I am Sooooooooooooo computer challenged

[serryjw]

I ordered HIGH speed from Comcast. I know I have an old computer. AMD K-6 3D. I know I have 256 RAM installed and I have win'98 OS 2nd edition

They say I need

USB port?
A CD ROM??
100 mgs free on my hard drive??
150 mgs og free memory??

Does anyone speak English. What they hell is this....how do I know if I have it?

[sendero]

1. Hmmm.......

.... Ok, let's go one at a time :)

USB port. Look on the back of your computer (sometimes on newer machines they are on the front, but yours is not newer :)) You are looking for a socket that is about 1/4" x 5/8", rectangular. They usually, but not always, come in pairs.

If you don't have one, you can add a PCI card to your computer to add USB ports. It will cost you about $25.

CD ROM - is just a CD ROM drive. You probably have one, you can't really install Windows without it. It is probably at the top front of your case, you know, push the button, tray comes out, put a CD in, etc. This is so they can install their software, which you may or may not really need, but they'll tell you you do.

100 megs of hard drive space. Click on My Computer. You should see an item in the list named "Local Drive C:" or something with a C: in it. That is your main hard drive. Right click on the entry. At the bottom of the popup menu, there is a "Properties" entry. Click it. It will tell you how much free hard drive space you have.

150 megs of free memory - this is weird. I cannot imagine why you would need this much RAM. I can't think of a simple way to determine how much free RAM you have, the numbers Task Manager show muddy the waters by including the swap space.

I wouldn't worry about it, you have 150 megs of virtual ram.

Now get that high speed link working! Onward!

[serryjw]

3. Oh My ....did I find it??

I KNOW I have a slot in front for my floppy..is that a CD drive?

I couldn't find the properties on MY COMPUTER but I pushed buttons and I found3813MB of 6170 MB available on C drive? Is this right? Is this enough?
Now the USB port is really confusing. I have a pair of slots that have teeth comimg out of them>

Thanks for your help!

[sendero]

4. No...

... a floppy drive won't read CDs. Really, it's hard to imagine a machine with even Win 98 that doesn't have a CD drive :)

You have plenty of hard drive space...

[serryjw]

5. So far so good

What about this crazy USB port...Is it the ones with teeth?

[sendero]

7. Get a ruler..

... the only way I can describe it is by size, and by the fact that is doesn't have "pins" or "round holes for pins". :)

[fleabert]

8. look for this symbol next to a slot

like this

[serryjw]

9. Are you special....

I think I have ONE!:applause:

[fleabert]

10. yea!

you should be able to plug your modem into it- but you may want to just go wireless so you can get a printer too- I would assume that you could install a router for the wireless, but I don't know that much about computers either! How do you live without a printer!?!? :-)

any accessory you buy for your computer these days needs a USB- printer, scanner, fax, downloading digital photos, etc... be forewarned!

and yes, I am quite special! :-P

[serryjw]

13. This is a graduate course

I'm still in elementary school! I need a PC/landline/VOIP because I want to work out of the house and they won't let me use wireless...it won't hook into their system??
As for a printer...not easily!!! I miss not having one. That's the next purchase. I send my links to Office Depot that print them for me!:banghead:

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

2. You have high speed internet now : say good bye to the outside world .

[Benfea]

6. Regarding the CD-ROM, hard drive space, etc...

…don't install their software.

All it does is make certain changes to certain control panels, and you can do that manually without having one more piece of software slowing down your boot times and taking up space on your hard drive. So what you do is play dumb: don't install the software, then call up tech support, pretend you lost the CD and ask them to walk you through adjusting the various control panels manually. ;)

[serryjw]

11. You maybe right but

that would scare me...I might end up in India!I use my hard drive so little that's why I have so much space. I REALLY want a new computer. When I get a few hundred will try and upgrade. I need XP or 2000 to work out of my house.

[GirlinContempt]

12. Comcast doesn't outsource to India they outsource to Canada

But, why would it matter?

[serryjw]

14. Honestly I will get an anxiety attach

if I have to do it...maybe someday I will understand all this..thanks any way for trying

[GirlinContempt]

15. Huh?