Basics Of Desktop Computers

Just purchased the MF656CDW AIO so haven’t done much yet but the basics. When I saw the setup guide was only a few pages, I was a little apprehensive. But everything from unboxing to printing the first copy was amazingly simple. Packaging was well designed and removal was a snap. 30 minutes from start to finish. Within an hour I had installed the program on my desktop, and printed successfully from my two desktops and IPADs, scanned successfully from the unit and my desktop, and copied a document. Didn’t set up the FAX yet, but the features I expect to use most are working great. Wish setup on all the electronics I’ve purchased thru the years had gone this smoothly.

I use the Arc Mouse for my desktop, laptop and netbook computers. Very easy to use and the design makes it very comfortable to use. It takes just a little adjustment after switching from an optical mouse, but you will not go back.

I know that there are several companies out there who make good memory cards, but when I check my stash of memory cards, most of them say SanDisk on them. Likewise, most of the back-up memory for my Desktop computers say Western Digital (who owns SanDisk). My advice is to learn about the nuances of memory cards. The small print on similar looking cards distinguishes the capability, not just in GB capacity, but the generation of chip and the speed for reading and downloading. I also own some Sony and Delkin memory cards, but SanDisk makes good stuff.

Both dives allow me to easily transfer files from my laptop to my desktop computers. I find it very easy to use.

Short review: I wanted to find a USB switcher I didn't have to worry (or even think) about at all. This is it. Long review: for context for the rest of this review, my use case is to switch a common set of USB devices (keyboard, mouse, and USB audio device) between a desktop and a laptop. I bought this unit after having a poor experience with a much cheaper USB sharing switch from another manufacturer. This other unit lasted about two years, then started to fail to switch between host computers, and also seemed to be allowing voltage from one host to pass through to the other. I'm not one to risk damage to the valuable computers I've got hooked up to these switches. I got rid of that unit, did some research, and picked this one up based on some other folks' recommendations. This unit isn't cheap, and seems to be marketed primarily toward business use cases, but so far it's working perfectly for my home office setup. It appears that I'm getting exactly what I hoped I was paying for: reliability and safety. I haven't had a single electrical gremlin show up since I began using this. It automatically switches the three USB devices to my laptop when I plug it in, and switches back to the desktop when I unplug my laptop. I'd recommend reading the instructions and making use of the power supply.

I purchased this cable to connect a desktop to an Anker USB hub which is routinely switched between one of three computers, depending on which is needed at the time. The included Anker cable is about a foot long, which is far too short to reach the desktop. This helped bridge the gap and works perfectly.

Sharing a desktop extension monitor between two computers meant unplugging from one and plugging into the other. Now I have the computers plugged into the switch and the switch output goes to the monitor. Now I just push a button! The switch even automatically switches to the live computer if I turn one of them off.

We put one of these Logitech C270 webcams on 45 company desktop computers so users could participate in Teams and Zoom meetings. These are fine little webcams, and great for our purposes.

I plugged the components that I wanted to share (keyboard, mouse, and printer) and the computers to share those components (laptop & desktop) and the KVM switch worked fine.

I've used an iPhone for many years but this is my first iPad. It seems to do everything I need, which isn't a lot since I have desktop computers for doing my serious work. But this iPad is great for checking email, keeping notes, watching Youtube etc. I'm sure it's capable of doing a lot more stuff if I needed it. For $329 it is a much better purchase for me than an expensive one.