Meuchel Computer Services & Office Supplies

Most computer manufacturers now are trying to boast 4+ Gigabytes of memory with super huge hard drives and Dual or Quad Core processors.  In the computer world those numbers usually mean everything.  Here is the problem.  Windows XP and Vista, as most people know them, run on what’s called a 32-bit platform.  Most games, software, and hardware drivers are programmed for that platform.  The 32-bit platform only supports a total of 4 GB memory.  This includes video and processor memory.  So, in essence, only about 3.5 GB of total system memory can actually be used or even seen.

Enter 64-bit.  Now most programs are not coded for 64-bit Operating Systems yet.  But there is a compatibility feature that will allow 32-bit programs to run on 64-bit systems.  Here is the tricky thing.  Hardware has to have a 64-bit driver to run on a 64-bit operating system.  This is why when people unaware of this situation buy a 64-bit computer, they cannot get older hardware to work on it such as printers, scanners, cameras and such.

So the key is to watch for the amount of memory.  If it has 4+ GB it is most likely 64-bit.

Many machine’s these days get neglected in the cleaning department.  A standard computer acts like an air filter in a way.  It draws air in for cooling and exhausts it over the processor and power supply.  The air going in can be riddled with dust and debris depending on the environment.  That debris get trapped in the heat sink for the processor and in the power supply.

First of all choose a decent air can.  We at Meuchel Computer Services use an air compressor with a moisture trap, but for this demonstration we will be using a Blow Off Duster.

For a simple quick clean if the computer gets regularly maintained you may just need to blow out the back ports and the power supply grid.

Then turn it around a blow out the drive bays.

The next part is removal of the case cover to get inside.  Most generic cases, again we are using a generic Diablo case for this demonstration, have 2 screws to remove on the side of the case opposite the motherboard ports.

This case then allows you to slide the side back about 1/2 to 1 inch and pull it away.

Once inside you can blow the dust out of the power supply fan.  This demonstration is showing an OCZ GameXStream 700 watt power supply.

Then blow out the drive bays from the inside.

Then the processor fan and the heat pipes (the little copper fins next to the processor) if any.  This demonstration is showing an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ mounted to an Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe Motherboard.

Then just to clean up a little blow everything off with a dust over and make sure the add in cards get dusted as well.

When your done you can close the case backup and plug it all back in to play.

You can buy these fine blow off products in store at Meuchel Computer Services & Office Supplies of Watford City.

Also check out our website here for other canned air.

Granted there have been a lot of complaints about Windows Vista.  Old printers and other accessories do not work.  Old software is not compatible.  Asking for authorizations for certain processes is a hassle.  But what a lot of people don’t understand is that these “issues” are actually done to compliment customer requests.  Not supporting old software and hardware was done to eliminate security risks that were open to hackers and other internet crime.  The authorizations are to protect a user from accidentally causing harm to their system.  All in all Vista is not that bad of a beast.  It has a pretty friendly user interface and a nice look.  It just requires a little more hardware to run it than the good ol’ Windows XP.  Oh and those of you who were waiting for Windows Vista’s first Service Pack before making your purchase, wait no longer as it has been released.

Meuchel Computer Services & Office Supplies has been in the Watford City, ND area since October of 2004. Since that time we have offered all kinds of computer tech services.  Computer upgrades, virus removal, software installation and configuration, networking and much more.  We can work on most Microsoft systems from Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP and now even Windows Vista.  We can also work on server grade operating systems such as Windows 2000 Server, and Windows 2003 Server platforms including Windows Small Business Server.

We have also dabled in a few installations of Linux on distro’s of Ubuntu, Gentoo and Red Hat.

Remember us for all your computer problems from minor bugs and glitches to major system overhauls and replacements.

http://www.meuchelcomputers.com

Meuchel Computer Services & Office Supplies is now open online for your convenience.

http://www.meuchelcomputers.com

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