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The Palm Beach Post, Fla., tech help column
(Palm Beach Post, The (FL) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Nov. 17--QUESTION: I keep getting pop-ups urging me to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1; however, the three pages of instructions are confusing to me, especially Step 5 which tells me to disable my anti-virus software. Do I really need to do this?
--Jackie Palmer
ANSWER: Yes, the update is worthwhile. After it is installed Vista will work faster, be more secure and some of the annoying pop-ups from within Vista itself will stop. Early versions of Vista had more bugs than a rotten log.
And do follow the advice to disable the anti-virus software during installation. Many anti-virus programs don't recognize new programs being installed and will worry that they're stealth programs. To make things worse in this case, the changes are being made to the operating system -- a red flag for anti-virus programs.
Q: I have a Windows PC running XP. It often freezes every 5-15 minutes. By freezing, I mean the program stops, the cursor will not move and the sound goes into a roar. I have returned it to the supplier twice and their techs say they cannot find anything wrong. The peripherals attached are a DSL modem, a router (for a second PC), a printer and KVM. I have replaced the mouse.
--Rita Johnston
A: There are dozens of reasons for computer freezes. I'd do this first: Take the computer back and insist on using the computer while sitting down with a tech. (I'm assuming that your computer is either under warranty or you're paying the technicians. In either case, the burden is on them to fix the machine.) If the computer is freezing that often and that severely, there's no way that a tech can say nothing is wrong. If you're sending it to a distant supplier, you'll need to work your way up the tech support chain to make sure you get some help.
HELP FROM A READER: Just today, I looked in the local paper and saw a 40-foot HDMI cable from Monster advertised for $99. $99?
HDMI works or it doesn't. The real tell is the specification for the cable. The latest HDMI cable specification is 1.3c. If you buy a cable advertised at HDMI 1.3+, you get that magical 'BEST' 10.2 gigabites a second.
OK, so where did I buy mine? At www.monoprice.com, I decided to splurge on a gold plated connector. And paid $7.46.
Please Bill, pass this information onto your readers. I'm tired of the manufacturers and consumer outlets fleecing their customers.
Thanks, Mike Murphy.
BILL'S NOTE: Fleecing may be too strong here. But Mike's point is good. While Monster makes excellent cables and probably would edge out his cheaper cable manufacturer when it comes to quality control, the site he mentioned is a good one -- and one I've recommended. It is foolish to pay $100 for a under-$10 cable that will work just fine.
Bill Husted writes for the Palm Beach Post-Cox News Service. He does not respond to all e-mails, but you may send questions to tecbud@bellsouth.net. Include your name, a phone number and where you live.
To see more of The Palm Beach Post -- including its homes, jobs, cars and other classified listings -- or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.palmbeachpost.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Palm Beach Post, Fla.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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