Category Archives: Web & Tech

Power-On Self Test

From the latest edition of Fred Langa’s Langa List (item 3) this tidbit of information …

Almost all PCs go through some kind of audible Power-On Self Test or “POST” process when you first turn them on. If nothing’s wrong, the PC usually emits one beep, meaning “All is well!” But if something’s not OK, the PC emits two or more beeps in a specific pattern. If you make note of the beep pattern, you can look it up in a suitable reference to see what the POST is trying to tell you.

For example, this page will fill you in on all of the standards error codes, while another version of much the same information may be found here.
And here, all along, you thought the beep you hear when your computer ‘boots up’ was only an annoyance.

76 Ways to Make Windows Do (Almost) Anything

PC World: In the latest issue of the always readable and engaging PC World, new and on newstands today, the cover story offers myriad tweaks and tips to tame your Windows operating system.
Later tonight, as I curl up in the recumbent warmth of my bed to read through the magazine, almost inevitably there will be much arising from my down comforter-covered berth, to implement one or more of the suggestions made by the magazine’s Windows wizard, Scott Dunn.
Perhaps, reading the tips online is a more reasonable alternative. Enjoy.

Download At 30,000 Feet

If you think you’ve heard every reason to get a wi-fi-equipped laptop, here’s a new one: live broadband Internet access on airplanes. This April, Lufthansa will begin to offer the wireless broadband service Connexion by Boeing on certain transatlantic flights. Other airlines are quickly moving to provide similar features. Both Scandinavian Airlines System and Japan Airlines will have in-flight broadband by the end of the year.
With Connexion, the whole plane becomes a wi-fi “hot spot,” linking users to the Internet via a network of satellites — without getting in the way of the airplane’s communications and navigation equipment. Users should be able to surf the Web, download attachments and upload pictures at speeds comparable to cable-broadband service. The cost will range from a flat $30, for journeys around the globe, down to $10 for flights across continents. From the Feb. 16, 2004 issue of TIME magazine