Every modern computer system lets you hook up devices and peripherals via USB connection. This includes Compaq computers, as HP still manufactures Compaq laptops and desktops as of March 2011. If you notice that your USB devices are no longer working when you connect them to your Compaq, but they work in other computers, your system may have a driver issue with the USB port. Before you conclude that the port is broken, you can reset your USB ports using your operating system....

Over time, home movies captured on VHS tapes lose quality and fade until they bear only a slight resemblance to the original footage. Luckily, digital storage has made home movies last a lifetime, and not only can computers store footage, they are used to restore the footage and make it look nearly as good as the original. Through multiple steps, you can restore an old movie and then share it on a DVD, through an email or on a website like Youtube....

The SanDisk Cruzer series of flash drives come pre-installed with the U3 Launchpad. The U3 Launchpad provides support for installing applications directly to the flash drive including security and organizational software. If the Launchpad is uninstalled or corrupt, you can return the drive to its original factory settings by reinstalling the Launchpad. The Launchpad installation file is available from the SanDisk website. Tips Writer Bio

Comcast Voice is a digital phone service. It processes calls via voice over Internet protocol, meaning all calls are made through an Internet connection. You connect your phone to your Internet modem and then you can make unlimited calls to any land or mobile number in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. If someone calls you and you are not available, the person can leave you a message in your voice mail account....

If you have a shed or garage that is detached from your main home and would like to enjoy cable TV and Internet, you may need to run a cable inside yourself. Most cable TV installations do not include running additional cables to structures detached from the main home. That’s not a problem–it’s a fairly easy process. Tips Writer Bio

Scanning a high-quality photograph takes some thought, especially if you want to scan a small image and make it larger. Making a photograph larger can degrade the quality of the photograph if you scan it at low resolution, resulting in a broken image at larger sizes, an image that lacks color depth or a distorted image. Using the resolution setting on a scanner in conjunction with image scaling in an image editor allows you to enlarge small images while maintaining the integrity of the photograph....

Speaker volume controls are used to aid in balancing speakers. These are most commonly used with home entertainment systems that are custom-built to match irregular room shapes. Every room has unique harmonics, so the same speakers in two different rooms will sound differently. Speaker volume control resistors are used to help custom set each speaker to match a room’s unique harmonics. The sound level from each speaker should be equal at the central listening point....

Juno may lack a glitzy Web interface for checking your email accounts, but with POP3 access for all users, you can manage your email from almost any platform. At first glance, it may seem that the Android operating system only supports Gmail, but hidden away in the app drawer is a generic email client that can be configured to access any POP3 or IMAP email service, including Juno. The generic email client offers all the same functionality as Gmail on an Android, including push notifications and system-wide integration so that you can share and send emails using your Juno account....

Setting up a new Yahoo email account is free, and enables you to access your mail from any computer or mobile device with an Internet connection, providing convenience and flexibility. Once you have established a Yahoo email address, you can use your ID to access all other Yahoo products. Yahoo email accounts come with many features, including spam protection and POP aggregation, which means you may be able to access your Yahoo email through Microsoft Outlook....

Email templates can save you time and increase your productivity by allowing you to send personalized emails quickly to multiple recipients. With a template, you do not have to type the body of the email repeatedly when emailing multiple recipients; this can reduce errors. Outlook and Gmail have specific tools to create templates; Yahoo does not have template creation tools, however you can create drafts to function as templates. Writer Bio

A highly sensitive multitouch display is built into the iPhone, allowing it to recognize complex gestures, such as swipes, pinches and taps. However, if your display components are damaged, you might discover that your iPhone is no longer responsive to your slide commands, affecting your Slide to Unlock screen and On/Off sliding switches. Firmware glitches can also account for erratic display behaviors, which might be resolved with a hard reset or firmware restore....

Facebook is designed to aid social networking and communication, but you can prevent particular people from messaging you, too. If the person involved is a confirmed Facebook friend, you can filter the relevant messages out of your inbox or mute your conversation with the user; if you’re receiving unwanted messages from non-friends you can filter these out of your inbox, too. The only way to completely prevent someone from messaging you is to unfriend and block the user....

Netflix Instant Watch allows you to choose from a library of movies to stream directly to you to watch at any time. You can use Instant Watch on any computer with an Internet connection as well as a host of Netflix enabled devices, such as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and certain Blu-ray players. Connecting a Netflix-enabled device to your television will allow you to watch movies in your living room or bedroom without having to sit in front of a computer....

Updated February 10, 2017 Sign up for a Netflix account if you don’t already have one (see Resources for link). You will need a credit card or checking account even if it says it is a 30-day trial. Ensure that the total amount for the membership plan you choose is available in your checking account or credit card. Add “Watch Instantly” movies or television shows to your queue. The media files that are available for instant streaming have the “Add/Play” button below them....

Keeping your smartphone connected to Wi-Fi can help reduce your mobile data charges. When you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, your phone uses that connection instead of your mobile data connection. Every major smartphone brand shows whether you’re connected to Wi-Fi with a Wi-Fi icon on the main screen. Writer Bio

Updated September 01, 2017 Turn the multimeter on, and set it to “DC Voltage” mode. Touch the “red probe” on the side of the battery with a “+” sign and the “black probe” to the other side. Read the voltage displayed on the multimeter. Tips Writer Bio

Computers are a necessary part of doing business. Some of the most basic functions include making employee schedules, ringing up sales, tracking orders and calculating profits and loss. If you’re on the hunt for a new employee, they should ideally have some basic computer skills such as word processing, using the Internet and email, and possibly using an instant messaging or spreadsheet program. While you could purchase a program that tests computer skills, you can also get a good idea of your candidate’s level of skill with some basic testing at the job interview....

If you are waiting on an important call but you have errands to run, you may opt to forward your home calls to your cell phone. Forwarding your home calls will allow you to answer the call the same as you would if you were on your phone. It does require, however, that you have a forwarding service on your account. If you do not have a forwarding service, contact your home phone provider and have one added....

Adobe Systems created the term “portable document format,” or PDF. A PDF uses a universal file format system. When it comes to documents in Spanish, it can be time consuming and/or expensive to find a book or document in Spanish. A relatively large number of books and documents in Spanish can be accessed through a PDF search. The best approaches for translating a Spanish PDF text to English is to do it yourself with an online translation service or hire a professional....

Computer motherboards are not extremely expensive, but they are one of the most important parts of any computer, because everything is connected to the motherboard. Therefore troubleshooting a motherboard can be complex. When you think you have a motherboard issue, you must do some investigative troubleshooting to make sure you know that it is the problem.