Sunday, August 31, 2008

Introduction To Isdn Part Ii

Writen by Chris Bryant

In the previous ISDN article, we looked at how and why one router dials another using ISDN. Just as important is knowing what keeps the link up once it is dialed.

Why? Because ISDN acts as a phone call between two routers, and it's billed that way to your client. The two routers that are connected by this phone call may be located in different area codes, so now we're talking about a long distance phone call.

If your ISDN link does not have a reason to disconnect, the connection could theoretically last for days or weeks before someone realizes what's going on. This is particularly true when the ISDN link is used as a backup for another connection type, as is commonly the case with Frame Relay. When the Frame Relay goes down, the backup ISDN link comes up when the Frame Relay link comes back not billed for all that time.

To understand why an ISDN link stays up when it's not needed, we have to understand why it stays up period. Cisco's ISDN interfaces use the idle-timeout to determine when an ISDN link should be torn down. By default, this value is two minutes, and it also uses the concept of interesting traffic.

Once interesting traffic brings the link up, by default all traffic can cross the link. However, only interesting traffic resets the idle-timeout. If no interesting traffic crosses the link for two minutes, the idle-timer hits zero and the link comes down.

If the protocol running over the ISDN link is RIP version 2 or EIGRP, the most efficient way to prevent the routing updates from keeping the line up is expressly prohibiting their multicast routing update address in the access-list that is defining interesting traffic. Do not prevent them from crossing the link entirely, or the protocol obviously won't work correctly.

With OSPF, Cisco offers the ip ospf demand-circuit interface-level command. The OSPF adjacency will form over the ISDN link, but once formed, the Hello packets will be suppressed. However, the adjacency will not be lost. A check of the adjacency table with show ip ospf adjacency will show the adjacency remains at Full, even though Hellos are no longer being sent across the link. The ISDN link can drop without the adjacency being lost. When the link is needed, the adjacency is still in place and data can be sent without waiting for OSPF to go through the usual steps of forming an adjacency.

This OSPF command is vital for Cisco certification candidates at every level, but is particularly important for CCNA candidates. Learn this command now, get used to the fact that the adjacency stays up even though Hellos are suppressed, and add this valuable command to your Cisco toolkit.

One myth about ISDN is that Cisco Discovery Packets keep an ISDN link up. CDP is a Cisco-proprietary protocol that runs between directly connected Cisco devices. There is a school of thought that CDP packets have to be disabled on a BRI interface in order to prevent the link from staying up or dialing when it's not really needed. I've worked with ISDN for years in the field and in the lab, and I've never seen CDP bring up an ISDN link. Try it yourself the next time you're working on a practice rack!

Keep studying!

Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933, is the owner of The Bryant Advantage, home of free CCNA and CCNP tutorials, The Ultimate CCNA Study Package, and Ultimate CCNP Study Packages. For a FREE copy of his latest e-books, "How To Pass The CCNA" and "How To Pass The CCNP", visit the website and download your free copies. You can also get FREE CCNA and CCNP exam questions every day! Pass the CCNA exam with The Bryant Advantage!

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Look And Feel Of The Ipod

Writen by Bryan Miller

A big reason for iPod sales goes beyond its incredible functionality. Apple has been known for its aesthetics since it entered the personal computer market decades ago.

In fact, one of the reasons that Apple Macintoshes (now referred to as Macs) have found such a loyal following among artistic professionals is its relentless commitment to how things look, in addition to what things do. It was no surprise, therefore, that the iPod followed this legacy perfectly.

The iPod is about the size of a deck of cards; the iPod mini, a smaller version of the original iPod, is about half that size. They are both a kind of creamy, greyish white, which is Apple's signature color for the digital music devices.

The iPod works through a grey click wheel that is rotated and pressed/depressed at the same time. This allows listeners to navigate through various songs – skipping tracks, scanning, repeating, pausing, and so on.

A nice new feature of some of the latest iPod versions is that this wheel must be depressed by the listener in order for the song navigation to occur. Apple added this little feature after some negative feedback on early versions. Those models didn't require the wheel to be depressed, and therefore some listeners complained that it was being accidentally hit or bumped.

Also, take heart if you want to have a more unique-looking iPod to add to your sense of personal style. It looks like there are "special edition" iPods in the works, which can add perfectly to any style in which you would describe your personality.

Bryan Miller owns and operates BestiPodMp3Players.com. This site is dedicated to giving a myriad of resources and information on the Apple iPod.

Friday, August 29, 2008

How I Started Working With 3d Modeling Programs

Writen by Hristo Lozanov

So I'll start from the very beginning.

One day I was surfing in the web and I found one site -- www.digitalblasphemy.com and I browsed it. I was inspired by the 3D graphics' realism and suddenly I noticed the "My tools" button. My heart stopped for a moment and after that I entered the section and some time later I already had the tools and started working.

In the beginning I don't know why I thought it would be easy but later on I realised that I was wrong and it seemed impossible to create what the author had already did. But when I created my first render I compared it with some other from that site and I noticed that I had a female figure and he did also, so I am on the right way :) all I have to do now is tweak it a little. And once again with new motivation I started more deeply to study the chosen -- Poser 4 program. As I was learning rapidly the essentials my circle of knowledge grew and I realised that there is so much more that I don't know. The next couple of days I gave myself some time to think about that and I haven't even touched the program. Going further I even realised that I can't limit myself to that particular program and decided to learn some more less hard programs. Oh I forgot to mention that I did not learn everything with try and error, I also read some tutorials with difficulty level -- easy. Now I am reading with moderate and I can't dare thinking for the hard ones.

Well so much for my 3D experience before doing that I usually played games when suddenly I realised that this is a terible waste of time... well I still play them but way too little and I often use their models to practise with 3dsmax; for example all the models in Warcraft 3 are made using 3dsmax so I often open them to change animations and textures. Soon I may even create my own model and import it and create a custom map... maybe. So much for the offtopic.

Well...thats all I can think of. It was nice writing it, hope you enjoyed it.

For people that will redestribute this please keep my resource box untouched.

Age: 17
Location: Lom, Bulgaria, Europe
Personal site: http://www.freewebs.com/ic03d

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Mp3 Player For Running Or Any Exercise

Writen by Charles West

Using an Mp3 Player for exercise, whether we are running or working out in the gym, we like to do it to music. To our favorite music or music we've chosen for what we're doing - possibly vigorous music for aerobics, soothing music for weightlifting, or a good beat for running, snowboarding or skiing, whatever works for you, is the best for you.

One of the easiest ways to carry that music is with a suitable MP3 player that is light, compact and loaded with your choice of music.

Using an Mp3 player for running, as we all know, over many years people have carried radio's, cassette players and CD players while they were running. All of these were either awkward to carry, or were limited by the length of tape or CD, or the CD would skip, or the radio reception was varied or nonexistent.

The MP3 player for running has changed a lot of that, but not all. It has become noticeable that some MP3 players are best not used for vigorous activity. Over the years we've been told that computer hard drives are temperamental and deserve to be looked after. Shaking or dropping them, we've been told will damage them, as a minimum - cause bad sectors, and ultimately cause loss of data or a damaged boot sector.

Then what happens - we are sold MP3 players that run from computer hard drives (ie, spinning disc's). Yes, we know they have shock protection built in, but this is so we don't hear the skipped music tracks - not to stop the hard drive from being damaged.

I was discussing these thoughts with a client last week, and was interrupted by a computer technician, I thought whoops what have I said wrong, he then confirmed what I was saying is right, as he had replaced his MP3 player hard drive twice in 2 years. He had put it down to heavy use as he is always playing it, apart from the running, and not realized the real problem (that he was using his MP3 player for running) until after a discussion with his work mates. Now he uses a solid state MP3 player for his 25Km runs and has had no problem with either the new unit or his hard drive MP3 player over the last 18 months, none at all.

My advice is to only use a solid State MP3 player for running, they can carry from 2 hours to over 300 hours of music (from 128Mb to 4Gig of storage). These units have no moving parts, therefore shock movement will not damage the music quality, the storage or there long life.

Follow the guide to Choose the best MP3 player for running, at
http://www.mp3srock.com/mp3_music_player.html And checkout the new ebook guide Choose Your Next MP3 player at http://www.mp3srock.com/mp3_player_ebook.html

About the Author

Charles West sells Technology products (cameras, DVD's, sound systems and of coarse MP3 players etc) for a retailer. Over the last couple of years he has come across many people who need a little more help in understanding the idea of MP3's the different types of MP3 players and there uses.

So to help He has developed http://www.mp3srock.com for people to understand all the many variants and uses of MP3 players.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The Magic Behind Digital Camera

Writen by Harry Rockwell

A digital camera, as opposed to a film or videotape camera, uses an electronic sensor to transform images (or video) into electronic data. Modern digital cameras are typically multifunctional and the same device can take photographs, video, and/or sound.

In 2005, digital cameras are starting to push traditional film cameras out of many markets. Shrinking device sizes have recently allowed miniaturized digital cameras to be included in multifunctional devices, such as cell phones and PDAs.

Classification

Digital cameras can be classified into several groups:

Video cameras

* Professional video cameras such as those used in television and movie production. These typically have multiple images sensors (one per color) to enhance resolution and color gamut. Professional video cameras usually do not have a built-in VCR or microphone.

* Camcorders used by amateurs. These are a combination of camera and VCR to create an all-in-one production unit. They generally include a microphone to record sound, and feature a small LCD to watch the video during filming and playback.

Still cameras

Digital still cameras are generally characterized by the use of flash memory and USB or Fire Wire for storage and transfer.

Most have a rear LCD for reviewing photographs. They are rated in mega pixels; that is, the product of their maximum resolution dimensions. The actual transfers to a host computer are commonly carried out using the USB mass storage device class (so that the camera appear as a drive) or using the Picture Transfer Protocol and its derivatives.

All use a CCD (for Charged Coupled Device) which is a chip comprised of a grid of phototransistors to sense the light intensities across the plane of focus of the camera lens.

There has recently been some application of a second kind of chip, called a CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) sensor, and this chip is often differentiated from a CCD proper in that it uses less power and a different kind of light sensing material, however the differences are highly technical and many manufacturers still consider the CMOS chip a charged coupled device. For our purposes, a chip sensor is a CCD.

* Standard Digital Cameras: This encompasses most digital cameras. They are characterized by great ease in operation and easy focusing; this design allows for limited motion picture capability. They have an extended depth of field.

This allows objects at multiple depths to be in focus simultaneously, which accounts for much of their ease of focusing. It is also part of the reason professional photographers find their images flat or artificial-looking. They excel in landscape photography and casual use.

* Digital SLRs typically have a sensor nine times larger than that of a standard digital camera, and are targeted at professional photographers and enthusiasts. They resemble ordinary professional cameras in most ways, with replaceable flash and lens components, which give the user maximum control over light, focus and depth of field.

They are also bulkier and more expensive than their casual-use oriented counterparts. They are superb for portraiture and artistic photography because they can be customized for various applications with a comprehensive range of exchangeable lenses.

Professional modular digital camera systems

High-end digital camera backs used by professionals are usually separate devices from the camera bodies which they are used with. (This is because most of the large- and medium-format camera systems in professional use at the time that digital capture overtook film as the professional's medium of choice were modular in nature, i.e. the camera body had multiple lenses, viewfinders, winders and backs available for use with it to fit different needs.)

Since the first backs were introduced there have been three main methods of "capturing" the image, each based on the hardware configuration of the particular back.

The first method is often called "Single Shot," in reference to the number of times the camera's sensor is exposed to the light passing through the camera lens.

Single Shot capture systems use either one CCD with a Bayer filter stamped onto it or three separate CCDs (one each for the primary additive colors Red, Green and Blue) which are exposed to the same image via a beam splitter.

The second method is referred to as "Multi-Shot" because the sensor is exposed to the image in a sequence of three or more openings of the lens aperture. There are several methods of application of the multi-shot technique.

The most common originally was to use a single CCD with three filters (once again red, green and blue) passed in front of the sensor in sequence to obtain the additive color information.

Another multiple shot method utilized a single CCD with a Bayer filter but actually moved the physical location of the sensor chip on the focus plane of the lens to "stitch" together a higher resolution image than the CCD would allow otherwise. A third version combined the two methods without stamping a Bayer filter onto the chip.

The third method is called "Scan" because the sensor moves across the focus plane much like the sensor of a desktop scanner.

These CCDs are usually referred to as "sticks" rather than "chips" because they utilize only a single row of pixels (more properly "photosites") which are again "stamped" with the Bayer filter.

The choice of method for a given capture is of course determined largely by the subject matter. It is usually inappropriate to attempt to capture a subject which moves (like people or objects in motion) with anything but a single shot system.

However, the higher color fidelity and larger file sizes and resolutions available with multi-shot and scan-backs make them attractive for commercial photographers working with stationary subjects and large-format photographs.

Webcams

* Webcams are digital cameras attached to computers, used for video conferencing or other purposes. Webcams can capture full-motion video as well, and some models include microphones or zoom ability.

These devices range in price from very inexpensive to expensive higher-end models; many complex webcams have a servo-controlled base capable of tracking facial motion with the help of software.

Interpolation

Image color or resolution interpolation is used unless the camera uses a beam splitter single-shot approach, three-filter multi-shot approach, or Foveon X3 sensor.

The software specific to the camera interprets the information from the sensor to obtain a full color image. This is because in digital images, each pixel must have three values for luminous intensity, one each for the red, green, and blue channels. A normal sensor element cannot simultaneously record these three values.

The Bayer filter pattern is typically used. A Bayer filter pattern is a 2x2 pattern of light filters, with green ones at opposite corners and red and blue elsewhere.

The high proportion of green takes advantage of properties of the human visual system, which is determines brightness mostly from green and is far more sensitive to brightness than to hue or saturation.

Sometimes a 4-color filter pattern is used, often involving 2 different hues of green. This provides a wider color gamut, but requires a slightly more complicated interpolation process.

The luminous intensity color values not captured for each pixel can be interpolated (or guessed at) from the values of adjacent pixels which represent the color being calculated.

In some cases, extra resolution is interpolated into the image by shifting photosites off of a standard grid pattern so that photosites are adjacent to each other at 45 degree angles, and all three values are interpolated for "virtual" photosites which fall into the spaces at 90 degree angles from the actual photosites.

Connectivity

Many digital cameras can connect directly to a computer to transfer data. USB is the most widely used method, though some have a Fire wire port.

Integration

Some devices, like mobile phones integrates digital cameras. Mobile phone cameras are much more sold than standalone digital ones.

Storage

Digital cameras need memory to store data. The higher one goes in pixel size, the more memory will be needed. Cameras use a removable memory card to store data, but the cheapest and smallest cameras may simply use fixed internal memory instead. Some cameras come with inbuilt memory as well.

Autonomous devices

An autonomous device, such as a PictBridge printer, operates without need of a computer. The camera connects to the printer, which then downloads and prints its images. Some DVD recorders and television sets can read memory cards too.

Digital Camera - Take advantage of information on digital camera. Know in detail the functionalities of digital cameras & their utility features.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Personal Wireless With Bluetooth

Writen by Karen Wilkinson

If you already have a wireless network for your computers, you may be very interested in what's coming next. Would you like it if your PDA, your mobile phone, your mp3 player and almost everything else you connect to your computer could be wireless too? It's already a reality...

Personal Area Network.

Using wireless networking with your personal gadgets is often called PAN, which stands for Personal Area Network. The idea is that, in the future, we'll all have laptop computers with their batteries charged and no more need to connect any wires to them at all -- you just place your Bluetooth device near the computer, and the computer sees it and can use it straightaway.

Bluetooth has been around and in-use since 1999, and it's only getting more popular. It was designed to be secure, low cost, and easy to use from day one.

There are two classes of Bluetooth that are in popular use: class 1 and class 2. Class 2 is the most common and cheaper standard, allowing you to use a device that is up to 10 metres (32 feet) away. Class 1 is rarer, but you can still find devices that use it easily enough, and it has ten times the range: 100 metres or 320 feet.

How Does It Work?

Bluetooth is more flexible than 802.11 wireless networking, in exchange for the shorter range. Essentially, a Bluetooth-enabled computer has one Bluetooth receiver installed in it, and this receiver can then be used with up to 7 nearby Bluetooth devices. On the other end, wireless devices do not need to have Bluetooth installed if they support it -- it is already integrated.

Like 802.11, Bluetooth works by using radio signals to create bandwidth. It is not, though, the same thing as an old-style wireless mouse or keyboard, which required a receiver to be plugged into one of your computers' ports, and didn't have range or stability anywhere near that of Bluetooth.

Many computers now come with built in Bluetooth, especially Apple Macs. If you want to add Bluetooth to a computer that doesn't come with it pre-installed, you should probably use a USB to Bluetooth adapter, although internal Bluetooth devices to install in your computer are available. If you have a laptop and a spare PCMCIA slot, you can get Bluetooth cards for that too.

What Can You Do With Bluetooth?

Mobile phones with Bluetooth are very popular, and so are PDAs -- the instant synchronisation of addresses and calendars to a computer is a useful feature. Other than that, almost anything that would usually use USB can be done using Bluetooth, including digital cameras, mp3 players, printers, and even mice and keyboards. If you take a look through the comprehensive list of Bluetooth 'profiles' (kinds of devices that could, in theory, be Bluetooth enabled), it includes cordless phones, faxes, headsets, and even video.

Basically, more than anything, Bluetooth is a replacement for USB: some say that while 802.11 wireless networking is wireless Ethernet, Bluetooth is wireless USB.

Not Just for Computers.

Part of the power of Bluetooth is that it isn't just used to connect things to computers -- it can be used to connect almost anything to anything else, if both things are Bluetooth-enabled and recognise each other.

Mobile phones, in particular, take advantage of this. Hands-free headsets often use Bluetooth to communicate with the phone. Some cars, for example, now have on-board computers that will connect with a Bluetooth phone and allow you to make hands-free calls, regardless of where the phone is in the car (even if you've left it in your bag in the trunk!)

On top of that, of course, Bluetooth devices can communicate with each other. This has led to some people sending messages from their Bluetooth PDAs to others in close range -- not an especially useful feature, but quite fun. This is called 'bluejacking', and the first recorded instance of it was a man who sent a Bluetooth message to another man's Nokia phone while they were in a bank together. What did the message say? 'Buy Ericsson'.

Since then, it has become possible to send images by bluejacking, and it is widely believed to be the newest advertising medium -- yes, it lets billboards send messages to your phone, a practice known as 'bluecasting'. Whether you think that's cool or annoying, of course, is your choice.

Joe Byrne is a computer specialist specializing in network communications and Voice over Internet Protocol. Click on Voice over Internet Protocol for more information on VoIP.

Monday, August 25, 2008

How To Live Without Your Ipod

Writen by John T Jones, Ph.D.

For the price of your monthly car payment you can buy an iPod®. It will store your music and video. If you go on vacation, it will store the shots from your camera–unless you have one of those ancient critters that uses film.

The last feature strikes at this old man's heart. You can store a mess of pics and view them on the iPod® while on vacation.

It's a fact that I would buy an iPod® in a heartbeat except for the fact that when I go on vacation that after I'm down the road exactly thirty-seven miles I realize that I've forgotten my camera.

I never turn back to get it. That is contrary to the teachings of the Church of the Old Geezer. I go into a gas-station store or a Wal-Mart®-type store and buy one of those throwaway cameras that they keep next to the checkout stand for forgetful old men.

That's why I can't have an iPod®.

Well, there are other reasons. I could never figure out how to use it, remember to charge the battery, and keep it in my pocket except when I throw my shirt into the washing machine.

Anyway, if I did have an iPod® I would just lose it. I would be spending all of my time looking for the darned thing instead of fulfilling my destiny to write trivial articles like this one.

This brings us to the purpose of this article: What should one do if his or her iPod® is lost, stolen, or out for repair. Here is a list of things to do while scheming to get your folks to fork up the dough to buy you another iPod®:

Write that term paper for your English Class that was due last week.

Call your friend and see if you can borrow his iPod® for a week or so until you get yours replaced. If he says, "No Way!" remind him of the photos you took of him making out with the sister of a mean, ugly, short-tempered guy.

Go to the library. That is the big brick building that has books. Have the nice lady tell you how to checkout a book. Take the book home and read it. Make sure you have the librarian help you find something you will like. Don't take home a copy of The French Revolution: the early years this early in your reading. Try The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales for starters.

Fire up your old Boom Box. Turn it to the highest volume. Your parents will breakdown and buy you a new iPod®.

Well, that aught to do it!

The End

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine, Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success. He calls himself "Taylor Jones, the hack writer."

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)

Sunday, August 24, 2008

How To Set Up A Wireless Network In Your Home For Beginners Comcast High Speed Internet

Writen by Carlos Cabezas

Let's just skip the intro and get straight to it. This tutorial is for the Windows XP Operating System. If you don't have it I recommend you upgrade to it.

This portion of the tutorial will apply to people with Comcast High Speed Internet. For other Internet Providers I will include another tutorial specific to those.

Let me start off by saying that despite what Comcast might tell you, you do not have to have Comcast come and set up your wireless network. In addition, you do not need to pay them an additional monthly fee in order to have a wireless network in your home or to have additional computers on your home network.

Let's talk a little about where to buy the equipment . In most walk in retail stores you are going to pay about 20% to 30% more than if you order online (with the exception of Walmart, but the one near me is always out of stock of the wireless products I need.) If you feel more comforatable buying from a retail store because you can easily return something that is defective or that you don't like, keep in mind some retail stores will take back a defective product for a full refund within 14 to 30 days, but some will tell you to ship the defect to the manufacturer for a replacement. If the item is opened and you simply don't like it, most retail stores will take it back within 30 days but you will have to pay a restocking fee, which is usually 30% to 50%. My point here is that I don't see too many advantages to buying wireless equipment at a retail store.

I order almost everything online unless I need to test it first or I can't wait a few days for it to ship. I don't mind waiting a few days in order to save 20 – 30%.

Equipment

There's a lot of different equipment you can use, but what I'm going to list here is what I've found to be the best, and is what I use myself. If the text is blue it means you can click on it to be taken to a page where it can be ordered online, either from Amazon or Buy.com, both reputable online retailers.

The following portion of the tutorial applies to the following: I have a Desktop Computer that sits near the cable modem.

First you will need a Wireless Router. I recommend the Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router.

If you are connecting a desktop computer to your wireless network and the desktop computer is sitting near your cable modem, your desktop computer will need to have an ethernet card. How do you know if your desktop computer has an ethernet card? If you bought your desktop computer within the last 3 years chances are it has one already. Best thing is to get behind the computer and look. If you have one you will have a port in the back of your computer that looks similar to a phone jack port but bigger. If you do not have this then you will need to purchase one. The Linksys LNE100M EtherFast 10/100 PCI card will do fine.

To install this card you will have to unhook your desktop computer and open the case. Before you start to panic let me tell you, in most cases it's really not that hard. In most circumstances the hardest part is opening the case.

The first thing you need to do is open your computer case. Since each computer maker makes a different case and in turn a different way to open the case, I cannot list the steps for all manufacturers. In addition for just one computer maker, the way cases are opened differs from model to model. If the computer is a Dell or HP then the instructions on how to open it should be online on their website in the help section. It may take a little digging to find it but it's there. Sometimes a case is designed well enough that it can be opened simply by unscrewing the two round screws and pulling it off.

Once the case is off it's time to take a look inside.

The slot that you are looking for looks like this picture to the right. You may have several open slots like this or just one. Take a look at the slot and then take a look at PCI Ethernet card that you bought. As you can see the Ethernet PCI card is shaped to fit nicely into the PCI slot in your computer.

There will probably be a small metal cover covering the PCI slot. Holding this cover on will be a screw. You need to unscrew this with a Phillips head and take off the cover. Once you've done that align the ethernet PCI card with the PCI slot. Once you have it aligned it will take a small amount of force to get it to click in, just make sure you have aligned correctly. There is only one possible way it can go in.

Once you have the Ethernet PCI card in put the cover back on the computer and hook your computer up again.

There are other options for wireless adapters that do not involve opening the case but I don't recommend them as they can cause more headaches then they are worth.

Laptop Computer that is fairly new

If you are trying to connect a laptop computer that was bought after 2005 you most likely have wireless capability already so there is nothing you need to add to your laptop. You can check for sure by doing the following:

Click on Start > Control Panel > System > Click on the Hardware tab > click on the Device Manager button in the middle of that window > You will see a list of your hardware here, find the one that says "Network Adapters > Click on the Plus sign next to Network Adapters > This will show all the network adapters on your computer > If you see something with the word "Wireless" or 'Wireless Adapter" then you are in good shape, your laptop has a wireless adapter.

If your laptop is older and you do not have a wireless adapter then you will need to add one to your laptop.

Let's talk for second about what kind of adapter to get. Most laptops have what's called a PCMCIA slot in them. If your laptop did not come wireless ready I recommend you get a wireless adapter that goes into your laptop's PCMCIA slot. The Linksys Wireless-G Notebook Adapter will do fine. The instructions that come with this product are pretty good and will tell you step by step how to install and load the software. In a nutshell you are going to load the CD into your cd drive and follow the instructions to load the software for the adapter. Once the software is installed you will shut down your computer, slide the card into your laptop's PCMCIA slot and turn the laptop back on.

Once you have the appropriate adapter installed for your computer you are ready to move onto the next step.

Installing The Linksys Wireless Router

The following directions apply to the following: I have a Desktop Computer that sits near the cable modem. In addition the desktop computer is hooked up directly to the Comcast Cable Modem.

If there is an Ethernet cable going from the Comcast Cable Modem to your desktop computer, disconnect this from both the computer and the modem. If it is a USB cable disconnect it from the computer and the modem.

In the wireless router's box you should find its power supply as well as an Ethernet Cable. Take them both out. Plug the power adapter into a power outlet.

Take the Ethernet cord and plug it into one of the Ethernet ports in the back of the Linksys Wireless Router (plug it into any of the ones on the back except the one that says "Internet" over it.)

Take the other end of the Ethernet cord and plug that end into the Ethernet adapter that you put into your desktop computer. Now power up your desktop computer. Once it is powered up, open up Internet Explorer, or if you use Firefox open that up.

An Internet Explorer window comes up and it says "Page Cannot Be Displayed".

In the Internet Explorer address bar, type in the following numbers exactly like this

192.168.1.1 and then press Enter on your keyboard.

If your computer is talking to the Linksys Wireless Router you should get a window asking you for a username and password. Leave the username blank.

Go down to the password field and type in admin

Then press the enter key.

You are taken to the Linksys set up screen. This is where changes are made to the routers set up.

Look towards the top, you should see something that says Host Name and Domain name. Just above this you should see a drop down menu. By default it probably says Obtain an IP automatically.

If it has "Obtain an IP automatically" there already you do not need to do anything. Just exit the window.

If it does not have "Obtain an IP automatically" click the arrow for the drop down menu and choose "Obtain an IP automatically".

Scroll down towards the bottom until you see a "save" button. Click save. You will be told that Settings are successful and you will be returned to the Setup screen again.

That's all you need to do on the router status screen for right now. Exit the window.

Connect Your Comcast Cable Modem to the LinkSys Wireless Router

By now you have your desktop computer connected to the LinkSys Wireless Router by way of an Ethernet cable.

Now you will need to grab another Ethernet cable.

Plug one end of this Ethernet cable into the Comcast Cable Modem. (There should only be one possible port for it to go.)

Plug the other end of this Ethernet cable into the LinkSys Wireless Router in the port that has the word "Internet" over it.

Now you have a cord going from the computer to the Linksys router, and another cord going from the linksys router to the Comcast modem.

You desktop should now be able to get onto the Internet. Open up Internet Explorer again and surf the Internet to check.

Connect Your Laptop to the Wireless Network

The following section applies to the following: I have a laptop and I want to connect my laptop to my wireless network. My laptop is fairly new (purchased after 2005) and it already has a wireless adapter inside it. I checked in Device manager as noted above and I found something that said "Wireless".

This should be fairly easy if your LinkSys Wireless Router is running correctly.

Boot up your laptop. When the laptop boots up you should get a pop up window saying that it found a wireless network called "linksys". It should connect to the wireless network automatically. If not then you need to Right-click the network connection icon in the notification area (area near the clock in bottom right hand corner), and then click View Available Wireless Networks.

In Connect to Wireless Network, under Available Networks, click the wireless network that you want to connect to (the one called "linksys")

Click Connect. You should now be connected to the internet.

If your laptop is older and you had to add a PCMCIA wireless card to your laptop to give it wireless capability, the steps to connecting to your wireless network are much lengthier. In this case your best bet is to consult the online documentation and follow the steps outlined in it.

Carlos Cabezas writes regularly about home technology at http://www.HighTechHomes.tv/blog. His business, High Tech Homes, helps work at home professionals, families and small businesses with their technology issues.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

What Are The Main Components Of Any Computer And Which Are The Most Critical To Its Performance

Writen by George Chamoun

Computers are everywhere, and vary in specification, brands, sizes, shaped, and prices. However, there is one common characteristic among all computer systems.

whether we are talking standalone home pc, high performance networked servers, Unix computers, Linux, Windows, or Macs, they all have five main components: Input device, Output device, Central Processing Unit, Memory, and Storage device

1- The input device is used to enter the data into the computer. Examples of input devices are: Keyboards, Scanners, or light pens.

2-The output device is used to redirect the processed data to a device connected the output connection of the computer. Examples of output devices are: Monitors, Printers.

3-The Central Processing Unit is where the computer processes data and coordinates tasks among different components of the computer.

4-Memory is where the computer stores data. The memory is two types:

a-RAM, random access memory, where temporary storage of the data takes place. The data in the RAM will be lost is the computer is shut down.

b-ROM, read only memory which has built in information used by the computer components.

5-Hard Disk storage, where you can store the data permanently. It will stay stored, even if the power is shut off.

For you computer to function properly, it should have the five metioned elements. But, some of these parts are more critical to the performance of the computer.

The most critical two I found, are the RAM, and the CPU speed. Here is why:

The keyboard does all the stuff you need, although some keyboard have more keys and functions to them, it depends what kind of application you are using, some keys you will never need.

The Hard disk is usually larger than what you need. For a normal home user, It is hard to use 1000MB. Nowadays, you get disks with more than 10 Gigabytes.

The output, like the monitor can be changed anytime, without changing any computer parts. Also, there is not lots of options you need for a monitor, you can get any monitor that will do the job. Just get a good size, good resolution, and pick a regular or flat LCD one. The rest of specs are not to critical.

Now, let us look at the most important parts: The Ram, and the CPU. With today's application, you need lots of processing power, because you will be running few applications at the same time. Also, you can be running a very powerful operating system that need lots of processing and memory power.

Every running application consumes some ram memory, and every application today need lots of it. Example, is Internet Explorer 6, and Netscape Navigator. So the ram will be used up fast. This is why you need as much as Ram as you can get. Get 250MB at least.

With the big ram , you need fast CPU also in order to process the application quick. The faster is your CPU, the faster all application are running.

Also, the CPU is very expensive, after few years of using your computer, the CPU will cost you more than the whole used computer.

In summary, when you buy a computer, the most important factors in your decision should be getting a big RAM ( 250MB At least), and getting a fast CPU processor.

Thanks,
George Chamoun

For tips about your Windows XP computer, visit our new website: http://www.ResolveWindowsXpProblems.com

Friday, August 22, 2008

Lm And Md5 Hash Security And Cracking

Writen by Brian Wilson

In this paper I will discuss Encryption and how to Crack encrypted hashes without the decryption key. Let's start with an explanation or the idea behind encryption. Encryption is used to secure or hide data from unauthorized personal and has been around from about 1800 BC and is not going away. There is always going to be a need to secure data and keep it out of unauthorized hands. Now with that said there is always going to be new ways to break the encryption and with computers getting faster. Crackers will learn how to break the encryption faster than ever. We are going to look at two encryption algorithms for passwords LM & MD5.

LAN Man Hash (LM)

LAN Man Hash (LM) is a Microsoft Encryption Algorithm used to Encrypt Passwords for Windows NT, 95, 98, ME 2000, XP, and 2003 Server. All though in the latest versions of windows (XP, 2003, Vista) Microsoft has now switched to NTLM for most encryption but LM is still widely used. LM is made by taking the users password and converting it to all uppercase and them splitting the password into two seven character halves. Each seven character half is converted to a sixteen bit hash and them both half's are combined to make a thirty-two bit hash witch is the complete LM Hash.

LM Hash Example:

ED39C160E34521DCBF02B3DFE230653A = CERT276ROSENVA

ED39C160E34521DC BF02B3DFE230653A = CERT276 ROSENVA

1st 7 upper Encrypted 2nd 7 Upper encrypted pass

^ pass^

Message Digest Five (MD5)

MD5 hash is a 128-bit (16-byte) hash and are typically represented as 32-digit hexadecimal numbers. The MD5 (Message-Digest algorithm 5) was designed by Ronald Rivest in 1991 and was made to replace old algorithms. Today the MD5 hash is widely used and for the most part is secure. The best thing to remember is that with any password you need to make it complex and long. The best passwords are 15 characters or longer containing both upper and lower case letter with numbers and other special characters too.

MD5 Hash Example:

16d2c02aad8d116bc403f73454a5eeb1 = emocan

32-Digit Hash pass^

Cracking Password Hashes

Cracking password hashes can be easy if you have time and patience. What I mean by this is that with most basic cracking methods you are running the hash thought a dictionary and hoping the password is in the dictionary you are using. This can take time and you are just shooting the hash into a list. The other most common cracking technique is to use Burteforce cracking. Burteforce cracking is the means of throwing all possible characters at the password till you find the match. This is the most time consuming method of cracking and can take years to crack a complex password. The last method we will discus is Rainbow Crack. Rainbow Crack is a Hash cracking utility made by Zhu Shuanglei. Zhu's Utility is based on Philippe Oechslin's faster time-memory trade-off technique. Rainbow Crack is a pre-compulated Burteforce attack and the attack data is stored in a data base called a rainbow table. With Rainbow Tables it is possible to crack complex passwords 100's or 1,000's of time fast them with a standard Burteforce attack. The downside to rainbow tables is that it takes a lot of time to make the tables sets. On the other side of this once a table set is made it can be saved and reused as many time as you need. To make the tables you need rcrak.exe and it is reconvened to have a group or large number of computers available to make the tables. There are many places online theses days selling table sets or memberships to used online tables submission services. One of the groups on the internet with the largest set of tables is Plain-text.info and they do not charge for access but limit anonymous access to a few hashes per hour unless you join there team and help support there network of crackers. At the time of this writing Plain-text.info is the only group online using a distributed cracking system using member's computers to assist in cracking the hashes. For more info on anything discuss here feel free to e-mail me (Slimjim100) slimjim100@gamil.com.

Brian Wilson CCNA, CSE, CCAI, MCP, Network+ Slimjim100@gmail.com

http://www.middlegeorgia.org

http://www.middlegeorgia.info

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Deal With Dvd Duplication

Writen by Christopher Luck

What exactly is DVD duplication? I hear people talk about DVD duplication and I always assumed that just meant copying the DVD, but I never knew how to do it or how it worked exactly. It turns out that it is a legitimate process that should be taken seriously.

DVD duplication literally is the copying of optical media. What is generally meant when people talk about DVD duplication is the production of small quantities of DVDs from existing master copies to recordable DVD media.

If you have some sort of business or personal project that is going to require the use of DVD duplication, there are companies that can help. As you search for a DVD duplication company, you will likely be asked which kind of disc you need. I always thought that all DVDs are the same, but apparently they are not. There is a difference between the DVD's used to manufacture small orders of DVD duplication versus larger orders, which are referred to as DVD replication. It is just a good idea to be aware that there are differences.

You may surprised to find out that in most cases, DVD duplication does not in any way hurt the quality. Unlike with cassette tapes or photo copies, there is very little difference between the original and the copy. DVD's very simply store data, and transferring that data does not do anything to hurt the integrity of the information and thus the quality of the DVD. Really, you are just moving files like you would if you were to move them from one folder on the desktop of your computer to another. There are mistakes that can be made or shortcuts that can be taken in DVD duplication that will hurt the quality, so make sure you check out any DVD duplication company you think you may want to work with. If they just put a little effort into the process, there should be no real discernable quality different between the original DVD and the duplication.

DVD duplication can be a valuable process in the production of marketing and business materials as well as personal information. There are cost and quality concerns when it comes to DVD duplication versus replication, but mostly you should be taking into account how many copies you need in order to make the decision. Discuss it with your DVD duplication company representative to see which will produce the most efficient and best quality product for your project. In the end, though, remember that any decisions about your DVD duplication projects are yours. So make sure you educate yourself on what you are facing and make the decision.

If you would like the latest information on dvd duplication, or find more of my personal articles like the one you just read, visit my technology site.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

How To Clean Old Data From The Registry

Writen by A Singh

The system registry is an integral part of any windows operating system. It is the central database of the operating system and is constantly referred to in order to efficiently run the computer. As the system is used and programs are added and deleted from the computer the entries are made in the corresponding sections of the registry. The programs and files or shortcuts may be uninstalled or deleted from the system but they remain in the registry. This clutters up the registry, which grows the system down, and need to be removed with special utility tools known as the system registry cleaner software.

Where Can I Find This Registry Cleaner Software?

Registry Cleaner software is abundantly available on the Internet and many of these tools are available for free downloads. The download process does not take more than a few minutes at the most and is even faster to install. The registry cleaner software, such as, windows registry cleaner, PC registry cleaner and hundreds in their creed. The registry cleaner software is very reliable and all have a registry backup program. This backup must be done with all the registry cleaner software that is used no matter if it is a freeware or a premium pack. Anything can go wrong at any time and not only with registry cleaning software.

Since the registry is the backbone of the system it must be maintained in top order. The registry, if damaged or corrupted in any way, may stall a program or even the entire system. It is possible to delve into the registry and clean out the redundant files and folders manually however; even the gurus of the registry never advise this. It is always better to use a utility such as windows PC registry cleaner to clean old data from the registry and compress the registry to make it more efficient.

Search the Internet and find the registry cleaning software that most suits your requirement. All the registry cleaners have some thing in common. This is scanning the registry for old and useless data, repairing the registry by removing the redundant data and compressing the registry and backing up the old registry in case it needs to be reinstalled. The ActiveX controls that downloads bring with them do the most damage. Once the download is uninstalled the entry in the registry remains and needs to be removed with the special registry cleaner software. The use of which will only enhance the performance of the PC.

Author is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Window Cleaner, Anti Spam Filter etc. More information can be found at http://www.pcmantra.com To know about the Registry Cleaner visit at http://www.pcmantra.com/registry-cleaner.htm

Monday, August 18, 2008

Pc Repair Using The Tools Supplied With Windows

Writen by Douglas Titchmarsh

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

Sunday, August 17, 2008

How To Put Movies On Psp

Writen by Geroge Miller

Many have the problem that they don't know how to put movies on their PSP. This is when this little and simple guide comes into play.

First of, you need these things:

PSP

Memory stick pro duo

PSP-transfer cable

3GP converter (a really simple do use program that is fully capable of converting many video formats) get it here.

A video file of some sort that you want on your PSP

As little as that

Prestep: Connect your PSP to the computer and locate in "My computer" on your PC.

First of all go into the root catalog of your PSP, usually E:PSP. Once there you make a folder called "MP_root" and in that folder create a folder called "100MNV01" that's where all your videos will be stored.

Second. Start the 3GP converter setup and choose you're languishing and then choose in the list "Model: MP4, for PSP" and press Apply.

Third. In the new windows appearing choose the quality you would like your movies to be in, choose that in the list under "Model: MP4, for PSP" the higher quality the more space on the memory stick it takes. Then choose output directory, by pressing browse. Drop the video files that you want on your PSP in the white drag&drop space and it begins to convert.

After the converting is done, the two files ending at .MP4 and .THM needs to be renamed to M4VXXXXX.MP4 and M4VXXXXX.THM where X is any random number. When that is done, put the two files in E:PSPMP_root100MNV01.

After that, turn on your PSP and watch your video

For more about PSP movies and other great PSP stuff visit PSP Portal.

Written by George Miller

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Your Affiliate Business Peripherals Software Computers

Writen by Vickie Scanlon

I have always been interested in computers, but in the beginning, I would not venture any further than to the software end of learning. However, learning only the software side, and knowing nothing about the hardware side, can open you up to some costly times at the shop.

When I was selling peripherals, I happen to ask my immediate supervisor how he would go about learning the hardware side of computers. He looked at me and flatly stated, "Like I did -- learn by doing – build a computer from scratch". Well, that is exactly what I did. And I'll give you a tidbit of what I learned and the problems I encountered.

Lessons Learned

1. I tried to put a floppy drive from my old unit into my new unit. I blew up the floppy drive. Lesson learned – do not put outdated computer components into a new system. Duh!

2. Some of the old programs are not compatible with the new operating system. Did cost me some extra money and time.

3. Don't build a new system from scratch – it cost more than a manufactured unit, unless you have money to burn, want to learn more about computers, or you are going to repair computers for a living.

What do you need in a computer?

Since you are going to run your business from your computer – you want to make sure you get the best you can get, at the price you can afford.

1. When money allows, piggyback an additional hard drive onto your primary hard drive for backup. Needless to say, your primary hard drive will not last forever.

2. CD-ROM – (Self explanatory)

3. Hard drive – Make sure your hard drive has enough memory -- I have several 40 GB hard drives.

4. Floppy drive – good for quick copies of an Excel, Word, etc.

5. Printer – A quality printer. When looking for a printer, make sure it is compatible with the operating system you have and the operating system that is currently out on the market. Why? It saves you time – you may have to look for an upgrade for your printer online for the new operating system – sometimes it's free, sometimes it's not, or sometimes the computer will not support the printer with the new operating systems. They want you to buy a new unit.

6. Power supply – some suggest that the computer unit should have 300+ voltage to give your operating system a lot of snap.

7. Fans – The new units usually have additional fans to cool the CPU – which will help extend the life of your computer.

8. Networking capabilities – you'll never know when you want to add an additional unit, it's always good to be prepared – and trust me it will happen eventually.

9. If you have to buy a new operating system, I would suggest going with Microsoft XP Professional. I found it very stable, and less likely to crash.

Suggestions

If you start adding everything up, you will realize that I spent more on a "build it yourself unit" versus that of a complete unit. And the complete unit my friend, is definitely the way I will go from now on.

I have bought several units, and through hard knocks (rebates not received, wrong unit sent – poor customer service) – learned that the best deal that I have encountered was from Dell Computers. They offer different computer units, peripherals, printers, etc. with instant savings on select Dell PCs -- great weekly deals – reasonable prices and honored rebates. Okay, as you can see I'm sold on Dell – if you want to take a closer look you can go to my website at www.myaffiliateplace.biz to see for yourself what they have to offer.

To conclude, when you buy a computer unit online always be aware of what you're buying, what you will be using it for and with, and where you are buying it and from whom. Sometimes you have to take the hard knocks to learn, which is okay, however, when the hard knocks include an outlay of money – it's always good to have some good advise before making a decision.

Vickie J Scanlon has a BBA degree in Administrative Management and Marketing. Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz for free tools, articles, ebooks, how to info, and computer software/hardware.

Tips On Finding The Best Cd Duplication Services

Writen by Bob Hett

Are you in the music business and you want to get you CD ready to be distributed out on the market? Or perhaps you are in the computer field and you need 500 CDs made for your employees on some recent protocol or software? Whatever your reasons may be, if you are in need of some serious CD duplication you should get CD duplication services to help you. There are many different places to go for CD duplication services. If you are in unsure of where to go for CD duplication services, please read on for some tips on finding the best CD duplication services.

The first set of tips you should utilize for finding the best CD duplication services is to go for a place with a guarantee. This guarantee should protect your CD and all of its content. All of your copies should be correctly formatted with no errors or discrepancies. The CD duplication services should be sure to guarantee the quality of the CD duplication as well. The CD duplication services should also guarantee a time frame for your CDs to be done. Time is usually of the essence when someone needs CDs duplicated, so be sure to find CD duplication services that can offer your CD duplications to be done in a timely manner.

The next set of tips you should use is to find CD duplication services that have the newest and latest technology used in order to produce the CD duplications. Some of these can be operated by a computer and some of then can even operate without the use of a computer. When you check around for CD duplication services, ask the staff about the technology they use. If the staff does not seem very knowledgeable about what they use for their CD duplication, then you probably shouldn't use them for your CD duplications.

Lastly, you need to know where to look for CD duplication services. You can always find some online. If you live in a large city, you should be able to find some in you local yellow pages. Large and reputable computer hardware or electronics companies often offer CD duplication services. Take some time and call a few or shop around to see who is the most knowledgeable and to compare rates.

These are the most important tips you should keep in mind in order to find the best CD duplication services. Hopefully all of this information was helpful to you. If you utilize all of these tips, you should easily be able to find the best CD duplication service for you and your needs. Now you are one step closer to obtaining all of those copies you need!

Bob Hett, a Financial Advisor, offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning CD Dupliation. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting CD Duplication Services

Friday, August 15, 2008

Got Data

Writen by Grace Judson

Each of the stories that follow is absolutely factual.

  • When their clothes dryer blew up, the young couple escaped with her cell phone, their toddler son, and one shoe. The house was incinerated in fifteen minutes. She was supporting the family with her home-based business while her husband looked for work. Her business computer was now part of the ashes and rubble that had been their home.
  • A talented and creative freelance writer and curriculum developer had no time to grab her computer when she and her husband had to evacuate their house during Southern California's wildfire season. All her current and past projects were lost.
  • Leaving her laboratory office after a long day working on a grant proposal, the neurobiologist had no idea that when she returned the next morning to review and submit the proposal – due that day – her computer would refuse to boot up. Fortunately, the problem was not the hard drive; even more fortunately, the proposal had been sent to the university's finance department for review, and was submitted on time.
I have heard so many heartwrenching stories about people losing family memories, captured in photo albums and personal correspondence, in fires, floods, and other disasters. In this digital age, many of these treasures are stored on our computers: digital photography starts as a computer image before being printed and framed, and nowadays most correspondence is handled through email.

People admit, albeit reluctantly, that yes, they should back up their computers more often – or even at all! Despite my dislike of the word "should," I completely agree. We really, really should back up our computers, on a planned and regular basis!

So, what keeps us from doing so? There are three primary reasons.

  1. We may be unaware of how many treasures – financial and medical records, digital images of family and friends, emails from college-student sons and daughters and, yes, those all-important business records! – are stored on the hard drive whose reliability we take for granted.
  2. We don't like to think about unpleasant possibilities, especially when there's no way to prevent such surprises. The young couple whose clothes dryer blew up certainly never dreamed that their house would – or even could! – burn to the ground that quickly.
  3. Many people are confused and baffled by what to do and how to do it. Even for those who are technically proficient, creating a personal backup and disaster recovery plan ranks only slighly higher than cleaning the bathroom; for the many who find technology confusing and scary, cleaning the bathroom starts looking downright fun compared to figuring out a backup plan!
The good news is that help is available for both planning and for the technology. The biggest job facing you is deciding how detailed you want your plan to be – which depends on how valuable your data is to you. There are three primary questions.
  1. If you were to lose everything on your computer tomorrow, what would it mean to you?
  2. Is there crucial business, medical, and/or financial information on your computer?
  3. Do you know where your software CDs and license keys are?
Once you have answered those questions, you can use my Backup and Disaster Recovery worksheet to create (and then implement!) your own plan. (Find the worksheet on my website at http://www.svahaconcepts.com/backups) If the technology feels too overwhelming and unfamiliar, my fellow coach Beth Lyons (at http://www.techiecoach.com) is a technical guru who loves helping people solve technical challenges.

Whatever you do – please take the time to do something. For your own sake and for the sake of your family, who need the history and the memories that are stored so tenuously on your computer, take the time to define and implement a backup and disaster recovery plan. You'll be glad you did!

(c)Grace L. Judson

About the Author
Grace Judson is the founder and driving force behind Svaha Concepts, and specializes in helping smart people find easy ways to do hard things.

For more articles like this, sign up for the free Svaha Concepts newsletter.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Help I Need A New Hdtv Part 3 Of 5

Writen by Brett Griffin

Feeling overwhelmed in selecting a new TV? With all the choices these days, you may feel like, "Where do I start?!"

In part 3 of our 5 part article, we the discuss what HDTV is.

HDTV stands for High Definition TV. Clarity and detail are clear and crisp and truly unmatched. After watching HDTV on a regular basis—it's hard to go back!

Technically defined, HDTV displays vertical resolutions of 720 or 1080. This refers to the number of horizontal lines on the screen that make up the picture. Don't get caught up in the number of lines, it doesn't necessarily make for a better picture. While this may hold true for Plasmas, LCD and DLP TV's are evaluated differently. For example, 1080, is better on DLP and LCD for displaying slower moving video such as TV shows, news casters and other still images like photos from your recent vacation. While, 720 is better for fast motion pictures like action films, football games and similar fast moving programming.

Lastly you will notice next to the 720 or 1080 designations you will find a letter "I" or "p". This refers to the compatibility of video signals. Progressive scan ("P") is the newer method of creating a TV picture. The TV creates the picture from top to bottom in one pass and produces a better picture on newer technology TVs. Interlaced ("I") is most common method of creating a TV picture. The TV creates the picture in two top to bottom passes, first all the odd lines, and than the even lines. Developed for CRT TVs to produce a better picture. Most of your older videotapes, DVD's and laser disc will be in the interlaced format. You will likely want to consider a TV that accepts both formats.

* Next in Part 4 of this article: Ok, now the true question... do I need HDTV?

©2005 Architechtronics, Inc. All rights reserved.

To stay on the cutting-edge of home automation, theater, and technology join "The EDGE" today—it's free! http://www.architechtronics.com/edge.html

Brett Griffin lives and works in Philadelphia, PA. Brett has 12 years of experience in the technology industry and strives to seamlessly blend high performance technologies into one easy to use system. As co-founder of Architechtronics, Brett uses his creativity and experience to help builders, dealers, and homeowners meet their technology desires in their home.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Ipod Wireless Speakers And Headphones

Writen by Dale Ewans

The iPod seems to have induced a certain trend in the consumer electronics industry as many companies on the market rushed to manufacture accessories for the little device that allows you to take music with you wherever you go. Speakers and headphones were among the first choices as iPod accessories for consumer electronics companies. The next step was wireless speakers and headphones to allow more freedom of movement. We'll try to discuss the pros and cons of wireless peripherals for the iPod as well as the models that each wireless component works with.

Logitech

Logitech began marketing in 2005 a wireless headphone unit that works with any model of iPod that has a dock connector on the base. This feature is standard on all new models and is available on older models as well. The headphones use Bluetooth technology to connect to the iPod through an adapter that transmits the signal. They come with rechargeable batteries that supposedly can play up to eight hours of music per charge.

The wireless headset is very light and weighs only 3.2 ounces, with the adapter unit weighing less than an ounce. iPod controls are provided on one of the earpieces, so there is no need to return to the iPod to adjust the volume or move through the play list. The iPod can be left sitting on a counter or on a desk, and the headphones will pick up the signal for up to 30 feet away.

Logitech also markets a wireless music receiver and transmitter that turns your current stereo into a receiver and set of speakers for your iPod. It comes with its own rechargeable batteries so it doesn't drain your iPod. The receiver unit simply plugs into your stereo system and the transmitter onto your iPod. The system works with any iPod or MP3 player with a standard 3.5mm headphone output.

The benefit of this system is that you can use it to make your existing speakers wireless without having to purchase additional equipment. It is easy to plug in and use so you can easily move to other rooms in the house. The only drawback is the 30-feet distance restriction between the receiver and the transmitter.

Macally

Macally designed a Bluetooth based BlueWave iPod headset that connects to the iPod through a transmitter plugged into the iPod's headphone port. One issue with the BlueWave system is that the transmitter unit doesn't use the iPod's connector for power but two non-rechargeable AAA batteries. Another issue would be the plastic notch situated by the headphone jack that prevents the transmitter from wobbling on the iPod's top and which you will need to remove if you own an iPod shuffle or a first or second generation iPod.

The signal's range should be around 30 feet but it varies greatly depending on the environment you are in, especially if doors or walls stand in the way. The headphones can provide up to eight hours of interrupted music depending on volume level and other factors. They are also powered by two non-rechargeable AAA batteries.

With the BlueWave system you can also wirelessly stream music from your iPod by connecting the headphones to the home speaker system with a RCA patch cable that fits in the line-out jack from the headphones.

Oregon Scientific

Oregon Scientific released in 2005 a very interesting wireless speaker system designed for the iPod, the iBall. The speaker is shaped like a bowling ball and it connects to a transmitter dock, that holds the iPod, through 2.4 Ghz wireless technology, with adaptive frequency hopping spread spectrum. The signal range should be up to 100 feet and the rechargeable batteries provide up to 8 hours of music on a single charge. It is compatible with iPods, iPod photos, iPod nanos, and iPod minis.

The iBall has a built-in remote for the iPod which you can use even if the iPod is not in the room. The speaker has a round LCD display that you can use to change volume and skip tracks, find out the time, wireless signal strength, battery power, play/pause status.

Wi-Gear

The iMuffs from Wi-Gear are wireless headphones made especially for the iPod but with a twist. They use Bluetooth technology to connect wirelessly to both your iPod and your Bluetooth enabled phone, so you can use them as a wireless headset for the cell phone. When you receive a call, the iMuffs pause the music on the iPod, ring in the headphones and allow you to speak in the integrated microphone.

The iMuffs system has a small receiver that hooks on top of the iPod and comes with a rechargeable battery that provides up to 12 hours of interrupted music. As expected with Bluetooth, the iMuffs headphones can pick up the signal in the 30 feet signal range. They also feature iPod controls on each earpiece for pause, volume, skip and search.

In the future, the market of wireless headphones and speakers for the iPod will become a bigger share of the overall iPod accessories market, as the signal range will increase, the audio output quality will get better and the batteries the manufacturers use for power will allow more hours of playtime.

Dale Ewans shows you how wireless technology improved audio systems at http://www.Wireless-Speakers.org where you can learn how wireless speakers and headphones work, read product reviews and find out shopping tips and tricks.

How To Clear A Stubborn Inkjet Printer Clog

Writen by Eli Fry

Do you own an inkjet printer? Has the printhead ever clogged up on you, creating streaks or missing colors from your printing?

Clogs can be incredibly frustrating. Normally when you find out you have a clogged printhead, it's because you're right in the middle of printing something important. It's one of those problems that you never ask for. It just seems to throw itself in your lap without warning, and then taunts you in your efforts to fix it.

The printhead is the mechanism of your printer (or inkjet cartridge), where the ink actually comes out.

For the most part, printhead clogs can be normally be flushed out with a couple of "head cleaning" cycles. A head cleaning cycle is a built-in function of your printer. It's a specialized routine meant to address this type of problem.

This "cleaning cycle" works by sending a strong 'print signal' to your printer, while at the same time drawing a small vacuum from underneath. The combination of these two steps works in an attempt to suck out clogged ink from the printhead. From my experience, you'll probably need to run between 3 and 5 cycles to fully clear a clog.

The location of the head cleaning cycle proceedure varies for each printer brand, so refer to your printer owner's manual for specific instructions to find yours. Check the index first.

If you don't have your owner's manual anymore, you can check our your printer manufacturers website. Most likely, they will have your printer manual online.

There are times however, when a few standard head cleaning routines don't seem to solve the problem. A stubborn printhead clog like this can be persistant enough to make you want to rip out your hair.

For times like these, you'll need to pull out the big guns!

For stubborn inkjet printhead clogs, there are various cleaners out there specifically for this purpose. These cleaners are formulated to disolve dried or "gummy" ink which may have accumulated from infrequent printer use, or even just a general build-up over time.

I personally brought an old printer "back from the dead" using a product called 'Clog Buster'. It was a printer I had purchased off of eBay which apparently hadn't been used in awhile. I spent a few hours trying to revive the printer, and 'Clog Buster' was the only thing that worked when nothing else did.

The only downside with using a cleaning product like this however, is that you usually don't have it in your immediate possession when the clog hits. Unless you have some already on hand, you'll have to wait for it to be shipped to you. In the meantime, your printing project will have to remain on pause until it arrives.

(But maybe I can help...)

The good news is that you MAY be able to solve the problem using some basic household products. In fact, Windex glass cleaner can actually work well for dissolving dried ink. What's the secret ingredient?

Ammonia.

Tough printhead clogs can usually be brought into submission by soaking the printhead in a solution of 50/50% ammonia and distilled water.

A important word of warning... Ammonia is potent and powerful stuff. When working with ammonia, always make sure you've got adequate ventilation, and avoid mixing it with other chemicals. Very important.

So, if your printhead is located on the inkjet cartridge itself, you'll want to soak the printhead in the 50/50 solution for an hour or two.

If the printhead unit is located inside your inkjet printer itself, then you'll first need to remove the inkjet cartridges. After those are removed, put some of the solution into the top of the printhead (directly into the nozzle holes) and let it sit a few hours. Go ahead and put a little more into the printhead resting seat. (This is the rubber rectangle part that seals off the printhead unit while the carriage is in it's resting position.)

If this initial soaking doesn't work, then repeat another time using 100% ammonia for up to one hour. Afterward, make sure to rinse completely with distilled water.

If the clog doesn't immediately clear, go ahead and let the printer sit overnight and try it again the next day. Sometimes the clog will breakdown slowly and release later as the ammonia takes it's toll.

Finally, for those of you wondering about the effectiveness of using alcohol to unclog cartridges and printhead -- here's a quick note...

Alcohol won't work as well as ammonia, but may work better than a few cleaning cycles. The downside is that alcohol may actually dry out the plastics and metals in the printhead. This could actually increase the chances of clogging later on down the road. So try to avoid alcohol if possible.

Eli Fry is president of ASAP Inkjets. ASAP Inkjets offers inkjet cartridges and laser toner at up to 80% below retail. Signup for their free newsletter for tips & discount coupons at http://www.asapinkjets.com/ or email: subscribe@asapinkjets.com.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Unlimited Dvd Rentals

Writen by Josh Riverside

More and more people are renting DVDs online. Although some still prefer to go to rental stores, the newer generation definitely know the benefits of registering with an online DVD website.

Regular DVD stores charge the customer per DVD rented out. This definitely helps keep them in business. On the other hand, many online DVD stores provide the option of paying just once during registration with the website. For this one time registration fee, the customer can rent any number of DVDs. Also, these online stores deliver to the customer's doorstep in almost every state at no extra cost.

Although websites accept yearly or semi annual registrations, most focus on lifetime memberships for customers. Some clubs provide a free trial before the customer confirms the registration. Credit card payments are accepted, and the customer can cancel the membership after the trial period at no extra cost. Money back guarantees are always provided in the event the customer is not satisfied.

Some online stores provide unlimited DVD rentals on a monthly basis. This could prove more expensive compared to a yearly or a lifetime membership.

Most online DVD rental stores deliver the DVDs to the customer's doorstep and pick up at no extra cost. All this is included in the membership fee which is very low compared to the cost of renting a DVD on a pay-per-DVD basis.

All rental stores provide good quality DVDs and guarantee customer satisfaction. A member is always invited to provide feedbacks regarding the service. A customer can keep the DVD for as long as needed and return it at no extra charge. There might be exceptions depending on the website.

DVD Rentals provides detailed information about DVD rentals, DVD rental clubs, DVD rental reviews, and more. DVD Rentals is affiliated with Free Movie Downloads.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Comparing Digital Camera Features

Writen by Steve Gargin

More people are able to afford digital cameras because their prices are falling but the number of characteristics is rising so it is important to be able to compare digital camera features.

The first step in being able to compare digital camera features is to decide what you want to get out of your camera. If you compare digital camera prices you will see that for shooting family snapshots you can get a good basic digital camera for under $400, while a professional model is over $2,000. When you compare digital camera features you need to know the extent of the use you are going to get out of it.

It is essential when you compare digital camera options to understand the issues of image resolution, which is measured in megapixels. Basically, the more megapixels, the higher the resolutions of the final image but you definitely need to compare digital camera images with your actual requirements. This is best done if you compare digital camera resolution with the size of the images that you want to print and you will find that a 1-mg camera can create a 3-by-5-inch (7.5 by 13 cm) photo-quality print; a 2-mg camera will make a 5-by-7-inch (13 by 18 cm) print; a 3-mg camera will make an 8-by-10-inch (20 by 25 cm) print, and a 6-mg camera will make a 9-by-13-inch (23 by 33 cm) print.

One of the other points to consider when you compare digital camera prices is to look at the complete package that is offered. Some included extras to look for when you compare digital camera packages are if the camera includes a cable for your computer and if it comes with image-editing software that works with your computer. If these are not included it is still possible for you to buy them separately but you need to allow for this when you compare digital camera prices. Another important point to consider when you compare digital camera options is to choose a camera with removable memory in addition to built-in memory.

All of the cameras that you are considering when you compare digital camera features should have an LCD screen for viewing pictures, a built-in flash, a timer, and a time/date stamp on even the most basic camera. You should also look to compare digital camera packages that have optical zoom, not digital, if you need a zoom capability and most midrange cameras should have high-quality optical zoom lenses but it is still worth checking to make sure.

About The Author
Steve Gargin is the administrator of http://digital-camera-reviews.helper-guru.com/casio-slim-digital-camera/index.html which is a great website dedicated to giving free advice on Digital Cameras.

Keep Your Computer Cool

Writen by James Monahan

If the computer after several hours' use suddenly rebooted and does not show any sign of system failure, there could only be one thing. The computer is overheating.

Unknown to many, (especially those who are not into technological stuff) the computer could generate a large amount of heat when it is in use. Adding video or sound cards could also add more heat generation from your computer.

The temperature inside the computer or laptop that has high-powered processors that runs with multiple applications reaches one hundred forty (140) degrees.

The more drives, memory and even colored lights stuffed in today's CPUs and laptops, the less space there is for internal air circulation. Combine that with poor exhaust or surrounding ventilation, and systems slow, applications run poorly, or the computer could reboot to cool itself down, or crash altogether.

The popularity of cheap computers is fast increasing. People are drawn to buying the cheap computers but they are not aware of the reductions made just so to meet the demand.

One of these reductions is the size as well as the effectiveness of cooling fans on the computer. As the computer gets warmer, the computer speed also gets slower.

With the proper cooling device in the computer, rest assured that the performance of the computer would be better. It could also extend the life of the computer, motherboard and the processor.

Cooling products help drop the temperature of the CPU and its components by circulating, dissipating, cooling and pulling air from a desktop or laptop computer.

Some fans mount in the front drive bays of computers, while others slip into PCI slots to suck air out the back. Copper or aluminum "heat sinks" mount atop the processor to cool that device itself.

When buying a new computer, visit a retailer and touch the computer case to see how hot it gets. Consider adding additional fans to the PCI slots or atop the processor.

Other cooling tips include cleaning dust away from the CPU's fan, or opening the unit and using a can of compressed air to blow dust off the components.

Keep the CPU off the floor, and install filters atop the fans, to reduce dust, pet fur or other debris from getting into the unit. A small electrical fan aimed to blow across the CPU also can help disperse heat and cool the unit.

Keep the computer in a location where air can circulate freely. Keeping the tower in a desk cabinet, leaving the doors open or removed to aid circulation also helps air to circulate inside the computer.

For general office cooling, a flat-panel monitor, or LCD, can reduce the amount of heat generated, as compared to a traditional CRT monitor.

Laptop heat is especially common. Many road warriors, teleworkers and home office workers place the laptop literally upon their laps to work.

This not only can block exhaust fans, but can trap and build heat. Laptop pads dissipate heat by either elevating the unit from the surface, or by using fans to help draw heat away from the device.

Many slot coolers are being marketed today. There are two things that you have to consider before buying one. The intake of fresh cool air is very important. Case temperature drops with the intake fan in the case. T

he position of the fan is the other. It has to be positioned one slot away from the AGP card. The extra space would help the airflow inside the computer. This way the computer heat would be lessened.

James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of CoolingBase.com and writes expert articles about cooling.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

How To Set Up Simple File Sharing Winxp

Writen by Jason Barrett

The first step is: Start > My Documents

So you have the My documents folder open.

Second click the tools button, than select folder options.

Now you will see a few tabs, we want the View tab so go ahead and select that one.

Now scroll down the list and double-check that "Use simple file sharing (recommended)" setting was checked.

Click the OK button

Open a new folder in My documents

Next right click on the folder and select Properties.
Choose the Sharing Tab
Double check that the "make this folder private" option is not checked
Click ok and close the properties window and now drag the folder you would liek to share to the "Shared Documents" folder located on the left hand menu.

Now right click on the Shared Files folder and select properties, choose the sharing tab
Check the box beisde the dialog "Share this folder on the network"
Click Apply
Now all computer connected to your workgroup or domian can access the folder, that you wanted to share.

Now for confirmation there should be a little hand holding your folder, you are sharing.

Jason Barrett
http://www.computing-forums.com

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Is Your Web Browser Putting You At Risk

Writen by Doug Partridge

It's free, it comes with Windows and it's used by approximately 94% of the Internet population. It also poses an unacceptable security risk. What am I talking about? If you guessed Internet Explorer, you're right on the money. So, is your web browser putting you at risk? If you're one of the 94% using Internet Explorer, the answer is a definite *yes*. By my math, quite a few people require critical information for protection.

What's the problem with Internet Explorer (known as "IE" from here out) and how does it put you at risk?

The main problem with IE is the numerous security flaws. As an example, between April 2001 and June 2004, Microsoft documented *153 security flaws* in IE. When a security flaw is discovered Microsoft releases information about the flaw and the potential impact. *Usually* at this point Microsoft provides a downloadable security fix to remedy the problem. Since many people don't know about the flaw and the fix, frequently people remain vulnerable for long periods of time.

Just how serious are some of these security flaws? Some of the critical security flaws allow attackers to basically gain control of your computer and run whatever malicious programs they chose. In many cases, your vulnerable computer can be compromised just by visiting the wrong website.

Here are but a few of the malicious programs I've seen loaded on people's computers through security holes in IE:

  • Browser Hijackers. These are programs that do nasty things like change your home page to another page, usually something pornographic in nature. They can also install software and links on your desktop, of course *without* your permission.

  • Spyware. This is extremely devious and malicious software, and in many cases, it's used by criminals for online identity theft. Once it's on your computer, Spyware sits quietly in the background recording information about you. Do you shop and bank online? This is one threat to be extremely concerned about.

What can you do to improve security?

Rather than continue to apply what boils down to "band aid" security fixes to IE, I recommend a more permanent solution. Stop letting IE put you at risk, and switch to another web browser.

How exactly will switching web browsers help? Quite simply, there are so many security exploits on the Internet targeted specifically to IE that just by using another browser, you'll happily avoid most of them.

The good news is that there are several alternative web browsers available free of charge like Netscape, Mozilla, Opera and Firefox. For more information a great website to visit is http://BrowseHappy.com. This website is dedicated to getting people to switch from IE. It's full of "real life" stories about why people switched, and what browser they're using now.

So, what's the best browser of the bunch? Well, it's highly subjective of course, but my vote goes to …

Firefox, "Rediscover the Web" A new browser called Firefox has quickly become my web browser of choice. First off, Firefox was written to be "lean and mean" and it certainly delivers. It's faster at loading web pages than IE and even provides features not found in IE. Something I suspect will quickly become a favorite feature is called tabbed browsing. Tabbed browsing allows you to load multiple web pages in the same window, and quickly switch between the loaded pages. Tired of pop-ups? Firefox has the best built-in pop-up blocker I've seen. I have yet to see a pop-up get past it. When it comes to security, Firefox receives *high marks*.

Firefox definitely has a positive "buzz" going right now, and it's easy to see why. If you're interested in trying out Firefox, you can download it for free here: http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

I'll conclude by saying that switching browsers is only one of several steps necessary to protect yourself from the many threats on the Internet, but it's certainly a good place to start. Here's to practicing safe computing.

© Doug Partridge - All Rights reserved

About The Author

Doug Partridge is co-author of a new eBook, "How to Secure Your Computer Using Free Tools and Smart Strategies." This is the missing Internet security guide that should have come with your Windows computer, but didn't.

Free Details => http://www.SecureYourComputer.net

Friday, August 8, 2008

Wireless Linux Using The Linux Wireless Toolbox

Writen by Eric Meyer

First thing you need to do is purchase a wireless adapter card with a prism2 chipset. Just go to google and type in linux wireless adapters and track one down.

If you are using a fairly good wireless distro it should pick up the card automatically.

Ok, Now you have the card now what, you plugged it in and look to the bottom write where the Windows XP wireless Icon usually is and find nothing.

There is no Zero config utility with linux, but they do have built in tools to help connect to wireless networks.

Now you need to find the Command line terminal, it usually looks like a window with a shell because it is a shell.

Now let's test to see if you have your card working. Type in iwlist at the command prompt. If it doesn't let you, then you might have enter administrator mode.

You can enter administrator mode by typing su at the command prompt. Then you will be asked for the administrator password.

Now type in iwlist at the command prompt. This will give you a ton of tools to work with. Once you have typed in iwlist and nothing happens then you probably don't have the right card or it's configured wrong.

Check and make sure you don't have any other wireless network adapters active and disable them if they are. Also make sure that your wireless adapter is set to start up at boot time. You need to look for your system utilities area..it's like the Microsoft control panel called Yast.

By the way your wireless adapter should be named wlan0

The iwlist command will give a list of options that look like this: usage: iwlist [interface] scanning
[interface] frequency
[interface] channel
[interface] bitrate
[interface] rate
[interface] encryption
[interface] key
[interface] power
[interface] txpower
[interface] retry
[interface] ap
[interface] accesspoints
[interface] peers
[interface] event

All of these options can give you various detailed information about surrounding wireless networks.

If you type in iwist scanning it will give a out of all wireless networks available to you with an output like this:
wlan0 Scan completed :
Cell 01 - Address: 00:14:BF:75:31:FD
ESSID:"Len"
Mode:Managed
Frequency:2.462 GHz (Channel 11)
Quality:2/94 Signal level:-84 dBm Noise level:-154 dBm
Encryption key:on
Bit Rate:1 Mb/s
Bit Rate:2 Mb/s
Bit Rate:5.5 Mb/s
Bit Rate:11 Mb/s
Bit Rate:18 Mb/s
Bit Rate:24 Mb/s
Bit Rate:36 Mb/s
Bit Rate:54 Mb/s
Bit Rate:6 Mb/s
Bit Rate:9 Mb/s
Bit Rate:12 Mb/s
Bit Rate:48 Mb/s
Extra:bcn_int=100

This gives you the Network Name, MAC address, Frequency, encryption and much more. This information can be used to join your preferred network.

If you are monitoring certain access point you can type in iwlist accesspoints and get the listing of each nearby access point with the MAC address.

Once you have located the access point you want to connect with it' time to start using another command called iwconfig.

iwconfig is used to configure your wireless adapter so you can connect it to your preferred network. You can configure every thing from the ESSID to the transmit power of your wireless adapter.

sYNOPSIS
iwconfig [interface]
iwconfig interface [essid X] [nwid N] [freq F] [channel C]
[sens S] [mode M] [ap A] [nick NN]
[rate R] [rts RT] [frag FT] [txpower T]
[enc E] [key K] [power P] [retry R]
[commit]

The syntax for using the iwconfig command is: iwconfig (interface name) then what ever you want to configure. So if you want to configure the ESSID you would type iwconfig wlan0 essid "network name".

Now that you know that the tools are there go to work!!!

Learn everything you could ever want to know about wireless networking technology at http://www.wirelessninja.com Learn how to prevent hackers from exploiting your wireless network. Also learn how to prevent the most dangerous computer threat, social engineering.