Search Results for: ram

A reader asks: “Over time, does turning on and off my laptop contribute to wear and tear even with an SSD?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

Yes, with one exception; especially if you mean doing a full shutdown, followed by a full restart some time later. All reasonably current PCs have well-developed power-management systems that are designed to reduce unnecessary energy consumption during use, while the PC is idling, and during restart. Because energy consumption is directly correlated with wear-and-tear of…

A reader asks: “Have you heard of the TUTAC computer?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

I hadn’t, but I’m glad you asked (thanks!). This was fun to research, not only because it involves an interesting artifact from the early days of computers, but also because it shares a concept with Bandersnatch, the Netflix choose-your-own-ending movie! TUTAC stands for “TUTorial Automatic Computer,” a device that existed only on paper, in the…

A reader asks: “Pressing a key or clicking a mouse button sends what type of signal to the CPU?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

In the most conceptual sense, a click or keypress briefly completes an electrical circuit. The part of the computer that handles the keyboard sees this as a zero value changing to a one; the computer then initiates whatever sequence of events it’s been programmed to follow to interpret the keypress, send the keypress value to…

Delight a child this Christmas

Posted on by Fred Langa

Here’s a great idea from Reddit; posted by u/Scaramuccia: Looking for some Christmas Magic? The International Space Station orbits the earth 15 times a day and can easily be confused with Santa’s Sleigh by excited children in December. This does require preparation. That tiny station is rarely streaking directly overhead at an ideal time, so…

Getting the band back together again…

Posted on by Fred Langa

… or something like that. 🙂 The announcement (in full, below) went out yesterday. TL;DR: Internet maven Woody Leonhard has acquired Windows Secrets, and is merging it with the resources at AskWoody.com, to launch a brand new newsletter, which I’ll be part of. Langa.Com will continue here in its present form and frequency-of-update, but now…

A reader* asks: “Have you heard about the Boston Molassacre?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

I believe that’s a phrase used jokingly by tour guides to refer to the very real “Great Molasses Flood” of 1919. On an unusually warm January day, a poorly-constructed industrial tank containing  2,300,000 US gallons (8,706,447 liters) of hot, fermenting molasses burst, sending a wave of heavy liquid, initially 25ft (8m) high, at 35mph (56km/h)…

A reader asks: How can I check which .Net version is installed?

Posted on by Fred Langa

Q*: How can I check which .Net version is installed on a Windows 7 PC without administrative rights? A: There are many ways to check, regardless of Windows version or Admin status. Most only take a few seconds. For example, try this: Open Windows’ built-in Registry editor (RegEdit), and click to: \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP\v4\Full With…

A reader suggests caution re: laptop use

Posted on by Fred Langa

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…

A reader asks: Why, when I shut my phone off to save battery, and then turn it on again, the battery drains faster?

Posted on by Fred Langa

Q: Why is it that when I shut my phone all the way off to save battery and then turn it on again, the battery drains way faster? (via Quora) A: At restart, all your regularly-used phone apps load, start, and try to go online at the same time — email, messaging, Facebook, Twitter, weather…

A reader asks: “Why does tech support think that formatting your hard drive is the only solution for all your PC problems?”

Posted on by Fred Langa

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…