Myth Busters

1. Right click & Refresh makes PC faster

Around 15 years ago, computers were always running out of memory. RAM was very expensive and most of the computers had just 4MB to 8MB RAM. Then, there were poorly-coded applications that caused memory leaks. This led to the practice of Right click+ Refresh on the desktop as by refreshing the display or in other words Explorer, in some cases users quickly reclaimed free RAM after closing a process.

On modern computers, which have ample amount of RAM, doing Right click + Refresh is nothing more than a foolish habit.

2. For graphics work, Mac is best

This one too was true sometime back. But now it’s more of a myth than a fact. Before 2006, Apple was using processors based on PowerPC architecture by IBM. Compared to Intel or AMD processors, PowerPC chips had an advantage in graphics-heavy work. But after 2006, Apple shifted to Intel processors. A Mac still has some advantage in font management as well as quality of bundled monitor. But if you are a graphic designer who knows your trade well and who takes care while choosing his gear, you don’t need to buy a Mac just because someone told you that it is better for graphics work.

3. To delete a file permanently, delete it from Recycle Bin

Recently I came across a software which can recover those deleted files which were even deleted from my Recycle bin a long time back. Then I did some R & D and cleared the concept.

Actually when we delete a file from recycle bin, only it starting node(point of memory from where data is written) gets deleted and we can not recover data without its starting node. So the software available in market recovers the Start Node and after which that file which was deleted a long time back can be retrieved.


The file does not get deleted unless it is overwritten, which happens over a period of time when you create new files.

4. CPUs with more cores/Ghz are better

It is just a marketing lie beside the fact that the underlying architecture is what matters. This is the reason why even slower AMD Athlon processors were considerably faster than Pentium 4. Due to this, AMD processors have less misses( term in Computer Hardware Architecture) in memory.

5. You need to stop a USB drive before taking it out

If there is a file transfer going on, which means if you are moving files between pen drive and computer, you may need to stop USB drive before unplugging the pen drive.
But if there is no file transfer happening, you can plug out the pen drive right away.

6. Macs don't have viruses

People using Apple’s MacBook, iMac or Mac Pro are less likely to face computer viruses. But this is not because Apple’s computers or operating software are virus-proof. The fact is that cyber criminals largely focus on Windows because that is used by majority of people. But as popularity of Apple’s computers increases, cyber criminals are taking note and new viruses and trojans on Mac have started appearing.

7. More mega pixels mean better pictures

Generally more mega pixels were a big deal when digital cameras were new. But once the threshold of five mega pixels was reached, the number stopped being the most important factor in a camera.

In any modern camera, image quality primarily depends on sensor size and quality of lens. This is the reason why you are likely to get better images from say a Nikon D40, a 6 mega pixel camera, than a new point-and-shoot slick camera that can capture photos in 14 mega pixels. So don’t judge a cam by its mega-pixel.


Referenced from Timeof India.