Is Your Computer In Heat?

Heat. What happens when we are mowing the lawn, it’s ninety degrees out and the heat finally gets to us? We stop. We wait a little bit and start again. After awhile if the heat gets to us again, we stop again. Finally, if the heat is too much we either stop altogether or find someone else to mow the lawn. (Martha, the hedge still needs work!)

A client had a similar problem with his computer this week. When he called he said his computer would start up, work for a few minutes and then without any warning, simply shut off. He could start it up; it would work again for a couple of minutes and suddenly shut off.

The usual suspects immediately jumped to mind. Viruses, loose electrical plugs, corrupt Windows operating system or the embarrassing one, the computer was plugged into the only wall socket in the room that was controlled by the light switch and someone was turning the switch on and off. I asked if any or what error messages appeared just before the system shut off. Strangely, there were no error messages, no blue screen, no beeps, nothing.

Fortunately, Windows tracks events that occur in several logs. The first one I like to use is the events log, found in the control panel, under administrative tools. This allows techs to review the log and see just what is happening as Windows performs its various functions. However, Don’s event log was clean. So far, the lack of errors pointed toward a hardware failure instead of a software problem.

The next step in diagnosing the problem was to check the power cables, surge protectors, wall outlets, battery backups or any other electrical connection to the computer. Everything checked out ok. Now we are narrowing it down. I suspected at this point that the power supply of the computer itself was to blame. The power supply is where you plug the power cable into the computer. The only way to confirm this was to plug my  test power supply  into the computer and see if the computer stayed running.

I popped open the computer case and before I even started to unhook the old power supply, the problem was obvious. The computer was having a nervous breakdown.

There are many components inside a computer tower. Hard drives, PCI boards, CPU’s,  CD drives etc. Much like a human has eyes, ears, feet, arms, heart etc. all tied together by the nervous system, the computer uses something called a system board or more commonly called a motherboard as a nervous system to make sure all the components play together nicely.

On the motherboard, there are many little things that look like little aluminum soda cans. These are called capacitors and are used to store energy and discharge it when needed. They deliver a stable voltage for a wide variety of functions. In the client’s computer there were eight of these that were blown up like balloons and leaking really ugly goo. This, as you can imagine, is not normal, or as we say in the computer biz, nominal. Unfortunately, depending on the computer this can be a repair that may be more expensive than purchasing a new computer. In Don’s case the replacement board was not terribly costly and the swap was made.

Some of the symptoms of a bad board are: Computer fails to POST. (power on self test) The Memory Test fails. The computer randomly and/or constantly reboots itself. The computer fails to fully boot (or even install) Operating System. Sometimes the system randomly and frequently freezes and the system has random & frequent “Blue Screens of Death.”

Heat is the issue. The capacitors get hot, expand and finally break their casings and your computer stops working. Remember heat. Do not put your computer in a confined space without adequate air flow. Make sure that all the vents on the case are clear of dust or debris. Use a can of compressed air to clean the fan blades on the power supply. If you are brave, unplug the computer and open the case. Use the compressed air to blow the dust off the system board and other components. Do not touch anything in the case unless you have grounded yourself first.

If you have a computer problem that might be of general interest, send a description to me via email and it may appear in an upcoming column. In the meantime,

Keep cool!

Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer (9781467985895): Courtland Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1467985899 ISBN-13: 9781467985895

Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks! (9781456561734): Court Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1456561731 ISBN-13: 9781456561734

Fun With Neighbors or How To Spell Fishball

This week let’s look at an email from Mary  who writes in this week with a unique problem.

“I'm having a bit of a problem. Earlier this year, my wireless was set up as being a 'secure' network, using my telephone number as the password. About 2 hours later, the man next door called me to say he couldn't log on to HIS network. He's an older man and was upset that I'd done something to mess up HIS Internet, so I stupidly gave him the password. Could he possibly be using my wireless?”

The short answer is; yes he is using your wireless network because he doesn’t have an Internet Provider. Let’s examine the fundamentals of a home wireless network.

To make it easier to visualize a wireless network, let’s start with the normal wired network. We need an Internet provider such as a DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) from the telephone company or a cable Internet provider such as your TV cable company. These providers bring their cables into your home and connect them to a modem. The modem is the junction box between the computer and their Internet service. It provides the computer with an Internet address. The computer is then connected by cable to the modem.

Now suppose that there are multiple computers in the house and all of them want access to the Internet. One way to accomplish this would be to call up your provider and ask them to install additional lines and modems and charge you appropriately. (Martha, guard your checkbook!)

A more economical method would be to purchase a wireless router. This device is connected between the modem and your computer. The router queries the modem for an address from your ISP and then clones itself as the modem. The router can then distribute its own group of addresses to the computers in your home. As each computer sends data to the Internet, the data goes to the router which in turns sends it through the modem to the Internet. Most  home routers come with four ports which allow four computers to share the same modem. However, Internet address protocols actually allow each router to distribute up to 254 addresses. In theory, a router could have 254 computers sharing a single modem, if there were a way to attach them all.

Where does the wireless part come in? First, think of a wireless router as nothing more than the router we have described so far but with invisible cables running from the router to the computers. Another difference is that a wireless router distributes its addresses via radio frequencies instead of ports and cables. This means that all 254 possible connections to the router are available. When the family comes over for Thanksgiving this season lugging wireless equipped laptops, tablets, smartphones etc, all thirty or more devices of them can connect to your wireless router at the same time and get their emails or surf the net looking for that perfect turkey recipe.

The wireless router itself has some interesting features. First, manufactures claim a 150 ft. range for their wireless routers; the reality is much less than that. Walls, metal appliances, cordless phones, all sorts of things will reduce the range of a wireless router.  My office router is unreachable after seventy feet. Second, routers can be set up as an “unsecured” network, which means that anybody that can get within range of the router can use the router to reach the Internet. For example, I can sit in the parking lot of the Punta Gorda library and use the library’s “unsecured” wireless network to check my email or surf the net. Option two is to set up the router as a “secured” network which means that while anybody in range of your network can see that there is a network available, any attempt to connect to the network results in a request for a password. No password, no access.

So, Mary here is the scenario. Your neighbor came home one day and opened his wireless equipped laptop and noticed that there was a wireless network within range. But, when he attempted to connect to it, it asked him for the password which of course he didn’t have. Guessing that you were the closest possible source of the wireless signal he confronted you and convinced you to give him your password. If your router was interfering with his network, how would your password get him on his network?

Mary, here is the plan, change your password. Your neighbor will come over and tell you that his wireless doesn’t work and to give him your password. Make one up. Make it something that can be remembered but can be spelled many different ways. For example, fishball. Now he goes to his house and tries it for an hour or so, then comes back. Ask him how he spelled it. Then tell him no, it was phishbald, that will keep him busy for a few more hours. Then ghoeshbulb and on and on. Eventually he will get his own Internet Provider or offer to pay half your monthly bill.

Love your neighbors but share the cost.

Amazon.com: Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer (9781467985895): Courtland Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1467985899 ISBN-13: 9781467985895

Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks! (9781456561734): Court Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1456561731 ISBN-13: 9781456561734

Stop and Think!

Sometimes we should take a moment to stop and think. How often have we gotten the answer to a question, slapped our forehead and thought to ourselves that if we had just taken a few seconds to think about the problem, the answer would have probably jumped up and smacked us in the face. For example, a few days ago I changed the password on my wireless network. I had my reasons at the time and everything was fine. The next day, I suddenly could not get a print job to go to the printer. No error messages it just wouldn’t go. I checked the printer, I made sure the print spooler service was running, I checked that the wireless print server was working; I verified the IP address of the printer and then began to question the parentage of first XP, then Linksys, then HP and finally the cable makers.

Those who know me will find this hard to believe but I was even approaching a state of being peeved. As I sat there thinking about methods of exacting revenge on whatever or whoever was preventing me from printing, it dawned on me that I had changed the password to the wireless network the day before. Since the password to the wireless network was changed, the wireless print server that attaches the printer to the network was attempting to connect to the wireless network with the old password. Stop and think. Since the whole point of a password was to prevent connection to my network with anything other than the correct password, my printer was no longer part of the network. Consequently, no print jobs were being sent to it.

A few moments went by as I whispered the new password to the print server and suddenly dozens of sheets of paper started spitting from the printer and I slapped my forehead along with a specific description of my lack of intelligence.

Let’s see if some recent calls I received this week offer some other opportunities to stop and think.

I recently received a call from a gentleman who proceeded to tell me that his printer wasn’t working. (Martha, is there a pattern here?) I began the standard interrogatories to see if I could narrow down the problem. Was the printer plugged in? Yes. Was the power light on the printer? Yes. Was the printer connected to the computer? Yes. Could he see the printer when he went to Control Panel – Printers and Faxes? Yes. What was the result of sending a print job to the printer? He said the printer made noises like it was printing and a blank sheet of paper came out of the printer. “Ah ha, “I said, “it sounds like the ink cartridges are empty.”

“Double ah ha,” he said, “I just installed brand new ink cartridges!”

“Ok,” I said, “let me ask if you took the tiny pieces of tape off the cartridges that prevents ink from spilling during shipping?”

“I have used printers for a long time and I have never, never taken the tape off the cartridges and they have worked fine.”

“Humor me,” I said, “and take the tape off that PREVENTS ink from coming out of the cartridges during shipping and try printing something. If it doesn’t work call me back.” I received this email about an hour later.

OK, you've made my Christmas card list. I feel like the woman that used the CD drawer as a cup holder. I'm sure I'll appear in an upcoming column (no name please). I don't have to replace ink cartridges very often and my aging brain has trouble. For the record I don't remember EVER taking off the very tiny transparent tape over the hole on the bottom of the cartridge. I DO remember taking off a piece in the past that wrapped around the edge of the cartridge and covering the hole. As I recall it was colored not transparent. Is this small piece new or have I been just cramming the things on? In any event, I thank you for the clue for the clueless. (see Jim, I didn’t use your name)

Another client recently called me to get his PC back up and running. I like to try to determine what was going on just before the computer began to misbehave. In this instance, my client had a friend who is a “computer expert” come and “clean” up the hard drive. They removed all these pesky files that were not recognizable and low and behold, instead of the computer working better and faster, it didn’t work at all. Stop and think. I’m sure there is a moral to this story. I’ll let you figure it out.

Stop and think.

Learn even more tips and tricks from my book listed below.

Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer (9781467985895): Courtland Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1467985899 ISBN-13: 9781467985895

Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks! (9781456561734): Court Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1456561731 ISBN-13: 9781456561734

It’s A Guy Thing?

Guy things. Everybody knows there are certain things that despite equal rights and political correctness are still associated with guys. These things may vary from place to place but they are recognizable to anyone that happens to take notice. For example, the garage is generally considered a guy’s place. The floor jack is a guy thing. Some would argue that the TV remote is a guy thing. Usually the lawnmower is a guy thing.

There are also things considered to be girl things. These things too may vary from place to place but as with guy things they are recognizable as girl things when observed. Examples are a closet full of shoes, or frilly doilies on the furniture. Even the furniture is generally considered the realm of the woman in the home. Yes, I stipulate that there are exceptions to every example given, but looking at it from a distance we know it to be true.

In my office there is a network of computers, all working hard to help me do what I do. They are connected to the internet, each one has specific functions, perform scheduled tasks and when asked, even entertain, educate, or clarify what ever I am working on at the time. My office is without question a guy room.

At the other end of our home is a room that used to be a bedroom. It was conscripted a few years back as a sewing room. Or perhaps (cue the scary music) more accurately a quilting room. There are sewing machines, cutting tables, plastic bins of material, tools and weapons I can’t even describe but according to my wife, no quilter would be caught dead without them. And by the way, I stand corrected, it is Quilter, capital Q not quilter. This is undeniably a girl room and one that I refuse to enter except in the event of an emergency.

For several years now these two rooms have been like separate countries. The borders inviolate. Entry to either was by invitation only. But now comes the sixth biennial Disconnected Piecers Quilt Guild quilt show at the Cultural Center of which my wife is one of the organizers. This means she is tasked with not only preparing some of her quilts for display, but contacting vendors, registering participants, logging in entries and arranging for supplies. How can she do all this and get it ready by the show date of January 27^th? You guessed it. Like an invading horde she moves into my office and fires up one of the computers that now becomes quilt central control.

She fires up MS Access and prepares databases of entries and registrants. Excel spread sheets fly from the printer with vendor positions and products. MS Word is sucking ink from the printer with the number of confirmation letters being sent out. MS Publisher is creating show fliers, brochures and press releases. Emails fly through cyberspace at lightning speed.

My computers miss me. I briefly consider a counter attack that would invade her quilting room, but a glance through the door at the tons of material, binding, fat quarters (Martha, is that like thirty cents?) quilt hangers, pillow cases, and other unknown items and I am afraid.

Now an even more horrifying event takes place in my guy room. She begins to create labels and prints them off so she can sew them into the quilts she is working on. Can you believe my computers, my links with the world, my contacts with other computer techs have been reduced to preparing pieces of a quilt? It doesn’t stop there. Now she is printing off designs she has created on MY computers onto fabric and making them part of her quilts. Does that mean MY computers have become quilters? Say it isn’t so.

But the worst is yet to come. I come home one evening and find my wife in the office, peering intently at a monitor, and I ask what is so fascinating. She excitedly tells me that she just used MY computer to purchase over the internet something called the Ultimate Box. First I thought she had bought herself a computer to use in HER room. Imagine my angst when she explained that the Ultimate Box was a device to be hooked up to MY computers that would allow her to take quilt designs from around the world, download them from the internet to MY computer and then into the Ultimate Box which would convert them to a format that could be read by HER SEWING MACHINE so she could sew even more elaborate quilts and win even more ribbons and awards. There will be my office network, several PC’s and a sewing machine, all talking happily to each other.

Guy things, if only they truly were.

Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer (9781467985895): Courtland Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1467985899 ISBN-13: 9781467985895

Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks! (9781456561734): Court Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1456561731 ISBN-13: 9781456561734

You Don’t Write, You Don’t Call!

The year is one third gone already. It arrived and like it or not it brought with it another year of triumphs and challenges. In the old days, when working for the MAN in the corporate world, life was defined, set, functions clear, directed and relatively meaningless. We would start each day with the Company Mission Statement, moved to the coffee and donuts, struggle till lunch, prepare our “Management by Objective” fictions, and then coast till quitting time. Ahhh, life was easy back then.

But today it feels like we can’t run fast enough. Someone or something is constantly pushing us to do something, buy something, contact someone, answer a survey, pay more, save less, go farther with less fuel, heat homes at lower temperatures, etc. I opened the mailbox today and thought there was only two pieces of junk mail until I picked them up and six more pieces fell to the floor. All junk, but I am sure that the folks that sent them thought they were the offers that couldn’t be refused.

I used to like junk mail. Really. I, like almost everyone here in Florida, came from a northern state. I won’t tell you which one, but our state motto was “Eight months of winter, and four months of rough snowmobiling.” In the winter months we welcomed the piles of junk mail, because when tightly bundled, they would burn for hours in the wood stove and help heat the house. When we made our midnight move to Florida, I thought that perhaps the junk mail, like our son would not find us in our new home. It took our son two years to find us and move back home, the junk mail was waiting for us when we got to Florida.

For a while I chuckled as I would remove the contents of one junk mail envelope and exchange it with another junk mail envelope and mail them in the postage paid envelopes to each other. But, after awhile, even this gets boring.

So this year I vow to clean up some of the detritus that distracts me every day. To do this I will turn to my faithful electronic companion. Join me as I fire up my computer and travel the first step: Go to www.optoutprescreen.com. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion, are permitted to include your name on lists used by creditors or insurers to make pre-approved / prescreened offers of credit or insurance. Opting-Out refers to the process of removing your name from these lists for five years. Through this site, the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies are providing consumers with an easy and convenient way to exercise their right to Opt-Out. (Martha, tell your cousin in Maine that you can also Opt-in to receive all kinds of junk mail to burn instead of propane.)

Next I surf the net over to http://www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html. This site is designed to help folks reduce the amount of commercial and non-profit mail going to their mail box. They claim that I will see a significant drop in junk mail within three months of registering. This group will also help to reduce e-mail soliciting, phone soliciting and even has a section pertaining to sweepstakes. It is run by the DMA (Direct Marketing Association) All members are required to run their mailing, e-mail and phone lists against the DMA op-out list every three months or more and will carry your name for five years.

I feel like the density of my life is lessening already. Hit that keyboard and surf over to www.donotcall.gov. In just a few moments, I have registered not only my home phone but my cell phone as well with the national Do Not Call Registry. There is a complaint section that allows us to file information about a caller which I bookmarked just in case I get that six o’clock call just as I put a bite of dinner in my mouth. After reading the details I almost wish a scofflaw company would call me so I could slap them with that $11,000 fine.

Finally, I want to visit www.annualcreditreport.com. This site allows you to request and receive online a copy of your credit report once a year from each of the three major credit reporting companies. Stagger the request so that every four months you receive a credit report from a different company. I found eight accounts still listed as open that my wife and I had closed in the mid 1970’s and one cell phone account that wasn’t ours. And if credit reports are as baffling to you as they were to me, spend a few minutes at http://money.howstuffworks.com/credit-report1.htm and get the lowdown on how they started, what they are and why you should care.

I’m feeling better already.

Grumbles From The Keyboard: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Computer (9781467985895): Courtland Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1467985899 ISBN-13: 9781467985895

Epicuria: An Adventure That Really Cooks! (9781456561734): Court Nederveld: Books ISBN: 1456561731 ISBN-13: 9781456561734