1. Why Windows slows down over time

    February 5, 2010 by admin

    Seasoned Windows users have a great solution for a slow Windows PC, along the lines of “format the system and reinstall everything”. Even though this sounds drastic and time consuming, it is actually the best way to go about rectifying the speed problem. However, this is not the solution for everyone as there are other ways to rectify the problem.

    Employ a registry cleaner. Windows registries can become bloated and fragmented over time. Imagine a football-sized filing cabinet, full of files placed in no order and imagine locating five specific files from that gigantic mess. Now that in the virtual world, is what the registry looks like after a long period of use. A good registry cleaning software will soon have you out of this mess. A word of caution, always backup your registry before you begin.

    Another fragmentation culprit is the hard disk. The data on this also becomes fragmented over time due to files being stored, deleted, copied or moved. Using the disk defragmenter that comes with Windows should rectify this issue.

    Uninstall programs you do not use as they load up services and files into memory so that they can function faster. You should run the registry cleaner after this operation, as some entries are not completely removed during the uninstall process.

    A virus scanner and spyware scanner are essential. As more and more of our functions shift toward the internet, we grow ever more reliant on online services. Unfortunately, this opens us up to attack from hackers and other malicious forces on the internet. Viruses and spyware can also be primary causes in slowing down PCs and hence, protection is essential. If possible, you should look into installing a firewall as well.

    These measures should have your PC operating at a decent speed. Regular maintenance will keep your PC in good health and help avoid many problems.

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  2. Firefox increases speed by 15%

    by admin

    Mozilla has been working desperately to stay alive in the browser wars and Mozilla Firefox 3.6 is an improvement over Firefox 3.5 but only just. In the battle for JavaScript rendering Firefox 3.6 is 15 % faster than Firefox 3.5, three times as fast as Opera 10 and over four times as fast as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8.

    Sadly, the Mozilla browser cannot compare to the browsing giants Safari and Chrome. Apple’s Safari browser is twice as fast as Firefox 3.6 and Chrome is almost at the same level. Between the two giants, Safari is only 6.5% ahead of Google’s Chrome browser according to the last benchmark test that was held between the two by Computerworld in November 2009. It is ironic that Firefox has been beaten at its own game as it was Mozilla about two years ago that was proudly parading the TraceMonkey JavaScript engine, which boosted JavaScript performance.

    Mozilla’s push is a continuing trend in the browser wars; even Microsoft has woken up and announced an expected performance increase in the upcoming version of IE. According to Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft’s president of Windows and Windows Live, IE 9 will give Chrome and Safari a run for their money. Based on the surprising stability and optimization of Windows 7, this bodes well for IE users.
    On the Acid3 benchmark test, Firefox 3.6 scores a respectable 92, only beaten (obviously) by Safari and Chrome who both score the maximum 100 points. IE can only manage 24 points.

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  3. How Clean are Your Computers?

    January 28, 2010 by admin

    Would you consider grabbing a sandwich after you touch a toilet seat? Would you consider eating a sandwich after touching your keyboard? Out of the two scenarios above, the cleaner option is the one that involves the toilet seat. Surprising, right?

    Studies have found that toilet seats contain 80% less bacteria than keyboards. This is because restrooms are cleaned regularly and hygiene is a priority in offices. The keyboard and mouse are not even considered for a complimentary wipe down. This is a matter for concern and must be taken seriously. The cleanliness of computer equipment that you constantly use is very important. Humans with their quirks such as nail biting, nose digging, rubbing the eyes, etc. transmit bacteria when at the workstation.

    Proper care must be taken by administrators in an office to make sure that these items are cleaned as well. This not only ensures better health for the employees, it also results in more productivity and less downtime for the office. The cleaning company must also be carefully selected, and the chemicals that they use for cleaning must be reviewed thoroughly before being given the green light. Improper methods can lead to a variety of incidents that range from letters being erased from keyboards to chemical fumes affecting employees.

    These concerns are not limited to the office only. Even in your home, you should make an effort to keep your computer equipment clean. After all, good hygiene is good living.

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  4. Why Are Printed Circuit Boards Green?

    by admin

    Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) are everywhere. In your computer, DVD player, Mobile Phone, Car Stereo, etc. Anything electrical these days is guaranteed to have a PCB within it.

    If you have ever looked at one, they seem to resemble a miniature city. The analogy (of a miniature city) is not too far off the mark. The tiny buildings are places where electrical signals need to go to and the roadways are the means they use to do it. PCBs have played an active role in the process of eliminating wires and miniaturization. In fact, you may be surprised to know that they have been around for over one hundred years.

    The underlay of a PCB is formed using a very thin layer of Copper and usually, several layers can exist in any given PCB. Sometimes Nickel is used instead of Copper but the idea is to have a layer that will allow electricity to be conducted. The top layer or the overlay needs to be made of a non-conducting material. For this, the popular choice has been Green Epoxy Resin. Since it is very effective and most importantly inexpensive, almost all PCBs you encounter will look green. The cost factor is very significant when you consider the millions of PCBs that are manufactured in the world today. Ultimately, someone will purchase them, and using the most cost-effective materials in production makes sense.

    If you are interested, there are many different do-it-yourself kits that are available, where you can play around and create your own PCBs which will perform a simple function.

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  5. Computer Maintenance Guidelines

    January 23, 2010 by admin

    Computers, just like cars and other mechanical devices, need to have maintenance performed on them regularly. However, this article does not deal with the hardware maintenance, but rather the software side of maintenance, which is often forgotten.

    Software, as most people do not realize, also needs to be kept in order. More often than not, the software that you get contains a few undiscovered bugs, some unpolished corners and even some loopholes in the code that allow hackers to exploit them. These can be fixed by installing software updates. In the past, the prevalent method involved manually checking for, downloading and installing the updates. Now, most software vendors have taken to the automatic delivery of software updates. This generally happens through the application you purchased, which is put into effect the moment you register. Whenever you see an alert for a software update, make sure you install it as quickly as possible. This is especially important in the case of operating systems, virus scanners and firewall updates.

    Other than this, you can take some steps to make sure your data is protected as well. Make data backups a part of your schedule. Once a week or in two weeks is an acceptable frequency. You should also scan your hard drives for viruses regularly, once a day if possible. Hackers are always finding new ways to infiltrate systems so it is better to be safe than sorry. One other thing you can do to stay safe is to change your password whenever you can. This helps keep any unwanted characters from getting into your system and stealing valuable data.

    The best way to keep track of all these tasks is to make a schedule with a checklist and stick to it religiously. This will ensure that your computer stays in good working order for a long time.

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  6. Used Computers Are a Good Buy

    by admin

    Computers and cars are prime examples of quick depreciation. The moment you purchase either of these products and leave the showroom, they have depreciated considerably. This has nothing to do with being cheated but all to do with the nature of the product. Once owned, the value is drastically reduced.

    Computers, in particular, tend to lose their value very quickly over time. This can hurt your finances quite a bit, especially if you had decided to purchase the top-end configuration that was available at that time. Computers such as these cost a lot more because they feature hardware that is not yet available en masse in the market. Therefore, you end up paying a premium. This is justified if you are a power user who is constantly at the computer using up every little bit of performance it has to offer. However, if you do not fit into that category and just want to use your computer on and off for email, surfing, playing a game or two, etc then a top-end purchase is a bad idea because you are wasting your money.

    A better alternative is to purchase a used computer. Using the theory of depreciation mentioned above, it is very likely to be able to purchase a computer with a decent configuration for a very low price. For example, a Desktop computer with a P4 processor can go for as cheaply as $90. At that rate, you can get one, use it as you wish, and not bother about taking care of it as if it does go bust at some point, you can easily replace it with another. This type of purchase saves you a lot of money and makes a lot of sense with the recession affecting the economy.

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  7. How to Connect Your iPod Touch to Bluetooth Speakers

    January 14, 2010 by admin

    Finally, the iPod Touch can connect to Bluetooth speakers. Originally, the iPod touch did not support Bluetooth out-of-the-box, but now you have to perform a simple software upgrade and ‘voila’, the iPod has Bluetooth support. Yes, this means that you had the technology to do Bluetooth based operations but had to wait until Apple kindly consented to allowing you to do so.

    However, there is no point in griping about it now that you can finally connect to other devices via Bluetooth. Before you run off to hook up your Bluetooth speakers to your iPod, there are a few things to bear in mind.

    Software version & iPod - First, check your serial number against the Apple website to determine which type of iPod you possess. You will need a Second Generation or newer iPod to proceed. Once you have confirmed that, check your software version number. To do this, simply select Settings-> General-> Version number. This will inform you as to which version of the OS you possess. If you do not have version 3.0, it strongly recommended that you upgrade to the latest OS available. This might involve a small sum (possibly about $5) but it will be worth it.

    Speaker instructions - Do not throw away the box and instructions that came with the Bluetooth speakers. They contain important information that relates their connectivity. More often than not, Bluetooth devices have their own peculiar way of being discoverable and more importantly, have their own unique PIN number. You will need to follow the instructions to make the speakers discoverable to you iPod and hold on to the PIN number so that you can enter it when asked to do so. To search for your speakers, simply select Settings-> General-> Bluetooth and turn your Bluetooth on. Once turned on, you will see your speakers as one of the discovered devices.

    Keep these tips in mind and you will find it easy to enjoy music off your wireless speakers, using the iPod.

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  8. Three Ways to Type Faster

    January 13, 2010 by admin

    As more and more people opt for work-at-home jobs, many are finding that the jobs involve a lot of typing. If you are one of those who find yourself in this position, it is necessary to upgrade your typing skills so that you save a lot of time. Let’s face it; single finger pecking is not going to get us anywhere, is it? So here’s three ways to improve your typing skills:

    Position - Your fingers have predefined roles in where they should rest and where they should reach. It is imperative that you learn them as those positions form the initial steps in learning to type. Look online for a free typing tutorial which will help you learn these positions.

    Practice, practice, practice - This point cannot be emphasized enough. No matter what you learn you must always practice it to be good at it let alone be perfect. Typing is a skill that requires a lot of practice to improve your understanding of the layout of the letters on your keyboard as well as to improve your speed. In your search for an online tutorial, you will come across many typing tutorial games. Go ahead and play them, you will find a fun way of improving your typing skills.

    Do not peek - It is probably the hardest thing to do when you start off, but try your hardest not to look at the keyboard when you are typing. At first, you will make many mistakes and might even get frustrated. But if you keep at it you will find that your fingers automatically move to the right locations without you even thinking about it. To motivate yourself, drape a hand towel over your hands and go through your practice sessions.

    Typing is like riding a bicycle, it takes time to learn but once you get it you can only get better at it. So practice, practice and practice away!

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  9. LCD Price Fixing Admission Leads to Nokia Lawsuit

    January 8, 2010 by admin

    On the heels of a Department of Justice investigation into LCD manufacturers comes a lawsuit that will hurt them even further. Nokia has launched a case aimed at making the LCD manufacturers pay after they admitted to price fixing efforts.

    Nokia has alleged federal violations as well as antitrust violations and is looking at trebled damages for the federal violations. The case seems to carry a lot weight as the LCD manufacturers have been documented to having agreed on production allocations and market shares between each other at regular meetings over the past decade. The companies involved are not small fry either, the big boys of production like Samsung, Hitachi, Epson, LG, Sharp and Toshiba are names implicated by the DOJ investigation.

    Nokia is undoubtedly looking to gain some financial buffering from this payout when it happens, as it most undoubtedly will, to prop up their tottering bottom lines. But who can really blame them? The inflated prices pushed on Nokia by the manufacturers would have hurt them anyway during the decade long period and this is merely payback. The problem for the LCD manufacturers is that they have already admitted to their guilt and this has the effect of dropping a pint of blood in shark infested waters. Nokia is actually the second company to files lawsuits (the first was AT&T), and that too in the U.S. and U.K., depending on the outcome, the other “sharks” will seek blood.

    The only thing certain about the outcome of this lawsuit is that the LCD manufacturing cartel is about to take the biggest hit in their collective manufacturing history.

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  10. The Pros and Cons of Laptop versus Desktop Computers

    January 7, 2010 by admin

    When choosing a PC the eternally confusing question is - Laptop or Desktop? This can keep you wondering for a long time, at which point prices tend to change and you have another dilemma on your hands.

    In reality the question should be - What is the purpose of this computer? If the answer or answers are email, chat, social networking or something similar, then it does not really matter what you get. Then the issue just boils down to the space you have to place the PC, Cost and aesthetics. But if you come with more specific answers like taking notes in college, drawing architectural diagrams, working while you travel, graphic design, etc then your choices are more clear cut.

    A desktop PC is bulky, but it offers more in terms of power, hardware expansion and much bigger displays. People involved in any type of design or graphical work and even gamers should only consider this type of PC. For those who are familiar in tinkering with the innards of a desktop, customizing and upgrading it is a piece of cake. It is also less likely to suffer from overheating problems and problems stemming from vibration, etc.

    Laptops have the ultimate advantage over a desktop - Mobility. It goes, where you go. This fact alone makes it the only choice for busy executives, students, researchers, etc. Laptops are portable and get smaller everyday; this coupled with the mobility and the aesthetics is a powerful package. However, a limited screen size, heating and fragility are problems when using a laptop.

    In the end there is no clear winner and quite rightly so. The competition really is between the manufacturers and not between the differing architectures of the Laptop and Desktop. They are two forms of the same technology designed to suit different purposes. Therefore, when you do decide, make the decision with the purpose in mind and you will not regret it later.

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