The last step in copying a program is to locate the executable file for the program on the

Part VII ✦ Adding to Your Home Network You can share a fast CD-ROM drive, but it will run more slowly over the network. If you don’t use the network a lot for multimedia, or if the speed works well with your applica- tions, you don’t have to upgrade. If, on the other hand, you find some multimedia applications that don’t work, you can speed up the network by changing technologies. A phone line network, for example, running at 1 Mbps, will be too slow to show movies or to play some games over the network. Upgrading that network to Ethernet can make all the dif- ference. Of course, you need to upgrade your network cards to 10100 Mbps Ethernet, buy a 100 Mbps hub, and install CAT 5 UTP cabling. That can run into some money, but you’ll see improvement in the speed, reliability, and efficiency of your entire network. You might also consider upgrading to wireless, but make sure you check game and applica- tion software in case there are limitations that include wireless. See Chapter 6 for more information about Ethernet technology and Chapter 7 for more infor- mation about wireless networking. If you are currently using a 10 Mbps Ethernet network, you might want to upgrade to 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet for superior speed in multimedia applications, as well as in other facets of network performance. You should be using 10100 Mbps Ethernet network cards and CAT 5 UTP cabling already, so all you need to purchase is a 100 Mbps hub to make the network com- plete. If you’re not using 10100 Mbps cards, buy those first and use them with the 10 Mbps hub until your budget enables you to buy the faster hub. You also might consider replacing your NetBEUI or IPXSPX protocol with the more efficient TCPIP protocol. If you’re using Ethernet or Fast Ethernet, TCPIP can display a marked improvement over the others. See Appendix B for more information. Cross- Reference Tip Tip Troubleshooting Multimedia Devices Anytime you add a new device or change an old device, such as a video card or sound card, you can cause your computer to stop working. Each device has its own settings; if you add another device that tries to take those settings, you have a hardware conflict. Hardware conflicts are more noticeable in Windows 98 computers than in Windows 2000 or XP computers because newer systems deal with conflicts automatically. You might, however, find a problem in any Windows, Mac, or Linux computer that deals with interrupt request IRQ, direct memory access DMA, or inputoutput IO addresses. Hardware lines carry a device’s signal to the processor. When a device wants to communicate with the processor, it causes an interrupt request to gain the processor’s attention. The IO is the means by which data is transferred between the computer and its peripheral devices. DMA is a method of transferring information directly from a hard disk, for example, into memory by bypassing the processor. Most PCs have 15 IRQs; some are assigned to specific devices, and others are free for cards and devices you install. Each computer is different, so the device might not have the same IRQ in one computer as it does in another. In addition, not all devices require an IRQ, IRQs cannot be shared by multiple devices, and the most common IRQ conflicts are between two COM ports. Chapter 25 ✦ Understanding Multimedia Considering Digital Cameras and Scanners Although both scanners and digital cameras have been around a while, they’ve become the hottest new technological playthings for home users. With a scanner, you can convert any image from paper to a digital file that you can use in your computer. With a camera, you can capture images of your home, your family and friends, vacations, pets, and more. Both of these tools are affordable and easy enough for any member of your family to use, and they provide exciting alternatives to images you get from other sources. Examining digital cameras Digital cameras are perfect for taking photographs that you can transfer easily to your com- puter and to your publications. The photos you take with the digital camera are similar to those you take with other cameras. The pictures are in color, but you can transfer them to black and white with the help of a photo manipulation program. Digital cameras don’t use film. When you take pictures with a digital camera, the image is stored on a memory card instead of on film. You can view and delete images on the memory card while it’s still in the camera, and you can reuse the card time and again. The removable image card stores images and maintains those images until you delete the data or reformat the card. You also can purchase additional memory cards to use in your camera. After you take the pictures, you transfer the images to the computer by using a serial port, a USB port, a card reader, or FireWire. Using a serial port is the least effective method, because it is so slow. Using a USB port is faster, but using a card reader is by far the most efficient method. Your computer sees the card reader as another drive, as it would see a floppy disk, CD-ROM, or Zip drive. You simply open the drive and transfer the pictures you want. You remove the card from the camera and insert it into the card reader. The card reader is very small, about the size of a pack of poker cards, with two cables plugged into either side of the reader. Card readers are available in both internal and external models. The cost ranges from 50 to 150. Manufacturers include Kodak, Actiontec, and Litronic. IO addresses refer to locations in a computer’s memory map. Addresses are in hexadecimal for- mat, which is a base 16 numbering system that uses the digits 0 through 9 followed by the let- ters A through F. Hexadecimal numbers represent the binary numbers computers use internally they all fit into the 8-bit byte. Direct memory access DMA channels might be an area for hardware conflicts. Plug and Play systems use DMAs. In Windows, you can make Plug and Play resource assignments under the specific device’s Resource tab within the Device Manager click Start ➪ Programs ➪ Control Panel, and then double-click System. Select the Device Manager and locate the hardware in question. View its properties. You can change setting for IRQs, IOs, or DMAs, but make sure you under- stand the consequences of your actions and always write down the original addresses to change back to if necessary.