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Software Problems? Find Fast Solutions Online 2007-09-11 00:38:00 It never fails. Your deadline is looming and disaster strikes. Some weird error message pops up. Or you realize you don't know how to complete a critical step formula in Excel. Or maybe you just want to add a little polish to your Excel or Word document to impress the boss. Where do you go for help? There is a vast array of on-line solutions available to you that can provide answers to MS Office questions quickly. F1 - your best friend Every professional application has extensive help documentation available, usually accessible by pressing the F1 key or clicking on the help menu. You can either browse the file to find your answer or type a phrase into the search window to get instant answers. Help files are great for basic or even advanced functionality. However they focus on how the application works, not how it doesn't work, so are less useful when you have problems. They are also no help if you don't know the right phrase to search on; you can't find help on how to use a widget Read more:Software
The Five Stages of Data Loss 2007-09-11 00:34:00 The Five Stages
of Data Loss By Steve Burgess, 2007 The computer crashes and what happens? Well, irritation at first. The darn thing is supposed to work, and you've got work to do. After fiddling with it for a bit and getting error message this, error message that -- and what did I do that was an illegal instruction? Am I going to get a ticket? Aren't I the executive here? Is this some kind of Sarbanes-Oxley trick? Surely this will work if I turn it on & off a few times. That's the first stage: denial. But turning it on and off only results in diminishing returns. More error messages. That's when the second stage kicks in: anger. It's at this point that we're grateful the windows don't open in high-rises, because we would surely make expeditious use of said window if it did. No computer that has fallen a hundred feet will foil me again! But of course, we do need to consider the documents and countless hours we've sat in front of that glowing screen, pouring creativity (repor
Data Recovery Myths and Misconceptions 2007-09-11 00:32:00 Data RecoveryMyths
and Misconceptions
By Steve Burgess, 2007 In the very early 80's, IBM introduced the IBM PC, progenitor of most modern personal computers. That same year, undoubtedly, the first PC hard disk failed and someone was screaming about their data and cursing IBM. Shortly after that, we started the data recovery industry and created most of the established practices and recovery techniques in use today. Over the years we've seen quite a few pieces of misguided advice about recovering data in the popular media, and heard many others. I don't know if we've heard it all, but we've heard these: Slap it, heat it, hit it, freeze it, drop it, tap it, swap the board, open it and spin it, use Norton, spin it with a drill, use a higher voltage, it will fix itself, and pray. I'll address a few of those here. Hit it and its variations: slap it, tap it, and drop it. Sounds like a substitute for Snap, Crackle, Pop, and their brother, doesn't it? And surely, the frustration that
Block websites on your computer 2007-09-11 00:31:00 Broadband Internet connectivity is so common these days that almost no one has a second thought about connecting to the Internet. Connecting is easy, but what if you need to control or restrict the ways in which the Internet connection is to be used? Sure enough, widespread availability of unlimited, unmetered Internet connections has its pros. But what about the contras? Everybody is talking about nowadays how fast their connection is. Fast and unlimited maybe fine for the most home users, but this is not necessarily the same for work or study environments, public places, or specific age groups. The Internet contains enough threats such as spyware and viruses to make you wish to restrict access to certain resources. A virus can corrupt or destroy information on your PC, causing you spending days to recover data. Spyware steals your personal information and slows down your computer's performance, making it a pain to work on. While it is usually possible to fix a PC contaminated with s
3 Reasons to follow a computer hardware course 2007-09-11 00:28:00 How many times did your computer crash on you when you were working on a very important project? No matter how many times you are told to backup your data you are still at risk of computer hardware problems which will delay your project so what will you do? Bring your computer to the store and have it fixed for a longer delay or follow a computer hardware course
so you can actually troubleshoot the problem yourself and have it fixed within minutes? The truth is you don't have to be a technician or an engineer to be able to do this and you'll see that if you do want to become one, fine there are very good careers for these types of studies. Like I mentioned you don't need to have a degree in IT to be able to fix your computer. A simple computer hardware course where they teach the basics of hardware functionality is far more than enough for you to be able to troubleshoot your own computer. By investing some after hours to learn this will of course save you a lot of time when your com Read more:Reasons
A Basic Introduction to Software 2007-09-11 00:27:00 Computer programs are critical to much of modern life, but most of us don't have a clue how they work. If you are such a person, here is a basic introduction to software. Software
is the name given to the actual programs that direct the operation of a computer. It is the opposite of hardware which are the physical components of the computer. A rule of thumb for telling the difference might be that if you can touch it, it is hardware. If it is making the hardware perform its functions, it is software. To illustrate this point, think of the computer disc that contains a game or computer application. It might be said that the physical disc itself is actually hardware. You can touch it. The information that is on the disc and is loaded into the memory of your computer is the real software. The term software is subdivided into several classifications. Some people even have begun to refer to all types of media, such as tapes and films, as software. The classifications can include applicati Read more:Basic
, Introduction
A Basic Introduction to Freeware 2007-09-11 00:26:00 A common complaint about software is the cost. Well, you should realize there is also free software available. Here is a basic introduction to freeware. Freeware
is a term that refers to a software program that has been developed by an individual or group that wants to make it available for general use, but wishes to retain ownership rights to it. These ownership rights include the right to further develop the software and control its distribution and use in some manner. The software is copyrighted by the owner. This differs from what is called Free Software. Free Software is generally just given away with no strings attached at all. So, another way of looking at freeware is to consider it as software that does not have a cost, but does have strings attached. These strings may take several forms. One common one is to define and restrict who may use it. The freeware may be made available for personal use, individual use, academic use, either commercial or non-commercial use, non-profit Read more:Basic
, Introduction
Why Do You Need To Read Registry Cleaner Reviews? 2007-09-11 00:23:00 Crashes, error messages, slow start ups of your pc and general slow performance when you are trying to things done. If these mentioned problems sound familiar to you then your pc is probably suffer from registry problems. Just like with a car your computer software needs regular maintenance otherwise it will stop running properly. Registry
cleaners can help you fix these problems and make your pc running smooth again. But which registry cleaner should you buy? Reading registry cleaner reviews can help you choose the best product for your needs. The Windows operating system uses a file called the registry. It's basically a sort of database where information about your pc's hardware, software and various other settings are stored. This information is crucial to keep your pc running smoothly. All information is stored as keys in the registry. Each time you add or remove software on your pc the registry is changed. If these keys are not properly removed they can cause problems like syste
E-mail Etiquette - Cc Or Not Cc 2007-09-11 00:22:00 Learning the true meaning of and the proper e-mail etiquette for using "CC" and "BCC" or "Cc" and "Bcc" can save you a lot of time, effort and embarrassment. Some people use "CC" and "BCC." MicroSoft Outlook and AOL both list "Cc" and "Bcc" in their e-mail format. In both systems, the e-mail- sender needs to find and then invoke the "Bcc" setting to use it. Most people think "Cc" stands for "Carbon Copy" and "Bcc" means "Blind Carbon Copy." In the days when the majority of business offices' waste baskets were filled with carbon paper and "secretaries" walked around with blue hands, that's what "Cc" meant. Today, "Cc" stands for "Courtesy copy." "Courtesy copy" implies both a change in meaning and a change in attitude. Anytime you send someone an e-mail, you should be doing so as a courtesy to that person. Doing so implies the person receiving the e-mail wants, needs, expects or asks for the information. Anything else falls under the category of "SPAM" According to Darren Miller, "SPA Read more:Etiquette
How Do I Protect My Child Online With Parental Monitoring Software? 2007-09-11 00:21:00 Recent estimates put the number of pedophiles online at over one million. Facts: The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's 2006 annual study found that among children 10 to 17 who spent time online: · 1 in 4 was exposed to photos of people having sex, even though about 1/3 of households reported using "Internet blocking software." · 1 in 5 was solicited for sex in the past year. · 1 in 17 was threatened or harassed on the Internet, including threats of harm to the child, friends or other family members. · 1 in 33 was aggressively solicited by someone they met online, meaning that the child was threatened, asked to meet, called on the phone, or received mail or gifts. It is essential for parents to know what there child is doing online. Without parental monitoring software, you have no way of knowing exactly what your child is doing unless your standing over their shoulder watching the entire time. How does parental monitoring software work? The basic function of it Read more:Software
, Protect
, Parental
Utilising GPS for a Stratum 1 NTP Server 2007-09-11 00:20:00 The Network Time Protocol was originally developed over 25 years ago as a means of synchronising computers on the Internet. NTP is a suite of applications that provide synchronisation of time to an accurate timing reference. Originally developed for LinuxUNIX, NTP has since been rewritten for the Microsoft Windows operating systems. NTP allows a network time client to synchronise to within milliseconds of an accurate external time reference. Combining an accurate external timing reference with the NTP application provides a highly accurate network timing device. This article describes how to utilise a low-cost GPS
receiver in combination with the NTP software distribution to provide an accurate stratum 1 NTP server timing reference. The NTP source code can be obtained from the NTP website and must be compiled on the local machine. The downloadable NTP tar file extracts to a directory where scripts are available to make compilation and configuration very straight-forward. Many Linux di
Refurbished Laptops Solve Money Problems For Students And Parents 2007-09-11 00:20:00 College students spend an enormous amount of money on day to day living and school expenses. Dorms, books, and food alone will cost parents thousands of dollars per semester. Finding places to cut costs can be difficult, but one major expense can be avoided. Laptop computers are very quickly becoming a necessity for any student, and they are costly. Finding a cheap laptop that will get the job done can save a great deal of money. Many have found the answer in Refurbished Laptops. A refurbished laptop is one that has been returned to the manufacturer and has been restored to a "like new" state. Although the computer is not damaged, it can't be sold as new so the price is slashed heavily. A $2000.00 laptop might be sold as a refurbished item for $900.00 and be no different that it's new counterparts. This means that for less than half the cost, a powerful like new laptop can be purchased, and in many cases be placed under warranty in the same way a new laptops would. Almost every major Read more:Money
, Parents
, Solve
Inexpensive add-ons for your Computer 2007-09-11 00:17:00 Are you using your computer for email and word processing and that's about it or looking for an inexpensive gift for someone who has a computer? Why not add some extra features to a PC.Did you know you could watch TV on your PC or Notebook? A TV tuner card can be installed in yourPC or plugged into your USB port. This will allow you to connect your cable or satellite to your PC and watch TV. Usually these units come with remote. So why not turn your study or bedroom into your entertainment center. You can watch TV on your monitor change the channel even shrink your TV screen and place it in the corner of your monitor so you can do your work and still watch your favorite shows. If you spend a little more you can even add surround sound speakers to your PC making your room into a thundering sound and video experience. The TV tuner card will also allow you to record your favorite show for future viewing. If you have a CD or DVD burner you can also create a disk that can be viewed on any Read more:Computer
PC Access Control For Parents 2007-09-11 00:16:00 Do you want to set limits on how much time your child spends on the computer or online? Do you want to control the use of external and internal devices on Windows systems such as USB keys, Ipods and more? Do you want to set up the special list of allowed applications nobody will run unwanted programs? PC AccessControl
softwares can help you. This article will help you control your personal computer yourself. These freeware or sharewares combine ease-of-use, power and flexibility. Windows Security Officer from 1SecurityCenter, enables you to protect and completely control access to your personal computer. It offers administrative support for controlling which users are allowed to access your computer and the level of access each user may have. You can choose to restrict access to several Control panel applet functions, including Display, Network, Passwords, Printer, and System. User Time Control, this software lets you specify when exactly and how long the computer can be used and defi Read more:Parents
Spyware Protection - What You Need To Know 2007-09-11 00:15:00 Spyware is a form of malicious code that extends beyond the scope of tracking and logging your activities. Spyware puts you at risk by collecting your personal information. The presence of spyware on your computer system also interferes with the normal operation of your operating system, web browser and other software. The best spyware protection for your computer system is found in one of many spyware protection software products available. However, you should be very cautious when installing any type of new software or installing an update to existing software. If these installations are not from trusted sources, you should reject any offer of installing new applications until you research the source and necessity of the installation. You should also avoid buttons included in pop-up ads that encourage you to download software. These buttons, such as "Cancel" and "No Thanks", often link to a spyware installation. In fact, selecting any button in an ad window generated by spyware may c Read more:Spyware
, Protection
Spyware Detection - The Simple Facts 2007-09-11 00:15:00 Anti spyware software provides the best spyware detection capabilities. Even though programs, such as the Windows Task Manager indicate programs and processes running on your system at any given time, you are not likely to know which programs and processes are supposed to be running. More importantly, spyware may be embedded in other software such that the particular source of spyware is not indicated in the task list. You need spyware detection capability that will continuously monitor your system and seek out active and suspicious programs and processes. The effects of spyware are so vast that you are not likely to be able to detect the existence of spyware until it seriously degrades the performance of your computer system. Some of the nuances of spyware include its ability to collect and log personal information without your knowledge and then transmit this information to third parties. The types of information collected may range from usernames and passwords to websites visited to Read more:Simple
, Spyware
, Detection
5 Reasons to Choose a Notebook Over a Computer Desktop 2007-09-11 00:14:00 Many of us are so used to working on a computer desktop that when it comes time to purchase a new computer, we don't consider other options. Today, computer notebooks - which were once called laptops - offer a number of advantages over a computer desktop. Here are just five reasons why you should take a second look at notebooks.1. MobilityYou might be used to pulling up a chair to your computer, but it makes much more sense to pull your computer up to your chair. Laptops can certainly be used at your desk, but you also have the option of bringing them to the spot where you're most comfortable. Maybe you'd like to surf the Web in the evening out in the living room or catch up on your favorite blogs before bedtime. Notebook
s with wireless connectivity can travel with you throughout your home, so you can check your email or do your Internet shopping anywhere.Of course, notebooks also make sense for those who are on the go. Students can take laptops to class and to the library, while bu Read more:Reasons
, Desktop
, Computer
Why formatting your Hard Drive is not always the best solution 2007-09-11 00:13:00 You have been surfing the net for months, installing programs to check them out and then removing them. As far as you know your computer is working perfectly. When out of no where, you start receiving error messages. Your pc starts hanging and worst of all; you get the blue screen of death. You quickly think to yourself that you may have picked up a harmful virus or some malicious worm that has affected the performance of your computer. You run your anti-virus which confidently gives you the all clear! Then to your horror you receive a message saying "this program performed an illegal operation and will be shut down." So where are these error messages, freezes, and hang-ups coming from if not a virus? They can be caused by several different problems. You may have added new hardware that is causing a conflict to your computer components, or may even be defective. Another reason is Electric Static Discharge can have a damaging effect on your computer. You may have installed new softwa Read more:always
Safe Computing 101 - Basic Computer Safety and Maintenance 2007-09-11 00:12:00 Safe Computing
101 - BasicComputerSafety
and Maintenance
By Steve Burgess The enemies of disk drives are dust, heat, impacts, liquid, voltage spikes, and Windows (I'm at least half kidding about Windows). Let's address them one at a time and what to do about them. Liquid. Don't use your computer in the bathtub. Don't use your computer around happy hour. Don't spill your double mocha soy latte on your keyboard. I have dealt with recovering data resulting from spills around the latter two conditions. Yes, all the data came off, but martinis, coffee, and most other liquids simply don't mix with electronic components. It's useful to get a keyboard protector "skin" if you must imbibe and compute simultaneously. Should you spill onto your keyboard or laptop without such a covering in the way, immediately flip over the keyboard (or laptop) onto a towel, unplug it, and let it dry out overnight or for a day or two. This works enough of the time that it's worth the wait. I have not p
What to Use for Backups - Don't Let Your Data Die an Early Death 2007-09-11 00:11:00 What to Use for Backups
- Don't Let Your Data Die an Early
Death by Steve Burgess My cousin, Eric Burgess, over at Board Game Babylon had a hard drive crash. It happens! In fact, it eventually will happen to any hard drive left in service long enough. One of my favorite scary statistics is the failure rate of hard disks - it's 100% - eventually. After I got his many gigabytes of well - organized family photos and mp3's back for him, I suggested he not feel too bad. Nobody backs up all of the time; hardly anybody backs up frequently; most people hardly ever back up, if at all. What's your category? Eric's next question was - what's the best way to do backups? My answer: it depends. It depends on how much data you've got, how reliable you are at making sure you have a backup, how long you want to keep it, and the environment in which you'll keep your backup media. There are several primary physical forms of making copies or backups of your data - removable media (such as zip disk
Compaq Presario Laptops : Your Intelligent Choice 2007-09-11 00:09:00 With the boom in the IT sector, Desktop PCs came in the market. Computer literacy became a buzz word. Then multinational companies came into the picture. Manual works were replaced by computers to gain more efficiency and security. At present, the scenario has not changed a lot as computers have become a part of everyone's life. The only thing that has changed a lot is the attitude towards work. How comfortable it would be if you had a portable device like your PC that could be taken anywhere. It was a dream come true sort of thing with the introduction of Laptops. Inspired by the design of a Japanese lunch box, Laptops are computer systems, which are lightweight and can be easily carried away anywhere. Leading companies like HP, Lenovo, IBM, Del, Sony, etc., have launched laptops in the global market. But the success of products depend on price and quality of the product. Among these established companies, Compaq
has brought some excellent laptop models that are affordable and offer Read more:Intelligent
, Choice
, Presario
, Compaq Presario
Notebook For The Casual User 2007-09-11 00:08:00 The notebook has a great deal of features, but what you use it for greatly affects the type that you should purchase. The device is designed to be compact, transportable and still provide all the technological requirements that suit your needs. Certain elements affect these notebook features a great deal. Many are unnecessary if you want to use the device only for fun or for occasional use, and others are also essential. It is important that you know what you need so that you can make sure your notebook is a sound investment. A recreational notebook user wants a device to be able to edit video, play DVDs, access the internet for browse and downloading games. For these requirements an internal CD/DVD will be required. These can be bought as an accessory, but if entertainment is the key requirement then it makes sense to buy one with inbuilt capabilities. This will provide instant access, making the device more readily accessible and less cumbersome for the recreational user. The inbuilt Read more:Notebook
, Casual
Back-up important data 2007-09-11 00:08:00 Any data recovery company will advise you to back-up your valuable files and data onto CD or DVD, to ensure that in the unfortunate event of data loss, you will still have a copy of your files and information. However, what happens when your CD or DVD storage media is damaged or corrupted in some way? For those of you who think that you have an impenetrable and indestructible system, a memory storage device such as a hard-drive, camera memory card, RAID systems, even CD's, DVD's and other memory storage media - think again. It does not matter how much you may pay for your media, unfortunately, data loss does happen, and usually everyone who uses modern technology will experience it. Human errors, accidental deletion, power surges, fires, water damage, and hardware or software failure - you name it - it will happen at some point. Therefore, it is great advice for you and users of modern storage media to back-up important data onto an external storage device such as a CD, DVD or an ext
Back-up important data 2007-09-11 00:08:00 Any data recovery company will advise you to back-up your valuable files and data onto CD or DVD, to ensure that in the unfortunate event of data loss, you will still have a copy of your files and information. However, what happens when your CD or DVD storage media is damaged or corrupted in some way? For those of you who think that you have an impenetrable and indestructible system, a memory storage device such as a hard-drive, camera memory card, RAID systems, even CD's, DVD's and other memory storage media - think again. It does not matter how much you may pay for your media, unfortunately, data loss does happen, and usually everyone who uses modern technology will experience it. Human errors, accidental deletion, power surges, fires, water damage, and hardware or software failure - you name it - it will happen at some point. Therefore, it is great advice for you and users of modern storage media to back-up important data onto an external storage device such as a CD, DVD or an ext
Data Backup Systems Can Save Transaction History 2007-09-11 00:06:00 Software used to run your business can be reloaded either locally or through your business network in the event of a crash of your system. However, daily transactions or business correspondence will be lost unless you have data backup systems that will save that information daily. No matter the type of business you are in, if you use your computer system extensively to take care of business, any disruption of your system can be a debilitating experience. Fire, flood or other natural disaster can wipe out your records in the blink of an eye. Having data backup systems with a copy of all irreplaceable records maintained off site will allow you to restore your business records and get you back on track quickly. Whether you use disk storage, tape storage or online data backup systems having everything that cannot be easily recreated saved away from the business is an important part of you safety net. Just like you carry property insurance, having data backup systems just in case, is equall Read more:History
, Systems
, Transaction
Struggling with Legacy Software? 2007-09-25 01:19:00 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
Internet Fax And A Paperless World 2007-09-25 01:17:00 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 al Read more:World
The Need For Quality IT Support Staff 2007-09-25 00:58:00 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 mainten Read more:Quality
, Support
, Staff
Poor Computer Performance - 9 Free or Inexpensive Fixes 2007-09-16 23:25:00 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 Read more:Computer
, Performance
How To Send SMS Text Messages Online For Free 2007-09-16 23:23:00 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
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