Newsletter Archives

• Diagnostics and testing? Get it all done in a flash.

  Posted on June 5, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Bootable USB flash drives are wonderful for doing many different software tasks when working on computers, but year by year they pile up.

  I needed to rid myself of my dependency on the many bootable flash drives I have collected in the last few years, by putting the most frequently used software on a single flash drive.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.23.0, 2023-06-05).

  Hardware Diagnostics, hardware, ISOs, Newsletters, Support, Testing, USB Flash Drives, USB SSDs

• Large or small? Old or new? Borrowed and blue?

  Posted on April 3, 2023 at 02:42 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Decade-long trends in computer hardware make for more expansive and perplexing choices.

  So you need to buy another computer, or two, or more? What do you buy — large or small, mainstream brand, traditional or custom, new or used?

  Running a cradle-to-grave computer business including the repair and resale of gently used computers, I originally expected to portray the various tradeoffs between buying new and buying used computers. Then I realized that the trends that have swept over the computer industry in the past decade can, and do, have great influence over what to buy. Trends first, new vs. used later.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.14.0, 2023-04-03).

  Hardware Desktops, Form factor, hardware, Laptops, Newsletters, SSDs

• Tooling around with laptops and other useful gear

  Posted on March 13, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.11 • 2023-03-13

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Portable computers have evolved from the Compaq luggable suitcase to laptops now weighing three pounds or even less, needing special handling and tiny tools.

  Today’s notebook, subnotebook, and tablet computers demand an array of small tools, sometimes unique to a brand and model. My small kit for the road can handle the screws found outside and inside many laptops, but I needed more and better help.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.11.0, 2023-03-13).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Hardware Cleaning, Newsletters, Repairs, Tools

• Tooling around with computers

  Posted on March 6, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.10 • 2023-03-06

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Whether you maintain your own computer, run your family IT department, or manage lots of computers, having the right tools makes the work so much easier.

  No matter which task you need to do, tools are essential — whether a spoon to stir your morning coffee or a hammer to pound a nail. So it is with computers, which need to be taken apart, put back together, cleaned, and sometimes connected to other devices to get the job done.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.10.0, 2023-03-06).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Hardware Cleaning, Newsletters, Repair, Tools

• Would you ever run an MS-DOS program in 64-bit Windows?

  Posted on February 6, 2023 at 02:43 CST by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Let’s see if we can find good reasons to continue to use a 30-year-old MS-DOS program.

  Recently, a client asked me whether it was possible to run an MS-DOS program important for his business on a modern Windows 10 laptop, rather than his 15-year-old laptop with Windows XP. I asked him for his reasoning and quickly rejected out of hand the possibility of installing a 32-bit version of Windows 10 to run his DOS program, an extremely limited use for a laptop. And with a look to the future, there is no 32-bit Windows 11, either.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.06.0, 2023-02-06).

  Hardware DOS Emulators, MS-DOS, Newsletters, printing, vDOS

• Let your PC start the new year right!

  Posted on January 2, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.01 • 2023-01-02

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Taking a little time now to check and proactively service your Windows PC thoroughly can pay off big time in the coming year.

  Whether you’re planning to move to Windows 11 or stick with Windows 10, this easy-to-follow annual checkup is the preventive medicine that can help ensure that your PC begins 2023 in the best shape possible.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.01.0, 2023-01-02).

  Hardware Backups, Drive maintenance, hardware, Networking, Newsletters, PC maintenance, security

• Defibrillate your “dead” laptop

  Posted on December 19, 2022 at 02:43 CST by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  I confess: I do not have a defibrillator to use on a laptop.

  Beginning with Windows 7, a laptop in sleep mode can become unresponsive and completely inoperative. In the repair business, we call this “dead.” Ultimately, it’s about managing your laptop’s battery.

  On the average, a seemingly dead laptop lands in my hands every couple of months. That is not often enough to be classified as a major problem by Microsoft, but it is still very real.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.51.0, 2022-12-19).

  Hardware Batteries, CMOS, Laptops, Newsletters, Sleep Mode

• Does an old personal computer become useless?

  Posted on November 14, 2022 at 02:45 CST by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.46 • 2022-11-14

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Come take a ride in my souped-up DeLorean for an adventure in the days before Windows.

  You see an old computer and ask, “Why hasn’t it been scrapped?” But don’t look at just the PC — look at what it does within some total system. That’s what this story is about.

  The ride takes many twists and turns on the path to where we are today. Progress over the last 20-plus years is hard to believe.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.46.0, 2022-11-14).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Hardware drivers, Hardware Upgrades, Industrial Control, MS-DOS, Newsletters, Repair

• Real-life SSD reliability must be managed

  Posted on October 3, 2022 at 02:44 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Solid-state drives did not have a very good week here recently, but it was not their fault.

  Here are the facts about a trifecta of mainstream laptops I handled recently, and why these laptops came up short. If you pay attention to the details here, you can improve the life and reliability of your solid-state drives (SSDs).

  I will also weave in my opinions and points of view on various related subjects.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.40.0, 2022-10-03).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, hardware, Older PCs, SSDs, System Recovery

• Make a laptop run perfectly!

  Posted on September 5, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  With a little work, the right laptop can look and run almost like new, but its upgrade possibilities are far more limited than a desktop’s.

  Numerous brands and models of laptops dot the landscape, each model designed according to different principles by different design teams. Different sizes of laptops carrying the same brand and model follow a similar (but not identical) design, even from generation to generation, as the design team works through model after model.

  Business-class brands such as Acer TravelMate, Dell Latitude, Hewlett Packard Elitebook, and Lenovo ThinkPad vary widely from one another in design, construction, and quality of materials. Then, too, there is a plethora of models intended for consumer use, causing us to roll our eyes.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.36.0, 2022-09-05).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, hardware, Hardware Upgrades

• Restored desktop computers must work flawlessly

  Posted on August 8, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Test, test, and test again — just to be on the safe side.

  In my last article, I covered the basic and essential tests needed to assure that a computer was in generally sound operating condition. As the late-night TV pitchman always says: “But wait! There’s more!” More testing, that is.

  There are still electronics that need to be working right for the entire computer to be fully functional. Along the way, you need to do at least a visual inspection to see that all the ports and connectors — in back, in front, and even on top of a computer — are not damaged.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.32.0, 2022-08-08).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, hardware, Repair, Support, Testing

• Desktop computers: Re-use!

  Posted on July 11, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  Make sure the most critical hardware works right before you go ahead.

  Previously, I described the most basic steps to get a computer dirt-free and bootable, with a working power supply. These tasks established a baseline for additional work to assure that the computer is in very good operating condition for whoever is going to use it.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.28.0, 2022-07-11).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Graphics, hardware, Hardware Upgrades, HDD, RAM, SSD
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