5 Myths and half truths about computers.

When you install something to your hard drive it’s there permanently. –PARTIALLY TRUE.

The Myth:

We’ve all heard the horror story. You’re mate’s dad’s nephew threw away his old computer, and three days later his credit card information had been stolen! There was this company right, and they threw away old PC’s and hackers nicked the computers and got loads of personal information they sold to spammers!

Cases like this DO happen, but this doesn’t mean they’re common. With a little effort, you can ensure no data at all survives on your old hard drive. In order to understand this half truth, and how you can make sure this doesn’t happen to you, we need to look at how a hard drive works.

The Facts:

Imagine your hard drive is a giant library. Every library has a reception desk, in the case of the hard drive, we call this the index file. Now when you run a program, your computer needs to get the program from your hard drive. So it goes to the index file and asks where all the information on the hard drive is.

Just like when you go to the library and ask where a book is.

When you delete something from your hard drive, it isn’t actually removing the data, it’s only removing it’s entry from the index file. So as far as your computer is concerned, that data no longer exists, even though it is physically still there. That’s where the myth comes from!

But, when you put information on your hard drive (Say installing a new game), the index file looks for gaps in the bookshelf to put the new program. Remember, as far as the computer is concerned, a file that isn’t listed in the index does not exist, so if it finds that the spot on the hard drive previously occupied by the removed file is big enough for the new program, it will write over the old file with the new one.

Hard drives store data using magnetism, so the new magnetic pattern destroys the old one. Without getting too technical, bits of the old program may survive, and can be rebuilt by specialist programs.

Safeguards:

There are many programs that will fill up your hard drive with ‘junk data’ overriding everything on the drive, then they’ll do it again and again and again until all that’s present on the drive is a junk string of 0’s and 1’s. Many of these are available free online.

There’s also a low tech solution too. It’s called a hammer.

You need to format your computer every few months to get rid of the slowdown.- False.

The Myth:

Computers get slower over time, and the only way to get them back up to full speed is to wipe out the entire hard drive and reinstall everything.

The facts:

Computers do get slower over time as they accumulate more junk, their hard drives get fragged and more and more programs find their way into the start up folder. All of these things can be avoided though, with a minimal amount of maintenance and effort. Many people groan and moan about this, but the fact is you vacuum your house, your get your car serviced and you wipe your DVD’s. Why should a computer look after itself?

Safeguards:

Run a good defrag program every week. There’s one installed with windows under programs > Accessories. You can also download custom ones online, some are very good but cost money, some are free and better than what comes with windows (Defraggler being one). But even the one that comes with windows is better than not defragging at all.

Fragging occurs when you install and remove programs. When you install a program or use a program, bits of it can get scattered around the hard drive (stored at different physical locations). Defragging puts them all physically next to each other, so all the parts of the program can be recovered quickly.

Remove some start up programs, or even better don’t install them at all! The reason your computer chugs when you turn it on is that it’s trying to run loads of programs at once. Many companies think that their programs are so important they need to be loaded straight away with windows. Some of these, such as anti virus software do, but many do not. MSN is an example. Check the programs themselves for options to turn off ‘start up with windows’ (In msn it’s under tools> options> General). A more advanced method is to use MSconfig to disable programs that do not have this option. Check online for more guides on how to use MSconfig, as it can cause trouble if you fudge it.

Delete programs you don’t use any more, it saves space and gives your computer more room to play with on your hard drive. Also, remove any desktop icons and files you don’t use.

Run a good spyware program once a week, adaware by lavasoft is a good free one. Also, keep your anti virus checker up to date and scan at least weekly.

Torrenting is illegal- Partially true.

The Myth:

With the fuss kicked up by the RIAA, the news stories about file sharers being prosecuted and the recent (totally unfair) ruling against the pirate bay, it’s easy to assume that file sharing, peer to peer programs and so on are illegal. I’m sure the RIAA would love to perpetuate this myth.

The Facts:

File sharing, peer to peer, torrenting, the gnutella network… there is nothing illegal about any of them. Sharing files is not in any way, shape or form illegal- unless the file is protected by copyright.

Music, pictures, movies and so forth are almost all protected by copyright which means only the person who bought them from a licensed vendor is permitted to use and watch them. However, these are not the only things shared on the internet. Linux distro’s, creative commons licensed content, freeware programs… all of these can legally be downloaded via a torrent. Oh, and World of warcraft’s updater uses torrent technology.

Safeguards:

Long story short, if you think something may be under a copyright, don’t download it. Provided you don't break any copyright, you are not doing anything illegal.

Only trained specialists can build and repair PC’s- False.

The Myth:

Computers are very complicated, highly technical machines that can only be safely fixed and built by trained professionals and/or hardcore geeks.

The facts:

Computers parts are all built to a series of industrial standards (normally ATX, though others exist). The parts themselves physically slot and clip together, no soldering is required. With a simple guide book or manual, it’s very possible to build your own PC from parts. In many cases, this works out cheaper than buying a pre built unit off the shelf from a shop. It also has the added bonus that your PC is built exactly to your specifications- you’re not paying for something you’ll never use.

Repairing your PC yourself also has it’s rewards, no paying extortionate fees just for a consultation, and also you don’t need to send your PC away somewhere and wait three months to get it back!

Safeguards:

A good manual like the Haynes computer manual (This is the one that taught me) can tell you everything you need to know. Having a technically minded friend to back you up doesn’t hurt either, but once you’re learnt the ropes, you can handle anything yourself.

The fact of the matter is that I managed to teach my 60 year old grand dad how to fit RAM and a DVD drive.

Making money online is a scam. Partially true.

The myth:

Every internet money making scheme is a scam. It’s either a pyramid scheme, or they make you do a load of work and never pay you.

The facts:

A big whack of the internet is scamming. But for every Nigerian banker, there’s a genuine opportunity to make money. Many freelance writers (myself included), use the internet to generate a secondary source of income. Some people with a good idea can make a fortune online, but most of us simply use it to generate a little extra spending money. The advantage of this is that you can do as little or as much work as you like without any worry bar loosing a little extra cash. I’ve managed to use the following websites to make a little extra money for myself online. None of them are going to make you rich overnight, but if you enjoy writing or have a passion for a subject you’d like to share, you may find it rewarding, both financially and mentally.

The following websites are tried and tested by myself and I have made money on all of them.

Triond- Writing online articles. They take exclusive rights to your work, but offer consistent payments though.

Xomba- You can write almost anything, but money is made by advert clicks on your articles. Therefore no clicks, no money. But saying that you can make a lot of money if people do click your articles.It also offers cash prize competitions, which I have won twice! These have been temporarily put on hold, but will be relaunched when the website is updated in the comming few weeks.

Bukisa- Similar to Triond, but you keep rights to your work. Also, you need to do how to or informative articles.

Blogspot. Put some adverts on your blog, and gain money when people click!

Zlio- This is an intersting idea. You set up an online shop, and then resell items on behalf of another merchant. You never have to handle goods yourself. If you write reviews, then linking to a product in your shop could result in a nice kickback...

Some of these offer referral schemes. I’ve included my referral within the link, so if you do join, please join using those links. You will not suffer any loss of earnings, the websites just pay me a little, and if you do decide to join, get in touch and I will help you out any way I can. Your success is mine!

Safeguards:

If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Think carefully and do your research before joining any money making websites. Schemes are often scams, but if you actually have to provide something or do some work, you will often be paid for it. Do your homework though!