Long gone, but now back… sort of. :)
A reader* asks: “Is it OK to use NTFS on a SSD? Why or why not?” With any reasonably current SSD and operating system, it’s perfectly fine. An SSD (or any disk, for that matter) really doesn’t care what’s in the bits it stores. The formatting of the disk itself — as well as user…
A recent spate of questions concerning laptops/notebooks (see list at end) prompted this note from frequent correspondent* Tony Luxton: “It’s worth pointing out that ‘laptop’ is a terrible name (I can remember when they were called ‘desktop replacements’). The one place you shouldn’t use a laptop is on your lap; or any soft surface, come…
Q*: “When a laptop is plugged in, how does the battery get charged and the laptop get powered simultaneously?” A: There are, in effect, two parallel circuits in most laptops; and the laptop’s OEM charger is sized to provide enough power for both. When your laptop is turned on and is plugged into a wall…
Q*: “How do I fix my laptop? When it is turned on and I plug it in, it will not charge, and will only charge when it is plugged in while turned off. What’s going on?” A: The most common cause for this is an aging battery that draws too much power when recharging; the…
Q: “How do I recover data from an undetectable Seagate external hard drive? Is it possible through some software, or is it advisable to get it done through professionals?” (via Quora) A: It depends on what you mean by “undetectable.” For example, there’s physical/electrical undetectability; and undetectability due to logical or software issues. You’ll need…
Q: What is the difference between laptop and notebook PCs, if any? (via Quora) A: There is a difference, although in casual use the terms are more or less interchangeable now. Strictly speaking, laptops are larger portables with full-sized keyboards or nearly so. Screens generally are larger, too; 17″/43cm is a typical size, with some…
Q: Why do I see 1TB of storage on my hard drive label but only 930-960GB when it’s plugged to my computer? (via Quora) A: The drive is sold by raw capacity; but must first be partitioned and formatted before use, and that process consumes some space. An analogy: Think of an empty filing cabinet…
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Q: “Why does tech support think that formatting your hard drive is the only solution for all your PC problems?” (via Quora) A. Holy smokes! Who told you that? If that’s your experience with tech support, you really should change techs, brands, stores — or wherever it is you’re getting that advice. Formatting a drive…
Reader J from Pittsburgh asks: “Some time ago, I set up Outlook to not show images in incoming emails, as a security measure. But it’s a pain in the butt, since in so many emails most of the content is in the images — and so often the sender doesn’t include a link to see…