A modem port (shown below) looks like a standard North American telephone jack. It connects an internal modem to a telephone line. A modem (for those who are new to the computer world) is used to connect a computer to the Internet by making a data call over phone lines to an Internet Service Provider […]
For faster Internet connections and for networking, an Ethernet port (or “network port”) is used. It looks like an extra-wide North American telephone jack but it has 8 pins instead of the phone cord’s 4 pins. Be careful not to plug a phone cord into an Ethernet port. The first picture below shows the Ethernet/network […]
Question: My son purchased an Intellimouse Explorer optical mouse. This mouse has a USB connection, and the package includes a converter from a USB port to PS/2 port. The computer has a serial mouse port. When we added another converter (from PS2 to Serial), the computer couldn’t find the mouse. We’ve spoken with a number […]
Question: I recently bought a six-foot monitor extension cable. The cable works fine, but the images on my monitor seem to be a bit distorted — you can see shadows. I have a feeling it has something to do with the extra cable and the length of it. Any recommendations? — T.S. Answer: Here’s a […]
Question: Here’s some advice for all your readers, which I unfortunately ignored: Always have a good virus scanner program loaded, even if you aren’t an Internet surfer. Scan everything that goes onto a hard drive. Unfortunately, I have gotten lax, since in three years of surfing I haven’t seen even a hint of a virus. […]