A.M. Computing

Open House Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is the big day! The Open House is where all the people in the Summer Company program will officially publicly unveil their business. I’ve been working nonstop for a while now, setting up my booth to make sure it’s perfect. I hope the press like it as much as I do!

Just want to give a moment to thank local artist Takeshi Matsuyama who generously detailed my backdrop, pixel by pixel! Turned out amazing, like all his stuff. Look the guy up on Facebook or e-mail: matsuyama.takeshi@live.com

Trust me, the picture does not do this thing justice! :D

The [New] Age-old Dilemna: 64 bit or 32 bit

With technology advancing rapidly and prices dropping steadily, computers are approaching a new standard in processing capabilities. What does this mean for you? Are you ready to make the jump and how will this effect your computer usage? That’s what we’ll be discussing here!

Firstly, you might be wondering what 32 bit and 64 bit even are / mean. Microsoft defines it this way: 

The terms 32-bit and 64-bit refer to the way a computer’s processor (also called a CPU), handles information. The 64-bit version of Windows handles large amounts of random access memory (RAM) more effectively than a 32-bit system. 

Put simply, a 64-bit system will allow you to use more RAM and will thus make running programs a snappier process when they consume more memory. So, the choice is clear right? 64-bit is the way to go! Not necessarily.

For starters, in a 64-bit environment, your older 16-bit programs will no longer work. Probably not an issue for many, but if you’re used to working with software from the Windows 3.1 era, you’re going to have to kiss that goodbye. As well, though it’s mostly smoothed out at this point, older hardware may not be usable with a 64-bit operating system.

The bigger issue is that at this point in time, depending on what your usage consists of, it might not be worth the additional cost. Very little software actually takes full advantage of a 64-bit processor. 

Meanwhile, however, a 32-bit operating system can only recognize up to about 3.25 GB of RAM while theoretically, it’s 64-bit cousin can handle even a whole TB (1000 GB) of RAM. This is a definite advantage, especially when it comes to future-proofing your system. Keep in mind though, for a 64-bit OS to run, you will have to have 4GB of RAM.

Webopedia once wrote:

While 64-bit servers were once used only by those organizations with massive amounts of data and big budgets, we do see in the near future 64-bit enabled systems hitting the mainstream market. It is only a matter of time until 64-bit software and retail OS packages become available thereby making 64-bit computing an attractive solution for business and home computing needs.

That time is now! But whether you choose to make that step or not, remember that with the right care and configuration, any system can Rise and Shine! Contact AM Computing to find out how you can make this happen for your PC!

Approved for Summer Company Grant! ~

What this means for me:

• I’ll now have the funds to manage AMComputing’s growth
• Lesson-ready hardware
• Ability to reach more clients
• Advertising Advertising Advertising

What this means for you (the client):

• Housecalls can be made more conveniently 
• New hardware and software will improve lesson plans
• I will be able to be more accessible 
• More great, competitive, service!

Remember to contact me at 705 770 7754 or a.m.computing@live.com for any computer related inquiry!

Now’s the Time: iPhone 3G

As the Summer heats up and the days get longer, every fan of the high-tech knows just what’s around the corner: Conventions.

I’m really looking forward to the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) this year. However, a certain other big name convention is coming around very shortly and it’s been intriguing me a lot!

Yep. It’s Apple’s very own Worldwide Developer’s Conference and it’s set to go down June 7-11 in San Francisco. You may be wondering why I’m so excited for this convention. Well, I’ll explain:

In the past few months there’s been quite a storm brewing surrounding Apple and it’s iPhone series of smartphones. The story is that a certain Apple employee had taken the unreleased 4G iPhone for a test around the city. The employee, however, ended up losing the phone in a bar, only to be taken by an unidentified man who sold it for $5000 to popular gadget website Endgadget.

Engadget hastily made news of it, posting article after article in detail on the phone which spread like wildfire across the internet. Apple wasn’t too keen on having the completely unannounced phone leaked to the world and asked for it back, to which Engadget obliged. In short: everyone is expecting the iPhone 4G to be officially announced at the upcoming WWDC event.

That’s it right there. Now you’re probably wondering, “Cool, but what does this have to do with me, and what does this have to do with the iPhone 3G? Typo?”

Not exactly. This post is about the iPhone 3G! You see, now that many people are quickly riding the iPhone 4G hype wave, iPhone 3G and 3Gs’ are hitting the grey market at extremely low prices. So if you’re not too picky about having the very latest gadget but still want high end hardware at an affordable price - iPhone 3G will fill that position with ease. In fact, that’s a spot that needed filling for me, so I went out and got one! I’ll have another post with my impressions of it later on.

Burning an ISO to Disk in Windows 7

An ISO Image file is an archive file of an optical disk. As such they contain all the files that may be found on a particular CD/DVD disk. Because of this, they are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to physically media and can be easily transfered through the internet or a LAN (Local Area Network).

Today, most computers have the ability to burn an ISO image onto a DVD or CD. Unlike in older operating systems, where third-party software may be necessary, Windows 7 makes this a very simple procedure.

First, you insert your blank CD/DVD disk into your computers slot loading trey. These “blank” disks can often be found in general electronics stores, department stores and even dollar stores.

After doing this, you should see a window appear similar to below:

When dealing with an ISO Image file, you can either close the window or select ‘Burn files to disc’.

Navigate Windows Explorer to the file you wish to burn. In this case, you will see I have selected a Windows Vista installation file:

After finding your Disc Image File you may double-click on it and another window will appear.

At this point, when you are ready, you may click ‘Burn’. Depending on the size of your file and the performance capabilities of your PC, the file may take several minutes to load onto the disc.

After verifying that the content has been successfully burned to the disc, the window will prompt you to remove it from the disc trey, and may even open the disc trey for you.

Congratulations! You have successfully burned a Disc Image File (ISO) to a disc. Be sure to follow the proper legalities concerning sharing the disc you have created, though!

If you have any more questions or want to know more, contact me at a.m.computing@live.com! You can also follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/amcomputing

Installing Windows Server 2008 R2

Today, I’m going to be upgrading the PC I showed you yesterday with Windows Server 2008 R2. 

Windows Server operating systems (Windows Server 2003, Small Business Server etc.) differentiate themselves in terms of purpose. Servers are PC’s that store information and provide services to a network. The Windows Server series caters those functions, with an easy to navigate GUI (Graphical User Interface).

These days, people often have many computers in their household for their families’ benefit. A Home Server can help people living under the same roof share resources, information and media in a more efficient manner. I’m going to be using this PC as a Home Server to hold files and for streaming Media and will attempt to make it accessible to every user in my family. As I do this, I will create a post with screenshots and information.

[To anyone wondering: My college is a member of the MSDN Academic Alliance which is a program that was started by Microsoft that allows students in the Computer Systems field completely free and completely legal access to nearly all Microsoft software. Therefore, pirated or illegal software will never be something I endorse or use in any of my posts.]

Taking Apart PC Hardware

Taking apart a PC, whether to install new components or simply to snoop around inside may seem like a daunting task to many. Wires, circuitry and motherboards might appear as technological puzzles for the inexperienced.

However, taking apart a PC doesn’t have to be - and isn’t - rocket science. With a little bit of know-how and the right tools, personally maintaining your hardware can be simple and rewarding!

Today, I opened up one of the many PC’s in my home and took some photos to show you what you can expect to see when undertaking a similar task. Knowing is, after all, half the battle.

[The PC is an Acer Aspire with 160GB (gigabyte) Hard Drive, 1.5GB DDR2 RAM and a 3.2Ghz processor. It was running Windows Vista Basic at the time of disassembly.]

This was the PC prior to being disassembled.

The toolkit I used. In reality, something of this magnitude is not necessary. All you generally will need is a Philips head screwdriver.

Be sure to have an anti-static wrist strap handy to avoid damaging components.

After removing the case, you can see the components inside. I have labelled them accordingly:

A)  Hard Disk Drive (HDD) - Mechanism that reads and writes data to the disc

B) Optical Disk Drive - Reads and can write data to CD/DVD disks

C) Internal Fan - Maintains temperature within PC 

D) Random Access Memory (RAM) stick slots - The main memory

E) Power Supply Unit (PSU) - Supplies power to the PC

F) Motherboard - Contains CPU, BIOS, ports and slots to add peripherals

[We’ll go further in depth on the Motherboard in a future post] 

160GB HDD

1GB RAM stick

The PSU and Internal Fan completely removed

Extracted components

Putting it back together

Good as new!

So that’s just a look into taking apart a PC and what adding and extracting components can look like. As you can see, the procedure is actually rather simple!

If it’s something you’re interested in learning, do not hesitate to contact A.M. Computing by e-mail and an appointment can be setup at your convenience!

Getting it all figured out!

The first step is getting the grant! Next step: Take over the world! :3

Hoping everything goes my way!