COMPUTER

What To Consider When Buying A Computer

2008-05-26T12:39:00.001+08:00

What To Consider When Buying A Computer

Will service be on site? Does the vendor offer a collection service if there is a problem? If not, is the vendor close enough for me take the computer back or will I have to pay to send it? Is it worth paying a little more to a local dealer with immediate access to backup services if/when something goes wrong?

Will the vendor sell me something more expensive or complicated than I need?

Talk to them and get a quote from more than one vendor. A reputable dealer will sell you what you want/need, not what they want to sell you.

Is an installation service offered? Helpful if you are a mature beginner and have never set up a computer before. (Of course if you happen to live near Ledbury, we will set it up for you!)

Do I need a laptop or a PC?

Generally PCs (personal computers) are cheaper. Laptops take up less space and can be stored in a cupboard. A PC will always be on show but set up ready to use. A laptop can do EVERYTHING a PC can do (this is a question we are often asked.)

BEWARE of 'bundled' (free, included) printers.

Often the ones included are the ones they couldn't sell any other way because they are the most expensive to run. Check the cost of replacing the ink cartridges BEFORE accepting the printer. It might turn out to be CHEAPER to buy a separate printer which uses cheaper, compatible cartridges.

Computer Voice Mail - How Does it Work?

2008-03-26T14:52:00.001+08:00

Voice Mail

A method for establishing voice communications between a computer user and an agent, the computer user being associated with a user computer and a telephone number of a telephone associated with the computer user, the method comprising the steps of establishing a computer data base accessible by the user computer, prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer database, transmitting the call request from the computer data base to a telephone switching system;

and automatically establishing voice communications between the agent and the computer user by the telephone switching system in response to the call request.

The method wherein the step of transmitting the call request comprises the step of transmitting the call from the computer data base over the Internet. Transmitting the call request from the computer data base over the Internet further comprises the steps of:packeting the call request; and transmitting it by e-mail. Establishing a computer data base accessible by the computer user further establishes a Web page and wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer data base further comprises the step of displaying a "call me" button when the computer user accesses the Web page.

User

The telephone switching system includes a telephone computer automatically dialing the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user receiving the call request at a telephone computer associated with the agent; and dialing the telephone number by the telephone computer based on the call request. The method further comprising the steps of:detecting when the computer user answers the computer telephone; and connecting the agent to the answered computer telephone. The automatically dialing telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user comprises the steps of:sending a dial request command from a telephone computer to an automatic call distributor associated with the agent in response to the call request received from the computer data base.

The steps of receiving the call request comprises the step of prompting the computer user to enter the telephone number of the telephone associated with the computer user. Establishing a computer data base accessible by the computer user further establishes a Web page and wherein the step of prompting the computer user to enter a call request in the computer data base further comprises the step of displaying a "call me" button when the computer user accesses the Web page.

How To Fix A Slow Computer

2008-01-22T21:19:00.000+08:00

Do you want to learn how to fix a slow computer? Most likely you are a computer user, but have no idea about why your computer starts to slow down over time. Having experienced a slow computer myself, I was finally able to clean up my slow computer and make it run like brand new again.

What I Did To Fix My Slow Computer

To make your computer run faster again, you will need to repair your registry files. They are the files in your computer registry that give the software and hardware the instructions to run properly. A computer registry filled with errors will cause the computer to slow down, because the applications get stuck while running. Another result of a bad registry is the frequent freezing of the computer.

How To Fix Your Computer Registry

The computer registry is a component of the computer that is not regularly talked about, yet it is one of the most important. Most people have no idea about a computer registry, even after years of using their own PC.

Fixing your computer registry requires you to download a good registry cleaner. Try not to fix your registry by yourself, because any mistakes made may be fatal to the system. The registry cleaner I used managed to detect all the errors in my computer registry, and proceeded to clean up all of them. The whole process took about 10 minutes to complete. To download the top registry cleaner on the internet, visit my website link below to learn more about the best 5 registry cleaners.

3D Computer Graphics

2008-01-02T19:46:00.000+08:00

Giving life to any kind of presentation is just simply known as Graphics. Graphics is an image appearance such as wall, stone, screen, paper are used to visualize for entertainment purpose.Graphic For example photographs, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, images, drawings, line art, typography and engineering drawings and other images. Graphics design is use on purpose of selection, creation, arrangements of typography.

3D Computer Graphics:

3D computer graphics are basically created with the support of graphic art, digital computers and 3D software. 3D Computer graphics is nothing but to submit the good graphics or the computer graphic techniques which is related to new technology. 3D computer graphic is vaguely differing from 2D computer graphics. 3D is another way to say as a three dimensional. Three dimensional represents a geometric data which is previously accumulated in the personal computer. Three dimensional execute calculations and description 2D images. 2D images are display on real time screening.

3D modeling is one of the computer graphics. 3D computer graphics algorithm is frequently based on the 2D computer graphics. A 3D technique is frequently achieving the effects of lighting and striking. 3D computer graphics is commonly based on 3D computer graphics software which is way to create 3D computer generated imagery.

Application programming interface (API's) in 3D computer graphics:

3D computer graphics are most fashionable in computer games. 3D computer graphics are very special in (API's) Application programming interface concept it's very simple to do the 3D computer graphics. Striking computer games are source of 3D computer graphics. Graphic Design Computer games are very admirable and eye-catching mainly in 3D computer graphics. 3D becomes very fashionable in computer games with realistic work. API's has improved their status in computer games and crucial in graphics hardware. API's has present a program to approach the graphics hardware in a fantasy way.

Computer Games:

A Computer game is supposed to come under the control of 3D computer graphics. Computer game can also call as video game. A video game is an effective entertainment to child and each every person who are interested in computer games. 3D graphics brings each person to beneath the control of computer games. 3D is a great interactive entertainment with computer and video games. Computer game is usually placed in a personal computer.

How Computer Viruses Work And How To Protect Your Computer

2007-12-16T11:04:00.000+08:00

Many people are afraid of tinkering with their computers because of the fear that they might inadvertently introduce a computer virus into the computer system.

Computer viruses have become the technological bogeyman that scares computer users all over the world. We have all heard of how dangerous computer viruses are and how it can damage your data. Of course, aided by the bloated images Hollywood movies paint with regards to computer viruses, a big majority now have this insane (but mostly unfounded) fears about it.

It is true that computer viruses are dangerous. Anyone who has lost vital information in their computers because of a computer virus will know how big a damage it can cause. But computer viruses are not these insidiously little pieces of code that could wreak havoc on the world. If you know what to do when you get a virus in your computer then you can definitely limit, if not totally stop, the damage it can cause.

But what is a computer virus? Well, it is a software with a small imprint that would usually attach itself on to a legitimate program or software. Every time this program is executed the virus is also executed and it tries to reproduce itself by attaching to other programs or it immediately starts affecting the computer. A computer virus and email virus basically have the same modus operandi, the difference though is that an email virus would attach itself to an email message or automatically send itself using the addresses in the address book in order to infect the people who receive the email.

A computer virus is usually embedded in a larger program, often a legitimate piece of software. The virus will be run when the legitimate software is executed. The computer virus would load itself into the memory of the computer and then it will seek out any programs where it can likely attach itself. When a likely program is found then the virus would modify the file in order to add the virus’ code to the program. The virus would usually run before the actual legitimate program runs. In fact, the virus would usually perform the infection first before it commands the legitimate program to run. This process is so fast that no one would even notice that a virus was executed. With two programs now infected (the original program and the first infected program), the same process would be repeated whenever either program is launched worsening the level of infection.

After the infection phase, or even within the middle of the process of infection, the virus would usually start its attack on the system. The level of attack can range from silly actions like flashing messages on the screen to actually erasing sensitive data.

Fortunately, there are steps that you can do in order to protect your computer from viruses. Among the steps that you can take are:

* The simplest way to avoid a virus is to install a legitimate and effective antivirus program in your computer. The antivirus program is designed to look out for any kind of activity that could be seen as similar to a virus attack or infestation and it automatically stops it.

* You can opt to use a more secure operating system in your computer. For example, Unix is a secure operating system because the security features built into it prevents a virus from actually doing what it is programmed to do.

* Enable Macro Virus Protection in all of the Microsoft applications resident in your computer. Additionally, you should avoid running macros in a document unless you have a good idea of what these macros are going to do.

* Avoid using programs that you have downloaded on the internet especially when they come from dubious sources.

* Never open an email attachment that contains an executable file – these are files with the EXE, COM and VBS extensions.

Computer Security: The Essential Components For A Safe Computer

2007-12-11T09:02:00.001+08:00

Today, computers are almost as common as the telephone in the home. Computers themselves do not pose a threat to security. When connected to networks and chaos that is the World Wide Web, computers have become tools that identity thieves and hackers use to extrapolate this chaos. In order to establish computer security, software companies have set up mechanisms to prevent risks and the chances of viruses, spyware, spam and pop-ups.

The first of these is a new anti-virus software. There are two large companies that offer this program: McAfee and Norton. These programs work to scan the files on your computer and view them for the attributes that are in or virus are often linked to viruses. These traits or attributes are often called virus definitions and need to be downloaded on a fairly regular basis. In addition to the files on your computer files on CDs, floppy disks and e-mails can and should be filed. There is no doubt about it: anti-virus software is essential to computer security.

Next on the list is spyware scanning software. Spyware occurs when certain sites run programs in the back ground of your computer while glean some information. Information can be as mild as monitoring such websites you look at the acquisition of real passwords. Whatever type of spyware, it can slow your computer to a crawl and should be removed from your computer. Two options are popular software Spy Sweeper and Ad ware.

Lastly, but certainly not least are pop-up blockers and extent of filters. Not only pop-ups and spam annoying, but they often contain spyware scanning software described above. In addition, they can slow down your computer incredibly low. And when you are angry at your computer, your computer is not safe!

In addition to these software components, there are still a few tricks that you can use to keep your computer and your information secure. Password sure what you can and when you create passwords, do not make them easy. Do not use your name, your birthday or your social security number. And, if you are on a wireless network unsecured, do not check your bank statements. These networks allow several people at once. Remember, the pirates are intelligent. You must be intelligent!

Two Dads: One Computer-Maniac, The Other Computer-Phobic

2007-12-10T23:15:00.001+08:00

I have two Dads. That sounds strange doesn’t it? One is my genetic father, and the other is my geneticist father. The genetic Dad I’ve only ever lived with for one year when I was an infant, while the geneticist Dad is what you would call a step-father, but I’ve lived in close proximity with him for more than 20 years. I feel close to them both. I connect differently with each of them but on a pretty much equal level. The reason I’m sharing my personal information with you is because I’ve just had a realisation about my fathers in relation to the area that I work in: computers and the Internet. It’s really quite interesting.

One father is a computer maniac. Whenever a new technology, software, gadget, or website emerges he is one of the first to grab it up and evaluate it. My other father has an old piece-of-crap box that looks something like a computer, with a tediously slow dial-up connection to the World Wide Web. Compared to the wireless, broadband Mac personal computer and mobile-connected Mac laptop of the enthusiast, they couldn’t be from further parts of the galaxy.

Then there’s me. I could be construed as being a walking paradox, an enigma, or just plainly twisted when it comes to my relationship with the computer and Internet sphere of life. Nature/nurture, genetic/environmental…For whatever strange reason, I have turned out to be a combination of the two papas. I work as a creative writer for an Internet web-hosting company. I love the ideas and valuable functions and tools that the Internet has brought to humanity (or was it humanity that brought it to the Internet?). However, I have issues and challenges when it comes to using these awe-inspiring machines.

Currently I am away from home in a different city visiting my girlfriend. At home (I am currently living with my parents-Mother and geneticist, as I’m going to live overseas soon) all I have to do to get on the Internet is open up my laptop and I’m on-line. If I’m at work, I go to my PC and all of my settings are stored and ready for me to use. While in a new place, things haven’t been running as smoothly as I would’ve liked. The answers are probably simple and easy to do, but this is one of the kinds of challenges that cause me to stumble. Although I am deeply interested and have a true faith in this new technology, I am a real novice when it comes to getting things done on someone else’s computer.

I brought my laptop with me. My girlfriend only has a dial-up connection which she uses with her laptop. I could use hers’ but she’s Chinese so a lot of what comes up on the screen is illegible to me. I don’t know how to change her language configuration. I’m used to doing it quite easily on my Mac, but her computer is a PC and I’m not as practiced in this other format. That’s one of my problems. I only have so much patience when it comes to working these technological issues out; it could be a trait passed on by my ice-age father (No judgement is being laid here. He just doesn’t feel that he can work new technologies out. He’s had a digital telephone answering machine for two years which he still hasn’t set up. He feels bad about it but his manual one does the job, so he sticks with it.). I’m also a little afraid to hook my laptop up to her dial-up line as I know from experience that I’ll have to change some settings of which I am not confident about doing.

So the next answer was to go to her university where she said people use their laptops wirelessly in the library. That sounded cool so I went in and tried it out. I even tried changing the settings to get it to work (It took courage.) but I couldn’t get it to work. I was weary about asking for help because I wasn’t really a student at that particular learning establishment. Instead, I’ve been using the library’s computers. This is OK, but since I can’t walk away with the files I create (I borrowed my girlfriend’s thumb-drive but an experience from the past of not being able to transfer information from PC to Mac deters me from using it-again, an irrational fear. I know it, and I will give it a try this week. I’ve resorted to saving my files in my email account as attachments. It’s not conventional, but it works.

Another issue I’ve had is getting onto my messenger service. The university computers don’t have it on their desktop, and when I tried to download an on-line version I was told that I didn’t have the authority to do so. I went to an Internet café, and I could do work there (I’m working on the road) but I feel kind of silly paying to get paid. It was cool there though as they had messenger with voice and video and I was able to have a conversation with my brother who is travelling around India. He could see my sister and me, but we couldn’t see him as he said the Indian computer devices (webcams, headsets) in that town were looking a little bit crappy in design and also looked worse for wear. It was heaps of fun making funny faces knowing that he would be seeing us. I think he’s getting lonely as he’s only 19 years old and has been away from home for over 7 months.

As you can see I’ve inherited beliefs about computer from both of my Dads. I find things more difficult than most, I believe, but I’m not going to give up doing my best to get the things done that I feel are necessary. Over time I hope to get over these little obstacles and hurdles and become proficient in all of the cool aspects of this new realm of human endeavour. I also have faith that the technicians and engineers are probably working hard to make things simple for the rest of us.

Whatever happens, I’m going to stick with it, and when I go to see my genetic father next I’m going to do my best to inspire him to buy a new computer with a Broadband connection. Then all I have to do is show him a few of the amazing things that this human created Internet tool can do. One of the aspects of the Web that affects me most profoundly is the simple fact that if you think of anything at all in the known Universe, you can then look it up on your search engine like Google and in the time it takes to blink your eye, immediately start to learn. It sure beats catching the train to the library, looking up a book in the card catalogue, searching for it, then finding out that someone else has borrowed it and is late bringing it back.

The 10 Most Misunderstood Terms In IT

2007-04-06T18:52:00.000+08:00

Here are the ten terms that we believe are currently the "most misunderstood" by those who work in information technology. The list is arranged in alphabetical order. We also list a number of terms suggested by our readers that don't quite make the "top 10."
We also list a second list of 10 most misunderstood terms, based on an informal survey of our fellow editors here at Whatis.com and TechTarget.

1) acronym
An acronym is not any abbreviation, just one that forms a "sayable" word. Apart from that confusion, acronyms and other abbreviations cause confusion any time a reader is likely not to know what the spelled-out version is. One Whatis reader said he was especially confused by "acronyms within acronyms" and cited the example of SAX (Simple API for XML).

2) ASPActive
Server Page or application service provider (ASP) - which is it? These are both frequently-used abbreviations in many development shops.

3) ATM
Automatic teller machine - or asynchronous transfer mode? IT people who work at banks sometimes use both kinds of ATM.

4) bandwidth
Does bandwidth mean "capacity or speed in general"? Or does it have a more technical meaning of how wide a broadcast band or other data channel is? Is it OK if it means both? (No one mentioned channel as confusing but it has at least six meanings.)

5) JavaScript
JavaScript is not the same as Java and some people tend to think it is.

6) kilobit
Is a kilobit 1,000 bits or 1,024 bits? Whatis.com says it's 1,000 bits but no one is very comfortable with their position. Since "kilo" has a power-of-ten origin, a standards group has invented a new prefix kibi to represent something that is a unit of (decimal) 1,024 or (binary) two to the 10th power.

7) NET
NET is Microsoft's term for using XML to define and share data across the Internet so that many application services can now be performed remotely. But the set of tools related to this idea keeps evolving and Microsoft somewhat understandably keeps redefining the details.

8) platform
Is a platform hardware (a particular processor and its instruction set) or software that will run on it (the operating system) - or is it both? Or is it just "whatever products are needed to run something on"? Although many readers understand the term in context (or may not care to make the distinction), this term represents many other such fuzzy terms that seem to come in handy for writers if not for readers.

9) server
Is a server a program - or a computer that is dedicated to a certain purpose? Often it means both at the same time, but sometimes it can be important to know, especially if you've just been asked to install it.

10) Windows
The term "Windows" all by itself is a frequent source of misunderstanding since different versions of Windows (95, 98, 2000, XP, etc.) offer different behaviors and problems.

COMPUTER

2007-03-27T07:30:00.000+08:00

A computer is a machine for manipulating data according to a list of instructions.
Computers take numerous physical forms. Early electronic computers were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers. Today, computers can be made small enough to fit into a wrist watch and be powered from a watch battery. Society has come to recognize personal computers and their portable equivalent, the laptop computer, as icons of the information age; they are what most people think of as "a computer". However, the most common form of computer in use today is by far the embedded computer. Embedded computers are small, simple devices that are often used to control other devices—for example, they may be found in machines ranging from fighter aircraft to industrial robots, digital cameras,and even children's toys.

A computer in a wristwatch.
The ability to store and execute programs makes computers extremely versatile and distinguishes them from calculators. The Church–Turing thesis is a mathematical statement of this versatility: Any computer with a certain minimum capability is, in principle, capable of performing the same tasks that any other computer can perform. Therefore, computers with capability and complexity ranging from that of a personal digital assistant to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks as long as time and storage capacity are not considerations.

The Future Of Bluetooth - What is the Future?

2007-03-13T18:59:00.000+08:00

Because it meets the basic needs of connectivity in close range, Bluetooth has a very bright future ahead of it. Bluetooth is actually the result of initiatives from nine leading communications and computer industry giants, including 3-COM, Sony,Lucent, IBM, Nokia, Microsoft, etc. Since the forming of the original group, more than 1,800 manufacturers around the world have joined the initiative. According to reports, the Bluetooth technology is expected to be built into more than 100 million devices, with over 670 million enabled Bluetooth devices. Resulting from the amazing success of WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), the adoption of smart phones and hand held devices, Bluetooth can easily have an amazing impact on your day to day life. Bluetooth is one of the key technologies that can help to make the mobile information society happen, by blurring the possibilities between home, the office, and the outside world. The seamless integration and connectivity that Bluetooth promises will make it possible to explore a wide range of interactive and highly transparent personalized services which were actually quite difficult to dream of simply because of the complexity involved with making such devices communicate with each other. Many Bluetooth pilot products have already been rolled into the market and backed by big vendors, which is a healthy sign for the overall acceptance of the technology. The support for Bluetooth isn't limited to companies that develop only Bluetooth enabled products. The applications for Bluetooth can have great impacts on other industries as well. The adoption of Bluetooth technology is expected to spread throughout the industry of computers. Unlike infrared technology, Bluetooth is used by many different wireless devices. Bluetooth offers exceptional quality for short range wireless, even going through walls and obstructions. While infrared is the biggest competitor at this time, Bluetooth far surpasses it, proving to millions that it is the wireless communication technology of the present day and age. In the beginning, Bluetooth started with version 1.0, then gradually moved from there. The current version is 2.0+EDR, with another version currently in development. The technology behind the Bluetooth specification always getting better and better, which is why it's so popular. In the future, you can expect the technology behind Bluetooth to get better. Bluetooth has proven to be the wireless standard of the future, offering you wireless connectability for hundreds of different devices. For cell phones or other forms of wireless connections, Bluetooth is the one technology that you don't want to find yourself

Email Storage

2007-03-13T18:30:00.000+08:00

As you receive many emails in a day, have you ever wondered where these emails get stored? The answer could be an email server or on the user’s computer system.
MS Outlook and Outlook Express are the widely used email clients because of their ease of use and user friendly features. While working on MS Outlook, the email files are stored in PST and OST file formats and an exchange server is maintained to handle the incoming and outgoing emails.
Now arise the common questions; what is exchange server, .pst files and .ost files and how are they used to store emails?

Microsoft Exchange Server

Microsoft Exchange Server is a messaging system which supports transfer of internal and external electronic messages. The application is widely used in organizations where Microsoft infrastructure solutions are used. The exchange server stores data in highly organized relational database with the help of algorithms thus helps in transfer of mails and manages communication between other Exchange servers also.

How does Exchange Server work?

As the Exchange server stores messages and manages incoming and outgoing process of emails, the working of the messaging server also becomes a crucial point. The process of receiving, sending and managing the messages by Exchange server is as follows:

Step 1: The client connects to the server and sends the message.
Step 2: The exchange server then processes the message and determines saving location in the messaging database.
Step 3: The recipient of the message is notified by the server.
Step 4: The client to receive the message connects to the server and receives the message.

The simple working of the exchange server makes it easy for us to send and receive messages, thus transferring data electronically.

MS Outlook – Personal Storage Files

“The file where MS Exchange server delivers messages”

The Personal Storage File (.pst) is the most robust storage container of emails and MS Outlook has the ability to store and deliver messages in the .pst file format, other file types can also be stored inside the PST file. But the PST file can get corrupt due to accidental file deletion, virus attacks or it can get damaged internally causing into data loss. There are number of email recovery and pst recovery software which effectively recovers mails and data from the corrupt pst files.

MS Outlook – Offline Storage Files

“The storage file where emails and other information can be stored, which can also be accessed offline.”

In the corporate arena, Exchange Servers are used to store email messages. The Outlook Offline Storage Folder (.OST) in Microsoft Outlook provides unique synchronization method with an Exchange Server and existing mailbox accounts. The OST file gets stored on a users computer system which constantly gets synchronized with the Exchange mailbox account, which results into duplication of data on exchange server and on the user’s system.
Access to .ost file requires an Exchange mailbox account, and if the mailbox is damaged, missing or removed, the .ost file will not open. For this you need to convert the .ost file to .pst file on your own or try the exchange ost recovery software.

Here I would like to guide you with some simple steps, following which you can convert the damaged .ost file to .pst file successfully in Outlook 2002 or 2003. This is the method which worked for me:

Backup the ost file(s)
Rename the outlook.ost file to outlook.pst file
Use scanpst.exe from Outlook 2002 to repair the outlook.pst file. (C:\ Program Files\Common Files\System\MSMapi\1033)
Rename outlook.pst back to outlook.ost
Run OST to PST which will then successfully convert the file to outlook.pst
MS Outlook will then open the outlook.pst file.

OST/PST file formats are very complex and are designed around relational database concepts. The messages in these files are organized in hierarchical format using folders to store the messages. If the above mentioned steps do not work in your case of corruption, then it might be due to major corruption which can be effectively repaired by the ost recovery software. There are number of OST file recovery and PST file recovery software to convert and repair your damaged email files.

The OST conversion software is such corrupt ost recovery software which effectively converts .ost files to .pst files which become inaccessible due to virus attacks, exchange server crashes, accidental deletions and database corruptions. The pst recovery software effectively repairs outlook pst emails with complete emails, attachments, email properties etc.