Technology Toolkit

To defrag or not to defrag…that is the question. Before answering this question, though, it may be helpful to know a bit about what defrag is, why it exists, and when does one need to do it. Yes, this implies that not all computers need to be or should be defragmented.

The utility or program called a disk defragmenter is usually used in Windows computers. It serves to solve problems that may arise because of the method of data storage that hard disks use to store data.

There are three main functions of the hard drive and the limitations of those functions are the reason for the break-up of files on the disk. Hard drives store data in clusters called sectors. Sectors hold a finite amount of data, either 256 or 512 bytes. The hard drive has a small arm that moves around the surface of the disk. The arm has heads for the purpose of reading and writing data onto the platters, which is where the sectors and tracks are located on a hard drive. The arm moves the heads into position when the CPU requests a file, or a particular collection of bytes, then waits for the platter to spin the sectors into position for the heads to access the data and send it byte by byte to the CPU for usage.

As you can guess, this makes hard disks very, very slow when compared with other technological processes within a computer’s memory. When compared side by side with the computer’s processor and speed of memory, it can appear that the time a hard disk needs to work its magic takes a millennium in time.

Defragmentation is the operation that will lessen the time the arm needs to move around on the disk platter looking for information in the sectors. It helps organize data on the hard drive into sequential segments on the disk. After you have performed the operation, the arm moves less because related data is stored together instead of on several cluster sectors of unrelated material, keeping the arm in constant motion as it attempts to get all of the requested information to the CPU. The more the arm has to move to place the heads in position, the more time it takes to complete the process.

So, why doesn’t a Windows computer store data sequentially to begin with, you ask? It does…or at least, in the beginning it does, when the disk is new and therefore empty. The problems begin to occur after the disk has some files erased or when the disk has been in use for a while and has a great many of these deleted areas of data as happens with all Windows computers that have been in use for a while. The utility program allows those gaps from deleted and erased data, no longer needed by the user, to disappear as it rearranges the files that are currently on the computer into sequential order for easier access.

Good programs go a step beyond and place application files close to the operating system files so that the time for reboots is diminished dramatically since the arm has to move very little to access the application’s files after accessing the operating system’s files. The order that the program uses to organize the files is the same order in which files that are consistently used by the computer are stored.

As you may have guessed, this is not a quick process. It typically takes hours for the process to be completed. However, this can improve the performance and speed of your computer. It is recommended that the program be run during the hours you sleep, to experience the least amount of downtime as you cannot be running other applications during the process, as this will cause the software to work improperly.

If you have a printer at home, the chances are that it is either a bubble jet or an inkjet printer, since these represent the best combination of quality, flexibility and economy. But the one thing that you will almost certainly have discovered already is that ink can become a long term issue.

Some older inkjets and bubble jet printers had combined cartridges, which meant that, whilst the black cartridge was often kept separate, the three colours, magenta, cyan and yellow, were all kept in one single cartridge. This represented a problem, because if the cyan dropped too low, the whole cartridge had to be replaced, even if the other colour chambers were full.

Manufacturers realised that this was not economical or popular, not much good for the environment with all that ink being discarded. So newer printers started to be produced with separate ink cartridges. Today, almost all colour printers available for home use have at least four cartridges, for the black, cyan, magenta and yellow, although in some cases this may be increased to as many as seven cartridges. These include black, magenta, cyan and yellow, and also pale magenta, pale cyan and pale yellow.

This might seem like a great deal of expense all at once, but it is rare that you would need to replace all cartridges in one go. In fact, for most people you’ll find that once one cartridge needs replacing, your other cartridges may well be at least half full. In this way, you need only buy the ink you actually need. Your own printing may well be biased towards the use of some colours rather than others, and so your ink budget can reflect this bias.

There have long been arguments about whether or not you should use original manufacturer’s ink cartridges, or non branded equivalents, meaning that the ink is either refilled in the same cartridge, or the whole cartridge has been made by a company other than the original manufacturer.

The manufacturers of the printers will tell you that it is unsafe to use anything other than their own brand of cartridges, although this is, of course, hardly surprising. However, there have been many examples where non brand cartridges have leaked, caused issues, lasted less long than the originals.

But at the end of the day it’s down to personal choice. If you can afford to buy original cartridges then at least you know that your warranty will still be valid, and you are certainly less likely to experience issues in the future. But when you consider how much money you can save by buying non brand cartridge equivalents, you may find that your long term savings amount to almost as much as it would cost to buy a new printer.

Certainly it is advisable that you take care of the cartridges and printer, and whatever brand you use, make sure that you regularly carry out head cleaning tests and keep the printer clean and free of dust and obstructions. As far as print quality is concerned, just as much depends on the type and quality of paper you use as the ink you buy.

One of the easiest ways in which you can update and improve the versatility and usefulness of an older computer is by replacing the old CD drives for newer, faster CD drives, or better still, DVD drives. Not everyone realises this, but it is perfectly possible to play all your old CDs, whether data or audio, using a DVD drive. CD drives can only ever read CDs, but DVDs can read both types of disk, meaning that you instantly open up your computer to a whole range of new possibilities.

Many new software products, including popular computer games, are available only on DVD. Some games which used to occupy seven or eight separate CDs, requiring you to sit at the computer waiting for each one to finish and need changing, have now been replaced with a single DVD. This can be left to get on with the installation process with no requirement for you to sit around waiting to swap disks.

Needless to say, another advantage of replacing an old CD drive with a DVD drive is that you will very likely be able to play your DVD movies on the computer. If you have movies on DVD which you normally watch on your DVD player, you could now have the option of being able to watch those same DVDs on your computer.

Another thing to consider if you are planning or thinking about replacing an old CD drive with a newer DVD drive is to purchase a DVD re-writable drive. This not only allows you to play all your old CDs and play newer DVDs, but it will also let you record to both CD and DVD yourself.

This is particularly valuable when it comes to backing up your data. It is quite likely that you have a huge amount of important data on your computer. Think of all the photographs, documents, emails, letters and other files which are stored on your computer, but nowhere else. What would you do if one day your computer failed to switch on? What if your computer caught a virus and the data on your computer became irretrievably corrupted or lost entirely?

By having a DVD rewritable drive you will be able to very quickly and easily copy those important files from your computer and store them on a CD or DVD. CDs can store around 800 megabytes, but a DVD can store over 4 gigabytes, which is at least five times the amount of data. This means that you can easily make copies of those important files, and store them away from your computer. Even if your computer crashes beyond repair, or is even stolen, you’ll still have all those important files saved elsewhere.

The advantage of using CDs or DVDs to backup data is not only that they save so much more data than floppy disks. In fact, a CD can hold four hundred times the mount on a floppy disk. This means that your backed up data will physically take up very little room, allowing you to keep several backups without having to worry about finding a spare drawer to save hundreds of disks.

The humble keyboard is perhaps one of the oldest method used to interact with a computer, and most of us would be very lost without one today. However, there are a number of different types of keyboard, and many extra features, which might be worth considering if you are thinking of purchasing a new computer system, or replacing the old traditional keyboard which you are currently tapping away at.

Although most of us are familiar with the traditional qwerty layout of keys on a keyboard, so called because of the position of the first size letters on the top row, there are other variations available too. Naturally keyboards available in different languages will have certain keys arranged differently, but a Dvorak keyboard has the letters arranged in an entirely different arrangement.

Changing from one arrangement to another is not recommended, and especially not if you happen to be a decent typist as it is likely to slow you down considerably. However, those who have used a Dvorak keyboard arrangement have often sworn they would rather not switch to a qwerty layout as the keys are arranged in a way which prevents fast typing. This is a matter for personal opinion, but most people ignore the option even if they are aware of it being available.

Another aspect to consider is the ergonomic keyboard arrangement. Today we have to be very aware of the fact that using a keyboard for any significant length of time has the potential to cause harm. Repetitive Strain Injury, or RSI, is very commonplace, and many people suffer from cramps, tightness, discomfort or even nerve damage caused by tensing the hands or wrists for long periods of time.

A normal keyboard requires the hands to be quite close together, closer than the elbows. This cause the arms to have to angle inwards, whilst at the same time our wrists have to compensate by angling outwards. This zigzagging of the arm joins causes a great deal of tension, and is not good for blood flow or for the nerves.

Instead, an ergonomic keyboard has the keys laid out in two halves, with each half separated a little way from the other, and angled to provide a much more natural resting position for the arms. In this way, there is no need to angle the arms inwards, and therefore no need to angle the wrists either. For touch typists this should afford a very comfortable position indeed, and for those who can’t touch type, it may encourage a better typing technique as well as providing a more comfortable and less damaging position for the hands and arms.

There are other options and inclusions in many modern keyboards, including extra buttons which either come with pre-programmed commands such as opening email, opening the internet, closing the computer down or logging off. The =re are many buttons available that can be programmed by the user to carry out simple commands, routines or run specific programs. There are even some keyboard which have media buttons included allowing you to operate your computer almost like a media station, opening music files, playing the, adjusting the volume and so on.

It’s surprising just how many people buy a new set of speakers for their computer, in order to try to improve the quality of the sound, but give little thought to the sound card inside the computer. In fact, only a relatively small number of people dare to tinker with the insides of their computer, but in reality buying and installing a new sound card is really not very difficult at all. If you can use a screwdriver to remove a couple of screws, and can change a light bulb, you have all the required skills for installing a new sound card.

Older computers would have almost all of the required components needed for the computer o run, built onto one main circuit board which filled the whole of the floor of the computer itself. This main circuit board is called the motherboard, and the sound you hear used to be created by components which were a part of this main circuit board. Some modern, fairly basic computers still do manage the sound this way, but they are fairly limited in quality.

Most modern computers have a separate circuit board, called a sound card, which plugs in to the end of the motherboard. The sound card manages all of the audio for your computer./ This means more than just making sounds. Both the input, the processing and the output of any audio is managed and controlled by the sound card.

If you have ever played a favourite CD in a cheap stereo system or mp3 player, and then played the same CD in a top of the range hi-fi system, you’ll have noticed how much better the sound quality is. The sound is richer, fuller, and more detailed. The bass notes can be heard, and felt, and the higher notes are clear, rather than distorted. Louder notes are clear, rather than distorted, and overall the piece of music is much better for listening to.

The same is true with the sound on your computer. Of course if you only tend to listen to the odd beep to tell you that you have a new email, then sound may not be terribly important to you. But if you play games, listen to music and watch videos, then you are almost certainly going to prefer toe quality of sound that you are used to hearing on good stereo or hi-fi equipment.

Some people assume that computers simply aren’t capable of replicating high quality sound, as a good stereos sound system could manage. But in truth, a stereo sound system or even hi-fi equipment is little more than a basic computer. A good quality sound card coupled with high quality speakers is more than capable of competing with the very best stereo systems and hi-fi sound systems.

If you think otherwise, you clearly have been used to listening to basic sound cards or built in sound systems on motherboards, and by buying and fitting a new sound card and investing in a good quality set of speakers you’ll be amazed at the difference.