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PC Info and PC Repair Guide: How Best to Fix Problems, Buy, Upgrade, Build, Recover, Restore, Repair and Protect Desktop and Laptop PCsPC Buyer Beware! is a comprehensive PC guide covering desktop and laptop/notebook PCs that provides the knowledge required to make sensible buying, building, upgrading, recovering, repairing and computer-security decisions and helps users to solve hardware and software problems via articles and questions and answers (Q&As). You can access the main sections of this website by making use of the orange navigation bar on the left or by making use of the Search This Site feature below. Windows 7 - The latest versions of Windows Click the link to read the article on this website on Windows 7, the latest versions of Windows: Install, Use, Restore, Recover and Repair Windows 7 - Win7: How It Differs from Windows XP and Vista.
Help save the Lions in a Romanian zoo facing being put downYou can help save lions trapped in a Romanian zoo and facing being put down. Visit http://www.lionrescue.co.uk/ for more information. The amount raised of the £150,000 required is posted here http://www.justgiving.com/lionrescue/ where you can make a donation. Please tell your animal-loving friends about this appeal and provide them with a link to http://www.lionrescue.co.uk/. | |||||||
UPGRADE CHECKLISTSVisit the Upgrade Checklists pages on this site for checklists and useful information that cover upgrading the main componenents of computers of various ages. MEDIA CENTER PCsIt is now possible to build your own Media Center PC that is specifically designed to provide home entertainment, because the version of Windows that runs such a computer - Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 - can now be purchased on its own instead of only as part of a Media Center PC. Moreover, Windows Vista Home and Windows Vista Ultimate editions come with Media Center built into them. The Windows Media Center has been improved in Windows 7. The following page contains a video of the new features. - Windows 7 features - Windows Media Center - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows7/products/features/... Visit the Media Center PCs page on this site for information on them. Visit the Using Windows Vista section of this site for information on those versions of Windows. |
The Latest Computer-Related News...
Microsoft's Security Bulletin for November 2009
November 10, 2009. - Today is Microsoft's Patch Tuesday. It has been a moderate update month. There are 6 security updates this month - 3 rated Critical and 3 rated Important. A Critical and an Important update often patches code that allows remote-code execution that allows unauthorised access to a computer or network from the Internet. All of the Critical updates this month involve patching vulnerabilities that allow Remote Code Execution.
Microsoft Security Response Center Security Bulletin Severity Rating System (Revised, November 2002) -
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/rating.mspx
Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for November 2009 -
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-nov.mspx
If you have Automatic Updates (Windows XP), and Windows Update (Windows Vista) enabled in the Control Panel to install the updates, or inform you of their availability so that you can choose when to download and install them, you need take no other action to install them. However, there might be a delay between the announcement today and when they are made available for automatic download. If that is the case and you want to install them immediately, Microsoft Update - http://update.microsoft.com/ - will examine your PC and provide you with a list of missing updates, which you can elect to install selectively or entirely. Choose the Custom install to choose which updates to install. This is useful if, say, you don't want to install a large update such as a service pack or new version of Internet Explorer. Many users cannot install Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) successfully, which is installed automatically along with other updates if the default option is enabled. All they have to do is choose the option to make Microsoft Update forget about installing that particular update.
The technical details of every released security update to date can be found on this page:
Microsoft Security Bulletin Search -
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.aspx
Visit the following page if an update refuses to install and keeps being announced as being available to install. You can download and install any particular update manually from there. Scroll down the page for the update links.
Windows service packs & updates for Windows 7, Windows Vista, Server 2008 and Windows XP - http://www.softwarepatch.com/windows/index.html
When run, the Belarc Advisor, under FREE DOWNLOAD on http://www.belarc.com/, tells you if your computer has all of the available updates installed. It also provides a System Security Status report that gives your computer a security rating out of 10, created by the benchmark tests of the Center for Internet Security (CIS), which is at http://www.cisecurity.org/ (available for Windows XP Professional, not Windows XP Home).
Microsoft has launched Windows 7
October 22, 2009. - From today Microsoft's latest operating system, Windows 7 is available in four versions for the home user. Here are the versions and their upgrade/full version prices in the UK - Windows 7 Home Premium £80 until 31 December (£100 thereafter)/£150 - Windows 7 Family Pack (Windows 7 Home Premium on three desktop or laptop computers) £150 - Windows 7 Professional £190/£220 - Windows 7 Ultimate £200/£230.
Introducing Windows 7. Your PC, simplified. -
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/
Microsoft Windows 7 - every version reviewed [including Windows 7 Enterprise for business] - http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/352642/microsoft-windows-7
Mozilla is testing a new security measure in its Firefox web browser that will prevent most website-based attacks launched from legitimate websites
October 13, 2009. - Many legitimate websites have been compromised by hackers who have injected malicious code into them that compromises the security of visitors to those websites.
Mozilla has released a test version of its Firefox web browser that employs a technology called Content Security Policy (CSP) that is able to define which content on a particular website or in an online application is legitimate, thereby enabling it to block any script or malicious code that has been added by hackers, who have compromised the website or application.
However, Firefox currently only has about a quarter of the browser market, so even if this new technology proves to be effective, that still leaves about 75% of users unprotected - yet another good reason to abandon Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser and use Firefox instead.
Click the following link to read more detailed information on this new web technology.
http://people.mozilla.org/~bsterne/content-security-policy/
Microsoft releases free malware software, threatening the business of the computer-security software developers
September 30, 2009. - Microsoft has released its free security software called Security Essentials for users of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 (release date, October 22, 2009). The new security software provides protection against viruses, spyware and other malicious software. Real-time protection is an option, which means that accessed files are actively monitored. However, if you have another program that scans for infected files in real time and you want to make use of Microsoft's software, you should only use it (or your existing security software) for manual scans, because you should not have more than one security scanner of the same type actively monitoring the system. Microsoft's other free spyware scanner, Windows Defender, is still available. If you have it installed on your computer and you install Security Essentials as real-time protection, you should uninstall Windows Defender, because they both do the same kind of scanning.
Microsoft's paid-for security suite, Windows Live One Care, now discontinued, performed badly in live virus tests carried out by several publications. The effectiveness of the new free software will be unknown until tests have been published, so it is not advisable to run it as your only real-time protection. Until then, if you need free protection or wish to run an additional scan, the free version of AVG Anti-Virus is the best option.
The availability of free security software from Microsoft is obviously going to pose a threat to the businesses of the security-software developers that charge for their products, so the company is almost certainly going to come under fire from them and from competition watchdogs.
Microsoft Security Essentials - http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/
Microsoft: free Security Essentials is a threat to Symantec -
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/interviews/352018/...
A new Trojan virus designed to obtain bank-account login information
September 22, 2009. - Computer security experts have warned that the malicious code of a new virus called the Clampi Trojan is no longer restricted to being delivered from rogue gambling and pornographic websites; it can be delivered from many seemingly safe websites...
Clampi Trojan virus could steal banking passwords -
"Security experts have warned that Clampi, a new 'Trojan' virus, could enable cyber criminals to hack in to personal bank accounts" -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/microsoft/6214061/...
Clampi virus: seven ways to secure your computer -
"A new Trojan, Clampi, could give hackers access to your online bank accounts. Follow these steps to ensure your computer is secure." -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/microsoft/6214173/...
The 802.11n wireless networking standard has at last been ratified
September 14, 2009. - Seven years after it was proposed, the 802.11n wireless networking standard has been ratified. The ratification by the IEEE standards body means that wireless equipment manufacturers do not have to describe their products as Draft-N. The owners of existing Draft-N products should not have to worry about compatibility, because the manufacturers have guessed what the final standard would be and have tailored their products to fit it, making products that comply with Draft 2.0 of the 802.11n wireless standard. Therefore, if a wireless N product has been purchased within the last three years, such as a router, it probably already complies with the 802.11n standard. However, you should make sure that your Draft-N router is up to date, by visiting its manufacturer's support site to find out if there is new firmware available to download. The standard was only ratified on 14 September, 2009, so any updates could take a few weeks to appear.
IEEE Ratifies 802.11n, Wireless LAN Specification to Provide Significantly Improved Data Throughput and Range -
http://www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/news/2009/
The WiFi Alliance is a good website to visit for infomation on ratified WiFi products and standards.
WiFi Alliance - http://www.wi-fi.org/
Intel releases its Core i7 and new Core i5 processors on its new Socket 1156 platform
September 8, 2009. - Intel has released three new quad-core desktop-PC processors - the first Core i5 processor (Core i5-750) and two Core i7 processors (Core i7-860 and Core i7-870), all of which use new Socket LGA1156 platform, manufactured using the latest 45-nanometer (45nm) fabrication process. The new Core i7 processors feature Intel’s HyperThreading technology, which effectively allows them to function as eight-core processors, but the Core i5 processor can only function as a non-enhanced quad-core processor. No Extreme Editions of these processors are available, so overclockers are not able to tweak the processors' frequency multipliers; overclocking can only be achieved by increasing the system-bus speed.
As with the previous Socket 1366 Core i7 quad-core processors the new Intel processors have on-chip memory and PCI bus controllers and 8MB of shared Level 3 cache. However, instead of being able to run RAM memory in triple-channel and dual-channel modes as the original Socket 1366 Core i7 processors do, the new processors can only run in dual-channel mode, which means that the motherboards that run them only have to have four memory slots for two sets of identical memory modules running in dual-channel mode, not six memory slots in order to run two sets of three identical memory modules in triple-channel mode.
Because of technological improvements, such as an improved Turbo Mode that adjusts the processor clock speed to boost single-threaded applications when other cores not being used, the new processors have similar performance to the original Core i7 processors, but are being sold at significantly lower prices (£140, excluding VAT, for the Core i5-750 compared to £180, excluding VAT, for the original Socket 1366 Core i7-920). Socket LGA1156 motherboards are also cheaper than Socket LGA1366 motherboards (many are available for below £100). However, since the new processors have a new socket, they cannot be installed in the original Core i7 processors' Socket LGA1366 motherboards. This is a negative feature considering that all of AMD's Phenom II Socket AM3 processors can be installed in the earlier Socket AM2+ motherboards.
Here are reviews of each of the three processors:
Intel Core i5-750 -
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/processors/351385/intel-core-i5-750
Intel Core i7-860 -
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/processors/351388/intel-core-i7-860
Intel Core i7-870 -
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/reviews/processors/351391/intel-core-i7-870
Intel Core i5 And Core i7: Intel’s Mainstream Magnum Opus -
"We set off testing Intel's Lynnfield processors with low expectations, but were surprised to find the new LGA 1156-based CPUs are capable of holding their own and then some. Read on for more about Turbo Boost, Hyper-Threading, P55, and our recommendation." -
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/intel-core-i5,review-31674.html
About the PC Buyer Beware! website...
The comprehensive PC Buyer Beware! PC guide is devoted to providing useful and enlightening information on every aspect of personal computers, which include desktop PCs, laptop/notebook/netbook PCs, and Media Center PCs.
To get an idea of the coverage, look at the links to the main pages in the orange navigation bar on the left.
Extensive information is provided on all of the internal components of a PC - processors, motherboards, hard disk drives, CD and DVD optical drives/writers, CRT and LCD monitors, video/graphics cards and sound cards, dial-up modems, wired and wireless networking adapters, computer cases, power supply units, and RAM memory. Information is also provided on external peripheral devices - printers, USB and FireWire devices and adapters, wireless network Access Points and routers.
The Software and Diagnostics pages provide information of the various versions of Windows used by home-computer users (including Windows Vista) and software applications, and the Linux pages are devoted to that ever-improving much cheaper alternative to Windows.
The Problems & Solutions pages are devoted to answering the most common kind of problems that desktop and laptop/notebook PC users experience. Security issues are of paramount importance. Extensive information on the subject is provided on the Security section of this site. Other pages on this site well worth reading are: Using Windows Vista, Warranties, Networking, and the Build Your Own PC pages.
Make no mistake about it, buying a personal desktop or laptop/notebook computer, or the components to build a desktop PC, can be an unnecessarily involved or costly minefield.
This PC guide has been designed to provide you - directly or indirectly in the form of links to other sites - with all of the information you need to know about PCs in order banish your ignorance and protect yourself from the spyware, adware, scams, and rip-offs of the vendors and the snoopers out on the web eager for personal marketing information, and from the hackers looking for prey.
Because of the modular design of a desktop PC, there should be no reason why anyone who can use a Philips screwdriver could not easily build one from its components. - Components that you can choose yourself to suit your computing needs instead of any need of vendors to profit from your ignorance.
The safest way to upgrade RAM: Use the UK and US Crucial Memory Advisors
Paul Mullen, the highly-respected computer guru of the Helpfile at ComputerShopper.co.uk - "I have recently been buying my memory only from Crucial Technology. I would rather pay the extra cost than waste time trying to track down the obscure program faults that bad memory can cause."
The memory requirements of the versions of Windows Vista
Most of the versions of Windows Vista require more RAM memory to run optimally on a computer that doesn't use memory-hungry applications than Windows XP. A video-editing application is an example of memory-intensive software. Only Windows Vista Home Basic has a recommended minimum amount of memory of 512MB, which is the same amount recommended for Windows XP. Windows Vista Home Premium, the most popular version, and Windows Vista Ultimate require a recommended minimum of 1GB (1024MB) of memory, which is twice the amount of minimum memory recommended to run Windows XP. For more information on computer memory, read the RAM pages of this site.
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UK - Crucial Memory Advisor - UK
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| USA - Crucial Memory Advisor - USA
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For example, if your computer has an Asus motherboard, open the menu, scroll down to ASUS, and click GO. If, say, you have a Dell computer, scroll down to DELL, and do likewise. You will be taken to the relevant information on Crucial's website.
If you don't know the make and model of the motherboard installed in your computer, here is a good free utility - Belarc Advisor - that creates an analysis of the hardware and software on a personal computer. Look under FREE DOWNLOAD - http://www.belarc.com/. Another utility that also provides detailed information on the memory itself is CPU-Z.
Desktop PCs and laptop/notebook computers
If you need to get a good idea of the components that are used in current desktop PCs and laptop/notebook computers, all you need to do is read the reviews of the latest machines on the market. Then you can read the detailed information provided about those components on this site. Here are links to review pages and pages on this site on desktop and laptop PCs to get you started:
Reviews of desktop computers -
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk//archiveproductsearch/2/Desktop-computers
Visit the Desktop PCs page on this site for information on desktop computers.
Reviews of laptop/notebook computers -
http://www.expertreviews.co.uk//archiveproductsearch/9/Laptops
Visit the Laptop PCs section of this site for information on laptop/notebook computers.
Using Windows Vista
Click here! to go to the page on this site that deals with Windows Vista, Microsoft's replacement for Windows XP.
COMPUTER SECURITY
For PC security information visit the main Security section of this site, or make use of the site search engine at the top of each of the main pages to search for references to specific information on, say, viruses, firewalls, spyware, adware, etc.
DISCLAIMER
While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained on this site, the author assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
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I have created an experimental, interactive site called Shared Birthday that is devoted to finding out if the claims made by astrology have any validity whatsoever. To achieve this, I need volunteers to fill in a completely anonymous form on the site that can provide me with the kind of information that could determine for sure if people who share the same birthday (and usually, but not always, the same astrological sun sign) have as much in common as the astrologers, many of whom make a very lucrative living from belief in astrology, claim that they do... http://www.sharedbirthday.co.uk/
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