Q and A with the TechDiva
Almost everyone has a computer in their home or uses one at their place of employment, we don’t mind using them until something goes wrong. That's when anyone would tend to lose their patience rather quickly and wish for nothing more than an open window to toss the thing out of. You find yourself cursing the wretched beast, you bang on the monitor, you scream and yell, then you call “tech” support and for the next 14 hours are on the phone attempting to understand what in the world they are talking about. With a little help understanding your computer's workings you can tame that savage beast and exorcise those PC demons.
I am going to give you answers to some of your most daunting or should I say "haunting" questions. Here are some of the questions I get all the time.
Q: What is the difference between a Single Core and a Dual or Quad Core CPU (Central Processing Unit)?
A: Let's imagine Coastal Hwy as one lane of traffic going North and one lane of traffic going South. Now imagine all the cars as data flowing by. That is your Single Core Processor. The more cars(data) you add the slower they move. Now, let's add a lane of traffic going North and a lane going South. This is now a Dual Core, add more lanes and you have a Quad. By adding more lanes you can move along more cars or in our case data at the same time without slowing down. Of course this analogy is very simplistic but it helps people understand better. Dual and Quad cores are best when multitasking is required from your computer. For instance: You surf the internet and at the same time listen to music online, and are downloading a movie. If you had a Dual or Quad your computer will process the data more efficiently then a Single Core.
Q: Do I really want to upgrade to Windows 7?
A: Simply put YES. Windows 7 has so many really cool features that your missing out on, not to mention it has much more security then XP. And if you're running Vista...well it will be a very welcome upgrade. Win 7 has beaten out XP time and time again in performance tests, as well as its ability to uphold data integrity. While this question can be debated by many there is for every con a major pro. And this TechDiva remembers back to when we upgraded from Win98 to XP and all the same naysayers had the same things to say about that Operating System, now they don't want to get rid of it. Here is my prediction for the future: in about 5 years we will have this same debate about whatever new Operating System Microsoft releases then, just as we are now and just as we did 10 years ago.
For more of what Window 7 has to offer click here http://net.tutsplus.com/articles/web-roundups/10-reasons-why-you-should-upgrade-to-windows-7/
For answers to all your computer questions write to karen@gigabeach.com
