To 'defrag' or not to 'defrag ...

Howdy computin' sports fans! Yah .. I know, fashionably late .. again. .. I'm very sorry .. my Mom used to say .. "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get." Some of the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray ... another saying-ism.

So, without further adieu, let's get right to it.

Back about 20 years ago, it was argued that defragging and/or optimizing did not make for much in significant return vis a vis your computer's performance improvement. But, that was when hard drive storage capacity was measured in megabytes. 10, 20 and 40 megabtyes was common; 80, 100, and 200 megabytes was considered pretty massively *filthy* with wide open space. And so the hard drive's read/write head did not have to traverse much platter area to assemble file pieces and quickly put them together in one piece in computer memory/RAM. But that didn't stop me from arguing the point that, at the electronic level, it did make a difference. And it certainly reduced mechanical wear on your computer's hard drive by doing less work; a *lot* less work.

Today .. we are well into the Gigabyte(s) capacities of hard drives. And, it is now possible to get drives rated in the Terabyte(s) sizes. >>> Quick reminder .. a Megabyte is 1,000 Kilobytes, or 1 *million* bytes; a Gigabyte is 1,000 Megabytes, or 1 *billion* bytes; a Terabyte is 1,000 Gigabytes, or 1 *trillion* bytes of data. <<<

So .. with all that vast *HUGE* amount of space .. we have larger file sizes, and larger total amounts of files all over the hard drives. The more the drive is used for saving and recalling of files, the more those files are broken up into smaller and more numerous pieces. Thus, as mentioned above, your computer's hard drive works progressively harder and harder, and takes longer and longer to assemble all the file pieces and get them into RAM where you see them displayed on your screen to use them.

So the answer to the title of this post. Yes, absolutely .. defrag. And optimize! I would suggest a frequency of about once a week if you consider yourself a major computer user. And if you are a light to moderate-type user .. perhaps once per month will do fine.

And, you may ask, just what is the difference between defragging and optimizing..?

I am just pleased as punch that you asked! Well .. err .. yeah, I asked for you, but the question may have logically crossed your mind .. so .. Anyway ..

Defragging .. is simply using a program/application to reassemble all the file fragments back into one-piece *contiguous* files. So that the hard drive read/write head can grab the entire file all in one quick seek.

Optimizing .. is defragging, *plus* rearranging all the files on the drive in priority order with respect to what files the computer needs to access either first, or most often.

You will notice a *significant* difference in overall performance of your computer as a result.

My 2 favorite defrag/optimize applications are: on the Mac side .. iDefrag. And on the PC side .. Auslogics Disk Defrag. They are both *free* and available for download at: http://www.download.com/ Both programs will give you a nice color-coded graphic of real-time file reassembly and priority placement. (Aulogics Disk Defrag image below; the red areas indicate files that are in a fragmented state; the green is defragmented)

And this is a *good* thing .. so you can see why this makes very practical sense. It actually extends the life of your hard drive to save you some green .. And you're actually being more *green-minded* by using less energy for file search and assembly after the process is done.

And speakin' o' green .. next posting .. I'll be expounding on some stuff you can do to be more *green-conscious* while using your computer and its peripherals (printers, scanners, modems, monitors, etc.) .. So you will be able to see how you can have a 'green machine'!

So .. until next time .. this is Ol' Doc CPU sayin' .. have a *deelishus* computin' Thanksgiving!

;-)

P.S. >>> If you find yourself in the Easley, SC area any Sunday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. .. and feel like some good ol' fashioned *delicious* home cookin' buffet style at a really low price .. you might give some thought to stoppin' by my favorite restaurant out there.

Here's the website for the restaurant >>>http://www.sparrowsnest.com/sparrowmain.html Not only is the food made yummy fresh the same day, the dining rooms are an absolutely *beautiful* setting and wonderful environment to have a peaceful refreshing meal. Off the beaten path in a quiet country setting. And you just cannot beat the price for all you can eat. Check it out! It's where I get my vittles from .. and they don't pay me 1 cent to say this .. it's just that good!!

And they're doin' *Holiday Buffets* too! Jus' give 'em a call to make reservations for your Christmas Day Dining Delight! Home cookin' take out too!

;-)

***LIGHTNING*** & Other Hardware HORRORS!!

Ooooh .. scary ...

Ahh .. not so much .. if you're equipped and prepared.

Many computin' folks are under the impression .. that .. if you have a surge protector hooked up between the wall and your computer .. you are protected as well as need be.

EHHH!! I'm sorry, that would be a wrong assumption.

Because .. the common garden variety surge protector only protects from *electrical* oddities that are made by humans. Not .. the much more hazardous type .. that comes from the sky.

Surge protectors are basically designed to guard against the small electrical surges and any additional phenomena such as spurious line noise that comes from your electric company.

And, due to the natural aging of the earth-element components in a surge protector, it has been documented that if your surge protector has been in use for about 2 years, it has become much less effective and therefore should be replaced by a new one.

So .. why not replace it with its larger brother .. the UPS (not the store) .. uninterruptible power supply with battery backup..? It may cost a bit more .. but it *protects* your computer *from* a LOT more .. namely, lightning. And, if the power goes out, either due to a storm or some other sort of electrical grid malfunction .. your computer will still remain up and *uninterrupted* for a small amount of time, so you can save what you're doing and shut down in the normal way.

In fact, the protection from *lightning* is done so well, manufacturers of the UPS units guarantee them in the 10's of *thousands* of dollar-range. Such that, if your computer is hooked up to the battery backed connection, and lightning gets through and destroys it, you get the money to replace it .. and then some!

The UPS units start around $30, depending on where you buy them. Quite a comparitively small sum to pay to support a much more *valuable* investment .. your computer. If you elect to pay more, you get more 'up time' when the power goes out.

I have one. I've had it on during *furious* lightning and thunder occurring right outside my window. And even when the strongest bolts of lightning struck .. even if the power blinked or went out .. all I heard was a *beep* from my UPS unit. But the computer .. rock solid. The monitor didn't even blink; the computer kept happily humming right along. Like nothing in the least was wrong with it's supply of power or the weather.

And what a feeling of confidence and calm for the human as well.

One thing to remember when you buy one .. when you get the UPS home .. check to make sure that its internal battery terminals have the proper negative and positive wires attached. They are usually shipped unattached for safety reasons. Then .. plug it into the a/c outlet by itself to let it charge overnight so it will get a full charge before you plug the computer into it.

Some of the UPS units come with additional battery backed plug-ins, and additional non-battery backed plug-ins; make sure what you want to plug in at each location. The plug-in locations are typically labeled as to whether they are battery backed or not. As well, some of the UPS units also come with additional phone jack plug-ins, so you can route a phone connection thru it for surge protection too.

***STATIC ELECTRICITY***

Another computer component killer.

One of the best things you can do to protect against static electricity damage to your computer .. make sure it is not sitting on a carpeted floor. This is especially bad in the winter months when the air is dryer. Simply raise it slightly off the carpet by using a piece of plywood, thick cardboard, or an anti-static floormat.

Also .. when you come in after driving in your car, and you walk across that carpet to your computer desk .. before you touch the keyboard .. you might think about touching some metal on the chair, or a pipe, or anything to discharge that static electricity that is on you. That way, you won't transfer it to your computer through the keyboard or similar path. Logically .. this would not apply to a wireless keyboard and mouse.

Another small bit of maintenance you might consider doing about every 3 months .. get a can of air, open up your computer, and blow it out thoroughly. Cleaning the processor and power supply fans will help the computer run cooler. But the removal of *dust bunnies* and blowing the dust off the motherboard and out of the computer will also aid in defense against damage from static electricity. Because .. lurking among the dust molecules, there can be some *conducting* particles of dust that could possibly cause a short across the very small space between the legs of the computer chips.

So .. now you know how to prevent **HARDWARE HORRORS** .. see..? Not so bad huh..?

NEXT POST >>> To Defrag or Not to Defrag..? That is the question .. the answer is coming ...

So until next time .. here's wishing you *HAPPY COMPUTIN'*!!

Ol' Doc CPU

''o))

P.S. >>> If you find yourself in the Easley, SC area any Sunday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. .. and feel like some good ol' fashioned *delicious* home cookin' buffet style at a really low price .. you might give some thought to stoppin' by my favorite restaurant out there.

Here's the website for the restaurant >>>http://www.sparrowsnest.com/sparrowmain.html Not only is the food made yummy fresh the same day, the dining rooms are an absolutely *beautiful* setting and wonderful environment to have a peaceful refreshing meal. Off the beaten path in a quiet country setting. And you just cannot beat the price for all you can eat. Check it out! It's where I get my vittles from .. and they don't pay me 1 cent to say this .. it's just that good!!

The *Inside* Story

Once again .. our hero *rockets in* .. just slightly behind the space-time continuum ...

Welp .. my Mom always said, "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get."

Or like John Lennon said,

"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans..."

Sorry for the extended delay .. some urgent stuff has been happening external to this blog.

So, today .. we are talkin' guts! What's in the guts of your computer..?

It has been said, "A picture paints a thousand words.." So, I've taken some nifty keenareeno digital pix of some neato digital electronics! And here they are ...

RAM .. not too scary lookin' huh? These RAM printed circuit cards are basically what your RAM stuff looks like. What you're also looking at is the electronic equivalent of your desktop, or scratch pad. If you'll recall from one of the previous posts, when you call for a file from the hard drive, this is where the computer puts that file .. from the filing cabinet (hard drive) to your desktop (RAM).

And .. the reason you want to *save* a file back to the hard drive after working on it, is because .. when you quit your program or application, or restart or turn your computer off, the contents of RAM is erased .. wiped .. blitzed .. bupkis! So saving to the hard drive is a good thing! It's kinda like your file's home away from home .. just like the USO when i was in various sailor towns .. but that was long ago and many salt sprays away .. and could be the subject of another blog.

And now to the hard drive. This particular model weighs in at 160 Gigabytes. It took long walks in a very highly *heated* environment .. thus, having failed by being subjected to overheating conditions, it now spends its days outside its favorite computer performing its duty of ever-faithful paperweight.

And the bottom view ..

So .. there's the storage stuff.

Now let's dig a bit deeper. How 'bout that famous legendary technical name .. the *motherboard*..? Woooo .. this piece of printed circuitry has struck *fear* in the hearts and bank accounts of many mild mannered computer users, when they've heard the fateful words, "' looks like your *motherboard* has failed; we'll need to replace it." Well .. it's really not so scary. Because, 1 .. a motherboard failure is rare .. and 2 .. motherboards are a *lot* less costly than they used to be. Here comes one now ...

Oh sure .. there's lots of stuff in there .. wires, fans, slots for things, cables, etc. But we'll just look at a few of the main features of the motherboard and where they're located.

Here .. is one of the *most* important key components on your motherboard .. a battery. Why does my computer need a *battery* you ask..? Well .. if you ever find yourself in a situation where you are dateless. Not for the High School Prom or anything like that. I mean, if you find that your computer is not keeping the right date and time .. it means that this little disc battery has died and needs replacing. Because, among a few other settings in your computer, it also keeps your date and time up to date when your

computer is turned off.

And by the way, that RAM we looked at up above .. it's got a neat little place it calls home on the motherboard .. slots made especially for the RAM. And FYI, all the printed circuit cards that plug into the motherboard .. guess what they're called? If you guessed *daughter cards* .. you win the *smarts* prize of the day! Pictured to the right are the 2 RAM slots for this motherboard .. other motherboards that support larger amounts of RAM will have more slots.

Okay .. on to another set of daughter card slots. These other slots can take a number of different types of daughter cards. Cards that have dial-up modems on them, USB cards, and in this particular case .. a video card. Video cards will also have connectors that will extend through the rear of the computer case. Here's the pic below:

The topmost daughter card is a video card. It helps to have a video card to improve imaging performance on your monitor. This is also referred to as 'screen refresh' rate. When not using a video card, a portion of RAM is used to assemble the video image. So, it follows, that if you have a dedicated card for video, you leave more RAM for other tasks that the computer performs. Also .. 3 slots down from the video card in this picture .. a smaller card .. it's a dial-up modem card. Also with external connectors for the rear of the computer.

Another gizmo on the motherboard, in fact the motherboard's *main brain* .. the processor. In the picture to the right, we are looking at the top view of the processor. So all we can see is the fan. Immediately beneath the fan is the heat sink; usually made from molded aluminum; with upright fins to dissipate the heat from the processor. And beneath the heat sink is the actual processor. You may notice that the fan has collected some dust and stuff. This a *very good reason* for opening up your trusty computer and, using a can of compressed air that can be purchased at either computer stores or office supply stores, blast away at the proverbial 'dust bunnies' and other surfaces where nasty old dust has accumulated. Doing so will help your computer to run *cooler* and last a lot longer as a function of reduced heat stress on the components. As well, micro-sized conducting debris and related static electricity has been documented to cause short circuits and therefore electronic damage to sensitive parts.

Speaking of parts that should be taken care of, which contains another fan to keep clean so that it will remain as cool as can be .. the power supply! Since computer parts are powered primarily by DC (direct current) power, the power supply is needed to convert the AC (alternating current) that comes from the A/C socket in your wall to DC. Here's a nifty pic of a power supply.

Oh yes .. lots of wires coming out of it. Some go to power the hard drives, CD/DVD drives, and on older computers .. the floppy drives. Other wires go directly to the motherboard to supply various amounts of DC as required by the electronic components.

And here's a pic of the DC power wiring that goes to power the drives in the drive bay that houses the drives.

Okey dokey .. like they usetah tell me in the Navy .. "That oughta keepya busy for a microsecond." And it was a compliment. Because they knew I'd be wanting to learn more real soon.

And speakin' of which .. I've decided, as you can probably tell by the long lapse since the last post .. to reduce the rate of post-ups to one every 1 to 2 months. That way, you have time to study and absorb some of this stuff a bit longer before some *new stuff* pops up. And I will have longer to dig up a new and hopefully *interesting* topic. It will also allow me to attend to other things that exist in my non-computer-kahuna life that are needing attention.

So that wraps it up for this session. NEXT TIME .. I will recall what I forgot .. namely, how to protect your computer from *lightning* and other hardware horrors.

Please stay tuned .. like The Terminator said .. "Ahll be bahk."

Your ol' computin' pal,

Ol' Doc CPU

''o))

P.S. >>> If you find yourself in the Easley, SC area any Sunday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. .. and feel like some good ol' fashioned *delicious* home cookin' buffet style at a really low price .. you might give some thought to stoppin' by my favorite restaurant out there.

Here's the website for the restaurant >>>http://www.sparrowsnest.com/sparrowmain.html Not only is the food made yummy fresh the same day, the dining rooms are an absolutely *beautiful* setting and wonderful environment to have a peaceful refreshing meal. Off the beaten path in a quiet country setting. And you just cannot beat the price for all you can eat. Check it out! It's where I get my vittles from .. and they don't pay me 1 cent to say this .. it's just that good!!

The *Need for Speed* (on the internet)

Okay .. 1st off .. sorry for the 2 week lapse instead of 1 week. Coupla reasons .. i got a bit busy performing surgery on a few computers. And 2, i wanted to make sure i had an idea for the post entry after this one. So you'd have something with which to tantalize your brain cells.

So, let's get right into it.

Modems .. hmm .. i wonder just what percentage of the population have dial-up modems anymore?

Because the majority of folks connecting to the internet today .. have some form of high-speed transmission and reception of databits.

For those of you that do have dial-up, here are a few tips:

1> Whether you have an internal or external phone modem, please make sure that your data rate is at the maximum for dial-up. That is 57,600 bps (bits per second). You could check this in either the paper manual or the CD documentation that came with the modem. You could also verify the speed by monitoring the speed of a download with a piece of program software that is designed to do such. Or, you could find a website that will test the speed online for you. http://www.speedtest.net/ is one such.

2> It is best to use a *separate* phone line for your dial-up modem. This is so that if someone tries to make a phone call on the same line, your modem's signal will not be interrupted and cut off from the internet. This is also helpful if you have a fax modem, to ensure uninterrupted fax transmissions and receptions as well.

3> Be sure to disable "call waiting" on the line that the modem is using; the "call waiting" signal will also knock the modem out of kilter. This can be done inside the modem program that you are using. Or, if you are using the same line as the one used for dialing calls, you can disable "call waiting" by entering a special *-code into the phone line using the touch tone keypad while you have the phone off the hook. You can find the correct *-codes either in your phone book, or by online search, or by contacting your local phone company.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Now .. on to the preferred choice for data transmission and reception.

It is not only preferred by the majority of computer users on the planet for the simple speed advantage. But it is my *personal* preference due to what that higher speed gives you that may not be readily apparent.

The purpose of a computer is to do the repetitive tasks as *fast* as it possibly can .. to sort of relieve the human of those menial data labors. Computers keep getting faster just about every 3-6 months currently. So, it follows that, logically, you would want to be able to move your computer data to and from the internet (including email) as *swiftly* as possible as well.

Well then .. if your computer was given the sentient ability to choose the speed *it* preferred to use when going out and coming back .. it would chooose the *fastest* speed available. Because, the faster a task can be completed as a function of computer speed and internet communication speed .. the sooner the *human* can get up from the computer chair and get back to doing the human stuff. And doesn't that make computin' a lot nicer..?

So, what speeds are available in the high speedosphere..?

Currently, the low-end speed is 768kbps. Doesn't seem like much if we look back at that other number >>> 57,600 bps does it? But it is. Because 57,600 bps translates to 57kbps. So, that makes the 768 K bps *13 times* faster! Woohoo!

About 20 years ago, when i got off dial-up and switched to high-speed .. i was blown away by the speed difference! And vowed to *never* go back to dial-up.

Unfortunately, to get to this 768kbps plateau, the typical cost will be about $10/month more. But, if you are dedicating an extra phone line for just your dial-up modem, you can *offset* that extra cost by simply stopping the subscription for the 2nd line. Because, one type of high speed (cable) does not even use the phone line at all! And the other (dsl) uses a digital stream of communication *separate* from the analog voice transmissions on the same phone line. (it's not affected by someone talking on the same line) And .. with *both* methods of high-speed, you will *never* have to dial up and login. Because, as long as your high-speed modem and computer are on and connected properly, you will *always* be on!

Above 768Kbps, there are still faster speeds .. 1.5Mbps (megabits per second), about twice as fast as the 1st high-speed level; 26 times faster than dial-up. Then you can jump to 3Mbps, doubling speed again. And then 5 or 6Mbps, depending on which high speed company; your mileage may vary. Beyond that, 10, 12, 16 and 20Mbps. And, if you have the depth of pocketbook, you can go above 20Mbps by subscribing to the extreme premium .. fiber optic lines. That is of course if they are available in your area. Unfortunately, the further away from city hubs that you live, the more slowed down your choices will be.

And for those who live out in "the sticks" (and i *love* the sticks by the way) .. there is still a decent choice if you want to reach a bit deeper into your pocket. Do you have satellite tv? Well you can have satellite internet too if you like! Cool huh!?

And don't worry. When you sign up with a high-speed provider, either they will send a set up package in the mail. Or they will send a guy, a dsl or a 'cable guy', to your house to set it up for you. Also very cool.

And dat's dah name o' dat tune.

NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!! PICTURES!!!!!!!!!! Woohoo!!

The *INSIDE* Story

We peer into the *magic box* that we call a computer .. woooooo .. ' sounds scary!

Naah .. piece o' cake.

You'll see .. literally!

' til next time Computin' Pals .. this is the ol' doctor of data dissertation hisself .. saying "*STAY TUNED*" for the next

*EXCITING EPISODE* of "Computin' 101"

Ol' Doc CPU

''o))

Don't Let the Bad Guys Win

Yah .. I know .. this week was supposed to be about internet stuff and related hardware ...

But. I'm shifting gears to what I feel is a WAY more *URGENT* topic.

Protecting your computer from security breach, instrusion and take-over.

And I'm writing primarily to PC folks this time. No offense. Macs are just LOTS more secure.

It has been my experience, that PC's running the Windows operating system, are getting security updates at a frequency anywhere from once per week to once per month. Microsoft is very good about plugging the security holes. And folks would do well to follow their lead and *accept* those regular updates by using the control panel for security updates. And setting it to automatically download and install the updates.

What's the *worst* that can happen if you don't..? Virtually complete take-over by computer viruses, trojan horse infections, rootkits, worms, etc. This worst-case scenario has been referred to as turning your PC into a "Zombie Computer" .. Which means, it is now virtually in the hands of a vast collective of PC's that are being controlled by one or more Zombie servers. And using it to further infect other PC's.

And that is why, a side effect of these severe infections is *EXTREME SLOWDOWN* of your PC; worst-case and the ultimate destination .. you can no longer *access* your PC. Because the Zombie horde has made its operations *priority* .. and left you at the end of the line .. or locked you out completely!

I felt prompted to interject this particular blog entry because as recent as a week ago .. I was asked to "take a look" at a PC that was having severe perfomance problems. And unwanted ads for "Computer Protection" were taking over screen space, and could not be clicked away.

This PC had not had its Windows OS (operating system) updated. The intruder swooped in underneath the broken radar, literally dropped little software bomblets, and started setting up home sweet broken home computer.

The intruder had already *disabled* the Windows OS update function *and* both of the installed antivirus programs. So, without any further prevention, detection and removal systems in place, the viral invader now had free reign to wander all over the PC to perform the take-over, and the eventual take-down.

It had gotten in so deep .. I use the analogy of a tick .. you can remove the body, but the head is still imbedded in your skin. In this extreme case, the only solution is to save/backup whatever you *know* has not been compromised, reformat your hard drive ((not with the quick format; the other one)), then reinstall Windows, Windows updates, virus protection, your programs, drivers, and documents.

So .. Guideline #1 .. *please* set your Windows updates to automatic.

And Guideline #2 .. install at least 2 antivirus/antispam/email scanning programs.

And you don't have to spend a dime for really good protection!

If you use this link > http://www.download.com/ .. when you arrive at that website, scroll down a wee bit, and you will see listed there .. the top 20 most downloaded programs for PC.

The first 3 programs listed are my favorites. Because, after installation, these will update their virus database and scan once a day. And I would recommend installation exactly in the order they are listed. The 1st two would seem to be sufficient for anyone. But the 3rd program does something the other 2 do not. It will schedule a boot-time scan that digs deeper into the software *before* the Windows OS comes up. It will ask you if you want to do this upon installation. I would strongly advise you to say yes to its request. You should only have to do this once. And anything that it suggests to fix (i.e. delete, repair, remove, move to vault), please do so to help you sleep better at night .. knowing your computer is well-protected.

If you want to be a computer geek like me and have quadruple redundancy, you might want to download #4 in the list as well. However, you should know, unless you pay for the *premium* version of that one, you will have to *manually* update the virus database, and *manually* scan every day. Because that one doesn't function automatically as do the above antivirus programs.

Another thing you can do to help keep your computer stuff safe .. make a backup, at least of your documents and email to CD or DVD. And make sure the master CDs for the programs that you use other than Windows-supplied are all kept in a safe/easily located place as well. So that, *if* your computer's hard drive fails .. you'll be able to replace it with the peace of mind that you have not lost all your documents and other much-needed software.

Some programs that I would *strongly discourage* using in order to avoid viral contamination:

Limewire, Frostwire, and Bit Torrent.

Many discussions online about these 3 are of the consensus, that as a function of themselves, they are not viral in nature. BUT .. they require you to open background software portals to allow other people to share files on your computer. And it is these other people and the files they send through these portals that may be loaded with not so nifty infections .. intended and not.

Another precaution .. When using the online environments Facebook and MySpace and similar social networking sites .. make sure you set your "preferences" to allow *only* "Friends" to access and share your pages. Because, if the preferences are set to allow "Anyone" into your space .. there are some accounts that are using that opening to dump viruses onto your PC.

Here again .. it's not Facebook or MySpace that are by themselves dangerous .. *you* just have to be saavy and careful as to whom you open the door .. just like in the real world ...

And you Mac folks .. make sure you've got your "Apple Software Updates" set to check daily and download and install them. And if you want to be even *more* secure on Mac, I would recommend one of the commercial security applications for Mac .. the ones that have been around the longest for sure.

So .. like Forrest Gump said, "That's all I have to say about that."

Next Week .. *really* this time .. The Internet Highway .. and ..

*The Need for SPEED!*

(phone modems, dsl, and cable .. oh my!)

****And protecting your computer from *LIGHTNING*!!****

' til next time .. same bat blog .. same bat channel ...

Your ol' computer pal,

Ol' Doc CPU

''o))

Space .. The Final Storage Frontier ...

As most folks that know me know .. I am *fully qualified* to be a 'space cadet'. It's kinda one of my jobs. In fact, I've been working on it most of my life! ' got it down to quite a fine science by now. Way back in grammar school, there was this kind of I.Q. battery of testing. Fourth grade I think it was .. the results were graphed on a single punch card. A single red line careened across the card.

And as it crossed the centerline of each subject .. math .. spelling .. grammar .. and other stuff .. it peaked at average or slightly above the center line for average on all subjects but one. This one was called 'abstract reasoning' .. the line went off the top end of the card, and did not return downward to the centerline until the next subject. Stands to reason. I love relating everything to absolutely everything! ' added a nearly continually developing large sense of humor, a good bunch of wits, and a huge dash of nerd .. And there you have it! A genuine bonafide Space Cadet!

So .. today I'm here to tell yah .. the stuff I know about space ...

To refresh a tiny bit .. remember, in the previous post, RAM is your computer's memory, not the same as your computer's storage space.

Some folks may still have computers that have an internal floppy drive. An old method of storage by today's standards. And not good for storing anything much larger than document or simple drawing or picture files, due to the very limited storage capacity of same. As well, the floppy disks were prone to loss of data due to being magnetic media of the weakest kind. When placed close to a monitor, or a phone, or a calculator, there was a very good chance that at least some of the files on that floppy would be at least partially damaged due to the larger magnetic field interfering with and distorting the smaller field.

So .. at some point, computers began shipping without floppy drives. They have been replaced by CD and/or DVD drives. As well, you still have your internal hard drive(s). Additionally, there are external hard drives in their own enclosures. And most recently, the newest handy widget for portable data storage .. most commonly referred to by 3 names .. jump drive, thumb drive, or the more technically accurate term .. flash drive.

Lotsa space, huh..? See .. I told you ...

But .. let's start with the storage space that's on the inside of your computer, and work our way out to the other types of data keepers.

1st .. you have the good ol' long-time workhorse .. your internal hard drive. (there's usually room for more than 1 internal hard drive inside your computer these days .. but for the purpose of this blog .. we'll just stick to the basics)

Your computer's internal hard drive is where your operating system (i.e. Windows, OSX, Linux, etc.), programs/applications, and files of all types are stored .. even when you turn your computer off and come back later, they'll still be there waiting for you to access them .. yank them out of their little folders and move them into RAM so you can do stuff with them. And then later save them back to the internal hard drive and turn things off and go to bed.

When considering buying a new computer, as well as considering the amount of RAM, you should also put some thought into what storage size or capacity you would like your internal hard drive to be. It's simple .. What do you want to do with your computer? Do you want to just check email and browse the internet? Or do you want to store large libraries of photos? Or do you want to kick it up another notch and work with digital video and store home movies? And, last but not least, will there be multiple users of this computer?

If you're just 1, or a party of 2, and your only interest is email, browsing, some music, and keeping just a moderately sized photo library .. then an internal hard drive of small to moderate size would be good. Say perhaps, something in the 160 to 240 Gigabyte range.

If you'll be wanting to build a large photo library, lots of music, and perhaps work with some digital video, then a drive more in the size range of 300 to 500 Gigabytes would seem to suffice.

And, if you're a regular die-hard digital video fanatic .. well then .. go for the gusto! You can now buy a computer that has 1 Terabyte of storage or more!

Uhh .. what's that..? Oh .. no .. Terabyte is not a Klingon, Vulcan, or Rigellian word. A Terabyte is equal to 1,000 Gigabytes. If Gigabytes are *billions* of bytes, then Terabytes are *trillions* of bytes. Now *that's* a LOT of bytes!

>>>>> PROGRAMMING NERD TRIVIA ALERT <<<<<

What is *half* a byte called..?

5 seconds . . . . .

<<<<>>>>

The answer is .. a 'nibble' (it's a joke .. oy!)

>>>>>> ATTENTION ... ALL CLEAR ... THE ALERT IS OVER <<<<<

Just a short break .. to help you stay awake!

Okay .. now, we proceed to the other 2 types of internal storage space .. CDs .. and DVDs.

Where the internal *hard drive* was still storing data in a magnetic form, The CDs and DVDs use a method of digital storage by using a laser to actually *burn* data to the two types of discs.

The CDs have a maximum storage size of 800 Megabytes. The DVDs come in either 4 or 8 Gigabyte storage capacity. And data, documents, photos, or home movies are saved to them using much the same data storage methods as in saving to the internal hard drive. Some computers come with a *specialized* application/program that is pre-installed. So you can save to CDs/DVDs by an easier, more human-oriented method.

CDs/DVDs are also ideal for what is known as 'archiving'. If you have a lot of documents, drawings, photos, movies, etc. that you are no longer using on a regular basis .. you should copy them from your internal hard drive to either CDs or DVDs .. and store them in a safe physical location that would be called your archives. After copying the data to CDs/DVDs, you can then delete the original files from your computer's internal hard drive to get back much-needed free space on the internal hard drive.

Because the more free space you have, the less cramped your computer will be to find room to store files. And more importantly, this will *extend* the life of the internal hard drive as a function of its not having to work so hard to find contiguous space. The easier and quicker your drive is able to work, the less it will heat up, and its useable life will be extended.

NIFTY NOTE >>> There is a new type of internal hard drive that is making its way into the computer market. It's a drive with no moving parts; a 'solid state' drive. Most recently, it has become available in the 32 and 64 Gigabyte sizes. The *BIG* advantage to this, is it reacts with much the same speed as your computer's RAM. Much faster than the older electro-mechanical internal hard drives. But the 2 main *disadvantages* currently of this new technology .. high price, and limited storage space. But if you can afford the price tag, and don't mind the low storage ceiling, I say go for it! ' wouldn't mind havin' one myself.

Next to last .. the *flash* drive. Also known as 'jump drive' and 'thumb drive'. These little gadgets are my absolute favorite method of portable storage. You just plug them into a USB port on your computer. They show up in your directory. And you copy stuff to or from them just like you would to your internal hard drive, or CD, or DVD. After you're done using them, you just pop them in your pocket or purse, and you're good to go! Simple, quick, and compact .. what's not to like..? And FYI .. the flash drive sizes I have seen are 250 Meg, 500 Meg, 1 Gig, 2 Gig, 4 Gig, 8 Gig, 16 Gig, 32 Gig, and I'm pretty sure I've seen 64 Gig recently.

And finally, external hard drives. Various storage sizes. Simple 'plug and play' interface; meaning .. hook up the accompanying USB or Firewire data cable .. hook up the power, turn it on, and in a few short moments, it should be available for access in your directory.

So .. that's plenty about space in this space!

Next week >>> The Internet Highway .. and .. *The Need for SPEED!*

(phone modems, dsl, and cable .. oh my!)

' til next time li'l Buckaroos!

ol' Doc CPU

''o))

I Once Saw a T-Shirt that said ..

"You can never be too rich, too thin, or have too much RAM."

Ah well .. if you're too thin, you'll have some Mother, Aunt or Grandmother telling you, "Eat! Eat! Look atchyoo! You're like a refugee .. you're so thin." And if you're too rich .. well it kinda isolates you as I have observed in a lot of cases; you become a recluse .. guarding your money .. guarding your health so you can guard your money. Feh! A shunda! You should go out! Have fun! Go on .. go to your fancy party! I'll just sit here and eat wet cigarettes ...

Okay .. so much for the Yiddish portion of my post.

(And by the way .. before we proceed .. the acronym RAM stands for Random Access Memory.)

But .. I *am* a big fan of the part about the RAM!

Because .. in my humble opinion .. the *1st* thing you need to know about RAM is that more is better. Lots more is *much* better. Due, simply, to the fact that adding or 'upgrading' your RAM is one of the least expensive things you can do to *noticeably* increase the overall performance/speed of *all* your computing! Whether it's opening applications/programs, checking email, browsing the internet, or whatever. *Everything* you do on your computer gets a much-needed *speed bump* if you install, or if you have someone else install more RAM.

But .. you say .. I still have *lots* of free hard drive/storage/space/memory. *EHH* .. thanks for playing. That would be an incorrect response. Because, physically, your RAM (memory) and your Hard Drive (storage space) are 2 different li'l beasties.

Okay .. small side-salad-lesson here .. a good example of the difference between RAM and Hard Drive was given to me a lawwnnng time ago. But it's a very good one. Think of your computer's RAM as your physical desktop in your office or your home office. 'kay .. so, you remove files from your filing cabinet .. which is the equivalent of your Hard Drive, and you place them on the desktop so you can edit those documents, draw pictures in them, work with photos, work with numbers on tax forms or spreadsheets, or whatever. Then, when you've finished your work, you take your documents, and return them to their respective folders in your filing cabinet.

Because .. RAM is only short-term, or *temporary* storage .. like your desktop. And your Hard Drive ("C" drive normally in PC-land; "Macintosh HD" or some such in Apple-land) is your long-term or *permanent* storage .. like your filing cabinet. And even that should get a good backing up to even longer term storage like a CD/DVD or a larger external drive .. but we can save that stuff for another post.

So, if you're coming up short in the Hard Drive storage department, you need to either clear space on your internal hard drive, move some stuff over to an external drive or CD/DVD, or get a larger internal Hard Drive. (more on hard drives in another post) But .. if you are running short of computer 'memory' (another word for RAM), then you need to add more RAM. If you're in the market for a new computer, and you buy it with *gobs* of RAM and Hard Drive storage space already in it .. well then .. you're way ahead of the game .. except for protecting yourself from meshugginah virii and fahkaktah hacker schlameels .. vel den you're good for life!

Here are 2 real-world examples of situations wherein you should consider adding more RAM.

1> Say you've bought a PC with the XP operating system on it (i realize that there is now a very *rare* chance of this happening since virtually all new PC's being sold today come with the Windows Vista system. And even as I post this, that is changing; Microsoft Windows 7 is here; the next generation of Microsoft's Windows operating system. But .. you may still acquire a used PC that has or needs XP installed.

So .. 1 system at a time. The default/standard install of Windows XP, after startup, consumes about 3/5ths of a typical computer's installation of 512 Megabytes of RAM. After which, you will likely want to open up some programs/applications. And you'll probably be adding some antivirus programs that will load software on startup in the background. And whatever else you've got going on will add to the total RAM consumed.

Which is to say, you will soon run slap into your machine's physical RAM ceiling. Which further means, your computer's performance will immediately and noticeably .. slow .. way .. down. Because after your machine exceeds its RAM ceiling, it then has to go out to the Hard Drive to make use of 'cache' space; a relatively poor RAM substitute. Because, electronically, the old Hard Drive is about 1,000 times slower than RAM. That's why it is *noticeable* by humans. Add more RAM .. problem solved.

2> Vista .. *lots* more bells and whistles in this Windows incarnation. And .. guess what..? If you guessed that the addition of more *blue smoke & mirrors* will take up even *more* RAM .. YOU ARE TODAY'S WINNER!! What did you win? Genuine *free* new smarts!!! In fact, a typical (default/standard) Vista installation takes up about 850 Megabytes of RAM .. or 3/4ths of 1 *Gigabyte* of RAM.

Hmm .. I just heard a faint echo somewhere back in the deep computer history archives of my brain .. I'm pretty sure it was Bill Gates himself saying .. "No one should ever need more than 64K (Kilobytes) of RAM." Or words to that effect. And a K, or Kilobyte of RAM ladies and gentlemen .. is a mere tiny *fraction* of a Megabyte; one one-thousandth to be exact. Because it takes 1,000 Kilobytes to make 1 Megabyte. And to extend the line of thought, it takes 1,000 Megabytes to make 1 Gigabyte. But I digress. ' just thought you should understand that FYI.

When Vista first appeared preinstalled on PC's, I actually saw some new machines that were being sold with only 512 Megabytes in them. So, folks were *already* behind the RAM eight ball so to speak. And if you are in this situation, or know someone who is .. you guessed it, they need more RAM.

In *both* examples above, if you want to open *multiple* programs/applications, and have *lots* of stuff going on in the background due to being pre-loaded on startup .. you will very likely need to add more RAM above the standard installation that came with the machine.

However, recently, some of the newest PC's and Macs are being sold with multiple Gigabytes of RAM .. 2, 4, 6, or 8 Gigabytes. You can never have too much .. like the T-Shirt said ...

Because these days, computers are doing so much more for you than just email and internet. Folks are using large music and movie libraries, making their own movies, editing photos *and* movies, driving huge sound systems or home networks, etc.

But, since this blog is mainly for the entry level user, we'll maintain cruising altitude below the cloud ceiling for a long time to come.

One last note. Short of bringing your computer down to a local shop, where can you go to find out what amount and type of RAM is *already* installed in your computer. And how much room/how many RAM slots do you have? What's the maximum RAM you can install in your computer? What *type* of RAM do you need? Very simple. My favorite one-stop shop for all this information is online at http://www.crucial.com/ They are primarily a 1-trick-pony; focusing mainly on RAM. But they do that one trick very well! These guys actually *test* the RAM in real-world situations *before* they sell it. Lots of RAM sellers don't. So you pay a bit more for that added testing. But I've learned from my ancestors .. you get what you pay for. True in horses, houses, and shoes .. and it's also true of RAM.

And PLEASE NOTE >>> I do *not* get 1 cent of commission for sending you to the above website location for RAM. In *all* cases like this, I'm just doin' what I believe all humans should do .. share good stuff .. for free! It's simply where I go and get/buy RAM stuff.

So .. 'nuf said this week I think. That's a lot to absorb in one sitting for some folks. I know .. because the memory I carry around in my head is pretty much filled up too!

And *stay tuned* boys and girls .. for the *next* *EXCITING* episode of ol' Doc CPU .. when he *rockets* into ..

"Space .. The Final Storage Frontier..."

ol' Doc CPU

''o))

In the Computin' Beginnin' ...

Not the *very* beginning of computers .. but pretty nearly that far .. that's how far I go back anyway. ' been computin' and engineerin' for over 45 years! And *still* don't claim to know it all! Anybody says they do .. hogwash. Because it changes every day. And that's part of the beauty of it. Not only does one get to figure out really cool electronic puzzles, but because of the virtually constant changes, it stays *very* interesting! I just *love* to keep up with it as much as I'm able. And now that I'm retired, I get to do it with even greater frequency.

But this blog is not about me or what I know, pin a medal on my chest, etc. It's to sort of give back to the general public. A kind of informal place one can visit every so often, to get a good grip on computer basics. Related, hopefully, in my finest techno-laymanese, so that all who wish to be .. especially those also retired that may have pursued some other vocational path .. can now begin to become more computer literate.

Oh yes .. in my travels, visiting with other retired folks, they have told me they know little or nothing about computers other than to turn it on and check their email or do a little internet browsing. So, when the repair tech comes to visit, they most often feel as though they are listening to some alien language. And have to rely on this person totally for what they feel they have to take as computer gospel. Not being able to understand another being's language makes for a very frustrating barrier. In this case, leaving one feeling 'lost in space' within all the technical jargon.

And too .. I found personally, that when one returns to the basics for a kind of *refresher* course .. well, it just reinforces the foundation of any field of study. By way of personal example, for me, it was chess. At one point in my life, I used to think I was pretty good at chess. But against only *relatively* stronger players I was losing pretty badly. So .. I went back to the basics. I picked up a small paperback which is now out of circulation. But you can probably still get a used copy online somewhere .. "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess" .. there .. my secret's out! And guess what .. I went back and beat a *lot* more of those mid-strength players. Even played a game against a master strength player that had him up against the back rank and visibly sweating!

For those of you interested in chess, you will find that this particular book teaches chess in an incredibly simple format; way better than the old lists of openings types of books. And, please note, I do *not* get a cent from the sales of that book. Just like to relate good info. And it is related as a simple analogy .. for those that *do* know a lot about computers. They may want to stop by occasionally to review the basics as well.

It's free! What's not to like..? My Mom always used to say, "For free take .. for buy waste time." Oy! Thanks Mom. I still remember and am very grateful for all those sayings. Maybe more later on those .. ''o))

So .. that should do it for a fair bit of intro.

I will try my level best to add at least 1 Computin' module per week. And will do my best to make it *anything* but boring.

Stay tuned!

ol' Doc CPU

''o))