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Computer Setup for Graphics Crafts

Make Sure Your Computer Setup Is Up to Graphics Work

In this article I will discuss some of the basic computer setup requirements for trouble free greeting card and graphics designing, as well as for other computer crafts.

You would not be here if you didn’t already have access to a computer. However, greeting card and graphics software programs, including such programs as Print Shop, use an awful lot of random access memory (RAM) and run much better on the faster and larger hard drives now common in new computers.

Consider your computer setup. Is it up to computer crafts?

Also the Microsoft Windows XP operating system is much more stable and easier to use than previous versions of the Windows operating system. You will find your computer runs better and that the dreaded blue screen indicator of a crash becomes a thing of the past.

Windows Vista is another story. In many cases you will find that it is not compatible with older greeting card and graphic programs. I describe some of the problems in these articles: Windows Vista Problems and More about Vista.

I am no computer guru, but you can find lots of articles on the net about Vista.

I am not suggesting that a new computer setup is necessary to run these greeting card and graphics programs, but if you are having problems, such as slow screen redrawing – in other words it takes a long time for the program to register changes and draw them onto your monitor – or if your computer locks up frequently when using graphics programs, it might be time to consider either upgrading your present system or buying a new one.

One of the best, least expensive and easiest ways to upgrade is by increasing your RAM to at least 256 megabytes (MB). This is a relatively simple procedure, but does require opening the computer case. If you’re comfortable doing this, memory chips can be purchased for reasonable prices online or in local stores. If you don’t want to tinker under the hood, your local computer shop will be able to do this quickly and at little or no cost over the price of the chips.

Another way to upgrade your computer setup is to install the Windows XP operating system. For those of you still running any version of Windows 98 or ME, you should be aware that Microsoft has stopped support for these versions of Windows. It will also stop supporting Windows XP, Service Pack 1 before the end of the year - Microsoft is now up to Service Pack 3 and it seems like it will continue to support XP for a while because of slow adoption of Vista.

But this means that the company will no longer provide security patches if vulnerabilities or bugs are discovered in the earlier programs.

If you need to upgrade, you could purchase Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Upgrade or one of the versions of Vista that is for sale. If you have older programs you want to still use, stick with XP.

The installation program is painless, but can be time consuming. Make sure you back up all your data and have copies of your programs handy in case something goes wrong.

If you need XP Service Pack 3, it is free to download from the Microsoft website which you can reach by hitting the Windows Update button on your "All Programs" list or on the MSN.com homepage.

All that said, I should point out that computer prices have fallen dramatically over the last few years. You can purchase a complete new computer setup with all the bells and whistles for less than five hundred dollars. These will make your computer crafts programs run like a wiz.

In many cases, it makes more sense to do this than try to upgrade an old machine. With a new computer setup, you will be able to accomplish tasks more easily and quickly than you could on an older machine, especially if it’s over 5 years old.

sells a wide variety of low and moderate price systems. Dell consistently gets high marks for reliability and customer service.

I have used Dell products for years and have been impressed both with the product and the technical support you receive.

If you want to use Vista, it requires an up-to-date and powerful computer to take advantage of all it features. Even then, many computer experts say there is no compelling reason to upgrade from Windows XP.

Also the upgrade is a little complicated and Microsoft has built in some "features" that make reinstalling the program needlessly complex.

I would stick with XP until you need to buy a new computer. Then get one with Vista already installed.

I have also written articles about printers, printer ink, computer greeting card and graphic programs, and supplies that I recommend. Please visit Computer Crafting for an overview of computer related articles on The Artful Crafter website.

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