Long gone, but now back… sort of. :)
(Answer requested by Ian Alter) Probably less than you think. My first notebook was a TRS-100 Model 100, weighing in at about 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb), including its power supply — four ordinary, buy-anywhere, AA cells.) I carried my Model 100 literally around the world, back in the day. 🙂 Permalink: https://langa.com/?p=3865
Executable program files (EXEs) are the beating heart of Windows and most applications. So when Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 can no longer properly run files with the .exe extension, it’s serious trouble! AskWoody subscriber Colm Brangan’s PC somehow ran into those deep weeds — and now he can’t find his way out. (Colm’s PC is running…
Windows 1.0 was released 34 years ago, in November 1985. It wasn’t much: Just a standard DOS setup (on a single 5.25″, 1.2MB floppy disk) wrapped in a simple point-and-click interface and displayed in CGA 640×200px resolution or Hercules monochrome green or amber. This combination of OS and “shell” was primitive, but it could run…
The newest AskWoody Plus newsletter is now available to members. In this issue: NETWORK TROUBLESHOOTING: Resolving Windows network-connection problems BEST OF THE LOUNGE: Wi-Fi router security LANGALIST: Hybrid attack can extract data from inert RAM BEST UTILITIES: Freeware Spotlight — WPD PC BUYING: PC bargains: Buying a laptop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday Not a member? This issue (as…
(Answer requested by Dennis Willis) You’ll need a cable lock and either an adhesive anchor or a cable long enough to lasso itself after passing around or through an immovable object. A PC cable lock (examples) attaches to a security point built into most laptop bodies; the attachment point is connected to the laptop’s frame,…
(Answer requested by Andrea Hemphill) Laptops usually get resold when something’s broken or becoming obsolete. Laptops can be hard to work on. Even routine upgrades — simply adding RAM or installing a faster hard drive — sometimes require special tools or knowledge, and may be actively prohibited by the manufacturer’s warranty. It’s even worse for…
(Answer requested by Ahmed Belkhouja) Very easily! Here’s why: Files are stored on a hard drive in very small chunks called clusters. On a conventional NTFS-formatted drive, for example, the default cluster size is 4KB; large files are stored as a series of 4KB clusters. On a new, empty, spinning-platter drive, saved files will be stored…
No drive — SSD, HDD, magnetic tape, wire spool, paper tape, whatever — no drive can make that guarantee! But the data on any kind of drive should survive the drive’s careful removal, proper storage, and re-installation. Mostly, it depends on how you handle the drive. SSDs should be handled the same as an HDD…
(Answer requested by Jack Swenson) Probably not. The 7200 RPM drive is designed for 7200 RPM. The 5400 RPM drive is designed for 5400 RPM. Both should deliver their statistically-normal full service life at their rated speeds. Now, if you somehow took a 5400 RPM drive up to 7200 RPM, and if it didn’t die…
I recently wrote about my still-working, antique, “made-for-XP” netbook as part of a fun PC-vs-Mac discussion here. Apparently — judging from the popularity of the post — there are a lot of other people out there maintaining seriously old PCs, too! For example, correspondent “twinmustangranchdressing” asks: “What upgrades and modifications have you made to this…