Broadband Problems and Questions

Recently, I received two interesting questions from U.K. subscribers. I wrote about and answered the other one, which was about external hard drives, in this week’s email newsletter.

In this question, subscriber Robin wrote about problems she is having with her broadband connection…

Hi Terry

I have a stand alone desktop computer with a Tiscali.co.uk 8mb broadband connection and Windows XP Home edition.

Whenever I make or receive a telephone call, it cuts off my broadband connection. Any ideas on what could be causing this? I am using a Speedtouch 330 modem to connect.

Continue reading Broadband Problems and Questions

Traveling with a Computer

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It’s the season for traveling again — are you going to take a computer on your trip? Or, are you going to take a break from the world of email and web? Or, do you plan to find an available computer to use?

Of course, some people travel a lot for business. They know that email has become a critical part of their business world, so they carry their Blackberry or their notebook computer (or both) to stay in touch.

But, most of us travel occasionally for business or pleasure. We may take along our office computer, if it is a notebook, or our home notebook if we have one. However, both of those options solves many of our needs, but not all of them.

If we’re traveling for business, we often have equipment supplied by our employer to help us keep in touch while we’re on a business trip (or when we’re on vacation .

Continue Reading Traveling with a Computer

Number 1 Step in Computer Troubleshooting

You’ve seen the problem. The program you use every day, or maybe one you use occasionally, isn’t doing what it should.

Perhaps the program can’t load one of its data files, so it doesn’t actually start. Perhaps it won’t do the task you told it to do – even if it worked yesterday. Perhaps the program crashes when you run it.

There is one often-forgotten cure for Windows.

In today’s world of Windows, fast computers, fast Internet connections using cable modems, DSL modems or even Ethernet connection to the ISP, many of us leave our computers turned on all the time.

Read more in the Number 1 Step in Computer Troubleshooting

Thinking About Broadband Internet Access

If you’re still using dialup Internet access for use from home, you should start thinking about “broadband”.

What’s broadband? That’s the term for getting your Internet access via a cable or DSL connection, or even a fiber-optic connection if that’s available to you.

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During the roll-out stage of cable and DSL Internet access, there weren’t too many choices. If only one was available in your neighborhood, that’s the one you got.

For some of us, that’s still the case. Although I live in a relatively large city (Baton Rouge), my area of Baton Rouge does not have DSL access available. The phone company’s equipment servicing my subdivision is not compatible with DSL.

Unfortunately, just a few years before the DSL rollout started, the latest-and-greatest phone switching equipment was released — and it turned out to be incompatible with DSL.

Read more in Thinking About Broadband Internet Access