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How much does it cost to build a computer?

Dave Farquhar Hardware October 4, 2018October 2, 2018 0 Comment

How much does it cost to build a computer, you ask? It depends on how much you want to spend, whether you have any parts you can use already on hand, and what your expectations are. But I can give you some ranges so you can figure it out.

Generally, it’s not cheaper to build than buy, but you do get exactly what you want, so there’s that benefit. And there’s nothing wrong with spending a little more to get exactly how much quality you want, or because you enjoy it, or because you want to learn more about how computers work. Those things all have some value too, even if I can’t necessarily put a specific dollar figure on them.

But let’s talk about the things I can put a dollar figure on.

Roku buffering all the time

Dave Farquhar Video October 3, 2018October 2, 2018 1 Comment

Is your Roku buffering all the time when you try to watch streaming media? While it can be frustrating, usually these buffering problems are solvable. Here are six things to try to fix Roku buffering before you switch to another streaming device like an Apple TV or Fire TV stick in frustration.

Some streaming apps are more demanding than others, so if you experience buffering in some apps but not others, that’s not unusual. Watching TV on Netflix always works great for me, for example. And while some people find Hulu occasionally problematic, I don’t think I’ve ever had more than a minor hiccup in Hulu. But I have friends who have issues with HBO Go and I have issues with MLB.tv.

Excel row height must be between 0 and 5.68″

Dave Farquhar Office October 2, 2018October 1, 2018 1 Comment

Last Monday, Excel greeted me with a new error message on my work machine, which happens to be a Mac. When I imported a CSV file and tried to change the row height to the default 16 points, I got the message that Excel row height must be between 0 and 5.68″.

I’ve been changing the default row height back to 16 for decades so I don’t know why Microsoft changed it. But they didn’t ask me. Complaining about it doesn’t help either. So I set out to find a workaround. While I observed this on Excel for a Mac, I would expect some versions of Excel for Windows will behave the same way as well. My copy of Excel 2013 on my Windows box hasn’t changed, but that’s the most recent version I have.

CPM operating system

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing October 1, 2018October 3, 2018 2 Comments

The CPM operating system (or CP/M operating system) was the first popular operating system for personal computers. Its rise and fall has been fairly well documented, if not well understood, and its author, Gary Kildall, is a tragic hero in the early history of computers.

Using a multimeter in model railroading

Dave Farquhar model railroading, Toy trains September 28, 2018September 22, 2018 0 Comment

A multimeter is an inexpensive tool that has several great uses in model railroading, especially if you deal with used or vintage trains a lot. Knowing how to use one will save you a lot of time and frustration.

How secure is Chrome?

Dave Farquhar security September 27, 2018September 22, 2018 0 Comment

How secure is Chrome? While IT professionals may be divided on it, most security professionals I know prefer and recommend it. There are a number of good reasons for that.

Low cost computers

Dave Farquhar Hardware September 26, 2018September 17, 2018 1 Comment

Many people don’t realize it, but we are living in a golden age of low cost computers right now. A veritable flood of off-lease computers is driving down prices for quality, good-performance equipment. These are ideal for low income individuals or others on tight budgets. They’re PCs for people–ordinary people.

Why is Wikipedia not a reliable source?

Dave Farquhar Writing September 25, 2018September 15, 2018 2 Comments

I have mixed feelings about Wikipedia. Maybe that makes me unique, as it seems most people think either too highly of it, or give it zero respect. In its early days, I was a top-1,000 contributor. But I have serious problems with the site. So why is Wikipedia not a reliable source? Let’s dig into the problems.

The problems are serious enough that you’ll never see it cited directly in an academic journal, or in most good research papers. But it can still be useful. You just need to know how to use it with caution.

Commodore 1541 disk drive

Dave Farquhar Retro Computing September 24, 2018September 15, 2018 2 Comments

The Commodore 1541 disk drive was the most common Commodore 64 floppy drive. Commodore fans from the 1980s loved to hate it. It was the first disk drive priced low enough to gain mainstream acceptance. But it was slow and loud and unreliable.

We put up with it anyway. A home computer was a luxury in those days and most of us had some idea how lucky we were to live through that time and experience it firsthand.

Watch home movies on Roku

Dave Farquhar Video September 21, 2018September 15, 2018 2 Comments

Streaming content is great for watching movies and TV shows. It almost makes it unnecessary to keep a DVD player around, except for home movies. What’s the modern solution for those? Actually there is one, and it’s likely to have better longevity than recorded DVDs or VHS tapes as long as you’re careful. Here’s how to watch home movies on Roku.