Fix My Own Computer

As a follow up to the previous post, here’s a very entertaining and modern lecture about the inner workings of a computer, created as an introduction to computing for first year computer science and engineering students at UNSW.

Even though computing technology has improved drastically over the last 2 decades, the basic foundation is still the same - CPU, Motherboard, Hard Drive, RAM, Power Supply and Video Card, etc…. Here’s a video from the 90′ released by the Computer Museum, that will make you feel like your watching the Magic School Bus, which takes an interesting and a funny look at how the workings of a 1990’s computer.

In light of the new presidency, here are a few COOL video tutorials uncovering some of Windows XP tricks, hacks and secrets. These tutorials are usually safe and should not harm your computer.

Every time you download or install a new game, application, or software update, you make changes to your computer. Sometimes that change may make your system unstable and even cause the dreaded BSOD, aka Blue Screen of Death. Windows XP and Vista come with a handy feature that allows you to go back in time to the working state of your computer prior to the change. This feature is called Restore Point, and should be used as the first step in troubleshooting Windows is not booting up.

Nothing sucks more than having a fairly new laptop and then having the LCD screen go bad on you. Rather than throwing out the laptop, it is possible to get a replacement LCD Screen for much cheaper than the cost of purchasing a new one. As a matter of fact, there are many vendors out there that offer replacement screens at a price point that even make the thought of upgrading your current screen, to a nice and glossy one, very attractive. One such company is ScreenTek. Here’s a step by step Video tutorial, by ScreenTek, demonstrating how to take apart any laptop LCD screen.

I came across this very interesting 2 part video which does an amazing job explaining how the internet works, from start to finish, using 3D animated figures. A must watch for anyone who is curious about what happens behind the scenes in this dark and scary place called the internet. I will never look at a TCP/IP packets the same!
Part 1

Choosing the right Anti-virus software which does a good job of cleaning and keeping your computer running fast is a challenge. It is not always the best idea to choose a household name like, McAffee or Norton, because even though they do a good job of cleaning, they also do a good job of slowing your computer down, due to the extent of resources that they require to run. BeYourOwnIt released great Video about downloading and running a very good and Free Anti-virus program called AVG.

WiFi is quickly becoming the preferred method for connecting to the internet, especially if you live in the city. Doing a search for wireless networks from any computer with a wireless network card, you can quickly see that finding one is definitely not a problem. The problem is though, that the wireless networks are password protected and you will not be able to connect to them. As this is a site dedicated to learning, this is a video that teaches you how to crack WEP and WPA password to gain entry into protected Wireless Network.. I encourage you try this only for education purpose only and not for freeloading or sabotaging your neighbor.

Here are some videos which were created as training material for anyone looking to take and pass the A+ exam. A+ is an exam which measures the proficiency of understanding, troubleshooting and repairing basic computer problems. These videos are also useful for anyone looking to learn everything, from A to Z, about computers. Watch these videos and you’ll be a computer pro in no time. Make sure you click on “Read the rest of this entry to see all the videos”.

If you’re running Windows XP and have a flat panel monitor, chances are you are completely selling yourself short on the quality of the text resolution which you should be getting. Windows, by default, turns off a feature called cleartype which improves text resolution, on flat panel monitors, by using a technology called subpixel rendering.