* Dr. Internet columnist Steve Blass says you can use a camcorder for data backup * Help Desk columnist Ron Nutter offers advice on getting a wireless card working
* Using a camcorder for data backup
By Steve Blass
Q: Can I back up computer files onto a digital video tape using a camcorder?
A: Yes. Using the camcorder as a data tape drive will put more wear and tear on the camcorder, but you can use digital video camcorders as backup devices for Windows, Mac and Linux computer systems.
To read Steve’s response in its entirety, please click here.
* Getting a wireless card to work again
By Ron Nutter
Q: Two weeks ago, I installed a wireless connection on my laptop. The day I set things up, everything worked fine. I shut the system down and the next evening fired it up again to find that I have a connection to the wireless network with excellent signal strength except that it sends out packets but receives very little and won’t connect to the Internet at all. I have tried all different kinds of settings but I am still not successful.
A: If you have access to a friend’s access point, see if you can connect through it. If you can access the Internet through it, then that points your access point as being a problem. If you don’t have access to another access point, there are still several things we can look at. Using the software that should have been supplied the wireless in the laptop to see if there is another access point nearby that could be causing the problem. Using a tool such as NetStumbler will help you identify the channel being used by both your Access Point and any others that are nearby. Ideally, you should only use either channel 1,6 or 11 in the U.S. These channels can be used at the same time without interfering with each other. If you see other AP’s in use near you, NetStumbler will help you find a clear channel or at least one that isn’t in use with as strong a signal as what you may be using now could be.
To read Ron’s response in its entirety, please click here.
