What to try when your computers or printers aren’t behaving.
- What is USB?
- USB (Universal Serial Bus) is the most popular connection used to connect a computer to devices such as digital cameras, printers, scanners, and external hard drives. USB is a cross-platform technology that is supported by most of the major operating systems, including Mac OS X. USB is a hot-swappable technology, meaning that USB...
- How do I connect a digital camera to my computer to download pictures of my students?
- After you taken pictures of your students with your digital camera, you'll want to copy the pictures from your camera to your computer so you can print them, share them with your students, and back them up for safe keeping. Once your pictures are on your computer, you can erase them from your camera, freeing...
- What is a flash drive?
- A Flash Drive is a small self-powered drive that connects to a computer directly through a USB port. It's both Mac and PC compatible, so you can use it to transfer files between both Macs and PCs. Flash drives can hold any type of data, making them an ideal way to back up...
- How do I safely remove a USB device from my computer?
- Some USB devices, such as a flash drive or a memory card connected with a USB card reader, must first be ejected before they can be removed from your computer or shut off. The device is ejected to ensure that nothing is being written to the memory card when it's removed. If you...
- What is Firewire?
- Along with USB, Firewire (also called IEEE 1394) is another popular connector for adding peripherals to your computer. Firewire is most often used to connect digital camcorders, external hard drives, and other devices that can benefit from the high transfer rates (up to 480 Mbps) supported by the Firewire connection. The iSight camera...
- How do I install a printer on my Mac?
- The first step to adding a printer is to make sure the USB cable is properly connected to both the computer and the printer, and that the printer is plugged into a power outlet and turned on. Once you have physically connected the printer and turned it on, it should be recognized...
- How do I print in landscape?
- Printers can print in portrait or landscape mode. In portrait mode, which is the default, the printer prints pages that are 8.5" wide and 11" tall. In landscape mode, the page is turned on its side. This mode may be useful if you are trying to print a spreadsheet or sign that is...
- How do I manage print jobs on my Mac?
- Whenever you print a document, that document enters a print queue, a line of documents waiting for their turn at the printer. A printer icon may appear in your dock to let you know that the queue is active. You can open the print queue and do some document management. To open...
- How do I change the default printer?
- If you know you are always going to be using the same printer (and you have more than one printer installed on your computer, such as a local printer and one or more network printers), you can make that printer the default printer that will be used each time you print from your...
- I can't print, what should I do?
- As with most computer problems, you should begin with the easiest solutions before moving on to more advanced troubleshooting steps. First, make sure the printer is on and has paper in the tray. You may also want to check that it has ink if you are using an inkjet printer. Next, check to...
- How do I share a printer?
- If you only have one printer in your classroom that you want to share with several student computers, you can connect that printer to your computer and then share it so that it is accessible from any computer in the room. To share a printer, you must first add it to your...
- How do I connect my laptop to a projector?
- It's easy to connect your iBook or PowerBook laptop to a projector with a special mini-VGA to VGA Cable. This cable should have been included with your laptop. Simply connect one end of the VGA adapter to the output port on your laptop (this port is next to the headphone...
- How do I connect my computer to my school's network?
- Your school may have a typical Ethernet network that uses "Category 5" cables to connect the computers to the network, or it may have a newer wireless network. Most classrooms in your school will have one or more data jacks on the wall where you can connect a computer to the network...
- What is 802.11?
- This is the name given to the wireless networking standards by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the governing body for all networking standards. The IEEE has released a number of different standards over the years as wireless hardware has become faster. The original IEEE 802.11b standard only supported a maximum...
- How do I create a computer-to-computer wireless network?
- Depending on the school, you may not be able to connect your computer to the network to access the internet, or to use iChat or other collaborative software. Fortunately, if you have more than one laptop in your room, you can use the wireless capabilities of your Mac laptop to create a temporary...
- I can't connect to my network, what should I do?
- Most network connection problems can be solved by following some simple troubleshooting steps: Begin with the easiest solution. With networking, this is checking to make sure the network cable is properly connected to both the computer and the network port on the wall. If you do not see a blinking light on...
- How do I burn a CD on my Mac?
- It is possible to transfer("burn") files to a CD using your Mac's built-in CD-R/CD-RW drive. This is a good way to back up your files. Before you can backup your files by burning them to a CD, you will first need to purchase some blank media. You can use either CD-Rs or CD-RWs....
- How can I clean my computer?
- Cleaning your computer can sometimes improve its performance in addition to making it look better. One example would be cleaning the dust that builds up around the fans designed to move hot air out of your computer's case. Cleaning up some of this dust can improve air circulation inside your computer and help...
- How do I print in on the Mac?
- Most of the time, you print documents directly from the program you used to create them, whether that program is a word processor such as Microsoft Word or Pages, or a one of the iLife programs such as iPhoto. Many programs, such as Microsoft Word, also offer a Print button on the main toolbar. This button...
