Understanding some of the terminology can greatly increase your chances of getting what you want when looking to upgrade or buy a computer.

Anything ending in byte or bite refers to size, ie a 400 Gigabyte (GB) hard drive refers to the amount of storage space on your computer, or a 4 megabyte (MB) file refers to the size of a particular document or picture etc. Files can also be kilobyte (kb) size.

There are 1024 kilobytes to 1 megabyte, 1024 megabytes to 1 gigabyte and 1024 gigabytes to 1 terabyte. There are more, but you won’t find those on a home computer – yet.

So, when trying to decide how many files you can send in an email or put on a disk, all it takes is a little math and some conversion to determine the answer. Email servers used to have a 3MB email size, but some places can accept larger emails, ie printing companies, etc have special arrangements to accept large files. If you need to send a really large file there are other options available, ie instant messaging programs like MSN often have file sharing features or ftp programs like FlashFXP.

Ram, also known as memory, is described using megabyte and gigabyte, again because it refers to size. Most computers today have a minimum of 256 megabytes of ram to as much as 4 gigabytes. Ram is not storage space, even though it’s called memory. It does not store files rather provides a means for the various programs to run efficiently. Think of it like a car, power is the gas and ram is oil and your hard drive is the gas tank. The more oil you put in the smoother the operation of the car, the more ram you have the smoother the operation of the computer. Of course, like a car can’t take unlimited amounts of oil (some engines want a max of 4 litres some 5 etc) some computers can only accept 1GB of ram, some more, some less.

Anything ending in hertz refers to speed. When computers first hit the market, 64 megahertz was fast! Now, computers are approaching 4 gigahertz. The same holds true for hertz as byte, 1024 megahertz (MHz) is one gigahertz (GHz) etc.

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Is Windows 98 still good?

Short answer – no. It is no longer supported by Microsoft and is open to security issues and compatibility issues. The good news is, because very few people are still using 98 most computer hackers aren’t bothering writing code for it, however, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t upgrade.

Should I stick with XP, I’ve heard Vista has problems?

Well, like anything generated by Microsoft, Vista does have…….issues, for some people. It seems to depend on what you are demanding from your computer on whether you have issues with Vista. The most common problem is hardware issues. Most people are finding their old hardware is not compatible with Vista. Sometimes you can make it work and sometimes it will work but with limited features. In short, unless there is something you really want from Vista, stick with XP for now.

What’s wrong with using a free Antivirus program like AVG.

Nothing, if it works. I’ve had to take AVG off of computers because it just wasn’t doing its job. On the other hand, some of my clients love it and have used it for years. If it’s working use it, if it isn’t, then you have to replace it with something that works. The good news, Trendmicro is now available in stores. More user friendly than Norton and not as widely attacked, it is an excellent antivirus program.

Important: Do not load more than one antivirus program on your computer, it will have a meltdown. You can run more than one antispyware program as long as only one is live, but antivirus programs use the same files to operate and they really do not like sharing. So, if you are switching from your current one to another brand make sure you completely uninstall the first one. Don’t know how to do that – what a coincidence, I can do that for you.

I turned on my pop-up blocker and now I can’t access some websites that I really need to get on.

Pop-up blockers have their uses, but they don’t know the difference between an advertising pop-up and a logon pop-up. Also, if you have too many pop-up blockers, ie Internet Explorer has a built in pop-up blocker, Vista has pop-up blockers, plus there are third party blockers, if you try to run them all then you will have issues surfing the net. If you are running Internet Explorer and have a lot of pop-ups try using Firefox – a much better browser, however, none of Microsoft’s websites will work in Firefox. Download Firefox: http://www.mozilla.com , also, don’t try to uninstall Internet Explorer -it’s an integral part of Windows and won’t allow itself to be uninstalled. Don’t you just love Microsoft’s marketing tools?

That’s all for today, keep those comments and questions coming.

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