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. On Windows, it can be used with Windows 98 and higher. USB is a...
- How do I connect a digital camera to my computer to download pictures of my students?
- After you have 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...
- 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 your files. Even...
- How do I safely remove a USB device from my computer?
- Some USB devices, such as a flash drive or memory card connected with USB card reader, must first be stopped before they can be removed from your computer or shut off. Stopping the device is done to ensure that nothing is being written to the memory card. If you remove the device without...
- What is Firewire?
- Along with USB, Firewire (also called IEEE 1394 and i.Link) 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. Firewire...
- How do I install a printer in Windows XP?
- Adding a printer to your computer involves two steps: making the connection from the computer to the printer using either a parallel or USB cable, and installing the software needed to allow your computer to communicate with the specific printer you want to use. Most printers sold today support USB, which can...
- How do I print in Windows XP?
- 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 a drawing program such as Paint. Because most programs designed for Windows follow similar guidelines, you will find that the process of printing from any...
- 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 wider than...
- How do I manage print jobs in Windows XP?
- 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 appears in your system tray next to the clock to let you know that the queue is active. You can open the print queue and do some document...
- 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 Windows...
- 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. Two things need to be configured on the host PC to...
- How do I connect to a printer on my school's network?
- In addition to using a printer that is connected directly to your computer, you can also use a printer that is shared on the network. This printer may be directly connected to the network the way your computer is, or it may be connected to a computer and set up as a shared...
- How do I scan my hard drive for errors?
- Over time your computer may become sluggish because of problems with the way files are stored on your hard drive. Files may have become corrupted if your computer is not shut down properly while it is writing to the disk, for example. Windows XP (and 2000) provide a tool that will allow you...
- How can I clean up my hard drive to create more space?
- The Disk Clean Up tool gives you a quick way to delete files you no longer need from your computer. If your computer is running low on disk space, this is best place to start cleaning up your hard drive to open up more space. The easiest way to access the Disk...
- What is defragmenting and how do I do it?
- separate non-consecutive pieces to store them on the hard drive. This happens when you create and save a file, then go back at a later time and add to it so that it is larger in size. Windows will probably have already saved other files after the original file, so the only way...
- What is system restore and how do I use it?
- System restore is a feature of Windows XP that allows you to roll back the system to the same configuration it had at an earlier time. If this feature is turned on (which it is by default) Windows XP will take periodic snapshots (called restore points) of your installation. It can use the...
- How do I connect my laptop to a projector?
- When you connect your laptop to a projector, your display will be mirrored. What you show on the projector will be the same thing you see on your laptop's display. You will not be able to use your laptop to display your speaker notes or outline. To connect a projector to your...
- 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 speed of...
- 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 your network card, chances...
- How do I burn a CD in Windows XP ?
- Before you can copy files to a CD (known as "burning") using Windows XP you need to have a blank CD-R or CD-RW you can use. The difference between the two is that CD-Rs can only be written to once while CD-RWs can be written to more than once. Both types of media...
- 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...
