Mouse Clix

By Hobie Lunin

Learning from the other people’s mistakes.

One thing about helping other people with their computers is that I learn more about how to avoid problems. In an effort to give my readers an opportunity to learn from these as well, I will from time to time report on a few of them.

One instance that has popped up lately with several people has to do with the performance of their Internet service. As you may have guessed, the free service from Juno is not as good as their premium service ($9.95 per month). In addition to the ads, which have to be deleted in order to get to the program, is the obvious fact that if there are premium subscribers on-line they will get preference so that you often will not be able to make a connection. Tied in with that, it appears, many ISPs including Juno do not want to provide service to people with very slow modems. I would say that a 33Kbps modem is the minimum that should be used on today’s Internet services. Another tip for using Juno is to see which phone number works consistently and then reset your phone numbers to call only that number and uncheck the rest. You must do this for e-mail and web!

A student has a computer set up in a room with no phone connection and has purchased a “gadget” that makes the remote phone or computer modem a wireless connection. This saves the cost of having the phone company install a new phone extension outlet. The student is having problems getting and maintaining their Internet connection. Should you purchase one of these, test it thoroughly before the time allowed to return the item has expired. Older computers with 486 chips in them will give you grief trying to maintain an Internet connection in addition to being slow in general. I recommend the purchase of a new or upgraded older one that has a Pentium chip of 125 MHz or better clock speed. In addition, you may have problems upgrading a program such as Quicken if your computer is a 486.

When purchasing new hardware or software, look to see what the minimum requirements are. This will usually be on the outside of the carton. Often, there may be a requirement for Memory or Hard Drive that exceeds your computer’s specifications. You must make yourself aware of what you have before you try to add more hard or soft ware. For instance, a student bought a new mouse with a PS-2 connection. This is a small round connector with a diameter about the size of a dime. He took it home only to find that he has a Serial Mouse (a oblong connection similar to the printer connection but about one half the length), and no PS-2 port. Save your receipts!

Many people have trouble with their scanners. They get the message that the computer “can’t find” the scanner. One tip is to reboot and then immediately try to scan. Another is to try the “Imaging” software in your accessories to make the scan. Another problem arises when you want to switch your scanner to a new computer with Windows XP installed. The scanner may not be compatible. Check the manufacturers web site. If you have already purchased the computer, you may have to buy a different scanner. If you do, see that it is compatible before purchase.

Here is another interesting one. If you are installing a new background for your Desktop and you are getting the image from a floppy, be sure to save it to your hard drive first. If you do not, it will not show up when you take the floppy out.

If you begin to type a long document or manuscript in word, designate a new file for it at the beginning so you can continue to “save” to it as you type. If you run into any problems, you will only lose a minimum of text if you have to shut down.

I really cannot find a lot wrong with Compaq computers, but it seems to me that if you want to make any major changes in the configuration you may run into problems. In a recent case, we tried to add a different graphics card and then the computer refused to shut down. The technician I consulted said that this might be the result of the proprietary nature of the Compaq components, while other manufacturers use standard components that are more easily changed.

A student complains that she was not able to get on the Internet. She goes back to the store where she bought it and they tell her that she needs a new modem. I am asked to install the modem. The computer is new and has Windows XP installed. I know this Operating System is very “smart” and so when I ask it to check the modem, it says it is OK. Next, I try to get on-line and cannot. I assume that the Service Provider software has been affected by something going on that I have not yet discovered. I uninstall the software via the Add/Remove program on the Control Panel. After reinstallation, the Internet appears when requested and the problem is solved. I do not know what may have changed the software. I ask the student to try it and she agrees that it works. I ask her to close the Internet connection. She confuses the shut down of the computer with the procedure to turn off the Internet. She has been shutting down the computer without getting off the Internet! I believe that this created the problem in the software and I then showed her how to properly turn off the Internet before turning off the computer. No new problems arise.

Sure, you can learn from other people’s mistakes. I do!

Hobie Lunin is a computer instructor and consultant and can be reached at mouseclix2@yahoo.com