Hardware

After battling recent bad press showing Dell laptops exploding in flames , Dell and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Tuesday that the company will recall 4.1 million notebook batteries. (Source: news.com ) Affected Products The ... batteries that have been recalled were manufactured by Sony and the recall affects notebooks that were shipped between April 2004 and July 2006. Models that could potentially be affected include: Latitude: D410, D500, D505, D510, D520, D600, D610, D620, D800, D810 Inspiron: 500M, 510M, 600M, 700M, 710M, 6000, 6400, 8500, 8600, 9100, 9200, 9300, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Fasika writes: " Dear Dennis, My USB flash drive was working for months -- flawlessly, but has recently encountered a problem. It starts 'misbehaving' after I try to use with my new computer, but it works fine with my old ... computer, and both computers are using the same operating system. Problem: when I plug the USB flash drive into the new computer, the 'new hardware found' message box appears notifying me that my new hardware is installed and ready to use. But when I go to My Computer to check for the flash drive icon, it isn't there. What would you advise me to do in ... (view more)

One area of computing that we haven't touched on yet is printing. With today's hardware prices, I suppose it would be safe to say that most home computer owners have an ink jet or bubble jet printer connected to their system. From Dot Matrix to Ink ... Jet and Bubble Jet The first, commercially available for the PC market, 'bubble jet' printer was introduced back in the early '80s by Hewlett Packard. It was small, required each sheet of paper to be hand fed, about the size of a cigar box, and consumed paper and ink to produce a fairly good result. One of the greatest features of the bubble jet ... (view more)

One of the scariest parts of Windows is the Windows Registry. You can reduce your Windows computer to a inefficient low wattage heater with a single keystroke if you start playing around in it. This thing is the one area that MUST be approached with ... care. No, I'm not kidding! The registry is important for the smooth and efficient operation of the computer. It tells Windows where, how, what, and when to run. It's cryptic and complicated. And the smallest thing can cause problems so don't mess with it without knowing what you're doing. But, sometimes you have to. If you don't fix registry ... (view more)

For those of you who missed the rather sensational story a few weeks ago, Dell is apparently having a small problem with their laptops. That is, they are becoming known in the industry -- especially amongst the "tech tabloids" -- for products that ... spontaneously combust. Now there's word from UK insiders that Dell has a stockpile of the burnt out systems, and is (hopelessly, perhaps) trying to keep the problem on the "down-low". Last month, video surfaced on the worldwide web showing a laptop burst into flames not far from its Japanese owner. You can see a picture here . Since the mishap, word ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Salomon A. writes: " Dear Dennis, With what program or how can I protect, (lock/unlock) my USB HARD drives with a password? I bought the Acronis Image and did my backup-image to a USB drive, but now my external drive is ... vulnerable. There are so many programs for scrambling files and folders but what I am looking for is really a 'Master' password like Windows XP. Thank you so much for any assistance you can provide. " My response: I don't know of any such a product that is "sold separately", per se, that will allow you to lock your external enclosure with a ... (view more)

As a response to criticisms of its often difficult to comprehend price scheme, Dell is completely changing the way it charges consumers. In a major announcement earlier this month, Dell proclaimed that it would streamline offers for small businesses ... and home purchasers by eliminating random offers and mail-in rebates. With business consumers comprising 85% of Dell sales, the company has been seeking an effective method of expanding its success in the home computer market. Other strategies, including forays into television and printers, have had mixed results. Such failures have led Dell to ... (view more)

AMD versus Intel, Xbox 360 versus Playstation 3 versus Nintendo Wii, Xplayer versus iPod: all are major Fall and Holiday 2006 clashes, but none has been perceived as mainstream as the movie-player war shaping up between HD DVD and Blu-Ray. Just ... recently, however, one multimedia company announced their intent to release a device that refuses to pick a side in the war. Ricoh Technologies -- a company that has existed for over seventy years building electronic devices from photocopiers to digital cameras -- is boasting about its new product that reportedly plays both HD DVD and Blu-Ray discs. ... (view more)

With many current generation DVD players available in grocery stores next to paper towels and plastic cups (for about the same price), movie fanatics and technological gurus are eagerly awaiting the newest way to blow through a pay check. ... Unfortunately for such consumers, Sony's much-anticipated Blu-Ray technology has been delayed -- again. After initially postponing release of the first major wave of Blu-Ray players due August 15th, sources have revealed that Sony has again delayed their release: this time two months later. The significance of the most recent delay means that Sony's first ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Robert G. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've been a fan of your newsletter for quite some time. Thanks for that! Question: at the end of the day, is it best to log off and keep the computer running and ready for the next time it is used, ... or should I shut it down completely and power off? I've heard different variations on the answer to this age-old question. If I leave it running, the fans are always spinning, which causes wear and tear. What do you think? " My response: Good question! I personally always leave my laptop running 24 hours a day because I'm always using it (I'm ... (view more)