens that will give you the resolution, but the resulting images will often look so small that you'll lose the benefits.

Perhaps the biggest complaint about inkjet color is the cost of the consumables. Conserve those bright and shiny colors where you can. Most printers offer an Economy mode that saves time and money by printing with only about half the ink. Use Normal mode for your personal use and save the highest quality (excellent quality but slow printing) setting for your more important projects.

In the printer race, inkjet printers are considered the tortoises and lasers the hares. Give your slow-poke printer an edge with a few quick fixes. Start by defragging your hard drive using the Full Optimization option (Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Defragmenter). Connect newer printers to the PC with an IEEE-1284-compliant printer cable. Also, make sure you have at least 16MB of RAM on your PC.

If your laser printer produces documents with streaks or light printing, a quick shake might clear up the problem. Remove the toner cartridge and rock it back and forth a few times to distribute the toner more evenly-you may find that your pages print more uniformly.

If you can't hear CD-ROM audio on your system, play a music-only CD and monitor the output via the front-panel headphone jack. If that works, you know the drive is okay. Next, run a cable from the headphone jack to the line input on the sound card, then adjust the mixer's line level and master level. If that works too, the sound card is also okay and the problem is probably in the separate audio-only link between the CD-ROM drive and the sound card. And remember, the only audio you'll hear from the drive's headphone jack is conventional compact-disc audio. MIDI and WAV files on a CD-ROM disc will not be heard via the headphone jack.

Because more and more applications are making good use of resolutions higher than 640x480 to provide more screen real estate, you need enough video RAM in the card to display high color at a high resolution. You should have at least 2MB of memory in a graphics card. This typically will support 16-bit graphics at resolutions of up to 1024x768 and 24- or 32-bit graphics at 640x480.

Dusty or smudged glass can markedly reduce the quality of the image when you scan. Use isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth to clean the glass of your scanner before you start a project. Although you can buy specialized premoistened wipes for this purpose, a home-grown kit works just as well. Don't forget to clean the lens, too.

To ensure optimum performance, make sure Windows 95 is caching your CD-ROM drive at the appropriate setting. You can check this by right-clicking on My Computer, choosing Properties, then clicking on the Performance tab and clicking the File System button. Clicking on the CD-ROM tab will bring up the Settings. Make sure the Optimize Access Pattern setting is correct for your drive's speed. If you have more than 8MB of RAM, you might also want to increase the setting for Supplemental Cache Size. That setting is located in the same box.

Have you ever installed a program from a CD onto your hard drive, only to get a "File not found" error when you try to run it later? A possible explanation is that your CD-ROM has been assigned a different letter (this happens, for instance, when you add a new hard drive to your system). If this is the case, you'll need to tell Windows 95 where to find the program. Many CD-ROM programs place an INI file in the Windows directory, which you'll simply need to edit with the proper drive letter.

Always handle your CDs with care-either on the edges or center hole-and store them properly when not in use. Dirt and smudges can slow down performance and scratches can cause permanent damage to stored data (even though data is read from the bottom, damage to either side is harmful).

The shorter a SCSI device chain, the better. Check the total length of your SCSI cabling and make sure it doesn't exceed 10 feet. A total chain length of more than five feet can produce errors in data throughput, and anything 10 feet long or longer is almost guaranteed not to work. Another common oversight is to forget that the length of an internal SCSI chain should be counted, as well as the length of the external chain. If you've got several internal devices, such as CD-ROM drives or hard disks, check the length of their cabling as well.

Phone companies are feeling the strain of new, affordable, high-bandwidth options, such as satellite transmissions and cable modems. In many areas ISDN prices have never been better. Don't be afraid to ask if special plans or discounts are available in your area; these programs are sometimes updated every few weeks, so check frequently. And remember to check both residential and business service rates; residential is generally less expensive, but in some cases business ISDN may prove more cost-effective.

Believe it or not, those nifty long-distance calling plans the phone companies talk about do not apply to ISDN. Those charges are added to your regular ISDN bill, and can be as high as 80 or 90 cents per minute if you make dual-channel connections. If you need to reach out-of-state ISDN lines regularly, consider installing a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection at both ends of the call. It lets you connect to remote servers through a local Internet service provider, avoiding those long distance costs. You can find out more about VPNs at the Microsoft and AltaVista Web sites.