Debunking Common PC Myths

How Much RAM Is Enough?

We have published several articles in the past discussing this question but the answer is not straightforward. How much RAM is required depends entirely on each individual’s specific usage. It’s fine for someone to say that ‘you cannot have too much RAM’ but, while this might be true to a certain extent, many users are limited by budgetary restrictions.

You’ll still see ‘system requirements’ for Windows and software stated as 4GB and, indeed, manufacturers are still producing new PCs with just 4GB RAM installed. However, in my opinion, 4GB RAM is patently insufficient. At one time I would have said that 8GB RAM is adequate for most average home users but, with PCs and operating systems becoming increasingly more sophisticated, I would suggest that 16GB RAM should be the bare minimum.

Whenever I see a new PC for sale with great all-around specs but only 8GB RAM I am thoroughly baffled. In my mind, regardless of how great the other hardware specs are, those machines are not going to perform up to par with just 8GB RAM installed, period.

So, if you read that 8GB RAM is sufficient, trust me it is not. With today’s modern hardware and operating systems, 16GB RAM should be the absolute minimum.

Troubleshooting PC Issues

I think we’ve pretty much all been in this situation at some time or another; a feature or component is playing up so we look to the web for help. We find multiple reports of the same issue, and dozens of potential solutions, of which none actually fix the problem. After hours of trying the solutions proffered we are right back where we started from.

Now, I’m well aware that Windows’ built-in troubleshooters are far from perfect but, there is every chance that a Windows troubleshooter might just fix the issue and save users from going through that painstaking and time-consuming process. My point is that the first advice proffered for fixing a specific issue should be “try the troubleshooter”. If that does not work, then you can move on to other possible solutions.

Windows includes a comprehensive range of troubleshooters targeting specific areas, something that we tend to forget about. Next time an issue arises, I suggest trying a troubleshooter as a first response.

Disabling Services

You’ll often see advice to disable a particular service or services as a solution for preventing or blocking a specific feature/component. However, said advice rarely includes the requisite warning. Most services are associated with dependencies. That is:

1. System components that rely/depend on the service you are advised to disable… or
2. System components that the service you are advised to disable relies/depends upon

So, it’s not merely a matter of disabling services, you also have to take into consideration what effect this might have on system components that rely/depend on that service. Now, it’s true that many services and their dependencies are associated with a single specific component but that is not always the case and, if you do not check those dependencies, disabling a service (or services) might inadvertently cause issues with a different system component.

So, whenever you see advice to disable a service, please check its dependencies beforehand.

The Internet vs The World Wide Web

You’ll often see these two terms used interchangeably, even by so-called experts, but they are completely different animals:

• The Internet: refers to the infrastructure that provides access to the WWW
• The WWW: refers to the collection of websites that provide information and services

You cannot “surf the net”.  You can, however, “surf the web”. You “connect” to the Internet and, complements of your browser, you “visit” the World Wide Web. I guess it’s a minor issue but, whenever I see so-called experts using these terms incorrectly, it really rankles me.

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