ON Misc. PC - Stuff
About Variant Boot-Up Processes --
Early in the startup process, pressing the "Delete" key
at the right time, will pass control to the hardware's BIOS
update process to allow for changing some basic stuff, e.g.,
the system password, the boot-device search order, the initial
condition of the Num-Lock flag, the boot-record over-write
protection.
After making any changes they
can be either discarded or retained/invoked upon exit,
at which point the system will RE-boot.
These values control the operation
of the heart of the system; making poor choices can be
catistrophic; some systems have a "Reset to Factory Defaults"
option; making notes of settings before and after any change
is a very prudent thing. There are programs that will read these
settings and restore them if they ever get accidently wiped-out
by lightning strikes, by a virus, or changed incorrectly.
Later in the boot process control is passed to the first chunk
of the operating system code, and it also can be interrupted
for option choices by pressing the F8 key
(some system's manuals indicate a different key).
With some systems the choices will be akin to ...
... DOS Command Line
... Windows in Normal mode
... Windows in "Safe Mode"
the latter will start Windows but withOUT any of the usual
adjunct features traditionally started automatically. WARNING-
this likely would omit any fire-wall or Anti-Virus code,
and possibly also omit the CD-ROM support.
About the "Print Scrn" Key --
In olden times, this key was recognized, by whatever
level of the system might be running, to print the text from the
screen directly to the line-printer, and it appeared IMMEDIATELY.
In more recent times, with the advent of
page- (instead of line-) printers, the data was transfered
immediately, but
manual internvention was required to print small amounts on the
last (or only) page if it was not full.
In modern times, the key is still useful, but the operating
system has taken more control. Windows now transfers the
contents of the screen to a buffer which can be pasted into
any application of choice.
If the need arises to capture several screens without bothering
to paste each one, then there are programs available to
manage this activity.
One such is called "CLIPMATE", it can manage to capture
and store screen images into any number of separate directories.
These stored images can be kept or flushed after a certain count
or time or fullness. They can be viewed with the program or
exported in either -.BMP or -.JPG format. UNfortunately,
for may uses, it also captures all of the Ctrl-C-type copy
activity; this problem can be lessened by
parameterizing it to ignore all activity in
some applications, but it cannot be set to ignore Ctrl-C.
About Printers --
All printers have buffers which can hold some information while it's waiting to print.
Most printers can print a page of GREAT complexity covered all over with graphics
and text in all directions.
Dot-matrix and Ink-Jets units will begin to print as soon as there is something in their
buffer ready to go.
However, Laser printers have a special problem with complexity.
Their memory must be able to contain each ENTIRE page at once BEFORE ANY of it
will begin to print; if any page requires more memory, then the result is generally an
error condition returned to the PC and maybe a little of the page printed.
About Printing from DOS --
Yes, it's still nice to occasionally do some things from the
DOS command line. However the ability to access some printers
from this level may be impossible. In some cases the print
process will complete withOUT error and just NOT produce any
output -- or any errors. In other cases the process will give
an immediate error that the printer does NOT exist.
Some research indicates that ...
1. some printers canNOT operate at this level, i.e., they
will ONLY work under Windows. In this case, that's just tough.
2. some systems or printer-drivers manage to "take hold"
of the printer at the first usage of it under that system.
In this case there are some solutions ...
a. RE-start the system, do NOT use the printer from any
other application, start the DOS "Box" and use the printer
from there. But do NOT use the printer from any other
application, because it will then be lost to the DOS level.
b. RE-boot the PC in DOS or Command Line mode;
generally shutting down Windows to the DOS or Command Line will
NOT be sufficient, because the same problem will exist;
RE-booting is required.
About Scanners --
Features to watch for in case that you need them ...
.. does it have a legal-sized bed -- 8.5x14?
.. does it have a slide transparency capability?
.. does it have driver software with the capability to invoke YOUR email prog to attach the scans to an email message -- or will it only work with some &^%* Microsoft programs?
.. does it have driver software for "DESCREENING" to get rid of the moire patterns if you scan newspaper or mag photos?
Scanners only register the light characteristics at specific sampling points.
Generally 300-2400 dots per inch is sufficient for most work.
For internet uses, 75 is sometimes good enough.
Strangely, it seems that for OCR routines to work well, higher resolutions
are required than would seem necessary, e.g., 300.
Since pictures in newspapers, magazines, and other art work are almost always
comprised of tiny dots, and since their arrangement and spacing never seem to
match the sampling spots of scanners, therefore the results frequently contain a
strange looking (Moire, pronounced more-ray) pattern running across the image.
These patterns can be reduced somewhat by many image tinkering programs
thru the use of "tools" like UN-sharpen and Sharpen, but the results are SUB-Optimal
in that they also remove some image definition. One thing that can help a little
is to place the original on the scanner at some skewed angle.
The BEST thing to do is make sure that the scanner comes with a driver/hardware
combination feature called DE-Screening; the best of these have selectable options for
handling originals printed at 85, 133, and 175 dots per inch.
see DE-screen Sample
On_Other_Stuff
