Recent Posts
www.Rarst.net
Return To Blog Listing
Blog about software that just works (preferably while being freeware and portable) and IT-related web resources.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'hardware'
Calibrize – monitor color calibration tool
I had covered some simple steps to adjust monitor brightness and contrast and since I am no expert asked readers to share their methods of keeping displays properly tuned. Fernando had suggested in comments Calibrize tool that he uses. What it does ...
Adjust brightness and contrast on TFT display
Over years I had moved from CRT display to dual-monitor and finally to TFT alone. I got used to things looking slightly different. Since I neither work or play with graphics much, it was ok to stick with budget monitors and skip precise tweaks. Until...
Fix for sudden hard or CD/DVD drive slowdown
esterday I got a call from a friend with very typical problem. His DVD drive suddenly got a lot slower and refused to burn discs at speeds over 2x. This is usually caused by string of errors (from trying to read scratched disc for example) that makes...
HDDScan – hard drive surface test and benchmark
ost on Google hard drive study covered important issue that first months are critical to determine hard drive health. Bad blocks is one of the most common sign of failure so scanning drive surface for those is good move both early and from time to ti...
Asus Express Gate – fast OS or useless toy?
Took me a while to get to it (says something about how appealing idea is) but today I tried Express Gate function on my newish Asus motherboard. Express Gate (aka Splashtop) is light Linux distribution integrated with hardware to provide fast boot in...
USBDeview – USB viewer and manager utility
It may seem that interaction of USB device (be it flash drive or mouse) ends at unplugging. Actually Windows remembers quite a lot about device after that. USBDeview shows information about all USB devices that are or were connected to computer and a...
Shortcut to enable/disable hardware
Local networks are wonderful but when out of your personal control they might come with nasty side effects (like automatic updates trashing processor or proxy choking browser). I couldn’t toggle network connection either (even with admin rights) so...
Real “E ink” book reader review
Internet is quite full of posts, reviews and simply opinions floating around about how you could purchase iPhone instead of that expensive ebook reader (and be much cooler). Problem is – closest most authors of those seen electronic book reader is ...
Power saving features of Asus P5Q-EM motherboard
In fixing up after my computer meltdown (yes, I keep talking about that – event of the year) I bought Asus P5Q-EM motherboard. It is positioned as home theater and energy efficient model so I was curious to see how good it would be for silent compu...
Bad idea to rely on new hard drive
This won’t be one of my usual horror stories. But this would be story of horrors that can happen to your data unless you pay attention. Studies on hard drive reliability are extremely rare, most of information comes from manufacturers and data ...
Dell Vostro 1310 – great small business notebook
I keep referencing computer meltdown I had in February. It did influence both my hardware and software setup as well as coincided with purchase of my first notebook. That would be Dell Vostro 1310 and after things calmed down and I had time to get ac...
D-Link DIR-400 wireless router
I resisted buying router for a long time. I mean simple LAN plus proxy software and all is good, why bother with extra hardware lying around? However, after purchasing notebook, ad-hoc Wi-Fi started to drive me insane fast and I gave up. Device DIR-...
Nokia N810 few months in use review
I had covered my initial impressions of N810 right after purchase. Few months later and it is time for proper overview after many hours of using device. Positioning Nokia defines N810 as Internet tablet. Considering N810 is out for a while and it is...
How to change MAC address with MacMakeUp
MAC address is an identifier assigned to network cards. It makes sure that computers look different from each other to network and it all works properly. Like most supposedly foolproof computing concepts this one also requires occasional fix. Why ch...
Basics of silent computer
Computers make noise. For their office/household appliance status - too much noise at times. And unfortunately that noise is very hard to eliminate. Photo by helmet13 Performance and cooling Computers work by consuming electricity. Since electroni...
Mass production nurtures craving for metal
Had you noticed how small amount of metal (or wood, or leather) in casing of some computer or gadget product instantly sparks interest? We were trained to use electronics enclosed in mass produced plastic. So we crave for original and sturdy material...
Are you prepared for computer meltdown?
Yesterday world was after my PCs. It was going reasonably well when I picked up my first notebook (was always getting my computers in desktop flavor), checked it on spot, packed and headed home. Then it all went nuts. Photo by Focal Intent Tiny det...
How to use custom icon for flash drive
I had previously voiced my fondness for fast and expensive flash drives . Windows is lacking in visuals when it comes to displaying attached drives, but it’s easily fixable by attaching custom icons for better usability. Create icon Go to site of...
Nokia N810 – less is more in gadget design
Again I look at my table for worthy object to write design post about. And this time it’s not old proven mouse but new and shiny toy. Nokia N810 is internet tablet (or whatever you call it) which is nothing like usual Nokia devices. Specializing f...
WePC.com – seeks crowd wisdom for PC design
WePC is community-driven site, managed by joint effort of Asus and Intel. Its aim is to give everyone opportunity to share their thoughts on PC design. I’ve liked the idea until I browsed the site. How it works People submit their ideas and get pr...
