Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Hardware Drivers

Dell Inspiron 6000 Drivers


From the Microsoft Page:
Automatic Driver Updates
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/games/learnmore/updatingdrivers.mspx

To use the Windows Update Catalog

1.

On the Microsoft Update home page, under Other options click Administrator options.

2.

Under Update multiple operating systems click Windows Update Catalog.

3.

Click Find driver updates for hardware devices.

4.

Click Pick a hardware category, and search for the latest updates to keep your devices working properly



You can search for driver updates to hardware products, organized by kinds of product and then by manufacturers.

You'll see a list of driver types. Select the category you're updating (Sound, Video, Printer, etc.) and a search form will display. Select from the list of manufacturers, choose your operating system, and search for your update. You'll see a list of suggested updates in the search results. Find the one you need, click Add, and click Go to Download Basket. From there, browse for the location where you'd like to download the software and then click Download Now. Finally, install the update.

What if I can't find my driver using the Windows Update Catalog?

A great resource in the gaming community is a Web site called FilePlanet that hosts drivers, trial versions, and hundreds of other gaming resources. Check FilePlanet if Microsoft Update doesn't list your driver. In the Browse menu on the left, under other files, click Drivers. When the Drivers page appears, enter the name of your device in the Search field, or scroll down to browse by category (Sound, Video Cards, DirectX, etc.)

Dust and Noise on Desktop computers

About half of the noise generated by desktop computers can be eliminated by dusting out the inside.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Use Meebo to IM from a Browser

Meebo
Meebo.com
Supports AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, MSN, and Yahoo! instant messaging services all from within a browser window. A new feature lets you move your chat windows onto the desktop. Meebo works in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.

IM without using or installing an IM client.

From PC Magazine, March 6 2007 issue p.43