COMPUTERS

How BitTorrent Works (For those who love using Torrents)

2009-01-26T12:13:00.001+05:30

How BitTorrent Works

BitTorrent is a protocol that enables fast downloading of large files
using minimum Internet bandwidth. It costs nothing to use and includes
no spyware or pop-up advertising.

Unlike other download methods, BitTorrent maximizes transfer speed by
gathering pieces of the file you want and downloading these pieces
simultaneously from people who already have them. This process makes
popular and very large files, such as videos and television programs,
download much faster than is possible with other protocols.

In this article, we'll examine how BitTorrent works and how it is
different from other file-distribution methods. In addition, you'll
learn how to use BitTorrent and what the future might hold for this
innovative approach to serving files over the Internet.

BitTorrent Speak
Like most Internet phenomena, BitTorrent has its own jargon. Some of
the more common terms related to BitTorrent include:

* Leeches - People who download files but do not share files on
their own computer with others
* Seed or seeder - A computer with a complete copy of a BitTorrent
file (At least one seed computer is necessary for a BitTorrent
download to operate.)
* Swarm - A group of computers simultaneously sending (uploading)
or receiving (downloading) the same file
* .torrent - A pointer file that directs your computer to the file
you want to download
* Tracker - A server that manages the BitTorrent file-transfer process

Traditional Client-Server Downloading
To understand how BitTorrent works and why it is different from other
file-serving methods, let's examine what happens when you download a
file from a Web site. It works something like this:

* You open a Web page and click a link to download a file to your computer.
* The Web browser software on your computer (the client) tells the
server (a central computer that holds the Web page and the file you
want to download) to transfer a copy of the file to your computer.
* The transfer is handled by a protocol (a set of rules), such as
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) or HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol).

Client-server download process

The transfer speed is affected by a number of variables, including the
type of protocol, the amount of traffic on the server and the number
of other computers that are downloading the file. If the file is both
large and popular, the demands on the server are great, and the
download will be slow.

Peer-to-peer File Sharing
Peer-to-peer file sharing is different from traditional file
downloading. In peer-to-peer sharing, you use a software program
(rather than your Web browser) to locate computers that have the file
you want. Because these are ordinary computers like yours, as opposed
to servers, they are called peers. The process works like this:

* You run peer-to-peer file-sharing software (for example, a
Gnutella program) on your computer and send out a request for the file
you want to download.
* To locate the file, the software queries other computers that
are connected to the Internet and running the file-sharing software.
* When the software finds a computer that has the file you want on
its hard drive, the download begins.
* Others using the file-sharing software can obtain files they
want from your computer's hard drive.

Gnutella's peer-to-peer download process

The file-transfer load is distributed between the computers exchanging
files, but file searches and transfers from your computer to others
can cause bottlenecks. Some people download files and immediately
disconnect without allowing others to obtain files from their system,
which is called leeching. This limits the number of computers the
software can search for the requested file.

What BitTorrent Does
Unlike some other peer-to-peer downloading methods, BitTorrent is a
protocol that offloads some of the file tracking work to a central
server (called a tracker). Another difference is that it uses a
principal called tit-for-tat. This means that in order to receive
files, you have to give them. This solves the problem of leeching --
one of developer Bram Cohen's primary goals. With BitTorrent, the more
files you share with others, the faster your downloads are. Finally,
to make better use of available Internet bandwidth (the pipeline for
data transmission) , BitTorrent downloads different pieces of the file
you want simultaneously from multiple computers.

Here's how it works:

BitTorrent's peer-to-peer download process

* You open a Web page and click on a link for the file you want.
* BitTorrent client software communicates with a tracker to find
other computers running BitTorrent that have the complete file (seed
computers) and those with a portion of the file (peers that are
usually in the process of downloading the file).
* The tracker identifies the swarm, which is the connected
computers that have all of or a portion of the file and are in the
process of sending or receiving it.
* The tracker helps the client software trade pieces of the file
you want with other computers in the swarm. Your computer receives
multiple pieces of the file simultaneously.
* If you continue to run the BitTorrent client software after your
download is complete, others can receive .torrent files from your
computer; your future download rates improve because you are ranked
higher in the "tit-for-tat" system.

Downloading pieces of the file at the same time helps solve a common
problem with other peer-to-peer download methods: Peers upload at a
much slower rate than they download. By downloading multiple pieces at
the same time, the overall speed is greatly improved. The more
computers involved in the swarm, the faster the file transfer occurs
because there are more sources of each piece of the file. For this
reason, BitTorrent is especially useful for large, popular files.

Benifits of Anti-virus, anti-spyware and registry cleaning

2008-11-23T10:58:00.001+05:30

Benifits of Anti-virus, anti-spyware and registry cleaning

by Alexis Martin

Spyware is designed to intercept or take control over the interaction you have with your computer without your consent. Spyware collects personal information (in addition to your passwords and surfing patterns, good spyware can also get credit card and bank information), redirects your browser (I inadvertently downloaded spyware one time that would send me to the same advertisement no matter what web link I typed in or clicked on), and spyware can actually change your computer settings affecting how you connect and how fast you connect to the internet. Anti-spyware protects your computer from spyware. A good anti-spyware program will catch spyware before it infests your system and a great program will catch in and get rid of it once it's on your computer. It is important when deciding to use anti-virus software to make sure you are at a legitimate website before downloading.

Viruses (also called malware) are similar to spyware except they are not designed to find personal information. Viruses are designed for the purpose of destroying your computer. They do this by deleting and partially deleting files throughout your computer. Viruses are most easily spread through email and websites. However, viruses are also attached to .exe files. In order for the virus to work, it must be executed. These are just as damaging to your computer as spyware. Strong anti-virus software is a must if you are connected to the internet and even if you're not as viruses can piggy back in through burned software or floppy disks.

Registry cleaners are another thing you should be aware of if you're a computer user. The verdict is out on this one. Some experts suggest that because Registry Cleaner removes data that is no longer in use (these are designed for Windows OS) it frees up space and helps eliminate data that could be slowing your computer down and since manually cleaning out your computer register would take a ridiculous amount of time, these programs are beneficial. On the other side of the argument, experts argue that using a register cleaner makes a user more open to malware infection, and does not affect the speed, especially if there are multiple users with their own log ins. The jury is out on this one.

In short, your computer health is dependent upon your willingness to take care of it. Anti-virus and anti-spyware programs are essential. If you want a registry cleaner, research and find out if you should use one based on your computer usage.

About the Author

PC Repair Experts provides you services as Computer Repair, Virus Removal, Registry Cleaning, Spyware Removal, Data Recovery/Backup, PC Security... Your PC is too slow, crashing or infected by spyware? Our experts are always online to help you and repair your computer.http://www.pcrepairexperts.net

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ASP.NET Validation Controls. Are They Helpful or Not?

2008-11-23T10:49:00.001+05:30

ASP.NET Validation Controls. Are They Helpful or Not?

by Dave Bush

This is something I see on the message boards quite a bit. It usually starts with something like, "How can I _______ with the _______ validation control?" Or, if they are really looking for an explanation rather than an implementation, they'll ask how to do it with the validation controls instead of one specific control.

Eventually someone will be frustrated enough to say, "that's exactly why I never use validation controls..." Most recently, it was an MVP who seems to be everywhere. {But, an answer like this makes me question every answer he's likely to give on the forum.|But an answer like this makes me wonder about any answer he's likely to give on the forum.

Are some situations more difficult than others? Absolutely. Should this really cause us to discount them altogether? Well, let's do a cost benefit analysis:

Here are the advantages of using validation controls:

The ability to write minimum code using client side AND server side validation.

* Ability to assign a validation to a specific control

* Only particular validations will fire for specific areas of the screen by grouping validations and controls

* Gives us several consistent methods to report the validation error back to the user.

* It is unnecessary to learn JavaScript

* Provides a custom validation control for the rare case which conforms to how the other validation controls work so that all we have to do is write the validation but displaying the error message, firing the validation, etc is left to the framework.

* I might have to have several validations and several controls on the screen that do the very same thing for the reason that any specific control or validation can only belong to one validation group.

With these points, It seems as if using validation controls would be much faster.

What if we don't use validation controls?

I must spend my time writing validations by hand myself or using some other framework (one I probably wrote myself and therefore isn't tested as well)

* I have to write code to display the error on the computer screen.

* I must be consistent in how the error is displayed from one screen to another. Especially when you are working with several different developers, this could be particularly difficult.

* Each of the developers in my organization have to know asp.net AND javascript..

* I can choose however I want to code validations.

* My code re-use might be greater.

I am not really seeing the advantage here. Actually, In my own experience with ASP.NET applications since beta 1 of version 1.0, I've yet to see a situation where the validation controls wouldn't work or where anyone could debate that they wouldn't be the right answer. This is even more true now that we can group the controls and validations.

So, here's the challenge.

Find a situation you think will not work using the existing set of validation controls and post a comment with your specific situation.. Maybe someone can change my mind.

del.icio.us Tags: asp.net , validation controls

About the Author

Dave answers ASP.NET related questions at .NET Answers and runs a Web hosting company at My Win Hosting.

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3D modeling works

2008-11-23T10:24:00.000+05:30

3D modeling works

by Kefri Jaith

Tree dimensional image known as 3D modeling. 3D models are developed by software applications. And also 3D models are broadly used in 3d graphics. Geometric mesh of triangles or polygons is illustrated by 3Dmodels but it's under the control of 3D space. 3D modelers are used to develop the model through 3D mesh. Mesh use to alter their decision according to users. Models can be suggested in diversity of angles simultaneously. 3D modelers are interrelated to ray tracers.

Working in of 3D modeling

3D modeling contains different types:

3D studio max:

3ds Max is generally made on 3ds graphics application. 3ds max is created by Autodesk media and entertainment. 3ds max is the 9th version generation. Its can activate on window 32 and windows 64. 3ds max is frequently based on 3D animation programs. 3ds max contains strong and good capacity its movable plug-in architecture on the Microsoft window platform. It's frequently used on video games developers. 3ds max mostly used on movies.

Cheetah 3D:

Cheetah 3d is one of the types of computer graphics and 3D modeling. And also its takes place in animation and rendering. Cheetah 3ds is user friendly. Cheetah 3ds is mostly aim in part time artists. Cheetah 3ds is many used in professionals. Cheetah 3ds is have a various types of geometric primitives and also contains polygon meshes and Bezier curves. Animalizing, retraced shadows, depth of field, HDRI lighting, soft shadowing and photo-mapped is used in cheetah 3ds.

Cinema 4D:

Cinema 4D is based on commercial platform which is high-end in 3D graphics. It is able to procedural and polygon modeling, animating, lighting, texturing and rendering. Cinema 4D is an admired in 3d application among action graphics. Cinema 4D is a runtime programming and scripting language. It has four different packages released by MAXON; cinema 4D applications are XL bundle, the studio bundle that includes modules and production bundle which indicates a service contract. Linux version is available in cinema 4D.

Modo:

Modo is a type of polygon and it's an advanced polygon. Modo is one of the modeling packages are created by urology. The program features are edge weighting and program run on Mac OSX and Microsoft windows platforms.

Rhinoceros 3D:

Rhinoceros 3D is an individual. It's typically based on modeling tool. Rhinoceros 3D is from Autodesk's AutoCAD software. This software is mainly used for industrial design, architecture, Marine design, jewelry design, automotive design, CAD/CAM fast prototyping, reverse engineering and graphic design. Rhino 3D frequently used in scripting language called Rhino script and also it's commonly based on visual basic program.

Alias:

Animator and poweranimator is also simply called as "Alias" its use to established Maya and studiotools. Alias is an expensive, difficult, highly used industrial 3D modeling, animation and visual effects suite. Alias is commonly used on visual effects and animation industries.

Maya:

Maya is one of the most important and highlighted 3D computer graphics and 3D modeling software packages. Maya is developed by Alias. Autodesk have control of media and entertainment division. Autodesk formed in October 2005. Maya is frequently used in film and Television industry and computer video games also. Maya is most familiar in 3D software and refers from alias power animator.

Maya is derived from two parts, they are Maya complete and Maya unlimited. Maya unlimited is more expensive and related to 3D programs. Maya complete is less powerful package. Maya personal learning edition (PLE) is an available in Maya version. PLE is the water marked for all the Maya PLE images. The recent version of Maya is version 8.5 was outcome on January 2007. Version 6.5 is the latest supported IRIX according to the platform in recent years.

About the Author

For information please Contact us: info@autocaddraftingindia.com For more detail visit our site www.autocaddraftingindia.com

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Origin of Names of Great Companies

2008-11-21T11:00:00.001+05:30

Mercedes:
This was actually financier's daughter's name.

Adobe:
This came from the name of the river Adobe Creek that ran behind the
house of founder John Warnock.

Apple Computers:
It was the favourite fruit of founder Steve Jobbs.He was three month
slate for filing a name for the business, and he threatened to call
his company Apple Computers if the other colleagues didn't suggest a
better name by 5 o'clock.

CISCO:
It is not an acronym as popularly believed. Its short for San Francisco.

Compaq:
This name was formed by using COMp, for computer and PAQ to denote a
small integral object.

Corel:
The name was derived from the founder's name Dr. Michael Cowpland. It
stands for COwpland Research Laboratory.

Google:
The name started as a joke boasting about the amount of information
the search-engine would be able to search. It was originally named
'Googol',a word for the number represented by 1 followed by 100 zeros.
After founders - Stanford graduate students Sergey Brin and Larry Page
presented their project to an angel investor; they received a cheque
made out to 'Google'.

Hotmail:
Founder Jack Smith got the idea of accessing e-mail via the web from a
computer anywhere in the world. When Sabeer Bhatia came up with the
business plan for the mail service, he tried all kinds of names ending
in 'mail' and finally settled for hotmail as it included the
letters"html" - the programming language used to write web pages. It
was initially referred to as HoTMaiL with selective uppercasing.

Hewlett Packard :
Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whether the
company they founded would be called Hewlett-Packard or
Packard-Hewlett.

Intel:
Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore wanted to name their new company 'Moore
Noyce' but that was already trademarked by a hotel chain so they had
to settle for an acronym of INTegrated ELectronics.

Lotus (Notes) :
Mitch Kapor got the name for his company from 'The Lotus Position'
or'Padmasana' . Kapor used to be a teacher of transcendental
Meditation of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Microsoft:
Coined by Bill Gates to represent the company that was devoted to
MICROcomputer SOFTware. Originally christened Micro-Soft, the '-' was
removed later on.

Motorola:
Founder Paul Galvin came up with this name when his company started
manufacturin g radios for cars. The popular radio company at the time
was called Victrola.

ORACLE:
Larry Ellison and Bob Oats were working on a consulting project for
the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). The code name for the project
was called Oracle (the CIA saw this as the system to give answers to
all questions or something such). The project was designed to help use
the newly written SQL code by IBM. The project eventually was
terminated but Larry and Bob decided to finish what they started and
bring it to the world. They kept the name Oracle and created the RDBMS
engine. Later they kept the same name for the company.

Sony:
It originated from the Latin word 'sonus' meaning sound, and 'sonny'
as lang used by Americans to refer to a bright youngster.

SUN:
Founded by 4 Stanford University buddies, SUN is the acronym
forStanford University Network. Andreas Bechtolsheim built a
microcomputer; Vinod Khosla recruited him and Scott McNealy to
manufacture computers based on it, and Bill Joy to develop a
UNIX-based OS for the computer.

Apache:
It got its name because its founders got started by applying patches
to code written for NCSA's httpd daemon.. The result was 'A PAtCHy'
server --thus, the name Apache Jakarta (project from Apache):A project
constituted by SUN and Apache to create a web server handling servlets
and JSPs. Jakarta was name of the conference room at SUN where most of
the meetings between SUN and Apache took place.

Tomcat:
The servlet part of the Jakarta project. Tomcat was the code name for
the JSDK 2.1 project inside SUN.

C:
Dennis Ritchie improved on the B programming language and called it
'New B'.He later called it C. Earlier B was created by Ken Thompson as
a revision of the Bon programming language (named after his wife
Bonnie).

C++:
Bjarne Stroustrup called his new language 'C with Classes' and then
'newC'. Because of which the original C began to be called 'old C'
which was considered insulting to the C community. At this time Rick
Mascitti suggested the name C++ as a successor to C.

GNU:
A species of African antelope. Founder of the GNU project Richard
Stallman liked the name because of the humor associated with its
pronunciation and was also influenced by the children's song 'The Gnu
Song' which is a song sung by a gnu. Also it fitted into the recursive
acronym culture with 'GNU's Not Unix'.

Java:
Originally called Oak by creator James Gosling, from the tree that
stood outside his window, the programming team had to look for a
substitute as there was no other language with the same name. Java was
selected from a list of suggestions. It came from the name of the
coffee that the programmers drank.

LG:
Combination of two popular Korean brands Lucky and Goldstar.

Linux:
Linus Torvalds originally used the Minix OS on his system which here
placed by his OS. Hence the working name was Linux (Linus' Minix). He
thought the name to be too egotistical and planned to name it
Freax(free+ freak + x).His friend Ari Lemmke encouraged Linus to
upload it to a network so it could be easily downloaded. Ari gave
Linus a directory called linux on his FTP server, as he did not like
the name Freax.(Linus' parents named him after two-time Nobel Prize
winner Linus Pauling) .

Mozilla:
When Marc Andreesen, founder of Netscape, created a browser to replace
Mosaic (also developed by him), it was named Mozilla (Mosaic-Killer,
Godzilla) .The marketing guys didn't like the name however and it
wasre-christened Netscape Navigator.

Red Hat:
Company founder Marc Ewing was given the Cornell lacrosse team cap
(with red and white stripes) while at college by his grandfather. He
lost it and had to search for it desperately. The manual of the beta
version of Red Hat Linux had an appeal to readers to return his Red
Hat if found by anyone!

SAP:
"Systems, Applications, Products in Data Processing", formed by 4
ex-IBM employees who used to work in the 'Systems/Applicatio
ns/Projects' group of IBM.

SCO (UNIX):
From Santa Cruz Operation. The company's office was in Santa Cruz.

UNIX:
When Bell Labs pulled out of MULTICS (MULTiplexed Information and
Computing System), which was originally a joint Bell/GE/MIT project,
KenThompson and Dennis Ritchie of Bell Labs wrote a simpler version of
the OS.They needed the OS to run the game Space War which was compiled
underMULTICS. It was called UNICS - UNIplexed operating and Computing
System by Brian Kernighan. It was later shortened to UNIX.

Xerox:
The inventor, Chestor Carlson, named his product trying to say `dry'
(asit was dry copying, markedly different from the then prevailing wet
copying). The Greek root `xer' means dry.

Yahoo!:
The word was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in his book
'Gulliver's Travels' . It represents a person who is repulsive in
appearance and action and is barely human. Yahoo! founders Jerry Yang
and David Filo selected the name because they considered themselves
yahoos.

3M:
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company started off by mining the
material corundum used to make sandpaper.

High School Grants Available - Z Corp 3D Printers for CAD

2008-10-02T18:10:00.001+05:30

Volume 7, Issue 10
September 23, 2008

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Dear Education Professionals,

Welcome to the Education World Associate Program, an occasional announcement published as a free service by Education World^®.

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Latitude E6400: Dell’s longest battery life ever.

2008-09-24T17:40:00.001+05:30

Volume 7, Issue 9
September 18, 2008

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Dear Education Professionals,

Welcome to the Education World Associate Program, an occasional announcement published as a free service by Education World^®. You are receiving this message because you are subscribed to Education World's Associate Program distribution list, a list designed to make you aware of special offers and products for educators.

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All Nokia Codes

2008-09-11T19:52:00.001+05:30

All Nokia Codes
NOKIA
Nokia Universal Codes
Code Description :
These Nokia codes will work on most Nokia Mobile Phones

(1) *3370# Activate Enhanced Full Rate Codec (EFR) - Your phone uses
the best sound quality but talk time is

reduced my approx. 5%

(2) #3370# Deactivate Enhanced Full Rate Codec (EFR) OR *3370#

(3) *#4720# Activate Half Rate Codec - Your phone uses a lower quality
sound but you should gain approx 30%

more Talk Time.

(4) *#4720# Deactivate Half Rate Codec.

(5) *#0000# Displays your phones software version, 1st Line : Software
Version, 2nd Line : Software Release

Date, 3rd Line : Compression Type.

(6) *#9999# Phones software version if *#0000# does not work.

(7) *#06# For checking the International Mobile Equipment Identity
(IMEI Number).

( #pw+1234567890+ 1# Provider Lock Status. (use the "*" button to
obtain the "p,w"
and "+" symbols).

(9) #pw+1234567890+ 2# Network Lock Status. (use the "*" button to
obtain the "p,w"
and "+" symbols).

(10) #pw+1234567890+ 3# Country Lock Status. (use the "*" button to
obtain the "p,w"
and "+" symbols).

(11) #pw+1234567890+ 4# SIM Card Lock Status. (use the "*" button to
obtain the "p,w" Go to Top
and "+" symbols).

(12) *#147# (vodafone) this lets you know who called you last.

(13) *#1471# Last call (Only vodofone).

(14) *#21# Allows you to check the number that "All Calls" are diverted to

(15) *#2640# Displays security code in use.

(16) *#30# Lets you see the private number.

(17) *#43# Allows you to check the "Call Waiting" status of your phone.

(18) *#61# Allows you to check the number that "On No Reply" calls are
diverted to.

(19) *#62# Allows you to check the number that "Divert If Unreachable
(no service)" calls
are diverted to.

(20) *#67# Allows you to check the number that "On Busy Calls" are diverted to.

(21) *#67705646# Removes operator logo on 3310 & 3330.

(22) *#73# Reset phone timers and game scores.

(23) *#746025625# Displays the SIM Clock status, if your phone
supports this power saving feature "SIM Clock Stop

Allowed", it means you will get the best standby time possible.

(24) *#7760# Manufactures code.

(25) *#7780# Restore factory settings.

(26) *#8110# Software version for the nokia 8110.

Go to Top

(27) *#92702689# Displays - 1.Serial Number, 2.Date Made, 3.Purchase
Date, 4.Date of last repair (0000 for no

repairs), 5.Transfer User Data. To exit this mode you need to switch
your phone off then on again. ( Favourite )

(28) *#94870345123456789 # Deactivate the PWM-Mem.

(29) **21*number# Turn on "All Calls" diverting to the phone number entered.

(30) **61*number# Turn on "No Reply" diverting to the phone number entered.

(31) **67*number# Turn on "On Busy" diverting to the phone number entered.

(32) 12345 This is the default security code.

press and hold # Lets you switch between lines

NOKIA5110/5120/ 5130/5190

IMEI number: * # 0 6 #
Software version: * # 0 0 0 0 #
Simlock info: * # 9 2 7 0 2 6 8 9 #
Enhanced Full Rate: * 3 3 7 0 # [ # 3 3 7 0 # off]
Half Rate: * 4 7 2 0 #
Provider lock status: #pw+1234567890+ 1
Network lock status #pw+1234567890+ 2
Provider lock status: #pw+1234567890+ 3
SimCard lock status: #pw+1234567890+ 4
NOKIA 6110/6120/6130/ 6150/6190
IMEI number: * # 0 6 #
Software version: * # 0 0 0 0 #
Simlock info: * # 9 2 7 0 2 6 8 9 #
Enhanced Full Rate: * 3 3 7 0 # [ # 3 3 7 0 # off]
Half Rate: * 4 7 2 0 #

NOKIA3110

IMEI number: * # 0 6 #
Software version: * # 0 0 0 0 # or * # 9 9 9 9 # or * # 3 1 1 0 #
Simlock info: * # 9 2 7 0 2 6 8 9 #
NOKIA 3330
*#06#
This will show your warranty details *#92702689#
*3370#
Basically increases the quality of calling sound, but decreases battery length.
#3370#
Deactivates the above
*#0000#
Shows your software version
*#746025625# This shows if your phone will allow sim clock stoppage
*4370#
Half Rate Codec activation. It will automatically restart
#4370#
Half Rate Codec deactivation. It will automatically restart
Restore Factory Settings
To do this simply use this code *#7780#
Manufacturer Info
Date of Manufacturing *#3283#
*3001#12345# (TDMA phones only)

This will put your phone into programming mode, and you'll be
presented with the programming menu.
2) Select "NAM1"
3) Select "PSID/RSID"
4) Select "P/RSID 1"
Note: Any of the P/RSIDs will work
5) Select "System Type" and set it to Private
6) Select "PSID/RSID" and set it to 1
7) Select "Connected System ID"
Note: Enter your System ID for Cantel, which is 16401 or 16423. If you
don't know yours,
ask your local dealer for it.
Select "Alpha Tag"
9) Enter a new tag, then press OK
10) Select "Operator Code (SOC)" and set it to 2050
11) Select "Country Code" and set it to 302 for Canada, and 310 for the US.
12) Power down the phone and power it back on again
ISDN Code
To check the ISDN number on your Nokia use this code *#92772689#

Get images preloaded and ready to go with Dell ImageDirect. Learn how.

2008-09-11T19:40:00.001+05:30

Volume 7, Issue 8
September 10, 2008

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Dear Education Professionals,

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Identification Card Printers by Lisa Mason

2008-08-23T11:06:00.003+05:30

Identification Card Printers

by Lisa Mason

Many schools, businesses and other organizations use ID cards for security purposes so they can easily identify anyone who is on the premises. Card printers are a device that is used together with software to make and design ID cards. You will find there are many different printers available that offer you a variety of features. This makes it easy to find one that will take care of all your needs regardless of what they are.

You can choose an identification card printer according to your personal preference or based on your printing needs. This will partly depend on how many ID badges you expect to use and the type of cards you want to print. Once you begin your search for a printer to make your ID cards you will discover there are many options available at a variety of different prices. Many ID printers are multifunctional and can perform a number of different tasks which make them a very useful tool for any business.

Types of Card Printers

There are many different types of identification card printers available today in a variety of prices. With all the options available it can sometimes be a little difficult deciding which one would suit your needs the best. However, if you take a little time and consider which features you really need and which ones you don't this will help to narrow your search.

Questions to ask yourself include whether or not you will be printing the card on one or both sides, do you need a magnetic strip or would you like to have holograms on the ID badges for added security. Single-sided printers work great for simple jobs like student identification cards or employees that work in companies that don't need a lot of security. However, the double-sided printers are best for companies that need increased security.

You will also have a choice between paper and plastic cards so you will need to decide which one you will be using before you will know which printer to buy. Some types use ribbons and other designs don't so this is another decision that you will need to consider. Once you begin looking at all the different options available you will be able to decide which style would suit your needs the best.

Things to Consider

Of course, the price of the printer is always a factor so consider your budget when choosing your card printer. Technology has made it possible to create some pretty amazing ID card printers that can do just about anything you can imagine. Therefore, if you are not familiar with all the options available you should take some time to check them out. You may even find some features that you would love to have but didn't know were available.

Top name businesses make printers for ID cards such as Evolis, Fargo, Datacard, Nisca and Zebra. These companies are dedicated to producing great quality products so you know you are getting the best when you purchase one of their printers. More schools, colleges and companies are purchasing card printers and accessories so they can have the convenience of making their own identification cards for their students and employees. Don't be left behind, look for yours today.

About the Author

Check out ID Superstore for low prices on an id printer. They also carry many other quality identification supplies, such as all types of photo id card.

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ID Supplies: How They Can Improve Your Business by Lisa Mason

2008-08-23T11:06:00.001+05:30

ID Supplies: How They Can Improve Your Business

by Lisa Mason

When you see someone wearing an ID badge you may not think too much about it anymore. They seem to be just about everywhere you go. These badges are worn for security reasons so that anyone wearing them can be easily identified. They are used in large corporations, small businesses and schools so employees and students can be recognized quickly. They seem like a simple invention but did you know that a lot of work can go into making an ID badge. This is why many companies and organizations have begun making their own badges.

There are several benefits to making your own badges such as saving money. It can be less expensive to make your own identification cards than it would be to hire another company to make them for you. However, if you want to make your own ID cards, then you will need to stock up on ID supplies.

What You Need

The first and most basic thing that you will need to decide on will be the type of cards you want to use. The options are plenty and range from paper to plastic depending on your preference. You will find a large variety of sizes available as well. However, the type of cards you choose will influence your next decision, which will be the type of ID printer and software to choose for designing and printing your cards. You will need to buy supplies that are compatible with each other.

There are many different printers available so expect to spend some time reviewing them before you decide on the one that is best suited for your needs. Look carefully at the features each one has and consider what your needs may be in the future. If your business is expanding fast, then you may want to purchase supplies that will accommodate your growing needs. After these main decisions are made you will be ready to print your own identification cards so you can distribute them to your employees.

Added Benefits

Other benefits that you can receive from buying ID supplies is having the ability to make ID cards anytime you have a need for them without the wait you will encounter when you order from another company. Therefore, you will find that using these supplies to make your own badges will be more convenient.

Your company will have a more professional look and feel to it which can make quite an impression with your customers. Another benefit is being able to invent your own design. Here is the perfect opportunity to be creative and come up with logos that clients will remember.

Some companies feel that using these supplies to make their own badges increases security because everything is being done within their own business. Whatever reason you have for making your own cards, you will find a variety of ID supplies available at reasonable prices that will make this task fast, easy and fun. Check out all of your options today so your company can begin enjoying these benefits.

About the Author

Check out ID Superstore for low prices on an id card printer. They also carry many other quality identification supplies, such as all types of card printer ribbon.

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How to Choose ID Card Printers by Jack Mathew

2008-08-23T11:05:00.002+05:30

How to Choose ID Card Printers

by Jack Mathew

ID card printers are quite easy to use just as other printers available in the market. Most of the ID card printers work on a different principle from laser and inkjet printers and therefore it becomes necessary to gain knowledge on their technology to develop better understanding. An ID card printer performs multiple functions at one point of time. In addition to its core objective of printing ID cards, it encodes the magnetic stripe, smart card as well as proximity card. All these features enhance its usability. These printers come with preinstalled software that very well manages the printed as well as encoded data.

There are varied kinds of card printers in the market; each having its own set of features and benefits. Exercising choice from among them undeniably becomes challenging. Before choosing the best card printer for you, first decide what features and capabilities you want your printer to have. You need to take into consideration both physical as well as technological aspects of the printer. As a general rule, heavy ID card printers having large footprint are believed to have greater abilities and more durability. Light printers, on the other hand, are considered to be better when the usage is not much.

While choosing the right ID card printer, you need to consider the following aspects:

Do you need a single sided card or a double sided card?

You need to decide whether you want your printer to print images or information on one side or both sides of the card. Single sided card printer is good for simple uses. It is best for printing student ID cards and employee ID cards. Double sided card printer on the contrary is more suitable for large organizations, where there is need for greater security.

Do you require the feature of encoding smart cards, proximity cards and magnetic stripes?

Card printers offering this feature are useful for banks, schools, hospitals and Government offices. Printers capable of encoding smart cards and proximity cards are based on radio frequency technology that leads to greater efficiency, more ease of use and lastly higher security.

Do you have the requirement for security features such as holograms?

There are ID card printers that offer specific features like hologram in addition to basic encoding. This feature reduces the overall risk of loss caused due to altering or forging of the printed images.

Do you need monochromatic images or multi colored images?

While choosing the ID card printer, you also need to decide whether you want monochromatic (single color) images on your card or multi colored images. If you feel the need to have this security feature, it is recommended to opt for customized holograph that is only available with you and not meant to be bought by others.

Once you are in a position to answer all these questions, you will be better able to decide as to which is the best ID card printer for you. When you have all the components you want to have in your printer, you can get the photo ID card of your desired quality.

About the Author

Check out ID Superstore for low prices on plastic card printers. They also carry many other quality identification supplies, such as custom lanyards.

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An Overview of ID Card Software: Its Purpose and Types by Jack Mathew

2008-08-23T11:05:00.001+05:30

An Overview of ID Card Software: Its Purpose and Types

by Jack Mathew

ID card software, as the name suggests, is used for making identification cards and badges. This software is widely used in schools and other establishments for creating ID cards. In addition to it, it is also used for making barcodes, company logos and magnetic stripes.

Types of ID Card Software

There are basically two kinds of ID card software to exercise choice from. One is standard ID card creation software and the other is visitor ID card creation software.

a. Standard ID Card Creation Software

This software is used for making customized ID cards for employees, students and club members. It offers several fields for encoding vital information such as name, address, telephone number, designation and other relevant details.

b. Visitor ID Card Creation Software

Visitor ID card creation software is meant for the incoming visitors. The basic idea behind creating visitor cards is to keep track of the visitors and guests. Visitor ID cards are generic cards and are common for all visitors.

Before making the final selection of ID card software, make sure that your computer meets the basic requirements of software in terms of memory space, hard disk drive space, processor speed and operating system.

It is recommended to download the free version of software to test its unique features. If you are satisfied with the ID card software, you can buy it. Demo versions can be easily downloaded from the internet. These trial versions allow you to access a couple of features and this give a good idea regarding the performance of software. There are numerous websites that allow you to download free versions. These versions are usually available for 30 days and within this time frame, you can easily gauge if the software is useful for you or not and also if it is worth buying or not.

Selection of ID card software depends largely on the quality of photo ID card you want. Budget is also one of the main deciding factors. Software companies are coming up with more and more advanced features, thereby giving an average buyer plenty of options to choose from. Software based on latest technology is expensive but gives wonderful results. Options are many but the ultimate choice is yours.

Big corporate houses go for highly sophisticated software that print excellent quality ID cards. For them, printing ID cards and badges is also a matter of prestige. So, you need to decide as to how important quality is for you and how much money you are ready to set aside for buying the software. For example, visiting cards are meant for general visitors, so there is no need to print very high quality ID cards. Reasonably good quality ID cards can suffice the purpose. But, it is entirely up to you to decide the quality of photo ID cards. The best option is to opt for customized software that can largely meet the personal requirements of your company.

About the Author

Check out ID Superstore for low prices on card printing software. Also shop for low priced id printing.

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Card Printer Maintenance: What You Should Know: by Lisa Mason

2008-08-18T21:41:00.000+05:30

Card Printer Maintenance: What You Should Know

by Lisa Mason

Purchasing a card printer will make a big difference in how efficient your office or business runs. Having a printer gives you the freedom to design your own cards the way you want them to look. It also allows you to make your own ID cards whenever they are needed so you don't have to wait for them to be ordered from another company.

There are many benefits to having your own identification card printer but if you want to get the most from your unit and extend its life, then proper card printer maintenance is necessary. It doesn't take a great deal of effort or time to keep your equipment running correctly when you know what to do.

Cleaning Your Machine

When it comes to identification card printer maintenance, cleaning is at the top of the list. Keeping your machine clean is the main thing that will extend its life and keep it in good working condition. Fortunately, there are many great products available for you to use that will make cleaning your ID card printer fast and easy.

A few of these cleaning products include: alcohol cleaning cards, alcohol cleaning pens and adhesive cleaning rollers. You can find these products designed especially for the specific unit that you have. Each company has provided the tools needed to keep the maintenance up on your equipment. So you can continue to enjoy the great service your machine provides for years to come.

The office can be a very busy place. This makes it hard to keep up with something as simple as cleaning a machine, no matter how important that task may be. Therefore, a cleaning schedule should be set up on a regular basis. One way to make sure this duty is not overlooked is by having a chart available with the cleaning schedule for the printer. Each time it is cleaned the date can be checked off and initialed by the person performing the cleaning. This is the best way to ensure proper maintenance for your badge printer.

Why Is Cleaning So Important?

By cleaning your card printer often you will keep the printhead and other vital parts of the unit in good working order. It will also ensure that each card that you print looks crisp and professional.

You can open up your card printer so you can reach the moving parts inside that need to be cleaned. Each identification printer will come with instructions on what you need to do to be sure it continues to give you great service for a long time to come. It is suggested that you read and follow these instructions for the best results.

With all the cleaning products available it's easy to keep your card printer maintenance up-to-date so you can keep your machine in perfect working condition. This way it will be ready anytime you need it. The better care you take of your equipment, the longer it will last and the better service you will receive from the unit. Take the extra time to clean your card printer on a regular schedule and you will notice and enjoy the difference it makes.

About the Author

Check out ID Superstore for low prices on id card printing. They also carry many other quality identification supplies, such as card printers ribbon.

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Choosing Card Printer Ribbons: by Lisa Mason

2008-08-18T21:28:00.000+05:30

Choosing Card Printer Ribbons

by Lisa Mason

Many companies and organizations are learning the benefits of having their own ID printer so they can design and make their own ID cards. This is convenient and efficient making it possible for you to issue or replace any ID card when they are needed without delay. There are many different printers sold on the market today with a variety of special features. Some of these printers use ribbons to print the information needed onto the ID card. These ribbons will need to be replaced from time to time.

Card printer ribbons are one of the main features of the ID card printer. Without this ribbon the device would not function properly. The ribbon also helps to protect the head of the printer which reduces any unnecessary damage from occurring. This ultimately helps to extend the life of your printer by reducing the need to repair or replace parts as often. When it comes to buying ribbons for card printers you will find that there are a number of brand names available such as the ones listed below.

Brand Name Ribbons

Some of the biggest manufactures around produce ribbons for card printers such as Magicard, Evolis, Fargo, Datacard, Sony, Zebra, Nisca and Polaroid. It is important to know that many of the ribbons are designed to function with other brands of printers so this gives you many options when it comes to choosing the type of ribbons to use.

However, it is recommended that you purchase ribbons designed by the same company especially for the printer you have to prevent voiding any warranties. If you do need to buy a different brand you should make sure the ribbon is compatible with your card printer before purchasing it.

Card Printer Ribbon Designs

The ribbons designed for card printers come in three types which are wax, wax-resin and resin. The least expensive and most commonly used are the wax ribbons. The quality these produce are a little less than what you will receive from the resin and the quality of the wax-resin falls somewhere in-between. The type of printer and your individual needs will determine which type would best suit your needs.

You also have black and color ribbons to choose from depending on if you need plain print or color logos and so forth on your ID cards. So as you can see choosing the right ribbon will mainly depend on your personal needs. If you have a card printer that is capable of printing barcodes, then you will need to purchase barcode ribbons as well.

You will find that all ribbons are specifically designed for each type of printer. It is imperative that you buy the one designed for your particular printer to ensure it fits properly or you could risk damaging your printer. It is always a good idea to purchase an extra card printer ribbon just to have on hand. This way you will never have to worry about being caught off-guard and need a replacement in the middle of printing ID's.

About the Author

Visit ID Superstore for all your card printer ribbon, including Zebra card printer ribbon.

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Difference between Virus-Worms-Trojan Horses and Spy Ware: by Jignesh Padhiyar

2008-08-18T21:23:00.000+05:30

Difference between Virus-Worms-Trojan Horses and Spy Ware

by Jignesh Padhiyar

Difference between Virus-Worms-Trojan Horses and Spy Ware

The most of peoples make blunder when the topic of a computer virus arises is to refer to a worm or Trojan horse as a virus. While the words Trojan, worm and virus are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Viruses, worms and Trojan Horses are all malicious programs that can cause damage to your computer, but there are differences among the three, and knowing those differences can help you to better protect your computer from their often damaging effects.

Computer virus

(1) Attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Much like human viruses

(2) Computer viruses can range in severity: Some viruses cause only mildly annoying effects while others can damage your hardware, software or files.

(3) Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on your computer but it cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program. It is important to note that a virus cannot be spread without a human action, (such as running an infected program) to keep it going.

(4) People continue the spread of a computer virus, mostly unknowingly, by sharing infecting files or sending e-mails with viruses as attachments in the e-mail.

Worm

(1) A worm is similar to a virus by its design, and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus. Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the capability to travel without any help from a person. A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your system, which allows it to travel unaided.

(2) The biggest danger with a worm is its capability to replicate itself on your system, so rather than your computer sending out a single worm, it could send out hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect. One example would be for a worm to send a copy of itself to everyone listed in your e-mail address book. Then, the worm replicates and sends itself out to everyone listed in each of the receiver's address book, and the manifest continues on down the line.

(3) Due to the copying nature of a worm and its capability to travel across networks the end result in most cases is that the worm consumes too much system memory (or network bandwidth), causing Web servers, network servers and individual computers to stop responding. In more recent worm attacks such as the much-talked-about Blaster Worm the worm has been designed to tunnel into your system and allow malicious users to control your computer remotely.

Trojan Horse

(1) Trojan Horse is full of as much trickery as the mythological Trojan Horse it was named after. The Trojan Horse, at first glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer.

(2) Those on the receiving end of a Trojan Horse are usually tricked into opening them because they appear to be receiving legitimate software or files from a legitimate source. When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system.

(3) Trojans are also known to create a backdoor on your computer that gives malicious users access to your system, possibly allowing confidential or personal information to be compromised. Unlike viruses and worms, Trojans do not reproduce by infecting other files nor do they self-replicate.

Spyware-Adware

(1) Spyware and Adware collect information about you without appropriate notice and consent.

(2) Spyware can get installed on your computer in a number of ways. One way is via a virus. Another way is for it to be secretly downloaded and installed with other software you've chosen to install. You and I both know how easy it is to skip reading all the documentation on a free program and just click "OK." That's often how they get you.

About the Author

Spec India is Software Development Company Based in India that offers Oracle Application Development, Java Application Development, Inventory Management System, Onsite Software Development, Handheld Computer System Development and Mobile Framework Application

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Encrypted USB Hard Drives : What, Why and How?: by Pamela Lund

2008-08-18T21:21:00.001+05:30

Encrypted USB Hard Drives : What, Why and How?

by Pamela Lund

In today's society, it seems that anywhere that you go there is usually some form of computer accessibility nearby. For the active business person or college student, having the ability to use these devices to access your personal information anywhere that you may find yourself is an important factor to success. A USB hard drive with encryption may be the perfect device that will permit you to have all your data in the palm of your hand.

USB hard drives with encryption go by a number of different names, such as flash drives or thumb drives. These devices can fit onto your key ring and can contain a huge amount of storage. There are also memory storage cards that can also be used for this purpose.

One advantage that these USB hard drives with encryption have over other storage devices such as floppy discs or CDs is the ability to connect into a USB port, which allows them to be used with any computer system. While many computers may be purchased that contain no floppy disk drives, all systems have USB port availability. These USB hard drives with encryption also have much more storage and are more compact and durable than these other memory storage devices.

The USB hard drives with encryption are not exactly "drives," as they contain no movable parts but are called such because when plugged into a computer, the operating system recognizes them as "drives." One advantage of this design is the fact that they are much more durable and there is less of a chance of a mechanical malfunction when dealing with stationery parts.

Most of these USB hard drives with encryption use a standard type-A USB connection that can be plugged into any USB port on a computer system. The device contains a small circuit board that is encased in durable metal or plastic and the connectors are either protected by a plastic removable cover or retract into the casing itself. The computer system provides the power source for the USB hard drives with encryption.

The most common use for these USB hard drives with encryption is to transport and store personal information. This flexibility will allow you to bring work home from the office or transport documents to the library where you may need to finish your research. One extremely beneficial use of these devices is in the care of the elderly, when medical records can be stored on a flash drive that will allow any hospital to access a person's medical history in the case of an emergency if the patient is unable to provide the information himself.

USB hard drives with encryption can also be used as a backup to store computer files in case the host device experiences a virus or other type of mechanical failure. Antivirus software can also be transferred from a flash drive into an infected host as well as storing a large amount of the host's data while that system is shut down, making it an invaluable tool in making essential computer repairs.

As USB hard drives with encryption are easily lost or misplaced, many brands of these devices have the encryption placed directly into the hard drive itself to protect your data. Encryption software is also compatible with the majority of these USB hard drive devices. This security is an essential element to protect the data that you may be storing on one of these handy devices.

About the Author

For more information on encrypted USB flash drives visit EncryptedUSB.net.

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Encrypted USB Hard Drives : What, Why and How?: by Pamela Lund

2008-08-18T21:21:00.000+05:30

Everything You Need to Print Your Own Plastic Cards

2008-08-18T21:19:00.000+05:30

Everything You Need to Print Your Own Plastic Cards

by Lisa Mason

Are you planning to print your own plastic cards or ID cards? There are many different scenarios in which you may need to print your own cards. Maybe you need the cards for school or for a small business you own. Have you been paying another company to print your ID cards for you? If so, then you probably already know how expensive this process can be. It's also challenging to get the cards printed exactly how you want them. It can be a frustrating process if the cards turn out to be wrong or with even a small mistake. Even if you get the mistakes corrected free of cost, you will have to wait all over again to have them reprinted and mailed out.

If you learn to print your own plastic cards, you can take a great deal of this stress and pressure out of the process. When you print them yourself, you can have direct control over your cards, what they look like, their size and more. If you print one and it doesn't come out right, you can go immediately back to your machine and just try again.

Card Printer Hardware

Printing ID cards with your own card printer doesn't have to be difficult. It connects to your computer just like your paper printer and will print out the same way except instead of printing on paper, it prints your image on plastic cards.

If you're going to print your own plastic cards, there are certain pieces of hardware you're going to need to do the job correctly. Here is an overview:

Ribbons

Just like your paper printer needs ink ribbons or ink cartridges, so will your card printer. Card printer ribbons are made specifically for printing on cards and will get the job done right so that you can have professional quality cards, printed right in your own home or office.

Laminates

Laminating is very important to protect the card, especially with ID cards or badges that get used on a daily basis. There are different ways of achieving lamination but one of the easiest is purchasing laminates which fit over the cards like sleeves and will protect them and make them last longer.

Cleaning Kits

Proper maintenance is very important to keep your card printer working properly and for a long time. To get the most from your machine, you will want to purchase cleaning kits to keep it operating at top performance.

PVC Cards

You can purchase PVC cards for printing on. There are many different styles, colors and qualities to choose from, but you have freedom in finding the perfect ones for your needs.

These are just a few of the main pieces of card printer hardware you will need for printing your own perfect cards. However, this is not an exhaustive list and there are many other products that can make your job even easier or help you add other touches and details to your printed cards. This includes things such as holograms and more.

Benefits to Printing Your Own Plastic Cards

If you aren't already convinced that printing your own cards is the way to go, it's time to consider the cost benefits. Who doesn't like to save money? So why spend more money that you have to? It just doesn't make sense. Common sense tells you that if there is a cheaper, better way, you should act on it.

If you're printing membership cards, ID cards or other plastic cards, printing them yourself can be faster, less expensive and easier once you learn how. Here are some of the benefits to doing it yourself:

-The cost per card is less expensive

-No penalties if you only need a small number of cards at a time

-You can change designs any time you want to

-You don't have to wait 2-6 weeks for your printed cards to arrive

-You have quality control and can quickly fix any mistakes to your cards

-You have complete control over the printing process and are not limited by a company's policies

As you can see, the benefits clearly outweigh the cons in a case like this.

Let's take a look at the numbers:

Full color printing through a company can cost you $0.75 - $2.00

per card and single color printing through a card printing company can cost the same. However, if you print yourself, you're looking at $0.35 - $0.38 per card for full color printing and $0.07 - $0.08 per card for single color printing. That's a whopping cost difference!

This is just the per-card cost savings. We haven't even mentioned what you will save on shipping as well as the fact that you can print as much or as little as you want without any penalties. With many commercial card printing companies, you must have a minimum order (often in the thousands) or you will be charged an additional service fee. What about the person who doesn't need thousands of cards printed at once?

But as we mentioned, it's not all about the money. You have the benefit of complete control over your card quality, printing time and any necessary changes.

For the Small Scale Printer

If you tend to need only a small number of cards printed at once then it's simply not cost effective for you to outsource your printing needs. If you are a small business who needs to print plastic cards for your employees, you won't benefit from outsourcing your card printing needs either.

When you print the cards yourself with your own plastic card printer, it may take past the first couple of prints to really start to see a good return on investment, but once you do, it will be well worth it. In the long run, you can benefit financially from your own card printer and you can feel satisfied with the professional quality of each card printed.

About the Author

Check out ID Superstore for low prices on plastic card printing. They also carry many other quality identification supplies, such as card printers ribbons.

Get Free Articles for your web site, newsletter, or ezine at the Free Article Headquarters.

how to kill firefox in windows and linux

2008-08-16T09:48:00.002+05:30

there are many ways but the ones i follow are:

window: go to task manager and look up for all firefox.exe and say end process.

linux: pkill firefox

Benefits of ID Card Software: by Lisa Mason

2008-08-12T08:39:00.001+05:30

Benefits of ID Card Software

by Lisa Mason

ID card software is designed to help you create your own personalized ID cards. This type of software makes it possible for anyone to design and create your own identification cards for any business whether it is large or small. Not only does it make this task easy but it can be lots of fun as well. Using ID software gives you the opportunity to be creative and professional when making badges for your company.

This type of software is perfect for all businesses because it gives you the ability to design your own ID cards whenever you have a need for them. This saves you the expense of hiring a company to make your cards for you and you have more options when it comes to designs because you can create your own. Software for designing ID cards come with many features that will help you make secure professional cards in no time at all.

Software Features

This type of software offers the user the ability to create very extensive designs such as logos for your company. It offers centralized management which means that your company has complete control over the ID cards being printed and all the information involved in the making of the cards. This type of software has the ability to connect with your company's existing personnel database which helps to make creating cards for your employees even easier. Dependable companies such as Asure ID, Card Five and Datacard manufacturer this type of software so you know it is reliable.

ID card software makes it possible for you to print barcodes on your ID cards and to create the ones that contain magnetic strips for added security. It can print good quality or excellent quality photos depending on how sophisticated the software is. Any quality can be achieved as long as you buy the software that has the features you require.

ID Software Components

ID card software has two main components which are the design components and the database component. The design component is what you will use to create the design of the ID card that you want to use. This is used to determine where you want the persons photograph, their name and any other information that you want on the card. You may want to include your company's name, logo and other information as well in your design. Whatever you want to be put on the ID card can be achieved through this component.

The database component is the part of the software where all of this information will be stored for future use. ID card software is available in different degrees of sophistication meaning that you can buy software as simple or as complicated as you like, depending on your company's needs. Therefore, before you purchase this software it is recommended that you take a good look at your options and compare them to your needs.

This will help you decide which one offers you the most for your money before you buy. You should also consider the future needs of your company as well. If your business is steadily growing, then you will want to choose software that will not soon be outdated.

About the Author

Check out ID Superstore for low prices on id printing software. Also shop for quality id supplies, including Zebra printer ribbon.

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NERO - NEWS

2008-07-26T08:50:00.000+05:30

*****************************************************************

NERO - NEWS

BECAUSE TECHNOLOGY COUNTS
*****************************************************************

July 2008

Hello,

Welcome to the July edition of the Nero News! We have great news
about a new feature within the My Nero community: the Nero User
Forum lets you exchange information and tips about Nero products
directly with other Nero users. Our latest tutorial has great
information for you; Nero has received a fantastic new award; and
we'll also fill you in on how you can make cash off Nero's
success!

Please click here to display the full contents of the newsletter:
http://news.nero.com/web/nero/nllp.asp?o=10496&s=0h38bspj3csic223

Enjoy!
Your Nero Team
-----------------------------------------------------------------
MY NERO My Nero: Tips and tricks from user to user
SUPPORT NEWS Edit your video content with the latest Nero tutorial
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT Take advantage of our success
REVIEWS & AWARDS Nero 8 receives a Recommended Award from PC Answers
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Nero News Service
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Software Based Data Encryption Pros and Cons: by Pamela Lund

2008-07-24T21:21:00.001+05:30

Category: Software & Programming

Software Based Data Encryption Pros and Cons

by Pamela Lund

Data Encryption is a way that you can protect your computer data from outside sources. Originally designed to protect government and military secrets, this protection is now being implemented by many types of businesses.

A software based encryption system serves to encrypt the data that is stored on your computer's mass storage. When a user types in a password at the beginning of a session, this software decrypts the information so that it can be read only by that authorized user. These encryption systems may also have built-in plausible deniability, which simply means that an unauthorized user cannot determine that the encrypted information even exists.

Due to the volume level of this type of system, software based encryption is ideal for use in portable devices, such as laptop computers and flash drives. If your portable device is lost or stolen, an unauthorized user cannot access your data without the proper password. That is why it is so important to choose a password that is not to obvious (for example your name) and has relevance only to you.

There are several different types of this software based encryption available. Non-transparent file encryption performs by encrypting only individual files. The whole file is stored in a temporary file in an encrypted form, which is then decrypted when you pull it up. Types of this software (which is known as special purpose software) include GNU Privacy Guard and PGP. File archivers and text editors are also software based non- transparent encryption systems that are available.

Many of these software based encryption systems also offer two levels of plausible deniability. This added protection prevents an unknown user from being able to prove that the encrypted information exists.

These encryption systems may also include a feature that is known as hidden volumes. These volumes are hidden inside a container volume and need to be accessed with a different password or encryption key. The container volume is also known as the outer volume while the hidden volume is the inner volume. The user can store information that looks important in the outer volume to act as a decoy if an unauthorized user would happen to gain access to the system. The actual important, sensitive material is stored in the inner volume, remaining undetected and protected. This is effective protection if for some reason the user is forced to reveal his password. Since the two volumes have two different passwords, the user can reveal the outer volume password while the material in the hidden volume can remain concealed.

Software based encryption systems also have no identifying features. This feature makes a user unable to tell if a file has been encrypted or not. It also makes it impossible to tell if a volume contains a concealed data inside.

There is also temporary drive software available that you can install to encrypt your data. This portable type of software based encryption does not need to be installed into a hard drive, although administrative privileges will still be required.

Software based encryption software is a good, less expensive way to protect your data and encrypted USB flash drives are a great way to protect your portable data.

About the Author

For more information on encrypted USB memory sticks visit EncryptedUSB.net.

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How to set proxy for internet/web connection for different shells

2008-07-22T13:43:00.002+05:30

#Bash shell (.sh)
export http_proxy=http://proxy-server:port-number/
export ftp_proxy=http://proxy-server:port-number/
export no_proxy=domain
export HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy-server:port-number/
export FTP_PROXY=http://proxy-server:port-number/

Once done save the file and and then source it using command "source .bashrc" or alternatively open a new shell.

(2) c shell (.csh)
setenv http_proxy http://proxy-server:port-number/
setenv ftp_proxy http://proxy-server:port-number/
setenv no_proxy domain
setenv HTTP_PROXY http://proxy-server:port-number/
setenv FTP_PROXY http://proxy-server:port-number/

Once done save the file and and then source it using command "source .cshrc" or alternatively open a new shell.

CD Ripper Software: by Mansi Gupta

2008-07-20T21:26:00.000+05:30

CD Ripper Software

by Mansi Gupta

What it is CD ripper?

CD ripper software opens up a whole new world of opportunities in how you listen to music. With CD ripper software, you can take audio CD tracks and place them into audio files on your computer. These audio tracks can be saved as WAV, MP3, OGG, or WMA audio files. The term "ripping" is used to describe this process.

Newer, more advanced CD ripper software is also available that allows you to convert back and forth between these formats. In fact, some CD ripper software is now available that can record vinyl LP's and cassettes to create WAV, MP3, OGG, or WMA audio files.

Where to get it.

A variety of CD ripper software is available online. Simply typing "CD ripper" into any search engine will bring up a wide variety of available CD ripper software. Most CD ripper software is extremely user friendly and offers a variety of options, but you should do some searching and comparing before deciding which CD ripper software is best for you.

What to look for.

Every type of CD ripper software had its own style and interface. Make sure the CD ripper software you choose is easy to use and to understand. It doesn't matter how great the software is if you can't utilize it to its fullest!

When exploring CD ripper software options, be sure to also check out the software's editing abilities. With most CD ripper software programs, you can select the output format for you music. This includes the bitrate, channels, and frequency. The best CD ripper software will create high quality files by digitally matching the audio bit for bit.

Quality CD ripper software will also tag the encoded audio files with metadata. The metadata contains information about the artist, track number, song title, and album title. This will automatically be input into the WAV, MP3, OGG, or WMA audio file. Some CD ripper software programs will even search online for pictures of album covers and insert this as a thumbnail image next to the file.

Another perk to some CD ripper software is the ability to delete the silence at the beginning or end of tracks. Yet other CD ripper software programs will allow you to edit the songs themselves, giving you full control of the sound provided by your WAV, MP3, OGG, or WMA audio file.

For those traditionalists who still enjoy listening to their music from a CD, a CD ripper can be used to select your favorite songs to create a mixed CD. In fact, some CD rippers will allow you to rip audio tracks directly from a CD and burn them to a new CD, without ever having to save them as a new audio file.

With thousands of people ripping CD's every day, CD ripping is definitely the wave of the future, and the best choice for music lovers everywhere. Why keep your music stationary on older format CDROMS, when you can rip the music, put it into your favorite mp3 player, and listen on the go?

We recommend Blaze Media Pro as the best, all-in-one audio and video software, including CD ripping and all the other features mentioned above.

About the Author

Mansi Gupta writes about CD ripper software. Learn more at http://www.blazemp.com/cd_ripper_software.htm

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Enjoy and Relax With Screensavers

2008-07-20T21:24:00.001+05:30

Enjoy and Relax With Screensavers

by Dmitry Pl

It is a well known fact a few decades back computers used to have serious problems with monitors. When static images were left on them, monitors could easily burn them in permanently. To fight this problem, people came up with software programs that were set to change the images displayed on computer screensaver after a certain period of time, thus preventing monitors from burning. These programs were the first screensavers.

Today monitors are a lot more advanced, and displaying static images for many hours is no longer a problem. However, screensavers did not disappear; instead, they have developed and now have many new functions.

Today you may use 3d screensavers to show your individuality and spirit, you may make your desktop unique and thus different from million of other desktops! Blooming gardens and birds' songs, gentle murmur of a brook and leaves rustling, fascinating and unforgettable space travels and many more pictures from you dreams will color your every day at home or at the office. Screensavers will always improve your mood and raise your spirit, adding something interesting to your daily life.

If you are fond of taking pictures or have collected a great stock of nice images you can make a slideshow of them and place it as a screensaver on your desktop. You can find lots of programs and utilities in the Internet which will help you to create your own screensavers. There are also huge amounts of the websites which will give you a wide variety of screensavers for your desktop.

At present 3D animated screensavers present the greatest interest. They are multifarious and spectacular and sometimes people watch them as a short movie. Such screensavers will accompany you during the holidays or take you away from boring daily routines, to the dream islands and tropical paradises, or to the nice house with a roaring fireplace and cat watching it from the armchair. Just have a look at the 3D screensaver and you will see there almost a real world, with awesome nature or mysterious and breathtaking Universe, with soothing sea and warm sand or any other place where you would like to be at this moment!

When you find a screensaver of your dream and download it, you install it and change it to your taste by choosing different scenes, views, tunes, etc. It is should be mentioned though that not all of the screensavers have various settings and can be customized. As a rule, most slideshow screensavers or free screensavers have limited functionality. Still, even among those you are likely to find attractive and colorful sceneries.

Brighten up your desktop with a screensaver and get a world of your dreams!

About the Author

Dmitry is a staff member on 3D Relax
Download and enjoy quality 3d screensavers from 3D Relax.

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Does a Building Need An Architect: by Geoffrey Ladish Gabor

2008-07-20T21:22:00.000+05:30

Does a Building Need An Architect

by Geoffrey Ladish Gabor

Information Technology (IT) is more complex than most buildings. This is why it requires a similar architectural process in order to have a positive and predicted outcome. Too many IT projects don't end positive or as predicted. IPA business analysts end up running hundreds of surveys in companies all over North America. They're exposed to many IT environments of various complexity and effectiveness. My experience as an analyst leads me to believe that staff tends to fall into three categories. The first and largest group would be those who believe they are completely IT illiterate. The second largest group would be those who think they are the second coming of Bill Gates. This group is considerably smaller. The third and smallest group are those who believe they fall somewhere in between. This is a common disparity and creates a common problem. Those who believe they have no understanding of IT look to anyone with some understanding as highly proficient in all areas; even worse they often confuse PC proficiency with IT proficiency.

The truth is even those who are brilliant in the IT domain are rarely strong across all divides. It is more common that quality IT staff will have superior ability(s) in one or two areas. Here are four basic areas of proficiency to consider. I am certain there are many ways to slice this pie but, in order to keep this short and sweet, consider these four.

1) Hard (Hardware & Networking)

2) Soft (Software, Database & Coding)

3) Application (Planning & Programming Adaptation / High Level)

4) Project Driver (Single Point of Contact & Oversight / Super High Level)

It is very rare that anyone would be exceptionally strong across the board. Placing too much faith in the office "PC guru" is one reason so many IT projects fall short of the anticipated miraculous impact on sales and profits.

Often projects get more driven by the shininess of new equipment and the technical jargon that gets added to staff's vocabulary. The person or people entrusted may believe acquiring state of the art servers, monster switches, brilliant routers, and the latest greatest cabling and optical fiber is the answer to everything. The problem is the real "answer" is to question that was never asked or asked poorly.

Questions are the foundation of a building in the IT world called "Application". An ergonomically designed building in the construction world requires a good architect. A well designed IT environment requires the same. The best application architecture comes from processing what you are trying to accomplish while momentarily ignoring the seduction of the hardware and software and the allure of multibillion marketing practices. It is not uncommon for a highly complex technology environment to become an expensive albatross. The reason is the brain for the brain is missing; the application side is weak. Wildly expensive, enormously sophisticated software purchases loaded up with unimaginable binary horsepower fall victim to the same short sidedness. I have been in too many companies hell-bent on purchasing bigger servers and laborious software with absolutely no way to support it.

Proper planning is the key. As obvious as that statement is, technophobia often critically weakens this essential step via a passing the hot potato style of delegation.

Application

Architects require surveys of the existing conditions, such as soil conditions to support the enormous building weights. This ultimately defines footings and foundation requirements. Lot sizes in combination with the local laws pertaining to set backs and zoning affect what you can and cannot build. The survey is where an architect starts in the construction world and the same applies in application architecture. A survey must be performed.

Step 1)
Take a survey of the current platform. Both the business platform and the technology platform need to be analyzed. The current hardware is normally the only substantial survey ever taken. The analysis needs to be heavily weighted to the current business operations. Strong consideration of potential opportunity, lost opportunity, efficiencies and inefficiencies, as well as the current operations model needs to be graphically converted into flow charts that define everything. Schematics need to clearly show the information flow, interdepartmental processes and global processes accompanying written specs. A company outsider should be able to read this and understand in detail critical processes from the survey's findings. An identical process is used in the construction world by building architects who eventually evolve their construction document from existing conditions documents called as-built drawings, plot plans or "surveys".

Step 2)
Brain Storm every imaginable opportunity and all potential changes. Be brave, nothing is stupid. You will find quantity will eventually become quality. This is purely an exercise in discovery. You have to walk on the moon to personally feel and relate to its gravity.

Step 3)
Narrow the creative processes to what is likely to work; get sensible. Start applying cost & benefit analysis. Look at what your true resources are. It is important to understand budgetary constraints, people's ability constraints, and timeframe constraints. You need to be vigilant in cost to benefit as well as hassle to benefit analysis. Look for potential risks, the landmines in the road ahead. Be honest with yourself about impact: learning curves, culture shock, political impact, systems impact, debugging impact, moving the big ship impact. Repeat Step 3 as many times as it takes. Don't let mental fatigue prematurely hasten this vital process. Often more focused surveys will evolve requiring an increasingly narrowing brain storming process. Once comfortable with the final incremental impact analysis you are ready for the next step in the application evolution.

Step 4)
A high level of confidence in the strategic planning and schematics are a required precursor for this step. Once the written problem/resolution logistical spec is done and final agreed upon procedural changes outlined it will be time to sharpen the information processing to support and proactively enforce the objectives of everything you wish to accomplish. This is where the interface of the technology side and application come together. Ultimately all the high level planning becomes low level information handling. When designed correctly the end user interface should mandate, high level performance. Ironically high level application will become lines of code and clever programming that ultimately become templates, macros, websites, databases, smart queries and smart metrics. Codes sequenced in billions of zeros and ones will get routed at the speed of light through networks that should be designed to support all of this with scalability within anticipated growth and budgetary constraints.

Step 5)
The best of the construction world architects with the most proactive design methodologies will still encounter change orders because of unforeseen problems. The more proactive the blueprint, the fewer change orders. This holds true in application architecture too. No matter how well you plan, you will encounter unforeseen problems resulting in change orders. You should always plan, budget and anticipate accordingly. Modifications to the original application design of your IT project will happen. It is easy to make rash decisions because you are in "lets just get it done" mode. That is likely to create more change orders and less is better. You can avoid falling into that trap by employing the same methodologies as described in steps 1-4 only with a narrowed focus on what precipitated the need for a change from the original application.

It becomes increasingly critical as you add more stories to a building's design the necessity for a strong foundation to support it. Designing information technology to support your operations follows the same rule. The more layers of complexity likewise will require a stronger application. This is especially the case when you are introducing either new technology or technology intended to dramatically enhance operations. Over look this and you may find your parking spot in front of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Please feel free to visit International Profit Associates website to learn more about our services, resources and opportunities www.ipa-iba.com.

About the Author

Geoffrey Ladish Gabor is the COO for IPA. Gabor is a former senior business analyst and has personally experienced a vast array of application projects. Gabor recently was placed in charge of a multi-million $ network & telephony makeover at his home base, International Profit Associates. Gabor has had multiple speaking engagements at Harvard's Graduate Business School discussing topics relating to the perils todayï¿½s businesses face.

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How to develop your business globally?: by austin

2008-07-20T21:21:00.002+05:30

How to develop your business globally?

by austin

The simple steps to sell your products are a free guide from me with many tips and tricks. Today, getting started online can be confusing to many, perhaps even you but this will guide you for an easy and fast solution. With so much for sale on how to jump start your business, most of which, in reality, is either just repeated info from someone else or proven to be ineffective. I provide you clear and easy steps to start up selling online.

Before starting the online part that is internet side, you have to understand how to describe the products and in which key words the buyer searches for your product. Then one or many nice views of your product if possible. If you are providing a service like manpower service like http://www.net4manpower.com then you have to show the service output as graph or other source.

In any case before starting up an online sale you have to get written text and images to publish in the net.

As soon as you have the information you need to concentrate on four basic steps: these are domain registration, Hosting and online marketing.

Domain Name -- If you do not already have a domain name, you will need to register one. Many services offers domain registration between $35.00/year and $9.99/year, some will charge less and providing good quality services and other services for additional charges. I felt http://www.comregister.com offers a low price domain registration with sufficient facilities. At http://www.comregister.com you can register a domain for just $9.99/year.

Web Hosting -- you will need this to build your site, create your email accounts... Again, http://www.comregister.com offers the best of both worlds. Point and Click -- For those who do not know HTML, do not wish to learn, or just anxious to get started. Hundreds of professional templates along with other nice tools. FTP Accounts -- for the more advanced where you create your own web site and upload to the server.

Product(s) and or Service(s) -- If you do not have a product or service in mind to get started or even to add products and services that complement your own, try Order Your Domain Reseller Program. Here not only do you get to decide how much to sell domains, how much profit you will make, but also choose from several professional templates to modify, leaving Order Your Domain out of the picture.

Marketing -- How will you market and promote your products and or services. There are many ways to accomplish this. The correct way is to use a number of different marketing techniques, finding which work best for you. In one of my other article in this service. Any how these are SEO, Directory submitting (free directory submit ions like http://www.seo4rank.net , http://www.pagerankfactor.com and http://www.getfirstrank.com )

If you feel that you can't do all these then simply gets the best manpower around the world for a best price to design and host your web site using http://www.net4manpower.com a services offers elancers around the world.

About the Author

Freelance projects, freelance web designer, home based job, freelance writers, freelance jobs, business opportunity, outsource project, outsourcing

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Improve the performance of your MySQL Server: by Mukul Gupta

2008-07-20T21:21:00.001+05:30

Improve the performance of your MySQL Server

by Mukul Gupta

MySQL is a rock solid, lighting fast database server which has been designed for two factors speed and performance. It is the Ferrari of databases: Light weight, fast and Built for the high speed tracks!

I still hear an awful lot of stories from owners whose databases are running two slow. In my experience, the three main places to look for problems are:

Faulty Database Design
Bad Queries
Server factors

Faulty Database Design
Proper database design is the single most important factor for the ensuring performance and maintainability of the database. Here is what you need to answer when designing a table: Can I reduce the size of data that each row will have? Here is what you can do:

Use unsigned numeric values when the application will not store negative numbers. Like the "quantity ordered" of an item in an ecommerce application is never going to be -$125.
Use Variable length values instead of fixed length value i.e. used varchar instead of char.
Do not use unnecessarily large field sizes. For most ecommerce application "unsigned smallint" is more than enough to store inventory count. A field described as "unsigned smallint" can store a max value of 65535.
Don't ignore normalization; its helps prevent unnecessary repetition of data. The part B of this is, don't overuse normalization. If the table will not grow in size significantly, there is no point in normalization. For example, if the user table has just 20 rows (i.e. 20 employees in a company), all attempts of normalization are wasted.
Use Keys. Don't decide keys by "The customer id has to be indexed in the order table". If the order table is being searched 90% of the times by "order date", it makes more sense to index "order date".

Remember, how a table will be used should determine how it is designed. Spending time here will save years of frustration.

Bad Queries
It sounds too good to be true but you wont believe the number of developers out there who completely suck at writing queries. There are two types of bad queries:

a) Unnecessary Queries: These are the queries that shouldn't have been made in the first place. The only way to avoid this is asking, "Do I really need this data?"

b) Inefficient Queries: These are the queries that do not use the underlying table structure or MySQL functions in the correct way.

Here is a starting point to start looking at problem areas:

Unnecessary usage of "Select * "statements when the entire processing is being done on a single column. The more data is fetched from the server the more work MySQL has to do and more bandwidth it takes.
Using sub-query instead of a join. On a properly designed database, joins are incredibly fast. Using sub-queries just shows a lack of knowledge.
Improper use of Keys. This is especially valid for range checks. Remember to use the "Explain" statement to check the usage of keys and then use the "use key" statement in your "where" clauses to force key usage.

Server Factors
Everything done correctly, there still may be some server factors that may be causing the system to be slow. These are:

Hardware related
Server configuration related

Here is what you can do about the hardware:

The more RAM is on the system the better it is. MySQL frequently fetches data from the RAM and more the RAM is on the system, the better it is.
Buy the fastest possible RAM! A slower RAM is just irony.
Once you are settled with the RAM size and speed, look for processing speed. MySQL can use multiple processors.

Once you are satisfied with the hardware, there are a set of variables in "my.cnf" that you must look at:

a) key_buffer_size: This describes the memory available to store the index keys. The default is 8 MB but you can set it to 25% of the RAM.

b) query_cache_size: This value is by default 0. if you have a lot of repeating queries like in reporting applications etc, make sure you set this value high.

c) table_open_cache: This determines the number of table descriptors that MySQL will keep in the cache. The default value is 64. But, if you have 100 users accessing a table concurrently then this value should atleast be 100. You also have to take into considerations joins etc. Thus, this value should also be kept high.

I hope this article will take one step further in unlocking the mystery of slow servers and help solve some of the problems.

About the Author

Mukul Gupta is the CMO of Indus Net Technologies, an India based Internet Consulting firm which specializes in Opensource solutions. You can reach him at script@script2please.com or visit http://www.script2please.com

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PNG is replacing GIF files for digital graphic storage: by Ziv Haparnas

2008-07-20T21:19:00.000+05:30

PNG is replacing GIF files for digital graphic storage

by Ziv Haparnas

GIF is one of the oldest file formats used for graphics and digital photos storage. GIF has many technical advantages but it also has one big business disadvantage. GIF uses LZW compression which is tangled with patents and licensing issues. The free creation and usage of GIF files was always in debate.

While GIF is a great format for the storage of graphics the usage of GIF files represents some licensing issues. Specifically GIF uses the LZW compression algorithms that are patented and not free to use. GIF became so popular that practically it is used in many places without any practical licensing issues but regardless of the problem being practical and real it drove some industry groups to get organized in order to find a way to solve it once and for all.

One solution that was suggested and implemented was to create a completely new file format that will simply replace the old GIF. This format was called PNG – Portable Network Graphics – and it was designed to be as efficient as GIF but free for use without any risk of licensing or patents issues. PNG was also designed in the Internet era and as such was designed with Internet and networks usage in mind.

Both GIF and PNG were designed and are mostly used for storing graphics. Some people confuse graphics with digital photos although the two are completely different. Graphics are usually computer generated pictures that are built from some basic geometrical objects such as rectangles, triangles and circles. These objects can be combined in complicated ways, colored, filled, brushed, different textured can be used and more. Digital photos on the other hand are generated by digital cameras and by shooting photos of real objects. Digital photos are not built of discrete objects. There are technical implications to that difference mainly in how compression is implemented. For example it is easier to compress graphics (since it is built of known objects and more homogenous colors) than to compress digital photos (since they include areas of different colors, usually some noise and slight variations in colors in each pixel).

To conclude here are short explanations of what the GIF and the PNG formats are:

GIF – Graphics Interchange Format: An old file format initiated by CompuServe. It uses a lossless LZW compression and is thus more efficient than BMP files. GIF files are very efficient for storing basic graphics (that include lines, circles and other graphical shapes) and also efficient for storing small digital photos but are rarely used to store large digital photos as there are more efficient formats for that purpose. GIF files can also include multiple "frames" and support basic animation.

PNG – Portable Network Graphics: This relatively new format was designed to be used in online applications such as web pages. It uses a lossless compression. The original goal of the PNG format was to replace GIF (due to some licensing complications associated with the GIF format). PNG is commonly used now by online web sites to represent small digital photos or graphics replacing the GIF format.

About the Author

Ziv Haparnas is a technology expoert. This article can be reprinted only if the resource box including the backlink is included. Information about photography and photo prints is on printrates.com - your home for digital photo print service

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School Software by Stellar Data Solution: by Sukhdeepak Singh

2008-07-20T21:18:00.000+05:30

School Software by Stellar Data Solution

by Sukhdeepak Singh

With the increase in complexity the manual management of School Administration has become difficult. Skoolmanager is software by Stellar Data Solution Pvt. Ltd also called as school software, has been developed to reduce redundancy, inefficiency, mismanagement from any department of school. Skoolmanager, a school administration software has been automates the process of admission, attendance, fee, timetable in such a way that user with a little computer knowledge can do all this in an efficient manner. School administration software comprises 12 models that automate all the departments of educational institution. With school software, School administration can get any real time information. School administration software is an error free software that has been designed in such a way that it take cares all the necessities of the educational institutions. School administration software comprises 12 distinct modules that automate all the departments of school. School administration software can also be used for academy management, College administration or any other educational institute management. Owing to its special and best features Skoolmanager is also called as an ERP of School. School administration software is flexible, easy to use, and cheap has been developed by an expert team of Stellar Data Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Provides a comprehensive solution to the entire problems in the way of efficient and easy management of every department of the school. School software is very much helpful for teachers because teachers can handle student attendance, grading or marks obtained by various students in a class in an efficient way.

School administration software is also helpful in library management. Librarian can handle the library efficiently without any manual management. Librarian can keep track record of the books issued to students, remaining books in the library. With school software any addition or deletion of book in library stock is quite easy.

School administration software is also helpful for time table management of school.

It helps in allocation of subjects to teachers, number of lectures that teacher schedules to deliver. With School administration software you can mention the exams held in your school and grade or marks obtained by each student in the examination.

Payroll management is a big burden on HR department of school. School software has been integrated with the best features that it automatically calculates the working days, salary cut or any other deductions like PF etc. The Fee Module of School administration software 2.7 is the one of the most automated fee calculation module available in the market. It automatically calculates fee, pending fee, deductions or concessions, the varying mode of fee payments.

School administration software is also helpful for inventory purpose. All the wear and tear of the school can be calculated automatically and it also presents a very clear picture of profit and loss. That's why school software By Stellar Data Solutions is also called ERP of School or any educational institute. Yet there are other school administration software's available in the market but Due to its special features like flexibility, cheap price, and easy to use, error-free skoolmanager has an edge over others. Our world wide customers are very happy with the use of our software. For More details Contact us at: http://skoolmanager.com/contact_us.php

About the Author

Sukhdeepak Singh is the author of this article. The author has been working in the stellar Data solutions Pvt. Ltd, customized software Development Company for the last 4 years. The author helps those who want to buy software for inventory, accounts, financial accounting, payroll, school administration, hospital management, timetable management, hospital management. For any query regarding purchase of any application software, website designing, SEO please visit http://www.skoolmanager.com

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Software Publishers Receive Enhanced Software License Protection with Launch of Avangate Code Box: by Cristian Dorobantescu

2008-07-20T21:17:00.000+05:30

Software Publishers Receive Enhanced Software License Protection with Launch of Avangate CodeBox

by Cristian Dorobantescu

Avangate and Uniloc launch joint service to provide software vendors complete and reliable software copyright protection: from licensing module to online distribution.

Uniloc USA Inc., the leader in device-based authentication for software license management and access control today announced a joint software copy protection service with Avangate. Avangate, a full service provider of electronic software distribution and reseller management for software vendors and Uniloc are partnering to offer a complete service for software copyright protection, available as Avangate CodeBox. The solution minimizes software piracy risks and visibly increases revenue for software publishers while providing a positive end-user experience.

Avangate CodeBox integrates three modules: Uniloc SoftAnchor™, the Avangate(R) License Management Module, and the Avangate advanced antifraud system for advanced software copy protection.

"By pairing the Avangate electronic software registration and e-commerce solution with SoftAnchor, we are providing sophisticated license protection for our software partners while delivering user-friendly software activation for their customers." said Cristian Badea, Chief Information Officer for Avangate. "Uniloc's advanced software copy protection capabilities will be a tremendous facilitator in our delivery of premier software offerings."

Having a licensing strategy is mandatory in order for a software business to address both software piracy challenges and user demands for a truly user friendly experience. The ability to manage software activation in real time allows developers to increase or decrease software activation parameters to strike a balance between help desk calls and piracy protection while optimizing viral marketing models.

"Uniloc's partnership with Avangate is a symbiotic venture of perfectly matching services. Together we can provide a stable and unique solution that protects software vendors' revenue and client portfolio," says Casey Potenzone, CIO of Uniloc. "Avangate CodeBox integrating SoftAnchor provides a competitive advantage for software publishers answering real software business challenges including copyright protection, end-user experience and secured payments."

How it works

Avangate's integration with SoftAnchor allows Avangate's software partners to add an enhanced layer of copy protection to sold licenses, minimizing piracy risks while taking control of licenses currently in use. Combined with Avangate's License Management Module and advanced anti-fraud services, the Avangate CodeBox, jointly provided by Avangate and Uniloc, delivers an easy-to-use software registration process and transparent integration within the online ordering process creating the ultimate customer end-user experience.

About Uniloc SoftAnchor

SoftAnchorp polite software activation addresses the delicate balance between IP protection and call-center free user operation. The SoftAnchor licensing solution leverages Uniloc's patented physical device locking technologies and enables developers with unparalleled security through fully embedded security configurations. SoftAnchor's thousands of code variations and obfuscation practices ensure maximum code enforcement - and the highest hack-resistance available. Unlike other one-solution-fits-all anti-piracy measures, if any one title is ever somehow cracked, that same crack will not apply to any other products. SoftAnchor supports a wide range of licensing variations, enabling clients to move into emerging markets throughout the global economy.

About Uniloc

Uniloc USA is the leader in electronic physical device recognition for software copy control and information security. The core technology driving Uniloc innovation is Physical Device Recognition, the company's patented method of uniquely identifying a user device, such as a PC, embedded device, smart phone or cell phone, by the naturally occurring, inherent physical imperfections of that device, and then incorporating that physical device fingerprint into licenses or access credentials. Uniloc's technologies can identify devices with more comparable accuracy than human DNA. Uniloc is the inventor and holder of the seminal physical device locking patent (U.S. 5,490,216) and has 15 related patents pending. Uniloc has applied its Physical Device Recognition technical expertise to several vertical markets, including software publishing, government network access control, online banking and trading, and CD/DVD anti-theft. For more detailed information, please visit www.uniloc.com.

Uniloc, SoftAnchor and LicenseInsight are trademarks of Uniloc Inc. All other brand and product names are, or may be trademarks of their respective owners.

About Avangate

Avangate provides solutions for electronic software distribution and reseller management, assisting software companies worldwide in successfully selling their products online and at the same time efficiently managing a distribution network. The company's offer includes an eCommerce platform incorporating an easy to use and secure online payment system plus software marketing services and additional marketing and sales tools such as an affiliate network, automated cross selling options, software promotion management, real time reporting, 24/7 shopper support and the ARMS reseller management program specifically designed for software sales.

About the Author

Media Contact
For interview requests or any other media inquiries, please contact:
Cristi Dorobantescu
Marketing Manager, Avangate
+31 20 890 8080
cristi.dorobantescu@avangate.com

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Steps To Better Project Procurement and Management: by Amit Khemka

2008-07-20T21:16:00.001+05:30

Steps To Better Project Procurement and Management

by Amit Khemka

1. Build and Maintain Contacts – Contacts are the life blood of any successful business. Most people have short memories hence its imperative to keep in touch with prospective clients, business contacts and industry people. You never know who may need you when and for what work.

2. Bid for work on Freelance Marketplaces – The internet has created a massive opportunity for small and medium service providers to bid for work on the numerous freelance marketplaces. These marketplaces match service providers with thousands of service buyers and are great source of project procurement. It is not possible to bid on all the marketplaces everyday. Choose the ones that cost you less and offer more regular opportunities.

3. Build a Strong Portfolio – When service buyers see provider portfolios on the freelance websites, apart from the price bid, the profile of the service provider, client referrals, work examples and overall presentation plays a major role in the selection process. Hence, it is important to build a professional portfolio with clearly laid out skill sets, contact information, customer references, academic qualifications, professional qualifications and examples of work done.

4. Define Scope of Work – When you win a project, make sure you clearly discuss the scope and functional features of the project with the client. This leads to healthy client relationships and makes it easier to plan the project execution. If you frequently contact the client with your queries, he might think that you did not understand the project and may become apprehensive working with you.

5. Design System Architecture – After finalization of project scope, design the architecture of the project in the form of a diagram and discuss it with the client so that you need not make too many changes after delivering the project to the client. Make sure you or your team sticks to this design so that the project development does not become haphazard.

6. Project Documents – It is a good practice to store all project related documents and client instructions in one place for quick access and timely action.

7. Time Allocation - Define Projects Tasks, Sub-Tasks and Allocate Time for each activity so that you can match client deadlines and also monitor the progress of work with respect to pre-decided timelines.

8. Allocate Tasks to Team Members – Keep track of Tasks allocated to team members for quick reporting and monitoring the progress of work.

9. Set Deadlines – Estimate and Set Deadlines on the various project related activities.

10. Monitor Progress of Work – Monitor the progress of work frequently so that you can communicate the same to your clients. Clients expect you to keep in touch with them and intimate them of the state of affairs.

11. Keep Track of Project Costs and Expenses – The primary purpose of business is to earn profits. For this you need to keep track of your expenses and revenue generated from work.

12. Client Communication – Frequently communicate with clients, intimating them of the progress of work. This leads to development of client confidence in your abilities.

13. Deliver the Project – After completion, deliver the project to the client and keep record of the delivery so that you can generate invoices on the client.

14. Raise Invoices on Clients – Raise Invoices on Clients and record of payment receipts for timely reminder to clients and to manage your inflows.

15. Manage Project Change Requests – Often, clients may ask you to change certain parts of a project. As part of efficient customer service, you should record and keep track of such requests and intimate the client upon making the change.

16. Use a System to Manage Activities– Utilize a software system to manage all these activities. There are plenty of software available that can help you manage one or more of the above activities. Or else you may choose to buy an affordable and all integrated solution like – Service Desktop Pro (www.servicedesktop.com).

About the Author

Business Management Software

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Tips on Understanding the Benefits of a Download Manager: by Paul Wilson

2008-07-20T21:15:00.001+05:30

Tips on Understanding the Benefits of a Download Manager

by Paul Wilson

A download manager facilitates downloading of files from the Internet. Designed with specific purposes in mind, a manager can:

• Automatically dial up an Internet provider at night, when rates are low and download files. The manager will disconnect the dial up when the downloading is complete.

• Download huge files for users with a broadband connection, can resume broken downloads, limit downloading capacity, browse a site automatically to download specified content, and do regular updating of downloads.

Easy to use download managers integrate well with web browsers. Features include: scheduling, traffic shaping, virus checking, as well as cataloguing.

Download managers either use BHO, browser helper object or APP, asynchronous pluggable protocol to intercept downloads. Some managers use one while others use both methods. An effective download manager is known to increase download speeds by 500 percent.

• BHO is used by: FlashGet, GoZilla, Mass Downloader, Alligator, and NetAnts.

• APP is used by: GetRight, Re Get, FlashGet, and Download Accelerator Plus.

Downloading videos, freeware, and shareware is facilitated by the use of a download manager. Download managers save downloaded files in appropriate folders and perform their functions late at night when you are not using the net.

• If a download is broken due to browser crash, electricity shut down, or lost connection, a download manager will resume where the process was interrupted.

• A download manager permits viewing of partially downloaded video files.

• It will allow you to drag and drop, download links to a floating icon.

• It can be programmed to begin when the PC is not in use and shut down on completion.

• One can formulate simple rules which the manager will follow to download several files from a site.

• Download managers do automatic recursive downloads.

• A manager manages files and gives instant review of downloads.

A few download managers grant greater user control while others are designed such that the content developers have control. Some like GoZilla display adware in the user interface while others have spyware, FlashGet. There are some with no adware or spyware like LeechGet 2003.

Download managers are of many kinds. Some are free while others require payment. Commonly used managers are: Offline Explorer, Nici, GoZilla, WellGet, Download Accelerator Plus, and Mozilla Firefox. Related to but different are P2P applications: Kazaa, eMule, BitTorrent, and stream recorders.

An ideal download manager must be:

• Free.

• Easy to use.

• Not have spyware or adware.

• Provide effortless downloads.

Choose a manager after you compute your PC needs. Find out what integrates well with your system. Always keep abreast with developments and changes in technology. A suitable download manager can make life easy and wonderful. Enjoy movies, videos, news clips, photographs, as well as games.

About the Author

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.

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Tips on Understanding the Dangers of Spyware and Adware: by Paul Wilson

2008-07-20T21:14:00.000+05:30

Tips on Understanding the Dangers of Spyware and Adware

by Paul Wilson

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.

About the Author

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.

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Video capture software for AVI and WMV: by Mansi Gupta

2008-07-20T21:12:00.000+05:30

Video capture software for AVI and WMV

by Mansi Gupta

In this age of computer technology access and In this age of computer technology access and manipulation of information at any point of time and in any form has become absolutely common. With invention of CD, Camcorder, MP3, digital cameras and many more gizmos like them access to audio and video files have become a commonplace affair for most of us. Everyone just expect that if one has any sound track or any video clip they must be able to play and view it every time and at all places. But the problem is that these many diversified instruments each have their own format for storing the various audio and video clips.

It's not certain that the audio CD that produced excellent sounds in the MP3 would perform equally well on the home theater system at the house. Problems eventually arise when you eagerly switch on the computer to view some of the pictures recorded on the handy cam or when you want to listen to some rare and favorite sound track on the computer. After all the endeavor to attach the cords and devices you find that all the efforts was to only find the computer display a message that it did not support the format in which information was supplied to it and hence could not do anything with the audio or video. Believe me its very frustrating when such incidents happen. Usually one has to just sit back, get frustrated with the technology and miss their very rare favorite sound track. One desperately wishes that if they had some thing in this world that could change the format of the file and make the file work on the device they had.

Blaze media pro is a perfect solution to all these problems and now you don't have to miss viewing your much-loved pictures and hearing to the best of tracks just because the format in which they were stored was different. Blaze media pro is a blessing for a techno freak. Now none needs to pay a huge ransom to the technical experts for just changing formats of simply editing a little piece of information. All types of changes and inclusion or deletion of any part of the recording is only a click away. Blaze media pro has very exhaustive tutorial and extremely easy steps to perform all manipulations that are desired on video or audio files. It's easy to follow steps enables even a novice to easily handle all the technicalities involved in the process.

Many software's promise to provide an easy way to convert audio and video files from one format to another but with most of the services there's a limit that they can only perform one specific task that they had assured. Now each time one requires a different type of format exchanging they have to rush and mess with another device. Blaze media pro brings an end to all these hurdles in the way to universal access of information. It offers an one stop venue for all the your digital requirements. What better can it get than, that it's available free for trial for 15 days on net and can be downloaded easily.

About the Author

Mansi Gupta writes about video capture. Learn more at http://www.blazemp.com/video_capture_software.htm.

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4 Things to Consider When Choosing a Ventrilo Servers Provider: by Brett Guarnieri

2008-07-18T14:47:00.001+05:30

4 Things to Consider When Choosing a Ventrilo Servers Provider

by Brett Guarnieri

Guilds and gaming organizations across the globe commonly use Ventrilo Servers to communicate between teammates. With the ever-increasing amount of broadband connections in the home, Voice-over-IP collaboration tools such as Ventrilo have been growing in popularity. But before you decide to purchase a Ventrilo Server for your organization, there are four things you might want to consider before ordering.

First of all, and with ordering from any company, do your research on the company to ensure that it is a legitimate organization. We recommend looking for some kind of proof of the company's existence besides just on the Internet. For instance, a brick and mortar location, or office address would be a start. Furthermore, never underestimate the power of a phone number. If you are able to get in contact with a real person, chances are the company is not fly-by-night. Furthermore, if the company lists themselves as an incorporation and is located in the United States, you can easily lookup the record of filing with the State that they list themselves. Also keep an eye out for misspelled words and inconsistencies. If a company cannot even spell correctly or make up their mind, how do you think they will be able to provide a quality hosting experience?

The next action you should take before purchasing is asking a sales question. We do not recommend ordering right away without attempting to get at least a few questions asked about the service. Even if you already know the answers, you can get an idea of how quickly you will receive help should you require it in the future.

Your third course of action should be to shop around. You want to research into at least three of four providers before ordering. Weigh your options. Lowest prices do not mean the best service. While some larger providers may be able to offer lower prices due to sheer quantity sold, please do your research on the company beforehand. If the web site is of low quality, you might want to stay away. Those companies who provide "Test Servers" are generally known to be a bit more reputable, as they let you test the service in each location before ordering. Finally, ensure they have a location central to your users. For example if you have users in California and users in Miami, either Chicago or Dallas would be an ideal location for a server. Remember, Ventrilo does not report latency/pings correctly! You can get a true idea of the network quality of the location by going to "Start" then "Run," type "CMD" and press enter. Afterwards, type "ping " and press enter. "" is the address of the server you are attempting to ping.

Finally, you want to research the companies policies, refund options, and check for specials. There are usually one or two very reputable providers who will offer yearly specials for low prices. The companies who are doing this make money due to the fact that many guilds and gaming organizations do not last more than 3 months. Many times, the price to purchase a year of service through a special can be lower priced than that of 6 months on a normal package.

About the Author

Brett Guarnieri recommends http://www.darkstarllc.com for Ventrilo servers.

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6 Ways In Which Microsoft Windows Vista Secures Your PC: by Aaron Brooks

2008-07-18T14:46:00.001+05:30

6 Ways In Which Microsoft Windows Vista Secures Your PC

by Aaron Brooks

Global reach and the information highway have changed the way individuals and businesses function. Computerization, the World Wide Web, and B2B and P2P applications have added a zing to business activities. The reach has grown beyond physical confines and boundaries to embrace the world.

In the fast paced world of business what causes grave concerns in security. With the use of computers and links to cyber space corporate crime is at an all time high and

1. High level security. Most companies spend thousands of dollars in securing their business data as with the advent of the World Wide Web cyber thievery is at an all time high. Vista is designed to provide multiple layers of protection. It will protect the business from external attacks and there are ways in which crucial information and data can be protected by creating a fortress of authorized access.

2. Back ups are automated and files can be recovered easily. So, if any information is inadvertently deleted it can be recovered.

3. Since the cyber highway is where security is lax and threats exist, Vista has Windows Internet Explorer 7. This is very advanced and provides great amounts of browser security and grants privacy protection. So while your employees can browse the World Wide Web for business related purposes thieves will not gain ready access to your company systems.

4. The Windows defender program has been integrated into Vista to protect your business system from malicious soft wear.

5. Wireless networking systems are secured by Vista such that employees can connect to multiple networks simultaneously without any trouble. It has a secure wireless networking protocol and Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2).

6. Internal threats are averted as Vista ensures that data is kept secure and confidential by encryption, assigning a high level of protection, and selective authorization of removing of storage devices like USB and flash memory drives.

Vista has been developed keeping in mind the threats being posed to computer users today. And, a new version of Windows Firewall has been developed to protect computers from inbound and outbound traffic threats. The UAC or user account control has been under continuous revamping and takes into consideration serious criticisms made throughout Vista development by techies on the Vista watch.

Paul Thurrott who has been monitoring Vista since the very start has written glowing reviews of Vista security features, the integrated anti-spyware product , Windows Defender, security improvements to IE7, parental controls, and more.

Security enhancements in Vista are more than welcome and users both business and individual are looking forward to the release of the final Vista package.

About the Author

Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for http://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 Free Online Games Site.

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A Concise Guide to MICR and Associated Technologies: by Charles Katz

2008-07-18T14:45:00.002+05:30

A Concise Guide to MICR and Associated Technologies

by Charles Katz

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) was developed to utilize the benefits of computer technology in the banking industry. Prior to the use of a MICR line, check sorting by account number was a manual process. Two systems were previously used to handle the large numbers of checks processed in the banking industry: Sort-A-Matic and Top Tab Key Sort.

The Sort-A-Matic system included 100 metal or leather dividers numbered 00 through 99. Each check was placed in the corresponding divider by the first two numbers of the account. The sorting process was then repeated for the next two digits of the account number, and so on. When the process was complete, the checks were grouped by account number.

Under the Top Tab Key Sort system, small holes punched at the top of the checks indicated the digits. For instance, the first hole indicated the value of the first digits (0, 1, 2, 3...) A metal "key" was inserted through the holes to separate all of the checks with the same value in the first digit, and this step was repeated for each digit until all the checks were sorted.

Both of these systems worked, but they were time-consuming. With the advent of the computer and its movement from the laboratory into the business world, a sorting and matching task seemed ideal. Stanford University and Bank of America were the first to successfully use computers to sort and match checks. They developed what is now known as MICR.

The Development of the MICR Font

The MICR font was developed by Stanford University in conjunction with Bank of America and approved by the American Banking Association. The font is known as the E-13B font. E-13B has a total of 14 characters: ten specially designed numbers (0 through 9) and four special symbols (Transit, Amount, On-Us, and Dash).

The letter E indicates the fifth version considered. The letter B indicates the second revision of that version. The number 13 is derived from the 0.013-inch module construction used for stroke and character width. This means that all character widths, both horizontal and vertical, are in multiples of 0.013 inches ranging from 0.052 to 0.091. The significance of this will be explained more thoroughly later in this article.

MICR Readers

Three types of machines are used to read MICR characters. The two that read the characters magnetically are referred to as MICR readers. The third machine is an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) reader.

E-13B characters are printed with toner containing iron oxide, which is capable of being magnetized. MICR readers transport the checks containing the E-13B magnetic characters past a magnet, thereby magnetizing the iron oxide particles. The magnetized characters then pass under a magnetic read head. The magnetic field (flux pattern) caused by the magnetized characters generates a current in the read head. The strength and timing of this current allows the reader to decipher the characters.

Magnetic readers come in two types: single track (single gap or split scan) and multiple track (matrix or pattern) readers.

Single-Track Reader Characteristics

Single track uses a read head with one gap to detect the magnetic flux pattern generated by the MICR character. When a magnetized E-13B printed character moves across the narrow gap of the read head, the electric voltage caused by the magnetic flux from the character generates a waveform unique to each character.

Multi-Track Reader Characteristics

The multiple track reader employs a matrix of tiny, vertically aligned read heads to detect the presence of the magnetic flux pattern. The small individual read heads slice across the character to detect the presence of magnetic flux. This sensing of magnetic flux over time produces a unique matrix pattern for each character.

An OCR reader does not use magnetic properties to detect the E-13B characters. Instead, it uses a scanner to detect the amount of light reflected from the character and the amount of light reflected from the background. A photocell column detects the presence of the dark area of a character.

Waveform Theory

The readers move and read documents from right to left. The right-hand edge of the character, as a result, is the first to cross the read head. Analysis of the signal level created by reading the character 0 will help explain this in greater detail.

As the character moves from right to left under the read head, the gap detects the magnetism of the first right-hand edge (edge 1). This results in the increase in magnetism and a positive peak is created (peak 1). As soon as the right-hand edge moves beyond the read head gap, no new magnetism is found, and thus the wave form returns to the zero signal level.

At the second edge, the vertical read head detects a drop in magnetism, which results in a -110 signal level at peak 2. Again the waveform returns to zero until the next portion of the inner ring of the character is detected. At this point (peak 3), an increase in magnetism (+110) is indicated. Finally, the outer portion of the character is read, resulting in a negative peak (peak 4) of -130.

The placement of the vertical edges must occur in increments of 0.013 inches from the first right-hand edge. There are five characters that have two positive and two negative peaks similar to the character 0 and also appear in a positive-negative-positive-negative format. They are 0, 2, 4, 5, and the transit character, which are differentiated from one another by the horizontal location of the peaks in the waveforms. The peaks do require different amplitudes, but ANSI standards allow them to vary from 50% to 200% of the nominal amplitudes (Canadian standards allow them to vary from 80% to 200% of the nominal amplitudes). This is why the placement of the waveform is so important and why the characters are shaped unusually.

What Affects the Signal Level?

Signal level can vary based on a number of factors. The amount of iron oxide (concentration) that is present in the character will affect the signal level. This is a function not only of the toner itself, but also of how it is laid on the paper and the pile height, which can be controlled by numerous other cartridge components (i.e., "hot" OPCs).

The taller the vertical edge of the character, the taller the peak (either positive or negative). A vertical edge that is not regular and/or not vertical will result in a reduction in the amplitude of the peak and will flatten the peak out.

Keys to proper waveform detection are:

* All peaks in a character's waveform must be detected. The reader sorter must know that the peak is there.

* The peak must be located at or near its anticipated location.

* No significant "extra" peaks can be present.

* There cannot be wide variations in the signal levels of peaks within a character.

What to Look for in MICR Printers and Consumables

Printers that are used for MICR printing must have a unique MICR font that is modified to suit the unique printer engine, and it must be modified to the pixel level to match the magnetic toner provided for that printer. This is essential to ensure the correct waveform, dimension, and signal strength when a check is printed with the correct MICR characters. In addition, the MICR font must meet ABA-X9 standards to ensure acceptance of your checks by banking institutions.

The magnetic MICR toner that you choose must be specifically designed for the particular print engine in the printer. Ensure the toner has been thoroughly tested for consistent signal readings, image permanence and uniformity, and excellent edge acuity. Toner coverage must be solid with no extraneous toner lay down.

OEM cartridges are always a safe (but more expensive) bet. If you buy a "compatible" brand, ensure it has a new OPC drum, new primary charge rollers (PCRs), a new black velvet magnetic sleeve, and new image wiper blades. The hopper system must be filled with high-quality, low-abrasion MICR toner.

The vendor you choose should use the latest and most advance MICR test equipment, such as a Verifier and Golden Qualifier to conform to ANSI X9 Standards. It is also recommended that the systems exceed U.S. and Canadian check printing standards.

About the Author

Charles Katz is CEO and founder of Printerm Datascribe Inc., a distributor of band, shuttle matrix, dot matrix, and ion deposition printers for various manufacturers. In 1992, Printerm started its R&D department to develop innovative MICR secure laser check printers, MICR fonts, MICR toner, MICR check software, removable security flash cards, and secure digitizing. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must provide an html link pointing to http://www.printerm.com

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Always Buy Genuine Microsoft Software Products Online: by GT Kimberly

2008-07-18T14:45:00.001+05:30

Always Buy Genuine Microsoft Software Products Online...

by GT Kimberly

Genuine Microsoft software is published by Microsoft, properly licensed, and fully supported by Microsoft or a trusted partner. Using genuine Microsoft software offers you greater capabilities and easy integration with the widest variety of hardware, software, and services. It also provides confidence that you will receive the latest product features, updates, and ongoing improvements to keep your PC performing at its best.

By using Genuine Microsoft Software , you can be confident that you will have access to the latest features, security, and support, which will help to improve your productivity and expand the capabilities of your PC. You will also have access to new innovations and offerings available only to genuine Microsoft software customers.

Every year, millions of consumers and businesses are hurt by counterfeit software that they have acquired unwittingly, and many companies that license legitimate software have difficulty competing with artificially low prices offered by software pirates. Consumers, businesses, and resellers continually ask Microsoft for help in mitigating the threat posed by pirates. Microsoft works to educate the software ecosystem about piracy, to engineer products that address these concerns, and to enforce anti-piracy policies and laws.

Microsoft offers an online validation process that allows you to verify that your copy of Windows is genuine. You will be prompted to validate your copy of Windows if you request a genuine Windows download from the Microsoft Download Center. Alternatively, you can validate your copy of Windows by visiting the How to Tell site. The validation process is easy to use, only takes a few moments to run, and once completed, allows you to access genuine Windows downloads more quickly in the future.

Microsoft offers an online validation process that allows you to verify that your copy of Office is genuine. You will be prompted to validate your copy of Office if you request a genuine Office download from the Microsoft Download Center. Alternatively, you can validate your copy of Office by using the online validation process. The validation process is easy to use, only takes a few moments to run, and once completed, allows you to access genuine Office downloads more quickly in the future.

Microsoft offers an online validation process that allows you to verify that your copy of Windows is genuine. You will be prompted to validate your copy of Windows if you request a genuine Windows download from the Microsoft Download Center. Alternatively, you can validate your copy of Windows by visiting the How to Tell site. The validation process is easy to use, only takes a few moments to run, and once completed, allows you to access genuine Windows downloads more quickly in the future.

Microsoft offers an online validation process that allows you to verify that your copy of Office is genuine. You will be prompted to validate your copy of Office if you request a genuine Office download from the Microsoft Download Center. Alternatively, you can validate your copy of Office by using the online validation process. The validation process is easy to use, only takes a few moments to run, and once completed, allows you to access genuine Office downloads more quickly in the future.

Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications is an opt-in program launched by Microsoft in select markets as part of its continued effort to combat counterfeiting and to create a better Windows experience for users of genuine Microsoft Windows software.

The Microsoft genuine Windows offer is designed to help customers who unknowingly purchased counterfeit versions of Windows XP by offering those who qualify a complimentary copy or electronic license key for a genuine copy of Windows XP. The Microsoft genuine Office offer is designed to help customers who unknowingly purchased counterfeit versions of Office by offering those who qualify a complimentary copy or an Office Genuine Advantage Kit.

About the Author

GT Kimberly is an ardent follower of Genuine Microsoft Products Online. He is a regular reader of news happenings of Big Companies like Microsoft , Google etc...

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Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics Axapta India: by GT Kimberly

2008-07-18T14:43:00.000+05:30

Benefits of Microsoft Dynamics Axapta India

by GT Kimberly

Microsoft Axapta is a Business Management enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution created specifically to help medium-sized businesses quickly seize opportunity and improve their competitive advantage. It is Easy to implement, customize, and modify Business software. With multicurrency and Multilanguage features, Axapta supports companies in various countries including India.

Microsoft Dynamics AX brings people, processes, and information together wherever they are located around the globe, to increase the productivity and effectiveness of your business and help employees drive business success. In addition, Axapta India offers new capabilities and enhancements across the manufacturing, distribution and financial applications.

Microsoft Axapta is useful for many businesses in:

1. Axapta Enterprise Portal – Framework used to build personalized websites

2. The product builds on previous Internet connectivity with expanded roles and functionality.

3. Secure Connectivity: Businesses using Axapta can now securely connect relevant stakeholders -- including partners, customers and employees -- directly to Axapta, including those who previously worked offline and outside the system.

4. Business Reporting at its Best: Reports and catalogs can be viewed with the ability to register project hours, participate in discussion forums, and publish and exchange documents such as electronic drawings.

5. Multiple language and currency capabilities also enable businesses to work in the language and currency of their choice.

6. Release 3.0 also builds on the deep manufacturing functionality in Axapta with new intercompany collaboration and inventory management capabilities. Subsidiaries or distribution centers can trade internally and rely on an accurate overview of stock availability throughout the business.

7. Warehouse management also is easier with improved inventory dimensions, tracking system and bar code functionality.

Axapta KEY BENEFITS:

• Provide a fast, easy way to set up alerts. People can right-click within any Microsoft Dynamics AX record to define an alert rule for changes and events that they want to monitor.

• Work more proactively by specifying which events to monitor. Maintain tighter control over business activity by defining conditions for alert rules--for example, set up an alert rule to notify you one day before a shipment from a certain vendor is due.

• Meet specific needs for your business. Tailor alerts to your business priorities by creating templates for alert rules or modifying existing rules for individual users.

• Provide flexible delivery options. Help ensure people get the information they need--as pop-up windows, e-mail messages through Microsoft Office Outlook®, or through Enterprise Portal for Microsoft Dynamics AX--all right from within Microsoft Dynamics AX.

• Helps you ensure regulatory compliance and expand your business across geographies

• Helps you improve the efficiency of your financial operations and enable strategic planning

• Helps you manage your cash flow effectively

• Provides greater insight into your finances and improves your ability to make the right decisions quickly

About the Author

GT Kimberly is an ardent follower of IT Software News. He is a regular reader of news happenings of Big Companies like Microsoft, Google etc.GT Kimberly is an ardent follower of IT Software News. He is a regular reader of news happenings of Big Companies like http://www.microsoft.com/india/dynamics/default.mspx">Microsoft

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Build Your Own Computer: by George W. Cannata

2008-07-18T14:41:00.001+05:30

Build Your Own Computer

by George W. Cannata

I'm eighty-one years old and I bought my first computer six years ago. When I bought it I hardly knew how to turn it on. I consider myself still a Newbie as I've barely scratched the surface of computer technology. I have succesfully built about a dozen computers for family friends and myself. I even sold a couple of them.

Building a computer doesn't require a high degree of technical skill, however it does require a little mechanical aptitude. Building may not be the proper term, assembling would be more appropriate. That's actually what you do, you assemle the right components then install an operating system which is the only phase of the project that requires any technical ability.

Building your own has several advantages, for one you can save some money. But don'tget the idea that you can sell them at a profit. There's too much competition at the low end. All the major manufacturers have budget models, most of which you can buy with substantial rebates and good warrantees

You have a number of options, you can build from scratch or you can build from a barebones kit. I recommend the latter for your first attempt. You also have the choice of using all new components or using some recycled parts.

If you have a reasonably up to date PC that died ther are probably a number of parts that you can re-use, and you can buy a lot of good used components from eBay and other online sources. Refurbished parts are a good option.

The first thing you have to do is determine your requirements. If you're going to just surf the Internet, do e-mail and a bit of printing, go for the cheapest you can buy. You will still have plenty of capacity for simple tasks.

Next you have to decide whether to go with a barebones kit or do a complete build. Kits are recommended because generally that's the most economical way to go, and it's definitely easier. Installing a mother- board can get dicey for the uninitiated. There are a lot of little wires to connect that can give you greif if they aren't in the right place.

Barebones kits come in many iterations. The most basic consists of a case, motherboard and power unit. Some have on board video and audio cards, others include modems and cable connections and some even sport keyboards, mice and speakers. Read the specs carefully because some of thes components are expensive to buy separately.

Make a list of all the components that you require. Check off the ones that are included in the kit. This establishes what other parts you need. If you have sme parts that you can use, check them off. Now you know what you have to buy. For in-depth detailed instructions on how to do this visit the computer page on: http://www.caveatemptorus.com

Often times it's less expensive to buy all the componments you require fom the vendor of the kits. This is because of shipping charges, which are part of your over-all cost. But sometime parts you can get at auction can be so inexpensive that it's worthwhile to pay the shipping charges.

All barebones kits come with an instruction manual and a phone number where you can get technical support. Neither is very good. People who don't understand English very well write the manuals and the technical support is like most free things. Actually, it's not free, they are toll numbers. And are almost always busy. However most manufacturers have very good online help where you can trouble shoot if you have a problem.

Vendors that sell barebones kits usually have a thirty-day return policy. Try to do your building before it expires because if you go beyond that limit then you have to deal with the manufacturer which can be a hassle. It's much easier and may avoid expensive shipping charges if you deal with the seller.

When you select the components you require be sure that you procure compatible parts. Hard drives have different interfaces. Memory comes in many variations; some memory only works in specific motherboards. If you use the wrong type your machine won't work.

Once you have everything assembled, and your PC boots, you can install your operating system. This can be the most difficult prt of the operation. If you are using a new hard drive it's fairly easy. It will come with instructions and software for installing the OS. If you're using a used HD, then you have to format it. The best way to do this is to look at the hard drve and get the manufacturer and model number of the unit. Then you can download the instructions and software to perform this task.

Even if you don't save a fortune, you can end up with the computer that you want and have a sense of accomplishment.

About the Author

Written by: George W. Cannata the publisher of the web sites “Caveat Emptor “ http:// www.caveatemptorus.com. July 8,2005.

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Buying a Refurbished Laptop Computer: by David Perlmutter

2008-07-18T14:40:00.000+05:30

Buying a Refurbished Laptop Computer

by David Perlmutter

When considering buying a used or even a new laptop, the first thing you need to do is to determine your computing needs.

* word processing

* e-mail

* browsing web pages

* moving the laptop from home to work (weight)

* gaming

* on-line shopping

* a database application

* personal finance

* is battery power important

Check out the Minimum Systems Requirements needed to do all of the your applications. They will not come with the laptop, as refurbished laptops often only include the Operating System (OS). If they don't include an installed OS, then be prepared to install it yourself. This is not for those that don't know what they are doing, so research what is involved before buying one without an OS.

Once you understand what you really need, you need to determine your budget.

Most old laptops do not have working batteries. If you need a battery, shop around to figure out how much they cost. You should know that on older laptops, batteries don't last more than an hour or two, so purchasing a new battery for the purpose of longer battery life may not be worth the expense. And by all means, stick with a name brand… IBM, Dell, Toshiba, Compaq-HP.

If you are new to computers and you want to browse the World Wide Web, you will need to obtain the services of an ISP (Internet Service Provider). There are basically two types of Internet access options: broadband (cable modem, DSL, satellite) and lowband (dial-up). Broadband is the preferred type since download speeds can range from 128kbs to 6000kbs. The faster the better, of course. But, if your budget is tight, dial-up works just fine for typical browsing and e-mail usage.

Your choice of ISP's will be dependent upon two things: budget and location. If the budget allows and you don't mind paying upwards of $35-50+ per month, you can purchase a broadband connection. However, even if money were no object, your physical location will determine what types of services are available to you. Broadband is not available everywhere (with the exception of satellite). If you have a telephone line, you can always choose dial-up. AOL's bread and butter is dial-up users. Do your research to determine what is available in your area and compare costs.

And for you gamers out there, you definitely need a reliable broadband connection. Gaming over a lowband connection can be a frustrating experience and sometimes even impossible. You will need to check out the minimum systems requirement for the games you are interested in using to make sure the CPU speed and the RAM and graphic chip requirements will support the games you wish to play.

Once you have figured out your budget and your needs and the requirements of your laptop it is time to search for the laptop of your desires.

Some people choose to search at www.ebay.com. If you do be sure to check out the seller to be sure you will have a smooth transaction.

Many people don't want the hassle of bidding, so use your favorite search engine: Google or Yahoo or MSN for the terms "used laptops" or "refurbished laptop".

An important thing to keep in mind is how will the vendor treat you should there be a problem. If you don't like their attitude or they don't pick up the phone shop elsewhere. Price is important, but if you have a problem and spent the least amount of money possible the vendor may not have any resources available to help you after you have purchased and spent your money.

If all the above seems like too much of a hassle, then buy a new computer. It will cost around $700 + but will come with a new battery and a one year warranty, although some new ones seem to have only 90 day warranties. It will also have the latest Windows XP system and an 800 number to call the vendor, should their be a problem. I'd call the 800# first before buying to get an idea what kind of support they will provide.

About the Author

David Perlmutter is the founder and CEO of UsedLaptops.com, Inc. (http://www.usedlaptops.com) His first portable was a Compaq Plus 20 years ago. UsedLaptops.com, Inc. has sold over 20,000 refurbished laptops to consumers and companies over the last ten years.

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Buying Guide to Graphics Cards: by Andrew Gates

2008-07-18T08:57:00.001+05:30

Buying Guide to Graphics Cards

by Andrew Gates

The graphics card is a vital performance component of your computer, particularly if you play 3D games, or work with graphics and video content. The graphics card sits in an expansion card slot in your PC and it is specifically designed to process image data and output it to your monitor, enabling you to see it. A graphics card works by calculating how images appear, particularly 3D images, and renders them to the screen. 3D images and video images take a lot of processing capacity, and many graphics processors are complex, require fans to cool them and need direct power supply. The graphics card consists of a graphics processor, a memory chip for graphics operations, and a RAMDAC for display output. It may also include video capture, TV output and SLI and other functions. You can find the graphics card that suits you by comparing specification between brands and vendors on Myshopping.com.au

At Myshopping.com.au you can compare a great range of appliances, and assess them according to their specifications, brands, prices and vendors.

Graphics Cards

What are your needs?

The first decision you need to make is whether you need a graphics card for handling 3D images or whether you are simply requiring 2D image rendering. For 2D requirements, you need only a low-cost solution. In many cases, an integrated graphics solution will suffice for 2D applications.

However with 3D graphics, the performance of the graphics card will impact directly on the frame rate and image quality of 3D programs and games. The differences between the low and high-end cards can be substantial, both in cost and performance.

Rendering 3D graphics is like lighting a stage, both the geometry of the shapes in question and the lighting of it need to be taken into account. The geometry of an image calculates the parts of an object that can and can't be seen, the position of the eye and its perspective. The lighting is a calculation of the direction of the light sources, their intensities and the respective shadows that occur. The second part to presenting a 3D image is the rendering of colours and textures to the surfaces of the objects, and modifying them according to light and other factors.

Most modern graphics cards include a small microchip called the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), which are provide the algorithms and memory to process complex images. They reduce the workload of the main CPU, and provide faster processing. Different graphics cards have different capabilities in terms of processing power. They can render and refresh images up to 60 or more times per second, calculate shadows quickly, create image depth by rendering distant objects at low resolution, modify surface textures fluidly and eliminate pixelation.

What Specifications to Consider

Processor clock speed

This impacts on the rendering capability of the GRU. The clock speed itself is not the critical factor. Rather it is the per-clock performance of the graphics processor, which is indicated by the number of pixels it can process per clock cycle.

Memory size

This is the memory capacity that is used exclusively for graphics operations, and can be as much as 512MB. The more demanding your graphics applications are, the better you will be served with more memory on your graphics card.

16-32M

64M

128M

256M

512M

640M and more

Memory bandwidth

One thing that can slow down 3D graphics performance is the speed at which the computer delivers information to the graphics processor. A higher bandwidth means a faster data transfer, resulting in faster rendering speeds.

Shader model

DirectX Shader Models allows developers control over the appearance of an image as it is rendered on screen, introducing visual effects like multi-layered shadows, reflection and fog.

Fill rate

This is the speed at an image can be rendered or "painted". This rate is specified in texels per second, the number of 3D pixels that can be painted per second. A texel is a pixel with depth (3D). The fill rate comes from the combined performance of the clock speed of the processor and the number of pixels it can process per clock cycle, and will tell you how quickly an image can be fully rendered on screen.

Vertices/triangles

Graphics chips don't work on curves, rather they process flat surfaces. A curve is created by multiple flat planes arranged to look like a curve. 3D objects are created with multiple triangular surfaces, sometimes hundreds or even thousands, tessellated to represent the curves and angles of the real world. 3D artists are concerned with the number of polygons required to form a shape. There are two different types of specification: vertices per second (I.e., angles the triangles), and triangles per second. To compare one measure with the other, you have to take into account the fact that adjacent triangles share vertices.

Anti-aliasing

A technique used to smooth images by reducing the jagged stepping effect caused by diagonal lines and square pixels. Different levels of anti-aliasing have different effects on performance.

RAMDAC

The Random Access Memory Digital to Analogue Converter takes the image data and converts it to a format that your screen can use. A faster RAMDAC means that the graphics card can support higher output resolutions. Some cards have multiple RAMDACs allowing that card to support multiple displays.

TV-out

Some graphics cards provide the option to connect a television via either a composite (RCA) or S-Video connector. TV Out

S-video Out

S-video In and S-video Out (VIVO)

YPbPr Connection for HDTV

DVI

Some graphics cards include a connector for DVI monitors, handy because a lot of LCD screens support DVI. DVI offers better image quality than the standard VGA connector.

Dual-head

Dual-head is a term used when two monitors are used side by side, stretching your desktop across both.

SLI (Scalable Link Interface.)

With SLI you can couple two graphics cards in your computer, enabling each card to take half the rendering thereby doubling the performance.

When considering your graphics card, it pays to think about how much you need your computer to process your graphics output. Using a high end graphics card with a high pixels per clock rating, large memory, fast processor and other features means that you can run the latest games efficiently, or work in intensive graphics development.

Different Models

While there are many vendors of graphics cards, there are actually only two major manufacturers of chips for graphics cards. Nearly every graphics card on the market features a chip manufactured by either ATI or Nvidia. Cards using the same graphics chip will perform roughly the same as each other. However, even though they use the same chip, some feature slightly higher clock speeds, as well as manufacturer guaranteed overclocking-an even higher clock speed than that specified. Other factors that will influence your decision should include the amount of memory a card has (128MB, 256MB, 512MB) and its additional features, such as TV-Out and dual-screen support.

Use the search facilities at Myshopping.com.au to compare the features, prices and vendors of graphics cards.

About the Author

Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping service - http://www.myshopping.com.au , MyShopping.com.au helps you compare video cards and buy online from top-rated online stores. You can also read graphics cards reviews and specifications.

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Choosing the right Laptop Repair service: by Tyrone Campbell

2008-07-17T22:35:00.001+05:30

Choosing the right Laptop Repair service

by Tyrone Campbell

Let me start you off on a scenario; you have woken up one morning only to find that you laptop wont start up, now you don't have any insurance so the only where to turn is a laptop repair company.

How will you decide which one is best?

There are some key concepts when considering what repair service you want to use (if you have a yellow pages burn it now it will not give you the best services or prices available [Welcome to the internet world]).

The key things the 'average user' looks for is:

Site presentation, how much it costs, how long it will take and how long will it take.

These are an aspect when choosing the correct service however it's the way in which you do it. To break this down ill use the before mentioned to sub categorise and explain them in turn.

Why we decide based on price

The most obvious answer is that we decide on price because we are strapped for cash, are stingy or are looking for the cheapest and most quality service available. Here's the issue, there are fraudulent people on the internet and they will simply say anything to rob you.

How do you stop this from happening to you? Don't work on this singular idea and read onwards for a more dynamic viewpoint on the subject.

The site looked good so I used them

People who base their purchases on the way in which a website look clearly do not know how easy making a good looking website is, people who keep their site relatively basic; not filling it with flash imaging and not trying to overload you with multiple links are normally the best.

Remember that a site template is bought and therefore does not show the quality of the service.

Picking a laptop repair service for its location

Okay, sorry to tell you but people will say their based behind you if they think that it will get them your laptop and large companies will hold multiple pages optimised for searches that say such things as "Nuneaton laptop repair" in order to make the sale, so pay attention to the main page forget the trailing slashes on the end of the website.

What to look for

Okay here is what you really want to look for when choosing the correct service for your laptop repairs, granted that quality laptop repairers are rare.

Have they got a phone number that is answered by a live person? If there is no phone number to contact then you are looking at one of two things; one a low quality service or two a fraud based website.

Next to look for is an emailing service that gets back to you. The question you should first do is look if there is a way to contact the people if you ca contact them and receive a reply within two working days then your looking at quality.

Third is fixed fee services, this covers the usual costs as well as gives you base idea of the costs.

Fourth is can you get an online quote for your laptop? If you can once again you are looking at a quality website that is actually attempting to aid its customers.

Finally you need to look at their collection/retuning procedure. If the company expects you to package your own laptop and send it to them turn around now and carry on searching. A professional service will send a professional courier to you who will collect the laptop in a well padded box and take it directly to the company and return it in the same way.

Hopefully these basic steps have helped you out when trying to find the best laptop repair service with the most specialised laptop repairers. Remember the key three areas to look for; phone number, quick email reply and professional currier service.

About the Author

This article was sponsored by Laptop Repairers , getting your laptop repairs completed by professional laptop repairers. In advertisement partnership with Student recipes

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Car Racing Games and More: by Benicio Brown

2008-07-17T22:22:00.000+05:30

Car Racing Games and More

by Benicio Brown

When computers began reaching each nook and corner of the world, they found use in almost all sectors of human life. The situation was not a wonder when even children started using computers without any inconvenience. Computer games were started and this helped both children and grown-up people to participate in games that can be played sitting at home.

Computer games brought the car racing games and other games to the computer at home. Everyone started enjoying games from home and this gave wide popularity for games.

It was then with the advent of the Internet that games could be played online. Online games received great appreciation because of the easiness in playing and the thrill and entertainment people found in this activity.

Different types of online games were introduced by several companies. Most of the games achieved success among game lovers and thus series of games were launched . Each game had its own peculiarity and this uniqueness made the game interesting for people. Online games were available for people of particular age groups, though most of the games were made for all categories of people.

It was at this time that arcade games gained high publicity. These arcade games from real world started conquering the world of computers and internet. Soon online arcade games were born. The arcade games are often played in various levels. The initial levels will be easy and slowly the game will become tougher.

A large number of developers are coming with online arcade games and these games belong to the arcade genre of real world games. They are developed using JAVA and Flash programs. Hence they require web browsers to play the game. Different web browsers have different features that will support such online games.

Out of the various kinds of online arcade games, the arcade racing games got wide appreciation from customers and they have a good number of customers throughout the world. Along with these car games, a large number of online arcade games are available throughout internet. You will get free games for playing online.

Different websites are allowing customers to download interesting and fun filled online arcade games. Each of them has different features enough to attract customers. Such websites carry a separate section that will list out the arcade games provided by them for customers. This will ease the search of games by customers. They can select from the vast choice given in their list. The arcade games can be either downloaded or played online directly.

When more and more customers are attracted to this kind of arcade games, new websites introduce different and special arcade games. Customers can choose the specific games they are looking for from the websites they feel good. The reviews by customers will let them know how well each game can entertain people. Such reviews will take them to the world of games.

The car racing games under the arcade category has great fun and speed as compared to ordinary racing games. Most of the websites maintain a good collection of car racing games in their arcade collection. They take special care and attention in updating the collection of car racing games regularly. This updating is important to get maximum customers since they don't want to play the game over and over again.

Sonic the hedgehog is a character used in online games. The character is a product of a video game company in Japan. The company, Sega, introduced several series of games in this name and this is used as the title of the games in most cases. Based on the popularity of the character and the games, various animations and cartoons were born.

Mario Bros is a well known arcade game played online. The game was introduced by Nintendo and was later taken to the home systems as well. Later the game had series though the first series game had this title as such. Some versions were remade and introduced with slightly different names. Each online game has its own specialty. This uniqueness can bring visitors. This is the main reason why some of the games are getting large number of customers while others are failing to turn up.

About the Author

Want to play some cool games? Please check these free flash games and arcade games to play and start having lots of fun.

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Compact Flash Memory and Data Recovery: by Bharat Bista

2008-07-17T22:15:00.000+05:30

Compact Flash Memory and Data Recovery

by Bharat Bista

Flash memory gets its name due to its microchip arrangement in such a way, that its section of memory cells gets erased in a single action or "Flash".

Both NOR and NAND Flash memory were invented by Dr. Fujio Masuoka from Toshiba in 1984.The name 'Flash' was suggested because the erasure process of the memory contents reminds a flash of a camera, and it's name was coined to express how much faster it could be erased "in a flash".

Dr. Masuoka presented the invention at the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Jose, California in1984 and Intel recognizes the potentiality of the invention, and introduced the first commercial NOR type flash chip in 1988, with long erase and write times.

Flash memory is a form of non-volatile memory that can be electrically erased and rewrite, which means that it does not need power to maintain the data stored in the chip. In addition, flash memory offers fast read access times and better shock resistance than hard disks. These characteristics explain the popularity of flash memory for applications such as storage on battery-powered devices.

Flash memory is advance from of EEPROM (Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) that allows multiple memory locations to be erased or written in one programming operation. Unlike an EPROM (Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory) an EEPROM can be programmed and erased multiple times electrically. Normal EEPROM only allows one location at a time to be erased or written, meaning that flash can operate at higher effective speeds when the systems using; it read and write to different locations at the same time.

Referring to the type of logic gate used in each storage cell, Flash memories are built in two varieties and named as, NOR flash and NAND flash.

Flash memory stores one bit of information in an array of transistors, called "cells", however recent flash memory devices referred as multi-level cell devices, can store more than 1 bit per cell depending on amount of electrons placed on the Floating Gate of a cell. NOR flash cell looks similar to semiconductor device like transistors, but it has two gates. First one is the control gate (CG) and the second one is a floating gate (FG) that is shield or insulated all around by an oxide layer. Because the FG is secluded by its shield oxide layer, electrons placed on it get trapped and data is stored within. On the other hand NAND Flash uses tunnel injection for writing and tunnel release for erasing.

NOR flash that was developed by Intel in 1988 with unique feature of long erase and write times and its endurance of erase cycles ranges from 10,000 to 100,000 makes it suitable for storage of program code that needs to be infrequently updated, like in digital camera and PDAs. Though, later cards demand moved towards the cheaper NAND flash; NOR-based flash is the source of all the removable media.

Followed in 1989 Samsung and Toshiba form NAND flash with higher density, lower cost per bit then NOR Flash with faster erase and write times, but it only allows sequence data access, not random like NOR Flash, which makes NAND Flash suitable for mass storage device such as memory cards.

Smart Media was first NAND-based removable media and numerous others are behind like MMC, Secure Digital, xD-Picture Cards and Memory Stick.

Flash memory is frequently used to hold control code such as the basic input/output system (BIOS) in a computer. When BIOS needs to be changed (rewritten), the flash memory can be written to in block rather than byte sizes, making it simple to update. On the other hand, flash memory is not practical to random access memory (RAM) as RAM needs to be addressable at the byte (not the block) level. Thus, it is used more as a hard drive than as a RAM.

Although it can be read or write a byte at a time in a random access fashion, limitation of flash memory is, it must be erased a "block" at a time. Starting with a freshly erased block, any byte within that block can be programmed. However, once a byte has been programmed, it cannot be changed again until the entire block is erased. In other words, flash memory (specifically NOR flash) offers random-access read and programming operations, but cannot offer random-access rewrite or erase operations.

This effect is partially offset by some chip firmware or file system drivers by counting the writes and dynamically remapping the blocks in order to spread the write operations between the sectors, or by write verification and remapping to spare sectors in case of write failure.

Due to wear and tear on the insulating oxide layer around the charge storage mechanism, all types of flash memory erode after a certain number of erase functions ranging from 100,000 to 1,000,000, but it can be read an unlimited number of times.

Flash Card is easily rewritable memory and overwrites without warning with a high probability of data being overwritten and hence lost.

In spite of all these clear advantages, worse may occur due to system failure, battery failure, accidental erasure, re-format, power surges, faulty electronics and corruption caused by hardware breakdown or software malfunctions; as a result your data could be lost and damaged. You may have lost files or damaged data or media. Flash memory data recovery is the process of restoring data from primary storage media when it cannot be accessed normally.

Flash memory data recovery is a flash memory file recovery service that restores all corrupted and deleted photographs even if the memory card was re-formatted. This can be due to physical damage or logical damage to the storage device.

Data even from damage flash memory can be recovered, and more than 90% of lost data can be restored.

About the Author

Author: Bharat Bista
Digital Image Recovery
Bharat Bista is an independent SEO consultant, specializing in Search Engine Optimization and eCommerce.

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Computer Insurance: by Joseph Kenny

2008-07-17T22:14:00.000+05:30

Computer Insurance

by Joseph Kenny

Investing in a personal computer is not less an amount. It is next only to investing in a house or a car. So, it's not unwise an idea to insure your computer and its allied accessories like peripherals and software. However, how much coverage you get for what accessory depends on individual market offer. There are several threats your computer might face. Such as virus attack, data corruption, system crashing down, peripheral malfunctioning and many more. Thus, it is important for you to protect your investment by proper insurance coverage. There are certain aspects of computer insurance you must know.

Coverage under homeowner or renter's policy

In most of the cases if you have homeowner or renter's policy your home accessories and assets are also covered in that and so is your computer. It is covered against all the threats and disasters listed in the policy. Thus, if your computer gets stolen or gutted in fire you can claim for the damages. However, your computer gets covered only for the amount listed in your policy.

Replacement cost and actual cash value

Though replacement cost is 10 percent more expensive as compared to Actual cash value, keeping in mind that things depreciate fast, this is a very wise move. The reimbursement you get on replacement cost is the same as the current cost of your computer and not the petty depreciated cost you would get with actual cash value policy.

Coverage for Laptop and portable computer

Laptop and portable computers are considered personal possessions away from home under the homeowners or renter's policy. Thus, they are also covered under this policy. However, there is a dollar limit on personal possession that are stolen or damaged away from home.

Computers don't only get covered under the homeowners or renter's policy. A number of insurance companies offer individual insurance policies for computers as well. It is important to remember that when you buy a computer insurance policy you must retain the receipt of the policy as well as that of the computer and its peripherals very carefully.

Computer insurance is vital for students, business professionals, small business owners, schools, home users with heavy usage and many more people who use computers for their critical applications. Computer insurance does not cover certain items such as maintenance costs, electrical or mechanical breakdown, wear and tear, fraud and dishonesty, consequential loss, and loss or damage caused by sonic bangs. However, they are well covered under the warranty/extended warranty of the equipment.

About the Author

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the insurance site http://www.insure121.com/ where you will find information, news and links to the leading providers of insurance in the UK. If you found this article interesting you may find more articles of the same nature in the insurance guide located on site.

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Convert JPEG Photographs to into PDF Documents: by Adrian Nelson

2008-07-17T16:54:00.001+05:30

Convert JPEG Photographs to into PDF Documents

by Adrian Nelson

How (and why) you should convert your JPEG photographs into Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF). The "Why" discusses the limitations of the JPEG image format as a method of image distribution and covers the benefits and advantages of converting them into PDF documents. The "How" discusses some of the software options available together with their relative merits.

If you already know what JPEGs and PDFs are then skip to the "Why should you convert JPEG images into PDF documents" section to learn about some of the benefits and advantages of converting your JPEG photographs into PDF documents.

What is a JPEG?

JPEG (pronounced "jay-peg") is a royalty free image format that was created by a committee known as the Joint Photographics Expert Group. It was designed to compress photographic images so that they take up much less space.

However, the JPEG format is a "lossy" one. This means that when a JPEG image is decompressed it is not quite the same as the original image. But don't worry as this is not a big issue because it is possible to set the quality level that should be used for an image.

At a high quality level the human eye will not be able to distinguish the differences and you will still get a very useful space saving with about a 10:1 compression ratio ï¿½ ie an image will be compressed to one tenth of their original size.

At medium quality levels you will be able to spot slight differences (known as "compression artifacts") but these should not normally detract from the image and you will get a compression ratio of around 20:1.

Of course lower quality levels are available that allow a compression ratio of 100:1 to be achieved but the resultant images will look very "blocky".

JPEG is probably the most popular image format in use thanks to its high image quality and low space requirements. It is widely used on the Internet and as the storage format for photographs taken with most digital cameras.

What is a PDF?

PDF is a royalty free general purpose Portable Document Format created by Adobe Systems. It is ideal for storing and displaying fixed layout documents in a device and resolution independent way.

What this means is that a PDF document will be displayed in the same way no matter what device it is viewed on ï¿½ whether it is on a PC with a large screen or on a small personal organizer.

It is also important to note that a PDF document can be printed to any printer and the printed output should look exactly the same (or at least as close as possible subject to any limitations that the printer might have).

Because of the benefits outlined above, PDF is widely used on the Internet and is extensively used within the print industry where printing accuracy is a must.

Why should you convert JPEG images into PDF documents?

While JPEG images are easy to use there are some limitations with them that make PDF documents a more attractive way of distributing images.

First of all if you want to display and print a JPEG image then what you see on screen is not necessarily what you get printed! This is because the screen resolution is likely to be very different to the printer resolution and the application that is used to display the image on screen cannot always take this into account.

However, using a PDF document that contains the same image, not only is the image displayed at the correct size on screen but you get a perfect printed copy.

If you want to store or distribute a number of images together then it makes more sense to put them into a single PDF file. Especially if you want to send them via email (you only have to include one file attachment and the recipient can open the PDF document and scroll through all of the images straight away) or display them on a web site (you only need to link to one file not lots of them).

With a PDF document you can also restrict what can be done with it ï¿½ you may only want authorised users to be able to view the document in which case you can password protect it. Or you can prevent a user from editing or printing the document if you only want them to be able to view it on screen.

You can of course do much more with a PDF document, for example, you could create a simple PDF photo album of your images with a built-in slideshow using some fancy page transitions between each image.

How can you convert JPEG images into PDF documents?

While you could use the fully featured and relatively expensive Adobe Acrobat application to convert JPEG images into PDF documents, this can be both time consuming to learn and overly complex if all you want to do is to convert some JPEG images.

There are some free applications available, such as Open Office, but these do not generally allow you the same level of control or automation as dedicated third party tools.

A better solution could be to use a dedicated tool such as one of the "Image to PDF" range of products from Utility Warrior.

There are some other advantages to using a tool that is dedicated to the job of just converting JPEG images into PDF documents ï¿½ it will probably be cheaper for a start!

Also, these tools will often be much smaller in size as there is no unnecessary code bloat, and this can also mean that they are faster in operation ï¿½ which can be very important if you have thousands of JPEG images to convert!

Hopefully this brief article will have given you enough grounding to evaluate the solutions that are available to convert your JPEG images into PDF documents to best find one that matches your needs. Happy converting!

About the Author

Adrian Nelson is the lead software developer behind the range of low cost PDF utilities from Utility Warrior which can be found at http://www.UtilityWarrior.com

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Excel File Repair: by Neha Gupta

2008-07-17T16:35:00.002+05:30

Excel File Repair

by Neha Gupta

Excel worksheets can get corrupt or damaged at any point of time. Just imagine working on important financial figures and power goes off. And when power comes back, you cannot access your worksheet or the excel file fails to open. Now what to do?

There are times when MS Office application automatically recovers the unexpected closed document with the help of Auto recover option and your data is saved from being lost and inaccessible. But what happens when you cannot access your data, can you still get it back. The answer is "Yes". Why not?

The fast paced technology has developed such recovery tools to recover and restore the lost data. If you lose your data, you can still get it back by performing some basic steps or at last if their remains no hope, you can select a third party utility ï¿½ an excel file repair software.

This article aims to discuss those methods and points which prove helpful in the cases when you lose your important data.

How Data Becomes Corrupt or Inaccessible

Before discussing the preventions first we should look at some of the causes due to which the excel file gets corrupt. The causes are:

Virus Attacks

Unexpected or improper system shutdown

Power Outages

Media Errors

Error messages like:

"Excel unable to read file..",

"This file is not in a recognizable format",

"????.xls file cannot be accessed. The file may be read-only",

Excel.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. You will need to restart the program; an error log is being created".

Methods to Recover Data from the Corrupt Excel Files:

1. Saving the file in HTML format

2. Use of Revert To Saved Document feature

3. Open file in MS Word

4. Open file in MS Excel Viewer

5. Disable Macros

6. Use of External Link Formulas in another Worksheet

7. Use of Excel's built-in Detect and Repair feature

8. Other Procedures

Saving the file in HTML format

If you are unable to access data or open the worksheet, then you can save the corrupt file in .html format and then reopen it. To do this, perform the following steps:

Click the File menu > click the Save As option.

Click the Save as type list, select the Web Page (*.htm, *.html) option.

Close the file

Again open the file in MS Excel

Click the File menu, and select the Save As option.

Click the Save As type list and select the Microsoft Excel Workbook option. Change the name of the file, to create filtered copy without replacing the original worksheet file.

Note: Some features might get lost when the file is saved in HTML format.

Use of Revert To Saved Document

While working on an excel worksheet, if by chance your worksheet closes automatically or it becomes corrupt before saving the changes then you can try this method to retrieve the data back:

Click the File menu and select the Open option.

The Open dialogue box appears select the name of the .xls file on which you were working.

As you select the .xls file, a dialogue box will be displayed with the following message : "Revert to Saved Document"

Click OK

The last saved version of the corrupt .xls file will be displayed.

Open file in MS Word or WordPad

To open the MS Excel worksheet in MS Word, you need to install MS Excel converter on your computer system.

If the corrupt excel file gets opened in MS Word then you will be able to recover text and result of the formulas which are currently in the cells. You may not be able to recover the dialog sheets, chart sheets, embedded charts or any module sheets and also the cell formulas.

If converting to WordPad, the data recovery would be possible in Visual Basic code in the modules and class modules. Search for the "Sub" and "Function" word to find the code.

Open file in MS Excel Viewer

You can recover the lost data with the help of MS Excel Viewer. MS Excel Viewer is a small, freely distributed program which enables you to view and print Excel for Windows (v2.0 and greater) and MS Excel for Macintosh (v 2.2a and greater) spreadsheet files.

Install the application and then you can copy the cells and paste them in new worksheet. This method can only recover the results of the formulas which are currently in the cell and the formatting of the file. Thus you cannot recover macro sheets, module sheets, dialog sheets, charts or VBA macro modules.

Disable Macros

Disable macros while attempting to open the corrupt excel file.

Use of External Link Formulas in another Worksheet

Type the following command in the a1 cell of a new worksheet: ='C:\My Documents\[Corrupt File Name.xls]Sheet'1!A1

Change the path according to the file location and corrupt file name. Copy this code down and over to mirror the range covered in the damaged file. Cell values except the formulas or VBA codes can be recovered with this method.

Use of Excel's built-in Detect and Repair feature

The "Detect and Repair" feature is the built-in recovery procedure through which data from the corrupt excel files can also be recovered. Follow the steps to use this feature:

Open New Excel worksheet

Click the File menu and select the Open option.

In the Open dialogue box, select the .xls file which you want to open. The Open button will get activated, click the arrow and select the Open and Repair option.

Click the Repair button to start the process of recovery and Extract Data button to extract data if excel was unable to repair a previous workbook.

The Excel workbook with corruptions can be easily recovered and repaired by using this method.

Other Procedures

As the above mentioned steps can help you to recover data from the corrupt excel files, you can also give a try to these steps, which can prove helpful:

Close the Excel file and then re-open it.

This does not works, restart your computer system, try to open the excel file again.

If this also not works, delete content from the "C:\Windows\Temp folder" and again restart the Computer system.

If this also does not work then open the corrupt excel file in Safe mode. This process disables the VBA and Add-ins. Click the Start men and select the Run option.

Enter the following command: "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\excel.exe"/s. Now excel in safe mode will start.

Note: If you are working on Excel 2002, Office XP, MS Office Installer will start as you enter the command in Run option. Click Cancel, safe mode will start.

If this also does not work, scan the file for viruses. This might solve the problem.

You can also try this. Copy and paste the .xls file to another partition and then try to open the file. This might actually work.

Finally when you have tried all the above-mentioned points and it seems that they will not work then you can select a third party utility to recover data from the corrupt excel file. There are many excel file recovery software which are designed to perform data recovery on the corrupt files.

The Excel File Repair software is an efficient corrupt excel file recovery software which retrieves and recovers data from the corrupt excel sheets. The excel recovery software recovers the cell data, formulas, charts, images, hyperlinks and other embedded objects from the corrupt excel sheets.

You can try the FREE demo version of the Nucleus Excel File Repair software and if the excel file data recovery software displays your lost and inaccessible data then you can purchase Full version of the software.

Excel File Recovery Software supports data recovery from almost every version of MS Excel including MS Excel 2003, 2000, 97, XP.

About the Author

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. http://www.nucleustechnologies.com

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Guide to Buying a Laptop Computer: by Andrew Gates

2008-07-17T16:35:00.001+05:30

Guide to Buying a Laptop Computer

by Andrew Gates

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.

About the Author

Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping site MyShopping.com.au. MyShopping.com.au helps you compare the different laptops from different brands in terms of specifications and accessories. You can also compare laptop prices from hundreds of different brands and vendors.

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Guide to Buying a Webcam: by Andrew Gates

2008-07-17T16:29:00.000+05:30

Guide to Buying a Webcam

by Andrew Gates

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.

About the Author

Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping site - http://www.myshopping.com.au , MyShopping.com.au helps you compare web cameras and buy online from top-rated online stores. You can also read webcams reviews and specifications.

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Guide to buying Hard Drives: by Andrew Gates

2008-07-17T16:25:00.000+05:30

Guide to buying Hard Drives

by Andrew Gates

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.

Internal Hard Drives

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.

External Hard drives

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.

Laptop Hard Drives

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.

About the Author

Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping service MyShopping.com.au . MyShopping.com.au helps you compare hard drives and buy online from top-rated online stores. You can also read hard drive reviews and specifications.

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Hard Disk Failure and Data Recovery: by Bharat Bista

2008-07-17T16:24:00.001+05:30

Hard Disk Failure and Data Recovery

by Bharat Bista

Hard Disk: An Introduction

Hard disk is a non-volatile data storage device that stores electronic data on a magnetic surface layered onto hard disk platters. Word "Hard" is use to differentiate it from a soft, or floppy disk. Hard disks hold more data and can store from 10 to more than 100 gigabytes, whereas most floppies have a maximum storage capacity of 1.4 megabytes and in addition are faster too.

Normally term hard disk is much familiar with computers only but it is widely used as network attached storage for large volume storage. Furthermore, appliance of hard disk drives spread out to video recorders, audio players, digital organizers, digital cameras, and even in latest cellular telephones.

Reynold Johnson invented the first hard disk in 1955 for IBM 305 computer with fifty 24 inch platters and total capacity of five million characters, and in 1956 - first commercial hard disk was launched with 5 megabyte capacity, the IBM 350 RAMAC disk drive.

Within time frame of 50 years and rapid progress in technical enhancement, we have now reached to latest 2006 - First 750 GB hard drive from (Seagate) and First 200 GB 2.5" Hard Drive utilizing Perpendicular recording (Toshiba).

Heart of hard disk consists of four basic components:

The Platters: Platters are the actual disks inside the drive that store the magnetized data. Conventional platters are made of a light aluminum alloy and coated with magnetize-able material but latest technology uses glass or ceramic platters as they are thinner and also heat resisting. Most drives have at least two platters and the larger the storage capacity of the drive, the more platters there are.

The Spindle Motor: Hard disk drive consists of a spindle on which the platters spin at a constant RPM. Moving along and between the platters on a common arm are read-write heads. The platters in a drive are divided by disk spacers and are clamped to a revolving spindle that turns all the platters in a uniform motion. The spindle motor is built right into the spindle and rotates the platters at a constant set rate ranging from 3,600 to 7,200 RPM.

The Read/Write Heads: Read/write heads read and write data to the platters, and each head is fixed to a single actuator shaft so that all the heads move in harmony.

Typically, only one of the heads is active at a time either reading or writing data. When not in use, the heads are inactive, but when in motion the spinning of the platters generate air pressure that lifts the heads off the platters. The space between the platter and the head is so minute that even one dust particle or a fingerprint could disable the spin. When the platters cease spinning the heads come to rest, at a preset position on the heads, called the landing zone.

The Head Actuator: All the heads are attached to a single head actuator arm, which moves the heads around the platters. The Actuator arm moves the heads on an arc across the platters as they spin, allowing each head to access almost the entire surface of the platter. Contemporary hard drives use a voice coil actuator, which controls the movement of a coil toward or away from a permanent magnet based on the amount of current flowing through it.

Fundamental structures of all hard disk are same, and are composed of the same physical features, but their performance depends on the quality of their inner components.

Hard Disk Failure:

Hard Disk Failure occurs when a hard disk drive malfunctions and the accumulate data cannot be accessed. It may happen in the course of normal operation due to an internal or external factor.

Disk failure varies and the most common is "Head Crash" where the internal read and write head of a device touches a platter or magnetic storage surface often grinding away the magnetic surface. Head hover just micrometers from the platters plane which makes such collision the common one.

This sort of crash usually invites severe data loss and unprofessional data recovery attempts results further damage to the remaining data.

Hard drive also includes other controller electronics i.e., semiconductors, valves or electronic circuits, and major components such as Platters, Spindle Motor and Head Actuator. Failure of any these devices may cause a hard disk failure.

Factors causes disk failure are numerous, yet most common are power surges, voltage fluctuations, electronic malfunction, physical shock, wear and tear, corrosion, exposure to high magnetic waves, sharp impact, high temperature exposure etc.

The phenomena of hard disk failure is raising higher and higher; as to increase the read and write speed, today we have latest hard disk rotating amazingly faster and this immense revolving speed generates massive centrifugal force, a single adverse cause in the course of normal operation can cause severe hard disk failure.

Hard Disk Data Recovery:

Hard disk data recovery is the process of recovering the trapped data from the damage hard disk device, when it can not be accessed in normal circumstance.

Several Techniques are used to retrieving data from damaged hard disk and techniques vary accordingly. It can be done by moving disk drive to a working CPU, or may have to open the disk drive and replace parts such as read/write heads, arms and chips and sometime the platters have to be removed and placed into another drive.

Physical damage can not be repaired by the general users, as it requires clean and dust free lab environment, in addition proper hardware and technical expertise; where under microscopic examination with proper tool and techniques, the damage drive is put on to observation for data salvaging.

In case of worse happening, do consult Data Recovery Service for saving your important data trapped within the damage device.

About the Author

Digital Image Recovery
Bharat Bista is an independent SEO consultant, specializing in Search Engine Optimization and eCommerce advancement.

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Hi-Tech Security Solutions: by Oshik Amiga

2008-07-17T16:21:00.002+05:30

Hi-Tech Security Solutions

by Oshik Amiga

Security is very common aspect now days. Everyone has become cautious of security. So many things are happening that all are worried about security. Every time there is fear in the heart of peoples that nothing should go wrong. At this time government along with many private security agencies have came up to ensure security. Along with that companies too had launched various security devices. Nowadays security too has become more advanced and technological. Various hi- tech devices can be found in market having implementation of latest technology.

Some of the latest devices include:

1. Access Control

2. Home Automation

3. CCTV, Surveillance Alarms & Intruder Detection

4. Perimeter Security

5. Alarms-over-IP

All of the above said instruments are latest and updated security devices meant for various advanced security needs. Actually these days, people need security from internal, external and rare threats too. Rare threat means fire, and other technical hazards. Your home is a symbol of the harmony in your family. It carries the memories of all time spent there as well as various other cherished moments. A fire caused by some carelessness or electrical faults can destroy everything out here.

It applies with the offices too. There are several people working over there, with lots of other things, including data, which is of ultimate importance, computers and other costly devices, furniture, other infrastructure that is result of great investment, planning, and human efforts, along with other belongings. Fire is a threat for all these things, which may be from a simple electricity fault, or human mistake.

To control this issue, security service provider, and other security equipment manufacturing companies make intelligent fire alarms that activates itself on time and send signals, so that people can be cautious and take desired actions at perfect time. This is one of the most important and helpful element for home and office security.

After then there are automatic access control systems that prevents unauthorized entry of unwanted people. These systems also have a tracking program attached to them, which provides a perfect log of all the person went inside and came outside along with the timing details. Many such instruments are available in market for providing security services. However, at the same time people should have their five senses always alert.

About the Author

Absolute Security & Lock is premier provider of Security Equipment in Florida. We are providing 24 hour emergency locksmith services since 1997 to our numerous clients. For more information, visit: http://www.greenlocksmith.com

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How is Original Software linked to Standards?: by GT Kimberly

2008-07-17T16:21:00.001+05:30

How is Original Software linked to Standards?

by GT Kimberly

There are many global business standards. Registration as a corporate entity, audited accounts, filing of taxes, personnel policies aligned with law...Original Software is also one such business standard that is an unavoidable part.

For more than three decades, one company has stood for the best Original Software: Microsoft. From Desktop Operating Systems to Office Productivity, from databases to server software, adopting Original Microsoft Software means choosing a best practice adopted by industry-leading businesses across the world.

Embracing Original Microsoft Software means embracing a global business standard that brings with it several advantages:

• Peace of Mind: With Original Microsoft Software, you are assured that your software is properly licensed and supported by Microsoft. You avoid doubts about quality, and concerns about legal issues for your company. Most importantly, you establish that your company runs on global business standards.

• Value beyond software: Original Microsoft Software makes you eligible for special offers and product enhancements under the Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) and Office Genuine Advantage (OGA) programs.

• Free from Defects: Original Software is free from defects, malware, and spyware that is dangerous for your business and your reputation with partners and customers.

Professional Business = Global Business Standards

Global Business Standards = Original Microsoft Software

With Original Microsoft Software, your business meets the standards needed to thrive in today's dynamic business environment. Choose Original Software to demonstrate that you have a professional foundation.

As part of Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) and Office Genuine Advantage (OGA), Original Microsoft software brings with it a number of advantages that helps businesses, protects your PC and enables access to the latest updates and downloads.

When you purchase original Microsoft software, you get numerous advantages as part of the Windows Genuine Advantage and Office Genuine Advantage. You can download the latest software such as Windows Defender, and also have access to special offers and promotions.

Microsoft Software licenses typically come in three flavours:

a) OEM License: The least expensive and best way to buy Original Microsoft Software is to get it preinstalled when you are buying a PC. The license you get is an OEM License.

b) FPP License: A Fully Packaged Product (FPP) refers to the retail pack that you can buy

online or from a retail store or get it delivered to your door-step. FPP is most suited when you need Original Microsoft Software for 1-4 PCs.

Typically, you can also purchase Software Assurance (SA) along with your Volume License to get the latest updates and versions.

About the Author

GT Kimberly is an ardent reader & follower of all computer related softwares. He is a user of Microsoft Original Software

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How to Build a Gaming PC: by Aaron Guhl

2008-07-17T16:19:00.001+05:30

How to Build a Gaming PC

by Aaron Guhl

The one who made the passage "nothing lasts forever" could be pertaining to gaming PCs and their evident incapability to cope up with the needs of the updated games being issued in the public. What is being pointed out is your gaming PC may have been able to play Half-Life a decade ago, but it certainly cannot play Crysis in the present.

Brand-new games need the up-to-the-minute technology to ensure the best type of gaming gratification.

For this reason, your gaming PC should be provided with the hottest machinery to play the most up-to-dategames.

Let's begin with your CPU. 3Ghz cannot cut it any longer. At best, such a computer will run the up-to-the-minute games quite sluggishly. You will want a double core, or even quad core computers. The higher the processing capability of each core, the greater.

1 gigabyte of RAM cannot bring you anywhere. It's only just good enough to operate Windows Vista nowadays. You should have at least 2 gigs of RAM to run the most up-to-date games effortlessly, without grueling the bits and pieces of your processor.

Try not to become too hooked your video card. The odds are, you'll get a new one in a matter of a year and a half. If you are to purchase a video card nowadays, don't look for a kind that is lower than the GeForce 8800 GTX.

Nevertheless still, if you possess the latest video card that cash can acquire, it will be for zilch if your computer screen can't run no less than 720p resolution. Opt for an LCD screen that can still deal with 1080i

resolution for the the greatest gaming experience possible.

Common speakers will make the greatest appearing game sound like a croaking frog. Get full Dolby Digital by installing amps, front amplifiers and back up amplifiers in your gaming space. Next time you'll run Left4Dead, you'd heed the zombie hiding behind you.

While assembling a gaming PC, keep in mind always reflect beforehand - way beforehand. Think of a way that is capable to manage the games to be released 6 months after you bought it, and you can be sure that you won't need to upgrade the same for at least 2 years.

About the Author

Aaron Guhl a long time PC gamer and has followed the industry closely. He works in the IT industry and has a tremendous love for working with computer hardware. He also develops websites on the side which he writes articles for. Visit http://www.8800-video-cards.com for more information on DirectX 10 and GeForce 8800 video cards that support it.

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How to Choose the Right Webcam Surveillance Software?: by Dan Crane

2008-07-17T14:17:00.001+05:30

How to Choose the Right Webcam Surveillance Software?

by Dan Crane

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.

About the Author

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.

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How To Select The Best Gaming Laptops: by Tim Childree

2008-07-17T14:16:00.000+05:30

How To Select The Best Gaming Laptops

by Tim Childree

Most veteran PC gamers know exactly what they want in a gaming laptop, and those who have the time and money have probably already built their dream computer themselves, but if you are a little newer to the field, a little more fond of the smaller notebook footprint, or a little less comfortable with a do-it-yourself computer, you need to be armed with these basic facts before purchasing your gaming laptop.

The three most important components for any high-end laptop are the processor, RAM and graphics card. Since you are building a gaming rig, you will want to focus on your graphics card first and foremost. Make sure you load up the video memory with at least 256MB and remember to select a notebook that has a dedicated graphics card. Integrated graphics simply cannot handle any modern, 3D gaming.

The next most important component is your processor. Dual-core CPUs are the hottest thing out right now. Ideally, you want to stay within the top two or three fastest dual-core CPUs, in terms of processor speed, that are currently available at the time of your purchase. This will ensure that your notebook is fully optimized for all of today's latest 3D games.

The third most important factor in the speed of your laptop is RAM. You will need at least 1GB to safely play most 3D games without any memory bottlenecking, although most hardcore gamers opt for 2GB or more just for the added punch and/or bragging rights.

The fourth and final tip would be to go with 7200rpm hard drives, as these will definitely speed up load times by adding some extra horsepower to your gaming machine.

With recent advancements in mobile technologies, laptops are now becoming more and more popular in the gaming community, as the prospect of a portable gaming rig that can produce desktop-like performance on the go is something that appeals to all gamers. Just remember to follow these four simple guidelines to ensure that your laptop will be able to meet or exceed all of the hardware requirements for your gaming sessions.

Please, check out these recommendations for the best notebook computers for gaming.

This article may be republished freely as long as this copyright notice and box of resource links are included at the bottom.

Copyright © 2007 MALIBAL, lLc

About the Author

MALIBAL is the Home of the World's Fastest Laptop! Headquartered in Las Vegas, this groundbreaking company has transmuted the world of mobile computing with its nonpareil laptops and unrivaled 24-hour USA-based support.

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HTC Touch Diamond Apple Iphone Rematch?: by Kioky Salazar

2008-07-17T14:11:00.001+05:30

Inkjet Printers: Stating the Trend of Today's Printing

by Jinky C. Mesias

Inkjet printers makes use of inkjet ink which a very complex formulation that makes possible for the ink to infiltrate almost any type of surfaces. Inkjet printers are also commonly used by home owners as well as various businesses. The usual inkjet printers used are bubble jet or thermal printer that are best for everyday printing needs. However, when it comes to printing for the business industry although a bubble jet or thermal printer may do some of the easy printing jobs but for some of the complicated printing requirements like the use of codes and markings in order for prints to attach to certain materials like plastic, metal, cardboard as well as glass an industrial ink specially formulated for inkjet printers are required. The inks used on such type of printers are water-based coupled with a user-friendly print delivery system.

There are many advantages derived from using inkjet printers and these are as follows: produces crisp prints, quick drying, inexpensive, dependable and very easy to use. These are made possible through the use of a reliable printing system that is based on software and hardware that are used to create practical applications for the whole printing industry.

The whole inkjet printing principle is really simple since it involves the process of mere spraying of ink in a surface. The only complex component of inkjet printing is the ink used. The composition of the ink must adhere or must be compatible with the printer to be use. In terms of the inkjet inks used for industrial purposes proper formulation that would result to just the right degree of viscosity, surface tension, pH, reactivity are all required in order to come up with quality prints.

The only problem that can be experienced when it comes to inkjet printing is if ever there is an ebb and flow on the intensity, hue or brightness which greatly affects the final prints. That is why it is of great importance to buy inkjet inks only from reputable companies that are known to manufacture high quality industrial inks.

Likewise, the printing environment must be considered. Big printing companies that make use of industrial inkjet printers must ensure that no elements such as dust particles as well as other airborne residue from various procedures are present in their printing plants or printing factories. These elements may affect the quality of the prints.

With the conventional printing only a handful of materials are use for printing since the ink used chooses only a few number of materials in which it can penetrate but with the onset of inkjet printing system printing in a much larger number and types of materials became possible and affordable.

For comments and suggestions about the article kindly visit Digital Inkjet Poster Printing

About the Author

Jinky C. Mesias is a lover of simple things and of nature. She spends most of her time reading and writing poetry.

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Inkjet Printers: Stating the Trend of Today's Printing: by Jinky C. Mesias

2008-07-17T14:08:00.000+05:30

Inkjet Printing: The System that Demonstrates Printing Excellence: by Jinky C. Mesias

2008-07-17T14:07:00.001+05:30

Inkjet Printing: The System that Demonstrates Printing Excellence

by Jinky C. Mesias

Inkjet printing is a flexible, affordable, user-friendly and upgradeable printing service for the ever changing business needs. The inkjet printing system makes use of a variety printing techniques, inks and configurations that allows it to print vivid, concise codes and markings that penetrates almost any surface. And since it is user-friendly anybody with mediocre knowledge on printing may use it.

The upgradeability of the inkjet printing system also allows it be readily reconfigured to suit every printing requirements there is. Likewise, inkjet printers are also very easy to repair in fact the replacement of parts alone may only take a mere 5 minutes. Inkjet printing system is also very reliable and seldom breaks down unlike the conventional printers that require time to time repairs and changing of parts.

The use of the inkjet printing system in place of the conventional printing system helps businesses save in terms of their printing costs especially when it comes to printing for their packaging requirements. That is because Inkjet printing provides high quality printing and an inexpensive printing operation. Moreover, inexpensive but compatible inks in inkjet printing may be used instead of expensive industrial inks these way businesses may further lower down their printing costs.

The role of inkjet printing in the business industry is very much apparent and can be seen in almost any aspect of business endeavors. From the common everyday printing of office documents to the most complex projects like printing on round shaped bottles, printing on woven bags and then even printing on lumbers for advertising. The list simply goes on and on.

The inkjet printing system is divided into two main category and these are the drop-on-demand and the continuous inkjet printing. The drop-on-demand printing is the most frequently used by businesses as well as home owners. The drop-on-demand technology is the one used for bubble jet printers and even for Hewlett-Packard deskjets. The Epzon printer on the other hand has its own drop-on-demand system. A recent development in the high-resolution system ranging up to 300 dpi has been added to the inkjet printing system. These three inkjet printing categories creates a more efficient delivery of barcodes, batch numbers, lot numbers, date codes as well as product identification on any types of material.

The drop-on-demand used for industrial purposes requires two types of technologies. The first one pertains to the distribution of the ink, valve or plunger. The ink is distributed by means of a manifold to the various valves which is controlled by a high speed electrical pulse.

On the other hand, the continuous inkjet printing works differently since it involves the releasing of small droplets of ink. An electrical field and a deflection plate sort outs and determine which droplets are to reach the substrate or the material. The droplets that are not utilized are then recycled through the system. In addition, the finer the droplets, the higher the resolution, the better to print bar codes and graphics.

For comments and suggestions about the article kindly visit Inkjet Printing Services

About the Author

Jinky C. Mesias is a lover of simple things and of nature. She spends most of her time reading and writing poetry.

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IP Telephony - the Big Wave of Global Communication Systems?: by Jonathan Kirsten

2008-07-17T13:36:00.000+05:30

IP Telephony - the Big Wave of Global Communication Systems?

by Jonathan Kirsten

IP Telephony - the big wave of global communication systems?

IP telephony, or Internet Protocol telephony deploys the Internet infrastructure to transmit voice and fax calls. IP phone systems digitize voice and transmit it in the form of packets to unique IP addresses designated by the user. Slow to get off the blocks, Internet phone systems have gained significant ground in the recent years. This is largely due to the rapid rise of convergence as the ultimate destination for communication technology. In this context, voice over ip phone systems are seen as a crucial first step in the march towards achieving seamless low-cost connectivity by integrating data, voice, and video onto a single Internet based platform.

Enterprise communications at the cross-roads

A recent study by META group, a subsidiary of the global consultancy major Gartner, indicates that convergence is fast catching up among businesses across the globe. As per the study, 26 per cent of the Global 2000 Enterprises are in the process of migrating to converged networks, whereas another 42 per cent will be taking it up in the next one to two years. Impressive figures indeed! In the same vein it predicts that the IP lines deployed by the hybrid 'computer phone systems', are bound to see a 50 per cent growth annually in the coming years. One reason why enterprises are boarding the IP telephony bandwagon is that it enables them to generate substantial cost-savings by using their existing IP infrastructure for voice traffic. Plus, prominent communication equipment vendors, such as UK based Actimax Plc, have clearly cast their mandate in favor of the Internet phone system. Going by the Actimax Web site, the benefits of adopting an IP phone system include:

1. Connecting remote workers at no extra cost

2. Integrating IP applications with telephones to harness the best of two technologies

3. Connecting geographically disparate sites together at no extra call cost

IP telephony - the roadblocks

From the above, the IP phone systems appear simply unstoppable and clearly the future of the global communications. But then why is it still moving at a relatively slow pace? For example, an overwhelming majority of enterprises in upcoming markets still remain unconvinced by its efficacy. In the developed world too the picture is not so rosy. As per estimates put forward by world telecoms major Ericsson, 'pure-play VOIP phone system PBXs account for less than five per cent of customer premises equipment (CPE) shipments' across the globe. Apart from this, businesses implementing VOIP phone systems too prefer to remain on line with the traditional wire line telephony. The reasons are not hard to find. META group studies point towards the a still lingering adverse public perception about reliability, degree of integration with legacy systems, and the money that needs to be pumped into the new applications.

Besides, a number of countries, including India and China, are still to recognize IP telephony, which puts a big question mark over its usability in these fast growing markets. Apart from this, convergence require a high degree of customization for companies in different sectors. Experts also point out that converged networks are still to come up with common technical standards that are essential to make the technology ubiquitous.

An idea whose time is nigh

Despite the remaining hurdles, it clearly emerges that the future belongs to converged networks, which means that we are in for a greater proliferation of voice over IP phone systems both at the workplace and in life away from office. The technology has got too many things going for it. After all how can we turn away a system that offers advantages such as greater efficiency and productivity while lowering your total cost of ownership? Those of you who have had a feel of concepts such as 'Computer Telephone Integration' will know what we are talking about. And, to those still to get a taste of this upcoming communication revolution, we can only say: Go out and try it for yourself. It makes more sense to be an active participant in the technology sweepstakes than to wait and let the convergence wave sweep you off your feet.

About the Author

John Massey is the Managing Director of http://www.actimax.co.uk, who's background in the communications industry goes back over 30 years is invaluable in the company being one step ahead of the competition.

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Learn How BlockDoS.net Cope Up With DDoS Attacks: by Sharon Greenslade

2008-07-17T13:35:00.000+05:30

Learn How BlockDoS.net Cope Up With DDoS Attacks

by Sharon Greenslade

In networks even on the internet, all systems have their limits. One way to make a system secure and survivable is to increase their limits or in other words strength. The more resources there are, the better the chances are for systems to survive in an increased demand for use. For a web service or a server, the webmaster may increase the number of connections that a web service can accept. This spreads the increased load over computers and help to ensue that no computer operates too near its limit. The higher the limits of all the potentially affected systems â€" the network and the computers on that network â€" the better the chances that network will secure a DDoS attack.

Safe your network from the surrounded by out -- View the webcast

Even though a DoS assault does not frequently result in the robbery of information or other safety defeat, it can cost the objective person or corporation a immense treaty of time and money. Characteristically, the loss of repair is the incapability of a particular network service, such as e-mail, to be obtainable or the impermanent loss of all network connectivity and services. A denial of service attack can also obliterate programming and files in exaggerated computer systems. In some cases, DoS attacks have required Web sites accessed by millions of people to for the time being finish procedure.

General forms of denial of service attacks are:

Buffer Spread out Attacks

The most ordinary kind of DoS attack is merely to send more traffic to a network address than the programmers who intended its data buffers predictable someone might send. The assailant may be conscious that the target system has a flaw that can be oppressed or the assailant may just try the assault in case it might work. A few of the better-known attacks based on the shock absorber individuality of a program or system include:

* Sending e-mail messages that have attachments with 256-character file names to Netscape and Microsoft mail programs

* Sending extra-large Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) packets (this is also known as the Packet Internet or Inter-Network Groper (ping) of death)

* Distribution to a user of the Pine e-mail progam a communication with a "From" address better than 256 characters

Our Technology

BlockDos Solution

BlockDoS.net does not afford any short-term solutions to get rid of DDOS assaults. To avoid DDos flood, our finest practices occupy making computers and networks more flexible in the face of an assault. Many companies have executed different solutions to survive with DDoS attacks. But we have diverse come near to do it. We will neither immobilize your website nor will it be inactive at the time of assault.

Our expertise is much easiest yet stronger. Let us think a state of affairs where a site is exaggerated with DDoS attack and we have to provide the solution.

1. Consider a site attacked by the DDos attack.

2. Just go to BlockDos.net, fill out the â€œUnder Attackâ€� form and hit submit.

3. BlockDos team will contact you within 30 minutes of receipt of your query.

4. You will rapidly obtain an IP address from BlockDos team which is what you will have to forward your domain name to.

5. Now BlockDoS is going to be accountable for nearly every DDoS attack or hateful action and sift out the general requests.

About the Author

Sharon Greenslade is working as a webmaster for past few years. She has worked in many IT Firms around the globe. For more information visit stop DDoS Flood

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Link Load Balancing: by Mark Henry

2008-07-17T12:20:00.000+05:30

Link Load Balancing

by Mark Henry

Load balancing is the even distribution of computer processing and communication activities so that a server is not overwhelmed. Load balancing is especially important for networks where it is difficult to predict the number of requests that will be issued to a server.

Link Load Balancing balances out critical resources on data networks with unpredictable requests issued to a server. For example, a web site with heavy traffic may employ two, three or more servers in a link load balancing program. The link load balancing routines enable a network to "juggle" more traffic that otherwise possible If one server is overwhelmed, the link load balancing scheme forwards them to a different server with extra capacity.

Another aspect to link load balancing concerns the communications channels themselves. In this case the "juggling act" is meant to better distribute processing and communications demands more equitably across the network so that no single a computer is overwhelmed by the demand.

Link Load Balancing - Key Features & Benefits

First and foremost is "availability" - 24/7 Application Availability for complete IP Application access. Local and Global Service providers rely on redundancy and link load balancing between servers, WSD units and distributed sites for complete server continuity across global networks

Performance

Network Bottlenecks - Link Load Balancing

Network managers are constantly seeking new solutions for eliminating bottlenecks and latencies for the fastest performance of all networked applications and web-enabled transactions. The idea link load balancing technology combines both unlimited application scalability with flexible traffic distribution management of data centers and server farms.

Network Security - Link Load Balancing

Link load balancing is a key element in the overall network Intrusion Prevention effort. Expert Link Load Balancing guards the network against internal and external attacks such as viruses, worms, Trojans, anti-scanning and protocol anomalies. Above all hovers the ultimate link load balancing challenge and network threat – DOS - Denial of Service.

Remember the song, "Take a load off Annie" Just listening to it makes you feel nice and relaxed… For maximum performance and 100 percent uptime, networks use link load balancing to even out resource use throughout the network.

Radware is the global leader in link load balancing solutions delivering maximum performance and security of critical networked applications. For more information on link load balancing , visit RadWare.

About the Author

Mark henry is the author related to Load Balancer, Dual Port Router, Multiple Gateways, Server Load Balancing Xrio provide solutions for bandwidth management, load balancing, link bonding, server load balancing, multiple gateways, global traffic management, wan optimization, wan performance, isp, adsl, sdsl, dual port router, high availability router, local director, multihoming router, vpn clustering.

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Natural Disasters Raise Data Recovery Awareness: by Rao

2008-07-17T12:19:00.002+05:30

Natural Disasters Raise Data Recovery Awareness

by Rao

Technology v Nature. The fight still continues without any clear winners. Nature's fury occasionally reminds us of how easily it can overwhelm all that modern technology has to offer, but indomitable man just goes back to the drawing board to come up with an improved solution.

The tremendous advances in data storage technology have been taken for granted by most users for whom the phenomenal growth in storage capacity can hardly keep pace with their appetite for more and more data. At the same time, the high-tech world of computers gives the users a false feeling of invincibility. While data storage devices have become more robust than in the past, the sheer numbers have made data disasters more common than ever before. There are many reasons why hard disk drives and other data storage devices can – and do – fail.

When Mother Nature strikes, as with the recent tsunami that ravaged half the earth or the winter storms that gripped much of North America, it is big news. While loss of life is truly irreplaceable, these disasters affect many other aspects of life. At times like these, there is a heightened awareness about data loss and data recovery. "But the single biggest culprit in data loss is human error," claims Allison Beckley, VP (Customer Service) at Disk Doctor Labs, Inc., one of the pioneers of data recovery. "And a close second is the inherent limitations of the data storage technology itself," adds Tariq Aslam, the CEO of Disk Doctors. It can happen anytime, anywhere, and to anybody. If you deal with data extensively, the odds are you will suffer data loss sooner or later. The important thing is being able to cope with it. And different types of users need to have different strategies for safeguarding their data. A high school student who uses his PC for gaming and the occasional term project cannot be expected to have UPS, tape back-ups and RAID systems. On the other hand, a bank cannot feel complacent that it has protected its database by installing the latest anti-virus software and anything else is overkill. The user profile, the data criticality, available budget and resources all impact the data protection strategy. However, these are some general tips Disk Doctors has for avoiding and surviving data loss:

+ Make a regular back-up of all your important data (including laptop drives)

+ Test your back-ups regularly (especially if it is a tape back-up)

+ Carry laptops in padded cases

+ If it is mission critical business data, store it on RAID systems

+ Use power surge protectors, and UPS systems for critical data

+ Use regularly updated anti-virus software

+ Restrict unauthorized access

+ If you experience problems with your drive, move the data to another drive; don't take any chances unless your data is worth less than the cost of a new drive

+ If you still lose the data, do not panic; seek professional advice

+ Data recovery is a specialized field, and not every computer technician can retrieve data

+ If the data is critical, or if the drive makes unusual noises do not try DIY solutions

+ When you shop around for a data recovery company, don't consider the recovery charges only

+ Look at the company experience, expertise, locations, facilities, testimonials, etc.

+ You should not have to pay an up-front diagnostic fee, or pay for any hidden extras over the quoted price, or pay for the 'effort' if you did not get your data

For more information on the data recovery please visit http://www.diskdoctors.com/

About the Author

Disk Doctor Labs, Inc. is a pioneer and leader in the data recovery industry. It was founded in 1993 in Atlanta, and has since grown to 16 full-service labs in most major metros spread across the US, UK, Australia, and India.

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Online Server Help and Support: by Antu Jain

2008-07-17T12:19:00.001+05:30

Online Server Help and Support

by Antu Jain

Do you need help with troubleshooting errors with your Server products? Well! You can now directly ask Microsoft technical professionals to help you manage all your support needs, whether you have to solve a problem urgently, want consulting advice, or need the latest software patches and releases.

It's not a joke but today's reality as brought up by online tech support resources. Here, you are offered with 24-hour telephone as well as online access to certified technicians who provide proactive support and can help you solve server errors efficiently.

Since these technicians hold vast experience in handling and troubleshooting technical problems, they offer immediate solutions to most technical support requests, guaranteed response times for other support issues, and self support and peer support through round-the-clock access to online information.

Whether you are searching for resolving any particular server support product issue at home or work, tech support resources provides a comprehensive array of assisted support services to meet your Microsoft server support requirements.

All tech support companies generally opt for two modes to deliver support – phone support and online server support which is given through a remote desktop connection. The person owning the computer uses it as himself, apart from the fact that it is being controlled over the Internet. Most people find availing server computer support as a better option than hauling their PCs to a shop and wait weeks to get it back. The techs don't make you go through the process of unplugging all the wires, packing the PC up in the car, dropping it off for several days, going back to pick up the PC and attempting to set it all back up again.

Another benefit is the lower cost. You get all server support services at one price and availability of all things under one roof. Apart from server help, you can also buy other support services such as server support, computer support, technical support, terminal support, exchange support, software support, etc.

Online tech support resources always try to make it convenient for customers to get their problems solved quickly and effectively.

About the Author

Antu Jain is an Online Small Business Support Executive for iYogi who provides detailed information on Online Server Support, Small Business Server Support, Exchange Server Support, Terminal Server Support, Windows 2000 & 2003 Server, Server Support, Small business technical support and Windows Server Support etc

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Original Cartridges: A definite Boon: by Steve Wagner

2008-07-17T12:18:00.002+05:30

Original Cartridges: A definite Boon

by Steve Wagner

Original Cartridges: A definite Boon, then the compatible or the refilled versions, although the latter are cheap and easily available, but hazardous to the printer as well as environment.

It has been technically proved that original cartridges printing quality is far better than the refilled or compatible ones. Printer Ink is made up of mixture of pigments and condensed surfactants, biocide along with fungicide, buffering agent, humectants & resin, de-ionized stream of water (May vary depending on the type of Ink).

Some Facts about Printer Ink:

There are two generic categories in accordance to the printer ink.

1. Pigment based Ink

2. Dye Based Ink

Pigment Based Ink: A pigment is a material reflects back the light rays as per the color absorption spectrum. Pigmeted ink consists of agents that permanently embark themselves on the paper and cannot be reomved by any scratch or abrasion. These can include solvent based inks as well as water based inks.

Dye based Ink: Dye based ink consists of micro granuals and is of high density and mostly give out a blurred results due to its slow penetration properties.

Why Original Cartridges?

Answer to the above question is: Reliabilty, Supeiror quality, Quick Drying of ink, waterproof results and fade resistent print outs. As the Original cartridges are filled with pigment based Inks, they tend to dry faster when used to print. Moreover, the surfactant supports to balance of the wetting of paper, the surface tension. The resins in the ink make sure that the ink remains permanent & waterproof on the surface, humactents reduces desertion, That is only available in the Original Ink cartridges and not the refilled ones.

The Use of pigment ink ensures quick drying of ink and non abrasion proof printing, enhancing the printouts quality.

Disadvantages of refilled cartridges:

The refilled cartridges are filled up with dye based inks most often and is made of inferior quality material like non-biodegradeable plastic frames, and ink clogged filters. The dye based ink being of higher density due to its micro granuls, has a very slow penetration rate thereby resulting in a blurred output and often the ink remains clogged in the nozzles causing a serious nozzle jam. More over the printer head starts up printing outputs with strike off lines in the printed matter. Which is not the case with original cartridges.

The dye based refilled cartridges are not waterproof, and does not carry a warranty or a gaurantee, in case the faults show up. Using of refilled cartridges voids off the printer warranty, as the head compatibilty with the cartridges is best suited with the original ones. Refilled cartridges generally do not maintain the air balance, which eventually causes the ink flow to be discontinous in nature causing missed printouts.

Buying an Original Cartridge would be much advantageous and hassle free for a long term use. Refilled Cartridges might seem cheaper, but cause the above said problems and do not ensure the quality and worth the money you spend. Natla.co.uk Provides Original Ink Cartridges at Low prices with no hidden extras e.g postage, package, VAT.

About the Author

Natla has a speciality to supply quality printer ink cartridges and photographic papers. Internet Marketing Company and Ink Cartridges services available.

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OST File Conversion: by Neha Gupta

2008-07-17T12:18:00.001+05:30

OST File Conversion

by Neha Gupta

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:

Backup the ost file(s)

Rename the outlook.ost file to outlook.pst file

Use scanpst.exe from Outlook 2002 to repair the outlook.pst file. (C:\ Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMapi\1033)

Rename outlook.pst back to outlook.ost

Run OST to PST which will then successfully convert the file to outlook.pst

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.

The OST conversion software 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.

About the Author

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. http://www.nucleustechnologies.com

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Registry Cleaner: Protection for Your PC: by Irene Graham

2008-07-17T12:17:00.001+05:30

Registry Cleaner: Protection for Your PC

by Irene Graham

Your personal computer saves all the processes that are happening within it. The operating system has its own log of these programs running, and changes that are happening within it. What is a registry cleaner? First you must understand what a registry is. A registry is an applet within your compendium pack of an operating system. Within the term itself ¡°registry¡± registers the processes that take place. It also takes note of the automatic processes that are happening in your PC and are running in the background. Think of the registry as a big notebook of your PC¡¯s to-do list and it logs everything into it.

Why a registry cleaner important? Registry cleaners are important because it protects your PC from other processes that are not considered viruses, but can be harmful to your PC. Is your computer slowing down without your knowledge? Are you having errors that are not distinguished by your anti-virus program? Your PC might be affected by applications that are running without your knowledge. Registry cleaners are a must!

Your PC might be inflicted by Adwares, Spywares and Spambots. In addition, your registry might be littered with logs that commands your PC to execute these files. A registry cleaner is needed to clean some of these programs. Registry cleaners detect errors in your PC. Registry cleaners help your PC function properly and registry cleaners detect errors, and deletes and/or fixes them. For your PC to function in its optimum performance, you must have a registry cleaner. The basic programs that your PC should have in order to function properly should be: anti-virus software, firewall, anti-spam, and a good registry cleaner.

When your PC suddenly has a mind of its own, it might have caught a Spyware, or an Adware from the internet. Spywares and adwares are small programs that download themselves from the internet to your PC. They affect your PC¡¯s registry and a registry cleaner can possibly fix the errors that they cause. Spywares monitor your PC¡¯s activity?the programs running, registry information, websites visited. Adwares are annoying pop-ups and spam mails. Registry cleaners often block these from proliferating in your PC. These programs are not considered virus by your anti-virus, but it tinkers your PC¡¯s registry, and sometimes cause errors.

A registry cleaner fixes ¡°bugs¡± or errors that are inherent in your PC. If you don¡¯t have a registry cleaner, your PC will function at a slower rate. Also, without a registry cleaner, a PC will be inflicted with many annoying programs that run on the background. A registry cleaner scans, identifies and fixes the bugs that are contained in your operating system¡¯s registry. Some of the bugs in your PC are actually from other programs that you have installed. Sometimes, your PC is running programs that are non-existent anymore. Installation and uninstallation processes also affect your PC¡¯s performance. Registry cleaners also deal with these errors. Sometimes, files are corrupted when you uninstall. Some PC¡¯s even restart on their own, behaving erratically and uncontrollable. If you have these problems, you need a registry cleaner.

Registry cleaners are softwares. You can download free registry cleaners in the internet. But it is advisable to buy a licensed registry cleaner because it offers better technical support. Crashes are inevitable without registry cleaners. Losing all your data, or having a corrupted program is a nightmare, so be wise, have a registry cleaner!Your personal computer saves all the processes that are happening within it. The operating system has its own log of these programs running, and changes that are happening within it. What is a registry cleaner? First you must understand what a registry is. A registry is an applet within your compendium pack of an operating system. Within the term itself ¡°registry¡± registers the processes that take place. It also takes note of the automatic processes that are happening in your PC and are running in the background. Think of the registry as a big notebook of your PC¡¯s to-do list and it logs everything into it.

Why a registry cleaner important? Registry cleaners are important because it protects your PC from other processes that are not considered viruses, but can be harmful to your PC. Is your computer slowing down without your knowledge? Are you having errors that are not distinguished by your anti-virus program? Your PC might be affected by applications that are running without your knowledge. Registry cleaners are a must!

Your PC might be inflicted by Adwares, Spywares and Spambots. In addition, your registry might be littered with logs that commands your PC to execute these files. A registry cleaner is needed to clean some of these programs. Registry cleaners detect errors in your PC. Registry cleaners help your PC function properly and registry cleaners detect errors, and deletes and/or fixes them. For your PC to function in its optimum performance, you must have a registry cleaner. The basic programs that your PC should have in order to function properly should be: anti-virus software, firewall, anti-spam, and a good registry cleaner.

When your PC suddenly has a mind of its own, it might have caught a Spyware, or an Adware from the internet. Spywares and adwares are small programs that download themselves from the internet to your PC. They affect your PC¡¯s registry and a registry cleaner can possibly fix the errors that they cause. Spywares monitor your PC¡¯s activity?the programs running, registry information, websites visited. Adwares are annoying pop-ups and spam mails. Registry cleaners often block these from proliferating in your PC. These programs are not considered virus by your anti-virus, but it tinkers your PC¡¯s registry, and sometimes cause errors.

About the Author

Irene Graham is the owner of Free Internet Eraser. To learn more about using registry cleaners to protect your PC, go to: http://free-internet-eraser.com.

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Repair Scratched DVDs, CDs and Game Discs: by Lance Carr

2008-07-17T12:16:00.001+05:30

Repair Scratched DVDs, CDs and Game Discs

by Lance Carr

Given the multitude of advice and tips on repairing scratched DVDs available on the internet I though it might be a good idea to do a little "round up" of the various tips and techniques.

There are two important points to understand when either embarking on DVD scratch repair or contemplating any DVD disc repair.

First, the majority of scratches on DVDs should not really affect the playability of the disc in question provided you are using reasonably good quality software to access the disc contents. In the majority of cases the real solution to any playback problems is the use of quality software that has built-in correction abilities.

Secondly, if you really are going to attempt to repair that scratched DVD then there is nothing strange, technical or mystical about the process.

DVDs, CDs and Game Discs are made from a hard clear plastic called polycarbonate. The repair of scratched DVDs is nothing more than an exercise in polishing or re-surfacing a piece of polycarbonate plastic. So if you are feeling a little nervous about attempting it...relax!

As I mentioned before there are many, many methods touted about for removing scratches from discs but as an important note NONE of these apply to the new Blu-Ray discs. Blu-Ray utilises a different type of plastic to create the discs and any of the methods mentioned here will most certainly result in a destroyed Blu-Ray disc.

So what really is DVD scratch repair?

Actually is it simply a method of using various readily available products to polish a piece of plastic. The only difference in the various products recommended is the degree of abrasiveness each one offers.

To put it simply, if you have dirt, finger prints or some strange substance the kids got on the disc then you can use isopropyl alcohol or a weak solution of dish washing detergent. Rinse thoroughly and buff with a clean soft lint free cloth.

For light scuff marks or tiny scratches you can use toothpaste or furniture polish (like Pledge) in the immediate area of the scratch again making sure you clean the product off thoroughly then buff.

For slightly deeper scratches you can persist with the toothpaste or go to the Brasso (Yes, Brasso!) or car polish. At this level of abrasiveness it is important to work the entire surface of the disc rather than just the scratch itself. This is to avoid creating a kind of "micro-valley" in the disc that may cause refraction (bending of light) of the laser beam as it passes through the plastic disc. The result of which may be disc read errors. Additionally use straight strokes from the center of the disc to the outer edge.

Finally if you feel like pulling out the big guns! Go to the hardware store and get some 3000 grit emery paper. This is the stuff they use to re-polish cars with. Use the paper to evenly score the entire disc until you feel you have taken the surface down to the level of the scratch. Then go back to the Brasso or car polish and buff until the shine of the disc returns. Don't worry! It will!

Of course the real point in of all of this is the idea of making backups of all your discs. Let's face it, kids happen and so does other stuff too! It is more than prudent to get yourself very good quality DVD copying software and make back ups of all your discs. These days discs are cheap, it is the contents that have value and in the case of family photos or videos, priceless.

For the purposes of backups it is important to understand that not all DVD copying software was created equal. Most DVD copying software will do just that...make an exact copy. DVDs, whether pressed commercially or made in a DVD burner will always have at least some degree of error. This is simply part of the process and not unusual.

Playback software is designed to compensate for those errors and you, the viewer, notice nothing. Ordinary DVD copying software will faithfully copy the existing errors on the disc and most likely add some of its own to your new copy when you burn it.

That's why I only recommend three brands of DVD copying software. DVDFab, 1Click DVD and DVD ClonerV. The reason I use these is that they have built in error correction functions that repair most internal errors on the disc as well as having excellent "read through" capabilities on scratched or damaged discs.

That means I can make a "master" copy and no matter how many discs the kids destroy the quality of my discs never degrade.

About the Author

Lance is not very good at writing about himself in the third person. He is an ex-patriot Australian living in Taiwan running a business consulting company. His grasp of the Chinese language ranges from poor to laughable and in most circumstances his actual use of the Chinese language results in laughter. The silent conversationless world in which Lance lives leaves him plenty of time to research things and that is what he does well. DVD Disc Repair

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Reverse Cell Phone Directory: To gain info about any unknown number!: by Bradley Burnie

2008-07-17T12:15:00.001+05:30

Reverse Cell Phone Directory: To gain info about any unknown number!

by Bradley Burnie

When you just have a phone number and want to find out the details of the owner then reverse cell phone directory can help you. Most of us have experienced this, an unknown number pop up in our cell phones and then disconnected. If the number was a residence number then it was easily found out whom the number belonged to but if it was a mobile number then what? At times even the phone companies raise their hands.

But now we have reverse cell phone directory and it can be used by anyone!

This directory can provide you with all the details you want to know about the person using the mobile phone. It gives the basic information including the residential details as well as the phone services he is using.

What is the need of this service?

At times we have a phone number but don't know whose number it is. Like if you are getting calls from an unknown number and as soon as you pick up the phone the person hangs up or if you came across a number in your spouse's cell phone and you want to know the owner or if you have a lot of missed calls from any unknown number and so on. There can be many reasons why you need to know the details about the owner of a number. And at this time reverse directory can help you!

Is this service free?

There are sites that provide you these services free but they will supply little information and not the information you actually are looking for. Luckily a membership usually provides you with the opportunity of searching various numbers.

What am I charged for?

These directories have actually taken the strain of compiling all these data and producing such an excellent application for our use. And they charge very optimum and minimum prices.

If the number I am looking for is not available then?

It's very rare that you won't get a number you are searching for. However if this happens then the company will return your money back.

At times we want our number not to be shown on the receiver's cell phone when we call. We may want this thing due to the following reasons:

• We don't want the person we are calling 15 times to know that we have called up.

• We call an unknown person and don't want him to have our contact number.

For this we need to block our number momentarily or permanently. To momentarily block the number you need to dial *67 before the original number is dialed.

But if you want to permanently block it then the service provider can be contacted, if you want your ID to be shown in permanent line block then dial *82 before dialing the original number.

In the end you should also know that your ID would not be hidden from tax-free numbers and emergency numbers.

About the Author

Free Cell Phone Trace Sample Easy Cell Phone Trace Trace A Cell Phone The Easy way

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Review of the Epson Stylus Pro 9800: Its First Year in Retrospect: by Kirk Economos

2008-07-17T12:14:00.001+05:30

Review of the Epson Stylus Pro 9800: Its First Year in Retrospect

by Kirk Economos

It has been a year since the first announcement of the Epson Stylus Pro 9800 printer, the new generation of 44 inch width, inkjet printer from Epson. Like many of the new releases from Epson, the printer was highly anticipated; offered breakthrough new features; and was impossible to get for about 7 months. The initial rush has past, the printers are readily available, and it is time to take a moment to reflect on the good and bad points of Epson's latest printing wonder.

I think there are far fewer negatives than positives, so I will address them first.

You have to perform an ink swap to switch your dark black ink from photo-black to matte black. For a brief time Epson offered the Stylus Pro 4000 which had 8 inks including both the matte black and the photo black, there was no need to swap dark black inks if you changed from photo paper to mat paper. This new generation still uses 8 inks but has added a light light black ink instead of offering the two varieties of dark black inks. The additional of light light black ink has enable the printer to produce finer gradations of tone and finer detail in the highlight area, but having to swap out the dark black inks to optimize printing on photo paper as opposed to matte paper is an inconvenience and an unfortunate waste of money.

There are quirks with the LCD menu on the printer. One in particular, comes up frequently with a message that says "Power Cleaning?" Y or N. Having been prompted many people select yes to this prompt, thereby executing a power cleaning cycle which wastes a good bit of ink and maintenance tank capacity. I have had a number of clients really upset about this situation and I hope Epson will rectify it soon in a firmware fix.

Dark ink density not improved when using matte black ink on matte papers. The new K3 inks made a giant leap forward in providing richer blacks when using the photo-black ink on photo surface types of papers. The K3 matte black ink on matte papers seems not to have improved black density, and some users report that matte black is less dense on matte papers than the previous UCM matte black ink. I find the blacks to be the about the same density as with the previous inks, but had hoped for more from the matte black K3 ink.

Epson designed the new 220 ml ink cartridges to fit inside the ink bays, unlike the previous 220 ml cartridges that stuck out to the point where you could not close the cover. Well you can close the cover with the new cartridges but the new cartridges are pressurized and occasionally arrive leaking. This has led us to always check cartridges for leaks before sending them out. If you are using the new 220 ml cartridges, check them for leaks as soon as you receive them.

A final negative, although not affecting the quality of the printer, was that for nearly 7 months of last year, dealers like myself, that focus mostly on the Epson printer line, had no Epson printers to sell. Epson announced the new printers, stopped supplying the previous models, and was unable to ship the new generation of printer for what seemed an eternity. Our belt was tightened more than a few notches.

That's it on the negatives, so here's some of the positive highlights:

The printer is about 2.5 times faster than the previous generation, but Epson hasn't sacrificed quality for speed. Epson built the new model with a print head that is more than twice as large as the previous print head, thereby more than doubling the speed.

Time consuming and confusing manual nozzle checks and print head alignments have been streamlined and are now carried out automatically, at the touch of a button.

Metamerism and bronzing, which were significant problems with the previous UCM inks, have been virtually eliminated. If you don't know what these are, consider yourself lucky and know that you won't have them with the new printers and K3 inks.

Deeper, richer blacks when using photo-black on photo surface papers. This represents a significant improvement over previous models and inks.

A new advanced black and white mode in the driver that produces stunning black and white prints.

Improved color gamut- not earth shattering improvement like in black density but still a nice addition to the color palette.

In my opinion, the positives far outweigh the negatives and this new generation of Epson Stylus Pro printers will take their rightful place in Epson's track record of award winning, superior value and outstanding quality, large format inkjet printers. Kirk Economos recommends you visit http://www.meridiancyber.com/C_1037.aspx to get an in-depth price catalog for the Epson Stylus Pro 9800 printer.

About the Author

Kirk Economos is President of Meridian Cyber Solutions, digital equipment and printer dealership headquartered in San Francisco, that offer products and services nationwide. Kirk is also a practicing fine art photographer and fine art printer. Also visit http://www.meridiancyber.com .For more information you may call (888) 782-7878.

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Save hundreds on your next Dell purchase - Amazing secrets revealed: by Michael Glozman

2008-07-17T12:11:00.000+05:30

Save hundreds on your next Dell purchase - Amazing secrets revealed

by Michael Glozman

Getting ready to buy a Dell computer? Before you do so, you had better read the following tips, because they can save you big on your next computer purchase. Before you get started, I would like to give you some background on Dell and their marketing/pricing strategy. Dell Computers is the largest manufacturer and retailer of computers in the world. They have about a 15% market share of all computers sold in America. Because Dell only builds a computer when it is sold, it enables Dell to keep very low inventories, and therefore, a very low price. Moreover, you can only buy a Dell at Dell. They have no retail presence. No middlemen!

Dell utilizes many channels of advertising to get the word out about their low prices. You have probably seen their ads on TV or their full page print ads in the newspaper. You may have even received a Dell catalog if you have purchased from them before. What you probably haven't noticed is that the price of these seemingly equivalent systems vary greatly depending on where you saw the ad. This is the very first lesson on being "Dell smart." Dell is NOT transparent in their system pricing. This means, depending on where you learned about the computer deal can greatly impact the price you pay.

Okay, so if Dell does not consistently price computer system ads, where should you go to get the best deal? That's simple -- the Internet. And by Internet, I do not mean going straight to Dell.com! To become "Dell smart," you need to choose a Dell computer that is right for you, one that suits your needs. Computer shoppers often overspend on options they will never use. Go to your favorite search engine and look for a buying guide. After you narrow your search, go back to your search engine (I use Google) and enter "model name + review." Read a few independent reviews about the model you've selected and find out what other people are saying. What are the system's pros and cons?

Now that you know what you are looking for, let the real money saving begin! Go back to your favorite search engine and enter the words "Dell Coupon Codes." What you should get in return is a list of Dell affiliate web sites that supply FREE coupons from Dell. These coupons are not advertised, as Dell tries to keep these for the savviest shoppers. More often than not, Dell has a $750 off coupon that can be applied at checkout allowing you to save big! Sometimes, these coupons can even be stacked, meaning you can apply more than one coupon towards your purchase, or they can be used in combination with rebates or other instant savings. Check several coupon sites until you find a coupon that works for your model. Make sure you read the fine print, and verify that the coupon is not expired. Some coupon sites give step-by-step instructions on applying coupons so make sure to do your research!

Once you have found the relevant coupons for the system you want to buy, you are ready to go to Dell to make your purchase. Purchasing a computer from Dell requires that you go through several pages of options and add-ons. This is where buyers typically get bogged down as they are overwhelmed by a number of options and upgrades. Be sure to use the buying guides you came across to identify which features and upgrades are right for you. And be aware that you can often down-grade from many of the default Dell options. For example, Windows Media Center and Windows XP Pro are practically the same operating system. However, Dell sometimes defaults to XP Pro in their options which costs significantly more than Media Center. So, downgrade whenever it makes sense for you and your needs. Once you have gone through the pages of options, you will be at checkout. This is where you will apply your coupons, select the cheapest shipping and pay tax. If you followed these steps, you should be saving hundreds of dollars for the computing system that exactly meets your needs.

Let's recap:

1. Dell prices are not transparent, always search the internet.

2. Research the right model for YOUR needs. Use a buying guide.

3. Search for a review of the model you selected on a search engine. Use "model name" + "review"

4. Go back to your favorite search engine and enter "dell coupon codes." Find a good coupon site with current coupons and good instructions.

5. Go to Dell, select your model, and DOWNGRADE unnecessary options and add-ons.

6. Apply your coupon at checkout (stack whenever possible)!

7. Use the lowest priced shipping.

Pat yourself on the back, because you have now saved BIG!

Looking for Dell Coupons and Dell Coupon Codes? Visit >http://www.cheapstingybargains.com/cheapster/dellpage.html

About the Author

I have been running a coupon and deal site for over 2 years called Cheapstingybargains.com. I enjoy finding the best deals and coupons for our readers. I have worked in IT for 8 years in various disciplines, and use my tech savvy to help readers save time and money.

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Spooler Subsystem Application - is there an easy solution?: by Konstantin Artemev

2008-07-17T09:30:00.000+05:30

Spooler Subsystem Application - is there an easy solution?

by Konstantin Artemev

Spooler app is an essential part of Windows. You simply can't print without spooler in your computer. There are several known malicious programs that mask themselves to be legal spooling.

Spooler icon appears in your taskbar when you try to print something. You can find spoolsv.exe in the list of currently running processes. If you experience problems with spooling, first of all check if spoolsv.exe service is run. There is a service called spoolsv.exe service that should be always run. If spoolsv.exe service is stopped, printing is impossible. Thanks to Spooler Subsystem App different computers and different users can print their documents on the same printer at the same time.

Sometimes printer spooler may stop working properly and the user sees spooler error. Spooler Subsystem problem causes print spooler to stop working. You definitely have a problem with your spool sv service if you see any error message when trying to print. Locate temporary directories of your printer driver and delete all files with .shd and .spl extensions.

If you have spoolsv0.exe virus, scan your system with recent anti virus. Reinstalling printer drivers sometimes can also lead to total inoperability of spooler subsytem app. Do not install several printer drivers only one computer unless you really need this. If you try to repair spooler, things may get even worse. It is not recommended to try solve spooler error manually.

I receive a lot of requests from users who experience printer Spooler Subsystem App errors. The most complaints tell about error messages that appear while they try to print something. You should use Spooler Fix Wizard created by Security Stronghold to fix your Spooler Subsystem App problem. Solving your Spooler Subsystem App problem with Fix Wizard from Security Stronghold is as easy as clicking on one button. From my experience Spooler Fix Wizard is the most effective solution of Spooler Subsystem App problem.

You shouldn't be a computer whiz to use Spooler Fix Wizard. Just download this Fix Wizard and let it solve your problem automatically. Moneyback guarantee works to your advantage. If after running Spooler Fix Wizard your problem is not solved, your payment is immediately returned.

About the Author

Find the easiest solution and read more about the Spooler Subsystem Application Problem here:http://www.printer-spooler.com/

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