Q: How can I clean the exterior and screen of my laptop computer?
Vicki Davis
A: Hey Vicki, here's a Web site that goes into great detail: http://tinyurl.com/y5rhkl4.
The information there should have you cleaning in grand style.
Just be careful when you clean the screen itself. Too much pressure can permanently damage it. Follow the advice on the Web site and use products made for cleaning laptop screens. Frankly, I avoid cleaning a screen unless it's really marred.
Q: Do signal boosters work? I am dropping my cable television service and plan to use an antenna to get my programming. There is an older antenna mounted in the attic of my 1960s home. I ran a cable down to one of my sets and pulled in 15-plus channels.
Dick Barden
A: It's a weird thing with signal boosters. Sometimes they help a lot. But I've also seen times when using one actually made things worse. If there's not enough signal there, the amplifier does more boosting of noise than signal. So before trying one consider the things that make the most difference in pulling in a good signal, whether it is digital or analog.
Most important is a good antenna. The bigger, the better; the higher, the better. Next, make sure you have good and relatively new cable connecting the antenna to your sets. Coaxial cable deteriorates with age. Be careful if you use a signal splitter. While these devices are necessary to share the feed from your antenna with multiple sets, you lose some of your signal strength each time you split it. Also check to make sure all connections are tight and secure.
If you do all that and the signal still needs help, there is no harm in trying an amplifier. You'll find them at places such as Radio Shack.
If the antenna system is done correctly and you are close enough to the transmitting sites, you may get a better HDTV picture than cable or satellite could provide. While all television signals use a compression technology, over-the-air signals generally are subjected to less compression and can be truly stunning.
Q: The picture on my HDTV sometimes freezes. I use cable and have contacted my cable provider but, so far, no help.
Nancy McMillan
A: I would keep trying to get help from the cable company. Contact them again, and if that person offers no help ask to speak to a supervisor. Those freezes are a sign that your digital signal is weak. It is possible that the fault may be in the coaxial cable in your home. But even if that is the case you'll probably need a technician on the spot to diagnose and fix the problem.
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