Jim Sanderson is Digital Journal‘s expert tech advice columnist. He is the author of Lemon Aid: Personal Computers and president of Dominion Business Machines. Check each issue of Digital Journal to get advice from our PC doctor!
You can also watch Jim every week on David Onley’s television show HomePage, airing on CP24 and Canadian Learning Television.
You can contact Jim at: sanderson@digitaljournal.com
QUESTION 1
I am retiring my old computer and having a new one built for me. I have Windows XP Home Edition. Can I use that operating system on my new PC or do I have to buy another copy? — Willie P.
Jim Sanderson: Subject to some conditions, Willie, the answer is yes — your old operating system can be legally transferred as long as it is only used in one computer at a time, is accompanied by any media and documentation and is not an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) license.
When your existing retail version of XP is installed to the new system, it will prompt you to reauthorize it via telephone or the Web. As a matter of interest, this reauthorization request can also be triggered if you substantially alter your old PC — changing its motherboard or video card, for example.
When the new confirmation number is issued, the old one will be discontinued, rendering it ineligible for security updates or support.
As I mentioned above, the OEM operating systems that accompany most generic and custom built PCs are not transferable, though they can be sold with the computer. Also, some large PC manufacturers have special license agreements that affect transfers, so be sure to read the End User Licensing Agreement that came with your operating system, and don’t be shy about contacting Microsoft directly if you have any doubts.
For more info: “>www.microsoft.com
QUESTION 3
I am thinking about getting a second monitor and running it alongside the one I now use for gaming and graphics. What’s the best way to do this? — JP, Peterborough, Ontario
Jim Sanderson: Dual monitors are becoming increasingly popular as new programs appear that take advantage of increased CPU power.
Since you mention gaming and graphics, I’m going to assume you don’t just want a simple switch to deliver two images from one
card — you want to run some of the new apps that actually travel from one monitor to another, or do things like display editing tools on one screen and your video or artwork on another.
First and simplest: Check if your current card has both VGA (video graphics array) and DVI (digital visual interface). Some recent cards do, since manufacturers want them to be ready for old and new display types.
If your card qualifies and its drivers enable dual display use, just purchase an adapter cable for the second monitor — CRT to DVI, or the other way around — and you’re set. If your current card does not have two ports, investigate buying one from a company like Matrox or ATI.
Don’t forget that new video cards require an AGP (accelerated graphics port) slot so make sure your mobo has one of these, and that you have enough CPU power and RAM to run your intended applications.
Finally, you can add a second card, which will probably be the cheapest route to go, but this can be tricky. You may encounter video driver conflicts and your old hardware might not be able to handle the new software. Good luck.
For more info: “>www.ati.com
QUESTION 4
I am so sick and tired of spam. Can you recommend some software or something else to help me with this problem? — cj in Mississauga, Ontario
Jim Sanderson: Just give me a minute here, cj, while I order some Viagra and give my bank info to the guy who’s going to send me a million bucks, OK? Seriously, don’t you hate all that stuff? According to many industry watchers, spam is one of the biggest problems on the Internet today.
First, remember: The longer an email address has been in existence and the more times it has been submitted to third parties, the more spam it attracts. It’s a good idea to create an alternate webmail account to use when registering or providing information online.
Second, there are all kinds of commercial and free spam blockers available. See the link below for a comparison of some of them.
Third, although this is not a perfect solution, here’s a tip if you use Outlook Express:
In any recent version of OE, click on Tools, then Message Rules, Mail, then New.
Follow the prompts to create all kinds of conditions to deal with email, including automatically dumping messages with certain keywords (I’ll leave these to your imagination) right into your Deleted folder. You’ll have to review deleted mail to ensure you haven’t nuked anything valuable. Still, this simple filter system works pretty well.
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