Recycled Cd Jewel Cases

Writen by Josh Riverside

Plastics have been used to produce compact disk jewel cases ever since they came into production. Once damaged beyond repair, these cases are thrown away and contribute to the accumulated, non-biodegradable wastes those governments and environmental advocates try to manage. Also, once disposed, these jewel cases bleed chemicals into the earth. Incinerating these materials only releases toxins that are the primary cause of cancer. Hence, there are consumers who have put this to heart and are finding ways to recycling compact disk jewel cases.

There are a handful of companies who not only seek to reap the rewards of their businesses but also promote earth-friendly ways to help the environment by recycling compact disk jewel cases. They ask their customers to return old or damaged compact disk cases and send back compact disks in environmentally safe casings. These containers may be binders or boxes that are specifically designed to meet a client's storage needs.

There are companies that sell recycled compact disk jewel cases. There are companies based in Hong Kong that offer a wide range of recycled cases that are very low priced compared to the newer ones. While the quality is not as good as buying new cases, they are 20 to 30% cheaper.

In summary, damaged CD jewel cases can be recycled. There are companies, especially in China that used recycled materials to make compact disk jewel cases. The growth in the industry has led to increased production and cases made out of recycled materials are in demand because they are less expensive than those made of new materials. Slimmer cases are preferred over bulkier cases, and they cost less to ship.

CD Jewel Cases provides detailed information on CD Jewel Cases, Double CD Jewel Cases, Slim CD Jewel Cases, CD Jewel Case Covers and more. CD Jewel Cases is affiliated with Printable CD Covers.

Should You Use Refilled Cartridges In Your Printer

Writen by Frank Bolsom

There are both pros and cons to using refilled cartridges in your inkjet printer, no matter what brand you own. If you listen to the manufacturers, refilled cartridges can damage your printer and void your warranty.

If you listen to the refill companies, on the other hand, the cartridges will work as well as the originals, at a much lower cost.

The truth is somewhere in the middle - here are some of the pros and cons of refill ink.

Pros

The biggest advantage of refill ink is the lower cost. They cost less than half the price of a new cartridge, and this can really add up over the life of a printer.

And no only do you save money, but you're also recycling the ink cartridge, which is better for the environment.

Another advantage of refill ink is the availability. If you keep a refill kit on hand, it won't matter when your cartridge runs out - you can just refill it. This is especially helpful if you run out of ink in the middle of the night or you use a printer like Dell, whose ink is not available anywhere except by ordering from Dell (and waiting for it to be shipped).

Cons

One of the biggest cons of refilled ink cartridges is they can be tricky to refill. The printer manufacturers are making it harder and harder to refill their cartridges, and if you're not careful you can have problems after filling them.

Air bubbles can form in the ink which can translate to splotchy printing. The refill process can also be messy, with spilled ink being a common problem. Ink stains are next to impossible to remove so you want to be sure you're not wearing good clothes or working over carpet when refilling your cartridge.

And finally, using refilled ink can void your warranty in some cases. If you have a problem and it's determined to be caused by the aftermarket ink, your printer warranty won't apply. You have to weigh the cost of ink versus the cost of replacing your printer and make your own call on this point.

Frank Bolsom writes about refill inkjet cartridges and other related topics for the Inketeria website. For more money-saving printer tips, visit http://www.inketeria.com

Dual Boot Windows And Linux Single And Multiple Hard Drives

Writen by David Picella

The internet is full of technical articles, many of which are way too complicated for the average computer user who just wants to solve a simple problem. If you pay close attention, the internet is also a place where the "gurus" spend a lot of time yelling for help in discussion boards and forums. So don't feel bad, nobody has all the answers.

So you want to dual boot Windows and Linux on the same computer—it is really quite easy. I only have enough room here to tell you the most common way to do this on a single hard drive or using multiple hard drives. Obviously then, there are many ways to get the job done, but there are some critical things you should know. Let's start with some critical information.

Windows and Linux: Same Hard Drive The windows operating system MUST occupy the master boot record (MBR). Linux, on the other hand does not have to. In this scenario, you must install windows first! After Windows has been successfully installed, then you can install Linux. This is critical! The Linux "boot loader" is called GRUB. When you install Linux—MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT INSTALL THE LINUX BOOT LOADER TO THE MBR.

Configure the Windows Boot Loader: A Two Step Process It is also possible to use GRUB to dual boot Windows and Linux on the same drive but this is a bit more complex—the Windows boot loader will get the job done. In the following commands, you will create a copy of the Linux boot sector and then save it in a file in the top level directory under Windows (C:).

Step 1: Linux From the shell in your Linux installation (boot from your installation disks): Execute the following shell command, replacing /dev/hda3 with the location of your Linux boot partition.

shell# dd if=/dev/hda3 of=/bootsect.lnx bs=512 count=1

Copy the new file—bootsect.lnx—to a floppy disk and reboot to Windows.

Step 2: Windows Copy bootsect.lnx to C: in Windows. Then execute the following command at the DOS prompt.

C:> attrib -H -R -S boot.ini

Edit boot.ini so that the first two lines are:

[boot loader] timeout=30

After the last line, add:

c:bootsect.lnx="Start Linux"

That's it, you are done! Reboot your machine and you will see a menu allowing you to select either Windows or Linux. Congratulations.

Windows and Linux: Two Hard Drives This is also quite easy. In this case, you will boot to the Linux drive. We will add Windows to the Linux boot loader (i.e., GRUB). GRUB is my favorite boot loader.

Edit the /boot/grub/grub.conf file. One of the very first lines should contain:

timeout=30

After the last line add:

title Start Windows map (hd1) (hd0) map (hd0) (hd1) rootnoverify (hd1,0) makeactive chainloader +1

Reboot your machine to the Linux drive and you will see a menu allowing you to select between Linux or Windows. Nice work!

This article is obviously short and does not include any explanations of how these commands work. There are variations on what I have shown here depending on your hardware setup, but I believe that these are the most common and should get the job done nicely. I would be happy to direct you to additional resources if this does not work for you.

Copyright 2005 Majella.us

David Picella is a Family Nurse Practitioner and PhD Student at UW Milwaukee. You can find additional technichal resources for this article in the technology section at: http://www.majella.us

Computer Consulting Business Know About Vendor Hard Drive Replacement

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

Many of your computer consulting business clients will come from non-technical, business backgrounds. As a result, many will not immediately grasp why a failed hard drive cannot "simply" be replaced by a new or refurbished hard drive.

As part of managing clients expectations, it's important to educate your clients on the steps that go into formatting a hard drive, loading the OS, configuring device drivers, loading software applications, customizing the OS and applications and restoring data.

Educate Your Client

As a computer consulting business owner, you know replacing a hard drive is not as simple as removing the shrink wrap and installing the device into the PC. But, many times, your clients don't.

Or they just assume that all the OS files, device drivers and software applications will "magically" appear. This all may sound really basic, but taking a few minutes when discussing PC warranties with your clients to explain these issues.

How does the Vendor Handle Hard Drive Replacement?

You need to know how your preferred PC vendors handle hard drive replacement under warranty service. What kinds of labor are covered if a desktop PC or notebook hard drive needs replacement under the warranty?

Some vendors specify that the hard drive device needs to be just physically replaced and operational, and recognized by the PC hardware setup program. Under this form of warranty coverage, the technician's job is done the moment the empty (blank) replacement hard drive is installed in your client's PC.

The Real Cost

Unfortunately, as most PC vendors feel financial pressure to reduce their support and warranty costs, your computer consulting business clients probably will be subjected to a no-frills warranty service approach. Hard drives for desktop PCs are relatively inexpensive, around $100 to $200 at retail.

So it's important for your clients to understand that warranty service on a hard drive replacement generally doesn't cover the more substantial labor costs involved with restoring the hard drive and system to the pre-crash condition.

If your clients outsource this work to your computer consulting business, it easily could cost them $200 to $500 (or more) in labor to get that PC hard drive back to its pre-crash condition. Even if your clients' internal gurus handle the work, this easily could pull these internal gurus away from their "real" jobs for a half-day or more.

The Bottom Line about the Computer Consulting Business

The expense of recovering a crashed desktop PC hard drive tends to be more concentrated on soft costs, which most times aren't covered by the PC vendor's warranty, therefore we see more and more reason not to recommend purchasing extended warranty coverage with entry-level desktop PCs.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting Blog. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg can help you get more steady, high-paying computer consulting clients. You can learn how too. Sign-up now for Joshua's free audio training program on the Computer Consulting Blog.

How To Find Tech Support For Your Computer Printers

Writen by Alec Boyer

Computers are becoming commonplace in homes and offices around the world. The problem is that most people know so very little about their computers, that when something goes wrong, they do not know how to begin the troubleshooting process.

The ugly truth is that we could opt to call the technical support phone number that came with the computer, but you never really know what you are going to get at the other end of the phone. You could literally spend several hours just waiting to get to a technician, and then once you have the human on the line, there is just as good of a chance that they will not have a clue, as there is that they will find your solution.

I know this because I used to work in a computer technical support call center. You would be amazed who can pass as a technician! For most new hires, the only pre-qualifying knowledge that is necessary is being able to navigate the current Windows Operating System.

Management feels that if you can navigate Windows, then you can navigate the database to dig up a solution. The problem with this kind of thinking is that the person at the call center is often lost to find a solution that is not yet in the database.

Of course, all front line technicians have a help desk to call, but in my own experience, help desk posts were assigned based on politics and not technical knowledge. We ended up with some real idiots at our help desk. Call those people once or twice, and you will eventually decide that you stand a stronger chance to succeed on your own, than you would be able to accomplish going upstream in the support systems.

The Business of Printing Support

Fortunately, computer printers do not break that often. But when they do, troubleshooting can be a painful process.

There are some basics that you can cover to streamline the troubleshooting process.

Be forewarned that if you ever crack the case of your printer, you should make darn sure to disconnect the power source before you do so. Printers that are connected to a power supply can actually charge you up with enough current to kill you. Don't take chances with your life.

Long before you get to the point of trying to crack the case to reach the internals, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take.

* Always check your power supply to see that you have a good, solid connection. I know that it seems the most logical step to take, but you might be surprised how often a powerless machine is discovered to be an unplugged machine.

* If the printer has power going to it, then turn off the machine and then turn it back on. Each printer has an internal brain in it. Removing power temporarily from the machine will force the computer chip inside of the printer to reset. Often times, this will solve any issues.

* Make sure that your printer cartridge is properly seated. Make sure the cartridge is in the printer the way that the manufacturer intended.

* Use the printer's "self-test" feature. The manufacturer has included this to help you to eliminate common printing problems.

These four steps will help you to overcome the problems most commonly associated with printers.

For a complete breakdown of generic troubleshooting steps, the following URL points to the most comprehensive and easy-to-follow checklist I have seen: http://www.5starsupport.com/info/printer.htm

Drivers Are the Software Applications That Power Printers

A driver is the software package that enables your printer to communicate with your computer's operating system, and vise versa.

The manufacturer of your printer sent out a software disc with the printer. On this disk, you can find the default driver for that printer.

As computing evolves, printer manufacturers upgrade their drivers to either improve the printer's performance or to keep up with changing Operating Systems.

Of course, you could go to a website that has been established to give you a one-stop shop for finding hardware drivers online. A couple of the most common sites of this type are:

* http://www.windrivers.com

* http://www.driverguide.com

While these global sites are good, they don't always deliver the most up-to-date drivers that are available from the manufacturer.

Here is an assortment of the Support / Driver Download URL's for most of the major manufacturers:

Brother - http://www.brother.com/E-ftp/info/index.html

Canon - http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=SiteMapAct&keycode=model&functionid=2&fcategoryid=205

Compaq - http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Product.jsp?taskId=110&prodTypeId=18972&prodCatId=236252

Dell - http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums?category.id=printers

Epson - http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/SupportIndex.jsp?expansion=1000000

Hewlett Packard - http://h20180.www2.hp.com/apps/Nav?h_pagetype=s-001&h_product=236252

IBM - http://www.printers.ibm.com/internet/wwsites.nsf/vwwebpublished/supportoverview_ww

Konica Minolta - http://printer.konicaminolta.com/support/index.html

Lexmark - http://support.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/selections.cgi?target=http://support.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/support.cgi

Okidata - http://my.okidata.com/home.nsf/solutions%26support?openframeset

Panasonic - http://www.panasonic.com/business/office/support/downl_drivers_printers.asp

Pitney Bowes - http://www.pb.com/cgi-bin/pb.dll/jsp/GlobalNavigation.do?moduleName=CustomerSupport

Samsung - http://samsungdp.com/eng/

Sharp - http://www.sharpusa.com/products/TypeWizard1/1,2230,18,00.html

Xerox / Tektronix - http://www.support.xerox.com/go/prodselect.asp?Xcntry=USA&metrics=HDR

The Unseen Printing Industry

Printers are cheap to replace as a general rule. If you have a printer whose transport motor failed, it might actually be cheaper to throw the printer in the trash and replace it with a new one. Sure, it might seem logical to buy a new motor and to replace the dead motor, but do compare pricing options first.

What most people fail to realize is that the printer companies are not making their money on manufacturing and selling printers. Sure, they do still make a profit when you buy your printer, but that is not the activity that keeps their stockholders happy.

When buying a printer, it really does make a lot of sense to compare the prices of replacement cartridges before you buy the printer. I bought a laser printer one time and was really excited about my new tool that is until I priced a replacement cartridge for it. $180 a pop for a remanufactured laser printer cartridge. Egad! That was more than I paid for the printer. I even bought a replacement printer for less money.

Sometimes, there is a challenge to find your printer toner cartridge at your local shopping center. With so many varieties of printers out there, most supply stores will not keep all of the various replacements on hand.

While it might make sense to go to the manufacturer website to buy replacement toner kits and cartridges, they generally charge a premium for those replacements. The manufacturer premiums can sometimes be as much as three times more expensive than what you can buy from a good third-party provider --- even when that third-party provider bought the replacement from a middleman. It is just like the airline industry. It is often cheaper to buy your plane tickets from a travel company than from the airline itself.

With the printer currently sitting on my desk, I save $14-$17 on my color cartridge by buying my printer supplies from Toner-R Printing Supplies. By using this third-party provider, I save $14 against the manufacturer's website, and I can save $17 against Wal-Mart's prices. On the black toner cartridge, I still save money buying from http://www.tonerr.com. I can save $5 against buying the replacement from the manufacturer, and I can save $6 against buying from Wal-Mart. And, we have been trained to believe that Wal-Mart always has the best prices. Imagine that.

When it is time to buy a printer, never think that the manufacturer has your best interests at heart. They are in this business to make the most money they can, period.

Alec Boyer is a writer for the "Your Domain URL Random Page Generator" tool: http://www.yourdomainurl.com

Best Tablet Pc

Writen by Steve Valentino

The race for becoming the "best tablet PC" is on. There are no clear verdicts, as technology is a dynamic thing that keeps on changing. Moreover, the issue is quite subjective. There are a number of different models of Tablet PCs, and a wide range of additional software and hardware pieces that enhance or modulate the functioning of a tablet PC. So what might be "best" for a student might not be good enough for a doctor.

A number of hybrid models are also coming up. These models can work as a PDA, mobile phone and tablet PC. Some models are convertible. There are many such categories. It is a complex task to compare the functioning of such equipment to declare which is the best model.

However, a user can choose the best tablet PC to suit his needs by looking out for certain features in a tablet PC. These features include high-speed processors, sufficient storage space in the hard disk, the latest upgraded versions of software, long battery life, wireless compatibility, the capacity to take speech inputs, and the weight and size of the screen.

Second- and third-generation tablet PCs are now available on the market. They are more advanced in terms of technology, and more effective in terms of functioning, than the first-generation tablet PCs. But those who have the latter can transform their tablet PCs by equipping them with certain accessories. A wide range of accessories is available on the market now, which can completely transform your ordinary old tablet PC into a modern machine that meets all your personal requirements. These accessories can also be used with the latest models of tablet PCs, to make them even more effective.

Tablet PC provides detailed information on Tablet PC, Tablet PC Reviews, Tablet PC Software, Best Tablet PC and more. Tablet PC is affiliated with PDA Pocket PCs.

Guide To Buying Printer Ink Online

Writen by Oliver Turner

The cost of printer ink is the sole concern for anyone using a printer. Buying printer ink online will save you both cost and time without compromising on quality.

The first step is to choose the type of printer ink you are looking for. It will depend on the purpose for which you use your printer. For plain black text compatible and remanufactured cartridges will work well. However, for printing photos and graphics, brand new cartridges will be the right choice. Printer ink refill kits are also available. You can also buy brand new printer cartridges from Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Canon or Epson.

Online printer suppliers have their websites and it advised that you visit at least four or five before making your purchase. The suppliers offer various price discounts and a visit to different websites will help in making the right choice. Prices offered by the online sellers are considerably less than those at the retail stores. It is best if you visit a website offering cartridges from various manufacturers. This way it will be easier to compare the prices. Printer ink is normally delivered free of cost or at minimum shipping expenses.

When you are buying online, it is not possible to have a first hand look at the product. It is advised that you always buy from a reputed printer ink dealer. Reputed dealers offer guarantees and securities on their services. Check whether your online supplier offers guarantee on their quality and service. Faulty printer cartridges are usually replaced free of cost. Buy cartridges that are compatible with your printer. Incompatible cartridges will not give you good printer quality and may also damage your printer. Compatible cartridges are not available for many Hewlett Packard and Lexmark printers. Check carefully before buying and don't get fooled by false promises and assurances.

We have tested all printer ink online sources and found the best one. Find the results only on the Cheap ink jet cartridges test. All about printer inks on http://www.leandernet.com/Printer_ink/Printer_ink.php

How To Select The Right T42 Thinkpad Model

Writen by Sabir Rizvi

Selecting the right T42 ThinkPad can be a daunting task if you do not start out with some clear objectives in mind. You will quickly realize how true this is when you do a simple search for the T42 ThinkPad at shopping.com. The search will return about 260 results. So how do you pick out the right ThinkPad from this crowd?

The first difference that you will note is that the prices greatly vary. This tells you that the specifications also have to be different. Therefore to begin to get a better understanding of the particular specs that you may want in your ThinkPad, a closer look at the components used is in order.

Although all T42 ThinkPad's are equipped with the same CPU Processor, namely the Pentium M type, the clock speed ranges widely between 1.5GHz and 2.1 GHz. Your choice of what processor speed to go for will be guided by two main factors. What you want to use your ThinkPad for and your available budget. For instance heavy graphics and video editing will naturally require higher processor speeds.

Still on the subject of speed, the RAM also differs ranging between 256MB to 1GB DDR SDRAM. It is useful for you to note that the T42 ThinkPad's that IBM ships, all have a 333MHz high speed RAM.

The combination of the RAM and processor speed to match the most common tasks and applications that you will be using with your ThinkPad will determine how fast you will be getting things done.

You will also need to decide on the hard drive capacity you want, which goes with an RPM speed. For the T42 ThinkPad, this ranges from 5400 on the basic low-end models to 7200 on the top range.

For most folks, the display size will not make much of a difference and will hardly be considered. For the few in graphic and video applications amongst others, the display size may be critical for what they want to achieve with their ThinkPad. There are basically two display size options for the ThinkPad. 14.1" and 15". The first will give you a limit of 1024x768 pixels maximum resolution while the other is capable of 1400x1050.

In addition, there are a number of Graphic Processors to choose from for your ThinkPad. They include:

• The ATI MOBILITY FireGL T2
• The ATI MOBILITY RADEON 7500
• The ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9000
• The ATI MOBILITY RADEON 9600

You will also need to decide on what CD/DVD combination you want for your T42 ThinkPad. You can go for the basic DVD-ROM only. Or you can settle for the top of the range re-writable DVD and CD combo.

You can also go for a ThinkPad with Finger Print Sensor technology, for a premium price tag, of course.

Ultimately the decisions you make on the specs that you would like for your T42 ThinkPad model will greatly influence the final weight which could range from 4.9lbs to 6.2lbs. This is important to keep a close eye on because there are people to whom the weight will be important.

Sabir Rizvi is a seasoned IT professional who writes for Notebooks Guide, an informative guide for laptop buyers. Visit the website to read more of his articles and reviews at http://notebooks.alwaiz-arts.com

Computer Power Supply How Much Is Enough

Writen by Michael Quarles

You may be wanting to build a new PC, or upgrade the unit you have now. Since computers require more wattage than ever before, concerns about your power supply are sure to surface. The question "How much is enough?" has to be answered.

Fortunately, simple math, and the numbers I'll supply with this article, will answer your question.

The first item to consider is your CPU. Some of today's high end chips require 100 watts all by themselves. If, for instance, you planned on salvaging an older case with a 250 watt power supply, and wanted to base your unit on a Pentium 4, you better think again. You might be able to save that case, but the power supply will have to be replaced.

The reason is all the other items drinking electricity from that same little well. Your motherboard will only require 15 to 30 watts, making it one of the more economical components. But a graphics card, of 128MB or more, will require another 100 watts. Add a hard drive, at 30 watts, and you've used up your capacity. There will be nothing left for RAM, a CD/DVD, or any PCI cards you may require.

How much more will those items need? RAM has to have 7 watts per 128MB. So, a 1GB module means you'll need 56 watts. A CD/DVD ReWritable drive takes an additional 30 watts. Those PCI cards are 5 watts each. Add 20 watts for a floppy drive, and extra case fans.

The total for all this comes out to around 380 watts! A 400 watt power supply barely covers it. In fact, you would be well advised to get a 450 watt or larger just to be safe. Not having enough power can mean a fried computer. They have a distinctive smell, like burned money!

On the other hand, you can design a power miser, like I did in my book "Building a PC for Beginners". It requires a total of only 214 watts, allowing me to use the 300 watt power supply that came with the bargain case I bought. It was built using a Sempron chip, and a 64MB graphics card.

Michael Quarles is the publisher of Monkey See Monkey Do Books.

The Psu Factor The Forgotten Component

Writen by Jason Busch

Lately, more focus on a performing computer system has been on one component which has been overlooked for several years: the Power Supply Unit. The PSU has been discussed to some extent in the past, however with new graphics cards, processors, and memory which require a much more stable power current flowing through them, the PSU is now becoming more of a central factor into the creation of computer systems.

The PSU Factor

In the professional business sector, having a stable and reliable power supply system was mandatory because if your power was somehow corrupt or inefficient, your business could be crippled for days, which meant serious loss of profits, and at the worst, permanent loss of business clients.

The PSU Factor, for some reason, wasn't necessarily discussed as much in the years before when creating computer systems for consumers. After all, consumers did not need such a reliable power system for their machines--or so it was thought. The question of why power current was not an issue several years ago, is still not answered. It could have been attributed to a basic lack of awareness, or possibly computer manufacturers didn't make it a priority in creating products for the consumer. What is potentially more revelating, is that many hard drive errors and operating system errors in the past could be attributed to a lack of a stable power supply and a lack of a more powerful power supply unit. Of course, we just simply won't know since there isn't much documentation and hasn't been much investigation into past computer issues. However, we do know many computer users are not having as many previous power supply problems when they are using more stable PSUs (notice I didn't say MORE POWERFUL).

Today, more computer users are focusing on stable and capable power supplies. It is probably due to increased awareness on internet forums relating to computer malfunctions. Only 5 years ago, there was not such a widespread availability of information about power supply issues and possible remedies for computer system errors. Another reason for increased awareness is the more demanding our components have become. When you start mentioning high-speed DVD drives, Quad SLi graphics cards, and Sli motherboards with two CPUs, the inevitability of a more powerful and stable PSU becomes a serious factor for an overall reliable and performing computer system.

Computer Errors? Check Your PSU

More than likely you have a power supply which is a few years old, and you never even looked at the specs of the PSU when you purchased it. And at worse, you purchased a computer system online so the power supply information is not readily available (unless you open your case and find the sticker). If you've had your computer system for around two years, it's time to get a new power supply and/or begin tests on it to determine if it's putting out the same power as it was when it was new.

If you are getting more computer errors relating to memory and hard drive errors, chances are it's a power current issue. Over a relatively short period of time, the inexpensive power supplies just burn out because they generate too much heat (the more heat a PSU generates is one indication of how reliable it is). A burned-out PSU is rather common if you purchase one which is amazingly inexpensive for the amount of wattage it claims to provide. You can find these $30-$50 WattBusters at just about any computer store. Now, for some applications, these may work just fine. If you only require one hard drive, integrated graphics on your motherboard, run minimum memory requirements, don't play games, and only have one CD/DVD drive, then an inexpensive PSU could be a valid solution. However, since the PSU is very inexpensive, you have to wonder what types of Quality Control (QC) it has undergone. So you have to ask yourself is the PSU really worth the smaller expense if it goes out just because the manufacturer didn't worry about QC and was only concerned with how pretty the PSU case was.

Higher Wattage PSU = Higher Electric Bill?

This is not necessarily true. This really depends on something called Efficiency. Efficiency is a percentage of the watts produced by a PSU when converted from AC to DC currents. So for example, if you have a 500W PSU, and its efficiency rating is 70%, and your PC is consuming 375W, this means the PSU is actually pumping out only 263W (262.5W), while 112W are being transferred as heat. Not good.

The other factor is how much your computer is drawing from the power supply. If you buy a 800W PSU, and your computer system only needs 400W, then you won't be using the entire 800W capacity of the PSU.

When you combine the actual power draw of the PSU and the efficiency rating, you will get an idea if your electric bill will increase. And depending on your former power supply, you may actually see a decrease in your electric bill. If your PSU's efficiency was terrible before and the new PSU is around 80%, then your bills could be decreasing.

Efficiency Chain Reaction

The Efficiency Chain Reaction, or as I call it, the ECR, is when the efficiency of a PSU is transferred to other components of a computer system. For example, if you have a PSU which gets hot and has a low efficiency rating (around 70%), then that heat must be driven out of your computer case in addition to the other heat generated by the other components. In turn, your computer will be hotter on the inside. More heat means less life of a component.

If your PSU has a high efficiency rating (80% or higher), then your PSU will be cooler when under power demands. Less heat generated from the PSU means less heat in your computer case, which means your computer fans will be more efficient in cooling down the entire system as they don't need to push/pull more air out of the case if the case was hotter.

Overall, a cooler PSU means a cooler computer system, which means a longer-lasting computer system.

Efficiency Caveat

While efficiency is a good tool in understanding the performance of a PSU, there are manufacturers who test their power supplies at unrealistic low temperatures to get a higher efficiency rating. Be sure to find out what temperature the efficiency rating was obtained from before you decide on that particular PSU.

Conclusion

When you're experiencing computer problems, please consider the PSU Factor. Your computer components may be operating just fine except for the PSU. That hard drive you think is corrupt or is thought to have bad sectors could be traced to an unreliable PSU. Your memory which sometimes gives you errors might actually be the PSU delivering varying power currents to it. That extra hard drive you added to your computer system because of a great rebate deal, and your computer system hasn't been stable since, could be because you finally tipped the scales on just how much power your PSU can take. It can also mean the PSU you purchased previously gave misinformation about how much power it could actually handle.

Inevitably, most of us are going to need to upgrade to a better PSU. The more efficient PSUs are expensive, but considering the alternatives of having your hard drive information being corrupted, memory modules being destroyed, and your motherboard being fried, spending a few extra bucks might not be such a bad investment after all.

©2006 by Jason Busch (DigitalDingus)

The PSU Factor: The Forgotten Component

A part of The DigitalDingus Guide To Computers & Hardware series.

How To Avoid Getting Rippedoff When You Purchase A New Printer

Writen by Alexis Allen

It's no big secret that printer companies like HP and Brother are marketing their printers with the cost of refilling the cartridges in mind. Just the other week my family and I were at our hometown Wal-Mart and we were amazed at the price of a new printer. With joy we threw it in the cart never once thinking about the cost of refilling the contraption.

Let me tell you, that was mistake number 1, mistake number 2 was not looking into all of the other accessories that you have to consider when you decide to purchase a new printer. Did you know that you could also be looking at some seriously expensive add-ons that are all consumables?

Should you decide to go with a color model like an HP Color Laser Jet you'll be looking at replacing drums, condensers and a bunch of other parts. Listen, don't do like I did research the total cost of the operation of the printer before you purchase.

Forget the local warehouse store, you'll be better off at a place with a knowledgeable sales staff that can break down the cost of daily operation in dollars and cents. There are times when a big warehouse store might be able to help you out but this isn't one of them.

Whatever you don't shop by the price of the unit! Ask some questions of the salesman, like "How much is a refill toner cartridge?" How many copies will I get out of an average refill? If you are purchasing a color unit ask how many cartridges there are and how much they cost. Also, be sure to inquire on how many color copies you'll get out of an average refill.

All in all you should be happy if you do a little research. When this is done you'll know what you are getting into and there won't be any unwelcome "surprises" down the road...

Alexis Allen is a self-described consumer advocate in the Home Electronics Industry. You can check out her latest articles at http://www.cheap-toner-cartridges.com

Hard Drive Selection

Writen by J A Carpunky

Perhaps the biggest mistake people make when building their computer(s) is to underestimate the importance of the hard disk drive (HDD). In our modern society, bigger is synonymous with better, so when you go to buy a hard drive you look at how "big" it is, its data capacity. But is that all you should be considering when buying your hard drive?

Like every other component of your computer, the HDD is far too complex a system to describe in any sort of detail here, but hopefully by the end of this article you will know what to look for when you go to buy your new hard drive.

There are 4 primary aspects to look at in a hard drive (in order of importance):

1. Rotational frequency and average seek time

2. Buffer size

3. Internal/external transfer rates

4. Capacity

Rotational frequency has become a large selling point (5400/7200/10000/15000RPM) recently, so you shouldn't have too much difficulty finding out what the rotational frequency of your HDD is when you go to buy it. Now of course the faster it spins, the faster it can read from the disk (there are other advantages also), but be aware that the faster it spins, the more wear is put on the drive, and the more likely it is to encounter errors and malfunctions later in life. Hard drives are pretty much the only systems within your computer that have moving parts (CD-ROM, floppy disk drives, and fans also have moving parts, but they're all cheap and if they break you won't lose all the data you've accumulated over the course of owning your computer, be sure to back up your data regularly!).

If you know anything about physics or engineering, then you know that moving parts produce friction and wear, and a faster spinning platter (the part that holds the data and spins) means more friction, and therefore more wear on your drive. Of course the faster it spins the faster it can read data from the platter. So what can you do? well again you backup your data as much as possible and you get the fastest spinning drive money can buy (which is 7200RPM for ATA devices (the sort you are buying) and 15000RPM for SCSI and some Serial ATA devices (you might get Serial ATA, that depends on your motherboard)). So look for a "7200RPM" label on the drive you're thinking of getting, it's important!

The "buffer" I'm referring to is the transfer buffer that temporarily stores data to read from or write to the hard drive. The reason for this is that the bus (data channel between the hard drive and the motherboard) can only handle so much information at a time, and it takes a long time for the data to be found and retrieved from a platter (random seek time), so it takes a big chunk of the requested data and stores it in a very fast data buffer to be sent at the bus's convenience. So with a larger buffer you can queue more data for transfer over the bus without having to keep sending requests to slowly find more data from the platters. Some newer drives come with as much as 8MB of buffer capacity, but it is more common to see 2 or 4MB. Usually a drive with a large amount will use that as a selling point and print it on the box/website, otherwise you can assume it has a 2/4MB buffer. My advice is to find one with as much as you can afford.

Now for the transfer rates you're going to need to do some searching, the best way to find these numbers is to go to the manufacturer's website and look at specification sheet for the model you're looking to buy (actually this is the best way to get all the information I've talked about so far). One thing to look out for is that you may read something that says 133MB/s or ATA/133 or SATA150 or 150MB/s, and these are not the numbers you are looking for, those numbers describe the bus connecting the hard drive to the motherboard, and are theoretical peak numbers, which tell us virtually nothing. Also, if you are buying a Maxtor, don't bother looking up actual transfer rates, as Maxtor is apparently afraid to release such information. Not to say Maxtor's are bad drives, actually Maxtor has risen to the top in terms of technical support and they are much more willing to replace broken drives than some other companies, which is important since some ridiculously large amount (something like 10 or 15%) of hard drives are either dead on arrival or die within the first few weeks of use. As with the last two points, when looking at transfer speeds (if you can find them) always try to pick the one with the highest numbers you can afford.

Notice that the first three of the 4 major aspects were all speed related? That was done intentionally to give you a sense of the importance of speed in the hard drive, because they are very very slow creatures, and for your gaming experience you don't need an enormous hard drive so much as a fast one. To increase speed substantially more you can set up a RAID, which is a network of hard drives which (in RAID0 mode) share portions of the same data, such that accessing data takes 1/n time (n = number of hard drives attached) compared to 1 hard drive. To do this you really need a hardware RAID chipset, which are commonly included on higher-end mainboards.

Finally, capacity is an unnecessary nicety. The smallest hard drives you can buy today that are still within those higher speed classes are all about 30GB, which is more than enough for your games. But since games are not everything, and if you happen to be an iTunes member or like to download anime then you will really want some extra space. So I would recommend getting something between 60 and 120GB, any more and you're going to be paying through your teeth, any less and you might be looking to buy a supplementary hard drive in a couple years. And, oh yeah, 300GB hard drives from Maxtor are out, but they are comparatively slow, so I wouldn't recommend getting one for gaming, I like to stick to single platter drives (40-100GB usually), as they produce less heat and are less likely to break down on me.

That is really all you need to know in order to make a good choice when upgrading your hard drive or buying one for a new computer. Of course there are many other resources on the web if you would like more detail on the inner working of hard drives.

About The Author

J A Carpunky http://www.computer-gaming-system.com - visit our website for further information.

Choosing The Right Motherboard For You

Writen by Sezer Bozkurt

The motherboard is the heart of any computer. It is that big flat board inside the computer that everything is connected to.

It performs the role directing information and connecting components. A motherboard is often overlooked when choosing components. This is a scary thought as the motherboard determines system performance as much as every other component.

Choosing the right motherboard does not have to be a problem, even though there is a lot to consider. We will start off with the larger parts and move onto the things that are less essential.

Firstly is the socket type. The socket is where the processor (CPU) connects to the motherboard. There is no compatiblility between sockets, so it has to be the right one. The socket connection needs to match the connection of the processor you have or the one you intend to buy for the computer.

Most older Intel Pentium 4s utilize socket 478. Newer ones use socket 775. AMD chips utilised socket A for a long time, but now the AMD Athlon 64 series and Semprons use socket 939. Just check with someone as to what yours or your intended one will have.

Your choice of chip will have a lot to do with your needs, but choosing one with an up to date socket type will ensure slightly longer motherboard life as you can upgrade the chip for a while.

DDR is the RAM of choice for most systems, but some newer systems, which includes all Pentiums with socket 775 use DDR2. These two kinds are not interchangable and have a different number of pins. Both DDR and DDR2 come in different speed ratings measured in MHz. DDR has a usual 400MHz denoted as DDR400 or PC3200, while DDR2 can go a little higher and comes in slightly faster speeds. Just make it match what the board needs.

A motherboard must be chosen carefully, to both match all the other components and fit in the case you choose. A little bit of research before you buy will save a lot of hassle later on.

For more great technology related articles and reviews visit http://www.technologyslice.com

Laptop And Notebook Computer Ac Power Adapters

Writen by Stella Blue

An AC Power Adapter is an electronic device which produces a specific direct current from the mains with an Alternating Current (AC). Although actually a power supply it is popularly known as an AC Power Adapter or AC Adapter. Laptops along with most other portable devices use Direct Current (DC), this also applies to rechargeable batteries which power laptops. Direct Current has a constant flow of electric charge in one direction and flows from low to high potential. Connecting a laptop to AC is unsuitable and dangerous due to the varying magnitude and direction of the current, which can cause an internal component to fail and even result in fire.

The AC Adapter carries out the following steps to produce the correct current and voltage to power your laptop or charge your laptop battery:

• Converts the mains voltage to a lower voltage level

• Converts the AC voltage to a DC voltage by a process called rectification

• Smooths out any voltage ripple

• Converts the voltage to the required voltage to power the laptop

The other well-known name for an AC Power Adapter is battery charger or laptop battery charger. This is an important device providing you with laptop mobility and frees you of restriction from using the power cord. Check the link at the end of this article to find the correct AC Power Adapter for your laptop.

Car and Airplane Power Adapters
This is a particular design of a power adapter which accepts DC input and output DC voltage required to power a laptop. Instead of a standard plug for a wall socket, these have a specific cable that plugs in the cigarette lighter. The 12V DC supplied through the cigarette lighter socket is converted to provide a different DC voltage. This power adapter can also be used in other vehicles with similar sockets i.e. Vans, trucks and even boats. Air or airplane adapters work in the same way.

Universal Laptop Power Adapters
Complying with most mains power supplies worldwide, a universal power adapter or power supply is able to accept an input voltage ranging from 100 - 240 V with a frequency range of 50 - 60Hz. A truly universal product. However, the term universal also applies to the array of laptops it can supply power to. Laptops are built to various specifications and the power consumption varies accordingly. Physical attributes also differ between laptops and are not limited to the power socket. Manufacturers of universal laptop power adapters supply various connecting tips allowing the adapter to be connected to various laptops. These connecting tips help the power adapter detect the correct voltage to supply the laptop.

Universal power adapters are also available for cars and airplanes. Supplied with different types of plugs to fit a car cigarette lighter socket or the in-seat adapter on most airplanes, such power adapters truly allow the user to be mobile over great distances. The 2-Power Universal Car Air Power Adapter can power 98% of laptop computers.

Stella Blue
Laptop Batteries and AC Power Adapters. universal laptop power adapters Universal Car Air Power Adapter

How To Backup A Pc

Writen by Marisa Pellegrino

Everyone thinks, 'it won't happen to me'. But what if it does? All your files, pictures and documents gone, in an instant. Sure, you can reach for the disks that came with your computer to reinstall the applications but what about the most important component, your data? Data backup is something too many computer owners ignore.

There are a number of things that can bring down your computer, some of which include a power surge, hard drive crash, careless mistakes, viruses, a fire or theft.

If your system did not come with a recovery disc, you should consider making a backup disc as soon as possible. This is important should you ever need to rebuild your system to its "as bought" condition.

How often you back up your data varies from person to person. It depends on the volume of data input, frequency of change, and the nature of your data. A general rule of thumb would be to back up anything that would be difficult and time-consuming to re-create.

How to backup data:

If you have Windows XP, it includes backup software; however, if you're running on Home Edition, it isn't installed by default. Once the software is installed, go to the Start menu and choose "accessories", then "system tools", then "backup" in order to run the backup wizard. On the final screen, you can press the "advanced" button which will allow you to automatically schedule recurring backups. The wizard also allows you to create a system recovery disc which will enable you to boot and rescue your data should Windows get damaged. At the end of this article, you will find a list of programs and software that can do the data backup for you.

You may think you'd like to back up everything you have in your computer. However, there is no need to back up software and applications since these can be reinstalled with the original discs. Most Windows programs now have a default for storing data within your user profile.

Backup programs:

There are a number of programs that perform data backup for you, some of which are described here. Ghost 9.0 creates full drive images, IBackup copies files to remote databases, and Dantz's Retrospect Professional 6.5 is a traditional backup tool. There is also free software available for data backup. For instance, Backup4 protects your data and features an easy backup wizard that allows you to schedule backups whenever you like. Disk Tools Image Maker is an easy-to-use disk imaging tool which allows you to create exact images of your entire drive. It works directly from within Windows so there is no need to boot from a floppy. Handy Backup is another software which makes an automatic backup of critical data to any type of storage medium.

Backup Tips:

Here are a few tips to keep in mind regarding data backup:

Don't procrastinate. Most people decide to back up their data only after they've experienced a loss!

Try to find a backup software that can hold twice as much as your hard disk so that you're able to schedule backups when you're not there.

Back up only what is necessary. However, if you're not sure, back it up ... better safe than sorry!

About The Author
Marisa Pellegrino is a freelance writer from Montreal and is the head researcher and content manager for RAID RECOVERY (www.raidrecoveryguide.com) and other sites.

How To Choose A Pc Case

Writen by Gary Hendricks

One of the most important but overlooked components in your PC is the PC case. Selecting a good PC case is an important step in building your computer, since it determines several things. It determines the number of PC components you can have, as well as how well your system's temperature. And heck, it also determines how good your PC looks!

Let's take a look at the different factors to consider when selecting a good PC case.

External Space

The first factor to consider is how much space your PC case is going to take up. Are you placing it on a tight, crammed desk? Or on a large desk? If you have the space, tower PC cases are a good choice. If you're short of space, you may wish to consider smaller mini PC cases which are getting more popular these days.

Internal Space

Another factor to consider is how many components you wish to fit in your PC case. If you're a computer nut like me, you'll want to fit in a good motherboard, CPU, a couple of hard drives, video card, LAN card, cooling fans, a CD-ROM drive and a DVD writer. That's a lot of components to be cramming into a PC case! Again, a good choice would be a tower PC case. However, with so many components, you have to watch out for overheating problems - make sure you deck out the system with a couple of good fans.

Motherboard Support

One thing you must absolutely remember - check that your motherboard can fit into the case! Some cases are flexible enough to support AT, ATX and Baby-AT boards, but others only support one of these sizes. Even then, you need to be careful - some cheaper 'ATX' cases don't really fit ATX motherboards. I remember buying a wonderful ATX motherboard and it couldn't fit into my PC case! Imagine my frustration!

Power Supply

Most PC cases come with power supplies. With more and more components being fitted into a PC, you will certainly need enough juice to power them. My advice is to go for at least a 400W power supply. Also make sure the unit is ATX 2.01 compliant to avoid motherboard compatibility issues.

Cooling

If you're a overclocker or have many system components, you'll need to ensure you've got enough fans in that case to cool the system. Good PC cases allow multiple (4 or more) cooling fans to be installed, ensuring good ventilation.

Looks

Just a few years back, PC cases were boring white boxes. These days, you can find a plethora of colorful PC cases - if you're concerned about your PC's 'look'. Many PC enthusiasts I know go for good looking PC cases that come in a variety of colors - red, black, green, blue and what not.

Conclusion

In summary, always remember to consider the above factors when selecting PC cases. For the average home or business user, a good, simple case like the Just 4 PC case is recommended. If you're a hardcore computer enthusiast, you'll want to pay more attention to factors like internal space, motherboard support and cooling. Cases like the Premium 2531 and the Ultra UV Wizard would be ideal. Just consider your budget and your needs carefully - then go grab that case!

Gary Hendricks runs a hobby site on building computers. Visit his website at http://www.build-your-own-computers.com for tips and tricks on assembling a PC, as well as buying good computer components.

Wireless Antennas 6 Reasons To Use A Directional Antenna

Writen by Eric Meyer

Most if not all wireless access points and wireless routers come with the standard omni -directional rubber duck wireless antenna. Omnidirectional antennas used in the wrong situations are such a waste of money and can be a secuirity risk. Directional antennas can be used to focus your signal where it's needed.

Reasons to use a directional antenna:

1. Save money- Long hallways are common in office buildings. Don't try to use the defualt Ominidirectional antennas on a long hallway. You will have to purchase more equipment to extend the bubble of coverage. One directioal antenna with a 60 degree focused signal would be able to extend your coverage area twice as far

2. Security- When your wireless signal bleeds outside your operational area you will attract hackers, crackers, leeches, wardrivers and social engineers. The higher the DBI on the antenna the more focused your signal is, so if you have an 8dbi antenna your probably looking at a 60 degree cove or signal comming from your antenna. A 14dbi antenna might have a 30 degree focused signal that might not provide the width of coverage you need and it might send your signal to far.

3. Less Equipment - Cut down on your epuipment that you have to install and manage

4. Shoot Signals around corners - Take an access point, two panel directional antennas and a signal splitter ( The splitter will allow you to hook two antennas to one access point). Now you can mount the directional antennas on a corner mount, shooting the signal down two hallways at onced. This solution is very common and will save you money.

5. Distance - Omnidirectional antennas usally have half their signal wasted by walls. Directional antennas don't have that waste they focus their signal in one direction thus extending your signal much farther that an Omni. There are two different types of directional antennas: directional and highly directional.

6. Smaller Profile - Omnidirectional antennas are hard to blend into an office enviroment or building. They stick out like a sore thumb and advertise your wireless network to everyone. Directional antennas like the panel type have a smaller profile and often look like lights or smoke detectors.

This articles purpose isn't saying that there isn't a purpose for omnidirectional antennas. What I"m saying is that most people don't even think of changing their antennas after purchasing their wireless router or access point. My next article will discuss the advantages of combining directional antennas and Omnidirectional antennas

Join the most popular wireless networking newsletter on the internet http://www.wirelessninja.com If you are looking for some directional antennas to boost your signal try these out http://wirelessninja.com/?page_id=9

It Consultants Guide Your Clients Toward Small Business Pc Hardware

Writen by Joshua Feinberg

As IT consultants, you may recall that in the early to mid-'90s, leading PC vendors began segmenting their product lines into two or three distinct tiers to meet the demands of the different needs of consumers.

IT Consultants Have Different Component Levels to Choose From

As the domestic and global market demand for desktop PCs, notebooks and servers began to soar, top PC vendors such as Compaq (now Hewlett Packard), Dell, Gateway, Hewlett Packard and IBM wanted to have PC products that would be highly relevant and compelling for various needs and budgets.

The Different Options

Enterprise customers, such as Fortune 1000 network man-agers, would pay premium prices but require incredible amounts of scalability, reliability and availability, stable and mature hardware configurations, as well as ease of manage-ability.

Home users would need rock-bottom prices to entice first-time buyers, as well as bleeding edge hardware components for gaming, digital photography, video capture and other Internet-era hobbies.

Small business users would need something in between -- not too stripped down, not too loaded up, but a very good mid-range value.

IT Consultants Can Compare Specs

Fortunately, the PC vendors also have made identifying appropriate products easier for both you and your clients. When researching PC configurations online for your clients, PC vendors' Web sites almost always will have separate Web pages and sections for each of these three market segments. This helps to make sure IT consultatns inadvertently don't recommend a PC with the wrong set of features.

IT Consultants Can Profit From White Box Computer Sales

A big percentage of small businesses Worldwide purchase white-box or clone PCs from local computer resellers, integrators and IT consultants. Visit the major PC vendors' Web sites periodically to see how your firm's recommended small business PC configurations and price points compare to what the major PC vendors offer.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Small Business Computer Consulting .com. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Joshua Feinberg has helped thousands of small business computer consulting firms get more steady, high-paying clients. Now you can too. Sign-up now for your free access a one-hour audio training program featuring field-tested, proven Small Business Computer Consulting Secrets.

Maintaining And Troubleshooting Your Laptop Battery

Writen by Bill Platt

The actual life of a laptop battery will vary with computer usage habits. For most users, it is not uncommon to experience differences in battery life, of anywhere from just under one hour to over two hours in each sitting. If you are experiencing shorter battery life cycles, say 10 to 15 minutes, it may not yet be time to order that new battery.

There are several factors to take into consideration when determining if the time has come to replace your battery. This information may also apply to that new battery that you have recently purchased, that has been giving you fits. The two primary things to consider when troubleshooting battery problems is Usage Habits and Battery Memory. We will cover both in their complexities in just a moment, but first, let us take a look at what you should expect from your battery's life cycle.

NiMH batteries usually last 1.5 to 2.5 hours.
LiION batteries usually last 2.0 to 3.0 hours.

These are average results and the results will vary greatly depending on your system's conservation settings, the temperature of the room and the climate that you are operating your computer in. As a general rule, your Lithium Ion battery will last much longer than your standard Nickel Metal Hydride battery.

Now let's take a look at the various usage habits to consider when troubleshooting your laptop's battery. These processes are very similar to the way that your portable stereo uses batteries .. just think how much faster your stereo eats batteries when you are playing the CD or the tape deck, as opposed to when you are just playing the radio.

The more you use physical devices --- which require more electricity to operate --- the more of the battery's power you can expect to consume. The devices that create a larger power drain are the hard drive, the floppy drive and the CD-ROM.

When the computer is able to use its physical memory resources to store information, the computer will use less of the battery's power, since the process is mostly electrical in nature. However, when the processes you are using exhaust the physical memory resources available to your system, the system will turn to virtual memory to continue the process at hand. Virtual Memory is designed to extend system memory resources by building a memory swap file on the hard drive, and then transfer needed information between the hard drive and the physical memory as required. Since the hard drive is a electricity hog, the use of virtual memory becomes an electricity hog by proxy.

Two other processes that engage virtual memory on your computer are computational programs and the calculation processes used by spreadsheet applications and database programs. Both of these items engage the processor to a greater degree as well, which in itself is a consumer of electricity. Because they both compute and calculate large quantities of information, they will also increase the amount of electricity that your laptop will consume.

Other physical devices that cannot be left out of this discussion are audio and display devices. As far as audio devices are concerned, speakers require electricity to run and the software that is responsible for producing the sound does so by processing information. The display panel consumes electricity as well. In fact, the brighter the screen appears, the more electricity that it is consuming. You may turn down the brightness on the screen, thereby conserving more electricity than you may have considered possible. And when considering the battery drain caused by video devices, don't forget the effect that graphics programs will have on your system. Video applications can have an intense effect on your electrical needs, due to its usage of computation, calculations and virtual memory.

Battery Memory is an odd little creature. The concept of battery memory is reminiscent of Pavlovian Conditioning. Do you remember the story about Pavlov and his dogs? Pavlov would serve his dogs food and when they realized it was dinner time, he would ring a bell. After some time of conditioning his dogs, all he would have to do to get the dogs to salivate, was to ring the bell. Battery Memory is a lot like that.

Battery memory is where the battery becomes conditioned to run for less time than it is designed to run. Say for example, you run your computer on battery for an hour and then you plug it back in to let it recharge. The battery will become conditioned to run only an hour before it runs out of juice.

To correct Battery Memory problems, you must completely drain the battery and recharge it. To completely drain your battery, you must go into your Windows Control Panel and select Power. Then you must turn Power Management Off. Next, you must go into your BIOS and make sure that if there is a power management setting there, that you turn it off as well. In most cases, once you are inside the BIOS, you will highlight Power Management and press Enter. Then locate the item Hibernation at Critical Battery, and by using the Minus sign, change the setting to Off. Once these steps have been completed, then use your Escape key to return to the top level menu, and select Save Settings and Exit.

Once you have completed turning off the power management in both the BIOS and the Operating System, you must unplug the computer, turn the computer on and let it run until it completely runs out of electricity. Then you should charge the battery for 12 hours. At the end of the charging cycle, then run the computer again until the battery is dead, and then charge the battery for 12 more hours. You should repeat this process four times, before returning the computer to its original power management settings.

As far as battery usage goes, it is recommended that you should use the battery once every two weeks, and keep the battery in the system so that the AC adapter can keep the battery charged at all times. It is also recommended that if you don't use the battery for more than two weeks, you should completely discharge the battery and store it at room temperature.

Copyright Bill Platt - All Rights Reserved

Bill Platt is the owner of http://www.LinksAndTraffic.com

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What Is Eeprom

Writen by Jestine Yong

EEPROM stands for Electrical Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory and also referred to as E²PROM. As the name suggest, an EEPROM can be both erased and programmed with electrical pulses. Since it can be both electrically written into and electrically erased, the EEPROM can be rapidly programmed and erased in circuit for reprogramming without removing them from the circuit board.

EEPROM is also called a non-volatile memory because when power is turned off the stored data in the EEPROM will not be erased or intact. New EEPROM have no data in it and usually have to program with a programmer before it can be use. Information stored in this type of memory can be retained for many years without a steady power supply.

What is the function of EEPROM? EEPROMs are used to store user programmable information such as: -

• VCR programming information
• CD programming information
• Digital satellite receiver control data
• User information on various consumer products

EEPROM in monitor performs two functions:

• When a monitor is switch on it will copies all data or information from the EEPROM to the microprocessor. For example, the EEPROM will let the microprocessor know the frequencies at which the monitor is going to operate.

• The EEPROM is used to store the current settings of the monitor. The settings of the monitor will not be erased even when the monitor is turned off. Anytime a change is made in the monitor settings, the microprocessor updates the setting in the EEPROM. When the monitor is turn on again, the stored settings are used to set up the monitor for operation.

What are the symptoms if the MONITOR or TV's EEPROM data is corrupted or damaged?

• No high voltage (no display).

• Horizontal or vertical frequencies run.

• Cannot save (store) current setting.

• Certain control functions like sound, brightness and contrast control does not functioning.

• On Screen Display (OSD) does not function or the OSD have a corrupted display.

• High voltage shut down (EEPROM set the horizontal frequency way too low or twice the line frequency perhaps leading to failure of the horizontal output transistor (HOT)).

What is an EEPROM programmer or copier?

EEPROM seldom fail, they just lose or have their memory (data) corrupted may be due to high voltage and static discharge from a monitor. Once reprogrammed they are as good as new. As mentioned earlier, new EEPROMs are blank and need information or data to be loaded in order for it to functions. The job of copying the data into an EEPROM is done by a programmer or a copier. Programmers comes in all shapes and sizes. You can copy these devices for repair replacement only. You cannot copy them for resale without a letter of approved from the vendor who produced them. There is quite a number of companies selling EEPROM programmer:

Typical EEPROM part no:
24C02, 24C04, 24C08 etc
24C325, 24C645AT17C65, AT17C128 etc
93C06, 93C46, 93C56, 93C66 etc
25010, 25020, 25040 etc

Jestine Yong is a electronic repairer and writer. For more information about electronic repair please visit his website at http://www.noahtec.com

Video Display

Writen by Paula Jones

Video displays are most recent technique used in both outdoor and indoor environments.

Video displays are used to display live actions at either sporting event, cultural show, or any industrial event. These are widely used in today's world's most busy parts and metropolitan cities to cover maximum audience possible.

These features at art, graphics and video using LED technology, which stands for light emitting diodes and world's most efficient and advance technology to produce light. As you can see, with the long lasting ability, minimal power usage, and excellent viewing range, LED's are a powerful and obvious choice for Video Displays.

Video displays became the first choice for business world, government, and with organizations as well. Not only this, video displays are part of the family of electronic displays with the first and extreme choice in the world of electronics and accepted all over the world to do renewable advertisement that is not limited to a single declaration.

It also offers video displays with stunning sharpness, shorter viewing distances and a smoother picture and is the leading manufacturer in the world of digital electronics. The video distribution system within many companies addresses each individual tile assuring perfect video performance over the entire display, regardless of size, shape and configuration.

In offices, hospitals, factory floors and even places of worship, these electronic signs are allowing people to spread information and messages to the maximum audience or group of people. This displays allows transmission of these messages without delay and widely accepted as outdoor signs.

Moreover, these equipments are easy to install and use. There are lot of customizing options, which include size , and shape with different mounting options with which, they can be hanged on wall or be attached by a floor stand.

About The Author

Paula Jones

Jayex Technology Limited, based in London specialise in advanced information display systems. Established in 1978 we have pioneered the development of the LED display market and now have over 18,000 customers worldwide. We offer, probably the largest range of models from small single line signs to big screen Megavision screens that can display live video and action replay in stadia.

jayex.co.uk

Cheap Desktop Computers

Writen by Marcus Peterson

You can get some fabulous deals online for quality desktop computers. And the best part about all this is you usually get a lot of free bundled goodies along with the desktop computers. You can get amazing quotes for desktop computers online, but most of the time there is a lot of fine print – so make sure you aren't ripped off.

Take some time to go through every offer carefully. AOL, for example, is offering a desktop computer for only $199.98 but you have to be an AOL member for 12 months at $23.90 a month! That translates into $286.80 more. So, don't just jump to any conclusions. Take your time, evaluate your needs and then look out for the best and cheapest desktop computers available.

Many manufacturers offer easy payment options, and there are a host of other schemes that enable you to purchase a new desktop computer that fits your needs. The best deals for a desktop computer are online, so you would need to go online and check what is available.

You can also get yourself a bare-bones computer kit. These computer kits are partially built, and let novice computer builders finish building them with cheaper parts. A bare-bones PC might include just the cabinet, power supply, internal speaker, motherboard, CPU and floppy drive. The CPU chip could be optional. A bare-bones PC intended for resale usually includes a low-capacity hard disk, CD-ROM drive, low-end display adapter and sound card, keyboard, mouse and speakers. Some bare-bones PCs sell for as little as $100!

With all this being said, there are a variety of options. And if you don't want to spend a lot on a computer, but just need it to surf the net or for educational purposes, a bare-bones PC will suit your needs perfectly. There is a desktop computer available for any budget – even yours. So get yourself one today.

Desktop Computers provides detailed information on Desktop Computers, Cheap Desktop Computers, Custom Desktop Computers, Used Desktop Computers and more. Desktop Computers is affiliated with Flat Screen Computer Monitors.

Pciexpress Vs Agp Which To Choose

Writen by Julien David

What is PCI-Express and AGP?

There are two ways to connect a graphics card to a motherboard, either via an AGP or PCI Express slot located on your motherboard. A motherboard only supports one of these slots, so if you're looking for a new video card make sure you're aware of whether your motherboard supports AGP, or PCI-Express.

AGP has been the standard for a long time now, but it is old technology. Its days are almost over, and it's only a matter of time until PCI-Express completely takes over and AGP is left for dead.

Advantages of PCI-Express

The benefit of PCI Express is that it can handle a greater data throughput than an AGP slot. PCI Express offers performance of up to 4 times faster than the fastest AGP slot. It's relatively new technology, and it isn't being used to its full potential yet. Although, we predict that games released in the next 1-2 years will make full use of PCI Express technology.

Another advantage of PCI Express is you can connect more than one video card to your computer for extra performance. This is impossible with AGP, since a motherboard can only ever have one AGP slot.

Should I Buy a PCI-Express or AGP Video Card?

If you're simply upgrading your gaming computer with a new video card, you should check whether your motherboard supports AGP or PCI Express, and then choose a card accordingly. Don't worry if your motherboard has an AGP slot. Even though it's not the latest technology, AGP is going to stay around for a long time. You can still find a great video card with AGP.

On the other hand, if you're building a new system from scratch, you have the choice. We recommend choosing a gaming video card with PCI Express, and a motherboard that supports it. As we said before, the games of the future will soon harness the power of this new technology, leaving AGP in the dark. So by choosing PCI Express now, it will save you the upgrade later when AGP becomes obsolete.

Another thing to keep in mind is not to confuse PCI-Express with its older cousin PCI. A long time ago you would connect your graphics card through a PCI slot on your motherboard. This is very slow compared to today's standards, and is never used anymore.

Hopefully this article has enlightened you about the issues regarding AGP and PCI-Express. If you want to know more about video cards and how to choose a good one for gaming, check out the gaming video card guide.

Check out Julien's website at Build-Gaming-Computers.com to learn about building a high-performance gaming computer. It includes modern information on choosing the best components for your gaming pc, and suggestions on which parts to buy.

Techniques To Properly Clean A Hard Drive

Writen by Cedric H. Dirose

Knowing when, and how, to clean a hard drive is important for every computer owner. It is important for every owner of a computer to know when it is appropriate to wipe the data off the hard drive and start again from scratch. While the computer hardware and software on the market today is generally of high quality and very reliable, both hardware and software do fail, and when this happens it may be necessary to remove the data from the hard drive, replace the hard drive or otherwise repair the system.

One appropriate time to clean a hard drive is after a failure has occurred. If the hard drive on your computer has failed and been replaced with a new one, it may still be a good idea to clean the failed hard drive. It may seem unnecessary to remove data from a failed hard drive, but the fact is that there are many people who will be able to recover data from the drive, and if you simply put it out with the garbage there is no telling where it may end up.

Many communities have recycling programs in place for computer equipment, and if your neighborhood has such a program you may want to dispose of the failed hard drive that way. If no such program exists, you can try magnetizing the hard drive by passing a powerful magnet over it, using a special wiping software to overwrite the data with useless information or even destroying the hard drive with a hammer.

It is also important to clean a hard drive thoroughly if it is to be sold or given away. When you consider that many of us use our personal computers for such sensitive things as banking, shopping and investing, it is easy to see how a computer in the wrong hands could easily put you and your identity at risk. Even if you have total trust in the new owner of the computer, you have no way of knowing where that PC and the information it contains will eventually end up.

That is why it is so important to clean the hard drive carefully and completely. It is not enough to simply delete the files and empty the recycle bin, as the files are still out there on the computer and will be quite easy to recover for those with the skills to do so. It is important to clean the hard drive by using a quality wiping program. There are many such programs on the market, including software products by Symantec, McAfee, Computer Associates and other large manufacturers, as well as some excellent programs written by independent programmers. These cleaning programs not only erase the data; they also overwrite it with useless information, making it virtually impossible for those with malicious intent to gain access to your personal information.

Cedric has been a technical writer of a computer magazine for over 6 years. He also has a website that helps people with their technical computer problems as well external hard drive reviews. Visit http://www.altsyssoft.com for a technical priority list on what items to look for when choosing a hard drive for your new computer.

Usb Flash Pen Drives

Writen by Damian Sofsian

USB pen drives are all the rage nowadays and are tagged as the next big thing in the USB flash drive industry. They come with a lot of added features such as MP3 playback, fingerprint biometric privacy and even built-in cameras. Most of these USB pen drives are not yet widely available but are showcased and even sold at computer trade shows and through the Internet. Most of these devices are expected to hit stores early next year but proper caution must be taken before jumping on the bandwagon and buying one just because you can. Since pen drives are new products, it is fairly safe to assume that better kinds will surface pretty soon after their formal launch. So it is best to wait a while before disposing of your USB flash drive for a USB pen drive.

Being about the same size as the standard pen, USB pen drives, most popular added feature to date is its MP3 playback function. A lot also have an LCD display for track browsing, and audio input jack and a rechargeable battery. The newer models also offer up to 10 hours voice recording and may even come with tiny speakers for added functionality.

Further, a lot of pen drives come with card reader support for portable memory formats. Some of the newer pen drives can double as a Web cam and a still camera because they have tiny camera lenses for snapping low resolution pictures. These units also come with mountable stands and for greater functionality as Web cams.

USB pen drive applications may also be used to allow the user to save desktop configurations, documents and even bookmarks and makes for easy accessibility and transfer from one computer to the next. It only takes a minute to display the personal settings and data from the previous changes including the updates and changes that you have saved in the USB pen drive.

USB Flash Drives provides detailed information on USB Flash Drives, How To Use A USB Flash Drive, USB Flash Drive Reviews, USB Flash Pen Drives and more. USB Flash Drives is affiliated with Promotional Mouse Pads.

Cd Copier Downloads

Writen by Kent Pinkerton

Thousands of downloads are available on the internet for burning CDs. These downloads can burn any type of CD, such as CD-ROMs, DVDs or audio CDs. There are whole websites devoted to downloads of CD copier software, which may be shareware, freeware or even abandonware.

Shareware downloads are mostly beta products, that means, they are released for downloading in a crude state. Based on public reviews, these downloads are revamped and then released in the market. Freeware downloads are programs developed by mega companies, which are to be used in conjunction with their other software. Real and Windows have many such copier software downloads littered all over the internet. Sometimes, copier software is bundled with other downloadable software such as music and video players.

Downloaded software makes it possible to burn or copy CDs. Many CDs can be copied at a time, in a multi-session pattern. Software increases the speed of multi-session burnings. These programs can also change the format of the files. They can convert CD to DVD and vice-versa. For audio CDs, they can convert the formats into Mp3, wav, CD audio, etc. There is also special software intended for special types of format conversions.

There is also game CD copying software. These enable copying of all kinds of games, arcade or graphic, onto blank CDs. Such software can also create crack files if they are needed to run the game.

Some of the websites that offer copier downloads need registration, which may or may not be free. The file sizes may be a few MB and the download time will depend on the internet connection used.

It is always advisable to have antivirus software such as Norton or McAfee installed on the computer before attempting any download. Also there are software which can help to accelerate downloads such as Flashget or Download Manager. Also, before downloading any copier software, it must be checked whether it can provide the desired file conversions.

Most copying downloads are shareware. They provide usage for a trial period, which could be up to 15 days or a month.

CD Copiers provides detailed information about CD copiers, CD DVD copiers, CD copier software, CD copier downloads and more. CD Copiers is the sister site of DVR Cards.

What Television Shoppers Need To Know

Writen by Andrew Gates

With all the changes in technology and program content, buying a tv set is not as simple as it once was. While it is easy to be tempted to buy the one that looks prettiest in the advertisement or on the showroom floor, it's not always the best fit for your circumstances. The following will help you make a better informed decision, and using Myshopping.com.au you can make detailed comparisons between set sizes, different technology, brands and vendors.

Measure where you will be watching.

It's important that the set you buy will fit in the space where you want to put it, and that it's visible from where you want to sit. Therefore, it makes good sense to measure the space where the set will go. You need to measure the width, the height and the depth of the space, so that you can choose a set that will sit comfortably in that space, with sufficient ventilation and edge space for installation and cleaning. You should also measure the distance to your cable socket if you have an external aerial, and be sure to allow sufficient space for rear panel audio and video cable connections so that they can be easily connected and disconnected.

Getting the right sized screen is a balance between the dimensions of the room and your viewing habits, and your choice of technology. A regular tv has a screen aspect ration of 4:3, (that is, the dimensions are four units wide by three units high) and its size is given as a diagonal measure across the screen. The most comfortable viewing range for a regular tv is to be a distance away from the screen that is three to six times its given size. For example, a 48cm regular tv is best viewed further away than 116 cm and closer than 232 cm.

Watching high-resolution DVD and digital TV on a wide screen set however, provides much sharper images than regular sets, and this means you can sit closer and experience a more immersive, theatre-like picture. With a wide-screen tv, you can sit as close as 1.5 times the screen's diagonal measurement and not notice any loss in quality. Sitting farther away than three times the screen however, means you're likely to miss out on the immersive 'theatre' feel, even though image-wise, the sharper pictures will be clearer from a greater distance. Conversely, what this means, is that for the same given room space, you can install a significantly larger tv if it's wide screen. So in today's market, you are faced with one major deciding factor:

Regular TV or Wide Screen

While the regular tv dimensions are 4:3 (see above), a wide-screen set has an aspect ratio of 16:9 (16 units wide, 9 units high) and this is the same shape as many cinema screens and movies. Wide-screen sets are more expensive per square cm of screen than a regular tv, and more regular TV is watched than DVDs and movies, so 4:3 sets continue to be a popular choice. However standards a re changing rapidly and almost all digital, flat-panel and rear-projection tvs are wide screen. While television stations frequently broadcast many movies in digital/wide screen format, a large amount of station-produced content is in regular format, but this too is changing. So it makes some sense to seriously consider wide screen.

Either way, there is some compromise to consider because one rectangle doesn't fit exactly into another. Wide-screen program shown on a standard tv has black bars, known as letterbox bars, above and below the wide-screen image. The alternative to this is to sacrifice some of the picture at each edge of the screen, and get the full depth of the picture. When you watch a program formatted for regular tv on a wide screen, black bars, known as windowbox bars, appear on either side of the picture. One alternative to this is to lose some picture at the top and bottom of the screen.

But one of the features of a wide-screen tv, is the ability to stretch, crop, or zoom the regular 4:3 image so that it fills the screen, ultimately distorting the image or losing some of its content.

Picture Quality, Audio Quality, Connectivity

Using an online shopping comparison such as Myshopping.com.au doesn't give you the personal feel of looking at the tv set on the showroom floor. However, once you've narrowed down your choices according to size and manufacturer specification, it may pay to look at some sets so you can judge picture quality for yourself.

So what makes a good picture? One of the first considerations is contrast: in order to have clear sharp and bright pictures, the screen itself must be dark. Screens that are two 'green' or 'grey' will not produce high definition images. Do this with any surrounding televisions turned off and an even light in the room.

A second consideration is the flatness of the picture tube. If you are looking at an LCD or Plasma screen, this is already flat, but with picture tube technology, flatter tubes result in less glare from windows and lamps, and less shape distortion. A flat tube screen will give you a better viewing experience.

If a tv doesn't have a comb filter, its resolution will be limited to about half the full potential of a DVD. While comb filters affect only composite-video or RF connections, sets with a comb filter can usually provide all of the resolution of DVD and will not have distracting 'rainbow' images where highly contrasting colours coincide. Comb filters include glass, digital, and 3DY, and different types provide different levels of quality, but ultimately, it's better to have one than not.

Digital and High Definition TV means that the ability for a tv to display a progressive scan image is also factor that affects picture quality. A progressive scan image is a feature of digital tv broadcasting and DVD imaging with a more film-like look to it than normal video.

For optimum television watching, you need to consider the quality of the sound too. It is now quite common for people to integrate tv and hi-fi equipment into a more complete home entertainment system, giving a more dynamic home theatre experience. Digital and High Definition tv and DVD, sound quality is similar to that of CDs, so it makes sense that audio connectivity allows you to connect into surround sound or other hi quality sound systems. It's worthwhile to check to see that the tv has a least one set of stereo audio inputs and one set of stereo audio outputs, as well as video input and output connectors. On the input side, check for RCA-composite, S-Video, and component video inputs. You can frequently find an additional set of audio and video inputs and/or outputs on the front or at the side of the tv, a very convenient location for more temporary connections, such as game consoles, web tv or video camera equipment. It can be terribly inconvenient if you are limited to only connections at the rear of the set, or only one set of inputs and outputs, which can often mean unplugging and reconnecting permanently installed equipment.

If you are intending to use a set-top digital receiver, make sure the tv has the correct connections, and that they are compatible with the receiver equipment. Using Myshopping.com.au you can search through a great number of brands for the correct specifications. Ideally such connections should be made with Fire Wire, DVI-D with HDCP or HDMI connectors.

Plasma or LCD

While there are still quality CRT televisions (tube style) being manufactured, the current television technology being pursued by manufacturers is Plasma High Definition or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display). The main advantages these two technologies offer includes the smaller space taken up (mostly in depth) for a bigger picture, less heat (and therefore less electricity consumed) generated for a bigger picture and the appearance of compactness through digital technology. But what are the differences?

In the Plasma tv over a million tiny glass cells are charged with a mixture of neon and xenon, behind which are coloured phosphors that emit light when energized. Each cell has a red, blue and green phosphor. When Plasma cells are charged, they emit invisible UV light. that strikes the red, green and blue phosphors on the back of the display, creating the pixels that form the image you see on the screen. LCD however, is a suspended liquid between two transparent panels that, when activated by voltage, re-position themselves so that they either allow the light to pass through the panel and or block the light, a similar process to turning on and off millions of light bulbs. The light source is provided by fluorescent tubes behind the panels. Both the lit and unlit crystals create visible pixels composing the image on the screen.

Many independent reviewers believe that manufacture's specifications of Plasma tv is not accurately portrayed. LCD appears to be both brighter and offer more contrast, whereas Plasma appears to have higher definition colour, superior viewing angles and faster response time providing crisper screen movement. Plasma uses more power than LCD, but may provide a more theatre-like viewing experience. Use Myshopping.com.au to compare the latest brands of Plasma and LCD televisions.

Remote Controllers and Accessories

All tv sets come with remote controls. Some come with what's known as the Universal remote control, a remote control that can control all of your media hardware. The remote control should be easy to use and it should address all of the tv set's functions. Many sets do not have function controls on the tv itself, which could cause problems if the remote controller is lost. Also, not every universal remote can control everything. Most are pre-programmed with a set list of codes, and if the codes don't match your older or off-brand gear, then you're out of luck. A few are learning models that can accept the IR codes from your other remotes and, thus, control any kind of gear.

A number of other features can be taken into account when considering your tv purchase. These might include picture-in-picture (PIP), or picture-outside-picture (POP), commercial skip timers, channel blocking (called the V-Chip), and tuner extras to make channel selection and switching easier. Additional accessories that you might need include additional cables, a good power surge protector and a stand. Service may also be a consideration and in some circumstances, an extended warranty or service package may be a good investment.

Search Myshopping.com.au for the different specifications and price ranges of the latest tv technology, where you not only compare the world's leading brands, but also the service and support of the people who sell them.

Andrew Gates for comparison online shopping service MyShopping.com.au. MyShopping.com.au helps you compare the different television from different brands in terms of specifications and accessories. You can also compare prices from hundreds of different brands and vendors