Your Computer Cant Keep Time

Writen by Stephen Bucaro

A computer needs a certain amount of information to operate; for example, the date and time, the amount of memory installed, the number of drives and their configuration, and so on. In the early days of computers, either the user typed in this information each time the computer started, or it was set using DIP switches and jumpers. Today, computers store this information in a CMOS chip that uses a small battery to retain the information when the computer is shut off.

CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) is type of chip that consumes very little power; therefore, while the computer is turned off, the battery discharges very slowly. But the battery will totally discharge if you leave your computer turned off for a year or so. Even if you turn your computer on every day, the battery is designed to last only a couple of years. Occasionally a battery will fail prematurely.

Today's plug-and-play computers can detect most of the necessary settings, but if your CMOS battery is dead, your computer will not be able to retain the date and time. The computer will also lose any custom settings, for example, the boot sequence. If you set a password in CMOS, you may be locked out of the computer. If the CMOS battery does fail, you might receive the message "System Configuration Lost" when you start the computer. It would be wise to record all the CMOS settings as a precaution.

To record the CMOS settings, watch for an on-screen prompt when you first start your computer. The prompt tells you to press a key, usually the Del or F2, to enter CMOS. To enter the CMOS configuration utility, you have to press the indicated key while the message is on the screen. After the CMOS configuration screen appears, follow the instructions provided to page through all the screens and record all the settings.

If your computer loses its time setting overnight, the CMOS battery may not be holding a charge. The CMOS battery is located inside the case on the motherboard. Changing the battery is usually a job for a computer technician. In fact, a layman might not even be able to find the battery.

If you want to locate the CMOS battery in your computer, be aware that a static discharge from your hands can damage components inside the case. After taking proper precautions, open the case and look on the motherboard for a battery. If you have a diagram of your motherboard, locate the battery on the diagram first.

Different motherboards use different types of batteries. The battery may be shaped like a barrel or a coin. Some motherboards use a component that resembles a chip which contains the CMOS and the battery (made by DALLAS or Benchmarq). Batteries come in different voltages, so make sure you get an exact replacement.

Sometimes the battery is mounted in a holder. Sometimes it is soldered to the motherboard. De-soldering and re-soldering a battery is usually a job for a computer technician. An inexperienced solderer can cause a lot of damage. If you want to try to do it yourself, first practice on an obsolete circuit board. You may change your mind.

If the CMOS battery has failed because it's too old, this might be an opportunity to upgrade your motherboard. When upgrading a motherboard, the most important considerations are to make sure the new motherboard is the correct form factor for your case, and that the new motherboard has the correct bus connector slots for your expansion boards.

Copyright(C) Bucaro TecHelp

Permission is granted for the below article to forward, reprint, distribute, use for ezine, newsletter, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sale as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright, and the resource box below is included.

About The Author

Stephen Bucaro

To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter visit http://bucarotechelp.com/search/000800.asp

Computer Network Repair

Writen by Thomas Morva

Computer networking is very important when it comes to in-house office jobs where the mutual connection of computers constitutes an important part of the whole work. Therefore, networking is an important element in today's corporate world.

There are many professional technicians who have the to securely install whatever type of network you require. All networking vendors use the highest quality hardware and software to help insure that your network is trouble free so that you don't have to worry about it. They also troubleshoot and maintain existing networks in homes and offices.

Most technicians are friendly, professional and qualified and will do everything in their power to make servicing your computer or network a positive experience. This means speaking in non-technical, easy-to-understand terms and explaining exactly what's wrong, what your options are and what the estimated costs are. Computer network vendors and repairers provide support for all network platforms.

Of course, security should be your main concern. It should always be your number one priority when it comes to choosing a company to do your computer network repair. They should be fluent in all security program-related language, and should be able to communicate it in lay terms when needed. That way, you can work with them to decide what is the most efficient and least expensive route to take. However, do not skimp on this investment, for such skimping could hypothetically cost you your entire business in the long run.

Shop arouond for the most thorough and holistic service, and find the best situation for your company and your employees.

Computer Repair provides detailed information on Computer Network Repair, Computer Repair, Computer Repair Services, Computer Repair Software and more. Computer Repair is affiliated with Computer Part Supplies.

Getting Digital Pictures Printed

Writen by Markus Wahlgren

As everyone makes the jump from film to digital photography, there seems to be a question of "where do the pictures go?" In the old days of film photography, it was simple. You had to get the film developed, butt then there the pictures were, in your hand and ready to frame and hang or send to friends and family. Now, you take the picture and it only exists as a file on a hard drive somewhere. How are you supposed to hang that on the wall or mail it to grandma? Well, there may actually be digital solutions to these problems too, but if you want the picture printed on paper, there is still a way to do that, too.

Most digital cameras and most computers now operate on what is called "plug and play," meaning you can simply hook the camera up to the computer and they can interface, with no need to install programs or drivers. Using this function, you can plug your camera into your computer and transfer the images from the camera onto the computer. Once they are there, they can be printed just like you would print any other picture or document off of your computer. Depending on your intended use for the picture, you can buy special photo paper that will greatly increase the picture quality of your final printed image. You can also adjust the settings on your printer to give you the best resolution and image settings possible.

Maybe you want to get more from your digital pictures though. There are many software programs available that help you optimize your pictures for printing. These programs range from very inexpensive ones that may have even come free with your camera or printer to the very expensive ones that can cost nearly a thousand dollars and boast professional quality printed pictures. Whatever level you choose, these programs will offer features such as red-eye reduction, cropping and contrast adjustment that will allow you to tweak the picture prior to printing them. These are some of the primary advantages of digital over film photography, as many of these options are either non-existent or very difficult with film. With digital though, they are just a mouse-click away.

Maybe you're not into the do-it-yourself printing, though. In the old days of film photography, there were places to do it for you. Department stores, drug stores and specialty photo shops offered to develop and print your pictures for you, and they still do. Most of these developers will now allow you to bring in your digital camera or its memory stick, and they will print the photos for you. In some cases you can even email the pictures in to them. By using their services, you can get the same quality prints that you used to get with film.

Your digital pictures don't always have to remain digital. You can bring them into the real world via printing them, just like you got your old film photos developed. By exploring the options in printing digital pictures, you will gain a better understanding of the advantages of digital over film, as well.

Markus writes and publishes articles about Printing igital photography , and other unbiased topics on Independent-views.com

Windows Pda Medical Software Benefits

Writen by Dan Ayala

PDA Medical Benefits

If you are concerned about your medical history, the Internet has some great windows medical pda software that is available for free. Freeware is all the rage, and finding good quality freeware that is medically related is easy and fun.

Some of the medical downloads that are available for your palm pilot include a great freeware medical dictionary that has a vast collection of medical terms and can be updated regularly to stay current. It even has a built in feature that lets you spell medical terms incorrectly and returns the correct results. This free medical dictionary download is easy to use and can be both informative and entertaining.

Other interesting medical freeware downloads for your pocket pc includes things like a personal health record that allows you to keep track of your medical history at the touch of a button for your convenience. Other pda medical downloads can be a great help to those that have a variety of health issues. These programs can track things like cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes information, and BMI and weight management. Still other medical downloads can help you estimate your risk factors for things like heart disease and breast cancer.

Being able to monitor your health on your palm pilot is just one of the many exciting features of owning a pda. For those that need to accurately track health information, using a pocket pc is a great way to keep these kinds of records. Taking care of yourself has never been so interesting or so easy.

Dan Ayala is webmaster and publisher of PDA-Review-Online.com, offering reviews on PDAs, Palm Pilots, Pocket PC's, software and accessories. PDA Review Online provides free information and recommendations for your online resources that you can download anytime or anywhere.

Faster Browsing Tips

Writen by Pawan Bangar

IF WE say that it was mainly because of the Windows operating system that a Computer could become a personal computer it would not be an exaggeration. The revolution is still on. Windows is far beyond what a common man presently knows and uses.

Internet surfing

For searching something, search engines are being used. However, if you know a Windows trick, then searching for information on the Net may become easy, all you need to do is simply locate the address bar in Internet Explorer and write in the phrase that you want to search on the Internet. Here it is important to remember the Internet Explorer (IE) recognizes a phrase and not a single word. If it's a single word, then Internet, Explorer assumes it as a domain name and attempts to create a URL in its place. However key in a few words and IE will run your phrase through a search engine on Microsoft's Web site.

If you want to search for a single word then you should put a question mark at the beginning of the line to tell IE that this is a search keyword. The same thing applies to the Netscape Communicator also and searching the Web is as easy using the Netscape as it is with IE.

Transferring files

Another common use for which the computers are being used is for transferring the files over the Internet. Normally FTP client is being used for transferring files, which is a common application among the Internet users. However, very few persons realize the power of Windows.

You do not need a separate FTP client for transferring the files. The basic Windows constituent IE already has a feature of FTP. Thus if you type an FTP address in the address box of any Explorer view, whether on the Internet or while browsing your own hard disk, you can go to the site and be able to use the window as an FTP client.

Create link in MS Word

Windows users sometimes complain of working on too many applications for a single work, for example, work related to the Web. However, this is probably due to the ignorance of the persons as all major applications have features that arc quite universal in nature. Take for example, MS Word. Most of us know about MS Word as the most wonderful word processor. However, quite a few of us know that it is a good tool for Web based applications also. The Web-based functions of the MS Word are worth trying as it gives you endless features. One such feature is the option of creating a link to a Web page in a Word document.

Thus if you are creating a MS Word document, you can create a link to a Web page or other HTML document rather than just including the address in text. The procedure for this is simple first copy the address (URL) to which you want to link, then select the word, phrase or sentence in your document that you want to create as the link. Now on the Insert menu in Word, click hyperlink and then in link to file or URL, paste the address by pressing Ctrl + V. This will create a link to a Web page in the Word document.

However you can use your computer for purposes other than the Internet also and make better use of it. Normally we all crave for faster performance. In a Majority of the cases you do not require a replacement or up gradation as you can enhance the performance of your existing computer running Windows.

Manage hard disk

The first thing in this regard is better management of the hard disk; it has been discussed many a times in the article on tips and tricks that you can manage your hard disk better by defragging it regularly. However, there are some more steps, which should be performed before you defrag your hard disk in order to optimize the performance of your hard disk.

These steps are:

• Delete the IE temporary files and history regularly before defragging your hard disk.

• It is also important to delete all TMP and BAK files present in the hard disk as these files are not generally required and unnecessarily consume the hard disk.

• Normally you will find *.TMP files in the TEMP directory or WINDOWSTEMP directories. Thus you must locate these directories and delete the aforesaid files.

• As a next step defrag your hard disk without the swap-file. The instructions for this can be found at defragmenting the swap file. It is a standard feature of Windows 98 as per which it has a built-in utility called Disk cleanup.

You can run it from either Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Cleanup or directly run CLEANMGR.EXE. This is also an important feature of the Windows that takes care of all deleted files and other junk files as this feature deletes them as a part of disk cleaning exercise.

Use Address bar

Windows makes your work so easy that it can actually take the unnecessary load off you. For example, if you are a Windows 98 user, then you can use browser for purposes other than browsing the Net.

Did you know that you could use the address bar to run programs on your computer?

This is very much possible as all you need to do is just type the program name, including its path its location, you may type c:msofficewinwordwinword.exe. This will open MS Word depending upon its location.

Send Web page via e-mail

For sending a Web page, while viewing the page, click the File menu, and then click on Send sub menu, then click either Page by e-mail to send a copy of the page or Link by e-mail to send a short-cut to it. This way you can simply send a Web page by e-mail. This is also a great option of keeping a site in your record, as it will also facilitate in viewing it offline. Similarly, it is also easy to send a video clip or an audio clip, which you may find on the Internet.

Thus to send a video or audio clip simply right-click the icon or link for the item you want to send, and then click Save Target As. Specify the location, where you want to save the file. Now open your e-mail client and click Insert file or attach file as the case may be. You can also add your message in the message window if you wish to send a message to the recipient of the mail.

#PageBreak# Enjoy the power of World Wide Web in lesser time with these tips.

Do you feel anxious whether your important mails have reached their destination?

Use the feature which is available on most e-mail clients and requests the recipient to confirm that he has received the message by a return e-mail. It is called Read Receipt in Outlook Express.

To do this while composing a mail in Outlook Express, click on Tools > Request Read Receipt in your message window. If you desire, you can have all your outgoing messages sent with the Read Receipt notification. For this, go to Tools > Options, click on the Receipts tab and tick 'Request a read receipt for all sent messages'. Remember, the read receipt confirmation is dependent on the e-mail client the recipient is using and also whether he wants to send the confirmation.

Adding signatures to your e-mail

If you send a lot of mail each day, then a repetitive task like signing your name at the end of each mail can be quite tedious. It's easier to create a signature and attach it automatically to every mail that's sent.

To do this in Outlook Express, go to Tools > Options > Signatures. Then go to New and add the contents of the signature in the Edit Text field. Also select the option of sending the signature automatically with all outgoing messages. In case you don't want to send this with replies or forwards, enable the option, 'Don't add signatures to Replies and Forward'. For creative signatures, use the option to append a file that contains the signature you have created. If you happen to have multiple e-mail accounts, select the account with which you want to send the signature. To do this, go to Tools > Options > Signatures and click on the Advanced button near the Edit Signature tab. A new box will appear saying 'Advanced Signature Settings' where you can select the account with which the signature should be automatically added.

Auto-respond facility

Won't be checking mail for some time? Activate a feature called 'vacation reply' (if you are using a Web-based service). Most e-mail services such as Indiatimes provide this feature which can be activated through the options menu. You can type a short message which will be sent to all who e-mail you while you are away.

In Outlook Express, you can do this from Tools > Message Rules > Mail and clicking on the New Rule option. Select the 'For all Messages' options from the condition for your rule field and in the Action select Reply with a message. You will have to select a message that you have already created and saved.

Keep a copy of the message

If you are on a trip and want to access your e-mail from another machine, keep a copy of your messages on the server of your e-mail service provider. Go to Tools > Accounts and select the account (if you have multiple accounts), then go to Properties > Advanced. Check 'Leave a copy on server'. This has one more advantage: if you've formatted your machine without taking a backup of your mail, you can retrieve the mail as a stored copy.

Disable MSN Messenger from auto-starting

Whenever one opens Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook XP, MSN Messenger loads automatically. To disable it, go to Tools > Options in Outlook Express and uncheck 'Automatically log on to MSN Messenger Service'. Then go to View > Layout and uncheck the option of Contacts. In Microsoft Outlook XP, go to Tools > Options > Other and uncheck 'Enable MSN Messenger'. The over-eager Messenger won't be so eager now!

Optimizing your Inbox

A three-step process to ensure that your Inbox never looks cluttered.

Organizing: Outlook Express allows you to create folders within which mail can be organized. To create a new folder in Outlook Express, go to File > Folder > New. This will display the directory tree of your Inbox. Just select the location (say Inbox) where you want to create a folder and enter the Folder Name. Or, you could use the shortcut [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [E] and enter the Folder Name. You can also drag and drop folders to change their location. Folders can be quite useful, especially if you have multiple accounts configured on the same identity or to sort out e-mail messages on the basis of sender, subject, etc.

Filtering: Message Rules can automatically sort your mail into the appropriate folder as soon as it is downloaded. Specify the folders where you want the messages to be downloaded based on names in the from address, names in the to address, certain words in the Subject line or in the message body.

Go to Message > Create Rule from Message. Create a rule selecting the appropriate options offered, and the next time you download your mail, it will be sorted according to the rules created.

You can also sort your existing messages based on the message rules created. In Outlook Express, go to Tools > Message Rules and click on Mail. You will get a list of the message rules you have created. Click on 'Apply now...' select the rules to apply, and click on Apply to filter your existing folder.

Grouping: Outlook Express allows you to group e-mail messages on the basis of the conversation carried. To enable this, go to View > Current View and click 'Group Messages by Conversation' (In Outlook, this option is available from View > Current View > Conversation Topic).

With this feature, all e-mail messages are sorted on the basis of the subject line and the messages that are a reply to that particular subject are grouped together. A '+' sign next to a message indicates responses based on that subject.

Download Mail to your PC

If you use a Web-based e-mail service, download a copy of your mail directly to your browser. This is much quicker than using the bandwidth-hungry Web interface and also allows you to access your mail without having to be connected to the Internet. To do this first add a new account by going to Tools > Accounts > Add and select the Mail option. You will be prompted for personal details and account information.

Select the POP3 server option in the screen that asks you for your e-mail server information and enter the appropriate POP3 server address for incoming mail.

Browsing offline

Quite often you may want to refer to a page that you have visited at some point in time. While finding the link in your browser's History is not too difficult, you can view the site without actually logging on to the Internet by going to File > Work Offline. Then just click on a link in your History folder to view the complete page from your hard disk.

Split files

Splitting files can increase download speeds tremendously. Usually, splitting the file in three or five segments is sufficient. However, if you are downloading a particularly large file which is available from several servers, you could get better speeds by increasing the number of segments being downloaded simultaneously. The number of segments that you want the file in can be set in the option box that pops up when a download begins. Just set the option for the number of segments that you want the file to be split into.

About The Author

Pawan Bangar
Technical Director
Birbals,India

www.ebirbals.com

www.seobirbals.com

pawan@ebirbals.com

Occupational Therapy And Pdas

Writen by Dan Ayala

Occupational Therapy Made Easier

Medical downloads for the pda have improved the life of both patients and doctors of all kinds. These freeware software downloads make many types of medical conditions much easier to manage. For instance, occupational therapy and pdas can now be synonymous. Occupation therapy is a type of therapy used to help people who have been injured in an accident regain the use of their bodies so that they can return to their job or train for a new job if they are unable to perform their previous job.

Using a pocket pc, a therapist can schedule patients so that their day is full without being overfull. They can make sure that any appointments do not have conflicts, and can schedule in their personal appointments, as well.

Occupational therapy patients can use their ipaq to remind themselves of appointments, track their progress, and get information about the latest trends in occupational therapy. All of this can be done simply and easily with one of the many freeware medical downloads available on the Internet.

The medical software is easy to use and allows for updates from the software company so that when the product is improved or changed, the consumer can receive at no additional charge. This type of medical software can be an option when buying a pocket pc from companies such as Compaq or HP or others. Making lives easier is perhaps the most important function of the pda, and the medical field is one area that can always use improvement.

Dan Ayala is webmaster and publisher of PDA-Review-Online.com, offering reviews on PDAs, Palm Pilots, Pocket PC's, software and accessories. PDA Review Online provides free information and recommendations for your online resources that you can download anytime or anywhere.

Make Your Computer Run Faster

Writen by Todd Arsenault

What the heck is Spyware?

Spyware is a generic term for programs that install themselves on your computer without telling you that they are there. They run in the background tracking where you go online and sending the information off to the company that built the program. Hence the term "Spyware" or Spying Software.

The reason for spyware being built originally was to use it as a marketing tool. If you know where a person surfs then you can target advertisements toward that person based on their surfing habits.

Newer spyware programs are becoming more malicious and harder to remove than they were before. This is where the term Malware comes in . . . or Malicious Software. The term "Malware" also refers to Trojans or Virus depending on what it does.

So how do I get it off my computer?

In most cases spyware removal is a fairly simple process. There are some excellent Free Tools available to help keep your system clean.
For best results I suggest using more than one. Also, it is good to plan on doing a cleanup/spyware removal at least once a month to keep your computer in top working order.

The tools I find work best are (in no particular order):
Spybot Search & Destroy
AdAware
Microsoft Spyware Removal Tool


These are all free tools and work well in conjunction with each other.
(Special Note for the Microsoft Spyware Removal Tool: If you do not have a Valid copy of Windows XP you will NOT be able to install this. Microsoft implemented a Validation Test to check for illegal copies of Windows XP.)

So now, we'll break down the steps to keep your computer spyware free and in excellent running order. If you follow these steps your computer will run much faster. After many years of doing cleanups this is the fastest way I know of to complete this process. You can do it in any order but the time it takes to complete will vary. On a reasonably new machine, a complete cleanup and spyware scan usually only takes about an hour if you follow this order.

Steps:
1. Create a Folder on your desktop called CLEANUP
2. Open your browser and go to: http://toddarsenault.com/cleanup.html, or download them directly from the internet.
3. You can download the tools used in this article there.
4. Download a copy of Adaware.
5. Download a copy of Spybot.
6. Download a copy of VoptXP (Only program that is not free.)
7. Download a copy of RegCleanerXP.
8. Download a copy of CrapCleaner (sorry . . . I didn't name it)
9. If you do not currently have an Antivirus program, please feel free to download a copy of Avast from my site. It is a free and excellent Antivirus tool.


Now . . . what do we do with all this?
1. Open your CLEANUP folder and install VoptXP first.

2. When that is complete install CrapCleaner. (You can leave all the settings default when you install these programs.)

3. Run the CrapCleaner program and click on Analyse. This will take some time depending on how many junk files are on your computer.

4. Once it is done analysing your computer click on the RunCleaner button. This will eliminate all the junk files that windows tends to store.

5. Close the CrapCleaner program now and open VoptXP.

6. Click on the Checkmark to Analyse your hard drive.

7. Once that is complete Click on the button to the left of the checkmark. It looks like a stack of rectangles.

8. Do not run any other programs while this is running. VoptXP is defragging your hard drive.
a. Just a note on why I suggest using VoptXP: You can use the defrag program that comes with XP if you prefer, Vopt is just faster at defragging a drive. This is not a FREE program but will work for 30 days.

9. Once the defrag is complete close VoptXP and reboot the computer.

10. Now install Adaware and Spybot.

11. We are going to run Spybot first for a couple of reasons. It immunises the computer and does a registry backup before making any changes. It will also ask to update the files . . . please do this as you will want the newest definitions to catch all the spyware.

12. Once Spybot has completed scanning it may ask you to reboot or tell you that it could not clean all the spyware. If it asks to do a scan on reboot, say Yes.

13. Now we want to run Adaware. Whew . . . seems like a lot of work when I type it ;-)

14. Adaware is fairly easy to work with. Simply click on Start when it loads. You don't have to change any settings. When the scan is complete you do have to right click on the spyware found and left click on "Select All" – Then simply click the Next or Finish button.

If you followed the steps above your computer will be running faster and your surfing habits won't be being tracked by spyware.

Todd is a computer technician in the Moncton area who specializes in system cleanups.
Todd has recently launched a new site dedicated to Online Marketing at http://toddarsenault.com to help everyone learn about marketing online and making money with their websites.

What Is An Mp3

Writen by Quinn Spicker

The mp3 is to music what the JPEG is to images. It is a type audio file which is compressed so it takes up less space. Mp3 is short for MPEG-1, Layer 3, where the MPEG part is a video format, and Layer 3 is the sound of that video.

Compression

When a sound is compressed into mp3 format, the sound file can become up to 90% smaller! This is possible because during the compression process all useless information is thrown away. For example, if you are recording the sound of a fly buzzing, then someone starts up a chainsaw, the sound of the fly buzzing is now "useless". It is thrown away during compression because it can no longer be heard anyway, and it will not be missed by the human ear. You should not be able to hear the difference between an mp3 and a compact disc (CD), despite the fact that the latter's file size can be over five times as large as the former's.

History

The mp3 was created by a group of four Europeans as part of the MPEG, which stands for Motion Pictures Experts Group. The names of these four men are Leon Van de Kerkhof, Gerhard Stoll, Yves-Francois Dehery, and Karlheinz Brandenburg. The mp3, its file extension being .mp3 (originally .bit), was finished in 1992. Many improvements have been made since then.

Uses

The general public uses the mp3 in three main ways:

1. It is the favorite of people who share music over the internet. This is because of its small size which allows for quick downloading and uploading.

2. It is also used by many legal mp3 download sites. You can see a full list of these on my site, below:

http://legal-mp3-sites.cabspace.com/index.html

3. Lastly, the mp3 file format can simply be used to free up space on your computer!

I hope you now understand a little more about the mp3, how it works, its history, and its uses!

Quinn Spicker lives in Surrey, BC, Canada. He loves to write articles about mp3s and other technology. His website is: http://legal-mp3-sites.cabspace.com/

Ipod Nano Shall We Take A Deeper Look

Writen by Mike Singh

As always, in the age of "consumer first" economics, Apple leads the way. The iPod nano is following along behind the footsteps of the original iPod, as Apple's fourth digital player. The iPod nano came out the same day the iPod mini was discontinued - September 7, 2005 - but is known for having combined features of the iPod shuffle and the original iPod in its new development. It only took nine months for the design development of the iPod nano to become effective, even though most media were aware it was coming. What they did not know was the iPod mini was being discontinued on that same day.

Where the iPod Photo and Video versions capture the deeper pockets, and iPod Shuffle takes in the shallow pockets, iPod Nano catches those who find themselves in the middle. Although its disk size isn't comparable to that of the iPod Photo or iPod Video, the iPod Nano does bring the tremendous features that makes the Apple iPod the industry leader. Picking up where the iPod Shuffle leaves off, the iPod Nano has a hard drive of 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB flash drives which holds up to 500 to 2,000 songs in a 128-Kbps AAC format, up to 25,000 iPod nano-viewable photographs, and stores data via the USB flash drive.

The iPod shuffle brought a lower price with the ability to listen to favorite music, but was lacking in the user-friendly features. For instance, with the iPod shuffle there was no control over the song that is being played - it was completely random. With the iPod nano, there is all the control needed like the bigger iPod systems, but without the disk space. It is smaller in disk size than the larger versions, but the iPod nano brings a sleek look and fee, roughly as thick as an ink pen or pencil. It is still slim and manageable like the iPod shuffle, so you can take it running or to the gym. The important thing to remember is that a person DOES have control over what they are listening to. The disadvantage of the iPod nano is much the same as that of the larger versions of the iPods - its durability. It can be taken to the gym or to run more than say the iPod Video or Photo, but does seem to fade out a little quicker than the iPod Shuffle. This is a problem that all electronic devices seem to have, but the more expensive the device the less the consumers are willing to put up with faults and glitches.

Check out http://www.mp3playertop.com/ for more articles on sandisk mp3 player accessories and ipod shuffle.

Removing Winfixer Popups

Writen by Bob Rankin

"I've been getting those very annoying Winfixer popups. My popup blocker is set to High. I have Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy and even Microsoft AntiSpyware. But no matter what I try they keep coming back. I've searched for help on removing Winfixer, but all the info I found is too technical for me. Can you help?"

Based on several emails I've seen from readers, Winfixer (also known s WinFixer 2005) is a nasty bit of adware. It tries to install itself through confusing and alarming popups, and is resistant to many removal tools. Here's what I recommend to remove Winfixer.

First, make sure your Windows system is up to date. If you don't have Windows Update running on auto-pilot, I highly recommend that. From Internet Explorer, click on Tools, then Windows Update. This will ensure that you have the latest Windows security fixes and patches. Without that in place, you are wide open to many different exploits that can wreak havoc on your PC.

If you search for Winfixer at Google (http://www.google.com/search?q=winfixer), you will find quite a few links to websites, forums and software vendors that claim to have the solution for Winfixer removal. However, as you mentioned, many of them are very geeky and require you to mess around in the Windows system registry. If you are an advanced user and follow these instructions very carefully, you may succeed in getting rid of Winfixer.

But if getting into the guts of the operating system sounds a little scary, you might want to consider using a malware removal tool written specifically for the task. Unfortunately, none of the free adware/Spyware tools seem to be effective in removing Winfixer. Several people have told me they have tried Ad-Aware, Spyware Blaster, Spyware Doctor, Spybot Search & Destroy, Microsoft AntiSpyware and others to no avail. In some cases, the program claims to have removed Winfixer, but it reappears after a reboot.

Two software packages from reputable companies claim to remove Winfixer and other malware, namely ParetoLogic XoftSpy and Computer Associates PestPatrol. They're not free, but they should get the job done with a friendly point and click user interface.

BOB RANKIN... is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the http://LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin's website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

Legal Movie Downloads

Writen by Kristy Annely

Major Hollywood movie studios have begun to realize the potential of reaching a large number of prospective movie buffs through the internet and have embarked on a move to utilize the internet with greater intensity.

In a related development, key studios have begun to dispense legal movie downloads over the internet. Without much difficulty, one can download and watch movies on computers including 20th Century Fox, Disney, Miramax, MGM, Warner Bros., Paramount, Columbia Pictures, Lions Gate Entertainment, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and many autonomous film companies.

A number of US companies have launched a massive bid to get movies into a digital design appropriate for download. Major players like Sony, Universal and Warner Bros have embarked on a major endeavor to have movies transferred into digital designs.

CinemaNow.com is among the growing number of well-known legal movie download services offering free movies and allowing users to choose from a wide array of movies ranging from major studio blockbusters to rare hard-to find classics.

A majority of movies can be downloaded in a manner similar in function to the P2P networks. By paying a nominal fee, one can afford the luxury of watching a DVD of superior quality without having to deal with distorted images.

One of the most notable features of legal movie sites is the impressive speed of movie downloads and the excellent quality of the videos.

Movie Downloads provides detailed information about movie downloads, fast movie downloads, free movie downloads and more. Movie Downloads is affiliated with DVD Rental Clubs.

Removing Scratches From A Blackberry

Writen by John Jonas

You all know about how useful the Blackberry/Crackberry is. But what if it has problems?

What happens when you get scratches in the screen?

First, if you do, you're treading in very troubled waters. Why? Because if it has happened once, it's likely to happen again unless you change some usage/storage habits.

Second, if you have scratches, you're jeopardizing the usefulness of your tool. After all, the "tool" part is what sets the blackberry apart from all the other "toy" pda's out there.

If you have scratches in your blackberry you could begin to create a mental block to looking it. You might not even realize you're doing it but sub-consciously you might be dreading looking at the screen again because those scratches bother your brain. Eventually you'll stop using it because the scratches bother you too much.

So, how do you avoid it?

There are 2 ways:

1. Prevent them from happening.

2. Fix the scratches if they're already there.

Preventing Scratches

Preventing scratches is reasonably easy. Either use the belt carrying case or buy a screen protector. The belt case is pretty good for preventing scratches, but it's not guaranteed to do so. You could easily get a little sand in it and it would scratch it all over the place.

The screen protector is probably the best way to go here. For around $15 you can get a screen protector that will virtually eliminate scratches 100%.

Fixing Scratches

If you have scratches in your blackberry screen, you need to fix them asap. I wrote an article about removing scratches from a blackberry that will help you with the applesauce polish method.

Other methods include using toothpaste and a cotton swab. Basically you can put toothpaste on a cotton swab and rub it on your screen. Then use a wet cotton swab to clean the toothpaste off.

There are also two other products called CD 2000 and BRASSO that are rumored to work, but I personally haven't used them.

Whatever you try, make sure you do it soon. Those scratches can be lethal to your productivity.

John Jonas is an internet entrepreneur who also owns a much used blackberry. He is also the owner of an online blogging community

10 Reasons A Digital Camera Is Your Best Buy

Writen by Jimmy Wilson

Choosing a digital camera to capture those all illusive moments should be a well thought out purchase. Selecting a digital camera is by far your best choice. A digital camera can enhance your treasured snapshots by allowing you to make changes and improve your clarity. There are at least 10 reasons to choose digital:

1. A digital camera stores your images in pixels that make for better resolution of your pictures.

2. Having the ability to delete bad snapshots without having to pay for bad photos.

3. Digital cameras allow you to enhance the images before printing, this adds more user control over the end results of your pictures.

4. The obvious is no film to buy, you are always locked and loaded for that perfect picture taking moment. There's nothing more frustrating when you want to snap a picture that just want wait and you're out of film.

5. Instant viewing of the picture you want to see immediately after taking it. Nothing is more satisfying than to be able to see your picture taking handiwork, immediately after taking it.

6. Digital cameras come in different pixel counts. The higher the pixel count the greater the clarity or resolution your pictures will turn out. Higher is definitely better and worth the investment.

7. No need to squint through a hole the size of a straw, digital cameras with an LCD screen on the back is perfect for all occasions and saves the strain on your eyes.

8. Digital cameras are pc compatible which allows you to store, print, or enhance from your favorite Photoshop or Image program on your computer, before printing.

9. Having a camera picture storage capacity with over one hundred images is more than enough for a single event regardless of your snap-happiness.

10. You can snap up your pictures, upload to your pc in minutes, go online and move them to a local Walgreens or local photo developing shop with online service and you can have professional photos, you have taken, then available for pick-up within one hour. What more could you asked from a digital camera. Go Digital!

When it comes to choosing a digital camera, there are still a wide range of options, so visit a reputable camera outlet before making your selection. Don't buy on price alone, some options are well worth the investment. A digital camera is a well thought out investment when you consider the pictures you capture are priceless. Ask about rechargeable batteries also, having an upper hand on battery life and control will avoid the 'dead battery' syndrome.

For more detailed articles about digital cameras visit our camera site:

http://wealthsmith.com/digital-camera-articles.htm

Jim is an online entrepreneur that has a sense of knowing what topics are most important to consumers and he enjoys sharing his findings that benefit his readers. Today he has some great insights on digital cameras:

Bluetooth Headphones For Your Pda

Writen by Dan Ayala

Nothing is worse than having to negotiate all kinds of cables with your many electronic devices. This is why bluetooth technology is so fantastic. Bluetooth headphones for your pda make life so much simpler by allowing you to be wireless. There is nothing better than having a hands free headset that has no cables or wires of any kind. Wireless is definitely the way to go.

A bluetooth headphone set is amazingly versatile. It can be used not just for listening to your favorite music downloads, but also for a telephone receiver for your pda. While bluetooth technology often costs a bit more than those cable type of headphones, it is worth it to be free and to not have to worry about wire shorts that can interfere with the quality of your communication or music.

If you do decide to buy bluetooth headphones for your pda, make sure they are compatible with your pocket pc. It makes no sense to spend that money to only find out that you have purchased something that is not going to work with your ipaq or palm pilot. Also, it is a good idea to read various reviews of a product, so that you know you are getting something that works well, as opposed to something that is simply expensive.

The absolute freedom that comes with buying bluetooth headphones for your pda cannot be measured. Your pocket pc is an obvious extension of you, so why not make it as smart looking and efficient as you are?

Dan Ayala is webmaster and publisher of PDA-Review-Online.com, offering reviews on PDAs, Palm Pilots, Pocket PC's, software and accessories. PDA Review Online provides free information and recommendations for your online resources that you can download anytime or anywhere.

Discover How To Convert Mp3 Files Into Cds With Easy Mp3 Converter Tips

Writen by Anna Rowe

When downloading MP3 files online, usually you will quickly build up a large music collection. Keeping them on your computer is dicey because if your PC crashes all those music files could be lost.

MP3s, like all important computer data, needs to be backed up. However, instead of treating MP3 files like other computer files, many people prefer to convert their online music files into audio CDs. Converting MP3 files into CDs is a rather easy procedure.

Most CD burning software can do the conversion for you automatically. You simply build up your collection of MP3 songs and burn a CD. Before the CD is burned, the MP3s will be converted into Compact Disc Audio (CDA) files. This is done for you automatically with many CD burning programs, like Nero, but if you choose you can take more control of the CD burning process.

For instance, Nero has an easy audio editor that allows you to break up files and use filters such as equalization, noise reduction or stereo widening. If your CD burning software does not provide these extra features, you can continue to process the MP3 files before burning the CD. In this circumstance, you'll need dedicated audio editing software. There are a variety of freeware and commercial programs available online to choose from.

When getting your MP3 files ready to burn to a CD, one of the most helpful editing functions you can do is to 'normalize' all of the files. Normalization is a process that smoothes out the differences in volume between different tracks - this ensures that your entire music CD will play at about the same loudness.

Once you have finished editing your files, you'll need to save your MP3 files to WAV. Converting MP3 to WAV is necessary so that they can be burned to CD. More than likely, you will be burning your MP3s to a CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable). Newer model CD players can handle this type of CD, however, an older CD player may not be able to identify them.

Instead of converting MP3 files to audio CD, you can burn MP3s directly to CD in their original MP3 format. This will allow you to store a lot more music on one CD. Another advantage of MP3 CDs is that they can be played on many CD and DVD players and they can also be played in a computer CD-ROM.

A disadvantage of the MP3 CDs is that because there are so many songs on one disc it can be very difficult to find a particular song you want to listen to.

One way to solve this problem is to use them on a DVD player connected to your home theater system. Usually DVD players can handle MP3 CDs and will even display the tracks on the TV set. However, the filenames may be fixed to only eight characters, and therefore, you should give special attention beforehand about how to categorize your MP3s before burning to a CD.

Here are some tips on how to organize your MP3 music files:

1) Divide your songs into separate folders. You can choose a folder for each artist or a folder for each genre.

2) Always begin the filename with the name of the song instead of the artist. This prevents all of the file names being displayed exactly the same.

3) Be careful when naming your MP3 files and remember that it's very easy to rename your files using MP3 tag editors. Today's ID3 tag software is designed to rename MP3 files using a variety of criteria. To rename your entire music collection fast, simply check the option that puts the song title at the beginning of the filename.

Converting your MP3s into audio CDs is an easy process with the help of quality MP3 converter software and proper MP3 file organization skills. Good luck.

Article by Anna Rowe. Please visit her online music download site to get music site reviews and learn how to download music legally. You'll get P2P file sharing facts and free MP3 tools including MP3 players with MP3 converter software.

3 Simple Tips To Make Your Computer Run Faster

Writen by Tim Lee

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What Are The Ipod Video Options

Writen by Geri Stogsdill

It seems that every where you look these days, someone is carrying an ipod. Either it is for listening to music or now to watch a movie! The new iPod video, which is of a convenient shirt or pocket size, has many options and some of them are absolutely surprising. Apart from the usual options of the iPod – music player, photo viewer, and voice recorder – the new iPod video has several options that may seem revolutionary for some people or useless for others. These options make an iPod video first of all a video playback device, photo and music device. For example, it plays music videos, even TV shows or, a remarkable initiative – ABC hits like "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives". Even Pixar shorts and popular Disney are available for the new iPod video.

The new iPod video is a refined device with refined features for the interested customers. The new video features are very well thought out and displayed on a thinner iPod. Besides, the resolution is up to 320x240, fact that may represent an advantage in an era of other handheld video options. On the other hand, the new iPod video has better volume with no static or clipping when turned up to the maximum volume. You may also connect you iPod to the home or car stereo without worrying about the quality of the sound.

Another option concerns the fact that the new iPod video has a large color screen. Besides, the display is refined, as you may see the images even in bright indoor light or in the sunlight. Another aspect regards the battery life that may last 14 hours or even 20 – it depends on the model you choose.

The specialists suggest that the main use of the iPod video will be the short videos, funny elements taken from life. The argument for this fact is that the iPod videos are too small for being watched by too many people at the same time and require more attention than the audio programs. A possible disadvantage is the fact that many iPod videos may be used by teenagers for porn videos, fact that may help the porn industry to develop its programs and success.

Some other options may come immediately after the complete success of the presented ones. The great success may be ensured for the company and especially for this daring project without even having clear and certain proofs from the consumer market. Besides, the options on the new iPod video may be tempting for those who prefer not to mix the mobile with video options. This aspect may represent the next step in the video evolution although there are lots of skeptic opinions about these new trends in the television industry.

Another important aspect of the new options of the iPod video is the fact that you may encode video from a DVD. You may also connect the iPod video to a TV and for this operation you may need some items – an iPod compatible video, a video capable iPod and an A/V cable. The next operations concern your skills in selecting the right options on your video iPod: you should choose video setting from the menu, then you have to adjust the video playback style you need. Another step concerns the TV signal specific for your country. Special information regards the way you plug the red, yellow and white RCA plugs: the red one into TV yellow RCA jack, the yellow into the white one and the white into the red RCA jack.

From this point on you may select on your video iPod the movie, show or video music you want to watch. You have to select the option TV on and after a status screen appeared on your iPod, the video is played back on the TV. You may also control the volume levels from the iPod volume control.

Other options regard the photo display on the TV set using the AV cable, mentioning the fact that the photos are remarkably clear an maybe a little brighter than other displays.

Geri Stogsdill is a freelance writer specializing in healthy lifestyle information. For more iPod video tips, visit us at http://www.ipodmovievideo.com/

Lessons Learned Ipod Nano Scratch Prevention And Removal

Writen by Wilson Ip

iPod nano is infamous for being prone to scratches. The surface is so easily scratched that people had been scratching it within the hour of opening the box. This may be because Apple used a different formula of polycarbonate than previous iPod models. Regardless of why it is the case, scratches suck; especially so when it is on the nano. The nano being so small the scratches especially noticeable and damaging to the experience since they take up larger portions of space. Even a single scratch on the screen could ruin everything.

Like many people, I didn't buy the rumors. I treat my stuff with great care; I was going to be an exception to the scratches. It sucks to be wrong. Now, it is many moons after the fact. Compared to the early days we now have a lot more accessories and products to help us keep our nano minty fresh, if we are willing to pay for them. There are also products aimed to bring back the polish of those unfortunate, disfigured nanos. Hopefully, you aren't on the same path as I was on.

Early Preventions:

The best course of action of course is to prevent your nano from being scratched in the first place. Unlike the very early days of nano, there are now an abundance of cases and skins you can protect your precious with; get one when you buy a nano. Stories of scratching the iPod nano with an hour of opening the box are actually true; sad as it is the nano scratches that easily. Nowadays, Apple ships the nano with a slip case, so perhaps it won't wear as quickly. That slip case however, is not the most effective of methods or the most pretty. Trust me on this, shelling some extra cash out for a nice case is well worth it if you want to keep it smooth and pretty.

One of the best skin cases out there for nano is iSkin Duo. They feature an ingenious two layer design that protects the nano with near perfection. Everything except the hold switch is covered, and covered well. Beyond the awesome protection it provides, they also come in a variety of color combinations (the outer layer and inner layer have different colors); not only do they work, they look good doing in. You should definitely consider checking them out. The list price may seem a bit high, but you can usually find them selling for much lower than that online. And even at list price, this skin is well worth the money.

But what if you are looking for more? You want a case with even better protection: one that withstands scratches, dust, shock and even water. Well, in that case you are in luck. OtterBox makes such a case for nano; a scratch/dust/shock/water proof, thick plastic case. This is what I call overkill protection; it isn't a case, it is a thick layer of armor. This think is simply beyond the line of duty for most people. The only down side is that it is quite bulky.

For those who do not wish to alter the look of their iPod, you can get some adhesive protective film covers for some skin tight protection. Just stick them onto your nano and you have yourself a form fitting layer of scratch protection. They aren't going to provide much protection beyond scratching, though. Power Support films had been quite popular, so you may wish to check them out if this type of protection is what you are looking for. Keep in mind that a lot of film sets cover only the front and back surfaces but not the sides, so be sure to check before you buy. Also, some films do not adhere well (quite useless if that is the case) so be sure to check some reviews first before purchasing.

Late Stages:

So your iPod is terminally disfigured. Its beautiful surface scratched up; worse yet some scratches are on the display and now an "n" looks like an "m" and you can no longer tell between "c" and "o". All is not lost. There are still ways to reduce the damage, even though you may not be able to reverse it. There are various brands of scratch removal polish that can help. The thing to know is that they are not perfect; although they do make a difference. They can reduce the severity of scratches but they cannot completely remove them.

There are a few notable iPod scratch removers, such as iDrops, iCleaner, Radtech Ice Creme and various ones from the company Radtech. Some work better than others of course, so be sure to check for reviews. A thing to note when using these products, regardless of the brand, is to follow the instructions. A lot of people apply them intuitively, but doing so may not get you the full effect; taking a few minutes to read through the instructions is well worth it for a better result.

If you are one of the few who don't mind scratches, I envy you whole heartedly. But for those who do care, there are many measures you can take to avoid scratches or to reduce them; prevention is always the best option though. Hopefully they next generation won't be so scratch prone, but for now, we'll just have to deal with it.

Wilson Ip is the webmaster of iPod-Cool. You can find reviews and articles on [i]domestic[/i] and [i]Japanese[/i] iPod accessories. Visit the iPod-Cool website.

5 Steps To Removing Pc Clutter

Writen by Demetria Zinga

It's hard enough as it is these days to get organized and then remain that way for weeks and months down the road. We are all very busy people, some of us with 9-5 jobs and one hour commutes, and others of us busy making our lives at home work for us, with children at tow and a variety of chores to do as well as errands to run.

However, no matter how vastly different our lives may be, we all run into the same problems when dealing with organization, and that's: KEEPING organized. need to develop a system that helps your PC remain free of clutter and organized. Granted, this task doesn't come easy at first, but all it takes is a few extra steps each day, done consistently, that will maximize your results in the long run.

So, let's say you have disorganized files all over your hard drive that you have difficulty finding when you need them. Your PC keeps catching viruses out of the blue. You don't know what to do with all your spam mail. You have extra programs and freeware on your PC that you don't know anything about, and even if you did, wouldn't know what to do with them. Here are a few steps to help you get started in the right direction:

1.) Get rid of any unnecessary files or programs that are on your hard drive. This requires a little homework on your part. You'll need to set aside the time to sit down and actually take a look at all of the files on your PC and delete what you don't need. A few things to do periodically for optimal performance is to run a disk cleanup, use your system file checker, and defragment your hard drive.

2.) Organize all of your files and folders. Once you've deleted everything you don't need, take a look at what's left. Is there some way you could organize these in nice categorical folders, so that it's easier to retrieve them later on? For example, you could create a few folders underneath your My Documents folder, and give then names such as: My Journal, My TV Shows, My Videos, My Business, My Songs, My JobFind, etc. You could then place all respective files underneath these neatly organized folders. You can also take advantage of many of the folders already supplied to you by Microsoft Windows, such as My Pictures and My Music.

3.) Install adware and spyware programs. I don't think I need to stress how important it is to run antivirus and spyware software. I personally like McAffee because of its wide range of protection services, but Norton AntiVirus works great as well.

4.) Delete unnecessary shareware and freeware files. It's very important to keep your hard drive as clean and organized as possible. Remember that shareware and freeware can potentially be harmful to your computer (viruses!), depending upon which source you received your shareware from.

5.) Delete unnecessary emails and take control of spam. By now, you know to have antivirus software installed on your PC. That's a must, and will protect you if you should happen to open emails that have viruses attached to them. Before you open any of your emails, check to be sure you know the sender, and that there are no .zip or .exe attachments. Be very careful about opening files with attachments, especially from senders you don't know.

Hope many of these tips will you help you move toward the right direction in de-cluttering your PC, now and for good.

Demetria Zinga is the founder and owner of http://www.faith-media.com, a technology and consulting firm which specializes in web design and hosting, graphics and print designs, internet marketing, and e-training. She is also the founder of http://www.christianladies.net, an interactive ezine, blog, and podcast for Christian women.

Temperature Control Effective

Writen by Leon Chaddock

Temperature control is the control of the amount of heated or cooled air that is in an area. By monitoring these levels, temperature can be adjusted to fit the needs and the desires of the people in the area. In most cases, a thermostat is used as a gauge to allow this process to happen. Temperature control can be set at whatever is needed but this does have a direct bearing on the resources that are used as well. Managing effective temperature control goes beyond this though.

For example, if you are a business owner with a store that is surrounded by glass, your thermostat may read 68 degrees in the winter but will most likely feel much lower. In maintaining temperature control, you need to do more than just regulate the air you are forcing in. You need to have proper insulation on the windows, in the walls and by doors. There are of course many ways to do this, but the most effective is insulation. Temperature control can be better maintained when the room is blanketed and protected from the outside elements.

Yet another point to be made about temperature control is that it needs to be protected from human error. For many, you can not go to the thermostat to turn it on and off, this would not be useful. But, the thermostat will monitor the air's temperature and turn on the units to cool or heat the room as needed. But, in temperature control that you want to maintain efficiency so programming the correct temperatures for day and evening and overnight hours is helpful. Because you can safely lower the temperatures on a cold night and raise them slightly on a hot day, you can better manage the effectiveness and the cost of the temperature control. How you manage temperature control is up to you but you can benefit from using any of these methods.

For more information please see http://www.temperature-control-help.co.uk

Is Desktop Search Deserving

Writen by Jakob Jelling

Google, in their march to stay ahead of the pack of competition, has released Google Desktop Search. With Microsoft's MSN in the lead position and nipping at Google's heels, and Google's new shareholders to please, Google has more incentive than ever to deploy technology both better than the other guy's, and sooner. After all, the first to get loaded to the desktop is more likely to build and retain user loyalty.

Google Desktop Search allows you to search within various types of files on your computer. It's still in beta, but is available for download by anyone. It requires Windows XP or Windows 2000 with at least Service Pack 3. It runs as a memory-resident application, with a system tray icon, so that it can index new documents as they are created.

For example, if you know a certain word or phrase was in a Word document, but you don't remember which one, you can easily locate all documents on your computer that contain that word. Desktop Search can search through email, text, and HTML files, your cached web pages, and MS Office Documents (Word, Excel, and Powerpoint only).

By way of comparison, there is a competing application, also free, from Copernic, not surprisingly called Copernic Desktop Search. At the moment, it is perhaps more advanced than Google's. For example, Copernic's software scans the same type of files as does Google's, but also scans music and video files and PDF documents, while Google does not. Both products can only scan Outlook or Outlook Express email at present.

But don't count Google out. Webmasters know it's never wise to do that! After all, they're still in beta with Desktop Search, and they are as surely aware of Copernic's product as they are of MSN. Google has both the resources and motivation to not only keep but expand their market leadership.

About The Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.sitetube.com. Visit his website for the latest on planning, building, promoting and maintaining websites.

Spyware And The Registry

Writen by A Singh

What is Spyware? This is a big question that many people ask and how does it affect the registry of the computer it installs itself on? Any software that secretly assimilates information about the computer it is installed on and uses the Internet connection of the computer to transmit this information to it's host computer is Spyware. Spyware usually downloads itself onto a computer through the Internet along with some other download that the user chooses. This is intentionally coded into the download for malicious purposes. The Spyware installs itself on the computer and runs in the back ground with the operator knowing it. Usually the only indication of Spyware on the computer is through free Spyware removal programs.

What does Spyware do?

Apart from slowing the system, as mentioned earlier Spyware programs are typically bundled into a program that is available as free ware and are hidden components in the downloaded program. Once the download is complete the Spyware installs itself onto the users computer and begins to monitor all the activities of the user. These can include recording the user name and passwords that the user uses or the kind of sites that the user likes to visit. Spyware always works in the background of the system and so it slows down a computer a great deal. Especially if the resources of the computer are low such as the RAM or disk space. Anti Spyware components are sometimes built into registry cleaners such as the windows registry cleaner or the PC registry cleaner. These programs scan the registry for malicious Spyware as well as for broken links and redundant data. They then clean the registry of this data and leave the computer running more efficiently and fast.

Unfortunately Spyware is not illegal in many parts of the world. So, nothing can be done to the company or person who is responsible for putting it there in the first place. At lease it the information is not used to damage you. The only way is to get some good free anti-Spyware software such as Microsoft Spyware removal tool and clean the system. The process is really simple. When the system has been scanned with some free anti-Spyware or Spyware removal program the Spyware can be removed.

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

Change Passwords

Writen by Richard Romando

All passwords should be changed regularly. A change in password could also be necessitated by the fear or reality of a user's current password being compromised. As a precautionary measure, any system should provide an encrypted method for changing a password. If a new password is passed to the system in an unencrypted form, security can be compromised before the new password can even be installed in the password database. And if a compromised employee or other intermediary gets hold of the new password, there is little to gain from changing a password. There are some web sites that include the user-selected password in an unencrypted confirming e-mail message.

Today, automatic issuance of replacements for lost passwords is mostly done with the help of identity management systems. To verify the user's identity, questions are asked and answers are compared with the ones previously stored. Some samples: "Where were you born?" or "What is your favorite soccer club?" or "Who is your favorite actress?" There is a possibility that in a number of such cases the answers to these questions can be guessed, found by research, or determined with the help of social engineering. Although many users have now learnt not to reveal a password, there are a few as well who consider the name of their favorite soccer team to need similar care.

If a user is forced to change his passwords frequently, then a valid password in the wrong hands will eventually become unusable. Though not yet universally used, many operating systems provide such features these days. The security benefits of these systems are limited, as attackers often exploit a password as soon as it is compromised. In several instances, more so with administrative or "root" accounts, it has been found that once an attacker succeeds in gaining access, he/she makes alterations to the operating system that will allow him/her future access even after the expiry of the initial password.

Again, if forced to change a password too frequently, a user may forget which password is current, and there is almost always a possibility that he will write his password down or reuse an earlier password. Such steps are most likely to cancel any added security benefit. It is imperative that human factors be duly considered before implementing such a policy.

Passwords provides detailed information on Best Passwords, Change Passwords, Password Generators, Password Protection and more. Passwords is affiliated with Electronic Keyboard.

Computer Security Tips For Privacy And Identity Protection

Writen by Debbie Jacobsen

Anti spyware software, anti virus software, and a good personal firewall provide the best protection against the majority of internet security threats that exist today. Although everyone using the internet should be using these products, I find that most casual internet users are only running an antivirus program. Without the added protection of a software firewall and anti spyware software, there are still some things you can do to help ensure your personal information doesn't get stolen by malicious spyware and you don't become the victim of identity theft due to a phishing scam.

Following are a list of computer security tips that will help protect you and/or minimize the damage if your personal information gets stolen:

• Never use the same user id you use for email or internet logon for anything else. Maintaining separate user id's for important accounts will help minimize the security risk in the event someone gets hold of your ID.
• Never use your email password for anything else. This will prevent unauthorized access to your email account.
• Store passwords in an encrypted file or password manager program with encryption. This ensures that your passwords cannot be accessed in the event an intruder or spyware application gets hold of your password list.
• Never click on links in emails, particularly from banks. Manually go to the site and log in. This is a common phishing scam. Unscrupulous people send emails that look legitimate. The links they give you normally take you to a copy of a legitimate website. Inputting your account information onto these fraudulent websites will allow thieves to gain access to your real account.
• Unless absolutely necessary, never download and install freeware. If you do download free software, only download from developer's site. Many copycat sites exist that are fraudulent. Downloading from them will most certainly install spyware on your system.
• Use parental control software if children use the computer. This will prevent access to questionable websites where spyware can secretly be installed.
• Browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, etc…) security setting should be set to high. This prevents many sites from installing certain types of spyware and adware on your PC.
• Never click on pop up ads as this can install spyware on your system. One click is all it takes to have spyware secretly installed.
• Avoid browsing to questionable websites. Sites that contain illegal, immoral or lewd content are often havens for spyware. Simply viewing some of these sites is all it takes to infest your computer with spyware.
• Excessive pop ups usually mean adware is installed on your system. Use an adware remover to detect and destroy. A good rule of thumb is to never click on a popup ad, as this could install spyware on your system.
• If computer appears to run very slowly, suspect spyware. Install a spyware remover and scan your PC.

These tips are by no means a replacement for anti-spyware software and a personal firewall, but should help ensure that you remain safe until you can get your computer properly protected.

DJ is a corporate IT Manager and author of the following sites covering information technology topics: Computer Security for Everyone, Save on Phone Service with VoIP, Internet Phone Service - The Future is Here!

Cisco Ccna Cerfication Should You Take The Oneexam Or Twoexam Approach

Writen by Chris Bryant

Cisco CCNA Certification:

Should you take the one-exam or the two-exam approach?

One question I'm often asked by CCNA candidates is whether to take the "one big exam", or take the two separate exams required by Cisco to achieve the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam.

The question comes up because there are now two separate paths to the CCNA certification. Candidates may take a single exam, 640-811, or two exams, 640-821 and 640-811.

What's the difference? The two-exam approach involves exams with different topics and therefore different preparation techniques. 640-821 is the Introduction To Cisco Networking Technologies exam. This course does introduce the candidate to Frame Relay, PPP, and other WAN technologies, but goes into little detail. Emphasis in the Intro course is placed on knowing how Ethernet behaves, how different types of cable are used for different purposes, and knowing what cable to use in a certain situation. The candidate should expect some questions involving binary math as well, but they will involve fairly simple conversions.

The 640-811 exam, Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices, goes into much more detail on WAN technologies. Routing and switching behavior are covered, and the candidate is expected to answer difficult questions involving binary math and subnetting as well. The candidate may also have to demonstrate ability to configure a router or switch via a simulator. Since the ICND exam goes into more detail, it's generally considered the more difficult exam.

The approach I recommend to a CCNA candidate depends on their background. If the candidate is a relative newcomer to networking, or hasn't taken a certification exam before, I recommend they take the two-exam approach. This allows the candidate to focus only on the Intro topics, and gives them a strong sense of confidence after passing the Intro exam. That confidence flows over into the ICND exam.

For those who have networking experience, and are very familiar with Ethernet behavior and cable types, I recommend the one-exam approach. This allows the candidate to focus on the more advanced topics they'll be seeing in the single exam, while spending just a little time reviewing their Intro-level knowledge.

Regardless of the approach you choose, the path to true CCNA success remains the same. Get some real hands-on experience, either by renting rack time online or by putting together your own home lab. Understand what's going on "beneath the command"; don't use router commands when you don't understand what they're doing. Add to that a true mastery on binary math, and you're on your way to having the magic letters "CCNA" behind your name!

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!

Configuring Internal Cisco Router Security

Writen by Chris Bryant

Network security is a hot topic today, and will only increase in importance in the months and years ahead.

While most of the attention is paid to exterior threats, there are some steps you can take to prevent unwanted Cisco router access from within your organization.

Whether you want to limit what certain users can do and run on your routers, or prevent unauthorized users in your company from getting to config mode in the first place, here are four important yet simple steps you can take to do so.

Encrypt the passwords in your running configuration.

This is a basic Cisco router security command that is often overlooked. It doesn't do you any good to set passwords for your ISDN connection or Telnet connections if anyone who can see your router's running configuration can see the passwords. By default, these passwords are displayed in your running config in clear text.

One simple command takes care of that. In global configuration mode, run service password-encryption. This command will encrypt all clear text passwords in your running configuration.

Set a console password.

If I walked into your network room right now, could I sit down and start configuring your Cisco routers?

If so, you need to set a console password. This password is a basic yet important step in limiting router access in your network. Go into line configuration mode with the command "line con 0", and set a password with the password command.

Limit user capabilities with privilege level commands.

Not everyone who has access to your routers should be able to do anything they want. With careful use of privilege levels, you can limit the commands given users can run on your routers.

Privilege levels can be a little clumsy at first, but with practice you'll be tying your routers down as tight as you like. Visit www.cisco.com/univercd for documentation on configuring privilege levels.

Configure an "enable secret" password.

It's not uncommon for me to see a router that has an enable mode password set, but it's in clear text.

By using "enable secret", the enable mode password will automatically be encrypted. Remember, if you have an enable password and enable secret password set on the same router, the enable secret password takes precedence.

These four basic steps will help prevent unwanted router access from inside your network. If only preventing problems from outside your network was as simple!

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!

Update Your Windows For Free

Writen by Scott Hendison

If ABC and CNN had done their Windows Updates, there would have been no crisis last month when the "Zotob" virus took down their computers. Microsoft found and fixed that security flaw on April 9th 2005, and the virus hit on August 17th.

Contrary to popular belief, Microsoft really is trying to make a good product. They even built a "Windows update" feature right into the first version of Windows 98, and it's gone into all subsequent Windows releases. In Windows XP, it will even update automatically, if you set it to do so.

I prefer the "automatic updates", and have very rarely seen problems arise from doing them. Some technicians and IT people prefer to do the updates manually, and that's fine too, as long as they get done.

In the lower right corner of your computer, there may be a yellow exclamation point. This is Microsoft's way of telling you that you have "Critical" Windows updates to download or install.

Time after time, people and businesses ignore the "Critical" Windows updates, and then seem genuinely surprised when something bad happens.

Users can log in to the Microsoft Update website, and pick and choose what updates they would like to download and install for FREE. There are a large number of updates available for your computer, no matter how new it is.

To get your Windows updates, in Windows XP, just go to Start – All programs – Windows Update - and follow the instructions there.

Even if your computer is set to get updates automatically, you STILL need to go there and do this. Microsoft has a new "validation" feature that will not update automatically, so go do it now.

After the update, you may be prompted to reboot. Once you do that, you'll have the latest updates available for your version of Windows and you'll be protected. It's not hard.

After you run your updates, be sure your computer is set to get future updates automatically too. Right click on My Computer and go to "Automatic Updates" and select the appropriate option and time for you to get the updates.

Updating your critical Windows files may not make everything work perfectly, but it certainly will go a long way towards making your Windows installation as safe and secure as it can be, and keep you from becoming another statistic.

Scott Hendison lives in Oregon and is the owner of Portland Technology Consultants. He is a computer and internet consultant, and has been in the industry since 1995. For over 75 other articles, visit his website at http://www.pdxtc.com

Reformat Hard Drive Under Xp

Writen by Bob Rankin

Do You Really Want To Format That Hard Drive?

Be forewarned, formatting a hard drive is MUCH different than formatting a Word document. The format will erase *everything* on the disk (the operating system, your programs and data files) and leave you unable to even boot up the PC. About the only thing you can do with a freshly formatted drive is install an operating system from CDROM.

I know... that's exactly what you said you wanted to do. But that *may* be a bit drastic. After re-installing Windows XP, you will need to reapply all the patches and fixes from Microsoft, then reinstall all the software packages you previously had. It could take many hours just to download the Windows Update files.

I'm guessing you're considering this move because your PC has been infested by a bunch of spyware and/or viruses, and is now acting sluggish and flaky. But before you go all samurai on your hard drive, I recommend you follow all the steps in my Make Windows Run Faster! article. It's my special recipe to clean the gunk out of your computer's pipes, so Windows will start quicker, run more reliably, and go faster on the info-superhighway.

If you really want to format your hard drive...

You can't... at least not while you're running Windows. You'll have to reboot from the Windows XP installation CD, because you can't format the drive on which Windows is running. But first you'll probably want to back up your hard drive, or at least part of it. For help with that, see Backing Up Your Files and explore the various options for backing up your personal files.

Okay, back to reformatting... when the install disk boots up, you'll see a message asking if you want to repair your existing installtion. You don't, so press ESC to bypass the repair option.

Now select the partition where Windows is installed, then press D to delete it. Press L to confirm the delete. Okay, it's time to create and format a new partition. Select the unpartitioned space and press C to create a new partition. Allot the maximum amount of space available, then press Enter.

Now select the partition you've just created, and format it. Choose the NTFS option, go for the "quick format" then sit and wait. When the new partition is formatted, you're ready to (re)install Windows. Don't forget to reinstall your anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and be sure to visit Windows Update as soon as possible to ensure that you have all the latest security fixes.

BOB RANKIN... is a tech writer and computer programmer who enjoys exploring the Internet and sharing the fruit of his experience with others. His work has appeared in ComputerWorld, NetGuide, and NY Newsday. Bob is publisher of the Internet TOURBUS newsletter, author of several computer books, and creator of the LowfatLinux.com website. Visit Bob Rankin's website for more helpful articles and free tech support.

Presentation Folders

Writen by Jimmy Sturo

Presentation folders are generally used during business meetings. These are the organizational tools that are distributed to all those present at the conference—either employees or prospective clienteles, for reference purposes. Presentation folders ought to be presentable and stain-free. Remember, they hold the precious information concerning a business venture.

Important Tips Concerning Presentation Folders

The presentation folders need to be professional looking and physically capable of storing an ample amount of information. Since business is a formal undertaking, it is important to select a color scheme that is not too flashy or one that may cause distraction. Formal colors include white, black, beige or gray. The right size is also important to hold all pertinent documents. Remember that the folder should be large enough to envelop the papers inside.

It is always advisable to go with the theme of the project presentation. Presentation folders can likewise be customized in order to show a link with the theme. For example, if you're presenting an exciting and energy filled topic, you can opt for a bright hue color for the cover of the presentation folders.

Remember to label the presentation folders neatly and precisely. The font style should be something that is readable and discernible. The title of the material should be clearly printed both on the folder cover and on the first page of the clip of documents inside. Or, you can always opt for a personalized printed folder.

Doing business means doing it well. Clients are the lifeblood that sustains the ongoing success of a business firm. It is a must that plans be carried out effectively and always on the right track. When negotiating with the clients, everything has to be well polished, flawless and remarkably impressive. The organization of data counts a lot, so carefully placing every single data sheet in a presentation folder.

Folders provides detailed information on Folders, Presentation Folders, File Folders, Custom Folders and more. Folders is affiliated with Loan Calculators.

Do You Need A New Computer

Writen by Jakob Culver

Technology is moving at a fast pace, and to keep in tune with the latest technologies one needs to constantly upgrade the existing system! We provide you with the checklist that will prove to be informative while buying a new computer or at least making a decision!

Operating system

If you are a proud owner of Windows 95/98 (or older operating systems!) then let us tell you that old operating systems won't allow you to add on scanners, printers, or dig cams. It also won't allow you to run newer programs.

Updated RAM

If you take real long for processes running on the machine to complete chances are there that you need to add more RAM.

Small hard disk space

Annoying it is for anyone who is required to perform some file clean up so as to create space for a new file to be stored! This is the clear indication that you badly need a new hard disk. The market now offers as much as 500 GB for personal computers.

Software doesn't run

If your existing software doesn't support the new one that you are trying to install, you then absolutely need a change.

Slow processors

If your machine is getting deadly slow in responding to your work lie if you are If you are doing some graphic works on your computer, then it suddenly bogs down, then you are in trouble. Older computers don't even come close to opening website with large graphics.

If you answer yes for the above said questions, then certainly you should make up your mind for the purchase of a new computer!

Tips in Buying Computers

The first and the foremost question that needs to be answered is the purpose of your computer, if you just need to type up writing assignments or do some office works, and then a computer with a decent word processing program would go. If you were using the Internet often, then you would need a computer with 128 MB of memory and at least Pentium-2 processor.

If you are dealing with graphics, editing pictures or create videos heavily then aside from higher RAM and larger space, you need a good video card to view your work as actual as it can be. Make sure that you check the compatibility of other devices like scanners and printers to your computer.

Once you have made up your mind for the purchase, then don't bargain on the cost; be prepared to shell out a minimum of $500. If you want a high-end computer then it definitely costs a lot more than that. And always remember that buying cheap something like computer will certainly land you in troubles, and it is always advisable to have a chit-chat with a computer salesperson. Ask them all the things you want to know. With sufficient persistence, the right computer for you is just one judgment away.

Jakob Culver is founder of the website – http://thecomputersnet.com and has a solid background in technology equipment. To find out more information about this topic or about computers visit http://thecomputersnet.com