North Central College Media 200 Class

Everyone’s heard of the Big 3 computer operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux, and in my last article, I showed how to install one using a Virtual Machine like VirtualBox. But you likely never had to install one from scratch before. Here’s how! Installing Operating Systems  Lets say you found a computer that got corrupted by viruses, or maybe someone deleted an important file, and you can no longer get to that Windows Startup screen. Here’s how you install Windows or Linux from ‘nothing’. You will need: A second computer ( not needed if target computer works fine) A flash drive (I recommend at least 10GB) Software to ‘create a bootable USB’ like Rufus or Ventoy (I use this) or U N etbootin A Windows 10 (or whatever version) ISO: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO   Step 1. Getting the ISO The first step is to install that ISO file on your working computer. Whether you are installing ...

Windows, Mac, Linux; everyone has heard of these Operating Systems (OS). But you probably only have one of these on your computer. Have you ever wanted to try out another OS, without buying a new computer? That is where a Virtual Machine comes in – a virtual computer that allows you to install any OS and do whatever. Installing a Virtual OS   Installing a Virtual Machine (VM) is just as easy as installing Zoom or Firefox; you just pick one you want, head over to the website and install. There are quite of few VMs out there , but what I use, (and what is free) is VirtualBox by Oracle. It can be installed on any OS, and can be used to i nstall any OS . To install Windows or Linux or Mac, you have to think of a computer as: the device (hardware) + everything it runs (software). The OS is software, so every time any computer starts, there is a moment when the operating system is selected from a file, just like how you have to find Zoom to run it. So a computer starts, looks fo...

In later articles I will be talking about flash drives and computer operating systems, so I decided to make some important distinctions between Flash Drives & Hard Drives.          Flash Drives & Hard Drives Flash Drives Flash Drives, aka USB drives or thumb drives, are small, thumb-sized storage devices that can plug into the USB port of just about any device with one. They are now also making USB-C Drives that serve the same purpose as well, with many computers doing away with the standard USB port.  They come in sizes as small as 5 to 8GB (21$ for 10 of them on amazon), all the way to 1 Terabyte for hundreds of dollars. The SanDisk Ultra Dual Drive Luxe (1TB) USB-C drive is about $155 apparently.  Largest Flash Drives: https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/largest-flash-drives/ But anyway, their main usage is storage and file transfer, and are very useful for making and storing backups of important information...

Most likely everyone has at least heard of a VPN and how it can allegedly keep you hidden online, or maybe access content that may be restricted for some reason. Well, yes it definitely can. In fact, if I could find one fast enough I would never not be connected to one, and here’s why.  What is a VPN?   VPN stands for Virtual Private Network, and in my previous article “What is the Internet” , I talked broadly about what a network is in relation to the internet. As a recap, a network is just a bunch of computers connected, with an admin (usually your Internet Provider like Comcast or AT&T) controlling or directing the flow of traffic.  Basic Connection If you want to connect to Netflix, it goes like this: Computer → Local Router [whatever WiFi you are connected to] → Internet Provider → Netflix Meaning, to connect to Netflix, you must tell the router where you are going, and the router will tell the internet provider, and so on until you reach your destin...

 How many people truly know what the internet really is? How are you connected to it? What is WiFi, and how does it determine whether Netflix works or not? It all starts with two computers...    What Exactly is the Internet an ethernet chord  A Network So let’s say you have computer A, and computer B. You can give them better names in your head. How does A talk to B?   Back in the day, they couldn’t. Until someone invented a chord, that allowed data to flow from A, to B. This is known as “networking”, and this chord is now known as an Ethernet chord. When two computers are linked by an Ethernet chord, they can send each other just about anything, very quickly. USB chords are similar, but they are made for simple tasks, so they are slower and not made for networking. If a third computer entered the room, computer C, and connected via Ethernet to either A or B, it would join the party and A, B, and C could talk freely. But if compute D ca...

 Everybody hates slow computers. I think most people have bought a new computer because their old one slowed down of them, including myself. But it turns out there is often a reason they slow down, as well as a solution.  Speeding Up Your Computer   Whether you are on Mac or Windows there are three quick things you can do to help speed up your machines: Close apps with a high CPU usage, delete temporary/junk files, and delete unnecessary applications. Here's how to do that on Windows and Mac.   Windows Task Manager Found at: Windows Search Bar→ “Task Manager” On the top left, make sure “Processes” is selected. Underneath, you will see application names on the Left , some you’ll recognize, others you won’t. On the right, you will see CPU, Memory, Disk, & Network respectively. What we will focus on is the CPU. Your CPU is your Central Processing Unit for the computer, in other words the brain of the machine. All the applications you see under the CPU are t...

 So, Internet Browsers. Who cares right? Just use Chrome or whatever the default is that came with the computer right? Wrong. Let's start with what really matters to us. We just want a browser to be simple: easy to use, quick to get us to where we are going, and not telling anyone what we're doing.  Well that eliminates Chrome...   The Best Internet Browser Previously, in my article "Your Privacy & Google" , I explained why you should never use Google Chrome, so for this article we will pretend it doesn't exist as an option, just to avoid repitition.  I do need to note that there isa browser called Chromium . This is what Chrome and most other browsers are created from, which why the Chrome Store extensions and themes aften work on more browsers than just Chrome. I'll explain more in the "Chromium" section below.  First, I'll give a quick rundown of my findings: Firefox is the best when it comes to add-ons. Vivaldi is the best when it come...