Q: I'm looking to buy a laptop for school. Can you give me suggestions on the best laptops under $600? -- Brian

You don’t have to buy the latest, top-of-the-line option every time you shop for technology. I know I risk being shunned by the nerd community for saying it, but there are times to splurge and times to save.

Q: What's the difference between 32-bit Windows and 64-bit Windows? - Spencer

A new East Valley-based technology company spun off in June from Freescale Semiconductor is introducing its first line of new products that it hopes will revolutionize the market for memory chips.

Q . How can I check the amount of memory I have in my computer? I used to have a pink and blue pie chart of the space used and how much was free, but I can’t seem to remember how to get to that.

SAN FRANCISCO - Want to break into a computer's encrypted hard drive? Just blast the machine's memory chip with a burst of cold air.That's the conclusion of new research out of Princeton University demonstrating a novel, low-tech way hackers can access even the most well-protected computers, provided they have physical access to the machines.

Q. My daughter is about to go to her first year of college, and I want to make sure my two-year-old laptop is good enough for her to use. She wants me to buy a new one, but I think the old one will do fine. But how do I know? - Rachel

SAN JOSE, Calif. - IBM has devised a way to triple the amount of memory stored on computer chips and double the performance of data-hungry processors by replacing a problematic type of memory with a variety that uses much less space on the slice of silicon.

Q: I keep accumulating Windows temporary files, and when I do disk cleanup, it tells me I can safely delete these if they have not been modified in the past week. I do not know this and am afraid to delete. Can you clarify this for me.? - Judy

Q: When buying a new computer, how do I know how much RAM (random access memory) I should buy? - Kristin

Q: Is it safe to use a flash drive as a back up for data and photos? My mom wants to put all her photos on one instead of burning them to CD. I didn’t think a flash drive was a good idea for that kind of storage. What can I tell her? - Anne

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Worldwide semiconductor sales will rise 6.9 percent to a record $235 billion in 2005, surpassing the previous high mark set at the tail end of the high-tech boom five years ago, the research firm Gartner said Friday.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Worldwide semiconductor sales will rise 6.9 percent to a record $235 billion in 2005, surpassing the previous high mark set at the tail end of the high-tech boom five years ago, the research firm Gartner said Friday.

WASHINGTON - Samsung, the world's largest maker of memory chips for computers and other electronic gadgets, has agreed to plea guilty to price fixing and pay a $300 million fine, U.S. officials said Thursday.

Q: I have 328MB RAM yet I get a message saying: "System low on virtual memory." Please advise. — Ann

February 14, 2005

Q: How do I use the Task Manager in Windows XP? — Buck

Q. Once and for all, will you please explain the difference between RAM space and hard drive space?

SAN JOSE, Calif. - A new flash memory system Intel Corp. introduced Monday aims to capitalize on the photography and multimedia functions being built into new cell phones.

Q. I’m new to computers and don’t understand something called RAM. I know that I’m supposed to have it, but what is it? Rollie, Glendale.

Q. I’m new to computers and don’t understand something called RAM. I know that I’m supposed to have it, but what is it? Rollie, Glendale.

TOKYO - U.S. computer chipmaker Intel Corp. has agreed to invest $100 million in a memory chip joint venture between Japan's Hitachi Ltd. and NEC Corp., the companies said Tuesday.