Can you even recall the days when there were no computers? If you can, then you know that back then, a typewriter was just a typewriter. Then IBM came out with the one with the ball. It was a really big deal because you could actually change the font.
The personal computer much revolutionized the way we communicate. Now the rest is history with some many applications, games; how can anyone live without a computer? Sometimes it seems as if there is only one type of computer, absolutely not true.
Like so many of us today, I have virtually been tethered to a computer for about ten years and I also thought that all computers were created equally until I began using an Apple desktop computer or Mac.
An Apple desktop computer is about the same as an ordinary computer as a horse is to a cow. The cow runs, well, like a cow. The horse (and the Apple desktop computer) is sleek and efficient, build for performance. Can you tell that I'm an Apple fan by now? Yeah? It is pretty obvious as it? The cow will do what you want it to with a little encouragement. The apple desktop computer lives to follow your commands just like the horse. The cow needs to rest and often quits working 'just because'. The Mac continues to go on and on and on because that is what it is made to do.
Daiei may think I'm just talking out my butt here but I became a true believer after a month with my Apple desktop and quickly came to the realization, it never once crashed on me. The 'cow' crashes all the time. Sure, if you worked with a PC for a long time, you'll need a period of adjustment to wean yourself away. Not that the Apple computer is hard; it is just a little bit different.
To open a file from the "finder" known on a PC as the explorer, you can't press 'return' that takes some getting use to. And here is another thing that is not the same with an Apple desktop. No viruses. I do not even own a virus cleaning system because I don't need it, although I keep a virus checker going in the background on my Apple desktop computer just in case. And what do you suppose it finds? PC viruses that have no effect on my Mac.
Another great advantage of owning an Apple computer is the automatic software updates from the Internet. It actually communicates to the Internet and automatically updates itself. No checking the website, no having to decide what you need. The complete shebang is updated automatically. Pretty cool, huh?
I always tell my pals, my Apple desktop computer is a real computer; the "other one" is nothing more than a pretender.
Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding the world of computers. You can get interesting and informative information by visiting Apple Desktop Computer
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Morgan_Hamilton
Dell Laptops - What You Need To Know About All Those Brand Names
Before we get started, let me say that I am not a Dell reseller, nor do I make a commission from the sales of any Dell computer you'll read about here. In other words, I am not connected to Dell computer in any way. I've just done some research on Dell laptops and I am sharing it with you here, no strings attached.
OK, got it? Let's go.
As you know, Dell produces a large collection of laptops and notebook computers under lots of different brand names. Here's a brief outline/rundown of what they offer:
Dell Vostro
Dell's Dimension is being phased out and a "value-oriented" line of laptops -- Vostro (Latin for "yours") -- has been created for the small business market. One great thing to note: Dell claims the Vostro line will not come with "trialware" (or "crapware") pre-installed. The other thing is that the Vostro laptops have an "upmarket" -- classier -- black finish with chrome trim.
Current Models
The following laptop models were released during July, 2007 in Canada and the US.
* Vostro 1000
* Vostro 1400
* Vostro 1500
* Vostro 1700
Dell Latitude
Dell's Latitude laptops are targeted at the corporate market, e.g., the road warriors. Latitude uses standardized, interchangeable parts throughout the line. After all, businesses want fast and cheap product service, right? In addition, the specs are meant to NOT change for several years (also for support purposes).
Note: This contrasts with the Dell Inspiron line which is aimed at the (fickle and flighty?) consumer market whose specifications change regularly.
Dell Latitude computers are also built with a more durable casing and internal metal frames. In addition, many offer hard drive protection systems in case the computer is dropped or suffers a severe impact.
Current models
Current Latitude models include the ATG, X1, D430, D520, D600, D620, the newly launched D630 and the D830. Select models based on the Intel Core Duo, Core Solo and Core 2 Duo are now available. The D420, D620, and D820 feature wide aspect LCD screens: 12.1", 14.1", and 15.4" respectively.
The Latitude D620 weighs 4.7 pounds, and the base model includes a 1.67GHz Intel Core Duo T2300 processor (667MHz front-side-bus) and 2M of L2 cache. There is an option to upgrade to a Core 2 Duo T7X00 processor (667Mhz font-side-bus) with 4M of L2 cache.
It comes standard with 512M of DDR2 RAM, expandable to 4GB, and four USB ports.
For graphics, it offers the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, and an option to upgrade to NVIDIA discrete graphics at the expense of lower battery life.
Dell Precision
The Precision brand name features the most powerful laptop computers that Dell makes. These include the M4300 and M90. The M4300 is a little less in quality compared to the M90. These computers, when configured for extreme computing, can exceed $3,000. The Precision line top-shelf: its nVidia Quadro FX 1500M - 3500M gives you super-high-end video graphics.
Dell Inspiron
Inspiron is targeted at the consumer laptop market. As of June 26, 2007 the Inspiron name also refers to Dell's desktop systems as well.
Current Configurations
Dell updated their Inspiron series in June of 2007 with the 1420/1420 N, 1520/1521, and 1720/1721 models.
* Inspiron 1420/1420 N
Small (5.39 lbs), portable models based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform. Both models have an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (up to 2.2 GHz), 14.1" display (up to 1440x900), SATA hard drive (up to 160 GB), and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4 GB). The 1420 features an integrated Intel X3100 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS. The 1420 N has an integrated Intel X3100. Dell also offers Ubuntu Linux as an alternate operating system on this laptop. Available in 8 colors.
* Inspiron 1501
Mid-size (6.19 lbs), mainstream model with an AMD Turion (up to 2.0 GHz) or Mobile AMD Sempron 3500+ processor, 15.4" display, ATI Radeon Xpress 1150, SATA hard drive (up to 120 GB), and DDR2 SDRAM (up to 2 GB).
* Inspiron 6400/E1505 N
Mid-size (6.18 lbs), mainstream models with an Intel Core 2 Duo (up to 2.00 Ghz), 15.4" display, SATA hard drive (up to 160 GB), and DDR2 SDRAM (up to 2 GB). The 6400 features an ATI Mobility Radeon X1400. The E1505 N features an integrated Intel Media Accelerator 950, ATI Radeon x1300, ATI Radeon x1400, or NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300.
* Inspiron 1520/1521
Mid-size (6.40 lbs), mainstream models based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform (Model: GM 965 or PM 965). The 1520 features an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (up to 2.2 Ghz) with an integrated Intel X3100 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS/8600M GT. The 1521 features an AMD Turion (up to 2.2 GHz) with an ATI Radeon Xpress 1150. Both models have a 15.4" display (up to 1680x1050), 160GB SATA hard drive (option for 5400RPM or 7200RPM), and 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4 GB). The notebooks also have the option to come installed with a Blu-Ray drive. Available in 8 colors with webcam.
* Inspiron 1720/1721
Large (7.62 lbs), high-end models based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform (Model: GM 965 or PM 965). The 1720 features an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (up to 2.4 Ghz) with an integrated Intel X3100 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS/8600M GT. The 1721 features an AMD Turion (up to 2.2GHz) with an ATI Radeon Xpress 1270. Both models have a 17" display (up to 1900x1200), support for dual SATA hard drives (up to 500GB - 2 x 250GB drives), and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4 GB). The 1721 also features RAID 0 or 1 hard drive configurations, an option which is strangely missing from the 1720. They also lack DVI or HDMI connections, which would be expected for a high-end desktop replacement, given their HDCP compliant graphics card and Blu-ray Disc option. Both models are available in 8 colors.
XPS
Dell has marketed this brand as an all-in-one multimedia system.
* XPS M2010
Software includes Dell's "Media Center" with an instant-access button to quickly start the system direct in this application, and it is equipped with an 8 speaker plus subwoofer audio system.
On the downside, the battery is only good for about 2 hours, but you are probably not buying this laptop to take on the road -- the system weighs almost 18 pounds. That said, it is fully portable and self-contained.
The case design includes a detachable keyboard with full-size keys and integrated trackpad, and flexible approach to screen placement. The base unit cannot be detached from the monitor, although the monitor offers articulation in two locations. The design incorporates a large handle which also forms part of the display hinge - the optional carry case uses this and does not provide a handle to lift the system, but it does feature casters and a telescopic handle to wheel the case around.
The keyboard is often reported to attach magnetically. It uses two large spring-loaded locating catches, but does not fix rigidly to the chassis. Instead, the folded screen holds everything together. But when open the keyboard does detach easily.
M2010 features a wide, flat CPU section with a symmetrical design - the optical drive is flush to the top surface and motorised. Internally the symmetry is maintained with the centrally mounted CPU flanked by two SATA HD drives and two cooling systems - the GPU and CPU coolers vent on opposite sides of the base.
The M2010 also features a unique option, the Dell Premium Remote developed by Gyration Inc. Using 2.4GHz RF on an internal board. Referred to in the service manual as a Wireless USB board. it uses the Cypress "WirelessUSB" chipset, which predates and does not conform to the Wireless USB standard. the remote offers basic HID functions and control for Windows Media Centre with an additional LCD allowing navigation of the music library in a style akin to an iPod or similar device.
The remote had been exclusive to the M2010 from launch. In August 2007 Gyration announced the Ultra R4000 remote which offers the same LCD-display functionality and has a similar appearance.
* XPS M1710
The higher-end mobile XPS computer available in black or red that features a 17" widescreen, Intel Core 2 Duo processors, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900GS or 7950GTX video cards, 7200 RPM SATA hard drive, and DDR2 SDRAM. The Inspiron E1705/9400 offers similar features, notably the Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processors, 17" screen, and the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900GS for a lesser price (about $1000 less than the M1710). The M1710 does offer unique user- and software-changeable LED lighting in the touchpad and fan outlets/inlets, as well as the lid, also including BluRay Disc Drive in some models. The system was marketed to gamers. It was physically identical to the Inspiron 9100. This computer was later replaced by the Inspiron XPS Gen 2 and ultimately the current XPS M1710. This model is highly expected[weasel words] to be replaced in the coming weeks.
* XPS M1330
This high end laptop, released in June of 2007, features the Intel Centrino's Fourth Generation Santa Rosa platform. It features a 13.3" screen either with CCFL or WLED. The WLED version will have a 0.3 Mega pixel camera, as opposed to the 2MP camera with the original CCFL screen. Moreover, XPS 1330 also features a biometric fingerprint reader, which was usually found in business class laptops like the latitude series. The XPS 1330, with the WLED screen is thinner and brighter than the previous XPS 1210 version. The XPS M1330 also offers the NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS graphics card as an option.
Conclusion
There you have it -- the Dell line of laptops. Hopefully you gained an appreciation of the similarities and differences between the different brand names.
For more info on Dell Laptops, visit Ara Rubyan's PC Laptops Super Center.
Ara Rubyan is computer networking specialist with over ten years of experience in design, implementation and maintenance. He is a certified A+ Hardware tech, a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and a Master Certified Novell Engineer. He also has over 10 years of experience in training design and delivery and has been developing web based training for more than 10 years. His background in training coupled with his IT knowledge means that you can rely on his advice and insight.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ara_Rubyan
OK, got it? Let's go.
As you know, Dell produces a large collection of laptops and notebook computers under lots of different brand names. Here's a brief outline/rundown of what they offer:
Dell Vostro
Dell's Dimension is being phased out and a "value-oriented" line of laptops -- Vostro (Latin for "yours") -- has been created for the small business market. One great thing to note: Dell claims the Vostro line will not come with "trialware" (or "crapware") pre-installed. The other thing is that the Vostro laptops have an "upmarket" -- classier -- black finish with chrome trim.
Current Models
The following laptop models were released during July, 2007 in Canada and the US.
* Vostro 1000
* Vostro 1400
* Vostro 1500
* Vostro 1700
Dell Latitude
Dell's Latitude laptops are targeted at the corporate market, e.g., the road warriors. Latitude uses standardized, interchangeable parts throughout the line. After all, businesses want fast and cheap product service, right? In addition, the specs are meant to NOT change for several years (also for support purposes).
Note: This contrasts with the Dell Inspiron line which is aimed at the (fickle and flighty?) consumer market whose specifications change regularly.
Dell Latitude computers are also built with a more durable casing and internal metal frames. In addition, many offer hard drive protection systems in case the computer is dropped or suffers a severe impact.
Current models
Current Latitude models include the ATG, X1, D430, D520, D600, D620, the newly launched D630 and the D830. Select models based on the Intel Core Duo, Core Solo and Core 2 Duo are now available. The D420, D620, and D820 feature wide aspect LCD screens: 12.1", 14.1", and 15.4" respectively.
The Latitude D620 weighs 4.7 pounds, and the base model includes a 1.67GHz Intel Core Duo T2300 processor (667MHz front-side-bus) and 2M of L2 cache. There is an option to upgrade to a Core 2 Duo T7X00 processor (667Mhz font-side-bus) with 4M of L2 cache.
It comes standard with 512M of DDR2 RAM, expandable to 4GB, and four USB ports.
For graphics, it offers the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, and an option to upgrade to NVIDIA discrete graphics at the expense of lower battery life.
Dell Precision
The Precision brand name features the most powerful laptop computers that Dell makes. These include the M4300 and M90. The M4300 is a little less in quality compared to the M90. These computers, when configured for extreme computing, can exceed $3,000. The Precision line top-shelf: its nVidia Quadro FX 1500M - 3500M gives you super-high-end video graphics.
Dell Inspiron
Inspiron is targeted at the consumer laptop market. As of June 26, 2007 the Inspiron name also refers to Dell's desktop systems as well.
Current Configurations
Dell updated their Inspiron series in June of 2007 with the 1420/1420 N, 1520/1521, and 1720/1721 models.
* Inspiron 1420/1420 N
Small (5.39 lbs), portable models based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform. Both models have an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (up to 2.2 GHz), 14.1" display (up to 1440x900), SATA hard drive (up to 160 GB), and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4 GB). The 1420 features an integrated Intel X3100 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS. The 1420 N has an integrated Intel X3100. Dell also offers Ubuntu Linux as an alternate operating system on this laptop. Available in 8 colors.
* Inspiron 1501
Mid-size (6.19 lbs), mainstream model with an AMD Turion (up to 2.0 GHz) or Mobile AMD Sempron 3500+ processor, 15.4" display, ATI Radeon Xpress 1150, SATA hard drive (up to 120 GB), and DDR2 SDRAM (up to 2 GB).
* Inspiron 6400/E1505 N
Mid-size (6.18 lbs), mainstream models with an Intel Core 2 Duo (up to 2.00 Ghz), 15.4" display, SATA hard drive (up to 160 GB), and DDR2 SDRAM (up to 2 GB). The 6400 features an ATI Mobility Radeon X1400. The E1505 N features an integrated Intel Media Accelerator 950, ATI Radeon x1300, ATI Radeon x1400, or NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300.
* Inspiron 1520/1521
Mid-size (6.40 lbs), mainstream models based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform (Model: GM 965 or PM 965). The 1520 features an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (up to 2.2 Ghz) with an integrated Intel X3100 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS/8600M GT. The 1521 features an AMD Turion (up to 2.2 GHz) with an ATI Radeon Xpress 1150. Both models have a 15.4" display (up to 1680x1050), 160GB SATA hard drive (option for 5400RPM or 7200RPM), and 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4 GB). The notebooks also have the option to come installed with a Blu-Ray drive. Available in 8 colors with webcam.
* Inspiron 1720/1721
Large (7.62 lbs), high-end models based on the Intel Santa Rosa platform (Model: GM 965 or PM 965). The 1720 features an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor (up to 2.4 Ghz) with an integrated Intel X3100 or NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS/8600M GT. The 1721 features an AMD Turion (up to 2.2GHz) with an ATI Radeon Xpress 1270. Both models have a 17" display (up to 1900x1200), support for dual SATA hard drives (up to 500GB - 2 x 250GB drives), and 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM (up to 4 GB). The 1721 also features RAID 0 or 1 hard drive configurations, an option which is strangely missing from the 1720. They also lack DVI or HDMI connections, which would be expected for a high-end desktop replacement, given their HDCP compliant graphics card and Blu-ray Disc option. Both models are available in 8 colors.
XPS
Dell has marketed this brand as an all-in-one multimedia system.
* XPS M2010
Software includes Dell's "Media Center" with an instant-access button to quickly start the system direct in this application, and it is equipped with an 8 speaker plus subwoofer audio system.
On the downside, the battery is only good for about 2 hours, but you are probably not buying this laptop to take on the road -- the system weighs almost 18 pounds. That said, it is fully portable and self-contained.
The case design includes a detachable keyboard with full-size keys and integrated trackpad, and flexible approach to screen placement. The base unit cannot be detached from the monitor, although the monitor offers articulation in two locations. The design incorporates a large handle which also forms part of the display hinge - the optional carry case uses this and does not provide a handle to lift the system, but it does feature casters and a telescopic handle to wheel the case around.
The keyboard is often reported to attach magnetically. It uses two large spring-loaded locating catches, but does not fix rigidly to the chassis. Instead, the folded screen holds everything together. But when open the keyboard does detach easily.
M2010 features a wide, flat CPU section with a symmetrical design - the optical drive is flush to the top surface and motorised. Internally the symmetry is maintained with the centrally mounted CPU flanked by two SATA HD drives and two cooling systems - the GPU and CPU coolers vent on opposite sides of the base.
The M2010 also features a unique option, the Dell Premium Remote developed by Gyration Inc. Using 2.4GHz RF on an internal board. Referred to in the service manual as a Wireless USB board. it uses the Cypress "WirelessUSB" chipset, which predates and does not conform to the Wireless USB standard. the remote offers basic HID functions and control for Windows Media Centre with an additional LCD allowing navigation of the music library in a style akin to an iPod or similar device.
The remote had been exclusive to the M2010 from launch. In August 2007 Gyration announced the Ultra R4000 remote which offers the same LCD-display functionality and has a similar appearance.
* XPS M1710
The higher-end mobile XPS computer available in black or red that features a 17" widescreen, Intel Core 2 Duo processors, NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900GS or 7950GTX video cards, 7200 RPM SATA hard drive, and DDR2 SDRAM. The Inspiron E1705/9400 offers similar features, notably the Core Duo or Core 2 Duo processors, 17" screen, and the NVIDIA GeForce Go 7900GS for a lesser price (about $1000 less than the M1710). The M1710 does offer unique user- and software-changeable LED lighting in the touchpad and fan outlets/inlets, as well as the lid, also including BluRay Disc Drive in some models. The system was marketed to gamers. It was physically identical to the Inspiron 9100. This computer was later replaced by the Inspiron XPS Gen 2 and ultimately the current XPS M1710. This model is highly expected[weasel words] to be replaced in the coming weeks.
* XPS M1330
This high end laptop, released in June of 2007, features the Intel Centrino's Fourth Generation Santa Rosa platform. It features a 13.3" screen either with CCFL or WLED. The WLED version will have a 0.3 Mega pixel camera, as opposed to the 2MP camera with the original CCFL screen. Moreover, XPS 1330 also features a biometric fingerprint reader, which was usually found in business class laptops like the latitude series. The XPS 1330, with the WLED screen is thinner and brighter than the previous XPS 1210 version. The XPS M1330 also offers the NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS graphics card as an option.
Conclusion
There you have it -- the Dell line of laptops. Hopefully you gained an appreciation of the similarities and differences between the different brand names.
For more info on Dell Laptops, visit Ara Rubyan's PC Laptops Super Center.
Ara Rubyan is computer networking specialist with over ten years of experience in design, implementation and maintenance. He is a certified A+ Hardware tech, a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, and a Master Certified Novell Engineer. He also has over 10 years of experience in training design and delivery and has been developing web based training for more than 10 years. His background in training coupled with his IT knowledge means that you can rely on his advice and insight.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ara_Rubyan
Top Computer Virus Threats in 2008
Computer Virus threats are neither surprising nor new on the Web. They are stepping towards newer technologies such as VoIP and instant messengers. With advancement in the features available on the Internet, hackers continue to drive malware. This underlines an importance of being aware and secure when traversing the Web. Antivirus Installation is must in each and every computer attached to Internet.
Predictions for top security threats in 2008 are:
• Increase in Password Staling Websites: There will certainly be a rise in the number of attacks seeking to capture a user's ID and password by displaying fake sign-in pages. Online services will primarily be targeted to spread virus and malware. As opposed to this, the attacks on ISPs are likely to decline, while those aimed at the financial sector will move with the same pace.
• Increase in Spamming: Spamming will continue to grow, accounting for 40 per cent of the total spam received as compared to 10 per cent a year ago. There has been a significant rise in the incidence of image spam and others such as pump-and-dump stocks, pharmacy, and degree spam.
• Increase in IM Attacks: Instant messaging client is gaining wide popularity among Internet-savvy. They are always in search of better messengers to communicate on the web. Since instant messengers feature a number of exclusive features such as file transfer & webcam support, the virus attacks on these applications may increase in near future.
• Increase in Online Gaming Attacks: Online gaming is both the source of entertainment and money for several companies which allow their registered members to buy virtual goods to continue the game. The computer virus attackers may try to target these virtual goods to make real money.
• Increase in Windows Vista Attacks: The attackers and hackers generally seek to take advantage of flaws present in the operating systems. Since Windows Vista, the latest version of Microsoft Windows is believed to be affected by critical vulnerabilities, the hackers may try to inject virus into the affected systems.
• Increase in Phishing Attacks: Phishing attacks are expected to be one of the top 10 threats in 2008. With growth in number of incidence of using copies of original websites to trick the users to get their sensitive data, the phishing attacks can increase.
Mark A is a part of the content team for Iyogi. Iyogi provides Antivirus setup, certified technicians to Install Antivirus and scan computer, antivirus installation, latest antivirus updates, computer support, pc repair services, technical support, it support and services, over the phone and via remote access.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_A
Predictions for top security threats in 2008 are:
• Increase in Password Staling Websites: There will certainly be a rise in the number of attacks seeking to capture a user's ID and password by displaying fake sign-in pages. Online services will primarily be targeted to spread virus and malware. As opposed to this, the attacks on ISPs are likely to decline, while those aimed at the financial sector will move with the same pace.
• Increase in Spamming: Spamming will continue to grow, accounting for 40 per cent of the total spam received as compared to 10 per cent a year ago. There has been a significant rise in the incidence of image spam and others such as pump-and-dump stocks, pharmacy, and degree spam.
• Increase in IM Attacks: Instant messaging client is gaining wide popularity among Internet-savvy. They are always in search of better messengers to communicate on the web. Since instant messengers feature a number of exclusive features such as file transfer & webcam support, the virus attacks on these applications may increase in near future.
• Increase in Online Gaming Attacks: Online gaming is both the source of entertainment and money for several companies which allow their registered members to buy virtual goods to continue the game. The computer virus attackers may try to target these virtual goods to make real money.
• Increase in Windows Vista Attacks: The attackers and hackers generally seek to take advantage of flaws present in the operating systems. Since Windows Vista, the latest version of Microsoft Windows is believed to be affected by critical vulnerabilities, the hackers may try to inject virus into the affected systems.
• Increase in Phishing Attacks: Phishing attacks are expected to be one of the top 10 threats in 2008. With growth in number of incidence of using copies of original websites to trick the users to get their sensitive data, the phishing attacks can increase.
Mark A is a part of the content team for Iyogi. Iyogi provides Antivirus setup, certified technicians to Install Antivirus and scan computer, antivirus installation, latest antivirus updates, computer support, pc repair services, technical support, it support and services, over the phone and via remote access.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_A
Review of HP, Sony, and Compaq Laptops
So do you prefer to call them laptops or do you prefer to call them notebooks. I am partial to notebooks as I never keep them on top of my lap. Jokes apart, purchasing a new notebook computer is really tough.
If you were to read the ads then each computer sounds better than the cat's whiskers. But when you look close, they all look similar. At least the similarly priced ones tend to be similar. So, is there really a difference between one laptop and another? Or should I say one notebook and another?
To answer this very question, I am going to look at three popular computers that are currently on sale and compare them. The read can then take this to be the starting point and evaluate many other options to find the one that works best for them.
First of all, let us consider the HP Pavilion DV6426US, a machine that I powered by the Intel Core Duo Processor T2450. This multithreaded architecture based micro processor is well optimized for multi-tasking based performance. The fact that this notebook comes installed with 1 GB RAM should help run many of the contemporary popular applications at a good speed. It has a 160 GB Hard Drive which is nothing spectacular, but should do the trick in most cases. And the bundled operating system is the Microsoft Vista Premium. And I really like notebooks that come with an integrated WebCam. This HP laptop sure has one of those. In the absence of such a webcam, attempting Video IM becomes a serious pain.
Second let us consider the Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E/B. This laptop too is powered by a Duo Processor, in this case the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7100. It beats the HP one in terms of RAM, as it comes with 2 GB RAM. Its hard disk is bigger at 200 GB. So, if Freud was right and size does matter then, well, this one has the bigger Hard Drive. The duo-core multithreading micro processor will deliver performance similar to the HP machine. This laptop comes with Microsoft Vista Home Premium.
Finally let us look at the Compaq Presario F572US. Like both the previous machines, this one too has a 15.4" screen. Though it has a dual-core micro processor, the Compaq uses the AMD Athlon 64 Processor TK-53 and not an Intel based processor like the other two I wrote about. Also it has 1 GB RAM like the HP machine. Where I think it scores lower is in its hard disk capacity, a mere 80 GB. It also comes with the Microsoft Vista Premium.
All in all, the machines have pros and cons. I have not listed prices here, as they would change faster than I could type them out. But, make sure to look at the prices too.
Want a great deal, get HP Coupons from HP.com. Visit us for Laptop Coupons
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ajeet_Khurana
If you were to read the ads then each computer sounds better than the cat's whiskers. But when you look close, they all look similar. At least the similarly priced ones tend to be similar. So, is there really a difference between one laptop and another? Or should I say one notebook and another?
To answer this very question, I am going to look at three popular computers that are currently on sale and compare them. The read can then take this to be the starting point and evaluate many other options to find the one that works best for them.
First of all, let us consider the HP Pavilion DV6426US, a machine that I powered by the Intel Core Duo Processor T2450. This multithreaded architecture based micro processor is well optimized for multi-tasking based performance. The fact that this notebook comes installed with 1 GB RAM should help run many of the contemporary popular applications at a good speed. It has a 160 GB Hard Drive which is nothing spectacular, but should do the trick in most cases. And the bundled operating system is the Microsoft Vista Premium. And I really like notebooks that come with an integrated WebCam. This HP laptop sure has one of those. In the absence of such a webcam, attempting Video IM becomes a serious pain.
Second let us consider the Sony VAIO VGN-FZ140E/B. This laptop too is powered by a Duo Processor, in this case the Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T7100. It beats the HP one in terms of RAM, as it comes with 2 GB RAM. Its hard disk is bigger at 200 GB. So, if Freud was right and size does matter then, well, this one has the bigger Hard Drive. The duo-core multithreading micro processor will deliver performance similar to the HP machine. This laptop comes with Microsoft Vista Home Premium.
Finally let us look at the Compaq Presario F572US. Like both the previous machines, this one too has a 15.4" screen. Though it has a dual-core micro processor, the Compaq uses the AMD Athlon 64 Processor TK-53 and not an Intel based processor like the other two I wrote about. Also it has 1 GB RAM like the HP machine. Where I think it scores lower is in its hard disk capacity, a mere 80 GB. It also comes with the Microsoft Vista Premium.
All in all, the machines have pros and cons. I have not listed prices here, as they would change faster than I could type them out. But, make sure to look at the prices too.
Want a great deal, get HP Coupons from HP.com. Visit us for Laptop Coupons
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ajeet_Khurana
Exchange Link
EasyHits4U.com - Your Free Traffic Exchange - 1:1 Exchange Ratio, 5-Tier Referral Program. FREE Advertising!
marketing
Computer Viruses
Computer Viruses - How To Detect, Remove And Prevent Them
Today I want to talk a little about the dreaded computer virus. The goal of this article is to teach you, the home user, the fundamental skills needed to help detect, remove, and most importantly prevent viruses from infecting your computer. As the owner of a computer consulting business, I have seen 1st hand how much damage computer viruses can do. To help protect yourself from a virus attack, it will be necessary to understand exactly what a virus is. A virus is essentially a software program designed with malicious intentions, to copy itself and spread from one computer to another. What makes a virus so dangerous is what they are designed to do.
A virus, once installed on your computer, can easily corrupt or delete data from your computer. This can be anything from your latest Word document to the irreplaceable pictures of your loved ones. We will get into exactly what a virus can do later in this article. Now that you have an idea of what a virus is and what it can do to your computer, lets discuss how your computer gets infected. I have heard countless times from people, " But I did not open any email attachments, how can I be infected?" While it is true that a majority of viruses are hidden within email attachments, they can also be downloaded into our computers in the form of images, videos, or even instant messages. I have personally removed a virus from Cd's, jump drives, and floppy disks.
Lets talk about ways to help protect your computer from viruses. To protect your computer from these threats it is vital that you have an anti virus program installed and up to date. I have seen many times in the field computers that have anti virus programs but still are infected with a virus. Let me point out that not all anti virus programs are equal. I will not discuss in this article which anti virus program you should or should not use however email me and I will be happy to help you in that aspect. Your anti virus program will do you little good if you do not keep your definitions up to date. New virus are being identified all the time so it is vital to keep your anti virus program up to date on the latest threats. Another proven method is to use a firewall.
A firewall is essentially software or hardware that is designed to filter out information that is being sent to or from your computer. Think of a firewall as a Guard at the end of your driveway, before anyone enters your home they must first pass a set of rules or security checks you have given before they are allowed to enter your home. Some of the software-based firewalls include Norton Internet Security, Zone Alarm and Trend Micro. You may be using a hardware firewall and not even know it. If you have a LAN (Local area network) then chances are you have a router of some kind. Most routers come built in with a firewall, which is very effective at protecting your computer from viruses. Another technique used to help prevent viruses is to keep your computer up to date. If you are using a windows based PC, check Windows Update often for any security patches that are released.
Do not open email attachments if you do not know the sender, this is asking for trouble. Lets move on to identifying infected computers. As a PC technician, it is my responsibility to quickly identify the signs of virus infections. Computers with virus infections will often show some of the following symptoms. Please note, that the issues listed below may be caused by several problems, such as spyware, and are not specific to viruses. Your computer may be slow to start or shut down. You may be missing data on your hard drive or, in worst case scenarios, lose all data on the drive. You may experience strange error messages or you computer will shut down unexpectedly. Your fonts may be distorted and overlap or you may experience difficulties in printing.
These are just some examples of the harm viruses can do. Now the most difficult part, removal. This is a topic worthy of its own article as there are many different procedures in virus removal. I will discuss with you the very basics. If you think you are the victim of a virus do a thorough scan of your computer. It may also be beneficial if you scan your hard drive while in safe mode. This is usually accomplished by tapping F8 at start up, but refer to your computer's manual for instructions to be certain.
If you do not have an anti virus program, first thing to do is get one! In the meantime you may use the services of an online virus removal tool. Many of the popular anti virus programs offer this service. My intent of this article was to help inform you of the dangers virus threats can pose, as well as giving you the knowledge to help detect, remove and prevent these threats. I hope I have accomplished this, and you can walk away after reading this article, feeling more confident of your abilities to protect your computer from virus threats.
Have a Tech question you want answers to? Computers at a Glance will answer your questions within 24 hours!
If you have a subject you want to see coverd in the next article? Click here and submit your topic today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derick_Nigro
Today I want to talk a little about the dreaded computer virus. The goal of this article is to teach you, the home user, the fundamental skills needed to help detect, remove, and most importantly prevent viruses from infecting your computer. As the owner of a computer consulting business, I have seen 1st hand how much damage computer viruses can do. To help protect yourself from a virus attack, it will be necessary to understand exactly what a virus is. A virus is essentially a software program designed with malicious intentions, to copy itself and spread from one computer to another. What makes a virus so dangerous is what they are designed to do.
A virus, once installed on your computer, can easily corrupt or delete data from your computer. This can be anything from your latest Word document to the irreplaceable pictures of your loved ones. We will get into exactly what a virus can do later in this article. Now that you have an idea of what a virus is and what it can do to your computer, lets discuss how your computer gets infected. I have heard countless times from people, " But I did not open any email attachments, how can I be infected?" While it is true that a majority of viruses are hidden within email attachments, they can also be downloaded into our computers in the form of images, videos, or even instant messages. I have personally removed a virus from Cd's, jump drives, and floppy disks.
Lets talk about ways to help protect your computer from viruses. To protect your computer from these threats it is vital that you have an anti virus program installed and up to date. I have seen many times in the field computers that have anti virus programs but still are infected with a virus. Let me point out that not all anti virus programs are equal. I will not discuss in this article which anti virus program you should or should not use however email me and I will be happy to help you in that aspect. Your anti virus program will do you little good if you do not keep your definitions up to date. New virus are being identified all the time so it is vital to keep your anti virus program up to date on the latest threats. Another proven method is to use a firewall.
A firewall is essentially software or hardware that is designed to filter out information that is being sent to or from your computer. Think of a firewall as a Guard at the end of your driveway, before anyone enters your home they must first pass a set of rules or security checks you have given before they are allowed to enter your home. Some of the software-based firewalls include Norton Internet Security, Zone Alarm and Trend Micro. You may be using a hardware firewall and not even know it. If you have a LAN (Local area network) then chances are you have a router of some kind. Most routers come built in with a firewall, which is very effective at protecting your computer from viruses. Another technique used to help prevent viruses is to keep your computer up to date. If you are using a windows based PC, check Windows Update often for any security patches that are released.
Do not open email attachments if you do not know the sender, this is asking for trouble. Lets move on to identifying infected computers. As a PC technician, it is my responsibility to quickly identify the signs of virus infections. Computers with virus infections will often show some of the following symptoms. Please note, that the issues listed below may be caused by several problems, such as spyware, and are not specific to viruses. Your computer may be slow to start or shut down. You may be missing data on your hard drive or, in worst case scenarios, lose all data on the drive. You may experience strange error messages or you computer will shut down unexpectedly. Your fonts may be distorted and overlap or you may experience difficulties in printing.
These are just some examples of the harm viruses can do. Now the most difficult part, removal. This is a topic worthy of its own article as there are many different procedures in virus removal. I will discuss with you the very basics. If you think you are the victim of a virus do a thorough scan of your computer. It may also be beneficial if you scan your hard drive while in safe mode. This is usually accomplished by tapping F8 at start up, but refer to your computer's manual for instructions to be certain.
If you do not have an anti virus program, first thing to do is get one! In the meantime you may use the services of an online virus removal tool. Many of the popular anti virus programs offer this service. My intent of this article was to help inform you of the dangers virus threats can pose, as well as giving you the knowledge to help detect, remove and prevent these threats. I hope I have accomplished this, and you can walk away after reading this article, feeling more confident of your abilities to protect your computer from virus threats.
Have a Tech question you want answers to? Computers at a Glance will answer your questions within 24 hours!
If you have a subject you want to see coverd in the next article? Click here and submit your topic today!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derick_Nigro
3D Computer Graphics
Powerful computers and computing capability have enabled realism in computer generated imagery. The animated films made today are realistic to a fault. For instance, Shrek 3.0 has been wildly popular because of the life like characters which inhabit the movie.
3D animation basically consists of generating depth in 2D objects by various means. Lighting and shading is a powerful way to provide depth to objects and characters. At first the model of the object is created using a number of polygons. The density of polygons or the number of polygons for a given area defines the smoothness of an object. In applications like 3D video games where real time response is more important than faithful reproduction, the polygon density is obviously less. In applications such as a animated movie, realism of scenes take primary importance. The complexity of the objects requires a high polygon density.
Once the objects have been modeled, they have to be imparted motion or they have to be animated. Finally the animated objects which are essentially 3D in nature have to be converted to 2D. This process is called rendering. More the polygon density, more time it takes to render an object. It is often required to combine video and 3D images. This process is called compositing. Rendering process is one of the most important in generating a 3D image. A small bit of a movie lasting just a few seconds can take days to be rendered. Render farms and piping are phrases associated with 3D animation. Mental Ray is a renderer provided as a part of Softimage and Maya 3D packages. It is also gaining in popularity among other 3D developers. Renderman is a renderer used by Pixar and some large film production companies, for development of feature films.
A number of operations are involved in creating 3D animations. The three most popular software commercially available for 3D modeling , lighting and shading are Maya, 3ds Max and Softimage .Each of the software has its strength and tools to address various requirements of 3D design and development .
Maya was originally developed by Alias which has now merged with Autodesk. The developers of Maya claim its tools have superior capabilities for production of 3D animated movies.
3ds Max is also a Autodesk product, originally from Discreet. Due to its high availability and competitive cost, 3ds Max claims to be the most popular 3D software. It has an excellent game engine and is extensively used for video game development.
Softimage 3D software is a part of Avid. The developers of this software claim mixed pipeline management leading to more efficiency, less time for development and uniquely suited for game development.
3D computer generated imagery has caught the imagination of the public. US based movie moguls are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to create realistic feature films. These in turn are grossing many millions of sales. The 3D computer graphics industry is therefore growing in leaps and bounds. Features like natural hair, skin and human expressions are being refined and polished, to give life like appearance to animated objects.
Copyright (c) 2007 Dean Barnard
Join me at Deans IT Support and I will be in touch soon friend.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dean_Barnard
3D animation basically consists of generating depth in 2D objects by various means. Lighting and shading is a powerful way to provide depth to objects and characters. At first the model of the object is created using a number of polygons. The density of polygons or the number of polygons for a given area defines the smoothness of an object. In applications like 3D video games where real time response is more important than faithful reproduction, the polygon density is obviously less. In applications such as a animated movie, realism of scenes take primary importance. The complexity of the objects requires a high polygon density.
Once the objects have been modeled, they have to be imparted motion or they have to be animated. Finally the animated objects which are essentially 3D in nature have to be converted to 2D. This process is called rendering. More the polygon density, more time it takes to render an object. It is often required to combine video and 3D images. This process is called compositing. Rendering process is one of the most important in generating a 3D image. A small bit of a movie lasting just a few seconds can take days to be rendered. Render farms and piping are phrases associated with 3D animation. Mental Ray is a renderer provided as a part of Softimage and Maya 3D packages. It is also gaining in popularity among other 3D developers. Renderman is a renderer used by Pixar and some large film production companies, for development of feature films.
A number of operations are involved in creating 3D animations. The three most popular software commercially available for 3D modeling , lighting and shading are Maya, 3ds Max and Softimage .Each of the software has its strength and tools to address various requirements of 3D design and development .
Maya was originally developed by Alias which has now merged with Autodesk. The developers of Maya claim its tools have superior capabilities for production of 3D animated movies.
3ds Max is also a Autodesk product, originally from Discreet. Due to its high availability and competitive cost, 3ds Max claims to be the most popular 3D software. It has an excellent game engine and is extensively used for video game development.
Softimage 3D software is a part of Avid. The developers of this software claim mixed pipeline management leading to more efficiency, less time for development and uniquely suited for game development.
3D computer generated imagery has caught the imagination of the public. US based movie moguls are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to create realistic feature films. These in turn are grossing many millions of sales. The 3D computer graphics industry is therefore growing in leaps and bounds. Features like natural hair, skin and human expressions are being refined and polished, to give life like appearance to animated objects.
Copyright (c) 2007 Dean Barnard
Join me at Deans IT Support and I will be in touch soon friend.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dean_Barnard
Computer Repair Software
Remote diagnostics is the core of a unique software suite that facilitates remote diagnostics and repair of your PC. You can download it and install onto your computer. Most of the online troubleshooting software will make service quicker, easier and more effective.
Various computer repairing software helps you to save time because it only takes a few minutes to check the configuration, components and software installed on your PC. This will eliminate the need for you to answer technical questions about your computer that might not have the answers to. The program scans your PC for conflicts, errors and malfunctions. This will enable the support representatives to resolve problems much faster. All diagnostics and repair are in real-time mode meaning inquiries are processed immediately.
Installing and using troubleshooting software does not require special IT knowledge. All you have to do is to follow the step-by-step instructions on the screen. The diagnostic data will be collected and sent to the support representatives automatically.
Troubleshooting software suites include the following modules:
· Remote diagnostics that collects the information on your computer configuration and the software installed. If needed for problem resolution, this data can be immediately sent to support representatives for analysis.
· Web update allows you to download and install updates to the troubleshooting software suite automatically or on demand.
The troubleshooting software is completely safe and reliable. You have full control over its usage, and all actions are performed only upon your explicit consent. The collected information is transferred for technical analysis to support representatives and cannot be transferred to any third party. It is designed in such a way that it does not collect private or confidential data.
Computer Repair provides detailed information on Computer Network Repair, Computer Repair, Computer Repair Services, Computer Repair Software and more. Computer Repair is affiliated with Computer Part Supplies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Morva
Various computer repairing software helps you to save time because it only takes a few minutes to check the configuration, components and software installed on your PC. This will eliminate the need for you to answer technical questions about your computer that might not have the answers to. The program scans your PC for conflicts, errors and malfunctions. This will enable the support representatives to resolve problems much faster. All diagnostics and repair are in real-time mode meaning inquiries are processed immediately.
Installing and using troubleshooting software does not require special IT knowledge. All you have to do is to follow the step-by-step instructions on the screen. The diagnostic data will be collected and sent to the support representatives automatically.
Troubleshooting software suites include the following modules:
· Remote diagnostics that collects the information on your computer configuration and the software installed. If needed for problem resolution, this data can be immediately sent to support representatives for analysis.
· Web update allows you to download and install updates to the troubleshooting software suite automatically or on demand.
The troubleshooting software is completely safe and reliable. You have full control over its usage, and all actions are performed only upon your explicit consent. The collected information is transferred for technical analysis to support representatives and cannot be transferred to any third party. It is designed in such a way that it does not collect private or confidential data.
Computer Repair provides detailed information on Computer Network Repair, Computer Repair, Computer Repair Services, Computer Repair Software and more. Computer Repair is affiliated with Computer Part Supplies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Morva
Reasons to Clean the Registry
There are many things that can slow down the operating system of a computer. The cramming of the registry is only one of the most common things of the lot. The other things that contribute to the system slow down is spy ware and adware that is downloaded from the Internet without the user even knowing it. These enter the registry and play havoc. There are many programs such as ActiveX controls that download automatically and lodge in the CLASID section of the Registry and begin to slow down the system more and more each day. The only way out is to clean the registry regularly with registry software cleaner.
The Role Of The Registry
So, what is this thing we constantly refer to as the system registry? In the beginning when Windows was still in the evolvement stage Microsoft had to incorporate a way that the operating system could keep track of the file and user information so that the OS could locate them easily. This was initially located in the INI folders. Now there was no way to clean the INI folders with automatic software like the registry Tweaknow cleaner we have today. The INI folders kept growing and slowing down the operating system which had to be cleaned manually unlike the registry windows cleaner available online today.
Now Microsoft came up with a solution and that was to include a system registry in their later operating systems. This brought with it a new problem. That was that the registry kept expanding with daily use of windows. When the system requested some information the registry starts from the beginning to search for the information. As the system grows this process takes longer and longer (This is just an example and not the actual way it works) Thus slowing down the operating system considerably. So, the registry has to be cleaned of the downloaded software, which is of no use once the WebPages, or program has been run anyway.
Not A Manual Process
This cannot be done manually. The reason for this is that there is no such thing as a registry guru. So, if you do not know exactly what you are doing do not mess with the registry of your system. Get a free registry trial cleaner if you have little faith and see for yourself the power of a windows registry cleaner. An online registry cleaner will scan your system for redundant files that are linked to nowhere and just taking up space and in the bargain slowing down the system to a crawl. Then this registry cleaner online will repair the registry by removing these redundant and useless links. The result is that the system will run smoother with no hitches at all.
So even though you do not know anything about the system registry, you can go ahead and download a registry window cleaner and service your system yourself and see the difference. You will surprise yourself.
Author is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Anti Spyware, Window Cleaner, Anti Spam Filter. Learn secrets for an efficient Registry Cleaner. Visit our Home page or Resource Center to read more about products and download free trial of a range of security and performance enhancing software like
* Windows Registry Cleaner
* Anti Spyware and Anti Adware
* Windows and Internet Cleaner
* Anti Spam Filter for MS Outlook
* Anti Spam Filter for Outlook Express
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A_Singh
The Role Of The Registry
So, what is this thing we constantly refer to as the system registry? In the beginning when Windows was still in the evolvement stage Microsoft had to incorporate a way that the operating system could keep track of the file and user information so that the OS could locate them easily. This was initially located in the INI folders. Now there was no way to clean the INI folders with automatic software like the registry Tweaknow cleaner we have today. The INI folders kept growing and slowing down the operating system which had to be cleaned manually unlike the registry windows cleaner available online today.
Now Microsoft came up with a solution and that was to include a system registry in their later operating systems. This brought with it a new problem. That was that the registry kept expanding with daily use of windows. When the system requested some information the registry starts from the beginning to search for the information. As the system grows this process takes longer and longer (This is just an example and not the actual way it works) Thus slowing down the operating system considerably. So, the registry has to be cleaned of the downloaded software, which is of no use once the WebPages, or program has been run anyway.
Not A Manual Process
This cannot be done manually. The reason for this is that there is no such thing as a registry guru. So, if you do not know exactly what you are doing do not mess with the registry of your system. Get a free registry trial cleaner if you have little faith and see for yourself the power of a windows registry cleaner. An online registry cleaner will scan your system for redundant files that are linked to nowhere and just taking up space and in the bargain slowing down the system to a crawl. Then this registry cleaner online will repair the registry by removing these redundant and useless links. The result is that the system will run smoother with no hitches at all.
So even though you do not know anything about the system registry, you can go ahead and download a registry window cleaner and service your system yourself and see the difference. You will surprise yourself.
Author is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Anti Spyware, Window Cleaner, Anti Spam Filter. Learn secrets for an efficient Registry Cleaner. Visit our Home page or Resource Center to read more about products and download free trial of a range of security and performance enhancing software like
* Windows Registry Cleaner
* Anti Spyware and Anti Adware
* Windows and Internet Cleaner
* Anti Spam Filter for MS Outlook
* Anti Spam Filter for Outlook Express
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=A_Singh
Virus Attack
In the early 70’s a virus was leaked out on the ARPANET, infecting the Tenex operating system. The virus was named “Creeper”, and if your computer was infected, it would message “I AM THE CREEPER: CATCH ME IF YOU CAN”. The virus would gain access independently through the modem and copy itself on to the remote system.
To counteract the attack, another virus called “The Reaper” was created. This was just the start. Today there are millions of worms, Trojan Horses and viruses that your PC has to defend itself against, on a daily basis. It was in 1983, that Fredrick Cohen coined and created the word “virus” to define, what he called, “self replica computer programs.”
Not all viruses have had their claim to fame, most are killed before they can even cause any damage, but a few have been able to sneak through the cracks. The Love Letter was possibly the fastest virus known to date. It simply attacked Outlook, and using the user’s mailing list, e-mailed itself to the recipients as a message, with an attachment holding the virus. The reason for its success was the attachments name “I love you”. These three words would attract the recipient, who thought the mail came from the original user.
The Love Letter caused $5.5 billion worth of damage. Not to be put to shame is the “Melissa” virus, which caused $80 million worth of damage in March 1999. The virus was named after a stripper in Florida, by it’s creator, David L. Smith. Within one day, it managed to spread itself around the world, clogging up mail systems and inserting quotes from Bart Simpson into documents.
The “Nuclear” virus also attacks documents. This virus adds a paragraph at the end of every document printed. The paragraph is a protest against French Nuclear Testing in the South Pacific. Another “cause” virus is the CIH, also known as the Chernobyl. The virus sits on your computer, undetected, until the anniversary of the Chernobyl meltdown. It then attacks the BIOS chip on your computer, completely paralyzing the hard drive.
Most viruses don’t have a point at all, for example the “911”. This virus was detected in Houston, Texas, where it takes over the computers modem and dials emergency numbers at random. The “Casino” virus has even less of a point, as it plays Russian roulette with your hard drive. If you get a number wrong, you lose everything.
There is a variety of anti-spy software that attacks the virus as soon as it is created. Users have to update the system online to make sure they stay ahead of the hackers. However, in a lot of cases, data loss is almost inevitable.
There are various ways to recover the data from most viruses. Experts use a combination of systems to recover data. It is best to rely on data recovery specialists than attempt to do it yourself. Each virus uses a different system and method to damage the hard drive, so the same rule does not apply to all.
Once you are aware that you have a virus, contact a professional to help you remove it, then a data recovery specialist to help recover your data that is lost.
Celeste writes for Media Vision that specializes in data recovery.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Celeste_Yates
To counteract the attack, another virus called “The Reaper” was created. This was just the start. Today there are millions of worms, Trojan Horses and viruses that your PC has to defend itself against, on a daily basis. It was in 1983, that Fredrick Cohen coined and created the word “virus” to define, what he called, “self replica computer programs.”
Not all viruses have had their claim to fame, most are killed before they can even cause any damage, but a few have been able to sneak through the cracks. The Love Letter was possibly the fastest virus known to date. It simply attacked Outlook, and using the user’s mailing list, e-mailed itself to the recipients as a message, with an attachment holding the virus. The reason for its success was the attachments name “I love you”. These three words would attract the recipient, who thought the mail came from the original user.
The Love Letter caused $5.5 billion worth of damage. Not to be put to shame is the “Melissa” virus, which caused $80 million worth of damage in March 1999. The virus was named after a stripper in Florida, by it’s creator, David L. Smith. Within one day, it managed to spread itself around the world, clogging up mail systems and inserting quotes from Bart Simpson into documents.
The “Nuclear” virus also attacks documents. This virus adds a paragraph at the end of every document printed. The paragraph is a protest against French Nuclear Testing in the South Pacific. Another “cause” virus is the CIH, also known as the Chernobyl. The virus sits on your computer, undetected, until the anniversary of the Chernobyl meltdown. It then attacks the BIOS chip on your computer, completely paralyzing the hard drive.
Most viruses don’t have a point at all, for example the “911”. This virus was detected in Houston, Texas, where it takes over the computers modem and dials emergency numbers at random. The “Casino” virus has even less of a point, as it plays Russian roulette with your hard drive. If you get a number wrong, you lose everything.
There is a variety of anti-spy software that attacks the virus as soon as it is created. Users have to update the system online to make sure they stay ahead of the hackers. However, in a lot of cases, data loss is almost inevitable.
There are various ways to recover the data from most viruses. Experts use a combination of systems to recover data. It is best to rely on data recovery specialists than attempt to do it yourself. Each virus uses a different system and method to damage the hard drive, so the same rule does not apply to all.
Once you are aware that you have a virus, contact a professional to help you remove it, then a data recovery specialist to help recover your data that is lost.
Celeste writes for Media Vision that specializes in data recovery.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Celeste_Yates
How To Choose A Computer Case
Things to Consider When Choosing a Computer Case
In the past, computer cases were all very similar… Clones of the same boring, beige box. With all of the choices available today, this is no longer the ‘case’, and people can use their systems’ chassis as a means to express themselves and to set their system apart from the rest. Although appearance may be a big one, it isn’t the only factor in the selection process and the following items should be considered when shopping for a new computer case.
1. Form Factor
There are different sizes of motherboards, which in turn require different cases to house them. Case form factors share the names of the motherboards they support, and some of the common ones include ATX, Micro ATX (mATX), FlexATX and Mini ITX. ATX motherboards are perhaps the most common, and the largest of the four, measuring at most 12” x 9.6” (305mm x 244mm). A Micro ATX board is at most 9.6” x 9.6” (244mm x 244mm), a FlexATX is 9.0” x 7.5” (229mm x 191mm) and a Mini ITX comes in at a tiny 6.7” x 6.7” (170mm x 170mm). ATX and mATX are by far the most popular motherboard sizes for consumer motherboards, and hence, most cases are made to support one or both of these sizes.
A mATX motherboard can obviously fit in a smaller enclosure than an ATX motherboard, and therefore there are different size cases available to match. The larger cases are generally downward compatible with smaller from factor motherboards, but the opposite is not true. For example, someone with this Amptron mATX motherboard could save a few inches and install it in this 14.25” tall mATX case, or pick something like this black ATX case that stands just a bit taller at 16.5”.
Many branded systems (ones that you may buy prebuilt and with preinstalled software) are usually a combination of a standard form factor (such a mATX) with some type of proprietary design (usually in the front panel switches and it’s cabling) and buying a new case for these types of motherboards can be tricky. Some branded systems also use lesser used form factors such as NLX and LPX (which employee riser cards for the expansion slots) and finding replacement cases for these type of systems can be a very difficult and pricey endeavor.
A smaller system may be desirable where space is tight, but larger form factor cases provide more room for multiple drives and other peripherals, and a smaller motherboard may be better suited to a larger case in a system such as this.
2. Size
Size may go along with form factor in many respects, but even while considering cases of the same form factor, there can be variations in size in a few respects. Areas where size can vary are in overall dimensions, the number of exposed 5.25” and 3.5” bays, and the number of internal bays.
ATX cases obviously need to be large enough to hold an ATX motherboard; some are just large enough, while others seem cavernous in comparison. If a case needs to fit under a low shelf, or between items of a certain width, it is important to choose an appropriately sized case. Cases come in two basic configurations when it comes to their size and shape, either desktop or tower. Desktop cases are wider than they are tall and are oriented so the motherboard lays flat, while tower cases have the motherboard standing upright, and come in three basic heights… mini tower, mid tower, and full tower. Tower cases are more common these days, and currently the only style in the Computer Geeks case inventory.
The number of exposed drive bays is generally in direct proportion to the overall size of the case. A higher number of exposed 5.25” bays may be desirable for those with more than one DVD or CD drive, removable drive racks, and fan controllers. Exposed 3.5” bays are generally occupied by floppy drives, Zip drives, fan controllers, and things like this 9-in-1 Card Reader, and in most cases you may get one or two of these bays, maximum. This case is very similar in appearance to this other one, but they have one difference that may prove to be a huge factor. They both have four exposed 5.25” bays, but one has two exposed 3.5” bays while the other only has one. If a user had a floppy drive and the 9-in-1 card reader, they would either have to choose to install only one, or use an adaptor and take up one of their 5.25” bays.
Internal bays are generally reserved for hard drives, and systems with multiple drives require the necessary space. So, if a user decided he really wanted a yellow colored case, but needed room for five hard drives, he would be forced to choose this one (5 internal drive bays) over this one (4 internal drive bays).
3. Cooling
Cooling is a critical feature to consider when selecting a computer case. High end systems can generate a good deal of heat, and the case needs to be adequately cooled to keep the system running and stable.
The basic configuration for case cooling involves having one intake fan on the lower portion of the front surface, and one exhaust fan higher up on the rear surface. This allows cooler air to be drawn in, passed over the various heat generating components, and exhausted out the back. There are many other cooling configurations available that may provide improvements in terms of cooling performance and noise.
One way to decrease noise, and perhaps move more air, is for a case to use 120mm (4”) fans instead of the usual 80mm (3”) fans, as larger fans don’t need to spin as fast to push the same volume of air. This A-Top Z-Alien utilizes a 120mm exhaust fan that also features another key feature to good cooling. The fan grill is very open, meaning that there will be minimal resistance to air flow and reduced noise as the air rushes past it. Many fan grills are made from perforating the case’s sheet metal, and they do not provide enough open area for good airflow.
Another approach to better cooling is to throw more fans at the heat. This Matrix case adds another fan to the side panel which will draw cool air in right on top of the processor and video card, two of the hotter items in a system. Other cases will add an exhaust fan to the top of the case, which pushes the heat out just like a chimney.
No matter the approach, cooling is one area that needs close consideration when it comes to cases intended for today’s high powered systems.
4. Installation Features
Installing a system into a case can be a time consuming affair, which can become annoying to those who find themselves in a continuous cycle of upgrading. Many cases now include convenient features to make installation much simpler, and far less time consuming
Some of these convenient installation features include a removable motherboard tray, removable drive cages, tool-less expansion card mounts, tool-less side panels, and tool-less drive rail systems. Being able to remove the motherboard tray and drive cage makes it easier to work on those specific areas in the open, and having a tool-less system for mounting drives or cards means there is no need for screws or a screw driver. Definitely time savers!
Although the listing on the Computer Geeks site does not specify it, this X-Blade ATX case features both a removable drive cage and tool-less drive rail system, according to this review.
5. Convenience Items
It is not enough for a case to house a computer system any more, it now needs to multi-task. Having regularly used connections on the front or top of the case is one common convenience feature that many people look for. Cases such as this A-Top Z-Alien model let users forget about the annoyance of reaching around the back of their case to plug things in, as USB, Firewire, headphone and microphone jacks are located on the top.
Other cases are available that take convenience to another level by including clocks, digital thermometers that monitor specific components, and fan controllers to help maintain a healthy balance between noise and cooling performance.
6. Style
A few years ago cases only came in one color and one basic style… plain beige boxes. If you’re nostalgic for the olden days of computer cases, Computer Geeks still has one for sale in this style, the KG-200. But cases now come in styles from mild to wild, and in a whole rainbow of colors. Some have large windows in the side panel to show off the case’s insides, some include special lighting effects, and some have appearances that might scare the kids. At this point there seems to be few limits in case design, but there are always classically styled cases in updated color schemes for those who want something modern looking, but nothing too intense.
7. Power Supply
Many cases are sold with a power supply included, but this power supply might not be the correct one for the system to be installed inside of it. An adequate power supply needs to be chosen to meet the demands of the system, and this may very well mean buying an additional power supply to replace the one included, or selecting a different case with a more appropriately sized power supply.
For example, someone may decide their high end gaming system would go well in this black ATX case, but the included 300W power supply may not be strong enough for a top notch graphics card, multiple drives, water cooling, and other power hungry peripherals that might be installed.
Final Words
There are many factors that go into selecting an adequate case for a computer system, including the seven mentioned above. What may wind up being the most important factor was not discussed, but can hopefully be addressed by balancing the importance of these factors… price. Computer cases can cost anywhere from several dollars to several hundred dollars, meaning that a tight budget may decide which of the other features is really all that important.
Jason Kohrs Computer Geeks tech tips and computer advice
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Kohrs
In the past, computer cases were all very similar… Clones of the same boring, beige box. With all of the choices available today, this is no longer the ‘case’, and people can use their systems’ chassis as a means to express themselves and to set their system apart from the rest. Although appearance may be a big one, it isn’t the only factor in the selection process and the following items should be considered when shopping for a new computer case.
1. Form Factor
There are different sizes of motherboards, which in turn require different cases to house them. Case form factors share the names of the motherboards they support, and some of the common ones include ATX, Micro ATX (mATX), FlexATX and Mini ITX. ATX motherboards are perhaps the most common, and the largest of the four, measuring at most 12” x 9.6” (305mm x 244mm). A Micro ATX board is at most 9.6” x 9.6” (244mm x 244mm), a FlexATX is 9.0” x 7.5” (229mm x 191mm) and a Mini ITX comes in at a tiny 6.7” x 6.7” (170mm x 170mm). ATX and mATX are by far the most popular motherboard sizes for consumer motherboards, and hence, most cases are made to support one or both of these sizes.
A mATX motherboard can obviously fit in a smaller enclosure than an ATX motherboard, and therefore there are different size cases available to match. The larger cases are generally downward compatible with smaller from factor motherboards, but the opposite is not true. For example, someone with this Amptron mATX motherboard could save a few inches and install it in this 14.25” tall mATX case, or pick something like this black ATX case that stands just a bit taller at 16.5”.
Many branded systems (ones that you may buy prebuilt and with preinstalled software) are usually a combination of a standard form factor (such a mATX) with some type of proprietary design (usually in the front panel switches and it’s cabling) and buying a new case for these types of motherboards can be tricky. Some branded systems also use lesser used form factors such as NLX and LPX (which employee riser cards for the expansion slots) and finding replacement cases for these type of systems can be a very difficult and pricey endeavor.
A smaller system may be desirable where space is tight, but larger form factor cases provide more room for multiple drives and other peripherals, and a smaller motherboard may be better suited to a larger case in a system such as this.
2. Size
Size may go along with form factor in many respects, but even while considering cases of the same form factor, there can be variations in size in a few respects. Areas where size can vary are in overall dimensions, the number of exposed 5.25” and 3.5” bays, and the number of internal bays.
ATX cases obviously need to be large enough to hold an ATX motherboard; some are just large enough, while others seem cavernous in comparison. If a case needs to fit under a low shelf, or between items of a certain width, it is important to choose an appropriately sized case. Cases come in two basic configurations when it comes to their size and shape, either desktop or tower. Desktop cases are wider than they are tall and are oriented so the motherboard lays flat, while tower cases have the motherboard standing upright, and come in three basic heights… mini tower, mid tower, and full tower. Tower cases are more common these days, and currently the only style in the Computer Geeks case inventory.
The number of exposed drive bays is generally in direct proportion to the overall size of the case. A higher number of exposed 5.25” bays may be desirable for those with more than one DVD or CD drive, removable drive racks, and fan controllers. Exposed 3.5” bays are generally occupied by floppy drives, Zip drives, fan controllers, and things like this 9-in-1 Card Reader, and in most cases you may get one or two of these bays, maximum. This case is very similar in appearance to this other one, but they have one difference that may prove to be a huge factor. They both have four exposed 5.25” bays, but one has two exposed 3.5” bays while the other only has one. If a user had a floppy drive and the 9-in-1 card reader, they would either have to choose to install only one, or use an adaptor and take up one of their 5.25” bays.
Internal bays are generally reserved for hard drives, and systems with multiple drives require the necessary space. So, if a user decided he really wanted a yellow colored case, but needed room for five hard drives, he would be forced to choose this one (5 internal drive bays) over this one (4 internal drive bays).
3. Cooling
Cooling is a critical feature to consider when selecting a computer case. High end systems can generate a good deal of heat, and the case needs to be adequately cooled to keep the system running and stable.
The basic configuration for case cooling involves having one intake fan on the lower portion of the front surface, and one exhaust fan higher up on the rear surface. This allows cooler air to be drawn in, passed over the various heat generating components, and exhausted out the back. There are many other cooling configurations available that may provide improvements in terms of cooling performance and noise.
One way to decrease noise, and perhaps move more air, is for a case to use 120mm (4”) fans instead of the usual 80mm (3”) fans, as larger fans don’t need to spin as fast to push the same volume of air. This A-Top Z-Alien utilizes a 120mm exhaust fan that also features another key feature to good cooling. The fan grill is very open, meaning that there will be minimal resistance to air flow and reduced noise as the air rushes past it. Many fan grills are made from perforating the case’s sheet metal, and they do not provide enough open area for good airflow.
Another approach to better cooling is to throw more fans at the heat. This Matrix case adds another fan to the side panel which will draw cool air in right on top of the processor and video card, two of the hotter items in a system. Other cases will add an exhaust fan to the top of the case, which pushes the heat out just like a chimney.
No matter the approach, cooling is one area that needs close consideration when it comes to cases intended for today’s high powered systems.
4. Installation Features
Installing a system into a case can be a time consuming affair, which can become annoying to those who find themselves in a continuous cycle of upgrading. Many cases now include convenient features to make installation much simpler, and far less time consuming
Some of these convenient installation features include a removable motherboard tray, removable drive cages, tool-less expansion card mounts, tool-less side panels, and tool-less drive rail systems. Being able to remove the motherboard tray and drive cage makes it easier to work on those specific areas in the open, and having a tool-less system for mounting drives or cards means there is no need for screws or a screw driver. Definitely time savers!
Although the listing on the Computer Geeks site does not specify it, this X-Blade ATX case features both a removable drive cage and tool-less drive rail system, according to this review.
5. Convenience Items
It is not enough for a case to house a computer system any more, it now needs to multi-task. Having regularly used connections on the front or top of the case is one common convenience feature that many people look for. Cases such as this A-Top Z-Alien model let users forget about the annoyance of reaching around the back of their case to plug things in, as USB, Firewire, headphone and microphone jacks are located on the top.
Other cases are available that take convenience to another level by including clocks, digital thermometers that monitor specific components, and fan controllers to help maintain a healthy balance between noise and cooling performance.
6. Style
A few years ago cases only came in one color and one basic style… plain beige boxes. If you’re nostalgic for the olden days of computer cases, Computer Geeks still has one for sale in this style, the KG-200. But cases now come in styles from mild to wild, and in a whole rainbow of colors. Some have large windows in the side panel to show off the case’s insides, some include special lighting effects, and some have appearances that might scare the kids. At this point there seems to be few limits in case design, but there are always classically styled cases in updated color schemes for those who want something modern looking, but nothing too intense.
7. Power Supply
Many cases are sold with a power supply included, but this power supply might not be the correct one for the system to be installed inside of it. An adequate power supply needs to be chosen to meet the demands of the system, and this may very well mean buying an additional power supply to replace the one included, or selecting a different case with a more appropriately sized power supply.
For example, someone may decide their high end gaming system would go well in this black ATX case, but the included 300W power supply may not be strong enough for a top notch graphics card, multiple drives, water cooling, and other power hungry peripherals that might be installed.
Final Words
There are many factors that go into selecting an adequate case for a computer system, including the seven mentioned above. What may wind up being the most important factor was not discussed, but can hopefully be addressed by balancing the importance of these factors… price. Computer cases can cost anywhere from several dollars to several hundred dollars, meaning that a tight budget may decide which of the other features is really all that important.
Jason Kohrs Computer Geeks tech tips and computer advice
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Kohrs
Necessary Computer Training for Computer Repair and Building
In a world full of internet users and computerholics, it is crucial that you have an extensive amount of knowledge. With such an abundance of companies turning to computer repair and building, it is no wonder that thousands of people are now trying to turn it into a career. Since computers have taken over our every day activities, careers in computer training and computer repair have flourished. Although it is one of the hardest jobs in the industry, it is not only rewarding, but filled with great connections.
In order to get a job as a computer repair technician or a computer builder, one must have the appropriate amount of computer training. After all, CBT is crucial when you are showing a client the work you have done. Chances are not many firms will want to hire you if you do not have the right computer training. Surprisingly, these two fields are the most difficult because they require more logic and skill. Unfortunately, most of this knowledge will only come from computer training courses. However, there are a select few who have developed it from having their own clients and avoiding the education route.
If you want to succeed quickly, CBT is really the only way to go. There are those who have been repairing and building computers since they were fifteen, but only a select few succeed in a world of educated technicians. In order to get a great job right out of school, it is crucial that you sign up for a CBT program. These computer training classes will teach you not only about electronics, but also about every part that makes up a computer. While you won’t be as knowledgeable as an electrician, you still will have a basic idea of how electronics work. It is great for people who want to build computers, as they are taught how to build each part.
After you learn about the computer parts, you will take computer training courses that teach you how to trouble shoot a problem. With thousands of computers in homes, it is very likely that these people will come across problems every now and then. Therefore, if you are planning on going into the computer repair field, this is a very important factor to know. It is imperative that you study hard and pay attention to all of these concepts, because you will need these skills in the workforce. The best part about these computer training programs is that it is very hands on. Many instructors will give a student a computer with a virus or an extensive problem. They then have to troubleshoot it until they fix the error. This will give them practice for real life situations, incase they cannot figure out a specific issue.
Once you have completed your computer training, you are able to get you’re A-1 certification. This degree will allow you to work as a computer technician, whether it is in the repair or building field. Although this job is extremely hard work and sometimes physically challenging, it makes you feel good to know that you are needed. Thousands of clients a day rely on your help, thus giving you a sense of knowledge and pride to know that your job is important. No matter what you decide to do, computer based training is the only way to go. From web developing to computer repair, these computer training courses will give you the knowledge to apply it in any area.
Natalie Aranda writes on computer and the Internet. After you learn about the computer parts, you will take computer training courses that teach you how to trouble shoot a problem. If you want to succeed quickly, CBT is really the only way to go. There are those who have been repairing and building computers since they were fifteen, but only a select few succeed in a world of educated technicians. In order to get a great job right out of school, it is crucial that you sign up for a computer training program. These computer training classes will teach you not only about electronics, but also about every part that makes up a computer.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Aranda
In order to get a job as a computer repair technician or a computer builder, one must have the appropriate amount of computer training. After all, CBT is crucial when you are showing a client the work you have done. Chances are not many firms will want to hire you if you do not have the right computer training. Surprisingly, these two fields are the most difficult because they require more logic and skill. Unfortunately, most of this knowledge will only come from computer training courses. However, there are a select few who have developed it from having their own clients and avoiding the education route.
If you want to succeed quickly, CBT is really the only way to go. There are those who have been repairing and building computers since they were fifteen, but only a select few succeed in a world of educated technicians. In order to get a great job right out of school, it is crucial that you sign up for a CBT program. These computer training classes will teach you not only about electronics, but also about every part that makes up a computer. While you won’t be as knowledgeable as an electrician, you still will have a basic idea of how electronics work. It is great for people who want to build computers, as they are taught how to build each part.
After you learn about the computer parts, you will take computer training courses that teach you how to trouble shoot a problem. With thousands of computers in homes, it is very likely that these people will come across problems every now and then. Therefore, if you are planning on going into the computer repair field, this is a very important factor to know. It is imperative that you study hard and pay attention to all of these concepts, because you will need these skills in the workforce. The best part about these computer training programs is that it is very hands on. Many instructors will give a student a computer with a virus or an extensive problem. They then have to troubleshoot it until they fix the error. This will give them practice for real life situations, incase they cannot figure out a specific issue.
Once you have completed your computer training, you are able to get you’re A-1 certification. This degree will allow you to work as a computer technician, whether it is in the repair or building field. Although this job is extremely hard work and sometimes physically challenging, it makes you feel good to know that you are needed. Thousands of clients a day rely on your help, thus giving you a sense of knowledge and pride to know that your job is important. No matter what you decide to do, computer based training is the only way to go. From web developing to computer repair, these computer training courses will give you the knowledge to apply it in any area.
Natalie Aranda writes on computer and the Internet. After you learn about the computer parts, you will take computer training courses that teach you how to trouble shoot a problem. If you want to succeed quickly, CBT is really the only way to go. There are those who have been repairing and building computers since they were fifteen, but only a select few succeed in a world of educated technicians. In order to get a great job right out of school, it is crucial that you sign up for a computer training program. These computer training classes will teach you not only about electronics, but also about every part that makes up a computer.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Aranda
Mini-centronics: Hewlett Packer Users Beware
As computer manufacturers begin to phase out old standards (e.g. IEEE 1284, RS-232), there is an increasingly large base of computer users who want to use their old Hewlett-Packer parallel printer with newer USB-only laptop and desktop systems. They purchase a USB to Parallel adapter, only to find that the parallel end doesn’t fit on their HP printer. What's the problem?
In 1992, citing compact size and a simple connection to the printer, Hewlett-Packer decided to go with the IEEE 1284C connector, also known as mini- or micro-centronics. However, this connection has proved to be largely unpopular with other manufacturers, resulting in an interface that is nearly unique to HP printers.
As the IEEE 1284 standard became outdated in favor of USB, adapters sprang up to fill the gap between the older parallel printers and newer USB-only computers. However, manufacturers of these adapters went with the most popular printer connector: CEN-36 or centronics, which is considerably larger in size, although comparable in capability to the mini-centronics connection. So where does this leave those with old but useable mini-centronics parallel HP printers?
The answer is found in the centronics to mini-centronics adapter. This adapter converts a larger-sized centronics connection to the smaller, more compact mini-centronics end, allowing people to connect their parallel HP printers to their newer computers. A word of caution: the USB to parallel adapter is still necessary to complete the connection because the conversion from parallel to USB must still be made.
The contronics to mini-centronics adapter is a niche product that can be difficult to find, but it represents the best solution for those wanting to hold on to that old HP printer.
Nathan Kartchner is a product development rep for Sewell Direct, an online retailer of hard-to-find computer connectivity products, like the USB to Parallel adapter.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Kartchner
In 1992, citing compact size and a simple connection to the printer, Hewlett-Packer decided to go with the IEEE 1284C connector, also known as mini- or micro-centronics. However, this connection has proved to be largely unpopular with other manufacturers, resulting in an interface that is nearly unique to HP printers.
As the IEEE 1284 standard became outdated in favor of USB, adapters sprang up to fill the gap between the older parallel printers and newer USB-only computers. However, manufacturers of these adapters went with the most popular printer connector: CEN-36 or centronics, which is considerably larger in size, although comparable in capability to the mini-centronics connection. So where does this leave those with old but useable mini-centronics parallel HP printers?
The answer is found in the centronics to mini-centronics adapter. This adapter converts a larger-sized centronics connection to the smaller, more compact mini-centronics end, allowing people to connect their parallel HP printers to their newer computers. A word of caution: the USB to parallel adapter is still necessary to complete the connection because the conversion from parallel to USB must still be made.
The contronics to mini-centronics adapter is a niche product that can be difficult to find, but it represents the best solution for those wanting to hold on to that old HP printer.
Nathan Kartchner is a product development rep for Sewell Direct, an online retailer of hard-to-find computer connectivity products, like the USB to Parallel adapter.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nathan_Kartchner
How To Watch Satellite TV On Computer Through Internet
It should not come as a surprise to those interested to watch satellite TV on computers that there are already millions doing so. Billions of video streams are watched every single day and people are getting used to watching entertainment media using their PCs online. Basically, the easiest way around it is to power up your computer with a special satellite TV software. We will find out more in this article about this unique software that can enable you to watch satellite TV on computer through the internet and how it compares with the services you are using today.
The software can be downloaded from retailers online and installed quickly. There are clear instruction manuals that take you through a step-by-step approach. Even the most technically challenged can install software in a few steps. The usage is simple since the navigation is user-friendly. Once you are done with the installation, you can instantly check out the TV channels they offer and find the desired TV program you can watch.
If you have been a satellite TV subscriber for the longest time, you would be glad that there are no monthly costs involved at all. The only cost ever is the one time payment for the software which works out to less than $50 for most software versions and brands. When new programs are added, you also need not top up or pay anything extra. These are all included in the software package.
Since the software is receiving free to air TV feeds from FTA TV stations, the TV channels you can watch on computer are entirely free. A quick comparison between satellite and cable TV versus PC satellite TV would reveal that you are catching maybe 700 channels at max with the monthly services but getting access to over 2000 TV channels with the software. This is the one main reason why people love to use the PC satellite TV software.
Other than the software, you do not need extra equipment or hardware, just a good internet connection will do, be it broadband or dial up. Ideally, you should use broadband for faster speeds of TV feed transmission. You also need to have Macromedia Flash and Windows Media Player installed before you can watch satellite TV on computer.
The software has an intelligent user interface that makes it a breeze to use to search and find TV shows to watch. Once you watched it, click to save the TV channel so that you can come back another day to watch. The whole process is as hassle-free as it can get.
Looking at the software side by side with monthly TV services, it outshines services in terms of affordability, the number of TV channels available and the userability. This probably is the reason why more TV viewers, especially the younger folks now watch TV in this way. Learn more about this new technology and how you can make use of PC satellite TV software to watch satellite TV on computer at home from my TV blog.
Davion is a self-proclaimed TV fanatic. Read more on how you can instantly watch satellite TV on PC, tuning into hundreds of LIVE sports channels, news channels and movies for zilch dollar. Also read his wildly popular article on how to watch satellite TV on PC instantly for pennies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davion_Wong
Satellite TV on PC 2007 Edition
Orbatel Internet Satellite TV Software PC-TVS 2160
Orbatel Internet Satellite TV Software PC-TVS 1051
Orbatel Internet Satellite TV Software PC-TVS 2050
Orbatel Internet Satellite TV Software PC-TVS 2150
The software can be downloaded from retailers online and installed quickly. There are clear instruction manuals that take you through a step-by-step approach. Even the most technically challenged can install software in a few steps. The usage is simple since the navigation is user-friendly. Once you are done with the installation, you can instantly check out the TV channels they offer and find the desired TV program you can watch.
If you have been a satellite TV subscriber for the longest time, you would be glad that there are no monthly costs involved at all. The only cost ever is the one time payment for the software which works out to less than $50 for most software versions and brands. When new programs are added, you also need not top up or pay anything extra. These are all included in the software package.
Since the software is receiving free to air TV feeds from FTA TV stations, the TV channels you can watch on computer are entirely free. A quick comparison between satellite and cable TV versus PC satellite TV would reveal that you are catching maybe 700 channels at max with the monthly services but getting access to over 2000 TV channels with the software. This is the one main reason why people love to use the PC satellite TV software.
Other than the software, you do not need extra equipment or hardware, just a good internet connection will do, be it broadband or dial up. Ideally, you should use broadband for faster speeds of TV feed transmission. You also need to have Macromedia Flash and Windows Media Player installed before you can watch satellite TV on computer.
The software has an intelligent user interface that makes it a breeze to use to search and find TV shows to watch. Once you watched it, click to save the TV channel so that you can come back another day to watch. The whole process is as hassle-free as it can get.
Looking at the software side by side with monthly TV services, it outshines services in terms of affordability, the number of TV channels available and the userability. This probably is the reason why more TV viewers, especially the younger folks now watch TV in this way. Learn more about this new technology and how you can make use of PC satellite TV software to watch satellite TV on computer at home from my TV blog.
Davion is a self-proclaimed TV fanatic. Read more on how you can instantly watch satellite TV on PC, tuning into hundreds of LIVE sports channels, news channels and movies for zilch dollar. Also read his wildly popular article on how to watch satellite TV on PC instantly for pennies.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Davion_Wong
Satellite TV on PC 2007 Edition
Orbatel Internet Satellite TV Software PC-TVS 2160
Orbatel Internet Satellite TV Software PC-TVS 1051
Orbatel Internet Satellite TV Software PC-TVS 2050
Orbatel Internet Satellite TV Software PC-TVS 2150
Spying on Peace Groups Not Surprising Says Civil Rights Vet
The FBI’s current spy and infiltration program "sounds like a COINTELPRO to me," said a spry 76-year-old civil rights movement veteran.
Robert Keglar of Charleston, Mississippi was referring to an earlier FBI secret program -- COunter INTELligence PROgrams or COINTELPROs -- that not only promoted spying on and infiltration of civil rights groups but often harassed activists and pitted them against each other, beginning as early as 1956.
"Of course, we had the state of Mississippi spying on us, too. And even private citizens doing it. No one should ever forget the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission or the White Citizens Councils," Keglar said.
The former teacher and boy scout leader's mother and her friend were tortured and murdered in 1966 for registering voters in Tallahatchie County; his brother was killed when he tried to learn what happened to his mother.
COINTELPRO programs often made havoc of perfectly lawful activities led by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or SNCC and other civil rights groups including the NAACP, the organization that both Birdia Keglar and Adlena Hamlett belonged to.
As the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission, funded by the state’s legislature one year after the 1955 murder of fourteen year-old Emmett Till, was initiated to ensure integration would not occur, former FBI and military intelligence agents were hired to spy on Mississippians as the Commission came into power.
On the federal side of the surveillance coin, COINTELPROs were initiated by the FBI in the same year.
Private White Citizens Councils, formed one year earlier in 1955, were also a product of Mississippi’s fight to maintain segregation and represented the private voice of the state’s leading segregationists.
Councils members included prominent bankers, attorneys, physicians, elected officials, chambers of commerce members, realtors and others.
Byron de La Beckwith, convicted for the murder of civil rights icon Medgar Evers, was a Citizens Councils member.
John Satterfield of Yazoo City, a Methodist leader and president of the Mississippi State Bar Association and the American Bar Association (for two terms), was a member, too.
Sovereignty Commission reports, first publicly released in 1997, are available online through the state’s department of archives and include files on some Citizens Councils activities as well.
But COINTELPRO files – if they were ever included in Sovereignty Commission’s records – are remarkably invisible. Some Mississippians contend that thousands of Commission files were purged before they were turned over to the ACLU and made public. And that the FBI, Sovereignty Commission and White Citizens Councils worked hand in hand.
"I’ve always wondered how the information was passed on that pinpointed exactly where my mother and her friend would be at that specific time. Who was spying on them? Who told the Klan where they were going? Who knew what route they were taking?" Keglar asks.
The county's district attorney informed Birdia Keglar’s son of the "car accident." But relatives and friends, as well as several "eye-witnesses," reported that she and Hamlett were run off the road, pulled from their car, tortured and murdered by highway patrolmen who were also Klan members. The June 12, 1966 accident was never investigated; Mississippi public officials and the FBI say no reports of the accident exist.
COINTELPRO Discovered in Pennsylvania Break-In
The existence of COINTELPRO came to light back in March of 1971, when a group calling themselves the "Citizens' Committee to Investigate the FBI" broke into an FBI field office -- ironically in Pennsylvania, the same state where current FBI spying charges were lodged this past week – and then provided the press and various members of Congress with secret documents seized from that office, showing the government’s involvement in criminalizing dissent.
While FBI and police harassment were suspected by way of surveillance and infiltration during the 1960s, any talk of secret or dangerous CIA-type activity against domestic dissidents would have been dismissed as paranoid had it not been for the evidence picked up in this raid, according to Brian Glick, the author of "War at Home: Covert action against U. S. activists and what we can do about it."
Glick, a New York attorney and social justice advocate, is internationally known for his observations and writing on COINTELPRO operations.
In fact, covert operations have been employed against those who speak out against the government throughout the FBI’s history (and even in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars), including recent FBI monitoring of environmental and animal rights organizations, close watch of anti-war groups by a secret Pentagon program and eavesdropping on domestic communications by the National Security Agency.
The formal COINTELPROs of 1956-1971 were broadly targeted against organizations that were at the time considered politically radical, as well, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Within a year of the 1971 Pennsylvania break-in, former FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover declared the centralized COINTELPRO over, and all future counterintelligence operations to be handled on a "case-by-case basis," an official FBI statement that sounds all too familiar following the more recent spy/infiltration discovery.
Back in 1971, Hoover did not promise that the FBI would stop using COINTELPRO tactics, and more secret documents were revealed through lawsuits filed against the FBI by NBC correspondent Carl Stern and then in 1976 by the "Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities of the United States Senate," commonly referred to as the "Church Committee" for its chairman, Senator Frank Church of Idaho.
Millions of pages of COINTELPRO documents remain unreleased, while many released documents were almost entirely censored; just as recently released reports on the FBI’s infiltration of the Pennsylvania Peace group, many COINTELPRO documents made available to the public include lines entirely blacked out, making them unreadable.
Also in 1971, the Church Committee concluded that "covert action programs have been used to disrupt the lawful political activities of individual Americans and groups and to discredit them, using dangerous and degrading tactics which are abhorrent in a free and decent society," writes political scientist Howard Zinn.
Where Did COINTELPRO Come From?
COINTELPRO developed out of the anti-Communist hysteria of the Cold War years, leading FBI agents into taking actions against groups that had nothing to do with Communism. The Bureau would take actions against individuals and organizations simply because they were critical of government policy, Zinn writes.
The political scientist found numerous examples of free speech violations in which the FBI targeted people because they opposed U. S. foreign policy or criticized police actions.
Documents assembled by the Church Committee "compel the conclusion that Federal law enforcement officers looked upon themselves as guardians of the status quo." Zinn cites the surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King Jr. as an important example.
But SNCC, with its proactive philosophy, topped the list of targeted programs under "Negro radicals."
And when congressional investigations, political trials, and other traditional legal modes of repression failed to counter the growing movements, and even helped to fuel them, the FBI and police moved outside the law, resorting to the secret and systematic use of fraud and force to sabotage constitutionally protected political activity.
"Their methods ranged far beyond surveillance, amounting to a home front version of the covert action for which the CIA has become infamous throughout the world."
FBI Headquarters secretly instructed its field offices to propose schemes to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" specific individuals and groups.
Close coordination with local police and prosecutors was strongly encouraged. Other recommended collaborators included friendly news media, business and foundation executives, and university, church, and trade union officials, as well as such "patriotic" organizations as the American Legion.
In his research, Glick uncovered a total of 2,370 officially approved COINTELPRO actions that were admitted to the Senate Intelligence Committee, and thousands more have since been uncovered.
Glick lists four main methods used by the agents:
1) infiltration by agents and informers with the intention to discredit and disrupt; 2) psychological warfare from the outside, using "dirty tricks" to undermine progressive movements; 3) harassment through the legal system, making targets appear to be criminal; and 4) extralegal force and violence including break-ins, vandalism, assaults, and beatings to frighten dissidents and disrupt their movements.
The lengthy list of activists coming under attack included Cesar Chavez, Fathers Daniel and Phillip Berrigan, Rev. Jesse Jackson, David Dellinger, officials of the American Friends Service Committee and the National Council of Churches, and other leading pacifists were high on the list, "as were projects directly protected by the First Amendment, such as anti-war teach-ins, progressive bookstores, independent filmmakers, and alternative newspapers and news services."
It was COINTELPRO "that enabled the FBI and police to eliminate the leaders of mass movements in the 1960s without undermining the image of the United States as a democracy, complete with free speech and the rule of law.
"Charismatic orators and dynamic organizers were covertly attacked and ‘neutralized’ before their skills could be transferred to others and stable structures established to carry on their work."
FBI documents were found disclosing six major official counterintelligence programs, of which three focused on the Civil Rights Movement with top priority given to the "COINTELPRO – Communist Party-USA, with its specific operations conducted on Dr. King, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, the NAACP, the National Lawyers Guild.
Also the National Committee to Abolish the House Un-American Activities Committee, Women's Strike for Peace, the American Friends Service Committee, and the National Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy.
Officially, the six major COINTELPRO programs (with hundreds of separate operations) were COINTELPRO – Communist Party, USA (CP); COINTELPRO – Social Workers Party (SWP); COINTELPRO – Puerto Rican Independence Movement; COINTELPRO – Black Liberation Movement; COINTELPRO – New Left; COINTELPRO – AIM; and COINTELPRO – White.
Dr. King was a target of an elaborate COINTELPRO plot to drive him to suicide and replace him "in his role of the leadership of the Negro people" with conservative Black lawyer Samuel Pierce (later named to President Ronald Reagan's cabinet) according to revisionist historians including Glick and Zinn, who have come to view King's assassination, as well as Malcolm X’s, as domestic covert operations.
Glick cites a letter (Michael Gabriel, "James Earl Ray: The Last Days of Inmate #65477," Cat Yoga Publishing, April, 2004) written by James Earl Ray, in which Ray claimed there was never a trial in the homicide case.
"The government gained control of the attorney representing me, Percy Foreman. Without going into a lot of details, Mr. Foreman maneuvered me into a plea of guilty after he had me sign numerous literary contracts, and then signing all of the proceeds over to him under the guise he would use the money to finance a trial in the MLK case.
"Foreman obtained the plea via various threats: If I didn’t enter the plea, the government would probably try my brother Jerry, for conspiring in the MLK shooting, that my father might be returned to an Iowa prison from where he had escaped in 1926, and that he (Foreman), might not put forth his best efforts in a trial."
A label of "Black Nationalist Hate Groups," was the vehicle for the Bureau's all-out assault on Dr. King, SNCC, CORE, the Black Panther Party, the Nation of Islam, "Black Muslims," and the National Welfare Rights Organization.
The Socialist Workers Party and groups supporting or working with Malcolm X and the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam were also identified as targets.
Still others organizations were harassed:
The League of Black Revolutionary Workers, the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement (DRUM), the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM), the Republic of New Afrika (RNA), the Congress of African People, Black student unions, "and many local Black churches and community organizations struggling for decent living conditions, justice, equality, and empowerment."
Additional COINTELPRO operations focused on the destruction of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Peace and Freedom Party, the Institute for Policy Studies, and a broad range of anti-war, anti-racist, student, GI, veteran, feminist, lesbian, gay, environmental, Marxist, and anarchist groups.
Also the network of food co-ops, health clinics, child care centers, schools, bookstores, newspapers, community centers, street theaters, rock groups, and communes that formed the infrastructure of the counter-culture, according to Glick.
One example of COINTELPRO-Communist Party-USA harassment involved 18 staffers and supporters of Kudzu, a pro-left, counter-culture newspaper produced in Jackson, Mississippi.
On October 8, 1968, they were attacked and beaten by Jackson deputy sheriffs. Newspaper staffers had already survived a conviction on obscenity charges, the arrest of salespeople, the confiscation of cameras, and even eviction from its offices.
Kudzu was put under direct surveillance by the FBI in 1970. For more than two months FBI agents made daily searches without warrants, according to the coordinator of PEN American Center’s Freedom to Write Committee:
On October 24 and 25, Kudzu sponsored a Southern regional conference of the Underground Press Syndicate. The night before the conference the FBI and Jackson detectives searched the Kudzu offices twice. During the search, an FBI agent threatened to kill Kudzu staffers.
On the morning of October 26, FBI agents again searched the office. That evening local police entered the building, held its eight occupants at gunpoint, produced a bag of marijuana, and then arrested them.... A Kudzu staff member commented,
"The FBI used to be fairly sophisticated, but lately they have broken one of our doors, pointed guns in our faces, told us that ‘punks like you don’t have any rights,’ and threatened to shoot us on the street if they see us with our hands in our pockets."
Discovered among these special units was a unique COINTELPRO program focusing on "White Hate Groups," at least on paper.
But Glick and several other researchers argue that COINTELPRO-white appeared only to go after violent right-wing groups, and that the FBI actually gave covert aid to the Ku Klux Klan, Minutemen, Nazis, and other racist vigilantes, under the cover of being even-handed.
Specifically, COINTELPRO documents indicate that some infiltrators discreetly spied for years without calling attention to themselves (like the Soviet moles or sleepers) while others acted as instigators to disrupt meetings and conventions or social and other contacts.
University of Delaware historian Gary May tells the story of slain activist Viola Liuzzo in "The Informant: The FBI, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Murder of Viola Liuzzo," (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, May 11, 2005) who was murdered in 1965 at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan immediately after the Selma, Ala., voting rights march took place.
President Johnson kept close tabs on the investigation and when suspects were taken into custody almost immediately, it seemed the FBI was doing its job with extra diligence; federal informant Gary Thomas Rowe had infiltrated the Alabama Klan five years earlier and quickly pointed out the suspects.
But Rowe's own role in the murder was suspicious, and it turned out that his experiences with the KKK often linked him with other notorious race crimes of the era, including the Birmingham church bombing. As with some other FBI informants, this one played both sides.
Agents spread rumors, made accusations, inflamed disagreements, and caused splits. "They urged divisive proposals, sabotaged activities, overspent scarce resources, stole funds, seduced leaders, exacerbated rivalries, caused jealousy and public embarrassment to groups. They often led activists into unnecessary danger and set them up for prosecution."
One common maneuver, known as placing a "snitch jacket" or "bad jacket" on an activist, damaged the victim’s effectiveness and generated "confusion, distrust, and paranoia." The maneuver was used to divert time and energy and turn co-workers against one another, even provoking violence.
"Jacketing" was often done by "carefully orchestrated series of news releases and newspaper articles prepared by the FBI and ‘cooperative’ reporters."
An activist could be falsely labeled an informer in "FBI-composed anonymous letters" or in other operations, where the FBI arranged for police to release one member of a group that had been arrested together or to single one out for special treatment, "and then spread the rumor that the beneficiary had cooperated."
A snitch jacket was used in 1968 against SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Toure) along with a "whispering campaign," to "tag Carmichael with a CIA label," Glick wrote, citing a letter from the FBI Director to Washington Field Office, July 1, 1968 and memorandums from Washington Field Office to FBI Director, July 9, and July 10, 1968.
Comedian Dick Gregory, who spent time within Mississippi marching for voting rights and outside of the state raising money to help feed and clothe starving children in the Delta, was also the target of "covert maneuvers" to get the Mafia to move against Black activists … and the entire leadership of the Communist Party – USA.
Meanwhile, the FBI’s "main right-wing beneficiary" was the Ku Klux Klan, Glick and others say. In 1961, the Klan brutalized freedom riders as they arrived in various Southern cities, including Jackson, with "advance information supplied by the FBI."
The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission diligently collected and kept this advance information. The names of civil rights advocates, their complete address, age, and name of employer or school attended were often collected and held in Sovereignty Files, some under the category name, "Freedom Riders Groups and Addresses, Group Numbers and Date Arrived."
The FBI kept talking with Klan members. By 1965, some 20 percent of Klan members were on the FBI payroll, many occupying leadership positions in seven of the fourteen Klan groups across the country, states political scientist Robert Goldstein in "Political Repression in Modern America: 1870 to the Present," (Cambridge, MA: Schenkman Publishing Co., 1978).
Finally, Sovereignty Commission staffers often shared files with FBI special agents running the COINTELPROs, as evidenced by Commission files kept on targets including the Freedom Democratic Party and the Republic of New Afrika (RNA).
One Mississippi Delta SNCC volunteer says she was "exposed" no sooner than she arrived on the job in Holly Springs. An August 18, 1966 story in the Jackson Daily News held that SNCC volunteer Jo Freeman was a "professional agitator" citing "the Burns report" as its major source of information.
Five photographs accompanied the story, including one taken on December 3, 1964 of Freeman speaking from the second floor balcony of the administration building on the University of California, Berkeley campus.
When Freeman’s Mississippi SNCC boss saw the editorial, he put Freeman on a bus back to Atlanta. "That thing makes you Klan bait," he told her.
Freeman assumed the FBI was behind her experience in the Delta, even though she did not know about COINTELPRO at the time.
"It had all the earmarks of an FBI plant, requiring connections between California and Mississippi. My belief was reinforced when the FBI's COINTELPRO actions against the Civil Rights Movement in general and its persecution of Dr. Martin Luther King in particular were revealed.
"Not until 1997 did I discover that the actual source of the editorial and photos was the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission (MSC), an official state agency of which I was completely unaware in 1966.
"And only after reading many pages in the MSC files at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History did I realize that I and others like me were not just foot soldiers in the Civil Rights Movement, but cannon fodder in the Cold War," wrote Freeman in her autobiography, "At Berkeley in the Sixties: Education of an Activist, 1961-1965," (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004).
Glick and others maintain that literally thousands of important files continue to be withheld, while others have been destroyed. Further, former COINTELPRO operatives report "the most heinous and embarrassing actions" were never committed to writing; the statement of retired FBI Special Agent Arthur Murtagh who appeared before the Select Committee on Intelligence, and who was interviewed by retired FBI Special Agent Wes Swearingen in June 1979, serves as just one example.
Officials with broad personal knowledge of COINTELPRO have been silenced, "most notably William C. Sullivan, who created the [COINTELPRO] program and ran it throughout the 1960s. Sullivan was killed in uninvestigated 1977 ‘hunting accident’ shortly after giving extensive information to a grand jury investigating the FBI, but before he could testify publicly," Glick states.
* * *
And so …
As internal agency documents released in March raised new questions over federal spying without court authorization – in this case on anti-war Americans – since Sept. 11, 2001, William Crowley, a spokesman for the FBI's Pittsburgh office, "insisted the monitoring was legal and related to an ongoing investigation but gave no details of the probe."
Crowley further stated that when the FBI found no link between its investigation and the center, it ended the surveillance, Jonathan S. Landay of Knight Ridder News Service reported.
The ACLU, meanwhile, contends the documents are the first to "show conclusively" that an anti-war group was targeted for anti-war views. ACLU staff attorney, Marty Catherine Roper, told Landay.
"The documents demonstrate that "Americans are not safe from secret government surveillance, even when they are handing out fliers in the town square, an activity clearly protected by the Constitution."
The Thomas Merton Center, named for an American Roman Catholic monk, poet and author who died in 1968, meanwhile describes itself as a group of people from diverse faiths who believe in "nonviolent struggle" for peace and justice.
Yet an FBI report dated Nov. 29, 2002, defined the center as "a left-wing organization advocating, among many political causes, pacifism."'
The report also noted that the center had cooperated with an Islamic organization in staging an event to promote understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims in Pittsburgh.
"The documents say they were conducting some kind of investigation," Thomas Merton Center director Jim Kleissler told Landay.
"That implies we were under surveillance simply because we were against the war. Our freedoms are being undermined."
No surprise there.
Susan Orr-Klopfer, journalist and author, writes on civil rights in Mississippi. Her newest books, "Where Rebels Roost: Mississippi Civil Rights Revisited" and "The Emmett Till Book" are now in print and are carried in most online bookstores including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. "Where Rebels Roost" focuses on the Delta, Emmett Till, Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, Amzie Moore and many other civil rights foot soldiers. Both books emphasize unsolved murders of Delta blacks from mid 1950s on. Orr-Klopfer is an award-winning journalist and former acquisitions and development editor for Prentice-Hall. Her computer book, "Abort, Retry, Fail!" was an alternate selection by the Book of-the-Month Club.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Klopfer
Robert Keglar of Charleston, Mississippi was referring to an earlier FBI secret program -- COunter INTELligence PROgrams or COINTELPROs -- that not only promoted spying on and infiltration of civil rights groups but often harassed activists and pitted them against each other, beginning as early as 1956.
"Of course, we had the state of Mississippi spying on us, too. And even private citizens doing it. No one should ever forget the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission or the White Citizens Councils," Keglar said.
The former teacher and boy scout leader's mother and her friend were tortured and murdered in 1966 for registering voters in Tallahatchie County; his brother was killed when he tried to learn what happened to his mother.
COINTELPRO programs often made havoc of perfectly lawful activities led by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or SNCC and other civil rights groups including the NAACP, the organization that both Birdia Keglar and Adlena Hamlett belonged to.
As the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission, funded by the state’s legislature one year after the 1955 murder of fourteen year-old Emmett Till, was initiated to ensure integration would not occur, former FBI and military intelligence agents were hired to spy on Mississippians as the Commission came into power.
On the federal side of the surveillance coin, COINTELPROs were initiated by the FBI in the same year.
Private White Citizens Councils, formed one year earlier in 1955, were also a product of Mississippi’s fight to maintain segregation and represented the private voice of the state’s leading segregationists.
Councils members included prominent bankers, attorneys, physicians, elected officials, chambers of commerce members, realtors and others.
Byron de La Beckwith, convicted for the murder of civil rights icon Medgar Evers, was a Citizens Councils member.
John Satterfield of Yazoo City, a Methodist leader and president of the Mississippi State Bar Association and the American Bar Association (for two terms), was a member, too.
Sovereignty Commission reports, first publicly released in 1997, are available online through the state’s department of archives and include files on some Citizens Councils activities as well.
But COINTELPRO files – if they were ever included in Sovereignty Commission’s records – are remarkably invisible. Some Mississippians contend that thousands of Commission files were purged before they were turned over to the ACLU and made public. And that the FBI, Sovereignty Commission and White Citizens Councils worked hand in hand.
"I’ve always wondered how the information was passed on that pinpointed exactly where my mother and her friend would be at that specific time. Who was spying on them? Who told the Klan where they were going? Who knew what route they were taking?" Keglar asks.
The county's district attorney informed Birdia Keglar’s son of the "car accident." But relatives and friends, as well as several "eye-witnesses," reported that she and Hamlett were run off the road, pulled from their car, tortured and murdered by highway patrolmen who were also Klan members. The June 12, 1966 accident was never investigated; Mississippi public officials and the FBI say no reports of the accident exist.
COINTELPRO Discovered in Pennsylvania Break-In
The existence of COINTELPRO came to light back in March of 1971, when a group calling themselves the "Citizens' Committee to Investigate the FBI" broke into an FBI field office -- ironically in Pennsylvania, the same state where current FBI spying charges were lodged this past week – and then provided the press and various members of Congress with secret documents seized from that office, showing the government’s involvement in criminalizing dissent.
While FBI and police harassment were suspected by way of surveillance and infiltration during the 1960s, any talk of secret or dangerous CIA-type activity against domestic dissidents would have been dismissed as paranoid had it not been for the evidence picked up in this raid, according to Brian Glick, the author of "War at Home: Covert action against U. S. activists and what we can do about it."
Glick, a New York attorney and social justice advocate, is internationally known for his observations and writing on COINTELPRO operations.
In fact, covert operations have been employed against those who speak out against the government throughout the FBI’s history (and even in both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars), including recent FBI monitoring of environmental and animal rights organizations, close watch of anti-war groups by a secret Pentagon program and eavesdropping on domestic communications by the National Security Agency.
The formal COINTELPROs of 1956-1971 were broadly targeted against organizations that were at the time considered politically radical, as well, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Within a year of the 1971 Pennsylvania break-in, former FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover declared the centralized COINTELPRO over, and all future counterintelligence operations to be handled on a "case-by-case basis," an official FBI statement that sounds all too familiar following the more recent spy/infiltration discovery.
Back in 1971, Hoover did not promise that the FBI would stop using COINTELPRO tactics, and more secret documents were revealed through lawsuits filed against the FBI by NBC correspondent Carl Stern and then in 1976 by the "Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities of the United States Senate," commonly referred to as the "Church Committee" for its chairman, Senator Frank Church of Idaho.
Millions of pages of COINTELPRO documents remain unreleased, while many released documents were almost entirely censored; just as recently released reports on the FBI’s infiltration of the Pennsylvania Peace group, many COINTELPRO documents made available to the public include lines entirely blacked out, making them unreadable.
Also in 1971, the Church Committee concluded that "covert action programs have been used to disrupt the lawful political activities of individual Americans and groups and to discredit them, using dangerous and degrading tactics which are abhorrent in a free and decent society," writes political scientist Howard Zinn.
Where Did COINTELPRO Come From?
COINTELPRO developed out of the anti-Communist hysteria of the Cold War years, leading FBI agents into taking actions against groups that had nothing to do with Communism. The Bureau would take actions against individuals and organizations simply because they were critical of government policy, Zinn writes.
The political scientist found numerous examples of free speech violations in which the FBI targeted people because they opposed U. S. foreign policy or criticized police actions.
Documents assembled by the Church Committee "compel the conclusion that Federal law enforcement officers looked upon themselves as guardians of the status quo." Zinn cites the surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King Jr. as an important example.
But SNCC, with its proactive philosophy, topped the list of targeted programs under "Negro radicals."
And when congressional investigations, political trials, and other traditional legal modes of repression failed to counter the growing movements, and even helped to fuel them, the FBI and police moved outside the law, resorting to the secret and systematic use of fraud and force to sabotage constitutionally protected political activity.
"Their methods ranged far beyond surveillance, amounting to a home front version of the covert action for which the CIA has become infamous throughout the world."
FBI Headquarters secretly instructed its field offices to propose schemes to "expose, disrupt, misdirect, discredit, or otherwise neutralize" specific individuals and groups.
Close coordination with local police and prosecutors was strongly encouraged. Other recommended collaborators included friendly news media, business and foundation executives, and university, church, and trade union officials, as well as such "patriotic" organizations as the American Legion.
In his research, Glick uncovered a total of 2,370 officially approved COINTELPRO actions that were admitted to the Senate Intelligence Committee, and thousands more have since been uncovered.
Glick lists four main methods used by the agents:
1) infiltration by agents and informers with the intention to discredit and disrupt; 2) psychological warfare from the outside, using "dirty tricks" to undermine progressive movements; 3) harassment through the legal system, making targets appear to be criminal; and 4) extralegal force and violence including break-ins, vandalism, assaults, and beatings to frighten dissidents and disrupt their movements.
The lengthy list of activists coming under attack included Cesar Chavez, Fathers Daniel and Phillip Berrigan, Rev. Jesse Jackson, David Dellinger, officials of the American Friends Service Committee and the National Council of Churches, and other leading pacifists were high on the list, "as were projects directly protected by the First Amendment, such as anti-war teach-ins, progressive bookstores, independent filmmakers, and alternative newspapers and news services."
It was COINTELPRO "that enabled the FBI and police to eliminate the leaders of mass movements in the 1960s without undermining the image of the United States as a democracy, complete with free speech and the rule of law.
"Charismatic orators and dynamic organizers were covertly attacked and ‘neutralized’ before their skills could be transferred to others and stable structures established to carry on their work."
FBI documents were found disclosing six major official counterintelligence programs, of which three focused on the Civil Rights Movement with top priority given to the "COINTELPRO – Communist Party-USA, with its specific operations conducted on Dr. King, the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, the NAACP, the National Lawyers Guild.
Also the National Committee to Abolish the House Un-American Activities Committee, Women's Strike for Peace, the American Friends Service Committee, and the National Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy.
Officially, the six major COINTELPRO programs (with hundreds of separate operations) were COINTELPRO – Communist Party, USA (CP); COINTELPRO – Social Workers Party (SWP); COINTELPRO – Puerto Rican Independence Movement; COINTELPRO – Black Liberation Movement; COINTELPRO – New Left; COINTELPRO – AIM; and COINTELPRO – White.
Dr. King was a target of an elaborate COINTELPRO plot to drive him to suicide and replace him "in his role of the leadership of the Negro people" with conservative Black lawyer Samuel Pierce (later named to President Ronald Reagan's cabinet) according to revisionist historians including Glick and Zinn, who have come to view King's assassination, as well as Malcolm X’s, as domestic covert operations.
Glick cites a letter (Michael Gabriel, "James Earl Ray: The Last Days of Inmate #65477," Cat Yoga Publishing, April, 2004) written by James Earl Ray, in which Ray claimed there was never a trial in the homicide case.
"The government gained control of the attorney representing me, Percy Foreman. Without going into a lot of details, Mr. Foreman maneuvered me into a plea of guilty after he had me sign numerous literary contracts, and then signing all of the proceeds over to him under the guise he would use the money to finance a trial in the MLK case.
"Foreman obtained the plea via various threats: If I didn’t enter the plea, the government would probably try my brother Jerry, for conspiring in the MLK shooting, that my father might be returned to an Iowa prison from where he had escaped in 1926, and that he (Foreman), might not put forth his best efforts in a trial."
A label of "Black Nationalist Hate Groups," was the vehicle for the Bureau's all-out assault on Dr. King, SNCC, CORE, the Black Panther Party, the Nation of Islam, "Black Muslims," and the National Welfare Rights Organization.
The Socialist Workers Party and groups supporting or working with Malcolm X and the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam were also identified as targets.
Still others organizations were harassed:
The League of Black Revolutionary Workers, the Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement (DRUM), the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM), the Republic of New Afrika (RNA), the Congress of African People, Black student unions, "and many local Black churches and community organizations struggling for decent living conditions, justice, equality, and empowerment."
Additional COINTELPRO operations focused on the destruction of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), the Peace and Freedom Party, the Institute for Policy Studies, and a broad range of anti-war, anti-racist, student, GI, veteran, feminist, lesbian, gay, environmental, Marxist, and anarchist groups.
Also the network of food co-ops, health clinics, child care centers, schools, bookstores, newspapers, community centers, street theaters, rock groups, and communes that formed the infrastructure of the counter-culture, according to Glick.
One example of COINTELPRO-Communist Party-USA harassment involved 18 staffers and supporters of Kudzu, a pro-left, counter-culture newspaper produced in Jackson, Mississippi.
On October 8, 1968, they were attacked and beaten by Jackson deputy sheriffs. Newspaper staffers had already survived a conviction on obscenity charges, the arrest of salespeople, the confiscation of cameras, and even eviction from its offices.
Kudzu was put under direct surveillance by the FBI in 1970. For more than two months FBI agents made daily searches without warrants, according to the coordinator of PEN American Center’s Freedom to Write Committee:
On October 24 and 25, Kudzu sponsored a Southern regional conference of the Underground Press Syndicate. The night before the conference the FBI and Jackson detectives searched the Kudzu offices twice. During the search, an FBI agent threatened to kill Kudzu staffers.
On the morning of October 26, FBI agents again searched the office. That evening local police entered the building, held its eight occupants at gunpoint, produced a bag of marijuana, and then arrested them.... A Kudzu staff member commented,
"The FBI used to be fairly sophisticated, but lately they have broken one of our doors, pointed guns in our faces, told us that ‘punks like you don’t have any rights,’ and threatened to shoot us on the street if they see us with our hands in our pockets."
Discovered among these special units was a unique COINTELPRO program focusing on "White Hate Groups," at least on paper.
But Glick and several other researchers argue that COINTELPRO-white appeared only to go after violent right-wing groups, and that the FBI actually gave covert aid to the Ku Klux Klan, Minutemen, Nazis, and other racist vigilantes, under the cover of being even-handed.
Specifically, COINTELPRO documents indicate that some infiltrators discreetly spied for years without calling attention to themselves (like the Soviet moles or sleepers) while others acted as instigators to disrupt meetings and conventions or social and other contacts.
University of Delaware historian Gary May tells the story of slain activist Viola Liuzzo in "The Informant: The FBI, the Ku Klux Klan, and the Murder of Viola Liuzzo," (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, May 11, 2005) who was murdered in 1965 at the hands of the Ku Klux Klan immediately after the Selma, Ala., voting rights march took place.
President Johnson kept close tabs on the investigation and when suspects were taken into custody almost immediately, it seemed the FBI was doing its job with extra diligence; federal informant Gary Thomas Rowe had infiltrated the Alabama Klan five years earlier and quickly pointed out the suspects.
But Rowe's own role in the murder was suspicious, and it turned out that his experiences with the KKK often linked him with other notorious race crimes of the era, including the Birmingham church bombing. As with some other FBI informants, this one played both sides.
Agents spread rumors, made accusations, inflamed disagreements, and caused splits. "They urged divisive proposals, sabotaged activities, overspent scarce resources, stole funds, seduced leaders, exacerbated rivalries, caused jealousy and public embarrassment to groups. They often led activists into unnecessary danger and set them up for prosecution."
One common maneuver, known as placing a "snitch jacket" or "bad jacket" on an activist, damaged the victim’s effectiveness and generated "confusion, distrust, and paranoia." The maneuver was used to divert time and energy and turn co-workers against one another, even provoking violence.
"Jacketing" was often done by "carefully orchestrated series of news releases and newspaper articles prepared by the FBI and ‘cooperative’ reporters."
An activist could be falsely labeled an informer in "FBI-composed anonymous letters" or in other operations, where the FBI arranged for police to release one member of a group that had been arrested together or to single one out for special treatment, "and then spread the rumor that the beneficiary had cooperated."
A snitch jacket was used in 1968 against SNCC leader Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Toure) along with a "whispering campaign," to "tag Carmichael with a CIA label," Glick wrote, citing a letter from the FBI Director to Washington Field Office, July 1, 1968 and memorandums from Washington Field Office to FBI Director, July 9, and July 10, 1968.
Comedian Dick Gregory, who spent time within Mississippi marching for voting rights and outside of the state raising money to help feed and clothe starving children in the Delta, was also the target of "covert maneuvers" to get the Mafia to move against Black activists … and the entire leadership of the Communist Party – USA.
Meanwhile, the FBI’s "main right-wing beneficiary" was the Ku Klux Klan, Glick and others say. In 1961, the Klan brutalized freedom riders as they arrived in various Southern cities, including Jackson, with "advance information supplied by the FBI."
The Mississippi Sovereignty Commission diligently collected and kept this advance information. The names of civil rights advocates, their complete address, age, and name of employer or school attended were often collected and held in Sovereignty Files, some under the category name, "Freedom Riders Groups and Addresses, Group Numbers and Date Arrived."
The FBI kept talking with Klan members. By 1965, some 20 percent of Klan members were on the FBI payroll, many occupying leadership positions in seven of the fourteen Klan groups across the country, states political scientist Robert Goldstein in "Political Repression in Modern America: 1870 to the Present," (Cambridge, MA: Schenkman Publishing Co., 1978).
Finally, Sovereignty Commission staffers often shared files with FBI special agents running the COINTELPROs, as evidenced by Commission files kept on targets including the Freedom Democratic Party and the Republic of New Afrika (RNA).
One Mississippi Delta SNCC volunteer says she was "exposed" no sooner than she arrived on the job in Holly Springs. An August 18, 1966 story in the Jackson Daily News held that SNCC volunteer Jo Freeman was a "professional agitator" citing "the Burns report" as its major source of information.
Five photographs accompanied the story, including one taken on December 3, 1964 of Freeman speaking from the second floor balcony of the administration building on the University of California, Berkeley campus.
When Freeman’s Mississippi SNCC boss saw the editorial, he put Freeman on a bus back to Atlanta. "That thing makes you Klan bait," he told her.
Freeman assumed the FBI was behind her experience in the Delta, even though she did not know about COINTELPRO at the time.
"It had all the earmarks of an FBI plant, requiring connections between California and Mississippi. My belief was reinforced when the FBI's COINTELPRO actions against the Civil Rights Movement in general and its persecution of Dr. Martin Luther King in particular were revealed.
"Not until 1997 did I discover that the actual source of the editorial and photos was the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission (MSC), an official state agency of which I was completely unaware in 1966.
"And only after reading many pages in the MSC files at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History did I realize that I and others like me were not just foot soldiers in the Civil Rights Movement, but cannon fodder in the Cold War," wrote Freeman in her autobiography, "At Berkeley in the Sixties: Education of an Activist, 1961-1965," (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004).
Glick and others maintain that literally thousands of important files continue to be withheld, while others have been destroyed. Further, former COINTELPRO operatives report "the most heinous and embarrassing actions" were never committed to writing; the statement of retired FBI Special Agent Arthur Murtagh who appeared before the Select Committee on Intelligence, and who was interviewed by retired FBI Special Agent Wes Swearingen in June 1979, serves as just one example.
Officials with broad personal knowledge of COINTELPRO have been silenced, "most notably William C. Sullivan, who created the [COINTELPRO] program and ran it throughout the 1960s. Sullivan was killed in uninvestigated 1977 ‘hunting accident’ shortly after giving extensive information to a grand jury investigating the FBI, but before he could testify publicly," Glick states.
* * *
And so …
As internal agency documents released in March raised new questions over federal spying without court authorization – in this case on anti-war Americans – since Sept. 11, 2001, William Crowley, a spokesman for the FBI's Pittsburgh office, "insisted the monitoring was legal and related to an ongoing investigation but gave no details of the probe."
Crowley further stated that when the FBI found no link between its investigation and the center, it ended the surveillance, Jonathan S. Landay of Knight Ridder News Service reported.
The ACLU, meanwhile, contends the documents are the first to "show conclusively" that an anti-war group was targeted for anti-war views. ACLU staff attorney, Marty Catherine Roper, told Landay.
"The documents demonstrate that "Americans are not safe from secret government surveillance, even when they are handing out fliers in the town square, an activity clearly protected by the Constitution."
The Thomas Merton Center, named for an American Roman Catholic monk, poet and author who died in 1968, meanwhile describes itself as a group of people from diverse faiths who believe in "nonviolent struggle" for peace and justice.
Yet an FBI report dated Nov. 29, 2002, defined the center as "a left-wing organization advocating, among many political causes, pacifism."'
The report also noted that the center had cooperated with an Islamic organization in staging an event to promote understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims in Pittsburgh.
"The documents say they were conducting some kind of investigation," Thomas Merton Center director Jim Kleissler told Landay.
"That implies we were under surveillance simply because we were against the war. Our freedoms are being undermined."
No surprise there.
Susan Orr-Klopfer, journalist and author, writes on civil rights in Mississippi. Her newest books, "Where Rebels Roost: Mississippi Civil Rights Revisited" and "The Emmett Till Book" are now in print and are carried in most online bookstores including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. "Where Rebels Roost" focuses on the Delta, Emmett Till, Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, Amzie Moore and many other civil rights foot soldiers. Both books emphasize unsolved murders of Delta blacks from mid 1950s on. Orr-Klopfer is an award-winning journalist and former acquisitions and development editor for Prentice-Hall. Her computer book, "Abort, Retry, Fail!" was an alternate selection by the Book of-the-Month Club.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Klopfer
Memory Dump - Computer Memory Problem
Computer may have many types of memory problem as it is one of the most important factors in the functioning of the computer. All the data necessary for the operation of the computer is stored in the memory slots. It is always difficult to detect a memory problem if there is no error message displayed by windows. A memory problem can be caused due a physical problem with the computer or sometimes due to improper maintenance and not clearing the old files leading to a stage where windows starts memory dump.
A problem with the memory of the computer can make it crash and give some serious errors and blue screens. Sometimes the system fails to recognize the installed memory. Severe memory problems can be found quickly as the BIOS checks the system memory before booting the computer. If there is a serious error; the computer will just have a blank screen and an unbootable computer. The problems could lie on the memory but there is a higher chance that your registry is the main cause of the memory dump. If there is a corrupted data, there is a high chance that you memory stop responding which causes a blue screen to appear that says beginning of physical memory dump. This can cause the computer memory module to fail. Some effects of this are missing or scrambled data, system crashing very frequently and sometimes reboots all on its own. Registry files and system files could be lost because of this which makes the windows to dump the memory of the RAM to a file. Memory dump is useful as it stores the data and details about the crash and can be useful in analyzing what made the system to crash.
There is hardly anything which can be done if there is a computer memory problem other than changing the physical part which is damaged and try to fix it with registry cleaner.
So things which can be done to prevent computer memory problems are buying memory devices of good quality, not mixing the memory modules of different manufacturers, keeping the computer in good environment which is free from dust, humidity and extreme heat which can damage the computer's physical components. Keep the computer safe from power fluctuations by providing power backup. Spending little time for maintenance of the computer can do a lot of good which will include performance and trouble free computer.
Registry cleaner is a much better option because it is free to download. You can scan for free to see if the actual problems lie on your system registry. You will need to purchase it to fix the problems, which is a better choice since memory is more expensive than the software. The other advantage is that you can maintain your registry to prevent the memory problem to occur in the future.
I bet you are thinking that the second option is more sensible and smart move. If you do not want to see a blue screen of death or a message that says beginning of physical memory dump, check out computer memory problem for further information.
Alexandre Frings is a computer technology enthusiast and self proclaimed expert. His site Registry software review will help you free your computer from the annoying memory problem.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexandre_Frings
A problem with the memory of the computer can make it crash and give some serious errors and blue screens. Sometimes the system fails to recognize the installed memory. Severe memory problems can be found quickly as the BIOS checks the system memory before booting the computer. If there is a serious error; the computer will just have a blank screen and an unbootable computer. The problems could lie on the memory but there is a higher chance that your registry is the main cause of the memory dump. If there is a corrupted data, there is a high chance that you memory stop responding which causes a blue screen to appear that says beginning of physical memory dump. This can cause the computer memory module to fail. Some effects of this are missing or scrambled data, system crashing very frequently and sometimes reboots all on its own. Registry files and system files could be lost because of this which makes the windows to dump the memory of the RAM to a file. Memory dump is useful as it stores the data and details about the crash and can be useful in analyzing what made the system to crash.
There is hardly anything which can be done if there is a computer memory problem other than changing the physical part which is damaged and try to fix it with registry cleaner.
So things which can be done to prevent computer memory problems are buying memory devices of good quality, not mixing the memory modules of different manufacturers, keeping the computer in good environment which is free from dust, humidity and extreme heat which can damage the computer's physical components. Keep the computer safe from power fluctuations by providing power backup. Spending little time for maintenance of the computer can do a lot of good which will include performance and trouble free computer.
Registry cleaner is a much better option because it is free to download. You can scan for free to see if the actual problems lie on your system registry. You will need to purchase it to fix the problems, which is a better choice since memory is more expensive than the software. The other advantage is that you can maintain your registry to prevent the memory problem to occur in the future.
I bet you are thinking that the second option is more sensible and smart move. If you do not want to see a blue screen of death or a message that says beginning of physical memory dump, check out computer memory problem for further information.
Alexandre Frings is a computer technology enthusiast and self proclaimed expert. His site Registry software review will help you free your computer from the annoying memory problem.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alexandre_Frings
Buying Computer Hardware Online
Computer hardware would refer to the physical components of the computer. If you do not have the proper hardware, you would naturally not be able to run any program or software on your computer. Also, a program's optimum performance mainly depends on the type of hardware being used. For this reason, it is absolutely essential that the product you would be purchasing should be of great quality.
As an individual plans to purchase computer parts, he is faced with the option of buying from an actual store or buying from an online retailer. It is actually more advisable to buy online, as you would have the ability of browsing through different models and items effortlessly.
You would just need to verify if the website that you are planning to buy the items from would have a security system that would prevent your personal details from being stolen.
Buying computer hardware online usually is a lot cheaper compared to buying it at an actual store, because the overhead costs they incur are a lot lower. So you would be paying less yet getting more. This is one of the reasons why a lot of consumers have been turning to the online option when purchasing computer parts.
Discounted and relatively cheap computer hardware is fairly easy to locate online. Regardless of the computer part you are searching for, you would surely be able to land great deals and get an amazing value for your money.
And before agreeing to anything, verify that all the items you are purchasing would be genuine so be sure to do business with the more reputable dealers.
How to buy hardware online? While it is important to buy from popular online retailers, you can save lot of money if you look for some good deals, bargains and discount coupons at the dell coupons blog. You can buy hardware, printers, accessories, mobiles, ipods and software by using online coupons and save money in the process as well
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Pratt
As an individual plans to purchase computer parts, he is faced with the option of buying from an actual store or buying from an online retailer. It is actually more advisable to buy online, as you would have the ability of browsing through different models and items effortlessly.
You would just need to verify if the website that you are planning to buy the items from would have a security system that would prevent your personal details from being stolen.
Buying computer hardware online usually is a lot cheaper compared to buying it at an actual store, because the overhead costs they incur are a lot lower. So you would be paying less yet getting more. This is one of the reasons why a lot of consumers have been turning to the online option when purchasing computer parts.
Discounted and relatively cheap computer hardware is fairly easy to locate online. Regardless of the computer part you are searching for, you would surely be able to land great deals and get an amazing value for your money.
And before agreeing to anything, verify that all the items you are purchasing would be genuine so be sure to do business with the more reputable dealers.
How to buy hardware online? While it is important to buy from popular online retailers, you can save lot of money if you look for some good deals, bargains and discount coupons at the dell coupons blog. You can buy hardware, printers, accessories, mobiles, ipods and software by using online coupons and save money in the process as well
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Pratt
The World of Computer Game Design
A career in computer game design the absolute heaven for any hard-core gamer. Isn't it everyone's dream to do what they love and get paid for it? And how many of you out there that can show a computer games have had great ideas of how you can improve on the games that you were playing? I know I have, about a million times.
If a career in computer game design is something that you are mulling over and I have good news and I have bad. The good news is that it is a huge industry and is growing year over year. The bad news is that computer game design takes a lot of programming skills which means you had better be a very smart cookie and be prepared to work very hard in school learning the various skills that you will need. You want to start with a degree in computer science, which is much easier said than done. Of the six friends I had in college that were computer science majors, only one of them stuck with it to the end. It is a grueling major filled with advanced math classes and seemingly endless computer programming exercises.
Some people actually enjoy programming, so if you're one of them that a career in computer game design would be perfect for you. A real affection for computer games themselves would certainly go a long way as well. My college friend that got his computer science degree is currently working for a well knowing game design company, and loves it. But he will be the first one to tell you that it is nothing like what he expected.
Some computer games that are produced today are so incredibly complex that they take years to create. In the infancy of the game industry, computer game design teams often consisted of just a few people. Today, many games have several production teams consisting of up to hundreds of different people working simultaneously on different aspects of the game. If you do prove to be a capable programmer than a here in computer game design will reward you handsomely. Veteran programmers who have already completed several game designs can pretty much call their own shots as far as salary and overall creativity. It is an art and science.
If programming isn't something that appeals to then you still can work in the design industry. Programmers themselves are the king of the hill and the most sought after, but talented artists and creative writers can be attractive employees to game producers. Graphic designers and artists contribute a great deal to computer game design. Many computer game designs also feature actors to do the voice overs of the game's characters as well. There's a whole lot that goes into making these babies.
Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding the world of compute software. You can get interesting information here at Computer Game Design
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Morgan_Hamilton
If a career in computer game design is something that you are mulling over and I have good news and I have bad. The good news is that it is a huge industry and is growing year over year. The bad news is that computer game design takes a lot of programming skills which means you had better be a very smart cookie and be prepared to work very hard in school learning the various skills that you will need. You want to start with a degree in computer science, which is much easier said than done. Of the six friends I had in college that were computer science majors, only one of them stuck with it to the end. It is a grueling major filled with advanced math classes and seemingly endless computer programming exercises.
Some people actually enjoy programming, so if you're one of them that a career in computer game design would be perfect for you. A real affection for computer games themselves would certainly go a long way as well. My college friend that got his computer science degree is currently working for a well knowing game design company, and loves it. But he will be the first one to tell you that it is nothing like what he expected.
Some computer games that are produced today are so incredibly complex that they take years to create. In the infancy of the game industry, computer game design teams often consisted of just a few people. Today, many games have several production teams consisting of up to hundreds of different people working simultaneously on different aspects of the game. If you do prove to be a capable programmer than a here in computer game design will reward you handsomely. Veteran programmers who have already completed several game designs can pretty much call their own shots as far as salary and overall creativity. It is an art and science.
If programming isn't something that appeals to then you still can work in the design industry. Programmers themselves are the king of the hill and the most sought after, but talented artists and creative writers can be attractive employees to game producers. Graphic designers and artists contribute a great deal to computer game design. Many computer game designs also feature actors to do the voice overs of the game's characters as well. There's a whole lot that goes into making these babies.
Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding the world of compute software. You can get interesting information here at Computer Game Design
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Morgan_Hamilton
Discount Notebook Computers and Three Reasons Why A Cheap Laptop Suits Your Needs
In reality, the personal computer is a thing of the past. Though many people still own and use personal computers, many people are turning to discount notebook computers for their ease, convenience, and the fact that they provide a solution to a growing problem. What is the problem?
1. The Mobile Computer
The problem is that every day more and more people need their computer to travel with them. There are so many reasons in which taking your computer with you on the go just makes sense. This leads us to the first reason as to why a cheap laptop should be your next investment and this is mobility. A laptop is far more mobile than a desktop computer. Have you ever tried to move your desktop computer? Not altogether easy is it? Discount notebook computers can go with you anywhere throughout your home, in the car - as long as you are not driving, on an airplane, a train, a bus, or even in a hotel room. Connect to the World Wide Web anywhere you wish with a laptop.
2. Lighter
Reason number two is the fact that a cheap laptop is a lot lighter than a cheap desktop computer. Today's laptops can weigh just two pounds, which means it is much easier to carry and haul around to suit your needs than laptops were just a few years ago or desktop computers will ever be.
3. Sharing Made Easier
It is now easier than ever before to share your documents, files, images, music, and anything else you can think of. This includes software programs and projects. Cheap laptop computers make sharing your files a breeze, all you have to do is use a cable or usb cord and you can instantly upload your files. On the other hand, wireless internet makes connecting for projects and sharing software programs simple as well.
There you have it, three reasons why, when you need another computer, you should be considering discount notebook computers. They are far easier , particularly for those who need to travel regularly for business, projects, or even students for carrying to and from classes on a daily basis. They just make sense. The great thing is that now cheap laptop computers are easy to find thanks to the internet and getting your own is easier than ever before.
Terry Price is a regular contributor to, LaptopDestination.com is an informational website for bargain minded consumers of discount notebook computers, cheap laptop providers and virus removal programs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Price
1. The Mobile Computer
The problem is that every day more and more people need their computer to travel with them. There are so many reasons in which taking your computer with you on the go just makes sense. This leads us to the first reason as to why a cheap laptop should be your next investment and this is mobility. A laptop is far more mobile than a desktop computer. Have you ever tried to move your desktop computer? Not altogether easy is it? Discount notebook computers can go with you anywhere throughout your home, in the car - as long as you are not driving, on an airplane, a train, a bus, or even in a hotel room. Connect to the World Wide Web anywhere you wish with a laptop.
2. Lighter
Reason number two is the fact that a cheap laptop is a lot lighter than a cheap desktop computer. Today's laptops can weigh just two pounds, which means it is much easier to carry and haul around to suit your needs than laptops were just a few years ago or desktop computers will ever be.
3. Sharing Made Easier
It is now easier than ever before to share your documents, files, images, music, and anything else you can think of. This includes software programs and projects. Cheap laptop computers make sharing your files a breeze, all you have to do is use a cable or usb cord and you can instantly upload your files. On the other hand, wireless internet makes connecting for projects and sharing software programs simple as well.
There you have it, three reasons why, when you need another computer, you should be considering discount notebook computers. They are far easier , particularly for those who need to travel regularly for business, projects, or even students for carrying to and from classes on a daily basis. They just make sense. The great thing is that now cheap laptop computers are easy to find thanks to the internet and getting your own is easier than ever before.
Terry Price is a regular contributor to, LaptopDestination.com is an informational website for bargain minded consumers of discount notebook computers, cheap laptop providers and virus removal programs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Price
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)