Speed Up Your Computer Inner Cleansing Tips For Your Pc

Writen by Tim Lee

Renewed energy and vigor applies to us, surfers, as well as to our computers, too. But when web pages seem to load forever in your personal computer, and programs take a snail's creep to complete, then it is high time to do some inner cleansing in your computer so as to make your computer run faster.

Here's how:

1. Deleted Unwanted Files

Culprits are your jpegs and old tunes which you no longer access. These files lie buried in your system, take up considerable hard disk space, and bog down your PC.

2. Use the disk cleanup tools.

All windows-based operating system are equipped with disk cleanup tools. These are the devices that sweeps your hard disk clean automatically. It gets rid of unwanted files that initiates sluggishness in your computer's performance.

3. Uninstall Obsolete Programs.

In reality, obsolete programs, just like unwanted files, occupy hard disk space and could contribute to the PC's sluggish performance.

But be careful, though. Do not just hit the Delete key. Instead, go to Control Panel, select Add/Remove Programs, and then click "Remove" for the programs you no longer want.

4. Run Anti-Spyware/Malware In Your PC.

Spywares run in the background without your knowledge. It collects information about you and your surfing habits then transmits them back to its authors. It burdens your computer with additional task processes, not to mention the annoyances of receiving unwanted e-mails from the Spyware's authors.

So, to protect you from these annoyances brought about by these unwanted programs, run an anti-spyware program.

5. Utilize Removable Media.

By transferring your pictures, audio, and video clips to removable media such as CD-RW discs, you can free your hard disk from the unnecessary burden.

The result: Your PC now runs faster.

6. Finally, Run Scandisk and Defrag.

Point to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools, and click Defrag.

Defragmenting your hard drive on a regular basis speeds up your pc.

On XP, you cannot find the venerable scandisk program. Instead, click Start > Accessories and

click Command Prompt. At the prompt, type CHKDSK /f. The program will check your hard disk the next time it boots up. Afterwards, you can run Defrag.

Tim of http://fixpcnow.blogspot.com provides free tips on speeding up your computer.

Scan The System For Spyware Frequently

Writen by A Singh

By frequently adding and removing software and hardware from the system may make the system more and more sluggish over time. The system may become slow to the point of being annoying. Yet when the system was new it ran perfectly. There are many answers to why this happens. The system may be infected with viruses that are filling up the resources by replicating themselves or there may be Spyware operating in the background. These Spyware can wreck havoc with the system time by delaying the response of the processor to the programs that are running in front. One other possible reason could be that the registry has gotten full of obsolete entries and references that installing programs and hardware make in the registry. These entries are not removed when the programs or hardware are uninstalled. This has to be done manually or with any free Spyware removal tool made for the very purpose.

Use Software, Do Not Delve Into The Registry Manually

It is incorrect to assume that by uninstalling software from the system all the entries in the system pertaining to the software are removed. Nothing can be further from the truth. Many traces or entries of the uninstalled software or Spyware may be left behind in the system registry, either intentionally or unintentionally. These obsolete entries or references in the registry clutter up the system to such an extent that the system may crash and cause tremendous loss of data.

A wake up call is the system slowing down and acting erratically. On such signs you should get some free anti-Spyware removal tool in addition to the anti virus software and scan the system for Spyware that may have installed itself on your system. Many anti virus packs come with software but it you do not have any it may do a world of good to get some anti-Spyware. After running the free anti-Spyware removal tool run the registry cleaner any free registry cleaner to remove all instances form the system registry.

Manual cleaning of the registry is very complicated as well as dangerous because if a wrong file is deleted the system may shut down and not boot up again unless the Operating System is reinstalled. It is for this reason that registry cleaners are designed. They do a great job in a few seconds and leave the system running more efficiently and fast. If your system has been run running sluggishly lately. Run a registry cleaner after the anti-Spyware and it will surely be a pleasure to work on the system again.

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

What You Need To Know About The Tablet Pc

Writen by Mike Wendland

After a less than spectacular start, the computing world has discovered the Tablet PC.

Four yeasr after Microsoft's Bill Gates first introduced it, the Tablet PC is now being embraced by medicall professionals, salesperople, students, journalists and everyday consumers who want to get a full-featured portable pc with the extra ability to be used like a pen and a tablet of paper,

Small, lightweight and rugged, these powerful machines are branded by well-respected manufacturers and consumers can chose between the Gateway Tablet PC, the Motion Computing Tablet PC, the Fujitsu Tablet PC, the Toshiba Tablet PC and many other rugged tablet pc types.

Tablet PCs come in two configurations: the slate model pc tablet, which is like the old childhood etch-a-picture toy. You use a tiny pen-stylus device to write on the surface of these tablet pcs, with your handwriting digitally converted and showing up on the screen just like it was a piece of paper.

Then there is the convertible model tablet pc. It is a tablet pc laptop in form, combining a screen which can be turned around to cover the keyboard and used just like a slate model tablet pc or, when flipped upright, the screen works just like a laptop computer or notebook computer.

The weight of these tablet pcs ranges from around 2 pounds for some fujitsu tablet pcs to over 6 pounds for some of the HP Tablet PC models.

Shopping for a new tablet pc is best done online. Although some of the large box computer stores carry tablet pcs, the best selection is found through the many specialized sites, which often offer tablet pc comparisons. You can also find the cheapest tablet pc for you by shopping online.

Expect to pay between $1,000 and $2,000 for an average model with a 40GB hard drive, wireless wi-fi capability and an ethernet port. To get a larger hard drive (I recommend 60GB) and an upgraded screen optimized for indoor and outdoor viewing, you'll have to pay close to $2,500.

The author is publisher of Online Christian Shopper (www.onlinechristianshopper.com), which specializes in Christian T-Shirts and jewelry. He is also the publisher of Tablet PC Scoop (www.tabletpcscoop.com), a resource site for the Tablet PC. And yes, he uses a Tablet PC in all his activities.

Lightning Season How To Avoid Data Loss

Writen by Woody Bowers

We have just entered the time of year that most electrical storms occur.

Sudden loss of power, power surges, and electrical spikes are all very common causes of computer damage.

There is no way to stop Mother Nature however; there are some precautionary measures that can be taken to save your computer from these types of damaging electrical storms.

The staff at Eco Data Recovery, located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (the lightning capitol of the world) offers the following suggestions to keep your computer and hard drive safe from Mother Nature:

1.) Plug your computer into a battery backup.

If a power outage does occur, a computer plugged into a battery backup will continue to run for several minutes giving you time to shut down the system properly.

2.) Use a surge protector.

A surge protector will prevent a power spike from burning out the mother board, hard drive, power supply and other drives.

These protective units are inexpensive and can save you hundreds of dollars in repair costs.

Brian Cain, data recovery consultant at EcoDataRecovery.com suggests "If your computer is unprotected from power issues and you know there is a storm headed your way -shut down your computer if possible, disconnect the power cable and telephone line until the storm passes."

If your computer has already experienced some sort of electrical damage and the hard drive seems to be dead, don't fret. The engineers at Eco Data Recovery have experienced this problem every season for over 10 years and are prepared to help.

Most people opt for the least costly method possible to recover their data. This is usually a software solution.

There are many data recovery software options available to the public however, software will do nothing for a drive that won't power up or that has a physical problem. The physical problems must first be overcome before any sort of recovery of your data can take place.

Eco Data Recovery has the equipment and expertise to overcome these issues.

When a company experiences data loss it usually means down time and down time means lost revenue.

The experts at Eco Data Recovery can help to get your business up and running in a timely manner.

About EcoDataRecovery.com: Based in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. EcoDataRecovery.com is committed to delivering the most cost effective solutions for expert data recovery services. EcoDataRecovery.com has been using their advanced technology and expertise to recover data for corporations and individuals alike for over 10 years. This company utilizes multiple world wide networks to source parts if needed. Delivering retrieved data in a timely manner, fanatical customer support, and confidentiality of client data is what keeps their clients' coming back.

On The Web: www.EcoDataRecovery.com

About The Author

Woody Bowers
Eco Data Recovery
Director of Business Development
(800)339-3412
woody@ecodatarecovery.com

Signs That Your Home Computer Is Infected By Spyware Or Adware

Writen by Richard Rogers

There are a number of indicators you can watch for which will suggest that your computer has been infected by spyware or adware. Please note that some of the symptoms listed below are not unique to just a spyware or an adware infection.

1) PC Performance – Both spyware and adware consume your PC's resource like computer memory. A bad spyware infection could dramatically slow your computer's performance including causing your system's to become increasingly unstable. Spyware also can affect your internet connection speed as it takes up bandwidth to communicate information back to its creator.

2) Pop up Ads – It is highly likely that your computer is infected by adware if you notice more pop up ads appearing than usual. In some cases pop ads start appearing on the desktop even if you have not opened a web browser. Alternatively, search results may appear in a pop up or another browser window relative to the website you are visiting or keyword term you have typed into a search engine.

3) Browser Toolbars – These programs are commonly bundled with free software which the publisher often describes as "advertiser supported." The toolbar then feeds adverts based on the website you visit. They are usually very difficult to uninstall. "180 Search Assistant" and "Huntbar" are example programs.

4) Browser Settings – Your internet favourites or bookmarks and start page are two main settings which are targeted by spyware authors. Web sites are inserted into your list of internet favourites in the hope that you will visit them. Browser hijackers change the start page which is visited when the browser loads. Any unexpected change to your start page is a sign of infection.

5) Start Up Programs – Some spyware variants will try to add themselves to your Windows start up program list. If you boot up time becomes noticeably slower then review your program start up list to check for applications you are not familiar with and remove them. This program list can be review using the "MS Config" option from the Windows XP Run command.

6) Software Failure – A spyware infection can cause some of your programs to crash or stop working. In particular watch if your Internet Explorer browser refuses to work all of a sudden.

7) Hosts File Changes – The Hosts File is a Windows file that maps the numerical IP Address to the Host Name very much like the address book on your cell phone "maps" your friend's name to their telephone number. Some spyware programs can change these setting so that when you type in "www.yahoo.com" for example you are re-directed to the spyware author's website.

Richard Rogers runs a number of computer-related sites offering Spyware Remover and Anti Virus Software help.

Stop Annoying Email Now

Writen by Robin Dary

Do you get odd emails and wonder how they got your email address? Never been to a porn site and yet get porn emails? Do you get viagara emails? Or any medication emails at all? Home mortgage emails?

It seems like I get more junk and useless email from people I know than I do from spammers. Your friends and family have good intentions but there are some simple guidelines you can follow and protect yourself and your email account.

Here's some email guidelines:

Don't forward an email and leave all the email addresses it has been sent to showing. Why you might ask. There are programs out there that real spammers use to grab email addresses. When you forward (or even reply) with all the addresses showing you just gave spammers the opportunity to get all those email addresses. Imagine if the email went out to 10 people who sent it on to 10 people .....there's my email address and yours vunerable again and again.

Don't send every joke to everybody. Some people seem compelled to send every joke they get to every person in their address book. Don't waste my time only send me what yo uthink I might be interested in. If I miss out on a joke email I'm sure I will live.

Don't forward emails and consider that keeping in touch. I've had friends (notice past tense) that thought keeping in touch was forwarding an email. Nope, it's not. Once in a while send that person a note and see how they are doing.

Stop forwarding the "true good to be true" emails. Disney World and Pepsi will give you money to forward this to all your friends, Microsoft and AOL will send you money, send this to everybody in your address book and you will have good luck,...you get the idea. Spammers love this because these things make their way around the Internet quickly.

Stop sending the fake warning emails. "I'm a police offier and my wife is a nurse and I never thought anything bad would ever happen to our kids......blah, blah, blah, send to all the parents you know" or a "woman stops for gas and a guy jumps in her car blah, blah, blah,...send to all the women you know and all the men you know to send to all the women they know".

Be careful before you hit a "reply all" to an email. I've seen people get fired, lose friends or get in trouble for this one.

Email is a great medium and email marketing is fine. Let's just use it wisely folks.

Robin Dary is the marketing power behind http://www.ParkerComputerGuy.com. Parker Computer Guy is a computer repair and consulting business in Parker, CO.

Upgrading Various Components Of Your Computer

Writen by Logan Rokwild

Upgrading RAM

We have understood by now, that more memory will enable your computer to work faster. How much memory you need is really a factor of the nature of work that you do on you computer. Two factors are worth considering: the first, that if your computer does not have enough memory, it will run slowly. Conversely, if you computer already has enough memory, then adding more will not necessary enhance performance. In this case, your microprocessor or graphics may be slowing your computer down. Hence, do consider these factors and use common sense while upgrading. That said, since memory chips have become a lot cheaper, it makes sense to install a little more than you anticipate you will need. If you do not have a large enough budget, then of course there is the option of upgrading later.

Upgrading your microprocessor

A faster microprocessor means a faster computer, given that the other components (memory, graphics card etc) are up to date. First you need to assess whether it is really your microprocessor that is slowing down your computer. It may be that you have a good microprocessor but a slow graphics card or insufficient memory. On the hand, if your microprocessor is slow, and your other computer components are relatively efficient, then it would make sense to upgrade the microprocessor. The idea is to achieve a balanced

PC in which all the components are relatively equivalent in terms of performance. If you just want more speed, and all your other important components are up to date, then a microprocessor upgrade would well do the job.

Upgrading your graphics card

If you are playing hi-tech games and finding that the animation is slow, then your graphics card probably needs to be upgraded. Upgrading the graphics card in such a situation would certainly enhance the speed of your computer. If you work a lot with images and find that it takes time to update, then also the graphics card could do with an upgrade. However, if your word processing or spreadsheet functions have slowed, then your graphics card is not the culprit and upgrading it will not help.

Upgrading your hard drive

When most of your hard disk space has been used up, then it would be wise to upgrade your hard drive. But there is another option – you might consider getting a CD burner instead. This way, you could store a lot of the data that you don't often use on CDs and free that much space on the hard drive. However, upgrading the hard drive in such situation may be the wiser thing to do.

Speed is another consideration for hard drive upgrades. The new hard drives available today are faster than the older ones.

Upgrading your motherboard

Quite a lot of work goes into upgrading the motherboard. If you need more slots for more expansion cards or if you want a faster motherboard, then an upgrade would be needed. Consult with your retailer about whether or not installing a new motherboard with a faster bus would be useful for you.

Logan writes about various topics. This article is free to re-print as long as nothing is changed, the bio remains, all hyper links remain intacked and the rel="nofollow" tag isnt added to any links. Thank-You Please Visit http://www.netcola.com

Smart Ways To Buying A Pda

Writen by Garry Allen

This article was written to answer many of the most frequently asked questions on this topic. I hope you find all of this information helpful.

So you have decided that you want to buy a pda. Congratulations!

You are going to be buying a form of technology that will help you get your life organized! However, if this is going to be your first pda purchase you might find that you will gain from some pda buying tips. Let's take a look at some pda buying tips below.

PDA buying tip number one: What do you want to spend? Get a PDA at a price that you can afford. Now don't go crazy when you buy a PDA, remember more money doesn't always mean a better PDA. If you aren't sure as to what PDA is worth the money you are planning to pay, then read a variety of PDA reviews to see what others think of the product. In fact, PDA reviews can help you to successfully determine which PDA will meet any and all of your needs.

PDA buying tip number two: Now these handheld PDAs come in various sizes and you should find one that you will be comfortable in handling on a regular basis. Fact, some are very tiny while there are others that are smaller than a laptop, but still considered large. If you feel you will find a tiny device comfortable then get a small device, but if you have had a repetitive motion injury or if you have a problem with your fine motor skills, a small PDA may not be the best choice for you and you may want to consider purchasing a larger PDA.

PDA buying tip number three: Just to reemphasize, your PDA size and its keyboard is very important. A PDA keyboard that has keys designed too close together or are small and difficult to use can be very aggravating and no one likes to be aggravated. This is especially true for those that have problems with fine motor skills or have a repetitive motion injury. So, thoroughly examine the usability of a PDA's keyboard before you make your decision.

PDA buying tip number four: If you are planning to use your PDA for internet access, then invest in a PDA that offers wireless internet access. After all the whole idea in enjoying the use of your PDA is the portability that this product provides and using cell phone dial up, even though it is more secure, is no less cheaper than wireless access.

PDA buying tip number five: If you expect to carry quite a few files or images on your PDA, you may want to consider buying a PDA with a larger size installed memory even though you can purchase an expanded memory card. PDAs are small, handheld devices, and there memories are a bit limited. But in the long run it is cheaper to get a PDA with sufficient installed memory and expand later if you need to than to buy one with less and buy an additional expanded memory card.

In conclusion, if you keep these tips in mind, there is no doubt that you will easily find a PDA that is right for you. Now all you need to do is start your research and your sampling of PDAs. Visit the nearest electronics dealer to determine what PDA you want and get your life organized today!

Simple detailed information on everything you need to know about PDAs. Learn the Facts, Tips and Secrets of PDAs Today.

Boxing Sparing Robots Needed

Writen by Lance Winslow

It is always difficult to find a good sparing partner to box with or practice martial arts. The better you get the fewer people who are willing to get in the ring or on the mat with your. Worse off if it is a friend and he makes a mistake, you often find yourself holding back on your gut instincts to take him out and exploit his foolishness in letting his guard down. If you do not take him down to the mat or clock him so hard he cannot see straight, you are actually doing him a disservice, as in a real fight it would have been over right then and there.

Unfortunately we live in the real world and in the real world if you are in the ring with a good friend you often hold back, if you get too tough, you trigger them to go all out when you are just there for practice and not to kick the ever-living crap out of someone.

I therefore propose Boxing Sparing Partners to spar with. Sparing Robots, which you can clock as hard as you can if the opportunity exists. Robots which you will not feel bad when you do and one which will hit you back on the level you set in case you make a mistake and unnecessarily leave an opening or let your guards down. Enough to sting you hard enough to learn the lesson but not hard enough to break you in half, break your nose or cause you a serious head injury.

Robots are perfect for sparing partners and we can build them to feel as if you are sparing with a real man, without damaging them and so they hit you back. This will help boxers and martial artists test themselves and excel in their quest to become even better. Think on this.

Lance Winslow

Calendars

Writen by Richard Romando

A calendar is a systematic and structured documentation of the units of time for the purpose of estimating or calculating time over an extended period. Simply put, it is a record of the various units of time, namely days, months and years. A day is the smallest unit in the calendar. Calendars have existed in human civilizations for centuries. Historically, calculations of days, months and years in a calendar were determined by astronomical observations and events. The sun and the moon cycles were considered vital for creation and comprehension of early calendars. The movement of the earth from one fixed position to another was considered important for the depiction of a year, which is approximately 365.242190 days, although it may vary slightly. Similarly, the movement of the moon around earth (from one new moon to the next) was used to determine the synodic month, which is approximately 30 days, although it may vary. Some calendars are based on abstract continuously occurring cycles alone.

There are now about 40 calendars used throughout the world. The Christian, or Gregorian, calendar is now the most widely used calendar. Some of the concepts of month in this calendar have been derived from the Julian calendar. The Gregorian calendar had been introduced by Alvysius Lilius, a physician from Naples, and later adopted by Pope Gregory. The tropical year is 365 47/400 days, with 97 leap years in every 400 years. Some calendars, like the Islamic calendar, are based completely on lunar cycles, while others like the Jewish calendar are based both on solar and lunar cycles.

Calendars have been devised to serve the social, religious and occupational requirements of people of various cultures and societies for millenia. Even the aggressive and brutal Vikings of Scandinavia recognized the significance of calendars to plan their daily activities and living. In antiquity calendars enabled people to plan for agriculture, hunting and irrigation cycles, and record the dates of significant religious and social events. A calendar has acquired greater significance today. Scheduling one's daily life has become necessary for survival.

Calendars provides detailed information on Calendars, Free Calendars, Printable Calendars, Custom Calendars and more. Calendars is affiliated with Atomic Alarm Clocks.

Pda Palm Pilots For Everyday Use

Writen by M Johnson

Have you ever wondered what a Palm Pilot can do? In this day and age almost anything a laptop can do. The only difference is a PDA(personal digital assistant) can fit in your pocket! Imagine storing contact information, writing notes and keeping organized throughout the day with something about the size of a wallet. The possibility is a reality.

Palm pilots started out a few years back with the main concept of retrieving information at the touch of a button in a very compact and mobile handheld. That main theory has lasted and has been improved on several times over. The PDA got smaller, more lightweight, got a bigger memory and numerous added features.

Palm pilots can now do almost anything. Here's a few:
1)8-60MB of memory with expansion slots for upgrades
2)Most come with high resolution color screens
3)Easily sync Outlook information View photos and videos, play MP3 files and GPS capabilities
4)Stores numerous names addresses and phone numbers
5)Headphone and external speaker jack
6)E-mail and wireless internet connection available
7)Palm OS software that synchronizes with a main computer through infra red connection
8)Stores notes, appointments, and memos, even scribble on it
9)Edit and create Word, Excel, and PowerPoint compatible files
10)Add software such as games, dictionary and more

Can you see what I mean when palm pilots can do almost anything? Remember that a PDA can go anywhere you go and can hide in a purse, your suitcoat, or even your back pocket. All these useful functions are necessary to keep people on the move and because we are all human palm pilots carry all our valuable information at the touch of a button.

How can such a compact handheld do all this? By constantly pushing the envelope in mobile computing technology. Big name manufacturers like palmOne, Dell and HP put out some very powerful, yet small PDAs. Each of these top companies have invented an awesome handheld palm pilot to suit the busy lifestyle needs of the working professional, students, or even Mom.

In today's world we must keep up with the pace, but because we are still human a little help goes a long way. Having to remember business contacts, term paper due dates, and even soccer practice can get overwhelming at times. Being swamped with all this information can cause us to forget. Now thanks to the invention of the Palm Pilot PDA we can take all our information with us and be able to recall it at the touch of a button. What could be better?

Online Crazy Deals offers more information on Palm Pilots and how to organize your life with ease.

Online Crazy Deals(http://www.onlinecrazydeals.com) has more information about palm pilots and what they can do on the homepage. Please feel free to share this information, but please keep all information as is. Thanks from OCD.

Working Together Your Music Movies Photos On Your Ipod Cell Phone Amp Pda

Writen by Mike Valentine

Electronic device manufacturers and content producers have got to back away from the forest and see the light filtering throught the trees. Consumers want to control the content they purchase and want to be able to use their electronic devices together without restrictions placed on them.

Standards and interoperability will have to come to digital devices, just as Google co-founder Larry Page said in his Consumer Electronics Show keynote speech when he introduced Google Video. Right now, only those video's purchased through Google Video that are NOT copy protected will play on video iPods and Sony PSP's - the rest only work on Google Video.

http://www.google.com/press/podium/ces2006.html

That news about Google Video and Digital Rights Management (DRM) standards of interoperability had me fuming about my inability to use my content (photos, movies, music) on devices made by different manufacturers or between cell phone providers. Today I ran across a story about an Anti-DRM group in Britain campaigning to demand an end to DRM.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/01/18/drm_consumer_opposition/

Obviously I'm not the only one disturbed by the fact that I cannot move digitally recorded movies from my Tivo to my DVD recorder (purchased for exactly that reason, but before I knew it wouldn't work) I only found out that I couldn't record movies from the Tivo to the DVD recorder when I called Pioneer customer support to ask why the recorder wouldn't record my movies. It seems that I can only move digital movies from the Tivo to my computer (which I found I could do with free Tivo Desktop software when I called Tivo customer support.)

So instead of recording directly from my Tivo to my Pioneer DVD recorder, I have to move the movie over to my computer via Tivo Desktop software, then burn a DVD from my computer. Very smart move on Tivo's part, as it means I definitely won't buy the DVR from my satellite TV provider because they don't support skipping commercials, nor do they support moving movies to my computer.

This also means I don't NEED my Pioneer DVD recorder - so their DRM which stops Tivo digitally recorded movies from recording to DVD means that I won't use that Pioneer DVD recorder and will now sell it. The other DVD player connected to my other television will suffice. If I want to record something, it goes on the Tivo because it is so easy to use and works so extremely well. I'll use the free Tivo Desktop software and move it to my computer and burn DVD's of my recorded television and movies there.

Clearly Tivo is doing all they can to make their device consumer friendly - but they are being besieged by television and movie content producers, who are screaming at them to stop the "piracy" of their users. Tivo now disables the 30 second commercial skip button daily (which you have to know how to program - Select, Play, Select, 3-0, Select). They do this via automatically updated internal software because advertisers screamed at them for several years about the consumer ability to skip commercials. The result is that I reprogram that function daily anyway - annoying, but not nearly as annoying as not being able to control my own device the way I want to.

I'm convinced that content producers will lose this battle over the long term and I'll do all I can to fight them myself, like supporting anti-DRM groups wherever I find them. And I'll research more thoroughly before buying products which contain DRM to make certain they will work with my existing devices - meaning no Sony CD's or DVD's. There have been rumors that Apple is creating a set-top box and service similar to Tivo and I'd buy one in a split second as I'm sure I could use my iPod, iMac and iPhoto seamlessly between all devices.

Maybe they'll make a phone with a Mac OS and a PDA as well (I actually used to own an early Apple Newton PDA and oh, how I wish they had continued to develop that wonderful little thing). I'm happy to use anything Apple produces - but I won't switch cell providers or switch my Satellite TV provider. Interoperability and standards are essential to me. It's about choice. Pioneer limited my choices and lost a customer and Motorola lost my ROKR iTunes phone business because the device is only available from Cingular.

Obviously, I'm a Mac user and had studiously avoided purchasing Windows machines until I had to buy a Windows box to run business software not available for my Apple machines. So I bought an extremely cheap $299 PC to run the three programs that won't run on my Mac. That cheap machine now serves as my DVD burner for movies (with a cheap external hard drive as movie storage drive). Pioneer lost a customer because they don't allow me to record movies to DVD from my Tivo. How about a Tivo/Apple partnership? That would be a marriage made in heaven due to the customer-centric design and usability so elegantly addressed by both companies.

I'll put up with Apple's walled garden (iTunes and proprietary AAC files) and their own DRM only as long as everything they make works seamlessly together. Apple products always have worked elegantly together and probably always will. Somehow most third party software seems to interact well with everything else on the Macs. The moment Motorola makes that ROKR iTunes phone available through MY cellular provider, I'll consider buying that phone.

Being in the market for a phone, I had been looking at a Palm Treo 650 phone/PDA and was excited when they introduced the new 700 model, just as I was about to make that purchase. So I read a few reviews and discovered to my horror that Palm just fell victim to the dominance of Microsoft and replaced their own well designed Palm operating system on that new Treo 700 with a buggy, slow and cumbersome Windows OS!

In the process they lost another customer, because I can't stand the clunky way one must navigate with Windows (reviewers agree) and refuse to buy that machine now, the same way I avoided all other PDA's running Windows for the past 10 years. This is all because Palm couldn't port Microsoft documents and Windows related bits to the Palm OS when corporate users required that interoperability. Thanks to Gates & Company, Palm lost another customer - and their own elegant OS.

If mainstream electronics device manufacturers continue to take the path of least resistance by kowtowing to content producers, lowest common denominator software and stifled functionality and interoperability, then consumers will eventually find a way to take back the control. We'll avoid buying products (CD's & DVD's, "rented" music) that don't work with their existing devices (Tivo's, DVD recorders, PDA's, iPods) and will find companies that make all of this stuff work together and buy from them - but only so long as ALL devices and ALL content work with each other interchangeably.

Mike Banks Valentine is a Search Engine Optimization Specialist and blogs about web content at: http:// weblogs.Publish101.com and distributes articles about business at: http:// Publish101.com while operating a small business ecommerce tutorial at: http://WebSite101.com

Way To The Ideal Passwords Managing

Writen by Maria Tarasova

Monday morning. You are sitting at the office desk trying to concentrate on work will have to be performed. Logging into the next page, you realize that the required password has absolutely gone out of your mind. No problem; you run through the password reset routine, and all is fine. But you wasted your precious time and felt a slight irritation. It isn't the best way to start working day, is it?

All users have their passwords, whose main purpose is to protect the data from unauthorized access. But it isn't a rare case when this tool, called to serve us, gives a lot of troubles. All these expired, forgotten, or compromised passwords, which prevent us from having a quick access to the needed data anytime and anywhere…Is there an ideal solution to this problem? Of course, you can use only one password for logging into all needed sites. Many people both at home and in the office have chosen this very way. But at the same time, everyone understands that entering everywhere this universal password threatens the data security. Seeing passwords as a nuisance and therefore making them as easy to remember as possible can be a catastrophic mistake.

Probably, there are other possible ways out of the situation with password losses and other difficulties; but if you tend to the ideal solution, you'd better to have resort to a special program. This program will take upon itself the process of managing your passwords, filling out web forms by storing multiple user identities, and securely saving confidential data.

This application must be reliable and secure because you will entrust to it not only passwords and logins but also PIN codes, banking account details, credit card numbers and other valuable data. That's why you'd better choose one of widely recognized software programs in the field of password management. In case of this, Novosoft LLC offers users a convenient and secure password manager Handy Password.

With Handy Password you won't have to memorize passwords anymore, the only one you must remember is so-called "Master Password" giving you an access to Handy Password database. As for the rest, this application will save your data and fill out online forms with all needed details. You will be able to navigate through the Web without making any efforts on remembering a password and wasting your time on filling web forms. And don't worry about your data security. This software will securely store all your information in a single file and make it inaccessible for anybody else using 128-bit Blowfish encryption algorithm. In this way, Handy Password as an indispensable helper will guide you everywhere you need, unlocking and clearing your way in the Internet.

Dealing with Handy Password is simpler than it can be imagined. So, the logging form is filled out with a single mouse click on Handy Password toolbar built-in Internet Explorer. Due to Handy Password Search box you can easily run web search with a number of engines. To access needed web places you should just click on a bookmark button that can be placed on the program toolbar. Handy Password saves your password without delay and the next time, while visiting the same web page, the web form is filled out automatically. In addition, entering a new site requiring registration, Handy Password automatically fills in your identities and generates random crack-proof passwords to be memorized and used when needed.

Convenient system of cards accessible through Handy Password main window allows users not only to store their valuable data but also to surf the Web easier and faster. Along with your data each card holds URL containing the corresponding web form. Thus, just with one click on this link you can find yourself on the needed site.

In view of all above-mentioned information, no wonder that this application has been chosen by thousands of users all over the world. With Handy Password you will never to worry about your data security. And, of course, your relatives won't have to listen anymore to your complains on lapse of memory.

Copywriter

Media Storage Devices Choosing A Storage Device

Writen by Lucy Bartlett

Media storage devices are capable of preserving data, images, audio and video files of large sizes in a comparatively small area. The evolution of the media storage devices right from the 64 KB floppy disk with its huge size (5 ¾ inches) to the present day pen drives having a capacity 80GB has taken place within this decade.

Since many of the media storage devices which were very popular a few years ago have now become totally obsolete, we will start from the hard disk and zip drive which set a trend in removable media storage device.

Hard disk is a fixed media storage devices lacking portability. When you buy a personal computer you decide what should be the capacity of the hard disk which is fixed inside the personal computer. The storage capacity of the hard disk is gradually increasing as the days goes by – earlier, a decade ago, 2 GB hard disk was the largest storage capacity possible. Now there are hard disks available with a capacity to store 1 TB (Tetra Byte – equivalent to 1024 GB). Find more info at www.mediastorageresource.info

Zip drive or disk is one the most popular portable media storage device. Even though the highest capacity available is around 600 MB, its portability made it very popular. It can be attached to any personal computer without much of a hassle.

Writeable and rewriteable compact disks (what a mouthful) or popularly known as CDR and CDRW media storage devices have a capacity to store around 800 MB of data, audio, or video files. Since most of the personal computers are configured to have a CD ROM Drive, it is very easy to transfer or read the files from any personal computer. The CDRW media can be reused again and again after deleting the files written earlier.

The wonder of wonders among the media storage device is the Pen Drive. It is also known as a USB Drive. The pen drive can be connected very easily to the Universal Serial Bus Port (USB port) of the personal computer and once connected; it becomes another external drive of the system. The latest Pen Drive has the capacity to store around 80 GB of information. Some of the fancier Pen drives are available with a built in MP3 player and a voice recorder too. Conversations can be recorded in WAV format and later on can be transcribed to text using the voice recognition software. Files can be written, deleted, transferred and rewritten in Pen Drives very easily. Among all the media storage devices, a Pen Drive is the most compact, easy to use and functionally versatile device.

Lucy Bartlett is a proud contributing author. Find more articles here. For more info visit Media Storage or USB Drives

How Does A Computer Know

Writen by Denny Knutson

Have you ever wondered just how the computer knows what to do when it first boots up? Have you ever wondered what exactly it does when it starts up? Well, for the curious minded, I will give you brief synopsis of how your computer works.

But first a little background information. Do you know how long the computer has been around? Of all the pre-20th century thinkers and tinkerers who added something to the development of computing, the one who came the closest to actually inventing a computer, in the modern sense, was an Englishman named Charles Babbage. Born into a wealthy Devonshire family in 1791, Babbage earned fame for both the keenness of his mind and the crankiness of his personality. For 13 years this eccentric genius occupied the same Cambridge chair of Mathematics once held by Sir Isaac Newton. Yet in all that time he never lived at the University or delivered a single lecture there.

In 1822, Babbage wrote a scholarly paper describing a machine that could compute and print lengthy scientific tables. That same year he built a preliminary model of his "DIFFERENCE ENGINE" made with toothed wheels on shafts turned by a crank. He then enlisted the Royal Society, a prestigious association of scientists, in a bid for government grants to construct a full-scale working version. In 1833, Babbage was ready to put aside his plans for the DIFFERENCE ENGINE. Considering its troubled history, that was hardly surprising. Yet, he went on to develop ideas for an even more ambitious machine. The ANALYTICAL ENGINE, unlike its predecessor, was designed not just to solve one type of mathematical problem, but to carry out a wide range of calculating tasks according to the instructions supplied by its operator. It was to be "A Machine of the most general nature"- nothing less infact, than the first general-purpose programmable computer.

The Analytical Engine was to have a "MILL" and a "STORE," both composed of cogs and wheels. The store would hold up to 100 forty-diget numbers at a time. Numbers would be kept in the store until their turn came to be operated on in the MILL. Results would then be moved back into the store to await further use or to be printed out. Instructions would be fed into the Analytical Engine by means of PUNCHED CARDS. "We may say most aptly that the Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves, " wrote the countess of Lovelace, one of the few people who comprehended both the machine's methods and its vast potential for application.

If your interested, you can go to the library and read more on Charles Babbage, he was quite fascinating .

Now lets take a look at what really happens after you turn on your computer. The steps involved in starting your computer (Booting it up) are very complicated, but I have listed here a simplistic overview for you.

First, we turn the power on. At this point, the computer is pretty dumb and doesn't know what to do, so there is a component in the computer (on the mother board) called a ROM (READ ONLY MEMORY) Chip. The basic purpose of this chip is to look at the computer and see what drives, memory and other equipment are attached to it. It also does a check of everything called a P.O.S.T. which is an acronym for POWER ON SELF TEST. When this is completed, the computer chip or ROM looks for your operating system, which is usually DOS (Disk Operating System) and Windows, a Microsoft product that comes on all computers now and works with your DOS. Once the ROM has all the information it needs, it passes control over to your operating system. The operating system now looks at some files on your Hard Drive Disk called the Config.sys and Autoexec.bat files. These files tell the operating system how to proceed and what to do.

The rest is history. Your computer displays all the nice files on your desktop (Screen) and you simply make a choice with your mouse and execute a program.

Denny Knutson, LPN,EMT, Maa
Emergeny Room Nurse
Bellin Health - Bond Health Center

Types Of Mp3 Players A Quick Overview

Writen by Peter Lenkefi

MP3 players are pocket-sized electronic devices that have the ability to not only store, but play music and other sound files.

Although MP3 players are sophisticated devices and there are of many types, they can be placed into one of three broad categories. These categories include hard drive based players, micro hard drive based players, and flash based players.

Hard drive based MP3 players are typically larger and heavier than their competitors due to the fact that they contain a large capacity hard drive inside.

This however, may be one of it's only weaknesses. These MP3 players provide the largest capacity, ten gigabytes or more, out of the different types of MP3 players.

Due to the fact that ten gigabytes equates to roughly 2,900 MP3 files, most consumers buy these players because they accommodate their entire MP3 collection.

Micro hard drive based MP3 players are similar to their big brothers, the hard drive based players, except that they are a bit smaller, both in physical size and internal storage capacity.

These MP3 players hold up to six gigabytes of MP3 files, which equals roughly 1,700 songs. Still boasting a respectable capacity, these players have won over many consumers due to their light-weight, compact size. Additionally, both hard drive and micro hard drive based players commonly contain rechargeable batteries that can not be replaced for a new battery, but only recharged.

If it's small size and moderate capacity that you are in search of this type of player may be just right.

Flash based MP3 players are ultra compact, low capacity players contain no moving parts and consequently, never skip.

Another advantage of these players is that their size and lack of moving parts allow them to use minimal power, causing your batteries to last longer.

Also, these players almost always use replaceable, disposable batteries, allowing you to put in a new battery if your player should die in the middle of use.

However, flash based MP3 players commonly range in capacity from 32 megabytes (roughly 10 songs) to two gigabytes (roughly 570 songs) at most.

Therefore, most consumers with a large music collection tend to shy away from this type of MP3 player while athletes can appreciate the sturdy nature of these devices.

Some of the different types of MP3 players include additional features as well. A few of the hard drive players include a small screen that can display pictures and video that are stored on the internal drive. Other players allow for digital voice recording for future playback.

For more more information about mp3 players types please visit http://www.mp3-player-search.com

Selecting A Personal Digital Assistant

Writen by Deryck Richards

A Computer in Your Hand

Carrying around an address book and planner is becoming a thing of the past. With new PDA developments, you can manage your contacts and schedule, use e-mail, and even listen to music. Personal Digital Assistants, originally called "Palm Pilots," previously were used just for retrieving basic information. Today, using some of the more advanced models could possibly replace the need to carry a laptop computer. Modern PDAs can play music, games, videos, write documents, and connect to networks and databases -- nothing short of a desktop computer.

Although newer PDAs have the processing power of a computer, they still have some limitations. Inputting information is done by handwriting recognition or by a miniature keyboard. Skilled users can input 20 - 30 words per minute, less than half the speed of a good typist on a full-size keyboard. PDAs with a color screen tend to run through battery life faster. Finally, because the small screen size the number of prograqm options that can be displayed, the programs available aren't as advanced because the user doesn't have as much control over the program.

Despite these limitations, the market for PDAs is continuing to expand. Students, doctors, and business professionals are increasingly relying on PDAs for computing on the go. Common PDA applications include spreadsheet, word processing, database, financial management, and games. PDAs synchronize files with your computer so that you can take your important information with you and update it when needed.

What to Look For

The two basic types of PDAs are Palm and Windows Mobile devices. The Palm Pilot was the first PDA available and its operation is very intuitive; some compared it to the Macintosh. Windows Mobile devices run an operating system very similar to Windows on desktop computers. Although Windows Mobile offers advanced features, its interface is still somewhat difficult to navigate in comparison to the Palm.

When purchasing a PDA, make sure that the programs on the PDA are compatible with the programs on your computer. Test out different models, with keyboard and with handwriting recognition, to see which one fits your preferences best. Also consider which application you will be using most. If you plan on using your PDA primarily for e-mail, get a PDA with a good keyboard and good battery life. If you plan on taking digital photos, your main concern should be the quality of the digital camera and the screen.

About The Author

Deryck Richards is the founder and managing partner of Desktronix. With an extensive educational background in computer information systems, Deryck currently manages hosting and data center operations for Desktronix. He also provides system administration and technical support directly to small businesses as he has since 2000. His areas of expertise include networking, Windows, Linux, and Macintosh systems and he is the author of The Guide to Technology for Small Business. For more information on Desktronix, visit www.desktronix.com.

A Tale Of Two Regeds

Writen by Meryl K. Evans

Tech support tells me to type 'regedt32' as opposed to 'regedit' to access the registry from the command line (Start > Run). I question the use of 'regedt32,' but he says to do it anyway. Whenever I use the registry editor, I recall this incident and never look up the tale of the two regs... until now.

Regedt32.exe is an alternative registry editor available with Windows NT/2000 with features of its own. Regedt32.exe does not support importing and exporting registration entries (.reg) files. Regedit has limitations of its own as quoted here:

You cannot set the security for registry keys. You cannot view, edit, or search the value data types <>REG_EXPAND_SZ and <>REG_MULTI_SZ. If you try to view a <>REG_EXPAND_SZ value, Regedit.exe displays it as a binary data type. If you try to edit either of these data types, Regedit.exe saves it as <>REG_SZ, and the data type no longer performs its intended function. You cannot save or restore keys as hive files.

Research indicates regedit has:

• a better search tool
• bookmarking of subkeys
• opens to last edited subtree, export and import capabilities
• all keys are visible from a window similar to Windows Explorer

Regedt32 (pre-WinXP) can:

• run in read-only mode
• allows you to edit values longer than 256 characters (who wants to do that???)
• displays subtrees in their own windows
• modify access permissions to subtrees, keys, and subkeys

In WinXP and Server 2003, the two have been replaced by a new version of regedit that has features from both. Try typing 'regedit' and 'regedt32' to see what happens. They're the same. To prove it, while in 'regedit,' select 'edit' and you'll see 'permissions.' This is a feature that was only available in the old 'regedt32' and not 'regedit.'

Technically, regedt32 is a small program that runs regedit. So when typing 'regedt32,' it takes you to 'regedit.' The destination is the same either way. So type whichever is easier for you to remember. Regedit is easier for me - I had to play with the spelling of the other version until I got it right.

Now I remember that tech support was checking to see if the permissions were properly set and that was why we used 'regedt32.' However, someone forgot to update the script or tell him that it didn't matter anymore when a user had WinXP. Tech support always asks what operating system at the beginning of the call, so he knew.

More registry editor resources: Microsoft has a knowledgebase article on the differences between the two. Windows IT Library has a feature comparison chart dated 2000, so it's way old, but it will satisfy curiosity. Here's a list of registry editor alternatives for those who wish to try something different. For tweaks, tricks, and hacks, check out WinGuides' Registry Guide for Windows.

Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl's notes, eNewsletter Journal, and The Remediator Security Digest. She is also a PC Today columnist and a tour guide at InformIT. She is geared to tackle your editing, writing, content, and process needs. The native Texan resides in Plano, Texas, a heartbeat north of Dallas, and doesn't wear a 10-gallon hat or cowboy boots.

Is Ipod Really Your Electronic God

Writen by Lance Winslow

Recently a Christian and an Atheist were bantering back and forth at a local Starbucks and their debate about creationism was becoming louder and louder and quite heated over the Jazz Type elevator music in the coffee shop. On one hand the atheist claimed that the Christian's fanatical psychotic invisible friend behavior was causing him to live his life in such a way that he was not accomplishing anything worthy of mention and that his life would soon be over and he would merely die a worthless old man with little if anything to show for his labors during his life experience. All this while the Christian claimed that the atheist had no moral judgment as he had no base line or any code of conduct to live by. The debate was getting to the point that it appeared that swear words we going to be issued to the atheist via his Christian rival and probably something to the affect; "...Burn in hell" salutation upon departure.

Luckily I was listening to all this meaningless sound and fury and actually laughing inside. I noticed they both had iPods with those earbud things draped around their necks. Seeing this commonality, I thought I would have the last laugh. So I said;

"Oh, by the way, there is no god. iPod is god; play with the letters a bit you will see. You humans just don't get it do you? It is all right in front of you, but you are blinded by your own fog of war; sound and fury to confuse and control the masses and you know what; you deserve it."

They both did a double take of their iPods and I stuck my iPod's earbuds into my ears and walked out singing and having a nice rest of my day, knowing by the look on their faces that I took the wind right out of both of their sails. Maybe iPod really is god? There is a lot of vibrational energy going on with all those sound waves and gigabytes of songs. Think on this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Netgear Skype Wifi Phone Review

Writen by Lance Winslow

Stealing the show at CES 2006 in Las Vegas for the Hyper Cell Phone Category was the NetGear - Skype WiFi Phone. In reviewing this technology it is unbelievable the amount of technology going into this little handheld 3-in-one advice.

This phone only needs a WiFi network to use VoIP or surf. Meanwhile you can use it like a regular cell phone too. We are entering a new age of cell phones which are portable juke boxes, MP3 Players, video games, PDAs, watches, video phones, surfing units, VoIP phones, holographic displays, email enabled and full GPS capabilities too. This a beginning of a new era.

The NetGear Corporation and Skype also announced that the NetGear RangeMax Wireless Router (WPN824) with Smart MIMO technology at the CES Show and it will allow you obviously when working together to turn your walk-around house phone into a WiFi VoIP phone around the house.

You can sit by the pool or BBQ with your telephone and send emails and surf using these systems together. Or you can go out and about and anytime you are in range with a WiFi system you can use your phone for whatever you wish. Looks as if NetGear is on the leading edge of handheld devices, which can do multi-functions. Think on this in 2006.

Lance Winslow

Activex Components Are One Of The Culprits That Slow A System

Writen by A Singh

Among the many things that contribute to slowing down a system and making it unstable are spy ware and adware. The user downloads these from the Internet inadvertently or they may download themselves for malicious purposes. The end result is disaster if steps are not taken in time to rectify the software or clean the system of such software. When this malicious software enters the registry they can play havoc with the system. This includes some ActiveX controls that are designed to disrupt the operating system and are presented to the user as a useful download. ActiveX controls download themselves and lodge in the CLASID section of the registry and start slowing the system down with each passing day. The only solution is to regularly clean the registry with some registry cleaner software.

Let Us Understand The Role Of The Registry

The Operating system, commonly referred to as the OS, needs to locate program and file information easily and fast. This information was initially stored in the system INI folders. Each Program had its own INI folder and so the entire system information was scattered all over the hard disk and it was rather difficult and time consuming to locate the information when the programs required. These INI folders were also constantly updated with information when the system configuration changed or something was downloaded from the network to the hard disks. There was no way of cleaning the system, which was slowed down by these constant changes and the growing INI files.

When Microsoft developed the Windows 95 system they included the system registry in the operating system. This became the central warehouse of the operating system and any changed in the system was recorded in the registry. This registry would, like the INI folder, grow with time and slow the system down too, however, the registry could be cleaned of redundant information with the help of automatic software such as Tweaknow registry cleaner or various free versions of registry cleaner software. The Registry would grow with this added information and every time the operating system requested some information the registry would begin searching the entire system registry from the beginning. This would take a very long time to locate the information needed by the operating system. Cleaning the registry with registry cleaning software such as the PC registry cleaner or many of the free registry cleaner software removes this redundant information from the registry and defragments the registry. This speeds up the system a great deal.

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

Ipod Learn How It Can Solve Everyday Problems

Writen by Mircea Cojocaru

All over the world, people carry with them walkmans and other music devices so that they can play their favorite music as they move around from place to place. The latest thing in the portable music devices field is the iPod, which offers a higher quality of the music being played and one of the most compact design out there.

The iPod allows you to play your music for an very long time (up to 12 hours for most of them) and have a huge amount of storage (some have 30GB). You can store thousands songs within a standard iPod and have instant access to them wherever you are at the moment. This makes them the perfect choice for your nowadays music necessities.

With iPods, transferring music from a CD takes less than 5 seconds, assuming that you use the FireWire and USB 2.0 support and can be transferred in a rather wide variety of formats, such as MP3, WMA, or AAC. With the iPods, users have the ability of importing songs from CDs, shuffling through songs, or choosing specific playlists, to name just a few of the iPods' features.

iPods are also equipped with a calendar, contact lists, notes and a musical alarm clock, which makes them more than just a portable music device, along with their huge storage capability. With them, you can take your files anywhere at any time, use memos as reminders and even record whatever you want with their microphone option.

iPods come with a wide variety of language support for languages like English, Italian, German etc. and models, such as iPod mini, iPod, iPod Special Edition and iPod Photo, each with its own storage capability (4GB for the iPods mini to 30GB for iPods Photo).

In addition to the device itself, a wide line of accessories are available for iPods, such as camera connector, power adapter, auto charger, car holder, voice recorder and many more.

In conclusion, with their high quality of the music being played, high storage capability, high transfer speed and all their functions, the iPods make the perfect choice if you are a music addict or just need a portable storage device.

Get a Free mini Ipod now. For a cheap ipod just visit us at http://www.ukipodmini4free.com

Exceptionerror Handling An Integral Part Of Programming

Writen by Duane Hennessy

Exception handling is an essential part of the programming experience, it polishes the application and is a bulwark against somewhat forgivable oversight. We most likely will not cover every situation in the first build of an application but at least we can include the ability to handle unforeseen runtime exceptions and build some useful tools utilising exception systems to help with the application development process.

CUSTOM EXCEPTIONS
=================

Custom built exceptions are a handy tool for both release and development versions of an application. They can be used in the following ways:

Custom Exceptions as Developer Warnings
---------------------------------------

We can use exceptions to remind us of not providing requisite information to a class or object. For example: We build a class as an interface to multiple vendor databases, let's call it Multiple Vendor Management (MVM) class. To connect to a particular database we perforce provide the instantiated MVM class with the vendor database type we are connecting to via a database_type method within the class. The MVM class also has a SQL_select method that can be called to return a recordset from our chosen vendor database. Within the SQL_select method is a switch (select case) statement which decides how to send the 'select request' to our chosen database type. If we fail to provide the vendor database type to our class and call the SQL_select method at runtime or a debug compilation, a default (case else) option within our switch (select case) statement throws a custom exception for developers. The custom exception will remind a developer during runtime testing that the requirements of the class have not been fulfilled during our coding. Below is an example of where our custom exception can be used:

Private Sub SQL_select(SQL As String)

dim exp_developer_1 as RuntimeException
exp_developer_1 = new RuntimeException
exp_developer_1.Message = "'database_type' property is not set."
exp_developer_1.ErrorNumber = -90000

dim rs As RecordSet

select case database_type

case MySQL_DATABASE
if Connect_mysql then
rs = mysql.SQLSelect(SQL)
end if // Connect_mysql

case ODBC_DATABASE
if Connect_odbc then
rs = odbcdb.SQLSelect(SQL)
end if // Connect_odbc

case REAL_DATABASE
if connect_rbdb then
// replace any instance of the word DISTINCT with UNIQUE to cater for RBDB syntax.
SQL = Replace_passed_regex_strings(SQL,"sDISTINCTs"," UNIQUE ")
rs = rbdb.SQLSelect(SQL)
end if // Connect_rbdb

case else
Raise exp_developer_1

end select

Exception err

d=New MessageDialog
if err = exp_developer_1 then
d.Set_Icon_Caution_Triangle
else
d.Set_Icon_Stop
end if

d.ActionButton.Caption = "OK"

#if TargetWin32 or TargetLinux Then
//ERR_MODULE is a constant that holds the module's/form's name + a full stop
d.Title = ERR_MODULE + "SQL_select"

if err = exp_db_error then
d.Message = d.ERROR_NUMBER_TEXT + cstr(exp_db_error.ErrorNumber) + _
EndOfLine + d.ERROR_DESCRIPTION_TEXT + exp_db_error.Message 'message
else

d.Message = d.ERROR_NUMBER_TEXT + cstr(err.ErrorNumber) + _
EndOfLine + d.ERROR_DESCRIPTION_TEXT + err.message 'message
end if
#else

//ERR_MODULE is a constant that holds the module's/form's name + a full stop
d.Message = d.ERROR_ROUTINE_TEXT + ERR_MODULE + "SQL_select" + EndOfLine if err = exp_db_error then
d.Message = d.Message + d.ERROR_NUMBER_TEXT +
cstr(exp_db_error.ErrorNumber) + _
EndOfLine + d.ERROR_DESCRIPTION_TEXT + exp_db_error.message 'message else

d.Message = d.Message + d.ERROR_NUMBER_TEXT + cstr(err.ErrorNumber) + _
EndOfLine + d.ERROR_DESCRIPTION_TEXT + err.message 'message
end if

What Is A Firewall

Writen by Benjamin Hargis

Simply put it acts as a barrier between your computer and the internet. To protect you from crackers, hackers and malware.

If your running DSL or a cable modem you should employ a firewall, as having a direct connection to the Internet can make you a target to attack.

Firewalls can be hardware or software based. With firewalls you set up ACL's or Access Control lists to allow or deny traffic.

There are three different ways a firewall can block traffic.

1. Packet Filtering- Packets are analyzed against filters in the firewall rulesets. Firewalls will drop packets that are not allowed in the firewall rulesets.

2. Proxy Service- Information from the Internet is grabbed by the firewall and delivered to the requesting service thru the proxy.

3. Statefull packet inspection- looks up criteria against a database of trusted information. To see if the packet contains anything that would allow

or deny it into the network.

Firewalls are customizable allowing you to create your own rulesets you can block IP addresses, specific protocols such as Telnet, FTP, ICMP, UDP, SMTP and many others.

Firewalls can be customized to block specific ports, or even keywords.

There are many software firewalls availiable such as Tiny Firewall http://www.tinysoftware.com/home/tiny2?la=EN That is designed to keep hackers out of your network and block Spyware.

Zone Labs makes ZoneAlarm I like it bcause it has a simple interface allowing home users to configure it easily. http://www.zonelabs.com/store/content/home.jsp

For hardware firewalls there is:

Cisco www.cisco.com There brand is called PIX firewall.

From home users I like D-Link DI-604 this is a inexpensive firewall that works well. Best of all it fits into almost any budget.

Linksys (now part of Cisco) offers a router/firewall that supports VPN and DMZ. www.linksys.com

There are many hardware solutions including setting up a firewall on a *nix box. I like this the best as it gives you the firewall administrator the most control. I personally like OpenBSD for any security applications I would run with Unix, as it is secure. There have been very few exploits against this platform.

I will be writing more articles about firewalls shortly.

Benjamin Hargis CEO

Phuture Networks

http://www.phuturenetworks.com

email: ceo@phuturenetworks.com

How To Safeguard Your Computer

Writen by Lakshmi Menon

The following practice, if done regularly, may help you to safeguard your computer to some extent.

1. Run disc clean up, scan disk and defragmentor.

2. Keep your recycle bin emptied.

3. Clean your cache of browsers.

4. Download only the very essential programs that are required to run your business and avoid the habit of downloading whatever you get for free.

5. Update your programs to keep up the latest technology and also for a faster load time.

6. Never open suspicious emails from unknown people, especially the attachments however tempting it may be. It will be hazardous to your computer. Sometimes you may even get emails with attachments with subject saying your "Thank you for your order and the credit card details". Most of them will be sending malicious viruses through those attachments.

7. Above all remember to protect your computer with antivirus soft ware and update it regularly.

8. Backing up of all your important files and store them in two sets of floppies. In case one floppy fails to open the other one would be of help.

Before calling the technical help, it will be wise to try the following simple step, which may help you to sort out your problem.

Carefully check your connecting cord and circuit board of your computer. A gentle push may solve the problem, correcting the loose connection and a big expenditure of calling the technical person can be eliminated.

Lakshmi Menon is a a Juvio Independent Associate Member. For computer help please visit: http://mela.juvio.com

Speed Up Your Surfing With Bookmarks

Writen by Deepak Morris

Do you visit the same sites often? Do you, for example, log into your web-based email account, visit online forums / networks, visit blogs, etc. on a daily basis?

If so, and you aren't already using bookmarks to manage your online activities, this article will tell you how to speed up your surfing by using and managing bookmarks. If you're already using bookmarks, the article has useful tips on exporting your bookmarks and saving them on a website. This comes in handy when you're away from your computer - on a vacation, say - and still want to visit the sites you surf regularly.

1. First, the basics

1.1 What is a bookmark?

Bookmark is Netscape / Mozilla's term for a shortcut link to a website. Internet Explorer calls them "Favorites". When you bookmark a site, your browser places a link to it under the "Bookmark" or "Favorites" menu at the top. For the sake of brevity, we shall be using the term "bookmark" to mean bookmark or favorite site throughout this article.

1.2 Bookmarking a site:

Bookmarking a site is the essence of simplicity. When you visit a site that you'll be visiting regularly, simply press Ctrl+D (Hit the D key while keeping Ctrl pressed). Depending on your browser, this will add a link to the bookmarks straightaway or ask you to confirm that you'd like to add the site.

1.3 Using bookmarks:

Bookmarks offer a quick way to visit sites. Once you bookmark a site, you don't have to type the URL (address) of the site when you wish to visit it.

When you want to visit a site you've bookmarked, click the Bookmark or Favorites menu item. You will get a drop down list of all your bookmarks or your browser will open a new pane / frame with the list of sites. Some browsers add bookmarks on their own, so don't be surprised if you see links to sites you never bookmarked. Clicking on any of the bookmarks will take you directly to the site.

1.3.1 TIP:

If you're using Mozilla Firefox, right-click on the bookmark to get a context-sensitive menu that allows you to open the link in a new window or new tab. You can thus continue to work in the current window while the bookmarked site opens in the new window / tab.

2. Managing Bookmarks

If you bookmark a large number of sites, your list of bookmarks can get pretty unwieldy. You may need to manage or organise your bookmarks so that you can find them quickly.

Internet Explorer has an "Organize" button that opens a window with various options, such as "Create New Folder", "Move to Folder", etc. Mozilla Firefox / Netscape have a "Manage Bookmarks" link that similarly opens a window to manage your bookmarks.

2.1 What you can do to manage your Bookmarks

1. You can create folders that will contain similar bookmarks. This is useful when you have several sites of the same type in your bookmarks list. For example, you may create a MAIL folder and store links to Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc. there. You may create a NETWORKS folder to store links to online networks like Ryze, LinkedIn, Ecademy, etc. You may create a FORUMS folder to store links to discussion groups you frequent.

2. You can create separators, lines between bookmarks, so that you can see at a glance the groups of bookmarks. This is useful when you have too few bookmarks to store in folders, but too many to allow you to find the desired bookmark quickly.

3. You can move bookmarks up or down in the list or into folders. You'll need to do this in order to keep bookmarks to similar sites together. To move a bookmark, simply click-drag it to where you want it, up or down in the list.

4. You can change the properties of the bookmark, such as its name or description.

3. Export your Bookmarks

Both, IE and Mozilla Firefox allow you to export your bookmarks to an html file that you can store on your hard disk, floppy disk or CD. This provides a back up in case you lose your bookmarks (if you have to re-format your hard disk because of a virus, for example). You can import the bookmarks from the file at any time.

3.1 To Export your Bookmarks from Internet Explorer

Go to File-->Import and Export

This will start the Import and Export Wizard, which will guide you through the steps to export your bookmarks. Make sure you save the file to a drive other than C: so that it will remain available to you in case you have to re-format your C drive.

3.2 To Export your Bookmarks from Mozilla Firefox / Netscape

Open the Bookmarks Manager window by selecting Bookmarks-->Manage Bookmarks.

Click File-->Export in the Bookmarks Manager window (NOT the main browser window).

Navigate to the Drive / Folder where you want to store the file and click "Save". It is good practice to save the file on a drive other than C: so it remains available to you in case you have to re-format your C Drive.

4. Store your Bookmarks on the Web

There may be times when you're away from your computer, but still need to access your bookmarks. There are many free sites on the net that allow you to store your bookmarks so they are available to you no matter where you are.

If you google "Free Bookmark Managers" (with the quotes) you will get links to dozens of web-based Bookmark Managers that allow you to store your bookmarks on their servers. You may need to create an account with them to use the service.

To upload your bookmarks to your account you may first need to export them to a file (explained in "3. Export your Bookmarks" above). You may then upload the file to your account by following the directions given on the site.

So what are you waiting for? Start bookmarking sites now and enjoy hassle-free surfing.

Deepak Morris
http://www.freewebs.com/deepakmorris/

How To Build A Pc

Writen by Morgan Hamilton

It has always been my dream to build a gaming PC for my gaming needs. My brother would always say, why build a PC when you can buy one. Well, there are a few reasons why I want to do this. It's a little known fact, but the reason why modern desktops are so powerful is not because they need to be. Most applications, such as Internet surfing, word processing, and even watching movies, does not require all that much processing power.

What happens is that major software companies, especially Microsoft, build large inefficient operating systems that hog a whole lot of processing power, and drive up the demands. If software were designed in a reasonable fashion, our needs can probably be satisfied with 90's technology, along with a graphics card.

The main reason behind my dream to build a PC is an exception to this rule: gaming. If you want to play the most powerful games, you need a PC that can handle them. You can build a PC for well under $1,000 that can handle the graphics and processing of inventive modern games. If you buy a PC from the big commercial PC manufacturers, it will cost you three times as much.

You will still spend as much as $1600 for a good gaming PC, if you go to one of the small independent companies that offers to build a PC for you. I just do not have that kind of money, and I don't want to spend that much on a computer that will become obsolete in about five years.

I have a friend who has offered to help me build my own computer, but I am always unsure. Although he seems to really know what he is talking about, he is not a very practical person. His computer is always broken down and being fixed. There are moments when I think that he breaks it on purpose, just so he can fix it again.

I have no desire to build a PC that needs constant repairs. I want to own a PC that is reliable, and that requires as little maintenance as possible. However, I have heard that building a PC is a very difficult process to complete without any expert assistance. Perhaps I should just go to one of those small build a PC companies.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Build A PC. Visit our site for more helpful information about Build A PC and other similar topics.

Dvd Basic Facts

Writen by Ray P

DVDs have become ubiquitous. Whenever we want to watch a movie or listen to some music we reach out for a DVD. Here are some basic facts about the DVD:

What is a DVD?

DVD is short of Digital Versatile Disk. A DVD-ROM closely resembles a CD or compact disk. However, a DVD-ROM is formatted to hold far more data. While a CD commonly has a capacity of 650 megabytes, the smallest capacity DVD can store about seven times more data, or 4.38 gigabytes (GB). A DVD-ROM encodes data in the form of a spiraling trail of pits and lands separated by mere nanometers. There are various kinds of DVDs. The DVD-ROM is the most common. It is a disk that cannot be written over. Blank DVDs with designations like "DVD-R" and "DVD+R" are formatted, recordable DVDs. The -R and +R refer to competing format standards, but both will record movies, audio or other data. The best examples of DVD-ROMs are the music and film DVDs that can be bought off the shelf.

What is DVD authoring?

Authoring is the process of collecting audio, video, menus, subtitles, etc onto a DVD. In common parlance it is called burning. This is done on DVD authoring software. There are numerous DVD authoring programs but which you use depends on your need, be it personal, professional or corporate.

How is DVD duplication carried out?

Duplication is an industrial process where a glass master used to physically stamp copies out like a cookie cutter.

What is DVD video?

DVD video is technically superior and the closest we have to studio quality video. Digital studio master tapes are usually encoded from to MPEG-2 format to create a DVD video. The encoding process uses lossy compression that removes redundant information.

What is a DVD menu?

A DVD menu allows easy access to the titles without having to scan the DVD. This is both convenient and accurate. A DVD could have a main menu with 4 title sets each containing a menu and a single title. All the titles are made from multiple input files and each input file is one chapter. What is a menu? Menus are just an mpeg file with subtitles. The basic mpeg is the background and the subtitles produce the menu buttons. The background can either be a short movie or a still image converted to an mpeg. MPEG stands for "Motion Picture Experts Group." It stands for the committee that dreamed up the MPEG-2 compression algorithm. MPEG-2 is the de-facto standard compression technology used for DVD video.

The one source for dvd duplication, dvd authoring and videotape duplication in New York. Personal attention, high quality and attractive price points guaranteed in this professional facility.Rainbow Video comprehensive website, http://www.rainbowvideo1.com/dvd_cd_duplication.html has extensive information Customers include Fortune 100 companies, leading entertainment companies, and educational accounts.

How To Speed Up Your Aging Pc And Make It Healthier Too

Writen by John Deprice

With a little tweaking and with proper tools, you can get a faster, healthier PC, virtually immune to spyware infections and browser hijackers. How is this possible? Find out about the latest tools and how they work.

System LifeGuard 2

This simple to use product is designed to be used frequently to keep your PC running in perfect condition. Every time you use the internet or run programs on your computer - unwanted files and procedures are stored on your hard-disc.Regular computer use accumulates old material that begins to slow down the operation of your hardware and software. So just like your car needs a regular service to keep it running smoothly - your computer needs System LifeGuard 2 to wash away technical clutter - maintain peak operating efficiency - and protect your vital data from loss. System LiIfeGuard 2 offers now the possibility to shred all unwanted files: you can permanently remove the files you want without leaving behind any chance of recovering those files. You can also optimize the way your disk space is used to store files using the new Disk Defragment.

Free Download: http://www.deprice.com/systemlifeguard.htm

SpeedUpMyPC 2.0

Every Windows user knows that over time Windows seems to "slow down". Taking longer to boot, random freezes & crashes, and sluggish overall performance, are all symptoms that we all experience over time, and usually the only cure is to do a fresh install of Windows. SpeedUpMyPC makes it easier than ever before to optimize your settings, free up resources, and remove resource hogs. With simple explanations and real-time graphs for all vital system resources, SpeedUpMyPC identifies performance bottlenecks in minutes. With a heavy-duty arsenal of optimization tools, such as RAM recovery, CPU optimization, startup management, and automatic crash recovery, SpeedUpMyPC is THE must-have utility for both beginner and power users.

Free Download: http://www.deprice.com/speedupmypc.htm

Security Task Manager

Security Task Manager is an enhanced process viewer that provides detailed information about programs and processes running on the computer. It displays all the standard information as well as a unique security risk rating. You can choose to terminate any process, delete it, or alternately quarantine it, which will disable it from running again without actually deleting it. This handy utility enhances the functionality of Windows' Task Manager by warning you about potential system threats. Upon launch, Security Task Manager automatically scans your PC to find all running programs. It then displays information about each application in a sortable list, including name, CPU usage, size, manufacturer, and risk factor. Highlighting each entry gives you more detailed data on running processes, including a description of what it does and how much of a threat it poses to your system. If Security Task Manager finds a potentially malevolent program, you can remove or quarantine it.

Free Download: http://www.deprice.com/securitytaskmanager.htm

John Deprice owns and operates Deprice.Com. For latest software tools, go to http://www.deprice.com/utilities.htm

Calculators

Writen by Steve Valentino

A calculator is a device that is used for performing numerical calculations. The first calculator was the abacus, which was constructed as a wooden frame with beads sliding on wires. Calculations were made by moving these beads up and down the wires. The abacus was very much in use long before the adoption of the written Arabic numerals, and it is still used by some merchants in China and elsewhere in Asia.

Though the calculator is a handheld microelectronic device, in the past, they were as large as the computer of today. The first few computers were mechanical desktop devices that were replaced by electromechanical desktop calculators and then by electronic calculators. Nowadays, students in developed countries are allowed to use calculators for schoolwork. However, there is still a debate going on about if it is right to introduce calculators to children, as they may then lose their capacity of calculating mentally without the use of a calculator.

The modern-day calculator is designed not only for calculations, but also to perform specific operations. The complexity of the computer varies with the purpose of the calculator. There are also calculators that help calculate the monthly installments of loans, mortgages, and auto loans. They are called loan calculators, mortgage calculators, and auto loan calculators, respectively.

The simple calculator used for simple calculations has four main parts. There is a power source, which may be either a battery or a solar panel; a display from LED lights; electronic circuitry; and a keypad comprising of the ten digits, the four arithmetic functions, the equal sign, the decimal point, on and off buttons, a cancel button and some other basic functions. There are more complex scientific calculators that are useful for engineering and accounting. They help in trigonometric, statistical, and mathematical functions that make the work easier for the scientist and engineer. The most advanced calculators can even display graphics, are programmable and include computer algebra systems features.

Calculators provides detailed information on Calculators, Mortgage Calculators, Loan Calculators, Auto Loan Calculators and more. Calculators is affiliated with File Folders.

Computer Optimization Necessity In Details

Writen by Ted Peterson

It would be much easier to forget about computer optimization if our PCs would stay new and untouched forever. But, unfortunately or not, we use them all the time and, be sure, not everyone of us is a computer specialist or a general troubleshooter. Just as every other needed tool receives its traces from being used too many times, the computer has it vulnerable and most affected parts that would need a special care and a periodic renewal, and I am not talking about the keyboard or mouse!

If you ask yourself how does it happen that your beloved machine started to waste your time and slow down all the processes, you can get easy answers. It is not very clever to think about changing your computer or parts of it every time something goes wrong (or simply slow) cause unlike other home utilities, this one has got a brain! Beings with brain function different! Your machine's thinking organ gets full of small parts of useless information.

Every piece of program or hardware that did ever visit your computer left some kind of trash in it, even after a careful removal. Remember that every apparently unimportant device ever connected to your computer leaves its imprints on the most fragile components of it!

It is not hard to imagine what happens next: you'll wonder why even the simplest tasks take more and more time to get accomplished and why your most indispensable tool doesn't look so friendly anymore! What kind of strange diseases attacked you precious machinery? No need to invest time and money on research, the answer is simple; your little friend is full with impurities and even if it struggles to be as faithful as it intends, it needs a little help and attention from you.

The drama gets bigger in dimensions when you think about the huge sum of goods you invested in your brand new PC expecting an adequate performance.

Another stressful factor is modern communication:

how comes that the internet doesn't cooperate with you easily and you need to wait endlessly until you get the wanted and deserved service from the international web?

Look straight into the future, the need for speed is just around the corner and none of us can be so luxurious in spending time on things that should work in time by their nature.

Your communication device is not able to show its real face; it simply cannot perform its duties at the highest possibilities without your assistance!

You can coop with it in many ways: clean it up manually (daily) or simply decide not to use it anymore!

To bring a little bit of optimism in these computer optimization matters, professionals propose different solutions and as speed is the key, you could speed up your PC with SpeedUpMyPc.

Ted Peterson writes for Core Download, a software archive with over 30,000 software titles to download like SpeedUpMyPC, dvdSanta and Registry Mechanic.

Reliable File And Folder Sharing In Windows Xp

Writen by Varun Sud

This tip is on sharing files and folders on a local network in Windows XP. It has been tested on Windows XP Professional (with and without SP2).

Many users of WinXp have experienced difficulty in sharing files and folders over our college network whether or not simple file sharing is enabled. The approach that I have found to work consistently is:

1. Disable simple file sharing from My Computer --> Tools menu --> Folder Options --> View tab --> Advanced Settings

2. Open Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Services. Enable the Server service by making startup Automatic or Manual. This is a standard service needed for sharing files and folders under WinXp.

3. Open Control Panel --> Administrative Tools --> Computer Management. Scroll to System Tools --> Shared Folders --> Shares. From Action menu, select 'Add share' and follow the instructions.

4. You may also want to add users to Administrator or other groups for shared folder access. Under Computer Management, scroll to Local Users and Groups. To add user to Administrator group, select the group name and choose Add from Action menu. It can also be used to add domain users as local admins.

Sharing files on computers directly connected to Internet is not recommended. However, restricting access to specific users using above procedure mitigates security risks.

Varun Sud
Associate Consultant,
Enterprise Solutions,
Infosys Technologies

Cookies What Are They

Writen by Mike Pulli

Cookies, not the kind that Mom makes, but the computer type, what are they and where do they come from. Well let's give you a quick and easy explanation of what they are, where they came from and how to get rid of them.

Cookies are a very small text file placed on your hard drive by a Web Page server. It is essentially your identification card, and cannot be executed as code or deliver viruses - good news. They are uniquely yours and can only be read by the server that gave it to you.They are used to store your information that you furnished on one of your visits to that Web Page.

Cookies Can Save You Time

If you personalize pages, or register for products or services, a cookie helps to remember who you are. Next time you return, they know to show you the information you requested. Or, when you register for another product or service, all you need to do is type in your e-mail address and a password. We then fill in any questions you've already answered. Of course, if you never register or leave personal information, then the server only knows that someone with your cookie has returned to the Web site. You are in charge of deciding whether we know anything about you. But the more you tell us about yourself, the more we can help you find information or products you want.

How to clear (delete) those cookies fast and easy

1. Close all WebPages

2. Go to Start on your PC

3. Go to Control Panel

4. Go to Internet Options (Windows XP – Network and Internet Options)

5. Click the General

6. Select Temporary Internet Files Delete Cookies and Delete Files Click OK

If you do frequent work on your computer. It is a good idea to clean out the cookies daily.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mike Pulli is the owner of http://www.foolishtimes.com/ and invites you to take a look at the services and download free helpful information e-books, articles and more.

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Copyright © 2005 – Mike Pulli - Foolish Times. All rights reserved. E-mail notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: mike@foolishtimes.com