Hardware

Infopackets Reader Jean T. asks, " How can I change the print color when printing a web page? Some web sites use color and I would like to print in black because black ink is cheaper to maintain. " My response: Defining the print color or print mode ... is usually done at the time of printing the page. Each "print option" window is different for every user because it is the print driver which defines the options available to you at the time of printing a page. And, it is the printer manufacturer that defines how the print driver operates. The next time you go to print a page, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jim L. writes: " Although only two and a half years old, my hard drive is starting to make very strange noises, especially at startup, which sometimes dissipate after having run for a while, but not always. I'm extremely concerned ... that if I don't transfer everything to a new hard drive soon that I will loose it all. I remember that you had recommended a program that would allow easy transfer of data from one hard drive to the other. Will this program transfer my OS (Windows 2000 & Office 2000) and personal data as well? My hard drive is portioned into C and D ... (view more)

Recall -- Last week I posted an article in which Infopackets Reader Ron H. asked for alternative solutions to using a PC mouse. Ron wrote: " I recently had a stroke which has left me paralyzed on the right side of my body. As a result, I am now ... unable to use the computer mouse with any degree of accuracy. I was wondering if you or any of your Readers could recommend a product that I can use to help me navigate my computer in place of the mouse. I am currently typing this email to you with the aid of Dragon NaturallySpeaking , which inputs words on the screen using my voice. Any ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Don R. writes: " Dear Dennis, Continuing on with your recent discussion on video transfer to computer (and to CD): I've heard that there are ways to set up my PC to record TV shows on an automated schedule (similar to " Tivo "). I ... have a newer system with Windows XP and two DVD burners. Is this difficult to do? " My response: No, it's not difficult to do; at the minimum requirement, you would need a video capture card (or a video card with an input port), software to schedule when to record your shows, a sound card, and enough hard drive space to store ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Samuel C. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have many VHS tapes created from the use of my old JVC personal camcorder (analog). I would like to transfer the VHS video onto my computer and then to CD. I've tried researching this issue on ... the web, but am so confused because the lingo is too technical for me to understand. I have a 2 year old computer (Dell) with all the bells and whistles, currently running windows XP Home Edition. Can you help? " My response: In terms of hardware and software requirements, you will need: a camcorder or VCR to play the VHS video a video card ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Ronald H. writes: " Dear Dennis, I recently had a stroke which has left me paralyzed on the right side of my body. As a result, I am now unable to use the computer mouse with any degree of accuracy. I was wondering if you or any ... of your Readers could recommend a product that I can use to help me navigate my computer in place of the mouse. I am currently typing this email to you with the aid of Dragon NaturallySpeaking , which inputs words on the screen using my voice. Any assistance you or your Readers can provide would be greatly appreciated. " My response: I am ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Melissa P. writes: " Dear Dennis, Is there an easy way to fix and repair damaged sectors on a hard drive? Windows keeps reporting to me that my hard drive may have damaged sectors. " My response: A damaged sector *may* be an ... earlier warning sign that your hard drive is about to fail. If you have 1 damaged sector, it may not be all that bad. If you have many damaged sectors, that's a different story. Here's the skinny -- Inside your hard drive are typically 2 ~ 4 discs (called "platters") stacked on top of one another, and read / write heads between each ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader "Rayla Wolff44" writes: " Dear Dennis, Our computer monitor stopped working, and so we ended up borrowing our daughters old monitor and plugged it into our machine. The old monitor worked fine on her computer, however, when it's ... plugged into our machine, the icons appear to 'quiver' some times. What do you think is causing this problem? " My response: I have a number of suggestions off the top of my head. If the 'quivering icons' was a problem with your old monitor, then it is possible that the problem lies with your video card. If not, then try moving ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sandie 'littleone' writes: " Dear Dennis, Lately I've been having problems with my CD writer drive whenever I try to burn a disc. I get strange error messages which tell me that my computer wasn't able to fill the data quickly ... enough during the burn. I have tried to reinstall the software for the CD burner, but it hasn't helped. Do you have any suggestions for me, other than buy a new CD ROM? Thanks for your input. " My response: The problem you are experiencing sounds like a CD buffer underrun error . All CD burn sessions must be uninterrupted or the resulting ... (view more)