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Cleaning a modern LCD screen isn't the same as cleaning an old-fashioned CRT monitor. That is because CRTs are covered with glass, while LCD displays have a softer plastic-based surface. To clean your LCD without damaging it, you need a lint-free cloth, distilled water (for dust) or isopropyl alcohol or white vinegar (for oily stains) and a bottle, ideally an atomizer. Spray your cloth with water or a 1:1 isopropyl alcohol : water mixture. Then carefully wipe the screen with the damp cl

Having recently heard the woes of some family who are getting by with a tiny netbook and some kind of obscure Linux, I decided to build them a real computer for Christmas using components I have left over after various upgrades. I thought it would make for an interesting article to document the build process with photos, so here it

How exactly this is done depends on your computer model. I recommend searching Google and YouTube and I'm sure you will find instructions. Generally, you can expose your computer fans, then use a vacuum cleaner or canned air to remove dust, and a damp cloth to wipe it down. Do the same for the intake grills and vents. DO NOT remove the heat sink unless you are prepared to replace the thermal compo

Though, of the many kinds of fan technologies on the market, some cannot receive lubricant; however the vast majority of low quality fans that come with cases can receive external lubrication. Ironically, cheaper fans have less expensive maintenance than high quality o

You can reduce the cost of your upgrade by discarding with unused or unnecessary features. For instance, you more than likely don’t need a floppy disk drive anymore and probably discarded it years ago. More to the point, however, do you need an optical drive? If you’re building a gaming machine and purchasing purely online, the answer is probably no (and if you do need an optical drive, a USB device might be more suitable if it is purely a device used occasionally that can be picked up after you have upgrad

Webmail can put unnecessary load on your browser as webmail apps tend to use a lot of AJAX and JavaScript. Fortunately, you can use the bundled Claws Mail email client. Other lightweight alternatives include the Mozilla Thunderbird-like Icedove Mail, which you can install

That's it from me. I hope you enjoyed this little visual build-log. If you'd like to try the same thing yourself, keep an eye on FreeCycle , or head down to the city dump and find old some old PCs to play with. Just tearing them apart fully, mixing a few components, and trying to make them work again is a fantastic learning experience. Comments are welcome, but I might not be able to answer any specific hardware related questions for your particular bu

After all, there may be times that you need to check your email or browse the web. You might want to use your Raspberry Pi to make notes of what you’re doing (perhaps keeping track of your progress using the programming tools, for instance), or use the web browser to carry out some brief resea

In part 1 of this checklist, I will take you through the physical cleaning checkpoints of your desktop computer or laptop. In part 2 I will follow up with a list of things you can do to purge obsolete files, unused programs, crapware and more from your Windows mach

Have you ever got tired of cleaning out your PC’s dust bunnies? Or have a rattling fan that just ruins your concentration? Believe it or not, fixing both problems can cost just dollars and the results provide coolness, silence and easier maintena

With the arrival of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere, houses across the globe get a nice cleaning to rid them of dirt and clutter that has accumulated over the past year. Dust and junk also settle on our computer. Whether your PC is suffering from a clocked up fan or an overloaded hard drive, it is time to give it a thorough spring cleaning. With the following checklist this will be a bre

I was asked recently why I find the Raspberry Pi so fascinating. After all, it doesn’t run popular MMORPGs, it can’t easily be used as a portable computer and it’s not ideal for things like multimedia production. When I pointed out the possibilities such as retro gaming and building a compact media centre, my friend confidently reminded me that standard desktops and laptops and even phones can do the same thi

For new apps (and some games if you need something to get you through a fallow period) try the software repository in Preferences >Add/Remove Software . Here you'll find Raspberry Pi-optimised tools that will give you more productivity options for your new mini office

OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) sell a large chunk of their inventory in bulk to suppliers, gaming peripherals Review|https://pcbuildinsight.com/ and to keep costs down they’re not packaged for retail – there are no boxes, no drivers, etc. (although of course drivers and manuals can be downloaded from the manufacturer’s websi