Long gone, but now back… sort of. :)
(Answer requested by Diego Gerardo Velasco) If the drive is simply on — fully powered up and spinning, even while it’s not needed — you’re wasting energy, and putting needless wear on the drive bearings. You’re also exposing the drive electronics to extra risk from electrical problems (spikes, surges, sags, etc.). If the drive is…
Not all copiers have hard drives (it’s generally only higher-volume copiers that need to queue, track, and manage numerous large print jobs); and not all copiers with hard drives work the same way. But, in very broad terms, and depending on whether you’re trying to do something above-board or not, here are two approaches: If…
This week’s new AskWoody Plus newsletter is out; and for a while, you can read it for free, here. LANGALIST: Users stuck on Win10 1803 ask: ‘Force the upgrade or wait?’There are solid reasons to force an upgrade to Win10 1809 now — and equally solid reasons to wait for Version 1903. Here’s how to decide what’s…
OK, OK, it’s a Photoshop; in the real ad, he was hawking a Vivitar pocket camera. But I like the Peeps version better. 🙂 Permalink: https://langa.com/?p=521
(Answer requested by Mandi Bailey) If it’s a brand-new PC, odds are it’ll have a reasonably current, capable CPU; and an at least acceptable hard drive. But most PC baseline models have only a modest — sometimes minimal — amount of RAM. So, if I’m allowed only one upgrade, I’d go for more RAM —…
There’s a new exploit making the rounds that allows hackers to access your PC and steal personal data. Its vector is Internet Explorer (“IE”), including the copy of IE bundled inside every Windows 10 setup! Even if you never use IE, never click on it, or never call it up in any way, it’s there,…
(Answer requested by Daniel Price.) If you have a more-or-less normal PC running more-or-less normal Windows, you can flip the screen orientation — up, down, sideways right, sideways left — just by tapping a few keys. It’s possible you accidentally hit one of these key combinations. (They key combinations are deliberately weird to make them…
The column reprinted below was originally published in the August 15, 2013, Windows Secrets newsletter. Today, it supplements a new, free column, “Why am I not able to reset my PC or reinstall Windows?” (all versions), posted here: https://langa.com/?p=2602. I’m reprinting selected Windows Secrets columns here to help ensure readers can find and access information…
The column reprinted below was originally published in the July 14, 2011, Windows Secrets newsletter. I’m reprinting selected Windows Secrets columns here to help ensure readers can find and access information I’m referencing in new columns; until older Windows Secrets/LangaList columns are moved to their new home at AskWoody.com. Specifically, this column supplements “Why am I…
(Answer requested by Reese Lynn.) The most common problems include obsolete drivers (check your PC vendor site for updates); too-aggressive third-party software (e.g. anti-rootkits/anti-malware); and disk errors (run chkdsk ). For some general how-to fixes, see this text; it mentions Win7, but the general fixes discussed there work on any Windows version. Also, Google/web-search for the…