Q: I want to buy a power supply, but it says it's P4-compatible. What does that mean exactly?
A: P4, in this case, means Pentium IV. The latest Pentium-IV compatible mainboards requires an extra power plug to supply power in addition to the regular ATX power plugs. Therefore, power supplies that has this extra plug is called P4-compatible. You can have it and not use it.

Q: I downloaded a file, and Windows asked me to pick a viewer. I think I picked the wrong program, but I marked it "permanent", so I can't choose any more. What can I do to change that choice?
A: Go to Windows Explorer, and locate that file. Then hold down one of the two SHIFT keys, then RIGHT-CLICK the file. You should see a new choice "Open with...". Select that, and that "choose program to open..." dialog should come back. Choose the right program this time.

Q: I've been getting these pop-up "spam" that says "messenger service" in the title bar. I use Windows XP. How do I stop that?
A: See this Microsoft webpage

http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/pro/using/howto/communicate/version45/stopspam.asp

Q: What can I use to monitor my mainboard? I want the info displayed on the toolbar or other places...
A: Try Motherboard Monitor. You will need a compatible mainboard with onboard sensors.

Q: What is this "slammer" worm I am hearing about?
A: It's a worm that spreads from SQL server to SQL server. If you are NOT running a SQL server (if you don' t know what it is, you probably are NOT running one), it can't infect you. It MAY affect you indirectly as it sends out a lot of wasteful packets and thus can flood a network, clogging the network up and delaying everybody else. For more info, check here.

Q: What is ECC RAM? Do I need it?
A: ECC stands for Error Correction Code. Basically, through a special algorithm, it is possible to CORRECT a single bit error. In parity RAM (see previous entry), it can only detect the error, but can't do anything about it. ECC RAM can actually FIX that single bit error. I won't go into how it actually works, suffice to say it does work. However, it is SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive than regular RAM, and it is also SLOWER due to the internal circuitry that does the calculations.

ECC RAM is still used, but only in the "dedicated server" market, where 24/7 operation is critical to a business and errors are not tolerated. Again, special mainboards with support for this type of RAM is required. Home users do NOT need this type of RAM.

Q: What is "parity" RAM? Do I need it?
A: Parity RAM has an extra bit per byte that serves as a quality check. For example, let's say this byte holds the decimal value of 17, which is 10001 in binary. That's 2 bits turned on, so the parity bit would be OFF. If the byte holds decimal value of 19, however, binary is 10011, then parity bit would be on. When each byte is read back, the parity is recalculated, and compared against the existing parity bit. If there's a mismatch, you can conclude that there is a problem with the memory, and the operating system can do something to warn the user.

Parity RAM is popular a couple years back, say, mid 90's, when memory reliability is not that good. In the 21st century, parity RAM is no longer needed, esp. for home PC's. As you can imagine, using up 1/8th more memory for just error checking will make those modules quite a bit more expensive, as are those error-checking circuits on the memory themselves. Not only that, the mainboard must also support this type of memory.

Q: Can you suggest a video card that has a full set of video input and output features?
A: The ATI All-In-Wonder series are good choices. The choices currently are 8500 AIW, 9000 AIW, and 9700 AIW. ATI is planning to add a new one, called ATI AIW VE, which is really a 7500 AIW, but with the AIW component from the 9700.

Q: Can I create my own fonts?
A: Yes, there are programs to do that. For Windows, I found two, one shareware, the other professional:

High Logic's "Font Creator Program" (shareware, $50 to register)

Macromedia's Fontographer (demo available, $349 list price)

Q: Do speakers need "drivers"?
A: Audio speakers? No! The sound card they connect to needs drivers. The only exception: In about 2000, Microsoft tried to push a standard where the speakers are connected directly to a USB port: no sound card. PC does the sound processing and the speakers get the audio data directly. That idea went away in a hurry as USB compatibility is low back then, and this means you can't upgrade the sound without replacing the speakers.