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Maintaining Your PC - Peripherals |
Modems
Modems are one of the most used, and least
understood, peripherals in use by most PC users
today. You need a good modem to connect to the
Internet, to an intranet such as an office network,
or even to another computer (think can-and-string
here). The biggest question is what speed do you
need? (We're talking the speed at which the modem
sends information out and brings information to your
PC.) With the hype that surrounded the 56k modem
(that's 56 kb per second, quite fast), and the
advent of the V.90 modem that combines the two
incompatible x2 and K56flex technologies (think VHS
and Beta here), you'd do well to wait until the V90
modems have established themselves -- which they
have. Need one now? If you don't trust the V90s, you
can buy a Hayes-compatible 56k and start surfing
tonight, but I would make sure that the one I bought
was upgradable to V90 specifications. (Check the
"Bleeding Edge" section
here for info about
new connections like ADSL and T1 that leave today's
modems in the dust.) Speed demons might want to
think about the "modem doubler" software programs
that claim to increase your surfing speed by
combining the bandwidths of two phone
lines...unfortunately, test results for two such
programs, DynamicDuo and Web OverDrive, were
disappointing and caused problems with the test
computers' settings. Note: the V.90 standard is
being supplanted by an upgrade, V.92.
Modem trouble? Many times the problem is located in
the wall jack and not the modem itself - check this
by plugging a working phone into the wall jack and
seeing if it works. If the modem doesn't work but
the wall jack does, you should replace the modem's
cord. Listen to it -- can you hear the modem trying
to dial out? You can turn the modem volume up in the
Control Panel Modem applet. Assuming that works, try
going through Control Panel/Modem/Diagnostics and
going through the troubleshooting menu. If this
doesn't do it, check in Device Manager to see if
Windows has even recognized the modem. Look for a
yellow exclamation point over the entry for your
modem. If it's there, you could fix the problem by
changing the modem's serial port or IRQ (do this by
clicking the Properties button, then the Resources
tab), or you may need to remove conflicting
hardware. You do all of this and your modem still
doesn't work? If you're using an internal modem,
shut everything down and open the PC case. Make sure
that the modem is securely in its port and that the
IRQ and COM port jumpers are properly set. Close the
case, restart the PC, and check it out. If it still
balks, check that the modem's COM port is enabled in
the BIOS, and remove and reinstall the drivers.
Still failing? Take it to the shop. If it's an
external modem, your power supply may be bad. Does
the light go on when the modem is powered up? If no,
turn the modem off and check the serial port
connections and the DIP switch settings for IRQ and
COM ports. Turn it back on. If it still doesn't
work, try replacing the data cable, or even hooking
the modem up to a different PC. Still doesn't work?
Check that the modem's COM port is enabled in the
BIOS, and remove and reinstall the drivers. Still
failing? Take it to the shop. (I realize that some
of this info is techie stuff - get help if you need
it. I would.) Some users don't like the little modem
icon in their system tray: to get rid of it, open
the Start menu, select 'Accessories', and then
'Dial-Up Networking', Right-click on the connection
you want to change. Select 'Properties', Click
'Configure...', Select the 'Options' tab and uncheck
'Display modem status.'
Does your modem squeal louder than Ned Beatty in
Deliverance? Set the speaker volume in the
Control Panel/Modem applet and quit waking the
neighbors, or you may need to go through Start,
Programs, Accessories, Communications, and select
Dial-Up Networking. Right click your key dialup
connection. Select Properties and the "Configure"
button under "Connect Using". You should see a
volume level for the modem you have installed
internally or externally. No volume level? If you're
running Win 98 or ME, you can go through the Modem
applet, select Properties, choose the Connection tab
and the Advanced Settings buttons, and find the
"Extra Settings" field. In the field, type ATM0
(that's ATM and a zero, not a capital O) and click
OK.
If you're one of those rare people who need to use
both a dial-up (modem) connection along with DSL or
another non-modem connection on the same machine,
here's how to set your Internet connection so that
it ignores the modem. In Internet Explorer, click
Tools, Internet Option. Click the Connections tab,
and make sure that the button next to "Never Dial a
Connection" is checked. Then, when you need to
connect to the IRS, simply launch your dial-up
connection manually. Simple.
Make hard copies of your modem settings for future
reference. First, go to the Control Panel and open
the Modem icon. Once open, click on every button,
setting, and tab (except Add and Remove). Each time
a new window pops up, press Alt + Print Screen
together. At the same time, have Word (or other word
processor) up and have a blank document available.
After each Alt + Print Screen you perform, go to the
word processor and select Paste on a different page.
Each screen will print EXACTLY as it appears on your
computer and you can type some notes below the page
giving a brief explanation of where the screen is
located and what to do. This will serve as a hard
copy backup for your modem settings in case
something happens. Place these papers somewhere
safe, where you can easily find them when you need
them.
A lot of modems fall into a subcategory called "Winmodems,"
which basically means that they rely on the internal
software inside Windows. "Hardware" modems, which
are advertised as running under DOS, bring their own
software to the table. Since Windows isn't the best
choice to run your modem, you're a bit better off
going with a hardware modem. Avoid any Winmodem,
internal or external, that lists a specific version
Windows as a system requirement. It's okay if it
says it runs on all versions of Windows.
Video and Sound
The current high-end programs work best with a
graphics card that supports 3D. If you're shopping
for a new PC, make sure you get it. If you're a
diehard gamer, you might want to add a 3D board
(preferably Voodoo2-compliant) to supplement your 2D
board, but otherwise a 3D/2D board should do you
just fine. Since even the most business-like apps
currently use 3D graphics in their operation, going
strictly 2D isn't a smart option anymore.
Audio technology has integrated itself into PC-dom.
While the days of the IBM PC "beep" are long behind
us, chances are your system isn't anywhere near the
cutting edge of sound reproduction. New PCs are
becoming more and more like small, efficient "hi-fi"
systems, with multiple speakers, powerful amps,
subwoofers, and a raft of technology being inbuilt
that formerly was the province of the audiophile
alone. If the salesman shows you a PC with 7
speakers, don't balk - when you run the latest
DVD-based programs, you'll appreciate the enhanced
sound. Dolby Digital (AC-3) technology is being
included on new sound cards, as are Aureal 3D,
QSound, and other esoterically titled goodies. Watch
for Microsoft's DirectSound to catch on. Music, both
pro and amateur, is flourishing on the Web, with
RealAudio's streaming audio feed, Liquid Audio's
music feed (see www.liquidaudio.com/ and
www.amplified.com/ for the buzz on Liquid Audio)
or AT & T's slow and nonstreaming a2b download
(check www.a2bmusic.com/ for more info about
this particular technology) bringing in the sound,
along with live radio stations Webcasting (check
spinner.com/ for plenty of free listening),
made-to-order CDs with your selection of songs
burned into a CD-R and delivered to you, or
customdisk.com/, or amplified.com/'s
download of songs for your own CD-R. Watch for
increased bandwidth and new technology to make more
music available in more ways. The big magilla of Net
audio now is MP3, but new technology is bringing
more music to the Web than ever before, in more
formats (Microsoft's MSAudio 4.0, Lucent's EPAC,and
other formats are making themselves known out
there). Some users are forsaking all other music
purchases in favor of free, or almost free, MP3
downloads. Will MP3 put the recording industry as we
know it out of business? Stay tuned.
PC users who want high-quality sound reproduction
from their PC speakers need to consider how their
speakers are jacked into their machines. If you
don't particularly care, then don't worry about it.
But, if you're a big fan of CD audio, MP3s, and/or
video game music and effects, you need to have the
best possible analog output. Cheaper sound cards
have only one jack, and with those you don't have a
choice. But many midrange and higher-end cards have
both "speaker output" and "line out" jacks. The
speaker output jacks use small, inbuilt amps to
power the audio signal, whereas the line out jacks
are dependent on the external, higher-quality audio
components elsewhere in your system. For a
higher-end system, the line out jacks are the better
choice. Experiment for yourself and see which one
works for your system.
New hardware is coming out to help improve the sound
reproduction abilities of your PC. "Positional
audio" uses fancy sound processing to create a
"surround-sound" like field around the listener.
Microsoft, Intel, and others are working to improve
the sound quality of PC speakers and sound hardware,
with the goal of making PC sound rival that of home
stereos. The USB ports promise to make connecting PC
speakers a snap, in some cases eliminating the need
for sound cards. And PC makers are phasing out the
ISA bus in favor of PCI-based audio hardware.
Scanners
One of the newer and most popular peripherals out
there is the scanner. I'm not going to go into any
detail here about getting your scanner to perform, I
can steer you to a Web site, www.scantips.com/begin.html,
that will walk you through the ins and out of
scanning, beginning with a definition. C|NET also
provides a nice page of tips and tricks at
www.help.com/cat/1/614/38/ht/
?tag=dd.hp.scanners-text-5339.txt.ht.
Drivers
Want to upgrade your computer but keep your old
monitor, modem, sound card, or other peripherals?
You'll want to keep the drivers that came with these
peripherals. You'll find them all in the
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM, C:\WINDOWS\INF, and
C:\WINDOWS\HELP folders, but separating them from
everything else in these folders is incredibly
tedious and boring, not to mention easy to screw up.
So let the machine do the dirty work. Create a new
folder in your C: drive called DRIVERS and copy the
entire contents of the abovementioned folders into
the new one. It'll be huge, but don't worry, you
aren't keeping it. Once the upgrade is done, the
peripherals are connected, and the system is
functioning, right-click My Documents and select
Properties. Click the Device Manager tab. Now go
through the listing for each device you've installed
and see if the device has the correct name. If it
doesn't -- i.e. the display adapter is listed as
"VGA Monitor," or the device has a yellow question
mark or exclamation mark by it -- then you'll need
to reinstall the old driver. Double-click the
device's listing to bring up the device's
properties, and click the Driver tab. Click the
Update Driver button. The wizard will ask "What do
you want Windows to do?" -- choose "Search for a
better driver." It will ask you where to search;
you'll check "Specify a location," uncheck any other
boxes, and point it to the newly created C:\DRIVERS
folder. Follow the rest of the wizard through the
process. Once you've done this for all the
peripherals, you can trash the C:\DRIVERS folder.
Miscellaneous
Expansion buses make attaching peripherals and other
components possible. The idea of open architecture
based on a simple expansion bus is what gave IBM PCs
their "overnight success" in the early 80s. The
industry standard is the ISA bus, the original 8-bit
bus that appeared on the first IBM PCs. While ISA
buses exist on just about every machine in
existence, they are rapidly becoming obsolete in
favor of two newer designs, PCI buses and AGP buses.
Why is this important? You'll know when the brand
new graphics card you bought requires a newer bus,
and your machine sports only the old-fashioned ISA
buses. If you're buying a new machine, ask what
buses are used; if you're sticking with your old
one, find out what's on your PC.
Lots of peripheral owners find themselves with
questions about their units, but can't make out the
imprints and can't find their manuals. Solution:
Peripheral cards are legally required to display a
Federal Communications Commission ID number. If
vital contact information is missing or obscured for
whatever reason, you can search on the ID number at
the FCC OET Search Form page www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/.
Fill in the form's grantee and equipment product
code fields to search for the company's name and
address.
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Maintaining Your PC - Sub Categories: |
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