Computers & Technology Plus

Josh H. Burton asked:




When people say “computer” they are often talking about the computer box, monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, and lots of other stuff. To really understand how computers work, you should understand each individual device and what it does.

Computer

In a modern desktop computer, the computer part of the system is the box. It can be viewed as the brain of the system. All the other devices plug into the computer and the computer takes inputs from them and sends outputs to them. The computer does all the processing.

Monitor/Display

The monitor just displays whatever the computer wants it to display. It’s what’s called an output device, because the computer outputs information to it.

Keyboard/Mouse

The keyboard and mouse send commands to the computer. They are input devices, the computer takes input from them.

Others

There are lots of different input/output devices that can be connected to the computer: cameras, speakers, microphones, printers, scanners, etc. They all work on the same principle, they can input, output, or both.

Interaction

As I said before, all these devices are tied in together by the computer. For example, the user moves the mouse to the right. The mouse is an input device, so as soon as the user does that, the mouse sends a signal to the computer that it moved to the right. The computer then process that input and decides to display it on the monitor. It recalculates the picture and tells the monitor to redraw a new picture where the mouse has moved to the right.

Other computer systems

Of course, not all computer systems have that kind of separation of devices – computer, monitor, keyboard, and mouse. But they all work on the same basic principle. For example, a Smartphone also has a computer, a display, and a keyboard – or a touch display and no keyboard. Only instead of physically being separate they are all connected together. If you took a Smartphone apart you would still see that they are separate devices, but they have been put together into the same box.

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Chris A. Harmen asked:




Sometimes when your computer starts acting “funny” it can be a sign the memory is damaged. The good news is memory for computer systems is inexpensive and easy to replace.

Why Does Memory Fail?

When compared to other components, memory for computer systems has a very low failure rate. It has no moving parts, unlike a hard drive, and isn’t subject the heat stresses the processor or video card are. However there are a number of problems that can damage memory.

Static electricity is a common culprit. If you were in there replacing some component and forgot to discharge static from your hand just one time, you might have sent an electric shock too weak to feel but strong enough to damage the delicate microcircuitry. However even if you have never had the case open, there are other possible causes.

A power surge can damage memory for computers. Some people expect a surge will be dramatic, with sparks and smoke, but in fact it can cause subtle damage that may take days to show up. Even if you have a surge protector, you still might have “dirty” power, which is electricity with unsteady voltage. This is especially true in older buildings. Finally, dust can get inside the case and short out memory contacts.

Signs of Bad Memory

Trying to diagnose computer problems can be frustrating since there are so many components that could be the cause. Software, viruses or a faulty Windows installation could be at fault as well. Failure of memory for computer systems has some distinct symptoms that stand out.

The infamous Blue Screen of Death (BSoD) is often a sign of hardware problems. If your computer locks up with a blue screen containing cryptic messages, this is a BSoD. If it happens just once then it may just be a fluke, but if it happens repeatedly that points to serious problems. Spontaneous reboots or system freeze can also indicate hardware problems.

An important question is when it happens. If it happens only when playing certain graphic-intensive computer games, that could be a sign of a memory problem. BSoDs or reboots during other memory intensive operations such as compiling software, video editing or viewing large images also are symptoms of memory problems.

Testing and Fixing The Memory

There are a number of utilities that can confirm the existence of memory errors, such as Microsoft’s Windows Memory Diagnostic. By running a memory test utility, you confirm the error is actually in the memory and not some other component. By removing all memory modules except one and testing each one in turn, you can isolate which module is the problem.

Once you have confirmed the memory problem, replace the damaged module. Reseating the memory module may fix the problem, but this is often temporary. If the module is damaged, it should be replaced. Memory for computer systems in inexpensive, so don’t take the chance a damaged module could corrupt important data.

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Share Me asked:


How does a computer virus getting formed?
I have a lot of computer viruses lately but thanks to Norton Anti-virus and Malwarebytes Anti-malware my computer is 100% secure. But how does a computer virus formed? Do people actually make it and they spread it throughout the internet?

Please tell me more about computer viruses cuz I don’t know to much about it I just get rid of them.

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Hugh Kent asked:




If your PC keeps hanging with the infamous “hourglass” icon and you just can’t seem to get any productive work done, then perhaps it is time to give your PC a much-needed tune-up.

Your car isn’t the only complex piece of machinery that requires routine maintenance. Your PC is subject to performance degradation with mileage over time, just like your car is. We all know that an oil change, tune-up, and a wheel alignment can preserve the life of your car and keep it running smooth, as good as new. In much the same way, there are routine maintenance tasks you can perform against your PC to keep it running smoothly, efficiently, as good as new, as well.

Your Windows registry is the master database that stores all of the information about all of the hardware components, all of the software applications, your data files, the operating system, user accounts, networking, and general system security. Start up, shut down, program settings, file associations, operating system tuning parameters, and everything else you can think of, are all stored in this database. If anything were to happen to this database, your computer will suffer.

Over time, as you install or remove hardware, install or remove software, and as you surf the Internet and download more things, this database must constantly be updated, to keep pace with all of the changes to your system. It is inevitable that at some point, this database is going to grow in size. Errors can creep up in the database due to outdated links, gaps in the data, referential integrity violations, and other serious problems. Plus the database itself does take up room on your computer’s hard drive. Thus, over time, if your registry is not optimized, then the database grows too big and bloated.

These problems: the database errors, the bloated database size, can lead to various problems, the most noticeable of which is that your PC slows down to the point where you are constantly “hourglassing”. It takes forever to load programs, to load web pages on the Internet, and even booting up and shutting down your computer can take several minutes.

The simple remedy is to use a registry repair utility that scans your Windows registry for errors and fixes them. It cleans up obsolete entries and it seeks to consolidate and compress the database to shrink it down and make it more streamlined.

Once your Windows registry has undergone a thorough repair, you will see a significant performance boost. Your computer will behave as though it is brand new all over again!

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Sheena VC asked:




PC tattletale is a parental control software which allows you to monitor all the activities your child does online. It is a discrete software invisible to the user and does an enormous amount of activities. It virtually spies one online. It records all chat conversation and messages, observes keystrokes including password and hidden characters, takes history of all visited websites, inbound and outbound messages and also each program browsed.

This software is a boon to parents who are scared stiff of the impending danger of finding their loved ones falling prey to on line sexual predators. Predators, pedophiles, Cyber stalkers, sexual offenders, you name it you will find them all online with a common intention that is to meet their prey off line. It is not easy to protect your young ones unless you are able to observe them. Then at least you can try your best to protect them. Have you ever wondered what your child is doing online at this moment… and was afraid to think that he or she could be chatting with a sexual predator. Have you ever felt helpless of not knowing what your child is doing online when you found a distinct behavioral pattern? With softwares like PC Tattletale you maybe able to tackle the danger before its far gone.

You might be using behind the back methods with such softwares and your child might even be offended when he or she comes to know about it but it is nothing compared to the terror all of you will have to face if the predator attacks. PC Tattletale may be able to help you protect your child from online criminals to a certain extent.

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Alison Cole asked:




Computer forensics is becoming a popular profession among law enforcement, government intelligence and corporate security professionals. As the profession demands extraordinary skills and an investigative instinct, basic training is necessary.

This high quality computer forensic training is available through renowned universities and colleges for which conditions apply with regard to personal history and citizenship.

The universities provide customized training designed to meet the specific needs of a law enforcement or intelligence agency. Expert faculty, who are retired personnel from major federal law enforcement agencies, trains professionals. They are internationally recognized for demonstrated expertise in the field.

An intensive 45 hours laboratory course is designed to equip government and corporate investigators with skills needed to safely locate and secure the computer evidence at search sites, as well as off-site analysis.

With the help of challenging group exercises and written examinations, forensic concepts and procedural skills are reinforced. An optional, online, 9-hour seminar is also available, primarily on hacker and child pornography.

Forensic examiners are provided with an essential understanding of federal and state computer laws by the newly introduced 5-day Computer Forensics Legal Issues course.

A special one-day non-examiner laboratory first responder course has been designed to introduce the examiner assistants to concepts and skills needed at the computer search. An 8-hour non-laboratory seminar, called Computer Forensics Program Manager is available for individual, responsible for supervising computer forensics operations. The course also provides an overview of essential computer forensics concepts and procedures, personnel staffing and equipment alternatives. The Program Manager seminar is inclusive of a 4-hour terrorist threat multimedia briefing.

A 6-day Computer Forensics Advanced course is designed using Linux to safely and effectively analyze Windows systems, including Windows 9.x. ME, XP and 2000 Professional. The program also includes a computer forensics technical report-writing laboratory. As the courses are no more restricted to fulltime government employees or a selected group of corporate security investigators, they are becoming popular among law enforcement, government intelligence, and corporate security professionals.

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Eddie Tobey asked:




An oscilloscope is an electronic device that helps to measure voltage against time. It represents one or more electric potential differences in a two-dimensional graph, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis showing voltage. An oscilloscope is conventionally used to locate defects in other electronic instruments or to test the circuitry in a new electronic device.

An oscilloscope converts the electric signals it receives in the waveforms into a signal that is displayed on the screen in the form of a dot. This dot moves from the left side of the screen to the right continuously, almost looking like a single line. When there are any deflections, the dot moves up or down, resulting in a wave that is interpreted and analyzed to know fluctuations in the voltage. Some oscilloscopes can show even two or more waveforms. These are used for phase comparison and timing measurements.

Some oscilloscopes are converted to a PC that not only provides the display but also supplies control interface, networking, disc storage and even the electric power. There are known as PC oscilloscopes or PC based oscilloscopes. They are becoming very popular because of the increasing use of PCs and also the low cost involved.

There are several advantages of a PC oscilloscope: lower cost; easy exporting of data to spread sheets or word processors and other PC software; customized PC programs for easy operation of the oscilloscope; the PC’s disc storage and networking functions can be used for the oscilloscope as well, instead of investing in exclusive oscilloscope software; and more portability when used with laptops.

There are also certain limitations of using a PC oscilloscope: requires special oscilloscope software; the oscilloscope has to depend on the PC, which may be much slower than the oscilloscope; difficult to transport when used with a desktop PC and there could be difficulty in using the PC’s screen for the oscilloscope’s display.

Information about PC oscilloscopes, along with their prices and product facts can be sourced from the internet. There are hundreds of sites that give information about PC oscilloscopes.

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Kiet Ta asked:


when i turn on my PC it always says “turn on window defender”. is there a way to turn window defender on automatically when my PC start up?

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Alison Cole asked:




Computer forensics is another aspect of electronic discovery that refers to any process in which data from a particular computer or network is sought, located, secured and searched with a purpose of using it as evidence in a civil or criminal legal case.

Computer forensics has been around for a decade, but is still not popular in the commercial sector making it unexploited. Its growth from discovery to practical operation has been very slow. Now that forensics has been fully established as a science, it has encouraged the police to set up high tech crime units. This has really pushed forensics to new heights, and a lot of people have become aware of its possible uses.

Computer forensics is not a task that can be taken up by any IT professional. It requires great skills and an acute investigative instinct. The acute shortage of experts has lead to huge competition among the private cyber-consulting firms, to hire computer forensic professionals, making computer forensics a highly paid profession. Senior police officers in computer forensics can always reap the benefits of multiple job offers, as they are being recruited for law enforcement and private industry jobs all over the country.

A new law has passed in Georgia for computer forensics, stating that forensics experts who testify in court without a PI license may be committing a felony.

A new password cracker has been launched that will allow forensic investigators help law enforcement agencies in their fight against crime and global terrorism. The password cracker identifies and removes password, from platter locked hard drives used in laptop computers and will be a major timesaver in the field or during covert investigations.

Growth in computer forensics has strengthened the police force. Enabling them to find hidden evidences and preserve them for future purposes. Hence, growth in computer forensics has proved crucial in reducing the rate of crime all around the world.

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Rick R asked:


I had two computers both connected to a wireless router. Yesterday I connected a third computer to the network and, although the connection goes through for this new computer, one of the original computers now says “Limited or no connectivity” and cannot connect to the Internet. Is it possible that the new computer is using up too much bandwidth and is therefore preventing the other computer from accessing the Internet?

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