2006-08-25

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Notebook Battery Not Working


USER INQUIRY
I purchased a new notebook (laptop) computer a few months ago, and now the battery won't hold a charge.

RESPONSE
Some notebook (laptop) computers, such as the Dell Latitude D610, drain the battery even when not in use. This causes the battery to become fully depleted which results in poor battery performance. If the battery has remained in the notebook for an extended period of time when the notebook was not in use, it probably won't charge up in the normal 2 to 4 hours. It may take 18 to 24 hours to fully charge the battery again. Be sure to remove the battery from the notebook whenever it is not in use. This is a good practice with any notebook brand or model. It is also a good idea to refresh (or condition) rechargeable batteries once a month or so. This involves allowing them to be fully charged and then discharged to about 5% of capacity and then charged up again. Some notebook computers may have a built-in schedule to remind you to initiate an automatic reconditioning cycle.

2006-08-22

Modem Connection Results in No Dial Tone


USER INQUIRY
When I connect the telephone cord from the wall to the computer modem, there is suddenly no dial tone. It's a brand new HP desktop computer.

RESPONSE
Are you sure you plugged the phone cord into the proper jack on the computer? If it was plugged by accident into the Ethernet jack (which looks like a phone jack) that might cause the dial tone to go out. Also, some computer modems require a special "dongle" device that looks like a splitter. It must be plugged into the modem and then on that device you will see two jacks, one marked line and the other marked phone. Without this dongle, the modem might not work and may cause there to be no dial tone. Another possibility is that the modem is simply defective as a result of a lightning storm or some other cause. You might try another modem, such as a USB modem for about $50. The USB modem would be easier to install than an internal modem. Creative Labs or Zoom are good choices.

USB Memory Stick Flash Drive Identification


USER INQUIRY
I have one of those tiny USB memory stick flash drive devices. I want to put my identification on it in case it is lost, but it is too small to show my complete contact information. What can I do?

ANSWER
Consider including a text file that contains your contact information in the root directory of the device. Save all your files in a sub folder that is given the name "files" or simply the current year. If found, a person can quickly identify your contact information in the root directory. Rather than having a single file with your contact information, consider having several text files with names like "if-found" and "owner-information" and "this-belongs-to" and "read-me" making it more intuitive.