e-Ink Technology - All You Need to Know

By Lena Butler

When it comes to ensuring superior reading experience under a wide range of lighting conditions nothing beats e-ink technology. Introduced by the E-ink Corporation this technology is today commonly used on most electronic paper display devices.

What is an EPD?
EPDs or electronic paper displays are displays which have the distinct characteristics of high contrast paper, use very little power and have a thin and light appearance. It is very easy on the eye and gives the reader an impression like you are reading from paper. The main advantage is that unlike paper which doesn’t update the content, an EPD can!

A little about e-ink Corporation
E-ink Corporation is a privately held organization that is the largest manufacturer of EPDs. Started in the year 1997 by Mr. Joseph Jacobson, today e-ink technology is a revolution in itself. The E-ink Corporation has significant partnerships with many top companies such as Amazon, Sony and Motorola.

Where can this technology be useful?
E-ink is such a novel technology that it can be used in areas which haven’t been tapped into yet. For transportation signage this technology can be very useful, especially since factors like sunlight and viewing angle can hamper vision. For e-books this e-ink technology is being used these days as conventional e-books can strain the eyes. Even commonly used on cell phone displays this revolutionary technology is also being used by product designers to unleash their imagination!

Future goals
The E-ink Corporation has further plans to diversify the use of this technology. It aims at creating RadioPaper which will be a lightweight display that will also enable easy download of news content or even novels at the touch of a button. It will also have the same readability as ink present on paper but will have the added advantage of updated content. The ultimate goal of E-ink Corporation is to transform even convention surfaces to make them into display areas which use this e-ink technology.

Catalogs which are never dated
Imagine a world where you had billboards with dynamic content, catalogs which never needed replacement or updating or even newspapers which never became dated? Well, this isn’t out of a science fiction novel. It is a very real possibility with e-ink technology.

About the technology
Here’s a little something for those of you who absolutely dig technology. The concept behind e-ink is to use black and white present by the millions contained within microcapsules. These microcapsules are then electronically charged after which the particles sink or float. The ink can be used to coat any surface, even on potentially large areas. The content used will always get updated on a continual basis – thereby facilitating dynamic content with e-ink. Since the technology provides tremendous ease of reading there is no more need to actually print out information as you can read perfectly on the device itself. It’s in fact as good as reading a piece of paper! The e-ink technology can work on a myriad of surfaces and textures from metal, plastic to paper.

About the author:
James Kara Murat the contributor of PrintCountry Articles. A longer version of this article is located at e-Ink Technology - All You Need to Know, and related resources can be found at PrintCountry Printer & Printer Ink Information, Facts & Downloads.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Learn to Touch Type for Beginners

By Jill Shu

Needless to say, it is very necessary for you to learn to touch type in the computer age. However, you don’t know how to learn to touch type correctly, and what is the right way to learn to touch type by yourself. That's the question.

Nowadays, many beginners who want to learn to touch type make the mistake of trying to type fast instead of trying to type accurately. However you have known it's quite incorrect to put your attention on typing speed, rather than typing accuracy when you are learning to touch type. So you consider learning to touch type in a right way.

Naturally, you think about using a typing tutor to guide you. Recommended by a friend, you notice a typing tutor – GS Typing Tutor. In the typing tutor, you find the typing tutor's beginner guide is very useful for you to learn to touch type as beginner.

First, the typing tutor teaches you how to place your fingers on the keyboard correctly. Using the raised bumps on the F and J keys as a guide, you learn to gently place the fingers of your left hand on the A S D F keys and the fingers of your right hand on the J K L ; keys. Meantime, you realize to keep your elbows close to your body, your wrists straight and your forearms level. While your fingers are gently touching the home-row keys, the thumbs should be slightly above the space bar.

Second, you learn how to strike the keys. In GS Typing Tutor, the keys are color coded to match the color of the finger. You start to learn to touch type with typing course from the home keys to other keys. Matching the color of the finger to the color on the key, you can use a quick tapping motion to strike the keys, and return the finger to its home key after each use.

Third, you know if you want to touch type, you have to practice, practice and practice again! At the beginning practice, you don't worry about the typing speed and accuracy. Speed and accuracy will develop naturally through practice once your fingers have been correctly trained. So you always use the correct finger pattern without looking at the keyboard when leaning to touch type. By practicing to type correctly each time you type something on the keyboard, you'll build up conditioned reflexes for each character on the keyboard soon.

Fourth, you should take complete typing courses to improve the typing skills. By practicing to type keys correctly, now you turn to words even sentences exercise. In GS Typing Tutor, there is a complete typing course available. You can practice typing courses from finger position exercise, and common words exercise to general words exercise and sentence exercise. It's a correct way for you to take every step of typing course very seriously, and your typing accuracy and speed will develop naturally.

Now, strictly following GS Typing Tutor courses, you can learn to touch type easily and fast. Find more, refer it to http://www.typingstar.com/

About the author:
http://www.macro-expert.com/
http://mouse-recorder.macro-expert.com/
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Get Rid Of Porn Dialers

By Arvind Singh

Porn dialers are malware that infect a computer system and use the internet connection to dial a premium-rate telephone number, such as a "900 number" in the U.S. and leave the line open that adds up the cost of the call to the user. This is a common way of stealing money from the victim. Apart from dialing expensive phone numbers the dialers also download explicit sexual content without the knowledge of the users that also cost the user dearly.

Basically, dialers are very small programs (about 40-50 kb in size) that can be used to dial toll phone numbers as well as for browsing websites that needs to paid for viewing. This system was developed to make payments, especially for smaller amounts, for services where it is useless to pay through credit cards. Many users found the process convenient as the cost will add up in their phone bill and they would pay the amount through their service providers. But hackers adopted this technique and started to deliver porn dialers to innocent users either through Trojan horse or other means. They use the dialers to connect to high cost numbers or websites without the users concern and charge the amount through his or her telephone bill.

Trojan virus is the most common way for installing the porn dialers to any computer that is online. In fact one of the main objectives of the Trojans is to install unsolicited dialers to the victim's computer. First the Trojan is delivered to the victim's PC through any file that he or she downloads from the internet. In most cases Trojan are spread through freeware and media file downloads. When the downloaded file is executed by the user the Trojan is installed in the computers HDD. Once the Trojan is installed it automatically downloads the porn dialer and installs it.

As the porn dialers are not identified by the anti virus software, you need to install dedicated dialer removal software to detect and remove the porn dialers. To ensure best effective protection from these dialers, it will be better to use an anti virus program that is equipped with Trojan removal and detection tool. It will give you ultimate protection from the deadly Trojans that is the main medium for installing dialers. Moreover, using a dialer detection tool will give you an enhanced protection from malicious auto dialers. So hurry up and go for it by downloading it free from the internet.

About the author:
Author is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Anti Spyware, Window Cleaner, Anti Spam Filter. Make yourself aware about porn dialers and their impact. Visit our Home or informative Resource Center to read more about products.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Refilling Ink Cartridges Secret's Of A Pro

By Richard Sherland Sherland

We will provide tips and tricks to refilling the newer cartridges. The newer cartridges are harder but with the techniques we will show you will have a greater chance of success.

The new cartridge is much smaller now this changes things a lot with regard to refilling. The problem is that the entire sponge must be filled with ink in order to hold the recommended amount of ink. This is hard to achieve for the amateur because of air in the sponge.

The professional filler fills the cartridge under a high vacuum this removes the air and then the ink is injected. Only after the sponge is filled completely is air let back into the cartridge. This works very well and if the empty is a good one it almost always results in a working cartridge. Now we are talking about the small cartridges produced in the last 2 or 3 years. That is like the small the HP 56 and 57and The Lexmark 16 and 26.

So what can you do to increase your chances of success? First thing is don't try to fill the cartridge to it's full capacity. For instance the HP 56 originally had 19 ML so only put in 8 to 10 ML of ink. Trying to fill it full will only result in leaking and other problems.

Because of the air problem I recommend that you insert the needle as far as possible and angle it toward the print head. Another thing that can help is to use a gravity feed. Remove the plunger from the syringe and put in the correct amount of ink. Let the ink slowly enter the cartridge by gravity.

Don't try and fill a cartridge that been sitting around for weeks or months. Even the professional have problems with these. Fill the cartridge at the first sign that it's going dry.

After filling your cartridge you may find that it won't work at all. When you touch it against a paper towel nothing at all comes out. There's a channel between the print head and the compartment that has the sponge. If this channel gets empty it can take some effort to get it filled with ink. You can buy a cartridge primer to solve this problem. These clip onto the cartridge and the syringe hooks to it. You pull out on the plunger of the syringe and this sucks ink into the empty void I was talking about. You can find these by doing a search on Google or another search engine.

The other way of forcing ink into the cartridges uses centrifugal force. Don't do this where ink can get on anything! How the cartridge at about shoulder height and bring the cartridge rapidly down to about your knee. Stop abruptly and the ink tries to keep going forcing it up into the print head. You may have to do this several times before your successful. Keep checking by touching the print head against a paper towel. Ink should come out freely. Buying a primer is by far the best method.

The other reason the cartridge won't print at all is that it is dripping ink. A dripping cartridge won't print right and in most cases it won't print at all. If you have over filled then you can suck some of the ink out. Or you may let it set for 2 or 3 hours a will usually do the trick.

Remember we are talking about cartridges that aren't dried out. If your cartridge are dried out I would recommend buying new or refilled cartridges, as you will probably have a lot of problems. Also we are talking about Hp And Lexmark cartridges. For the others I recommend buying new compatibles, as it's cheaper in the long run than refilling.

About the author:
Richard Sherland has been in the cartridge refill business for six years.He is affiliated with Global Inka factory printer cartridge and computer accessories manufacturer he also has an ezineFree information on many subjects

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Cost-Effective Alternatives for Replacing and Refilling Your HP LaserJet Toner Cartridge

By groshan fabiola

Hewlett Packard hardware products are world renowned for their reliability, good performance and durability. By combining professionalism and high quality with affordability and ease to use, HP has quickly become a very popular brand, nowadays being one of the leading producers of a wide range of competitive hardware components. Undoubtedly, the most requested and appreciated products ever released on the market by Hewlett Packard are HP printers. Efficient and user-friendly, HP printers are a very good option for both home users and companies, being equally adequate for extended, draft printing and casual, home printing.

HP has always taken full advantage of the pronounced technological advance characteristic to the last few decades, permanently looking to satisfy their customers with new, state of the art and reliable printer models. Although there are a wide range of HP printer models that have become true symbols for the professionalism of their manufacturers, the HP LaserJet printer series is nowadays the most appreciated and highly-regarded category of printers in the world. HP LaserJet printers are easy to use and account for a wide range of features that render them suitable for inexperienced and professional users as well.

HP LaserJet printers combine high-quality printing with features such as high-speed and draft printing, they are highly competitive and have a long period of life, requiring little maintenance. However, regardless of the model, HP LaserJet printers also have some disadvantages. The main problem with HP LaserJet models is the high cost of replacing or refilling the toner cartridge. Furthermore, in some cases it can be very difficult for HP LaserJet printer owners to find compatible toner cartridges, especially for older printer models. Due to the high costs of replacing or recharging their toner cartridge and due to the difficulty of finding appropriate, compatible toner cartridges in the first place, to have an HP LaserJet printer can be very frustrating and demanding. However, there are various companies that account for these issues and provide customers with the best services regarding HP printer toner cartridge refilling and replacement in exchange for the lowest prices on the market.

The cheapest and safest way to refill or replace the toner cartridge of your printer is to request the services of a specialized, professional company. With the help of a reliable company that specializes in cartridge refilling and replacement, you will be able to save a lot of effort, money and time. In order to ensure that you will benefit from high-standard services, all you have to do is do a little research on the Internet and find the company that best satisfies your needs. Once you have found what you are looking for, you are guaranteed to receive the best toner cartridges and other printer-related products for only a small part of their actual cost.

Whether you are interested in buying remanufactured toner cartridges, compatible toner cartridges, refilled toner cartridges, laser printer toner or inkjet cartridges, the best thing to do is rely on a company that specializes in providing such services for their customers. Regardless of the brand, series and model of your printer, you are guaranteed to find what you are looking for! Ask for the services of a solid company that specializes in toner cartridge refilling and replacement and you will definitely be satisfied!

About the author:
If you want to find out more information about HP LaserJet you can follow this link. You will find great resources about Toner Cartridge and other printer accesories, too.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Refill Your Ink Cartridges to Save Money

By Editor 123

As the most popular printing technology, inkjet printing is making millions of people really crazy with its attractive features. People having small and home users are finding it quite helpful in their day-day-day life. Using inkjet printers can award you many qualities including versatility, inexpensiveness and producing excellent printing quality.

In recent years, the price of inkjet printers has dropped to a considerable limit but the cost of replacement ink cartridges remains extremely high.

Ink Refills
As an effective solution to this, refill kits have established their importance and worthiness in the printer market. This system has provided a new way to millions of users by empowering them to refill the cartridges on their own.

Using ink cartridges refill inks is convenient for your printer. Ink refill kits are good value for money if applied properly. Printer cartridges come with a printer head that wear out after prolonged use. Once the printer head wears out, the cartridge needs to be changed.

Online refill ink cartridges
Internet is the best way to find quality refill ink cartridges. You can browse through many websites especially dealing with providing refill cartridges. You can also contact online vendors to undertake printer cartridge refill jobs. All you need to do is to place an order and wait for your order to reach you soon. These refill vendors take bulk orders and deliver your orders next day only.

So, choose your refill kits available in most of the leading printer cartridge brands, including Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Olivetti, BT, DELL, and Samsung and others to satisfy your needs and requirements.

However, before ordering your refill cartridges, you need to go through the drawbacks. Determining things in advance can give you an insight to know about the negative points to avert unpleasant consequences. Don't worry, though - it gets easier with practice.

About the author:
For further information on Ink Cartridges Refill Kits, jet tec ink refill kits, inkjet refill kits and refill ink cartridges, please contact InkandMedia Ltd. directly on +01268 766604 or visit at www.inkandmedialtd.co.uk
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Transfer XP to Vista

By John Stevens

With the Vista operating being sold everywhere it’s hard to find a PC without it. Many people are finding a need to transfer their XP files and user profiles over to their Vista operating system. The good news here is it’s not really hard to do. If you are not technically inclined there is software you can purchase but if you’re a do it your selfer just follow these instructions.
The free way is using the Windows Easy Transfer software. You have the option of transferring all user accounts, files, and settings to the new computer or transfer your user account, files, and settings only. You can also use an advanced option to transfer specific folders.
1. “All user accounts, files and setting” This will transfer over all users, files and settings. If you are on a domain you must set that up first. If you do not know what a domain is then you most likely are not on one.
2. “My user account, files and setting only”. This option will just transfer over your user account info, files and settings not other users.
3. “Advanced options”. This is the option you want for more advanced features such as only transferring a select number of user's accounts, files and setting. You will also be able to select the folders you want to transfer over as well as program settings. Be sure and install the programs you want first on the new computer before running the transfer on the new computer. If you do not then the programs setting will not transfer over.
You can use this method over the network, via a transfer cable or even external media like cd’s or a hard drive.

About the author:
For a more detailed explanation vist our transfer files from xp to vista page. If you want to learn more about windows vista check out our http://www.windowvistarepair.com"> Windows Vista repair site.

Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Guide to Overclocking Intel Core 2 Duo Processors

By Jason Kuhn

What is overclocking?

Overclocking is pushing your CPU to run at a faster clock speed than the manufacturer has it set at.

What is involved?

FSB For Intel Core 2 Duo’s typically you overclock by simply raising the FSB (front side buss). This speed is set at 266Mhz for the E6xxx-X6800. The FSB is set at 200Mhz for the e4xxx series. Raising the FSB is the only way to overclock your Core 2 Duo, unless it is an engineer sample chip or an X6800+ (Both of these have unlocked multipliers.)

Multiplier To overclock your Intel Core 2 Duo by using the multiplier, you simply change that number to a higher number than its stock multiplier. For example an engineer sample chip E6300 has a multiplier of 7x, but you can change it to a higher value, say 9x. If you leave the FSB at 266, then 9x266 = 2400Mhz = 2.4Ghz.

PCI-E When you overclock your CPU by raising the FSB, you not only overclock the CPU, but you also overclock your PCI-E. On most motherboards you can lock your PCI-E to 100Mhz (recommended).

RAM By overclocking your CPU by upping the FSB, you also cause your RAM to be overclocked. But is that a bad thing? Yes and no. For cheap value RAM you can not overclock your RAM much at all. You would be lucky with 50-100Mhz. By simply changing your RAM/CPU divider you can adjust your RAM speed also. Typically a good stable overclock consists of the RAM and the CPU running at a 1:1 ratio. For example if your CPU’s FSB speed set to 400Mhz and your in a 1:1 ratio, then your RAM will show up as running at 400Mhz in the BIOS. Because it is DDR2 the RAM is actually running at 800Mhz effective, which is PC6400 stock speeds.

Socket 775 Motherboards usually support different types of DDR2 Memory. Motherboards natively support 533Mhz DDR2 all the way up to 800Mhz DDR2. It is possibly to run faster memory like DDR2-1000 and even higher like 1200Mhz, but this is only possibly by changing the CPU/RAM divider or overclocking the CPU via FSB.

When looking at RAM, and the speed of the RAM there are two things to take into account. What is the rated speed of the RAM? DDR2 memory typically ranges from 533Mhz to upwards of 1200Mhz. The memory frequency is not the only thing to look at when comparing the speed of RAM. The timings or latencies are also important.

Most value RAM has very “loose” latencies. 5-5-5-15 is quite common for value RAM. Mid end RAM is usually somewhere around 4-4-4-12. Mid-High end RAM has timings like 4-4-3-5 or 4-4-3-8. High end RAM will have low latencies like 3-4-3-9. The most important number is the first number. The lower the first digit the faster the memory.

By default, most motherboards will set the RAM timings to 5-5-5-15, so it is necessary to go into the BIOS and change these timings to the timings recommended by the manufacturer.

Loosening up your RAM timings will allow for a higher overclock. For example if your memory is rated at 4-4-4-12 and is PC6400 and runs at 800Mhz, then “loosening” the timings to 5-5-5-15, might allow for an overclock of upwards of 900Mhz. While at the stock 4-4-4-12, 850Mhz was achievable.

On some motherboards, like my Gigabyte DS3P, all the memory latencies and voltages are locked by default. To view these advanced settings in your BIOS, I pressed Ctrol+F1. This unlocked a hidden menu with advanced features.

NB (North Bridge) Straps The northbridge has a series of straps. As you overclock, and the FSB increases the NB strap occasionally will change. What changes in the NB is the NB’s latencies. If you ever hit a wall and can not even overclock 1Mhz more then it quite possibly could be your NB strap. To get around this you could try a large jump of 10 or maybe even 20Mhz and see if your PC posts. If you are able to run your CPU and NB at a high strap with tighter timings, it is often times faster then running your CPU at a slightly higher clock. For example depending on the CPU, FSB, and multiplier a Core 2 Duo overclocked to 2.8Ghz may be faster than a CPU overclocked to 2.9Ghz. The NB strap idea is fairly new, and there isn’t all that much information out there.

Vcore (CPU voltage)

The CPU voltage is commonly referred to as “vcore.” The stock voltage for the Intel Core 2 Duo chips is 1.325v. When overclocking, almost always the voltage needs to be increased. But don’t increase the voltage unless you need to.

If you hit a wall and you can’t overclock any further then up the voltage a bit. I usually up it by my vcore by .025v. Once I reach an overclock that I am satisfied with, I will lower the voltage by as little as possible, until Orthos fails. This way I can figure out the lowest vcore required to run my CPU at the speed it is at.

The more volts you put through your CPU, the more heat it is going to create and the more watts it is going to consume.

It is not recommended to exceed 1.5v on air cooling, simply because temperatures are usually far too high. If your overclocking on water cooling or better cooling then 1.5v or a bit higher is nothing to be afraid of, as long as the temperatures are good.

Fans, heatsinks and thermal compound.

It is not recommended to overclock very much on the retail heatsink provided by Intel. It is a relatively small heatsink and will not handle large amounts of heat generated by a high OC.

It is recommended to overclock using an aftermarket heatsink. Some good ones include: the Tuniq Tower 120, Big Typhoon, Artic Freezer 7 PRO, Thermaltake Ultra -90, Zalaman 9700. Larger heatsinks have a larger surface area, and thus disperse heat a lot better than smaller ones.

To improve temperatures for any heatsink you can do a couple of things. First, be sure and use some good, high quality thermal compound such as Artic Silver 5. Second, you can lap your heatsink. Lapping is the process of sanding down your heatsinks surface. This gets rid of some of the small machine marks and tiny pits in the heatsink. Lapping is done by using different grits of sand paper – 400 all the way up to 2000 or higher. Lapping is not very hard but takes a lot of time and patience. Lapping a heatsink will typically yield performance gains ~2-8C.

Monitoring temperatures

There is a handful of software out there that will allow you to monitor the temps of your CPU. Probably the most trusted program is called TAT (Thermal Analysis Tool) and can be downloaded directly from Intel. It usually gives accurate readings for most Core 2 Duo CPU’s. It measures the temperature of both CPU cores and this data can be monitored by TAT.

Intel recommends that the temperature of both CPU cores does not exceed 60C. The general rule of thumb I follow however is I like to stay under 65C max load, because I know in every day applications I will never even come close to reaching 60C. Gaming, encoding and other tasks never fully max out both CPU cores at 100% full load like Orthos does.

Software needed:

To safely overclock, you will need some sort of CPU monitoring program. I personally recommend TAT. Other programs such as Gigabytes Easy Tune, can be terribly off. I had Easy tune at one time reporting negative temps, while on air cooling. :p

The second program you will need is Orthos. Orthos is a program designed to torture your CPU and put it under the most extreme conditions. It tests stability and halts and lets you know when an error has been detected. Orthos is a mod of Prime95. The earlier versions of Prime95 would not stress a core2duo CPU, because it was designed for single core processors. Orthos is a mod that basically runs two instances of Prime95 in one window.

Another piece of software that I’d recommend is Super Pi. Super pi is a small CPU benchmarking program. It doesn’t put nearly as much stress on your CPU as Orthos, but is a good program for monitoring increases in performance. Super pi calculates Pi – 3.14159… from 64k all the way up to 32M or 32 Million digits. Usually pi is calculated to 1 or 2 million digits for benchmarking purposes.

Another program that is not required but is recommended is memtest86. Memtest86 is a program that puts stress on your memory and will scan it for errors. If you are ever going to be overclocking your memory or playing with the memory timings, this program is highly recommended.

The following software can be downloaded from: http://www.asusreviews.com/Download.html

Lets Get started!

The first step is to enter your BIOS. To do this, boot up your computer and while it begins to post hit the Delete key.

There are two main ways people go about overclocking. The first way is by increasing your FSB by 10mhz at a time and running Orthos and monitory temps, and increasing voltage when needed.

The second way is to just jump into a moderate overclock. This is my favorite way, especially with the Core 2 Duo line and all of its potential. When I overclocked my e4300, I immediately overclocked from 2.4Ghz from the stock 1.8Ghz. I did this by upping my FSB to 266. I then ran Orthos and continued to overclock the FSB 10-20Mhz at a time until I hit a problem. Once I got an error or could not post, I’d add some vcore to the CPU. Then would boot up and run Orthos again.

When trying to figure out your CPU’s max overclock, set your memory to a 1:1 ratio. That way you are not putting unnecessary stress on your RAM. Once you figure on your CPU’s max overclock then play around with the memory/cpu ratio and tighten up your timings if needed.

What kind of overclock can I expect for my Core 2 Duo?

On high end air cooling, and the right RAM and a good overclocking motherboard, you should expect something around the following:
E4300 – 2.8-3.2Ghz
E6300 – 2.8-3.4Ghz
E6400 – 3-3.6Ghz
E6600 – 3.2-3.8Ghz
E6700 – 3.3-3.8Ghz
X6800 – 3.4-3.9Ghz


http://www.asusreviews.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=6&pid=86#pid86
http://www.asusreviews.com/Download.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Kuhn

Windows Vista, To Upgrade Or Not?

By Shane Goll

Since the release of Windows Vista many people have been arguing over its positives and negatives, and whether to make the "upgrade" or stay on Windows XP. I've been reading a lot about the pros and cons of Vista lately, and when I first made the switch on my laptop I really did not realize how many flaws Vista has in it, now through some rather disappointing experiences I do.

Vista without a doubt looks pretty with Microsoft's new sleek interface "Aero" running on it out of the box, but it comes with a price. It requires both 1GB RAM and a 128mb graphics card to be installed. This really isn't a concern to those who have recently bought a computer within the last year, possibly two, but for the rest of us this with 3+ year old computers we're better off buying a whole new system with Vista preloaded than upgrading our computer and then buying the upgrade. Windows Vista is truly a resource hog compared to XP which requires a mere 128mb RAM to run. On top of that, to install the Ultimate package you have to have a whopping 40gb to commit to it, while XP professional takes just over 1gb.

The upgrade does have better security out of the box than XP, but it is causing quite a few drawbacks in software compatibility errors. Many programs that are fully compatible with XP wont run on Vista correctly without several patches, if at all. Some Mircosoft Certified software such as the Windows Media Encoder wont even run correctly. This is becoming a larger problem by the day as more and more programs are becoming incompatible with the OS. There is also the new implementation of "Run as a system Administrator" when opening several programs and using their features. Every single time you open a program you will get the "Windows needs your permission to continue" message box, it really does become a nuisance, and to make things even worse if you disable it some programs designed to be Vista-compatible wont work!

Microsoft also decided to take there packaging idea "home, professional", and expand it even further. The upgrade comes in four packages now, Home Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate, and Business, and of course the only one even worth the purchase is Ultimate which will set you back $270 for the upgrade or $360 for the full version. The other versions lack the note worthy features in Windows Vista, and seem to be just a pretty looking version of Windows XP.

There is also the problem with the interface as compared to the rest of the Windows operating systems. While it still functions similar to the rest of the Windows family almost everything is renamed or somewhere else than it was in XP. It took me a couple days just to get the hang of what everything has been renamed to.

On top of all this, it doesn't really bring anything new to the table, you can get the upgrades for IE7, WMP11, etc for XP free online. The unique features that it does bring aren't that special either, such as the SideShow (the right hand bar on the desktop). While it looks neat and there are several things you can add to it, unless you spend all your time staring at your desktop you aren't going to be using it for anything. Oh and it will cover up your desktop icons on the far right-hand side making them unclickable unless you disable the SideShow, this becomes particularly annoying when changing your screen resolution.

I already mentioned that it was a resource hog, but it gets worse when playing graphic-intensive games, if they even run at all in the first place (try running as administrator to fix this error). Some people are having to lower their resolution to play some computer games smoothly just because of the amount of resources it takes. It is equally as bad for the office worker who is thinking about getting Vista for their workplace. If your company uses certain unique programs, there is a possibility that it will be incompatible with it, and most companies are telling their employees to hold off on Vista and stick with XP.

Overall, Vista looks pretty, has some alright features, and that's about all for now. If you are looking to buy a new computer I suggest holding off on Vista for a while, and just using XP. There really is no compelling reason to upgrade no matter what genre of computer user you fall into casual, work, gaming, etc.

Technology Blog
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shane_Goll

Windows Vista Boot Process Overview

By Arun Arora

The Windows Vista" boot process differs from Windows® XP in the way the operating system is located and initialized. Start-up begins with the BIOS loading the Master Boot Record (MBR) on the bootable disk. The MBR in turn loads the Partition Boot Record (PBR) on the active partition. So far, Windows Vista remains relatively unchanged.

Windows Vista is different from XP starting by the fact the PBR code written by Windows Vista no longer looks for Ntldr. The new boot loader in Windows Vista is Bootmgr. This component loads the Boot Configuration Database (BCD), which in turn loads an OS loader boot application (Winload.exe, in the case of Windows Vista). Finally, the OS loader application is responsible for initializing the kernel. This process is illustrated below.

You can think of this change in two elements:

1. The two key actions performed by Ntldr in previous Windows versions have been divided between two components:

2. Bootmgr reads the boot configuration, including device and path locations.

WindowsSystem32Winload.exe initializes the kernel.

The boot configuration stored by Boot.ini in previous Windows versions is now stored in an extensible database, BootBCD, the Boot Configuration Database (BCD).

These changes are significant because of the impact they have:

The boot process can be extended to support other applications, such as other operating systems or other versions of the OS.

Only nonversion-specific components are stored in the root of the active partition. This means that theoretically Windows Vista could be installed on a machine running some future Windows version with the same boot structure, and it would not break the boot process for that future version. With legacy Windows, installing an older Windows version last causes the newer version to fail on start-up. This is due to version-specific code improvements in Ntldr.

Tool-oriented boot entries can be supported to offer maintenance options on boot when a previous start-up failed. In the past, Windows supported an menu provided by a target operating system. This new structure can make tools available earlier during the boot process, meaning that they are available even if all OS-specific boot entries are damaged. The Windows Memory Diagnostic tool is provided in the boot menu in this way.

BCD Store

The Boot Configuration Data (BCD) store contains boot configuration parameters and controls how the operating system is started in Microsoft Windows Vista operating system. These parameters were previously in the Boot.ini file in BIOS-based operating systems or in the nonvolatile RAM (NVRAM) entries in Extensible Firmware Interface-based operating systems. You can use the Bcdedit.exe command line tool to affect the Windows code which runs in the pre-operating system environment by adding, deleting, editing, and appending entries in the BCD store. Bcdedit.exe is located in the WindowsSystem32 directory of the Windows Vista partition.

The BCD is a database used by Bootmgr. It contains the functions of Boot.ini and is located in the {ActivePartition}boot folder

Bcdedit.exe

You can use Bcdedit.exe to modify the Windows code which runs in the pre-operating system environment by adding, deleting, editing, and appending entries in the BCD store. Bcdedit.exe is located in the WindowsSystem32 directory of the Windows Vista partition.

Boot.ini Compared to BCD

BCD eliminates the need for Boot.ini in Windows Vista, although Boot.ini is still present on dual-boot systems for backwards compatibility. Because the BCD boots to the boot environment first instead of Ntldr, the location of Ntldr is not verified unless a legacy operating system is chosen.

Configuration Tools

The BCD store can be modified or repaired using several tools:

System Properties in Control Panel

SystemPropertiesAdvanced.exe

Msconfig

Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) Startup Repair

Bcdedit.exe

Bootrec.exe

Most of these tools enable you to perform simple tasks, such as setting a boot menu timeout, setting a default operating system, or configuring boot options such as /SOS and /SAFEBOOT. Others are repair-oriented tools; Startup Repair and Bootrec.exe, in particular, provide automated mechanisms for fixing problems in the BCD.

Bcdedit.exe is the main tool for detailed BCD store modifications. You can use Bcdedit to change Bootmgr options; add boot, delete, and edit boot entries; import and export the BCD store; and create a new store if it becomes significantly damaged. Bcdedit.exe is located in the WindowsSystem32 directory of the Windows Vista partition and is also available in WinRE.

BCD Store Location

The BCD store is a registry hive, stored as BootBCD on the active partition. This hive is loaded but hidden from view in Regedit.exe within Windows Vista. The store is loaded to the following registry location: HKLMBCD00000000.

You can also view the store manually in WinRE by loading the hive from the Boot folder. To obtain a copy of the hive on a running system, use the Bcdedit /export filename command to export a hive file for offline examination. This command exports the BCD store to a file called filename in the current directory.

Related Components

Msconfig

Msconfig is the preferred PSS UI tool for managing boot settings. The tool supports BCD and allows the user to enumerate all BCD objects in the system store. It allows certain elements to be altered for each OS object, including debug settings, safe mode settings, and other popular PSS options. It cannot be used with the WinRE console; Bcdedit needs to be used in these cases.

Bcdedit.exe

Bcdedit.exe is a command line tool that can be used to manage BCD settings. In summary, Bcdedit.exe is a replacement for Bootcfg.exe. However, it is enhanced for better scripting and to expose some of the more powerful features of BCD that bootcfg.exe did not expose for manipulating Boot.ini. Bcdedit.exe is designed to work on previous operating systems and in recovery environments.

For more details on this topic please go to www.wintechhelp.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Arun_Arora

Printer Ink Cartridges, Ink Cartridges

By Editor 123

Remanufactured ink cartridges are those ink cartridges that had gone through the remanufacturing process and recharged with new ink.

In this remanufacturing process, every ink cartridge will be thoroughly cleaned. After proper cleaning, ink cartridges will be filled with quality ink and their internal pressure checked to ensure it is correct. Then these ink cartridges are tested if they function well; cannot lead to any possible leakage. When ink cartridges clears all the hurdles of standards of quality control, they are then considered remanufactured. These cartridges are also known as recycled ink cartridges.

Benefits of using remanufactured ink cartridges
The one of the advantages of using remanufactured ink cartridge is that they are cost-efficient and economical to use. In fact, remanufactured ink cartridges cost less than new OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges. Above all, the price difference can be around 50% or even more. So, a person can save a great deal of money by using remanufactured ink cartridges. Even though remanufactured ink cartridges are cheap but the print quality does not suffer as the manufacturers guarantee the print quality.

Ending up in landfills can be another benefit of using remanufactured ink cartridges. According to estimates, every year around millions of ink cartridges end up in landfills, causing pollution problems. Remanufactured ink cartridges are not biodegradable and these ink cartridges they will remain intact for a very long time. Recycling of ink cartridges can help in sorting out this problem and hence helps in retaining the ecological balance of the environment.

Nowadays, the usage of remanufactured ink cartridges helps in creating more opportunity in business world. Today, the demand of used ink cartridges has been constantly increasing, giving new potential enterprises to show their worth in this fast changing world. This new business activity has generated new chances to create jobs for young people, hence helps in smooth functioning of the economy. When people have jobs, they have income and purchasing power. Thus the overall effect of this is definitely good for the economy as a whole.

Thus, remanufactured ink cartridges are of great importance and save your money.


About the author:
For further information on Ink Cartridges, and remanufactured ink cartridges, please contact InkandMedia Ltd. directly on +01268 766604 or visit at www.inkandmedialtd.co.uk
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

7 Must Know Ways To Prevent Spam

By Timothy Rudon

Spam is the bane of everyone’s existence. Unsolicited mail flooding mail boxes has caused many problems world wide. The widely accepted definition of spam is “Electronic communication that contains material of a commercial, solicitational, or illegal nature, directed as part of bulk distribution to any address.”

The first step towards fighting spam is to learn how spam works. A useful source is CAUCE or the Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial Email and the SpamCon Foundation. Log on to the World Wide Web and read about ant-spam laws, government stand against spam, and coalitions that are working towards prevention of spamming. Be sure to take part in anti-spam community efforts by joining forums and groups.

Spam can be prevented from entering your mail box by:

1. Determining the IP address of the sender and blocking it.

2. Use blacklist services like SBL (http://www.spamhaus.org/sbl) or the RBL (http://www.mailabuse.org/rbl) that maintain lists of IP addresses that are know originators of spammers. Blacklist services are efficient in blocking spam as they use the latest methods in preventing spam.

3. Use the spam guard services offered by email services like gmail and yahoo.

4. White list services where only mail from known addresses are approved by the recipient.

5. Use heuristic engines that look for keyword patterns that match know spam rules and block messages that contain known patterns. Well known heuristic engines include SpamAssassin that has a high detection rate.

6. Networked vigilance an open source initiative that involves continued maintenance of a data base and then the mail server asks a centralized VR node, Vipul’s razor for spam listings.

7. Using Bayesian filtering engines like SpamBayes , http://www.spambayes.org/. This has its uses as well as downside.

Spam can also be blocked by configuring anti-virus software to scan emails for viruses. Desist from leaving your email address over the internet and signing up for freebies and news letters. Use a separate email account for this purpose. Stay abreast of anti-spam efforts and adopt the latest possible anti-virus software and firewall systems. Never open mails from people unknown to you and immediately report spam mails to the mail host/provider. Try standalone spam filtering software like Qurb eTrust Anti-Spam, iHate Spam, Spam Bully.

Experts at PC World reported that almost 75 percent of email is spam mail and that in their study they found that SpamCatcher was one of the most affordable and simplest of anti-spam tools. Another notable product was InBoxer which works only with Out Look.

Fighting spam is a world wide war and efforts are being made by software manufacturers, search engines, lay persons, as well as others.

About the author:
Timothy Rudon is a writer for Anti Spam , the premier website to find antispam, anti antispam spam, antispam software, antispam new york, solution virusand, antispam exchange, antispam microsoft, antispam free software many more.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Top Downloads For 2007

By Timothy Rudon

December is a season for renewal and retrospection. In a world of the internet and downloads computer users are constantly seeking to download software, music, videos, and more. PC Advisor and other leading experts share their insights with lay persons, colleagues and the world at large.

If its PC downloads that you like here is the pick of the lot by PC Advisor.

1. If downloads is what you like you will need a download accelerator. The Download Accelerator Plus is a great downloadable software that will allow you to do several downloads simultaneously and protect the downloads in case of error.

2. Security online and offline is of great concern and free anti-spyware software like Lavasoft’s Adaware SE Personal is great and simple protection from threats lurking online.

3. ZoneAlarm is a great firewall that helps protect your PC from most threats.

4. A media player that is free Windows Media Player 11 is a free download and has Windows Vista preinstalled. It offers great listening pleasure.

5. The Google Pack is acknowledged as the most wanted download. It has a whole bouquet of free tools: Google Earth; 3D Browser; photo organizer; desktop search tool; toolbar; screensavers and more.

6. Stuffit is great if you work with zipped or encoded materials.

7. Adobe Reader facilitates reading of pdf documents and other files.

8. Open Office is useful and is used by many as its free. It is the alternative for people who don’t want to be ensared by Microsoft upgrades.

9. Thunderbird is a great communicator and has security provisions too.

10. Skype is a “hit” worldwide as it allows people to make calls over the internet.

11. Quicktime is popular with those who love videos.

12. Adobe Flash Player is a must for viewing content from mobile and other devices.

13. Vista Desktop Sidebar is great it has a calendar; calculator; media player; and allows RSS feeds on your desk top.

The choice of what is best as far as downloads is concerned may vary according to whether you are a game player, music buff, or just an ordinary person. Before you download any software you need to know what the rules of safe downloading are and what is legally permissible and what is not.

The Worldwide Web is a great knowledge highway and before you take on the mantle of download king try and know what you can and what is off limits. The internet is a great resource for music, movie, games, and other downloads. Downloads must always be done form reputed websites and all efforts made to protect your personal and computer privacy.

About the author:
Timothy Rudon is a writer for Download Free Softwares, the premier website to find freeware, shareware, free ware downloads, share ware downloads, free software downloads, free anti virus software download and many more.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

What is Ajax?

By Ajay Sharma

We were getting a number of querries from our clients and friends, asking about what AJAX is?

With the development of Microsoft's Live, everyone is going crazy about AJAX. So, we at Xaprio Solutions thaught of publishing this small article about AJAX, which will help you guys understand it better.

Like DHTML, LAMP, or SPA, Ajax is not a technology in itself, but a term that refers to the use of a group of technologies together. In fact, derivative/composite technologies based substantially upon Ajax, such as AFLAX, are already appearing. The Term AJAX refers to, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML.

For a number of tasks, only small amounts of data need to be transferred between the client and the server, allowing a number of Ajax applications to perform almost as well as applications executed natively on the user's machine. This has the effect that pages need only be incrementally updated in the user's browser, rather than having to be entirely refreshed.

"Every user's action that normally would generate an HTTP request takes the form of a JavaScript call to the Ajax engine instead", wrote Jesse James Garrett, in the essay that first defined the term. "Any response to a user action that doesn't require a trip back to the server -- such as simple data validation, editing data in memory, and even some navigation -- the engine handles on its own. If the engine needs something from the server in order to respond -- if it's submitting data for processing, loading additional interface code, or retrieving new data -- the engine makes those requests asynchronously, usually using XML, without stalling a user's interaction with the application."

Traditional web applications essentially submit forms, completed by a user, to a web server. The web server does some processing, and responds by sending a new web page back. Because the server must send a whole new page each time, applications run more slowly and awkwardly than their native counterparts.

Ajax applications, on the other hand, can send requests to the web server to retrieve only the data that is needed, and may use SOAP or some other XML-based web services dialect. On the client, JavaScript processes the web server's response, and may then modify the document's content through the DOM to show the user that an action has been completed. The result is a more responsive application, since the amount of data interchanged between the web browser and web server is vastly reduced. Web server processing time is also saved, since much of it is done on the client.

The earliest form of asynchronous remote scripting, Microsoft's Remote Scripting, was developed before XMLHttpRequest existed, and made use of a dedicated Java applet. Thereafter, remote scripting was extended by Netscape DevEdge at around 2001/2002 by use of an IFRAME instead of a Java applet.


About the author:
I am working in http://www.xaprio.com. Xaprio Solutions is an India based IT Company revolving in and around Outsourcing. We aims towards the "Web Fulfillment" by developing and designing world class applications and products and by taking the Web to Next Generation.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

What Is MySQL And Does Your Business Need It?

By Jeremy Gislason

What is MySQL?

First released in May 23, 1995, MySQL is an open source database software. It is part of a large and growing family of open source software including Linux, Apache, and programming languages PHP and Perl. However, unlike many open source products where the copyright is owned by the individual authors or distributors, MySQL is owned and sponsored by a single for-profit firm, MySQL AB, which holds the copyright to most of the codebase. They develop and maintain the system, sell support, service contracts, and proprietary-licensed copies of MySQL.

MySQL is a relationship database, which is a collection of items or tables organized into predefined categories or described tables from which data can be accessed or reassembled in many different ways without having to reorganize the database tables. This format is enormously popular with more than 100 million copies of the software downloaded over the life of MySQL. The popularity stems from the fact that the databases are easy to create and access. Additionally, they are easy to extend, a new data category can be added without requiring that all existing applications be modified.

When creating a relational database, you can not only extend the data, you can define the domain of possible values in a data column and any additional constraints that you want to apply to the value of your data. This makes your information significantly more valuable and user friendly.

Uses of MySQL

There are many uses of MySQL for a business and you can find many significant case studies at http://www.MySQL.com/why-MySQL/case-studies/. Among them are many stories about how information generated from MySQL has saved IT teams thousands of man hours and thousands of dollars.

Here’s an example of how you can use it for your business. Consider a typical order entry database. It might include the following columns for customer information: name, address, and phone number. . Another table might describe an order and have these columns: product, customer, date, and sales price. This table and the relevant information could be used to show a report on all customers that bought products on a specific date. A financial services manager in the same company could, from the same tables, obtain a report on accounts that needed to be paid.

Craigslist uses MySQL to power more than 50 forums, among many other things, and Yahoo Finance uses it to aggregate headlines for its website.

Benefits of MySQL

Ease of use. A basic knowledge of SQL and database manipulation is required however MySQL is logical and easy to use. This means you don't have to spend as much time and money either training existing staff, or hiring developers.

Security. There are not a lot of databases that can compare to the security that MySQL offers. It includes solid data security layers that protect your sensitive information. Rights can be set to allow some or all privileges to either individuals or groups. Passwords are encrypted. The access to your database can be controlled by a remote machine that can completely control what a user can view. The system can be locked down even more through the operating system.

Capacity and memory. MySQL can handle almost any amount of data from only a few rows to as much as 50 million rows or more. The default file size limit is about 4 GB. It manages memory very well, which means it functions efficiently and speedily without crashing or dumping your information. Additionally, MySQL server has been thoroughly tested to prevent memory leaks.

Unbeatable flexibility. MySQL runs on many operating systems, including Novell NetWare, Windows, Linux, and UNIX

It supports several development interfaces including JDBC, ODBC, and scripting languages including PHP and Perl. This enables you to create database solutions that run on all major operating systems, including Linux, UNIX, and Windows.

More than one person can access business information at a time. This means that a large group of people can access the information at once but there can also be several connections at one time.

Multiple storage engines, or types of table, allow you to choose which one is most effective.

Commit grouping, gathering multiple transactions from multiple connections together to increase the number of commits per second.

Technical support. One of the drawbacks to many open source products is the fact that the support is sometimes nonexistent or slow to respond at best. The products are free or close to free so it’s a trade off. However, MySQL Enterprise offers support itself, including 24/7 30-minute response time and the support team has direct access to the software developers.

Licensing. We’ve already discussed the fact that open source products are extremely cost efficient! MySQL AB makes MySQL Server available as free software, but they also offer the MySQL Enterprise subscription offering for business users and dual-license it under traditional proprietary licensing arrangements for cases where the intended use is incompatible with the General Public License agreement.

Drawbacks of MySQL

Early versions of MySQL lacked many standard relational database management system (RDBMS) features, usually with the goal of trading guaranteed accuracy for speed. Many (but not yet all) such criticisms have been remedied in later versions of the software, including transactions and relational integrity constraints.

Some say that MySQL's feature list leaves something to be desired, but its fans swear that a scaled-down feature set means you only have to deploy, configure and maintain what you need

There are also a few common errors such as out of memory or packet too large they generally relate to the configuration of the server and are uncommon and the errors are fairly easy to remedy.

Bottom Line:

The uses of MySQL are seemingly endless and for a business the information gathered is priceless. Combined with PHP, it can be used to create dynamic web pages. If you’re using any type of web 2.0 technology like forums, online ordering, subscription forms etc…must utilize a database of some sort to gather and analyze the information. When it comes to database technology, there really isn’t anything that beats MySQL for stability, price, and ease of use.

MemberSpeed Content Management software can run on MySQL 3.23 and above.
About the author:
Jeremy Gislason is a leading expert on membership sites, marketing and online business. For more Business Strategies, Resources and Membership Site Manager Software visit MemberSpeed.com
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Portable Hard Disks

By James Walsh

Well, the situation is not the same any more. Old hard disks can be used for a long time, as external drives. In fact, if you do not have an external hard drive, we strongly suggest you buy one. They are ideal data storage devices. Such an apparatus is required, for the information contained on our internal hard drives are not safe. Our home pc is extensively used (by all the family members) and this turns the data contained in the system susceptible to damage. Moreover, our computers also face the regular onslaught of exterior threats.

Many external hard drives are available in the market. Purchase those offered by reputed companies while paying close attention to the price factor. External hard disks are more expensive than the internal ones.

Working of Portable Hard Disks and the Advantages They Offer

A portable hard disk lies outside the computer encased in its casing. It is connected to the system through a high speed interface cable. Data passes to and fro the external disk, via this cable. If necessary, you can turn off the disk while working on the internet.

Using an external hard disk is replete with plenty of advantages. You can transfer all the important information pertaining to financial transactions, health records, etc to this device. The portability of the media offers you the added advantage of an off-site placement.

External hard disks are available with data storage capacities ranging around 80 GB to 400 GB. These plug-in-and-play devices also offer high data transfer rates. You can easily transfer data between computers or between your desktop and laptop. Such a feature is especially advantageous to telecommuters.

Hard Disks as Data Storage Devices

These advantages also make portable hard disks ideal data storage devices. You can use them conveniently, place them in a safe location and their huge data storage capacity brings down the cost of per bit of information stored. These disks can be used when the need arises and you need not fear that they might become redundant in the future.

However, this media supports a limited amount of write erase cycles. You also have to handle them with great care. They have to be kept well-packed in a padded case. They are prone to easy damage, if dropped. Majority of the problems relating to hard drives occur due to external damages. Damage to the hard disk inevitably leads to data loss jeopardising the security of your important data. If you face such a situation, you can recover the lost data using the data recovery software or handing over the drive to data recovery experts. Your external hard drive and the internal hard drive are not different. The data recovery process works similarly on either.

Data Recovery from Portable Hard Disk

The only difference between these two disks is that the portable hard disk is encased in a smaller casing and it features at least one data interface. As they are usually used as data storage devices, they contain a (software or hard ware) feature that automates backup. Apart form these few differences, both the disks are the same.

If you happen to lose important files from the external hard drive, you can retrieve it using the ‘Do it yourself’ (DIY) data recovery software. Download the software from the internet. Connect the external hard drive to the computer and run the software. A list of lost files and folders will be presented for your preview. You can select the file you require and save it.

If you have lost access to your files due to a physical damage of the drive, power off the computer and remove the drive. Hand over the hard disk to data recovery service providers. They can recover the lost data for you, by working on the drive in a clean room.

Portable hard disks get damaged only when dropped. Otherwise these are hardy devices. They can withstand scratches and mishandling better in comparison to other backup storage devices. These are ideal for information storage for their limitations are few and strengths many.

About the author:
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Hard Disk Drives and Their Types

By James Walsh

The latter are removable media that are tailor-made for transporting data from one machine to another. Hard drives on the other hand are the primary storage used by the processor to access and process data.

Hard drives store data on platters which have a magnetic surface. A read-and-write head hovering just a sub-micron height above the platters accesses this data. The platters are spun at a very fast speed by a spindle motor. The faster the platters spin, the quicker the data can be accessed by the operating system. Currently, the commonly available hard disks have a RPM (revolution per minute) of 5,400 and 7,200, though some manufacturers have launched drives of even 15,000 RPM.

Hard disks offer a phenomenal data storage capacity. Today’s desktop drives have capacities available in sizes of 80 GB, 120 GB, 160 GB and 240 GB. There are models with a capacity of 500 GB too. Hard drive manufacturer Seagate recently launched a hard disk with a staggering capacity of one terabyte.

Types of Hard Drives

There are many types of hard drives available in the market. These mainly differ in their interfaces. While buying a hard drive, you should get an idea about these interfaces and which one would fit your need.

IDE / EIDE (ATA) Drives
One of the prominent and very widely used hard drive interfaces is IDE or EIDE that stands for Enhanced Integrated Drive Electronics. It is quite easy to install and its data transfer speed is quite fast. Drives with EIDE interface are also called ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) drives and connect to the motherboard with a wide ribbon cable. IDE drives are “parallel” drives, that is, they transfer data in many streams simultaneously to the processor. It is an old technology though and may disappear in a few years from now. SATA drives today look like the future.

SATA Drives
The acronym stands for Serial Advanced Technology Attachment. This is a new technology that makes hard drives extremely fast. The cable that connects to the motherboard is also quite thin compared to an ATA drive, thus decongesting the insides of the computer and leaving more room for airflow. These drives are “serial” drives because the SATA interface, as the name suggests, transfers data bit by bit at a time to the processor.

However, it does this so fast that its speed still comes out to be very high compared to IDE drives. If you have a choice and your mother-board can support them, always go for SATA hard drives, even if they are a bit more expensive than IDE drives. The extra money is worth it because of the high speed that the former offers. With SATA drives, the computer boots up quickly and software programmes also load in a less amount of time. This increases to your pleasure of using the machine.

SCSI Drives
These are the most expensive hard disks in the market today, coming for about three times the cost of ATA or SATA drives. They are very fast, in fact much faster than the latter two drives. However, SCSI drives are quite complex to set up on the computer as one has to tinker with the jumper settings. These drives are not very popular with ordinary desktop users (who are quite content with the performance of the SATA drives) but are used by high-end machines like Web servers.

Currently, ATA drives are the most popular in the desktop market, followed by SATA drives. SCSI drives come last for high-performance applications.

There are many companies today making hard drives all over the world. The most common brand names include IBM (now sold to Hitachi), Hitachi, Seagate, Fujitsu, Maxtor and Western Digital. Fujitsu and Seagate are well-known for making high-speed SCSI drives.

Hard disks are very delicate machines. They have many moving parts inside. The platters spin at a rate of 125 times a second. The read / write head is suspended less than a hair’s breadth above the spinning platters accessing the data. Obviously much can go wrong with this arrangement, though manufacturers try to make their hard drives as reliable as possible.

The biggest danger is a hard-disk crash. This occurs when the read / write head becomes unhinged and slams on the surface of the platters where it gets stuck. When you switch on the computer, it does not boot up. Instead, you hear a screeching noise from the disk. This means that the head is scratching the data-recording surface of the platters and destroying data permanently. You should immediately switch off the computer and call data recovery experts.

About the author:
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. For more information on computer crime and Computer Forensics see http://www.fieldsassociates.co.uk
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

‘Hard Disk Crash’ – What Does it Really Mean?

By James Walsh

Consumers are increasingly demanding hard drives with better performance and data storage abilities. While technology advancements have indeed made hard drives perform better, they have also made the hard drive more complex. Some of the miniature hard drives have extremely delicate internal components which function with extremely complicated mechanism. If this mechanism is even slightly disrupted, the hard disk can crash.

What is a Hard Disk Crash?

When a hard disk stops performing normally due to a malfunction, it results in a hard disk crash. A hard disk crash can make the data inaccessible to the user. Hard disks crashes can be severe or moderate. Since hard drives consist of extremely delicate internal components including complicated circuit boards, the problems related to hard disk crash mostly need to rectified using professional data recovery services.

You will know that your hard disk has crashed when you hear a clicking sound from the hard disk or if you receive an error message saying that the hard disk is undetectable. There are also times when your computer screen will suddenly turn blank.

How can a Hard Disk Crash?

Much as we would like to appreciate and think of a hard disk as an invincible device, a hard disk is prone to damage like any other electronic device. Hard disks can fail anytime during the normal course of computer usage.

Whereas some users experience a hard disk failure without doing anything out of ordinary, there are others who like to ask for trouble. Hard disks can crash very easily when they are subjected to a sharp impact. Therefore, if you have been careless enough to drop your laptop, prepare yourself to bear the brunt of the pain you may have caused your hard drive in the process.
Hard disks can also crash when exposed to heat, humid temperature, water, or high magnetic waves. We will discuss some of the most common reason for a hard disk crash in our following section.

Electronic Failure

An electronic failure can cause the hard disk to fail because problems arise in the controller board of the hard disk. The main culprits of electronic failures are power spikes or surges. These power fluctuations create problems in the controller board, which subsequently makes the hard disk undetectable to the BIOS. Electronic failures usually do not result in severe data loss problems.

Firmware Corruption

There is a software code that is embedded in the physical hard drive. This code is called a Firmware. Firmware is an integral part of the hard drive because it controls the various activities such as configuration and interaction between the components of the hard drive and the system power on/off function.

The hard disk loads the data from the firmware into the RAM at the time of the system start-up. This allows the hard drive to report its status. If the hard drive has been damaged, it will report a status saying that the hard drive is undetectable. Experts believe that a firmware corruption may not directly lead to data loss. Therefore, it would best if users try to avoid accessing their data to avoid any complications. Once the firmware problem has been resolved, the data can be accessed from the hard drive.

Mechanical Failure

A hard disk is most at risk due to this type of failure. Mechanical failures are more serious in nature than electronic failures or firmware corruption. Therefore, the chances of you losing your data are much higher when your hard disk encounters a mechanical failure. A motor problem or a head crash may cause a mechanical failure. A head crash is more severe in nature because it can damage the hard disk along with the read-write heads of the hard disk.

Logical Errors

When a hard disk crashes due to logical errors, the nature of the problem is usually not very severe. The hard drive encounters no physical problem due to a logical error. Therefore, some logical problems can be easily resolved using data recovery software.


Protect Yourself from Hard Disk Failures

Most people fail to understand the importance of creating timely data backups. Hard disks can fail anywhere and at anytime. Therefore, it is imperative that you create continuous and regular backups of your valuable data. This way, even if the hard disk fails, your data will remain intact. It is important to choose a backup plan that best suits your requirement.


About the author:
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

7 Must Knows For Windows Vista Newbies

By Aaron Brooks

Not all computer users are tech savvy and attuned to blogs, forum discussions, and reviews of the great new expectation of 2006 the Windows Vista Release. For everyday computer user things like administrator control or enhanced security has little or no meaning. All he or she looks for is a computer that works smoothly, allows them to enjoy the World Wide Web and simple functions like email, photos, and perhaps online shopping.

According to those in the know Windows Vista is all set to open many doors of delight.

1. According to Bill Gates, Microsoft is planning to allow DirectTV subscribers to “move shows from their set top boxes to Windows PCs, or even the Xbox 360 or other mobile devices. This is to be a part of the “Plays for Sure” plan.

2. Vista is all set to have a swanky new Messenger which will steal minds and hearts of users and function smoothly too.

3. Music played on a PC will reach new levels with the swanky new Windows Media Player 11 which is being launched with Windows Vista. This will sort, file, and mix and match music according to the likes of the user. You can view the music according to say genre or even type.

4. The Windows Vista Media Center will allow uninterrupted viewing of high definition digital cable.

5. Vista is designed with futuristic photo editing tools that will change the way photos are viewed or stored or shared. Every Vista user will have enhanced features and will be able to edit and print studio quality photographs. Photos can be sorted by date, keywords, or any other individual system.

6. That Vista graphics will be state of art is well known but inbuilt in Vista is Flip 3D a tool that will allow users to shift among multiple open windows and a side bar that will run in the corner continuously.

7. Vista users will be able to use a new slideshow to mix video images and still photos.

8. As far as gaming is concerned Vista reaches for new heights with enhanced graphics, 3D effects, and real to life projections. Gaming will take on new dimensions with the launch of Windows Vista.

Vista is being promoted by Microsoft as the ultimate OS, what the release will bring will be known only when the actual system is released towards the end of 2006. Fairly advanced Vista users will have to tweak their hardware systems or purchase a new dream machine. The Windows Vista according to promos is all set to bring “clarity to the world” and open new vistas in computing. The program addresses needs at all levels personal and professional and the system is such that it can be tweaked to suit individual needs.

The keys for Vista according to an FAQ constructed by http://www.winsupersite.com/faq/vista.asp are connected, clear, and confident, stating that Windows Vista will take you to new levels of connectivity, give you the user clarity in the interface and the ways in which you organize your work, and ensure that you are confident always that your privacy and data is protected at all times.

Vista is all set to conquer new vistas in computing.

About the author:
Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for Download Free Softwares, the premier website to find Free Software Downloads including free anti-virus software, free spyware detection software, free toolbars, free chat software and more. He also freelances for the premier Play Free Games site.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

10 New Features In Microsoft Windows Vista

By Aaron Brooks

The curiosity levels and buzz regarding Windows Vista is probably greater than the news that spread when man landed on the moon. Extensively discusses and analyzed Microsoft’s Windows Vista is scheduled for an end 2006 release with the corporate version coming first.
According to reports Windows Vista is all set to satisfy every need:
1. Security is comprehensive and takes care of every imaginable problem. Windows and spyware library are streamlined as also administrator tools.

2. The back up software is state-of –art and computer systems can be installed across several states and countries within a company by simple creating an image.

3. Windows side bar is atoll that has been designed to provide regular or continuous updates on weather, stock movements, temperature, sports scores and more. This just means you will be able to keep a tab on these while you are working on the main screen.

4. The internet explorer 7 has enhanced privacy management and security functions are all at the next level. The color coded address bar will indicate whether a page is designed to “phish” information or whether it is authentic.

5. A feature awaited for with bated breath is high-end graphics and aero-glass interface with great 3D rendering, animation, and effects. Translucent icons and other elements are all the latest technology and allow functions like viewing real time on minimized windows without opening programs. The Windows Vista is designed for people who multitask.

6. Integrated desktop search will allow powerful indexing, user specific searches and data access, and ease of filing and storing much used URLs. Searches can be extended to other PCs on the network by using Windows Longhorn.

7. Updates are streamlined and can be done directly without the use of Internet Explorer. A key component of the new system is said to be Windows Defender.

8. Windows Vista brings with it updated and revolutionary Windows Media Player, with an MP3 library. The Windows Photo Gallery in Vista brings photo library functionality and in Vista photos can get mega tags, titles, ratings, and what are more there are systems that allow limited editing and printing too.

9. Windows Vista recognizes parental concerns regarding computers and the World Wide Web. The new software has enhanced systems that allow greater parental control. Parents can limit access to files, and web pages, block sites, lock downloads, and screen objectionable content. Guess what even games can be blocked based on the game’s Entertainment Software Rating.

10. Back ups are visionary in Windows Vista. The system can be set to take periodic snapshots of your whole operating system as well as files. This means in case of total break down you will not loose any data or software.
Windows Vista brings great news for business users. It not just facilitates P2P collaboration, but Vista users can share files and other data across the network. It allows even a mobile workforce to utilize computers while traveling.
Although there are releases, reviews, and speculation one needs to wait until Windows Vista is in actual use to judge how many hopes and promises are going to come true.
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About the author:
Aaron Brooks is a freelance writer for Free Software Downloads , the premier website to find Free Software Downloads including free anti-virus software, free spyware detection software, free toolbars, free chat software and more. He also freelances for Free Online Games site.
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com