Long gone, but now back… sort of. :)
(Answer requested by Dawn Hassell) For most PCs, it doesn’t matter. Most external drives for PCs use standard USB connections, and will work with any PC that also uses standard USB connections. USB cables are inexpensive: a 3′ cable typically costs under $10. If the PC uses proprietary connectors — I’m looking at you, Apple…
Yes, if you’re careful. The main thing to remember is that a spinning hard drive acts like a gyroscope, and will resist any movement from its original plane. Move too much/too fast, and you’ll hear it in whining drive bearings or — worst case — the awful scraping sound of a head crash. But if…
Sure! It usually only takes a few clicks. That “TV tuner” app is usually leftover bit of a previous Win7 or 8 setup that was running the old Media Center add-on. Win10 doesn’t have (or need) a separate Media Center; those old software components do little now except cause upgrade problems. (Geeky aside: That “digital…
This week’s new AskWoody Plus newsletter is posted now, and you can read it for free, here. Here’s what’s out today: WOODY’S WINDOWS WATCH: A dozen reasons why you don’t want Win10 1903 — yet LANGALIST: Taking the plunge with a new PC PATCH WATCH: Windows 1903 gets its first update TROUBLESHOOTING: How to fix OneDrive file-synching problems Previous issues…
(Answer requested by Ellie Williams) Yes, for ordinary use — office tasks, browsing, streaming media, etc. — 8GB is fine for a current-generation 64-bit PC. If you have occasional heavy use that bogs down an 8GB PC, or if you want to build in a little future-proofing, go for 12GB. If you edit hi-res videos, play…
Depending on how you perform the encryption, yes. I don’t recommend whole-drive encryption because the encrypting is effectively part of the operating system. That is convenient, and can work great if the user is careful and knows what they’re doing. But it can lead to lockout issues even if the files themselves would otherwise be…
Yes, absolutely, although the usual rule is 80/20. A li-ion battery is stressed the most during the top and bottom 20% of its charging range; and the closer to 100% or 0% you get, the greater the stress. In other words, charging from 99% to 100% is way harder on a battery than charging from…
(Answer requested by Joshua Sneed) Sure! In fact, you may be surprised how easy drive replacement really is. Often, the hardest part is figuring out how to open the case! <g> Once you’re inside, it’s a piece of cake. You can find appropriate instructions for your system by searching for something like “how to replace…
This week’s new AskWoody Plus newsletter is posted now, and you can read it for free, here. In this issue: LANGALIST: Tracking down ominous noises in your PC. Strange sounds — especially abrasive or grinding noise — emanating from inside a PC are definitely cause for alarm! Here’s how to correct the two most common sources. Plus:…
In “Smartphone cameras have come a long way,” you saw some early, warts-and-all test snapshots I took with a Galaxy S10’s three rear cameras. Since then, I found a very useful software setting buried in the camera menus: It reduces the barrel distortion that was evident in the wide-angle shots. And when I say the…