Ask A Geek

Q: I don’t have internet at home and frankly I can’t afford it. Will purchasing a wireless card allow me to access the internet on my computer? Its not an old computer I don’t think( M1330 dell, 3GB).

I’m just confused and I do have an unlimited data on my phone. The thing is if I can in fact use these cards to get internet am I limited to what I can buy? I have a Sprint phone and a Dell computer. So will I have to get a Sprint card?

How much do these things usually run and what determines the type of card I should purchase? All I really want is unbroken internet access so that I can watch a youtube or netflix video online. I want to be able to watch it all the way without any pauses or freezes. I am really tired of just using the internet from 8-3 at work. I use the public transportation so would I be able to use this card on the bus?

Someone suggested the cheapest broadband service and then get an internet adaptor so that I don’t have to fuss with a wireless card.

But what is “broadband’” and is that something I will have to get from like comcast or AT&T? I want avoid their outlandish prices.

A: Broadband really just means a fast internet connection and currently that would include cable and DSL for residential customers. There are a few other options but those are the most available options right now.

Your unlimited data plan on your Sprint phone is not really unlimited. If you read the contract it is limited to 5GB of data transfer. To put this in perspective this is probably 4 or 5 Netflix videos. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I am trying to fix my Koss SB45 headset. I’ve managed to pull it apart and guessed that the problem was in the copper wire. I cut it apart and would to try to connect it at two different positions.

Since I’m not really that into electric stuff I just tried to connect them by just touching each other. But then I saw that there was some kind of Fiber glass inside the cable.

Then my question is, how do I connect these? Does the fiber glass have to touch the other fiber glass? And if the information is necessary there are three different cables, one blue, orange and red.

A:  I don’t think it is fiber glass that you are seeing. It should be copper wire with a plastic covering over it. You can use wire cutters to carefully cut the plastic off, a raiser, exacto knife, or as you followed up with, sandpaper. I must say sandpaper is a unique choice but anything to remove the plastic will allow you to start doing your testing.

Q: I have a Palm Pre and am trying the get the best battery life out of it. Everything I read seems to suggesting using WiFi for data transfer will save battery on the device. However, when the phone goes into lock mode it seems like it turns off WiFi. If WiFi saves battery life then why wouldn’t it stay in WiFi mode when it is locked?

A: The reason your Palm Pre and most smartphones disconnect from WiFi when they are locked is because if the connection is not in use then the device can save battery power by turning that portion of the phone off. It uses less battery power to transmit data locally to your WiFi than it does to transmit data over the cellular network so that is why it is suggested you use WiFi if you can. When you unlock your phone it will reconnect to WiFi automatically if there is a WiFi connection around. In terms of usability it is seamless unless you watch the WiFi icons. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have connected my computer running Windows XP to my older TV via a VGA to S-Video converter. The video works fine. I am having difficulty with the audio. I connected an audio cable from my PC tower to the L & R audio inputs on the front of my TV but I still do not get any sound. I have tested the sound coming out of my computer and it works fine with the with head phones so I think the problem is on the TV side.

A: Instead of connecting the audio to the front of your TV you should connect the audio to the nearest audio connection on the back of the TV where you are connecting your S-Video. Most TVs have an audio input for each video input. This means that you usually need to connect the audio to the audio input that goes with the video input you are using.

You should be able to find more details in your manual or if you have lost your manual you can usually download a PDF version of your manual from the manufacturers website.

Q: I am trying to download some audio interviews from a website but the audio files are in the .zip format. How do I download these interviews, add them to iTunes, and then sync them to my iPod Nano? Does it matter if it goes into Podcast, Audio Book or Music categories in iTunes? My teenager was unable to help me with this problem. Thank you so very much for any help.

A: The .zip that you are trying to download is not an audio file, but it is a kind of downloadable folder that might contain audio files. Begin by downloading the .zip to your computer’s hard drive, to do this in Internet Explorer right-click on the .zip and choose Save Target As, in FireFox it is called Save Link As. I recommend that you save the .zip to your computer’s desktop. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: What is the name of the device that makes a mobile phone vibrate?

A: Like pagers and even some toys, a cell phone uses a tiny device called a DC motor to cause vibration. DC motors take electricity from a power source, such as the battery in a cell phone, and that energy is then converted into mechanical work. If you want more information you can read all about DC motors.

Tip: You may also wish to research AC motors and synchronous motors.

Q: I have a TV and the picture on it is terrible. Its dark and the color is a little off. I don’t believe the picture has always been this bad. I was wondering if there were any upgrades I could put into the TV or if there was a part in the TV that needs to be replaced. If I want a better picture what part do I need to attack?

A: Upgrading is not possible on most televisions. But you may be able to replace malfunctioning parts in your television. First, you will need to determine what kind of television you own. There are several kinds of televisions being used today. These include: flat-panel (LCD or Plasma), rear-projection, tube (also called CRT), and front projection. Visit BestBuy.com to see which of these kinds best matches your television. Please understand that each kind of television is susceptible to multiple types of malfunction. I have included only the most common causes below. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have a MacBook running OS X 10.4.11 and just got a used Panasonic mini DV Palmcorder (PalmSight). There’s a firewire connection from the camera to the computer but when I plug it in and turn it on nothing comes up on the desktop. I’m assuming I need some software but can’t find anything other than spam on the web.

A: The special software you are looking for should be installed on your computer already and it is called iMovie. You should be able to find it in your Application folder because it comes installed on all Macs.

You will want to connect your DV camcorder to your computer, make sure it is in play mode, open iMovie, then go to File -> Import from Camera… and this should bring up a window allowing you to import the video from your DV camcorder.

Q: I am getting a new computer and will be using it primarily for gaming. Should I go with a 2.4GHz Quad Core processor or a 3.0GHz Dual Core?

A: When it comes to video gaming, processor speed is one of the most important factors. Most video games right now are not built to take advantage of multiple processors or multiple cores in a processor so the number of processors or cores really is not a major factor. You should be more worried about cores when you do multiple things at a time not when you are planning on putting all your computers energy into one task.

So I would say go with the 3.0GHz Dual Core processor. This will allow your computer to do all the background processing tasks on one core while your game can run quickly on the other core at a faster clock speed.

Q: I have a PS2 and some of the games have online play. I read that I could just plug an Ethernet cable from my PS2 to my high speed modem, and voila! So I bought a 30 ft. Ethernet cable (cause my modem is in the next room from my PS2) and when I went to my modem (model # 60678EU, and it doesn’t have a brand name printed on it anywhere, got it from charter communications I think), the only port for an Ethernet cable is occupied by the Ethernet cable that is running to my other computer. To make this work, will I have to buy different stuff? Or can I get around what I’ve currently got?

A: There are actually 4 solutions you can use to solve this problem. One does not involve some new hardware where the other 3 do though. I will list them in the order of how easy they are.

The easiest and most annoying solution would be to not use the PS2 and the PC at the same time. Just unplug the PC and plug in the PS2 when you want to use it. This will probably require powering down the modem each time as well.

The most reasonable solution is to buy a switch/hub. We highly suggest a Linksys , D-Link, or NetGear. A switch/hub is a networking device that allows you to convert the one port on your modem to 4 or more ports. Most Cable and DSL modems have their own DHCP service in them, so if your modem is new this should work just fine for you. A DHCP service is a service that will give the devices you connect to the network an IP address, which allows them to talk to each other much like phone numbers.

I spent some time browsing the web looking for information on your particular modem, the Ambit 60678EU, and it does have a DHCP service built in that supports 32 computers. So this means you just need to buy a hub, bring it home, unplug everything, hook the Ethernet cable from your modem to your hub, and then connect your PC and your PS2 to the hub. Then you should be in business! I would suggest getting a switch/hub that has a cross over port because I have a feeling you would need it to connect to your modem.

I personally get confused about that all the time. In short if you plug your modem into your switch/hub and the computers do not get to the Internet then you will need a cross over cable. The easiest thing to do is just get a hub that has an optional cross over port. There is usually a button that handles this or in some cases it is just automatic.

The next option, if your modem did not support DHCP would be similar to the above except you would go out and get a router. The router does the DHCP for you and looks very similar to a switch/hub and can even be used as a switch/hub if you disable the router portion in the settings.

The setup would be similar in that you would hook the modem via the Ethernet cable to the routers WAN port. Then you would connect your PC and PS2 to the LAN ports and you would be ready to go.

The last option is for people who like to make things a little bit more difficult. It would also require you leave your PC on all the time when you want to use the PS2.

You would need to install an extra ‘network interface card’ (NIC) on your computer, if your computer already has an extra NIC (Ethernet port) then there is no need for this installation.

The Internet connection sharing is a fairly technical task and it needs conscientious efforts from your side to follow the steps mentioned below:

1. To perform sharing, first of all switch off all the attached hardware devices i.e. PS2, modem and computer,
2. In case you are operating with an external USB modem then assure that it is connected to your pc.
3. Now you need to join the PS2 Network adapter and the free Ethernet port on your computer with a ‘cross-over’ Ethernet cable.
4. Next join the spare computer Ethernet port and your broadband modem with the ’straight-through’ cable. Now switch on your modem and pc.

After making the above connections, Windows allow you to setup the required Internet sharing between your PS2 and pc and subsequently check out the connectivity of your pc. Now turn your PS2 on and breeze in the network access disc. Simply carry out the on-screen setup steps and enjoy the thrill of your PS2. Please note that for PS2 to be online, your pc should be on and connected to the web.