Official Computer Questions Thread

[65fastback2+2]

Originally Posted by MattN03

How do I check this?

haha....like i said, if you dont know what it is, then you're ok

[MattN03]

Originally Posted by 65fastback2+2

haha....like i said, if you dont know what it is, then you're ok

So even though the problem just started happening, I'm SOL?

[65fastback2+2]

Originally Posted by MattN03

So even though the problem just started happening, I'm SOL?

no, im saying, fix it, let your computer sleep and leave your modem on.

its just windows being weird about your network card most likely

[MattN03]

Originally Posted by 65fastback2+2

no, im saying, fix it, let your computer sleep and leave your modem on.

its just windows being weird about your network card most likely

But I've never had to leave the modem on in the past...

[65fastback2+2]

Originally Posted by MattN03

But I've never had to leave the modem on in the past...

true...but, you would probably have to reformat your computer to find the one lil network card problem

[MattN03]

Originally Posted by 65fastback2+2

true...but, you would probably have to reformat your computer to find the one lil network card problem

I noticed this problem is occuring on my wife's PC too since it's hooked up to our wireless network over the weekend. I decided to reboot the Linksys wireless router because of this and that took care of the problem. We just left to run to the store a few minutes ago and after coming back home & turning the modem back on (PC was left on) the PC wouldn't connect to the internet. I rebooted the router again & that took care of the problem once again. Is the router going out? It's only 1.5-2 years old.

[65fastback2+2]

Originally Posted by MattN03

I noticed this problem is occuring on my wife's PC too since it's hooked up to our wireless network over the weekend. I decided to reboot the Linksys wireless router because of this and that took care of the problem. We just left to run to the store a few minutes ago and after coming back home & turning the modem back on (PC was left on) the PC wouldn't connect to the internet. I rebooted the router again & that took care of the problem once again. Is the router going out? It's only 1.5-2 years old.

sounds like the router....they actually only usually last about 2 years as they get hot and have no air holes for the insides to breath, much less a fan of any sort

[MattN03]

Originally Posted by 65fastback2+2

sounds like the router....they actually only usually last about 2 years as they get hot and have no air holes for the insides to breath, much less a fan of any sort

Well that sucks. Any recommendations for a new one? This is a Linksys WRT54G.

[65fastback2+2]

Originally Posted by MattN03

Well that sucks. Any recommendations for a new one? This is a Linksys WRT54G.

they all typically do it...though the netgear rangemax has breathing holes in the case, and supposedly they use a thicker silicone board, so they are supposed to last longer.

[04VAMach1]

Originally Posted by 65fastback2+2

they all typically do it...though the netgear rangemax has breathing holes in the case, and supposedly they use a thicker silicone board, so they are supposed to last longer.

The Linksys case has holes in it...as do several other routers.

I have clients that use SOHO routers that are over 5 years old. I also have a Linksys WRT54G v1 that worked fine until I started playing with DD-WRT on it a couple of months ago and burned it up...my fault for doing things that it wasn't supposed to do.

Your router may be going bad. The good news is that they are cheap now. I would still recommend a Linksys WRT54G over anything else, mainly due to their ease of use and maintain.

[MattN03]

Originally Posted by 04VAMach1

The Linksys case has holes in it...as do several other routers.

I have clients that use SOHO routers that are over 5 years old. I also have a Linksys WRT54G v1 that worked fine until I started playing with DD-WRT on it a couple of months ago and burned it up...my fault for doing things that it wasn't supposed to do.

Your router may be going bad. The good news is that they are cheap now. I would still recommend a Linksys WRT54G over anything else, mainly due to their ease of use and maintain.

A co-worker also suggested a firmware update, so I'll try that too.

[65fastback2+2]

Originally Posted by 04VAMach1

The Linksys case has holes in it...as do several other routers.

I have clients that use SOHO routers that are over 5 years old. I also have a Linksys WRT54G v1 that worked fine until I started playing with DD-WRT on it a couple of months ago and burned it up...my fault for doing things that it wasn't supposed to do.

Your router may be going bad. The good news is that they are cheap now. I would still recommend a Linksys WRT54G over anything else, mainly due to their ease of use and maintain.

i forgot about the ones in the top and bottom, sorry. i checked last night, but apparantly i need lights to see properly ha

and early versions worked alot better because they had linux based firmware, but when cisco bought them out, they changed that.

which is why i recommend buffalo now....same people who made linksys great.

[04VAMach1]

Originally Posted by 65fastback2+2

i forgot about the ones in the top and bottom, sorry. i checked last night, but apparantly i need lights to see properly ha

and early versions worked alot better because they had linux based firmware, but when cisco bought them out, they changed that.

which is why i recommend buffalo now....same people who made linksys great.

Cisco bought Linksys several years ago...before the 802.11G standard was even ratified. The switch in OS on the firmware just came recently (last 2 years) however you can still buy one with the Linux firmware.

I do agree that Buffalo is good stuff (and I haven't had problems with Netgear that you recommended earlier), but I still feel that the Linksys is a better buy for the average Joe due to its ease of use and its popularity...there are so many out there that a quick Google search reveals the answers to many problems.

[NightOfTheCow]

I have occasionally issues with my linksys. Currently running two wireless routers. I also have a wired router that is in storage and have had for a few years. I've had the main wireless router for 3 years or so and it's running strong. Usually power hiccups, etc... cause the internet settings to get angry, so once in a while I'll have to go in and set up WPA. I keep my settings written down and in a safe place, and since the computer retains it's wireless settings, it only takes me about 2 minutes to get up and running again.

There's a new standard out (don't know if any of you have seen or mentioned this)... It's 802.11N. Supposed to be a bit stronger than G, and I believe it's rated for higher speeds. That's handy for home LANs, but otherwise, completely useless if you're just going straight into the internetz which some cable companies offer at most a 6Mb connection speed (Knology. Pfffft). 802.11g is still pretty spiffy for practical use : )

[65fastback2+2]

Originally Posted by knightmeir

I have occasionally issues with my linksys. Currently running two wireless routers. I also have a wired router that is in storage and have had for a few years. I've had the main wireless router for 3 years or so and it's running strong. Usually power hiccups, etc... cause the internet settings to get angry, so once in a while I'll have to go in and set up WPA. I keep my settings written down and in a safe place, and since the computer retains it's wireless settings, it only takes me about 2 minutes to get up and running again.

There's a new standard out (don't know if any of you have seen or mentioned this)... It's 802.11N. Supposed to be a bit stronger than G, and I believe it's rated for higher speeds. That's handy for home LANs, but otherwise, completely useless if you're just going straight into the internetz which some cable companies offer at most a 6Mb connection speed (Knology. Pfffft). 802.11g is still pretty spiffy for practical use : )

802.11N is not a finalized standard, it is still in draft. This means, it is unstable, slower than it should be and that N products do not work across brands.

I would not recommend N to anyone. The Netgear rangemax G outperformed the N products in speed and range, it is my favorite router.

One thing to remember, is Megabits vs. Megabytes. Most people get these confused. I have a linksys 54mbps router, and it cuts my 10Mbps cable connection speed in half vs. my wired desktops speed. You can always utilize a faster wireless connection. for more on Mbps and mbps, see here: http://www.speedguide.net/read_articles.php?id=115

[MachGirl04]

Hey guys. I want to make some photoshows or slideshows with pics & music. I can't seem to find any programs that will let me add MY own mp3's and then post them on a website, like this one. I guess it's a copyright issue. I'm not out to break the law here! We all know that music & videos are passed around like crazy. They will only let you use their own canned music and I have some ideas and I want my own stuff. Does anyone know a way around it or know of a site I can use to get the program or host it or something? Everything I've tried so far lets you use your own music BUT you can't post it in a forum afterwards, because of the music.

I made one, a first attempt, with Windows movie maker. Then couldn't get a site to host it on. I'm pretty new at it. Any help is appreciated.

[MachGirl04]

Ttt

[65fastback2+2]

windows movie maker or powerpoint will do what you want

[gvervoren]

Here's my question. My computer is a HP Pavillion and the DVD burner I have is the HP DVD writer 300n. When I bought my camcorder from Best Buy, the guy sold me some blank DVD's to record to. He gave me DVD-R cd's and my writer won't read them at all. It tells me that there is no CD in the drive. I have no problems burning onto audio CD's however. Did this guy sell me the wrong type of CD's? What's the difference between the DVD-R and the DVD+R. I'm thinking I will probably need The DVD+R CD's but I'm not sure.

[RightTime]

Originally Posted by gvervoren

Here's my question. My computer is a HP Pavillion and the DVD burner I have is the HP DVD writer 300n. When I bought my camcorder from Best Buy, the guy sold me some blank DVD's to record to. He gave me DVD-R cd's and my writer won't read them at all. It tells me that there is no CD in the drive. I have no problems burning onto audio CD's however. Did this guy sell me the wrong type of CD's? What's the difference between the DVD-R and the DVD+R. I'm thinking I will probably need The DVD+R CD's but I'm not sure.

My DVDs need to be formatted first, check the help on your DVD software or DVD drive.

[gvervoren]

Originally Posted by RightTime

My DVDs need to be formatted first, check the help on your DVD software or DVD drive.

How do you reformat a blank CD? I'll have to try it tomorrow.

Thanks!

[Shaker1]

I do not believe that burner supports writing to DVD -R media, only DVD +R.

If you insert blank media into a drive it will usually open a dialog window and ask you what you want to do with it. In your case, try opening "My Computer" and right click on the DVD burner and see if it offers you any options, such as "format". Or right click on the dvd drive in windows explorer.

Still, you should look at the camcorder instructions (and software provided) to see how the blank media should be prepared. I believe the camcorder will probably take DVD -r, but not your 300n burner.

[gvervoren]

Originally Posted by Shaker1

I do not believe that burner supports writing to DVD -R media, only DVD +R.

If you insert blank media into a drive it will usually open a dialog window and ask you what you want to do with it. In your case, try opening "My Computer" and right click on the DVD burner and see if it offers you any options, such as "format". Or right click on the dvd drive in windows explorer.

Still, you should look at the camcorder instructions (and software provided) to see how the blank media should be prepared. I believe the camcorder will probably take DVD -r, but not your 300n burner.

When I insert my DVD-R CD, absolutelty nothing happens. No options window pops up or anything. When I right click on the burner drive, I get the same pop up window as I do when nothing is in there. That's what made me also believe that it was the type of CD I was using. As for the camcorder, it doesn't burn CD's or nothing like that, it just stores it on it's internal hard drive and then you download it to your computer. It did give me a software program for burning the CD's which seems to work fine but when I hit the burn button, it tells me to insert a blank CD. I think I'll just go buy a single CD+R cd tomorrow and see it it fixes the problem.

[MattN03]

What is the best way to back up all my computer files and settings so I can easily reinstall those after reformatting/reinstalling my OS? I'm particularly interested on how to back up my Windows Media Player files and how they appear in Media Player (song & artist names displayed, etc).

[65fastback2+2]

Originally Posted by MattN03

What is the best way to back up all my computer files and settings so I can easily reinstall those after reformatting/reinstalling my OS? I'm particularly interested on how to back up my Windows Media Player files and how they appear in Media Player (song & artist names displayed, etc).

best way is to buy a backup external hard drive and use its backup software