What's the difference between a Hub, a Switch and a Router?

Hubs, switches, and routers are all devices that allow you to connect one or more computers to other computers, printers, and services such as internet connections on a network. Each has connections called ports which you plug cables in to share and transfer data. Now those are the basic elements they have in common, now we can discuss exactly how they differ from one another.

First, a hub is usually the cheapest, easiest, and least complicated of the three. However with convenience comes less control. A hub simply allows anything that comes in one port to be sent out to the all the other ports. This means every computer connected to the hub has access to exactly the same things and the hub itself is unaware of the information it is transmitting. Hubs are a quick and simple way to connect computers in small business and home networks.

Next, a switch is the slightly smarter cousin to the hub. A switch has the ability to recognize which ports are connected to specific machines. It understands that information from computer A is received on port 1 and therefore information to be sent to computer A only needs to be sent out to that port. The benefit of using a switch instead of a hub is that network traffic only goes where it needs to rather than to every port. This allows busy networks to run more efficiently and faster than they would on a hub.

Finally, a router is the most complicated of the family, but it is also the most capable. A router offers direct control of how data is transmitted across a network. It acts almost like a computer itself, one that can be programmed to understand, manipulate and send out the data it receives. This offers networks added security because a router is able to hide data behind a firewall. A firewall encrypts information so it is not accessible by unauthorized users.

Why don’t folders remember the settings I selected, even though I went to Tool>Folder Options>View>Apply to All Folders?

This is one of the many unexplained mystery in Windows. There are various ways to adjust view settings. The first one you may want to try begins with opening a folder. Configure the sort order, icon size, column widths and file details to your preference. After completing that you will need to select Tools on the top toolbar. In the menu that appears you will need to select Folder Options, this will be listed as View for Windows 98 users. The Folder Options window will appear, you will need to select the View tab at the top of the window. Once you are in the view options there will be a button that says “Apply to All Folders”. By clicking this button you can set all the folders on your computer to match the current folder’s view settings.

If after you’ve completed the above steps your folder settings still change, you may want to hold the Ctrl key down while closing Windows Explorer. If this does not resolve your issue, you can go to your computers Control Panel and change the settings from there. To do this you will first need to select your Start button. Select Control Panel, for Windows 98 users you will first have to select Settings before Control Panel is an option. Then select Appearance and Themes, Windows 98 users can skip this step. Select Folder Options and again you will need to select the view tab at the top of the window that appears. Select “Apply to All Folders”. If the problem still persists, Tweak UI is a freeware that has offered a long-term solution for some users.

When I right-click on a picture on the Internet and choose the "Save Picture" option, it only lets me save the picture as a bitmap. This happens with all types of pictures, even if the picture on the Web site is a JPG. Do you know why this is?

If your system always tries to save any image you grab from the Internet as a BMP file, there are a number of possible reason. The most likely cause is that you have filled your “Temporary Internet Files” folder. By default, Internet Explorer allocates a certain amount of disk space for temporary files that allow sites you’ve previously visited to load faster. First, you need to see how much space Internet Explorer has set aside for these files by selecting the Tools option in your Internet Explorer toolbar. You will then select Internet Options. On the Internet Options window that appears you will need to select the General tab located near the top of the window. Once you are in the General tab, you will see a few Settings buttons be sure to select the one that is located under the Browsing history section close to the center of the window. The Temporary Internet Files and History Settings window will appear. If the Disk space to use is less than 100M, you may want to increase it. If the space set aside is already between 100M and 300M then you should click the OK button to return to the Internet Options window. You should clear out your Temporary Internet Files by selecting the Delete button in the Browsing history section near the center of the window. A secondary window will appear, select the Delete Files button in the Temporary Internet section at the top of the window.

If neither of these options work, you may need to click on the Advanced tab at the top right of the Internet Options window. Scroll down to the Security section at the bottom of Settings list. Verify that there is NOT a checkmark in the “Do not save encrypted pages to disk” option. If you are a high-speed internet user you may also want to place a checkmark in the “Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed” to have Internet Explorer empty your Temporary files every time you exit the program. This however is not recommended for dial-up users as it will effect how quickly your browser loads pages you visit frequently.