Built in wireless capabilities are becoming almost standard equipment on most laptop and home computers these days for a couple of reasons. One of the primary reasons is cost. Adding wireless capacity is so inexpensive that it would be silly for the manufacturers not to add it. The perceived value of any machine with wireless capacity far exceeds the cost to add it. Wireless is the wave of the future, so if the manufacturers want to stay ahead of the technology curve they need to add it to all but there most basic models.
However, if you're like most people you probably can't even check how much memory your computer has, let-alone if your computer is wireless enabled. Throw in the fact that you may not even know what wireless networking is and it's easy to ignore even trying to determine if your computer has that capacity. As a result, having ever taken the time to set it up is clearly out of the question.
However, since you bought your computer you've probably heard more and more about "going wireless" because it's becoming the hip thing to do. If that's the case with you or I've simply peaked your imagination then read a bit more because I've outlined a few things you can to do to check if your computer has wireless capabilities.
Laptops - Intel Centrino Mobile Technology
Computer manufacturers do less than a perfect job at explaining what this means but if you if your laptop came with this built in then that's good news for you! In a nutshell, it means that your laptop has wireless networking built right in and you don't have to do a thing. Intel Centrino Mobile Technology is a marketing name for a combination of the Intel Pentium M processor and Intel's' Pro Wireless card.
If you have Intel Centrino Mobile Technology then your computer should have a "Centrino" sticker on it somewhere. If you can't find a sticker but you suspect you had one at one time then simply do the following. Right click on your "My Computer" icon. It's probably on your desktop but if not then go to your Start Menu, find My Computer, right-click and select Properties. When the menu opens look at what it says after or under the word Computer.
On a side note, Intel Centrino Mobile Technology also increases battery life and allows manufacturers to build computers smaller. If you can't find anything referring to Intel Centrino Mobile Technology under the word Computer -- don't worry because as long as your laptop has a free card slot, installing wireless is a piece of cake.
Desktop Computers
If you're not sure whether or not your desktop computer has a wireless connection, the easiest thing to do is to simply turn it around and look for a small aerial sticking out of the back towards the bottom. If it's there then you are wireless enabled. On the other hand, if there's nothing then it's still possible that you have a wireless device in the computer, especially if you purchased anytime in 2005 or beyond. However, because it's not the best idea (unless you've done it before) to try and open up your computer to check something I'll show you a way to check, if your wireless enabled, using Windows.
Using Windows to Check Wireless Capacity
Rather than messing with your computers hardware to verify what you've got installed, you can just as easily check using your Windows' Device Manager. To use it, right click My Computer Choose Manage and then click Device Manager.
After you click Device Manager a list of everything you can install will appear on the right half of the screen. Take a look under Network adapters and ignore anything that says 10100 or Ethernet because they are simply normal network connections -- not wireless ones. If there's anything else there, it could be a wireless device.
If you think you have a wireless device, but it has a yellow warning sign alongside its name in the Device Manager, you should take a look at it to see what's wrong by double clicking on it. Windows should then tell you why the device is not working at the moment and may even suggest that you go through its troubleshooter program. Do that before you do anything else.
If it turns out to be a driver problem, you should insert the driver CD that came with your computer. If you can't find the driver CD that came with your computer - don't worry because you should be able to find and then download the appropriate driver online. The first step would be to go to website of your computers manufacturer and do a search for the name of the wireless device that showed up in your Device Manager. Once you find the correct driver simply download it and follow the instructions.
After all this (actually about 5 minutes) you may discover that you don't have a wireless enabled computer -- oh well, those are the breaks. However, it's clearly better to find out your computers wireless capacity now -- before you go out and buy some wireless equipment and then realize that you didn't even need it.
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ideas for buying a notebook.
If you're thinking of buying a laptop computer there are undoubtedly some great deals to be found, but what should you be looking for when you're in the market for a upgraded or even your first laptop computer.
Well, it's always worth sitting down with a pen and paper and thinking about exactly what you need your new laptop computer to do. If you're simply going to use it for word processing and the odd email here and there you don't need the super fast processor and hard drive that can hold millions of files, so don't let a slick salesman tell you otherwise thats just going to hurt your pocket.
If it's a family laptop computer you're in the market for you'll want a good all rounder. Childrenhave a great knack of loading games and other large applications onto a PC without you realsing. which can really effect performance for when you need it for more important things like business or your own games. So make sure you get a appropriate hard drive and a good amount of ram.
Regardless of the type of laptop computer you're in the market for make sure you explain to the seller exactly what you need it for ( ie is it for the home or on the road). More often than not they'll be able to show you in the right direction, but make sure you only spend an amount you're comfortable with.
If you're an online shopper then there are some great deals to be found, so just make sure you conduct proper research before jumping in to make that purchase. You'll probably see a lot of adverts for the newest laptop computer on the market , Buying a laptop computer , its just like anything else , make sure you do a good amount of research, be clear about the amount you want to spend and weigh up your options.
Laptop computer www.discount-notebooks.net
You just purchased that new, used, or refurbished laptop and are ready to get into the thick of things. Just where do you start?
Get used to the features of your notebook
Each laptop has specific features based on manufacurer, model, and year. Make sure you know the basics such as how to "suspend" your laptop,(or get it out of suspension) - how to adjust brightness and volume etc. This will be time well spent as you continue to use your laptop.
In the case of a refurbished laptop computer, many experts recommend charging and then totally discharging the battery. This will help "condition" the battery for use and gives you an idea of what kind of battery life your machine will get. The jury is still out on this, but it may be worthwile.
Register any necessary warranties
Make doubly sure that you place all warranty information, receipts, and manuals in a safe place just in case you'll need them. Make sure you understand the warranty terms and how to return the notebook if found defective. Many warranties, especially third party warranties need to be registered within 30 days for you to be able to file a claim.
Download all the latest "freebees"
Download.Com is a godsend for those of us who don't like to pay for things that make computing easier. There are many free and inexpensive programs here that will help keep your laptop free of viruses, spyware, and other malicious problems. In addition, There are some excellent productivity programs that are 100% free. Here are some must have programs for your laptop.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
There is a possibility that this came with a program on your laptop computer, but it never hurts to check their website at www.adobe.com to ensure that you have the latest version.
AVG Antivirus
This is a totally free antivirus program that continually updates itself. It scans drives and emails and the personal edition is free.
Filezilla
This is a very full-featured FTP program that assists those performing website development and services. It also helps for uploading or downloading large files.
Do you have an old laptop lying around just collecting dust that for whatever reason, you no longer use? It just seems so antiquated, and slow. All you want to do is get rid of it. The hard drive is too small, and the memory sucks, plus you're already planning on getting a sweet newer laptop.
I was in the same predicament. I have a 2 and half year old Compaq Presario 2500 that's seen better days. I was thinking of giving it away, or putting it to sleep in favor of a newer laptop. It was my workhorse for the longest time, and had seen some serious abuse and usage. I was ready to put it to sleep and move on when I decided to refurbish, and upgrade it.
Just like I did, you may not have to get rid of that old laptop just yet. I'm going to show you how I breathed some some new life into my old laptop, and I did it for under 175. Consider this a perfect time to polish off your tech skills. I will show you how I upgraded my laptop, and how you can too.
Unlike a PC, there are only a few components that can be easily upgraded in a laptop. The main 2 are the hard drive, and the memory. If you were skillful enough, you could replace the motherboard, and if you knew how to solder, then you could possibly fiddle with the processor as well, but we'll work under the assumption that this is beyond your knowledge.
You won't need any fancy tools to upgrade your laptop. All you'll really need is a jeweler's screwdriver set which you can get for under 10 from any hobby store.
Before you begin handling any of the internal components, make sure your laptop is turned off, and that you remove the battery. There's no sense in getting shocked. Also, make sure to get rid of any residual static electricity by touching the chassis before you dive in.
I went to my favorite online hardware store, http:newegg.com, for my upgrade purchasing. I go to that website because it's loaded with every type of computer hardware under the sun, and they have the best deals I've found. I had to really focus on the task at hand because once there, I'm like a kid in a candy store.
The hard drive is relatively easy to get to and replace on most laptops. However, I still had to check my laptop's user manual for hard drive removal instructions. Originally, my laptop had come with a 40GB hard drive, but I wanted to double that. I found an 80GB Western Digital Scorpio hard drive at http:newegg.com , and for only 80. 99, this is the one I went with.
Next came the memory. Originally, my laptop came with a paltry 256MB of RAM. I wanted at least 1GB because my laptop had been moving glacially slow. I'm not sure how I dealt with it for all those years. Please note, that not all laptops can support a memory upgrade so you should make sure yours can before you buy anything.
To see if mine could, I went to http:ramfinder.com. You can go there too and see how much RAM your laptop can support. Fortunately, the Compaq Presario 2500 can support 1 GB so I went with two 512MB Corsair memory sticks, which I got from NewEgg for only 45.99 each.
Once I had the hard drive and the memory installed, I re-loaded the operating system, and all the drivers. The whole process from start to finish (after I had the components shipped to me) took about 45 minutes, and now I have a laptop that behaves like new but cost me only 172. 97. Considering a new laptop with equal components would have cost me between 700-900, I think I did pretty good, and you will too. Just follow this simple guide and you can save yourself hundreds of pounds while extending the life of that old laptop of yours.