To begin with, servers are defined as computers that are configured in such a way that they are able to provide specialized services to a specific client user or machine. They serve as task masters that manage a variety of services such as files, system jobs, network requests, and other various processes. Although they can be used for a myriad of purposes, servers primarily function as web hosting solutions.
The Wonder of Web Servers
Servers have become a very versatile solution for a variety of user needs. May it be file storage management, a network firewall, an email server, or simply as a web hosting solution, servers are the answer to almost every need. In fact, it would be very difficult to find any type of contemporary business or company that does not make use of some sort of server.
One of the biggest misconceptions about web servers is that they might be too complicated for the average Joe. The truth is, they are quite simple to manage and so long as a user has some level of technical knowledge, he should be good to go. In fact, setting up a server for one’s own website isn’t too much of a daunting task. Although it will still require a certain level of computer know-how, it is no Herculean feat at all. With a little research, some patience, and a whole lot of resourcefulness, one could very easily set up a personal server for one’s own site. This is also made possible by the fact that most server providers equip their users with easy-to-use tools to make the entire process much more user-friendly.
The Basics Types of Web Servers
When it comes to the configuration of web hosting servers, they generally come in three different offerings. First is shared web hosting which is the most common type of web server today. This immense fame is brought about by both its affordability and simplicity. Websites that run on shared servers will (obviously) share the same IP address as well as make use of the same system resources.
The second web hosting option for users is dedicated servers. As its name implies, websites that make use of a dedicated server will have full rights and control of the whole system. Because of the fact that they do not share their servers with other websites, this also means that they will have exclusive access to all the resources of the system.
The Keys to Success
Because of websites’ growing need for more hard drive storage space and bandwidth, servers have become more and more of a requirement rather than an option. Each individual or business will have a different set of requirements and needs which means there is no one-size-fits-all sort of web hosting solution for everyone. However, the good thing is that it isn’t that difficult to set up a specific type of server that will fulfil the needs of one’s own website. Doing a little online research will definitely be helpful in this regard as there are a multitude of websites that provide information and tips on how to set up a server for all sorts of business website.
Source: articledashboard By: Ritchie Smythe
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Computer Servers For Dummies
Build A Gaming PC
Some guys I knew back in college had different kinds of computers in their room. While a lot of them mostly had notebooks, I knew some people who preferred to keep desktops. It came to as a surprise however to see that a lot of the people that had the latter didn't own a custom pc. I assumed that because it was the grand stage of experimentation, they'd have those at least. A gamer friend of mine back then owned one that was pre-built and was constantly frustrated me with the games that he bought and that eventually couldn't run properly because of the wrong pc gaming parts that led to performance issues.
A lot of the standard components today are already good enough for whatever you want to do with them, but to obtain optimum performance, you need specific parts. So if you think you'll be doing a lot of pc gaming, then you should learn how to build your own computer. PC gaming is probably one of the primary reasons why the industry of hardware has rapid growth. Graphic cards and sound cards were given a premium because of the high requirements of some games. Consumers now have to constantly upgrade their graphics and sound system for state of the art pc gaming experience.
If you're a fan of EA, then this is definitely a must for you. EA possibly one of the most visually attractive stuff out there today, but not all developers are like them. If you're a Blizzard guy and you enjoy games like World of Warcraft, then you don't really need the high spec stuff to enjoy yourself and not worry about performance since the game can run just as well with low video settings. Basically, I have two component recommends when you build your own pc. These are the power supply and the processor. Now why should you pick these two to optimize your pc gaming experience rather than anything else? Well first off, let's talk about the power supply.
The power supply is one of the most integral parts of your system because it distributes power to everything. Try and pick one that can deliver up to 800-1400W of power. You also need to make sure that it receives a lot of cooling. Only you can prevent desktop fire. The processor is the key piece. You need a pretty strong processor to be able to have smooth game play. Dual core should be okay, but of course, optimizing means getting a quad-core processor. You can get an AMD64 x2 or you can go for Intel and pick E65XX, E66XX or E67XX.
The best processors to get however would be AMD FX or the Intel Extreme edition. If you really want to improve your pc gaming experience, these are two important factors. When you want a gaming computer or any computer for a very specific purpose then I suggest that you build it yourself. It pays to do a little research about what hardware you want to buy and what you want it to do for you. You don't want to find yourself putting out a fire that an overworked power supply caused because it couldn't handle the tasks it had to do.
So if you're into pc gaming and you don't want to frustrate yourself with performance issues, build everything yourself.
Source : goarticles by Jego Goldstein
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How To Decide A Desktop Configuration
Whether you build your own desktop PC from scratch or buy one pre-built, you're still going to have to take into account various aspects of the configuration to pick the one that best suits your needs. So how do you decide what configuration is right for you?
The first thing to consider is your budget – what price would you ideally be looking at, and what's the absolute maximum you're willing to spend? The next thing to consider is your minimum requirements – what aspects of your desktop PC do you vitally need and what aspects would you merely like if you could afford them? You'll then need to decide on a PC based on these two aspects, finding a good balance between performance and price. Once you have your budget though, you'll also need to decide which aspects of the desktop's performance your money goes into – graphics? Storage space? Processing speed? And this will again be based on what the minimum requirements of your PC. But how do you know which things your PC needs and which things you can do without? If you're not fully clued in to all the hardware mumbo-jumbo then it can be hard to know whether a desktop meets your requirements making it easy to be enthralled by an attractive outer casing and a low price tag.
The performance requirements of your desktop will depend very much on how you intend to use it. To make life more simple you can very broadly categorise desktop PCs into three categories. The first of these is likely the desktop used for work and business. Such a PC will be required to run various different programmes at once to allow multi-tasking and have a reliable internet connection. It would also be useful to have a software package that includes Microsoft office and certainly the latest OS installed (currently Windows Vista). RAM too would be useful but this can be added later. On the other hand it won't need to have particularly high-end graphics or lots of storage space. Your minimum requirements here then are a fast processor (anything above 4GHZ to be safe), Windows Vista, word processing and some extra RAM.
Another category of PC used regularly is the 'family' PC. Such a PC is required to cater to everyone's needs, handling school work, late-night MSN chats, casual gaming and business documents. In a case like this then you will want to spread the cost out as much as possible across all areas and to focus on processing power, graphics cards, hard drive, RAM and software. If you don't use this PC much for work, however, then you may find that you don't really need an expensive software package. Media will also be important for such a computer so look for one with a DVD drive that can read and write and look for a large monitor to watch films or view photos around.
For a gaming PC however that can play all the latest games the priorities shift slightly to the 'power' of the machine. This will require a top end processor as well as top end graphic cards and lots of extra RAM. Here software is irrelevant (though Vista may be required for some of the more recent games) and a large hard drive is less important as are any additional bells and whistles.
Source: articledashboard By: Alison Deffenbaugh
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The Danger behind Peer-to-Peer (P2P) File Sharing program
File sharing is very common nowadays. You can get a P2P (peer-to-peer) program for free and soon start sharing stuff like music, videos and programs. We use these applications freely and most of us don't know the risks involved when using them.
Questionable reliability of files - Once we get our hands on a P2P program, we download everything we want like crazy. Favorite music, free software's, as long as it is available, you download them. Hackers, attackers, or whatever, use this to their advantage. They can insert Trojans, viruses, spyware and other kinds of malware, and then share it to the P2P network. Unwary victims fall prey to these traps, and pay its price.
They make you vulnerable. Don't let them. - Some P2P programs request you to open up your firewall in order for you to share and download files. This makes you vulnerable and giving attackers openings and opportunities to attack your system.
Breaching privacy - P2P programs that require you to give personal information are very doubtful when it comes to keeping your data secure. Since security is also unreliable, unauthorized people can gain access to your information easily.
Piracy - Would you consider the fact that P2P hosts illegal action which violates the intellectual property rights of hardworking people? The music industry, for example, is going down and most people don't even care, as long as they get songs for free.
To eliminate P2P risks, take preventive measures and just don't use them. If you still want to use such applications, be sure to be prepared for the worse.
Keep anti-virus software in your computer and regularly update its definitions. Everyday, there are new kinds of viruses that spread in the internet, so keeping your anti-virus programs updated is a must.
Enable your firewall. If the P2P program asks you to turn it off or open some ports, don't do it. Just find some other program that doesn't require you to do anything irrational to your firewall.
Now that you know more about P2P file sharing and its risks, you would know how to deal with certain kinds of situations in relation to this. It's still in your discretion if you still want to use them.
Source : goarticles by altaf
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How To Fix A Rundll Error
The rundll error is a commonly-seen error, especially during the Windows startup and shutdown processes. It's not just an annoying problem that appears on the screen; rather, it can affect the whole stability of the machine.
Rundll is very important because it loads libraries, which are a collection of functions that programs need, into Windows. When rundll malfunctions, it means that Windows and other programs cannot properly load required library functions and use them. At best, this may result in quirky behaviour in Windows and applications, at worst, it can result in a computer crash and loss of user data. Imagine this happening when you're typing an email or doing work on your computer.
It also often happens that viruses target rundll because of its importance. Because of Windows' heavy dependence on it, by infecting it, a virus can spread itself widely throughout the entire computer and hide its tracks. It is therefore very important that you use an online virus scanner, or an updated installed anti-virus to scan your computer and remove the virus.
Generally, be it due to a virus or other problems, the fix for a rundll error is simple. The Windows registry needs to be fixed in order to resolve this issue. The rundll error indicates that the registry has errors, and if the registry errors, more problems may occur.
Registry cleaner software can be used to scan the entire registry for problems and fix them. This has the side-effect of also optimizing the registry, resulting in an improvement in performance. The hard part is to find a good registry cleaner, because there are simply too many cleaners available out there. It is important to test which one is comprehensive and safe to use.
Source: articledashboard By: JasonD Webber
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How to Access Files at the Office
Remote office access lets you log on to a computer or server from a separate location and use it as if you were actually on-site. Many businesses now rely on the ability to give employees remote office access, whether it's for mobile workers, as a response to the increased price of commuting or the need for flexible work schedules. There are two main categories of remote access: remote desktop connection and virtual private networks (VPN). Each one of these types of remote access has its own merits and even some challenges.
Remote Desktop Connection In simple terms, "remote desktop" refers to the ability to access your computer from another remote computer. You can either do this using Microsoft's Remote Desktop (a standard feature of Windows XP Professional that can connect you to another XP Professional machine), or through Web-based services such as GoToMyPC and LogMeIn, or you can use one of the most popular features of Microsoft Small Business Server, Remote Web Workplace, which provides free remote access to all designated employees via a secure web site. Remote desktop offers quick, easy and inexpensive access that, if set up correctly, requires nothing more than Internet service no matter where you are. The downside to using remote desktop is that only one person at a time can access the remote machine, and it requires someone who is tech savvy to complete the initial set up.
VPN (Virtual Private Network) A VPN emulates a direct, secure point-to-point connection, allowing data to be securely transmitted across unsecured public or private networks. Because a VPN is secure, it eliminates the need for pricey point-to-point options such as leased lines and dial-up connections. The remote office or computer naturally becomes part of the network. Additionally, a VPN allows for the sharing of network resources such as printers, servers, files and databases. On the minus side, a VPN can be difficult to set up and requires a high degree of technical skills in the area of public network security. Additional software for the VPN client must be installed on remote computers. Finally, the performance of some applications, such as QuickBooks, suffers over a VPN connection.
Source : goarticles by CMIT Solutions of Central Silicon Valley
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Tips on How to Maintain your Hard Disk
Hard Drive is the component which is relatively easy to be damaged, but the major cause is improper operation from users. Actually, if pay more attention to some tips in daily use, the possibilities of being damaged can be reduced, so that the normal life span of HDD can be extended!
1.Avoid interruption of power while reading and wiring Nowadays, the speed of mainstream HDD is 7200RPM, when reading and writing, the whole disk is in the state of high-speed spinning, if the power is cut off suddenly, it will lead to violent friction between magnetic head and disk, and then even the damage of whole HDD. You'd better put it in a hard drive dock station card reader. So if the light of HDD is still flashing, do not cut off the power supply!
2. Avoid shocking Hard Drive is a very precise storage device, once it comes across big shock while running, it will bring the damage of resource area or scratches of disk, and even loss of data stored in the HDD. So do not move the computer or HDD while running in order to avoid scratches of magnetic layer of disk surface.
3. Away from magnetic field Magnetic field is the invisible killer which caused the damage of HDD data, so please try to keep the HDD away from strong magnetic field, such as sound boxes, cell phones, broadcasting station, and so on, which is to avoid the damage of data and resource because of magnetization.
4. Avoid frequent operation In addition, if long time to use a same operation system, it will make the HDD sector which system files locate in a state of long-time reading, then shortens damaging period of sectors. Certainly, the best way is to install two or more firewire docking stations for alternative use, which is to avoid long-time reading operation of one sector.
5. Guarantee appropriate running time In one day, it is better to keep the running time of HDD not more than 10 hours, and not more than 8 hours of continuous running, it should be powered off to keep the HDD enough breaking time after running a period of time!
Source: goarticles by jackdrogba
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How to Identify the Marks in the Device Manager
Device Manager is a powerful management tool of the computer hardware devices, through it we can see the detailed information about all the devices installed in the computer, such as the device names and properties, and we also can install or update drivers, disable or unload devices through this tool.
You can follow the approaches below to open the Device Manager:
Method 1
Step 1 Right-click My Computer, select Properties to open the Properties dialog box.
Step 2 Switch to the Hardware tab, and choose Device Manager to enter its sheet.
Method 2
Step 1 Click Start and click Control Panel.
Step 2 Double-click System, select Hardware in the System properties sheet, and click Device Manager. There you will see all hardware devices that installed in your local computer, for example, disk drives, CPU, network adapter, sound, video and game controllers and so on.
Here I will introduce some problem marks in the Device Manager. A red cross mark If there is a red cross mark beside a device, it indicates that this device has been disabled. Actually, in order to save system resources and improve your computer running speed, you can disable some seldom used devices in the Device Manager. A yellow interrogation mark or exclamatory mark If you find there is a yellow interrogation mark or exclamatory mark next to a device, the former indicates that Windows system can not identify this device correctly while the latter indicates that its driver has not been installed or it has been installed improperly. To cancel these two marks, you can right-click this device, choose Unload to uninstall it, and then restart the computer. Most of the time the Windows XP system is able to identify and install device drivers automatically, but in some cases, you need to insert a driver disk and follow its instructions to set up the drivers. Perform Driver Checker right now to see what drivers your computer need to install or update!
Source : goarticles by Molly Smith
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Your Laptops Power Supply
Knowing the handful of parts that comprise the power supply for your laptop can lead to saving hard earned money and heartache down the road. There is nothing worse than loosing valuable data or hundreds of dollars worth of computer due to not knowing about a few simple details about how the power system in your computer operate.
First off, a surge protector or power strip is a vital element to your laptop power supply. Don't be caught with a fried computer because you where too lazy or cheap to buy a $10 strip. In the event of a power surge, these things are life savers! Unfortunatly, many people need to learn the hard way before they start using these things. One point about surge protectors, don't think that they are good enough to use should the building you are in ever get struck by lightning while your computer is plugged into the socket. It is a risky gamble to use your computer during a thunder storm no matter how expensive a surge protector you are using. On that same note, if you have a regular desktop computer and you happen to know that there is a risk of a thunderstorm, it is always a good idea to unplug it. Better to be safe than sorry!
After the wall socket and surge protector, the next component inline is the AC adapter. That's the rectangular box that is in the middle of your laptop's power cord. It turns alternating current into the direct current your laptop needs to function. The reason why the power is changed like this is so that the right kind of current is used to recharge your laptop's battery.
After the power runs into your laptop via the power cord, power goes to the power board. The power board is like the conductor inside of your laptop. It directs traffic between the power cord, your laptop's internal battery and the mother board. It is usually mounted on the mother board so often times if there is trouble with your power board, you will need to purchase a new mother board.
The final piece to all of this is something that is usually ignored when people think about the power system in their laptop. The cooling fan is absolutely vital. It serves to make sure that things don't overheat and cause a short. The processor is usually the biggest culprit when it comes to overheating, and the video card (if you have one) is second. If you ever upgrade your processor or get a video card put into your laptop, check to make sure your fan is going to be strong enough to deal with the added heat that is going to be produced. This is usualy a concearn for people who buy computers for gaming purposes, Even still, if you ever upgrade, double check!
This is a basic layout of laptop power supplies. Knowing the basic's is good enough for your average home user. Should problems with your laptop's power ever come into play, you should be able to take this information and be able to roughly diagnose the problem. This isn't to say this is enough information for you to actually make laptop power supply repairs, but you should know enough to help prevent some of the more common problems and also be able to make sure that when you do need to order new parts, that you aren't being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous salesman.
Source : goarticles by Paulette Simms
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How to Fix Svchost.exe
What Is Svchost.exe?
Svchost.exe is an extremely vital part of Windows operating system. Svchost.exe is an important process which executes dll files and locate their libraries into windows system's memory. If there is something wrong with svchost.exe on your computer then the whole PC probably can not run stable and would be deathly slow.
Process svchost.exe is located in the system directory: C:\windows\system32. If you find that this process executes and runs from any other suspicious locations, I advice you fully scan your computer with anti-virus program. Because such fishy phenomenon could be caused by virus or trojan horse. Some of the viruses will disguise svchost.exe running on your computer to attack the system and steal important data. We classify those viruse fraudulently using the name svchost.exe to Miroot. Win32. Worm. Backdoor.Lastdoor. and Trojan.
How to Fix Svchost.exe?
If the Svchost.exe is destroyed by virus or the Svchost.exe is corrupt, removed by accident, I suggest you follow this instruction to fix svchost.exe error.
Copy and Paste Svchost.exe to Locate the Correct Directory on Your System.
Firstly, if you can not find a copy of svchost.exe in this folder C:\WINDOWS\system32 then please use system searching function to find out svchost.exe file on your computer.It must be removed to another location by mistake. After that, copy svchost.exe back to the correct folder C:\WINDOWS\system32.
Secondly, if you fail to locate a copy of svchost.exe on your whole computer, I recommend you copy the file from another computer with the same version of Windows operating system to your problem computer. Of course, you can try to re-install the operating system and Svchost.exe errors would be resolved immediately. However, this method would waste your precious time and maybe delete all of the data if you never backup your files.
Download System Repair Tools to Fix Svchost.exe
Do not doubt this method! Actually it is an effective and easy way to fix svchost.exe with just a few of clicks. Svchost.exe error could probably be caused by registry error on the system. Registry cleaner can fix not only svchost.exe but also help you detect and remove most of windows system errors on your PC. To prevent svchost.exe errors, I highly recomment you download Best Registry Cleaner to protect your computer and clean windows errors regularly.
Source : goarticles by Alex
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How to Reset BIOS / CMOS Password
There are two passwords in BIOS. One is start up password, the other is BIOS setting password. If you have forgotten the start up password that means you cannot open computer at all. Then the first method is the only thing you can do. Other methods can use to clear setting password.
==Step1:Motherboard Battery Discharge== The common way to reset start up password is discharge Motherboard Battery. Most of the current motherboard BIOS is using the button batteries to provide electric power. That means if there is no electricity, the information it contains will be lost. When it's on power again, BIOS will set back to its original state, of course, there will be no BIOS passwords. But you will lose your setting at the same time.
What we need to do is to power off computer, open the computer box, and then unplug the power plug of the computer to make sure that it is no electricity at all. Then locate the white silver button battery on the motherboard. Remove the battery carefully. Perhaps 30 seconds later, put back the battery.
After put back the computer box then power on, the system will prompt "CMOS Checksum Error-Defaults Loaded". That means CMOS errors detected during inspections, had been included in the system default, BIOS password cracking success!
On some motherboards, the battery is soldered to the motherboard, making it difficult to remove. If this is the case, you have another alternative. Somewhere on the motherboard you should find a jumper that will clear the BIOS password. If you have the motherboard documentation, you will know where that jumper is. If not, the jumper may be labeled on the motherboard. If you are not fortunate enough for either of these to be the case, you may be able to guess which jumper is the correct jumper. This jumper is usually standing alone near the battery. If you cannot locate this jumper, you might short both of the points where the battery connects to the motherboard.
==Step2 : Backdoor BIOS Password== Each motherboard manufacturer has set a backdoor password in order to facilitate the provision of technical support. The backdoor password is a BIOS password that works, no matter what the user sets the BIOS password to. These passwords are typically used for testing and maintenance.
Manufacturers typically change the backdoor BIOS passwords from time to time.
AMI Backdoor BIOS Passwords Reported AMI backdoor BIOS passwords include A.M.I., AAAMMMIII, AMI?SW , AMI_SW, BIOS, CONDO, HEWITT RAND, LKWPETER, MI, and PASSWORD.
Award Backdoor BIOS Passwords One reported Award backdoor BIOS password is eight spaces. Other reported Award backdoor BIOS passwords include 01322222, 589589, 589721, 595595, 598598 , ALFAROME, ALLY, ALLy, aLLY, aLLy, aPAf, award, AWARD PW, AWARD SW, AWARD?SW, AWARD_PW, AWARD_SW, AWKWARD, awkward, BIOSTAR, CONCAT, CONDO, Condo, condo, d8on, djonet, HLT, J256, J262, j262, j322, j332, J64, KDD, LKWPETER, Lkwpeter, PINT, pint, SER, SKY_FOX, SYXZ, syxz, TTPTHA, ZAAAADA, ZAAADA, ZBAAACA, and ZJAAADC.
Phoenix Backdoor BIOS Passwords Reported Phoenix BIOS backdoor passwords include BIOS, CMOS, phoenix, and PHOENIX. Backdoor BIOS Passwords from Other Manufacturers Reported BIOS backdoor passwords for other manufacturers include.
Remember that what you see listed may not be the actual backdoor BIOS password, this BIOS password may simply have the same checksum as the real backdoor BIOS password. For Award BIOS, this checksum is stored at F000:EC60.
==Step3: Software Crack== There are a lot softwares to test systems or start up password, but they need to run on Windows. So it is only used to reset BIOS setting password.
BIOS/CMOS Password Recovery Tool is a program that works instantly to reset or remove any lost or forgotten BIOS/CMOS password. Simply boot your PC from the supplied Boot CD, and get access to forgotten BIOS/CMOS passwords in just seconds.
It will recover the BIOS password for most common BIOS versions, including IBM, American Megatrends Inc, Award and Phoenix.It will recover the BIOS password for the following BIOS versions:
*ACER/IBM BIOS *AMI BIOS *AMI WinBIOS 2.5 *Award 4.5x/4.6x/6.0 *Compaq (1992) *Compaq (New version) *IBM (PS/2, Activa, Thinkpad) *Packard Bell *Phoenix 1.00.09.AC0 (1994), a486 1.03, 1.04, 1.10 A03, 4.05 rev 1.02.943, 4.06 rev 1.13.1107 *Phoenix 4 release 6 (User) *Gateway Solo - Phoenix 4.0 release 6 *Toshiba *Zenith AMI
If all else fails, you might be going to lose some money for technician. But they will use these same methods, try hard by yourself.
Source : goarticles by PasswordSeeker
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Multi Functional Portable Laptop Table
Are you one of the millions of people who would like to watch DVDs or surf on your laptop in bed before bedtime?Are you one of the numberous night-readers who are fond of reading and at the same time enjoy comfortable position?Are you the one who would like to have your notebook/laptop applicable anywhere you want to use it?
Never be uncomfortable again while using your laptop Are you uncomfortable when you are using your laptop on the couch, in bed, or sitting on the ground? Portable Laptop Tables are easy to use, affordable, and durable travel laptop tables. These are made out of pure aluminum material making it ultra-light that can be set-up and folded in just seconds. There are multiple positions that the table can function with; for example, lying down or sitting upright. It even comes with a cup holder that can fit most cup sizes. Relaxing on a sofa without the laptop holder is not really relaxing, awkward positions, fiddling with the screen to adjust the visibility and not being able to type effectively and efficiently. Why sit uncomfortable when the laptop table can solve it?
We as humans are constantly sitting or lying down with our laptop in our laps or resting on a table. When the laptop is on the table it is much more comfortable for the computer user than using it in his or her lap. But sometimes when people are sitting at the desk they want to change their surroundings and sit on a more satisfying couch or lazy boy chair. We thought why not take the concept of a table, but shrink it down, make it portable, and fit around ones lap so that the table is at a pleasant height creating a desk feeling.
The cup holder is essential because when someone is conducting business or typing up a document they are going to become thirsty. They will then most likely reach over the computer to grab a drink off the table or having to move the laptop so that they can get up and walk to refrigerator, vending machine or obtain drinking water out of the faucet; therefore increasing the chances of the liquid to spill on the computer and ultimately ruining it. The cup holder takes away this disadvantage by having your drink a minimal reach away, not having to move everything around or knock into anything.
The Adjustable laptop table is easily foldable and can be placed into several different bags such as brief cases, backpacks and laptop cases. It is barely noticeable in weight and thin in compact, about the thickness of a small book.
The laptop table also has other functions besides holding a laptop. One can rest a book on it creating a more rewarding reading experience without switching the book from hand to hand trying to find a comfortable position. The artist in you can also come out, placing paper or canvas on top of the table creating your next masterpiece. The portable laptop table can be eaten off of if one becomes sick or just feels like laying in bed all day.
Source : goarticles by Chris Lara
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Symptoms Predict HD Malfunction
Like a heart to human, Hard Drive is an essential part of a whole computer. It is designed to store a great deal of data and programs for PC users so that those data can be used at a later time. Running a software program, sending and receiving e-mail and saving Word documents all require the data from the hard drive. As computer systems become more and more advanced, the roles that the hard drive plays have increased. However, once the hard drive gets some problems then it would absolutely be a big trouble or disaster to any PC users. Therefore, we had better maintain the hard drive in our daily use of computer regularly in order to avoid any possibility of HD crashing.
Hard Drive failure is predicable actually so you do not have to worry about that your HD would crash suddenly when you wake up some day. Generally speaking, if the HD is going to get malfunction, there should be some symptoms appearing to warn you before it getting crash.
1.Pops-up S.M.A.R.T Message. S.M.A.R.T is a monitoring system for computer hard disks to detect and report on various indicators of reliability, in the hope of anticipating failures.The purpose of S.M.A.R.T. is to warn a user or system administrator of impending drive failure while there is still time to take preventive action, such as copying the data to a replacement device.If you find a alarm from S.M.A.R.T, you had better pay attention to the potential physical failure otherwise it would not run properly if you just let it be. To use some hard drive diagnose tools to fix malfunction in time is really necessary.
2. If your computer fails to recognize the hard disk drive in BIOS (Basic Input Output System) from time to time or computer is able to recognize hard disk drive but the operating system can not find the HD, that is a another portent of the HD malfunction. I suggest you export and store the data to another place and then take your hard drive to PC shop to have a inspection as soon as possible.
3. Sometimes you will find that you can enter Windows system smoothly but you would keep receiving error message when you try to run any applications. And at the same time, hard disk scanning function does not work properly. Computer is deadly slow even gets freeze during the scanning. Such symptom could probably be caused by the hard drive malfunction or by the registry of system. It is highly recommended that you download some registry cleaning programs to detect errors on your computer at first to preclude the soft crash.
4. If you use hard drive scanning program to find out HD errors or even bad track directly, I advice you use HDTune to repair HD problems immediately.
5. Computer freezes within the initialization of Windows system. In fact, it is quite hard to identify which specific part of computer causes this phenomenon. Low quality of memory, CPU fan stops working, or virus' attacking etc. So you need to preclude those factors one by one.
Tips: Here I strongly recommend you backup your important data or files so that you would not feel frustration if your hard drive gets problems one day.
Source : goarticles by Alex
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All in One Printers Pros and Cons
The world is always finding ways of making things integrated for better performance. There are many machines that have been integrated into one so that the same machine performs several functions. View from one angle, integration of many devices is good; from another, there are problems. One office machine which comes to mind is the all-in-one printer. The same machine is a printer, a photocopier, a fax, and a scanner. Here are some reasons why this kind of printers could be useful or a problem.
The Pros of all-in-one printer
They save space For a business that does not have enough space, having all the above listed machines as stand-alones will be a thing to grapple with. That is why an all in one printer will be a convenient option. An all-in-one printer will leave more space for another equipment or staff. Even bigger businesses can also take advantage of the all-in-one printer to save space.
Saves cost
The cost of acquiring an all-in-one printer is far below that of acquiring all the individual machines put together. That saves a lot of dollars for the small business owner. The money saved could be invested in other aspects of the business. There are other costs beyond that of acquisition of all those machines. There will be the need to buy ink or toner for the various machines. The cost of ink over time could be very telling on businesses. Therefore, having one machine will mean having to buy one unit of ink at a time. Again, just one machine will be a considerable cut-down on power consumption.
Easy maintenance
It is easier maintaining one machine than three or four. If you have four machines you will have to download driver updates for all of them. When you load your printer with paper, your photocopier is also loaded. This will be very convenience, especially for those who have a lot of things to do.
The Cons of the all-in-one printer
The first thing that really makes the all-in-one printer a problem is the risk of having your office down of it develops a problem. If that machine gets a problem, it will be impossible to print, new documents, copy old documents, scan and receive fax messages. On the contrary, if your printer gets a problem, it will not prevent you from receiving your fax messages or scanning documents for emails and other use. Having an all-in-one printer is a big risk.
The cost of running may turn to be higher
If you do a lot of paper work, you will be printing a lot. That means that you will rely on your inkjet ink cartridges or toner cartridge for all purposes. That means you will have to buy more ink for your printer. If anything at all, the cost will be the same. Making photocopies with all-in-one printers that run on drum cartridges is more expensive than with real photocopiers.
If you are considering buying an all-in-one printer, you must be guided by the purpose for which you want it.
Source : goarticles by Neal Brown
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3 Tips to Keep Hackers Out of Your Computer
Computer crime is extremely prevalent today. There is more money in online crime than even the illegal drug trade according to the FBI! Most "hacker" or computer criminals are not bored teenagers anymore equivalent to vandals who spray paint their school walls but organized and motivated career criminals. You do not want them in your computer or with access to any of your accounts. Here are three simple tips to help keep them out.
1) Run antivirus software on your computer. On a Windows computer this is absolutely essential but not everyone does. If you do not, a hacker will "own" your computer, meaning have full access to it, in a matter of a few hours at most! On a Mac or Linux machine this is not as important but still highly recommended. This is because Mac and Linux are smaller targets for hackers than Windows so there are fewer nasty things on the Internet to attack them.
2) Do not open attachments unless they come from someone you know and you expect them. Email attachments often carry all kinds of nasty viruses and worms that attack your machine. Even if they come from someone you know, their machine may already have been attacked and compromised.
3) Use good passwords! Do not use a dictionary word or other common phrase like the name of your favorite sporting teams. Did you know that hackers have programs with large dictionaries of these words that try all of them in an attempt to gain access to your machine or account? They are very effective.
So, run antivirus, be very wary of email attachments, and choose good passwords, especially for critical accounts, and it's far less likely you will be hacked!
Source : goarticles by Harry Baldwin
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Troubleshooting Four Common Network Card Problems
As the network card is popularized all over the world, it has become a bridge between computers and the network. Once the network adapter goes on the fritz, PC users will suffer lots of unaccountable troubles and feel helpless.
Here I will list some common network card malfunctions and their solutions:
Network connection A network card usually has two indicator lights (LED): the green light shows that the card is receiving electricity; the orange (10Mb/s) or red (100 Mb/s) light indicates network activity (sending or receiving data). When a network card is working regularly, its lights are sustained (flickering when transmitting data), but if the lights become too bright or too dark every now and then, furthermore, computer drops online frequently, most possibly this net card and its PCI slot are poorly connected. Different from other PCI devices, if you often plug net card or move computer, the network connection is easily loose because of poor contact. You can fix this glitch by plugging the net card again or changing to another free PCI slot. Moreover, if there is too much dust on the card, the card's golden finger is severely oxidized, or the network cable connector is broken, the network connection also would be unstable, well then you need to clean the card, wipe the golden finger with some paper or change a connector.
Drivers Network card is the same as other hardware devices: its imperfect driver may bring about problems. If your card encounters some inexplicable errors, you can download and set up the latest drivers from some professional websites to repair these errors. In case your network adapter's malfunction happens after you updated driver, you can restore the driver with the driver program that came with your adapter.
Magnetic field problem Network adapter is easily interrupted by the magnetic field, so you should avoid putting your computer near to the devices like microwave oven, fridge or TV that have a large and strong magnetic field.
Network cables Poor network cables and connectors would also affect your net card working. In addition to selecting better twisted pair, you should also note that whether the connection between your network adapter port and connector is in good, and whether the order of the data lines in the connector accords with the international 568a and 568b network cables (especially those self-made connectors).
Source : goarticles by Molly Smith
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Choose the Best Wireless Network Card
The role of a wireless network adapter is like other normal network adapters, it is applied to connect the LAN. Wireless net card is just a device to receive and send signal and it only works in the WLAN. According to their different ports, wireless network adapters are divided into several types: PCMCIA net card, PCI net card, Mini PCI net card, USB net card, CF/SD net card and so on. And in our daily life we mainly use PCMCIA card (only used in laptops), PCI net card (specially used in desktop computers) and USB network card (available both in laptops and desktop PCs). Now the most popular broads are INTEL, TP-LINK, FAST and TENDA etc, and the main rate is 54M and 108M. But the performance of these devices is not all the same, it varies in signal quality, stability and also price.
Signal quality If you use a laptop, well then it usually would have a PCMCIA wireless network adapter built-in this machine; if you have a desktop, it's best to choose a wireless PCI network adapter for a better signal quality, because this card has an external antenna; if you highlight the convenience, a wireless USB network adapter may be more suitable for you, but its signal is not so good as that of the other two cards in the same condition. In a word, without other aids like extension lines, the signal quality of the PCI card is the best, second is the PCMCIA card and next the USB card.
Stability Considering the PCMCIA net card has to supply power when working, it is lacking in heat dispersion. Since the PCI network adapter is inserted in a PCI slot, it has no problem in power supply, as for its cooling condition, it is also superior to other two cards. Compared with PCMCIA card and PCI net card, the power supply of a wireless USB network adapter is not so stable, and it is also deficient in heat dispersion.
Price With the same brand, similar features and on the near dates of launch, a wireless USB network card is relatively more expensive, and the price of a wireless PCI net card and a PCMCIA card is pretty much the same.
Source : goarticles by Molly Smith
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Install Motherboard Driver
As the current rate of hardware regeneration is much faster than that of software, the latest motherboards might come across a range of issues on incompatibility, such as motherboard chipsets unable to be correctly recognized by operating system, which directly results new technology that system should have been able to support is incapable of use, and compatibility problems largely increase. In this situation, major chip suppliers provide relevant motherboard drivers to tie in their operating systems. These motherboard drivers play two roles: let the system exactly identify as well as make full use of these latest chipsets, and enable the system to support the new technology offered by down-to-date chipsets. Motherboard drivers can not only fix compatibility issues between hardware and software, but also to a certain degree can optimize the whole system or its subsystem. Improvement of motherboard drivers matters a lot in the performance of a motherboard.
What's the type of your chipset? These days, main chipset manufacturers are Intel, NVIDIA, VIA etc, they all have their own motherboard drivers. So before installing motherboard drivers, you should find out the board and model of your motherboard's chipset, you can get this information in your motherboard manual or search it through some software like Everest.
How to install motherboard drivers? Intel chipsets are famous for their excellent stability and compatibility, coupled with their own CPU, the performance is world class, so they are widely used. Below I will take the Intel chipset as an example to explain how to install the motherboard driver. Intel motherboard driver is called Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility, which supports Windows 9X/Me/2000/XP; system can exactly recognize all kinds of Intel chipsets through it.
Step 1 Download Intel Chipset Software Installation Utility and double-click Setup.exe.
Step 2 Select Next in the pop-up dialog box, finally restart your computer.
Step 3 Right-click My Computer, select Properties.
Step 4 Choose Hardware and click Device Manager.
Step 5 In the Device Manager box you can check whether the driver has been installed successfully by double-clicking IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers, if you can see "Intel(R) 82801DB......" which means you have made it. In essence, the installations of a variety of chipset drivers are similar, they are all standard installations of Windows programs, but you have to restart your computer after installing motherboard driver.
Source : goarticles by Molly Smith
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Migrate Files and Settings to New PC
Introduction
There will come a time in our life, whether in work or at home that you will be oblige, by choice or because your jobs necessitate it, to move your files and settings from your old computer to a new one.
To the expert, this could be a walk in the park but for most of us who are not that information technology savvy, it's a major undertaking.
Most people spent a lot of time tweaking their system to suit their own need and preference and it is easier said than done to transfer all those colors, fonts, wallpaper and other settings unto the new PC. Finding manually all the data and files you need from your old computer and put them in their proper location in the new PC will be require patience and time.
Microsoft however, has an invaluable tool called the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard which will help you accomplish this task. The wizard just needs to run once on your old computer to collect and backup all your files and personal settings. After the data collection, run the wizard on the new computer and then restore all the information into the new system.
Step-by-step Procedure on How to Run the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard
Note: Before you continue, close any other programs that are currently running on your computer to avoid any problem or error while performing the task.
On the old PC:
1.Insert the Windows XP CD installer on your old PC cd-rom drive. Select Perform additional tasks.
2.Select Transfer files and settings.
3. Select the option Old computer when ask which computer is this?
4.Select a drive or folder where to save your backup. Make sure that you have enough free disk space on the drive where you will save your backup data.
5.Select the option that you prefer. You can choose to backup Settings only, Files only or Both files and settings. Most people will simply select the option Both files and settings and let the wizard do the rest.
6.Files and settings data collection. The wizard will then search the drive and collects your files and settings. This would take some time to complete, depending on the size of your data. Click on Finish to exit, once the wizard completed the files and settings collection from your old computer. Check the file size of the backup for you to have an idea how big it is.
7. Share the folder where you save the files and settings backup for later use. You will point to this shared folder from the new PC to read and restore your files and settings.
On the new PC:
After a successful backup, it is time now to transfer the files and settings from your old PC to the new one. Before running the File and Transfer Wizard on the new PC, make sure that you already installed in your new PC, the same application that is installed and running in your old PC to ensure a successful files and settings transfer.
1.Insert the Windows XP CD install on the new computer with fresh installed Windows XP. Select Perform Additional Task and then click on Transfer files and settings.
2.Choose New computer when ask if this is the new computer or your old one?
3. Do you have a Windows XP CD? Just select I don't need the Wizard Disk. I have already collected my files and settings from my old computer and click Next.
4.When ask Where are the files and settings? Select Other (for example, a removable drive or network drive). Type the network location of the files and settings backup (or click on Browse to locate it) and then click on Next.
5. Files and settings transfers. After the wizard has been pointed on the location of the files and settings backup, it will then begin to transfer and apply the settings from the old PC unto the new system. This transfer process could take some time to complete depending on the size of the files. Patiently wait for the wizard to complete the task.
6.Complete the Files and Settings Transfer. Click on Finish after successfully transferring your files and settings from your old computer to the new one. It is best practice to log off from the computer and restart your new PC for the changes to take effect. After restarting, check and ensure that all of your files and settings is correct and the same as on the old PC.
Source : articletrader by breezego
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Do Free Anti-virus Work?
Many people wonder if it is worth it to download any of those free anti-virus programs out there or just go out and purchase one at fifty dollars. Most people would rather go with downloading the free anti-virus instead because of budget and convenience and that is just fine. There are small differences when it comes to the free one and the kind that you pay for. Free anti virus programs have less features and are usually downgraded from the paid for one, some slightly downgraded to others that only just detect and do not do anything about it until you pay for the subscription.
If you are not protected by any kind of anti-virus, there are a ton of disastrous things that could happen to your computer. Your hard drive could be wiped clean, files lost or damage, constant freezing, or worse, people could log on to your computer and steal your information. If any of this happens, more than likely you will have to replace any of your hardware that has been damaged. Even a simple free downgraded anti-virus can help prevent you from spending hundreds on replacement parts.
The conveniences of free anti-viruses help make it the more popular choice. You can just Google for free anti-viruses and you will easily find where to download one. It is also easier to install since it does not require CDs or any hardware to insert into your computer. All you would have to do is download it from the site, install, and set its settings. Most anti-viruses will run in the background and use as little resource as it can as to not bother you or slow down your computer.
The answer to the question, whether an anti-virus downloaded for free will work and help protect your computer, is yes it will. It may not have as many features as if you had gotten the paid subscription, but it will protect your computer from most of the malicious software out there. The anti-virus will scan your computer from any infected files and attempt to clean the files, quarantine or delete the file, whichever you choose. Along with the infected files, it will also search for any malicious software that have caused those files to be infected and get rid of them. These anti-viruses will not delete any file without prompting you what to do, so you don't have to worry about it accidentally deleting a file you need.
There is lots of free anti-virus software out there for you to download. The top rated three have been Avast!, Avira-AntiVir, and AVG. You can download these from their respected websites. They have been ranked as the top free anti-virus by many users and computer experts. Though be cautioned, they may not get rid of everything and they do not fix the speed of your computer. If that is what's wrong with your computer, it may be a completely different problem. To find which anti-virus is the right one for you, I suggest you try each one.
Source: articledashboard By: S Hassan
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