PC Problems? Check Your Cables
Steve Bass
When you think about upgrading your system, what's the last component you'd consider changing? I bet it's your PC's cables. (Don't roll your eyes. I'm on to something here.) The right cables can keep your modem's connection up to snuff, speed up your printer (and free a port), and connect two of your PCs in a matter of minutes.
Besides some cable tricks, I'm also going to tell you about a gizmo I found that lets two PCs in close proximity share a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Phone-Line Foibles
Want to hear a cable horror story? A user-group buddy of mine kvetched that his dial-up modem connection was slowing down. His 56-kbps modem that used to connect at 48 kbps dropped to 34 kbps.
The poor guy tried everything--changing dial-up numbers, swapping modems, and switching ISPs. The problem? A short circuit in the cheap phone cable that extended from a modem to a wall jack. And get this--the faulty phone line was in his daughter's room, yet it affected his connection. Here are a few simple tricks to keep your phone wires in line:
Frayed, not: Inspect the phone cable for frays, and just as important, examine the wires behind the wall jack's faceplate in each room to check for damaged wire or loose connections. Be careful, though. There's a small electric charge in those wires, so hands off the metal! And make sure everything is neat and dust-free before you replace the faceplate.
Be a squeaky wheel: Do you have persistent phone problems? If you complain long and loud, you may be able to coax your phone company into replacing the wire that you use for data connections in your home office. Pacific Bell replaced the old data wire when it installed my high-speed DSL line, and that made a big difference when I had to revert to my former 56-kbps connection.
Ferrite where you belong: Those small plastic doodads that may have come with, say, your monitor are called ferrite chokes, and they filter and reduce radio frequency interference (stray electrical signals) from many peripherals. Attaching them to each end of your video and modem cable connection will decrease the chance that interference will slow your modem or LAN speed. If you lost the ferrite chokes that came with your peripherals, they're cheap to replace--about $5 per pair at most electronics stores.
If you don't already have two (or more) PCs in your home or office, don't kid yourself--there's a good chance you eventually will, and probably sooner than you think. A poll of the user group I run shows that roughly 70 percent of the members have two PCs. Nearly 40 percent have three computers, and about 10 percent have more than three.
Share and Share Alike
If you have two PCs in close proximity that don't need to be connected, save money on peripherals with Belkin's OmniCube, a fancy electronic switching box that lets two computers use one monitor, mouse, and keyboard. You move from one PC to the next with the click of a button. I had a little trouble grasping the idea (I'm not nearly as bright as I look), so let it sink in.
My OmniCube lets me shift between the PC I use for business and the one I use to play games and test unknown software and live viruses. The two machines are about 3 feet apart, so a click on the OmniCube is a lot easier than sliding my chair across the room.
The OmniCube isn't cheap--about $107 discounted, plus another $40 for cables. But it's enormously handy, and it's much cheaper than buying a second monitor, keyboard, and mouse (from anywhere but the clearance bin, that is). I get some great side benefits, too. I save energy and money, and fewer heat-generating machines means my office is cooler.
Finally, I really hope you take a minute and read about my love affair with USB, " USB's Fast and Easy--No Bones About It." Then check out Kirk Steers's September 2000 Hardware Tips on USB.
While we're on the subject of upgrades, I've been converted to a new medium. Read my new weekly Tips and Tweaks online newsletter with info, pointers, and a couple of shenanigans. (Don't worry, you'll still find me in print every month, too.) You can sign up here.
| Buying Information |
OmniCube $107 street Belkin 800/223-5546 http://www.belkin.com |
Contributing Editor Steve Bass runs the Pasadena IBM Users Group.