Computers use resources too!
Addressing computer systems using Microsoft Windows
Many of you have heard the term "resource" in a conversation
regarding computers.
What are your computer's resources, you might ask — and
I'm glad you did because I needed an excuse to write this article...
A resource is something that your computer can use to do the work
you want it to do. The most important two on the list are memory (otherwise known
as RAM and NOT your hard disk) where most of the work you are doing (including
what you see at the current moment) is being done and are small pieces on the
main board in your computer. Secondly you have your hard disk (which is sometimes
incorrectly referred to as memory) and is a piece inside of your computer that
you store all your data on (and backup regularly if you are wise).
Explanations
First off, let me explain some terms for the newcomers:
- Click indicates pressing the left mouse button once.
- Double-click indicates pressing the left mouse button twice.
- Right-click indicates pressing the right mouse button once.
- MB is short for "Mega-byte" which means roughly, 1 million
bytes of data, with each byte being the equivalent of one letter, number, symbol,
etc.
You computer has whatever memory that either you or your vendor
put in it. This can be checked by right-clicking on the "My Computer"
icon which is usually on the upper-left of your screen, and clicking the "Properties"
menu item. Towards the bottom-right of the "General" tab, you will see
a number in front of "MB RAM". If you look at the number, that is how
much memory (or RAM) your system has.
Your computer uses memory as a work space. When you start the
computer, parts of the operating system are copied to memory for fast access.
When you load a program to do some work with, you also copy that, or parts of
that program to memory to be able to do your work. Likewise when you open an existing
data file with that program. And when you create a new file with any program,
you are creating it in memory to be later copied to the hard drive.
So, you should see that a) memory is an important resource and
b) the more you have, the more work (or larger files) your computer can do comfortably
at any one time.
Recommendations
My minimum memory recommendations for any speed of system running Microsoft's
products are as follows:
Operating system.........Memory (RAM)
---------------------------------------------------------
|
Windows 95 ................
Windows 98 ................
Windows NT ...............
Windows 2000 ............
Windows XP
............... |
48 MB
64 MB
128 MB
256 MB
1000 MB |
|
Windows 2003 ............ |
1000 MB |
|
Windows VISTA .......... |
2000 MB |
|
Windows 7 |
2000 MB |
|
Windows 2008 ............ |
2000 MB |
What about your hard drive?
Well, because of increasingly complex (read LARGE) operating systems, programs,
etc.; the storage space demands for small computers has skyrocketed in the last
three years. For example: Microsoft's Windows v3.1, circa 1991, used 12MB of hard
drive space to install fully, whereas Microsoft's Windows 98 uses 350MB for a
full install — around a 2,916% increase! Luckily, the cost of that storage space
has dropped relatively. (By the way, the quality of that storage space has dropped
as well, so again, smart users backup their data! To avoid extra unnecessary work,
be smart!)
To find how much hard drive space you have, and have left, double-click
on the "My Computer" icon, right-click on the drive C: icon, click on
the "Properties" menu item.
You will see a pie-chart indicating your hard drive's capacity
condition. Below the pie-chart and to the right is a number with a "MB"
after it. This indicates your total hard drive capacity. Just above the pie-chart
and to the right is another number with a "MB" after it, this is the
available, or free space on your hard drive. If this number is below 100, and
you are using any of the above operating systems, you need a larger hard drive!
Even if you are "only doing word-processing"!!
Why?
Because all versions of Microsoft's Windows use what is called
a "swap-file" or a "page-file". These (as they indicate) are
first off, files. Files are stored on your hard drive. These files are necessary
to all versions of Microsoft's Windows, and used as temporary storage spaces while
your computer is running. If your hard disk space is low, so will the space for
this file be low, and your system's performance will suffer. To be specific, if
you are running Windows, you should have at least 100MB free for
your swap file, and if this is all you have free, it's time for a new drive!
As your memory is your work space, your hard drive is similar
to your filing cabinet, in other words, it is a storage space. The larger drive
you have, the more space for files, programs, etc.
Any final words of wisdom?
Sure! Any amount of memory (RAM) below the minimum recommendations I made above
will slow you down and over-work your hard drive (remember the swap/page-file?)
to the extent that you have less than these numbers.
Ok, now you have an idea of what your computer has, and uses as
it's two main system resources. Other devices will affect the speed of your system,
and some dramatically, but that's a title for another newsletter.
How can Computer Technology Solutions. help my business?
We can help you find out what hardware you really need for your business.
We can help you install it, set it up, and organize your data the same manner
that you would organize your paper data so you find it easy to use. | 
FAQ
A
computer network is simply computers wired together in a way that lets them share
data and/or devices such as hard drives, CD-ROMs, fax-modems, printers, etc.
With a computer network, we can
easily give groups of users rights to view and edit data pertaining to their jobs,
and limit or deny access to areas of data for those who should not have it —
for instance, accounting data.