Frequently Asked Questions

We intend to use this page as a point of reference for anyone that needs to understand more about their computer system or any of it's attached peripherals (printer, camera etc etc)

Whenever you contact us for Free Advice, we may publish an abbreviated version of your question and our answer.

To submit a question, contact us by e-mail info@mrcomputing.net or phone (0800 6129534) and we will help you out.

Q) What is the difference between memory (RAM) and hard drive?

A) Put simply, memory is used to store information for the general running of the PC when it is on as it is fast and efficient. Your hard drive is used for long term storage of data and is slow but has a large capacity. For a computer to work on a document for instance, the document must be loaded from the hard drive into the memory before you can use the computer to make alterations to the document. If you do not have enough memory then the computer has to constantly read and write snippets of data from the hard drive to the memory. Since this is a slow process, it can seriously affect the performance of your computer. A memory upgrade is often a cheap and easy way to improve the performance of a computer and is usually a better choice than a processor upgrade.

Q) Why is my computer running so slowly?

A) There are a lot of reasons for this, here's a list in the order that we most frequently see them on our customers' computers

Q) My computer keeps hanging/crashing why is this?

A) Again there are a number of reasons for this. Some causes are; faulty memory, a hardware problem/conflict, incorrect/old drivers installed, virus/spyware infection etc etc

Q) I will be buying a new computer soon and would like to use it for video editing, what is the minimum specification I should look at?

A) Look for a fast processor, lots of fast memory (at least 512Mb RAM preferably 1Gb or more) and a fast hard drive (SATA hard drives are a cost efective choice) and last but not least your new computer should have a "Firewire" port which will enable you to connect your Digital Video camera to your computer.

If you would like help and impartial advice on which of the latest digital video cameras to buy then get in touch with us. We don't sell DV cameras but we know a lot about them are happy to help you make the best choice.

Thankyou to everyone that has taken time to submit questions, above are a selection of the most common ones.