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This section will expand when I have more time to dedicate to it. If you have a question that is not yet covered here then please Email me via the Contact link above
| 1. |
| I thought Windows 2000 could hibernate, like Windows XP does. |
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Yes, there is the option to Hibernate Windows 2000 the same as in Windows XP but this is not automatically an option on the shutdown menu. To enable Hibernate go to the Start menu - Settings - Control Panel - Power Options - Hibernate tab & check the Enable Hibernate Support box. Once this is enabled you will have the Hibernate option on the drop down list on the shutdown menu. Hibernate should work on most modern ATX PC`s . I like this feature because you can keep programs open & when you resume Windows you are presented with the programs in the same state that you left them. If you use a dual or multi boot system you will not be able to boot to another OS if you have Windows 2000 or XP in Hibernate Mode, it is required that you shutdown the OS before using another. |
| 2. |
| My Computer is running slow, can I do anything to speed it up? (1) |
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One reason for programs running slowly could be a VIRUS. Always ensure that you have a good virus checking software installed & that the virus definition files are kept up to date. If you don't have a virus scanner installed never install one unless you are sure that your PC is virus free. Instead you need to use a boot disc with a virus scanner. Some virus checkers come with these discs. Check out AVG anti-virus by Grisoft. The best way to install a virus checker is just after a clean installation of Windows. I was recently asked to have a look at a PC that was running very slowly so I checked it for a virus & found 151 instances of one virus & 3 instances of another. This PC had two virus checkers installed, which should never be done, but also the virus definition files had not been kept up to date, hence 154 viruses. This PC has since been nursed back to full health. |
| 3. |
| My Computer is running slow, can I do anything to speed it up? (2) |
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If you use your computer to access the Internet, you may be infected with spyware or adware. These are sometime malicious programs that install themselves on your PC without your knowledge. You can rid yourself of these nasty programs by running a spyware removal program such as Ad-Aware
There are other programs like this about, but be aware that some are not to be trusted. If you receive a pop-up when you are browsing the internet, warning you that you are infected by spyware, do not under any circumstances install the software that the pop-up is asking you to install. This will install further harmful programs on to your computer. Run Ad-Aware or similar immediately to remove these threats to your security. |
| 4. |
| My Computer is running slow, can I do anything to speed it up? (3) |
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One thing that may help is to defragment your hard drive. To do this go to the Start menu - Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Disk Defragmenter. Ensure that you don't have a screen saver enabled as this will stop the program from running in Windows 98/ME. Another way to start the defragmenter is to open my computer, right click on the drive you wish to defragment, go to properties & click on the tools tab, here you have three options, run scandisk, backup or disk defragmenter. It is considered good practice to defragment your hard drive about once a month. Large, badly fragmented disks can take a very long time to defragment. Other defragmenters are available & normally work much quicker than the Windows 98/ME alternative. In Windows 2000/XP the defragmenter program is much better than previous versions. However, I would recommend getting a third party program, such as the excellent Diskeeper from Executive Software. |
| 5. |
| Can I dual boot my PC? |
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Yes, you can dual boot your PC. This can be achieved in a number of ways & depends on what operating systems that you wish to use. Please Email me via the Contact link & I can guide you through the process. |
| 6. |
| Is Linux difficult to learn? I really want to try it, but don't want to get rid of Windows until I know more about it. |
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Linux is not that difficult to learn. Since Linux was first introduced to the computer world back in 1991, it has come on in leaps & bounds. There are many Linux distributions available, but I think one of the best for the beginner is Ubuntu. You do not need to get rid of Windows before you install Linux, as Linux is able to set up a boot menu for you to boot into both operating systems. You can also boot into Linux from a Live CD, that enables you to try it out before you decide to install it. Contact me for more information. |
| 7. |
| I have tried to connect my computer to my home network, but I have been unable to get a connection to the other machines on my network. |
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You need to make sure that all machines on your network are on the same workgroup or domain. This would mostly be a workgroup for normal home use. You will also need to make sure that your firewall is not blocking your access to the network. A quick way to do this is to turn the firewall off temporarily & see if you can connect to the other machines on your network. If you can, you will need to configure the firewall to allow access. |
| 8. |
| I want to produce PDF documents, but do not want to spend too much money doing so. Can this be done without purchasing Adobe Acrobat? |
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This can be achieved without spending any money at all. Go back to the downloads page & click on the link to download OpenOffice. Once installed start OpenOffice Writer. If you have a document that you would like to convert to PDF open it up & go to the File menu, from there you will see a menu item 'Export as PDF', Click on this & save your file as a PDF. Job done. |
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