Q:
Can you tell me more about encryption in regards to wireless Internet?
A:
When it comes to your wireless network, just know that you will always need encryption. There are no and, ifs or buts about it. It’s necessary!
First of all, what is encryption? It is the process of coding or scrambling information so it can only be read by someone who knows the correct decoding… Continue reading
Q:
I’ve always wondered about the term “virtual private network”. What is that?
A:
Good question! A virtual private network (VPN) is any type of private network that uses a public network to connect users and remote sites together. The public network that a VPN usually uses is of course, the Internet. Staying true to its name, a VPN uses virtual connections that route through… Continue reading
VoIP Defined
We’ve introduced it to you before, but what really is VoIP? It’s becoming more and more popular each day, so it wouldn’t hurt to know a basic overview of it. You might even already use it or you might become interested in getting it after you read this! Who knows?!
VoIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol and it is also known as Internet Telephony. If you have… Continue reading
Are You an End User?
You probably hear that term all the time. I know we use it in our articles quite a bit. So, have you ever wondered what it actually means? You might have an idea, but would you like a more based definition of the term? If so, keep reading!
An end user is basically anyone who a software program or a hardware piece is created for… Continue reading
Cable Modem
You may have heard about cable modems, but do you know exactly what they are? Maybe you have one and by chance, don’t even know it. Here is a small explanation on cable modems for you.
Cable modems are obviously used to connect a computer to the Internet. They are much faster than dial-up modems and they support transfer rates of up to 30 MB per second. That’s… Continue reading
JavaScript Basics
JavaScript is basically a programming language that works with HTML. It is a scripting language that is used to create different special effects on standard Web pages. If you were to design a basic Web page, you would use JavaScript to make the page dynamic and interactive for the viewers.
Some examples of JavaScript in action are image rollovers, form input validations and it even helps… Continue reading
Q:
What is a social network?
A:
That’s a great question, because you might in a social network right now and not even know it. A social network is also known as a virtual community and they are related to profile sites. They are just certain Web sites that help bring people together so they can make new friends, chat, share interests, share ideas, etc.
It’s amazing how… Continue reading
…a URL is the global address of documents and other resources used on the Internet. Continue reading
Q:
What is the difference between a hardware modem and a software modem?
A:
The two types of modems do have many differences and it’s a good idea to know which kind you have in your computer.
Hardware modems are usually external and they connect to your computer through what is called a serial port and then, of course, a phone jack. Everything that the modem needs to… Continue reading
Q:
Everyone’s always talking about servers. What is a server and what does it mean to me?
A:
A server is basically a service that allows clients (that is you) to be able to use programs within your computer. Servers are run through specialized computers, which are, ironically, also called servers. In other words, a server serves the information needed to a computer that it is connected with… Continue reading
Webcams
You’ve probably heard of them; you might even have one of your own, but do you fully understand what a Webcam is or how you use one? If you’re interested in getting the one that’s been sitting on your desk for months out of the box or if you have been thinking about buying one, this tip is just for you!
There are many different uses for Webcams, from… Continue reading
Easter eggs are special little extra tidbits or surprises programmers put into their programs. It usually involves doing some strange things (usually hitting an odd key combination at a specific time) in a program to see a little bonus surprise. Recently, many movies on DVD and video games began including these bonus features. Just do a websearch for the name of your favorite recent movie or game and “Easter… Continue reading
Q:
What is an alert box?
A:
You come across alert boxes all the time. You probably do every single time you use your computer, but you just may not know what they are. You probably call them something else, like a popup box, dialog box, message box, etc. All of those terms are referring to an alert box; it’s just a more technical name for… Continue reading
More on BIOS
We have explained BIOS to you in the past, but I’ve gotten some e-mails from people wondering more about BIOS, so here you go!
As stated in our other tip, BIOS stands for Basic Input/Output System. It is a program that comes preinstalled on computers that are Windows compatible. It does not come with Macs. BIOS is basically the program that your computer uses to start each… Continue reading
Q:
What does streaming mean?
A:
You may have seen the word streaming in various places. Streaming often has to do with audio and video formats, so if you deal a lot with music or video in your daily computing activities, you may run across streaming quite a bit.
Basically, streaming is when a multimedia file is able to be played back on your computer without it being… Continue reading
Q:
It seems that every computer term has an acronym to go along with it and half the time, I have no idea what it means. Can you help by giving me some examples?
A:
Sure, that’s no problem. There are tons of terms that usually only go by certain letters and it can be hard to keep them all straight. There are obviously too many to put… Continue reading
Q:
Can you please explain to me what a bot is?
A:
The word bot comes from the word robot, meaning work. A bot can be described as automated software that sends out commands when it receives a specific type of input. Bots are often found in chat rooms and through advertisements on Web sites. For example, if you’re ever in a chat room and automatically get kicked… Continue reading
Import/Export
Have you ever run into a situation where you need to import or export some data on your computer? Afterwards, did you sit there saying to yourself, what does that even mean? Well, don’t feel bad, you’re not the only one. It can be a little confusing.
Exporting is the process of reformatting information in one program so it can be read by another program. In other words, it’s… Continue reading
Alright, so a couple weeks ago, we talked about RAM (random access memory), but have you ever wondered what ROM is? It’s easy to get these two confused, but they are very different. ROM stands for Read Only Memory.
Basically, ROM is the memory your computer uses to get the instructions it needs to boot up every time you hit that power button. ROM goes to work even before all… Continue reading
Understanding Virtual Memory and RAM
We often get asked what virtual memory is, because it seems as if many people receive errors on their computers saying they do not have enough virtual memory to complete a task. I had someone write in the other day telling me that he was trying to play a game and it keeps cutting him off in the middle of it because his PC does… Continue reading
Q:
What exactly is System32?
A:
We’ve all been getting e-mails about System32 this week and there seems to be some confusion, so let’s try to clear this up. Basically, System32 is a directory that is required on any Microsoft Windows system. So, if you use Windows, you’ve got to have System32 working in order for
Q:
What does DNS mean?
A:
DNS stands for Domain Name System (or Service or Server). Basically, the DNS system is the database that makes the Internet work. So, each time you browse a Web site or you send an e-mail, you’re using a domain name. For example, when you go to our Web site, the URL http://www.worldstart.com contains the domain name worldstart.com, which is all nice and… Continue reading
We’ve talked before about adding info to properties in documents and media files. In case you missed it, head over to the tip on the Worldstart web site…
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/273
Well, did you know that in Vista and XP you make any of this info available as columns in Detail View? No? Then check this one out.
I stumbled across this after I created a folder full of… Continue reading
The software developers are cooking up new acronyms again. You might hear about SaaS, Software as a Service. It’s also called on-demand software, but I guess ODS wasn’t catchy enough for the acronym makers. Yesterday’s Security Tip featured Windows Internet Security Center, one example of this kind of web-based application. It’s not stored on your computer, so it doesn’t take up your disk space… Continue reading
Have you ever tried to play a movie or audio file, only to be met with a message saying that you need to download a codec? What IS a codec, anyways?
The word Codec stands for either Coder-Decoder or Compressor-Decompressor, depending on who you ask. There are audio, text, and video codecs. They’re used to coordinate the
Megan from Ashtabula asks:
What is VoIP, exactly?
That’s an easy one, Megan!
In addition to being fun to say (go on, try it!), VoIP stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. It’s a method for sending voice over the Internet using TCP/IP packets. You may have heard of VoIP phone service
When ordering online at our software store or other places online, you may be asked for your CVV number. This three-digit number follows the last four digits of your credit card in the signature space on your card. Because it’s on the back and not raised for easy copying, we ask for the CVV number online because it means that you probably have the card in your hand… Continue reading
