Dispose of Printer Toner

 If you own a laser printer or copier, you will have to change the toner cartridge. But you cannot simply throw the old toner cartridge away with the trash. Those toner cartridges contain materials that are potentially hazardous, so keeping them out of landfills is important. Fortunately there are recycling programs in place to help you get rid of old toner cartridges without threatening the environment.

1). Remove the new toner cartridge from the box and look for a return shipping label. Many toner cartridges come with prepaid shipping labels customers can use to recycle their old toners.

2). Log onto the website of the printer manufacturer if there is no return label in the box. Search for the word "Recycling" on the website to find information about any toner recycling programs the printer manufacturer has in place.

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Comparison of Cartridge Toners

Though toner costs more in the short term than an ink cartridge, in the long run money is saved. Compared to ink, toner is cheaper. But how do you determine the best toner for you? There are a few different things to keep in mind when comparing toners that will help you make the best decision when it comes time to open your wallet and buy.

1). Find out if your printer uses liquid, powdered or laser toner. Only compare toners from the kind that your computer uses. Comparing liquid and laser toner will get you nowhere, because they are for completely different uses and different printers.

2). Identify the cartridge yield, sometimes called the cartridge life. This number is sometimes printed on the toner packaging, but if not you can find it on the manufacturer's website. This will tell you how many pages you can expect to print from one toner cartridge. Compare this number across all the toners that you are thinking of buying.

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Format a Protected Disk

 

If you have forgotten your password to the disk and want to wipe it clean, work around the protection by using your Windows registry. The Windows registry logs all of the protection on disks and can also turn them off for editing and formatting.

1). Restart your computer and hold down the "F8" key. This will take you into Windows "Advanced Boot Options." Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate to the "Safe Mode" option and then press the "Enter" button.

2). Click the "Start" button and then click the "Search" bar on the menu. Type "regedit" into the "Search" box and press the "Enter" button.

3). Follow this path in the registry from the icons on the left side of the window that appears: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies."

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Problems Installing GeForce 8400

GeForce 8400 is a high-performance video card used for video games and multi-media applications. It features 512MB of video memory, full DirectX 10 support, SLI technology and dual DVI outputs. The GeForce 8400 is also compatible with Windows, Macintosh and Linux operating systems. However, when installing the GeForce 8400, like any video card, problems can occur with compatibility and other factors.

Motherboard Incompatibility

Video cards come with a few different slot types. This includes PCI, AGP and PCI-Express. The GeForce 8400 uses PCI-Express technology specifically. If your motherboard is outdated, or does not contain a PCI-Express slot, the GeForce 8400 will not work. So before purchasing a video card it is important to refer to your motherboard specifications to check for compatibility.

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Diagnose a Graphics Card Problem

Blank screens, display monitor flickering, squealing noises, incorrect text and monitor display sizes are all signs that require your graphics card settings to be adjusted. Thankfully, you can resolve many of these issues without having to dismantle your computer. By checking the connections and altering the refresh rate and resolution settings, your graphics card diagnosis will lead you to a fast and clearer visual repair.

1). Check the connections from the graphics card and video cable and verify that each one is securely attached if a blank or black screen is displayed. If your computer monitor does not work correctly, go to the next step.

2). Replace cables that have bent or damaged pins in the connector. If your computer monitor does not work correctly, go to the next step.

3). Change your display resolution if the text or monitor display size is incorrect. Click the "Start" button, click the "Control Panel" and then click "Adjust screen resolution" under "Appearance and Personalization."

4). Click the "Resolution" drop-down list and then move the slider to the "Recommended" resolution size for your monitor. Click "Apply." If your computer monitor does not work correctly, go to the next step.

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Enable ATI Theater Mode

ATI Theater Mode is especially useful if your personal computer contains video files that cannot be played on your DVD player. For example, you may have home movies on your personal computer and no way to watch them on your TV. Theater mode is an effective way to send videos to your TV with minimal hassle.

1). Right-click the desktop. A context menu will appear.

2). Select "Catalyst Control Center" from the context menu. Catalyst Control Center will load.

3). Select the "Graphics Settings" tab.

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Ways to Save Printer Ink

When you purchase a printer for your computer, the price you pay for the device itself is only a fraction of the cost you incur over the life of the device. From time to time, you must replace your printer's ink cartridges. Lessen your ink consumption by developing wise printing habits.

Print Quality

Most printers have the option of printing documents and pictures at various quality levels -- and the lower the print quality, the less ink the printer uses. Except for "final draft" items you need to turn in to a supervisor or instructor at work or school, get into the habit of printing documents at low quality to save on ink.

Page Count

When you print a document, your computer will prompt you to enter the pages of the document you want to print. Look through your document before printing to verify that you need all its pages -- and if you don't, adjust the page range to reflect what you do need. If you print a receipt from a website, for example, the entire document may take up four pages, even though your receipt itself appears entirely within the second page.

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