Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:23:43 — 76.7MB)
The Topic
Wendyzine joins the panel to discuss things we all can do to keep our hardware and software running smoothly.
Joining the Discussion:
Wendyzine Scraps (Scrapbookgraphics, The Learning Loft)
Peppermint Granberg
Katie Nelson
Steph
From the Mail:
The Way We Think About Charity Is Dead Wrong (TED Talk)
From the Show:
Modern memory keeping management
Keeping your computer in top running condition
The complete guide to solid state drives
Major update from Adobe creative cloud
CleanMyMac2
JoliCloud
Defragging (Lifehacker)
Repairing Disk Permissions (Macworld)
Picks:
Wendy: Appy Fridays
Katie: 60 tips for Windows 8
Peppermint: Julep
Steph: Creative Bloq
Sponsors:
For the best deal in digital scrapbooking, become a member at TheDailyDigi.com.
Another great show ladies thank you. I have a PC and I find Glary Utilities is really good for cleaning up registry, temporary files, spyware and a few other things. My computer always runs quite a lot faster after running that. I love Extract Now for unzipping files, I have it running in the background and it automatically extracts files and deletes the zips unless there is an error so I can see if there are zips files in downloads they need to be re-downloaded. I have virus software from my internet provider but I am pretty rubbish about sorting out my hard drives and organising everything opn them. Hugs Crystal xx
I keep talking to my phone (playing the podcast) so I’d better come here and say it.
A few months back Peppermint first talked about getting her solid state drive. Not too much later I got an email from my local Mac dealer indicating they had solid state drives for MacBook Pros. I had to get on a waiting list (for several weeks) but I had a 960 GB solid state drive put in last week. I am IN LOVE!!! My whole system boots up in a few seconds. Photoshop starts up almost immediately and everything saves so quickly (you know, those kit preview files with hundreds of layers??? those even save quickly)
ok. Back to listening.
{hugs}
–Chelle
So I’d recommend solid state drives to laptop owners too…not just desktop peeps.
Chelle,
Is that one of those fusion drives with the solid state combined with traditional hard drive space as well, or a full 996 gb solid state? Was it affordable? Totally interested!
I wonder, too, because my SSHD is quite small and though it is 1 year old already, it was very expensive at the time for just that.
Love the show as always
For the non-geeks like me that have trouble remembering what RAM actually is, this is the definition that has stuck in my mind for about 20 years: the Hard drive is your toy box, and RAM is your floor 
So your hard drive limits the number of programs/files (toys) you can store, and RAM limits how many you can have out and play with at any one time (floor). Can’t remember who or where I heard that way back in the 90’s, but it definitely made an impression. Maybe it’s a visual that will help others. Thanks for all the good information y’all produce each week!
Thank you!! I do so much better with visuals and that is the perfect one!
Excellent episode again ladies.
As an Aussie, I just want to let you all know that we have been absolutely over-charged by Adobe for years. So much so, that the government has stepped in.
Adobe has been charging 41 per cent more compared to the US for the regular boxed versions of the same software. This was when the exchange rate was around $1 AUD per USD.
It will be interesting to see how this model is taken up, originally Adobe was charging $99/m and it’s now as low as $49/m with individual apps at $19/m
Of course this is likely more that what US people will need to pay.
I wonder what the everyday scrapbooker will think is reasonable monthly expenditure. I do pay for Creative Cloud, but if I didn’t have my business I would rather keep my old version of PSE running for my day to day scrapping.
Of course Adobe isn’t the only one under investigation. The cost of iTunes tracks are between $1.69 and
Don’t even get me started on the internet speeds lol!
I have 14.5Mbps down and 0.8 up today.
That is the fastest I can get right now at any price. We are on naked ADSL2+, which is what most people in our city do if they want fast internet.
We have a cable application in the for several months now – they will have to confirm if we can get it. Which is hilarious as our neighbours have cable TV and the cable is literally behind our house.
The new 4G mobile netword is pretty speedy in Perth CBD, 60 down 30 up but I live about 20kms from the CBD so there’s no 4G coverage here.
Now, I’ll step back and enjoy the sunny winter here
Keep the great episodes coming!
I have a RAM question – I’m on a Mac and it looks like I have four available slots for RAM with two, 2 GB cards installed. If I wanted to add RAM, do I need to do it equally? In other words, would it be better to add two 4GB cards or one 8GB cards? (I see both available online at the Apple Store and wonder why I would choose one over the other)
This is from Crucial’s site, (where I get all my ram upgrades)…
Although the memory can be installed one module at a time, the best performance comes from using matched pairs of modules.
Wendy, but in my computer, one of my slots was maxed at 2GB and the other 4GB.
Here’s a site that tells you what you can max out on. Make sure you check the foot notes to the right because they say things like this: “All iMac models have multiple memory slots. See articles for each individual iMac model to learn how much memory can be installed in each slot.
Although the iMac (Late 2006) computers will accept up to a 2 GB SO-DIMM in each of the two memory slots, the iMac will only support 3 GB total memory.
The iMac (Late 2009), iMac (Mid 2010) and iMac (Mid 2011) have four SDRAM slots, each of which can accept a 2 GB or 4 GB SO-DIMM.
The iMac (21.5-inch, Late 2012) has no user installable SDRAM slots.
The iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) has four SDRAM slots, each of which can accept a 4 GB, or 8 GB SO-DIMM.”
https://support.apple.com/kb/HT3011
^^this is for iMac, which you may or may not have. There are similar tables for other Mac products.
IIRC, on a Mac you don’t have to fill out the slots evenly. That said, you need to know the maximum amount of RAM your particular computer can handle. Mine, for example, is maxed at a 4GB and 2GB card.
Oh and another question for you ladies…
What’s the issue with rebooting? I shutdown my PC every night and my laptop whenever I’m not going to use it for the rest of the day (saves batter power). Maybe I’m a greenie trying to conserve electricity or maybe I’ve been using computers for too long, but I shutdown often – I rarely trust the restart to truly clear out everything properly.
Windows 8 WAY faster at rebooting and much more reliable for those updates (Win 7 would often seem hang or tell me it needed to update for days on end).
I do love my new SSD on my desktop pc though – it’s so much quicker to start up.
PS Katie, it may help to imagine Win8 start screen is just like your start menu and Windows+D will take you to desktop mode Windows+C will get the ‘charms’ where you shutdown. Everything else is just like Windows 7. I’m really not sure what all the fuss is over it. I don’t find it any different except that by default it uses ‘apps’ to play videos and import phone photos.
I agree with you Melissa. I generally like Windows 8, but I’m just not used to it yet. It seems like I still have to hunt around for the right screens. I do like all the apps though!
I rarely shut my work computer down completely – my backup runs while it’s idle and I also usually have a lot of work in progress up on the screen that I don’t want to open back up. The only time it’s completely off is during severe weather or when we’re out of town for a few days. I really should reboot it more often than I do now that I have the SSD, though. I used to hold off until it was barely limping along because the reboot process took so much time, and I think it’s just a habit I’m having a hard time breaking. I still find myself feeling annoyed when it shows signs of needing a reboot then I think to myself “Oh right! It’s not so bad anymore.”
Did you know that once you delete something from your hard drive it is actually still on your hard drive. You have just given your computer permission to write over the file. This is a good thing if you didn’t mean to delete it. You can recover it using a recovery utility like Recuva. (I would put a link in, but I am on my phone.) However, I have found that these not actually deleted files can still slow your computer down. When that is the case you can use a program like C-Cleaner to clear out all of those files and give you some more speed. Just be sure you don’t want any of those deleted files before you run it. I believe the same people make all of these programs including a defrag utility called Defraggler. I have run Defraggler right after a system defrag and it finds a ton more to do.
Another note on Recuva. It can be used on any digital storage media. Including phones and memory cards. The only time it can’t find things is if the media was reformatted. If you reformat the card with the Olympics pictures I am sad to say that the pictures are just gone. You will never get them back. :'(
Once your computer actually writes another file over sector that held the previous one, or part of the previous one, it can no longer be recovered. So, if you do a lot of moving files on and off your hard drive, you are likely overwriting your hard drive sectors all the time. But, if you delete something important, it’s certainly worth a try to recover it.
Fascinating! I knew every machine was different, but I had no idea the individual slot requirements could be different.
Wendy– Could you chime in with what your dream Mac would be? I’m working on a four year-old 24″ iMac with 8 RAM (that I switched out myself) and 500 GB Hardrive. I keep my hard drive to less than 400 GB so I am careful not to max it out. I’ve been saving for a new iMac. Since they no longer make the 24″, I’m hoping I’ll be happy with the 21″. I’m also planning on upgrading to 16 RAM so all those Adobe products wil run smoothly. I’m considering the the fusion drive, but I’m not sure if I want to add another $250.
My hubby keeps griping about the expense of Macs, but when I started to build a comparable PC, it wasn’t much cheaper!
Unfortunately, they don’t make my dream mac [yet]. It would be a 15″ (17″ would be nice, but more expensive and harder to tote around so I settle for 15″) Macbook Pro with retina screen, 1TB Fusion Drive (not offered in a laptop yet), 16gb ram and 2.8ghz Quad Core i7. The closest they come to that right now does not have the fusion drive, but instead a standard 512gb solid state, (which would be faster, but not any bigger than what I already have) or for $400 more, a 768 solid state. The price point on that is $3800, which has come down since I priced it out last year. I’m still holding out for the fusion drive and a lower price point on the retina screens. Now, that’s the laptop, so obviously a premium price. I’ve never paid more than $2500 for a laptop though, so this is still beyond my price point!
Going with a desktop model is definitely cheaper. A 21″ is still a nice size. I remember when that was the biggest you could get. If I were getting an iMac, I’d probably go with the 27″ ($200 more), upgrade the processor ($200 more), I’d skip the RAM upgrade and wait until I could get it from Crucial at a discount. This model comes with 8gb, but can go up to 32. I’d definitely get at least the 1TB fusion drive (for $250 more) but for only another $150, you can add double THAT to 3TB. I’d be in heaven! I’d seriously consider upgrading the graphics card for another $150. And, I’d substitute the track pad for the mouse. It’s another $69 if you want both. So, I’d be out $2599 in that configuration. I’d upgrade RAM later when the price dropped and hoped that bad boy would last me 3-4 years with all the upgrades. If only I didn’t need to be mobile, I’d be sold on that right now.
Let us know what you decide to go with.
Guess what! I got a new mac. It was a total surprise, and in the end we made a few compromises, but I’m really happy with it.
It’s a 15″ retina, 2.7ghz quad-core i7 processor, 16gb of ram and 512gb solid state drive. We got an open box deal for $300 off. I gave in on the smaller hard drive, and have a slightly slower processor than the max model. But, it IS solid state and oh so fast! In the end, it was over $1000 cheaper than my dream mac, so I used that savings to buy a portable external hard drive. I got the Seagate Slim. It’s REALLY tiny and will add another 500gb for my supplies, etc. I won’t keep anything personal on it in case I lose it or destroy it. Just scrapping supplies and work files that I’ll keep backed up on my big external as well as crash plan.
All-in-all, I’m very happy with the setup and savings and am working hard setting up my new machine from scratch. I decided it would be cleaner to do that versus migrating my time machine install over. I recorded an unboxing video that I’ll get up on my blog soon.
Oh, and this machine cannot be upgraded with ram or hard drive down the road, so hopefully it keeps running this fast for a long time!
Congrats Wendy!!! New machines are always fun…just not the setting up part!!
For my international friends, the city south of us is getting Google Fiber. I am stuck on .8 upload and .6 download, so I feel your pain. Luckily, I can go to my parents house to download the Digi Files!
So, now let’s have the Windows discussion. What would you recommend for a great computer (probably laptop)? Peppermint? Katie?
(Like Peppermint, we are a google family, so it’s easier to stick to Windows.)
I have my dream machine
Intel i7 quad core
32Gb RAM
256G SSD C: Drive
3TB HDD
Windows 8
PSE11 and the Creative Cloud
I am spoilt
but I had it built by a local store for less than $2000
BUT I used my circa 2008 LCD monitor and kept my old speakers
My laptop (my first ever that I got 10 months ago) is a 2.2ghz i7 32GB ram ASUS N53. I’m happy with it, but the USB ports are dodgy!!
3TB Network Hard Drive – for backup
Thanks!
My ideal computer is similar to Melissa’s, as long as we add my three monitors – because there’s no going back. And I’m also not entirely sure that I’m ready to handle Windows 8 either. LOL
IMO the SSD is a must, and I’d sacrifice a large portion of the RAM, and even processor speed, in order to get an SSD large enough for your OS and program files because I feel as though it’s the biggest performance upgrade you can make over all those other things if you have to pick and choose.
Peppermint … You’ve mentioned your SSD in more than one show and every time I’d sit there drumming my fingers waiting for my system to do something I’d hear your voice in my head. I finally did it! I ordered an additional 8 megs RAM and a 960gig SSD for my Dell desktop (from Crucial.com). I’ve had a new internal 3T hard drive sitting on my desk for some time and last week took the plunge and installed them all. Happily, I was able to clone my original boot drive to the new SSD and get everything installed and running without a hitch. WOW. Why did I wait so long to do this? I don’t have any time to drum my fingers any longer so I won’t have your voice in my head, but I *am* singing your praises while I work.