Datasheet

776
Upgrading the Basic Stuff
Choosing a new monitor
Once upon a time, cathode ray tube (CRT) screens ruled the roost: They
were hot enough to fry an egg and were prone to flicker and have wavy lines;
the big ones weighed as much as an elephant — a big elephant. Nowadays,
liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have taken over, and even newer technology
appears just around the corner.
Before you buy a new monitor, make sure that you read an unbiased review
(or ten) written by people who sit down in front of a bunch of monitors and
compare them all side by side. I tend to look at CNET Reviews (reviews.
cnet.com). You might also want to use Google.
If you opt for an LCD monitor — and most people do — consider the follow-
ing information:
Most types of devices raise the question
of compatibility: Will this gadget work with
Windows 7? You can dissect that question a
thousand different ways, but the real acid test
is a simple one: Is a good driver available for the
hardware? (A driver is a program that allows
Windows 7 to interact with the hardware.)
In most cases, the answer is yes, simply
because Microsoft now hounds hardware
manufacturers who have the temerity to dis-
tribute bad drivers. Because Windows 7 is
almost identical to Vista where the driver
rubber meets the road, almost any driver that
works for Vista is good for Windows 7, too. The
same cannot be said for Windows XP drivers. If
you’re looking at a piece of hardware that has
Windows XP support but no Vista support, pass
it by. Windows 7 won’t like it.
A high-level ’Softie I know once told me that 50
percent of all the tech support calls Microsoft
has to answer deal with bad drivers. That’s
powerful incentive — and the main reason
why Windows 7 wants to “phone home” when
it crashes.
Most Windows 7 crashes, and a big part of the
Microsoft Product Support team’s workload,
stem from bad device drivers — that Microsoft
didn’t write!
As hard as it may be to believe, that new piece
of hardware you just bought may require no
driver because its interface to the computer
is completely standardized so that Windows
7 can operate any device of the same type.
Most (but not all!) keyboards, monitors, and
mice work like that. Any such device may have
unique features that are available only with an
appropriate driver, though.
Dealing with drivers