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You can guarantee that technology is always changing and always improving. This is particularly true for computer hard disk drives which provide the long-term storage for your files. Not long ago, disk sizes of 250GB (Gigabytes) and 320GB would have only been needed by businesses (who could have afforded them), but now these sizes are accepted as standard for new home computers. This increase in storage capacity has come from an improvement in the quality and cost-efficiency of the components and the driving consumer need for more and more storage space. It’s estimated that as much as 98% of all information that exists today was ‘born digital’ i.e. it did not exist before someone created it in a digital format. We’ve become a society that functions on emails, websites and documents and all of that information has to be stored somewhere. And that’s before you’ve mentioned entertainment, with digital photos, videos and music compounding our storage problems. All of this is nicely supported by rising internet speeds, which now make it possibly to email a 10MB attachment without taking 3 days to deliver it. |
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Most technology depends on a clean, uninterrupted supply of electricity. Unfortunately, inconsistencies in your electrical supply or a sudden complete loss of power can cause major damage to computer systems and other sensitive equipment. This month we investigate power problems and the devices that are essential for protecting your technology investment. Electrical supply is subjected to ‘brownouts’, surges and even complete outages. ‘Brownouts’ are momentary slumps in supply, to a level under 100 volts. They are normally caused by ‘heavy use’ devices (e.g. motors, compressors, air conditioners and laser printers) being turned on, creating a momentary drain on the power supply. Brownouts can affect a computer even if the voltage dip cannot be ‘seen’ (e.g. the lights in the room dimming). And if they don’t crash your PC, they can cause stresses that can shorten the life of its components. Surges of power often follow brownouts as the power rebounds back to normal, and can have similar effects caused by too much voltage. Complete outages are most common in suburban areas where lines are hung on poles that are exposed to lightening. |
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Do you expect your Internet connection to work when you want to use it? Do you depend on this connectivity to run your business? Unfortunately, the Internet consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which are out of our control. It’s amazing that everything seems to stay ‘up’ most of the time! This month we explore problems which can impact your connection to the Internet. If you use an ADSL-based broadband connection, you are transmitting data over the traditional telephone lines and that’s where the problems can start. Assuming everything is good with your computer, there will be some cabling (or a wireless connection) to an ADSL modem, which plugs directly into your phone line. Failures can occur anywhere along that connection chain, with the cables, the modem itself, or even from interference cause by devices on the same line (such as phones and fax machines). Make sure that any other devices use ADSL Line Filters, if required. If you are experiencing a problem, try restarting your broadband modem, which can be achieved by pulling out the power cord if it doesn’t have a power switch. If you have other defendant devices (such as a separate wireless access point, switch/hub or server) they may also need to be restarted in a particular order. |
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