A bit of history on Father’s Day

How to take better portraits

This invention could revolutionise photography and videos

The AMAZING computer that launched with the first manned space flights

Clocks go forward – but why have we been doing this for 100 years?

How the battery was invented thanks to an unfortunate frog

Format External Disk Drives for Windows 10 7 8

How To Format A New Drive For Use With Windows 7, 8 or 10

Formatting a drive for use with Windows 7, 8 & 10 Before you can use a new external drive with Windows 7, 8 or 10 you will need to format it (unless it states it is pre-formatted). There are several options which we will look at to help you choose the correct format for you and show you how to ready the disk for use. Step 1. Right-Click on the Windows icon in the lower left-hand corner and select Disk Management Step…

Protect Your PC, Laptop, Tablet, Mobile from Wannacry Ransomware

How To Protect Yourself From Hackers, Malware, Viruses & Ransomware

How to protect your PC, laptop, tablet or mobile from malicious attack 1. Always Install Security Updates Make sure you are running the latest up-to-date version of your devices software: For all PC’s and laptop’s user running Windows operating systems, you must ensure you are running Windows 7, 8 or 10. Older versions of Microsoft Windows (Vista, XP, ME and earlier) are NO LONGER SUPPORTED and represent a very high risk of infection from hacking (unless running separate Security Software…

How To Encrypt USB Drives and Memory Sticks

How to Encrypt Your USB Memory Stick / Flash Drive (Windows, MacOSX, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspbian, Android & iOS)

Encrypting a Portable USB Drive. Protecting your personal data on USB memory sticks is incredibly important, even if it’s only photo’s or videos! If the USB stick is lost or stolen, the data is protected and cannot be accessed by anyone else.  For more important documents such as office work or sensitive information, encrypting the USB drive, with secure software and a password, is purely common sense. One of the most popular encryption software available is called Veracrypt.  The software…

Understanding Why Your Hard Drive/Flash Storage Shows Less Space Than Advertised.

Why Advertised Storage Does Not Match The Usable Data Capacity The main reason comes down to differences in the way that operating systems, such as Windows display storage devices, and how USB Flash Drive & other storage device manufacturers advertise the storage capacity. Computers are based on binary math, which means storage is counted using base 2, not base 10, which storage is advertised as. So, while we measure a kilobyte as 1,000 bytes, Windows refers to a kilobyte as…

Ditch the disposables – Embracing the Power of AA/AAA/C/D Cell NiMh Rechargeable Batteries

In our fast-paced, technology-driven world, we rely heavily on batteries to power our gadgets, toys, and household appliances. For years, alkaline batteries have been the go-to choice for many consumers due to their convenience and wide availability. However, with sustainability becoming an increasingly important aspect of our lives, it’s time to consider the significant advantages of replacing alkaline batteries with rechargeable batteries. In this article, we’ll delve into the numerous benefits of making the switch, focusing on the substantial savings…

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Understanding Why Your Hard Drive/Flash Storage Shows Less Space Than Advertised.

Why Advertised Storage Does Not Match The Usable Data Capacity The main reason comes down to differences in the way that operating systems, such as Windows display storage devices, and how USB Flash Drive & other storage device manufacturers advertise the storage capacity. Computers are based on binary math, which means storage is counted using base 2, not base 10, which storage is advertised as. So, while we measure a kilobyte as 1,000 bytes, Windows refers to a kilobyte as…

Read More

What’s the Difference Between SD, SDHC , SDXC & Micro SD Cards & Their Different Classes & Speeds?

SD Card Types and Sizes Explained The SD Association classify SD Memory Cards as “removable nonvolatile memory” and specify three types and size for each – the SD Card, the Mini SD Card and the Micro SD Card. Nowadays there are only two main sizes of Secure Digital (SD) Card in general use – the (Full Size) SD Card and the Micro SD Card. Micro SD Cards are often referred to in Asia as TF or Trans Flash Cards, there is…

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Car Dash Cameras… What’s All The Fuss About?

What is a car dash-board camera? Why buy a car dash camera? What is the “Crash for Cash” scam and how can installing a car dash cam protect me? How and where to mount your car dash camera. Can I save money on my car Insurance? Do I really need a car dash camera? What is a car dash-board camera?  A Car Dash Board Camera (often referred to as a dash-cam) is a very useful and important piece of equipment,…

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How To Encrypt USB Drives and Memory Sticks

How to Encrypt Your USB Memory Stick / Flash Drive (Windows, MacOSX, Linux, FreeBSD, Raspbian, Android & iOS)

Encrypting a Portable USB Drive. Protecting your personal data on USB memory sticks is incredibly important, even if it’s only photo’s or videos! If the USB stick is lost or stolen, the data is protected and cannot be accessed by anyone else.  For more important documents such as office work or sensitive information, encrypting the USB drive, with secure software and a password, is purely common sense. One of the most popular encryption software available is called Veracrypt.  The software…

Read More
Manage Storage Partitions on Windows

How to Manage Storage Partitions on Windows

(The screenshots in this article were taken using Windows 10 but this guide should help with other operating systems such as Windows 11, 8.1, 7, Vista etc.) You can use the built-in Disk Management utility to resize, create, delete and format partitions and change their drive letters. The quickest way to launch the Disk Management utility is by typing “Disk Management” into the search box in the Control Panel or Start menu, then open the “Create and format hard disk…

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The History of the Headphone

From overhead to in-ear, wired to wireless, Beatlesphone to Beats by Dre, the world of personal music has evolved for nigh 100 years to what we know and love. In this post, I’ll give a quick guide to the history of headphones, and give some suggestions for pairs that will suit you. It started in 1890s Britain the first headphones were used for an early day Spotify music services, people would pay a subscription and be able to listen to…

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Protect Your PC, Laptop, Tablet, Mobile from Wannacry Ransomware

How To Protect Yourself From Hackers, Malware, Viruses & Ransomware

How to protect your PC, laptop, tablet or mobile from malicious attack 1. Always Install Security Updates Make sure you are running the latest up-to-date version of your devices software: For all PC’s and laptop’s user running Windows operating systems, you must ensure you are running Windows 7, 8 or 10. Older versions of Microsoft Windows (Vista, XP, ME and earlier) are NO LONGER SUPPORTED and represent a very high risk of infection from hacking (unless running separate Security Software…

Read More
Operating System and File System Cross Compatibility Windows Linux Apple

Operating Systems and File Systems Cross-Compatibility: Windows, Apple, Linux, Playstation, xBox, Android

Operating Systems and File Systems Compatibility Why would you need to know? There are many operating systems (like Windows, Mac OS X and Linux) that use different ‘file systems’ that organise programs and the storage of data. Each operating system has limits to what it can read and write to, in terms of compatibility. Here is a simple chart showing the cross-compatibility of Operating Systems and File Systems as they come ‘Out Of The Box’.  There are several software packages…

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Format External Disk Drives for Windows 10 7 8

How To Format A New Drive For Use With Windows 7, 8 or 10

Formatting a drive for use with Windows 7, 8 & 10 Before you can use a new external drive with Windows 7, 8 or 10 you will need to format it (unless it states it is pre-formatted). There are several options which we will look at to help you choose the correct format for you and show you how to ready the disk for use. Step 1. Right-Click on the Windows icon in the lower left-hand corner and select Disk Management Step…

Read More
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