How To Prolong Your Printer's Lifespan

The personal computer (PC) has now become one of the top electronics appliance that each household or office should have. One simply has to go to a computer sales and distributor and purchase a complete set up. A complete PC set up includes the output workhorse, the printer. A colored printer’s lifespan may last up to five years. On the average, users replace their colored printers every three or four years. Laser printers last longer.

Topmost reason for printer replacement is printer damage. Through its use, the user may have repeatedly asked for technical support and have his printer fixed. To do away with unnecessary help solicitation from experienced technical support, here are some tips to increase the lifespan of your printer.

· Dust off your printer. Printer covers do not guarantee that no dust particles, fiber, or even hair come into the corners and slits of your printer. These particles may clog the mechanisms within your printer.

· Avoid using cheap toners and cartridges. Your printer brand corresponds to its specific ink cartridges and toners. Although it is less expensive to use these compatible replacements or refills, and they have somewhat perform the same function, they affect the performance of the printer itself. Most common results of using replacements are clogged printer nozzles and disfunctioning printer heads.

· Shut off your printer when not in use. This prevents the toner or ink from drying up and keeps your printer’s performance at its optimum. Most of ink jet printers have a shutdown routine and parks the printer heads and cap them.

· Keep your printer clean. Upon changing your cartridges or toners and you see there is residue left inside by your old ones, use a clean cloth to wipe off the residue.

· Do not force out a paper jam. Prevent from tugging hard paper that is jammed in the paper wheel. Most of the current printers have a latch, which when removed gives you access to the paper wheel and lets your remove the paper properly.

There are times when you find yourself in a printer dilemma – when your printer does not function properly. Don’t panic and go to your computer retail solution provider. Regardless of what kind of printer you are using, here are some basic troubleshooting mechanics to solve your printing problems.

· Check your cable connections. Sometimes, loose connections may result to communication errors between your CPU and printer. Make sure that no cables or wires are tangled.

· Align your printer heads. Most inkjet printers have maintenance options to check printer alignment and ink flow.

· Make sure your paper tray has paper.

· Update your printer drivers. Check with your printer manufacturer’s website for updates and drivers. Download newer versions of updates and drivers and install them as sometimes, a simple update may resolve simple problems.

· Print a different document. Sometimes what causes a printing error is not the printer itself but an error in the CPU.

· Check your page set up and printer set up. Both should be configured to produce the same kind of output. Sometimes, we forget to verify either set up and know whether they are coordinated.

· Check the ink levels. One ink cartridge may have been used up thus resulting to poor printing quality.

· Offline error – Press the online button. If this does not work, try to turn off your printer for about a minute then turn it back on.

· Processing Job error – Your printer indicates it is processing the job but it took quite a while yet nothing is printed. Press the cancel button and if it does not cancel the job, turn your printer off and turn it back on after a minute.

· Other errors may be checked online. Go to your printer manufacturer’s website and search for the error/s displayed. Most manufacturers provide solutions online that you may do to resolve your problem.

Fixing Your Computer Speakers

People of today are very much into computers and so it is needless to say that computers are vital to the workings of the modern world.

Some people tend to use speakers while working so they can have music in the background while working or they could use it when there are videos they are supposed to watch. But speakers have their own issues too. Sometimes, they would not function the way they’re supposed to.

When our speakers no longer “speak” (that is, no sound is coming out from it), we usually go panicky and try fixing the problem ourselves.

Although we are always told to leave the technical stuff to the experts, there will be instances when the problems are not really that complicated for us to handle. Hiring computer experts could cost you so if you still can handle it yourself, you may do so.

Before you start fixing your speaker, make sure that all your connections are properly plugged. Sometimes a bad connection is the reason why speakers don't work well.

Plugging your speaker to another computer could help you determine whether the problem is with your speaker or if it is with your computer unit. If the speaker still won't work properly in another computer, then you will know which to fix (or probably dispose of).

If you are able to find that the problem is with your computer, then you should try checking your computer's sound driver. Here’s how:

1. Go to My Computer.
2. Right click and select Properties.
3. Click on the submenu Hardware.
4. Go to the Device Manager.
5. Expand the Sound, Video and Game Controller button then try finding your sound card in there. Usually the filename of your sound card is the brand of your soundcard. This then will tell you if the sound card has a problem. An exclamation point (!) will show if error is detected.
6. Double click on the sound card icon and then click on the Drivers Tab.
7. Go to Driver Update button and follow the instructions on screen to update your driver.
8. After updating your driver, uninstall it again and reboot your computer. The computer will reinstall the driver itself.

This should work by then. If it doesn’t, try checking the sound card itself.

1. Shut down your computer properly and then unplug all the cables.
2. Locate your sound card and remove it then put it back again and restart your computer.

When opening your computer, be careful not to touch grounded metal objects as they may discharge static electricity that can damage your computer. If you are hesitant to open it, try contacting experts or experienced technical support service providers who can help you with these things.

Computer Care Basics (Continued)

Prevention is always better than cure. Yeah, that is a cliché but that would be so true when it comes to caring for your computer. The most important thing you should do to take care of the security and the health of your computer is to take precautions. Avail of any protection software you can get - virus protection, firewalls, etc. It would also be best for you to have back-up files so work would not be disrupted in case of uncalled for system failures. You may always ask the experts for help. IT equipment rental solutions providers are one of those that can offer you with helpful knowledge regarding computers and other audio visual equipment.

Take a hint. Computers that freeze in the middle of whatever it is that you are working on are telling you that something is wrong somewhere within its system. Be keen enough to acknowledge the signs. Check your computer even before system damage goes worse. Rebooting would most probably solve the dilemma for a while but it would be best if you really knew the reason behind your unit getting a bit inefficient. Also, make sure that your hard disk isn't full. Low memory spaces usually cause poor computer performance.

Get organized. You do not necessarily have to be a neat freak to know that working with an organized system would be easier and faster. The "My Documents” portion of your system allows you to create a virtual filing cabinet. Do not stack all your files in your desktop. I tell you, a messy desktop could and would hinder you from getting your tasks completed in a shorter period.

This goes out to people who use computers on a regular basis. Whether you are using your own computer unit or rented desktop computers or notebooks, you can always refer to the guidelines mentioned above.

Need to know more about computers or audio visual equipment? Contact people who know better. For experienced technical support and computer rental services, click here.