Tips: 2009

Computer keyboard shortcut keys

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QuickTime 7.6 (standalone installer)

[Click here to Download]
File Size
24MB

File Name
QuickTimeFullInstaller.exe

Author/Supplier
Apple
Description
QuickTime is a free multimedia player from Apple. You can use it to view most types of video files including QuickTime format (MOV, QT). Plus you can use it as picture or file viewer, plus it's an essential part of itunes. The other main features of this release are a large number of security fixes - it is critical that everyone should update to this version, especially if your release is quite old. You can use this download to install QuickTime for the first time on a PC, or as an upgrade to an existing installation (such as from 6 to 7.6).

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iTunes 8.1.1 for Windows PC

[Click here to Download]
Requirements
Windows XP
Windows Vista

Author/Supplier
Apple
Description
This download for iTunes will update the core iTunes software and includes the latest version of QuickTime. It includes support for the newer iPhone, iTunes Applications, iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle models. Version 8.1.1 of iTunes supports the use of the new headphone controllers that will become standard for iPods while retaining the rather despised the Genius function and adding iTunes DJ.

The Genius feature will use music from your existing library and attempt to compile playlists of what you may like. The first time you run Genius, it may take over an hour to determine what music is likely to appeal to you. It testing, we didn't find it that helpful.

Version 8 takes a while to install on a PC and will need at least a dual core 2 processor to play HD videos - but hardware requirements are lower for simple music playback and iPod syncing.

The download can be used to upgrade an existing version of iTunes or set up iTunes on a new PC.

The new and tiny 4GB iPod Shuffle needs iTunes 8.1

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Flash Player 10.0.22.87 (Complete Standalone Installer)

[Click here to Download]

Applies to:
Windows Vista, XP, 2000, Sever 2003 or Server 2008 (and Internet Explorer)

Requirements
Windows Vista, XP, 2000, Sever 2003 or Server 2008 (and Internet Explorer)

Tip: Click here to run a free scan for Flash Player and file errors before installing version 10

File Size
1.8MB

File Name
install_flash_player_10_active_x.exe

Author/Supplier
Adobe

Description
The Adobe (formerly Macromedia) Flash Player allows you to view interactive web content like Youtube, games, business presentations, entertainment and those things we all adore so much - advertisements. The package includes only the Flash Player and is a stand alone installation. You can download the file to install at a later date or use it to reinstall the player on a fresh version of Windows. The single download package makes it much easier to troubleshoot problems and you don't have to go through the active download process each time you need to install the player. Technically, this is a Flash Player ActiveX Control. It will only play the file through your Web browser (Internet Explorer). ...

Computer Parts

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Brief Introduction of Computer Printer

Printer is a peripheral used to produce or print hard copy of documents (text or illustrations) stored in an electronic form or soft copy to paper or transparencies.

It is one of the most essential computer peripherals because it helps users to have a hard copy of any documents they want to have.

A printer is connected to a computer through a printer cable (LPT1) or USB cable. There are also network computers that have built in network interfaces to enable printing services for network users.

Modern network printers have the all-in-one capability to scan, print, convert to .PDF documents, photocopy, fax and email documents to users connected on the network.

These kinds of printers are used in medium to enterprises businesses. There are also all-in-one printers that can be used in home and small business networks.

Some of the commonly used printers are the following:

Dot-matrix printer – this kind of printer creates characters by striking pins against an ink ribbon. Each pin creates a dot, and combination of dots form characters and illustrations.
Ink-jet printer – it uses ink to print texts and illustrations. It produces high quality text and graphics. This kind of printer is usually used in home and offices.
Laser printer – this kind of printer produces very high quality text and graphics. Its technology is similar to copy machines. It can be used also in home, offices, and photo printing business.

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Microsoft Explorer Mouse with BlueTrack Technology

Want a mouse that can work on virtually any surface? Then Microsoft Explorer Mouse is the right mouse for your computing needs.

Microsoft Explorer Mouse uses the BlueTrack technology which combines the functionality of optical with the precision of laser that allows tracking on more surfaces including carpet, granite, and rough-grained wood.

But the Blue Track technology doesn’t work on clear glass or mirrored surfaces. Nevertheless, users can now take advantage of using this mouse on virtually any surfaces.

This mouse is rechargeable and has a battery status indicator that tells you when a recharge is needed.
Its 3 weeks between charges so you can save on power. It uses a snap-in Mini Transceiver for wireless portability.

It delivers a Microsoft 2.4 Ghz wireless and a connection up to 30-foot wireless range. With this, you can control your computer wherever you are with long-range wireless distance.

Microsoft created this mouse on a sophisticated design with glowing blue lighting effects. It has 4-way scrolling that uses Tilt Wheel Technology for greater comfort.

With its buttons, you can customize them for quick and easy access of the programs, files and media you often use. This mouse is designed for notebook computers for convenience and mobility.

This mouse is compatible with computers that use Windows XP, Windows Vista and MAC OS X v10.2x-10.5x.

Microsoft offers a 3-year warranty for this explorer mouse.

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Brief Introduction of Intel Core i7 Processor

Looking for the best desktop processor on the planet? Then, take a closer look at Intel Core i7 Processor that delivers a great breakthrough in quad-core performance.

Intel Core i7 Processor features the following:

Intel Turbo Boost Technology
Intel Virtualization technology
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology
Execute Disable Bit
Intel 64 architecture

Using Intel Turbo Boost Technology, the processor maximizes the speed for demanding applications. With this technology, you can experience a greater performance when you need it the most.

It comprises of processor numbers i7-940 and i7-920. The only difference between the two is the clock speed.

The i7-940 has 2.93 GHz clock speed while i7-920 has 2.66 GHz. Both have 8 processing threads with Intel Hyper-Threading technology and 8 MB of Intel Smart Cache. These are quad core processors that have 3 channels of DDR3 1066 MHz memory.

With this processor, you can multitask applications faster. You can convert a video for your iPod while you are encoding a video for You Tube.

This processor enables you to create spectacular slide-shows, 3D images for animations or games, or even create your own movie without suffering PC performance.

People who like gaming, graphics, video editing, video streaming and photo gallery can benefit from the incredible breakthrough performance of the Intel Core i7 Processor.

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Brief Introduction of Intel Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition

Do you want a high performing desktop processor for your gaming and multimedia needs? Are you a game addict who wants the best gaming experience from your desktop computer?

Intel Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition can be processor you need to conquer the world of extreme gaming!

Intel Core i7 Processor Extreme Edition does

n’t stop at gaming. But it can enable you to multitask 25% faster and create multimedia like video encoding and photo editing.

This i7-965 processor has almost the same specifications and features with the standard Intel Core i7 processor.

But it has 3.20 GHz clock speed and 6.4 GT/s Intel Quick Path Interconnect Speed. Take note that it has the Intel 64 architecture and of course, it’s a quad-core processor.

If in case you are not aware yet, Intel Quick Path Interconnect is designed for bandwidth increase and low latency. With the extreme edition processor, data transfer speed can be as high as 25.6 GB/sec.

With this extreme edition processor, you can have immersive gaming, play video games while you can still work on other applications, and quickly convert videos to other formats

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Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard

The very first thing that would catch your attention when you are looking at Logitech G15 gaming keyboard is the big LCD display at the keyboard’s back.

There is a group of multimedia buttons just below the LCD to control your media player and sound volume. These are considered some of the standard selection of multimedia buttons.

The LCD itself displays info like calculator or as a thermometer. It will also turn itself into a LCD countdown timer like a stop watch or act as the display of an MP3 player.

The LCD POP3 shows the mailbox status, and the LCD Clocks shows clock, calendar or number of unread mails.

It can also be set to show CPU load and memory usage. Plugins can be installed to make the LCD function like a chat box.

If you don’t want to use the screen, you can just pull it down and it will fit into the keyboard nicely.

There is a button on the left that could disable the Windows-related buttons like the Windows buttons and the Context Menu button.

There are also 2 USB ports on the keyboard suitable for joysticks, mice, or a webcam.

There are 18 multimedia buttons on the left, numbered G1 to G18. The keys glow with a mild blue light once the keyboard is connected.

Most users think that the keyboard is nice to type with and only need minimal time to adjust to. The keyboard also processes correctly when you press several buttons at the same time.

The highlighting feature in the keyboard is a bit different compared to the others. Most of today’s highlighted keyboard uses see through material for their buttons.

But in Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard, the lights only highlight the alphabets on the keyboard. The symbols will be more visible in the dark.

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Graphic Cards : Gigabyte NX78X256V-B

Serious gamers are always on the haunt for some serious graphic cards which offers best graphics at a decent price tag.

Gigabyte NX78X256V-B which is powered by NVIDIA GeForce 7800GTX VPU supports PCI Express. It is stashed with 256MB GDDR3(wow!) and 256-bit memory interface.

Like most of the new cards, it supports HDTV function. IT also supports sual DVI-I/D-SUB/TV OUT. And for video editing, yes, VIVO function is supported by this gadget.

With an incredible 24 pixel pipeline, this could well be the industry’s most powerful and technically advanced graphics accelerator card.

It supports DX 9.0 Vertex Shader 3.0, DX 9.0 Pixel Shader 3.0. IT has got an accelerated textures access with up to 16 textures per rendering pass and support for 16-bit and 32-bit floating point formats, sRGB texture format for gamma textures.

It is a full 128-bit FP Precision Graphics Pipeline and has a native support for 32 / 64 / 128 bits per pixel rendering modes.

Now for gadgeteers who might be worried about the OS issues and support, there is no need to worry. This gadget is Windows Vista ready but this gadget needs a PCI Express slot.

The PCI Express bus architecture has been a revolution. This doubles the bandwidth of AGP 8X delivering over 4 GB per second in both upstream and downstream data transfers.

When tested with Doom 3, it was able to fulfill some complex digital lights and realistic shadows which had been very difficult to achieve with some other Graphic cards.

It has the ability to drive the industry’s largest and highest resolution flat-panel displays up to 2560×1600.

But resolution are limited to the monitors attached to them. And widescreen resolutions of 16:9 / 16:10 aspect ratio monitors are only supported on Windows XP.

The tester have found that, the overclocking for the Gigabyte GV-NX78X256V-B did not deviate from the rest of the GeForce 7800 GTX crowd and it did not get over heated which has been a problem with many graphic cards.

Overall comparing the prices and features this could well be ranked 9/10

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Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro

Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro consist of a keyboard, a mouse, a black USB charger and a USB-A to Micro-USB for its rechargeable mouse.

The wireless set is easy to install. By plugging the USB cable into any USB port of the computer, a user could use the MX1100 while charging it simultaneously. The company claimed a 6 weeks use from a 7 hour charge.

Besides charging it, you can all simply replace its AA battery with any alkaline battery. The keyboard still runs on 2 AA alkaline batteries, which could provide battery life to the keyboard for 3 years. There are peripheral and indicator lights to signal the user when it is low on battery.

The MX1100 mouse accommodates only the right-handers. The mouse is stylishly designed and very comfortable to use with.

Button feedback is excellent and the 4-way freewheel scroll wheel is very useful. The mouse itself is pretty lag-free by using 2.4GHz wireless connection. It also implemented the DPI switch which is pretty handy for work and for play.

The keyboard has little change when compared to the original wired WAVE. The thick cushioned palm-rest and the ergonomic curve of the keyboard make it very suitable to use with.

Key feedback is good and there are a many large shortcut buttons available, including the zoom key on the left of the keyboard.

A full set of media controls could be found above the keyboard. Logitech’s SetPoint software could also help to set all those secondary functions for the F buttons.

Generally, most users think that this is a highly comfortable and usable keyboard with excellent build quality.

Many had praised the good not lagging wireless mouse and its long battery life when charged properly. Overall, this is definitely a good product if you are going to get a cordless mouse and keyboard set for now.

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Canon Selphy CP760 Printer

Canon’s new addition to their line of printers is Canon Selphy CP760 Printer. It is an upgrade over the inkjet printers and is a dye sublimation photo printer.

It was created keeping in mind its target audience which are mainly families and children as it is very easy to operate and prints excellent quality photos quickly.

The most important feature of this printer is that you don’t need a computer to print. You can easily do so with memory card, USB drive, a digital camera enabled with PictBridge or via a Bluetooth interface.

Canon has added value to the printer by appealing to the instant gratification need of the customers and hence this printer is very famous with family people and people love to carry it around with them.

CP760 is much smaller than the regular printer, just 3.3 inches tall and 7.9 inches wide, and hence it doesn’t support printing on regular sheets of paper.

It uses a 4-by-6 inch paper instead. When you purchase the printer you will receive some trial sheets of 4-by-6 paper along with a wired power adapter and a paper cassette.

You have the option to preview the pictures before actually printing them through a 2.5 inch TFT display on the top of the unit.

In addition, there are nine rubber buttons adjacent to the screen which helps you navigate the menu.

There are also some auto-editing options available such as Red-eye Elimination, Portrait Image Optimize, and Scene Select.

The CP760 uses a dye sublimation ink technology as opposed to the regular ink technology which is supposed to protect the pictures for as long as 100 years.

The dye sublimation process ensures that the paper makes four passes through the machine, the first three lay down the base colors, cyan, magenta, and yellow and the last pass overcoats the image with a thin layer to prevent any discoloration and extend the durability.

All in all, Canon Selphy CP760 is an excellent product for an amateur photographer and a home user.

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Passport Essential Portable hard

My Passport Essential Portable hard drive is a wonderful storage media for people on the go. It is light and easy to carry and hence is a popular choice with users.

It is compatible with both Windows and Mac. The most important and useful feature is that you do not need a power adaptor to charge them. You can charge it from the USB cable itself. This makes it even more convenient for the users.

These hard drives come in different colors and are very sleek and beautiful hence you can easily hold them in your hand or pocket.

These drives are ideal for people who do not wish to carry around their laptops. It helps them synchronize their work and home computers.

This hard drive can also be used for storing images, videos, and digital music. On these drives you can encrypt everything for added security.

In fact, you can also transfer files from a Windows PC to a Mac PC with the help of these portable hard drives. It is available in different capacities such as 500 GB, 400 GB, 350 GB, and 250 GB.

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Some Tips for Purchasing and Installing your New Video Card

As you have a wide variety of video card manufacturers nowadays, choosing a video card can make you go dizzy.

It is essential that you buy a video card that is compatible to your computer’s hardware configuration and the connections available for the video card, otherwise it will all go waste.

Finding the right Video Card

Usually computers have PCI, AGP and ISA type connections. AGP (Advanced Graphics Port) is currently the standard for the latest motherboards.

AGP is directly connected to the computer memory, so it can store 3-D elements in the computer’s memory rather than using the video memory.

The PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) is one of the most frequently used Buses in computers today.

You should also consider the amount of memory the video card you choose has. The higher this memory, the better is the resolution that you get. You should also consider aspects like video acceleration.

This is especially important if you want to use you computer for the latest gaming. The options you have are OpenGL, 3DFX GLIDE, or Direct3D Software API. You can use 3DFX GLIDE only on a card developed by 3DFX.

After you have researched various possibilities, you can go on and purchase your new video card. However you should be careful to buy it from a trustworthy vendor.

Installing your new Video Card

While installing the new video card, make sure that you have a site available for connecting it, or you can remove the previous card before connecting the new one.

If the PC already has on-board video, you should find out if any issue will arise if you install a new video card on it.

Next you should get the drivers for your video card ready. Make sure this is the latest one. If you don’t have it, you can very well download it from the internet. But see that it is free from malware.

Next you should uninstall the driver for your old video card. You can do this by going to the uninstall option through your Start Menu.

There is something called Device Manager where you can remove your current driver. Once you have done that, you can shut down the computer.

You should now take out the monitor cable from your video card and remove the card from its slot. You can then insert your new video card and screw it in position. Restart the system and give the exact location of the driver to your OS.

Your OS will automatically install the new drivers and request you for a system restart. Once you restart, you will find that the graphics settings have changed a bit.

All you have to do is adjust the resolution accordingly and your new video card is ready for action.

The most important part here is buying the right brand of Video card and getting it from a genuine seller who can give proper warranty.

If you have accomplished this, the other aspects like the installation, setup etc is just child’s play.

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Can You Hide Your Public IP Address?

Question: Can You Hide Your Public IP Address?

When connecting to the Internet, your home computer (or network router) is assigned a public IP address. As you visit Web sites or other Internet servers, that public IP address is transmitted and recorded in log files kept on those servers. Access logs leave behind a trail of your Internet activity. If it were possible to somehow hide your public IP address, your Internet activity would become much more difficult to trace.

Answer: Unfortunately, it is not technically possible to always hide the public IP address of a home network. An IP address enables devices to locate and communicate with each other on the Internet. Completely hiding the IP address of a device would render it invisible but also unusable online.

On the other hand, it is possible to hide public IP addreseses from most Internet servers in most situations. This method involves an Internet service called an anonymous proxy server.

Anonymous Proxy Servers

An anonymous proxy server ("proxy") is a special type of server that acts as an intermediary between a home network and the rest of the Internet. An anonymous proxy server makes requests for Internet information on your behalf, using its own IP address instead of yours. Your computer only accesses Web sites indirectly, through the proxy server. This way, Web sites will see the proxy's IP address, not your home IP address.

Using an anonymous proxy server requires a simple configuration of the Web browser (or other Internet client software that supports proxies). Proxies are identified by a combination of URL and TCP port number.

Numerous free anonymous proxy servers exist on the Internet, open for anyone to use. These servers may have bandwidth traffic limits, may suffer from reliability or speed problems, or might permanently disappear from the Internet without notice. Such servers are most useful for temporary or experimental purposes.

Anonymous proxy services that charge fees in return for better quality of service also exist. These services are designed for regular use by households.

Hiding Your IP Address - Related Tools

Several related software tools (both free and paid versions) support anonymizing proxies. The Firefox extension called "switchproxy," for example, supports defining a pool of proxy servers in the Web browser and automatically switching between them at regular time intervals. In general, these tools help you both find proxies and also simplify the process of configuring and using them.

The ability to hide an IP address increases your privacy on the Internet. Other approaches to improving Internet privacy also exist and complement each other. Managing Web browser cookies, using encryption when sending personal information, running a firewall and other techniques all contribute toward a greater feeling of safety and security when going online.

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IP Address Survival Guide How to find, change, hide and otherwise work with IP addresses

IP addresses are the fundamental method for computers to identify themselves on most computer networks. Every computer (or other network device) connected to the Internet has an IP address. This tutorial explains the basics of finding, changing, and hiding (your) my IP addresses.

Inside IP Addresses

IP addresses are written in a notation using numbers separated by dots. This is called "dotted-decimal" notation. Examples of IP addresses in dotted-decimal notation are 10.0.0.1 and 192.168.0.1 although many millions of different IP addresses exist.

Finding IP Addresses

Everyone who needs to use a computer network should understand how to look up their own IP addresses. The exact procedure to follow depends on the kind of computer you use. Additionally, in some situations you may need to find the IP address of someone else's computer.

Fixing IP Address Problems

When a computer network is functioning properly, IP addresses stay in the background and don't require any specific attention. However, some common problems you may encounter when setting up or joining a computer network include:

A computer has no IP address
Two computers have the same IP address
A computer has a "bad" IP address that won't allow it to "talk" on the network

To solve these problems, several techniques can be applied including IP address release / renew, setting static IP addresses, and updating the subnet ccnfiguration

Hiding IP Addresses

Your public IP addresses are shared with others over the Internet, and this raises privacy concerns in the minds of some people. IP addresses allow your Internet usage to be tracked and give some rough information about your geographic location.

While there is no simple solution to ths problem, some techniques do help hide your IP address and increase your Internet privacy:

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Connect Two Home Computers for File Sharing Methods for networking two computers

The simplest kind of home network contains exactly two computers. You can use this kind of network to share files, a printer or another peripheral device, and even an Internet connection. To connect two computers for sharing these and other network resources, consider the options described below.

Connecting Two Computers Directly With Cable

The traditional method to network two computers involves making a dedicated link by plugging one cable into the two systems. Several alternatives exist for networking two computers in this manner:

Ethernet crossover cable

Special-purpose USB cables

Ethernet - Of the above choices, the Ethernet method is preferred as it supports a reliable, high-speed connection with minimal configuration required. Additionally, Ethernet technology offers the most general-purpose solution, allowing networks with more than two computers to be built fairly easily later. If one of your computers possesses an Ethernet adapter but the other has USB, an Ethernet crossover cable can still be used by first plugging a USB-to-Ethernet converter unit into the computer's USB port.

Serial and parallel - This type of cabling, called Direct Cable Connection (DCC) when using Microsoft Windows, offers lower performance but offers the same basic functionality as Ethernet cables. You may prefer this option if you have such cables readily available and network speed is not a concern. Serial and parallel cables are never used to network more than two computers.

USB - Ordinary USB cables must not be used to connect two computers directly to each other. Attempting to do so can electrically damage the computers! However, special USB cables designed for direct connection exist that can be used safely. You may prefer this option over others if your computers lack functional Ethernet network adapters.

To make dedicated connections with Ethernet, USB, serial or parallel cables requires

each computer have a functioning network interface with an external jack for the cable, and
the network settings on each computer appropriately configured

One phone line or power cord cannot be used to directly connect two computers to each other for networking

Connecting Two Computers With Cable Through Central Infrastructure

Rather than cable two computers directly, the computers may instead be joined indirectly through a central network fixture. This method requires two network cables, one connecting each computer to the fixture. Several types of fixtures exist for home networking:

Ethernet hubs, switches, and routers
USB hubs
Phoneline and powerline wall outlets

Implementing this method often entails additional up-front cost to purchase more cables and network infrastructure. However, it's a general-purpose solution accommodating any reasonable number of devices (e.g, ten or more). You will likely prefer this approach if you intend to expand your network in the future.

Most cabled networks utilize Ethernet technology. Alternatively, USB hubs can be employed, while powerline and phoneline home networks each offer their own unique form of central infrastructure. The traditional Ethernet solutions are generally very reliable and offer high performance.

Connecting Two Computers Wirelessly

In recent years, wireless solutions have enjoyed increasing popularity for home networking. As with cabled solutions, several different wireless technologies exist to support basic two computer networks:

Wi-Fi connections can reach a greater distance than the wireless alternatives listed above. Many newer computers, especially laptops, now contain built-in Wi-Fi capability, making it the preferred choice in most situations. Wi-Fi can be used either with or without a network fixture. With two computers, Wi-Fi networking minus a fixture (also called ad-hoc mode) is especially simple to set up.

Bluetooth technology supports reasonably high-speed wireless connections between two computers without the need for a network fixture. Bluetooth is more commonly used when networking a computer with a consumer handheld device like a cell phone. Most desktop and older computers do not possess Bluetooth capability. Bluetooth works best if both devices are in the same room in close proximity to each other. Consider Bluetooth if you have interest in networking with handheld devices and your computers lack Wi-Fi capability.

Infrared networking existed on laptops years before either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technologies became popular. Infrared connections only work between two computers, do not require a fixture, and are reasonably fast. Being very simple to set up and use, consider infrared if your computers support it and you lack the desire to invest effort in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

If you find mention of an alternative wireless technology called HomeRF, you can safely ignore it. HomeRF technology became obsolete several years ago and is not a practical option for home networking.

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Networking With A Router Using a router on broadband and/or wireless home networks

A network router is a small electronic device that allows you build a home network simply. The home router serves as the core or "centerpiece" of the network to which computers, printers and other devices can be connected. Networking with a router helps you to (for example):

share files between computers
share an Internet connection between computers
share a printer
connect your game console or other home entertainment equipment to the Internet

Routers are not necessarily required to build a network. For example, you can connect two computers directly to each other with just a cable (or without wires in some cases). Home routers offer convenience and easier maintenance as your network grows.

Choosing a Network Router

You can choose from among several different types of home network router products. The two most common types in popular usage are the 802.11b and 802.11gdels. 802.11g is the newer technology, but 802.11b routers often can do the job for an even lower cost.

Installing a Network Router

Network routers receive their power from an ordinary home electrical socket. When powered on, lights (LEDs) signify the unit is operating.

Network routers must be carefully configured when they are first installed. Like computers and other devices on the home network, routers must be set up with IP addresses. Routers also offer optional (but strongly recommended) security features.

Routers contain built-in software to enable setup. You access this software through your Web browser on any computer connected to the router.

Connecting Computers to a Router

The most basic use of a network router involves file sharing (copying files) between multiple computers. You do not technically need a router to set up file sharing (or a home network), but using a router greatly simplifies the task, especially when three or more computers are involved.

Home routers provide connection points (called "ports" or "jacks") for you to connect computers with Ethernet cables. Plug one end of the cable into the router and the other into the computer's Ethernet network adapter. Wireless routers alternatively allow computers to connect via WiFi technology, if the computer possesses a WiFi network adapter.

Connecting an Internet Modem to the Router

The ability of a network router to share your Internet connection throughout the residence is a key selling point of these boxes. Internet connection sharing can be set up without a router using alternative methods, but once again, having a router greatly simplifies the task.

To use your router for Internet sharing, connect your Internet modem to the appropropriate router jack designed for this purpose. Many network routers allow broadband modems to be connected with either a USB cable or an Ethernet cable. A few network routers even allow traditional dialup modems to be connected via serial cables to a built-in serial port.

Connecting a Printer to the Router

Sharing one printer between multiple home computers is often desired but surprisingly difficult to achieve. Without a router, people connect their printer to one computer designated as the printer host. This host computer must be specially configured, and it must also be operating whenever anyone needs to use the printer. Moving this responsibility from a host computer to a router makes both network setup and using the printer easier.

Normally you can connect your printer to the router using a USB cable or a USB-to-Ethernet cable. Alternatively, wireless print server hardware also exists. A print server connects to your printer's USB jack and in turn makes a WiFi connection to a wireless router. A few routers contain built-in print server capabilitity, providing a built-in parallel port for cabling a printer directly.

Connecting Home Entertainment Equipment to the Router

You can connect games consoles such as Xbox, set-top devices like TiVo, and other home entertainment equipment to network routers. Networking home entertaining equipment with a router allows these devices to reach the Internet when you have Internet sharing in place there.

Wireless game adapters (also known as wireless bridges) make WiFi connections and USB-to-Ethernet cables make cabled connections to the router for this type of equipment.

Other Uses of a Network Router

A few other types of devices can be added to a network router for special-purpose applications. Video surveillance cameras, for example, can be connected to a router to allow real-time viewing of video feeds from any computer on the home network (or even remotely over the Internet). VoIP analog terminal adapters (ATAs) will often be connected to routers for enabling Internet VoIP call services.

In WiFi networks, routers can be joined with other devices (called range extenders or signal boosters) that increase the overall reach (range) of the wireless signal. Some people do this to share their home network with a neighbor. Wireless routers can sometimes be connected to each other for a similar purpose, but care must be taken to avoid conflicts or interference between the two devices.

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Networking With A Router Using a router on broadband and/or wireless home networks

share files between computers
share an Internet connection between computers
share a printer
connect your game console or other home entertainment equipment to the Internet

Choosing a Network Router

Installing a Network Router

Network routers receive their power from an ordinary home electrical socket. When powered on, lights (LEDs) signify the unit is operating.

Routers contain built-in software to enable setup. You access this software through your Web browser on any computer connected to the router.

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Laptop / Notebook

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5 Benefits of Bluetooth in a Laptop

Bluetooth is a protocol utilizing wireless communication technology over short distances of data transmission.

It gives a way to provide to connect and exchange information between devices like mobile phones, laptops, personal computers, and digital camera.

The following are some of the list of the Bluetooth applications:

Wireless communication between personal computers or laptops and input/output devices like mouse, keyboard and printer.
Wireless communication between a mobile phone and a hands-free headset.
Transfer of files
Wireless network connection of computers in a confined space, where there is only little bandwidth.
Wireless connection for game controllers of Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PlayStation 3

Bluetooth in a laptop is very useful especially for people on the go and business purposes.

Benefits of Bluetooth in a laptop:

The wireless technology of Bluetooth enables easier communication. When traveling with your laptop, you don’t have to worry about bringing connection cables.
Companies implement Bluetooth wireless technology because it is inexpensive, which results in lower costs in a company’s expenses. These savings will enable companies to upgrade to newer laptops.
Bluetooth is using low power signals, and will just require little energy or less battery. This is advantageous to mobile devices like laptops because it won’t drain the battery.
Bluetooth connection is automated. You don’t have to setup a connection or any configurations. This will make it easier for laptop users to transfer files.
Laptop users can take advantage of personal networks. Connection can be to seven Bluetooth devices within the range of 30 feet. This can be very advantageous for laptop users because in a single room, they can setup multiple networks or can transfer files easily without any hassle.

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What is a Netbook and the benefits of Netbook

Netbook is a new type of laptop that is defined by weight, size, power and operating system. It is lightweight, small, consumes less power and run on old or unfamiliar operating systems.

Netbooks typically weigh from 2 to 3 pounds, have 9- or 10- inch screens, and have keyboard size of at least 95% of the normal, standard keyboards.

Despite its weigh, size and structure, netbooks still have the standard components of a laptop:

1024×600 screen resolution
WI-FI capability
Ethernet at 100 Mbps
Built-in camera
2 or 3 USB ports

Netbooks have no optical drives. Optical drives are not included to reduce size and cost. Some netbooks do not include Bluetooth and latest version of Ethernet (Gigabit Ethernet).

But netbooks are still hot in the market because of its benefits stated below:

If you are the type of user who takes your computer either on a coffee shop or subway and don’t need a heavy, 17” notebook, then you can consider using netbook. It offers portability to users on the go.
Netbooks run on low-powered processors. Newer ones make use of larger batteries and capable of 5 hours battery life.
Netbooks that run on Linux operating systems are very user friendly to new computer users because the interface is simplified.

Use netbooks if you want a small, lightweight and portable laptop.

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What makes laptop better than desktop?

Many people would prefer using laptop computers than desktop computers. It is simply because laptop computers offer mobility to users.

If you think that laptop computers can give you the same computing needs you have for desktop computers, then you are right.

Typical features of desktop computers are also included with laptop computers. Most often, laptop features are more advanced than of desktop.

Laptop and desktop computers differ in size but this does not affect the performance they both give. Laptop computers are handy and portable.

They are compact and contain some features that desktop computers don’t have. Modern laptops have built-in camera, Bluetooth, speakers, WIFI, and infrared that you would not normally see in typical desktop computers.

With that, we don’t have to bring extra cables just to connect other peripherals. They are designed to work with batteries and direct electricity connection from wall outlets. This makes laptop save energy and money.

Laptop computers enable us to use computers anywhere – home, office, coffee shop, parks or car. We can use laptops in places we are comfortable at. That gives us the freedom to enjoy our computing needs.

Business communications are faster with laptop. This is because file transfer and internet connection are easy to use since the devices used for these functions are already built-in.

Businessmen use laptops for presentation, meetings and monitoring their business. It enables them to communicate effectively with their colleagues and customers.

As an individual, if you are planning to buy a laptop computer, be sure that its features suit your computing needs. This is to help you save time, money and enjoy mobility.

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Dell Studio XPS 16

While it is true that mini notebooks are in hot demand now, it does not mean that the conventional-sized notebook market should be neglected.

Dell is certainly not going easy on either market. The Dell Studio XPS 16 which was released just over 3 months ago is a testimony of Dell’s intent not to allow the bigger form factor notebooks to fade into oblivion.

Dell Studio XPS 16 has the size of a conventional notebook but it is build to be more powerful than most. It is not only pleasing to the eye but it also packs the latest hardwares with top performances.

With its price ranging from $1200-$1800, it is almost 2-4 times more expensive than the average mini notebooks available in the market now. Naturally, its specifications are just as impressive.

Dell Studio XPS 16 runs on Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz processor, and it is powered by 4GB memory, 320GB hard disk drive and ATI Mobility RADEON 512MB graphic card. All those hardwares pale in comparison with its number one selling point - the 16.0″ 1090p Full HD RGBLED LCD display.

To be honest, currently the only similar points between Dell’s laptops now and that of the early year 2000s are their sizes. Their laptops are no longer heavy, boxy and thick. Perhaps light, tough and powerful should be the appropriate description now.

The Dell Studio XPS 16 casing consists of metal build and leather wrapping, resulting in a sturdy and stylish combination.

The feedbacks from consumers regarding this unit are mostly positive, it is said to be suitable for business, personal or even gaming purposes.

The compliments are aplenty for its build, spacious and responsive keyboard and especially the wonderful full HD display.

Meanwhile the only audible complain is regarding its excessively glossy screen which is partly due to its glossy protective layer.

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Asus N10

The year 2008 has been an extremely successful one for Asus. Their mini notebooks were so popular, they were like the iPhone and PSP in their respective markets - the pioneer and the leader.

Come the last quarter of 2008, Asus releases yet another 10-inch mini notebook-styled machine. It has since been rated as one of the most exciting mobile computers for that netbook-defined year.

The reason why this unit is so highly rated is because it combines the best features of full laptops and mini notebooks, its price tag at about $600 is also reflective of the market segment it belongs to. It is essentially a cross between laptops and netbooks.

While mini notebooks were previously pretty hopeless for slightly more intensive computing and especially gaming, the Asus N10 boasts having a relatively powerful display card, allowing it to play 3D games and high-definition videos decently and smoothly.

Its 2GB memory, hard disk capacity and monitor and battery life can also easily put the older models of full sized laptops to shame.

Perhaps Asus packed so much power in this model that its chassis became noticably larger and heavier than most netbooks in the market.

Another selling point of Asus N10 is that while it has the netbook form factor, its usability and user comfort are never neglected.

The best examples would be its well-implemented keyboard where important keys are given more emphasis or in another word larger, and also its external DVD writer.

Asus has decided that optical disk would rarely be used in the current Internet rich environment and thus sacrificed it for the sake of portability.

Asus N10 is most recommended to budget conscious yet power hungry computer users. They can easily enjoy rich multimedia on this unit, it has a great display, high quality sound, decent memory and hard disk space.

Perhaps laptops in this market segment would gain even more popularity in 2009? It remains to be seen.

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Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds

Lenovo has not been a conventional and predictable company, has it? It has maintained a line of notebooks, that although are certified to be tough and hardy, lacked the aesthetic features chased and often improved on by the majority of laptop manufacturers.

Likewise, in a most controversial move announced just before the year 2008 ended, Lenovo will be launching a new mobile workstation that has two screens, the first ever.

Not only that, the unit will be supplied with powerful quad-core processor and graphics card to fully maximize the potential of the screens.

As surprising as those features may seem, the weight and size of the Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds and its expected price are not exactly normal either.

While other manufacturers tried to profit from the ultra-portable budget netbook market segment, Lenovo has decided to be the odd one yet again.

We do not have the exact dimensions yet, but this unit is rumoured to be bigger in size than most conventional laptops and heavier too, especially when its huge AC adapter is brought into the equation.

Lenovo ThinkPad W700ds maintained the basic black ThinkPad design which has served them so well over the years.

Its basic processor clock speed will be 2.53 GHz with 6MB L2 cache and 64-bit operations support. 4GB of memory and 250GB hard disk drive capacity is available for this unit.

The two screens can display maximum resolution of 3200×1968 pixels combined and we think the notebook will be very popular for those people wishing to improve on their computing productivity.

Unfortunately, the screens cannot be separated into two different desktops. We wonder whether this shortcoming can be addressed by software.

Besides, when you used the second screen to extend your screen resolution, one cannot help but notice the weird 1-in. black strip separating the two displays.

Perhaps this two little complaints can be the source of someone elses’ innovation?

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Lenovo IdeaPad S10e

Lenovo IdeaPad S10e is a netbook basically consist of all the essential components of a netbook.

Powered with an Intel Atom processor, built with a 10.1 inches screen, 160GB hard disk space, basic connecting devices like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, Lenovo’s IdeaPad has yet another unique feature – an instant-on Linux OS.

It is called the Lenovo QuickStart because a small component was embedded into the BIOS making it boot faster – almost around 5 seconds.

The Linux OS offers a web browser, a photo gallery, instant messenger, Skype chat and a music player.

However, various reviews have noted that even thou the Lenovo QuickStart provides a very fast boot into the Linux OS, the time used to load the web browser takes almost 40 seconds.

This clearly defeats the purpose of creating a fast boot BIOS. The time spent on loading the Linux OS and a web browser almost equal the time spent to load Windows itself.

Besides this, other applications like the music player, photo viewer and instant messengers function well in term of speed.

Users had also complained about the level of sensitivity of the touchpad. The highly sensitive touchpad could not be adjusted and users can only try to get use to it.

The design of Lenovo IdeaPad S10e is pretty simple, and it comes in black, red and white versions. Users have given good comments about the keyboards and its good quality plastic used as the notebook’s corpus.

However, the not standardized design of how the keys are situated on the keyboard had annoyed most of the users, mainly due to the weird placing of the right shift key and the function key which is more lateral than the control key.

The battery life of this notebook is 2.5 hours. Because of this, the weight of the notebook could be maintain around the range of 1.14 kg.

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Dell Inspiron 1545

The recession has forced both the buyer and manufacture to think twice before buying a product. Every company has been forced to recheck their prices and negate some features for cost effectiveness.

And with that we saw many notebooks from companies coming out branding a 10inch screen. In these dire crisis, Dell has come out with a cheap notebook, the Dell Inspiron 1545.

You can choose from Microsatin Blue, Red or Pacific High-Gloss Blue lids. The matt black is very accurate in terms of showing fingerprints and will need regular attention in cleaning off those fingerprints and there is no cloth provided for this.

Apart from the usual DVD-RW and memory card reader, there is a 34mm ExpressCard slot rather than the more usual 54mm version.

Also you could find a headphone and microphone jack, three USB ports, an Ethernet port and VGA-out. But it fails to include the HDMI port.

The speakers sound a lot better than the other notebooks of the range. The processor is Intel Core 2 Duo T5800 running at 2.0GHz with an 800MHz front-side bus.

The 3GB of DDR2 RAM memory has been now coming in most of the Dell Series. So it is not much of a surprise.

Intel integrated GMA4500 graphics poor for gaming but it is surely manageable. A 250GB 5,400rpm hard drive space is provided.

A Window Vista Premium 32 bit packs along wit the laptop. Worst part of this laptop is its Battery Life. It just manages 90 minutes on a full charge.

But if you are looking for cheaper notebooks then this might be considered but not recommended.

How do I rate it? 6.5/10(For poor battery life)

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Acer AS5735-6694 15.6-Inch Laptop

Acer’s new offering is a delight for home users. Its light weight makes it easy to carry around anywhere and its features are a cut above the rest.

It is a multimedia focussed laptop and is very useful for home and outdoor purposes. Its sleek design and gemstone look makes it very classy.

It has a 15.6 inch Cine crystal LCD panel which has a 16:9 aspect ratio to provide you with a true cinematic experience.

Now you can take digital media into wide screen territory and create, share, and get more work done. This laptop possesses a Crystal eye webcam which lets you connect with friends and family through live online chats and VOIP conversations. You also have the option to take still pictures.

It has a 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with two computational execution cores because of which there is no almost no increase in power consumption even while running multi-threaded applications.

The special features of the processor include smart memory access, advanced digital media boost, dynamic power coordination, and deeper sleep with dynamic cache sizing.

This laptop has a 250 GB hard drive which gives you ample storage space. It’s 4GB RAM makes your internet surfing a super-fast experience.

It is quite advanced in terms of wireless connectivity because of integrated quad mode Wi Fi chip. This connectivity offers five times the performance and twice the wireless range.

It is optimized to support Windows Vista Operating System. This operating system is for users with advanced computer needs.

Vista can turn your laptop into a home entertainment centre due to its media centre capabilities. You can use the media centre to watch DVD movies, record and watch your favourite TV shows, and access all kinds of online content.

This laptop comes pre-loaded with a lot of interesting software like Acer GridVista, Acer Crystal Eye, Adobe Acrobat Reader and so on.

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Lenovo IdeaPad 59-014847 U110 Series 11.1″ Laptop

Lenovo Ideapad is an ultra-sleek notebook offered by Lenovo. It is available in red which can provide you with a distinct style.

In fact, owning this product is a fashion statement by itself. It has an alumimun alloy top cover with a unique etched surface which provides it an elegant and classy feel.

Another eye catching and one of its kind feature is its screen which reaches till the very end of the cover giving it a edgeless ocean look.

Ideapad also possesses touch sensitive buttons on the top of the keyboard. In addition, there are user-defined keys for multimedia too.

The cover of Idea pad is dynamic, angled shaped, and with a clamshell like style. It has a special hinge which puts the display in an ergonomic position.

Lenovo has built in a very special security feature for the Ideapad users which can give them ample peace of mind.

This notebook uses Veriface face recognition software that helps control access to the notebook. It recognizes when the owner is sitting at the keyboard.

If others try to access the notebook, their faces are also recorded for your reference. Another feature is the active protection system of the notebook.

It records the movement of the notebook from one place to another and in case there is a fall, it will automatically switch off the hard drive for minimum damage.

Ideapad also comes equipped with battery management system which lets you adjusts system performance when you require more time unplugged.

Lenovo’s eye catching design and frameless screen is ideal for a fashion conscious user. It weighs less than 2.5 pounds hence it is ideal choice for a highly mobile user.

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Linux Operating System

The first Linux systems were completed in 1992 by combining system utilities and libraries from the GNU project which is another operating system we’ll address next.

Predominantly known for its use in servers, Linux is used as an operating system for a wider variety of computer hardware than any other operating system including desktop computers, super computers, mainframes, and embedded devices such as cell phones.

Linux is packaged for different uses in Linux distributions which contain the kernel along with a variety of other software packaged tailored to its intended use.

Linux alleges that people regard the system as suitable mostly for computer experts because mainstream computer magazine reports cannot explain what Linux is in a meaningful way as they lack real-life experience using it.

Furthermore, the frictional cost of switching operating systems and lack of support for certain hardware and application programs designed for Microsoft Windows have been two factors that have inhibited adoption.

However, as of early 2007, significant progress in hardware compatibility has been made, and it is becoming increasingly common for hardware to work “out of the box” with many Linux distributions.

Proponents and analysts attribute the relative success of Linux to its security, reliability, low cost, and freedom from vendor lock-in.

The primary difference between Linux and other contemporary operating systems is that the Linux kernel and other components are open source software.

That means that users have permission to study, change, and improve the software. They can then redistribute it in modified or unmodified form.

This is usually done in a public and collaborative manner. Linux is not the only such operating system, although it is the most well-known and widely used one.

Some open source licenses are based on the principle of “copy left”, a kind of reciprocity: any work derived from a copy left piece of software must also be copy left itself.

One of the advantages of open source is that it allows for rapid software bug detection and elimination which is important for correcting security exploits.

Another advantage of Linux as an operating system is inter-operability. That means, it can run software from other companies such as Mac and Windows.

This makes it hugely advantageous to the open market as inter-operability in an operating system is rather uncommon as of late.

People have actually taken on the promotion of Linux in what might be considered almost a cult-like following.

In many cities and regions, local associations known as Linux Users Groups. They seek to promote Linux and, by extension, the notion and reality of free software.

They actually hold meetings and provide free demonstrations, training, technical support, and operating system installation to new users.

There are also many Internet communities that seek to provide support to Linux users and developers. Most distributions and open source projects have a chat room on the freenode IRC network.

These chat rooms are open to anyone with an IRC client. Online forums are another means for support with notable examples being www.linuxquestions.org.

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Benefits of Internet

Internet is a network system of computer networks, wherein users from any computer, if they have permissions, can get information from other computers.

It provides connectivity between computers through hardware and software infrastructure.

Internet has various services such as electronic mail (e-mail), online chat, online gaming, file transfer or sharing, video streaming, and interlinked hypertext documents.

Benefits of the Internet

Provides faster communication channel like e-mail, instant messaging, file transfer and file sharing. With this, users will be able to communicate effectively and can save time and effort.
Provides latest news and online references. Most of the newspapers today are now online. Users can browse the internet web sites to read the latest news, research on online encyclopedias, and join forums to learn new things from other people. With this, accessing information is faster.
Provides entertainment like uploaded movies, movie guides, video streaming, and music downloads. Users can now listen to online radio stations and download the songs they want.
Provides commerce services like online shopping, travel bargains, plane schedules, and buy and sell. With ecommerce, users can buy items online by just using their credit card or any form of bank transactions and without the need to go to the mall. They can just wait for the items to be delivered on their doorstep.
Provides jobs to people who want to make money online like buy and sell services, blogs and web design.

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Video Chat Inside Your Gmail Page

As you know there are some chatting’s software which can be used as video chat. But how about if you can do video chat inside your email accounts. Isn’t it excited?

Few weeks ago, google mail or gmail launched voice and video chat inside gmail. It’s a great news for gmail chat user, including me.

Gmail official blogs said

But people can only type so fast, and even with our new emoticons, there are still some things that just can’t be expressed in a chat message.

That’s why today we’re launching voice and video chat — right inside Gmail. We’ve tried to make this an easy-to-use, seamless experience, with high-quality audio and video — all for free.

If gmail is your main email, you can save your time to contact your client. You don’t need to sign in to other chat’s software. It’s all in one, email, text chat, video chat, and voice chat, inside your gmail.

Here are some steps how you can set up your gmail voice and video chat :

Friends list in your gmail
Install Headset and webcam
Install the voice and video plugin. Here is the link to install. Gmail Voice and Video chat. You need to restart your browser to enable this feature.
Move your mouse over one of your friend list, it’s located at left sidebar of your gmail. Click ways of chat you want. If you want to do video chat, choose ‘video and more’.

You can see the pic below

If your friend already install the plugin, you can start video chating with your friend.

It’s really easy and fun, isn’t it? Why don’t you try to video chat inside your gmail. Share your comment with us.

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Top 10 reasons to try Google Chrome

As technology matures, it always yields better results. Proceeding on similar lines, since the featured web browser from Google, Chrome is still currently in beta form.

You’ll find precious little news on just why Google believes the technology incorporated in Chrome is advancement on the existing web browsers, notably Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and the Mozilla’s Firefox!

There are lot many reasons that may be listed out but here are my Top 10 Reasons to try Google Chrome includes:

Open source

I know it sounds strange, and Firefox is open source too, but as a matter of fact, Internet Explorer isn’t! If you don’t know why open source can be a good thing, then you’d better read this…

Crash control

Every tab the user opens, runs independently in the browser, consequently if any application crashes it doesn’t take anything else down with it.

So it can be considered to be highly stable, on the other hand I have personally experienced Firefox crashing totally many a times, which is quite annoying!

One box for everything and SSB’s

Chrome allows creation of Site Specific Browsers, which are basically created from the main Chrome browser to allow users to quickly access a single site.

These are the stripped down versions of the main browser. Moreover Chrome incorporates Web search, dedicated Address bar providing suggestions as you type and Web history.

“One unified box serves all your browsing needs,” says Google, and that does make sense.

New Tab page & Dynamic tabs

Every time you open a new tab, you can find a visual sampling of the most visited sites, most used search engines, and recently bookmarked pages as well as closed tabs. Pretty cool… ain’t it?
What has Google got to say on this-?

“You can drag tabs out of the browser to create new windows, gather multiple tabs into one window or arrange your tabs as you wish - quickly and easily”, Google says.

Application shortcuts; Omnibox

With Google Chrome you can use web applications without opening your browser as application shortcuts can directly load your favorite online apps.

All Webapps can be launched in their own streamlined window without the Omnibox URL box and browser toolbar. The Omnibox is the URL box at the top of each tab, similar to Opera, which includes auto-complete functionality but auto-completes only URLs that were manually entered.

Safe browsing mode; Incognito

Chrome includes an Incognito mode, which is similar to Safari’s Private Browsing and Internet Explorer 8’s InPrivate! Google Chrome warns you if you’re about to visit a suspected phishing, malware or otherwise unsafe website.

Instant bookmarks & Simpler downloads

If you wanna’ bookmark a web page, you can simply click on the star icon at the left edge of the address bar and that’s it you are done ?

What’s more there’s no intrusive download manager; you can see your download’s status at the bottom of your current window, which feels lot more convenient.

Importing settings options and smart Pop up blocking

When you switch to Google Chrome, you need not lose all your private data and you can happily start from the same point where you left off with all the bookmarks and passwords duly restored from your existing browser.

Moreover the Popup windows are scoped to the tab they came from, meaning that they will not appear outside the tab unless the user explicitly drags them out!

Rendering engine

Chrome uses the WebKit rendering engine on advice from the Android team, which is an interesting thing to watch out for… Only time can tell what difference can this really make, in helping Chrome scoring over the other browsers…

Blacklists

Chrome periodically downloads updates of two blacklists, first one being meant for phishing and other for malware, and warns users when they attempt to visit a harmful site.

This service is also made available for use by others via a free public API called “Google Safe Browsing API“, which resembles the Internet Explorer 8’s functionality as well!

Google Chrome also has many more new advanced fabulous features such as gears, Sandboxing, cool Plugins, high Speed, support to all JavaScripts, high Stability, Multiprocessing abilities, efficient Task Manager and many more, which add developer features that could probably become web standards, typically relating to the building of web applications that even includes offline support too!

There’s lot more associated with Chrome than you can guess… so just be on the hunt to discover more!

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How to Save Attachment from Yahoo! Mail to Your Computer?

ving attachment data like pictures, word-processing documents, installers, and programs sent to you as an attachment in your Yahoo! Mail is easy.

Once you received an email with attachment, you can easily download the file attached.

Clicking the file attachment you’d like to download will enable the virus scanning first. Yahoo! Mail uses the security scanner of Norton Antivirus to verify if the attachments you are downloading are virus-free.

If no threats found on the file attachment, Yahoo! Mail will let you download the file.

You can save the file to any location on your specified drive. After saving the file, you can now open and accessed the file. If you click OPEN on the dialog box, the file is not saved on your specified location.

Instead, it is saved on the temporary internet files folder. You have to manually save the file to store it on the location you want.

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You may be wondering whether cable internet access is considered either a high speed connection or a broadband connection. Well, the answer is simp

You may be wondering whether cable internet access is considered either a high speed connection or a broadband connection.

Well, the answer is simple. It is both actually. Many companies will use these terms to describe their internet connection services.

And both terms are correct. Cable internet connectivity supplies the end user, you, with higher speeds than those of a DSL, or Dial Up connection, while also being classified as a “broadband” type of connection.

In turn, a DSL(Direct Subscriber Line) provides faster speeds than a normal Dial Up connection.

The term broadband is used to describe a signal or circuit which includes or handles a relatively wide range of frequencies.

A la, the coaxial cable that connects your computer to the internet, through the modem unit of course.

However, all claims of “high speed” are not created equal though. Some Internet Service Providers will boast that their internet connectivity speeds are very high.

Here is a quote taken directly from the Wikipedia site with relation to broadband definition:

“The International Telecommunication Union Standardization Sector (ITU-T) recommendation I.113 has defined broadband as a transmission capacity that is faster than primary rate ISDN, at 1.5 to 2 Mbit/s. However speeds of 256 kbit/s and greater are commonly marketed as “broadband” and this convention is held to by policy makers and ISPs alike.”

But, one must understand which type of connectivity the company is referring to. And what those companies are using to compare their speeds with.

So, be aware of this definition when you are making decisions on whether to switch from one form of internet connectivity to another.

Many competing companies can offer both high speed and broadband internet services, so it’s up to you to decide which fits into your budget and how fast you want to be able to experience the internet.

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What Type Of Connection Is Right For Me?

While there are many choices when it comes to connecting to the internet, we will be discussing only three here as these are the most affordable for personal consumer use in terms of higher speeds.

Cable

This is the best choice for consumers who want to have the most freedom with their internet connection.

Internet data information is run through existing coaxial cable lines and redirected into an external modem unit with the help of a cable filter or splitter.

Having a cable Internet connection frees up your phone line so you can make or receive calls anytime you are online.

In addition, with a cable Internet connection, you are “always connected” and accessing the Internet is as simple as turning on your computer.

Prices are affordable to most consumers and discounts are made available through some service providers to save you even more money.

You will also be provided with a leased/rental external cable modem from the service provider and those fees will be automatically added into your monthly bill for more convenience.

Cable Internet access may not be available in all areas. Contact your local cable company to find out if your area is within their accessible areas.

Most cable companies will offer you a “package” deal for both your Internet services and cable television to save you more money. Some cable companies will require you to have both cable television services along with your Internet services.

The best course of action is to call them, be sure they offer services in your area, and if they require you to have both cable t.v. and Internet to become a customer.

DSL(Digital Subscriber Line)

While not as fast as a cable Internet connection, DSL is much more available in most areas and can provide you with much faster speeds than those of regular Dial Up connections.

It will also give you the opportunity to use your phone line to make and receive calls while accessing the Internet through a small splitter unit plugged directly into your phone wall outlet.

Most DSL service providers will lease/rent you an external modem unit and provide you with the necessary connection cords to split off the Internet access from your normal phone line. This leased/rental fee will also be added into your monthly bill.

The increased availability in most areas around the country, and lower monthly rates make DSL a better choice for a majority of consumers.

To switch to DSL, all it takes is a call to your local telephone company to see if service is available from them in your area.

Satellite

Much like a cable Internet connection, a satellite Internet connection can provide its subscribers with lightening fast speeds through signals sent from your external modem into your satellite dish off to theirs and back again.

You will need to have several pieces of equipment that the satellite companies can provide you with similar to those offered by the other Internet service providers through a lease/rental option.

As with cable services, satellite Internet access may not be available in all areas. The best course of action would be to contact those satellite television providers locally and asking whether or not they can provide you with Internet access services as well.

This option out of all three is the most expensive as compared to base prices offered by all three types of Internet service providers.

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memperbaiki-kerusakan-sistem-komputer-akibat-virus

Komputer yang pernah terkena virus, malware dan sejenisnya biasanya banyak fitur yang tidak berjalan normal (sistem/windows mengalami kerusakan). Misalnya Task Manager, Run, Command prompt yang tidak bisa berjalan, dan kadang sampai file-file tertentu seperti EXE, COM dan lainnya juga tidak bisa dijalankan.

Kerusakan semacam itu biasanya bisa diperbaiki baik manual, menggunakan CD Windows atau dengan software pihak ketiga.

Jika kita mempunyai CD master windows, dan kerusakan cukup parah, biasanya masih bisa diatasi dengan memanfaatkan fitur Repair

Kali ini akan dibahas cara memperbaiki sistem windows yang rusak baik disebabkan oleh malware, virus dan sejenisnya atau sebab lainnya dengan Program System Repair Engineer (SREng).

System Repair Engineer (SREng)

System Repair Engineer (SREng) merupakan sebuah program kecil (kurang dari 2 MB), portable dan gratis (free) yang di kembangkan oleh KZTechs.COM webmaster, Smallfrogs ( telah memperoleh penghargaan Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) for Windows Shell - di China dari 2004-2008). Program ini ditujukan untuk mendeteksi berbagai permasalahan umum sistem dan kerusakan umum yang biasanya disebabkan oleh virus komputer.

sreng-main

Untuk tingkat ahli (advance), program ini dapat digunakan untuk mendeteksi berbagai permasalahan dan memperbaiki sendiri. Sedangkan untuk pengguna biasa (awam), terdapat fungsi Smart Scan untuk memeriksa komputer dan menghasilkan report (laporan) sehingga disimpan untuk selanjutnya bisa di analisa dan diperiksa oleh orang yang lebih ahli.

Meskipun begitu, terdapat berbagai fitur yang langsung dapat digunakan meski oleh kebanyakan pengguna komputer. Berikut penjelasan beberapa fitur dan fungsinya yang bisa kita manfaatkan.

Boot Items

Menampilkan daftar program atau aplikasi apa saja yang otomatis berjalan ketika windows booting, baik dari registry ( termasuk item yang tersembunyi, UserInit dan lainnya), Folders, Task Scheduled, Services dan Boot.ini. Jika melihat adanya program yang aneh (mencurigakan), maka kita bisa menon-aktifkannya dengan cara menghilangkan tanda cek-nya.

Setelah di dihilangkan tanda cek, maka klik tombol Refresh, untuk memastikan bahwa pengubahan telah tersimpan. Jika ternyata tanda cek kembali muncul atau muncul daftar baru dengan nama yang lain, merupakan indikasi kuat bahwa komputer sedang terinfeksi virus atau malware lainnya ( sebaiknya komputer/hardisk di scan baik dengan Bootable CD, virus scanner portable, atau memindah Hardisk di komputer lain dan discan dari sana).

System Repair

Di menu ini ada beberapa fungsi terpisah, diantaranya adalah :

File Association

Menampilkan status ekstensi file-file umum seperti : .TXT, .EXE, .COM, .PIF, .REG, .BAT, .SCR, .CHM, .VBS dan lainnya. Jika Status tidak menunjukkan “Normal” atau kita tidak bisa menjalankan file dengan salah satu ekstensi tersebut, maka kita bisa memperbaiki dengan memilih ekstensi file yang bermasalah dan klik Repair.

Windows Shell/IE

Di bagian ini, kita akan melihat daftar-daftar pengaturan windows (setting) yang biasanya diubah/dirusak oleh virus, seperti :

Menu Start/Run tidak aktif
Registry Editor (regedit.exe) tidak bisa dibuka
Command Prompt, wallpaper, Control Panel tidak bisa diakses.
Drive di My Computer tidak terlihat
Tombol Log off tidak muncul
Menu “file” di windows Explorer tidak tampil
Icon di desktop tidak tampil
Folder Options tidak bisa diaktifkan
Tombol search (pencarian) tidak tampil
Windows Explorer atau system tray tidak bisa di klik kanan
Untuk menampilkan files yang tersembunyi (Hidden files)
Berbagai tampilan menu di Internet Explorer yang tidak muncul
berbagai pengaturan lainnya

Untuk memperbaiki setting diatas, pilih dari daftar yang ada dan klik Repair.

Browser Add-ons

Menampilkan daftar plugins/add-ons (fitur tambahan) yang berjalan dengan web browser yang digunakan. Kita dapat melihat informasi detail, menyembunyikan atau menghapus add-on yang tidak diinginkan.

HOSTS File

Hosts file merupakan daftar host name dan mapping alamat IP. Misalnya terdapat baris sebagai berikut :

127.0.0.1 localhost

Berarti ketika kita mengetikkan localhost di web browser akan di mapping ke alamat IP 127.0.0.1. Untuk informasi selengkapnya bisa melihat http://support.microsoft.com/?id=108295

File ini bisa diubah oleh spyware atau malware agar ketika menulis alamat web tertentu sebenarnya dialihkan ke alamat IP yang tidak benar.

Winsock Provider

Akan menampilkan daftar Windows Socket API (Winsock), yang menangani masalah akses jaringan, terutama TCP/IP.

Di menu ini terdapat fitur “Reset All to default values”, yang dapat dimanfaatkan jika koneksi internet tidak bisa berjalan seperti sebelumnya (bermasalah) atau ketika tiba-tiba kita tidak bisa browsing, mengirim email atau operasi jaringan lainnya, padahal koneksi internet berjalan normal.

Tetapi ketika koneksi jaringan berjalan baik dan kita bisa browsing, mengirim email atau mengerjakan operasi jaringan lainnya, tidak disarankan untuk di Reset. Selengkapnya tentang Winsock

Advanced Repair

Terdapat dua pengaturan di menu ini, yaitu Recommended Fix Level dan Powerful Fix Level. Ada juga tombol untuk me-Reset Winsock, memperbaki Safe Mode dan Melakukan Scan API Hook ( tingkat lanjut).

Smart Scan

Smart scan akan melakukan scan komputer menghasilkan laporan secara detail tentang sistem komputer yang selanjutnya bisa digunakan oleh orang yang lebih ahli untuk memeriksa dan mengatasi permasalahan komputer.

Extensions

SREng mendukung tambahan fitur yang bisa ditambahkan secara terpisah (bisa juga membuat tambahan/plugins sendiri). Di Halaman Download SREng disertakan beberapa plugins seperti :

NTFS Stream Scanner, untuk memeriksa format NTFS dari adanya data berbahaya
Windows Shell Menu Manager, untuk mengatur windows shell menu seperti menu ketika klik kanan desktop dan lainnya.
File Figital Sign Verify, mengetahui dan verifikasi digital signature sebuah file.
Network Activity Monitor, memonitor aktivitas/status jaringan dan memberikan informasi detail tentang koneksi tersebut.

Satu hal yang mungkin agak kurang adalah belum adanya file bantuan (manual) yang berbahasa Inggris, adanya dalam bahasa China dan itupun masih membahas versi 2.5. Terlepas dari hal itu, program ini sangat bermanfaat dan bisa berjalan di sistem operasi : Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP 32bit, Server 2003 32bit, Vista 32bit, Server 2008 32bit.

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Shortcut Keys	Description
F2	Edit the selected cell.
F5	Goto a specific cell. For example, C6.
F7	Spell check selected text and/or document.
F11	Create chart.
Ctrl + Shift + ;	Enter the current time.
Ctrl + ;	Enter the current date.
Alt + Shift + F1	Insert New Worksheet.
Shift + F3	Open the Excel formula window.
Shift + F5	Bring up search box.
Ctrl + A	Select all contents of the worksheet.
Ctrl + B	Bold highlighted selection.
Ctrl + I	Italic highlighted selection.
Ctrl + K	Insert link.
Ctrl + U	Underline highlighted selection.
Ctrl + 5	Strikethrough highlighted selection.
Ctrl + P	Bring up the print dialog box to begin printing.
Ctrl + Z	Undo last action.
Ctrl + F9	Minimize current window.
Ctrl + F10	Maximize currently selected window.
Ctrl + F6	Switch between open workbooks / windows.
Ctrl + Page up	Move between Excel work sheets in the same Excel document.
Ctrl + Page down	Move between Excel work sheets in the same Excel document.
Ctrl + Tab	Move between Two or more open Excel files.
Alt + =	Create a formula to sum all of the above cells
Ctrl + '	Insert the value of the above cell into cell currently selected.
Ctrl + Shift + !	Format number in comma format.
Ctrl + Shift + $	Format number in currency format.
Ctrl + Shift + #	Format number in date format.
Ctrl + Shift + %	Format number in percentage format.
Ctrl + Shift + ^	Format number in scientific format.
Ctrl + Shift + @	Format number in time format.
Ctrl + Arrow key	Move to next section of text.
Ctrl + Space	Select entire column.
Shift + Space	Select entire row.

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Computer keyboard shortcut keys

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Inside IP Addresses

Finding IP Addresses

Fixing IP Address Problems

Hiding IP Addresses

Connecting Two Computers Directly With Cable

Connecting Two Computers With Cable Through Central Infrastructure

Connecting Two Computers Wirelessly

Choosing a Network Router

Installing a Network Router

Connecting Computers to a Router

Connecting an Internet Modem to the Router

Connecting a Printer to the Router

Connecting Home Entertainment Equipment to the Router

Other Uses of a Network Router

Choosing a Network Router

Installing a Network Router

System Repair Engineer (SREng)

Boot Items

System Repair

Smart Scan

Extensions

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