Eugene's observations

If you are a long way from the exchange and want to make the most of what you get, here are two top tips:

1. Connect your router to the master socket - the one closest to the point where your phone line enters the property. Now use a wired connection (Ethernet if you can position the wire safely or mains electrical circuit with a couple of adapters otherwise) to transport the signal to your computer(s).

2. So small and oft forgotten, microfilters account for many a poor broadband signal. Generally speaking, skip the tiny devices that plug right into the socket and use either one built in to the socket itself, or one with a little tail. It is worth spending a little more to get a quality components. Better ones will contain something like

   • 1 Spark Gap
   • 4 Ferrite cores
   • 5 Diodes
   • 5 Capacitors
   • 7 Resistors
   • 2 Transistors

   Cheap devices are smaller as they may contain only

   • 1 Ferrite core (2 coils)
   • 1 Diode
   • 2 Capacitors
   • 2 Resistors

   and can not do a decent job of filtering the high frequency broadband from the lower frequency analogue voice signals. If your phone line sounds anything other than crystal clear, disconnect all other devices connected to the phone line and see if the problem remains. If it does, replace the microfilter with one costing no less than £5.

I have recently set up three different clients with dual boot configurations - that is: the ability when you switch the computer on to select which operating system you want to run. This is done by dividing up the disk (partitioning) into three sections: one for each operating system and a third for the shared data (photos, music etc.)

• The first was Windows XP and Linux (Mint Distro) to give the user the opportunity to evaluate Linux as a free alternative to Windows.
• Then XP as it had been used for four years on one partition and a new installation of XP on the other. This let the user get used to a much faster clean install without giving up the option of using programs the source files and/or product keys of which were long lost.
• Finally was Windows XP and Windows 7 to give the user time to ease into the new user interface while keeping a slippered foot in the door of the comfortable.

I have just upgraded my own main PC by cloning the system volume from a 10,000rpm velociraptor to a SSD with no moving parts. The benefits are that

• with no moving parts the mean time before failure rises dramatically - meaning that it's lifetime is much longer;
• it produces far less heat than conventional disks which means less cooling is required which means less noise;
• because less cooling is required and due to its own construction the power consumption is reduced;
• it transfers data at about three times the speed of a regular disk.

How much faster the computer appears depends on which programs are run and how, but it is certainly noticeably faster. The difference would be even more noticeable had I been running the usual 7,200rpm disk rather than the velociraptor.

I have recently received a mail out of the blue with a pointer to a hand held ‘PC’ and the one line question: ‘Should I buy it?’ This is an extreme case of a common situation where the potential buyer sees a tempting ad and then finds a reason to buy the object.

By not starting the process correctly – i.e. asking ‘what tasks do I want done’ (trade description: requirements analysis), the chances of finding a suitable combination of components, price and after sales service are slim. In this case my correspondent wanted to run applications locally to write a letter or use instant messaging so the 2GB storage would have been inadequate and the 128MB volatile memory would make the device perform like a dog with no legs.

At £89.99 the ‘portable mini’ computer is certainly cheap, but would you really be comfortable squinting at a 7” screen or typing on an 8” keyboard for anything but occasional web based mail messages ?

The old adage ‘you get what you pay for’ really applies with computing, and as with all purchases of things you don’t fully understand, buying a little independent consultancy first will usually save big bucks over the lifetime of the product.