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| November 16th 1997 |
File associations
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One of my favorite features in Windows 95 and NT is the way the operation system associates files with certain
programs. An icon of a certain type (let's say a gif file) is clicked on and the program (lets say Adobe Photoshop)
is lunched. What if we want a different program to be associated with a program or, there is no association at
all? Here is the solution:
1) Click on either the "My computer" or Windows Explorer icon
2) Click on the file types tap
3) In the list of file types click on the item you want to change.
4) Click on edit
5) In actions box, click open
6) Click edit and then specify the program you want to use to open files that have this extension
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| Use shortcut keys |
November 9th 1997
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Working in a graphical environment is nice. There are pull down menus and icons that make every computer
user happy! One thing that amazes me is how few computer users take advantage of shortcut keys. Some of the most
common are Ctrl+ Alt+ Del which restarts the computer, Ctrl+ C which copy's text to the clipboard and ctrl+ v which
pastes the contents of the clipboard to a text document. I will not focus heavily on the hot keys built into windows.
We can simply look at the edit command of most programs, where the hot key is conveniently listed along side of
it's corresponding function. Did you know you can create your own shortcut keys? Just open the dialog box for any
of your favorite programs and simply highlight the box that says "shortcut" Then hit the keys you desire
for your new shortcut! You will be amazed how much faster you can work, and how little you use the mouse!
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| November 2nd 1997 |
SCSI vs. IDE
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I am often asked when to go with a SCSI (Small computer systems interface) interface on a computer system
as opposed to the "standard" IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) interface. Lets look at some of the advantages
and disadvantages.
1.) Compared to an IDE system SCSI can cost hundreds of dollars more.
2.) Enhanced IDE (Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics) can now handle 4 devices but bare in mind that only
one device can be accessed at a time. Do a directory of your entire hard drive (Dir. /s in dos or start menu file
find *. * in windows). Do the same with other existing drives ie: CD ROM, Zip drive etc. Notice that the tasks
get divided. As the C drive is being read, D is put on hold. With SCSI you can have Anywhere from 7-21 devices
on the chain and simultaneous access is allowed! Therefore, If you do a lot of multitasking and time is a factor
then a SCSI system is invaluable.
3.) Speed is always an issue no matter what the computing situation is. Is SCSI faster then IDE? Let's look
at some numbers. Newer enhanced IDE drives have access rates as low as 9 milliseconds and burst transfer rates
of 25 Megs per second. Some of the faster SCSI drives have access rates of 8 milliseconds and transfer rates depend
on the SCSI card. Ie: An Adaptec 2940 fast and wide SCSI card will do a burst transfer rate of 40 megs per second
but you need a drive with 63 pins to match to get this kind of performance. An average SCSI 2 card will do a burst
transfer rate of up to 25 Megs per second. Not much of differences as far as disk access! Transfer rates are close
with the most common hardware! The key again is multitasking! 2 or more devices used simultaneously make the SCSI
system a prize!
To conclude, Multitasking is the key to SCSI's value. If you do a lot of tasks at the same time such as scanning,
quarrying a large database or have a network with a server that is constantly being accessed then go with SCSI.
If you just use the web and maybe type a letter in work then use IDE and spend your money on something fun.
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