Ask A Geek

Q: Is a USB hard drive a safe and secure way to store photos?

A: USB hard drives are not safe or secure by themselves. The reason USB external hard drives are not safe is because the hard drive can become corrupted causing you to lose your data. This is true for almost any media though so you always want to make sure you have your data  in at least two locations at all times. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: Can I set SLI between a GTX 285 xxx edition and a normal GTX 285 without too much hassle?

A: We have seen some cases where this works and some cases where this does not. If both cards are in the same series like GTX 285 and GTX 285 xxx edition then there is a chance it will work fine. If, however, one is a GTX 285 and one is a GTX 295 then you probably wont have any luck. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: What is an index.dat analyzer and why would I want to analyze my index.dat file?

A: Index.dat is a file that Internet Explorer uses to cache recently visited websites. An index.dat analyzer would be a program that would analyze the information stored in index.dat. People would normally use an index.dat analyzer if they want to see what they viewed or if they want to see what someone else viewed using their web browser. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: If I move from my current ISP to AT&T DSL service will I be able to use my existing Linksys wireless G Access point WAP54G? I don’t want to pay extra for a wireless router when I already have one.

A: In my experience with AT&T I have always gotten a modem with a built in wireless router at no extra cost. I normally don’t use the wireless on their router because, like you, I have my own and I like to use it since I have it. When ordering just make sure to express to them you want a stand alone modem, ie one that does not have to connect to your computer via USB. I am pretty sure no DSL companies use USB only modems anymore but it never hurts to make sure and if they say anything just say you have no free USB ports on your computer. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I purchased and installed a Linksys Wireless-G range extender to boost my wireless signal so that I can get wireless access in other areas of the building. When I am in range of the wireless range extender I can see the wireless signal but it is not encrypted. So my problem appears to be that the range extender is boosting the signal but is not passing along the security that is needed. What can I do to resolve this problem?

A: Wireless range extenders are super easy to setup if your wireless network is not secure. Obviously it is a bad idea to have an unsecured wireless network though so most people have some kind of security. This just means you cannot use the “auto configuration” button on the wireless range extender to setup the range extender. You will have to either insert the CD into your computer and connect to the device or you will have to use your web browser to change the settings on the device. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have Mozilla FireFox set as my default web browser and when I click a URL in a Word Document I get an error message from Word saying “Unable to open [URL]. Cannot locate the Internet server or proxy server.” Word does not even try to open Mozilla FireFox it just tells me that it cannot open the URL. Is there anyway I can fix this?

A: This is one of those great Windows/Word features where if you don’t have Internet Explorer set as your default browser then you are going to have to either set Internet Explorer to be your default browser or do a tweak to your registry that I don’t suggest most people do. The easy solution is obviously just to set Internet Explorer as your default browser. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: I have an Acer Power computer with Acer empowering technology framework running Windows XP Pro. When I start the computer up I get a message that says “Administrator has prohibited access to USB/1394 mass storage devices”. How do I fix this?

A: There have been many reports over the last few years of the “administrator has prohibited access to USB 1394 mass storage device” error message on Acer computers. It seems the problem is related to software called LanScope. There does not seem to be a logical way to access LanScope to actually unlock the drives so the only way to resolve this that we have been able to find is to uninstall Acer LanScope.

Read the rest of this entry »

Q: What are the base Skype rates and what are the Skype rates when calling a toll free number to use a calling card?

A: Skype rates are a little complicated to grasp quickly although not that much different from a calling card. Skype wants you to think the rates are very easy to understand by giving you a very simple and easy to read global rate page but they are not. The first issue is the connection fee, that at best is difficult to grasp at first. As of this writing, if you are setup to use the USD and you are calling to a global rate country then your connection fee is $0.039 but if you are calling to a non global rate country then the connection fee is $0.079. Read the rest of this entry »

Q: What is a reasonably priced television projector that is Macintosh compatible?

A: The good news is that it is difficult to find a TV projector that isn’t Mac compatible. The reason for this is because all computers, Macs and Windows based computers, use the same connections to connect to monitors, which is what a TV projector is treated as. The key would be to make sure that the Television projector has the same connection you have on your Mac or that you can get an adapter from your Mac to match what the TV projector wants. Read the rest of this entry »

Q:I am having trouble getting my ATI Radeon 9250 128 p graphics card working in Windows 7. My computer says that card can not run cause it is not supported by the version of DirectX I have. Is there anything I can do to get the card working with Windows 7?

A: Our friends over at Windows7News.com have a solution in their forum that cover your DirectX issue with Windows 7 and the ATI Radeon graphics card. It also covers how to install the driver for the ATI Radeon graphics card in Windows 7 for those that are unable to get the driver installed. Once the driver is installed it also covers how to make it so your computer does not crash each time you try to shut it down due to the ATI Radeon graphics card driver.