Malaysia Online

Which Vista is Right for You?

2007-06-07T16:41:00.000+08:00

According to Mr. Gates of Microsoft, 90% of us computer users use Windows. Also according to him we should all be using or getting ready to use the latest operating system, Windows Vista, from Microsoft. Now the questions - who should really upgrade and which version is the right version for your use - Standard, Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise or Ultimate?

If you are using the latest version of Windows XP Professional, and are up to date on the patches, don't rush for an upgrade unless you are buying a new computer or are an IT professional developing technology based on the Vista platform.

You may not have noticed but Windows XP also has many versions - Standard, Home, Professional, Enterprise, Tablet PC and Windows Media Center. Very few people use the Standard Version and Enterprise is for the very large enterprises. So I will skip them in my review.

Windows Vista Basic is the upgrade over Windows XP Home with fewer crashes, a brand new interface and improved security. You will also get limited access to Windows Mobility Center and Meeting Place. What you do not get is Pluggable log-in authentication architecture, Aero, Rights Management Services (RMS) Client, Tablet PC, DVD Maker, Media Center, Movie Maker regular/HD, Domain join for Windows Small Business Server, Encrypting File System, Integrated Smart Card management, Group Policy support, Roaming user profiles, Virtual PC Express, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Fax and Scan or ShadowCopy.

Windows Vista Home Premium is the upgrade for previous Windows XP Media Center with fewer crashes, a brand new interface, improved security and graphics including DirectX for gaming. You will also get limited access to Windows Mobility Center. What you do not get is Domain join for Windows Small Business Server, Encrypting File System, Integrated Smart Card management, Group Policy support, Roaming user profiles, Virtual PC Express, BitLocker Drive Encryption, Fax and Scan or ShadowCopy.

Windows Vista Business is the upgrade for previous Windows XP Professional & Tablet PC with fewer crashes, brand new interface and improved security. This is the version I recommend to my customers. What you do not get is DVD Maker, Media Center or Movie Maker regular/HD, which are not really essential for a business professional.

Windows Ultimate has all the features of Basic, Home Premium, Business and some extras - but for a hefty price. Most systems sold by custom PC makers HP, Toshiba, Dell and Lenova do not come with Ultimate installed. Microsoft recommends a $199 upgrade Ultimate from Home Premium and Business.

Visit Microsoft Vista's website for an explanation of all features as well as comparisons between the different versions.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shirona_Gunawardhana

Best Free Anti Virus Software

2007-06-07T16:35:00.000+08:00

Determining the best free anti virus software to use on your home computer is a fairly daunting task especially for your average home user. Protecting your computer against virus threats is a critical part of your computer’s security. The 2 main issues selecting the best free anti virus software are determining whether you can trust the site you are downloading the software from and whether the software you download will actually be effective removing viruses.

The good news is that Google has provided an answer. In 2006 Google announced “Google Pack” which is a collection of over 10 free software programs including a number of Google’s own software products like Google Desktop and the excellent Picasa 2 Photo Editor. Also included within Google Pack was a free anti virus software program supplied by a world-class security software vendor.

Symantec originally provided a version of Norton AntiVirus 2005 for Google Pack. The Norton AntiVirus range of products has been recognised for a number of years as one of the leading anti virus solutions for the home. The scanning and removal capability continuously performs well in independent tests. There was however one major limitation. Symantec was only prepared to provide virus definition updates which are central to product for a limited 6 month period and then the user needed to upgrade to a paid version.

At the beginning of 2007 Google addressed this issue with Symantec. The result was that Norton AntiVirus 2005 replaced by a new product called “Norton Security Scan.” Whilst, the new product was missing some of the more advanced features, it still retained the powerful scanning and removal capabilities of the Norton AntiVirus products. More importantly, Symantec agreed to provide free virus updates which were not limited to 6 months.

Given the fact the Norton Security Scan is based on the Norton AntiVirus products and the download is from a trusted Google site, Norton Security Scan is the best free anti virus software available today.

Danny Jones runs a number of computer related sites. He recommends Free Download Norton Anti Virus from Google Pack to protect your computer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_Jones

Windows XP Tweaks to Speed Up a Slow Computer

2007-06-07T16:31:00.000+08:00

Now that Vista has arrived with more of a thud than thunder, people are asking the question, “What can I do to speed up my slow computer?” A good answer is to customize your existing operating system for speed an performance. So, why not keep XP. It is Microsoft most stable operating system. Vista will not be stable until the first major service pack update is released. Until then, Vista is about as stable as a house of cards in a tornado. Also XP to Vista migration causes slow computer performance. If you are one of these people who rather kick XP up a notch than pay for a system that meets Vista outrageous specs for optimum performance, read on for some expert tips to speed up a slow computer using XP tweaks.

Windows XP’s stability makes it the most “tweakable”. There are more than a few areas that are specifically ripe with opportunities to improve slow computer performance and remedy a slow computer. Let’s start with getting your hard drive running smoothly.

XP Tweaks for Slow Computer Tip #1—Turn Off Windows Indexing Service

If you have ever wondered why your hard drive makes so much noise when idle, this is due to your files being indexed in order to help your CPU find these files easier. However, even the most insignificant files are indexed. This service puts a huge strain on your hard drive which ironically makes things easier for Windows. Because of this conundrum, most techs have deemed this Indexing Service insignificant and the cause of slow computer hard drive access. You can turn off service with the following steps.

1. Double-click My Computer, point to Explorer Bar on the View menu, and click Search.
2. Click Change preferences, and then click Without Indexing Service.
3. Click No, do not enable Indexing Service, and then click OK.

XP Tweaks for Slow Computer Tip #2— Speed Up Your Hard with NTFS.

Windows XP offers NTFS hard drive configuration. This offers better compression, security and encryption. However, this conversion from FAT to NTFS standard requires a bit more space on your hard drive nevertheless you will be reward with a faster drive. You can easily switch to this system by following directions below:
1. Click Start
2. Click Run
3. Type cmd press Enter.
4. At the command prompt
Type convert X:/FS:NTFS(X is your hard drive letter)
5. Hit Enter

XP Tweaks for Slow Computer Tip #3—Disable Unnecessary Startups

Now let’s tweak Windows to run faster. A slow computer can be attributed to how well your monitor and manage your programs and processes. Windows XP gives you complete control over what programs and processes are loaded into your configuration. There are only six vital programs needed to run your computer. However, there are probably dozens running as soon as you startup your PC. No wonder you have a slow computer. You can manage your startup configuration by following these instructions.

1. Open your Start menu.
2. Click Run
3. In the command screen type: msconfig.exe
4. In the "system configuration utility", click either "service" or "startup" tab
5. Uncheck all programs that you don't want to use.
6. Click OK

XP Tweak for Slow Computer Tip #4—Increase Virtual Memory

Your computer uses physical memory, RAM, and virtual memory. Virtual memory is used to simulate more RAM when your computer is reaching its maximum CPU and RAM usage. It is very similar to a bucket filling up with water, in this analogy your RAM is the bucket and water being computer processes and programs. However, your bucket size is limited by your amount of RAM. The more programs and processes you use cause the bucket to become full. However, you can use a spare bucket to quickly help meet the demand; Virtual memory is that spare bucket.

You can change your virtual memory by altering amount of resources for reserved for it, in a sense making the spare bucket bigger. Virtual memory uses free space as a resource. So you can change the amount free space reserved for the Virtual memory Check out the "How to clean up a slow computer" for efficient ways to clean up your drive.

Increasing your Virtual Memory is easy. There are some important facts to remember. When you get to the Virtual Memory menu select the Custom Size check box, then choose the initial size and the max size. Depending on how much free space you have you can choose what amount of free space you want reserved for the paging file. Its better to keep the initial and maximum size the same to cut down on your CPU access. This will stop your CPU from constantly changing your Virtual memory paging file size. Also set the size at least 1.5 times higher than your physical memory. If you are still confused this link below for a visual step by step instructions.

1.Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
3.On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
4.Under Virtual memory, click Change.
5.Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file that you want to change. In most computers its C:
6.Under Paging file size for selected drive, click to Custom size check box. You can enter the amount of memory you would like to reserve for Virtual memory by entering the initial and maximum size.
7.Click Set

In addition to these tweaks. You can take it one step further in you quest to make your slow computer a distant memory. This requires you to perform some registry editing. I suggest you clean your registry before attempt any editing. After your registry is clean, you can perform several tweaks to speed up your slow computer. The site below provides more tips and tutorials to increase PC performance. http://www.delete-computer-history.com/general-pc-performance-tips.html

There is no doubt that many of the program and services names are foreign to most. Check out http://www.delete-computer-history.com for a list of unnecessary programs that can cause a slow computer syndrome.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gaelim_Holland

Approaches To Data Recovery After Formatting

2007-06-06T16:52:00.000+08:00

The first thing you need to do after a system crash has forced you to reformat your hard drive is to test your PC to make sure whatever caused the crash is still not around to destabilize your system. Once you know your PC is stable, you can begin the process of data recovery after formatting.

Do-It-Yourself Data Recovery After Formatting
The easiest way to get proof of your system’s stability is to upload some non-critical files, so that if they become corrupted you will not have lost anything. Try opening and closing the files, and as long as you do not get a message saying they have been corrupted, you can be fairly certain that your system is functioning normally and storing ant retrieving your data properly. You can move now move on to the data recovery after formatting process.

During the data recovery after formatting process you’ll upload all your recovered data, and for some systems this can take a considerable amount of time. You’ll need to monitor the data recovery after formatting process in case your system flashes messages with question or pinpointing errors on specific files. You’ll need to make a record of every file mentioned in a message, and when the data recovery after formatting upload is complete, do individual checks on each of them. Often an error in one file can compromise the performance of an entire program.

When your data has been completely uploaded, you can go through the key files in each of your programs one at a time, and open them to see if all their data is intact. In some cases, you may have to delete and reinstall some of your software.

Software For Data Recovery After Formatting
Another approach to data recovery after formatting is to purchase Windows data recovery software. The data recovery after formatting software can give you step-by step guidance in retrieving data lost sue to formatting, deletion, or partition damage as long as your hard drive has not been physically damaged.

Formatting your hard drive will change your data partitions, and data recovery after formatting software can retrieve data from the previous partitions or even from corrupted sectors. It is designed to support data recovery after formatting for both older file allocation table (FAT) and new technology file systems (NTFS). That covers all Windows operating systems as far back as Windows 98.

Data recovery

after formatting can be both challenging and time-consuming. But being able to restore all you key files, either through your own efforts of with the help of user-friendly software, can save you a tremendous amount when compared to the fees of a data recovery specialist.

You can also find more info on Data Recovery After Formatting and Data Recovery Freeware. Pcdatarecoveryhelp.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Data Recovery.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Faulkner

Around The Clock Working Free Anti Spyware Download

2007-06-06T16:50:00.000+08:00

In simple terms, spyware and adware are nothing but software programs that are made with the objective of allowing all sorts of PC users and companies to spy on internet browsing activities.

Some people think that adware are same as spyware, but adware is not necessarily spyware. Adware in specific is usually a freeware displaying advertising banners. The programmer gets revenue by selling advertising space in the software product. Intermittently, some adware will also act as spyware which includes information gathering code to send non-sensitive information back to unauthorized third parties.

Spyware programs attack the PC with illegal download files, running other programs in the background, and changing your PC default settings. The web browsing activities are constantly monitored causing identity theft like stealing credit card numbers and various passwords etc which may also lead to serious financial loss.

All your favorite bookmarks and the default homepage settings can be hijacked which finally result in PC slow down and annoying pop-ads. In other words, spyware attack include deceptive software installation, taking control of computers to send spam and malware, modifying browser and other settings, and hiding or otherwise becoming difficult to remove.

Each and every day, hundreds of thousands of Internet users are infected with Spyware and adware programs.

There is a definite need to run an anti spyware software program to combat the issues of security threat. There are many free anti spyware download programs but one must make sure that the anti spyware works around the clock and protect the PC and secure your privacy.

The most effective anti spyware download programs are NoAdware, Spy Sweeper and Spyware Doctor that offer real time protection around the clock. It is recommended to run multiple (two or even three) anti spyware software’s to get the most efficiency because each uses different rulesets, definitions and algorithms to detect spyware and adware.

Cher K Markov is an Internet Marketer. In her quest to protect her own PC, she has researched into PC security resources including antispyware. To ensure high protection for your PC, you can get the details about the most suitable Free Anti Spyware Download at http://antispyware.onlinedownloads.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cher_K_Markov

Tips on Buying Cheap Laptops

2007-06-06T16:47:00.000+08:00

We all love discussing about the latest gizmos with our fellow friends and colleagues. And, amidst our conversion, there always comes the irrevocable question as to how to buy the best technology at the price of peanuts. The laptops are the most talked about gadgets in the recent times, owing to its convenience, usability and popularity. In a developed country like UK, laptops are seeing an unprecedented growth in the recent times. So whenever you are being consulted by a fellow mate about buying a cheap laptop, you can give the following suggestions to him/her that would surely be helpful in meeting his/her requirements to buy a cheap laptop.

There are several brands of laptops that are available in the market that look equally alluring to an ordinary user. However, there are many distinctions in the different versions of laptops that are made available by different manufactures. There is no need to buy the latest model as that would most definitely come with a heavy price tag. And surely, its price would crash down within one or two years. So the suggestion is to buy a relatively stable and older model, depending upon your suitability. If you can't afford to shell money on a brand new and older version laptop, then you can as well go for second hand or refurbished laptop that would also come relatively cheaper price than the former.

There is also a tip for all of those who have just got interested in buying second hand laptops. You could buy this gadget from the gamers or power users as they install the latest and the most powerful technology in order to run their systems. Also, they are eager to dispose of their present laptop in lieu of the latest version in a laptop. So, you can search for all of your friends who are gamers and ask them if they are interested in selling their laptop.

Whenever you are searching for a cheap laptop, try to stick on to a reputed manufacturer as you would at least be assured about its credibility and life. Also, you might need to get it serviced and you can easily locate service centers of these manufactures, which can save a lot on your time. Remember, that the memory is an integral part of any computer and it is directly proportional to the speed of your laptop. So make sure that you get a laptop that has at least a memory worth 512MB in it.

Thus cheap laptops can easily be made available if you keep in mind some of these tips. And surely, you would be able to strike the best deal.

Fletcher Mak is an author, write various articles on different themes to expand information. You can get information about cheap laptops and other price comparison.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fletcher_Mak

Laptops Vs Desktops - What Everyone Should Know

2007-06-06T16:43:00.000+08:00

OK so the question has been set :

Laptops vs Desktops. I'm not here to sell you either so i have no vested interest. If your interested in this question then read on as i've listed the basic pro's and cons with a little opinion at the bottom.

The basic pro's and cons : Laptop Pros ( 3 ) 1 - Portable 2 - Relatively cheap when compared completely ( include the screen , keyboard etc ) 3 - Built in battery - ( ever had a power cut and lost some work ? )

Laptop Cons ( 5 ) 1 - Small screen 2 - Uncomfortable for long periods of work without desktop keyboard and screen ( suddenly not so portable ) 3 - Can be expensive / impossible to repair 4 - Laptop hard disks are a major bottleneck : Laptop hard disk are much slower and do not work well when filled up with data. 5 - Laptop processors at the same Ghz ( measure of speed on chips ) do not perform the same ( 30% more in favor of the desktop ).

Desktop Pros ( 5 ) 1 - Powerful 2 - Easy to upgrade 3 - Easy to repair 4 - Desktops last longer ( they don't break as easily as laptops ) 5 - If you need lots of Power the desktops are significantly cheaper.

Desktop Cons ( 2) 1- Not portable ( try carrying one of these to work and back everyday ). 2 - No built in battery ( external batteries called UPS can be purchased as an extra).

Final Point Score :

Desktop Pros / Cons: 5 / 2 Laptop Pros / Cons :: 3 / 5

Conclusion : Desktops win convincingly ! If your planning to buy a computer and your planning to leave it on a dedicated table then you should definitely buy a desktop. Its cheaper more powerful , easy to upgrade etc.

If you really need to move with your computer then you have no choice but to go with a laptop. ( Do ask if you really need to move with it - not the old fantasy of " I'm going to work in the garden with my laptop - its just not going to happen ; glare on screen when its sunny and sparks from your laptop when it rains, bad wifi connecting , battery running out , etc).

Example : 3Ghz desktop chip vs a 3Ghz laptop chip the laptop chip is approximately 30% slower ( this is due to a number of factors - heat , voltage and general punching power - ghz are about speed but just because a boxer punches 3000 times doesn't make him a powerful boxer as a boxer who weighs twice as much can punch 2000 times and produce more power than the boxer who punches faster -- Speed X Weight = Power

Rob Barrett
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rob_Barret

This Is An Exciting Time To Consider Mp3 Portable Players

2007-06-06T16:29:00.000+08:00

Today you can purchase Mp3 portable players in many different styles that can play many hours of music all stored in a small compact package much smaller and more portable than the Walkman. These portable players use digital technology to shrink down the size of the music file so you can store more songs in less space. When you own an Mp3 portable player you can literally carry around your entire music collection wherever you go. A modern day portable Mp3 player continues its evolution from being a plain audio player into a fantastic modern day device.

It is still somewhat amazing that you can take all of your music everywhere you go in something so small. Some Mp3 players are about the size of a matchbook while the larger sizes may be about the size of a pack of cigarettes. With so many songs stored in something so small you may think you will have a hard time finding the music you want to play. Most of the players have a very simple clear way to find your song you want to play and as a bonus some of the popular brands include FM radio and a voice recorder.

The development of tiny hard-disk drives allows these Mp3 portable players to store a lot of music making it possible to save entire music collections onto a digital audio player at a reasonable cost. The other type of storage is flash memory, which is usually smaller and often does have as much storage capacity as the models with hard drives. For the more active type of person often a flash type storage device is a better fit because it is smaller and sometimes more robust.

Deciding which type of Mp3 player to purchase is often a hard choice because there are so many different makes and models. You need to do your homework before making a decision on the right model for you. It would be wise to read as many different reviews as you can. Compare prices and features and get in your head what features you want and need. Check out as many web sites as you can and possibly read something like Consumer Reports to get information you can rely on. . The simple Mp3 portable players continue to grow every month. It has gone from something to listen to music on into a full-blown media center. As time goes on you can expect this evolution to thrive. With modern technology growing every day the compression rates of audio and video is sure to improve. This is an exciting time to make the move into digital technology.

For more information on how to find the MP3 player that is right for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Taylor

How To Set Up A Wireless Connection Without ICS

2007-06-04T19:04:00.000+08:00

Setting up a shared internet connection

Abstract If you have one computer connected to the internet (from now on called the "server"), and another connected to that computer (from now on called the "client") via a wireless connection you may wish to have the client access the internet through the server. The normal way of doing this is to use Windows built in ICS, however if you don't wish to use this (eg it doesnt work or doesnt provide you with enough control over the connection) you may wish to manually set up a proxy server. This tutorial tells you how.

You will need..

One computer connected to the internet, with a Wireless card
One (or more) computers with wireless cards
FreeProxy (see below) installed on the server pc
Windows XP

Note: You do not need a router for this configuration, meaning you can just get two ten pound wireless cards for this to work. The down side of not using a router is that the server pc has to be running whenever you want to access the internet through a client.

Also note that the following screenshots and instructions are for Windows XP SP2, though the instructions should be simliar for any version of Windows XP.

Implementation Firstly you need to make sure that the two computers have their wireless cards installed, and that they are connected to each other. When they are both connected there should have a small icon visible on the taskbar like so:
If they dont seem to be connected to each other then see the troubleshooting section below.

Setting up the server Instead of using Windows built in ICS, you can set up a proxy server manually on the server. To do this we're going to use a proxy server called "FreeProxy" - you can download it for free here or here.

Install FreeProxy then choose "Free Proxy Control Centre" from the start menu. Once FreeProxy is running click the ports option, then fill in the protocol as "HTTP Proxy", any name and the local binding as "Wireless" (you may wish to save setting the local binding until later to make sure the connection works). You should also select "Any Ip Address"
http://www.rustyspigot.com/img/windows/freeproxy.png
Now click "Done" then Start/Stop. Now press start for Console Mode to test whats happening, and Start under service mode so the service shold run automatically.

Assigning IPs Manually Whilst technically you dont have to manually assign IP addresses to get this to work , unless you set them for both computers the Wireless connection may be unreliable. To do so:

Open up "Network Connections" either from the start menu (As below) or from the control panel.
http://www.rustyspigot.com/img/windows/start_connections.png

Click internet TCP/IP then properties.
http://www.rustyspigot.com/img/windows/wireles_connection_properties.png

You can choose the IP you want, though the IP range 169.x.x.x is reserved for local networks, and the IPs should be unique. For example, choose 169.254.1.1 for the server and 169.254.1.2 for the client. If you are also using ICS (internet connection sharing) then you should select something in the range 192.168.x.x

Setting the proxy Now you need to tell Internet Explorer/Firefox to use the proxy server. Set the ip as the of the server pc, and the port as 8080 (unless you set it differently). To do this:

Under internet explorer
Press Tools,Internet Options, Connections,Lan Settings.
http://www.rustyspigot.com/img/windows/iexplore_settings.png

Under firerfox
Click Tools,Internet Options,Connection Settings, then select manual configuration and fill in the details (for HTTP proxy).

http://www.rustyspigot.com/img/windows/firefox_settings.png

Troubleshooting

Checking the connection using ping

If you want, you can check that the connection between the two computers is now working using the ping command.

Open the command prompt by opening the start menu, clicking run, typing "command", then clicking ok.
Now type "ping IP" -where IP is the ip of the other computer
If you get some kind of reply, then the connection works. If you get "Destination Host Unreachable" then the connection isnt working and you should see the troubleshooting section below.

http://www.rustyspigot.com/img/windows/ping.png

Checking and repairing the connection Open up the wireless connection, either by double clicking the wireless icon on the bottom right of the taskbar, or by going to "Network Connections" (on the start menu/ under My Computer) then double clicking.
You should be presented with something like the image below:
http://www.rustyspigot.com/img/windows/wireless_status.png
If the amount of bytes received is zero then there is a problem. Try moving the two computers closer together, and make sure that you have manually set the ips (see above).
Click support, and the following should come up:
http://www.rustyspigot.com/img/windows/wireless_repair.png
The ip should be visisble, and there is a repair button. Clicking it can solve some problems.

Creating a wireless connection

If the above dont seem to work then the wireless connection may not be set up correctly. See step 4 on the tutorial here for more information. Essentially, you can either create a new connection through the built in windows software of the software that came with your wireless card. Create a wireless connection on one computer, and connect to it on the other. Try without using encryption to get the connection working, then go back and enable it once it is.

Firewalls
Firewalls can get in the way of proxy servers. If you are having trouble try turning them off whilst setting up the network, then re-enabling them once it is working.

By Chris Doman, RustySpigot.com, UnregisteredNews.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Doman

A DVD Burner - What is That?

2007-06-04T19:00:00.000+08:00

A DVD burner is an optical storage device that comes as standard equipment on most PC computers and all Macintoshes made in the last four years. DVD burners write to 5.25" optical media called DVD-ROMs, which can store up to 4.7 gigabytes on one disk.

There are also stand-alone DVD burners that can connect to Digital Video Recorders, like the TiVo, but for the purposes of this article, we're going to assume that your DVD-Burner is hooked up to your computer.

Most modern DVD burners connect to their computer's motherboard through an E-IDE interface, or rarely, Serial ATA (or SATA) cable, allowing 160 Megabits per second (MBps) of data transfer rate; earlier connection protocols, such as SCSI and ATAPI, aren't fast enough to handle full read/write operations at DVD data rates.

While DVD-Burners used to be high end computer hardware peripherals, like all computer hardware, they've been relegated to commodity pricing. Internal DVD-Rs cost around $30 at online computer parts vendors like NewEgg.com, and the price is relative stable.

DVD burners come in a variety of formats - the big choice is whether or not you want one that can only burn to DVDs, or one that can perform read-write operations, allowing you to cumulatively add video (or other files) to the media over time. Read-write burners are called DVD-RW or DVD+RW, while those that are write only, are called DVD+R. You can blame the confusing alphabet soup of acronyms on the consortium that specified the read and write formats - as has become more and more common, the standards body split over whose proprietary hardware would get the sanction and license, and two mildly incompatible standards were proposed. Most DVD-RW burners can now handle both formats, but it does make a difference in buying the blank disks, as the +RW ones are higher quality, last longer, and cost more. This process is repeating itself with HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

The most common use for DVD burners is backing up important (or not so important) data files. Like all backup media, it only works if you're religious about doing it. It does make it possible to duplicate your children's favorite DVDs, hand them copies and keep the originals safe, so that when the inevitable oops happens, they haven't lost their favorite movie.

All in all, DVD burners have metamorphosed into standard items of hardware for most computers, and justifiably so. The next computer you buy should have one; whether or not it's worth it to buy one for your existing machine is more a question of how quickly you'll be replacing your current computer. After factoring in your time and the cost of the hardware, it may be worth it to buy a new machine!

For information on a Free 1 Click DVD Copy 10 Day Trial, visit our website where you can watch a short video and see how easy it is to copy and backup your DVDs.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Smith

How to Install and Run Microsoft Vista

2007-06-04T18:43:00.000+08:00

All of a sudden, nearly everyone wants to install and run Microsoft Vista. Installing alone however, may not be such an easy task. There are several things that you may need to look into before actually buying a Windows Vista version and installing it. These concerns are, of course, related to the Vista version you decide to get and the kind of installation procedure you decide to take.

Your first step should be to check if our hardware fits the requirements for the Vista system. You can only look into your installation options once you are certain that you have met the hardware requirements for whatever Vista version you have.

Upgrade Installation

Upgrading from a previous Windows edition has both been a popular and a controversial issue. Some may advice an upgrade while others think it’s a bad idea. Those against it believe that an upgrade version provides less quality. The choice is ultimately yours. Before you upgrade, take a look at your operating system edition. The following non-clean installation upgrades will apply except for 64-bit versions:

· A Windows XP Home Edition can be upgraded to Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business and Ultimate versions.

· Thirty-two bit Windows XP Professional can be upgraded to Vista Business and Ultimate versions.

· Windows XP Tablet PC Edition can be upgraded to Vista Business and Ultimate.

· Windows XP Media Center 2005 Edition can be upgraded to Windows Home Premium and Ultimate versions.

To upgrade, run Windows XP and simply put in your installation disc. With an upgrade you can still generally have your programs, files and settings after installation.

Clean Installation

If you do not qualify for an upgrade then you have to go for clean installation. This means, of course, that you need to create a back up copy of all your files first since you will loose all files and personal settings after installation.

Install by first inserting your Vista disc and then booting your computer. Make sure that the interactive setup is in running mode and then format your hard drive.

Dual-boot Installation

You may want to test Vista first if it will work for you or you may simply just want to keep your XP system around. In this case, you may go for a dual-boot installation. For dual booting, you need at least two partitions, one for XP and the other for Vista. Both partitions can only accommodate one system. If you only have one partition, you need a partitioning tool to help you out.

A dual boot installation will let you choose between your two operating systems every time you open your computer.

Virtual Computer Installation

You can also have access to both XP and Vista if you have a virtual window running Vista. This will be very convenient for you but it can also get complicated. You do need a very high end computer with a RAM capacity of 2 GB. You also need to download and install both a utility for a virtual set up and Vista beta.

Get free tips and news on Microsoft Windows Vista at http://www.Vista-Windows.info.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marko_Hammond

Five Most Significant Features in Microsoft Vista

2007-06-04T18:40:00.000+08:00

So many people are getting all worked up and excited over the new Windows Vista. As expected, most new users are interested to know what is new with Vista and what makes it better to use than previous editions. Will it be easier to use? Will there be better safety and security features? Will technical and management aspects be given fair attention? It may not be possible to completely detail all of Vista’s new or improved features. Among its many notable features are the following:

Windows Shell

The appearance of the operating system is the first marketing strategy to use on non-technical individuals. Many home users understandably get attracted with basic aesthetic features and easy to use functions. In operating systems, the appearance and ease of use can best be associated with the shell which presents the user interface. With Windows, their shell is Explorer. In Windows Vista, the shell is associated with Aero.

The translucent glass look of Aero alone is an image of elegance and lends an added illusion of depth. Users also have the choice to use the appearance of previous Windows versions. Aside from a change in look, Vista also addresses aspects in organization, filtering and storing. The “Stacks” function for example will allow users to filter files or group files according to user criteria.

Multimedia Applications

Movie, photo and music enthusiasts and experts will be happy to know that Vista has added features for them too. The Windows Movie Maker for example will allow editing of DVR-MS videos. The new Windows DVD Maker on the other hand will allow DVD creation and burning. For photo enthusiasts, the Windows Photo Gallery will still allow basic editing plus metadata additions to photos. Windows Paint also now has unlimited undo functions.

Windows Defender

On the aspect of security, Vista now includes Windows Defender which can be used against spyware. Aside from the usual function of scanning for spyware, Windows Defender can also perform real time monitoring for changes in Windows that have been caused by spyware. With Windows Defender, users can now easily keep in touch with Microsoft to inquire about suitable applications and spyware.

Wireless Networking

Wireless networking is not a very new concept. There are however, some improvements in Vista. With Vista, wireless connections do not mimic wired connections. The network stack now holds the support for wireless networks. New features can then be implemented. These include easily finding and identifying open and closed networks.

Speech Recognition

With this feature, users can use voice commands on their computer unit. The difference between Vista voice recognition and other versions is that voice recognition in Vista boasts full integration. Certain applications therefore can be manipulated by dictation. A mousegrid may be used for applications that require mouse functions. A user simply needs to dictate a series of numbers to zero in on the particular area that has to be clicked. This feature is easy to use even without the tutorial provided. Voice recognition is fairly high and exact.

Get free tips and news on Microsoft Windows Vista at http://www.Vista-Windows.info.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marko_Hammond

HP Laser Printers versus HP Inkjet Printers

2007-06-04T18:37:00.000+08:00

These two different types of printers achieve the same thing. They both print, but they go about it in a very different manner. There are major differences in the engines that drive them and the work they are required to do.

Laser printers are designed to be used in a heavy work load environment. The cost per print is much less expensive compared to Inkjet models. Laser printers use a dry mono-component toner cartridge and a laser that shoots the image onto a drum inside the toner cartridge.

Inkjet printers are designed for a different work load. They are designed more for a work station such as an individual’s desk or for low volume type work. The toner or ink is quite expensive. Most are slow, so using them in a high volume application would drive a person crazy waiting for a hundred page report. Let me say something about the cost of Inkjet cartridges. I read an article that said that Inkjet cartridges are more expensive per weight than imported Russian Caviar. Inkjets use a liquid ink that is sprayed onto the paper. They all have a scanner rail that goes back and forth, carrying the Ink cartridges distributing the ink.

I read a post that several people commented on. They said that Hewlett Packard has really gone down hill lately with the quality of their printers. They were commenting on the HP LaserJet 4, a very popular laser printer of the past. It is about ten to years old, but it is a very dependable printer. I still use one in my office!

They were comparing it to several new HP Inkjet Printers. These are completely different machines for completely different applications. If you want to compare this machine to another HP product use the HP laser jet 4250. You really can’t compare these either. The memory, speed and options are made for the latest printing applications. Remember that the HP LJ- 4 was built around 386 computers. By the way, my HP LJ-4 works great with XP.

The price of Inkjet printers is driven by consumers that want something cheap. You get what you pay for. It is the market that creates cheap Inkjet printers. They do work well, but if they break they are not designed to repair. They are known as disposable printers. Not all Inkjet printers are disposable printers. The Inkjet is really progressing and will continue to fill more of the market place. Speed has been an issue but now they have designed some that keep up with the speed of laser printers. HP color Inkjets also make terrific color prints. Even a person with a limited budget can make great presentations, photos and flyers.

When you purchase a printer, you should always consider the type of application that it will be used for. Don’t buy an Inkjet when you’re going to be printing hundreds of reports. Don’t buy a laser printer if you print two or three jobs a day. If you look at cost per print and monthly volume you can’t go wrong. Hewlett Packard printers are some of the best you can buy, but you need to use them in the proper application.

Bill Tucker has been in the office equipment and supply industry for over 20 years and has several published industry related articles that help the end-user as well as the technician.

http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Bill_Tucker

Fighting off Viruses: Advancements in Antivirus Software Suites

2007-02-28T17:30:00.000+08:00

Protecting your computer from a virus is getting harder and harder each day, making it very difficult to fight off viruses attacks. While it may border on the paranoid, it goes without saying that you can’t leave your guard down for one second. Even corporate giant Microsoft has found its own systems compromised on more than one occasion.

Remember the “good old days”, before the advent of the Internet and downloadable programs? Life was simple then in terms of computer viruses. With the primary way in which a virus could be transmitted being limited to floppy disks, the ability to catch and eradicate the virus was a lot easier. By today’s standards, it used to take quite a while before a virus was able to infect a computer and slow down the system. The antivirus software of that time was typically able to identify and eradicate viruses before they caused too much damage. Additionally, computer users were pretty savvy on how to protect themselves in terms of scanning all floppy disks before copying them to our desktop.

The Internet helped change all that. The Internet provided a conduit by which viruses could move from host to host with lightening speed. No longer could a computer user just worry about floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging, and software downloads. Today’s viruses can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human intervention, and take full advantage of vulnerabilities within a system or program. With technology advancing everyday, and the convergence of computers with other mobile devices, the potential of new types of threats also increase.

Protecting Your Computer

Luckily, the advancement of antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats. Antivirus software is essential to a computer’s ability to fend off viruses and other malicious programs. These products are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and desktops. Additionally, these programs offer a centralized control feature that handle deployment, configuration and updating. A computer user should remain diligent and follow a few simple steps to protect against the threat of a virus:

1. Evaluate your current computer security system.

With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack in a multitude of ways, the approach of having just one antivirus software version has become outdated. You need to be confident that you have protected all aspects of your computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the gateway to the server. Consider a more comprehensive security system which includes several features including antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection. This type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to penetrate your system.

2. Only install antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable company. Because new viruses erupt daily, it is important that you regularly update your antivirus software. Become familiar with the software’s real-time scan feature and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your computer. This will protect your system by automatically checking your computer each time it is powered up.

3. Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they originate.

4. Exercise caution when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown sources especially if they were received during an online chat or as an attachment to an email.

5. Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only way to recover your data if infected.

Recommended Antivirus Software

There are numerous applications available to consumers. With a little research, you can pick the program that is right for you. Many programs provide a trial version which allows you to download the program and test its abilities. However, be aware that some anti-virus programs can be difficult to uninstall. As a precaution make sure to set up a System Restore point before installing.

Here are a few programs which typically receive high marks in terms of cost, effectiveness, ease of use, and customer service.

Invisus Internet Security 2006 provides best of breed technologies, using Kerio Firewall, Sophos Anti-virus, CounterSpy as well as BigFix..Virsus scans done every day with live updates scheduled scan options available, software has been known to discover virus attacks three hours to two days before its competitiors.. Invisus offers unlimited free tech services a needed addition in todays online environment.

The Shield Pro 2005™ provides virus protection and hacker security through ongoing support and updates. When a virus breaks out, The Shield Pro 2005™ promises to provide a patch within 2-3 hours and a fix for the virus within 5 hours. You can set your computer to update viruses weekly and run a complete virus scan.

BitDefender 9 Standard provides antivirus protection, as well as Peer-2-Peer Applications protection, full email protection, and heuristics in a virtual environment. This provides a new security layer that keeps the operating system safe from unknown viruses by detecting malicious pieces of code for which signatures have not been released yet.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0 program is simple to install and use. The user only needs to choose from three levels of protection. It allows updates as frequently as every hour while promising not to disrupt your computer. The program also offers a two-tier email protection feature and round-the-clock technical support.

PC-cillin Internet Security combines antivirus security and a personal firewall—for comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and hackers. It also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It even guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and pharming attacks.

AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a free downloadable antivirus program that has received high marks for its reliability. In the past, free downloadable antivirus programs have been viewed skeptically because of issues relating to its reliability. However, AVG from Grisoft, remains one of the best-known free anti-virus programs available. While AVG can not be installed on a server operating system and there is no technical support, it still makes a good choice for many home computer users. The best part is that since it is free, you can try it with no further obligation necessary.

However, I do NOT suggest to use free anti-virus software or off the shelf security products, as you will only be getting basic security levels met and most likely outdated by the time you get them on your computer. It is best to purchase the best you can afford as in the long run it will be less expensive if something slips through your system. Also it takes only 8 seconds for a hacker, spyware, adware or any other malicious attack to enter your computer. Computers slowing down, freezing, software not working properly, emails overloaded with spam, computer starting on its own, computer crashing, these are all signs that you have been hit with a virus.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carmel_Whittle

Why Pocket PC?

2007-02-28T17:16:00.000+08:00

The Pocket PC is a very versatile mobile device because it can not only be used for work, but also for play. The platform it runs on supports a broad range of multimedia capabilities. The Pocket PC also boasts more overall multimedia capacity, so the games made for the Pocket PC tend to be more graphically advanced than those on the Palm.

Another reason why people like the Pocket PC is because of how small and mobile it is. All of these features it offers, some you won't find in a Palm Pilot, are compacted down into a sleek, light weight device. One of the nicest benefits the Pocket PC offers its users is the ability to seamlessly browse the web. It's simple and enjoyable on a Pocket PC.

There's a lot of new programs coming out for the Pocket PC that really make the device shine. The future of applications for the Pocket PC looks bright. Expect applications that cover mobile surveillance, enhanced voice recognition applications that will enable your Pocket PC to talk (perhaps in other languages as well), PocketTV - watch television on your Pocket PC, PocketBible, and more. The list goes on and on, this is one truly versatile mobile device.

The Pocket PC also caters to many different types of professionals nicely. For example, if you have a career in the health care industry, you'll find handy software tools useful like medical encyclopedias, contact and time management tools, and more

You won't have any trouble finding extra software for your Pocket PC, either. Many of the recently released Pocket PC applications are available for download from the Internet, or at your local mobile entertainment store.

I strongly believe that the Pocket PC is the most revolutionary mobile computing device developed to-date. It's a businessman's dream, because you can easily run your business from any locale you like. Find many compatible applications to make your job easier or browse the web for access to easy information at your convenience. For reasons like these, I highly recommend the Pocket PC for any situation.

Written by Kori Smith. Find the latest portable media articles, news, and more at PocketSynch the Portable Media Gadget Blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kori_Smith

3 Things You Need To Know Before Installing Windows Vista

2007-02-28T17:11:00.000+08:00

The new generation of Microsoft Windows known as Vista was released earlier this year. Most new computers bought since the end of January will come preloaded with Windows Vista, but there are many people with older computers that will want to upgrade from Windows XP. Before attempting to upgrade, there are several things you need to know.

First, make sure your computer is able to run Vista. Microsoft has a program that will scan your computer and give you a report about anything that is not compatible or not fast enough to run the new version of Windows.

This upgrade checking tool comes with Windows Vista upgrade packages, but you can also download it from the internet so you can check your computer before spending any money on Vista.

You can get more information about the Vista upgrade tool at www.microsoft.com/vista.

Second, check the report you get from Microsoft's upgrade tool closely. There are some features of Vista that won't run on all computers, even if they are able to run it.

You should pay close attention to the video card report in particular. Older video cards may not support the new "Aero" interface in Vista, which is one of the major new features.

If your video card doesn't work with Aero, you can still run Vista (in fact, the Basic version doesn't include Aero) but you'll be missing out on a lot of the new capabilities.

If your video card isn't up to the task but the rest of your computer is Vista ready, you can upgrade to a newer card that will support it without having to buy a whole new computer.

Lastly, if you're planning to install the upgrade version of Vista, keep in mind that you can't do a clean install with it.

What is a clean install, you ask? This is when you format your hard drive, wiping everything clean that's on there now and installing Windows from scratch.

With past versions of Windows, the upgrade version would allow you to do a clean install as long as you had an original disk from the previous version. It would ask you to insert the disk during the installation for verification.

This ability is no longer an option and if you start with a clean hard drive, you'll either need a full version of Vista or you'll have to install an older version of Windows first so you can upgrade.

Aaron Smith offers helpful tips for computer upgrades on the Computer Help Squad website. Get your free copy of our special report "5 Steps To Protect Your Computer On The Internet" at http://www.computer-help-squad.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aaron_Smith

Windows XP Repair- Tweaks for WinXP 3

2007-02-27T17:02:00.000+08:00

LuvComputers PC Repair Tweak No.3

Now moving on to the final part of this little series of Windows XP tweaks.

In this part were going to improve the computers all around start up time. The way that were going to do this is to remove the amount of programs starting up when we boot our computer. Truth be known, there are quite a few of these that just don't need to be starting up when we boot the machine.

Now the programs starting up will differ from machine to machine, depending on what programs are installed on a given computer. I'm not going to go into to much detail here. I'm just going to give you an overall idea of the sort of things that really aren't necessary to be loading up and starting.

Tweak-NO.3

1. The first thing that we need to do is to get into our run box again.

So remember, click Start, menu opens, find and click run.

2. Once we have the run box open, we're going to type into the run box the phrase "msconfig", without quotations. Then click ok. Now we are in what is known as the System Configuration Utility.

3. Now that were in the utility, the tab were going to be needing is the Startup tab. Now for the purpose of this, we are going to keep it basic, I don't want people unchecking things that shouldn't be unchecked.

4. As you can see there are many things that are starting up when you boot your computer, and frankly, up startup, many of them just aren't necessary.

There are programs such as Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, etc. that really don't need to be started when you boot up, unless of course your one of those people that likes to be automatically logged in upon startup. But, any of these sorts of chat programs will start when you need them to, just by double clicking their icon or else starting them from the programs menu.

So, taking these things out during the startup process, will speed up your startup times, by quite a lot in many cases.

Does Windows Office need to be started when you boot your computer. No. Probably not.

Does your webcam software need to be started at this time. Again, probably not.

Go through these programs starting up and choose which one's you really don't need to be starting when you boot up, and it will improve your performance.

Now, there are some things that should be starting as well, and you should be leaving these alone. These are things like your antivirus protection. For the purpose of this tweak, leave the checks next to items that look more like filenames alone. These are items like isschd, ccapp, and things along this line. In future tutorials I'll get into these a little bit more. For now, let's just stick to basics.

Once your finished unchecking the programs that don't need to be starting, and are sure that these are fine. Remember what I said about your antivirus software. Anything that has to do with your Internet Security, leave these checks in place.

After your finished, click ok, after you click ok, you will be asked to restart your computer. After your computer restarts your changes will take place.

So there you go, this concludes our little LuvComputers PC Repair Tweaks for WinXP series. I hope that you enjoyed these tutorials and learned a little bit from them.

Again I kept things fairly straight forward. I didn't want people checking and unchecking things that may have an undesirable effect.

Well see you all soon, and take care of yourself!

Thanx Davin

LuvComputer's PC Repair

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davin_Ogden

Windows XP Repair-Tweaks for Windows XP 2

2007-02-27T17:00:00.000+08:00

LuvComputers PC Repair Tweak-NO.2

Ok, so in Tweak-No.1, we performed a couple of changes to Windows XP to improve your overall quality of your session experience a bit. In tweak No.2 we are going to expand on this a little bit, but we are also going to improve the shutdown time of your computer measurably.

This tweak is going to involve getting into the registry, so heed my warning from Tweak No.1.

Please do not perform this tweak if your at all uncomfortable about going into the registry, OK!

Tweak-No.2 Now, to get into the registry in Windows XP, we first need to access our Run box. To access the Run box: Press Start

Find Run in the first menu that opens up, and then click Run!

Now we are in the Run box, simple hey.

Ok, now that we are in the run box, we want to type in the phrase "regedit", without the apostrophes of course.

When you access the registry you will notice under the My Computer icon, the different subsections of the registry. These include:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT

HKEY_CURRENT_USER

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

HKEY_USERS

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG

In this tweak we want to click the plus sign next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER folder.

This opens up to all the different folders stored in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER parent folder.

Scroll down to the folder that is labeled, Control Panel, then click the plus sign to open the subfolders of the Control Panel folder.

Once this is finished, you'll notice many folders, Accessibility, Appearance, Colors etc. For the purpose of this tweak we are going to open the Desktop folder.

If you look to the right of your screen in the registry editor, there are many, many different things you could play around with in here. Please don't! Let's just concentrate on the few that we are going to change for the purpose of this tweak.

1. The first value we are going to change is MenuShowDisplay. Basically what this little feature does is, governs the amount of time it takes to open up your menu's on your desktop. The default value is set to 400. We can change this value, simply by double clicking the actual heading, MenuShowDisplay.

So once you have double clicked it, reset it too, 200, this will improve the speed at which your menu's open on your desktop. I usually set mine to 150, but this opens them up pretty fast. You can play around with different values here, but anything lower than 150 is usually opening up your menu's to fast.

So like I say, you can play around with the value a bit, to your liking.

2. If you scroll up from MenuShowDisplay, the value we are going to change next is AutoEndTasks. The default value for this is 0. We are going to switch this to 1. The same as we did the first one, just double click the heading, then change it, and then click OK. Basically this is like a switch, as in binary, 0 being off, and 1 means on. Changing this value to one will automatically shutdown a hungup program for you.

3. Now were going to go down the list a little bit, to HungUpAppTimeout. The default of this value is 5000. Switch this to 1000.

Note:Be a little bit careful with this one. If for some reason you might have a program that runs very slowly in WinXP, on your machine, the operating might falsely think that the program is hung up. In such a case, you can increase this value in increments of 1000, until the false hang ups stop.

4. Lastly, to finish off, we are going to change one more value. This being the value of WaitToKillAppTimeout, the default for this is 20000. Set this value to 4000. There really shouldn't be any reason to go back and switch this later on, as with HungAppTimeout. This will close your programs much faster, and great when shutting down if you haven't closed a program before trying to shutdown your computer.

A couple of things you should know about the Registry is that these changes take effect immediately, and there isn't anyway to undue the changes in the way you might be used to. The only way to change them back to default is if you remember what the defaults are. Well, actually that's not true. There is a way, but that is beyong the scope of this little tweak section were doing. If your unsure, and are worried about the effects, of some of these changes, I suggest you write them down somewhere, just in case for some reason you would like to go back to Windows XP's original settings.

One more thing, always back up the registry before making any changes such as these. I'm quite sure you will appreciate the responsiveness that these changes in the registry have on your computer.

Let's move onto the third part of LuvComputers PC Repair-Windows XP tweaks .

Davin Ogden

LuvComputer's PC Repair

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davin_Ogden

Windows XP Repair- Tweaks for WinXP 1

2007-02-27T16:57:00.000+08:00

LuvComputers PC Repair Tweak No.1

There are a few little things that you can do with your Windows XP installation that will improve it's performance. These include speeding up the boot time, shutdown time, and just overall general session experience.

Now a couple of these are straight forward, these Windows XP tweaks can be performed by most users, with a bit of experience. Some of the other's involve getting into the registry to make a few changes. If you don't know what a registry is, and the general outline and purpose of it, then I don't recommend that you go in there at all. Making a mistake inside the registry, in the wrong area or changing the wrong value, can have catastrophic repercussions on your operating system. So please, remember I said, "If you don't know what a registry is, it's purpose etc., DON"T GO IN THERE!!" There is my warning, I'm no longer responsible!! If perhaps you would still like to have a faster machine, and you are feeling uncomfortable with your saviness, ooh that's a cool word, saviness! I mean your not feeling as computer savvy as maybe you would like, then find somebody that does have a lot more experience with computers, and might be comfortable with places such as the registry. Here we go!

Windows XP Repair-Tweak No.1 1. To start off with, were going to start right from the desktop, no programs open. First we want to get into the properties of My Computer.

Click Start, and find the My Computer Icon in the menu. To get into the properties of My Computer, simply right click the icon, then choose properties, from the drop down menu.

In the properties box you will see a series of tabs. These are General , Computer Name, Hardware etc. The tab that were interested in here is the Advanced tab.

Open up the advanced tab. Incidentally, you will have to have administrative privileges on the computer that you are working on to make most of these changes. With that said, and with the Advanced tab opened up you will see three main categories in which you can access.

These are Performance, User Profiles and Startup and Recovery.

In the Performance area, click settings. In here we are just going to make a couple of changes.

As you can see there are four bullet points:

Let Windows choose what's best for my computer??

Adjust for best appearance

Adjust for best performance

Custom

Normally, in here I will choose Custom, and deselect everything in the list of graphic features, except for the very last two.

Use dropdown shadows for icon labels on desktop

Use visual styles on windows and buttons

Leaving the last two of these options checked still gives you a visually nice desktop, and you can still see visual styles on your windows and buttons.

Once you have made these changes go to the bottom of the Visual Effects tab and click Apply.

As for all of the one's that were left unchecked, most of these will use up memory because of the graphic nature of them, but for most users, if you didn't know what they did, you wouldn't miss them anyway. But having them unchecked will speed up your overall system performance by a smidge.

Alright, so that's the first part of Windows XP Repair-Tweak No.1.

For the next part, while we are in the properties of My Computer, on the Advanced tab, let's look down towards the bottom, and you will see the button Error Reporting.

Click Error Reporting and get into the window that opens up and disable error reporting by putting a check mark in the Disable Error Reporting box.

Error reporting is much the same as, "Your computer has performed an illegal action", from back in the Windows 98 days. Basically, your computer did something that your operating system didn't understand. Only now, Microsoft wanted you to report it to them. Frankly I don't see the point and also, this is mostly annoying more than anything, so go ahead and disable it, trust me, your not missing anything.

Davin Ogden

LuvComputer's PC Repair

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davin_Ogden

Anti Virus Software Download - Keep Your PC Safe With Multiple Programs

2007-02-27T16:39:00.000+08:00

It's fairly safe to say these days that most of us, (around 80%) have bought a well-known antivirus package. Personally, I favour Norton but McAfee, AVG and a few others dominate the antivirus and spyware market. There is of course a good reason for this.

Popularity is the main reason. When you buy a computer the chances are you would buy it from a high street computer shop, a well-known internet name such as Dell, or on the strength of a recommendation. You would be very cautious about handing over your hard-earned cash to a company you have never heard of, and rightly so. The same applies to an antivirus software download. Most of us would much rather spend our money on one of the big names mentioned above, (even if they are more expensive) because we know that we will be getting a high level of protection from a brand we can trust. The only time we are likely to deviate from this is if we are offered a free antivirus program / trial or if someone we trust recommends different antivirus software downloads. What most people don't realise, (also around 80%) is that we shouldn't rely solely on these programs. Why?

Once we buy and install this antivirus software we let it run and forget about it. We assume we are safe and fully protected because we bought the best there is. To a point this is true. I would always recommend buying your main antivirus package from a recognised brand. Personally I use Norton Internet Security. It not only protects against viruses but it comes with automatic updates, checks my emails for viruses and spyware, and even comes with Norton GO-Back which is a more advanced version of Microsoft's, "System Restore". This is all wonderful stuff but there is one problem. Something that affects every one of these big brands of software.

If you are familiar with computers you may have heard that using an alternative operating system or internet browser such as firefox is safer. The reason for this is that Creators of Viruses, Trojans, Spyware, Worms and all the other types of malicious bugs are very clever. They know that almost everyone uses Internet Explorer. They also know that 80% of people use one of 5-6 big software brands.

When the viruses is created it is usually intended to reach as many computers as possible. Therefore it is only logical that the first targets to overcome are the big named brands. If the virus get get past this antivirus software undetected then it stands a very good chance of infecting thousands of machines. Now this is where the problem lies. Norton, McAfee and other big names are always the first target. There is nothing they can do about this other than to be as prepared as possible.

This is where the consumer needs to get wise. As stated above I would always recommend owning one of the recognised antivirus software packages as your first line of defence. But if this was all there was to it, then nobody would ever get a Virus on their machine. We know for a fact that thousands, (maybe more) still get infected everyday. so how do we prevent this?

The answer is very simple and inexpensive. There are hundreds of lesser known antivirus downloads available on the market. These are not frequently targeted by the creators of viruses because there is less opportunity for their virus to spread. Many of these programs will run quite happily alongside your main software, or you can just use them to run a scan periodically.

So, to ensure you are as fully protected as possible here is what you should do. First, buy or keep your current recognised 'big brand' software. This is a vital step that should not be missed (the smaller cheaper antivirus downloads are unlikely to provide adequate cover on their own). Secondly, buy a lesser known spyware scanner and remover. Thirdly, Also buy a lesser known adware stopper. It is important to note that there is no need to spend vast sums of money here. You can very easily purchase both of these products for far less than half of the cost of Norton, or McAfee.

This may sound like a time-consuming effort, but once it is installed you can simply set it to run once a week and forget about it just like your current software. By buying separate programs like this you maximise your chances of spotting anything untoward on your PC. For the sake of a few $$ you could potentially save the security of your bank account or credit card details. Don't delay in taking action!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dawn_Smith

Malaysia Online : Related Link
important advice on adware removal

Windows Vista Top 10 Tips and Tricks

2007-02-27T16:30:00.000+08:00

1. Power button default action

The default action for the Power button on the start menu in Windows Vista is Sleep, which isn’t necessarily useful for everybody. You can configure this setting easily by using the advanced power settings panel, which is a little tricky to get to normally, but we’ll take the shortcut. Open a command prompt (type cmd into the start menu search bar), and then type in the following: powercfg.cpl,1. You could also take the long route (Control Panel Power Options Change Plan Settings Change Advanced Power Settings) Once you get to this dialog, browse down as shown to “Power buttons and lid”

From here, you can change the options:

Power button action - Changes the hardware power button action
Start menu power button - Changes the power button on the Start Menu
You can change the power button to either Sleep, Hibernate or Shut Down, or even nothing for the hardware power button.

2. Hide Desktop Icon Text on Windows Vista

Some icons are just obvious enough that nobody should need text below them to tell them what the icon is for. A good example of this is the icon for Internet Explorer. We’re all really used to it by now, and the text just makes it ugly. Just right-click on the shortcut, and choose Rename. Now hold down the Alt key and type in 255 on the keypad to the right of the keyboard. You can’t use the number keys right above the keyboard, they won’t work. If you have a laptop, you can turn on numlock and then use the little number keys next to the regular letters. (You know you always wondered what they were for)

For the first shortcut on the desktop, a simple Alt+255 will do. For the next shortcut, you’ll have to enter the combination twice (Alt+255, Alt+255). For the third, 3 times… you get the idea. The way this works is that the Alt+255 character is blank, so the shortcut filename is actually just named with a character that is completely blank. Since you can’t have two shortcuts or files named the exact same thing, the second shortcut will have to be named with two blank characters.

Now we have a sweet looking icon on the desktop, with no bothersome text beneath it. If you use this tip to rename a folder, you will not be able to rename the folder back using the right-click rename. I’m not sure why this is. What you’ll have to do is open a command prompt and change directory into the containing folder (For instance, the desktop folder), and run this command: ren “Alt+255” “NewFolderName” You will need to actually type the Alt+255 characters where illustrated in the command. It will appear as a space. Note that the Recycle Bin icon won’t work this way.

3. Enable Hidden BootScreen in Windows Vista

The Windows Vista BootScreen is pointless, but Microsoft decided to hide a more visually appealing boot screen that can easily be enabled with very little trouble. I’m not sure why they didn’t make the boot screen better.

1) Press Win+R, type msconfig and press Enter.
2) If User Account Control prompts you to allow the action, click on Continue.
3) In the "System Configuration" window, click on the Boot tab.
4) Select your Windows Vista installation and under "Boot options", check "No GUI boot". Press OK.
5) In the dialog that appears, check "Don’t show this message again", and then click on Restart.
6) Your computer will now reboot, and you will see the Aurora boot screen with text that says "Starting Windows Vista".

Note: You may get a Windows Defender error on the next startup. You can enable the system config utility using the tray icon and this error will go away.

4. Fix for COM Surrogate Has Stopped Working Error in Vista

If you’ve been getting the error COM Surrogate has stopped working whenever you browse folders containing Divx avi files, it looks like the latest Divx update to codec version 6.5 fixes the issue, but it also seems to remove the thumbnails. If you want to upgrade, just use the divx update checker to grab the new version. Looks like it’s finally fixed, at least the error message is now gone, although I really wish they would have just gotten the thumbnails working instead.

If you are using Nero, you will need to update to version 7.7.5.1 to fix the problem. I think this is the source of the error for most people.
If you’ve upgraded Nero and Divx and still have the problem, you can try renaming the file C:Program FilesCommon FilesAheadDSFilterNeVideo.ax to NeVideo.ax.bak This will break Nero Showtime, however.

5. Stop an Application from Running at Startup in Windows Vista

Back in the old days, there were a lot of places an application could hook itself to run at startup. You had to check the registry in more than one place, as well as your start menu. With Windows Vista, there’s a built-in panel that handles all that for you. To quickly get to this panel, you can open Control Panel, and then type “startup” into the search box. The link for “Stop a program from running at startup” shows up immediately. You could have also opened Windows Defender and fooled around with the menus until you find the right spot, but this seems quicker to me. Now you can see the Windows Defender screen that lets you manage the startup programs. You can choose to Remove or just Disable any startup item using this panel, as well as lots of other useful information so that you can see what each item is.

6. Emptying Windows Vista Temp Files Directory

Windows Vista Disk Cleanup wizard is really not all that bad, but I did find a small problem with it… It doesn’t fully empty your temp folder. It only allows you to delete temporary files that haven’t been modified in a week. If you’ve recently done a lot of editing or something that generates large temporary files, you may want to manually clean up. Just type in %TEMP% into the start menu search box, and hit enter. You’ll immediate be taken to the temporary files folder, where you can delete whatever you feel like.

7. Disable User Account Control(UAC) For Administrators Only

If you can’t stand the User Account Control prompts, but you’d still like to retain a little bit of security, you can disable it for Administrator accounts only. What we’ll be doing is actually changing Windows Vista to automatically elevate the privilege level for administrators without prompting. The nice thing about doing it this way is that regular users as well as Internet Explorer still run as regular users, and would still use the normal security mechanisms. To configure this setting on Windows Vista Business and Ultimate, you can use the Local Security Policy configuration.

Just type in secpol.msc into the Start menu search box and hit enter.
Now browse down to Local Policies Security Options
Find the following in the list: “User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode” and double-click on it.
Change the setting to “Elevate without prompting”. You should be all done.
This is an easier method that you can use to do the same thing from the GUI interface.
Open up Control Panel, and type in user account into the search box.
You’ll see the link for “Turn User Account Control (UAC) on or off”. Click it.
Uncheck the box, and reboot your computer. You should be done with obnoxious prompts!

8. Using Windows Vista System Restore

Windows Vista has a feature called System Restore that automatically backs up registry and system files whenever you install new software or drivers. This feature is useful when you install evil software that makes your computer run really slow. But don’t worry, System Restore won’t remove Windows Vista.

Using System Restore in Windows Vista

There are two places that you can use the system restore feature from. From within Windows, you can just type restore into the Start menu search box, and you’ll immediately see System Restore at the top of the start menu, or you can type rstrui into the search box and hit enter. Your choice. You will immediate see a screen where you can choose to roll back the system to the last restore point. You can select “Recommended restore”, and just click next, or you can choose a different restore point. If you do choose a different restore point, you will see a list of restore points that you can choose from. Click one of them, and you will have to confirm and then restart your computer to roll the system back. If your system won’t boot If you can’t even get into windows, you can boot off the installation dvd, and choose the “Repair your computer” option on the lower left hand side. Click next on the next screen. Now choose System Restore from the System Recovery dialog. It will take a few seconds to come up, and you will see the same screen that you would see in Windows. Click next, and on the next screen select the drive that your copy of Windows Vista is installed on. Click Finish, and Vista will roll back to the previous restore point. Really pretty simple stuff. I absolutely recommend keeping the system restore feature on in Vista !

9. Verify the Integrity of Windows Vista System Files Windows Vista includes a utility that will scan your system for corrupt, changed or missing system files. Running this from the command prompt is much easier than booting off the dvd into repair mode. To run this utility, you will need to open a command prompt in administrator mode. You can do that by right clicking the Command Prompt in the list and choose "Run as Administrator" Once you have an administrator command prompt open, you can run the utility by using the following syntax: SFC [/SCANNOW] [/VERIFYONLY] [/SCANFILE=] [/VERIFYFILE=] [/OFFWINDIR= /OFFBOOTDIR=] The most useful command is just to scan immediately, which will scan and attempt to repair any files that are changed or corrupted. You can run that command with this command: sfc /scannow

10. Disable Hibernation & delete the Hibernation file

Windows places a file on your hard drive that it uses when your computer goes into hibernation mode. If you do not use hibernation mode, or your computer does not properly support it, you may want to disable hibernation and clear the file off your hard drive to free up some space (the file will use as much space as you have in physical memory, so if you have 1GB of RAM, it’s going to use 1GB of your hard drive space).

Disable Hibernation:
1. Click Start, All Programs, and then right click on "Command Prompt".
2. From the context menu click on "Run as administrator".
3. If User Account Control prompts you to allow the action, click on Continue.
4. In the command prompt window, type "powercfg –h off" (without the quotes).
5. Close the Command Prompt window.

Delete the Hibernation File:
1. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click "Disk Cleanup".
2. If prompted to choose a drive, select the drive in which Windows Vista is installed on to and press OK.
3. Disk Cleanup will scan the hard drive and present you with a list of options.
4. Check "Hibernation File Cleaner", and then click OK.
5. When asked "Are you sure you want to permanently delete these files?" click on the Delete Files button .

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zoran_Petrovic

What is Computer Forensics?

2007-02-26T21:16:00.000+08:00

It is the end of the day and it has been discovered that several critical files are missing from your file server. That alone is normally is enough to freak out most server administrators, but this specific incident also happened to be on the exact same day a particular employee was 'terminated'. As you recall that individual, had access to the missing data, but as far as you know, she didn't seem like the type of person to do something malicious. Then again, you noticed she seemed pretty upset as she was clearing out her desk that day too. You begin to wonder if there is a connection between the two, and if so, how you collect the necessary information to present to your manager.

No, you are not imagining a scene from CSI or Court TV. This situation happens daily in real life and may have happened, or could happen, at the company you work for. Remember Enron?

What is Computer Forensics?

Computer forensics, sometimes known as "Digital Forensics" or "Electronic Evidence Discovery", is often described as "the preservation, recovery and analysis of information stored on computers or other electronic media".

Computer forensics has quickly become a vital tool and source of information for criminal investigators, corporate counsel, and prosecutors. Computer forensics investigators use their skills to identify and restore formatted, corrupted, deleted or hidden files from computers or other electronic media while maintaining crucial data trails, time & date stamps and accurate chain of custody & controls. They also obtain access to protected or encrypted data by using specialized software.

In addition, with the increased usage and dependence on the Internet, for corporate and individual communication, computer forensic investigators are equip to analyze emails, Internet searches, file transfers, online account transactions and anything else a computer is used to do over the Internet.

How do they do it?

Computer forensic investigators typically focus on 4 areas when investigating a potential incident. There are other areas of attention as well, but the following are the most common. Including illicit and damaging activities that could damage your company's reputation.

Saved Files

These are files that can be viewed on the computer. This is usually a non-intrusive task to obtain these files.

Deleted Files

These files are just that...deleted. They are either in the 'trash' or require special software to 'capture and restore' the files. This is usually a non-intrusive task to obtain these files.

Temporary Files

These files are typically generated from browsing the Internet, working on a document, some types of back-up software as well as certain software installations for example. Identifying these requires specialized software and is an intrusive process.

Meta Data

This information typically is associated with the details of a file or document. Such as, the date the file was created, modified and last accessed. Additional information that could be captured could include the original creator of the file (of course that information depends on the original installation of the application) as well as anyone who has ever accessed the file. Identifying these requires specialized software and may or may not be an intrusive process.

What would Computer Forensics Service be used for?

There are several possible uses for this type of service. The most common applications of computer forensics are as follows:

Divorce Cases
Electronic Investigation
Expert Witness Service
Corporate E-mail Investigation
Litigation Support
Intellectual Property Disputes
Investigation and Discovery Litigation Programs
Insurance Fraud Cases
Corporate Investigations
Corporate Counsel Support
Electronic Records Management

There are many reasons why you, or your company, may require the service of a computer forensics investigator. If you suspect that you may have an incident requiring computer forensic service, or electronic evidence discovery & analysis, you should secure the computer from further use and contact an experienced computer forensics service company.

Jason Perry

ADR Data Recovery is available to evaluate the damage and potentially recover your lost data. For more information on ADR Data Recovery's Computer Forensics service, visit http://www.computerforensicsassociates.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Perry

Data Recovery World Wide

2007-02-26T21:11:00.000+08:00

IT Managers all over the world are struggling to manage the tremendous growth of data and protect it. This data comes in all forms, such as: databases, e-mail, stored files etc. These data are stored permanently and archived to meet the regulatory requirements, and for changes in business functions.

The developments in information technology help us to store huge quantities of data in magnetic, optical and solid-state storing devices. Data is stored in the most commonly used storage devices, such as: hard disks, micro drives, multiple disks, tape/digital linear tapes, CD/DVDs, portable drives, Magneto Optical storage devices, removable disks, Zip drives, diskettes, compact flash/memory cards, and USB flash drives.

In order to store the data in various formats we use certain platforms or computer programmes. Every computer will have an operating system for starting the computer, running the applications and saving them in the storage device. The operating system helps the coordination of all the inputting devices like keyboard and mouse to enter and store the input information. The commonly used operating systems to store data are Windows 95/98/ME, Windows NT/2000/XP, Apple Mac, Novel Netware and UNIX.

Some times the data stored in a computer device is lost either due to ‘Physical Damage’ or ‘Logical Damage’ to the computer. Data recovery is a method of retrieving the lost data due to physical damage to the system or due to the logical damage to the application software. Data recovery also helps to retrieve even deleted information for forensic investigation.

Data is stored in the most commonly used storage devices discussed above. Sometimes these storage devices may start malfunctioning or stop functioning completely due to physical damage. Some of the common physical damages are: scuffs in the data CD or DVD discs, head crash or failed motor in hard disks and data tapes. Physical damage may also happen due to external occurrences, such as accidentally dropping of the devices, flood, or fire. Data lost due to physical damages can be recovered either fully or partially only by experts under ideal conditions.

The exact damage to the storage device is discovered and the extent of the damage is evaluated. The techniques of recovering the data are not the same for all physical damages. It is normally decided after finding out the details about the storage device, storage space, nature of files lost, operating system used and the name of the manufacturing company.

Firstly, the extent of physical damage is assessed using customised special tools. Then the storage device is opened in a special dust free room to prevent further damage. Data stored in magnetic form is analysed in detail using special equipment. Retrievable data is collected from the device in analogue form and later this data is converted into a digital format as readable data and copied in a new device for use. The percentage of data recoverable depends upon the amount of physical damage to the device.

Most of these storage devices are not fire and water proof. In case of fire, water should not be used to extinguish the fire. If water is used the data must be recovered before the water dries up and corrodes the metal surfaces. In case of flood the storage device must be continued to be kept in a wet condition without drying for recovery of data.

A hard disk with a high storage capacity is logically partitioned as individual storage units (e.g. C:, D: and E: etc) called ‘drives’ for use by the operating system. This logical partitioning saves the trouble of having a number of hard disks in the same system. Similar partitioning is done on tape storage units or any other storage unit with a different format. Logical damage is a more common problem than a physical damage. In the case of logical damage the storage devices will remain intact and usable but the data stored inside the devices is corrupted or lost.

Most of the logical damages are caused by sudden power failures. System crash is another form of logical damage where the operating system may fail to start or malfunction. In either of these situations the data file will not get stored appropriately and left in a conflicting condition. If infected by a virus the self-generated copies of the virus will overwrite the existing programmes and cause system malfunctioning and logical damage. Sometimes data is lost or erased due to formatting the computer partitions.

Unlike physical damage, logical damage comes with an option of self repairing tools. In normal conditions these tools are sufficient to restore work and recover the lost data. When these tools fail to correct the problem professional help should be sought. Initially, a consistency check is done to check the file structure and system information. If there is more damage in the file system the running of a consistency check will fail and crash and may never find the right system file. In another method the consistency check is not done and instead the complete drive is checked for file system structure and limits. Using this technique without disturbing or repairing the file system allows the data to be recovered and stored in a different device.

Data recovery is mostly used by big business, covert army activities, police authorities and tax authorities.

Current trends in data recovery management advises more back up services with improved storage facilities including online storing of data.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rose_Davies

Malaysia Online : Related Link
data recovery software are they useful?

A Safety and Care Guide for Notebook or Laptop Computers

2007-02-26T21:08:00.000+08:00

Notebook computers - also known as laptop computers - have become an important part of our lives. They are more affordable than ever and as popular as cell phones. A laptop computer has a versatility that the home PC does not provide. With its smaller size it is portable and easier to carry along. This makes it convenient to use in many situations. You can take it to work and back home as well as take it on more extensive travel.

Laptop computers are not just for older working people anymore. Because of its ease of use, more young people are using them for school and college. They can access the Internet almost anywhere and provide updates for work, research, and even games.

Taking Care of Your Laptop or Notebook Computer

It is important to take care of your laptop computer and protect it from accidents. They are designed for heavy use but common sense will tell you that you need to be prudent in your treatment.

One of the first recommendations is to buy a case designed for a notebook computer. These are made with padding to protect your laptop computer from wear and tear and protection in case you drop it. It is not good to carry your notebook computer unprotected or in a purse or backpack. You can easily find a case by shopping online where you will find 1000s of products to choose from.

Another important tip for laptop computer care is to keep food and drinks away from it. Even a small amount of liquid is enough to ruin the delicate components in the laptop computer. It means almost certain replacement, and most warranties will not cover it. It is not worth the risk to lose all your data.

Protect Your Notebook Computer

When using your laptop computer you should always use a surge protector. An electrical surge may not hurt it one time, but continued surges could destroy it. If you are using a cable or dial-up modem during a storm, be sure to unplug it. Lightening can travel through phone lines and ruin the laptop computer.

You should not leave your notebook computer in a cold environment. This can cause condensation when you return it to a warm area and could cause the circuitry to short it out. If it has been in the cold, let it warm up before turning it on.

When traveling with your laptop computer, be sure to charge all your batteries before you leave. You might not know when you will be able to charge them again. On a long trip, take extra batteries to avoid this problem. By shopping online, you can find the supplies you need as well as other products such as iPods, jewelry, games, toys, sporting goods, pet supplies and cell phones - even free gifts.

Do not leave your notebook computer unattended and do not check it as baggage when flying. Keep it in your hands at all times to avoid the possibility of theft. Don't try to disassemble or repair your laptop computer; this is a job for professionals. You may inadvertently cause more damage by your lack of knowledge.

Shopping Online

When you are ready to buy a laptop computer, cell phone, iPod, or other electronics, shopping online will provide everything you need.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Robertson

Important Advice On Adware Removal

2007-02-26T11:16:00.000+08:00

Your computer is acting a little strange. It’s taking a little too long to go from page to page, even though you have high speed internet. Pages close at random for no apparent reason. You get strange little message from your computer that make no sense to you at all. Does this sound familiar to you? If it does, your computer may be bogged down by adware programs that are making your internet surfing feel more like internet sludging. You need a good adware removal program.

A simple plug in appliance can help you stop spam at its entry point. Your computer does not have to make you feel like you’re fighting your way through a swamp. An adware removal program can help you get rid of existing problems and protect you against future difficulties.

One of the biggest threats that most people are not even aware exist on their computers is tracking programs. More often than not, when you download anything on the internet, you are also downloading tracking programs. Some of these are harmful and some are less so, but many of them working together can make your computer sluggish. Mostly, tracking programs allow whoever you have downloaded it from to see what sites you are visiting and with what frequency. It helps them to make their sites and programs more appealing to the internet surfer. Sometime, tracking devices allow others to see what is in your computer, what information you are relaying across the internet, and thus target their product or service towards you. An adware removal program will help you get rid of the ones that are causing problems and quarantine the programs that are just inconvenient.

Adware removal programs can be bought online or in a computer store. You can pay to install some of the best programs available or you can download a program for free on the internet. Whatever you choose, you can research it first and find out what others have to say about it. Reading what others have to say about adware removal programs is a good way to find out which one might be best suited to your needs. Comparison shopping is always the best way to getting a program that is suited for you and not one that has way more capabilities than you need. While free downloads are good, they may not protect your computer the best when you consider your internet surfing habits. Spend some time to compare adware removal programs before you purchase or download and you’ll soon be surfing on the safest and most exciting wave of the season.

Rich Beasley works for a well known computer company in Los Angeles. You can visit his latest website concerning Spyware removal and other software resources.
http://www.software-world-online.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rich_Beasley

Malaysia Online : Related Link
virus attacks can you save your data ?

5 Tips to Avoid Needing Laptop Data Recovery

2007-02-26T11:10:00.000+08:00

With the costs of laptops coming down and performance going up, it has become more viable for companies to equip their employees with laptops--for those who travel, work from home, or for those who just prefer them to full size computers. Individual users, from college students to self employed people, now use laptops too because they are not as expensive as they once were. And lets face it, sitting at Starbucks with a laptop is much more appealing than sitting in a 6x6 cube in an office.

Most people don't consider what they can do to protect their data should their laptop gets lost, stolen, or just have a bad hard drive that fails or corrupts the data on the disk. Below are 5 simple things users can do to safely reduce the chances of losing their important files.

Download your Email. Store a copy of your email on your company's email server. Most email software allows you to 'store a copy' on the server. Outlook does it, for example. Set this option in your settings and it will allow you to download messages to multiple computers.

Virus and Spyware Protection. Use an anti-virus software package, and protect your system with spyware software. This is a step all users should do to protect their computers. Viruses are all over the internet, from questionable websites to that cute email your Aunt Mildred just had to send. Be smart and invest in virus and spyware protection. And then get a copy of it for your Aunt. :)

CDs are Cheap! Use CDs or DVDs to quickly back-up critical files and store those CDs to a safe place. Make a weekly backup of your important files. If you get rewritable CDs, then you can use the same one a few times, though it would be best to not reuse them too much. CDs have issues too after time which may cause you to need data recovery as well...but it is a lot less expensive than recovering data from a hard disk!

Buy an External USB Hard Drive Use an external USB hard drive to do a complete back-up of your system. Now, some people use those little flash USB drives to back-up critical files, which is great (just don't loose it!). Others use the external USB hard drives which don't take up much room at all on a desk. Both are good options to consider.

Network Back-ups If you attach to a network, speak with your IT department to request that your laptop be added to a network back-up schedule. Or perhaps, give them your laptop before you go to lunch and have them back up your data. Most IT departments figure the laptop users are on their own, so by asking them for a little preventive help with your computer using your savy tech talk, you may impress them... and who knows, they may upgrade your software for you while they have your system. :)

These are all simple low cost precautions you can take to protect yourself from losing your data, spending a lot of money, and effectively becoming unproductive. After all, your laptop is nothing more than a fancy paperweight without a working hard drive.

ADR Data Recovery is available to evaluate the damage and potentially recover your lost data. For more information on ADR Data Recovery's service, visit http://www.adrdatarecovery.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Perry

Malaysia Online : Related Link
data recovery software are they useful ?

Direct Repair of Corrupted DBF Databases

2007-02-25T20:24:00.000+08:00

In today's world of virus attacks and power outages, computer crashes are not uncommon. With every crash comes the possibility of data corruption; even more so if there was a write operation in progress at the time of the crash.

Database files, by design, are among those most frequently accessed. Read and write operations happen all the time in a working database. Chances are high that the next power outage will happen just at the moment a database was updating or adding a record. In that case, after your computer reboots, you will not be able to access data in the database.

There are preventive measures that can be taken so that this never happens. You probably have a UPS, a firewall, and antivirus software, and perform regular backups. But what if your backup copy is a week or even a day old and you don't want to lose changes made during that period? Or even worse, what if you didn't have a backup at all? In that case, you might want to try to recover your database with database recovery tools.

DBF Recovery by HiBase Group recovers DBF databases exclusively. DBF Recovery supports all file formats used by popular databases, including DBase III/IV, FoxPro and Visual FoxPro. Database recovery is completely automated. The recovery engine employs newly developed artificial intelligence algorithms to carefully analyze the complete structure and all data records of the damaged files. The result is the most accurate recovery.

Many alternative tools that claim they can recover DBF files only repair database headers without actually analyzing the data. Unlike competitors, DBF Recovery makes every effort to repair the data itself as well as the headers.

Database applications rely on external drivers, such as ODBC or BDE, in order to access database files. Unfortunately, these drivers do not have built-in recovery mechanisms. Even worse, they can not even open the corrupted files, making it impossible to rescue the data that was in the database.

DBF Recovery accesses database files directly, without the use of external drivers. Direct access to database files makes it possible to carefully analyze database structures header by header and record by record, ensuring the highest accuracy of recovery.

DBF Recovery can be used by anyone. Beginners and seasoned database users will find its drag-and-drop user interface handy and simple to use, while database administrators will enjoy the powerful set of command line parameters and the batch mode that makes it possible to fix multiple DBF files with a single command.

DBF Recovery is a must-have tool for all database administrators and advanced database users. Don't wait till your computer actually crashes. It may be too late!

Sergei Ovsannikov, CEO of HiBase Group

Download the evaluation version now at http://www.dbf-recover.com/ to see what DBF Recovery can do for you!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sergei_Ovsannikov

Should A Computer Salesman Also Be A Technician?

2007-02-25T20:08:00.000+08:00

The job of a salesman is to sell something. Salesmen that are not skilled in the art of selling end up not making any sales. This is true whether the salesman is selling cars, white goods, or computers. Car salesmen are not required to be motor mechanics so why should we expect computer salesmen to also be skilled computer technicians?

Whenever something goes wrong with a car while it is under warranty we take it back to the car sales yard and they get their motor mechanics to fix it. A computer store often is a one or two person concern so if they were to employ a technician to fix the problems when they do arise then there are fewer people doing the selling, sales fall, and prices have to go up to compensate. Many larger computer stores do employ technicians and their prices as you would expect are often higher than the discount one and two man concerns.

With a smaller concern, the salesmen do have to double as technicians or they run into real trouble when something stops functioning properly on a computer they recently sold. Another consideration is that there are only a relatively few different models of car but every computer is unique. Even two computers of identical hardware configuration usually have some differences in the software installed on them. With computers, even the order in which various software is installed can affect the functioning of the computer. Install software product A before software product B and everything runs fine. Install software product B first and then when product A gets installed critical files get overwritten and the system totally screws up.

The real problem is that salesmen don't make good technicians. They are very different skills so if someone is good at one, they are usually lousy at the other. I (for example) make an extremely poor salesman.

Unfortunately, another effect of salesmen not being technicians is that many of them do not even understand the terminology associated with the product they are trying to sell. This is all very well for standard product ranges such as cars (which only have a few optional extras) but computers literally have millions of possible variations that you may wish to order. If the salesman doesn't understand what these are then how can he make the sale. Some stores get around this problem by selling computers like a commodity item, you either buy one of the standard variants or you go elsewhere. They lose sales that way when their standard versions don't meet your requirements.

I was at a PC show a few years ago. On one of the stands was a glass case containing three motherboards. That was the entire content of the stand. They weren't actually selling anything at the show, they were just displaying these three motherboards. I asked the guy on the stand if one of the motherboards had bus-mastering. He couldn't answer the question because he didn't know what bus-mastering was. He wasn't there to sell anything but he still managed to lose his company a potential future sale. Made me wonder what exactly he was there for.

I don't have a solution to this issue and I doubt that anyone else does. The situation hasn't resolved itself as computers have become more standardized, it has just evolved. Now there large numbers of people who buy a stock standard computer to run stock standard software to perform a few simple tasks that only use a small fraction of the capability of the cheapest available computer being talked into buying a much more expensive computer by the salesman because he and they don't know any better.

Stephen Chapman runs a computer help website at http://www.felgall.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephen_Chapman

Why Have A Computer Network?

2007-02-25T19:54:00.000+08:00

What exactly is a computer network? According to Wikipedia: "A computer network is two or more computers connected together using a telecommunication system for the purpose of communicating and sharing resources." Arguably, network experts debate about this—they feel a computer network should be defined as a minimum of three or more computers connected together, not two.

Whether it's a minimum of two or three computers to constitute a computer network, clearly the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. What are some of the advantages?

Let's briefly cover the five advantages of computer networking. As Hutchinson & Sawyer brought out in Computers, Communications, & Information, the advantages of computer networks are: "sharing peripheral devices, sharing of programs and data, better communications, security of information, and access to databases."

Sharing Peripheral Devices- Print sharing (where multiple users share the same printer) can cut operational costs. For example, large and expensive laser printers are used by multiple users within company networks. Providing a business has a network, large in-house printers can affordably be leased or purchased.

Sharing of Programs and Data- File sharing in the business environment is important, because it saves space, time, and paper. Digital files on a share drive are not only cost effective and convenient, but a company's database is accessible to only authorized personnel and inaccessible to unauthorized personnel. Network-linked employees can share groupware and work together on shared projects. Purchasing network versions of software is yet another advantage of having a company network.

Better Communications- Schedules and task assignments can be easily shared and organized in a network. When emailing within a network, group settings and contact lists are easily kept up-to-date. Attaching scanned documents and emailing business communication is cheaper and easier than faxing information to another department at a different location.

Security of Information- When information is shared on a network and accidental data loss occurs, data recovery is much more likely to occur when working on a network. When shared information is stored on multiple computers and databases, it stands to reason that if a hard drive fails, others will have the shared information residing in another repository. Firewall appliances that are built for networks go far beyond what a consumer grade firewall can do.

Access to Databases- Typically, extensive databases (whether public or private) are shared on a network. Sophisticated databases have built-in parameters to protect the data from accidental overwrites or misuse by disgruntled employees.

As you can see, computer networks have many advantages and are understandably gaining popularity for small-medium sized businesses. It is no wonder why computer networks are notable for their cost-saving features and ease-of use for end-users worldwide. If you are concerned about your budget and need to set-up or improve your home or business computer network, call us at Genesis Global, Inc.: 1-800-908-9665. We can help you meet your networking equipment needs, as well as work with your financial budget in conjunction with getting you improved network communication devices.

Resource: Computers, Communications, & Information, 2000. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Debbie Jensen, a technical writer for Genesis Global, Inc. Genesis Global, Inc. provides a wide variety of security equipment. Cisco hardware and accessories, as well as other leading network equipment manufacturers, have much to offer. Cisco's PIX Firewalls and Adaptive Security Appliances brilliantly transform traditional network management into state-of-the-art secure communication networks where worms, hackers, and other threats are proactively controlled through the combination of firewall, application security, and intrusion prevention services. Make sure to visit: http://genesisglobalinc.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deb_Jensen

Virus Attacks: Can You Save Your Data?

2007-02-25T19:18:00.000+08:00

With the high tech professionals increasing day by day, chances of virus attacks have also increased. Viruses come unannounced and uninvited, stay there as an unwanted guest and cause harm to your precious data and files. Sometimes in the cases of severe virus attacks, complete data from the hard disk gets erased, hard drives get overwritten and even the physical drive media gets corrupt.

25% of the data loss is caused by virus attacks excluding the human errors and software malfunctions. Fortunately we have some preventive measures through which data loss situations caused by virus attacks can be avoided:

Good Anti-virus Software: As your first defense, you should always install good anti-virus software to safeguard data. At the time of installation, always ensure that the program provides automatic updates, so that whenever there is a virus attack, automatic updates can counteract them. Make sure that the installed anti-virus program scans all the incoming and outgoing emails as this is the easiest passage for viruses to enter your computer system.

Never Open Doubtful Attachments: Email attachments which seem doubtful to you should be deleted immediately as these may be the viruses which get activated by mere clicking on the attachment. Be careful with the suspicious file extension types as these files are nothing but virus files.

Regularly Install System Updates: All the viruses are targeted towards the popular windows operating system. As the system vulnerabilities are announced, the virus writers start creating virus to takeover the weaknesses and attack those system owners who are not upgraded with the available updates.

Always Perform Backups: And the most important way to protect your data is regular backup process. Always create backups of your important data on an external media. Backups created on regular basis help in situations when an anti-virus program may fail to protect your important data.

Conclusion:

In the end when everything fails, the performed backup of your data will prove beneficial to recover the damaged, corrupt data from virus attacks and other corruption mediums. The data recovery software also proves beneficial in the case of virus attacks. There are number of data recovery software present in the market. Choose the one which is suitable for your type of data corruptions. Many data recovery companies offer Free demo version of their data recovery software so that you can test and evaluate features of the software and then purchase Full version of the software.

Neha Gupta is a technical writer for Nucleus Data Recovery, provider of the best data recovery software and data recovery services. The Kernel recovery tools are developed for email recovery, database recovery, tape recovery, backup recovery.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nehaa_Gupta

Data Recovery Software – Are they Useful?

2007-02-25T19:11:00.000+08:00

Have you ever heard the word data recovery? If YES, then you might be aware about the data loss situations. But if you say NO then you are one of the lucky person who have not experienced the situations of data loss, hard drive crashes which demand data recovery.

What is Data Loss?

Data Loss is a situation where you lose the data stored on your hard drive or it becomes inaccessible. This data could be the important business files, music, personal collection of pictures, emails, videos or anything. Now why this happens? This situation generally occurs when the hard drive fails or crashes, files get corrupt or damaged, there are virus attacks on your computer system, hard drive corrupts due to water-fire damages, poor usage of the hard drive, ad ware – spy ware attacks etc. Because of these reasons you might lose access to your data or it can get corrupt. But the relief is that this inaccessible data ca be recovered back. It’s possible almost in 95%of the cases. Data Recovery Software are the best means to recover the lost, deleted, inaccessible, corrupt, damaged data from the hard drive, files and folders and other storage media.

What is Data Recovery Software?

By Data Recovery Software I mean to say, software which can recover back the lost data by scanning your hard drive. Similar in the way as you see other software which have different functions and working. For instance, anti-virus software will stop, remove and protect your computer system from virus attacks, and any password recovery software will help you to restore the lost / forgotten passwords of your email id which were stored in your PC.

According to Surveys,

"Viruses: Survey finds PCs infected at a rate of more than 10% each month" -- (ICSA Labs, 2002)

"35% of all PCs sold to businesses are laptops and 1 in 5 of these laptops will suffer hardware failure in the first 3 years" -- Gartner analyst Brian Gammage, The Changing Spectrum of Mobile PC Usage, October 30, 2002

"Data Recovery is possible in 85% of all data loss cases" --Dan Pelosi, Data Recovery 911, December 2002

Thus it can be concluded that data recovery has its own importance when people loose their important data. Data recovery software is useful for file repair, file recovery, database recovery, backup recovery, email data recovery and forensic data recovery.

How to use Data Recovery Software?

The data recovery market is flooded with many data recovery software range. There are renowned companies and small manufacturers too which perform data recovery at small scale. But data recovery is not an easy task to perform. It requires determination, expertise, appropriate recovery tools, Class 100 Clean rooms, biometric environment and of course a data recovery technician who can perform the data recovery – thus resulting into data recovery services.

Data Recovery Software is developed to minimize the possibilities of data recovery services thus enabling the end user to himself perform data recovery on his PC. The do-it yourself data recovery software available in the market completely scan your damaged hard drive and retrieves the lost data. When you finalize the data recovery software, always look for the software support provided by the data recovery company on their website:

• You can view the Animated Working Demos – how the software works, provided by the company. These working demos are the best option to know and view the GUI and functions of the software.

• You can also look for any software user’s guide made available by the company on their website. The manual has the step by step procedure to perform data recovery. Follow these steps and evaluate the software.

• When you download the software, view help manual accompanied with the software. It guides you with step by step recovery procedure.

Generally, demo version of the data recovery software are available for FREE downloads. It’s free because the companies want you to test the recovery possibilities of your data and then only purchase the software. The demo versions are not enabled with saving feature for the recovered data. You can download the demo version and run it on your computer system.

Word of Caution: The point which should be noted here is that you should not run the data recovery software on the corrupt drive. As this might overwrite the original data which then gets deleted. Always perform data recovery on the copy of corrupt data and a good device.

Install demo version of the data recovery software and analyze its working, features and the amount of data which the software can recover. If the software displays the lost, deleted data then the software surely can get back your data to you and you can also purchase it. When you run the demo version always ensure;

• How much time does the software take to recover data?
• Is the software able to recover the deleted files also?
• Can it recover attachments?
• Can it recover data damaged due to virus attacks?
• Is the software provider data recovery company recognized in the market?
• What is the recovery percentage of the software?
• Is the software purchase amount refunded, if the software is unable to recover data?
• View the clients of the company, if possible contact them and gather feedback about the company.
• Read client testimonials of the company
• Consult with the support staff of the company and ask queries related to your data loss situation? Like, according to them which would be the appropriate data recovery software for your case of data corruption? As this would help in purchasing the right software.
• Compare 2-3 data recovery companies with their recovery percentage, client satisfaction percentage, data recovery techniques, range of data recovery software provided by the company.

After performing all these checks you can purchase the software and recover your data.
Please Note: While you are performing check on data recovery companies, always try to find out real data recovery figures of the company, as many companies add false figures to their websites and in the end are able to empty your pockets.

Conclusion:

It can be concluded that data recovery software are boon for such individuals and companies who lose their data due to accidental deletions, virus attacks, unexpected system shutdowns, hard drive failures, system crashes and other undefined reasons. The data recovery software is definitely useful in the hour of need and data recovery services prove themselves when the software is unable to get back data. You can also give a try to data recovery services when there is a severe damage caused to your device.

Neha Gupta is a technical writer for Nucleus Data Recovery, provider of the best data recovery software and data recovery services. The Kernel recovery tools are developed for email recovery, database recovery, tape recovery, backup recovery.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nehaa_Gupta

Will Linux Replace Microsoft Windows?

2007-02-25T15:53:00.000+08:00

I've been working with computers since the mid-80s, initially using an Apple Macintosh and then moving to Microsoft Windows-based machines around 1991.

The first version of Windows I used was version 2.x (I can't remember the exact number), which I seem to remember didn't do anything too special. However, with the introduction of Windows 3.0, things started to improve dramatically, with Windows providing an environment in which you could 'comfortably' run applications.

Since then, like half the world I think, I've used various versions of Windows and I currently use XP. I have to say that, on the whole, I'm quite a fan of Windows. I've always found it fairly easy to use and it's always (well' almost always) enabled me to do my job without too many hickups.

A couple of years ago though, I bought a book on Linux which included a CD for Fedora Core 1.0. I wasn't sure what to expect when I installed the software, but what I got really impressed me. The user interface was nice and clean and, once you got used to it, fairly easy to use. OK, it wasn't as polished as Windows, but considering it was free, it was very good!

I couldn't get my printer to work, but I know that a lot of hardware manufacturers only provide driver software for Windows, so unless someone has written a specific Linux driver for your bit of hardware, it won't work. I think even then, some hardware just won't work with Linux. That's no big deal though, as there are loads of printers and so on that do work with Linux, so it's just a case of checking that a piece of hardware is supported before buying it.

What really surprised me though was how amazingly fast Internet access was. Opening web pages in Mozilla on Linux happened in an instant - as fast as if the page was on my hard disk! I have fast broadband access, but even so, I still have to wait sometimes while IE7 opens a page on Windows. Not long enough for it to be a problem, but there is a slight delay there. With Mozilla/Linux though it's instantaneous.

So, this brings me to me question - will Linux push Windows out of the frame? After all, the fact that it is free has got to be a big selling point (not that is has to be sold, of course). I understand that in developing markets (China, India, etc), Linux is very popular. These are massive markets, which will undoubtably influence the IT industry in lots of ways. The more people that use something, the more popular it becomes, which causes even more people to use it - the snowball effect.

I guess the question is, if I had a blank machine with nothing on it at all, would I install Linux or would I play it safe and install Windows? If it was a machine that only I was going to use then, yes, I think I would make the switch to Linux. However, if it was a machine that my wife and kids were going to use, I would probably stick with Windows. After all, my wife just wants the easiest solution available, and that's Windows.

The lack of hardware support is still the big sticking point, I think, to mass adoption of Linux. If this changes though, I think in a few years time we could see Linux becoming more mainstream as far as home and business use is concerned.

About the Author: John Dixon is a web developer and technical author. These days, John spends most of his time developing dynamic database-driven websites using PHP and MySQL.

Go to http://www.computernostalgia.net to view one of John's sites. This site contains articles and photos relating to the history of the computer.

To find out more about John's work, go to http://www.dixondevelopment.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Dixon

Unenthusiastic about the "Un-PC"

2007-02-24T14:11:00.000+08:00

LIKE a bad penny that keeps turning up, the idea of a thin computing client refuses to die.
Its latest reincarnation is the $100 “Un-PC” that Newsweek trumpets in its Feb. 12 issue as a replacement for the personal computer.

A company in India called Novatium has begun selling the NetPC for only $100, but here’s the catch: it has no hard disk, very little memory to speak of, and uses a cheap processor of undisclosed origin that’s more typically found on mobile phones. The software? Zip. You’ll have to subscribe to that, including the operating system, which will be rented out to you over the Internet. You can’t save your files locally, either—you’ll have to send them back to the server over the Internet.

A similar device, called NetTV, can also use a regular TV instead of a computer monitor, guaranteeing eyestrain at a tear-inducing resolution of 640 x 480 pixels.

Any takers so far?

The “magic” that will turn this pile of cheap electronics into a working computer is the network.

Programs would be bundled along with Internet access, and sold on a subscription basis—say, for $10 a month, says Rajesh Jain, Novatium founder.

Neither Jain nor the glowing Newsweek article by Jason Overdorf makes clear if this $10 a month is on top of the NetPC’s $100 price, but the concept is clear enough, if not new.

Jain acknowledges that he was inspired by the network computer touted in the 1990s by Oracle Corp. head honcho Larry Ellison, who boldly predicted at the time that thin clients would kill off PCs. That never happened, and the company Ellison set up to sell network computers went belly-up a few years after it was launched with much hoopla.

But Jain believes he can succeed where Ellison failed because Western markets already had a lot of PCs and resisted change. Jain’s home base in India, with far fewer PCs, could be more fertile ground for a radical change in personal computing.

Jain also says the NetPC will feature many of the advantages that Ellison’s network computer had--centrally managed software updates, simplicity on the desktop client and low cost.

Inevitably, Newsweek compares the NetPC to the $100 laptop being promoted by MIT’s Nicholas Negroponte. The comparison is pointless. The NetPC is aimed at companies and home users in urban areas with broadband connections. Negroponte’s laptop is aimed at poor schoolchildren in remote Third World villages that might not even have electricity.

Yet Newsweek seems to be on a hobbyhorse, implying that Novatium stands a better chance of success because its owners are motivated by profit, in contrast to Negroponte, who needs donations and subsidies to get his project off the ground.

The article points to today’s Web-hosted software and data storage—but neglects to say that most of these applications still run on full-featured PCs.

Making a string of assumptions about network computing, Newsweek’s enthusiasm goes into overdrive: “This formula could provide a long-sought bridge over the digital divide—and may just change the way the average person thinks of computing....And if the winning formula turns out to be Jain’s, or something like it, it could kill the PC altogether.”

Unfortunately, Newsweek gives us few specifics about how this will come about. In fact, it offers precious little information about the NetPC itself or how well it performs in comparison to a regular desktop computer.

Novatium’s Web site isn’t much help, either. It doesn’t say what kind of processor the NetPC uses or how much memory it has. A spec sheet says it comes with network, microphone, speaker and video ports and four USB 2.0 sockets and runs on an embedded Linux-based operating system, but no other details are available.

This paucity of information is worrying.

There are many theories about why Ellison’s network computer failed. One view is that the concept was ahead of its time because broadband access wasn’t as widely available back then. Another explanation was that PC manufacturers had cut prices so dramatically that full-featured computers didn’t cost much more than Ellison’s thin client.

These two factors are arguably less important today for the NetPC.

But even if the speed of my broadband connection suddenly doubled tomorrow, I still wouldn’t trade in my PC for a $100 NetPC and here’s why. First, I run applications that would crawl over a network. You can do word processing reasonably well over the Internet, but don’t try manipulating a 60-megabyte graphic file or editing video over a network unless you have a lot of time on your hands. And hosted applications will slow down as more users get on the network.

Second, I like local storage and I have a hunch most people do, too. This is why we save data files to the hard disk, keep backups of important files, burn digital photos onto CDs and fill up MP3 players with our favorite songs. We like having this stuff available, even when the network isn’t.

Finally, and perhaps most important, I like the freedom to run any program I want on my computer without having to get it from some centralized server. This is what drove people from dumb terminals and centralized computing in the first place, and this is what will keep thin clients out of the computing mainstream for years to come. The PC let the genie out of the bottle, and it will take more than a rehashed network computer to get it back in.

From Digital Life by Chin Wong

http://www.chinwong.com

Chin Wong has been covering the technology industry since the 1980s, starting as a reporter for Business Day, Southeast Asia’s first daily business newspaper. He is now a lecturer in journalism at the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines and associate editor for the Manila Standard Today. Before that, he also served as technology editor of the Manila Times until October 2004.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chin_Wong

Dvd Ripping Has Never Been Easy

2007-02-24T13:55:00.000+08:00

There have been many instances or occasions when I have rented several DVDs during my holidays and was not able to watch them all. I almost wasted my money for getting these DVDs on rent until I was suggested to look at this cool software Imtoo DVD Ripper by one of my friends who suggested I should rip all my DVDs to another format which can be stored on my laptop for a later watch.

I was thrilled with the way he described this software can do as it was great to hear about all of its features. I immediately downloaded the software and installed it in very easy steps on my laptop running windows XP. All the files were installed correctly without any errors and once I opened the application interface it appeared as if I had a DVDs case sitting right inside my laptop’s monitor.

It was an amazing experience looking at the stylish looks of the application. I read through the readme.txt file which was very informative about the things this software can do. It can convert my DVD VOB formats to a VCD, SVCD, DivX, WMV, ASF, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, AVI, Xvid etc. I believed my friends verbatim and considered giving a shot at my favorite DVD movie to be converted into an AVI format.

It took me less than a minute to click on the source (that was my DVD disk) and the destination (a folder on my local computer) and hit the start button. It took a lot less time than other ripping software existing today as I was tired of experimenting with many conversion tools with dissatisfaction rate growing every time. But as a matter of fact, I loved this utility as it took 45 minutes to rip my DVD into a 615MB AVI format with DVD quality picture and sound.

I was amazed how less importance this software has got today. To me this is the best software I have ever found for ripping my DVDs into other convertible formats.

While I was experimenting with this software I learned abut many other features which include:

· An easy to use application interface which we have already learned above. · A tool for any age group as long as the interest lies in ripping the DVD into another storage format. Give it a shot and you will find a satisfactory experience every time you use it. · The software automatically performs CPU checks to make sure it gives priority to your DVD ripping than any other application without any operating system hang-ups or crashes. · A preview mode which could act as a status bar for the user to know the level of DVD ripping software has reached. You can watch the movie at the same time it is being ripped on to your local hard drive. · Another cool feature is the chapter collection process which allows the user to pick and rip the chapter they like along with the subtitles, movie menus, DTS audio, languages etc. You can also pick and choose only an audio track to be ripped as well. · An excellent batch conversion process allows users to use good multi threading CPU feature to rip more than one file at a time.

Overall a great piece of software which allows the DVDs to be ripped into various different formats with good quality audio and video. A must download program! Try it for FREE

Ted Peterson writes for CoreDownload, a shareware archive where you can find a large variety of dvd rippers and converters like Imtoo DVD Ripper.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Peterson

Malaysia Online : Related Link
howto rip dvd to avi mpeg wmv mov mkv

Two Printers, One Computer

2007-02-24T13:54:00.000+08:00

Most people might think it is silly to have two printers. One can do everything that two can, right? So why have two? There is a simple reason why I, like many others, chose to have two printers instead of just one. One is set up for color printing while the other is black and white.

People do this for many reasons. The first reason, and maybe the least helpful for the printer, is just organization. Having one printer set for color makes it easier to focus all color tasks to it and not have to worry about changing printer settings, worrying about readjusting the quality of changing settings, and trying to remember if it might be out of ink for the certain task. With each printer have its own purpose, it is easier to manage it and keep it stocked and properly aligned.

Another reason is to keep the printers healthy. With the printers assigned differently, it reduces the strain on them by distributing the work. It isn’t one printer doing 100% of the work and getting all the paper jams, errors and other physical injuries within the system. It’s two printers working to help each other out, getting more breaks and keeping the engine from overworking. This lengthens their longevity while increasing the quality of their products.

The drawback, of course, is space. Two printers takes up at least double the space of one printer. It can be even more of a hassle when one printer is a bit larger than the average sized printer. Properly preparing for this and setting aside the right space along with keeping the computer desk and area organized and tidy is the best solution to this problem. Once you keep in mind of how hard or easy it will be to load the fresh paper and ink into the printer and how much space it will take up when the papers are printed, usually because of a pull out paper catcher, the space issue really isn’t a problem.

Another drawback can be the cost. Two printers is more expensive than just one, but there are usually lots of great deals to help with this. When buying a new computer, or sometimes even going to get a new printer and equipment, one can find lots of good deals going on. Finding one that can get you a second printer at a discount may not always be easy, but when it is there it is quite the opportunity. Even without and the cost seeming a bit more than one would want to spend, the outcome is well worth it. The longer-lasting printers with less problems will quickly be worth their cost.

Two printers may not be for everyone, and maybe some people still don’t agree with the benefits outweighing the drawbacks, but it is a much smarter move in the long run especially if you are planning on printing things out a lot. Whether a college student or someone starting up a home business, or even just the casual person that likes to write or make homemade cards for people, it is a great idea to get two printers. The less downtime with readjusting and fixing problems, the easier your life will be.

Jake Rose is an artist and an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Rose

The Worth of a 4-in-1 Printer

2007-02-24T13:51:00.000+08:00

People tend to be nervous when spending money on something a little different than they are use to. This can be the case for when someone is presented with the choice of buying a simple printer or a 4-in-1. The penny pincher in them may be leaning toward the simple printer, but the opportunist in them is probably thinking about the 4-in-1. A regular printer is nice, but a 4-in-1 is a very handy tool to have.

What is a 4-in-1 printer exactly? A 4-in-1 printer has four components to it all rolled into one package, just as its name suggests. These four components are: a printer, a copier, a scanner and a fax machine.

The printer part is easy to understand in why it will be helpful, but what do the other parts have to benefit? Let’s look at small businesses, many from home offices, a growing trend these days.

4-in-1 printers are great for any small business. They provide everything the business could need to help them grow. Probably the most used feature, depending on the company, and the most obvious is the printer aspect of the machine. This is essential to a business for printing out important documents.

A business will highly benefit from a copier too, and it saves both physical space and money to get them in one machine. A copier allows the business to save time when dealing with a project or documentation that needs to be printed in bulk. Many 4-in-1 printers can work independent of the computer they are attached to, and being able to use the copier without the hassle of having to turn the computer on can save time. This is a benefit of having a 4-in-1 over just a printer.

A scanner is also very handy especially when dealing with websites or creating documents with images. Many people may think that images aren’t important to their business and that they have no use for a scanner. This is not true. A little artistic touch can liven up any business and turn a dull website into a busy port of views. Not only can they liven up a website with a bit of art, the scanned images can provide detailed information about products and locations. A scanner can also help transfer important images and visual information from one computer to another. This is a benefit of having a 4-in-1 over just a printer.

A fax machine in the printer allows for quick and easy transformation from one location to another. Fax machines alone are becoming outdated because of the ever-growing popularity of the internet, but a 4-in-1 printer provides internet faxing which is becoming a very handy tool in the business world.

4-in-1 printers are not that expensive, either. It is easy to find a good deal for them at a price not that much higher than a regular printer. They are handy for businesses and for home use too, so they are definitely worth considering to buy. At first some of the features may not seem that important, but once you have them you will definitely find many uses for them and the 4-in-1 printer will earn its worth very quickly.

This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.Facsimile.Com which is a site for Fax Machines.

Jake Rose is an artist and an author from Massachusetts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jake_Rose

Samsung 713N LCD Repair with SE7889-Lf ic Problem

2007-02-23T18:28:00.000+08:00

This Samsung 713N LCD monitor came in with no display symptom and no power. In other words, once you switched ‘on’ you could see the power LED lights up (no display) and then for couples of seconds the power led light goes off. When I removed the signal cable and switched ‘on’, now I could see the check signal cable OSD appeared at the screen. This proved that the inverter board, lamp and power supply is working. Again, I plugged in the signal cable, the display and power LED light went off.

After opened up the cover, I check the on/off signal from the mainboard to the inverter board. With signal cable in, there was no on/off signal to the inverter board but when the signal cable was disconnected, you could see clearly from your meter there is a on/off signal going into the inverter board thus the display appeared with the check signal OSD present at the display. From this test, it is very obvious is the main board problem.

To confirm whether is the main board problem, you have to use a similar Samsung 713N model to confirm it. True enough, after substitution with a known good board, the monitor is okay. So now we can confirm is the mainboard faulty. The real problem now is at where we can find this board or the suspected part number SE7889-LF ic for replacement? Checking the components surrounding the SE7889 ic yield no result.

As mentioned in previous articles, to troubleshoot LCD monitor is easy but to get the part is a little bit difficult. Samsung don’t sell you the mainboard, if you send to them for repair, they will charge a very high price which is not worth to repair.

As I’m writing this article, I still could not locate the suspected ic, but if I found it I will let you all know. Samsung 510bn lcd monitor also have this kind of problem which is the mainboard spoilt.

Although in this article I could not pinpoint to you the exact faulty component, at least you would use my procedure to confirm which board is giving problem. In other words, whether you are troubleshooting the Samsung 713N LCD monitor or other brand, the testing method is the same.

Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer, if you want more lcd monitor repair information, please visit his electronic repair website now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong

Malaysia Online : Related Link
samsung 510bn lcd power supply repair

Why Buy Substandard Cheap Computer Hardware When you Can Get Quality Hardware at Wholesale?

2007-02-23T18:26:00.000+08:00

Whether it’s for your own computer repair business or just a hobby, using low grade cheap computer hardware is a false economy and never a good idea.
Anyone who’s learnt this lesson the hard way will be able to tell you this – when it comes to the smooth running of either your or your client’s PC don’t take chances, quality is of paramount importance for optimal performance and long term financial sense.

Spending a bit extra for high quality equipment is money very well spent – but what if you could pay wholesale rates – even if you don’t have a business?

Yes there is another way of acquiring cheap computer hardware that is not bottom of the range bargain bucket junk that will only make your machine run like a dog and need replacing a few months down the line.

With the popularity of ebay selling as a means of making extra cash - and for some becoming a full time occupation – the emergence of dropshipping directories has made a whole host of wholesale products available to the end consumer.

Dropshipping however does not come without its own pitfalls and red flags. Just do an internet search on the term “dropship directory” and you’ll see lots of results with the word “scam” involved.

It seems there is a bit of a jungle out there in the dropshipping world so it’s best to do a bit of research before handing over any cold hard cash as they charge either a one time joining fee or a monthly or yearly subscription.

Some charge more than others, some have different ranges or products, some lines of products require you have a registered business some don’t – it’s all a bit of a grey area although something about the concept has got to be doing something right because dropshipping – particularly for use in conjunction with ebay selling – is huge.

An alternative is to register a business and get in touch with your local hardware wholesalers. This isn’t always as easy as you think if you don’t have the connections but can be done.

At least doing it this way you know you’re getting high quality cheap computer hardware at discounted prices. Spending a bit of time finding and establishing a relationship with your local wholesalers can turn out to be a safer bet than taking your chances with the wild west of dropshipping.

Either way there is an alternative to paying top dollar for high grade equipment and you definitely don’t want to go bargain basement.

With a little time, research and a bit of investment can ensure you enjoy the benefits of wholesale priced, high quality cheap computer hardware.

Peter Webber is the owner of a site that covers how to quickly source cheap computer hardware as well as many other topics related to starting a computer business or finding an IT job.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_Webber

Fight Your Registry Attacks - Fix Your Computer Heart

2007-02-23T11:18:00.000+08:00

Registry is a place where the applications interact with the operating system. In other words, registry is a big cyberspace within a local computer where all the bit and pieces of an application/operating system are lined with the root known as ‘Kernel’ to generate compatibility. Guess if the registry gets infected by malicious software’s or spyware programs, your computer will obey the orders as lined up in the registry which can impact computer performance and user’s privacy.

How do you clean you registry from infected entries? Do you think a user can look over the registry and find out those entries from thousands of others and delete them?

Well! A good thought can lead to an invention and we have a very useful tool called Registry Mechanic which checks the registry for unwanted entries and cleans them or repairs the problems is few simple clicks. A tool you will get used to when running it on weekly basis throws up malicious entries to your surprise which were unknowingly installed and found on your computer. Once you have downloaded the software, it can be installed in very simple steps. The application interface is very easy to understand and with options like ‘Scan Your Registry’ you can allow the software to check the system for any shared or missing or bad registry entries.

At this step the software is basically checking the registry for any shared or violated operating system or other application links as it scans through

· various trusted files extensions,
· Software location with missing or incorrect links,
· Registry health and integrity,
· Windows Fonts which can also be an area of target,
· Help and resource files can be missing or corrupt in the registry,
· Shared DLLs,
· Startup programs, entries of those application which were un-installed from Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs,
· Virtual device entries,
· Temp files /shortcuts, files extensions followed by
· Deep registry scan going through every registry entry.

Performing registry cleaning every week would make your computer run faster with the windows operating system and other windows compatible applications. The only purpose of Registry Mechanic is to analyze the registry using a scripted algorithm for broken links and other broken or missing references of any other 3rd party application etc.

Why would there be broken links? There is a user tendency to test software’s and utilities available on the internet and un-install them if they are useless. Not every un-install is completely removed from your system and leaves unwanted traces or marks in the form of broken or missing registry link. Every time your computer is started, it would scan through every registry entry to link with the applications installed on the local computer. Now if the links are broken, the computer, as expected, will wait for some time before moving ahead with other links causing a delay and making your computer slower and slower day-by-day.

Registry Mechanic also gives a cool option of backing up registry before deleting unwanted entries just in case something goes wrong. You can then trigger the restore of the older registry version, getting the things back to normal. Also a ‘Compact Registry’ and ‘Repair’ option allows the Registry Mechanic to create a System Restore point, again for the same reason ‘if something goes wrong’.

Therefore, we now understand why software like Registry Mechanic is important and must stay in every user’s collections of cool system utilities.

Ted Peterson writes for http://www.coredownload.com where you can found a large variety of registry utilities like Registry Mechanic and others. You can download them for free.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ted_Peterson

Malaysia Online : Related Link
specific registry cleaner concerns

Excel Password Types

2007-02-23T11:11:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wondered that there can be types of passwords just like types of files? Is it possible? Yes it is. MS Excel is equipped with five types of password locking with which you can protect your worksheets. This means you can secure your MS Excel worksheet with 5 different password security measures and prevent unauthorized access to the worksheet.

This article targets to those users who need to secure excel worksheets for various reasons. Beneficial for people in finance field as MS Excel is widely used tool by accountants, charted accountants, brokers, stenos and every other individual who need to store and display data in a hierarchical order.

The Excel password types are:

1. Password to open the Worksheet
2. Password for Modifications
3. VBA Modules
4. Worksheet Password
5. Workbook Password

1.) Password to open the Worksheet:

You can assign passwords to the excel worksheets and prevent any individual from accessing it. To assign password to your .xls file:

• Open the .xls document, which you want to password protect.
• Select the Save As option from the File menu.
• Click the Tools tab on the top of the Save As window and select the General Options… option.
• The Save Options window will be displayed, where you can enter the desired password in the Password to open text box.

If any unauthorized individual tries to open the worksheet, Microsoft Excel will ask to enter the password. If the password is incorrect the sheet will not open.

2.) Password for Modifications:

This option works similarly as the first one. As the password was assigned to open the excel worksheet, password to modify the excel worksheet can also be assigned in the similar way.

• Open the .xls document, which you want to password protect.
• Select the Save As option from the File menu.
• Click the Tools tab on the top of the Save As window and select the General Options… option.
• The Save Options window will be displayed, where you can enter the desired password in the Password to modify text box.

Only authorized individuals who know the password can modify the document otherwise he can only view the read-only copy of the password protected worksheet. This kind of protection helps to protect the document getting modified by other people, thus saving the original data which you had saved before leaving your desk.

3.) VBA Modules:

The excel worksheet can contain VBA modules with added macros in the file. This Visual Basic for Application module can also be password protected. To password protect, perform the following:

• Select the VBA module and right-click the mouse button.
• Select the VBA Project Properties… option.
• Click the Protection tab.
• In this window, check the Lock project for viewing option and assign password in the Password to view project properties dialogue box.
• Click OK.

The VBA module is now protected with password and secure from any unauthorized use.

4.) Worksheet Password:

There can be several worksheets in a single .xls file like Sheet 1, Sheet 2 and so on. You can password protect them too. To assign password to any current worksheet perform the following:

• Click the Tools menu
• Select the Protection > Protect Sheet option. The Protect Sheet window will be displayed.
• Select amongst the number of options for your worksheet. (These options depend on the working version of MS Excel; I am working in MS Excel 2003)
• After selecting the options you can assign password to the worksheet.

5.) Workbook Password:

Like Worksheets, excel workbooks can also be protected in the similar way of protecting worksheets.

• Click the Tools menu
• Select the Protection > Protect Workbook option. The Protect Workbook window will be displayed.
• Select both or appropriate option from Structure and Windows and assign the password.

You can also try this:

• Click the Tools menu.
• Select the Protection > Protect and Share Workbook… option. The Protect Shared Workbook window will be displayed. This enables you to share the workbook with track changes.
• Check the Sharing with track changes option. This would activate the Password text box. • Assign password in the Password text box.

This kind of password protection helps at the time of sharing the excel worksheets. This would restrict other user from making changes in the document and retains the track changes in the sheet.

As there are 5 different options to protect the excel worksheet with passwords, there can be times when you tend to forget or lose the assigned password or the excel document can get corrupt due to virus attacks, accidental deletions, power outages etc. There are many excel password recovery tools to recover the lost / forgotten passwords. These software tools can easily restore the forgotten passwords of excel files. But if in case the MS Excel file gets corrupt, you can try the FREE demo version of Kernel Recovery for Excel, a corrupt excel file recovery software which easily recovers and repairs the damaged worksheets and extracts cell data, formulas, charts, images, hyperlinks etc. If the Excel repair software displays your lost data then you can purchase Full version of the excel file repair software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nehaa_Gupta

The Laptop LCD Module Disassembly Guide

2007-02-23T11:05:00.000+08:00

This guide will provide help for those who want to disassemble their laptop LCD.
Be sure that the problem you face is a hardware problem, and also your laptop should not be under warranty, because laptop disassembly void warranty.

Before search on the net for service manuals some are free and other cost around 6$ or less, in the case that you are not finding your model download some free service manual from different brands and read them many steps are the same in laptop disassembly and also some pictures can be useful.

Now prepare a clean working area , and if you want a pen and a paper to note particular step. To disassemble the LCD, you need the tools below:

Wrist ground strap and conductive mat for preventing electrostatic discharge Small Phillips screw driver
Flat head screw driver
Hexagonal driver
Tweezers

Removing the LCD Module from the Main Unit :

This example is with an Acer aspire 5100, you have to remove the middle cover from the edge of the middle cover and carefully detach the middle cover, next disconnect the LCD cable and any other cable that you can see, release any screws holding the LCD module on the bottom side of the main unit, release any other screws securing the LCD hinges on the main unit, then detach the LCD module from the main unit.

Disassembling the LCD Module :

Remove the four screw cushions on the LCD bezel then release the four screws holding the LCD bezel. Carefully detach the LCD bezel from the LCD module. Tear off the tapes holding the LVDS cable and the LCD cable then release the two screws securing the inverter board.

After that Carefully disconnect the LVDS cable. Carefully disconnect the LCD cable then remove the inverter board. Release the two screws securing the LCD panel.

Then detach the LCD panel. Release the eight screws holding the left and right LCD brackets and remove the LCD brackets. Finally tear off the tape holding the LCD cable. Carefully pull and disconnect the LCD cable.

Never forget that reading some service manuals before can be really helpful, you can find some free service manuals at laptop support.

I hope that this will give some help.

Didier Pradel is the webmaster of laptop support where you can find many useful informations, and help for your lovely laptop.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Didier_Pradel

Malaysia Online : Related Link
laptop disassembly guide

The Shocking Truth About Wireless Networks

2007-02-23T10:58:00.000+08:00

A couple of months ago I purchased my first wireless enabled laptop. As I switched it on and began setting it up I was shocked when I realized that my laptop had found and connected to my neighbours wireless modem and I was able to freely browse the internet and download data using his modem and internet connection. If I were a hacker it would not be difficult for me to hack in to his computer using this connection to his network.

The Shocking Truth
The shocking truth is that many wireless network users out there, and you could be one of them, are not securing their wireless modems at all. This is further confirmed by a television program I saw in which a television presenter drove down a street until he found a signal from an unsecured wireless router being used in a nearby house. He then hacked into this mans computer and recorded his entire Internet activity including websites visited, items purchase, holidays booked, passwords and even credit card details. When the unsuspecting computer user was confronted with the information gathered about him he was understandably upset. He had been sold the modem with security software by a high street store that had told him that this would provide adequate security. They were wrong!

How to Secure Your Wireless Network
Although every wireless router is different and will have its own instructions these can sometimes be hard to follow, the steps below will help to guide you through the process.

Set Up Your Modem Password
Every router can be set-up by using your browser to access it by typing in its IP address. This IP address can be found in your router instructions and will be something like this:

http://192.168.1.1

When you have input this address into your browser and pressed enter you will be taken to a login page where you must input the user name password. By default the router will have a generic password which you will also find in your instructions. Login using the default details and then navigate to the ‘change password’ page where you can change it to your own secret password.

If you do not do this, a hacker could gain access using the generic password. After any changes have been made you must apply the changes and restart your router. Your instructions will tell you how to do this.

2. Configure Your Router for Data Encryption
Login to your router as outlined above and browse to the security page where you can set-up your security type and input a cipher key. Most of the settings in these pages should be left as they are if you don’t know what you are doing. You can usually choose between different types of security, such as WEP, 802.1 or WPA. There are different opinions as to, which is best, I personally use WEP. If there is an ‘enable WEP wireless security’ check box or similar you must check it. You will then need to make up a cipher key using hexadecimal digits, which consist of random numbers from 1-9 and letters from A-F. I recommend a minimum of 128 bit encryption which will need a 26 digit key. If you wish to use 256 bit encryption your key will have to be 58 digits long. Input this key into the form provided and make a note of it for setting up your other computers. As stated above you will now need to apply any changes made and restart your router.

3. Configure Your Wireless Enabled Computers
After setting up the above encryption on your wireless network you will then need to input your new cipher key into each wireless computer that you want to connect to the network. Your other wireless enabled computers will search for any wireless network it can find and then ask if you would like to connect. If you attempt to connect to a newly set-up encrypted network it will ask you for the cipher key. Input the cipher key you made up in the previous section and click ‘connect‘. When doing this for the first time it may take a while for the new configuration to take effect so be patient before trying to use it. The next time you boot up your wireless computer it will connect automatically.

4. Install Internet Security Software
Whether you have a wireless network or not, it is essential nowadays to protect you computer by using good quality internet securities software. Purchasing this from a reputable security company is recommended to ensure that your software is kept up to date with the most recent virus signatures. If you are not up to date, an unrecognised virus will not be stopped by the software. It is not advisable to use a free anti-virus service as these do not provide adequate protection and are a false economy. Security software will also detect and block any attempt to hack into your computer via the internet or local network. Recommended internet security software companies are - Norton, McAfee and others.

Conclusion
In short then, following the above procedures will make it very difficult for the would be hacker to use your wireless network to gain access to your computer. I also strongly advise you to read your wireless router manual thoroughly.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Drew_Pilton

Malaysia Online : Related Link
simple guide to wireless networking

Specific Registry Cleaner Concerns

2007-02-22T21:15:00.000+08:00

Specific Registry Cleaner Concerns:

A Centralized Registry: The Windows Registry System has some advantages and benefits which include: The configuration of your PC is kept separate from the user configuration. Setting policies for a group is much more simple for management by administrators. Over a network, the registry can be accessed and managed as one item, and backed up quickly because of the location and size of the specific registry files.

With a centralized registry, there exist some problems also: The Windows system registry can be considered a "single point of failure" - which means modifying the registry can lead to a variety of problems...from poor system performance to your computer not even booting up correctly!

Data could even be rendered unrecoverable in extreme circumstances, and you would have to do a full re-installation of your Windows operating system.

Sometimes computer applications do not uninstall correctly, and this will residual "junk" files in your computer registry...this in-turn will increase your registry size. When the registry grows very large, your PC performance will almost always decrease and cause your system to become unstable.

Some experienced users will actually spend hours going through the Windows registry and editing it manually. This is a very time consuming and "risky" task for even the most experienced computer users...as deleting one wrong registry entry can damage your operating system and endanger your valuable data!

You should always backup your registry before ever making any modifications. This enables you to go back to the previously working state before any problems may have occurred when making registry changes.

Even restoring specific parts of the registry can be a difficult and time consuming task.

RegCure (our top rated Registry cleaner), provides you with many safeguards and features that will assure you that your registry has been safely backed up and any modified files can easily be restored to your system registry.

RegCure will allow you to remove the registry items that are not needed and unused, thus increasing the performance speed and efficiency of your computer (sometimes dramatically)!

Gary Bracken is an expert computer technician. His review of the top rated registry cleaner, RegCure, can be found at http://www.registry-cleaner-help.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Bracken

Spyware. Protect Your Privacy Online

2007-02-22T21:13:00.000+08:00

People think that there is actually no difference between spyware and adware. Spyware is just a web term used to refer to an advertising supported software, which is otherwise known as adware. These are the pop-up ads that often come out whenever we open a website or download a shareware software. But according to some web experts, spyware is much much more.

Supporters of spyware and adware say that though it can be pretty annoying at times especially if you are really in a hurry, both do give consumers huge benefits. Because the product ads generate income for developers of shareware software, consumers can get them for free. Developers are in turn paid for their work. Of course, if you don't want to be bothered by the constant pop-ups, you can always pay the licensing fee or the regular fee for the software. If you want it for free, you just have to sacrifice through the spyware.

The downside to it is this: Spyware, from the name given to it, is actually used as a tracking device in your computer system. These tracking devices will track your surfing habits, your chatting logs and even the number of times you open your email. If designed or programmed the right way, it can discover just about everything else in your system. Since the program runs in the background, there is no way that a person can control the kind of information that he or she sends out.

These kinds of programs were actually originally used by parents or people in the business sector who who wanted to track the activities of their children or employees. It was actually beneficial but not when people are not aware that they are being tracked down. This is often the case when people download software over the Internet. As mentioned before, it is used today by companies wanting to advertise their products and in turn help the developers of software keep their costs down so that they can afford to offer their programs for free.

Although privacy issues indeed come into play, there is nothing illegal about it. In fact, its use is prevalent all over the World Wide Web. There are however some areas that people who value their privacy will object to. Because of this, people are given the option to refuse the software.

There is really no way that one can avoid adware and spyware as these programs are packaged with the software that you will be downloading from the Internet. The most that you can do is to avoid downloading from the internet and to refuse any file downloads that you did not personally authorize. It is also good to only view websites that have a good reputation or those that have anti-spyware and adware programs installed in their pages.

But since that is almost impossible to do these days, having spyware protection is essential to safe computing. I have personally reveiwed the top spyware programs out there. After downloading a free scan at one site I was surprised to find that I still had 143 traces of spyware that was undetected by some of my more expensive programs. You can read my reviews and top picks on Spyware Removal at:

http://AntiSpywareDownloads.com/1/22673/mdnet21

Ryan Connell is an expert programmer who runs a highly popular and comprehensive Spyware Removal review web site. For reviews and resources on Top Rated Spyware Removal Tools, Adware Blockers, Spyware and Malware protection and much more visit his site at: http://AntiSpywareDownloads.com/1/22673/mdnet21

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Connell

Malaysia Online : Related Link
understanding the dangers of spyware and adware

What Are the Pros and Cons Of Vista?

2007-02-22T21:11:00.000+08:00

Anyone who is not a computer wiz needs Vista explained in plain English without all the jargon and terminology that some use to describe Microsoft Vista. There has been a lot of buzz around the software and some of the problems there have been. It’s time to demystify Vista with simple language that can be understood by everyone. I know there are people out there who know all the terminology but there are also others who are just going to buy a new computer with the new software already installed. This is just fine, but even these people need to know what they’re buying with a simple pros and cons list.

One of the major points for the positive side is the new interface of Vista. You will see no better graphics with any other version than you will with this software. Everything runs smoother, sleeker, and more impressively. There are sharper images for an experience like no other. In addition, the new software is easier to use than previous versions as well. This is a plus for all those people looking for simple navigation through the system. Finally, the major improvement is the higher level of security. As we all know, P.C. are extremely susceptible to all sorts of spy ware, viruses, and other harmful programs. With Vista, you are safer than every before. Basically, you will get a good looking, safer, and easier to use computer.

With the pros out of the way, the cons come screeching in. One of the largest complaints is that the new software takes up a little bit too much RAM. It uses up too much of a computers memory for most peoples taste. The second problem is that there are too many bugs that have not been worked out yet. Many people are not willing to take the plunge for this reason. People are not willing to buy something for $150 that they then have to test as well. The final problem is that the software is not compatible with some hardware. This means that if you have a computer which is more than 2 years of age, you might be risking a problem with compatibility which may cause some of your computer to stop working.

Now that you know what the pros and cons of Microsoft Vista are, be sure to make the decision that best fits your situation. If you planned on buying a new machine, you could still do so and get the new software already installed. With this solution, you prevent any problems with compatibility. If you want to upgrade your old P.C. you can test Vista, but if you have trouble, just revert back to XP.

Author Bio

George Christodoulou: Creator of the greatest Microsoft Vista information site; http://download-microsoft-vista.com
Be better informed when you download microsoft vista.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Christodoulou

Malaysia Online : Related Link
windows vista and picture metadata - watch out

Windows Vista and Picture Metadata - Watch out!

2007-02-22T19:56:00.000+08:00

Microsoft wants to make it easy to label photos with metadata - information such as where the picture was taken and who's in it - but you better be careful before you use the company's software for doing so.

Windows Vista and the Microsoft Photo Info tool can cause problems with metadata or the image itself.

According to one Microsoft Knowledge Base article, "When you edit the properties of a photo to add metadata to that photo in Windows Vista, the software for the digital camera may no longer recognize the metadata that is automatically added to the photo by the digital camera."

Tagging the raw files through Windows Vista or the Microsoft Photo Info tool after the codec is installed appears to cause these files to become unreadable in other applications, such as Adobe Photoshop," Microsoft has said in a a frequently asked-questions list for the Photo Info software.

Microsoft is letting camera manufacturers supply processing software that Vista can employ when users want to open or print raw files. Nikon released its raw-image support in January, and Sony and Olympus followed suit on Wednesday.

Another alert regards using Photo Info to change metadata on NEF images - the "raw" photos directly from the cameras' image sensors. "Microsoft has received reports of compatibility issues with Nikon NEF files after installing version 1.0 of Nikon's raw codec posted in January.

Vista users can find the raw image software through the operating systems "check for updates" feature built into the Photo Gallery software.

Michael Davies is a freelance technology consultant specializing in digital imaging and design.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Davies

Malaysia Online : Related Link
10-reasons why vista is much more than a spoon full of sugar

HowTo: rip DVD to AVI, MPEG, WMV, MOV, MKV, OGM, RM, MP4, MP3, AAC, etc. on the Mac OS X

2007-02-22T19:53:00.000+08:00

DVD Ripper for Mac is designed specially for Mac users. It is all-in one DVD Ripping software as it includes the features of DVD Ripper and DVD Audio Ripper. It can rip DVD to video formats like AVI, MPEG, WMV, DivX, RM, MOV, 3GP, 3GP2, MP4, MP4 AVC, etc. as well as rip DVD to audio formats including MP3, WAV, WMA, AAC, AC3, M4A(AAC), OGG, RA, AU, etc. Here is a guide to show you how to rip your favouriate DVD to popular video and audio formats.
1. Free download DVD Ripper for mac, install and launch it.

2. Click the "DVD" icon in the main interface to load DVD.

3. Select DVD Output and created video format in General tab. In General model, you may select codec, subtitle, filename, etc.. In Advance model, you can set Zoom and split output file size.

4. Click "Browse..." button to select an output path which will place output video. Or directly enter an output path in the "Destination:" box.

5. Click the "Convert" button to start to rip DVD to iPod.

Done!

If you want to copy DVD, such as copying D5 to D5, D9 to D9, D5 to D9; and compressing DVD-9 (dual-layer DVD) to one DVD-5 disc on the Mac OS X, DVD Copy for Mac is needed. DVD Copy for Mac contains powerful functions of DVD burning. So it can not only copy DVD movie to ISO file or DVD folder and back up DVD to hard disc drive, but also burn ISO file and DVD folder to DVDs. Also it has many other advanced features such as selecting subtitles and audio tracks, removing menus, removing CSS-encryption and so on, which could help you easily creating customized DVD.

Download DVD Ripper for Mac: http://www.soft29.com/dvd_ripper_for_mac.html
For DVD Copy for Mac: http://www.soft29.com/dvd_copy_for_mac.html

This article may be reproduced in a website, e-zine, CD-ROM, book, magazine, etc. so long as the bio information is included in full, including the link back to this website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shirley_Schweizer

The Laptop Disassembly Guide

2007-02-21T15:33:00.000+08:00

This guide is to provide some help for those who want to disassemble their laptop. You have to be sure that the problem you face is from the hardware, and that your laptop is not under warranty, since that laptop disassembly void warranty.

Search on the net for service manuals some are free and other cost around 6$ . Not find your model ? download some free service manual from different brands and read them many steps are the same in laptop disassembly. But i do recommended to find the manual that fit your laptop because you may need to know the part number of the defective part to change it.

Now you have to prepare a clean working area with small box for the different parts and their screws, and maybe a pen and a paper to remember particular step.

To disassemble the computer, you need the tools below:

Wrist ground strap and conductive mat for preventing electrostatic discharge
Small Phillips screw driver
Flat head screw driver
Hexagonal driver
Tweezers

NOTE : The screws for the different components vary in size. During the disassembly process, group the screws with the corresponding components to avoid mismatch when putting back the components. When you remove the stripe cover, please be careful not to scrape the cover.

In most of laptop you can actually access by the base to these bays :

battery
memory
hard disk

Remove them all, to remove the optical disk just release the screw securing the optical disk module,push the ODD module using a screwdriver and remove the ODD module from the main unit.

After that look on the keyboard area to find how to remove the keyboard for example with an Acer aspire 5100, you have to remove the middle cover from the edge of the middle cover and carefully detach the middle cover, then you just have to release the two screws securing the keyboard plate and carefully detach the keyboard plate from the edge of the keyboard plate finish by release the keyboard FFC lock carefully because it is fragile. Then remove the keyboard plate.

After that you can either disassembly the lcd module or try to access the motherboard.

For the LCD module carefully disconnect the LCD cable and any other cable that you can see, release any screws holding the LCD module on the bottom side of the main unit, release any other screws securing the LCD hinges on the main unit, then detach the LCD module from the main unit.

For the motherboard every model are different then you have to explore by yourself, but not forget to read some service manuals before. You can find some free service manuals at laptop support. I hope that this will give some help.

Didier Pradel is the webmaster of laptop support where you can find many useful informations, and help for your lovely laptop.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Didier_Pradel

NEC P8000 Printer Repair Secrets

2007-02-21T15:31:00.000+08:00

If the complaint for NEC P8000 printer was a missing line across the printout, immediately we will suspect the printer head or the ribbon or even sometime the ribbon mask. Among so many brands of dot matrix printers, only this model has one common fault which is the printer head and the printer driver ic’s spoilt.

If you just replace the printer head without changing the main board or checking the printer driver ic for any short circuit, then chances are high that once you switch on the printer, the printer head would immediately breakdown again.

Thus it is wise for you, if you ever comes across this type of printer, besides replacing the printer head, you must check the six printer driver ic on the main board. As for the printer head, you can buy a new one or send to a specialist to refurbish it. Now the real question is, how do we check or test the printer driver ic’s? It’s simple, remove the main board and you will observe that there are six ic’s that have the same part number which is the STA476A.

If one of them shorted, it will short the printer head pin. Each printer driver ic control 4 pins thus six printer ic would take care 24 pins! That’s why in the market, they called it as 24 pin dot matrix printer.

Normally I would use huntron tracker to compare the signature between a good and a bad ic. It is very easy to find the culprit when you can compare them. Using an analog meter also can do the job. Compare the resistance of all the printer driver ic’s leg, if there are any shorted printer driver ic, the meter would register the reading and usually the needle would kick to most far right.

Sometimes it could be more than one ic shorted. Once you have determined which ic that gave way, solder it out and replace with a new one and you have just completed a printer repair job.

Whether you are checking the NEC P8000 printer or any brand of dot matrix printers, use the procedure above to test out all the printer driver ic before you switch on the printer. This not only saves your new printer head, it will save you money of not having to buy a new mainboard.

Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer, if you want more about printer repair information, please visit his website now at http://www.electronicrepairguide.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong

The Many Uses Of An All In One Printer

2007-02-21T15:28:00.000+08:00

With products being introduced every day that streamline systems and work space, it’s no wonder that the all in one printer has become something of a staple in modern homes and offices. For the home office especially, the all in one printer can revolutionize a work environment, bringing unsurpassed organization and functionality to all projects.

The all in one printer executes a variety of functions including printing from the computer, general copying, scanning, and faxing. Its compact size maximizes space; gone are the multitude of machines that would be required to complete all that an all in one printer handles on its own. You will find that this greatly increases your workspace - clearing up an ordinarily crowded desk.

Of course the downside of having an all in one printer that encompasses all of these job functions is that if one system breaks, they all break to a certain extent. Having one portion of the all in one printer repaired requires you to part with the entire machine. Also, users must operate only one system at a time with an all in one printer; for instance, you can not copy while you are also scanning. If your work environment is such that multiple functions must take place simultaneously then an all in one printer may not be appropriate for your needs.

The cost of an all in one printer is really quite reasonable considering how much it would cost you to purchase all of these machines separately. They range in brand, size, and price from store to store. So take the time to shop around; you may even want to investigate online deals through the Internet. There are many office supply websites that offer comparable, if not deeply discounted prices, on machines such as the all in one printer. You may want to consider purchasing an extended warranty on such a machine, as it carries the responsibility of multiple functions.

The all in one printer, like most products continuing to appear on the market today, is meant to provide a streamlined alternative to commonly “bulky” equipment. If it fits your particular needs, you will find it to be an essential part of your home office.

For easy to understand, in depth information about printer visit our ezGuide 2 Printer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Bery

Samsung 510bn LCD Power Supply Repair Secrets

2007-02-21T15:25:00.000+08:00

The complaint for this Samsung 510BN LCD monitor was no power, after the cover was opened I found that the power filter capacitor still hold some charge and the voltage was quite high. A good monitor by right the filter capacitor stored voltage should be discharge in less than 10 seconds. This indicates that there was something not right in the circuit. If you happen to repair this type of power problem, make sure you discharge the filter capacitor first before checking on others components. After the filter capacitor voltage already discharged , I used dick smith flyback tester to measure across the primary winding of the switch mode power transformer to see if there are any short circuit occurred.

The result of the test was the flyback tester LED light all goes off which means there must be components shorted either in the primary or secondary section, sometimes the primary winding can go shorted also. A shorted power ic (this monitor is using the 4 pins 5L0365R power ic) in the primary section or a shorted diode in the secondary section would pull down the flyback tester LED bar to the minimum.

If the flyback tester LED have 8 full bars, this means that the components such as power ic (power fet if have), power transformer primary winding and all the secondary diodes are not shorted. To isolate if the shorts is either in the primary or secondary section, you must desolder the power transformer. Check the primary winding of the power transformer off board first before you test on all the secondary diodes using analog meter set to times 10 K ohm.

A shorted diode will show two reading registered at the analog meter. In this Samsung 510bn LCD monitor power supply, the caused of the no power and filter capacitor take longer time to discharge was due to a shorted secondary diode which is from the schottky type with the part number of SB5H100. Searching the internet, I found this diode technical datasheet; it is a 100Volt 5A schottky diode. This shorted diode is located at the 12 volt rail which means it converts the ac to 12 Volt dc.

After the replacement the LCD monitor work perfectly fine! Whether you are troubleshooting the Samsung 510BN Lcd monitor power supply or any type of switch mode power supply, basically the procedure of testing it is the same. Of course there are many more methods to locate the shorted secondary diode such as directly test the diodes, but this method can check for components shorted even without touching the soldering gun.

This means, if the flyback tester shown 8 full bars, then don’t waste your time to test on all the secondary diodes again. Get one dick smith flyback tester and you could see how valuable this meter is in performing variety test for you such as checking the computer monitor B+ coil, flyback transformer, crt horizontal yoke coil, ballast and many more.

Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer, if you want more lcd monitor repair information, please visit his electronic repair website now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong

Malaysia Online : Related Link
samsung 153v lcd monitor power supply repair tips

The Importance Of Protecting Your Computer From Viruses

2007-02-21T15:22:00.000+08:00

Unless you're completely new to owning a PC, you will know how important it is to protect your self from computer viruses. Back when people first started using the home computer and the Internet as we know it today (perhaps around 10 years ago), protecting your self from computer viruses wasn't too important. Unless you were visiting dubious websites or the like then finding a virus was nowhere near as common as it is today. In fact, you may remember that if a widespread virus was discovered it would be newsworthy and you would probably find out about it on your TV before your computer.

But, back then we used the internet far, far less and the technology available today simply wasn't around to the general consumer. Therefore you really didn't think to protect your self from computer viruses. As broadband connections weren't even thought we were forced to use a dial-up connection, or if we were very lucky we had an ISDN line. The point is that when you have to wait minutes for each page to load and pictures took forever, the interest in browsing the internet was really only for the Die-hard PC users.

Fast-Forward a few years and we can safely assume that around 80% of us use a computer every single day. I personally use my PC for around 4-5 hours a day, (yes it's a little more than average considering I have a full-time job that doesn't involve a PC). So, now we have broadband and most of us have an "Always On" connection. It only costs a small amount however much time we spend on the internet.

The problem is that this gives all the Scammers, Crooks, Virus Creators, Phishing experts, (the list goes on ) an enourmous target to aim for. For example, a scammer can very easily send out a million emails with a virus attached to them. If you have no means to protect your self from computer viruses then this could not only infect your system, but obtain passwords or even worse, your bank details. The trouble is you wouldn't even know until it was too late.

As long as you are sensible it is not difficult to protect your self from computer viruses. There are many free Anti Virus Programs available and depending on the level of protection you need there are some excellent paid choices. The most common advantage with paid virus protection software is the fact that it will have an auto-update feature, (if it's a good one). This means that every time you connect to the internet your Virus Software Program will automatically connect to the company website and download all the latest updates. This means that as long as you keep paying your subscription you will always have the highest level of protection available.

You can protect your self from computer viruses with free software as mentioned above. But, if you do this you will need to make sure that you regularly update your software to stay protected. You will also need to be prepared that you will probably lack in some features. Or, your virus protection software maybe AD-supported, (i.e - display advertisements when you use the program).

One thing to be extremely careful of is 'Free PC Scans' . They are a great way to protect your self from computer viruses and alert you if there is anything abnormal going on BUT, only ever use one of these from a trusted website. There are people out there that will offer a free pc scan and then infect your computer with a virus. Of course when the scan comes back saying that your PC is affected they will then tell you to buy their software in order to remove the virus.

In summary always make sure you protect yourself from computer viruses buy choosing the right level of protection for you. If you shop or do your banking over the internet, then I recommend subscribing to an Anti-Virus Software Company. If you are just an occasional browser then you are probably better off to use a free Anti Virus service.

After first-hand experience in dealing with the problems tha viruses can cause, Dawn Smith has now made an information website to help others decide on the right Anti-Virus solution for them. You can visit the article page here, Protect Your Self From Computer Viruses. Alternatively, you can see her website homepage here, Free Virus Downlaods.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dawn_Smith

Malaysia Online : Related Link
virus protection not enough to keep your system safe
understanding the dangers of spyware and adware

Seven Tips for Successfully Using OCR Technology in a Legal Setting

2007-02-21T15:16:00.000+08:00

The average legal practice is buried under an avalanche of paper. Documents are crucial elements for the communication, reference and execution of every legal transaction. But the management of these documents can severely impact your law practice’s billable hours. Finding necessary paperwork still requires human intervention to search and identify the document.

However, a little bit of computer hardware and the right software can transform that paper into usable, searchable, storable data, saving you time and money. As you move through your day, look at the ways you handle paper—and then start leveraging the power of document imaging to cut costs and increase efficiency. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Cut outside copying costs. Rather than paying outrageous copying costs to replicate documents while away from the office, you may want to take a digital camera with you to photograph them. When choosing a camera for OCR tasks, look for one that includes an image stabilizer and offers resolutions of at least four megapixels.

2. Pick the perfect OCR tools. Invest in an optical character recognition (OCR) product that will convert your digitally photographed images into text. ABBYY FineReader 8.0, for example, takes a JPEG file and converts it into a searchable PDF and/or an editable Microsoft Office document. The software allows for accurate translation even in the face of a variety of photo mishaps. It also corrects some environmental factors, such as the curve created in a page when it is part of a very thick book

3. Pick the perfect scanning tools. Although a simple scanner can do the job, choosing a model that offers some more advanced features can further boost your productivity. Most duplex scanners, for example, incorporate an Automatic Document Feeder, which automatically feeds stacked pages into the scanner one at a time.

4. Keep up with the news. When scanning the latest legal periodicals or newspapers, there’s no need to read every word. Instead, scan them with your OCR program and use the Hot Folder feature available in many OCR programs to automatically create a special in-box directory of items you want to peruse later.

5. Create good email habits. Your email box is likely to be flooded with important briefs, articles, letters and other documents that are sent as email attachments. These image-only PDFs can be opened and viewed but are not searchable so they can get lost in the shuffle. Use your OCR software to translate them into a searchable PDF that allows the documents to be managed and searched electronically. For example, you can convert image PDFs into searcheble with PDF Transformer.

6. Throw out the fax machine. A dedicated fax line can be a costly proposition when one considers the cost of equipment, phone charges, paper and time spent in upkeep. An electronic fax service (or a fax server) provides a practical alternative. Electronic faxing allows your office to send and receive faxes as TIFF graphics files, which can be read but not readily used in any other way. To further enhance usability of these documents, use OCR to transform them into editable text or searchable PDFs.

7. Scan for discovery. Rather than having a secretary retype and reformat responses, use scanning and OCR to convert discovery, motions and pleadings to word processing documents. Document formatting will be retained, and the process takes mere seconds.

Because OCR introduces far fewer errors than retyping, you’ll also save time on proofreading. This approach allows you to provide electronic copies of documents to clients faster and helps clients store and access documents easily. In addition, you’ll be able to readily create an electronic storage system for files and improve accessibility to past work products.

http://web-odonata.blogspot.com
http://www.pdftransformer.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tatiana_Sushchenko

The Advantages Of Choosing Linux Web Hosting

2007-02-21T14:55:00.000+08:00

Linux web hosting refers to web hosting services that are based on a server that is running the Linux operating system. It is probably the most widely used type of web hosting, especially for individuals and small to medium sized businesses, simply because Linux web hosting is cheaper than other options like Windows based hosting. The reason for this is that Linux is an open source software product and as such does not incur the high licensing fees that other operating systems do; you can freely download and use it at no cost. On the other hand, a web hosting service that offers Windows based hosting has to pay for the software and maintenance fees.

Some of the advantages of Linux web hosting are: cheaper than Windows, support for PHP scripts and MySQL databases and some hosts may offer telnet accounts at no or little additional cost. In many circles Linux is believed to be more secure than Windows, and for that reason it is also the more popular choice for web designers and programmers. Linux web hosting also offers users many configuration and customization options.

The Linux operating system is also very stable, so you can expect high uptime from a Linux web hosting service. Linux supports most scripting languages and types of web files, and you can use files with all the following extensions: .html, .htm, .pl, .php, .shtml, .asp, .xml and others. The biggest disadvantage of a Linux based web hosting solution is that it is not compatible with Microsoft technologies, like ASP scripts.

On the other side of the coin is Windows based hosting, which is generally more expensive, but it does support ASP and, usually for an extra fee, can support Cold Fusion, Access databases and SQL Server databases.

In conclusion, if you are new to building websites and web design, Linux web hosting is the better, and cheaper, option. However, if you need specialized services that are Windows specific, then you will have to use a Windows web hosting service.

Evert DuToit is a writer and website publisher from Pittsburgh, PA. To learn more about web hosting, and finding the best web hosting provider, please visit us at http://www.webhostingpages.info

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Evert_Du_Toit

How To Find Cheap Software

2007-02-21T14:52:00.000+08:00

In an age where the computer is as much a fixture in the home as any appliance or piece of furniture, the accessories that complement them grow by the numbers every day. Part of the enjoyment and convenience of owning a computer is having a variety of software to accomplish a multitude of tasks – both professional and recreational. But, as anyone who owns a computer can tell you, the purchase of computer software can be exceptionally expensive – especially if you are purchasing several pieces at a time. Luckily, with the help of the very thing that we are purchasing for, we now have access to a variety of cheap software.

First and foremost, the purchase of cheap software does not mean the purchase of used or in any way low quality software. This does not make any financial sense, as the money you will have saved on the software is lost in the money you will spend to replace it when it doesn’t work, or worse, to repair your computer if it has been damaged in the process.

The Internet today is the most comprehensive resource for finding cheap software. Unfortunately, it’s also the prime location for getting on the receiving end of a bad deal. In your search for cheap software, it’s certainly worth taking advantage of the rock bottom prices found on the Internet as long as you are able to confirm that you are dealing with a reputable company. Use the Internet to access reviews regarding cheap software so that you can find out where other software consumers are finding their bargains. Word-of-mouth is critical to finding a trustworthy company with whom you can build an on-going relationship. But if you are able to do so, then you can ensure that you’ll have continued access to cheap software without the threat of receiving low quality products.

Of course, cheap software does exist outside of the Internet but it can be harder to locate; keep an eye out for sales hosted by computer supply stores and large retail chains. You may be surprised how often cheap software is available for someone who stays alert.

For easy to understand, in depth information about software visit our ezGuide 2 Software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Bery

How To Put Video On IPod

2007-02-20T22:04:00.000+08:00

I am positive most of you with an iPod video, have previously owned videos you might want to have on your iPod but aren't quite sure how to go along doing this. It is the case of many of the people I know, so I will discuss this in this simple article.

1 - You must download a software that will convert your video file into a mp4 file. This is because the iPod reads this type of file. Such a software is easy to find with keywords such as : Video converter on google to find this type of software.

2- Use this software to convert your video file to an mp4 file. Mp4 is a video format which the iPod's Operating System can read natively. Converting is really easy with any application that is out there.

3- Add the video files to your iTunes. You can simply do this two ways: Either drag and drop the file to your iTunes library or go in the "File" menu and select "Add File to Library". Then select your mp4 files which you want to add. It will appear in your iPod library in the videos section. If you're file is not in mp4 format you will not be able to put the video on your iPod.

4- Update your iPod, wait for the transfer, and you've got your portable video. Note you can also drag and drop the file directly to the iPod logo in iTunes and the file will be directly transfered to your iPod.

Voilà, now you can bring memories all-around with you or share some video with others! Have fun!

I own a blog on which I talk about this, how to actually convert the said video. It is also possible to view other types of video, but you need to install Linux or Rockbox. Two great user interfaces you can use for the iPod. Go the my and blog learn more, Click Here!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Zachary_Scott

OST File Recovery and PST File Recovery

2007-02-20T21:59:00.000+08:00

Email communication has expanded itself from professionals to normal home users. As a child enters into teenage, he becomes familiar with the power and usefulness of email communication and uses emails to correspond within his circle of friends and relatives. If we quickly look at some of the public email portals like Yahoo, Hotmail, Rediff etc; it can be analyzed that these portals regularly increase email storage limits for its users and as long more space is provided will thus encourage the user to utilize it.

Email communication proves more useful in the corporate world where hundreds of emails are exchanged daily between the professionals. They could be meeting notices, memorandums, important business attachments or simple emails of well being. If the importance of email communication has increased, so has increased the importance of data storage and the level of corruptions of email messages. This importance has resulted into duplication of data and information, data archives, and waste of hard drive storage space.

Email Storage :

As you receive many emails in a day, have you ever wondered where these emails get stored? The answer could be an email server or on the user’s computer system. MS Outlook and Outlook Express are the widely used email clients because of their ease of use and user friendly features. While working on MS Outlook, the email files are stored in PST and OST file formats and an exchange server is maintained to handle the incoming and outgoing emails. Now arise the common questions; what is exchange server, .pst files and .ost files and how are they used to store emails?

Microsoft Exchange Server -

Microsoft Exchange Server is a messaging system which supports transfer of internal and external electronic messages. The application is widely used in organizations where Microsoft infrastructure solutions are used. The exchange server stores data in highly organized relational database with the help of algorithms thus helps in transfer of mails and manages communication between other Exchange servers also.

How does Exchange Server work?

As the Exchange server stores messages and manages incoming and outgoing process of emails, the working of the messaging server also becomes a crucial point. The process of receiving, sending and managing the messages by Exchange server is as follows:

Step 1: The client connects to the server and sends the message.
Step 2: The exchange server then processes the message and determines saving
location in the messaging database.
Step 3: The recipient of the message is notified by the server.
Step 4: The client to receive the message connects to the server and receives the
message.

The simple working of the exchange server makes it easy for us to send and receive messages, thus transferring data electronically.

MS Outlook – Personal Storage Files -

“The file where MS Exchange server delivers messages”

The Personal Storage File (.pst) is the most robust storage container of emails and MS Outlook has the ability to store and deliver messages in the .pst file format, other file types can also be stored inside the PST file. But the PST file can get corrupt due to accidental file deletion, virus attacks or it can get damaged internally causing into data loss. There are number of email recovery and pst recovery software which effectively recovers mails and data from the corrupt pst files.

MS Outlook – Offline Storage Files -

“The storage file where emails and other information can be stored, which can also be accessed offline.”

In the corporate arena, Exchange Servers are used to store email messages. The Outlook Offline Storage Folder (.OST) in Microsoft Outlook provides unique synchronization method with an Exchange Server and existing mailbox accounts. The OST file gets stored on a users computer system which constantly gets synchronized with the Exchange mailbox account, which results into duplication of data on exchange server and on the user’s system. Access to .ost file requires an Exchange mailbox account, and if the mailbox is damaged, missing or removed, the .ost file will not open. For this you need to convert the .ost file to .pst file on your own or try the exchange ost recovery software.

Here I would like to guide you with some simple steps, following which you can convert the damaged .ost file to .pst file successfully in Outlook 2002 or 2003. This is the method which worked for me:

1. Backup the ost file(s)
2. Rename the outlook.ost file to outlook.pst file
3. Use scanpst.exe from Outlook 2002 to repair the outlook.pst file. (C: Program
FilesCommon FilesSystemMSMapi1033)
4. Rename outlook.pst back to outlook.ost
5. Run OST to PST which will then successfully convert the file to outlook.pst
6. MS Outlook will then open the outlook.pst file

OST/PST file formats are very complex and are designed around relational database concepts. The messages in these files are organized in hierarchical format using folders to store the messages. If the above mentioned steps do not work in your case of corruption, then it might be due to major corruption which can be effectively repaired by the ost recovery software. There are number of OST file recovery and PST file recovery software to convert and repair your damaged email files.

Nucleus Data Recovery: The Solution Provider

Nucleus Data Recovery is the premier provider of data recovery software and data recovery services. Kernel Recovery for OST is such corrupt ost recovery software which effectively converts .ost files to .pst files which become inaccessible due to virus attacks, exchange server crashes, accidental deletions and database corruptions. The pst recovery software effectively repairs outlook pst emails with complete emails, attachments, email properties etc. The ost conversion software is powerful and equipped with proprietary QFSCI technology to perform effective conversion and fast recovery of emails, attachments, images etc.

Nucleus’s team of engineers has developed result-oriented Kernel recovery tools which are best in the data recovery industry and we constantly work hard to deliver the latest recovery tools. Knowledge, Experience and Expertise have made Nucleus Data recovery stand amongst the best and professional data recovery software provider – thus providing relief to its valuable users at the time of data loss.

Nucleus Data Recovery is always there to help!

Neha Gupta is a technical writer for Nucleus Data Recovery, provider of the best data recovery software and data recovery services. The Kernel recovery tools are developed for email recovery, database recovery, tape recovery, backup recovery.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nehaa_Gupta

A Simple Guide to Wireless Networking

2007-02-20T21:55:00.000+08:00

Most folks want that laptop for work, school, or college. Most laptops these days are Wi-Fi enabled. That means that they have the wireless hardware and software built into the computer. To the average consumer, wireless is a form of magic. You turn it on and it works, right? Not always. Understanding the basics to wireless will help avoid frustration and headaches.

First, before we get into the basics of wireless networking, I have a few opinions to express.

It seems that everybody wants to go wireless with their laptops and desktop PC’s. Wireless for laptops makes sense, since they get moved around between work and home and points in between. You can always connect using the Wi-Fi network at work or steal bandwidth from someone else. There are hotspots all over. There are ethical questions involved with “borrowing” your neighbor’s signal. Let your conscience be your guide.

Wireless for desktops is an open subject. Since most of us usually set our desktops up on our home or office workstations, they tend not to move around. The only benefit of having a wireless desktop is that you don’t have the expense and trouble of running Ethernet cable around your house. If you are not a DYI’er, an Ethernet cable installation is an extra outlay. If you’re lucky, your present PC is only a few feet away from your Broadband Modem. I personally prefer to have all my stationary PC’s hooked up with Cat 5 Ethernet cables. That way I don’t load up the wireless bandwidth on the router. We’ll talk more on bandwidth later.

There are hardware requirements to wireless networking. These are the things you need to communicate.

At home you need:

(1) a Broadband internet connection (Cable or DSL modem),
(2) a router to broadcast the wireless signal,
(3) a wireless enabled computer.

You cannot set up a wireless network using a Dial-Up connection. Period.

I recommend that you power off your Broadband Modem and any existing computer systems before you begin the installation of the wireless router. The computing equipment will start to negotiate with your router automatically on start up. This will get you on the network without confusion.

The router and existing PC’s should not need any further configuration. The default or current settings should work. Your PC should already be set to DHCP in your Network Connections TCP/IP properties window. If it weren’t you would not have been able to connect to your ISP. This is a default setting of your PC.

The Broadband internet connection gear should already be present. That’s the Cable or DSL Modem that your Internet Service Provider installed when you got their service. It’s connected to the Cable or DSL filter connection coming from your wall. The Modem has two connectors as a rule. One for the Cable or DSL data into the Modem, and one RJ45 connector you probably have connected to the computer you have in service now.

You’ll need to unplug the Ethernet cable between the computer and the Modem. Reconnect that cable to your wireless router. It goes into a RJ45 connector usually labeled “WAN” for Wide Area Network. The only other connection you will need to make is to connect another Ethernet cable between from one of the wired ports on the back of the router to your PC. There are usually 4 of them. Any one will do to reconnect your existing PC so it’s on the network. The existing PC will get it’s internet connection through this port. Your router’s default settings should allow you to start connecting to your Wi-Fi enabled computers.

If all the cables are correctly placed, you should now be able to get on the Internet from you existing computers and your wireless computers.

Some quick notes of interest:

(A) Your Wi-Fi router is transmitting and receiving in the 2.4MHZ range. So are your Wi-Fi enabled computers. This is the same frequency range of a number of cordless telephones. You may have interference on your cordless phones once the Wi-Fi network is installed. If this occurs you’ll need to get 5.8 MHZ phones or put up with the noise.
(B) One of the most common questions I get is “I bought a wireless laptop and I can’t get on the internet. Why not?” If your wireless router is installed properly, then your wireless laptop may need configuration. Go to your Network Places or Network Neighborhood for a wizard to help you set up your computer for wireless.
(C) Bandwidth is the volume of traffic you can sustain through your network. The more devices using the Wi-Fi network, the slower the network uploads/downloads will be.

Remember, your wireless network works a lot like your cordless phone system. You need a transmitter/receiver at each end. Think of the router as the base station and the wireless PC as the handset. You can’t talk on your cordless phone if the base station is unplugged. So without a wireless router in service, you can’t communicate with the Internet. Hotspots are just spillover signal from someone’s wireless router.

Randolph M. Wells
Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
IT Training and Certification Consultant
IT Project Management Specialist
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Randolph_Wells

Downloading Movies Online F.A.Q

2007-02-15T14:14:00.000+08:00

More and more people are downloading movies, games, music, and other such media files every day over the internet. Movie downloads especially, are getting more popular as less movie enthusiasts want to deal with the inconvenience of movie rental stores. The freedom of being able to find virtually any movie, download it, and watch it whenever you wish is a very enticing proposition. Because this is becoming such a popular practice, there are many people who are interested but still have some unanswered questions. So, I would like to do a quick F.A.Q. on the subject of downloading movies online.

Is it legal to download movies over the internet?
This can really depend of a number of things, especially what and where you download from. There are many illegal, pirated movie files floating around the internet, and they are not all that difficult to find if you are looking for them. Still, there are tons of places where you can find and download movies legitimately and legally. These places, however, do typically charge some sort of fee for their services.

How do movie download sites work?
Pretty much all of them work on the same principal, which is essentially a large P2P filesharing network, very similar to how NAPSTER works. Rather than storing the actual movie files on their server, and having people download directly from them (which takes up tons of space and eats up tons of bandwidth), they use Peer to Peer (P2P) software to allow people to download files from other people who have what they are looking for. The larger the network, the easier it is to find what you're looking for, and the faster your download will be (since you are downloading from multiple sources at once).

Is this dangerous?
Will I get computer viruses doing this? Unfortunately, there is always a real risk of catching computer viruses when downloading files off the internet. Most of the time, downloading from payed membership sites is safe, because they remove files reported and found to be infected or corrupt. In fact, this is usually what you are paying for when you sign up to one of these sites, as most of your money is going towards maintaining their network and directories, and paying for technical and customer support. The actual downloading software is typically free.

Always make sure you have up to date virus protection software, especially if you decide to download from free sources. There are many free anti-virus programs out there if you don't have one. I've been using one from Avast lately and have found it to be pretty good overall. You can get it for free at www.Avast.com.

How long does it normally take to download an entire movie?
This can depend on a few factors, including your internet connection, the size of the file, and how many people in the network are sharing that file. Typically, on a 56.6 Kbps modem, a 3 MB file takes about 7 minutes. With a fast connection, and a fair amount of "seeders," an entire movie can be downloaded in a matter of hours. Many movie files are around 700 MB or so. I usually just set my movies to download overnight while I sleep.

How much do these sites cost?
Most have varying membership plans, including 1 year memberships, 2 year memberships, and even lifetime memberships. Some sites will allow you to download an unlimited amount of movies for a lifetime for under $40.00. These sites also include video game files, mp3 music files, television shows and more.

For additional information, as well as recommended download sites, please visit SeijuOnline.blogspot.com/moviedownloads

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Price

Upgrade Your PC With These Computer Parts

2007-02-15T14:11:00.000+08:00

Like most people after buying a new laptop or desktop computer the like-new feeling goes away very quickly. Why? One reason is technology changes so quickly it is almost impossible to keep up, or is it? Instead of buying a new PC every year or so a better idea is to upgrade the computer components to keep up with advancing times.

The main computer parts that keep your computer running smooth and fast are very simple to replace and very affordable. The average person spends over $900 for a new computer. The truth is that it is outdated in about six months! Technology moves at the speed of light, but here are some hardware parts that can be purchased to keep up with the times.

The first computer part that is a key ingredient in maintaining speed is RAM memory. This usually comes in 256mb, 512mb, 1024mb and 2048mb chips. Most motherboards are upgradeable to 2048MB, or 2GB. The RAM memory is the measured speed that a computer uses to retrieve information. The higher the RAM the faster the operation.

When upgrading RAM memory it is important to know exactly what the mainboard already has in it. If it contains a 256mb then only add another memory chip of the same kind. Another option is to pull out the old RAM chip and upgrade with a single, or two higher megabyte memory slot cards. The important point to remember is not to add a 256mb with a 512mb, the slot cards must be the same.

The world is going digital. Digital photos, music files, movies and more. These types of files can take up a lot of room, not to mention taking its toll on the speed. A very easy and inexpensive PC hardware component is to add an external hard drive, or if you have experience with computer tech, an internal hard drive can be replaced.

Adding an external hard drive is as simple as plugging it into an available USB port and go! Another great reason for these great parts is they can go from PC to PC and transfer data easily. Upgrading to an internal hard drive is not too difficult, but it does require some knowledge of the internal parts of a computer. Both hardware parts are a wise investment for keeping data and files.

Another great computer part to replace is processor. The processor is also involved in speed and performance. A PC that is used in the most demanding of conditions is going to require a fast processor to keep all open applications going smoothly. The central processing unit (CPU) and the RAM memory is important if you require the most out of a personal computer.

Replacing the processor is not too difficult, but does require skill. The motherboard must be taken out at the CPU replaced. If that does not sound too hard, upgrading is easy.

The computer motherboard is a very important computer part, but usually it does not need replacing unless something has broken, or short circuited. Replacing the motherboard usually is not brain science, but it is not easy either. Someone who is trained to do this operation is probably the best bet.

Try adding these computer parts and watch the tired old PC come back to life!

Online Crazy Deals has a great selection of computer parts from top name brands with proven technology. Upgrading your PC has never been easier.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=M_Johnson

Malaysia Online : Related Link
upgrading your computer easier done than thought
safety tips to building a computer

Guide to Buying Hard Drives

2007-02-14T21:51:00.000+08:00

Apart from being one of the most essential parts of your computer, hard drive storage is constantly updating, in terms of both capacity of disk space and in physical size. When it comes time to upgrade your disk storage, there are a number of factors for you to take into account. Once you've made basic decisions about size, connectivity, speed and data transfer rate, and whether you want an internal drive or external, you can search through Myshopping.com.au to find the most suitable brand, and model, and compare the prices of different vendors.

Hard Drives

How A Hard Drive Works

Your hard drive has a number of magnetized platters connected to a spindle. The spindle spins the platters at a very fast speed while a series of read/write heads scan over them both looking for and writing information. This information is transferred via a cable system, or through a wireless connection to a hard disk controller, which in most systems is built into the motherboard, or in some systems installed as an add-in card. The information that comes from your hard drive through its controller is then made available to the components of your computer. The effectiveness of your hard drive (its performance) depends on how much of its capacity remains unused, how well organised the data is (known as fragmentation) and its data transfer rate, which in turn is dependent on its connection type and the drive's spin rate.

Internal Hard Drives

Most computers from, the most basic home models up to the most powerful servers, have an internally installed hard drive. Technology today ensures that they are all generally fast, reliable, and offer dependable storage ability. Most modern computers have installation slots and cabling to enable you to install additional hard drive. This allows you to increase your storage capacity without giving up your existing hard drive.

External Hard Drives

These drives are essentially the same drives as ones installed inside computers, but cased inside a protective, portable case. This is a good solution for people who work remotely and need to transport large amounts of data. If an external hard drive is your choice, make sure your computer is compatible with the interface that the hard drive uses. An add-in card, such as a FireWire card can help to increase your computer's capabilities. You can compare different brands of external hard drives simply at Myshopping.com.au and search on the connection type, or other specifications.

Laptop Hard Drives

There have been many advances in miniaturization of hardware components for laptop computing, and hard drive technology is not left out of this loop. Laptop hard drives function in exactly the same way as internal hard drives on other computers, only they are designed to provide maximum storage and efficiency in the smallest possible package. For added flexibility, some laptop computers come with removable hard drives that can be easily installed and removed. However, before you buy a hard drive for your portable computer, check that the hard drive's specifications will meet the standards of your computer, as many laptop hard drives are proprietary, and are not compatible with other brands and models.

Size

Your hard drive stores your operating system, its programs (games and applications), your working data, and your digital music and movies. Most new computer purchases have a minimum of 80 GB of hard disk space; many have considerably more. Hard drive space is one of those things, once you have it, you'll find ways to fill it soon enough. There is no real rule of thumb, but consider the cost per gigabyte of storage as a way to guide your purchase. If you work with large files, such as music, video and graphics, it pays to have a big storage space for your work. It may pay you to have two hard drives, one that houses all your programs and applications, and another for storing your work and projects.

You may want to compare the price of say a 160GB drive against two separate 80 GB drives. If one drive fails all is not lost. Today's hard drives however, are fairly robust pieces of equipment and providing they are not abuse, will serve you well for a long period of time.

up to 32 GB Hard Drives

32-64 GB Hard Drives

64-100 GB Hard Drives

100 GB and more Hard Drives

Interface

One key distinguishing factor between hard drives is the way in which they connect to your computer. There are a number of basic types of connection schemes used with hard drives. Each connection type has a range of differences in performance.

IDE (INTEGRATED DRIVE ELECTRONICS)

This is by the most common connection methods. Because the hard drive controller is on the drive itself rather than on the motherboard, it helps to keep costs down. There different IDE standards available. Mostly, you will want to purchase the fastest possible standard that your computer can support. Most computers will support a standard that is faster than what the computer currently supports, so you can buy a faster drive, and update your computer at a later time. The different IDE standards, in order from most basic to fastest, are:

ATA (Basic). Supports up to two hard drives and features a 16-bit interface, handling transfer speeds up to 8.3 MB per second.

ATA-2 or EIDE (Enhanced IDE). Supports transfer speeds up to 13.3 MB per second.

ATA-3. A minor upgrade to ATA-2 and offers transfer speeds up to 16.6 MB per second.

Ultra-ATA (Ultra-DMA, ATA-33 or DMA-33). Dramatic speed improvements, with transfer rates up to 33 MB per second.

ATA-66. A version of ATA that doubles transfer rates up to 66 MB per second.

ATA-100. An upgrade to the ATA standard supporting transfer rates up to 100 MB per second.

ATA-133. Found mostly in AMD-based systems (not supported by Intel), with transfer rates up to 133 MB per second.

IDE / EIDE Hard Drives
Serial ATA Hard Drives
Ultra DMA 100 Hard Drives
SCSI (SMALL COMPUTER SYSTEM INTERFACE)

This is the hard drive interface standard used by many high-end PCs, networks and servers, and Apple Macintosh computers, except for the earliest Macs and the newer iMacs. While some systems support SCSI controllers on their motherboards, most feature a SCSI controller add-in card. SCSI drives are usually faster and more reliable, and the SCSI interface supports the connection of many more drives than IDE. While SCSI drives come in many different standards, many of them are not compatible with one another. So it's important be know that your computer supports the drive you plan to install. The different SCSI connections are:

SCSI-1. A basic connection using a 25-pin connector, supporting transfer rates up to 4 MB per second.

SCSI-2. Uses a 50-pin connector and supports multiple devices with a transfer rate of 4MB per second.

Wide SCSI. These drives have a wider cable and a 68-pin connection that supports 16-bit data transfers.

Fast SCSI. Uses an 8-bit bus but transfers data at 10 MB Per second.

Fast Wide SCSI. Doubles both the bus (16-bit) and the data transfer rate (20 MB per second).

Ultra SCSI or Ultra Wide SCSI. Uses an 8-bit bus and transfers data at 20 MB per second.

SCSI-3. Features a 16-bit bus and transfers data at 40 MB per second.

Ultra2 SCSI. Uses an 8-bit bus and transfer data at a rate of 40 MB per second.

Wide Ultra2 SCSI. Uses a 16-bit bus and supports data transfer rates of 80 MB per second.

SCSI Hard Drives

Ultra320 SCSI Hard Drives

FIREWIRE (IEEE 1394)

The FireWire standard is becoming popular in portable hard drives because it can be connected and removed without having to reboot the computer. It supports data transfer rates of 50 MB per second, which means it is ideal for video, audio and multimedia applications. FireWire requires a dedicated add-in card and the hard drives in use require an external power source, but the interface can support up to 63 devices simultaneously.

FireWire Hard Drives

USB 1.1 (UNIVERSAL SERIAL BUS)

Pretty much all computers today include USB ports on their motherboards. (On older model, you can install an add-in card.) USB controllers can be used to connect external hard drives, and can support as many as 127 devices simultaneously either through USB port hubs or linked in a daisy chain fashion. USB controllers do delivery power to devices connected to them, but many hard drives still use an external power source. USB is limited by its data transfer speed, the maximum rate being about at 1.5 MB per second.

USB Hard Drives

USB 2.0 (HI-SPEED USB)

A more recently introduced and far better connection standard that offers backward compatibility and data transfer rates of up to 60 MB per second. USB 1.1 system can use a USB 2.0 device; it will need a USB 2.0 controller card to achieve the higher transfer rates.

USB 2.0 Hard Drives

FIBRE CHANNEL

Fibre Cabling is mainly used for high-bandwidth network servers and workstations, providing very fast data transfer rates (up to 106MB per second), and connection at long cabled distances, although it is expensive and you need to install a special interface card.

Spin rate

Data transfer rate is crucial to how well your computer performs for you. Apart from the connection types above, the performance of your hard drive depends on its spin rate, measured in RPM. Higher RPM generally means faster data transfer rate. The lowest spin speed that is acceptable in computing today is 5400 RPM. The common standard at present is 7200 RPM. But higher speeds are available in SCSI drives, and it is one area of computer system technology that is constantly being developed.

3600 RPM Hard Drives

4200 RPM Hard Drives

5400 RPM Hard Drives

7200 RPM Hard Drives

10000 RPM Hard Drives

15000 RPM Hard Drives

A larger capacity hard drive will not necessarily make your system function any faster unless you are low on available disk space with your existing drive. But a drive with Ultra ATA/100 or ATA/133 and a 7200 RPM spin rate will pretty much guarantee an improved hard drive performance.

Other considerations

CACHE

Cache (pronounces 'cash') is additional temporary memory that acts as a buffer between the system and the drive. Frequently accessed data is stored in the cache for quick access. Cache sizes vary from 512 KB up to 16 MB on some SCSI drives. The larger cache you have on your drive, the faster your drive will transfer data. If you are working with large files, such as video, images and audio files, it pays to have the largest cache you can get (8MB or more).

SEEK TIME

The data on your disk is stored in tracks and sectors and when you instruct your hard drive controller to retrieve some data, it goes looking. The seek time is a measure of how long it takes the hard drive to find a specific track on a disk. Seek times can vary slightly from disk to disk and a drive with a faster seek time will always perform better.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL TRANSFER RATES

These two rates tell how fast a drive actually reads the data and passes it along to the system. Internal Transfer Rate refers to the time it takes for a drives heads to read data from the platter and pass it to the drive's cache. The External Transfer Rate (sometimes called the Transfer Rate or the Burst Transfer Rate) is a measure of the time it takes to send the data from the cache all the way to the computer's memory. Naturally faster transfer rates provide better performance.

S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology)

This is a nice built-in feature in some hard drives that can help alert you to a potential hardware problem. Your computer's BIOS must support this in order for the SMART function it to work, however the drive itself will still work in a system without it.

Buying and installing a hard drive has some technical aspects that you need to take into account. Use Myshopping.com.au to compare different hard drive makes and specifications to find the drive that will work best for your needs and computer. You can compare prices and service offers from different vendors.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Malaysia Online : Related Link
sound card buyers guide
guide to buying laptop computer
guide to buying webcam

Bookmark Managers: Programs vs. Web Services

2007-02-14T21:45:00.000+08:00

The rapid development of the World Wide Web in recent years has led to an explosive growth of information on the Internet. Our contemporary lifestyle would be unimaginable without access to such a super-abundant cornucopia of valuable information and web surfing has now become an everyday occupation for even the most diverse sections of society.

This rapid expansion of web resources raises some new issues for all of us. How could you possibly remember; after a long search, the address of that crucial web page? How will you be able to return to the page without repeating a tedious web search through hundreds and thousands of pages?
The answer is obvious, you need a program that will allow you to easily create and manage a database of web resources. Of course, this database must be quick, intuitive and convenient to use.

One way to resolve this problem is to use your web browser's bookmarks feature. Bookmarks are a popular term for the lists of web page links stored in web browsers, although they are called 'Favorites' in Internet Explorer. These web browser bookmark systems have some severe limitations. For example, each bookmark list will only be compatible with a specific web browser. If you use several different web browsers you will have to manage the bookmark system in each one. Web browser bookmark lists may become cumbersome to use when your bookmark list grows beyond a few items. Important features missing from web browser bookmark systems include:

Powerful search functions Synchronization of bookmarks between different computers
Detection and automatic deletion of duplicate bookmarks Checks for availability of bookmarked web pages.Specialist programs and web services that store and organize bookmarks are now available and they offer a comprehensive solution to these problems. They are called bookmark managers or bookmark organizers (in this article both terms have the same meaning). The difference between online (web-based) bookmark managers and standalone bookmark managers is in the location of the stored bookmark database and in the way that the database is accessed. Web services called 'online bookmark managers' store the user's bookmarks on their remote servers and their bookmarks may be accessed from any browser. A standalone bookmark organizer is simply a program which runs on your local computer. It stores the bookmark database on a hard disk and allows access through its own built-in interface.

Here are some examples of web-based bookmark managers:

iKeepBookmarks.com - www.ikeepbookmarks.com

LinkaGoGo - www.linkagogo.com

Murl - murl.com

You can find more links to online bookmark managers here:
http://dmoz.org/Computers/Internet/On_the_Web/Web_Applications/Bookmark_Managers/

Bookmark management software can be found here:

Link Commander - www.resortlabs.com/bookmark-manager/linkcommander.php

Linkman - www.outertech.com/index.php?_charisma_page=product&id=5
Powermarks - www.kaylon.com/power.html

Any software catalog will contain plenty of links to bookmark managers. For example: www.snapfiles.com/shareware/misctools/swurlorg.html

Offline and online bookmark managers each have relative advantages and disadvantages due to their differing methods of database storage and access.

An online bookmark manager does not depend on any particular computer. If you have an Internet connection you can access your bookmarks from any computer in the world. You don't need to synchronize the bookmarks on your home/work PC or notebook because they will all access the same bookmarks database. With an online bookmark manager you can access your bookmarks even when you are in an Internet cafe! Another advantage is that most of them are free. They will cost you time, though, because you access your bookmarks via an Internet connection. More importantly, most of the web interfaces are not as convenient as software based bookmark managers and don't have so many useful features. For example, they can't search for and delete duplicate database items. Here are some of the other potential disadvantages of using online bookmark managers:

1) You risk losing all your bookmarks if, for some reason, the web service closes down.

2) There is a danger of unauthorized access to your private bookmarks because your bookmark manager server may not be secure against hackers.

The advantages and disadvantages of offline bookmark managers are almost exactly opposite to those of online bookmark managers and will be discussed next.

Any offline bookmark manager is tied to the computer on which it is installed. It stores your bookmarks in a database (which usually has its own proprietary format) that is located on one of the hard drives. To use your bookmarks on several computers you will need to install the program on each computer and find a way to synchronize the bookmark databases. Most of the currently available bookmark organizers do have a database synchronization feature. Also, there are now devices with high data transfer speeds (e.g. flash drives) that can store an independent bookmark database and allow it to be shared between several computers.

Another disadvantage of bookmark manager software is the price. There are some free programs out there, but they don't have a great number of features and technical support is often weak or unavailable. The programs that require payment are inexpensive, though, usually costing from $20 to $40. The user licenses of such programs will normally allow you to install the programs on all of your computers.

In my opinion, the disadvantages of standalone bookmark managers are minimal compared to their advantages. The location of both the program and database on the same computer guarantees you fast access to your bookmarks and high security from hacker attacks. The convenience of the program interface and the number of useful features are limited only by the power of the computer and the skills of developers.

So, how should you organize your bookmarks? Should you use an online or offline bookmark manager? I don't think there is a definite answer. It all depends on your preferences and working habits. If mobility is your priority, if you travel often and wish to access your bookmarks no matter where you are and from any computer, then you should consider an online bookmark manager. If speed, ease of use, security and functionality is most important to you then an offline bookmark manager might be a better choice.

Author Bio
About the author: Andrew Nemets is co-founder and CEO of Resort Labs - www.resortlabs.com, the software development company specializing in developing human to computer interaction systems, user interface improvements and routine tasks automation software.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

10 Reasons Why Vista is Much More Than a Spoon Full of Sugar

2007-02-14T21:41:00.000+08:00

Every new operating system comes with advanced and much improved features. What is exciting to some is not so to others. Basically within a new system each user has his or her own individual preferences. Windows Vista or Longhorn as it was first known is a replacement for XP and is the "new" desk operating system scheduled to be launched by December 2006.

Descriptions of Vista are glowing; it is seen as a vision of the future. High definition graphics, the 'z' level in organization, greater clarity, unbelievable security, and boundless thinking power are what it is about. The operating system is set to fulfill all needs, it has a secure and speedy start up, not just when booting but also when returning to active status from standby mode; improved and strengthened driver design which protects the os from crashing when other things go wrong; and an antiphishing device or filter that identifies and confirms phishing sites by using a dynamically updated database. Technically, the Vista uses an image-based installation thereby facilitating deployments by IT professionals. An advanced event log simplifies administrative tasks.

The October 2005 new test build of Windows Vista has fulfilled expectations by incorporating several new IE 7.0 features, new networking and diagnostic functions. Of all the most significant is the incorporation of the core of Microsoft's Antispyware product in Vista. A key feature of the Vista system is deployment, the inter-dependent modules permits easy customization of Vista to fit individual needs. The WIM format allows a single image to be used or accessed by different computer hardware irrespective of individual language requirements, you can easily add or remove drivers, include updates and windows components offline without having to boot the operating system image.

The system comes with features like:

1. A new graphics engine that has easy navigation, toolbars with inbuilt intuition, high resolution graphics, movie action that is better that real-life, and easy to learn tools.

2. Revamped Windows Explorer with a next generation navigation structure, tool bars, and icons. The user friendly design incorporates clear glowing buttons and an interface that can captivate a user for hours together.

3. Virtual folders offer permanent storage with dynamic interaction possibilities.

4. The user account protection features shield you from rouge programs and security risk.

5. The system ensures easy installation of programs with "Click Once." This energizes an installation experience by lending the function speed and security.
6. Error messages are handled by "Task Dialogues" an integral diagnostics that warns of a problem and helps with a solution.

7. New and improved technologies include, PNRP, Peer Name Resolution Protocol, a brand new technological revolution that enables applications to find and connect to one another; WWAN, a router; WLAN, indoor connector; VLAN, allows LANS to communicate; Wi - Fi, deals with radio frequencies.

8. A system where snap-ins to MMC can be moved up or down as per convenience.

9. Has XImage which is non-destructive.

10. Improved up-time with an automatic Restart Manager.

According to computer experts, Vista conquers new horizons while it takes technology into a new realm. It introduces joys of working along with hum drums like increased productivity. Whether or not the features commented upon and tested by many techies across the world will be incorporated in the final version of Vista is not certain as it will be decided by Microsoft based on surveys, marketing projections, costs, and technical reasons.

Author Bio
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com, the premier website to find Free Software Downloads including free anti-virus software, free spyware detection software, free toolbars, free chat software and more. He also freelances for www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Malaysia Online : Related Link
13 comparisons of vista vs tiger

Upgrading Your Computer, Easier Done Than Thought

2007-02-14T13:25:00.000+08:00

Computers have become an intricate part of our society, that is why most of us will go out and buy a new one every couple of years. Purchasing computers can put a huge hole in our wallets that is why I suggest you upgrade your current computer yourself. It is easy and not time consuming; don't bother paying someone else to do it. There's one computer part that can easily boost your systems performance and give it some extra life. You may now be wondering, how do I go about choosing this part and then putting it into my machine. I will explain.

To increase your machine's performance overall you will need to upgrade your ram, also known as memory. This should not be mistaken with hard drive space. Ram is an important component in your computer to help it run efficiently. It stores the data of the programs you are running at that moment. When you have many programs open and you notice your computer beginning to run very slow, one reason is that you are using up too much ram. Fortunately, there is a solution, and it's easy to do, put more ram into your computer.

There are different types of ram and ram sizes. Generally, most newer home computers utilize DDR-RAM. Understanding the names is irrelevant. Since most home computers use DDR-RAM you can assume yours it too, but to be on the safe side you can check with your manufacturer or find the specifications regarding your computer system. The upgrade size you would find most useful to utilize is 512 mb or 1 gb. Either one should aid in meeting the demands of most of your computer needs. There are also different ram speeds. Most newer computers can handle PC-3200, which is a reasonable speed to choose when upgrading. PC-3200 would be on the box of the ram, you do not need to worry about its meaning.

Next step is to purchase ram. Ram looks like a large green stick of gum. It's small and light, so finding the item then bringing it home is not an issue. The price, depending on your choice, can range from $50.00 to $200.00. All depending on company, quality, and size. Choosing the right one is up to you, the more expensive ones tend to have advanced cooling technology incorporated into them. This can be useful, because overheating causes your computer in general to slow down, but it is not entirely necessary.

Once you have acquired the ram you need to remove it from its box, remove any protective covers, then we can begin putting it into your computer. First you need to remove the wires from your computer then place the computer on its side. The side of your computer comes off, you just need to find if there is any mechanisms or latches that need to be moved or pushed to unlock the side. Next, you will see a big green board, this is your motherboard, there will be wires and cards coming out of it. You need to find the ram that's already in your computer it is not flat, but standing. Once you find it there should be an open slot next to the ram you currently have. Keep in mind if the computer has not been upgraded yet, there will be an open slot. Carefully place the ram in the slot and apply pressure until it snaps the two locking mechanisms in. Then you can put the case back together, plug in the computer, turn it on, and your performance will noticeably increase. Be sure to clean up your computers hard drive a bit, delete stuff you don't need. This will definitely help a lot as well.

Cory Henig Founder/President of XCSystems - http://www.xcsystems.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cory_Henig

Malaysia Online : Related Link
upgrade your pc with these computer parts
safety tips to building a computer

ATX Power Supply Repair And Troubleshooting

2007-02-14T13:20:00.000+08:00

Customer ATX power supply came in with the complaint of intermittent no power. When testing it with power on, I could see that the fan is not rotating. Not only that, some filter capacitors also became bulge because of the heat accumulated inside the power supply. The failure of the fan would not suck out the heat generated by the components especially the switch mode power transformer.

If you switch off a working power supply and power removed, touch the power transformer, you could feel it is quite warm. Another heat source would be the heat sink where the output diodes attached to it. Diodes run a little bit hotter in filter circuit than diodes in other circuits due to the high current present at the secondary output line.

As for the malfunction fan, you actually could use a Philips oil based contact cleaner to service the fan. The grease inside the fan would run dry after serving for sometimes and eventually stop rotating. Remove the back plastic cap of the fan and spray it with the contact cleaner and you would be surprised the fan could actually regain back its glory. It will actually work just like a new fan. If it still doesn’t rotate, the best choice is to replace with a new fan. If you have the power supply that lying down at your work place then you could salvage the fan and install it.

From the photo at my website you also could see those decayed glue that stick besides the components. Manufacturers purposely used some kind of glue to apply on the components where they think those components will shake or comes out when there is vibration or during shipping. After the equipment work for a long time and the heat generated inside the equipment will turn the glue into conductive and sometimes would even corrode the pins of the components and eventually cause the equipment to stop working.

Scrap it off with your test pen and use Thinner solution to clean the printed circuit board. After replacing the capacitors, removed the decayed glue and service the fan, the Atx power supply again given a new life to faithfully serve the computer.

Some ATX power supply would take you a longer time to troubleshoot because of ‘too many’ components on the board. The most frustrated part is that you could not get the spare parts especially the power ic. Even if you could locate one, the price would be sky high and if this happen, I will usually get the customer to buy a new unit since nowadays the price of a new one are quite cheap.

Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer, if you want more information about ATX power supply, please visit his electronic repair website now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong

Disadvantages of a Laser Printer

2007-02-14T13:18:00.000+08:00

There are very few disadvantages to owning a laser printer in general but one of them is definitely the cost. The money that you could spend on a very high-end inkjet printer will only buy you a very low-end color laser printer with limited capacities. Color laser printers with multi-functions such as a copier and a fax all in one are even more expensive. However a middle of the line black and white laser printer is comparable to the price of a top of the line color inkjet printer.

Another disadvantage is the cost of the cartridges inside a laser printer. Sometimes the cartridges cost almost as much as the printer did which is why many people throw the entire printer out and buy a new one after the cartridge expires in year or two.

The cartridges for laser printers are several times more expensive then the cost of the toner cartridges for inkjet printers. However they do last longer especially if you remember to set the printer in black and white printing mode when printing black and white and only using the color mode when it is really needed. Another way to make an expensive color laser toner cartridge last longer is to keep the printer in low quality mode unless you are printing out the final document.

If you live in a hot or humid climate a laser printer may not be the ideal solution for you. This is because running these machines can make a room very hot. The fuser inside them, which is the device that melts the plastic granules that constitute the powder that makes up the toner onto the paper, heats up to as high as 200 degrees Celsius.

Another limitation of a laser printer is that they only really print on certain kinds of paper. If you want to print out photographs then a laser printer is not for you as they are not yet capable of printing high-resolution images. Also you cannot put photographic paper through a laser printer. For the best quality images you need to buy a bubble jet ink printer that can transfer an image onto photographic paper. The color quality that you get with a bubble jet ink printer is just as good if not better than the color quality that you can obtain with a laser printer. A high-end color printer that produces quality color images can cost as much as $3,500 to $10,000 whereas you can get a good quality ink jet printer for about $200.

Another disadvantage of laser printers is that many of them are limited by the amount of memory that they are sold with. This can sometimes limit the number of fonts that you can use. To expand the memory of your color laser printer you usually have to buy a small RAM board. This is the only reliable way to install memory so that the color laser printer can utilize a number of fonts.

The more expensive a laser printer is the faster it is. The affordable models only print out about four pages a minute. Top end models print out about twelve pages a minute but they are not really affordable for the individual.

Laser printers, especially the color laser printers, can also be heavy and take up a lot of desk space or room in the office. At the time of writing there was also no such thing as a portable laser printer. The reason that a portable laser printer has yet to be invented is because a battery does not yet exist that is small enough to provide laser printer functions with enough power so that it can be taken on the road.

Have you ever wondered how laser printers work? Or what types of laser printers are available? Visit our site at Laser Printers Etc and find out.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Enid_Edginton

Samsung 153V LCD Monitor Power Supply Repair Tips

2007-02-14T13:12:00.000+08:00

Troubleshooting Samsung 153V LCD power supply is just like troubleshooting those crt type. This monitor came in with no power symptom. If you are first time repairing this type of power supply, I recommend you to first remove the switch mode power transformer. Then test every single component in the primary section, before you continue to check the secondary section. You have to be good in testing basic electronic components in order to detect the fault.

You can always browse through my website just in case you do not know how to test basic electronic components. If you do not know the right way to check, you might miss out a bad component and this will lead you not able to solve the problem. After carefully checking all the components in the power supply section, I found the filter capacitor do not have any reading using digital capacitance meter (open) , the two round type fuse also open circuit, 1N4744 15 Volt zener diode short circuit and lastly the power ic TOP247F blown! Testing the switch mode power supply primary winding with a dick smith flyback tester shown green bar which indicated good winding.

What we left here were the secondary diode and filter capacitor. Upon checking them with analog meter and esr meter, found all of them to be good condition. Other area like main board and inverter board also looks okay (Power failure rarely affect these two circuit). Now we have confirmed that only five components found to be faulty. One by one the components were replaced (except one fuse) and just before you switch on the power supply, make sure you connect a 100 watt light bulb across the live ac line-refer to the photo at my website. Once it is done you can then proceed to switch on the LCD monitor to look at the brightness of the bulb.

If it very bright, this suggests that there are still short circuit somewhere in the power section. If it dim or totally goes off, you can now place your red probe to the secondary side to check if any dc present at their respective line. If there are DC voltages present at the output, you can switch off the power, discharge the filter capacitor (for safety purposes), remove the light bulb and connect back the new fuse to its original location.

You are now hundred percent sure that the LCD power supply won’t blow once you switch it on. By the way the filter capacitor is rated at 105 Celsius and you cannot replace it with the 85 Celsius type otherwise it may open up again after using for couple of weeks or months. The ventilation in LCD monitor is not as good as the cathode ray tube monitor, because the power supply is fully covered by a large aluminum plate and it can get hot pretty fast. Conclusion, whether you are repairing Samsung 153V LCD power supply or other brand of LCD monitor, the procedure is the same. Who knows the power problem in this monitor is a common fault and in the future you can tackle this brand of power supply in the shortest time. To measure electronic components is not that difficult, but to get the original parts like the power ic will consume you lots of time.

Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and a writer, if you want more LCD monitor electronic repair information, please visit his electronic repair website now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong

Malaysia Online : Related Link
samsung 510bn lcd power supply repair secrets

Understanding the Dangers of Spyware and Adware

2007-02-13T20:34:00.000+08:00

Money is the very crux of adware and spyware. These pose several problems and are a security risk.
Adware is a program that displays advertisements on the computer whether you want them or not. They are not just connected to particular websites or free software but are programmed to start up whenever your computer is switched on.
Programs like Eudora mail client display advertisements in lieu of charging registration fees for use of software. It helps developers recover program development costs. Kazaa the file sharing application comes bundled with at least three ad-ware programs. Two of them serve ads to the desktop while another redirects the user's browser to a search engine with advertiser sponsored web results. Well known ones are: BroadcastPC; Comet Cursor; GeoWhere; Network Essentials, 123 Messenger, Direct Revenue, and so on.

Unfortunately, other guises of adware are spyware and malware.

Spyware is a program code that relays information about you and your work without your permission or knowledge. Some just "spy" on you conveying your Internet habits to marketing companies, while others are "thieves" they access credit card information as well as other sensitive files. In plain terms, it is malicious software that can intercept or take control of a computer's operation without user knowledge or consent. Termed as "malware" the redefinition of spyware, the programs can:

Steal personal information and the address book.
Flood the browser with pop-ups.
Spam the system.
Slow down programs and connection.
Hijack the browser and redirect the user to a "con" page.
Uses the computer as a server to broadcast porn.
Can cause a crash.

Spyware reaches a computer through innocent web pages, game demos, MP3 players, search tool bars, and other downloads like free software. It installs itself and leaves a mark on the windows registry. It can hog the computer resources such as memory and hard drive and cause a crash or lock up. Keystroke-logging spyware can steal passwords and credit card information for thieves.

To protect the files one has to:
Use anti adware and spyware programs. Examples: Spybot, Search & destroy, Pest Patrol, and Lavasoft's Adware.
Keep windows as well as Internet explorer up-to-date by applying the latest security patches.
Maintain the security level of the Internet Explorer at medium. Users must not lower the security level.
Use firewalls and web proxies to block access to web sites known to carry spyware.
Install layered protection.
Update the antivirus program. An up-to-date program will stop spyware as well as Trojans.
Install a startup monitor to protect your system.
Never accept "free" as being free---check out free software and downloads, there will be a hidden surprise or catch.
Never download software from warez sites. Pirated software is always distributed along with adware and spyware.
Use Spy checker to determine if the download has spyware. This can be accessed from the free computer securities pages.

An anti-spyware coalition has been instituted by Microsoft, Earthlink, McAfee, and Hewlett-Packard. They are working towards anti-spyware legislation and putting protection systems in place. A survey shows that 87 percent of users know what spyware is and of this 40 percent through firsthand experience. Protect yourself and your work; keep your system free of adware and spyware.
Author Bio
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com, the premier website to find Free Software Downloads including free anti-virus software, free spyware detection software, free toolbars, free chat software and more. He also freelances for www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Malaysia Online : Related Link
virus protection not enough to keep your system safe
the importance of protecting your computer from viruses

13 Comparisons of Vista vs Tiger

2007-02-13T20:26:00.000+08:00

Competitive and fast are two terms that are applicable to the world of computers. Constantly changing and evolving computer systems bring many advantages to the users and techies alike. The race for supremacy between the yet to be launched Vista (scheduled for 2006) and Mac OSX Tiger began in 2003 with Microsoft's announcements of plans for an integrated desktop search functionality in Windows Vista.

While opinions vary and are really personal choices in many ways, the following sums up the functionalities between Vista and Tiger.

1. Vista has a completely redesigned look and feel; it is aesthetic, functional, and exciting according to industry sources. Mac Tiger on the other hand was always famous for its technology and aesthetics which are clean and clutter free. In fact, many of the visual effects that Vista has like translucent icons, high resolution, and animation effects have been integral to Tiger for more than four years.

2. Vista is yet to resolve problems caused by underlying windows, while Tiger has fine tuned the bleed caused by windows beneath the surface ones.

3. The 128 x 128 pixel icons of Tiger have better rendition and clearer resolution than the 32 x 32 or 64 x 64 pixel icons of Vista. However one will only know whether Vista will have resolution independent vector graphics once the final version comes to the market.

4. Both Vista and Tiger have closely similar desk top search functions. The only immediate difference is that in Tiger the filtering becomes operational only after creation of a Smart Folder or using the shortcut keys. The Virtual Folder of Vista is identical to the Smart Folder of Tiger.

5. Vista has next generation features, where the system has enough inbuilt intelligence that organizes data. This fine tunes any searches that need to be done. In comparison to this, the Tiger has an old fashioned system with no specials.

6. Vista supports meta data processing while with Tiger meta data can be created or edited only by using document processing applications.

7. Vista permits users to visually locate files while Tiger does not. Image previews in Tiger are turned off by default.

8. As far as security is concerned the Tiger is by far superior to Vista. Since the Tiger user base is small the number of hackers and attackers are fewer as compared to Windows.

9. User accounts and log ins are safer in the Tiger system and Microsoft plans to incorporate similar systems in Vista to strengthen security.

10. Vista has new systems similar to Tiger that will enable users to assert parental locks or blocks. Parental controls help limit computer usage by children protecting them from several dangers.

11. Security in Vista includes inbuilt protection against rogue attacks, malware, spyware, adware and so on. In the case of Tiger its security system has remained secure and unbreached. Whether Vista will earn the same distinction will be known only after it comes into use.

12. Both Vista and Tiger have great networking features making both immensely usable both at home and in businesses. The Tiger is simpler while Vista is a bit more complex to use.

13. The hibernation mode works instantly in Tiger and Vista is also trying to match its facilities.

While the above draws tentative comparisons between the two systems a true evaluation can only be made once Vista is released in its completed version and comes into use.

Author Bio
Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for www.1888SoftwareDownloads.com, the premier website to find Free Software Downloads including free anti-virus software, free spyware detection software, free toolbars, free chat software and more. He also freelances for www.1888FreeOnlineGames.com

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Malaysia Online : Related Link
10 reasons why vista is much more than a full spoon of sugar

Virus Protection not enough to keep your system safe

2007-02-13T20:23:00.000+08:00

The Internet is a dangerous place for people as well as computer systems. Every day there is a new threat that seeks to do harm to your computer and the information contained within your hard drive.
Many people believe that they are protected because they have anti-virus protection. Sadly, this is not the case. There are many threats that your anti-virus software will not protect you against. If you are surfing the Internet with just anti-virus protection then you may already have malicious programs running in your computer 'background', unknown to you and doing irreparable harm.

These programs are more commonly referred to as spyware. Spyware is similar in nature to a computer virus in that they both infiltrate and affect system resources and often times both are hard to detect. The main reason that anti-virus does not protect against such threats is because spyware does not appear to be malicious. Often times spyware is disguised as something as harmless as a computer cookie. Once it is logged into your system a whole host of problems can occur.

By its very name, spyware is used to spy on your computer system. This gives whoever created the code a chance to access all of the confidential data that is stored on your hard drive, like passwords, financial data, and personal identification items. Hackers can also use spyware to hijack your computer system and use your accounts for illegal activities such as sending spam mails from your email account, or worse-stealing credit card information. Of course this is all happening right under your nose because your anti-virus protection software was never meant to catch this new kind of code.

People often ask how they can avoid getting spyware. The simple answer is there is no way to keep from getting spyware, absent setting your browser security options to a very high level, but there is a way to remove it from your system before it does any damage.
You will need to purchase and use spyware removal software. This is the only effective method to protect yourself and your computer from the malicious content that is found on the web. A spyware removal program acts as a sweeper, and ultimately a protector by destroying the spyware code found on your drives. It is as simple as that.

The best course of action that one should take is to run the spyware removal software after each session on the web, or weekly if that is to much of a burden. There is no way to avoid all of the potential threats that are on the net these days. Even if you visit only reputable sites that you have visited before you still run a high risk of getting spyware. Most often, a webmaster has no idea that his site is being used to distribute spyware. Producers of the spyware code are getting smarter everyday, and they're learning to cover their tracks well.

The only way to protect yourself is with this knowledge and a great spyware removal program.
If you need the very best in spyware removal then visit spyware-removal.thrcomputer.com
Here you will be provided with the best spyware removal program that is currently available on the market, hands down.

Author Bio
Spyware Removal

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Malaysia Online : Related Link
understanding the dangers of spyware and adware
the importance of protecting your computer from viruses

How to Choose the Right Webcam Surveillance Software?

2007-02-13T20:18:00.000+08:00

Many people want to have some kind of spy equipment for better home security. However, besides wireless spy cameras, VCR or DVR systems, there is also special software used to control those surveillance gadgets.
Large companies use professional security systems along with already built in (embedded digital video recorder or PC based DVR soft) spy camera control software. But what about smaller guys? Do you also have to spend thousands of dollars for professional spy security system and software to feel safe and secure in your house? And the answer is not necessarily.

Webcam for Spying Purposes

You have the ability to use your webcam (connected to your PC) as a surveillance tool. And to control it, all you need is inexpensive webcam surveillance software. As a matter of fact, such software allows you to connect more than one camera. It can display as much as 16 webcam views on your computer screen.
Moreover, webcam surveillance software even allows you to detect motion and start capturing an event within milliseconds. This means that you don't have to keep your webcam surveillance software turned on all the time in order to secure the area. By using motion detection webcams, you can also save your computer's HDD (hard drive) space.

You know, video takes a lot of hard drive space. Non stop recording for 24 hours can cost you 1GB of HDD space a day. Well, it depends on the chosen image quality. Lower quality images will require less bandwidth. Also, if you set lower FPS (frames per second), then you'll save even more HDD space.
But if you have a large HDD (like 160GB or more), then there's nothing to worry about.
What to Look for in Webcam Surveillance Software?
Before you decide to order webcam surveillance software, there are a couple of things to consider. Let's take a look at some of the features of webcam software that you should seriously consider, ok.

Audio Capturing - Does your webcam surveillance software have audio capturing option? If not, then you should consider that carefully. If you want to record a conversation, it's crucial.
Compressed Files - Does your webcam software compress video files? If not, then the space of your HDD might fill up quickly. Try to search for software that compresses the video without losing its quality.
Remote Access - This is very important. If you leave your webcam to record the area, you should have the ability to access your webcam's view via internet connection. This is very neat function that is absolutely must in webcam software.

Motion Detection - We've already mentioned that. Motion detection is also extremely important. You don't want to record the area when nothing's going on, right. So make sure that motion sensing is enabled in your software.
Alert Options - Does the webcam surveillance software have an alert option? Some webcam software alert when they detect something. They can alert via email or even dial a phone number. You should seek for this feature, because it's very neat.
Multiple Webcams - Can your surveillance software record a live view from multiple web cameras? 2, 4 or 16? If you want to connect more than one camera to your PC, then multiple webcam support is absolutely must in the software you choose.
Stealth Mode - Does the webcam software run in stealth mode? Stealth mode means that nobody can see if the software is running or not. Not even if they Press "Ctr+Alt+Del" and look at Windows Task Manager!

Look for webcam surveillance software that allows you to do all or at least most of the functions mentioned above. If your software isn't capable of detecting motion, doesn't have alert option, doesn't have audio recording options, then search for a better solution.

In Conclusion

Webcam software (for spying or home protection purposes) combined with a few inexpensive webcams, can definitely serve as a basic home security system. You can put your webcams in the most important places and have your PC to record each camera's view. And if motion sensors detect something unusual, they can alert you via email or phone.

However, if you're really looking for quality and all-in-one solution for professional home protection, then a more powerful DVR security system with multiple spy cameras could be your best shot. Such systems cost over thousand dollars, but they're ideal for quality home or office protection.
Author Bio
Dan Crane offer free tips and article about spy cameras, bug detectors, security systems or body worn cams. If you'd like to find out more information about webcam surveillance software used to control nanny cams, then check out Vedosoft website.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com

Free PSP Music Downloads

2007-02-13T12:02:00.000+08:00

Are you looking for free PSP music downloads? There are a few websites that offers PSP music downloads but not all of them are legal and you need to be careful when downloading from these websites.
You certainly do not want to be facing lawsuits for downloading illegal mp3 files. I have found that the quality of the mp3 files from these free PSP music download sites is very poor. Often times, you can’t even make out who is singing or the background has a lot of noise.

If you want to download PSP music that is legal and high quality, I highly recommend purchasing a subscription to a paid PSP music download site. These sites offer legal mp3 and the quality of the mp3 is much better.
The cost is pretty affordable, usually less than $50.00 and it is a one-time charge. After which, you can download as many mp3 as you want. They also provide other files such as PSP movies, TV shows and sometimes even games.

Another advantage of a paid download site is that the files are certified free of spyware and viruses. Many free PSP music download sites often have mp3 or files that are infected with spyware and viruses. Once you run or play these files, it can compromise your personal data stored on your computer.
The download speed are also faster and they provide technical assistance should you require one.

However, I would advise you if you are interested in purchasing a subscription to such download sites, to do your research first and find out which one is the best value for money.
One of the best ways is to visit music or PSP forums and ask other people’s opinions and views about a particular PSP download site you are interested in. See what they say and you have a pretty good idea of what to expect when you do purchase. Another thing is to make sure there is a money back guarantee available. That way, you will get your money back if you are not satisfied. Most reputable PSP download sites will offer a money back guarantee.

Discover the best psp music download sites recommended by Ricky that is legal and fast to download. Click here to find out.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Lim

Microsoft Vista and Wireless Adapters - Compatibility, Usability

2007-02-13T11:40:00.000+08:00

You’re all wondering, how are wireless adapters working with the new Microsoft Vista. There is no cut and paste answer for that because it all depends on the kind of wireless network you are using. Are you using Netgear or perhaps Linksys. I will try to clarify as many different adapters as I can and see if I can find a quick fix for your adapter questions.

Linksys Wireless Adapter

If you use Lnksys and you are wondering if Vista will work with it, Linksys has come out with a new driver that is compatible with Vista. If you would like to download it, just got to linksys.com. One you download these files, you can then go to your control panel to search for your driver and point to the download files.

Netgear Driver Problem

If you are a Netgear user, you will have some trouble with compatibility. Microsoft offers a beta driver that you can download that is not affiliated with Netgear. You can download the driver at, http://netgear.com. Basically, beta means that the code is not successfully tested but it is a way for people to give feedback and allow changed to be made.

If you use Netgear, I recommend that you steer clear until everything is cleared so you can use Vista without any problems. This is really a pain to deal with so stick with XP until it is resolved.

Wireless Adapter Battery Drain

One problem that people are also having with Vista is that the laptop batteries get drained quickly while connected to the internet. It has to do with the fact that many wireless connections do not have the ability to go into the “power save” mode that the Microsoft Vista Operating system allows for.

All in all, Vista has some problems with compatibility when it comes to some wireless adapters but there are fixes available. The only problem that I see that will require some consideration from people has to do with laptops. They have the double threat of having batteries that can overheat as well as connections that cannot be made.

Author Bio

George Christodoulou: Creator of the greatest Microsoft Vista information site; http://download-microsoft-vista.com Be better informed when you download microsoft vista.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=George_Christodoulou

Repair LCD Power Supply The Easy Way

2007-02-13T11:31:00.000+08:00

Troubleshooting LCD monitor power supply pack is easier than the crt monitor power supply. It is small and compact and usually has only one output which is 12 volt and range from 2 ampere to over 4 ampere. Some designed have 18 and 24 volts also. Nowadays most LCD power supplies are build into the main board such as the Dell E151FP LCD Monitor while the older type were separated as power pack module.

The power pack module type is easy to diagnose because you can replace another working unit just to make sure is the power pack that giving problem. You may also use an external dc power supply to power up the LCD to confirm if the power pack is faulty. If you do not have the external dc power supply, you can always use this method to isolate the problem especially the symptoms are no power, low power and power blink. Using the rear light bulb (12 volt) from a car and connect it to the power pack output jack. If it light brightly then the power pack is okay. If it blink or dim the power pack have problem. Why have to use this method to test it? Because, if there are components shorted or leaky at the LCD main board, it will affect the power supply performance.

From experienced, most of the LCD power supply problems whether in the power pack or built into main board were due to the failure of electrolytic capacitors (most probably due to heat) in the primary and secondary section. Most of the capacitors have a high ESR which causes the power supply to produce low output, blink or no power at all. Typical value electrolytic capacitors in the primary side are 47 and 100 micro farad 50 Volt and the secondary sides are 1000 to 2200 micro farad 25 volt. Sometimes you can see the capacitor top casing became bulge and the sleeve that covered the capacitor casing turned into darker color like brownish.

The power section in some of the LCD screen are still using the UC3842 pulse width modulation (pwm) ic. This type of ic is quite easy to find in the market compare to some power ic which is very difficult to get. Samsung 153V LCD monitor is using the TOP247F power ic which is quite easy to troubleshoot if power fail in this model. Some power pack that came in only have minor burnt and after cleaning it and replaced the fuse, it will work as good as the new one.

Troubleshooting LCD power supply is not that difficult provided if you know how a power supply work. If you are unsure of how to troubleshoot power supply, I urge you to read all my power supply articles at the power supply page. I will continue to post more power supplies articles at that page and hope you could drop by more often to check out my website.

Jestine Yong is an electronic repairer and a writer. For more LCD repair information please visit his electronic repair website now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jestine_Yong

Tech Tip 01 - 5 Ways to back up your data

2007-02-12T15:27:00.000+08:00

The data on your hard drive is the most critical item inside your computer, and the only item which can not be replaced. It may be an unwanted hassle and expense to replace a defective memory module, monitor, or processor, but there is no replacing data once lost.
In addition to the possibility of a simple hard drive failure, the threat of internet borne worms and viruses has become an increasing risk to data loss or corruption. Although you may not be able to provide absolute protection to your hard drive, there are various ways that you can ensure that the data on your hard drive is protected. Five methods of backing up your data are summarized below.

1. USB Flash Drives

Although I am not recommending that flash drives be used for the actual data storage, they are a convenient means of transferring data from one computer to another. Important files can be quickly loaded onto a device such as the MINIDISK-512-DGRY-CS USB 2.0 Flash Drive, and transported to another computer for safe keeping. Installation and operation is extremely simple, and other than perhaps having to install a software driver, the use of a USB flash drive is a matter of having an available USB port on your computer. Just about every computer produced over the last several years has USB ports included, with more modern systems supporting the USB 2.0 standard. USB 2.0 allows for data transfer rates of up to 480 MB/s, which is a tremendous improvement over the original USB speed limit of 12 MB/s, and allows a user to fill their drives with data in a relatively short period of time.
Although the storage capacity of flash drives has increased greatly over the last year or so, users are still limited to common sizes of 512MB and 1GB. Mass storage is obviously not an option, but even 512MB may be enough to backup your "My Documents" folder, several albums of MP3s, or other important files to be stored elsewhere.

2. CD and DVD Writers/Re-Writers

The falling prices of CD and DVD writers/re-writers have made them a staple of just about every modern computer. These devices can typically be found installed in a computer case, but external devices supporting USB 2.0 or Firewire are available for greater flexibility and ease of installation.
A combination drive, such as theNU Technology DBW-521, will provide the user a high speed CD reader/writer, as well as a DVD reader, for under $40. The extremely low price of the drive (and the blank media) makes for an inexpensive means of creating data backups, and the re-writable media increases the convenience by allowing the same disc to be erased and reused many times. The main limitation of using a CD writer for data backups is that the discs are generally limited to a capacity of 700MB per disc. Not nearly enough for a full backup, but adequate for archiving key files.

The popularity of DVD writers/re-writers has surged thanks to dropping prices, and they are pushing the stand alone CD burner towards extinction. DVD media affords the user far more storage capacity than a CD, and DVD burners can generally burn CDs as wells as DVDs. The recent availability of double layer DVD burners, such as the Sony DW-D22A-DO-N, represents a large boost in the capacity of writable DVDs, taking the previous limit of 4.7GB per disc and nearly doubling it to 8.5GB.
With proper storage, CD/DVD media can provide long term storage that can not be jeopardized by hardware failure. The data on a CD or DVD can easily be read by just about any computer, making it a good choice for archiving files that aren't excessively large.

3. External Hard Drives

As the name might imply, external hard drives are generally the same type of drive you might find inside your system, but housed in a smaller, external enclosure of its own. The enclosure will feature at least one data interface (such as Firewire, USB, or Ethernet), and the capacity is only limited by the size of hard drives presently available and the user's budget.
The Ximeta NetDisk is an example of an external hard drive that provides a user the option of connecting an additional 80GB, 120GB, or 160GB of storage to their system by using either a USB 2.0 or Ethernet connection. Installation for such a device is rather simple, and may involve the installation of some basic software, as well as making the necessary connections between the computer and the external enclosure.

The capacity of external hard drives makes them ideal for backing up large volumes of data, and many of these devices simplify the process by including software (or hardware) features to automate the backup.
For example, some Seagate External drives feature a "one-button" backup option right on the case.In addition to being a convenient method of backing up large volumes of files locally, most external hard drives are compact enough to be portable. The inclusion of a common data transfer interface, such as USB, allows an external hard drive to be connected to just about any modern computer for data transfer, or for more than one computer to share the external hard drive as a back up.

4. Additional Hard Drives

By simply adding an additional hard drive to you system, you can protect yourself from data loss by copying it from your primary drive to your secondary drive. The installation of a second hard drive isn't difficult, but does require a basic understanding of the inner working of a computer, which may scare off some users. We do offer a "how-to" section on our site for many tasks such as installing a hard drive into a computer system.

To take the installation of a second hard drive to another level of security and reliability, the hard drives may be installed in a RAID array. RAID stands for a Redundant Array of Independent (or Inexpensive) Disks, and can be configured in several manners. A thorough discussion of RAID and all of its variations would be an article all by itself, but what may be of interest to this discussion is what is known as RAID 1. A RAID 1 array requires two hard drives of equal size to be installed on a RAID controller, which will then mirror one drive to the other in real time. Many motherboards now come with RAID controllers onboard, but the addition of a PCI slot controller card, such as the Silicon Image Sil0680, is an inexpensive purchase that will add RAID to any system. With a RAID 1 array in place, if one hard drive should ever fail, the system won't miss a best by continuing to run on the remaining good drive, and alert the user that one drive may need to be replaced.

5. Online Storage

Online services, such as Xdrive, allow users to upload their files to a server for safe keeping. Although it may be convenient to have the data available wherever an internet connection is available, there are a few limitations.
The services generally charge a monthly fee relative to the amount of storage space required. At Xdrive, for example, 5GB of storage costs $9.95 per month, which can quickly add up to more than one would spend on any of the other options discussed.
Security is supposed to be very tight on these services, but no matter how secure it may seem, it is still just a password keeping prying eyes from your potentially sensitive documents.
The speed of your internet connection will also weigh heavily on the convenience of your backup, and no matter what type of connection you have; it can't compete with local data transfer rates.

Final Words

Although not a comprehensive list of options available for backing up your data, the five items listed provide some simple and relatively affordable means to ensure that your data is not lost. Data loss is an extremely frustrating and potentially costly situation, but one that can be avoided.

by Jason Kohrs

Hard Drives: ATA versus SATA

2007-02-12T15:15:00.000+08:00

The performance of computer systems has been steadily increasing as faster processors, memory, and video cards are continuously being developed. The one key component that is often neglected when looking at improving the performance of a computer system is the hard drive. Hard drive manufacturers have been constantly evolving the basic hard drive used in modern computer systems for the last 25 years, and the last few years have seen some exciting developments from faster spindle speeds, larger caches, better reliability, and increased data transmission speeds.
The drive type used most in consumer grade computers is the hearty ATA type drive (commonly called an IDE drive). The ATA standard dates back to 1986 and is based on a 16-bit parallel interface has undergone many evolutions since its introduction to increase the speed and size of the drives that it can support. The latest standard is ATA-7 (first introduced in 2001 by the T13 Technical Committee (the group responsible for the ATA standard)) which supports data transfer rates up to 133MB/sec. This is expected to be the last update for the parallel ATA standard.

As long ago as 2000 it was seen that the parallel ATA standard was maxing out its limitations as to what it could handle. With data rates hitting the 133MB/sec mark on a parallel cable, you are inviting all sorts of problems because of signal timing, EMI (electromagnetic interference) and other data integrity issues; thus industry leaders got together and came up with a new standard known as Serial ATA (SATA). SATA has only been around a few years, but is destined to become “the standard” due to several benefits to be addressed in this Tech Tip.
The two technologies that we will be looking at are: ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) – a 16-bit parallel interface used for controlling computer drives. Introduced in 1986, it has undergone many evolutions in the last 18+ years, with the latest version being called ATA-7. Wherever an item is referred to as being an ATA device, it is commonly a Parallel ATA device. ATA devices are also commonly called IDE, EIDE, Ultra-ATA, Ultra-DMA, ATAPI, PATA, etc. (each of these acronyms actually do refer to very specific items, but are commonly interchanged) SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) – a 1-bit serial evolution of the Parallel ATA physical storage interface.

Basic Features & Connections

SATA drives are easy to distinguish from their ATA cousins by the different data and power connections found on the back of the drives. A side-by-side comparison of the two interfaces can be seen in this PDF from Maxtor, and the following covers many of the differences…

Standard ATA drives, such as this 200GB Western Digital model, have somewhat bulky, two inch wide ribbon cable with 40-pin data connections and receive the 5V necessary to power them from the familiar 4-pin connection. The basic data cables for these drives have looked the same for years. A change was made with the introduction of the ATA-5 standard to better improve the signal quality by making an 80 wire cable used on the 40-pin connector (these are commonly called 40-pin/80-wire cables). To improve airflow within the computer system some manufacturers resorted to literally folding over the ribbon cable and taping it into that position. Another recent physical change also came with the advent of rounded cables. The performance of the rounded cables is equal to that of the flat ribbon, but many prefer the improved system air flow afforded, ease of wire management, and cooler appearance that come with them.

SATA drives, such as this 120GB Western Digital model, have a half inch wide, 7 “blade and beam” data connection, which results in a much thinner and easier to manage data cable. These cables take the convenience of the ATA rounded cables to the next level by being even narrower, more flexible and capable of being longer without fear of data loss. SATA cables have a maximum length of 1 meter (39.37 inches), which is much greater than the recommended 18 inch cable for ATA drives. The reduced footprint of SATA data connections frees up space on motherboards, potentially allowing for more convenient layouts and room for more onboard features!
A 15-pin power connection delivers the 250mV of necessary power to SATA drives. 15-pins for a SATA device sounds like it would require a much larger power cable than a 4-pin ATA device, but in reality the two power connectors are just about the same height. For the time being, many SATA drives are also coming with a legacy 4-pin power connector for convenience.
Many modern motherboards, such as this Chaintech motherboard, come with SATA drive connections onboard (many also including the ATA connectors as well for legacy drive compatibility), and new power supplies, such as this Ultra X-Connect, generally feature a few of the necessary 15-pin power connections, making it easy to use these drives on new systems. Older systems can easily be upgraded to support SATA drives by use of adapters, such as this PCI slot SATA controller and this 4-pin to 15-pin SATA power adapter.
Optical drives are also becoming more readily available with SATA connections. Drives such as the Plextor PX-712SA take advantage of the new interface, although the performance will not be any greater than a comparable optical drive with an ATA connection.

Performance

In addition to being more convenient to install and drawing less power, SATA drives have performance benefits that really set them apart from ATA drives.
The most interesting performance feature of SATA is the maximum bandwidth possible. As we have noted, the evolution of ATA drives has seen the data transfer rate reach its maximum at 133 MB/second, where the current SATA standard provides data transfers of up to 150 MB/second. The overall performance increase of SATA over ATA can currently be expected to be up to 5% (according to Seagate), but improvements in SATA technology will surely improve on that.
The future of SATA holds great things for those wanting even more speed, as drives with 300 MB/second transfer rates (SATA II) will be readily available in 2005, and by 2008 speeds of up to 600 MB/second can be expected. Those speeds are incredible, and are hard to imagine at this point.
Another performance benefit found on SATA drives is their built-in hot-swap capabilities. SATA drives can be brought on and offline without shutting down the computer system, providing a serious benefit to those who can’t afford downtime, or who want to move drives in and out of operation quickly. The higher number of wires in the power connection is partially explained by this, as six of the fifteen wires are dedicated to allowing the hot-swap feature.

Price

Comparing ATA drives to SATA drives can be tricky given all of the variables, but in general it is the case that SATA drives will still cost just a bit more than a comparable ATA drive. The gap is closing rapidly though, and as SATA drives gain in popularity and availability a distinct shift in prices can be expected. Considering the benefits of SATA over ATA, the potential difference of a few dollars can easily be justified when considering an upgrade. Computer Geeks currently has a limited selection of SATA drives, but several technical sites, such as The Tech Zone and The Tech Lounge, offer real time price guides to see how comparable drives stack up.

Final Words

The current SATA standard provides significant benefits over ATA in terms of convenience, power consumption and, most importantly, performance. The main thing ATA has going for it right now is history, as it has been the standard for so long that it will not likely disappear any time soon. The future of SATA will be even more interesting as speed increases will help hard drive development keep pace with other key system components.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Kohrs

Sound Card Buyer's Guide

2007-02-12T15:12:00.000+08:00

Do You Need a Sound Card?

If you want to buy a sound card, you should ask yourself whether you really need one. The motherboards of today come equipped with great on-board sound. Some motherboards even have support for 5.1 surround sound and come with a range of audio optical ports. So if you plan on using your computer to listen to music, play games, or any other basic things to do with sound, you should definitely consider staying with on-board sound.

On the other hand, there are two good reasons why you would want to buy a sound card:

Producing: If you're producing music you'll need a high quality sound card for the very best sound quality. Your sound card will probably need some extra ports/connections that on-board sound doesn't provide.

Gaming: If you want the very best gaming experience possible, that means having the very best sound. So you'll want a sound card to do this. You can probably pick up a decent sound card for gaming at 100 bucks or less.

Surround Sound

An important factor in choosing your sound card is the sound standards that it supports. Most high-end sound cards support what is called EAX and 5.1 surround sound. This means you can hook up to 5 speakers to your sound card for a great 3D sound experience. Some cards even support the newer 7.1 surround sound.

Special Features

If you need some particular type of feature on your sound card, make sure you take this into account. Music producers will have the most needs, such as multi-channel support, MIDI support, good signal to noise ratio, and plenty of connectivity options if needed. Gamers won't need to be so picky with their sound card, surround sound is probably their largest concern.

Finally, if you're buying a high-end sound card, make sure your computer will be able to take advantage of it. There's no point having a great sound card if your CPU can't handle it. This is an important point to consider before going out and buying your sound card.

Check out Julien's website on how to Build Gaming Computers. It includes information on how to choose the best components for custom gaming computers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julien_David

Malaysia Online : Related Link
guide to buying hard drives
guide to buying laptop computer
guide to buying webcam

Bluetooth : Connect and Share on the Move

2007-02-12T12:03:00.000+08:00

In the last few years, mobile industry has gone through a dramatic change in terms of technology. The so called idiom “Necessity is the mother of invention,” fits well when it comes to mobile phones. Since its inception, the industry has achieved the top place in the technically advanced world. From voice centric phones to 3G – the journey is still going on. With time, consumers preferences are also changing and latest design and technologically advanced phones are in much demand in the mobile market. To cater the ever-growing needs of the consumers, mobile manufacturers are launching handsets that are feature packed with cutting-edge design and latest technology.

One of the latest advancement in the mobile phones is the introduction of Bluetooth wireless technology. Bluetooth is a technology, which is used for connecting and sharing data with other compatible devices including computers, Laptops, printers and other devices without using a wire. Bluetooth works on radio waves and data sharing can be done up to 10 meter of range.

Benefits of Bluetooth mobile phones:

In the present time almost all mobile phones are Bluetooth enabled. It is one of the best features that a consumer looks for while purchasing the handset. With a Bluetooth enabled phone, users can get the following benefits:

Data sharing between compatible devices can be done without using a wire.
Data sharing can be done anytime-anywhere as it does not require any data lead or CD drive while sharing.
With Bluetooth enabled handset, users can enjoy mobile internet on the move.
Wire-free headset that comes with mobile phones is used for safe driving.
In some handsets, Stereo Bluetooth headset is used for listening music.

Bluetooth has become a common feature of almost all mobile phones. Users can share all types of documents including music tracks, data files, images and video clips. Thanks to the technology and the mobile industry who have brought such a wonderful feature in the mini gadget.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Keith_Rickwood

Required Parts to Building a Gaming PC

2007-02-12T11:55:00.000+08:00

If you are new to building your own custom gaming computer, this article will introduce you to the main components that make up a gaming PC. These components will be the guts of your gaming machine, so you need to choose them carefully. Starting with perhaps the most important part of any computer system:

CPU / Processor

The Central Processing Unit (also known as the processor) is considered the brains of a computer. It does all the mathematical calculations that the software asks it to. Without a decent CPU in your gaming PC, your games won't run very fast.

Motherboard

If the CPU is the brains of a computer, then the motherboard is the heart. All other components connect to the motherboard one way or another, so it acts as the hub of all the components in your PC. If you lack a good motherboard in your system, your gaming PC won't perform well no matter how good your other components are.

RAM

The RAM (Random Access Memory) in a computer is the memory that running programs rely on. The more RAM you put in your gaming PC, the faster your programs and games will run.

Hard Drive

The hard drive is used to store all your programs and data. You need a hard drive big enough to fit all your stuff on it, without it clogging up due to lack of room.

Graphics Card

The graphics card (also known as video card) will be one of the most important parts of your gaming PC. It is the component responsible for drawing all the 3D graphics and special effects that you see in the games you play. You need to get a good graphics card to be able to play the latest games in all their glory.

Case and Power Supply

Pretty self explanatory, the computer case houses all your precious little components under one roof. The power supply provides power to your PC. These two components are essential for a working gaming PC.

Conclusion

We have covered the main workhorse components that you will need to build your gaming PC with. You should also consider other components such as a sound card, networking card, and CD/DVD Drive, amongst others, to complete your gaming PC.
If you want to learn more about building a gaming PC, check out Julien’s website on How to Build Gaming Computers. It includes information on how to choose the best components for custom gaming computers, and product reviews of the best gaming hardware.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julien_David

Safety Tips to Building a Computer

2007-02-12T11:52:00.000+08:00

There are some important precautions you should take into account when building a computer to ensure the safety of you and your computer parts. This article gives you some helpful tips on building your computer in the safest way possible.

Stay Safe With Electricity

Electricity is an important issue to consider with dangerous implications for those who ignore it. When building your computer, be 100% sure that the power supply is disconnected from the mains. Also make sure that all network cables and telephone lines are disconnected from the computer.
Another electricity safety tip is to only turn the power on to your computer when the case cover is on. Don't ever work on the inside of your computer with the power plugged in and turned on.

Be Aware of Static Electricity

Static electricity is a real hazard than can cause significant damage to your computer components. To prevent this from happening, follow these simple tips:
- Always wear an antistatic wrist band when building your computer.
- Keep sensitive components in the antistatic bags that they came with, and only remove them from the bag when you are ready to install that component.
- Try to handle your computer components by their edges only.
- Avoid building your computer in areas of high static such as carpeted areas. If you can, try to avoid wearing clothing such as those made of synthetics as they may create static.

Use the Right Tools for the Job

These days, building a computer doesn't require many tools at all. But if you're going to be using a tool, make sure you use the right one for the job. Some tools that you may need for assembly are:
- Phillips screwdriver
- Flat nose screwdriver
- Pliers
- Antistatic wrist band (highly recommended)
- Nut driver (optional)

Conclusion

After reading this article you should now be aware of the main safety issues you need to consider when building a computer. Follow this advice and you will greatly reduce the risk of damaging your computer, or yourself.
Check out Julien's website on How to Build Gaming Computers to learn all about building a custom gaming PC.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julien_David

Malaysia Online : Related Link
upgrade your pc with these computer parts
upgrading your computer easier done than thought

Most Efficient Way to Upgrade PC for Windows Vista

2007-02-12T11:49:00.000+08:00

You want to use the new Windows Vista operating system with all its 3D effects, animations and transparencies on your desktop PC? The aesthetically pleasing user interface called Windows Aero can be found in all Vista editions, except Home Basic, but you must first be sure your PC supports new Windows eye candies. It it doesn't, the most efficient way to upgrade your computer for Microsoft's new OS and its user interface is to upgrade your video card and a main system memory.

What Windows Vista and Its Graphics Interface Require?

Windows Vista editions featuring Aero desktop have high PC hardware requirements. You must have a processor with at least 1GHz speed, a 1GB of system memory, a 40 GB hard drive with a minimum of 15GB of available space and a 128MB video card supporting DirectX 9 graphics, WDDM Driver, Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel. You will also need a DVD-ROM drive, since Vista is sold on DVD. You can check if your system is Vista Aero-ready using Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor software, which is available for download at Microsoft's website.

Why Should I Focused on Video Card and Main Memory?

Your computer's Windows Aero capability will most likely depend on a graphics card and a main memory, since desktop processors slower than 1GHz and hard drives smaller than 40GB were nowhere to be found in stores in a last a couple of years. Assuming your PC isn't so old, the only possible bottlenecks could be video card, since the non-Vista graphics cards are still present on the market, and a memory, because the majority of home computers have less than 1GB.
Having Vista Aero in mind, remember that is more effective to pay for a new graphics card and an additional memory module, than paying the same amount for the new processor, a bigger and faster hard drive and a new motherboard. Contrary to video card and memory, the CPU, hard disc and mainboard do not have major impact on computer's graphics performance required by Aero.

How Much Money Do I Need for Upgrade?

You can find the Windows Vista Aero-ready graphics cards on the U.S. market starting at around $60. The 1GB memory modules are priced at around $100. If you already have 512MB and one free memory slot, you can just buy an additional 512MB module for a total of 1GB. The 512 memory costs approximately $50.

On What Else Should I Pay Attention?

If you plan to buy and install these hardware components by yourself, you should pay attention on graphics card's and memory's compatibility with your motherboard. For example, there are cards that fit in AGP slot and those for PCI Express slot. Also, there are different types of memory modules, such as DDR and DDR2.
This Windows Vista upgrade advice is given by GraphicsDeals.com staff. You can check the best NVIDIA and ATI video/graphics card prices at http://graphicsdeals.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danijel_Zivkovic

Games To Encourage Thinking Skills

2007-02-11T20:06:00.000+08:00

There is no doubt about it, using computer games is a great way to encourage children to expand their realm of thinking. Your options for entertaining your child may seem numbered. Many people allow their children to spend quite a bit of time in front of the television. But, what good does that do? If you want them to learn something while they are zoned out, you are completely lost. But, if you flip on the computer, download a great game, you may actually be able to encourage them to learn more and you will encourage good thinking skills as well.

Thinking is not something that everyone can do well. Now, we are referring here to the thought process that goes along with solving problems. For many children, this is something they struggle with. Mom or Dad always takes care of the problems. If something isn't right, just call mom or dad. Even on the television, that is full of real life and imaginary "problems" that need to be solved, there is no encouragement for children to come up with the solution. What happens then? They just sit and watch and let someone else handle the problem.

But, what happens when they are older or in a situation where they have to solve the problem at hand? Do they know how to analyze their thoughts, ideas, and to find the right solution? Many don't. But, if you would like your child to be the one who does know how to flip the switch on and solve the problem, consider allowing them to sit in front of the computer as opposed to the television.

Okay, so too much time in front of the computer isn't much better, but there are ways to you make what time you do allow them to sit at the computer to be good times. This is you simply need to maximize what they are doing. There are several good games out there that can be used to stimulate thinking in children. For many people, this is the perfect way to go to encourage children to learn how to solve problems without letting them in on it! Yes, because games are fun, the child will not fight you on playing them. Much unlike a lesson plan, this way seems to encourage children to come back to the game time and time again, therefore getting the experiences they need to learn a thing or two.

But, what are these games? What are the options that are out there for your child? There are many games, and although we will only talk about a few here, find ones that will work well with your child. What are his or her likes and dislikes? Sports? Television characters? Perhaps they enjoy space or under water adventures. Search out those games that will intrigue them as well as encourage them to think.

Some to consider include Big Thinkers Kindergarten and the series of Freddi Fish Adventures as well as many other games specifically for children. These are mainly for younger children, but you'll find many more for older children as well. In fact, consider giving your older kids more puzzle related games to help them along this course as well.

When you give your child the gift of being a problem solver, they will work through the situations that happen to them, big and small, without fear of not knowing how to handle them. They will be more likely to do well in the real world then. What's more is that you can feel good about all that time they spend in front of the tube (even though it's the computer not the television!)

Steve is a member of the GrandMatrix team. They provide a broad range of games, puzzles, articles and reviews. Read more articles, download and play the latest PC games for free plus enjoy thousands of user submitted puzzles, quizzes and word games at GrandMatrix Free Game Downloads

Guide to Buying a Laptop Computer

2007-02-11T19:57:00.000+08:00

With the many different brands and models on the market, buying a laptop or notebook computer may at first seem confusing. But simply breaking down the process into a few key areas and using Myshopping.com.au to search for the most suitable features and pricing makes it much easier to access exactly the machine you're looking for.

How important to you is mobility?

Mobility in laptop computers is a combination of size, weight and battery life: how often you carry it around, and if you will be relying mainly on the notebook's battery, or whether you will access an external power source. Laptops can weigh from a little over 1 kg up to 6kg, depending on the model and features included. The screen, storage space and disc drive all affect the weight.
Battery life is shortened by bigger screens and multiple disc drives. Manufacturers advertise the weight of the laptop in their specifications, but it is important to consider whether that specification includes batteries and other peripherals such as external drives that you may be lugging around. The most common battery type is Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), which can operate for one to three hours under normal working conditions. But many power saving options available and higher celled batteries can extend the discharge time considerably. Battery life deteriorates over time however, and as your laptop ages; the discharge rate of the battery will diminish. Sometimes it is worthwhile carrying an additional battery.

Application and cost

If mobility is of a lesser concern, then battery life and weight will be less important. You may be more inclined to have a bigger processor, screen size and memory capacity. The type of work you do can affect the screen size and type that is most suitable for you. For a lighter load, and less graphics intensive applications a 12-14in screen instead of 15 or 17in widescreen will be more suitable. If, on the other hand, the graphics capabilities and size of the screen are important then the best screen you can afford will be more of a priority. It may work out cheaper to buy a basic unit and add such things as an external TV card and DVD burner when the need arises.
How much you need to spend is closely related to how you use your laptop. If you only want to access your e-mail, browse the Web and do word processing, then you can consider lower budget machines with smaller processors, screens and facilities.
A medium-level user, perhaps playing games or working in multimedia applications, will need a powerful processor, graphics controller, storage space, and a bigger screen. The more features your laptop has, the more expensive it will be. Including a DVD-burner instead of DVD-ROM, hard drive capacity of more than 40GB, a 17in widescreen screen and wireless capabilities results in a more expensive machine.
If you are not looking for high power and graphics capabilities, then you may find a suitable laptop for around 1500. The latest processor, full blown graphics capability, DVD burner, widescreen and wireless connectivity may cost over 4000. Use Myshopping.com.au to search with different price ranges.

Other key components

Having determined by what you will do with it, and how mobile you need to be that you are definitely buying a laptop, you now need to get down to the nitty gritty and find the specifications that will meet your needs. So, what to look for? Essentially, you are considering differences between the following components: display, graphics controller, memory (RAM), hard disk, removable storage, networking options, peripheral connectivity, sound and battery.

Display and Graphics

Notebooks now all feature LCD screens (Liquid Crystal Displays) presenting crisp text and reduced eyestrain. These screens display sharper text than standard CRT monitors, but are less capable of displaying well-rendered graphics. If you will be using your notebook for graphics work, it may be worthwhile having a CRT monitor to connect to. Screen sizes for notebooks range from 12.1in to 17in (widescreen). A 15in display or 15.4in widescreen alternative is the most common in notebooks today. Widescreen is quickly becoming more common, partly to accommodate playback of DVDs and also because widescreen proportions make it is more durable.
On-screen graphics are affected by both the size and type of screen as well as the graphics card. It is reasonably safe to assume that larger displays offer higher on-screen resolution. Screen brightness (measured in nits) is another specification that can vary between makes and models. Brighter screens impact less on eyes and can be more easily read in bright conditions. Some manufacturers have a glossy, reflective coating over the display improving contrast and colours. But, because it increases the reflectivity of the screen, it can show you reflected in the screen. Surface scratches may also show up more readily. Not all LCD screens have the same viewable angle, with some screens not easily viewed from a side angle.
Graphics performance in laptops is still inferior to that of desktop machines. All graphic controllers easily render 2-D images and if you don't need more from your graphics, then an integrated graphics controller is ample. However, if you want to play the latest 3-D games at a decent resolution and frame rate or you're a CAD designer, then you'll need a discreet graphics controller with a dedicated DDR video memory.

Memory and Storage

In all computers RAM chips keep the CPU efficiently fed with data or instructions from programs on the hard drive. Notebook computers now commonly use DDR SDRAM (Double Date Rate SDRAM), the default standard, and DDR2 SDRAM which is a next-generation memory type offering considerable performance and power benefits over SDRAM. Either way, when it comes to RAM, more memory is better and you should consider 256MB as the absolute minimum. Upgrading memory can achieve better performance, and quite a number of vendors offer higher RAM configurations as a 'deal sweetener' at the time of purchase. Search through Myshopping.com.au for bundled extras such as more RAM.
The hard drive provides the long-term storage and is the centre of program control. There are two critical specifications of hard disks. One is disk speed, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Faster disks speeds provide quicker access for loading and saving and 'file swapping'. The other is storage capacity, and drives are now available for notebook computers with 120GB capacity. If you work with large file sizes, then you will probably want at least 40GB of hard drive space. You may also want to consider the type of removable storage such as a DVD writer, removable hard disks and media or 'flash' card systems that will suit your use best.

Networking and connectivity

Laptop computers now include 56Kbps modem (RJ-11) and 10/100 Ethernet (RJ-45) connections as standard features. Some feature an Infrared port and you can use it to connect your mobile phone. Other wireless technology for connecting mobile phones, printers and PDA devices includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing connection at certified public access points and home wireless networking. Most laptops use USB 2.0 or FireWire connection for connecting keyboard, mouse, printers, cameras and other peripherals. Nearly every new notebook will have around three USB 2.0 ports, and one FireWire port and a VGA-out port to connect an external monitor to.
Notebook computers have traditionally been able to expand their capability through simple plug-in PC Cards. Recently a new standard has emerged called ExpressCard, a smaller, faster and more portable plug-in card to provide such things as expanded video and sound capacity.
Choosing a laptop becomes much easier once you've decided on these basic requirements. You can search Myshopping.com.au to compare makes, models, prices, accessories and all the important specifications. You can also compare vendors and their prices and service.

Malaysia Online : Related Link
guide to buying hard drives
sound card buyers guide
guide to buying webcam

Guide to Buying a Webcam

2007-02-11T19:40:00.000+08:00

How web broadcasting works

Webcams are those handy little cameras that attach to your PC and send images to a web page that can be viewed by others. This enables you to share daily life events with friends and family in other parts of the country or the world, or to arrange a video-conference with colleagues and maintain long distance relationships of all kinds. Of course the number of ways to use this technology is limited only by your imagination.

Web Cameras

But before you buy a webcam, it pays to understand a little about how the technology of broadcasting images over the Internet works. Of course, if you\'re a full bottle on this already, you can skip this section and go straight to browsing the options on Myshopping.com.au where you can compare products and suppliers, their specifications and prices.
Webcams provide \'real time\' images of people; places and events that can be viewed \'live\' on a web page. The broadcasting end has a camera that captures the images, feeds them into a computer to an ISP and out to viewing pages across the Internet. There are two different types of broadcast: streaming images, where the images are a constant stream downloaded in video format; or Java, where the images are captured at fixed time intervals and refreshed on the web pages at a rate fixed by the broadcaster.

The Applications - What are you intending to broadcast, and to whom?

There is a wide range of uses of webcam technology. Some examples include personal \'Big Brother\' style diaries, sharing of family events, workplace security, video conferencing, virtual tourism, road traffic management, weather watching, event broadcast and a host of others.
Before you make a choice about any webcam equipment, it helps to decide exactly how you want to use the technology, in other words, what you are intending to broadcast. This decision will impact upon the type of camera you use, and how you use it.
A second consideration is, who will be viewing your content? What level of quality is expected? This will help determine the type of camera you use, the software involved and your Internet connection. Of course, your Internet connection may be a limitation on how much you can do.
The requirements for video conferencing are different from the requirements of workplace security, which are different again from the requirements of sharing a family event.

The physical components

There are a number of physical components required to make web cam technology work. At the top of the list is the camera itself. Then, depending on the type of camera you use and the way in which you want to deliver the content to the Internet, you may need to incorporate video capture hardware in your computer. Some software is required to help you process the data, and Internet connection is required and a web page into which the data is fed.

CAMERA CHOICES

Your choice of camera depends somewhat on what you are intending to show. If you need to reach a large public audience yo may want good quality camcorder or megapixel camera that captures high quality images. If it\'s just for seeing who\'s at your front door or keeping an eye on the kids in their playroom, then it may not need to present high quality images. If you are intending to use it outdoors, it will need to be weather proof and you may need to consider sun and UV protection. Available power supply and any robotic requirements for camera movement and focus are extra considerations.

Dedicated webcams

The most basic webcams connect to a PC using a simple USB connection. A wide range of cameras with accompanying software at a range of prices is available for this type of application. Simply search though Myshopping.com.au to compare prices and specifications. Dedicated webcams are simple to install and easy to use, but come with limitations that affect the quality of the images, such as low number of frames per second (refresh rates) and resolution (pixels per inch).

Camcorders and security cameras

Higher quality images and more camera control come from using camcorder and security cameras. To use these devices you will need to add a video capture card to your PC. Once you have that installed however, you can use a wide range of cameras from broadcast cameras to miniature spy cameras. You can include variable lens options, filters for daylight and low light situations, as well as robotic controls for panning and focus adjustments. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for camcorder selections.

Integrated cameras

An integrated camera combines the camera and the optical hardware with a video server, and as such requires no additional software. They can be used in network situations or as stand-alone devices for monitoring progress on a construction project for example.

Megapixel cameras

Network megapixel cameras combine network capability with high quality digital camera technology. These cameras offer excellent quality but this creates large files sizes, therefore they have limited application in constant streaming video. However for interval refreshed archive image collection, they are ideal, providing a constant record and high quality. You can search through Myshopping.com.au for digital camera selections.

SOFTWARE

If you are not using an integrated camera solution, you will need to install an encoding program like Webcaster or MediaCaster to transfer your images to a web page.
At the receiver end, when web surfers browse the internet and wish to view live video on the web for the first time, they will need to download dedicated applications that show the content such as an ActiveX control, Windows Media player, Flash player or the like.

INTERNET CONNECTION

Finally, you need an Internet connection. The hardware you will need may include a modem for dial-up connection, or modem/router for a broadband solution. Naturally the higher the quality you want, or the faster refresh rate you want, the more bandwidth you will need. ADSL (Broadband) is going to offer you the best solution, but keep in mind what your Internet connection when you are making choices of cameras and feeder software.
Webcam applications work well with wireless solutions. Make sure when you are purchasing a camera or network video solution that it is compatible with any wireless system you may be using in a LAN.

Key considerations

The specifications that are variable with webcam applications, and are affected by camera type, web interface and Internet connection, include the number of frames per second and the image resolution.
Frames-per-second is the number of times a still image flashes by in a second to give the appearance of moving pictures. In Australia, the standard television PAL format is at 25 frames per second. A webcam with up to 30 frames per second will show normal video images. But the more frames per second you demand, the more bandwidth, memory and processing power is required.
Resolution is measured the number of pixels per inch. High quality photographs require a high resolution. But the standard for web images is a low 72 dpi. Higher resolution images will not be of any better visual quality, just slower to upload and download.
Use Myshopping.com.au to compare different webcams, camcorders and digital cameras. You can compare the prices and specifications of the different products and brands, and a wide range of reputable vendors.

Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping site - http://www.myshopping.com.au , MyShopping.com.au helps you compare web cameras - http://www.myshopping.com.au/PT--53_Web_Cameras and buy online from top-rated online stores. You can also read webcams reviews - http://www.myshopping.com.au/PT--53_Web_Cameras and specifications.

Malaysia Online : Related Link
guide to buying hard drives
sound card buyers guide
guide to buying laptop computer