I downloaded the latest version of a programme and it stopped working properly, can I get back the old version?

The good news is yes. Due to companies adding features to programmes without regard for people who's computer can't cope there is a place to download all the older versions of many popular programmes.

Before you plan on downloading any older versions of programmes, be aware that sometimes updates are released to fix faults with the programme, including security flaws as well as problems that can lead to a computer not working properly.

Is there some way I can watch my DVD movies on a Playstation Portable game console?

You can easily watch any videos on a PSP as long as you have a large enough Memory Stick Pro Duo for the games console, preferably 1 gigabyte or more and a few pieces of software.

The Playstation Portable is a handheld games console from Sony. Unlike the Nintendo Gameboy or the Nintendo DS, the Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) uses little disks called UMD to play games and movies, as well as using Sony memory cards called Pro Stick Duo cards to store saved games, music, pictures and movies. When the PSP was released Sony sold UMD disks with movies. Due to the lack of DVD features, these movie sales failed.

You have spoken in the past about drivers, what are they and why are they important?

Drivers are the small programmes that let your operating system, Windows, OS X or Linux, know what hardware your computer has, what features the hardware have and how to use those features. Without drivers your computer will not know what components make it up.

One important thing is to always check the computer components manufacturers website to see if they release a new driver for your computer. New driver releases can include activation of new features, increase the computers performance or improve the stability of the computer. 

I'm getting a window popping up on the screen asking my to dial up to the internet, but I'm on broadband.

This can be an issue for your computer if you move from a dial up internet connection to a broadband connection, without changing all the settings on your computer.

To solve this problem you have to get rid of all the old dial up settings you had on your computer. You can do this by going into the "Internet Options" control panel, the  "Network Connections" control panel as well as the connection settings for all the programmes that you have that use the internet. 

My computer screen was acting up and then the computer stopped working. What's wrong with it?

First you should make sure that the cable connection the monitor to the computer is inserted and secured properly. 

The next thing to check when there are any problems with a computer is the hardware making up the computer. In this case you need to check to see if the video card is working properly. To do this take the video card out and put it in a different computer.

If you don't have the ability to test the card in a second computer you can find out if the card is working, at least for basic uses, when you first start the computer, just after the first black and white screen disappears, continuously press the F8 button at the top of the keyboard.

I keep on getting a message saying that my Hard Drive is running low on space when it shouldn't why is that?

When you first install Windows Vista it is set up with default settings that Microsoft seems to think will make our life a lot easier. Unfortuantly it is not always the case.

Due to the default settings of the Automatic Back Up feature in Windows Vista, if you have more than one hard drive in the computer it will start making back ups on the second drive. If the second drive is smaller than the primary drive, or you are trying to use the second drive it will run out of space.

As well as taking up space on hard drives, the back up feature also uses some of the computers resources, the processor and the memory. Turning it off will make the computer run a bit better. 

I have an Apple Macintosh from a couple of years ago. It seems to be getting slower, what is wrong?

As with all computers, Apple Macs have multiple parts that can help speed it up. The speed of the processor is important to affect the performance of an Apple computer. So too is the number of programmes you have load when the computer starts.

As with all computers memory is a major part to look at when your computer appears to be too slow.

You can only stop a certain number of programmes from starting when OS X loads on your Mac but by far the best option is to buy some more memory (RAM) for the computer. 

You said my router wasn't secure, what do you mean and how can I fix it?

No matter how tight you keep your computer usage, if you have a wireless router for your computer you might be using more internet downloads than you think you are .

Every time I go to a clients house to work on their computers, I always take note of any network they might have to share their internet connection with other computers they own. If they have bought, or been given a wireless router by their provider, there is ever chance their neighbour, or even a stranger out in the street could be using their internet connection.