Reader questions

I am struggling this morning to combine my mood — which is celebratory (it is the holiday season), and definitely affected with a dose of TGIF — and the studious and serious subject matter of bringing tech tips and computer security advice to you. Part of me wants to play hookie this morning. But I won’t. I’ll straighten-up-and-fly-right, and answer some reader questions today.

Q: I erased my browser History, can I get it back?
A: You should be aware that all Web browsers keep track of which URL’s (Website addresses) you have visited, and stores them in its History. This is handy if you would like to return to a Website you recently discovered, and you can’t quite remember the URL. This is also a good way to keep an eye on where your child (or spouse) goes on the Internet.. and if you think about it, and realize that someone else could do the same to you, you can understand how this raises some privacy concerns. Click here to read an article that covers this topic, and the steps you can take to protect yourself.
In IE 7, your History can be found as a subset of your Favorites.   

It has been my experience that if you have erased your browser History using a special privacy program, then no, you will not be able to recover your recently visited URLs. If you used IE to erase the History (as described in the article link above), you may, possibly, recovery the History with an undelete program (for more on undelete and file recovery, type “undelete” in my Search box). But I would say the odds aren’t terrific, and I would also say that’s a good thing as I’m a fan of privacy. (If anyone knows differently, please leave a Comment.)
Instead of trying to recover your History, it might be a better idea to use a search engine to try to “re-discover” your website.

Q: What should I look for when buying a new motherboard?
A: There is a short answer, and I could write a series of articles on this topic! Today, I will try to give a short answer– and that is: it sorta depends. If you are “upgrading” your system — that is, if you intend to also get newer/faster CPU+RAM — then you want to think about the MB’s “chipset” and try to get the latest edition. The faster the front-side bus, the better.
If you are looking at motherboard replacement, the keyword is “compatibility”: you must identify the make/model of your CPU, and RAM type, and find a board with the right “socket” (where the CPU plugs in). You may need to find a board whose graphics slot is AGP…

In terms of “general advice”:
1) Be aware that there is a difference between motherboards for Intel and AMD CPUs. Your CPU is the main consideration. Considering going quad-core? Make sure the chipset supports it.
2) “Onboard” is not as good as seperate expansion cards, especially when it comes to graphics. You can save money (and CPU cycles and RAM) by avoiding MBs that have “onboard” sound and graphics chipsets.. which leads me to #3 and #4…
3) Expansion: make sure the board you’re considering has not only enough “slots” (technically, “PCI expansion slots”) for any cards you currently have, but that there are ‘extras’ to allow for future cards. You just never know when you might need an open slot. Also, gamers will want the “SLI” (or quad, even) ability of dual graphics slots.
4) Ports: don’t forget to factor in USB and Firewire (and other plugs) ports. Are there plenty? Are there ports in the front, as well as the back? Again, more is better.

Well, that’s a good starting point.. and I did want to give the shorter answer. But I will conclude by saying that there’s no shame in asking for advice.. and doing research when it comes to motherboards. And thus.. today’s link:

Today’s free link: One of the “must visit” resources when shopping for computer parts and hardware is Tom’s Hardware. You will find product comparisons, compatibility guides, and more.. and the friendly folks who work there have been known to answer a question or two.

Copyright 2007 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.

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