Nora has a question about Windows 7: “What is all the fuss over Windows 7? I am seeing commercials for it everywhere.” Windows 7 is the next operating system in Microsoft’s progression following Vista. As with most changes we’ve seen from Microsoft, 7 hopes to make computer use faster and easier.
Most of the hype around 7 is due to a general distaste left behind by Vista. Not to say Vista was necessarily a bad operating system; but, it definitely lacked ease of use and received negative attention for many issues. Windows 7 replaces many annoying features of prior Microsoft operating systems with an easy-to-use, fast and feature rich operating system.
I loaded Windows 7 onto one of my laptops as well as a computer in my Leominster store. In both cases it replaced Vista. I noticed that a somewhat slow machine became suddenly much peppier. All the annoying confirmations are no longer there and the new operating system seems to be much more intuitive. Users of Microsoft Office 07 will see a resemblance between it and Windows 7.
Windows 7 seems to me a relatively easy operating system to install and use. As well, 7 appears to offer much more functionality. October 22 is the stated release date; however, most computers purchased now are packaged with a free upgrade to Windows 7 when it is finally released.
Chet asked a question about his computer: “What could be causing my six month old computer to shut down randomly?” Well Chet, there could be several reasons your computer is shutting down. Overheating, power supply issues, memory and hard drive problems could all be the culprit. I’m going to give you the techniques I would use at the shop to diagnose the problem.
Heat is the most probable cause. With the side panels removed from the PC, check to make sure the fans turn freely and the heat sink is free of dust. The easiest remedy is to blow the heat sink and fans with a can of compressed and replace fans as necessary.
Power supply problems will sometimes cause a computer to turn off randomly. The power supply distributes power to all the components inside the computer. Testing the power supply is somewhat difficult without having either a tester or replacement power supply on hand. However, you can download the ATX specification sheet from the internet and check voltages using a volt meter.
Hard drive problems are somewhat difficult to diagnose, but not impossible for the home user. The best quick diagnostic is listening for a percussive, or repeating, noise coming from the drive. Another test utility called chkdsk is included free in Windows. Because data is permanently stored on the hard drive it is sometimes best not to stress the drive too much if it’s in question.
Memory problems are very easy to check with the help of a free software title called Memtest. You can freely download, burn and run a copy from CD. With a fresh pot of coffee waiting, insert the CD, turn on the computer and wait . The software will report bad memory in about 20 minutes.
Tip of the week: Paper feed problems on printers can be easily fixed with cotton swabs and rubbing alcohol. Simply wet the end of a swab with alcohol and wipe the surface of the paper feed rolls inside your printer. You should see brown or black residue on the end of the swab and the paper should feed much better.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can e-mail him at Jeromy@LocalComputerWiz.com or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)