Computer Tips & Tricks

Toshiba Satellite A215-S5829 15.4 Vista - Laptops

2008-08-22T11:06:00.000+08:00

Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit version) is the operating system for users with advanced computer needs, and it includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center for watching DVD movies and accessing your digital audio library. You can also use Windows Media Center to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV) and to access new kinds of online entertainment content. Computers that include Windows Vista Home Premium and an auxiliary Windows SideShow display will also allow you to access key data even when your computer is off. It is also easier than ever to share files between other PCs in your household and to manage your laptop computer settings to more securely connect via Wi-Fi.

Every edition of Windows Vista provides the essential tools and technologies to help protect you whether you are browsing the Internet, connecting to a wireless network, or just reading e-mail. All editions of Windows Vista include new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures long before you have lost any important personal data. And, all Windows Vista editions include parental control features that allow you to manage and monitor your family's use of games, the Internet, instant messaging, and other activities.

Toshiba Satellite A215-S5829 15.4 Vista - Laptops Features:

Bright 15.4-inch LCD stylishly accented with an onyx blue metallic LCD cover
1.9 GHz 64-bit AMD Athlon 64 TK-57 processor, 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM (4 GB max), dual-layer DVD drive
54g Wi-Fi (802.11b/g); 10/100 Ethernet; ATI Radeon X1200 graphics (up to 319 MB of available memory)
Connectivity: 4 USB, 1 FireWire, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, 1 headphone, 1 microphone, 1 ExpressCard 34/54
Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (with Media Center capabilities)

Buy it here

Toshiba Satellite A215-S5802 15.4 - LapTop

2008-08-22T11:02:00.000+08:00

A great multi-tasker for road warriors, the Toshiba Satellite A215-S5802 notebook PC offers dual-core productivity from its 1.9 GHz 64-bit AMD Athlon 64 TK-60 processor. It allows you to easily run multiple programs without bogging down your system, and it features intelligent power management for longer battery life. Stylishly accented with an onyx blue metallic LCD cover, this Toshiba Satellite features a large, bright 15.4-inch XGA-resolution LCD (1280 x 800)--perfect for viewing multiple application screens or watching widescreen movies on DVD. It's also great for using as a media center, with Toshiba's unique Express Media Player enabling you to bypass the system and access CDs and DVDs with a touch of button.

Other features include a 120 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), 54g Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), ATI Radeon X1200 video card with up to 319 MB of shared video RAM, dual-layer DVD±RW burner, and 5-in-1 memory card reader. Additionally, this Toshiba notebook is RoHS-compatible, effectively reducing the environmental impact by restricting the use of lead, mercury and certain other hazardous substances.

This PC also comes preinstalled with Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium, which includes all of the Windows Media Center capabilities for turning your PC into an all-in-one home entertainment center. In addition to easily playing your DVD movies and managing your digital audio library, you'll be able to record and watch your favorite TV shows (even HDTV). Vista also integrates new search tools throughout the operating system, includes new parental control features, and offers new tools that can warn you of impending hardware failures.

Toshiba Satellite A215-S5802 15.4 - LapTop Features:

Bright 15.4-inch LCD stylishly accented with an onyx blue metallic LCD cover
1.9 GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 TK-57 dual-core processor, 120 GB hard drive, 1 GB RAM (4 GB max), dual-layer DVD drive
54g Realtek Wi-Fi (802.11b/g); 10/100 Ethernet; ATI Radeon XPress 1200 graphics (up to 319 MB of available memory)
Connectivity: 4 USB, 1 FireWire, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, 1 ExpressCard 34/54, 5-in-1 memory card reader
Pre-installed with Windows Vista Home Premium (with Media Center capabilities)

Buy it here

Protecting Your Computer From Computer Viruses

2008-07-28T21:52:00.000+08:00

Protecting your computer from computer viruses has become more important today than ever and this has resulted from the increase in the amount virus that are present on the web. When it comes to protecting your computer from computer viruses you should not waste much time searching the web for information but rather immediately download a free virus removal application. These PC security software programs are conveniently available for download form the internet today and are the only way you can completely and safely eliminate unwanted virus related infections. Most people don't realize what these infections are capable of doing so lets discuss this.

A virus is usually bundled into a free web application and will infect an operating system once it has been opened and installed. Once it has been installed it will reside in memory and target specific files, folders and hard drive components which it will either corrupt, delete or modify in such a way that it will cause mass instability. They can also manipulate system configurations related to security in which your computer system could then become more vulnerable to receiving further infections. Apart from viruses, free virus removal tools are also equipped to safely remove infections related to adware and spyware form a system as they have special signature databases which allow them to detect other hard to find infections.

Although these infections are not easily noticeable common symptoms which you might encounter include great system instability with regard to running programs and executing tasks, internet browser crashing, continuous advertisement pop ups and removed applications or associated files.

When it comes to protecting your computer from computer viruses I can highly recommend Xoftspyse which has continued to maintain its position as the number one virus and spyware removal tool today. If you want to try out the latest version you can download it directly at the link below.

Download Xoftspyse Here

MacBook Air Laptop Detailed Review - Think Thin, Learn From iPhone

2008-04-30T17:33:00.000+08:00

A year after announcing the iPhone, Apple presents its latest laptop: the MacBook Air, which they claim is the thinnest laptop in the world. Is the MacBook Air really the dream laptop for all travelers or does it conceal irreparable gaps?

Presentation

The MacBook Air features a 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display, the MacBook Air has similar dimensions than the MacBook, but its maximum thickness does not exceed 0.76 inches. Just as its predecessor, it presents a wide keyboard, an integrated webcam and the latest operating system Mac OS X "Leopard". In its basic version, it comes with a processor Core 2 signed Duets Intel and rhythmical to 1.6 GHz, the MacBook Air is equipped of 2 Go of RAM, Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11n, and a 80 GB hardrive.

Look, keyboard, touchpad

The MacBook Air is immediately enticing. Breaking with the design of the MacBook and Pro MacBook, that present comparatively rectilinear lines, Apple chose to conceive a chassis with very lightly rounded edges, which contributes to reinforce its thinness impression. The general dimensions establish themselves to 12.8 inches wide and 8.95 inches deep, same as the one of the MacBook, it features a 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display that has a 1280 x 800 pixel resolution.

The MacBook Air weighs a little less than 3 pounds. The body of the shell of the MacBook Air adopts a gray anodized surface similar to what one rediscovers on the Pro MacBook or on the rear face of the iPhone. Rather rigid, this shell makes good impression in the measure where the MacBook Air adorned clearly less fragile than one could have thought initially. Nevertheless, this soft surface to the key marks enough easily, the true nomadic will need a protection slip-cover.

As on the Pro MacBook, this keyboard takes advantage of a back light, rather pleasant when one uses the machine in obscurity, of which the intensity can be regulated regardless of the one of the screen. After several days of use, and the necessary moments of adaptation, the keyboard of the MacBook Air reveals itself very pleasant.

The screen

The MacBook Air has a webcam (640 x 480) of poor quality and a microphone. It has a luminosity sensor that automatically adjusts the intensity of the backlight LED when one is located in a dark area. In this case, the intensity of the lighting of the keyboard diminishes. When you put your finger on the sensor: this one detects instantly obscurity, and the screen intensity diminishes. With a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels, the screen of the MacBook Air offers a work surface less important than the one of certain models 11 inches, with which these the resolution climbs to 1366 x 768 pixels, but Apple guarantees thus a certain visual comfort, with a definition that will suit completely most users. Of brilliant type, the flagstone LCD is luminous, and returns hot colors, rather faithful. By increasing the luminosity, use the Macbook Air in the outside light.

The MacBook Air inaugurates a new generation of touchpad, inspired by the iPhone, the first movable telephone of Apple. It is wider, a traditional touchpad. With three fingers, you can use the navigator Safari... but not with Firefox. Most of these small functionalities do not radically transform the user experience, but are part of the charm of the Apple products.

Connections

The three connectors proposed by the MacBook Air are located on left side, sheltered by a small trap door that, once opened, leaves only little space to reach them. Concretely, if your connector is thick, or if you use a wide USB key, you will not be able to connect them directly. In order to remedy the problem, Apple suggests suing an extension. These are rather inexpensive, but one is now obliged to multiply the cables, which somewhat diminishes the ultra portable aspect of the machine.

WiFi but no DVD

The absence of DVD reader is voluntary (there is not enough thickness anyway). Apple's marketing states that at a time where wires are going away, is it still necessary to have a DVD reader? Apple plays the network card, with an application compatible with Mac as well as Windows XP and Windows Vista that allows DAV and CD use wirelessly. The reader of your principal machine will be able therefore you to serve to install applications, transfer contents towards the MacBook Air and even resettle your operating system but it may take 5 to 10 times longer than using a DVD reader. If that is a major issue you will have to buy an external $99 USB 2.0 based DVD reader.

Speed

Powered by a processor Core 2 rhythmical Duets to 1.6 GHz, engraved in 65 nanometers, the MacBook Air is not a speed demon, and is slower than the other Apple laptops. The choice of Apple is therefore supposed to guarantee a level of acceptable performances for light and medium users.

If you are ready to spend more the MacBook Air comes with a more powerful processor posting a frequency of 1.8 GHz but also and especially of a hard disc to memory Flash of type SSD of 64 Go, similar to the one that integrates in standard Lenovo in his Thinkpad X300. To take advantage of these two improvements, it will be necessary nevertheless to pay out a supplement of some $1,300, which will carry the final price of the MacBook Air to about $3,098.

Performance

Certain applications extremely resource intensive work clearly slowly on the MacBook Air, due to its 1.6 GHz processor. In other words the manipulation of pictures of big size under Photoshop or video editing will put your patience to a certain test.

On the other hand, the manipulation of photos or video sequences by means of iMovie will work without difficulties, and without any notable discomfort. The interface preserves the fluidity that you can expect of Leopard in spite of the poor performances of its processor. The Web navigation, office, music and video use do not suffer from any problem. As for games, let's keep it simple, just choose a different laptop.

Battery Life

Apple talks about an autonomy of about five hours with activated WiFi. While selecting the eco mode proposed by Mac OS X and the screen luminosity to 75% of his capacity, the MacBook Air was able to work during 3h15 before the low battery warning showed up.

Conclusion

One could think that with his MacBook Air, stretched Apple to create a new segment on the laptop market. Its irreproachable design, moderate weight and extreme thinness makes it a good candidate for the ultra portable category. But the impossibility to change the battery or the extremely limited connectivity will stop many professionals who generally like this type of machines. The performance of the MacBook Air will suffice for light traveler users i.e. bloggers, connected fanatics, journalists, and other sales representatives. They will have no difficulty working with photos, compose bills and items or prepare, then to assure a presentation, all profiting from it of his excellent flagstone LCD screen.

Apple has attempted to circumvent some of the handicaps of the MacBook Air. The absence of DVD is compensated by the functionality of take in charge of a reader network on a distant machine, PC or Mac. The idea is interesting, even if in the facts, we cannot envision installing anything sizeable that way. The touchpad is improved, integrating more functionalities coming from the iPhone. Although these improvements do not revolutionize the way one interacts with a computer, they are rather pleasant.

It will be necessary to add to the MacBook Air an external DVD, as well as a USB hub and an adapter USB for the Ethernet to assure a real comfort of usage, and to put it on an equal foot with other machines with equivalent price and functionality. Therefore this diminishes what makes the charm of the MacBook Air: its thinness. The other solution would be to adhere to the idea that the MacBook Air is conceived only as an auxiliary machine, a light portable and elegant one coming to complete your work station for the days where you travel and only do light work.

This beautiful machine suffers from cruel limitations that other computers, sometimes lighter or less costly, do not have. In spite of the beautiful lines and user friendliness of the MacBook Air, it does not deliver the ultra portable promise as expected. The previous MacBook performs better, is more functional, and cheaper!

Christophe Catesson - Communication Manager for http://www.bestlaptopsreviews.com Laptop and notebook reviews and ratings, most popular laptops, industry news, Forum, Q/A.

PInay Scandal Video (Vedio)

2008-04-14T20:16:00.002+08:00

One of the favorite Pinay Scandal material that p*rn audience search on the internet is the Pinay Scandal Video.

I browsed the top p*rn portal in the internet and I found out that most of the Pinay Scandal Video are not really a scandal one. Most of these videos (vedios) are created by professionals and just tagged these as Pinay Scandal Video just to earn much through the VCD or DVD they sell or for the promotion of their porn websites.

How to Make Money by Playing Video Games - Make Money Every Day!

One day I was sitting at home thinking about my future, and I was thinking about a dream job. When I thought more about my dream job, I thought about playing video games at home. I only heard stories of a select few lucky people who actually did it for a living. I was extremely determined to make my dream job into a reality.

I researched for hours on end, looking all day and night. Finally I stumbled upon some helpful information on where I could get started. The hardest part about being a video game tester is knowing how to get the job in the first place. Once you know that, your all set.

The biggest thing I learned while looking for a job testing games is that the requirement to get into the field is so easy! You don't have to be a college graduate, or for that matter even a high school graduate! You see, the video game industry is huge, and the room for game testers is even bigger.

Basically all you have to do is fill out applications with some pretty basic information, and then wait for a reply. All games need to be tested before their release, so if your a hardcore PC gamer, or just a casual PS3 player, there is a job for you! Some companies actually give out PS3 consoles to long term testers, and almost every company lets you keep the games you test out for free.

Which ever company hires you will tell you what the terms of payment are. Most of them go by how many games you have tested out, others go off the amount of hours you have spent playing. Right now I'm pulling in about $150 a day sitting at home and drinking soda. I love it so much, and its funny that I can tell my friends how I work 7 days a week when it doesn't even feel like work at all!

I have found one of the best sites to go off of on when you are learning how to make money playing video games.

If you need more information on how I was able to land a job as a game tester, check out this website: http://www.game-player.info

How To Make A Video Sharing Website And Profit

You can make your own video sharing website, and make some great money in return. There are some key steps you need to take to ensure your video sharing will make it, and you'll make money off it.

Here's how to create a highly profitable and successful money making video site:

1. The URL (Choosing a good website name)

A good website name can be the difference between a ton of traffic and zero traffic. A catchy name is great for getting the word out for your site. The shorter, more clever the name is the key. Unfortunately many of the short domain names are taken.

You can go to domain name auctions and try to find short names available, but you'll have to spend a good chunk of money on a good short name. So the other option is finding a more catchy and clever name, for which many are available. Go to a domain name purchasing website and type in your desired names to see what is available and what is not.

2. The Videos (What videos should you put on your site? Where to get them?)

The best kind of videos that bring in the most traffic, while being safe for the workplace (very important as many people surf the web at work) are the comedy type viral videos that get a zillion hits. These can guarantee repeat traffic as long as you keep your site updated through the week.

You can get these videos for free! Cutting and pasting the code onto your own video site, from other sites or content sites which have thousands of videos available, makes it very easy to keep your site updated and fresh, while getting the content for free.

3. The Profit (How to Make Money!)

The profit from a video sharing website will come from numerous outlets such as ad's which you place on your site, products which you will receive commissions for, and other advertising platforms or campaigns that work very well for high traffic video sites. This is how most of the funny video sharing websites make their living and rake in major profit.

Here is the most complete step by step Video Website for profit manual which shows you exactly how to make money with your own video sharing website. Check out http://viral-media-cash.blogspot.com

This manual - http://viral-media-cash.blogspot.com - provides all the knowledge, tools, and inspiration you'll need in order to succeed in video website profiting.]

Make Money Easy Online - 10 Important Video Marketing Tips

These days, Video marketing yields the most impact as far as internet marketing goes. It's an interesting blend of entertainment and information that works big time! It is the ultimate medium to help you & your business connect with your customers in a special and creative way. When it comes to internet marketing, it is certainly a headliner. Become an expert at solving peoples' problems and make money easy online.

1. Establish instant rapport with your audience. Capture the attention of your audience by delivering a powerful opening statement that will indicate that you can solve their problem. That means you will have done some research about what their hot button issues are like say to get out of debt, fire boss etc. With instant rapport, they will in all likelihood view the rest of the video and maybe even look up your website.

2. Keep it brief. Say in 1-4 minutes what would usually take 10-15 minutes to read. Most online video viewers will choose whether or not to stay within the first 10 seconds. Relevance dictates whether or not they continue to watch. Offer sufficient information to pique their interest and get them to check out your website for more information.

3. Know what you are going to say by with the help of a teleprompter. Let's take a clue from the actors and models on those TV ads and do as many takes as required to produce a good presentation. Be sure to stay on topic so as to maintain the attention of the viewer.

4. Be immoderate. Make someone mad. There's a saying that when you try to please everybody you will please nobody. Be adamant and those who look up to your school of thought will become your fervent customers. Polarization translates into results.

5. The more value your product or service can offer, the greater the chances that you will make money easy online. Focus on the benefits not the features. For, you see, when your consumer later has to explain the purchase to their significant other, they will have the list of benefits you provided earlier as talking points. Help them to that end now will you?

6. Have your links in your video. Occasionally marketers fail to add a link back to their website or offer page. Or they mention the name of the site maybe towards the end. But sometimes this is not adequate. If you have the link on there the whole time, you raise the chances that your audience is more likely to stop by your site.

7. Distribute your videos by submitting to video hosting sites. Yahoo! Videos, Google videos & Youtube are among the websites that will host your videos free of charge which saves you a lot of bandwidth. Interact with others on those sites to increase the chances of your videos getting views. Be sure to add a phrase like "tell a friend" at the end of your video to spread your reach.

8. Visit forums related to your product or service and make substantial contributions to the conversations. Try to help people as much as you can. In your signature, have a link to your video. When people see you are offering help with their skin problem for instance, they will find it necessary to click on your video link.

9. Invite feedback. Be ready to accept useful assessment and progress from it. People delight in giving advice and will pop in to see if you apply it or not. At the same time, steer clear of people who want to demoralize you with mean and unjustifiable remarks. Oh yes, those will always be there. Do not energize these kinds. I don't mean that you delete their comments, but it is expedient not to interconnect with them by commenting back. I cannot emphasize this point enough, do not get down in the murk with these people because it would be to your detriment in which case they will win.

10. Last but not least, make an effective call to action at the end of your video. On occasion people are like sheep. If you tell them what they need to do, they will do it, if you don't, they will do nothing but move on. Don't think the next step is staring them in the face. You receive not because you ask not. Explicitly and concisely articulate the next step to your viewer.

Did you find these tips valuable? For more information on video marketing, visit http://www.the-ideal-home-biz.com to take your video marketing strategies to the next level.

How to Fully Appreciate Video Games

We love video games but we feel that a lot of people we meet just don't know enough about them or take the time to fully appreciate them. Why not, we wondered? For some people, it's not that they don't want to but that they really don't know how.

There are many people today who will even consider video games to be a work of art. There is a great deal of talent and sill that must go into creating a successful, popular video game and it's important that as a player, you learn to fully appreciate each and every one.

Some gamers rush through a game or a review of a game waiting for the good stuff, fast action scenes or exciting levels and give very little attention to the other details that make up the game. Other gamers rely on the word and opinions of reviews and people they play with to help them make decisions regarding which games they play. When you learn to appreciate video games, you can be your own critic and make your own choices about what you play and why. You may find you are pleasantly surprised by some of the games you discover.

It's also encouraged that you try new games or new genres that you may not normally play. Even if you don't end up finding a new favorite game, it's important to appreciate all that the video gaming community has to offer.

Here are some more types to help you fully appreciate video games:

-Watch the intro scenes. -Watch the cut scenes. -Listen to the music/soundtrack of the game. - Listen to the sound effects in the game. -Share the game with someone else or share your experience with the game with a friend or on a forum. - Take time to research the history of the game- who created it, why and who it was intended for. -Take time to look up hints and tips for the game you are playing. -Look up useful advice regarding the game you are playing. Find out what others are saying about it and how to play it. -Don't make a biased decision based on first impressions. Give it some time first before forming an opinion. - Don't avoid a game based only on the opinions and reviews of others. Take time to try it out for yourself.

With these tips, you can learn more about each and every game you play. Even if you try the game only to find you don't like playing it often, you will still know that you have given it a full chance. When you learn to fully appreciate video games, you will be better able to enjoy the games you do play and to understand the industry as a whole. You will find a new love of video games because you will fully appreciate all that encompasses them.

Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles and the author of How to Earn a Living Writing for the Internet as well as two poetry anthologies and a how-to poetry book. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content.

Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company, public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa's blog from her website.

Video Game Tester Jobs - If You Really Want to Get Paid to Play, What Will Your Job Actually Involve

Let's get one thing straight before you start seeking out video game tester jobs - it's not all fun and games and as easy as you may think! Yes, if you have a real passion for playing games, this career will give you more job satisfaction than any other. However, being a video game tester involves a lot of hard work and can also become very boring at times!

A video game tester's job will involve firstly beta testing new releases. So you get to play and test games months before they have even been released to the public. The boring part of being a tester comes from having to test certain games over and over again. The point being it is your job to find any bugs or glitches prior to public release.

If you are looking for a job as a video game tester, you need to show what an in depth and thorough knowledge you have of the operating systems. So it will be of great help to you if your gaming is not just restricted to one type of console. The game design companies will ask you to test certain games and then provide them with a detailed report. There will be certain standard questions for you to answer and also a section to provide your final feedback on the new game.

So probably the most important part of a video game tester's job is being able to communicate effectively. The more detailed and accurate your findings are, the more likely that the game design companies will want to hire you. As i have mentioned, this is going to be hard work, but probably one of the most rewarding careers you can choose!

Video Game Evolution

Very few of the "gamers" remember "back in the day", around Christmas of 1975 Atari was the first to mass produce and distribute a game, where the game console had 2 knobs that turned left and right moving a little rectangle block up an down the screen, one on the left side and the other on the right. Moving this rectangle allowed the "player" to hit a small ball back and forth between the two players, trying to "play the angle" by hitting it on the edge of your paddle to "give it English" or a sharp angle to score the point. The first "Video Tennis or Ping Pong" game I guess would be a proper reference, in fact it was call "PONG".

Two year later, the development of a cartridge-based console called the Video Computer System (VCS), later called Atari 2600 and the next generation of creators brought us game such as galaxian, space Invaders, Asteroids, Moon Patrol, Frogger, Donkey Kong (who was that little man jumping over those barrels? Hmmm). The first football game from the Atari 2600 allowed you to control one player on offense and your opponent controlled either the 3 man D-Line or a single player. Gee the good ol' days....

1980 ushered in the "Golden Era" of video games such as Defender, Battle Zone, Zork and some game called, let me see, what was it? Oh yea, Pacman....... Anyone remember that one? (just kidding)

Around 1985 the "console game" market hit a low point as desktop computers along with hand held units took over the popular market. Then came the invention of the 8-bit machines and a company called Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) burst on the seen with some Italian guys called Mario and Lugi Mario. Mario first appeared in the 1982 arcade hit Donkey Kong, and became an instant hit. He appeared again 2 years later in Mario Bros., his first title role. This game also introduced Lugi to the public. Mario first came home on the Nintendo Entertainment System in Super Mario Bros., one of the best selling games ever. This game brought Mario into millions of homes around the world and made him a cultural icon equal to Harrison Ford, Arnold Swartzneger, or Tom Cruise. Besides all the games, he has starred in 3 cartoon series, one major motion picture (although they did use live actors instead of the character). In a 1991 poll, it was found more kids could identify a picture of Mario than Mickey Mouse.

The 1990's brought us into the "shooters" era with games such as Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. Following Doom, the retail publishers and developers began to earnestly mimic the practice of offering demos, which had the effect of reducing shareware's appeal for the rest of the decade. During this time, the increasing computing power of personal computers began to allow rudimentary 3D graphics. 1993's Doom in particular was largely responsible for defining the genre and setting it apart from other first-person perspective games. The mid 90's brought us genra games such as the "Sim" games, beginning with SimCity, and continuing with a variety of titles, such as SimEarth, SimCity 2000, SimAnt, SimTower, and the wildly popular day to day life simulator, The Sims in 2000. The 90s also saw the beginnings of Internet gaming, with MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons) in the early years. Id Software's 1996 game Quake pioneered play over the Internet in first-person shooters. Internet multiplayer capability became a defacto requirement in almost all of the games we see now.

With all of these developments, but online and console games, the "arcade" as we knew it, has pretty much became a thing of the past limited now to expensive game control systems not available to home users. These are usually based on sports like skiing or cycling, as well as rhythm games like Dance Dance Revolution, which have carved out a large slice of the market.

Current times have us now playing PS2, PSP, Xbox, all of which have become Multi-tasking devises similar to computers in that they can play not only games created and designed for them, but also CD's, MP3's, Videos. What is next? PS3, Xbox 360 are both due out this fall/early winter just in time for Christmas. Both with disk space rivaling that of a desktop computer.

Can we actually wait that long?......

Just a normal guy trying to starta business on the internet. 50 year old white male father of 4. Born in the midwest moved to the southwest 30 plus years ago.

More on Sex, and Pinay Scandal related stories:

Do You Have Spyware Problems?

2008-03-17T15:01:00.000+08:00

If you find yourself wondering how to remove spyware from your PC, it means that you've noticed that your computer is malfunctioning. What spyware and adware programs usually do is slowing down your computer speed by cluttering your hard drive with unnecessary and disturbing programs. Taking actions to remove spyware and adware will noticeably increase your drive speed and help you use your computer properly.

The main concern with all adware and spyware is that they pose serious security issues. You need to remove adware as soon as possible if you suspect its presence, because your personal information may be at risk. Whoever created the adware that has infected your PC can get access to the data you have stored in it, even if you are not online.

Other annoying effect of spyware programs is creating pop-ups. They can make the whole Internet surfing experience really annoying. Also, adware can modify your home page and infect some pages in order to display their own messages that are, most of the times, obscene.

Removing spyware is possible and one of the most efficient ways to stop its effects is using computer firewall protection. These firewalls prevent any adware or spyware from being installed in your computer as legitimate data is being downloaded when you surf the Internet.

It is of utmost importance to detect and delete spyware since their danger level has surpassed that of viruses. Spyware is now considered number one danger threatening our computers in the present.

In order to remove adware you need to research different methods. You can manually remove spyware or you can take the automatic route. Choosing to remove adware manually can prove to be difficult as each spyware may require different removal procedures.

Although most of us don't perceive what threat adware can be, it is imperative to show interest to what adware protection is concerned. If you are one of those people who has never checked his PC for spyware, adware and other harmful viruses, you're in for a real surprise. Scan your computer right away and start searching for the best way to remove spyware.

If you have spyware problems and want to find out more about how to remove spyware visit http://www.adalert.co.uk for more information.

Registry Cleaners Are A Necessary Utility

2008-03-17T14:58:00.000+08:00

Many so-called experts on the subject will post various tips and advise on multiple forums and Blogs about the system registry and the use of registry clean tools. Some of them also advise against the use of any form of registry cleaning software though they will, in the same article, admit that the registry continues to bloat with useless information that may slow down the system in the long run. Their 'long run' is about three months. So then, how do we remover this redundant information or useless entries from the registry to de-bloat it and make it faster and more responsive to the programs installed to run on the system?

The Best Way To Clean The Registry

The answer to this problem is to either use software that can run through the system and clean out any link or file that leads to nowhere or else manually dive into the registry and grope around in the dark without doing anything but damage the system. Even the experts advise against this because even the so-called gurus of Windows operating system cannot shuffle through the system registry and know exactly what they are doing in there. It will always be a trial and error system.

The registry cleaning programs such as express registry cleaner, Window registry cleaner, PC Mantra's registry cleaner and many more registry cleaner are special programs that are designed to scan the registry entry for entry and test the links to see if they are actually connect to some program in other parts of the registry and the system. If the links or files fail to produce a link to another program or file they are obviously loose ends and need to be removed from the registry. Because the registries scan will unnecessarily stop, if even for a millionth of a second at these broken links, will delay the process. Just add this one delay, no matter how short, to the hundreds of thousands of useless entries it will encounter, every time it scans the registry, which may be several times a minute.

Where Does This Junk Come From?

These broken links come from programs and viruses that are removed by the uninstall programs and anti virus software. This process of removal leaves traces of the program in the registry and has to be expertly removed with registry cleaners It is not necessary to scan the registry every second day, however, the registry must be cleaned at least every six months or so. If the registry clean utilities are absolutely safe then why will they have a registry backup program built in? There is always a risk involved. Perhaps that is the reason even the best programs have a backup function - Such as any Windows Operating system.

Author is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Anti Spyware, Window Cleaner, Anti Spam Filter. Learn how clean registry increase efficiency of computer. Visit our Home page or Resource Center to read more about products and download free trial of a range of security and performance enhancing software like

* Windows Registry Cleaner
* Anti Spyware and Anti Adware
* Windows and Internet Cleaner
* Anti Spam Filter for MS Outlook
* Anti Spam Filter for Outlook Express

Wireless Network Installation and Configuration

2008-01-14T22:08:00.000+08:00

You might just be at that point, where the small, wired home network you created a few months ago just is not doing it for you anymore and you want to extend it with a wireless network. Of course, you might as well be at that point, where you want to build a completely new network. Whichever the reason may be, the problem is the same - you need to know exactly how to do a wireless network installation.

Most of the time, you will find it necessary to install a wireless router. Now, you will only need to install one of these if you either are building your first home network or simply want to keep the wireless network installation at the simplest level as possible. Remember to install the router in a somewhat central location in your home so this way all receivers will be almost in the same line of sight. You see, with wireless internet, the speed depends on the distance from the router to the receiver. All you have to do now is connect your router to a power source, and of course an Internet source. Nowadays many routers support broadband modems and even dial-up connections. Still, when you buy a router make sure that it has an RS-232 serial port if you need the dial-up connection, because otherwise you will find yourself having a useless router. Last, but not least, you can also connect a wired router (called a switch or a hub) because wireless routers generally do contain built-in access points.

Now choose the name of your network. Often with Wi-Fi the network names are generically called SSID. Of course, this SSID has to be identical with all computers that are sharing the same wireless router. For your own protection, it is recommended that no matter what name your router manufacturer set to change it to something else. In order to find a network name for your router all you have to do is consult the product documentation. Finally, read the documentation to find out how to handle WEP security and also how to turn on firewall features and how to set other options.

Wireless Access Points

One wireless type network connection is supported by only one access point. It is very important to remember this further on. It is recommended to use this type of access point only if you indeed need the features that only a wireless router can provide and also you want to have more than three or four computers around the house that will be connected to the internet. You can read more at http://www.howtosetupwirelessnetwork.com

The positioning rule is the same as with wireless routers - access points have to be placed in a central location so that all receivers will be in the same line of sight. Plug in the power cord and if necessary the dial-up internet connection as well. Now cable the access points to your hub or switch. In this case, you will not have to configure any firewalls at all, yet you will still have to set a network name and enable the WEP function.

Giving these two options of installing a wireless network in your house, from this point on, all you have to do is install them in your own operating system and you're good to go.

For more information on successfully installing and configuring a Wireless Network Set Up visit => http://www.howtosetupwirelessnetwork.com

Links:

Budgeting for IT Support and Networking

2008-01-14T22:06:00.000+08:00

We've written a two-part series of articles discussing how to help you grow your network to assure you meet your company's IT needs. Part I focused on how to start the new year with a sound network. This month's article discusses the importance of budgeting for IT support and networking for increased productivity and growth in 2008. With the New Year fast approaching, now is a great time to not only review your company's current network but also to establish budgeting guidelines based on average product life expectancy. With companies depending upon computer technology now more than ever, you must make certain your system remains an efficient tool for your company. Generally, computers and network servers can last between four and five years but IT experts state if companies want a realistic monthly budget, they should assume a three-year product lifecycle. It is also recommended companies budget to replace both computer hardware and software every three years.

Budgeting for Hardware, Software & Installation In order to effectively budget costs in relation to hardware, software and installation, you would need the total costs of all hardware and software your company is currently using. Include a labor cost projection of $2000 per server and $250 per workstation. Total up all costs and divide this number by 36 months and this results in your monthly costs for hardware, software and installation budget. According to San Jose accountant Monica Bailey of Monica Bailey & Associates, "Companies can also take a more accelerated rate than typical depreciation on these types of assets. And, accounting software should be budgeted on an annual basis and kept current." Budgeting for Support To budget the costs associated with IT support, INS recommends to allocate approximately 20 minutes of support per computer each month. This includes the workstations and network servers. Some workstations will not need support each month, but it is best to average this amount monthly and also yearly.

"The best way to budget IT support costs is to take the previous year's total IT costs and add 10%," adds Bailey. "The 10% variance gives you an overall budget from year to date with ample room for cost increase."

IT support can be based on the following levels:

Level I - Monthly Service Contract This consists of a reduced hourly rate service contract and is the best overall option for customers. Level II - Block Time Clients can purchase a block of time to ensure they receive priority IT support. Level III - As Needed Clients pay an hourly rate based on each support visit, phone call, and additional services such as the remote monitoring service. I recommend the monthly service contract for customers as this option provides the most value for customers. Rather than receiving a bill each time your network is serviced, you prepay your account for a set amount of monthly hours. If you don't use the hours, you can roll the unused minutes over to the next month. If you should exceed these monthly minutes, you would pay an overage. This allows you to typically receive one monthly bill unless you should go over your prepaid hours.

Overall, the monthly service contract is the way to go with IT budgeting because it allows you the opportunity to carryover your monthly hours and build these up for later usage. Preventative IT budgeting and maintenance can help to ensure the success of your computer systems and your company while also saving money in the long run. Ultimately, IT budgets should focus on spending that helps employees serve customers more effectively and makes the company gain and retain operational excellence. About Thomas Burns and INS Thomas Burns, founder and CEO of Intelligent Networks Services, Inc. has been an industry expert in computer network and technology for over 20 years. Under his careful supervision, INS has become a leading, full service IT support company servicing small to mid-sized businesses in Silicon Valley. INS's goal is to save their client's money by focusing on preventative maintenance and intelligent network designs. For more information go to www.intelligentns.com/subscribe and receive a complimentary network evaluation.

For more information go to http://www.intelligentns.com/subscribe and receive a complimentary network evaluation.

Links:

Computer Rental - Should You Rent or Buy a Computer?

2008-01-14T21:59:00.000+08:00

There are many companies today offering computer rental services, but should you rent or buy? There are advantages and disadvantages to each and you should consider your own personal circumstances before deciding which option is best for you.

Computer Rental is Ideal for High-Tech Businesses

If you work in a high-tech industry where you constantly need to replace computers in order to get the latest, upgraded model then rental may save you money in the long run as you will pay a monthly fee and still have access to the latest computers. It is more difficult to stay up to date if you constantly need to purchase the latest equipment.

Save Start-up Business Costs

Another reason you may want to consider renting as opposed to buying one is to save money on your initial business start-up. There are often many expenses involved in starting your business and if you do not yet have the correct computer to start your business this can be a heavy cost for the new business owner. Renting can therefore help you reduce these initial costs.

With Computer Rental the Computer Is Never Yours

The disadvantage in renting a computer is that the computer will never be yours. If you do not need the latest then it may actually save you money over the long-term to purchase one and end up with your own computer that is fully paid off.

Whether you decide to rent or buy will depend on what type of computer you need, how much money you have to spend and your personal preference for buying your own or renting.

This article was written by Mandy Buchanan. To learn more about computer rental visit M Buchanan reports on Computer rental

How To Select A Web Camera

2008-01-10T21:45:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

There is no doubt that many people who have considered purchasing a web camera have been put off by the fact that the picture results were not smooth and free flowing, but instead were jumpy and were annoying to watch because of frequent stops while another batch of pixels forms on the screen. For those people who have switched to digital cameras and security cameras that monitor what is going on in your home or office, you may want to take another look at a web camera. The broadband capabilities of most internet providers today means that the streaming video actually streams without the jerks and hesitations that used to be so evident in the past.

This means that a web camera may actually make good sense to serve as a security camera in either the home or the office. When you are comparing and contrasting various web cameras to determine which ones make the best selection for home or office security, the first thing you should consider is the frames per second that the camera comes with. Of course, you will want to look for the highest resolution and the highest fidelity possible as well.

The next things to review when selecting a web camera are the lens types and the focus controls so that the visibility of the images will be crystal clear. Check the characteristics in various lighting conditions if you want to get the best possible results in real life situations. You should be aware of the different levels of sophistication when it comes to adjusting focus and lens speed as that can greatly affect the quality of the images.

When you are choosing a web camera, the next item to consider is where the camera will be mounted and how large it must be in order to accomplish what is expected of it. Most web cameras will be mounted on top of the monitor, but not all web cameras can rotate both vertically and horizontally. The greatest flexibility will be gained with the maximum camera movement.

You should be sure that all the needed software to run the camera is included with the equipment. In some cases extra software is bundled with the operating software. Whether it is operating software, or other extra software not only the quality and the price should be taken into consideration, but whether it is something that is of any use for you. Another feature to compare when selecting a web camera is the manufacturer's warranty. A typical warranty will last for one year.

In addition to all of the above you should look for the extras which add value to the camera. A zoom or telephoto lens allows you to zero in on details when recording images. The ability to capture video stills can be helpful and a microphone that is built in helps the sound quality.

Reviewing the checklist above will help you to make the best possible selection of a web camera that will meet your needs.

All spy camera accessories and equipment information can be found in http://www.surveillancetechnology.com with details. Visit; http://www.surveillancetechnology.com/security-camera-accessory.htm

When is it worth buying a DVD printer?

2008-01-10T21:09:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Before you start to think about which CD / DVD printer you should buy, you need to think about if you actually need a CD DVD printer. There are two major factors that you need to consider, these are:

Cost ?- Sometimes it is possible to save a lot of money by moving CD / DVD printing in house. Whether or not this is worthwhile for you or not depends on the volumes of discs you want to print and the uniqueness of each print. The easiest way to explain this is that in terms of volume, very small volumes occurring rarely, should be outsourced to small service bureaus and very large volumes should be sent to be printed using silkscreen printing. It is the middle range volumes that should be produced in house on CD/ DVD printers. If each disc print needs to be unique it is almost always more efficient to print the discs in house as service bureaus tend to charge set up fees for each unique print job.

Convenience - Having an in house CD/ DVD printer is generally far more convenient than outsourcing the work. There are a number of reasons for this; firstly you will almost always want to make changes once you see the print. Although modern day CD/ DVD printers such as the new generation of Microboards products like the PF-3 have excellent color matching, you will never get exactly the colours you see on the screen. This is not due to the quality of the CD/ DVD printer or the monitor; it is simply due to the two devices using different colour technologies. The monitor uses RGB colour (it makes its colours out of red, green and blue) whereas the CD/ DVD printer uses CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) so it is impossible to always match colours on the screen to prints. This is a problem that many companies faced when moving the logos from printed onto the web. The second major convenience factor is that if you have the CD/ DVD printer in house you can produce disc prints quickly, within a minute in many cases, this is great if you need to react to demand quickly or you produce discs on an ad hoc basis.

Who are the big players in the world of CD/ DVD printers?

The CD/ DVD printer industry currently has three major players and a number of smaller players. The three major players are Microboards, Rimage and Primera. Microboards and Rimage co-exist peacefully at different ends of the market with Microboards producing low cost per print ink jet technology based CD/ DVD printers and Rimage manufacturing extremely high quality robust thermal printers. The two operate at such different ends of the market that in the UK and US Microboards actually acts as a distributor for Rimage. Primera is a direct competitor of Microboards, Primera also produce ink jet based low cost CD/ DVD printers. At the present time (December 2007) Microboards appears to have the edge on Primera in terms of cost per print, which at present means that the Microboards models are the more popular choice.

What are the different CD/ DVD printer technologies on offer?

CD/ DVD printing can be divided into three main categories (although other methods do exist). These are Ink Jet, Thermal and Silk Screen. Silk Screen printing is an efficient method of mass producing identical discs and it the sort of method that is generally used by service bureaus. I won't cover this any further as it is not relevant to the purchase of a CD/ DVD printer. Ink Jet technology is the technology which Primera and Microboards compete on, the prints look great and are cheap to produce. The only issue with using an Ink Jet printer is that the prints are prone to damage from water. This is far less of a problem these days though as the media manufacturer Taiyo Yuden now manufacture Water Shield discs that make ink jet prints water resistant. Thermal printing technology is championed mainly by Rimage. It produces a very durable glossy finish disc and consequently Thermal printers generally cost more than Ink Jet printers. This has been a very brief look at the different technologies and there are others available including technologies aimed at people printing just text. To find out more I suggest you visit www.prolok.com and contact one of their experts to talk you through the technologies in greater detail.

Choosing the Correct CD/ DVD Printer

This article has only touched on the various factors involved in choosing a CD/ DVD printer and has not given exact figures. My recommendation would always be to take the information you have learned from this article and speak to an expert. There are a number of very helpful and trustworthy CD/ DVD printer resellers through out the world including the company I work for, Prolok. Most now have very similar pricing so I would suggest you buy from the company that shows a genuine interest in making sure you get the right product for your needs.

Colin Thomas is one of the CD DVD printer experts at http://www.prolok.com/ he has twenty-five years of experience in working with all the major disc printer brands including Rimage, Microboards and Primera.

7 Ways To Increase The Speed Of Your PC

2007-12-10T13:46:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

If you're tired of having a slow computer that crawls to a halt whenever you open up multiple windows, here are 7 tips guaranteed to increase the speed and performance of your computer.

1) Disk Defragmenter

This comes free with Windows. By analysing your computer files and defragmenting, this puts the files in your computer in order so that the accessing time reduces for the hard disk.

2) Remove Startup programs

Ever experienced long booting times? That's because every time your computer boots up, it has been instructed to load up a software application. Use RegClean to see what these files are and delete them.

3) Turn off visual effects

By going to your control panel and system, you can turn of the visual effects of your computer. Less resources spent on glamour goes to speeding up the opening time of your folders and internet explorer.

4) Overclock your PC

This one is for the pros. Overclocking your PC will give you boost to your computer's speed.

5) Registry Cleaner

A registry cleaner scans for errors in your registry. Your computer registry contains information about your computer and certain data that is no longer required in your computer which is linked to a software stays in your registry even though the software has been uninstalled. The more clutter you have in your computer the more work your hard disk needs to do.

6) Get more RAM

The more RAM, the better. Try to have at least 1Gig of RAM, this will certainly increase the speed of your Microsoft Windows, Excel, Photoshop applications and allow you to open multiple windows without a decrease in speed.

7) Use Reg Cure or Reg Fix

These are the top of the line registry cleaners that clean up the obsolete data in your computer. These registry cleaners scan for errors such as COM/ActiveX Entries, Font Entries, Shared DLLs, Empty Registry Keys, Program Short Cuts that no longer exist and removes them. An additional resource to turbo charge your PC can be found at http://fixbluescreenofdeath.blogspot.com/

Speed up your computer with registry cleaners. http://www.registrycleanercompare.blogspot.com

Know, Who is Watching You

2007-09-18T17:05:00.000+08:00

Emails are not the only way of delivering trojans onto your hard-drive – if you unwisely click on any links in them – but online in any direction you go cyber-cruising is fraught with a never ending minefield you will have to tread extremely carefully to avoid infection by virus or trojan.

In another article I wrote about trojans being downloaded by unsuspecting visitors to blogs clicking on a link in a 'comment' and leading to downloading a trojan – not the expected pdf or other information.

The sophisticated ease by which trojan writers can make these 'virtual spies' and send them out to the gullible populace online is breathtaking in it's concept.

Underground hacker sites are forums for discussing how to make 'worms', 'virus' and 'trojan' code work to do whatever the intended use is. A lot of these users of these underground hacker forums are 'script kiddies' with no more sophistication than any other 'normal' ten or twelve year old – but the damage by what they do can run into billions of dollars in costs for the 'clean-up' of servers and hard-drives – the anti-virus makers are making a killing selling the latest product to find and remove trojans and virus code from hard-drives world-wide.

The explosion of 'malware' is giving concern to security experts who have the task of securing networks of computers that may encompass the world, and therefore, the entry points for such 'malware' are numbered in their thousands – very large sites with bank and credit card details are especially targeted for information by trojans in particular.

“Worms' are also traveling the internet right now looking to land on any network of computers they can find – it's impossible to get rid of them, you would have to close the internet down altogether to do that – they are designed to look for bank account numbers, credit card details, password and username pairs – giving access to such online organizations as Paypal, Ebay, Etrade, Wellsfargo and many others.

“Worms' are coding that 'learns' and then 'mutates' to adapt to what it has learned – it then replicates itself in all directions it can go to land on yet more hard-drives. The coding of a 'worm' can be totally different to a 'worm' on some other computer somewhere else, due to the fact that they 'learn' and add code as they travel different networks – so therefore, anti-virus software may not detect the 'signature' of a 'worm' on a different network at all, leading to anti-virus software makers sleepless nights trying to keep up with all the different 'signatures' required to download to their subscribers so as to keep their software – reasonably - up to date with anti-viral 'definitions'.

On some underground hacker forums a 'phishing kit' is available for free download – this allows username and password pairs for internet banking to be discovered and the information can be emailed to a 'throw-away' email address inbox to garner the details – but not only the user of the 'phishing kit' gets the information – but the maker of the kit gets this information emailed to them as well.

If you thought – quite reasonably – that makers of trojans had to have a degree in programming languages – think again. Any 'script kiddies' can make a very sophisticated trojan to do whatever it's intended use is determined by the juvenile miscreant, in a software package called 'Shark2' – it's for free download and the program allows for inputting various attributes you want to imbue in the trojan via an intuitive interface – and just click and your trojan code is ready for business.

It is known that a miscreant can add instructions into the trojan code quite easily to operate software on a hard-drive, and even – switch on the 'web cam' to see what unsuspecting users are actually doing in the room near their machines.

Tony Dean is a published author and writer of many topics and runs two web sites at:- http://www.worldnetsources.info and http://www.baltic-european.com

Nanotechnology, Genetic Engineering & Robotics - Doomsday or Miracle?

2007-04-24T13:42:00.000+08:00

Advances in nanotechnology have proven that incredible progress is not only possible today and in the future, it is pretty well inevitable. Fantastic advances in nanotechnologic medical research have resulted in life saving techniques that were unheard of even a decade ago.

Genetic engineering research and development provides a means of revolutionizing agricultural output by enhancing crop yields while encouraging a decrease in the necessity for pesticides. It also holds out a promise of attaining newer, improved species of plants and animals, the ability to someday replace or supplement reproduction with cloning and the hope that cures will be developed for many fatal and debilitating diseases, which can only result in increased life spans and improved quality of life.

Robotic engineers firmly believe that development of a truly intelligent machine that is capable of performing most tasks better than humans will be perfected within our lifetime. They envision a time when a highly organized system of machines will perform all tasks with little or no human input.

It is not hard to imagine the revolutionary advancements that are possible if nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics combine their expertise in future technological advancements. Either the result will be a utopian world free of disease or pestilence or a jumbled chaos of grey goo and confusion.

Regardless of the outcome, it is inevitable that the future holds profound changes because of nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics, whether the accomplishments are made on their own or as a result of a coordinated effort. Along with the imminent progression, however, we must also be aware of the philosophical, moral and ethical issues that will come about as a result of biological change.

In addition to the potential threat from the unleashed power of nanotechnology based scientific advancements, there is also the promise of an improved future for mankind and the world in which he dwells. The line of demarcation is thin and easily crossed and therefore great care and planning must go hand in hand with technological advances.

Naysayers are quick to point out the many pitfalls of unbridled nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics research and implementation; however, to the chagrin of futurists, these non-progressive individuals fail to fully conceive of the many benefits these scientific advancements can and will provide. Progressive thinkers are quick to embrace the very real possibility of incredibly low-cost solar power, cures for debilitating disease via intensification of the human immune system, the ability to clean up our environment and the overall improvement of human existence that is not only possible but entirely plausible in the very near future because of nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics.

So, are nanotechnology, genetic engineering and robotics to be feared as an impending doomsday event or should they be embraced as miracles of the future? Only by carefully reviewing the past while embracing the future will we be able to tell. After all, if we are willing to build an artificial brain, we must be willing to construct one that is able to see what we cannot.

Tatiana is the owner of the Nanotechnology site http://www.ecophagy.com and runs http://www.vidwarp.com among many other sites.

How to Improve Your Typing Speed

2007-02-12T15:52:00.000+08:00

Typing is a skill that I never took the time to learn in high school. I never thought I'd need it. As an adult, I have found that typing is a necessity. For an at-home business like medical transcription, typing well and accurately could mean the difference between an average business and ever-increasing profits. This article gives suggestions for those who have lived with the "hunt and peck" method most of their lives and people who have been taught how to type but want to increase their speed and accuracy.

For those of you, like myself, who have grown frustrated with how long it takes you to type a document, now is the time to learn the proper technique. I must warn you: it will be a challenge. Your brain and your hands have grown accustomed to typing the wrong way. The one problem with learning a bad habit is that you have to unlearn it.

To improve your typing speed, invest in typing tutor software. These programs teach keyboard and number pad memorization. Learning proper finger placement on the "home row" is essential to typing success. With the proper foundation your typing speed will increase.

Two programs on the market today are MacMillan Typing Tutor 9 for the PC and Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing 17 for PC and MAC. I learned how to type properly using Mavis Beacon software. The program takes you through the basic principles of typing, using fun games and timed tests at every level to increase speed and accuracy. Once a particular level is mastered the program allows you to move on to the next.

For those who need a refresher course to increase typing speed, online services are available to assist you. The key to your success is practice, practice, and more practice. Typing speed tests to increase your speed are available free on the Web. You are given a sample paragraph to type. Once you are done and hit "submit", the speed and accuracy of your work are translated into WPM (words per minute). You can practice with as many paragraph samples as you want.

A key to success in a typing dependent business it to increase your speed. No matter which category you fall into, consistent practice will determine how much your typing speed will increase. Once success is achieved, a monthly practice session or two wouldn't hurt to keep up your skills.

For more information on starting a medical transcription online information and help getting started as an MT visit - http://www.askthemt.com/ - an informative website dedicated to answering all your medical transcription questions

Learning How to Build a Computer

2007-01-29T12:29:00.000+08:00

SELaplana - Songs Lyrics - Philippine Exam Results

There are three primary methods of learning to build your own computer: (1) the classroom, (2) from a website, or (3) a how-to book. Let’s look at the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Learning in a classroom setting is the time honored way for knowledge to be passed on. While PC building techniques are usually taught as part of electronics courses at your local community college, sometimes adult learning classes will be devoted to the subject as well.

Classrooms provide a structured framework, giving you hands on training with an instructor there to guide you and answer questions. The drawbacks are that you are usually placed in a group of five or six people, where one or two try to hog all the “hands on” time, and constantly ask the instructor questions designed to show how much they know, rather than shining any light on the process. Also, the classes can sometimes be quite expensive.

Websites devoted to the subject offer free information, and occasionally advice in the form of chat rooms and bulletin boards. If you decide to take this route, be aware that some websites are right up to date, and others are “cobweb” sites, posted years ago.

The instruction online can vary from good to incompetent, and it can be hard for the first time computer builder to know the difference. I recommend judging the quality of the writing itself. If the points they’re trying to make aren’t clear, go to another source.

How-to books are a low cost alternative, with a higher caliber of writing and instruction, prepared by professionals. You’d probably be required to purchase one of these if you took a class. Unlike the classroom, you can absorb the material at your own pace, and whenever you have the time.

It will require initiative, because there’ll be no one there to set goals for you, or require you to take a weekly quiz. The subject itself is so fascinating however, that I believe you’ll have no problem motivating yourself.

Michael Quarles is the author of the book "Building a PC for Beginners". His website is http://www.monkeyseemonkeydobooks.com

Microsoft's Live Meeting

2006-08-08T12:55:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

To use Microsoft Live Meeting, you just need a computer, a phone, and an Internet connection. The product is designed to accommodate small or large groups, and supports meetings with up to 2500 participants. Live Meeting is a hosted solution, meaning you don't buy any software to install on your own desktop or server. Microsoft Live Meeting is offered in two versions: Standard and Professional. The Standard version includes all the features of the Professional version except: meeting recording, remote desktop control, and printing and handouts.

Live Meeting has all the standard features of other web conferencing offerings, some of which are described below. It is, as you would expect, integrated with Microsoft Outlook, so you can schedule meetings right from the familiar Outlook calendar.

Live meeting lets you share your desktop and the applications you have there. All your meeting attendees can see the mouse movements you initiate and whatever you input via the keyboard. You are also able to share only a portion of your desktop, if you so choose. It is integrated with Powerpoint - the Powerpoint Viewer provides total support for transitions and animations. In fact, visuals of any type, commonly used document types, applications, or Web pages can be shared.

The Document Viewer allows importing any type of document that can be printed, and the meeting administrator can choose to "save" the documents shown in the meeting, so the attendees can go back and reference them after the meeting is over.

The Remote Control feature (available in the Professional version only) lets the presenter pass control of their desktop to any attendee at the meeting. In addition, the Remote Assistance function lets the presenter initiate sharing on a participant's desktop - with their permission. Live Meeting includes a number of interactive tools that presenters can use to enhance the meeting experience. The whiteboard is a blank page that the presenter can draw on, add text to, and highlight portions of by using the provided annotation tools. The text slide function presents a blank page that the presenter can type on to and share. The Web slide function ( I like this one) lets you take your attendees to any live Web page. Each attendee "gets" a separate copy of the page and can use the page independently.

If you want to get some instant feedback from your attendees, you can use the Polls functionality in Live Meeting. Polls can be prepared ahead of time and presented (or not) under the control of the administrator of the meeting.

Finally, the Question Manager function lets you handle questions from the audience without disrupting the entire meeting. If one person is busy presenting, another can be designated as the question manager, and make the answers to any questions received available only to the question-asker, or to the entire audience.

In summary, Microsoft’s Live Meeting stacks up well against the other products reviewed so far by this writer, and is definitely worth looking at it if you're about to choose a web conferencing provider.

Find out more at: www.microsoft.com

Peter Cullen runs http://www.Web-Conference-Info.com where conferencing software is reviewed and relevant articles are posted.

Windows Built-in Tools

2006-08-07T13:15:00.001+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

PC Repair Using The Tools Supplied With Windows

When your pc goes wrong it is usually time to pay someone to fix it, or call in a big favour from your favourite computer geek of a friend. Sometimes though it's not always necessary to fall back on these two alternatives to repair your pc. There are an abundance of tools supplied with Windows, or for free download which you may be able to use to fix your own pc.

The first thing to realise before you start looking into fixing your own pc, is that most of the time it's a software fault, and not very often hardware related, so don't break out the hammer and chisel to open up the case just yet. It's time to stop, and consider when the fault first manifested itself. Had you just installed some new software or updates to your existing software? Have you downloaded a new Internet Explorer plugin or did anything request permission to install itself while you were surfing? Have you updated a device driver or installed some new hardware?

If the answer to these questions is "Why Yes, what harm could that possibly do?" then it could be that the culprit is a conflict with the new program or update. If so, then you could try using the software's uninstall link, or the "Add/Remove Programs" section in the Control Panel (Control Panel is linked from your start menu usually). If this doesn't work, you can always bring out the big gun, and use the "System Restore" utility. This can be found in the Start > Accessories > System Tools folder. This can be extremely scary the first time you use it with all kinds of warnings and texts to read, but basically it will roll back your computer to one of the previous dates it has stored. It doesn't delete documents or emails, just removes any software installed after the date you're going to reset to.

Sometimes your pc won't even get as far as Windows, but you can always try the "Safe Mode" (if it is setup). As your pc is starting up, keep tapping the "F8" key and you should get to a screen where you can select a variety of startup methods. Ignore all but the "Start In Safe Mode" option, and select the appropriate number for it and press "Enter". This stops a lot of unimportant stuff from loading up and may just allow you to get into Windows to use one of the options above (uninstall or System Restore). In this mode however you will not have access to many of your usual services, such as networks, or internet connections, and you may also find your soundcard drivers won't be loaded so you get no sound. Don't panic, this is normal, and after you reboot from Safe Mode to normal mode your peripherals should all return to normal.

A majority of the pc repairs I have carried out in my capacity as geeky friend have been as simple as using the tools and techniques above. There are also plenty of other tools hiding inside Windows menus, which can be used to help you repair your own PC. Like the ones above they can seem intimidating the first time, but they are quite safe to use, and rarely cause a problem. Just don't tell my friends about these tools, I like the feeling of superiority when I can fix their pc's with just a few clicks of the keyboard and mouse.

Douglas Titchmarsh tackles pc problems for friends, and maintains a PC repair related blog at http://www.douglastitchmarsh.com/PCPROBLEMS.blog and recommends PC Safety 101 ebook at http://www.thediscountebookstore.com/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=42

Sucuring Wireless Network

2006-08-07T13:15:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

How to Secure Your Wireless Network

If you use a wireless network, chances are good it is not secure. If you don’t make some important configuration changes on your wireless router after installing it, your wireless network is wide open to hackers, curious neighbors and people who would rather use your broadband internet service instead of buying their own.

Several of my neighbors have a wireless network set up in their home, and from my living room I can connect to three different networks in addition to my own. I do this easily, using no special skills, software or equipment. All I do is click on my wireless networking icon and select “view available wireless networks”. I choose one, click “connect”, and in an instant I am using my neighbor’s internet connection instead of my own. Kind of creepy, isn’t it?

Following are 6 things you can do to make your wireless network invisible and impenetrable to the majority of intruders.

* Change the default password of your wireless router. This makes it harder for a would-be intruder to access the router administration controls.

* Change the name of your SSID. The SSID (service set identifier) is the name of your wireless network, and by default is usually the brand name of your wireless router (like Linksys). Change this to a unique name of your choice. A good rule of thumb to follow when setting up any type of network is to always change the default settings to something else, which makes it harder for an intruder to get in.

* Use an encryption key. Most wireless routers have WEP encryption capability (Wireless Equivalent Protocol), and the newer ones also have WPA (Wi-Fi Protected Access). WEP is an older standard and less secure than WPA, so if you have both, choose WPA. Even WEP is probably good enough, and if this is all you have choose the highest bit encryption possible (usually 128 bit).

Once you set up encryption on your wireless router, write down the method you are using as well as the key (a long string of cryptic-looking characters), because you will need this to set up encryption on each of your computers that will use the wireless network.

* Disable broadcasting of your SSID. By default, the SSID (your wireless network’s name) is broadcast to anyone with a wireless network card. Although this makes it easy to configure your computers to access your network, it also makes it easy for outsiders to know about your network. By disabling SSID broadcast, no one will ever see your network.

* Limit the number of IP addresses your wireless router allows on the network. By default, your wireless router will assign an IP address to as many computers that request one. If you limit the number of addresses that the router’s DHCP server assigns to just the number that you need, you will “block” all other computers that try to connect to your network.

* Use MAC address filtering. You can configure your wireless router to only allow certain computers on the wireless network by including each computer’s MAC address in the list of “allowed” users. A MAC address is a unique physical address that is hard coded onto each network interface card. It is much like a serial number, as every MAC address is unique.

Find your network card’s MAC address by opening up a command prompt and typing in ipconfig /all. Look for something that says “physical address”, and the series of letters and numbers following this is your MAC address. It will look something like this: 00-06-5B-CE-DA-B5. Key this information into the wireless router’s MAC address filtering setup under MAC address 1. Repeat this process for every computer on your network, using MAC address 2, 3, and so on.

In addition to securing your wireless network, there is one more thing you need to do to make sure your wireless network is safe:

* Install a personal firewall on each of the computers on your wireless network. If an intruder does happen to get into your network, a personal firewall (also known as a software firewall) will keep him out of your computer. With a personal firewall running, the most an intruder can do is use your internet connection and your bandwidth; he will not be able to access your data.

To learn more about computer security, visit:
Antivirus, Firewall and Spyware Resources
Personal Firewalls - Software Firewalls
Free Report - Internet Crime - How to Protect Yourself Online

Windows Scheduling

2006-08-07T13:11:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Schedule Your Windows Tasks

How many repetitive tasks do you perform manually on your PC at home or work?

What tasks do you perform which need all users to logout of the system during work hours?

If you are working within Windows then you can use Schtasks, which ships with Windows, to perform those tedious tasks for you.

Schtasks is a tool you can use to carry out a task at a particular time, date or day. You can use Schtasks to run VBScripts, Batch files or any kind of executable application that can be fired up from the command line within the console window. For instance, if you have a Windows service running, which for whatever reason needed bouncing every morning or after a weekend power down, you could write a VBScript to bounce the service and schedule it to run at an appropriate time. Here is an example of how you would set a schedule via Schtasks to bounce a service via a VBScript at 3 am every morning on business days Monday to Friday:

schtasks /create /tn bounce_service /sc mon,tue,wed,thu,fri /st 3:00 /tr "c:my scriptsbounce.vbs"

If you are using Schtasks on your PC, and not on a server, then you would not switch off your PC running when you leave work and let SchTasks can run your tasks overnight. Your last task on your PC might be to shutdown your PC. Schtasks does provide the ability to start up your computer at a specific time but I have found this a bit problematic to get working on some PCs.

Here are some ideas for using Schtasks:

Backup files when your computer is idle or at the end of a working day.
Run overnight processes when no users are logged onto a server, database or application.
Start up or shut down your PC.
Compact databases.
Compile multi-developer applications.
Perform web publishing overnight when resources are free.
FTP data across a network when bandwidth usage is low.
Start, stop or bounce Windows services.

Using Schtasks will reduce your manual labour, ensure consistent processing without human error, and buy you time to do other things.

For complete instructions on using Schtasks see: http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/schtasks.mspx

Duane Hennessy
Senior Software Engineer and Systems Architect
Bandicoot Software
Tropical Queensland, Australia
(ABN: 33 682 969 957)

Your own personal library of code snippets. http://www.bandicootsoftware.com.au

Moderator of http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AccessDevelopers

Payroll Software

2006-08-06T14:50:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

With payroll software one cannot not stop and think…’how did large organizations cope without them?’ When you think of what’s involved in paying your employee, one finds it hard to believe how this can be achieved without a full blown payroll software.

There are various payroll software applications on the market today, but how do you decide which one is right for the business you conduct? Let’s start by having a look at the main items a good payroll software application must possess.

1. create and manage detailed company details

2. create and manage detailed employee details

3. can be run during a specific date range (normally weekly, fortnightly and monthly)

4. processing of individual departments or all departments

5. accountability of all emoluments and tax paid for each employee and department

6. standard tax reports as required by the local authorities

7. flexibility in allowing bonuses, overtime and special end-of-period additions and deductions

Needless to say, a good payroll software program holds many features which reduce paper work needed to control your employees’ remuneration. Having said that, some required paperwork like pay vouchers, checks, company reports and tax reports are a must for any payroll software.

But what is the main feature a payroll software application must excel in? Without any doubt this has to be security. Payroll software databases hold one the most sensitive information a software application can hold. By many, the salary they get is considered as the most well kept secret in their lives. That information is probably held in a computer somewhere forming part of a payroll package. As such, confidentiality of that information must be stressed heavily and checked thoroughly when one is enquiring on payroll software.

But most payroll software applications are not stand alone modules. Many come integrated with other modules like the purchases ledger, general ledger and/or job costing module. If you have a production business, having your payroll software integrated with your job costing module is, to say the least, a must. This will ensure your costing is truly reflecting all the costs your business is incurring, and the payment of your employees, including taxes, is definitely one of them.

As like all tailor made software, a payroll software application would normally require user training before one can reap the benefits from it. Payroll software is quite a complex piece of software and the fact that people are employed in human resources departments just to be responsible for the payroll aspect of the company is proof of this. This is true, although, the payroll software used should also be straight forward for clerks who work in a payroll environment. It should be intuitive and present all tasks in a simple and clear format, with help available on the spot.

Since many payroll software exist today, it is very hard to determine which one is right for your business. The decision needs to rely on the structure of your business, number of employees, different work times and shifts, plus other factors. Based on this, a standard payroll software might do, or maybe not. What’s important is that before committing to one, and probably also, before being trained on one, all the features (and non-features) of the package you choose have been made clear and proved to function correctly and as desired.

Sandro Azzopardi is a professional author who writes several articles on various subjects on his web site and local newspapers and magazines. You can visit information about this article and others on: http://www.theinfopit.com/technology/software/payrollsoftware.php

Creating PDF Files with No ADOBE

2006-07-14T13:42:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

How to Create PDF Files without Adobe

When dealing with other companies electronically, you will want to keep the integrity of your files. One solution is using a type of file called a PDF file. These files end with .pdf extension. PDF file are used by businesses to send important documents like contracts and proposals to other businesses. This type of file is used because it is more difficult to edit the document. PDF files are also use on web pages as they can be viewed in your Internet browser when you use a PDF viewer like the one provide by Adobe for free. Also, people do not use the same word processor so this means that they will not be able to open your document if they do not have the same program as you. With PDF file, anybody can view them by getting a free viewer from the Internet.

One way to create a PDF file is to use the Adobe suite of software. These programs can be costly and I will provide a way to create a PDF file by using some capabilities on your computer and some free software which can be found on the Internet.

This method has a two step process to create the PDF file. You must first create a postscript file of your document. A postscript file is just your document being printed to a file on your hard drive instead to your printer. These files usually have an extension of .ps. You will have to set up your computer to create this file.

Here are the steps to create the file:

1. You must create a new printer association for your computer. You accomplish this by going to Control Panel icon in the Start menu.
Once the dialog is opened, click on the Printer and Faxes icon.
Click on Add a printer and click the Next button.
Make sure that only Local printer attached to this computer is selected and click the Next button.
Make sure that Use the following port: is selected and choose FILE: (Print to file) in the drop down box.
Once all this is accomplished, click the Next button.

I prefer to Tektronix Phaser 300i as the printer driver that I utilized.
Select the driver that you want (driver that end with PS are usually only used to created postscript files).
After selecting which driver that you want, click the Next button.

You can use the Printer name provided by Windows or create your own. I also suggest that you select No for Do you want to use this printer as the default printer?
When you are ready; click the Next button.

Choose Do not share this printer and click the Next button.

Select No for Do you want to print a test page? Click the Next button. Finally, click the Finish button to create your new printer icon on your computer.

If you now look in your Printer and Faxes dialog, you should see the new icon of the printer.

2.After you have finished editing your document, you must now create the postscript file.
In MS Word, choose the menu option File->Print….

In the dialog that appears at the top, make sure that the printer selected is the new one you created in the preceding step. If it is not, select the printer from the drop down box. When you have selected the printer, press the OK button on the bottom and provide a location on the hard drive and name for the postscript file. The program will now create the postscript file at the specified location.

Now that you have your postscript file, you must convert it to PDF format. This is done by getting two files from the Internet called Ghostscript and GSview.

Here are the steps to convert your postscript file:

1. Download gsvXXw32.exe (for GSView) where XX is the version number. I located the file here: www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/gsview/get48.htm.
2. Download gsXXXw32.exe (for Ghostscript ) where XXX is the version number. I located the file here: www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/doc/AFPL/new853.htm.
3. Install both programs in the order that you choose.
4. Open GSView and you will prompted to choose a version of Ghostscript.

Once you have installed the two programs, you are ready to create your PDF file.
1. Double click your .ps file which you have already created. GSView should open with your postscript file.
2. Click the following menu selection File->Convert.
3. In the Device: box, choose pdfwrite. Select the resolution that you want (Larger resolution means a larger file and better quality. You can test this to see which resolution that you prefer). Select the pages that you want to convert and click OK.
4. You will be prompted to name your file and you should use the .pdf extension (mydoc.pdf). Click Save and you are done.

This method is very economical and it makes sense to send PDF file when dealing with sensitive documents to make sure that people are not able to make changes after the fact. By doing this, you will look more professional and have an easy way to distribute your documents over the Internet.

Copyright 2006 Greg Doucet. All rights reserved.

Any suggestions or comments please write to Greg Doucet at greg.doucet@caromat.ca or visit us at www.caromat.ca.

Greg Doucet is a consultant whose main purpose is helping businesses grow and expand while enjoying life. His philosophy is to provide value first, help people in their endeavors and have fun while doing his work.

He accepts consulting assignment that will contribute to business’ profitability and realize their goal of running a successful business.

He has a Computer Science degree which is complimented by a MBA. He is also a member of Toastmaster and Junior Chamber International where he enjoys meeting new people. He is always ready to provide excellent advice to people that are ready to put in the effort to improve their business and personal lives.

On Computer Advancement

2006-07-11T14:53:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Advancements in Computer Technology

With technology progressing as fast as it is at the present, it is a wonder we do not have a new mass-marketed gadget appearing every few minutes. Personal computers, once predicted to be owned by a mere handful of individuals, are everywhere nowadays. If you are a student a personal computer is virtually a necessity. Accompanying the ever-increasing popularity of the personal computer is a plethora of gadgets and technological advancements. Though it may not be every few minutes, it seems as though every couple of months we hear about a computer with more storage space or a new device that one can connect to their computer.

Some devices that appear on the market are either completely superfluous or not so accessible to the entirety of the population, whether it is because of their cost or their limited supply. The costly devices are reserved to those who can afford them, until some new gadget replaces them and the price of these machines decreases, much like any new technology that appears on the market. Those gadgets, which are unnecessary, are not overly practical and the market for these creations is comprised mainly of those with an affinity for such devices. Inventions like webcams, while they are certainly fun to play with, are essentially unnecessary as they have no bearing on the actual operation of the computer and are used largely for leisure computer activities.

The more purposeful advancements in computer technology revolve around those, which increase the computers ability to manage certain tasks and those, which increase the storage space of the computer. Many personal computer owners find themselves craving more space to store songs or various other files and often wishing that their computer were faster. Though many computers produced today have a excessive storage space, that is, it is nearly impossible to fill a personal computer to capacity, these types of advancements permit a much speedier and more efficient functioning computer.

Interested in Technology? Do you have articles to distribute about Technology? We provide in depth Technology Articles. Free Article Distribution

Make Your Computer Run Faster

2006-07-10T13:21:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

3 Simple Tips To Make Your Computer Run Faster

First of all, there are two ways to make your computer run faster: hardware and software. Hardware boosting involves upgrading and adding new components to the computer to increase its speed and performance. Typical upgrades include installing more memory, purchasing a better motherboard or getting a better processor.

Software optimization, on the other hand, does not require purchasing anything; it only requires that you optimize and fine tune your software set up and installation to make your computer run faster. Here are a few ways to accomplish this type of optimization.

1. Uninstall unneeded applications – Over the course of your computer’s lifetime you may have installed a bevy of applications, many of which you do not need anymore. If this is the case, then now is the time to get rid of them. This will make your computer run faster, and more efficiently.

Start off by going through your uninstall menu and look for applications that you do not need anymore. These programs will usually have their own uninstall routines that will remove all files and services they may have installed.

Most applications install applications that eat up not only disk space, but valuable RAM. As you computer starts up, these programs start up too, eating precious processor time as well.

Some programs do not have their own uninstall routines. You may have to use custom uninstall applications to remove these files from your computer. Make sure these applications remove both the program and the supporting files it is packaged with. Also make sure that registry entries regarding this application are also removed.

2. Defrag at all costs – Run a defragmenter application regularly. Data in a hard disk is not necessarily stored in a contiguous manner. This means that when your hard disks read data, it has to jump from platter to platter, sector to sector just to get a file in its entirety.

If your data is located contiguously, then this problem could be avoided, saving your hard disk valuable read time. And as a result of this effort, your computer could experience faster disk reads and an improvement in computer speeds from 30% up to 100%.

3. Check for Viruses - Install a handy antivirus to help weed out those pesky codes that could seriously compromise your data’s security, integrity while slowing your computer at the same time. A well-infested computer will typically grind to halt as malicious code use and abuse precious computer resources.

There are many antiviral agents around, aside from installing such, avoid the spread of viruses by making sure you only use removable media that is from verified sources. Also, be careful of the sites you visit as they could contain online malicious code.

To learn more about ways to make your computer run faster, please visit http://www.make-computer-run-faster.info/

5 Reasons To Purchase Desktop Computers

2006-07-09T11:57:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

If you are in the market for a computer, there are a number of factors to consider. Will it be used for your home, your office or perhaps even your home office combo? First off, you will need to set a budget for your new purchase before deciding whether to shop for notebook or desktop computers. Many offices use desktop computers because they are not intended to be moved around a lot. In addition, affordability often plays a large role in someone’s decision as to whether to purchase notebook or desktop computers.If you are in the market for a computer, there are a number of factors to consider. Will it be used for your home, your office or perhaps even your home office combo? First off, you will need to set a budget for your new purchase before deciding whether to shop for notebook or desktop computers. Many offices use desktop computers because they are not intended to be moved around a lot. In addition, affordability often plays a large role in someone’s decision as to whether to purchase notebook or desktop computers.

While you are shopping around, it’s important to keep in mind some of the benefits that go along with owning different types of computers. To that end, this article provides five important reasons to purchase desktop computers.

- Desktop computers are typically much more affordable than notebook computers. With notebooks, you are paying more for the convenience of portability. For as little as $299.00, desktop computers can be purchased from one of the leading manufacturers and a notebook computer for as little as $499.00.

- Unlike notebook computers, replacing a keyboard, mouse, speakers or even a monitor does not require having your computer serviced by a professional repair shop. Because notebook computers have everything built in, including the aforementioned features, it is more difficult to replace a keyboard or monitor as opposed to desktop computers, which operate on external connections.

- In the event of an unlawful entry into your home, desktop computers are not as likely to be stolen because of their weight and bulk. Notebook computers, on the other hand, are small and portable. This, alone, makes them more appealing to a thief than desktop computers.

- Desktop computers are stationary by nature. Unlike a notebook computer, which can easily be moved from room to room, they are less likely to be dropped or broken because they are not moved as often.

- The vents on desktop computers are located on the back of the tower, which allows for proper ventilation that will help to prevent the computer from overheating. Notebook computers, on the other hand, feature only one vent on the back with the remaining underneath the base. If placed on a table, the air vents can become blocked and the computer may overheat. If prolonged use leads to overheating, damage may result.

When choosing from the many desktop computers on the market, always make sure that you purchase from a manufacturer who has experience in creating computers. Even though they are more affordable than notebooks, desktop computers are not cheap. With an investment that involves several hundred dollars, you will want to consider the length of time the manufacturer has been in business, their reputation with customers and their warranty.

Additionally, when choosing any system, including desktop computers, always look at the potential for future upgrading. As you grow, you will want your computer to grow with you and a part of that will include a slight upgrade from time to time. This is the only way to get the best use of your desktop computers and make sure that your investment is one that lasts for years to come.

Find more computer desktops and Internet tutorials at Internett speed or read all internet banking aspects at http://www.internettbanking.org

HTML : Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Visual Read Less, Learn More)

2006-04-30T12:32:00.000+08:00

You already know HTML basics. Now you d like to go beyond, with shortcuts, tricks, and tips that let you work smarter and faster. And because you learn more easily when someone shows you how, this is the book for you. Inside, you ll find clear, illustrated instructions for 100 tasks that reveal cool secrets, teach timesaving tricks, and explain great tips guaranteed to make you more productive with HTML.

Order it here >>> HTML : Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Visual Read Less, Learn More)

Windows XP : Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks)

2006-04-30T12:31:00.000+08:00

* Organized in ten chapters, with ten tasks per chapter, this full-color guide delivers 100 techniques to help Windows users work faster and smarter
* Updated to cover the new features available with Service Pack 2, including the Windows Firewall and other security enhancements, wireless options, and the revamped Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player
* Full-color screen shots, numbered, step-by-step instructions, and an irresistible price make this book a must for visually oriented Windows users who want to take their skills to the next level

Order it here >>> Windows XP : Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks (Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks)

Nokia Smartphone Hacks : Tips & Tools for Your Smallest Computer (Hacks)

2006-04-30T12:29:00.000+08:00

Nokia's smartphones pack a powerful computer into a very small space. Unlike your desktop or laptop, your smallest computer can be connected to the Internet all the time, and can interact with the world around it through its camera, voice recognition, and its traditional phone keypad. Nokia smartphones combine these features with impressive storage options and a host of networking protocols that make this smallest computer the only thing a road warrior truly needs.

If you're still cracking open your laptop or pining for your desktop while you're on the road, you haven't begun to unlock your Nokia's full potential. Nokia Smartphone Hacks is dedicated to tricking out your smartphone and finding all the capabilities lurking under the surface. Learn how to:

* Unlock your phone so that you can use it with any carrier
* Avoid and recover from malicious mobile software
* Watch DVD movies on the phone
* Use the phone as a remote control
* Use the phone as a data modem for your notebook
* Check your email and browse the web
* Post to your weblog from your phone
* Record phone conversations
* Choose mobile service plans
* Transfer files between the phone and your computer

Whether you want to use your smartphone as your lifeline while you're on the road, or you're just looking for a way to make the most of the time you spend waiting in lines, you'll find all the user-friendly tips, tools, and tricks you need to become massively productive with your Nokia smartphone. With Nokia Smartphone Hacks, you'll unleash the full power of that computer that's sitting in your pocket, purse, or backpack.

Order it here >>> Nokia Smartphone Hacks : Tips & Tools for Your Smallest Computer (Hacks)

Kensington SaddleBag Sport Backpack for Notebooks up to 17"

2006-04-28T11:03:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

Contoured shoulder straps ease neck and shoulder strain
Back-comfort padding with cooling foam, padded contoured shoulder straps, ergonomic side panels
Side-sling water-bottle holster, MP3 player holder, water-resistant headphone port, cell phone pocket, waterproof bottom, reflective zippers
SnugFit computer protection compartment--special padding around laptop suspends from bottom of case, protects against bumps
One-zip access for quick laptop removal at security checkpoints

Rugged yet comfortably lightweight, the SaddleBag Sport offers excellent computer protection with exceptional comfort. Its ergonomically designed side panels efficiently bring weight in toward your center of gravity. Other features include thick TouchPoint comfort padding, quick-access pockets, side-carrying water-bottle holsters, and waterproof features. Fits 15- to 17-inch notebooks.

Order it here >>> Kensington SaddleBag Sport Backpack for Notebooks up to 17"

Ilap 15W - Laptop Stand By Rain Design

2006-04-28T10:56:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

Cool laptop: iLap's durable, lightweight aluminum conducts heat away from your laptop so it stays cooler and lasts longer
Cool lap: iLap lifts the heat from your laptop off your lap so you stay cool
Ergonomic: iLap raises the screen and tilts the keyboard to reduce strain on your neck, shoulder, and wrists
Comfortable: iLap is padded with cushion for extra comfort and the swivel base adjusts to the angle of your lap
This model suitable for 15-inch Powerbook G4. Also comes in four other sizes: 12-inch, 14-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch widescreen

iLap keeps you and your laptop cool, so that you can work comfortably on your lap as well as your desk. Designed to match the Apple Powerbooks, the iLap laptop stand is made of aluminum with sand-blasted and silver anodized finish.iLap 15W is specially made for the Apple 15"W PowerBook. It is also suitable for other similar sized widescreen laptops.

Order it here >>> Ilap 15W - Laptop Stand By Rain Design

Toshiba Satelllite P105-S921 17" Notebook PC (Intel Core Duo Processor T2400 (Centrino), 1024 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive)

2006-04-28T10:52:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

Powerful multimedia, gaming PC with 17-inch LCD; 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo T2400 with 2 MB L2 cache
Extra-large 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM, dual-layer, multi-format DVD/CD burner
Four USB 2.0, one FireWire, one S-Video, one DVI-D, one PCMCIA
Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 graphics card with 256 MB of dedicated RAM; tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity
Windows XP Professional Edition, SP2

Satisfy your multimedia and gaming needs wherever you roam with the thin, light Toshiba Satellite P105-S921 laptop. You'll enjoy fantastic DVD playback and immersive graphics thanks to the 17-inch TruBrite display and top-of-the-line Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 graphics card with an amazing 256 MB of dedicated video RAM. It comes with a DVi-D video output, enabling you to connect to a high-definition TV, and built-in Harman Kardon speakers that can produce enveloping virtual surround sound.

It's powered by Intel's new, groundbreaking processor--the powerful Core Duo T2400--which provides an optimized, multithreaded architecture for improved gaming and multitasking performance and a more efficient power consumption. The dual execution core T2400 has a 1.83 GHz processor speed and 2 MB L2 cache. This laptop also features a 160 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed DDR2 RAM, tri-mode 802.11a/b/g wireless connectivity, multi-format/dual-layer DVD burner, and Windows XP Professional.

Order it here >>> Toshiba Satelllite P105-S921 17" Notebook PC (Intel Core Duo Processor T2400 (Centrino), 1024 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive)

Toshiba Satellite A105-S2716 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M Processor 740 (Centrino), 1024 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive)

2006-04-28T10:47:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

Notebook with 15.4-inch TruBrite display and 1.73 GHz Intel Pentium M (Centrino) 740 processor, 2 MB L2 cache
100 GB hard drive, 1024 MB of RAM (2 GB max), multi-format DVD/CD burner with dual-layer support
Four USB 2.0, one FireWire, one VGA, one S-Video, one PCMCIA, microphone, headphone
Built-in 10/100/ BASE-T Ethernet; 56K (V.90) modem, 54-Mbps wireless LAN (802.11b/g)
Windows XP Home edition, SP2

Easily mobile at just 6 pounds, the Toshiba Satellite A105-S2716 makes it easy to get your work done with a large, bright 15.4-inch screen (which is also great for watching DVD movies when you need a break). This affordable notebook PC also features a battery-sipping 1.73 GHz Pentium M 740 (Centrino) processor, a 100 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (2 GB maximum), dual-layer multiformat DVD drive that also burns CDs, integrated 54g wireless connectivity, Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 900 video card with up to 128 MB of shared video RAM, both USB 2.0 and FireWire connectivity, multi-format memory card reader, and Windows XP Home edition operating system.

Order it here >>> Toshiba Satellite A105-S2716 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M Processor 740 (Centrino), 1024 MB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive)

Apple iBook Notebook 12.1" M9846LL/A (1.33 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, Combo Drive, Built-in AirPort Extreme)

2006-04-28T10:45:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

12.1-inch (diagonal), 1024 x 768 resolution, TFT XGA display
1.33 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with 133 MHz system bus
512 MB DDR SDRAM (expandable to 1.5 GB), 40 GB hard drive, slot-loading Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
One FireWire 400 port and two USB 2.0 ports
Built-in 10/100BASE-T ethernet, 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and 56K V.92 modem

Toshiba Satellite A105-S2001 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel Celeron M Processor 390, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive)

2006-04-28T10:38:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

Affordable notebook PC with 15.4-inch LCD; 1.7 GHz Intel Celeron M 380 processor, 1 MB L2 cache
60 GB hard drive, 512 MB of RAM (2 GB max), combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive
Four USB 2.0, one FireWire, one VGA, one S-Video, one PCMCIA
ATI Radeon XPress 200M with 64 MB of shared video RAM; 54g wi-fi connectivity
Windows XP Home edition, SP2

Easily mobile at just 6 pounds, the Toshiba Satellite A105-S2001 makes it easy to get your work done with a large, bright 15.4-inch screen (which is also great for watching DVD movies when you need a break). This affordable notebook PC also features a battery-sipping 1.7 GHz Celeron M processor, a 60 GB hard drive, 512 MB of installed RAM (2 GB maximum), DVD-ROM/CD-RW combo drive that plays DVD movies and burns music and data to CDs, integrated 54g wireless connectivity, ATI Radeon XPress 200M video card with up to 64 MB of shared video RAM, and Windows XP Home operating system.

Order it here >>> Toshiba Satellite A105-S2001 15.4\" Notebook PC (Intel Celeron M Processor 390, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Drive)

1001 Computer Telephony Tips, Secrets and Shortcuts

2006-04-27T13:51:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Finally! A book crammed with the best advice from the top experts in telephones, computers and communications. This is a "must read" for both newcomers and industry veterans. It contains a treasure trove of pointers from the most knowledgeable pioneers in computer telephony.

Written in short, no-nonsense "sound bite" style, this book delivers over one thousand- dollar and sanity-saving tips. You'll save the price of the book with one useful tip.

Order it here >>> 1001 Computer Telephony Tips, Secrets and Shortcuts

How to Deliver Dynamic Training: 77 Sensational Tips for Computer Instructors

2006-04-27T13:50:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Finally! A book for computer instructors. Thanks to Daina Bruners and Dynamite Press, How to Deliver Dynamic Training: 77 Sensational Tips for Computer Instructors provides the most practical methods for becoming a motivating and exceptional instructor. This book is unique in that it teaches teachers how to teach, regardless of the software or hardware applications they instruct....

Crafted with the particular concerns of adult learners in mind, Bruners' innovative and practical book addresses unique challenges such as covering a great deal of information in a short time, countering students' technological fears, meeting the needs of adult learners who have diverse levels of previous experience, and delivering computer training in different classroom or workplace environments.

Order it here >>> How to Deliver Dynamic Training: 77 Sensational Tips for Computer Instructors

Creative Scrapbooking with Your Computer: Simple Tips and Techniques for Stunning Layouts

2006-04-27T13:49:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Computer scrapbooking has taken the scrapbooking industry by storm. This user-friendly, hands-on guide provides simple tips and techniques for stunning digital layouts. Readers will:

-Learn how to create stunning faux patterned and specialty paper backgrounds, manipulate photos the easy way for professional results, create realistic faux page accents and embellishments, have designer success and fun with words and numbers and mimic traditional scrapbooking techniques--all with a computer!

-Find a wide spectrum of 100 fresh scrapbook pages--inspiration for every taste and style

-Acquire non-software-specific bonus tips from design experts and computer savvy scrapbookers across the country

Even noncomputer-savvy scrapbookers will welcome the clear instruction and innovative ideas in this timely and contemporary guide. Fun ideas for traditional scrapbookers are included as well.

Order it here >>> Creative Scrapbooking with Your Computer: Simple Tips and Techniques for Stunning Layouts

Lockergnome's Favorite Computer Tips

2006-04-27T13:47:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

For Windows users, this book represents a small fraction of the information available from Lockergnome.com. We guarantee you'll save countless hours and learn plenty of cool tricks by reading even a handful of the tips printed on these pages.

Order it here >>> Lockergnome's Favorite Computer Tips

Computer Tips: For Artists, Designers, and Desktop Publishers

2006-04-27T13:45:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

A collection of techniques, shortcuts, work-arounds, and good advice for anyone who prepares desktop publications. The newest reference in the practical TIPS series, Computer Tips focuses on specific computer-aided design and production tasks and issues for those who work on either the Macintosh or the PC platform for print or electronic publication.

Among the topics covered are electronic file types and uses, workspace organization, font management, data compression and storage, working with Postscript, special effects, scanning and resolution, prepress, color calibration, modems, multimedia, and web site design, with emphasis on how to adapt traditional techniques and materials to digital use and use low-tech equipment for high-tech results. A glossary of essential terms and list of resources is included.

Order it here >>> Computer Tips: For Artists, Designers, and Desktop Publishers

The Senior's Guide to Computer Tips and Tricks: Windows XP, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word and Outlook

2006-04-27T13:44:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

No available review.

Order it here >>> The Senior\'s Guide to Computer Tips and Tricks: Windows XP, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word and Outlook

1001 Computer Hints and Tips

2006-04-27T13:42:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Fully illustrated and "user friendly," this is a complete guide to boost the proficiency of PC owners. Compre-hensive know-how and hands-on troubleshooting help is arranged A-to-Z for fast lookup and easy brows-ing. This time- and money-saving reference covers basic how-tos and shortcuts in four key categories-Windows(r), software, Internet, and hardware.

Order it here >>> 1001 Computer Hints and Tips

Apple iBook Notebook 12.1" M9846LL/A

2006-03-13T12:20:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

One FireWire 400 port and two USB 2.0 ports
Built-in 10/100BASE-T ethernet, 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and 56K V.92 modem
12.1-inch (diagonal), 1024 x 768 resolution, TFT XGA display
1.33 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with 133 MHz system bus
512 MB DDR SDRAM (expandable to 1.5 GB), 40 GB hard drive, slot-loading Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
12.1-inch (diagonal), 1024 x 768 resolution, TFT XGA display
1.33 GHz PowerPC G4 processor with 133 MHz system bus
512 MB DDR SDRAM (expandable to 1.5 GB), 40 GB hard drive, slot-loading Combo Drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW)
One FireWire 400 port and two USB 2.0 ports
Built-in 10/100BASE-T ethernet, 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless, Bluetooth 2.0+EDR, and 56K V.92 modem

Surf the Web, chat with friends, do homework, play games, even burn DVDs and CDs to create your own video or musical masterpiece. In your favorite café. At 2 a.m. With built-in wireless capability and 512MB of memory standard, the iBook G4 delivers today's digital lifestyle to your backpack.

Your Digital Life, To Go
With a fast PowerPC G4 processor running at accelerated speeds at 1.33GHz, built-in wireless capability, and up to 1.5GB of memory (512MB standard), the iBook G4 introduces impressive performance and flexible mobility to everyday work and play. The iBook G4 even comes complete with the entire suite of Apple's iLife '05 applications, so you can edit movies, assemble and order a customized photo book, record your own songs, and more—right out of the box. iBook G4 is your go-anywhere digital solution.

Lap Cat
Every iBook comes with Mac OS X Tiger, the latest release of the world's most advanced operating system. Tiger boasts more than 200 new features, including Spotlight, the lightning-fast search tool that lets you find anything on your system as fast as you type, and Dashboard, the home to handy widgets that access timely information such as gas prices or movie listings.1 Tiger turns your iBook into a finely tuned instrument that lets you focus on the tasks at hand, whether you're syncing tunes to your iPod, creating a family photo album with iPhoto or playing the latest 3D games.

You Can Take It with You
Built-in wireless capability on every iBook G4 means you can work or play anywhere. With AirPort Extreme technology standard, the iBook can surf the Web in any Wi-Fi hot spot, from hotels to bookshops. With an AirPort Extreme or AirPort Express Base Station in your room or office, you can get online from the comfort of your couch. And the included Bluetooth 2.0+EDR module lets you connect wirelessly to a wide range of peripheral devices, from mobile phones to wireless keyboards. The iBook also offers an incredible six hours of battery life, so it keeps going as long as you do.

As the lightest all-in-one consumer notebook on the market, the 12.1-inch iBook G4 weighs in at a mere 4.9 pounds. Many textbooks weigh more than that. The iBook G4 is thin, too—a svelte 1.35 inches, to be exact—making this impressive notebook small enough to fit in a backpack and light enough to carry around all day.

Take a Scroll
Scrolling through web pages or large documents on a trackpad can challenge even the most nimble fingers. That's why every iBook G4 features a new trackpad with scrolling capability. Just drag two fingers over the trackpad to scroll vertically and horizontally or pan around any active window. Change this feature to suit your needs: Customize your trackpad settings or turn off scrolling completely via System Preferences.

Fall for iBook
Now every iBook G4 is equipped with Apple's Sudden Motion Sensor to help protect your most valuable asset: your data. The Sudden Motion Sensor senses change in axis position and accelerated movement. In the event of a drop or fall, the Sudden Motion Sensor instantly parks the hard drive heads so they won't scratch the disks on impact, lessening the risk of damage and improving your chances of retrieving valuable data. When the Sudden Motion Sensor senses your iBook G4 is once again level, it unlocks the hard drive heads automatically.

Rave-Worthy Performance
This iBook comes with a 1.33GHz PowerPC G4 processor with Velocity Engine and 512K Level 2 Cache. To maximize its speed, Apple engineers pair the G4 processor with a fast 133MHz system bus and 512MB of onboard memory to accelerate calculations and make your applications scream. And you'll be glad to hear that you can boost memory capacity to a remarkable 1.5GB of memory, giving you room to run many applications at once.

All systems come well equipped. The hard drive boasts 40GB capacity. With iBook's slot-loading Combo drives, you can watch DVDs, play music CDs, and burn your own data CDs and music CDs. Additional features include built-in Ethernet, 56K v.92 modem,2 APX, and BlueTooth support.

An Impressive Display
Both iBook models offer brilliant 1024 by 768 pixel resolution—ideal for doing everything from working on spreadsheets to displaying your movies and digital pictures in millions of colors. What's more, the iBook display scales down beautifully, again with millions of colors, for special games and applications optimized for 800 by 600 or 640 by 480 pixel resolutions. And both come powered by an ATI Radeon 9550 graphics processor with 32MB of dedicated video memory and AGP 4x support for dazzling 3D graphics that bring games to life. The adapter also supports an external display.

Apple MacBook Pro MA463LL/A 15.4" Notebook PC (1.83GHz Intel Core Duo, 512 MB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

2006-03-13T12:15:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

15.4-inch TFT widescreen display with 1440 x 900 resolution
1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2 MB shared L2 Cache
512 GB (single SODIMM) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 memory
80 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit); built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11g); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2 MB shared L2 Cache
512 GB (single SODIMM) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 with 128 MB GDDR3 memory
80 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard drive; slot-load SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW)
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit); built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme (802.11g); built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR
15.4-inch TFT widescreen display with 1440 x 900 resolution

Powered by a dual-core Intel engine. Up to four times the speed of the PowerBook G4. Eight times the graphics bandwidth. With built-in iSight for instant video conferencing on the move. And Front Row with Apple Remote to dazzle everyone in the room. Wait no more.

New engine, same soul
This is the first Mac notebook built upon the revolutionary new Intel Core Duo--which is actually two processors (up to 2.16 GHz) engineered onto a single chip. It provides 2 MB of Smart Cache, L2 cache that can be shared between both cores as needed. It delivers higher performance in 2-D and 3-D graphics, video editing, and music encoding. And the new engine is only part of the story. MacBook Pro has a frontside bus and memory that, at 667 MHz, runs faster than any previous Mac notebook. It’s the first Mac notebook with PCI Express, a Serial ATA hard drive and the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 for superfast graphics performance.

Embedded reporter
Sit down. Click on someone's iChat icon. And video conference from anywhere in the world. Though you can barely see it, there's an iSight camera built into the thin bezel just above the display. So now you can conference with associates during the day and chat with the kids at night. iChat AV lets you video chat with up to three other people simultaneously. And when you go head to head, you'll see your colleague more clearly, thanks to the VGA resolution made possible by the superfast Intel Core Duo. MacBook Pro also comes with Apple's new Photo Booth application, a fun program that lets you take warped and Warholesque snapshots. With the new iLife '06 (included, of course), you can even record movies with iSight right into iMovie, then use the new iLife's newest application, iWeb, to create a video blog entry or podcast in just a few clicks.

Road show
The first notebook to deliver the Front Row media experience, MacBook Pro makes it easy (and rather spectacular) to showcase your latest creations. Whether you're at the client's office, on location, or back at your hotel room, you just use the Apple Remote to control your videos, music, movies, and more. Front Row lets you quickly navigate through your work and play from anywhere in the room. You can even use the Apple Remote to navigate through Keynote presentations.

Do something. Say something. Make something.
MacBook Pro comes with iLife '06, a suite of easy-to-use applications that make it easy for anyone to make postcards, calendars, DVDs, websites and podcasts. Even professionals with proficiencies in high-end applications can appreciate the ease of creating initial compositions. Or posting pictures, videos, and commentary of current events almost before they happened. Enjoy the freedom of the press on MacBook Pro.

What's in the box
MacBook Pro; power adapter with MagSafe Connector, AC wall plug and power cord; lithium-polymer battery; Apple Remote; DVI to VGA adapter; install/restore DVDs; printed and electronic documentation.

Acer Computer LX.FR306.002 Amd ATHLON64 3000+,512MB,80GB

2006-03-08T15:39:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Specification:

Ferarri 3400LMI Notebook, AMD Athlon 64 3000 processor
512 memory, 80 gig hard drive, ati 9700 video, dvd super multi drive, 802.11g wireless lan, bluetooth, 4 in 1 card reader, port replicator connector, 15" screen
Windows XP Professional

Let your fingers step into this Ferrari as it takes you beyond your dreams. Coated in Ferrari-red and sporting the coveted Prancing Horse emblem, the Ferrari 3400LMi epitomises the exclusivity of an elite performance machine and handles like the thoroughbred that it is. This mobile powerhouse runs on a furiously fast AMD Athlon 64 3000+ processor (2.0GHz) with AMD HyperTransport technology, 512MB of sizzling DDR memory can be upgraded to 2GB, a huge 80GB hard drive and the award-winning Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2 operating system. From bumper to bumper, the Ferrari 3400LMi is loaded with the finest components in the industry, including the astonishing ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9700 chip with an awesome 128MB of video memory to provide crisp, sharp images and 3D graphics, Wireless LAN 802.11g for instantaneous Internet surfing, a Bluetooth wireless option, and a fantastic built-in DVD dual drive that allows you create your own movies and play them wherever you go. Watch your DVDs and do all your work using the Ferrari 3400's bright, clear, high-res 15-inch TFT LCD screen. 15.0 SXGA+ (1400 x 1050) TFT LCD, up to 16.7 million colors ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9700 graphics, 128MB video memory, AGP8X support VGA and S-video TV-out ports with support for simultaneous display on notebook LCD and external monitor Integrated stereo speakers and microphone Interface Ports - Four USB 2.0, parallel, DC in, RJ-11 modem, RJ-45 LAN, VGA, S-video TV out, microphone/line in, stereo eadphones/speakers/line out, FireWire (IEEE 1394), FIR (fast infrared), connector, connector for optional Port Replicator

Acer Ferrari 3000LMi Notebook (1.87 GHz Athlon XP-M 2500+, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, DVD+/-RW/CD-RW Drive)

2006-03-08T15:37:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Specification:

Processor: 1.8 GHz AMD Athlon XP
Number of Processors: 1
Hard Drive: 60 GB Ultra ATA
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition

Recognized globally for its state-of-the-art image and winning formula, noted Italian-based sports and racecar builder Ferrari doesn't lend its familiar colors and logo out to just anyone. Yet that is precisely what it has done for Acer's new Acer Ferrari mobile computer. Dressed up in gorgeous Ferrari Red/classic gray paint scheme and sporting a prominent Ferrari Prancing Horse logo on its bonnet, the Acer Ferrari 3000LMi Notebook is distinctive and fashionable. More critically, it delivers solid 3-D performance, comprehensive connectivity and a lightweight portable design, thus making it a perfect tool for businesspeople and personal users alike.

The Ferrari 3000LMi is not merely a pretty showpiece. Inside, Acer has installed a formidable system "engine", including a 1.87 GHz AMD Athlon XP-M 2500+ processor, 512 MB main memory, and an ATI Mobility Radeon 9200 graphics controller with 128 MB video memory. With this level of power at their disposal, users will have no trouble operating typical PC and notebook applications and multitasking. Even ardent gamers or 3-D designers should find the system has enough 3-D muscle to efficiently operate all but the most demanding applications.

Though not extremely compact at 13 by 10.7 inches, the Ferrari 3000LMi is just 1.2 inches thin. Furthermore, it weighs a mere 6.5 pounds, thus qualifying it as a true ultra-light. Acer makes good use of all available space, equipping the unit with a 15-inch SXGA+TFT LCD display capable of super-clean 1400 by 1050 resolution, a full-size 84-key keyboard with numerous hotkeys, a roomy 60 GB hard disk, and a DVD-Dual drive that supports CD burning, audio CD playing, and both of today's most popular DVD recording formats, DVD- and DVD+.

The unit is equipped with a number of standard amenities, including an IEEE 1394 FireWire port for fast interaction with external devices such as digital camcorders, four high-speed USB 2.0 ports for plug and play peripheral connections, a 4-in-1 card reader for memory cards from cell phones, digital cameras and the like, and Bluetooth support for no-hassle communication with cordless gadgets such as PDAs. Communication options include a 56K modem for low-speed dial-up Internet and email, a 10/100 LAN network connector, and integrated 802.11g wireless LAN for cord-free network and e-communication access.

The system's software bundle is not as comprehensive as that of similar notebooks, featuring the Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition operating system and CyberLink's PowerDVD software DVD player. Estimated battery life is estimated up to 3.0 hours under ideal conditions.

Acer Ferrari 3200 Notebook Computer PC

2006-03-08T15:35:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Specification:

RAM is upgradeable to 2GB
Mobile AMD Athlon 64 2800+
1MB L2 Cache
512MB of PC2700 DDR333 SDRAM
2 RAM Slots (0 open - upgrading requires chip removal)

Perpetuating a winning tradition, Acer has flawlessly designed the Ferrari 3200, instilling it with exceptional performance, brilliant graphics, and lightning-fast connectivity. This exclusive edition is another striking symbol of cooperation between Acer and Ferrari -- two progressive companies with proud heritages built on passion, innovation, power and success.

Members only

* Coated in Ferrari-red and sporting the coveted Prancing Horse emblem, the Ferrari 3200 epitomises the exclusivity of an elite performance machine and handles like the thoroughbred marques that it is.
* Exquisite craftsmanship in the sculpted form of a high-gloss, scratch-resistant bonnet, each top cover is enhanced through a ten-step coating process to gleam like a Ferrari's metallic coat.
* A lightweight, woven carbon-fibre strip across the top of the keyboard adds rigidity and durability - while displaying a textured sparkle that lends users a race car-like sensation.
* The Ferrari USB optical mouse rounds out the triumphant look and feel.

Razor-sharp vision

* ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9700 graphics chip with 128 MB of video memory provides crisp, sharp image quality and intense 3D gaming, impressing even the hardiest of professionals.
* The 15-inch, 200-nit, high-brightness TFT LCD screen is a boon for the road warrior, enabling crystal clear views whether in bright daylight or in dim environments.
* Gear up to experience next-generation gaming with Microsoft's DirectX 9.0 programming standard.
* Savour the excellent, smooth picture quality afforded by the MPEG-2/DVD hardware-assisted DVD playback.

Fly like the wind

* Wireless LAN 802.11g empowers you to surf the Internet at warp speeds and assures Wi-Fi compatibility as you travel between zones.
* Acer's SignalUp technology provides the confidence of strong network connectivity - and the freedom to reach the pinnacle of mobility, on any road you take.
* Gigabit Ethernet enables downloads of movies, pictures and other large files in an instant
* Bluetooth permits unfettered connection to a host of popular peripherals
* A trusty 56K ITU V.92 modem with PTT approval lets you log on anywhere, anytime.

Fast and furious

* Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition or Microsoft Windows XP Professional
* The latest Mobile AMD technology keeps you tearing at breakneck speeds toward unmatched success.
* 512 MB of DDR333 memory make multi-tasking and increased productivity a breeze.
* Runs at lower power consumption, reducing operating temperature and extending battery life.

Fully loaded

* A slot-load DVD-Super Multi optical drive provides optimum entertainment value and the ability to burn DVD movies.
* The 4-in-1 card reader guarantees you access to your files whether you use MultiMediaCard (MMC), Secure Digital (SD), SmartMedia or Memory Stick.
* Uncompromising as always, Acer offers a massive 80 GB hard disc drive for storing volumes of movies, songs and vital data.
* A FireWire (IEEE 1394) port and four USB 2.0 ports allow lightning-fast data transfers.

Acer TravelMate TM8104WLMI-XPP 15.4" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M Processor 760, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti Drive)

2006-02-25T11:42:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

Processor: 2 GHz Intel Pentium M
Number of Processors: 1
Hard Drive: 100 GB IDE

A great companion on the road, the Acer TravelMate TM8104WLMI-XPP incorporates the high-end features needed to stay on-par with today's fast moving business environment. At just under 6.5 pounds, it also offers a stylish and nicely lightweight design and a bright 15.4-inch widescreen display (1680 x 1050-pixel resolution). It features a powerful Intel Centrino M 760 processor with 2.0 GHz speed and 2 MB L2 cache, a 100 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (with a 533 MHz speed and 2 GB maximum), ATI Radeon x700 video/graphics card with 128 MB of video memory, dual-layer, multi-format DVD burner, integrated 54g Wi-Fi connectivity, and Windows XP Professional.

The Basics

* Hard Drive: A welcome size for road warriors, the 100 GB hard drive is definitely above average in size for notebook PCs--great for storing a digital medial library or graphics-intensive presentations--and faster than average at 5400 RPM. This Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.
* Processor: The Intel Centrino Pentium M 760 processor is designed specifically for mobile computing, offering a balanced level of mobile-optimized processor technology, good mobile performance, and exceptional value. It features a Deep Sleep state, which helps enable longer battery life by minimizing the power consumption of the processor during brief periods of inactivity. The 2 GHz speed is in the upper-middle of the speed spectrum for this processor (as of January, 2006) and it also offers a fast 533 MHz front-side bus (FSB) speed and a large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance.)
* Memory: The 1 GB of built-in memory (PC4200, DDR2 SDRAM) is a very good start for power users, and it offers a very fast 533 MHz speed. It has two memory slots, enabling you to add more power to handle graphics-intensive presentations and multiple open business productivity applications--up to 2 GB (2 x 1 GB).
* CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, this multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 2.4x DVD+R DL Write Once, 8x DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD+RW, 4x DVD-RW, 8x DVD-ROM, 24x CD-R, 24x CD-RW, and 24x CD-ROM speeds.
* Keyboard & Mouse: This notebook features the 88-key Acer FineTouch keyboard with five-degree curve, inverted T cursor layout, embedded numeric keypad, hotkey controls, international language support, and 2.5mm minimum key travel.

Screen, Graphics and Sound
The 15.4-inch WSXGA+ LCD has an amazing resolution of 1680 x 1050 pixels--perfect for watching movies in their intended 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Video is powered by the ATI Mobility Radeon x700 video/graphics card with 128 MB of HyperMemory memory on PCI Express architecture. With 8 parallel pixel pipelines and breakthrough image enhancement technology, it provides extremely smooth, responsive high-definition video that's great for fully immersive 3D gaming as well as DVD movies and graphics-intensive presentations. It offers VGA and S-Video outputs as well as a DVI-D connection for high-def output. This notebook has an integrated audio card that's Microsoft DirectSound and SoundBlaster Pro compatible, and two stereo speakers.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The TM8104WLMI has an integrated 54g wireless LAN (Intel PRO/Wireless 2200BG) that's compatible with 802.11b and 802.11g networks and offers Acer's SignalUp technology for enhanced antenna efficiency. You get a very good offering of connectivity options, which includes FireWire:

* 4 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
* 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link) port for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
* 1 VGA monitor port
* 1 DVI-D video port
* 1 S-Video (TV) port
* 1 PCMCIA (or PC Card) slot (one Type II card, 32-bit PC CardBus architecture)
* 1 headphones/external speakers/line-out with SPDIF support
* 1 microphone/line-in
* 5-in-1 memory card reader (compatible with MultiMedia, Secure Digital, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, and XD cards)

It also has an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
This system comes with the Windows XP Professional Edition (which adds Microsoft's IIS Web server, back-up and recovery utilities, Remote Desktop, and other enhanced business features) with Service Pack 2 featuring Advanced Security Technologies, which helps to reduce unwanted downloads and pop-ups while surfing the Web. It also comes with the following selection of preloaded software titles: Acer eManager, Acer GridVista, Acer Launch Manager, Adobe Acrobat Reader, CyberLink PowerDVD, Norton AntiVirus, NTI CD-Maker.

Dimensions and Weight
This notebook measures 14.3 x 10.5 x 1.4 inches (WxDxH) and weighs approximately 6.3 pounds.

Power
It's powered by an eight-cell lithium ion battery with up to 4.0 hours life (depending on configuration and usage). It has a2.5-hour recharge time with power off, 3.5 hours with power on.

What's in the Box
This package contains the Acer TravelMate TM8104WLMI-XPP notebook PC, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, and operating instructions. It is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty.

Order it here >>> Acer TravelMate TM8104WLMI-XPP 15.4\" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M Processor 760, 1 GB RAM, 100 GB Hard Drive, SuperMulti Drive)

Acer TravelMate 3002WTCi 12.1" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M Processor 740 (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive)

2006-02-25T11:39:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

Features:

Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Intel Pentium M Processor 740 (2 MB L2 cache, 1.73 GHz, 533 MHz FSB)
512 MB (256/256) DDR2 533 SDRAM; 60 GB hard drive; external CD-RW/DVD-ROM combo drive
12.1-inch WXGA (1280 x 800) TFT display
802.11b/g WLAN, Bluetooth, gigabit LAN, V.92 modem

The Acer TravelMate 3000 series has been designed from the ground up to take the ultraportable concept to its most refined and accomplished form. Combining the attributes of the latest PCI Express chipset with the powerful, energy saving Intel Centrino mobile technology in a stunning, featherweight mobile notebook, the Acer TravelMate 3000 fully meets the needs of highly-mobile self-employed professionals and users from small, medium and large businesses alike and proves that it is possible to improve on perfection.

Order it here >>> Acer TravelMate 3002WTCi 12.1\" Notebook PC (Intel Pentium M Processor 740 (Centrino), 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, CD-RW/DVD-ROM Combo Drive)

Laptop

2006-02-25T11:31:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Laptop

List of Laptop and Notebook Computers available:

HP m7070n Media Center Photosmart Desktop PC (Intel Pentium 4 Processor (HT), 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Dbl Layer DVD+/-RW Drive)

2006-02-23T10:55:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

Specification:

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 640 processor with 800 MHz front-side bus and 2 MB L2 cache
250 GB hard drive, 1 GB of RAM (4 GB maximum), dual-layer DVD+/-RW burner
Seven USB 2.0, two Firewire, one VGA, one headphone, one microphone, one PCMCIA, multiformat memory card reader, composite video, S-Video
Built-in 10/100 Ethernet; 56K (V.90) modem

The easy-to-use HP m7070n Media Center Photosmart PC is the complete home PC system that delivers more entertainment choices, and brings them together in one place with easy access from anywhere in the room. With the m7070n, you can watch, record, and pause live TV programming as well as schedule the PC to record upcoming episodes or entire series. It's powered by a blazing fast, hyper-threaded Pentium 4 processor and Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. It features a roomy 250 GB hard drive, 1 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), a multiformat memory card reader, a multiformat, dual-layer DVD/CD burner and included Image Zone photo editing and management software.

The Basics

* Hard Drive: The massive 250 GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing a vast multimedia collection or for editing digital video.
* Processor: The hyper-threaded 3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 640 processor allows a single CPU system to behave in some aspects like a dual-CPU system, helping to deliver faster transistors and increased performance. It also features a large 2 MB L2 cache and a blazingly fast 800 MHz front-side bus speed, which measures how fast a processor and the main memory communicate. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance.)

A Hyper-Threading processor helps a PC to run multiple demanding applications at the same time. This technology enables the processor to execute two threads (a part of a program) in parallel, boosting performance during key high-drain procedures. This results in more efficient software performance (such as faster reaction times in gaming applications) and enhanced multitasking.
* Memory: The 1 GB of installed RAM (PC3200) is a good start for this multimedia-centric desktop PC, so you'll want to take advantage of the ultra-roomy 4 GB of total RAM capacity (2 x 2 GB) for such multimedia needs as video editing and immersive 3D gaming.
* CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, the m7070n multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer DVD+R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 16x DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD+/-RW, 2.4x DVD+R DL, 16x DVD-ROM, 40x CDR, 24x CD-RW, and 40x CD-ROM ROM speeds. It features the LightScribe direct disc labeling feature, which enables CD, DVD images and disk labels to be permanently etched onto discs--eliminating messy marker-scrawled labels. This desktop also has an additional 16x DVD-ROM drive.
* Keyboard & Mouse: This desktop comes with an HP multimedia keyboard and optical mouse (both PS/2).

Screen, Graphics and Sound
The ATI Radeon X300 SE is a strong performer, powerful enough to run one large virtual screen across two displays. It features 128 MB of dedicated video RAM, S-Video and the higher-fidelity DVI connections out, and PCI Express x16 support, which enables graphics to process faster. It also features the integrated Intel High Definition audio chip (Azalia), featuring THX certification and 8 channels for full Dolby 5.1/6.1/7.2 surround sound with Dolby Pro Logic IIx.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The m7070n has three PCI expansion slots (all occupied), two external 5.25 drive bays (occupied), 1 internal 3.5 drive bay (occupied), one HP Personal Media Drive bay (available), three standard PCI slots, one PCI x16 Express slot (occupied), and the following external ports:

* 6 USB 2.0 ports (4 in rear, 3 in rear) for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
* 2 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link; 1 front and 1 back) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
* 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
* 1 VGA monitor port
* Composite video, S-Video, and audio inputs
* 9-in-1 media card reader on the front, compatible with CompactFlash (Type I and II), MicroDrive, SmartMedia, Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital, and XD Picture Card

It includes an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems).

Preloaded System and Software
The pre-installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition with a variety of tools to help you to create, organize, and enjoy digital media ranging from music to home movies to photo slide shows. Additionally, it enables you to control your television with the included remote and record and pause programs (much like a DVR--or digital video recorder--such as Tivo or ReplayTV). With the 250 GB hard drive, you'll be able to record and store up to 180 hours of video programming. It's compatible with cable, digital cable, satellite TV and antenna inputs, and it includes an FM tuner.

The included HP Image Zone Plus photo and imaging software makes it easy to organize, edit, share, print, protect, and store your photos and video clips. Organize and find your photos easily by timeline, keywords, and/or location using the unique photo-globe mapping tool. Remove red eye and fix other common problems. Share your photos quickly via e-mails that include thumbnails with links to the full-sized images--without downloading time-consuming attachments.

Other preloaded software includes InterVideo WinDVD Creator and WinDVD SE player, Muvee autoProducer, Apple iTunes, Sonic RecordNow, Norton AntiVirus 2005, Microsoft Works 8.0, MSN Encarta Standard, Microsoft Money, and Quicken 2004 New User Edition.

Dimensions and Weight
This desktop measures 15.16 x 7.6 x 15.54 inches (HxWxD).

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Media Center m7070n desktop PC, keyboard, mouse, remote control, and power cord. It is backed by a 1-year limited warranty.

Order it here >>> HP m7070n Media Center Photosmart Desktop PC (Intel Pentium 4 Processor (HT), 1 GB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, LightScribe Dbl Layer DVD+/-RW Drive)

HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7360n PC (Intel Pentium D Processor 920, 2.0 GB RAM, 300 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive with LightScribe)

2006-02-23T10:52:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

The easy-to-use HP m7360n Media Center PC is the complete home PC system that delivers more entertainment choices, and brings them together in one place with easy access from anywhere in the room. With the m7360n you can watch, record, and pause live TV programming as well as schedule the PC to record upcoming episodes or entire series. And you can easily burn your home video productions to DVD for friends and family with the dual-layer, multi-format LightScribe DVD/CD burner, which enables you to store up to 8.5 GB of data on a DL disc. This desktop is one of the first to offer Intel's Viiv technology, which enables you to quickly turn the PC on and off (after initial boot) with a touch of the included remote thanks to Intel's Quick Resume function. It also offers specially-designed software that makes network configuration easy, for connecting to portable media players, DVD players, TV sets and stereos.

The m7360n comes loaded with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Update Rollup 2), which provides support for Media Center Extender technology built into XBox 360 game consoles. It features a hyper-threading 2.8 GHz Pentium D dual-core processor for powering through work as multiple applications hum along simultaneously and without stress, as well as 2 GB of installed RAM (4 GB maximum), massive 300 GB hard drive, built-in 54g Wi-Fi connectivity, Nvidia GeForce 6200SE video card (with up to 256 MB of shared video memory), TV tuner card with FM tuner, and 5.1-channel surround sound.

The Basics

* Hard Drive: The very roomy 300 GB Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive (7200 RPM) offers a wealth of storage space, perfect for storing up to 210 hours of television programming, a vast multimedia collection, or for editing digital video. This SATA hard drive also quickens the pace with a higher speed transfer of data--akin to FireWire and USB 2.0.
* Processor: The 2.8 GHz Intel Pentium D 920 dual-core processor is one of the strongest processors currently available (as of December 2005). An Intel dual-core processor delivers additional computing resources and help expand the PCÕs capabilities by providing higher throughput and simultaneous computing. You'll be able to perform multiple tasks such as digital rendering and gaming all while running virus scan or other background tasks seamlessly. Each core has 2 MB of L2 cache onboard (for a 4 MB total), and the two cores share an 800MHz front-side bus.

A hyperthreading processor helps a PC run several demanding applications at the same time. This technology enables the processor to execute two threads (parts of a program) in parallel, boosting performance during key high-drain procedures. This results in more efficient software performance, such as faster reaction times in gaming applications, and enhanced multitasking.
* Memory: The 2 GB of installed RAM (2 x 1 GB, PC4200, DDR2 SDRAM) is an excellent start for this multimedia-centric desktop PC, and it comes with an ultra-roomy 4 GB of total RAM capacity (4 x 1 GB) for such multimedia needs as professional video editing and highly immersive 3D gaming.
* CD/DVD Drive: Offering the latest in DVD writing technology, the m7350n's multiformat DVD/CD drive is compatible with both DVD+ and DVD- disc formats as well as dual-layer (DL) DVD+/-R discs, which can store up to 8.5 GB of data. It features 4x DVD-R DL Write Once, 6x DVD+R DL Write Once, 16x DVD+R, 16x DVD-R, 8x DVD+RW, 6x DVD-RW, 2.4x DVD+R DL, 16x DVD-ROM, 5x DVD-RAM, 40x CD-R, 32x CD-RW, and 40x CD-ROM speeds. It also comes with a second DVD-ROM optical drive, with 16x read speed.

This LightScribe DVD+/-RW drive lets you laser-etch silkscreen quality text and images on to CDs and DVDs. Your software, PC and discs work together for a no-hassle way to burn just the labels you want. After you burn content, just flip the disc over, reinsert and burn your label--anything from a simple title to a full-disc work of art. The m7250n also comes with a second optical drive--a 16x DVD-ROM.
* Keyboard & Mouse: This desktop comes with an HP multimedia keyboard and optical mouse (both PS/2), USB infrared receiver, and remote control.

Screen, Graphics and Sound
Video and graphics are powered by the Nvidia GeForce 6200SE, which delivers enhanced visual quality and performance for todayÕs and tomorrowÕs graphics-intensive digital photo, video, and gaming applications. It offers up to 256 MB of shared video ram (allocated from the system RAM) and Nvidia's exclusive TurboCache technology, which allows direct rendering from the GPU to system memory by leveraging the bi-directional PCI Express bandwidth. The TurboCache Manager dynamically allocates memory for maximum system performance while intelligent software algorithms maximize application performance. This desktop also features the integrated Intel High Definition audio chip (Azalia), featuring THX certification and 8 channels for full Dolby 5.1/6.1/7.1 surround sound with Dolby Pro Logic IIx.

Connectivity and Expansion Slots
The m7360n comes with built-in 54g Wi-Fi connectivity (802.11b/g), enabling you to connect to the Internet and other home computers without wires. It has three PCI expansion slots (one available), two external 5.25 drive bays (occupied), one internal 3.5 drive bay (occupied), one HP Personal Media Drive bay (available), one PCI x16 Express slot (occupied), and the following external ports on the front:

* 2 USB 2.0 ports for connecting a wide range of peripherals--from digital cameras to MP3 players
* 1 FireWire (also known as IEEE 1394 or i.Link; 1 front and 1 back) ports for connecting digital video camcorders and other peripherals
* Composite video, S-Video inputs
* Headphone and microphone jacks
* 9-in-1 media card reader on the front, compatible with CompactFlash (Type I and II), MicroDrive, SmartMedia, Memory Stick/Memory Stick Pro, MultiMedia Card, Secure Digital, and XD Picture Card

The following I/O ports are found on the back:

*
* 4 USB 2.0 ports
* 1 FireWire
* 1 parallel
* Video (VGA, composite, S-Video
* Audio (side speaker out, rear speaker out, center speaker out, line-in, line-out, microphone)
* 2 PS/2 ports for connecting keyboards and mice
* It includes an integrated 56K modem (V.90) and an RJ-45 LAN network port (for a 10/100 Ethernet connection to networks and DSL/cable modems). HP's Personal Media Drive (sold separately) allows you to add even more storage and the ability to take their digital photos on the go to share with friends and family.

Preloaded System and Software
The pre-installed Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (Update Rollup 2) is essentially Windows XP Professional Edition with a variety of tools to help you to create, organize, and enjoy digital media ranging from music to home movies to photo slide shows. The Update Rollup 2 upgrade offers support for the Windows Media Center Extender technology built into XBox 360 game consoles, which lets you access entertainment from your Media Center PC--whether itÕs live and recorded TV and movies, music, photos or Online Spotlight--on any TV in the house.

It also comes preloaded with Microsoft Works (for working with word processing and spreadsheet documents), Symantec Norton Internet Security 2005 AntiSpyware Edition (with 60 days of LiveUpdate), PC Doctor, Encarta Encyclopedia 2005, Quicken New User Edition 2005, Microsoft Money 2005, RecordNow, WinDVD Player, Sonic DigitalMedia Plus, Sonic MyDVD Plus, Sonic DigitalMedia Archive, muvee AutoProducer, iTunes.

The included HP Image Zone Plus photo and imaging software makes it easy to organize, edit, share, print, protect, and store your photos and video clips. Organize and find your photos easily by timeline, keywords, and/or location using the unique photo-globe mapping tool. Remove red eye and fix other common problems. Share your photos quickly via e-mails that include thumbnails with links to the full-sized images--without downloading time-consuming attachments.

Dimensions and Weight
This desktop measures 15.16 x 7.6 x 16.54 inches (HxWxD) and weighs approximately 27 pounds.

What's in the Box
This package contains the HP Media Center m7360n desktop PC, keyboard, mouse, USB infrared receiver, remote control, and power cord. It is backed by a limited warranty for parts and labor for one year from date of purchase as well as technical telephone assistance for one year. Software is also covered for 90 days from date of purchase.

Order it here >>> HP Pavilion Media Center TV m7360n PC (Intel Pentium D Processor 920, 2.0 GB RAM, 300 GB Hard Drive, DVD SuperMulti Drive with LightScribe)

HP PROLIANT BL40P XEON-2.2G 2MB ( 345628-B21 )

2006-02-22T13:13:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

The ProLiant BL p-Class system is part of the new generation of ProLiant BL servers and infrastructure portfolio developed for adaptive computing and optimized for rapid deployment and automated provisioning. The ProLiant BL p-Class system provides high performance, high availability server blades for multi-tiered data center architectures. The ProLiant BL p-Class system enables dynamic scaling and protects your investment with an intelligent, modular infrastructure that can accommodate future server blades. The first 4-way server blade in the ProLiant BL p-Class family is the BL40p, engineered for the back-end enterprise space. This server blade features Xeon MP processors, PC2100 ECC SDRAM, Integrated Smart Array 5i Plus and four hot-plug SCSI drives. Using the ProLiant BL40p in conjunction with other BL servers, expenses can be reduced by managing remotely from anywhere in the world with the advanced version of Integrated Lights Out (iLO). In addition, an integrated management system and full compatibility with the Insight Manager Suite gives you maximum virtual presence and control, management and health monitoring with blade visualization of all your applications.

Order it here >>> HP PROLIANT BL40P XEON-2.2G 2MB ( 345628-B21 )

HP Pavilion Media Center a1350n Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+, 1 GB RAM

2006-02-22T13:12:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

Specification:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual-core processor 4200+ (2.2GHz); Windows XP Media Center
1GB PC3200 DDR SDRAM with 250GB 7200 RPM hard drive
Double-layer DVD±R/RW drive with LightScribe, CD writer capabilities and DVD-ROM drive
Integrated ATI Radeon Xpress 200 graphics; 9-in-1 digital media card reader
1-year limited warranty; 15Hx7.17Wx17L"; 24 lbs.

Order it here >>> HP Pavilion Media Center a1350n Desktop PC (AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4200+, 1 GB RAM,

Apple Mac mini M9686LL/B (1.25 GHz Power PC G4, 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

2006-02-21T12:20:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

Specification:

Processor: 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4
Number of Processors: 1
RAM: 512 MB
RAM Type: PC 2700 DDR Memory
Hard Drive: 40 GB IDE

Live the digital life in stylish simplicity. Just 6.5 inches square and 2 inches tall, Mac mini provides what you need to have more fun with your music, photos and movies—right out of the box. This Mac mini now boasts 512MB memory.

for more informatino and online ordering please click here >>> Apple Mac mini M9686LL/B (1.25 GHz Power PC G4, 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 40 GB Hard Drive, DVD/CD-RW Drive)

Apple Mac mini M9971LL/B (1.42 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive)

2006-02-21T12:17:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

Specification:

Processor: 1.42 GHz PowerPC G4
Number of Processors: 1
RAM: 512 MB
RAM Type: PC 2700 DDR Memory
Hard Drive: 80 GB EIDE

Live the digital life in stylish simplicity. Just 6.5 inches square and 2 inches tall, Mac mini provides what you need to have more fun with your music, photos and movies—right out of the box. This Mac mini now boasts 512MB memory and includes built-in wireless and SuperDrive.

More information and ordering please click here >>> Apple Mac mini M9971LL/B (1.42 GHz PowerPC G4, 512 MB DDR SDRAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive DVD-RW/CD-RW Drive)

Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9592LL/A (Quad 2.5GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, 16x Dbl Layer SuperDrive)

2006-02-20T11:00:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

Specification:

Software includes Mac OS X, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife, and more
Two dual-core 2.5 GHz PowerPC G5 processors with 1.25 GHz per processor bus
512 MB RAM expandable up to 16 GB, 250 GB hard drive, 16x Double-Layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 with 256 MB of GDDR SDRAM graphics
One FireWire 800 port, two FireWire 400 ports (one on front), four USB 2.0 ports (one on front), and two USB 1.1 (on keyboard)

Power Mac G5 Quad, Apple Keyboard, Apple Mighty Mouse, USB keyboard extension cable, DVI to VGA adapter, Power cord, Install/restore DVDs, Printed and electronic documentation
The Power Mac G5 Quad is the ultimate creative platform. With two dual-core processors, at speeds up to 2.5GHz per core, the Power Mac G5 Quad doubles the punch of its dual-processor predecessor. Do the math: Quad-core processing means four Velocity Engines and eight double-precision floating-point units for blistering performance of up to 76.6 gigaflops. That means you can manipulate mountains of images or miles of footage. Crunch enormous data sets. Encode HD video or high-bit-rate audio. All at speeds you never imagined possible.
You'll also be amazed by the flexible expansion options and a host of built-in cutting-edge abilities -- from the dual Gigabit Ethernet and included SuperDrive, to all the ports available for connecting your USB or FireWire devices. It also has the very latest version of Mac OS X, with an incredible suite of software to make your life and work that much easier. PCI Express architecture opens up a world of high-performance capabilities. NVIDIA GeForce 6600 graphics card with 256MB GDDR3 SDRAM, one single-link and dual-link DVi port Two open, full-length four-lane PCI Express slots, one PCI Express slot Dual 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet ports with integrated wireless antenna (AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0 optional) 16X SuperDrive with Double Layer support Software Included - iLife '05, QuickBooks New User Edition, Art Directors Toolkit, FileMaker Pro Trial, GraphicConverter, OmniGraffle and OmniOutliner, Microsoft Office 2004 Test Drive, Zinio Reader, Apple Hardware Test Connections - 1 FireWire 800, 2 FireWire 400 (one on front panel), 4 USB 2.0 (one on front panel), 2 USB 1.1 (one on keyboard), headphone minijack and speaker, optical digital audio input/out

order it here >>> Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9592LL/A (Quad 2.5GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, 16x Dbl Layer SuperDrive)

Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9590LL/A (Dual 2.0 GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, Double-Layer SuperDrive)

2006-02-20T10:57:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

Specification:

Software includes Mac OS X, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife, and more
Dual-core 2.0 GHz PowerPC G5 processor with 1 GHz bus
512 MB RAM expandable up to 16 GB, 160 GB hard drive, 16x Double-Layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 6600 LE with 128 MB of GDDR SDRAM
One FireWire 800 port, two FireWire 400 ports (one on front), four USB 2.0 ports (one on front), and two USB 1.1 (on keyboard)

The M9590LL/A Power Mac G5 is the ultimate creative platform. This high-end content creation application is an amazing tool for producing the very best designs, music, High-Definition Video or the even next scientific breakthrough. The newer, faster 64-bit Processing with whiplash-fast frontside Bus mean no more lags when accessing Memory or the hard drive. With its powerful dual-core configuration, you'll have computing power on a scale you've never seen before. It's exactly what you need to run the powerful 64-bit Mac OS X operating system. This Power Mac G5 comes with Tiger, the latest release of Mac OS X. Search your entire Power Mac in a single click with Spotlight. Access up-to-the-second information with Dashboard. Automate complex or repetitive tasks and streamline your workflow using Automator Â? no programming required. And with its 64-bit features, Tiger provides access to as much physical memory as you can install in your Power Mac G5, up to 16GB. In fact, your transition to 64-bit performance is seamless: Current 32-bit code Â? such as the Mac OS 9 Classic environment and existing applications Â? runs natively at processor speed. With no interruptions! 160 GB Serial ATA hard drive; 7200 RPM 16X SuperDrive with double-layer support (DVD+R DL, DVD+/-RW, CD-RW) 3 open PCI Express expansion slots - Two 4-lane slots, 1 8-lane slot Dual 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) Ethernet ports, with integrated wireless antenna Ports and Bays - 1 FireWire 800 port, 2 FireWire 400 ports (one in front), 4 USB 2.0 ports (one in front), 2 USB 1.1 ports (both on keyboard), 2 internal hard drive bays (one occupied) Audio - Optical digital audio input & output, analog line-level input & output, front headphone minijack & speaker Software - Mac OS X, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iLife(incl. iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD, GarageBand), iCal, DVD Player, ...

Order it here >>> Apple Power Mac G5 Desktop M9590LL/A (Dual 2.0 GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, Double-Layer SuperDrive)

Apple iMac G5 Desktop with 20" M9845LL/A (2.0 GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

2006-02-18T11:16:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

Features:

2.0 GHz PowerPC G5 running Mac OS X version 10.4 "Tiger"
512 MB DDR SDRAM, 250 GB hard drive, and SuperDrive (DVD-RW/CD-RW)
20-inch (viewable) widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD, 1680 x 1050 pixels, millions of colors
Two FireWire 400 ports; three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 1.1 ports (on keyboard); VGA output; S-video and composite video output
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit) and 56K V.92 modem

Includes: Apple Keyboard, Apple Mouse, modem cable, Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger, iLife '05, iSync, iCal, Sherlock, Quicken 2005 for Macintosh, 2005 World Book Multimedia Reference Suite, & more. Apple M9845LL/A iMac G5 Desktop Computer - Apple has updated one of the most uniquely designed computers available. Taking the all-in-one iMac design to the next level, this G5 desktop computer is a high-tech computer system inside a 20" widescreen LCD monitor! Without the bulky computer tower, you now have a sleeker and more modern looking desktop. The iMac G5 packs every piece of computing technology inside, but most notably it features a new 2.0 GHz PowerPC G5 processor, and OS X Tiger operating system. Allowing you to be creative, get organized, and have fun with the latest applications for the Mac 512MB PC3200 DDR SDRAM (expandable to 2GB) ATI Radeon 9600 AGP 8x graphics with 128MB of DDR SDRAM 250GB Serial ATA (SATA) HDD Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive - supports Double Layer DVD+R, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD-R, & CD-RW 20 (viewable) LCD 1680x1050 Native Resolution Built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi Adapter Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) Module 56k Fax Modem Integrated Stereo Speakers Ports - 10/100/1000 Ethernet, Headphone/Optical Digital Audio Out, Audio Line-In, 2 FireWire 400, 3 USB 2.0, 2 USB 1.1, 2 VGA Out, S-Video, & 2 Composite Video Unit Weight - 25.2 lbs.

Order it here >>> Apple iMac G5 Desktop with 20\" M9845LL/A (2.0 GHz PowerPC G5, 512 MB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

Apple iMac Desktop

2006-02-18T11:13:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

Features:

20-inch widescreen LCD with 1680 x 1050 resolution
2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo processor with 2 MB shared L2 cache
512 MB (single SO-DIMM) 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300); ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128 MB GDDR3 memory
250 GB Serial ATA hard drive; slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit); built-in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11g)3; built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module

Apple iMac with Intel Core Duo - Never judge a book by it's cover. A very appropriate phrase when talking about the new Apple iMac. On the outside it looks identical to the previous iMac desktop computer. The difference now lies at the heart of the latest iteration of the iMac. Powering the new all-in-one desktop is an Intel Core Duo! Dual processors on a single chip that gives you double the speed of the old iMac. With the new iMac you also get unique software applications. iLife '06 is a suite of applications that will make your everyday life easier to manage than ever before. And Front Row, combined with the included remote, lets you enjoy the media on your iMac from any seat in the house. Slot-loading 8x SuperDrive with 2.4x Dual Layer burning Write Speeds - up to 2.4x Dual Layer DVD+R, 8x DVD+R, 8x DVD-R, 4x DVD+RW, 4x DVD-RW, 24x CD-R, 8x CD-RW Read Speeds - up to 8x DVD-ROM, 24x CD-ROM Built-in 20 widescreen TFT active-matrix LCD Native Resolution - 1680x1050 Built-in iSight webcam ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB of GDDR3 memory Ports - 10/100/1000Base-T Ethernet, 2 Firewire 400, 3 USB 2.0, 2 USB 1.1 (1 on keyboard), mini-DVI, DVI Out, VGA Out, S-Video Out, & Composite Out Built-in AirPort Extreme 802.11g Wi-Fi wireless network adapter Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR Module Unit Weight - approx. 15.5 lbs.

Order it here >>> Apple iMac Desktop with 20\" Display MA200LL/A (2.0 GHz Intel Core Duo, 512 MB RAM, 250 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive)

Desktop

2006-02-18T11:11:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Desktop

List of Desktop Computer:

QuickBooks Pro 2006 Financial Software for Small Business

2006-02-17T12:15:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Software

Features:

New Employee Center that shows all your employees and what you’re paying them in one simple screen.
New simplified Home page helps you get to your key activities in two clicks.
The leading choice of small businesses for fast and easy financial management.
New Customer Center that puts all your important customer information in one simple screen.
New Vendor Center that shows all your vendors and what you owe them in one simple screen.

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TurboTax Total Tax Solution Deluxe 2005 with State Win/Mac

2006-02-17T12:12:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Software

Features:

Double-checks for your return for errors and even flags potential audit risks.
Now includes ItsDeductible software to help you accurately value donated items (for a bigger deduction!).
Package includes ability to do US federal and ONE state return with additional states available for purchase through Intuit.

TurboTax Deluxe Plus State guides you through your federal and state returns with extra help for deductions. Finds hidden deductions—such as education, child care, property tax and medical expenses. And even gives you easy-to-understand deduction advice and tips from official IRS publications and expert videos. Plus, now includes ItsDeductible software (Windows only) to help you accurately value donated items (for a bigger deduction!). Up to date with the latest tax laws. And finally, double-checks your return for errors, and even flags potential audit risks. Package includes ability to do ONE state return with additional states available for purchase through Intuit.

TurboTax Deluxe 2005 guides you with extra help you need, for claiming the most deductions. Find out how you can take advantage of over 350 possible deductions. It's completely up-to-date with the latest tax laws, to help you get every deduction and new tax break you deserve. Includes all the features of TurboTax Basic, plus ItsDeductible and a TurboTax State Download ItsDeductible helps you find deductions you never knew about before Includes free download for state

Order it here >>> TurboTax Total Tax Solution Deluxe 2005 with State Win/Mac

Software

2006-02-17T11:59:00.000+08:00

Computer >>> Software

List of Available Computer Software:

How To Upgrade Your PC

2005-08-25T09:11:00.000+08:00

By: Alex Fir

Before you upgrade your PC hardware it’s best to search all options and ask for advice. Only after this you can go and buy a new component. It’s also useful to check if you really need an upgrade.

Do not upgrade your very old PC because it would cost a lot of money. It’s cheaper to buy a new computer in such cases because they are easier to upgrade later.

Upgrading the hard drive:

The majority of people do not really need to upgrade their hard disk, unless they use it for playing a lot of music, movies, and games. A 20 GB hard drive is sufficient to keep new office and internet applications, and all your files and data.

A medium sized hard drive would be around 40 GB and the maximum would be around 60 – 80 GB.

Before upgrading your hard disk it’s best to do a complete disk checkup including disk scan, defragmentation, etc. If you happen to be an average user and need more storage you can add an additional drive to the existing one. Before an upgrade, be sure to back up your files.

Upgrading the RAM:

RAM or Random Access Memory is the short-term memory of the PC. It keeps data that is being worked on now and may or may not be transferred to the hard drive that represents the long-term memory of the computer.

Current processors can perform an enormous number of operations per second. The hard drive, on the other hand, is significantly slower to handle so much information. This is where a high-speed RAM memory comes in. RAM needs a power supply to keep data. Once the power is turned off the data is lost.

Almost all PCs have 64 MB RAM and often 128 MB. If you want to run newer applications on your PC then you must upgrade to 128/256 MB RAM.

A lot of people who upgrade from 98 to Win 2000 discover that their computers lock up very often. This is because they don't have enough RAM.

CPU upgrade:

If you choose this upgrade, you will have faster execution of instructions but it leaves the RAM and hard drive capacity unchanged.

This sis the most cost effective upgrade and can increase the efficiency of your computer considerably. Seek a professional help before you take a decision.

Motherboard:

Upgrading motherboard is not such a good proposition unless you replace the CPU and the RAM as well to achieve greater performance levels. You upgrade the motherboard either because the current one doesn’t support a faster CPU or the CPU requires a different socket. It could be very expensive. Think about buying a new PC.

Ports:

Ports are sockets at the back of your computer where you plug in external devices. Older PCs work on “parallel” ports. If you need to work a lot on peripherals such as digital cameras, digital camcorders, CD burners, and scanners then you need to upgrade to USB and Firewire ports if you are not using them already.

Both tend to be cheaper than the “parallel” and SCSI devices they replace. Always make sure that there are no compatibility problems with other devices in your PC when you plan to upgrade any hardware on your machine.

About The Author

Alex Fir

If you are planning to buy laptop computer visit Laptop Computer Center for the latest news and information. http://www.laptopcomputerscenter.info/.

Toner Cartridges - How They Work

2005-08-22T22:38:00.000+08:00

By: Martin Smith

In the past computers and their accompanying printers were huge. Toner reservoirs and toner cartridges were used instead of ink cartridges like the ones in use today. Toner cartridges were difficult and messy to fill. The toner cartridges were an advancement. Some printers ran on print wheels and some used ribbons.

Computers are compact and printers now do more than just print on some cases. Cartridges with self-contained reservoirs are used in printers. Refilling some cartridges is possible and it isn't as messy as adding toner was. Two types of printers cartridges now exist. Hewlett-Packard and Epson printers primarily, used the first type the Peizo Electric.

An electric current is applied to a small crystal causing it to expand about every five microseconds (20,000 per second). The ink, because of the expansion, squirts through the print heads rapidly and precisely. Piezo Electric can do more precise action and tend to last longer because it has fewer print heads than do bubble jet/ thermal printers.

Bubble jet printer cartridges heat the ink into a bubble and is squirted through the ink nozzles thousands of times a second. The printer that is quieter than Piezo based printers is the bubble jet. It prints with exceptionally high resolution color printing. Ink is squirted through the nozzles as they move over media in the inkjet method not the mega pixel method.

Liquid ink, is squirted, in various colors on the paper to create an image. A motor assembly is used to enable the print heads to scan the page horizontally while the page is rolled vertically. A narrow band of an image is printed and the paper moves on ready for the next step. For speed it prints a strip across the page while it also prints vertical rows of pixels in each pass.

There are several types of inkjet technology. DOD-drop on demand squirts small drops of ink on to the paper through tiny nozzles. It is akin to a hose being turned on and off 5,000 times per second. The amount of ink dropped on the paper and which nozzle fires and when is controlled by the driver software. The ink tends to smear right after printing in inkjet technology.

This is getting better as new ink compositions are developed. The Thermal Technology of printing allows the ink to shot onto the paper. This is a three stage process. The squirt begins in stage one when the ink gets heated to create a bubble. The initial pressure breaks the bubble and hits the paper. The vacuum that results pulls the ink from the reservoir to replace what was ejected.

In the past printers were highly priced because the print head that would imprint the image on paper was contained within the printer. Printers are fairly low in price, but the expense comes when you have to buy cartridges for it. It would almost be worth it to buy a new printer rather than the cartridges because the cost of cartridges is often more than the most basic inkjet printer.

Although cartridges are expensive they have some complex technology in them that would make them cheaper over-all than it would be to keep replacing printer heads. Cartridges now have print heads contained within in themselves. If you use the correct cartridges in your printer, you could have the printer for a long time. Black cartridges work by squirting the ink through tiny nozzles onto the paper as they move back and for the page as do color cartridges.

Color cartridges have three reservoirs; one is filled with magenta, one with cyan, and one with yellow ink. A lot of things can have a bearing on the image quality. The quality of the paper you choose could determine the image you get. The two main influences on image quality are brightness and the absorption of ink. The vividness of an image describes its brightness while how effectively ink is put to the paper is absorption.

It is best to use paper specifically designed to be used with an ink jet printer. Using the proper type of paper will result in the best possible image. The settings of your display properties and/or printer settings can affect your printing project. The type of paper you use and the printer may suggest leaving your documents to dry for awhile. Check your printer for settings that may save ink by putting out less ink allowing documents to dry faster and provide you with a near perfect print image.

Knowing your printer and how it works is important.

About The Author

Martin Smith is a successful freelance writer providing advice for consumers on purchasing a variety of Discount ink cartridges which includes Cheap ink cartridge, if you have time drop by his site for some tips and information. http://www.best-price-printer-cartridges.com.

Computer Graphics: They're Not All The Same

2005-08-21T12:11:00.000+08:00

By: Mandar

Graphic images on your computer come in two different forms, raster images and vector images. Raster images are made by programs such as Photoshop and Corel Photopaint. Vector images are produced by Adobe Illustrator, Freehand, and CorelDraw. While the results from these different programs can look similar, the ways in which they are made are very different.

Raster images are made up of millions of individual squares, or pixels, of various colors. The more pixels you have, the better the image will look. The number of pixels, or resolution, is usually expressed in dots per inch (dpi). Images on the Web are shown at 72 dpi. A high-resolution image would run 300 dpi or higher. Some types of printing can get into the 1600 dpi range. Much like a mosaic, a raster image can look smooth from a distance but as you zoom in closer you can see the individual pixels.

A vector image is drawn from mathematical formulas for lines and curves and is redrawn each time you zoom in for a closer look. The quality of the image stays the same regardless of the level of magnification. Vector files, since they are formulas instead of information on millions of individual pixels, tend to use less memory than raster files.

The edge of a circle, rendered as a raster image, may look smooth initially, but eventually as you zoom in you will see a jagged stairstep edge of the individual square pixels that make up the image. A lower resolution image will look jagged or pixellated much sooner than a high resolution image. A circle's edge in vector form will always be smooth no matter how close you zoom in since it is recalculated each time you change the view.

Raster based programs are best at working with photo-realistic images and make subtle (or bold) changes in color, shadow and texture. Vector based programs excel at easy control of edges and tend to produce a more graphic style of art. Regardless of the type of image, higher resolution is always better for producing a good result. While your image may be vector or raster, or even a combination of the two, the Art Staff at ExpertShirt.com will work hard to translate it into the best textile printing possible.

About The Author

Mandar is a graphic artist and man-about-town with Expertshirt.com. Design your own custom tshirt online at http://www.expertshirt.com.

Put Order and Information into File Names

2005-08-20T07:08:00.000+08:00

By: Mark Meshulam
---------------------------------

Unless you place your faith in internal search engine software or document databases to track your work, consider a relatively low-tech enhancement to your work methods. I promise it will pay big dividends.

Consider how you name your files and folders. Have you missed an opportunity to clear the clutter and make your work more accessible? When you look at file names within a folder, do they sing out to you with sweet meaningfulness, or are they a cacophonous jumble of confusing heiroglyphics?

The eye likes symmetry. The mind loves order. When you create files and they pile upon one another over time, does their accumulation reflect a master plan or a disaster unplanned? When you view your list of files, is your eye happy, your mind content?

Basically, filenaming is an unrecognized art. Most of us are left to our own devices to figure it out. The good news: with some thought, you can be the artist of a system which will resonate with function.

Let's start by considering the basis upon which files should be ordered. I will jump to the punchline and say it out loud: chronologically. To order files chronologically, have the filename start with a datestamp prefix such as YYYYMMDD- or YYMMDD. If you do this, your files will always sort themselves chronologically and you will have no trouble finding the latest and greatest work within a folder.

What you do following the datestamp prefix depends upon how the file will be used. If the file travels to someone else as an email attachment and then returns back to you after some sort of review, I recommend having the second portion of your filename be a locator.

The locator can be a 3-5 character abbreviation which will give you a solid hint about where the file needs to be refiled upon its return. You develop the locator so that you and others in your group recognize it as an abbreviation for a project. When they see the datestamp prefix and locator, they will already have much information about the contents of the file.

After entering the datestamp prefix and locator, now you can write a nice, meaty descriptive text (descriptor). Use as many characters as you like, just beware that beyond a certain length, the filename will be truncated during display, and you will lose, rather than gain information. Consider 30 characters to be a maximum filename size.

Subtracting 7 characters for the date stamp and 3-5 characters for the locator, this gives you 18-20 characters to tell your story. The way to know if you are doing a bad job with descriptors, is when you see the identical descriptor in multiple files. Don't repeat descriptive text unless you specifically want to highlight the similarity between the two files.

Tip: NO spaces in names of files or folders. Spaces are not FTP-friendly and you may be FTP-ing sooner than you think.

Tip: NO unnecessary capital letters and DEFINITELY NO TEXT WITH ALL CAPS. It's not only irritating, but it also takes away a useful tool, that of using upper and lower case text for better conveying your message.

Tip: Find a style and stick with it. For example, if you like the looks of hyphens separating datestamp, locators and descriptors, then do it that way every time. If using underscore between words in the descriptor feels right, then make it a habit. Even artists can have discipline, you know.

Tip: Use language to the greatest extent possible. In other words, use words more than acronyms. Cutsey corporate acronyms, after the first dozen or so, get pretty boring.

Examples of good file names:

050727-par-FieldTesting.doc
2004-o4-21-oak-Access_to_site.xls

Bad file names:

article.doc (too vague - what article? )
Work Project.xls (too general - what work project? when? )

About The Author

A versatile denizen of Northbrook, IL, USA, Mr. Meshulam is an owner of a productivity software company (http://www.poingo.com), a construction company (http://www.buildersarch.com), and a document scanning/reprographics company (http://www.repro.docsys.us). His software product Poingo Email Printer has a feature which adds timestamps to filenames.

Wireless Networking Basics

2005-08-09T09:32:00.000+08:00

Considering a wireless connection for your computer? Discover the basics of wireless networking before you proceed.

Wireless networking is simple in theory: just install a wireless network adapter in each computer and forget about drilling holes and running cable. When you deal with equipment based on the 802.11b (or Wi-Fi) standard, unfortunately, the reality often falls short of claimed specifications. Your wireless network will have a limited range - you've probably experienced a decrease in speed at a certain distance from an access point. That's why you must adjust the location and configuration of your wireless setup to obtain the best possible performance, range, and reliability. Follow expert advice and your connection will be faster across longer distances--and you'll have fewer dropped connections.

Pick the best location: The farther your wireless networked computer is from a wireless access point--and the greater the number of solid objects that stand in the way--the slower your connection will be. To optimize your network's speed and range, position your wireless access point at least a few feet above the floor and away from metal objects, particularly large appliances like refrigerators. Though most manuals for networking products tell you to position the access point in the middle of the coverage area, it's often better to identify the locations where you expect to use a computer and put the access point where it will be in a direct line of sight (or close to it) to as many of those places as possible.

Don't waste time worrying about "dead spots" if no one is likely to use a computer there. Once your wireless network is up and running, even slight changes in your wireless network card's position (say, a shift in the orientation of your laptop as you recline on the couch) may dramatically improve throughput or even restore a dropped connection.

For larger areas--or areas with many obstructions--your only option may be to shell out the cash for multiple access points. If you go this route, you'll find that wireless setup is easy: Simply make sure that the access points have identical settings. Virtually all wireless network adapters support "roaming": In areas where access point coverage overlaps, the adapter will latch on to the strongest signal.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lana Hampton makes it easy to find the right wireless product for your needs. Visit http://www.yowswireless.com today for the latest wireless information.

Overwrite Status

2005-05-09T14:37:00.000+08:00

Jam.Net Customer: When I am typing words inside a pre-written paragraph, the character in front of the cursor will be deleted. How could I correct this?

Jam.Net Technician: Ma'am, your computer is currently in overwrite mode. That is the reason why the character in front of the cursor will be deleted when you're typing. To change this status, just press the INSERT button on your keyboard. And notice, by pressing the said button, the OVR on the status bar of your Word Processor will be lighted or unlighted. If it lights, it means the overwrite status is on, and if unlighted the overwrite status is off. And if the overwrite status is on, the character in front of the cursor will be automaticall y deleted as you type. If the overwrite status is off, every thing you type before a character will be inserted without deleting the character in front of the cursor.

Buying Notebook Computer

2005-05-06T07:41:00.000+08:00

Last week a friend of mine asked me to buy a notebook computer for him. I was really confused what kind of notebook computer I was going to buy. So, I just went to the computer shopping center in New Manila, Quezon City, and tried to study the features of every notebook computer displayed on every computer store, until such time that I realized these things which should be considered:

The specification. What do you want your notebook computer has? 80 Gb harddisk, 528 Memory, 256 VGA, bluetooth technology, infrared, Card reader, Modem, Wifi ready, light weight ...
Price Range. How much is your budget for it? (All in Philippine Peso) 70,000 to 100,000.00?

Then after coming up the list of specification you wanted your notebook computer has, then it is now the time to choose a brand of computer you are go to buy. Go straight to the notebook computer dealer or distributor then asked the sales person of the notebook computer with the specification you have. Let them give you the list of brands of computers that meet your needs with their last price offer.

So, you have to compare the different brand of computers. Consider always each of their POGI-POINTS, since every brand of computers, although they contained the specified parts you wanted them to contain but still there are additional POGI-POINTS features which affects the price of it.

After coming up the decision, it's now time to deal with the price. Although they give you already the lowest price they can offer, but you can still deal with it to lower it more. Maybe, for example if you still want to buy a printer or any additional items. Include them as a package and ask more discounts.

If you meet already in a certain price, then its time to buy na. But don't forget to ask for warranty and if the leather casing are included with it. It is better too, if it has users manual. Kasi, there are notebook computer sold in the market without this manual.

Connecting to your networked computer

2005-04-18T16:19:00.000+08:00

If you have more than 1 computers networked and shared together and wanted to access shared folders on them easily without using the normal procedure you knew, which is by double clicking the icon of the "My Network Places," here's the procedure, which I used to do.

Click START then RUN. And the RUN dialogue will be opened.
On the space, type \\ and the name of the computer you are accessing. For example. If the name of the computer is COMP2, you will type \\COMP2 then press ENTER. And the window of the shared folders of the COMP2 computer will be Displayed.

Computer Fails To Boot

2005-04-11T22:10:00.000+08:00

There are many reasons why the computer fails to boot. Maybe the harddisk is not detected by the computer or if it was detected, the Operating System installed on it is corrupted. Now, here's how to troubleshoot this kind of problem.

Turn on the computer.
Enter the CMOS property by pressing DEL during MEMORY CHECKING or DETECTION OF DISKS installed. But there are other computers which are configured to use F1 in entering the CMOS property.
Select the STANDARD CMOS FEATURE option.
Set the IDE Primary Master/Slave and IDE Secoday Master/Slave into AUTO option and let the computer auto-detect the installed disks.
If you have the CD/DVD and Harddisk installed, the two component should be detected.
But if one of them was not detected, exit the CMOS setup, SAVE all the changes and SHUTDOWN your computer.
Check the JUMPER configuration of both. Configure it so that one of them will be the MASTER and other as SLAVE.
Then, do the steps 1 to 5 again. But if the Hardisk was still not detected, do the step 6, and Check the cables connection.
After that, do steps 1 to 5 again. If it was again not detected, do step 6 and try connecting it to another computer. If the problem persist, then there is something wrong with it and you must buy a new harddisk for your computer or bring it to the store where you purchased it for repair if it is still under warranty period.

Assuming that the harddisk is in good condition and is detected by the computer but still fails to boot, try pressing ENTER 5 times. If it doest still boot, then the Operating System or the OS installed on the harddisk must be corrupted. To repair, you must re-install the Operating System.

Manual Endnote

2005-04-10T23:47:00.000+08:00

An AMA graduating student approached me and asked me on how to put an endnote into her document.

I showed her how by using the shortcut key CTL-ALT-F in inserting the endnote and automatically asking for the footnote information. But it was not the way she wanted to do to her document. She told me that instead of using footnote, the information will be posted on the Reference section of her thesis.

So, I recommended that she better use the Superscript function on the MSWORD application. And after showing her some example, she then kissed me on my cheek and thanked me for the things I shared.

Disabling Password in CMOS

2005-04-06T23:58:00.000+08:00

It is just easy to disable password protect in a PC system either for SETUP only or for the entire system using the CMOS.

First you have to find a 3 pin for Jumper. For motherboards which has labeled the jumper for the CMOS, we will have no problem looking for it. Anyway there are only few 3pin for jumper standing on your mother board especially if the mother board you have has been released from 2001 and later.

If you are not sure which of them, just try these steps.

Try disconnecting the CMOS battery for a couple of seconds. Then return it back and turn on your computer. If the password protection has been disabled by this method, then you are already successful diabling it, else, follow the next procedure.
Look for any 3 pins for jumper set on your mother board. If pin 1 and pin 2 has been connected by the jumper, transfer the jumper to connect pin 2 and pin 3 and wait for a couple of seconds. Then return the jumper to pin 1 and pin 2 connections. Switch on your computer. Or you can repeat this step to other set of 3 pins with jumper you have found on your mother board. Then you can switch on your computer. I think, this will be the last step you may have and you'll be successful in disabling the CMOS password protection.

But take note, be sure that your computer is disconnected from the power or has been switched off before doin any of the following steps.

Disabling Folder.htt and Desktop.ini in Registry

2005-04-04T00:32:00.000+08:00

This is in response to a question posted by vajones at my post entitled, MS-DOS Prompt for Games.pif: A Virus:

To let you know, desktop.ini and folder.htt are both important files in Windows system. But they were already infected with malicious codes, we can disable the use of it, anyway, Windows will still works fine without this two files.

Here's what you can do to disable:

Click on START button on the TASKBAR.
Click on RUN.
On the RUN dialogue, type REGEDIT and then click OK.
On the REGEDIT window, press CTRL-F simultaneously and then a FIND dialogue will appear.
On the FIND dialogue, type FOLDER.HTT and then press ENTER, then windows will find the word FOLDER.HTT on the information displayed by the REGEDIT program.
If the windows FIND program finds the term you are looking for, it will then stops, highlighting the searched term.
On the left FRAME of the REGEDIT window, click on the opened FOLDER and then press DELETE and then confirm the deletion if you will be ask by pressing OK.
Repeat steps 4 to 7 until the FIND program will tell you that folder.htt is not found which means, you have already deleted all the entry of the file FOLDER.HTT.

I just want to make it clear that when I say PRESS, it commanded you to press the button on you keyboard. And when I say, CLICK, it means click the left buttom of you mouse while the mouse pointer is pointing on the button displayed on your screen.

Once the registry entry of the FOLDER.HTT file has been deleted, FOLDER.HTT files on your hardisk or floppy disk will not be executed. But just to make it sure, you must delete the FOLDER.HTT, DESKTOP.INI and the malicious PIF files on you disk.

If you have still questions, please feel free to post it on the comments section or through our guestbook.

Computer Power Supply

2005-04-02T13:47:00.000+08:00

This afternoon, one of my computers has been accidentally shut down as its power supply stop responding. I am wondering what may be the reason of its malfunction. It was used for 1 year already and I don't think its life is with that length only.

However, I know that there are other possible causes, such as:

overheating due to bad ventilation.
improper shutting down due to power outage or any other causes
over/lower voltage input

Anyway, we have nothing to do except to buy a new one and replace it. Its warranty has been expired already and I even don't know how to troubleshoot and repair it.

I DID Virus

2005-03-04T23:41:00.000+08:00

My first experience with the virus which I called "I DID virus" was on July 2004. I called it in that way, because all floppy disk attacked by this virus has a file named "i did.txt" which contains message from the Filipino virus writer telling the owner of the floppy disk that he's careless..."tatanga-tanga kasi."

I already had posted instructions on deleting out this virus on the system. I think I posted it on the ERAIANS Website, which is now inactive, and therefore I lost it. So, I tried to recall the steps, but I am not sure if these steps are applicable in getting rid with this virus.

Here's what you will do:

Click START (assuming that you are using Windows 95 or up) then RUN. A dialogue box will appear.
Type on the space provided, regedit, then ENTER. A Registry Window will appear.
Press CTRL and F simultaneously. A search box will appear.
On the space provided, type sysmon32.exe then press ENTER.
If you found a registry entry SYSMON32.EXE click on it and then press DELETE and confirm the deletion if Windows will ask you to confirm it.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 until such time a dialogue box appears telling you that the string you are searching is NOT FOUND.
Close the Registry Window and RESTART your system.

The steps above should be done first before deleting the file since, Windows activates immediately the said file during the Boot up. Then, follow the steps below:

Click on START then SEARCH then FILES AND FOLDERS.
On the space provided, type sysmon32.exe and then click on SEARCH.
If the Windows search engine found the said file, it will be posted on the right side of the Window. Highlight them and press DELETE.

Now, the main virus file has been deleted already. So what you will do next is to delete files which are converted by the said virus into a virus file with extensions such as filename.doc.exe, filename.xls.exe, filename.exe.exe, or in other words, infected files are changed to executable files with an extension of EXE.

Oftentimes, infected files are those files which you have tried to open them by double clicking on them. Mostly they are found in My Documents, Desktop and Root Directories.

Search those files and delete them immediately. Do not try to open or activate them, to avoid infection again.

If you have problems in following instructions I have given, plese feel free to tell me by dropping your messages on our TAGBOARD or on our GUESTBOOK.

-----------------------------

Infected with SPEEDY.SCR virus

2005-02-12T12:22:00.000+08:00

2 days ago, 5 of my computers were infected with an OPASERV virus. Virus installed on my computers activated at the same time, that Norton Antivirus intalled on those computers alert me at the same time.

Now, what I did inorder to get rid of it are the following:

I opened the REGEDIT and search and delete all SPEEDY input on the registry.
I opened the WIN.INI which is found in WINDOWS directory and delete the SPEEDY.SCR entry which is found under the WINDOWS category.
I searched for the files with filename PANDA, PORDE, and SPEEDY and delete them.
Restarted the computer.

After this procedure, I still found entries reposted on the REGISTRY and WIN.INI, I even found the SPEEDY.SCR file on the WINDOWS directory. But it is better than before since, this file has not been activated.

According to PANDA LABS, this virus spreads directly from the internet by looking for the computers to infect. It checks if port 137 is open and unprotected. If it is, Opaserv.Y gets into the computer through port 139 and copies itself in the C:\Windows directory under the name Speedy.scr.

At the same time, it generates several entries in the Windows Registry in order to ensure that it is run whenever the computer is started up. If the infected computer is connected to a network, Opaserv.Y will exploit the Windows vulnerability known as Share Level Password - based on an inconsistency in the protection of network shares in the operating systems Windows Me/98/95- in order to spread to the rest of the computers in the network.

UPDATES:

(1:50PM) I also discovered that this kind of virus drops files with filename begin with DC and followed by number, for example, dc004.scr. These files have SCR or PIF extensions.

Problem with our EPSON Printer

2005-02-06T23:52:00.000+08:00

Joan and Lily, send me an email, asking my help on their EPSON Printer problem:

Kuya, itong printer namin na EPSON ayaw magprint. Kahapon bumili kami ng remanufactured na cartridge ng black and colored ink. (We bought remanufactured cartridges of EPSON printer for black and colored ink, but the printer didn't print.)

So after reading that email, I went immediately into their apartment to check the printer. Then before switching the computer and the printer on, I first check the connection from the printer to the computer.

I then tried to print a document, and the printer seems find. Therefore, the problem was actually on the connection of the printer to the computer. The print output was still bad since, they installed new cartridges and should be charged and aligned first.

Thanks to Mozilla's Firefox broswer

2005-01-29T11:40:00.000+08:00

Jam Net Computers customer are always complaining that the computer freezes whenever they open the friendster website.

I already had experienced this problem already since the friendster implemented the advertising code on their website. I didn’t know how to fix it, and that I know I couldn’t fix it because the problem was on the codes of the friendster engine.

But one day, while I was reading news regarding the Firefox browser, a theory came to my mind… that maybe the real problem lies on my browser, the Internet Explorer 5.5. I think I haven’t downloaded the patches for the browser.

So, why not try Firefox. They said that it was a good browser because it has security features which Netscape and Internet Explorer do not.

After downloading, I immediately installed the free software of Mozilla Foundation. And then I tried to open the friendster website.

At last! My mind scream, for friendster website run smoothly with the firefox. I don’t need the Google Toolbar to protect me from popups because it already has.

Thanks to Firefox browser, our customers seized on complaining.

Computer problem due to dial-up configuration

2005-01-28T02:16:00.000+08:00

The computer stops responding every 3 minute for about 5 seconds. This is the complaint of a man called himself "Menting" regarding his computer.

The computer has Pentium III 566 processor, 32mb RAM, 32mb Video Graphics card, 10GB Harddisk, LAN, Internal Modem, and other motherboard-builtin computer parts.

As the man told me his observation on the working condition of his computer, computer viruses has came into my mind. I thought his computer was already infected by certain viruses. So I check first the files saved onthe harddisk, and then the programs intalled for possible traces of viruses, but I found nothing. From the symptoms given, the probable cause must be a virus, otherwise there was a program which activate itself every 3 minutes for about 5 seconds.

So, I tried to check what program was activating which cause the computer to hang-up, by pressing at the same time the CTRL, ALT and Delete keyboard buttons. Thus, from the CLOSE PROGRAM Dialogue, Dial-up was listed there.

At last I found the problem. It was the Dial-up which was activating every 5 minutes for about 3 seconds. It was configured to dial every time the connection was not present. That was my findings, although I haven't yet checked the properties of the Dial-up.

And I was not wrong because this is really the cause of the computer operation disturbance. The Dial-up was trying to dial the default number if it was not connected to the internet. And during the dialing, the computer seems stopped responding.

Tetris and the Cellery worm

2005-01-15T01:39:00.000+08:00

Are playing the tetris game on your computer? If so, are you the one who installed the game? If not, or none of your computer user installed that, then your computer is most likely infected by a worm called cellery.

A worm, dubbed Cellery-A (W32/Cellery-A), which poses as a playable version of the classic Russian computer game Tetris has been detected in the wild, security experts have warned.

The Cellery worm, which gets its name from a message it displays saying 'Chancellery', makes changes to Windows settings to ensure that it automatically runs when the operating system starts up.

While the Tetris-like arcade game is running, the worm plays a MIDI music tune, and searches for other network drives and attached computers to also try and infect. (source)

Refilling black ink

2005-01-04T22:54:00.000+08:00

An attendant of a certain computer cafe here in Quezon City while refilling the black ink cartridge of his Hewlett Packard 3650 printer.

Sony VAIO PCG-K23 Notebook PC

2004-12-28T15:50:00.000+08:00

Sony VAIO PCG-K23 Notebook PC (2.8 GHz Pentium 4, 512 MB RAM, 60 GB Hard Drive, Combo Drive)

Description:

Sony's Vaio K Series ergnomically designed notebooks combine entry-level affordability with versatile multimedia and communications power. The eye-catching PCG-K23 features a gently slanted full-sized keyboard that provides a comfortable hand and wrist position. The enhanced widescreen format LCD lets you take full advantage of watching DVD moviews as well as view side-by-side page layouts. The K23 features an integrated 802.11b/g wireless LAN, 15.4-inch screen, 60 GB hard drive, combo DVD-ROM/CD-RW drive, 2.8 GHz processor, and 512 MB of installed RAM. It also comes with Sony's Vaio Creation suite of multimedia applications.

Features:

2.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4
512 MB DDR SDRAM
60 GB Hard Disk
CD-RW: 24x (read), 16x (write), 10x (rewrite); DVD-ROM: 8x;
Windows XP Home Edition
Sony Click to DVD, Sony DVGate Plus, Sony SonicStage, Sony PictureGear Studio, Sony VAIO Media, Sony VAIO Update, Sony VAIO Recovery Wizard, Sony VAIO Help and Support, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Google Toolbar, Intuit Quicken 2004 New User Edition, EasySystems Dragn' Drop CD+DVD, Microsoft Works 7.0, Microsoft Office 2003 60-Day Trial, Norton Internet Security 90-Day Subscription, AOL Online 90-day Trial
15.4 inch display

Click here for more details... ===>>>> Sony VAIO PCG-K23 Notebook PC

Things To Consider

2004-12-23T14:35:00.000+08:00

In buying computer, one should plan first and consider many things before going to a store to buy one. You should ask your self first, why should I buy computer? Whether you will use it for simple office works such as typing, encoding, or any desktop publishing. Does your work focuses on higher resolutions of graphics? Will you use it for playing, surfing or internet works, video editting? Will you use it as your karaoke system or as a television and radio system? These things will tell you what would be the parts needed on your computer system or its specification.

Now, that you have already determined what will be the use of your computer, then you will again decide how much will you spend for this. If you'll be using your computer for graphics editting, so you'll expect to spend higher than when your computer will be used for simple offices and home works. This is becuase you need higher RAM memory and higher Videocard memory.

To be continued on my next post...

Change The Font Color

2004-11-24T23:29:00.000+08:00

Question: Question: I am doing my research in the internet and when I found articles regarding my topic, I highlighted it, copy and paste it into the Microsoft Word. I know I already have pasted the article to the document, but the problem is I didn’t see anything on it. When I repeatedly have done the pasting, the document pages increased. What may be the problem with it? - by a customer of the Jam Net Computer Centers

Answer: There was no problem on it. The font color of article you pasted on the document is the same with the color of the document's background, and that's the reason why you didn't see anything, when in fact you have successfully pasted it. So to change the font color, highlight the whole document by pressing CTRL-A then change the color of the font from white to black.

MS-DOS Prompt for Games.pif: A Virus

2004-11-12T22:11:00.000+08:00

Since September 2004, wherein students started to be busy doing their projects and other requirements, a DOS-shortcut in PIF format started to occupy every folders found in the floppy drives even in the hard disk. At first I thought it was just an ordinary file created during the activation of any DOS files, but I noticed that it always leaves its copy to all folders that I am trying to open. It’s not normal Windows activity already.

So, I then started to investigate and study the behavior of this file. And I found out that this is the product of a malicious codes embedded in file folder.htt which is activated by the special file Desktop.ini.

This is just another modified variant of virus similar to that of what I called, Hedda Marie Virus. But this time, it uses another dummy file MS-DOS Prompt for Games.pif.

I tried to use my updated Norton antivirus software to identify the virus, but it seems my installed antivirus is not smart enough to identify it.

I need to deactivate this virus. So I tried to configure Windows Folder Option to Show All Files, and then I search for the files folder.htt, desktop.ini and *.pif. And then I deleted all found folder.htt, desktop.ini and MS-DOS Prompt for Games.pif files. After that, I restarted my computer.

I thought everything is already fine. But when I open a folder, this MS-DOS Prompt for Games.pif file is saving its copy to it. I have no choice but to disable the registry entry of folder.htt, and desktop.ini. After deleting it, I then restart again the computer, and the result is fine.

My computer is again running smoothly. But I need to delete the infected files to avoid infecting my computer again. So, I do the search of the 3 wanted files and I deleted them all. And now, its free again from virus.

Saving HP Printer's Ink

2004-11-12T01:14:00.000+08:00

When we started our business, the Computer Rentals and Internet Cafe, we experienced problem in saving the ink of our HP Printers. We're selling our printing services for P7.00 /shortpage and P10.00/longpage, that was on the year 2001. Too dear isn't it, but we're not still gaining, since we're using the original HP cartridge cost P1,500.00 for blak and P1,750.00 for colored.

For one whole night of studying the Windows configuration for the HP printer and possible ways to save ink, I finally got the solution for it.

1. The paper quality option on the Windows configuration should be set to DRAFT or FAST DRAFT.
2. Instead of using original brand new cartridge of the HP printers, we can use blank cartridge by refilling it with the refill ink available in the market.

After applying the said solutions, we gained higher than before, and we're not afraid of lowering the price for our printing services just to win the heart of our customers.

Now, the rate of our printing services is as lower as P2.00/shortpage black and P3.00/longpage black, and our colored printing ranges from P4.00 to P50.00 /page long or short page.

New Product: Sony Micro Vault and Sony Micro Vault Pro USB Storage Media

2004-11-07T23:24:00.000+08:00

Sony Micro Vault and Sony Micro Vault Pro USB Storage Media

Sony Micro Vault

It is fast, capacious and desirable. Files can be instantly shared including large multimedia files, school projects or business presentations. It needs no additional driver to be installed. The storage capacity rages from 64 Megabyte to up to 2 Gigabyte.

Support: Hardisk Fails To Boot

2004-11-06T02:27:00.000+08:00

Question: Windows XP and Windows 98 were installed on my hardisk before it became infected by viruses. When I haven't found a remedy on recovering my files, I decided to reformat my hardisk. After reformatting it, I install Windows 98 only, but I found a problem with it. I successfully installed the OS but it fails to boot during startup. What might be the reason behind it? (From Glad of Quezon City)

Answer:

Did you deleted the NTFS partition of your harddisk or you directly formatted you hardisk using the FORMAT.COM file on your Windows 98 installation disk? NTFS is the file system used by the Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows NT operating system of Microsoft. Now, if you decided to use the Windows98 system only, then you should delete first the partition on the NT Files System so that, the computer will directly boot its system using the Windows98 installed on the your harddisk. Use the FDISK.EXE to delete the NTFS partition.

1. Boot your computer using the Startup disk of your Windows98 system.
2. On the DOS prompt c:\ type a:\fdisk then press ENTER.
3. You will be ask whether you will ENABLE THE LARGE DISK SUPPORT, just press Y.
4. Then press 3 for delete partition.
5. Then press 4 for delete non-DOS partition.
6. Then follow the rest of the instructions.

Maybe it is needed to set the remaining partition as the primary DOS partition. But if it needs to format the partition then do it and then install your Windows98 again.

Tip/Trick: Undo Commands

2004-11-03T12:38:00.000+08:00

There are times that we need to undo commands while using our computer or any application software but we don’t find any undo button. You don’t have to worry since we have an undo command using a keyword stroke. What you need is to press CTRL-Z to undo.

CTRL-Z is applicable also even in Windows Explorer, although it is normally used in MSOffice applications.

Note: CTRL-Z is not applicable if you deleted a file while pressing the SHIFT key.

Tips: Annoying Drawing Canvas

2004-11-02T17:55:00.000+08:00

Question: I am using the Microsoft Word XP. When I tried to use its drawing tools, a drawing canvas appear on the document that give me difficulty in editing my drawing. Could it be configured in a way that it will not appear when I click any drawing tool in the drawing tool bar?

Answer:

1. Click TOOLS then OPTIONS
2. On the OPTIIONS Dialogue, click the GENERAL tab
3. Uncheck the option AUTOMATICALLY CREATE CANVAS WHEN INSERTING AUTOSHAPES.
4. Then press OK

Recover Your Document

2004-10-25T14:40:00.000+08:00

I was using the computer of my friend in encoding our research work. It took me 4 hours to finish typing, but suddenly the power went down. So Embarassing?!?, but anyway I can still recover it, I said to my self.

After 5 minutes I think, the power return. So I excitedly open the computer and found nothing to recover with. Ohhhhhh! I wanted to cry..... you know why? The MSWORD installed on the computer has no recovery option. Everything I typed with has lost. I should have:

1. to save my document every 5 minutes or often.
2. to use MSOFFICE XP or the latest version of it because they have the autorecover ability.

Tips and Tricks From jungrp@yahoo.com

2004-10-23T14:39:00.000+08:00

A contribution from Jun (jungrp@yahoo.com, Masbate, Philippines) which was posted at our guestbook, dated October 22, 2004.

Don't Recycle My Files

by: jungrp@yahoo.com

You have several secret files that you do not want to keep them in the Recycle Bin. To do so, press the Shift key while you press the Del key or click the Delete menu.

II.

Windows 98 is an Unfinished Program?

by: jungrp@yahoo.com

Click on the Start button and point to Settings. While holding down the CTRL key, click on the Taskbar & Start menu option. The Taskbar Properties dialog box will appear on the screen. Watch there is a new tab called DeskBar Options, but you cannot change anything on this tab.

II.

Quickly Deleting a Floppy's Files

by: jungrp@yahoo.com

Want to quickly deleting a floppy disk contents? Open Notepad and then type the following batch commands:

@echo off
attrib -h A:\*.*
deltree /y A:\*.* > NUL
echo BLANKlabel A:

Name it DeleteA.bat (or any name as long as the extension is bat) and save it on your desktop (C:\Windows\Desktop).

Now you can insert a floppy into A: drive and execute the batch files by double click on it. It is faster than formatting the floppy.

Note: The symbol between the "BLANK" and "label" in the last line is the pipe symbol, two short vertical lines you can find on your keyboards with the backslash key.

HP Printers And Ink Cartridge

2004-10-21T14:39:00.000+08:00

Since 2001, I am already using the printers of the Hewlett Packard (HP). My first printer was the HP 845, and it was already better than other printers around me. On 2003, I learned that there was even a new model of printer which was better, faster and cheaper than HP 845, it was the HP 3500 which I bought only for 2,200 Pesos. But I found problems using the latter printer especially when I would be printing documents from neighborhood computers.. So, I tried the HP 6500 and found it better than those two printers, although it was using the same type of cartidge with the HP 3500.

With regards to its ink cartridge, it is true that original cartridge and orinnal ink help the printer attain longer life than using refilled cartridges and cheap ink. But I have no choice but to use refilled cartridges for my printers since our printing shop offers P2.00/page only, and there were times that printing rate goes down up to P1.50/page especially if we are printing more than 200 pages with a customer. For more than 3 years of using HP printers, I learned a lot of things in handling these printers.

To maintain the good printing output of the printer using refilled cartridge, try to refill it immediately before it became empty. Even if you have nothing to print for, try to print a sample printout daily if possible inorder to avoid clogging its print head. Use clean cotton when cleaning the contact, and its head.

Slow Computer Performance

2004-10-18T14:38:00.000+08:00

This afternoon, Ken Barcillano asked me what to do to recover his files on drive d:. He mistakenly deleted the partition of his hardisk, and later he realized that his important files were save on drive d.

Actually, I don't still know how to recover the files when the partitions are mistakenly deleted. What I know is that, when we want to recover files after we formatted the disk, we have the UNFORMAT.COM file which will be used to recover it.

I asked him, what may be the reason why he wanted to reformat his harddisk, and he told me that his computer was already performing too slow.

If that was the reason, there's no reason actually to reformat the disk, except if it was already severely infected with viruses. What he could do was to check and uninstall any spywares and adwares, even the unnecessary programs using the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS option; Delete all temporary files, even the internet temporary files located at C:\\WINDOWS\TEMP and C:\\WINDOWS\INTERNET TEMPORARY FILES respectively; and lastly, remove all temporary files created by MSOFFICE applications softwares of which its file names are begin with ~ character.

If after doing such procedures, the computer still performed so very slow, then he can proceed to check the presence of viruses on its system. For sure, after cleaning the computer with the unnecessary files and programs including viruses, his computer will surely be running faster again.

Trojan Horse

2004-10-11T14:38:00.000+08:00

I was using my computer which was connected to the internet using the SURF MAXX prepaid card when a warning dialogue appeared on my screen telling me that a computer with an IP Address 210.23.113.130 was trying to connect my computer using the Default Block Shiva Burka Trojan Horse.

Actually I didn't know what trojan horse was so I tried to open the Symantec info system and this was its report.

Trojan Horse are legitimate-looking programs that includes malicious programming. Attackers can use Trojan Horses to gain access to files on your computer or even take control of the computer.

I was alarmed while reading this report. So I investigated the said IP Address which was trying to connect my computer. And the following were the result:

210.23.113.130 (PI-PH Network, Philippines
inetnum: 210.23.113.130 - 210.23.113.255
netname: PI-PH
country name: Philippines
descr: Pacific Internet PH
descr: Dialup Pool
admin-c IA47-AP

New Virus Attacks

2004-10-10T14:37:00.000+08:00

This week, our computers suffered disturbance from a virus similar to that of what I called, the Hedda Marie Tolentino Virus. This virus infects utilize the role of the folder.htt and desktop.ini on the Windows(r) OS. But this time it has an additional accompanying file, ms-dos for games.pif (in long filename format) or ms-dos~1.pif (short filename format).

As to the date of writing this post, Norton anti-virus program couldn't identify it. So if you want to check your computer, try these steps:

1. Boot your computer directly to your Windows(r) OS. Then press START then RUN. Type on the blank field of the Run Dialogue, command, then press OK.
2. So you are already on the DOS environment. Go to root directory of your drive c: by typing cd \ then press ENTER.
3. Find the file desktop.ini by typing on the c prompt, dir desktop.ini /a /s /p then press ENTER. Originally desktop.ini will be found in the directories: c:\windows, c:\windows\system, c:\progra~1 and some web directories on your c: drive.
4. If your desktop.ini file was already scattered on your disk, there is a possibility that your system is already infected with this virus.
5. Check for ms-dos~1.pif file by typing dir c:\ms-dos~1.pif /a /s /p then press enter.
6. Check for the long filename format ms-dos for games.pif that will be shown after the date of the creation of the file. If you'll find even only one file, then for sure, your system is already infected.

Q. How can we removed this virus?
A. We can remove it manually until such time na madetect na ito ng Norton Anti-virus or other anti-virus programs. So sa ngayon mano-mano muna. Find the files: folder.htt, desktop.ini and ms-dos~1.pif using the search capability of the DOS system. Change the attribute of the files from +R +S +H and +A to -R, -S, -H and -A and then delete them.

Simple? Malaking trabaho to, since kailangan mong isa-isahin ito.

Q. Can we delete them using the SEARCH feature of the WINDOWS system and then deleting those files na nakita sa search?
A. No, because this virus configured your system para hindi sya makikita ng SEARCH feature of WINDOWS system.

Infected With Adwares?

2004-10-05T14:37:00.000+08:00

Web Advertisers are earning money using popups technology. But it's an annoying and disturbing way in part of the computer users. Just imagine working with your office works for a long time, while internet explorer are poping out on your monitor, until came such time that your computer hang up and everything you've done lost.

You'll know your computer is infected with adwares when:

1. You are disturbed by those pop-ups.
2. Your computer slowed down.