Smart Nouveau Computer Tips #1 - July, 2002
By Jeff Sheets
I realize that computers and cars are similar in lots of ways, but one interesting aspect that both share is the cultural learning curve. When automobiles first appeared at the turn of the last century, if you weren't a mechanic with a reasonable knowledge of the workings of your chosen vehicle, then it was foolhardy to drive it anywhere. Something simple as not knowing to check the oil could be a disaster that would destroy your very expensive hobby. As more and more automobiles appeared on the scene, it became apparent that having a mechanic nearby was just as important as having a doctor nearby. Thanks to Henry Ford, cars became more dependable and at the same time, public knowledge about the general maintenance of a vehicle increased. It wasn't until the end of WWII that automobiles became dependable enough to trust more than a good horse, on long trips, or in bad weather. WE ARE JUST NOW GETTING TO THAT POINT IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE HOME COMPUTER.
Meanwhile, we now have vehicles that almost drive themselves and run maintenance free (except for 10-minute oil changes) for over 100,000 miles. Fortunately, the evolution of the computer is moving much faster and it is likely that within 10 years we will be asking our computer things like: "does my tie match my suit?" and having it answer back in your favorite voice "yes, but you are in need of a hair trim" -- without ever having to defragment drives and reboot occasionally. Computers are not yet there, nor are we ready for them to be.
The technology of the computer also has a dark side. Identity theft is becoming commonplace, aided by computer crackers, while surveillance into your personal lives by crooks and government alike is a looming threat. There will be laws to curtail this sort of thing, but laws are typically only observed by the law abiding among us, so it is our responsibility to learn what we can to protect ourselves and to leverage the power that comes with our newfound gift of technology.
Knowing computers is a little like knowing automobiles or electronics, because on any given weekend it is likely that someone will call me, asking for help with their problem...you auto and electronics techs know what I mean. I am glad to help, but much more inspired when someone goes on to learn the computer well enough to work through their own projects.
That is the spirit of this newsletter. I will try to come up with new tips every month from questions I have been asked and problems I run into. If you have specific questions, email me at sheetsj@smartnouveau.com and I promise to answer every question. If you want to search through a list of previous tips, then come visit the Smart Nouveau Design web page. I hope that everyone can find their own level of enjoyment or utility from the home computer, whether PC or Mac.
Tip For Beginners
Icons and your desktop housekeeping - Icons are the buttons on your desktop that you must double-click (2click) to run a program on your computer. Look for a little curved arrow design on the lower left corner of your icons. An arrow means that this icon is a shortcut to a file, no arrow means that it is actually a program or data file.
Either way, you should be able to 2click it and get some results. The difference is that a shortcut is a way to keep the data or program in some other place on your hard drive, but still be able to access it from the shortcut on your desktop.
Shortcuts can be deleted easily without harming the actual program or data on your computer. Is your desktop cluttered with shortcuts that are of no use to you? You can delete them. Click once to light it up (highlight it) and hit the delete key on your keyboard.
There are lots of ways to create shortcuts. One is to right-click to open the right-click menu and choose New, then choose Shortcut from the next level (flyout menu) when it appears (remember that right-click is your friend). This opens a wizard (guided tour) that helps you associate the shortcut with the program or data file. Follow directions and finish. Watch as the new shortcut appears on your desktop.
Another way is to use the virtual clipboard on your computer. Find the program or data file on your hard drive, click to highlight, and copy it to the virtual clipboard (more on this in a later edition) by performing a keyboard command: hold the control key down (on the keyboard labeled "Ctrl") while you tap the C key. Now hold your cursor over your desktop and right-click for your menu and choose Paste Shortcut. Watch as the new shortcut appears on your desktop.
Tip For Those Who Know Just Enough to be Dangerous
We really don't need a floppy drive very often but it can be a pain when it fails. Most bad disks are really bad or dirty drives that cause errors on any disk you insert. Danger: If you have valuable data on a floppy and put it into a bad or dirty drive, you may lose some or all information on the disk. Get it out of there immediately, put it into a known good drive, and run a Scandisk on it (and you MAY save it).
Find and purchase your own floppy drive cleaning disk kit ($3-5) for these situations. If you find that brand new disks are coming up bad when you try to copy files, especially 2 or more in a row, use the cleaning kit first before blaming the disks. If the drive still causes errors, then try the disk on a known working drive such as on another computer. This will help you narrow the problem down.
If the drive is indeed bad, put a crowbar in your wallet and spend the $9-15 for a new one. They are easy to replace, just remember that the stripe on the ribbon connector is pin #1 and that the power connector will not go on backwards. Other than that it is just practice on the Phillips screwdriver.
Tip For Those Who Can Destroy And Subsequently Resurrect a Computer at Will
Stuck reinstalling Windows 98 from scratch AGAIN? Consider purchasing the latest version of Drive Image® or Norton Ghost® for AFTER you reinstall (more about these in later tips). Now for the problem at hand: Rather than install the system from the CD-ROM (after booting from a floppy) try this:
The install will now go faster AND you have now included your install disk in the build, saving you from having to pop it in the drive every time you install a printer etc. AND on P-4 machines, it avoids having to slow down the processor during the install.