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Basic Diagnosis Guidelines for Your PC
Simone is exasperated. She has to work on her university assignment but her PC is not working properly. For example: She would like to open a single Internet Explorer window but a whole series of windows are opening up. Simone is not alone when it...
Basic Problem in a PC
Basic Computer PROBLEMS
I have a p3 500MHz PC with 128MB RAM, 10.2 GB HDD Sony CD ROM 48x with window ME edition operating system. I have a problem- when I insert my audio cd, it shows the error message: “window cannot access the...
Computer Network Installation
Computer network installation can be daunting but with a few guidelines you can install a good network at your home or office. Networking allows computers to share peripherals, and allows one computer to backup the data of another. Also networks can...
The two most important things you need to run a wildly successful web site
There are really only two major and really important things you need to do to run a wildly successful e-commerce web site. If you do not have these two, it really doesn’t matter what else you have or do, your web site is guaranteed to fail. On the...
Welcome to the world of Knoppix
Knoppix is a bootable CD with a collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals. Knoppix can be used as a Linux demo, educational CD, rescue...
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Easy to Execute!
Plug and play equipment or hardware solves the problem of driver installation, re-starting routines, and generally speaking, “hassle”, for those who are not technically proficient.
If your computer supports “Plug and Play”, then, as the name suggests, you simply plug it in and play. For people who are “word perfect”, plug and play might sound somewhat misleading. Peripherals, such as your mouse, keyboard, monitors, scanners, network adaptors, or printers are included in this.
This long awaited technology is made possible via your U.S.B. port. U.S.B. is an abbreviation for UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS. Using this port, your computer detects such peripherals, and after detection, configuration is automatic, in so far as you have no further input.
Prior to “plug n play”, you would have to insert a floppy disc or cd, to supply and install the necessary software or “driver”. To put it simply, your computer cannot see or indeed smell or intuitively know what a device, its properties, requirements and priorities are.
Most computers have two USB ports, usually situated on the back of your unit. A U.S.B. “hub” will effectively increase this number. Basically, it is like an electrical adaptor which allows up to seven devices to be connected to it. If you are a big “gadget” fan, you can simply plug another hub into the first one, and so
on.
U.S.B. is classified as Serial communication, as opposed to parallel communication.
This means that it transmits data/info/signal, if you like, one “bit” at a time. Conversely, it receives it in a similar fashion. This is done or executed, in one wire or cable.
Did you ever notice the “big” or “wide” ends on your cables? These cables are parallel and transmit/receive data/info/signals, many “bits” at a time. Therefore, parallel communication needs many cables/wires and consequently more connections, at its port.
U.S.B. ports and cables are smaller. Just pop around to the back of your P.C., and you will immediately notice the difference. On the machine that I am currently working on, I noticed that the printer has both types of ports and that the parallel port and cabling is the option that the technician used. The serial option would have worked just the same, at this level, where transmission speeds are of little relevance.
In summary, Plug ‘n Play is welcomed and embraced by everyone and is a major step towards “user-friendly” computing.
Seamus Dolly is the webmaster of http://www.CountControl.com His background is in engineering and analogue electronics. His studies include A+, Net+ and Server+.
seamus@countcontrol.com
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