Wireless Network Adaptor

You've been slaving away on your homework or that business deal at home in your home office all day long. Wouldn't it be nice if you could take your work with you the living room so that you can curl up on the sofa with your laptop on a lap desk? Or what about relaxing in the cool breeze of your back porch?

With the right wireless network adaptor, you can take a notebook computer and access the Internet anywhere in your home! Leave those old phone cords behind! This is the wireless age! Do you have kids who each have their own computers in their rooms? You can also connect all of the desktops in your home to the same high-speed Internet with one wireless connection.

All you need is a high-speed Internet connection and a wireless network adaptor. It's not very complex at all to install a wireless network adaptor in your home--you won't need to bring in an expert! And it can be very inexpensive to buy a wireless network adaptor, too!

Most wireless network adaptors are USB-compatible. All you do is have a high-speed Internet connected to one desktop computer in your home and then place the USB cord of your wireless network adaptor into a USB port on that desktop computer and a wireless PC card to receive the signals in the USB ports of every other computer. Voila!

The wireless network adaptor draws its power from the desktop computer, whether it's on or not, as long as it's plugged in, and begins emitting signals throughout the house. The other desktop computers and all of the laptop computers in your home will need wireless adaptor cards, which are also typically just plugged into a USB port, to receive the signals. Now you have working high-speed Internet anywhere in the house!

The best part? Wireless network adaptors can be purchased for as little as $15! However, many others cost between $30-70 and some wireless network adaptors even costs hundreds of dollars.

The more data you need to transmit and download and the more computers you have using the wireless network adaptor's signals, the higher quality wireless network adaptor you may need. However, there's no need to spend an enormous amount of money unless you're using the wireless network adaptor at a business.

You can try the Web site of your high-speed Internet provider or even the Web site of your computer manufacturer for a number of wireless network adaptors. Most wireless network adaptors are universal, however, so you can find great deals at electronics specialists online or at electronics stores. Try Best Buy, Circuit City, or even Amazon.com.

Having the freedom to roam your house while working makes work feel like less of a chore. You don't have to be "chained" to as desk anymore! Buy a wireless network adaptor and consider yourself free of wires and chains!

Three easy steps to removing spyware from your computer

When it comes to disabling and removing spyware from your computer, there are 3 main things you need to do. It's important to understand all three in order to properly clean your PC from spyware infections.

Step 1: Use Anti-Spyware And Anti-Adware Programs

These programs contain very large databases of known spyware and adware, and scan your computer for known traces. Good anti-spyware software will also let you remove spyware and adware found, and will constantly update the database of spyware and adware. These programs are essential in order to completely scan and remove spyware from your computer.

Step 2: Beware Of What's Out There

While anti-spyware programs are essential, you also need to know what works and what doesn't. Many programs will pretend to be anti-spyware programs, when in fact they are spyware themselves. Before downloading any anti-spyware software, make sure you check to see what awards and reviews the software has.

In addition to programs pretending to be anti-spyware software that are actually spyware itself, there are also a number of programs that are bundled with spyware. In fact, spyware and adware companies will often make deals with legitimate software developers, in order to their bundle spyware in their software. In other cases, spyware makers will bundle their spyware with legitimate software without the software developer even knowing about it.

Step 3: Be Secure

In order to protect yourself against spyware, there are a number of security measures you'll need to implement. These methods will offer you protection against making mistakes, and will prevent spyware from entering your computer through known security holes.

The first thing you need to do is be careful where you go online. Spyware can infect your machine just by you clicking a link or going to a website, and in many cases, you may not even know your computer is infected. Typical sites like this are those with so called "honeypot" offerings, such as adult content or free money. These sites will often promise something but in reality just aim to infect your computer with spyware.

If you use a family computer, then anyone who uses that computer can potentially download spyware without ever intending to. Therefore, if you're not the sole user of your computer, it's important to educate other users of your computer about spyware and what it can do. One user who downloads spyware on your computer can have a negative effect on everyone who uses that computer.

Finally, it is important to have the latest version of your web browser, such as Internet Explorer or Firefox. Spyware can often be downloaded through security holes in your web browser, and so it is important to keep up to date with your software, as it will be less likely that you will get spyware infected on your machine through a security exploit. You can get the latest version of Internet Explorer at Microsoft's website.

3 reasons why you need Windows XP registry repair software

There are essentially three reasons why you should have registry repair software installed on your PC.

1. Increase performance

The most common complaint I hear as a systems administrator is that people complain how their PC performance has degraded since purchase. Each time you install or uninstall software or hardware on your PC the Windows registry gets changed. It gets bigger and gets fragmented. Windows needs to read the registry while booking your PC and also while you are running Windows. A big registry file which is fragmented takes longer to read/load than a brand new registry that is small and ordered.

Compare the registry with a wardrobe. If you store your clothes neatly in the wardrobe it will take you less time to find a particular piece of clothing. But if the clothes are not stacked neatly on the shelves and are not in the right place it would take a longer time to find it. Registry cleaners organise the registry so that Windows will find what it needs fast. These programs will also remove unused obsolete entries thus making the registry smaller.

2. Fixing PC Errors

If registry keys or parts of the registry are not stored in a correct way you get errors. Windows won't be able to find things and gives you cryptic error messages or "runtime errors". In older Windows versions you can even get the infamous "Blue Screens Of Death". Running a registry cleaner can fix these errors by fixing errors in the registry.

3. Save money

Some people reinstall their operating system twice a year to solve performance problems or errors they keep on getting. If you send your PC to a store or get a computer technician to look at it will cost you a bundle. Besides paying a bundle to get a complete reinstall or to get them to fix the errors you keep on getting, you won't be able to work behind the computer to get some work done. Buying registry repair software is a lot cheaper than getting your windows reinstalled or getting an computer engineer to look at the errors! Besides usually they will also use registry repair software to fix the errors for you.

Some people are afraid that this kind of software is hard to use or are afraid that they will break their PC using it. Fortunately most registry repair software will allow you to manually, or even better automatically, make a complete backup of your registry before youi make any changes to it. Make sure when you download your trial that the software has this option!

The usage of registry repair software is usually very easy and it will take a couple of minutes to scan your registry. After this scan it will show you the results and advise you to take action - for instance deletion of invalid keys. I would advise you to regulary scan your registry to fix possible errors and keep your PC running at peak performance!

Some Tips To Consider When Buying A Laptop

Many lap top computers are far more powerful than even high end desk top computers were just a few years ago. So let's take a look at some tips you'll want to be aware of when you go to buy a lap top computer.

As the capacities, power, size and lower cost of laptops continues to improve, laptop computers continue to represent increasing value for the dollar. But there are some important things to be aware of when considering a laptop. This article will focus on some of the primary issues.

The first decision to consider when purchasing a laptop is whether you need or want a Windows, Apple or Linux operating system.

Because the windows operating system has become so pervasive the majority will stick by with a Windows operating system. Windows XP Pro should be minimum and their new VISTA operating system if you can afford it. Keep in mind, if you are going to be dependent on friends and family to help you in getting used to using your new laptop computer, most of them will not have knowledge of the VISTA Operating system until even as late as 2010. Those who have used Apple in the past, and are more familiar with Apple will have far more limited options, but are probably best off sticking with Apple.

Linux users will need to analyze compatibility issues on Linux forums online.

Again, if you are new to computing, and know you will be dependent on friends, family or even business associates for assistance as you get up to speed on using your computer, they are far more likely to be able to help you if you have a Windows Operating System on your laptop than a Mac or Linux operating system. Not that one operating system is necessarily any better than the other, but windows is known best by most computer users.

Assuming you know what operating system you are looking for, the next step is to set a budget, and determine whether you want a new or used machine. Used laptops represent a good value for machines in the $600 - $700 range and below. However they come with zero warranty. There are some excellent deals that can be found on "Refurbished" laptop computers, but you need to buy them locally, find out what the warranty and support conditions are and whether or not you can pay a little extra to increase the warranty and support period.

If you don't think you need all the bells and whistles of a brand new system, buying a used system through a seller at EBay or from a laptop refurbishing company can make a lot of sense economically. When scouring EBay, look for the Power Sellers who sell many used laptops, and make sure their customer satisfaction and return policies are solid. Don't be tempted to buy systems without enough processing power just because they are cheap. Now days, anything below a Pentium 3 processor is best avoided, as Pentium 3 machines can already be found relatively inexpensively used or refurbished.

Once you have set your budget, determine the minimum memory capacity for your needs. Here I am referring to RAM or Random Access Memory. I would highly recommend setting 512 MegaBytes as your minimum memory capacity. If you are intending to do high end graphic presentations or video presentations 1024 MegaBytes should be your minimum. Stripping memory out of a computer is a common way to sell them at lower prices. But memory is often the weak link in personal computer systems, bringing the performance of the machine down significantly. Lots of memory is the great equalizer in computers, and many people fail to realize that a lower end laptop with lots of memory will often outperform a higher end one without the memory.

Once you have you memory needs and budget set, you can start to compare models for weight, ergonomics, and most importantly, screen size. Finding a size and weight that is acceptable to you is important, but finding the correct screen size should be your primary consideration.

Many people are excited by the larger screened laptops, but fail to fully appreciate the impact of resolutions. Most laptops come with a set with an ideal resolution, and switching to a higher or lower resolution can distort text. Some laptops with large 17 inch screens are set at very high screen resolution, making them difficult to read for long periods of time without some eye strain. Some of the inexpensive laptops with 15 inch screens can also be difficult to read and with on than laptops with larger screens. 1024x768 should be an acceptable screen resolution for most laptop monitors. Avoiding larger screens that require higher resolutions above 1024X768 can save a lot of money, and deliver a machine that is just as easy to work on and read from.

Finally, there are networking considerations. By now, it does not make a lot of sense to purchase any laptop without WiFi wireless networking capabilities. Most new laptops will come with this standard, but with older and used laptops it is an item you need to verify. With the constant increase in wireless accessibility, a laptop without this capability will become obsolete within a few years.

Virus Attack

In the early 70's a virus was leaked out on the ARPANET, infecting the Tenex operating system. The virus was named "Creeper", and if your computer was infected, it would message "I AM THE CREEPER: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN". The virus would gain access independently through the modem and copy itself on to the remote system.

To counteract the attack, another virus called "The Reaper" was created. This was just the start. Today there are millions of worms, Trojan Horses and viruses that your PC has to defend itself against, on a daily basis. It was in 1983, that Fredrick Cohen coined and created the word "virus" to define, what he called, "self replica computer programs."

Not all viruses have had their claim to fame, most are killed before they can even cause any damage, but a few have been able to sneak through the cracks. The Love Letter was possibly the fastest virus known to date. It simply attacked Outlook, and using the user's mailing list, e-mailed itself to the recipients as a message, with an attachment holding the virus. The reason for its success was the attachments name "I love you". These three words would attract the recipient, who thought the mail came from the original user.

The Love Letter caused $5.5 billion worth of damage. Not to be put to shame is the "Melissa" virus, which caused $80 million worth of damage in March 1999. The virus was named after a stripper in Florida, by it's creator, David L. Smith. Within one day, it managed to spread itself around the world, clogging up mail systems and inserting quotes from Bart Simpson into documents.

The "Nuclear" virus also attacks documents. This virus adds a paragraph at the end of every document printed. The paragraph is a protest against French Nuclear Testing in the South Pacific. Another "cause" virus is the CIH, also known as the Chernobyl. The virus sits on your computer, undetected, until the anniversary of the Chernobyl meltdown. It then attacks the BIOS chip on your computer, completely paralyzing the hard drive.

Most viruses don't have a point at all, for example the "911". This virus was detected in Houston, Texas, where it takes over the computers modem and dials emergency numbers at random. The "Casino" virus has even less of a point, as it plays Russian roulette with your hard drive. If you get a number wrong, you lose everything.

There is a variety of anti-spy software that attacks the virus as soon as it is created. Users have to update the system online to make sure they stay ahead of the hackers. However, in a lot of cases, data loss is almost inevitable.

There are various ways to recover the data from most viruses. Experts use a combination of systems to recover data. It is best to rely on data recovery specialists than attempt to do it yourself. Each virus uses a different system and method to damage the hard drive, so the same rule does not apply to all.

Once you are aware that you have a virus, contact a professional to help you remove it, then a data recovery specialist to help recover your data that is lost.

Some General Tips on Our Beloved Computers

Networking sectors and other companies which performance is based on computer systems, strongly promote among their employers the enrollment in computer based training programs to improve their skills, while they stay updated in new technologies. Providing tailored computer based training and Internet based training, NETg is a regular feature in many universities and countless corporate institutions using their training programs. CBT Direct is the skills off learning partner offering Cisco, Microsoft CIW, Oracle and APlus certification computer based training solutions for the IT industry and corporate enterprises.

Following are a list of computer security tips that will help protect you and/or minimize the damage if your personal information gets stolen: Firstly never use the same user id you use for email or internet logon for anything else. Although confidentiality, integrity and authenticity are the most important things when it comes to computer security in general, for everyday internet users, privacy is the most important one, because many people think that they have nothing to hide or the information they give doesn't seem sensitive when they register with an internet service/site.

To add memory to your computer, you must install modules with the correct contact layout. When you are ready to install your brand new memory module, make sure of 2 things: the power is off (for your safety) and you are electrically grounded (for your computer's safety). Installing more memory is a relatively simple process, usually only requiring a screwdriver to remove a single screw, push the memory module in the spare slot firmly, close the lid, put the screw back in, and reboot the computer.

Existing computer repair franchises are typically available immediately and are a good option for professionals looking to start a new business in the computer industry. But in the computer service repair business, there are many expenses that you will face. Customer service is a crucial part of the computer service repair business, because computer service repair is about working with customers to solve problems.

If people's computers are full of viruses and spyware then they may be having trouble getting on the internet to buy from you. These days, in the modern era, viruses are known to spread through vulnerabilities in web browsers, files shared over the internet, emails themselves, and computer networks. Computer viruses are also extended to worms spread over the internet, which act in a similar fashion, but are more harmful and malicious in intent.

Finding a good notebook computer is important to those who want to be able to work, surf the net, and email without being tethered to the office or desk at home. The issue of size and weight will determine how easily you will be able to carry around your notebook computer. For those people who just want a reasonable and a reliable notebook computer or laptop that can run the programs they need, and where cash is running low, an option is to buy a refurbished notebook computer.

I found the best way to ensure that a monitor has a nice crisp image is to buy a good brand. Walking into a store and plumping for the first monitor that one takes a fancy to is not exactly the best way to go about the task. There are various types of computer monitors, ranging from the now-obsolete 15 inch CRT monitors to the latest 21 inch LCD TFT flat screen monitors so just rush for a nice looking one but price does matter a lot.

A printer is an important peripheral of a computer, and is designed for low volume printouts. Finding a computer printer ink refills is not hard enough but buying computer printer ink repeatedly is necessary if you are using a printer a lot. You should not rely on the cost of the ink cartridges before you purchase a printer that you need to ensure and you should not don't compromise on computer printer ink without investigate.

Struggling with Legacy Software?

If you are like most One-Person Business owners, you are THE ONE when it comes to the day-to-day word processing, page layout, financials, and graphics computer work that all needs to be done. You probably have all your old favorite software that makes your job so much easier.

Or, do you?

Legacy software, the high tech industry's term for software that has been on a system forever, through many upgrades of hardware, and changes in the business systems and processes, often can be more of a hindrance than a help. And, it can catch you in a backwater with a huge price.

How Legacy Software Can Hurt More Than Help

Recently I was visiting a colleague who has an enormous amount of source material, reflecting his more than 20 years in his profession. Each topic is carefully copied into its own word processing file. Then the files are collected into folders, and the folders artfully displayed on his screen. Dozens and dozens of them!

The problem? All those individual files. When I asked why so many, he said it makes it easier to find the specific topic he wants. The file names tell him what's what. When I asked why not put them all in one file and then use a table of contents, he had to admit his legacy word processing software doesn't easily allow him to automatically insert a table of contents into a document. He would have to check when each new topic began, type in the title of the page, and then insert the page number. If he wanted to change the file in any way, he'd have to type up a new table of contents.

Instead he spent countless minutes, often hours, finding the topics and information he needed for a paper or a presentation.

The solution? Any of the current "Big Name" word processing software programs have simple instructions for automatically inserting tables of content (tables that can easily be changed if the text of the file is changed in any way). And, almost all of them let you copy in, and/or even open, text files produced by other programs.

The price? It comes back to "pay me now or pay me later." Also, this is a serious decision on how you would like to spend your professional time.

Keeping the same program you've always used means fewer dollars out of your pocket...and no learning curve time to learn the new software. Seems like good bet to keep the old favorite.

Keeping the legacy system doesn't make it when it comes to the "what's the best use of your time" question. Searching for the right file is a task more appropriate for a clerk or an assistant rather than any professional I've met. It always makes sense to pass off lower payback tasks to lower paid positions. Spending lots of your time searching a hard drive certainly qualifies as lower level work. It also positions you to be caught in the dreaded "no longer supported" trap.

Very Expensive Backwaters

With any legacy software there will always become the day when the company's cost-benefit ratio slips to the other side, and the announcement goes out...Our Old Standby will no longer be sold or supported.

You are out of luck!

Ask me how I know....

Many years ago, I chose a page layout program that only required the use of one disc drive, not the two required by PageMaker. It seemed like a good decision at the time. I saved a couple of hundred dollars by not having to buy a new disc drive.

Fast forward almost 20 years....

I'm still using this legacy page layout program. I have hundreds, probably at least a thousand, formatted pages of program material, in dozens and dozens of files, all with table of contents automatically generated. I can easily develop a new training program, produce handouts for a presentation, workbooks for courses, you name it, in record time by shifting content boxes around, and replacing dates, titles and graphics. It is so easy to use, because I know the program backwards and forward.

The problem? I can't easily get the content out of the program.

In addition, the program will no longer be updated for new system software...and the product has been sold to a company in Egypt.

There are solutions...all of them extremely expensive...or taking more of my time and energy to do it myself than I would like to even consider doing. The bind? Pay big money to have it done for me, or pay even more to do it myself.

The lesson...migrate away from legacy software earlier rather than later. Stop throwing good money after bad.

Internet Fax And A Paperless World

We are slowly moving towards a paperless world. The papers that create clutter on our desks and in the filing cabinets are now being stored on CDs and DVDs. Our computers hold all the information that we require, and we do not need to look anywhere else. The email is perfect for sending our important letters and messages. These can instantly reach the concerned person's mailbox in less time than it takes to print a letter, fold it, and put it in an envelope. It is both convenient and quick. And as long as there is seamless Internet connectivity, there is little likelihood of there being a delay in the mail reaching the required person.

Thus, it should not be at all surprising that faxes have also started making use of the Internet. The old fax machine seems to be on its way out as Internet faxing becomes increasingly popular. This is yet another consequence of our world becoming increasingly paperless. Now, our personal computers have decided to replace the old fax machines and are allowing us to access important and urgent messages without worrying that inquisitive people will go through our confidential information. The risk of confidential information falling into the wrong hands was a disadvantage of the public fax machine. However, this shortcoming can be eliminated if one uses the Internet fax.

As offices move towards complete computerization, the public fax machine is fast becoming defunct. Although quite a few of them continue to survive, we could soon be seeing a world where the fax machine shall be absolutely defunct. The fax by email service is gaining in speed as the favored mode of faxing important messages and information. And it is an improvement on the fax machine of the days of yore. In the case of email faxes, one does not have to stand in line. One does not have to worry about the leaking out of confidential information. And the likelihood of a faxed document being misplaced is low. After all, unless you press the delete button, the fax will not be going anywhere. And even if you do delete it, you should manage to restore it from your trash.

It no longer makes much sense to hold on to the old fax machine in today's world. The email fax service is far more convenient and efficient. One can send out innumerable faxes without even walking out of the office. This certainly is yet another example of technology adding to our comforts.

The Need For Quality IT Support Staff

Any company engaged in providing IT support will no doubt exercise great care in who they hire on their roster as the importance of a good; if not outstanding IT support staff cannot be emphasized enough. It means having a good IT supervisor who can coordinate computer programming as well as perform system analysis. He/she should also coordinate computer operations such as data exchange methods, and also submission as well as distribution. The IT support supervisor shall also need to be able to format specifications as well as do the coding procedures. There may be more than one supervisor with others being involved with other aspects of IT support such as overseeing systems programming for workstations as well as taking responsibility for database administration and being there to answer specific issues related to individual edits.

At a lower level, the IT support staff would consist of persons that provide administrative support to the client and maybe even assists in website maintenance. There should also be personnel available that will manage the client's local area network as well as other personal computers and also should be able to manage Internet servers and also their applications. Other responsibilities should include installing as well as upgrading personal computer hardware as well as software.

Some of the IT support staff may be hired to provide computer programming support and are responsible for writing code to process as well as edit incoming data. In reality, the responsibilities of the IT support staff would also encompass day-to-day support for an information system that could even involve handling the client's multiple sites. The support staff should have the requisite knowledge as well as experience to handle PC as well as MAC hardware repairs, Server OS, Exchange as well as are able to maintain network switches as well as infrastructure. It is also necessary for the IT support staff to have good and even excellent communication skills as well as be good with people skills.

It is also a requirement for IT support staff to have at least two years of college background in the relevant subjects, A+ Certification as well as is Microsoft Certified, with hands-on experience in relevant hardware and software platforms. An individual with MCSE or CCNA would obviously be well suited for the job of IT support staff.

IT support spans a wide array of services for which a company that provides such services would need to look for specialists to handle the various functions required. There is an administrative side that handles normal client needs such as email, internet, computing services, mailing lists, and user groups. The support staff should also be conversant with various administrative systems in order to discharge their duties satisfactorily. In addition, they may also be called upon to provide training and provide resources and also handle telecommunications as well as other computing services.

With all these different areas of functionality to be addressed, the IT support staff needs to actively be the customer's backup against all manner of breakdowns and disruptions which should be dealt with and put right at the earliest possible time.

Poor Computer Performance - 9 Free or Inexpensive Fixes

Poor computer performance by your Windows-based machine can sneak up on you gradually. You may find its performance deteriorating increasingly until one day you realize you must fix it or buy a new one. Signs of poor performance can include applications running very slowly, programs closing or freezing up suddenly, and a generally slower response time to OS (operating system)-related commands. I have compiled 9 fixes for you here that you can leverage right now to greatly improve your computer's performance.

Fix #1: Download and run MS Service Pack 2: Every operating system requires patches and upgrades by its maker from time-to-time, with Microsoft XP being no exception. While Service Pack 2 was released in 2002, some people with older systems are still not running it: make sure your computer is. You can download it FREE from Microsoft's Web site.

Fix #2: Run the Disk Cleanup utility: Your computer likely has a number of unused and unneeded files that take up valuable space on your hard drive and slow performance. Run your FREE, built-in Disk Cleanup utility to automatically remove these files. Find it by going to: Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Cleanup and following the prompts.

Fix #3: Defragment your hard drive: Over time, your computer will store files in an increasingly inefficient manner on your hard drive, affecting file retrieval times and other performance factors. To fix this, you need to defragment your hard disk drive. To do this for FREE, just go to: Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Disk Defragmenter. First, highlight the drive you want to clean up (e.g., C drive) and choose Analyze. Once complete, choose Defragment. Note that the defragmentation process could take up to an hour or more, so do this during a time when you can step away from your computer.

Fix #4: Run an anti-virus tool: Computer viruses are malicious programs that drastically affect your computer's performance, either all at once or insidiously over time. You can stop a virus attack by installing and running anti-virus software which performs regular scans, locates the offending viruses and quarantines them. Symantec's world class antivirus tools are an excellent choice.

Fix #5: Clean your registry: Your computer's registry is a tool that most non-computer specialists never see but which is vitally important to computer operations. Your registry stores settings and options for your hardware, operating system, and other software. Unfortunately, given its fundamental role in the performance of your system, your registry is often the target of attack or infection. To thoroughly and automatically clean your registry, run a regular registry scan using a registry cleaning tool. You can find a number of excellent products by doing an Internet search. Look for one that offers a free scan.

Fix #6: Run anti-spyware software: Spyware is computer software that installs itself in your computer and performs a number of unwanted functions, including monitoring your computer usage and interfere with your control. It represents a real threat and has become a significant problem in recent years. Fortunately, fixes are easy to find and include a number of free and inexpensive anti-spyware programs. Try SpyBot Search & Destroy, great free product.

Fix #7: Increase your computer's memory: Today's applications require more and more memory (RAM) to run. If your computer is more than two years old or if you selected the minimal memory option upon purchase, you might benefit from adding another 1 GB or more to your computer. Check online or at your local computer dealer for pricing.

Fix #8: Clean your hard drive: More comprehensive than the Disk Utility tool introduced above, cleaning your hard drive with professional cleaning software is a great way to improve performance. Try CCleaner for free by doing an Internet search.

Fix #9: As a last resort, re-format your hard drive: If after trying all of the above items and your computer still performs poorly, a last resort is to completely reformat your hard drive. Warning: proceed with caution since this action will erase your entire hard drive, including your operating system (OS)! If you decide to take this route, consult an online tutorial for how-to steps. At minimum, remember two things: be sure to back up all of your files and applications and retain a copy of your OS on CD so that you can re-install it later.

How To Send SMS Text Messages Online For Free

Mobile phones, undoubtedly, can be labeled as the greatest invention of modern times. They make our life easier with their countless advantages, one of which is the highly effective SMS or Short Messaging Service. SMS is the general term for the technology which provides people with the ability to send and receive text messages via mobile phones.

With recent technological advancements, free international sms messages can now be sent on a global level anywhere in the world through many online service providers. And the best part is that you don't even need a mobile phone if you have a computer. You simply register with the desired information on any of the sites that offer free SMS service and just follow the simple instructions. There is a space for the mobile number of the recipient, as well as space for the message. It depends on the free sms provider, but usually, the maximum number of words allowed is generally fixed at 137 characters. However, some India sms providers allow even more than this. SMS messages can include words, numbers or any alphanumeric combination. Also, binary format is usually supported.

Some free sms service providers offer many additional services to senders, such as delivery confirmations or replies. This way, you'll be able to track your sent messages and see when it gets received. Also, if you opt for replies, the recipients can even reply back to you. This two-way sms communication without spending a dime is possible only through a free SMS service provider on the Internet.

Considering the fact that you usually have to pay to send SMS, sending free, international SMS through online sms service providers is a great, quick way to communicate with friends and family. For example, In the United Kingdom, messages cost £0.10, and with people sending tens of messages each and every day, costs can mount up.

Also, writing a text message using your cell phone just takes too long compared to using your keyboard. Even on the most modern mobile phones with advanced predictive text messaging, it can be very difficult and time-consuming to write a message. Just think how quick it is to type a message on your computer keyboard, it is much quicker than using your mobile phone.

Being free, some messaging services are reliable, some do not work at all, and others are very slow. Also, many services will add and advert to the bottom of your message, although this does not cause much problem, for, it does reduce the number of allowed characters.

Be very careful when registering for a free SMS service. Not all are as free as they claim to be, some send chargeable sms messages to your phone, making the service rather expensive.

Milos Pesic is a successful webmaster who runs a highly popular Free SMS text messaging web site. The world will be at your fingertips if you visit his site at: => www.junglesms.com

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How To Choose A Monitor That Compliments Your Computer

Due to the many choices that we now have when it comes to computer monitors, choosing a monitor that compliments our computer has become quite a challenge. Unlike before when we only have very limited choices and we have to choose between 2 or three types of computer monitors only, we are not faced with so many choices that could make our heads reel especially if we are not really very familiar with these things. If you are one of those people who are at loss as to what criteria to follow when choosing a computer monitor, do not worry. It's not really as bad as you think it is. If you can't seem to make up your mind as to what type of monitors you want, here are some points for you to consider.

The Traditional Monitors (CTR) v the LCD Monitor

The monitor of your computer provides instant feedback by giving you an image of the text that you types of the keyboards or the image that you created or uploaded into your computer thus it is very important that you get a good computer monitor so that you will be able to see correctly the texts and images on the screen. The traditional monitor, much like that screen being on your computer, uses the cathode-ray tubes (CTRs). The traditional monitors give you greater viewing angle so you can look at it at a much wider angle compared to most other types of computer monitors. However, this type of monitor comes with a deep picture tube which can take up a lot of space. If you only have limited space in your working area, this type of monitor may prove to be such a space hog and will leave your little space to work on. If you are using a Hewlett-Packard (HP) computer, a traditional monitor will probably look awkward with it. Note that the Home and Home Office Notebook PCs of HP are state of the art equipments so it would be a good idea to use one of the latest designs of computer monitors with them.

Compared to the traditional monitors, the liquid crystal display (LCD) takes up lesser amount of space. The LCD monitors are designed as flat panel monitors that can easily fit into a small area. If you are using an HP pavilion slimline, this type of monitor with look great with your HP computer. Note that the LCD monitor will compliment the slim feature of your HP pavilion. Since the LCD uses digital technology, this type of computer monitor provides you with greater viewing compared to the traditional monitor. Furthermore, this type of monitor does not react to interference from high-power magnetic fields so there is lesser possibility for you to get disturbed while working.

Top Tips For Better Maintaining Laptop Batteries

Neglecting the care and maintenance of your laptop battery will seriously impair the ability to use the laptop when you need it away from an AC power supply. Investing in a little time and effort will repay you many times over by prolonging battery life and laptop use while mobile.

Laptop owners frequently omit to read and care for laptop batteries and make two very simple mistakes. In the first instance they use the laptop battery power in continuous conjunction with the AC power supply. Eventually they find the laptop will not power up when they come to use it. The second instance is to use battery power with no regard to the effect of repeatedly discharging the battery only partially.

What do you do when you try to switch on your laptop and all you get is dead silence? First step: remove the battery and then connect to the AC power supply alone. If the laptop powers up you know you have a problem with the laptop battery. A process known as purging is often enough to resolve the battery issue and we'll show you what to do later on.

Partially discharging the battery repeatedly teaches the battery that it does not need to charge itself fully when AC power is connected. When you come to rely upon battery power and you do not have a full charge, then your use of the laptop when away from an AC power supply is curtailed. The battery "memory" is reduced when incompletely discharged and this produces the shortening effect which is known as "battery fade".

Many laptop owners have experienced battery fade when they eventually come to use their computers on battery power alone. You can deal with this phenomenon quite simply but first you need to establish what type of laptop battery you have in your machine and take the time to review the care instructions issued with the laptop.

Here are some tips for you but you will need to check whether you have a NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) or HiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) battery for your laptop and check the manufacturers instructions.

The first tip is to ensure that you completely discharge your laptop battery. You do this by powering the laptop up using battery power alone and with the AC power disconnected. Allow the laptop to run the battery down completely until you get the battery low warning. Reconnect the AC power and allow the battery to be recharged from this state, for the period the manufacturer advises for recharge (as long as 12 hours).

The second tip is to purge your batteries. Purging is where you disconnect the AC power completely and also stop the laptops sleep or hibernation feature from being initiated. Allow the laptop to discharge the battery until it has itself powered off due to lack of power. Reconnect the AC power supply but do not power the laptop up and allow the battery to regain a charge for the next 24 hours. If you have NiCad batteries, perform this once a month and for NiMH every three months.

These two simple procedures will ensure that you are able to prolong the life of your laptop battery and make sure you can get the most out of mobile computing. Reading the battery care instructions will take only a few minutes. The return on this simple investment is not simply the money you will need to expend to replace otherwise perfectly good laptop batteries but the enhanced use and productivity to be gained from using your laptop when you need it and wherever you happen to be.

How To Install A Graphics Card

It is very easy to install a graphics card, all it needs is only 15 mins of your time and you can get your gaming computer booting up with the new graphics card. AGP slot was the standard for graphics card interface with the motherboard. As technology advances, the newer PCI-Express has taken over and many graphics card nowadays use PCI-E slot as its interface with the motherboard.

Before you can install the graphics card, you need to identify which type of slot does your graphics card uses.

If you are not sure which slot does your graphics card use, check out the user manual that comes with the graphics card.

Once you are ready to install your graphics card, follow these four steps...

Step 1: Uninstall the current graphics card drivers

Before you install your new card, you have to uninstall your current card driver. This is because the current driver might not be compatible with the new graphics card and it might result in hardware conflict.

On your Windows desktop, click 'Start' -> 'Control Panel'. In the new window that pops up, search for the 'System' icon and double click on it. Look for the 'hardware' tab. Click on the 'Device Manager'. This will pop up a new window showing your entire hardware configuration. Your graphics card should be listed under the 'Display Adapter' heading. Double-click the name of your graphics card. In the next window, go to 'Driver' tab and right below, there is an 'Uninstall' button. Click the Uninstall button. Once it is done, close all the windows and shut down your computer.

Step 2: Remove old graphics card

Now, unplug the power socket from the wall and remove the casing of your computer. Locate the AGP slot (short brown color slot above the rows of long white PCI slot) with your old graphics card. To prevent static charge from damaging your computer parts, touch a metal part of the case to ground yourself. Remove the screw on the back plate of the graphics card and unplug the graphics card from the slot.

Step 3: Install new card.

Align the new card correctly with the AGP slot (align with the PCI-e slot if your graphics card is of the PCI express type). Applying even forces on both end of the card, slowly push the new graphics card into the slot. Secure it to the back plate with a screw.

Step 4: Install new drivers.

Plug in all cables and boot up your Windows. Your operating system should now automatically recognize the new hardware and walk you through the installation wizard. Most of the time, you will need to insert the driver CD that come with the graphics card into the CD-ROM. Locate the 'setup.exe' file in the driver CD and double click on it. It will then walk you through the installation process. If your graphics card is not the latest model, then most probably there is a newer version of the driver on the Internet. Check out the manufacturer's website and download the latest drivers. Install it. Once done, reboot your PC. Now, you're ready to start gaming.

Free Internet Security Software

There are amazing free internet security software products available in any category imaginable. If you select the proper combination of quality free products you will be provided protection as good as or better than that afforded by the purchased alternatives.

You must realize that there is a wide range in the quality and performance of free software, so you need to stick with products that have been tested and have an established track record or at least have been developed by an organization that has previously proven themselves. It is difficult to tell if most internet security products are performing as expected. For example, if a game is not working properly you will be able to immediately tell because the game will not play correctly. In contrast, if a firewall or antivirus program fail to function properly you may not have any idea until long after your computer has been compromised. This certainly is a risk that few of us can afford to take.

I like to think of internet security as a triangle with the three main categories making up the three corners and the secondary categories lying on the lines of the triangle or within the security triangle. The three corners are antivirus, firewall and antispyware. The differentiation between product classes has begun to blur and there are many combination products especially among those sold commercially. To simplify our discussion and allow us to look at a number of unique free products we will look at them as distinctly unique product classes. There is excellent free software to satisfy our triangle concept with this article focusing on a couple of the top products in each category.

There are about 15 free antivirus products that are worth considering with a few other specialized products that also fit best into this antivirus group. My favorite free antivirus product without question is Comodo Antivirus. Comodo is involved in the high end enterprise area of the internet and decided to provide this antivirus product free to help make all consumers safer while online. The bottom line is that Comodo gets a lot of goodwill and free publicity from making such a great product available free of charge. It is a win-win situation! This antivirus product detects and eliminates viruses from desktops and networks, protects with real-time on access scanning, uses proactive heuristic analysis to intercept unknown threats, has host intrusion detection to block malware before it can run, and provides automatic daily updates of virus definitions. The other free antivirus product that I will touch on here is from PC Tools well known for their Spyware Doctor and also Registry Mechanic. In this case there is also a paid version that has direct customer support and faster updates but the two products themselves function the same whether free or paid. PC Tools Antivirus Free Edition provides world-leading protection, with excellent database updates, OnGuard real-time protection and comprehensive system scanning to ensure your system remains safe and virus free. This product is Vista compatible.

There have been many changes in the category of free firewalls with a number of popular free products no longer available and a few new arrivals to take their place. There are about 15 free firewall software products that I feel are worth considering. The two free firewalls that I prefer are Zone Alarm Free Edition which now is Vista compatible and has been a #1 choice for a number of years. It has proven itself as real winner practically defining the firewall class. The other free firewall I would like to mention is the Comodo Firewall, which like their antivirus software mentioned above, is fully functional yet free. The Zone Alarm Firewall is a reliable but basic product that lacks some of the features of their higher-end retail products. This is not to say that there is any type of reliability or quality issue just that it is feature limited. Comodo's firewall on the other hand is in no way a limited feature product in fact it has some of the most sophisticated features of any firewall free or paid! Many reviewers consider it the best software firewall in existence.

There are almost two dozen good free antispyware products available. One feature of antispyware software compared to antivirus and firewall software is that more than one antispyware product can usually be used at the same time. I currently use Windows Defender from Microsoft, Spybot Search and Destroy and Spyware Terminator all running at the same time. They work fine together on my particular system with no performance hit or other problems.

Picking any one product from each of the three primary groups above should give you a more than adequate triangle of internet security protection.

Internet Security - How to protect your PC from online threats

Introduction

Internet becomes popular and popular these days but do you aware your computers are very insecure when you are surfing internet and checking your email?

In this article, we will give you 7 easy steps on "how to protect your PC from online threat" these days.

Step 1: Get the latest free anti-virus, personal firewall and anti-spam software and manually update the programs!

These are most easy step to protect from computer virus or trojan horses attack but often users forget to get the latest update of their anti-virus or personal firewall on their computers!

"Are they automatically updated to newest version?" That was a customer asked me back in 2004. Well yes, those commercial anti-virus or personal firewall programs will automatically update within their license periods usually one year. One typical example is Symantec Norton Anti-Virus 200x where x is a number from 0-9.

It does automatically update within the first, perhaps, 9 months after your initial purchase but when it's approaching to your 1 year term, the software suddenly couldn't update itself. (May be, it is a marketing strategy to remind its users, to renew the license because it is going to expire!) And users often forget to manual update so what will happen after all? Left their computers vulnerable to viruses or trojan horses attack!

Thus, please manually update in a regular basis (once a week) by manually press the update button on your anti-virus program. (Read more on popular anti-virus software)

Step 2: Get the latest patch of your Windows.

Get your latest patch of Windows system! And not wait for tomorrow or next year!

Computer users always ignore this is vital step to stop their computers are being hacked or being tools to spread computer viruses around. They usually think installing an anti virus or personal firewall software is enough. Well, yes anti-virus or personal firewall programs do have some protection on computers but the main problems are Windows are always "buggy" and security updates or patches often take 6 months to 1 year to launch which already reported may be 6 months ago in anti-virus giants such as Symantec or McAfee websites.

Therefore, you should get the latest fixes of your windows! How? One easy way is to use the "automatic" update function found in control panel menu. Go to "Start -> control panel -> automatic update" on your Windows XP and make sure your automatic box is checked and set up check for updated daily and you are done!

Step 3: Stay alert
Why you should stay alert? When come to Internet security you may be the first person to notice in your office that in a computer virus outbreak is going to begin. Typical examples are iloveyou email virus in year 2000 and codeRed in year 2004. Your computer technician may be the last one to notice. Therefore you should work with computer technician and seek advice when you saw something wired on your computer is happening.

Step 4: Never ever join computer software, MP3 sites that allow unlimited download for life time or whatsoever.

Recently, I found some websites that claim to have life time membership on downloading unlimited software or movies and mp3. At a glance it was a crappy website and I don't bother to look at it. Because I thought it was some kind of web site which's providing software crack codes. As I read further I found they are using click bank as their provider! Well, as some of you already know click bank is a pretty well known in internet marketing such as affiliate programs so I joined because I have unlimited download of software that I want to use. Thus I pull my credit card out and fill all the required information and off I go. I accessed the website.

After I logged in, they gave me a program to download so I did download the program but what I am after isn't there. Therefore I opened up the program that I'd just downloaded and tried to search by typing in software name that I am after in the search box. After that, I saw a bunch of cracks files or crack codes related to that software on different computers. What does that mean? It means it is a file sharing software. It doesn't really provide the software, you may say it is a member site that allow access to others members computer for file sharing. To me it is a scam. Because they don't provide information on they don't actually provide the software but you can find it on their members' computers! But how they can force their members not to share programs that are not owned by their members? It is same sort of controversy back to days of the favorite MP3 sharing website called Napster.

Thus don't join this kind of website, personally I think they are rubbish and completely waste of money.

Step 5:Don't use BT (for those of you don't know what it is, don't worry about it. Just skip to step 6. For those who know please read on.

BT generally is a good idea because it saves time to download a big file when internet connections are slow. However, some people out there tried to use for illegal purposes such as copyright infringed mp3, computer software, movies sharing and so on. Often these pieces of mp3, movies or computer software are provided in zip, rar format to save some space and speed. But again, you don't know what pieces of software are bundled in these zips or rars files. It may be computer viruses, trojan horses or a key logger which basically can log everything you typed on your keyword and then send a report to their owners or people who let your download their software or media. Which means your password, username and other personal information may be revealed by another person that you don't know. Therefore, next time when you see a BT site, stay away from it. (Unless it is some well established site like Open Office (software like MS office or World of War Craft, online massive multi-players role playing games)

Step 6: Never download software from crack, warez sort of sites.

Don't ever never try to find crack of some popular software like WinZip, WinRAR, Dreamweaver, Norton Anti-virus and so on and so forth. Why? Because, again you never know what is the file downloaded contains virus or trojan horse or keylogger.

Well, these often heard by someone who's seeking "Free" version of popular software like those ones listed above. "My computer was infected by virus and it becomes uncleanable!"

So stop looking these "Free" resources and instead try to look for open source alternatives like FileZilla (a ftp program like cuteFTP or WsFTP), Open Office as opposed to Microsoft Office, kompozer as opposed to Dreamweaver or front page. (read more on how to find

Most open source software are free and they do have bug fixes, so for your own computer's security sake, use open source software if you are seeking cheap alternatives.

Step 7: Always back up important files

What if your computer is infected by a virus or being hacked and become non-usable?

The quickest way often is to re-format your computer hard drive and reinstall Windows XP when it becomes non-usable or simply non-controllable. But before you are a hit by such a situation, make sure you always have up to date important documents or files back up. You can either back them up on your company's file server, your USB flash drive, diskette or CD/DVD ROMs

With today USB flash drive, CD/DVD ROMS are being so cheap you don't have any reasons on why you're not doing it!

In conclusion,

Computer security is not as hard as you might think, you just basically have to follow the basic instruction in this article and you're done!

The Best Spyware Removal Process

Spyware is a major threat to your computer and private information. Spyware has been known to affect your systems security, as well as it's performance. There are many tools available to scan and remove spyware from your computer. These spyware removers scan your pc and determine if there is harmful or malicous content hidden on your computer.

Some spyware remover programs have the option to add a list of known spyware programs and infected websites into a restricted zone on internet explorer. This option prevents you from accessing such sites and will help to prevent spyware from entering your computer. It is ideal to have a good spyware program and to scan your computer at least once a week. This will keep out any new spyware, as well as making sure all old spyware is still not active.

Unfortuneatly a anti-virus detector, and other measures are not always enough. Even with an anti-virus program and a free spyware remover, spyware can still find it's way in through many "back-doors" in your system. When you use a spyware removal program it will generate a report telling you about all the browser add ons, and other unwanted malicous programs. A good spyware program will categorize the programs so you know which ones need deleted, and which ones are not harmful. If you surf the internet, then it is absolutely essential that you buy a spyware remover.

A good spyware removal program will offer cleaning of your internet cache and cookies. They will also scan your entire system for known spyware programs, and other malicous software that could be harmful to your pc. The spyware removal should also have an option to completely delete any spyware or other malicous programs. One of the biggest threats of spyware is it's ability to steal private and confidential information and then to pass it along to it's creator. It is for this reason that spyware can be considered more dangerous than viruses. That's why it is absolutely essential for you to buy a spyware remover.

When it comes to keeping your computer maintained, most people are absolutely careless. Most people only start maintenance after a major system crash caused by spyware. Spyware is not at all something to take lightly. It can even be considered worse than most computer viruses since it compromises your personal and confidential data. Dont leave yourself unprotected against spyware, buy yourself a spyware remover today and scan your computer. You will be amazed at how much spyware you probably are already infected with.

How To Speed Up A Computer - 6 Tips For Optimal Computer Speed

Have you ever been in the middle working on your computer and suddenly it froze, crashed or came to a slow crawl? And you had to restart, lost your work, lost time and felt so enraged that if you had an ax...STOP! Don’t kill the computer. Here are 6 tips on how to speed up a computer.

1. INCREASE VIRTUAL MEMORY:

Virtual memory is the space your computer uses when it's short of RAM (Random Access Memory), which is the memory used when running programs like Office Suites.

Resetting the virtual memory usage on your computer, also referred to as pagination, is great way speed up a computer.

To access and reset the Virtual Memory:

On the Start menu,click My Computer. The My Computer window is displayed. Click View System Information. The Systems Properties dialog box is displayed. In the Systems Properties dialog box click the Advanced tab. Under Performance, click Settings. The Performance Options dialog box is displayed.

In the Performance Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab. Find the Virtual memory area. Click Change. The Virtual Memory dialog box is displayed. There you can make changes to the custom pagination. DO NOT exceed the limit given in the properties box of your windows system.

2. STORING FILES ON THE MAIN DRIVE:

Do not store lots of data on the main drive, which is where you install your windows operating system. Storing software like games, finance programs and other software on another drive of your computer is another way to speed up a computer’s performance.

3. RESETTING START UP MENU:

The speed with which your computer boots depends on the amount of programs that are set to be started automatically at booting. Removing unnecessary and unwanted programs from the start up process can greatly speed up a computer at the start up level.

4. TURN OFF SYSTEM RESTORE:

Having the system restore option on takes a lot of space from the hard drive. Freeing up a lot of physical memory by turning off system restore can significantly speed up a computer.

To access and turn off System Restore:

Click START, then click ACCESSORIES, then click SYSTEM TOOLS, then click SYSTEM RESTORE. Once there you can edit settings and then turn off the system restore option.

5. CLEANING INTERNET CACHE AND COOKIES:

Temporary Internet files affect browser speed. Regularly cleaning the cache and cookies will make your browser and computer perform at a faster speed.

To Clean Internet Cache and Cookies:

click Tools from your browser toolbar and click on Internet Options to delete and clear cache and cookies. This should be done on a regular basis to ensure ongoing improvement of computer performance and browser speed.

6. DEFRAGMENTING THE DISK:

Regularly defragmenting the drive will speed up a computer.

This tool can be accessed from the Start Menu then Accessories then System Tools.

WHAT ABOUT SOFTWARE THAT CLAIMS TO SPEED UP COMPUTERS?:

There is software out there that claims to optimize computer speed and performance, but these softwares are often costly and do not provide an all-in-one tool necessary to speed up computers to the max. And so you wind up buying several software programs, which ironically take up more space on your computer, in an attempt to fix multiple problems and improve computer performance. Not really the best solution.