- Tip of the Week: What Kind of Processor is in my Computer?
- Headwhack of the Week: Why is my Computer Suddenly Taking Forever to Turn On?
- Geek Speak of the Week: Stack
- Small Business Tip of the Week: Control Employees' Access to Certain Files
- News: Judge puts Halt on New Vonage Customers
- News: Patch Tuesday Resumes with Critical Windows Fix
- News: Microsoft Roping more into Longhorn Server Release
- Weekly Advice Column: How do I Protect my Data if my Laptop gets Stolen?
- This Week's Show: Processor Overload: It's Not About the Ghz Anymore
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Tip of the Week: What Kind of Processor is in my Computer? |
Even those of us who work around computers all day forget which model we have under the hood. Knowing what processor your computer is using can be essential when contemplating an upgrade, or when checking the minimum requirements of a new piece of software. To look-up your processor make, model and speed:
- Right-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop
- Select Properties…
- Select the General tab
You are then shown a list of valuable information about your computer: the version of Windows you are using, who Windows is registered to, and at the bottom, the specs of your Processor and RAM.
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Headwhack of the Week: Why is my Computer Suddenly Taking Forever to Turn On? |
Most computers will slow down over time due to installation/uninstallation of programs, system services and general use without a regular cleaning or checkup. But what if your boot-up time quadruples overnight? The most common source of radical boot-up problems are memory card readers.
With the prevalence of digital cameras, it seems that almost everyone has a card reader attached to their computer (cameras plugged in to your computer are working exactly like standalone card readers), but these card readers don't do a very good job of letting Windows know if they actually contain a card or not. Becuase of this, Windows can spend up to several minutes trying to figure out if there is a card installed or not, and significantly delay your computers boot time.
For simplicity's sake, we recommend that you unplug any USB card readers (including digital cameras) from your computer before turning your computer off or rebooting. Remembering this small step can save you hours of frustration later.