Tech Q & A

– Submitted by Ken Kelley via The Tech Spot’s social networking site
A: Yes, definitely. The products are called USB hubs. They allow you to connect more than one device into a USB port. However, if you are in need of a USB hub, make sure you get a powered hub. Powered hubs provide more consistent power to any USB device plugged into it, which should lead to greater reliability with those USB devices.

One product I just found out about recently looks great for iMac users, the iLynx hub. It is $60 and is powered, but does not require an external power supply, since it plugs into both USB and Firewire. The wedge shape allows it to fit perfectly in the base of the iMac. This makes it very convenient and stylish.

If you have any questions you would like answered, feel free to submit them at The Tech Spot’s social networking site. Your question may be reprinted here next month!

– Submitted by many
A: For a myriad of reasons, people often want to connect their computers to a TV. Depending on the type of computer and TV one has, this can be very simple or quite difficult. The good news is that as more people own HDTVs, this task becomes easier and easier. But even those users that own older TVs can still often connect their computers to their TVs.

Ideally, if your computer has a DVI output, you can connect your computer to your HDTV with the use of a DVI-HDMI converter cable. Since both DVI and HDMI support digital signals, this type of connection delivers the best possible picture quality and ease of use. Some computers on the market and a few laptops actually have HDMI connectors, which makes the connection even simpler.

If your computer does not have a digital output or your TV is not an HDTV, then things can become tricky. Some TVs have a “computer” or VGA input. If you are lucky enough to have a TV with a VGA input, then simply connect your computer to the TV with a VGA cable. If your TV does not have a VGA input, then you must resort to attempting an s-video or composite connection from your PC – if your PC has these types of outputs. If your computer only has a VGA output and your TV does not have a VGA input, then you may be out of luck. There are adapters available to convert a VGA signal to an s-video or composite signal, but these can be fairly pricey and the quality of the signal only so-so. You’d probably be better off purchasing a new video card that supports a more direct connection as described above.

As usual, you can submit any technology questions you may have to me by e-mail, but now you can also post questions on The Tech Spot’s new on-line community!

– Submitted by Danny Ruppert, Bright Commercial Lighting

A: It seems that there have been a rash of utilities being released lately that promise to fix various Windows problems, primarily revolving around the optimization or “cleaning” of the Windows registry. The registry is basically a central database of Windows settings and configurations. It is true that if the registry gets corrupted many problems can result. However, whether any of these utilities actually help or hurt is another question.

Generally, I view with distrust any utility that claims it can automatically keep the Windows registry “clean”. The registry is quite complex and different for every computer. While general techniques can be applied to clean out unneeded entries, the truth is that you can do more harm than good by fiddling with the registry. Even if you do succeed in keeping the registry trim without causing any direct problems, any benefits you receive are probably minimal. In general, only significantly corrupted registries cause any performance or reliability problems, and by that point, most automated utilities aren’t going to help. It generally takes an experienced technician to be able to narrow down and fix a particular problem with the registry. At The Tech Spot, we take the approach of doing a very simple registry clean up with our Computer Tune-Up service. Our thought is that small, periodic clean-ups are most effective at preventing registry problems. In addition, we perform our Tune-Ups only after we’ve done a complete computer backup plus an additional backup of the registry before we clean it. This way if any problems occur we can revert to the backups, keeping your data and computer safe.

Another similar software making the rounds are automatic driver update utilities. These utilities keep you informed of driver updates and may even automatically apply the updates for you. “Drivers” are the software that control various hardware and peripherals in your computer. Similar to my thoughts on registry cleaners, I feel that drivers are best left alone unless you have a particular reason to update. I take the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. New drivers, while they can contain fixes and performance improvements, can also introduce new bugs or performance issues. Newer isn’t always better and again, mucking around with drivers can cause more problems than it can solve.

One way you can generally tell if a company’s software is legitimate is by the way they advertise. The more hyped up they make their claims seem, the more I distrust them. Also, if you ever see software like this being advertised by a junk e-mail, be extremely careful. If a company stoops low enough to send spam, I become very wary of any product they are selling.

As usual, please submit any technology questions you may have and your question may be featured in this newsletter!

– Submitted by many

A: This is another example of a question where the answer has changed over time. Since technology has evolved so rapidly, an answer that was valid only a few years ago many be completely wrong today! And in particular, this topic seems to generate a lot of confusion.

While in the past, battery technology required that users regularly discharge the battery almost all the way down prior to charging to avoid the “memory effect”, today’s laptop batteries have virtually eliminated that requirement. A good web site that explains how to maintain laptop batteries is here. While this web site pertains to Apple laptops, the concepts should apply to most brands. To be completely sure, you will need to contact your manufacturer. Basically, most notebooks today can be charged and discharged as you please, with the exception of leaving the laptop plugged in almost all the time. Again, read the web site for a more detailed explanation.

Note, however, that not all electronics use this type of battery technology. I have an electric razor that recommends that it be drained nearly all the way before charging it. So it is always a good idea to read instructions that come with your electronics to make sure how the battery should be maintained.

As usual, please submit any technology questions you may have and your question may be featured in this newsletter!

– Submitted by Dr. Renata Regalado, Smile Center Orthodontics

A: This is an excellent question. First, to ask this question at all means that you at least have a backup system which puts you in a much better position than most people and businesses. Secondly, of those that do have a backup system, too many simply assume their backup is working. There is no worse feeling than finding out your backup system had a problem and you can not recover the data you expected to. Ultimately, there is only one way to know 100% for sure that your backup is working. But for most situations, the answer depends on the type of data you are backing up and also your trust of the backup system you currently have.

The only 100% way to know for sure that your data backup is working properly is to test restoring the data. For word processing, spreadsheet, or other data types that are stored as simple files, this can be a very straightforward process, assuming the user has a good grasp of how to use their backup software and file management procedures. For other more complex data types or for businesses that have networked systems, this may not be such a simple process. Test restorations in these cases usually require the help of their technology consultant.

Regardless of the complexity of performing a test restore, it is usually not feasible to perform one every single day. Every situation is different, but usually doing a test restore every 3 to 6 months is good practice. However, if your business is still using tape drives to do a backup, more frequent test restores are a good idea. Tape cartridges can wear out over time. Unfortunately, while not too common, it is possible that a tape will not show any signs of failure until a restore is attempted. It is much better to weed out bad tapes during testing than during an actual loss of data. Hard drive-based backups are more reliable overall and therefore test restores can be done on the 3 to 6 month interval.

In between those times, the best that can be done is to review the log files that your backup software generates. For critical data, these logs should be reviewed daily, especially if using tape drives. For less critical data, logs can be reviewed at a minimum weekly. Of course, busy business owners shouldn’t be expected to do this. Oftentimes, log files can contain information that can be confusing to non-technology professionals. Fortunately, many backup softwares can e-mail log files to your technology professional so they can keep an eye on your backup.

So to sum up, the only way to know 100% for sure is to do test restores of your data. But more practically, by keeping an eye on your backup software’s log files in between testing your backup, you can be reasonably sure your backup is working. And of course, if you run a business, your technology professional should be actively involved in monitoring your backups.

As usual, please submit any technology questions you may have and your question may be featured in this newsletter!

A: Buying an external drive is certainly one way to free up some space on the internal hard drive of your computer. However, while this method might seem simple, it could end up being more confusing and problematic than anticipated.

The first thing to make clear is that adding an external hard drive does not simply “extend” the space on the main hard drive. To actually make more room on the internal drive, data must be manually moved from the internal to the external drive and then deleted from the internal. The immediate problem most users will face is deciding what data to move from the internal to the external drive. Many users will have difficulty figuring out what data is taking up the most space on the hard drive. To complicate matters, in some cases a system problem is the cause of excessive drive usage. So if a user can’t effectively clean up their main drive, an external drive really hasn’t solved anything.

The second problem with moving data to an external drive is keeping track of what data resides on which drive. Having some data on an external drive can be confusing, especially when a computer is shared among several users. Again, since an external drive is a separate drive from the internal, it doesn’t simply extend the space of the internal drive. Users must decide when to save or store data on the internal vs the external drive and then remember what they did later.

A word of warning while I’m on this topic: external hard drives are in NO WAY any more reliable than internal drives! I say this because I’ve had many clients copy their data to an external drive as a backup but then remove the data from the internal drive. They thought the data was somehow safer on the external. While I certainly recommend using an external drive as part of an automated backup plan, the point of a backup is to have at least two copies of your valuable data in case one copy is lost. If your only copy of data is on an external drive, it isn’t really a backup. An external hard drive is just as likely to fail as an internal drive, which many an unwitting user has found out the hard way.

My recommendation to increase the storage on an internal hard drive is to replace it. However, when replacing an internal drive, the entire contents of the old drive should be properly copied to the new one, a process called cloning. By cloning, users will not need to reinstall their operating system and software. And by replacing an older internal drive, not only will the user increase the space of their main hard drive, they will also likely extend the practical life of their computer.

The only problem with replacing an internal drive and cloning the data is that it is usually not simple enough for an average user to perform. The good news is that qualified technicians should be able to perform this service for a reasonable fee, including parts and labor. This service, which I call a Hard Drive Transplant, is often not much more than the cost of a quality external hard drive alone, and is certainly a whole lot cheaper than the cost of recovering from a crashed hard drive.

Send in your technology questions to Marcel and have them answered in a future newsletter!

A: The answer is technically yes, but perhaps more correctly the answer is are you sure you want to do that? First off, Apple does not provide or support a method of transferring music from an iPod to a computer. I don’t believe Apple has officially given a reason for this, but it is widely assumed that the major record labels specifically forbade Apple from implementing a feature like this in an attempt to avoid music piracy. However, there are third party software programs available that can accomplish this. Some of these software packages can also transfer your playlists from your iPod. But the reality is that most of the time people really don’t need to spend any money on extra software to transfer their music.

Usually it seems I get this question from people who have purchased a new computer. They want to use iTunes on their new computer and think they need to move the music from their iPod. The simple solution is to transfer their iTunes “library” folder from their old computer to their new one. It doesn’t even matter if your old computer was a PC and your new computer is a Mac. Once the iTunes library is moved from the old computer to the new one, iTunes will automatically recognize all your old music and playlists.

FYI, the process of moving the iTunes library from an old computer to a new one might be a bit daunting for some users. We at The Tech Spot offer to transfer documents, including the iTunes library folder, for free with the purchase of a new computer.

Send in your technology questions to Marcel and have them answered in a future newsletter!

A: In so many words this was an absolutely real question we received from a customer that walked into our store the other day. I’ll explain the situation in a moment, but I am using this question to send a warning out this holiday shopping season to those who are looking to buy iPods over the Internet.

The customer came into our store asking about a new iPod Nano they had just purchased on eBay. She was suspicious that the iPod was not real. At first glance, this certainly seemed like a real iPod. But it quickly became obvious that this was not a real iPod but instead a very realistic looking counterfeit. The iPod and documentation had Apple logos all over them and the packaging looked realistic. However, the iPod did not have the fit and finish that real iPods do and the user interface was definitely not an iPod interface.

This customer was savvy enough to recognize that something was wrong. However, I’m afraid that some other poor souls have purchased counterfeit iPods and not known the difference. Or even worse, perhaps they were purchased as gifts. So please, if you are going to purchase items like iPods over the Internet, please be extremely careful. Make sure you are buying from a reputable vendor. And be very wary of prices that sound too good to be true. Apple products for certain are not allowed to be sold at a discount, so if you see Apple products that are being sold for less than the Apple standard price, you can be certain that the vendor is not an Apple-authorized dealer.

To help with your holiday technology gift buying, make sure to attend our class Tuesday, November 11th. We will go over various topics to help you make the right decisions and get the right gifts this holiday season. If you can’t make the class, feel free to contact me with your questions.

– Submitted by many
A: This is one of the most common points of confusion for computer users. The problem is that the term “memory” can technically be used correctly when referring to several different technologies. So many users do not know exactly what the term memory refers to. And other users think that hard drive capacity is the same thing as memory. Therefore, to help users avoid confusion, I will try to clarify what the different technologies refer to.

First, the most common use of the term memory refers to RAM (random access memory). RAM, technically “main RAM”, is your computer’s working space. The amount of RAM in your computer determines how efficiently your computer runs, especially when opening many programs or large files at one. Imagine working at a very small desk. All the things you need may not fit on the desk. You would need to take some things off the desk to put other things on it. This is much less efficient than if you had a larger desk with everything you needed easily within reach. Similarly, a computer without enough RAM has to go through a process of data swapping, which slows it down significantly.

Hard drive capacity, also referred to as hard drive “space” or storage, is not the same thing as RAM, therefore in common usage it is not correct to refer to hard drive capacity as “memory”. Your computer’s hard drive capacity determines how much data you can keep on your computer. Data stored on your hard drive is considered “non-volatile” since you can turn off your computer and the data stays on your hard drive. But of course, a hard drive problem can result in data loss, so as usual, please have a good backup plan.

So to sum up to this point, memory = RAM, storage, capacity, space = hard drive. However, there is a new point of potential confusion. In the last few years a technology called “flash memory” has become very commonplace. The confusing part is that flash memory is generally used for storage, not RAM. Therefore users hear the term “flash memory” and may get it confused with RAM (and unfortunately, the industry also sometimes refers to it as “flash RAM”). To make it even more confusing, the popularity of USB flash drives throws another technology into the mix. Many users think that sticking a USB flash drive into their computer gives them more “memory”. As explained above, this does not give them more main RAM, which is what they may really need. So I suggest that we stick to the practice of calling USB flash drives as “drives”, not memory, since they are used primarily for storage.

The bottom line is to double-check with a competent technology professional if you believe you need more “memory”. Oftentimes, users think they need more “memory” because a friend told them or because they are considering the purchase of software that requires a certain amount of RAM or hard drive space. While you can buy RAM or hard drives at office supply stores, I would not recommend using those places to get advice, as you can never be sure of the expertise of the sales people working the floor at any particular time. I have had many clients purchase the wrong technology because they weren’t sure what they really needed and the sales person didn’t have any real technology expertise to help them make the right decision. Consult your technology professional first and save time and money.

As usual, please submit any technology questions you may have and your decedents will forever praise your name!

– Submitted by many

A: Without getting too technical, 32-bit versions of Windows Vista have a hard limit of 4 GB of RAM, but due to technical reasons may only be able to use 2.5 to 3.5 GB of RAM. This means that even if you fill your computer with 4 GB of RAM or more, you will only be able to use between 2.5 and 3.5 depending on your computer. 64-bit versions of Vista can fully address from 8 GB to 128 GB of RAM, so in practice 64-bit Vista does not suffer from “the Vista memory limitation”. It would then seem that users should simply make sure they are purchasing a 64-bit versions of Vista to avoid memory limitations. However, it may not always be that simple.

A little background first on the Vista memory limitation. The 4 GB limitation is not unique to Vista. Windows XP and other 32-bit operating systems also have a 4 GB limit (FYI – there is a 64-bit version of Windows XP as well, but its use is very limited). This limit was never really an issue for most users as 4 GB was an extraordinary amount of RAM up until recently. Even today, 4 GB of RAM is a large amount of RAM, but it is no longer an unusual amount. The large memory demands of Vista can make 4 GB of RAM or more a realistic requirement for many power-users. So with the advent of Vista, the 2.5 to 3.5 GB memory limitation has suddenly became a problem for many more users than before. And while today it may only be a problem for power-users, history has shown that memory requirements for Windows operating systems grow steadily year to year. So it will likely become a much larger issue over the next couple of years.

So why can’t users simply purchase the 64-bit version of Vista and be done with the memory limitation? For many users 64-bit Vista may be a feasible solution. However, most computer purchasers have no idea that there is a memory limitation, much less the difference between 32 and 64-bit versions. Certainly, most big-box retail stores do not offer choices between 32 and 64-bit, nor would the sales associates necessarily even understand the technical differences. So many users are purchasing Vista computers without knowledge of this limitation and will not likely become aware of it until maybe a year or two down the road when their computers may require more RAM. At that point, the memory limitations of 32-bit Vista may become a problem.

Additionally, a similar problem looms over purchasers of many Vista laptops and some desktops. Many recent models and some models being sold today can only physically support 2 GB of RAM. I foresee that many Vista users will need new laptops after only a couple years of use as they begin to require more RAM than their computers will support.

Finally, even if a user can make the decision to purchase a 64-bit version of Vista, they must be careful to ensure that their existing software and peripherals will run under 64-bit Vista. Even if they are planning on purchasing all new software and peripherals, they will still need to ensure compatibility as not everything is 64-bit compatible yet. And going forward, they will need to be diligent that they are purchasing and installing 64-bit versions of new software to get the most out of their 64-bit computer. Again, many people have no idea what the difference between 32 and 64-bit software is, so we may begin to see performance problems with 64-bit computers running mostly 32-bit software in the not-too-distant future.

Already, Vista has 6 different versions (Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, Ultimate). Add to that the 64-bit versions of each – except Starter which only comes in 32-bit – and you have 11 different Vista versions to choose from! Confused yet? I know I may sound like I repeat myself sometimes in my articles, but perhaps the answer is to simply buy a Mac. Technology should make your life easier, not harder. When you purchase a Mac, you get one operating system that is fully 64-bit, does not suffer from memory limitations, or makes you deal with confusing 32/64-bit compatibility issues.

As usual, please submit any technology questions you may have and your question may be featured in this newsletter!