Newsletter Archives
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Diagnostics and testing? Get it all done in a flash.
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).
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Large or small? Old or new? Borrowed and blue?
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).
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The Fastie Keyboard Silencer Pro+
HARDWARE
By Will Fastie
Getting a quiet keyboard is easier than you think, especially with my new product concept.
I type a lot. That’s what editors do. I also write code when I’m working on websites. I can’t escape the need for a good, comfortable keyboard.
I also can’t escape the need for a quiet keyboard.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.07.0, 2023-02-13).
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“What can I use my old computers for?”
ISSUE 20.04 • 2023-01-23 SUPPORT
By Randy McElveen
I will be the first to admit that I have a problem letting go of things. I just cannot throw things away, especially electronics.
In this article, I will give you some “tips for pack rats” about how to repurpose old computers. I’m sure I will get around to doing these things with my basement full of computers — someday.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.04.0, 2023-01-23).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
When is the right time to buy a Windows 11 computer?
HARDWARE
By Susan Bradley
The other day, I retired the last Windows 7 computer in our office, the one that had been used by our office manager.
She didn’t like change and rarely went online. She used the computer only for some key business applications. (She carried a flip phone.) In other words, this is a case in which I wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible.
So I took an older Windows 10 computer that wasn’t eligible for Windows 11, put the Start10 application on it, installed the Office classic menu, and ported her preferred background image to the “new” PC. I put the icons on the desktop in exactly the same place. I did everything possible to make the new computer look and behave as much like the old one as I could. And I didn’t tell her the computer had changed.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.04.0, 2023-01-23).
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Dymo declines
HARDWARE
By Will Fastie
One of my favorite brands is headed for extinction.
I don’t think I’ve ever been as dismayed with a Christmas gift as I was a year ago. I just didn’t know it at the time. My wife gave me the gift because I asked for it, but even my reason for wanting it was askew.
The gift? A Dymo LabelWriter 550 Turbo. Faster than a speeding bullet. Able to leap buildings in a single bound. And, designed to disappoint.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.02.0, 2023-01-09).
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Let your PC start the new year right!
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).
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“Which laptop should I buy?”
HARDWARE
By Will Fastie
I thought I knew the answer to that question, but it’s changed.
During idle chitchat at my podiatrist’s office recently, my involvement with computing came out and the nurse immediately asked me which laptop she should buy.
Family, friends, and clients have asked me this question for decades. I thought I had a pat answer, but I found myself fumbling this time. Afterward, it occurred to me that my thinking had not completely evolved with the market. Here’s my new, updated answer.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.44.0, 2022-10-31).
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Real-life SSD reliability must be managed
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).
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Make a laptop run perfectly!
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).
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Randy’s top 10 customer-support issues: Identified!
ISSUE 19.33 • 2022-08-15 SUPPORT
By Randy McElveen
You hear pretty much everything when you’ve been in the computer-repair business for as long as I have, but you also hear a lot of the same questions and see the same issues on a daily basis.
In this series of articles, I have one goal — to keep you out of stores like mine by giving you some tips on what to do when you experience any of the following problems or have any of these questions.
Let’s start this week by simply identifying the most common things I see on a weekly basis, and then I’ll do a few follow-up articles to show what you can do to avoid me.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.33.0, 2022-08-15).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
Restored desktop computers must work flawlessly
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).