Free Comments & Graphics
Friday, December 21, 2007
Happy Holidays!
Sending warm holiday wishes to all of my readers. Thanks for reading my blogs and have a very Merry Christmas! If you need a new recipe for the holidays, stop on over to my other blog here: http://sunnyskysadventures.blogspot.com/2007/12/delicious-and-simple-christmas-treat.html
Free Comments & Graphics
Free Comments & Graphics
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Laptop computers, also called notebook computers
Author: Ben Bradle
Article:
Laptop computers, also called notebook computers, are
functionally similar to the desktop computers. Today, laptops
are mainly used by almost all type of professionals and business
people.
Leading manufacturers introduce new versions each year. So
finding the top 10 laptops from this wide spectrum of the
computer world is quite difficult. Some of the latest laptops
available are Gateway NX850XL, Toshiba Qosmio G35, Toshiba
Satellite M65, Sony VAIO VGN-TX670P, HP Compaq Presario V5000Z,
Dell XPS M170, ThinkPad T60, HP Compaq nx6110, MacBook Pro, and
ThinkPad X41 Tablet.
Toshiba Qosmio G35 is the best tricked-out multimedia laptop.
This state-of-the-art machine has set features of crisp display,
A/V controls, built-in TV tuner, and latest audio controls.
Double-layer DVD burner is an added facility.
SONY VAIO VGN-TX5XN/B is one of the latest laptops that comes
with an Inter Core processor inside. This laptop from Sony is
power efficient and is available with an installed RAM size of 1
GB / 1.5 GB. Features such as a power-optimized processor system
bus, Intel virtualization and enhanced SpeedStep technology make
this innovative gadget a must buy. This Sony laptop operates on
the Microsoft Windows Vista Business operating system.
Dell XPS M170 is a high performance laptop with features such as
top shelf processor and graphics engine, and good multimedia
facilities. This model is the slimmest and fastest gaming
machines in the laptop industry. SONY Vaio VGN-AR31S is a
flagship notebook from the Sony VAIO AR30-Series. It features an
integrated Blue-ray Disc optical drive and can be seen as the
ultimate Full HD entertainment notebook. The huge, 17-inch
double lap X-black LCD wide-screen display is HD capable. An
integrated hybrid digital/analog TV tuner and a remote control
ensures that users experience the ultimate in PC entertainment.
HP Compaq nx6110 is light weight, inexpensive laptop for small
business. Well labeled ports and slots, long life battery,
premium Pentium M processor, and 40GB hard drive provide
comprehensive support for your business work. MacBook Pro, well
known for its design, is one of the powerful laptops from the
Apple. Two models are available in this category.
About the author:
VAIO VGN-AR31S.CEK
VAIO VGN-TX5XN/B.CEK
y VAIO Intel Core 2 Duo T7300
Article:
Laptop computers, also called notebook computers, are
functionally similar to the desktop computers. Today, laptops
are mainly used by almost all type of professionals and business
people.
Leading manufacturers introduce new versions each year. So
finding the top 10 laptops from this wide spectrum of the
computer world is quite difficult. Some of the latest laptops
available are Gateway NX850XL, Toshiba Qosmio G35, Toshiba
Satellite M65, Sony VAIO VGN-TX670P, HP Compaq Presario V5000Z,
Dell XPS M170, ThinkPad T60, HP Compaq nx6110, MacBook Pro, and
ThinkPad X41 Tablet.
Toshiba Qosmio G35 is the best tricked-out multimedia laptop.
This state-of-the-art machine has set features of crisp display,
A/V controls, built-in TV tuner, and latest audio controls.
Double-layer DVD burner is an added facility.
SONY VAIO VGN-TX5XN/B is one of the latest laptops that comes
with an Inter Core processor inside. This laptop from Sony is
power efficient and is available with an installed RAM size of 1
GB / 1.5 GB. Features such as a power-optimized processor system
bus, Intel virtualization and enhanced SpeedStep technology make
this innovative gadget a must buy. This Sony laptop operates on
the Microsoft Windows Vista Business operating system.
Dell XPS M170 is a high performance laptop with features such as
top shelf processor and graphics engine, and good multimedia
facilities. This model is the slimmest and fastest gaming
machines in the laptop industry. SONY Vaio VGN-AR31S is a
flagship notebook from the Sony VAIO AR30-Series. It features an
integrated Blue-ray Disc optical drive and can be seen as the
ultimate Full HD entertainment notebook. The huge, 17-inch
double lap X-black LCD wide-screen display is HD capable. An
integrated hybrid digital/analog TV tuner and a remote control
ensures that users experience the ultimate in PC entertainment.
HP Compaq nx6110 is light weight, inexpensive laptop for small
business. Well labeled ports and slots, long life battery,
premium Pentium M processor, and 40GB hard drive provide
comprehensive support for your business work. MacBook Pro, well
known for its design, is one of the powerful laptops from the
Apple. Two models are available in this category.
About the author:
VAIO VGN-AR31S.CEK
VAIO VGN-TX5XN/B.CEK
y VAIO Intel Core 2 Duo T7300
Monday, December 10, 2007
Broadband Abroad
Author: David Collins
Article:
As more people choose to travel to different parts of the world,
communication is an essential part of such a commitment, and one
that needs to be carefully thought through if they are to stay
in contact with their families and employers.
With broadband use increasing around the world, expats and
tourists alike now have access to a wide range of services in a
variety of places. And with wireless technology becoming more
advanced, as well as widely accessible, it has never been easier
to keep in touch, wherever people may be in the world.
Internet cafes are becoming more widespread as the demands for
broadband increase and act as an effective communication portal
- as well as giving users the opportunity to relax and purchase
food and drink while e-mailing their family and friends about
their adventures in another country.
These establishments can now be found all over the world,
serving as a gateway to holidaymakers and expats alike. Prices
will vary depending on the country you are visiting, as will any
restrictions on content - some countries have filters to comply
with their rules and regulations - so a degree of care is
encouraged.
If you're looking to relocate and are considering
deals, whether for business purposes or simply keeping in
contact with your family, there are several factors to consider
when researching and selecting broadband providers:
So whether you're sending an informal e-mail to your family or
an embarrassing holiday memory to your mates via wi-fi, wireless
broadband has helped to take away some degree of isolation when
it comes to travel, and allowed people the opportunity to keep
in contact with those closest to them.
About the author:
David is a UK based writer currently working in the dotcom
industry
Article:
As more people choose to travel to different parts of the world,
communication is an essential part of such a commitment, and one
that needs to be carefully thought through if they are to stay
in contact with their families and employers.
With broadband use increasing around the world, expats and
tourists alike now have access to a wide range of services in a
variety of places. And with wireless technology becoming more
advanced, as well as widely accessible, it has never been easier
to keep in touch, wherever people may be in the world.
Internet cafes are becoming more widespread as the demands for
broadband increase and act as an effective communication portal
- as well as giving users the opportunity to relax and purchase
food and drink while e-mailing their family and friends about
their adventures in another country.
These establishments can now be found all over the world,
serving as a gateway to holidaymakers and expats alike. Prices
will vary depending on the country you are visiting, as will any
restrictions on content - some countries have filters to comply
with their rules and regulations - so a degree of care is
encouraged.
If you're looking to relocate and are considering
deals, whether for business purposes or simply keeping in
contact with your family, there are several factors to consider
when researching and selecting broadband providers:
- Cost - most countries now have a variety of packages to suit
budgets, though cost will vary depending on location as well as
the type of connection you require. - Area - if you're
looking to travel to a rural area, it's often best to research
and find out the availability of the nearest
providers, there are a variety of websites available that
offer advice on this area. - Wi-fi - most major cities
now have, or are adapting to include, wi-fi hotspots. These
ports allow - through the use of adapters on our mobile phones
and laptops - internet access via a wireless connection in
public outlets, such as shopping centres, airports, train
stations and coffee shops - Mobile on the move - mobile
internet tariffs are usually calculated by a 'megabytes per
minute' rate. Most phone networks now offer a
broadband deals, but it's advisable to check these rates
and, if necessary, to set a budget in order to ensure you get
the best service at an affordable price. Be sure to contact your
provider to check prices and roaming charges before you make the
trip
So whether you're sending an informal e-mail to your family or
an embarrassing holiday memory to your mates via wi-fi, wireless
broadband has helped to take away some degree of isolation when
it comes to travel, and allowed people the opportunity to keep
in contact with those closest to them.
About the author:
David is a UK based writer currently working in the dotcom
industry
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Bandwidth the Key to Network Choices
Author: Storm
Article:
Communication constraints the biggest inhibitor to cutting costs
by using VoIP.
COMPANIES have the choice of continuing to run their voice
networks separately, run interbranch calls over their own
wide-area network (WAN) or get a
internet service to act as both data and voice
provider.
In an in-house scenario, a company could implement a Voice
over Internet Protocol (V0IP) solution to route voice calls
for interbranch communication between employees over the
company-owned WAN, using traditional telephones.
The next step would be to add an IP telephony solution
that integrates voice capabilities into PC applications.
For example, the user could then make an interbranch voice call
by selecting an option in Outlook and speaking into an IP phone
or speaking directly into the PC using a headset or built-in
microphone.
"The latest laptops are coming out with a built-in,
high-quality microphone so users can speak directly into it
when making VoIP calls," says Danie Nel of Nebula.
Once regulations are in place that allows interconnection
agreements between network operators and service providers,
users will also be able to make VoIP calls from their PC to any
subscriber locally and globally across different networks.
From this information we see there is merit in companies
outsourcing interbranch voice and data communication
functions to a service provider that will provide the WAN
infrastructure, manage the service and route the traffic to
relevant parties over their network.
Dave Gale, business development director at Storm, says
bandwidth constraints are the biggest inhibitor to the
take-up of VoIP. With a VoIP service, a gateway device is
installed between the company's PBX and the Telkom line and the
signal is routed over a data line to the service providers
network. This is where the bandwidth challenges starts.
Companies typically use a dedicated Diginet leased data
line to connect to the service provider, because it is the
only way to get consistent throughput and guaranteed bandwidth,
says Gale.
Most companies use a 128 kilobits per second (kbps) leased
line, which costs about R3 000 a month and is expensive for
smaller businesses. With a 128kbps line a service provider like
Storm has to optimise the bandwidth between the customer and its
own network, and within its own network, tightly.
There are advantages in using the same leased line for data
when it is not being used for voice, but this situation needs to
be managed so the data traffic does not impede the
quality of the voice calls. It is necessary to have an express
speedway for voice and later for video.
A big enough bandwidth pipeline will ensure that the quality of
VoIP calls can be better than when communicating over the public
switched telephone network. But in a bandwidth-lean environment,
South African companies and service providers need to
optimise bandwidth usage or purposely downgrade the VoIP
quality to a level that is still acceptable.
Jacques du Toit, sales and marketing director for Orion
Telecom, says traditional PBX suppliers are selling companies on
the benefits of attaching the equipment to the local area
network (LAN) and carrying voice calls over the data network
using VoIP.
However, the leased line is owned by Telkom and the company is
at risk by having all its eggs in one basket if the link goes
down, says Du Tolt.
It is better to have separate external voice and data
lines than to run voice on the main wide area data network,
because these links are unlikely to both go down at the same
time.
It is important for a company to ensure its internet service
provider can guarantee bandwidth capacity from origination to
destination when voice calls are travelling over its network.
Separate agreements should be drawn up for voice and data
services.
About the author:
Stand apart with Storm
Telecom: a voice and data provider that makes sure your
business stands out from the crowd. Storm offers a range of
products and "http://www.storm.co.za/networks.q">services that are
essential to the success of your business.
Article:
Communication constraints the biggest inhibitor to cutting costs
by using VoIP.
COMPANIES have the choice of continuing to run their voice
networks separately, run interbranch calls over their own
wide-area network (WAN) or get a
internet service to act as both data and voice
provider.
In an in-house scenario, a company could implement a Voice
over Internet Protocol (V0IP) solution to route voice calls
for interbranch communication between employees over the
company-owned WAN, using traditional telephones.
The next step would be to add an IP telephony solution
that integrates voice capabilities into PC applications.
For example, the user could then make an interbranch voice call
by selecting an option in Outlook and speaking into an IP phone
or speaking directly into the PC using a headset or built-in
microphone.
"The latest laptops are coming out with a built-in,
high-quality microphone so users can speak directly into it
when making VoIP calls," says Danie Nel of Nebula.
Once regulations are in place that allows interconnection
agreements between network operators and service providers,
users will also be able to make VoIP calls from their PC to any
subscriber locally and globally across different networks.
From this information we see there is merit in companies
outsourcing interbranch voice and data communication
functions to a service provider that will provide the WAN
infrastructure, manage the service and route the traffic to
relevant parties over their network.
Dave Gale, business development director at Storm, says
bandwidth constraints are the biggest inhibitor to the
take-up of VoIP. With a VoIP service, a gateway device is
installed between the company's PBX and the Telkom line and the
signal is routed over a data line to the service providers
network. This is where the bandwidth challenges starts.
Companies typically use a dedicated Diginet leased data
line to connect to the service provider, because it is the
only way to get consistent throughput and guaranteed bandwidth,
says Gale.
Most companies use a 128 kilobits per second (kbps) leased
line, which costs about R3 000 a month and is expensive for
smaller businesses. With a 128kbps line a service provider like
Storm has to optimise the bandwidth between the customer and its
own network, and within its own network, tightly.
There are advantages in using the same leased line for data
when it is not being used for voice, but this situation needs to
be managed so the data traffic does not impede the
quality of the voice calls. It is necessary to have an express
speedway for voice and later for video.
A big enough bandwidth pipeline will ensure that the quality of
VoIP calls can be better than when communicating over the public
switched telephone network. But in a bandwidth-lean environment,
South African companies and service providers need to
optimise bandwidth usage or purposely downgrade the VoIP
quality to a level that is still acceptable.
Jacques du Toit, sales and marketing director for Orion
Telecom, says traditional PBX suppliers are selling companies on
the benefits of attaching the equipment to the local area
network (LAN) and carrying voice calls over the data network
using VoIP.
However, the leased line is owned by Telkom and the company is
at risk by having all its eggs in one basket if the link goes
down, says Du Tolt.
It is better to have separate external voice and data
lines than to run voice on the main wide area data network,
because these links are unlikely to both go down at the same
time.
It is important for a company to ensure its internet service
provider can guarantee bandwidth capacity from origination to
destination when voice calls are travelling over its network.
Separate agreements should be drawn up for voice and data
services.
About the author:
Stand apart with Storm
Telecom: a voice and data provider that makes sure your
business stands out from the crowd. Storm offers a range of
products and "http://www.storm.co.za/networks.q">services that are
essential to the success of your business.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Read This Before You Buy A Laptop.
Author: Robert Michael
Article:
Looking to buy a laptop? Congratulations! So, do you want a
thin-and-light notebook, a mainstream notebook, an ultra
portable notebook, or a business notebook? And do you want that
in a Dell, a Gateway, an IBM, a Sony, or a Toshiba, to name just
a few of your options?
Confused yet? It really can be overwhelming. But buying a laptop
doesn't have to mean learning a whole new language. It just
means that you have to know what your needs are and what kinds
of equipment is best suited to meeting those needs. Ask yourself
the following two questions:
1. How am I going to use this machine?
The demands you anticipate placing on a machine will dictate how
much memory you need, processor speed, display size, and the
size of your hard drive. It also matters how much wear and tear
you think you're going to put on your laptop. For example, are
you going to be schlepping it from college room to coffee shop,
or are you mostly going to be using it at home, as a replacement
for a desktop machine? Are you going to be storing lots of
digital music files or photos or other multimedia that will eat
up huge amounts of hard drive space? Do you need wireless
capability and lots of peripherals, like CD-RW drives or DVD
drives? Are you going to be doing graphics work or watching a
lot of video on your laptop, such that a powerful, rapid
processor and a large and high-resolution screen are important
to you?
2. How do I find the laptop that will do what I want?
Thinner is not always better; but then, less is sometimes more.
In the laptop jungle, searching out the perfect machine can be a
challenge. It might help to look at the different models of
laptop and see what features each one has to offer.
* Ultraportables These machines are thin, small, and
light--typically not more than four pounds. What they don't have
going for them is a lot of processing power or the bells and
whistles of bigger systems: they don't have internal CD or DVD
drives, they have smallish hard drives, and they have displays
of 12 inches or smaller. A good choice for someone on the go a
lot who doesn't demand a lot of their system, but performance
lags behind other laptop models.
* Thin-and-lights Perfect for business travelers, these laptops
have powerful internal processors, 14-inch displays, and
wireless networking capability, plus a combo CD-RW/DVD drive.
They have lots of memory and roomy hard drives. Trade-off: they
weigh a bit more (four to six pounds) and they cost quite a bit
more.
* Mainstream notebooks Basically, these laptops are desktop
computers that can do a little travel. At six to eight pounds,
they come with a 14-inch or larger display and more than enough
basic power, in terms of processing speed, memory, and hard
drive space.
* Desktop replacements The name says it all: these laptops think
they're desktops. They have 15-inch to 17-inch monitors, more
than big enough for gaming or creating home movies. They have
the fastest processors, the largest hard drives, and the most
memory of any other laptop available. And they weigh at least
seven pounds.
Knowing at least some of the terminology should help you carry
on intelligent conversations with laptop salespeople. And
remember: because technology changes so fast, you'll never have
to be stuck with a dud laptop for more than two years!
About the author:
Robert Michael is a writer for
an excellent place to find Laptops links, resources and
articles. For more information go to:
Article:
Looking to buy a laptop? Congratulations! So, do you want a
thin-and-light notebook, a mainstream notebook, an ultra
portable notebook, or a business notebook? And do you want that
in a Dell, a Gateway, an IBM, a Sony, or a Toshiba, to name just
a few of your options?
Confused yet? It really can be overwhelming. But buying a laptop
doesn't have to mean learning a whole new language. It just
means that you have to know what your needs are and what kinds
of equipment is best suited to meeting those needs. Ask yourself
the following two questions:
1. How am I going to use this machine?
The demands you anticipate placing on a machine will dictate how
much memory you need, processor speed, display size, and the
size of your hard drive. It also matters how much wear and tear
you think you're going to put on your laptop. For example, are
you going to be schlepping it from college room to coffee shop,
or are you mostly going to be using it at home, as a replacement
for a desktop machine? Are you going to be storing lots of
digital music files or photos or other multimedia that will eat
up huge amounts of hard drive space? Do you need wireless
capability and lots of peripherals, like CD-RW drives or DVD
drives? Are you going to be doing graphics work or watching a
lot of video on your laptop, such that a powerful, rapid
processor and a large and high-resolution screen are important
to you?
2. How do I find the laptop that will do what I want?
Thinner is not always better; but then, less is sometimes more.
In the laptop jungle, searching out the perfect machine can be a
challenge. It might help to look at the different models of
laptop and see what features each one has to offer.
* Ultraportables These machines are thin, small, and
light--typically not more than four pounds. What they don't have
going for them is a lot of processing power or the bells and
whistles of bigger systems: they don't have internal CD or DVD
drives, they have smallish hard drives, and they have displays
of 12 inches or smaller. A good choice for someone on the go a
lot who doesn't demand a lot of their system, but performance
lags behind other laptop models.
* Thin-and-lights Perfect for business travelers, these laptops
have powerful internal processors, 14-inch displays, and
wireless networking capability, plus a combo CD-RW/DVD drive.
They have lots of memory and roomy hard drives. Trade-off: they
weigh a bit more (four to six pounds) and they cost quite a bit
more.
* Mainstream notebooks Basically, these laptops are desktop
computers that can do a little travel. At six to eight pounds,
they come with a 14-inch or larger display and more than enough
basic power, in terms of processing speed, memory, and hard
drive space.
* Desktop replacements The name says it all: these laptops think
they're desktops. They have 15-inch to 17-inch monitors, more
than big enough for gaming or creating home movies. They have
the fastest processors, the largest hard drives, and the most
memory of any other laptop available. And they weigh at least
seven pounds.
Knowing at least some of the terminology should help you carry
on intelligent conversations with laptop salespeople. And
remember: because technology changes so fast, you'll never have
to be stuck with a dud laptop for more than two years!
About the author:
Robert Michael is a writer for
an excellent place to find Laptops links, resources and
articles. For more information go to:
Monday, November 19, 2007
Internet Security in Education - What You Need to Know
Author: Simon Heron
Article:
The Internet is a wonderful resource for schools and colleges,
but it brings new problems to worry about. Stories about
viruses, hackers and porn websites have become increasingly
frequent in newspapers and on TV. For those in the education
world, it can be difficult to separate the hype from the true
risks, and to make decisions about how to tackle this problem.
The reality is somewhere between the extremes of the
doom-mongers and those who don't see a problem: yes, Internet
security threats can cause major problems and need to be taken
seriously, but with some basic planning and a reasonable level
of investment, they can be kept firmly under control.
Educational establishments today often have IT demands that are
greater than many private companies, and schools and colleges
may have 200 or more PCs networked together. With this level of
IT systems, it's essential that there is the right level of
Internet security in place to protect from hazards such as
viruses, "spam" and inappropriate website content. However,
schools and colleges have additional concerns to the private
industry:
- A duty of care to protect pupils from offensive material. -
Students' often reckless attitude towards security. - Lack of
time for the person in charge of IT - particularly if they are a
teacher with an already heavy workload. - Lack of financial
resources.
Considering all this, it's a difficult job to keep Internet
security protection up to a sufficiently high standard. The most
common threats that need to be countered are:
- Viruses: these are small computer programs that can be
inadvertently transferred by email from other Internet
communications, like file sharing, or on floppy disks or CDs.
They may be harmless, or can cause serious damage like erasing
files or sending out malicious emails from the infected machine.
- Spam: this is a general term for junk or unsolicited email.
The latest figures estimate that up to 90% of all email is spam
- as well as the time it wastes for people to read and delete
it, it uses up IT resources, and can be unpleasant.
- Intrusions and hackers: computers outside the school's network
can try and 'hack' into the network if there is no protection.
This can give them access to files on the school's PCs,
potentially including confidential and sensitive information.
- Inappropriate website content: Internet users at the school or
college could be looking at pornographic or other unsuitable
material on websites - this is obviously particularly important
to control for an educational establishment.
So, how to block these threats? Many different solutions are
available on the market, including hardware, software, and
managed services. At a basic level, most educational
establishments have some form of firewall to block unauthorised
Internet access, and anti-virus software.
Unfortunately, configuring them is far from easy. Once
configured, they need to be updated every day to protect against
new threats: a task that is time consuming, boring, and often
ignored. The resulting lapses in security are frequently only
discovered after a problem occurs.
Offensive material on the Internet can be filtered out, and
various software or hardware tools are available to block spam
emails. Intrusion detection and prevention is also an essential
to block against attacks since firewalls in themselves cannot
block many intrusion attempts without also blocking legitimate
traffic), and further security measures are required if schools
want to enable staff to work remotely.
Another issue to consider is how to handle teachers and students
taking laptops home and then bringing them back onto the school
network - possibly with a virus infection they've picked up away
from the school. Here, the best approach is to put in place
strict controls over which machines are allowed to be connected,
and to ensure that all staff machines (and ideally those of
pupils as well) have the latest anti-virus software installed,
and that it is updated regularly. In practice, it's almost
impossible to keep this level of control, and some level of
protection is needed for the network and at the gateway from the
school to the Internet.
While the update for Microsoft's Windows XP operating system
(called Service Pack 2) has made positive strides to improve
security, it is no substitute for the security protections
described above. Furthermore, many schools will still have PCs
running older versions of Windows (2000, ME or 98), which don't
offer the same safeguards as the latest Windows XP version.
All of these security solutions require time-consuming
monitoring and configuring, an investment in time to understand
the systems, and in some cases further hardware to run them
effectively on. Not something that your average IT manager, let
alone teacher, has time for. In fact, the most costly part of
Internet security is the IT expertise and time to configure,
update and maintain the systems and software.
Virus writers are also getting smarter at exploiting the human
weaknesses of ICT managers. It's no coincidence that several
recent major viruses have been released on Friday evenings,
giving them the best chance of causing havoc with unprotected
systems over the weekend before the harassed ICT staff can
update their anti-virus software.
To solve these issues, it's worth considering outsourcing
Internet security. This provides fast, expert response to
security threats, and updates against new dangers can be
automatically provided. Costs are known up front, and
outsourcing allows IT staff or teachers to concentrate on their
core tasks - and to take holidays and weekends without the risk
of leaving the school vulnerable!
In conclusion, Internet security is a threat that educational
establishments must take seriously, and must allocate sufficient
resources to deal with. There are different threats that must
all be blocked to ensure the establishment is complying with its
legal and moral duties to protect staff and students.
However, by putting in place the right combination of hardware
and software tools, or by investing in an outsourced managed
service or all-in-one security appliance, schools and colleges
can tackle the security threat, and ensure their teachers and
pupils can safely take advantage of the many benefits the
Internet brings to education.
About the author:
Simon Heron, Managing Director at Network Box UK (
Article:
The Internet is a wonderful resource for schools and colleges,
but it brings new problems to worry about. Stories about
viruses, hackers and porn websites have become increasingly
frequent in newspapers and on TV. For those in the education
world, it can be difficult to separate the hype from the true
risks, and to make decisions about how to tackle this problem.
The reality is somewhere between the extremes of the
doom-mongers and those who don't see a problem: yes, Internet
security threats can cause major problems and need to be taken
seriously, but with some basic planning and a reasonable level
of investment, they can be kept firmly under control.
Educational establishments today often have IT demands that are
greater than many private companies, and schools and colleges
may have 200 or more PCs networked together. With this level of
IT systems, it's essential that there is the right level of
Internet security in place to protect from hazards such as
viruses, "spam" and inappropriate website content. However,
schools and colleges have additional concerns to the private
industry:
- A duty of care to protect pupils from offensive material. -
Students' often reckless attitude towards security. - Lack of
time for the person in charge of IT - particularly if they are a
teacher with an already heavy workload. - Lack of financial
resources.
Considering all this, it's a difficult job to keep Internet
security protection up to a sufficiently high standard. The most
common threats that need to be countered are:
- Viruses: these are small computer programs that can be
inadvertently transferred by email from other Internet
communications, like file sharing, or on floppy disks or CDs.
They may be harmless, or can cause serious damage like erasing
files or sending out malicious emails from the infected machine.
- Spam: this is a general term for junk or unsolicited email.
The latest figures estimate that up to 90% of all email is spam
- as well as the time it wastes for people to read and delete
it, it uses up IT resources, and can be unpleasant.
- Intrusions and hackers: computers outside the school's network
can try and 'hack' into the network if there is no protection.
This can give them access to files on the school's PCs,
potentially including confidential and sensitive information.
- Inappropriate website content: Internet users at the school or
college could be looking at pornographic or other unsuitable
material on websites - this is obviously particularly important
to control for an educational establishment.
So, how to block these threats? Many different solutions are
available on the market, including hardware, software, and
managed services. At a basic level, most educational
establishments have some form of firewall to block unauthorised
Internet access, and anti-virus software.
Unfortunately, configuring them is far from easy. Once
configured, they need to be updated every day to protect against
new threats: a task that is time consuming, boring, and often
ignored. The resulting lapses in security are frequently only
discovered after a problem occurs.
Offensive material on the Internet can be filtered out, and
various software or hardware tools are available to block spam
emails. Intrusion detection and prevention is also an essential
to block against attacks since firewalls in themselves cannot
block many intrusion attempts without also blocking legitimate
traffic), and further security measures are required if schools
want to enable staff to work remotely.
Another issue to consider is how to handle teachers and students
taking laptops home and then bringing them back onto the school
network - possibly with a virus infection they've picked up away
from the school. Here, the best approach is to put in place
strict controls over which machines are allowed to be connected,
and to ensure that all staff machines (and ideally those of
pupils as well) have the latest anti-virus software installed,
and that it is updated regularly. In practice, it's almost
impossible to keep this level of control, and some level of
protection is needed for the network and at the gateway from the
school to the Internet.
While the update for Microsoft's Windows XP operating system
(called Service Pack 2) has made positive strides to improve
security, it is no substitute for the security protections
described above. Furthermore, many schools will still have PCs
running older versions of Windows (2000, ME or 98), which don't
offer the same safeguards as the latest Windows XP version.
All of these security solutions require time-consuming
monitoring and configuring, an investment in time to understand
the systems, and in some cases further hardware to run them
effectively on. Not something that your average IT manager, let
alone teacher, has time for. In fact, the most costly part of
Internet security is the IT expertise and time to configure,
update and maintain the systems and software.
Virus writers are also getting smarter at exploiting the human
weaknesses of ICT managers. It's no coincidence that several
recent major viruses have been released on Friday evenings,
giving them the best chance of causing havoc with unprotected
systems over the weekend before the harassed ICT staff can
update their anti-virus software.
To solve these issues, it's worth considering outsourcing
Internet security. This provides fast, expert response to
security threats, and updates against new dangers can be
automatically provided. Costs are known up front, and
outsourcing allows IT staff or teachers to concentrate on their
core tasks - and to take holidays and weekends without the risk
of leaving the school vulnerable!
In conclusion, Internet security is a threat that educational
establishments must take seriously, and must allocate sufficient
resources to deal with. There are different threats that must
all be blocked to ensure the establishment is complying with its
legal and moral duties to protect staff and students.
However, by putting in place the right combination of hardware
and software tools, or by investing in an outsourced managed
service or all-in-one security appliance, schools and colleges
can tackle the security threat, and ensure their teachers and
pupils can safely take advantage of the many benefits the
Internet brings to education.
About the author:
Simon Heron, Managing Director at Network Box UK (
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Network Security
Author: Mit Patel
Article:
With more and more companies going online to access technology
in order to reach a wider audience, information is also being
made available over this new media. However, with internet being
such a complex medium of sharing information, security measures
also need to be equally intelligent to prevent any security
breach. Therefore, in order to tackle this situation, there are
various network security services provided by Netstaruk.com.
These help prevent your confidential company data and other
important information from being hacked by today's very
sophisticated and technologically advanced hackers.
The various network security services provided by Netstaruk.com
include:
Firewall System - It is a system designed to prevent
unauthorized access to a company's private network connected to
the internet or intranets. It examines each message entering or
leaving the intranet and blocks those that do not meet the
security criteria. Netstaruk provides an integrated security
system called Firebox X, which integrates firewall, Virtual
Private Network (for remote users who need to access the
company's private network, and dos not even compromise on the
security of the private network), gateway antivirus for E-mail,
intrusion prevention, application layer security, spam blocking,
web filtering and user authentication. Anti Virus/ Anti Spam -
Viruses are programs created to enter your system and infect
files, and spread across the network to infect more and more
files and damage information contained in them, by replicating
itself. Whereas, spam is junk email that enters your inbox,
reducing the performance of your system. In order to keep these
harmful viruses and unwanted spasm out of your system and
network, you need anti virus/ anti spam services. Netstaruk
provides such services as, Sophos small business solution, which
helps block spam and prevent viruses from entering your network.
The products in this category include: Sophos Small Business
Edition - It provides anti virus solution for desktops, file
servers and laptops, for windows, Macintosh and various mixed
networks. It is easy to use and comes with a 24-hour telephone
and email technical support by Sophos support knowledge base.
Sophos Small Business Suite - It provides anti- virus and anti
spam support for servers, workstations, laptops and Microsoft
E-mail servers. It provides comprehensive spam detection in
multi languages. It also comes with a 24-hour technical support
by Sophos antivirus support knowledge base via telephone and
E-mail.
Netstaruk also provides small business it support, small
business server support, windows 2000 & 2003 server support,
computer support London and Computer maintenance, etc.
All these and many more services at a very low rate compared to
the market, so just get our services now.
About the author:
I write Articles on www.netstaruk.com
Article:
With more and more companies going online to access technology
in order to reach a wider audience, information is also being
made available over this new media. However, with internet being
such a complex medium of sharing information, security measures
also need to be equally intelligent to prevent any security
breach. Therefore, in order to tackle this situation, there are
various network security services provided by Netstaruk.com.
These help prevent your confidential company data and other
important information from being hacked by today's very
sophisticated and technologically advanced hackers.
The various network security services provided by Netstaruk.com
include:
Firewall System - It is a system designed to prevent
unauthorized access to a company's private network connected to
the internet or intranets. It examines each message entering or
leaving the intranet and blocks those that do not meet the
security criteria. Netstaruk provides an integrated security
system called Firebox X, which integrates firewall, Virtual
Private Network (for remote users who need to access the
company's private network, and dos not even compromise on the
security of the private network), gateway antivirus for E-mail,
intrusion prevention, application layer security, spam blocking,
web filtering and user authentication. Anti Virus/ Anti Spam -
Viruses are programs created to enter your system and infect
files, and spread across the network to infect more and more
files and damage information contained in them, by replicating
itself. Whereas, spam is junk email that enters your inbox,
reducing the performance of your system. In order to keep these
harmful viruses and unwanted spasm out of your system and
network, you need anti virus/ anti spam services. Netstaruk
provides such services as, Sophos small business solution, which
helps block spam and prevent viruses from entering your network.
The products in this category include: Sophos Small Business
Edition - It provides anti virus solution for desktops, file
servers and laptops, for windows, Macintosh and various mixed
networks. It is easy to use and comes with a 24-hour telephone
and email technical support by Sophos support knowledge base.
Sophos Small Business Suite - It provides anti- virus and anti
spam support for servers, workstations, laptops and Microsoft
E-mail servers. It provides comprehensive spam detection in
multi languages. It also comes with a 24-hour technical support
by Sophos antivirus support knowledge base via telephone and
E-mail.
Netstaruk also provides small business it support, small
business server support, windows 2000 & 2003 server support,
computer support London and Computer maintenance, etc.
All these and many more services at a very low rate compared to
the market, so just get our services now.
About the author:
I write Articles on www.netstaruk.com
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Consumer Reports - Laptops
Author: Smita Anu
Article:
Laptops account for about 25 percent of sales. It's not hard to
understand why. Small screens and cramped keyboards have been
replaced by bigger, crisper displays and more usable key
layouts. Processors have caught up in speed, and innovative new
processors provide some real advantages. Fast CD and DVD
recording drives are common, as are ample hard drives. And a
growing interest in wireless computing plays to the laptop's
main strength: its portability. A laptop is the most convenient
way to take full advantage of the growing availability of
high-speed wireless Internet access at airports, schools,
hotels, and even restaurants and coffee shops.
The Centrino technology that's central to Intel's newest laptop
processors has wireless capability built in, and delivers
commendably-long battery life. The thinnest laptops on the
market are less than an inch thick and weigh just 2 to 5 pounds.
To get these light, sleek models, however, you'll have to pay a
premium and make a few sacrifices.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq (now owned by HP), IBM,
Sony, and Toshiba are the leading Windows laptop brands.
Macintosh laptops are made by Apple. Laptops can be grouped into
several basic configurations:
Budget models. These have slower processors and lower screen
quality than others, but are suitable for routine office work
and home software. Price range: $800 or less.
Workhorse models. These have faster processors and more built-in
devices, so there's less need for external attachments. They're
not lightweight or battery-efficient enough for frequent
travelers. Price range: $1,000 and up.
Slim-and-light models. These are for travelers. They can be less
than an inch thick and weigh as little as 2 or 3 pounds. They
generally require an external drive to read DVDs or burn CDs.
Price range: $1,500 and up.
Tablet-style. These sit in your hands like a clipboard and have
handwriting-recognition software. Some convert to a "normal"
laptop with a keyboard. Price range: $1,800 and up.
IMPORTANT FEATURES
A diskette drive is becoming a rarity in all computers. As an
alternative, you can use a USB memory drive (about $20 and up),
which fits on a keychain and holds as much data as numerous
diskettes. Or you can save files on a writeable CD or camera
memory card. Most laptops have slots that can read one or more
types of memory cards.
Windows laptops generally have a 1.5- to 3.5-GHz processor.
Pentium 4 processors have the higher speed ratings; the new
Pentium M and Celeron M processors have a slower rated speed but
actually perform on a par with other processors. Macintosh Power
PC processors are measured on a different basis altogether. In
short, the different types of processors make direct speed
comparisons difficult. It doesn't pay to try because any type of
processor is likely to deliver all the speed you'll need.
Laptops come with a 40- to 160-gigabyte hard drive and 256
megabytes or more of random access memory (RAM) and can be
upgraded to 1 gigabyte or more.
Today's laptops use a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. In
Consumer Reports tests, batteries provided 2 to 5 hours of
continuous use when running office applications. (Laptops go
into sleep mode when used intermittently, extending the time
between charges.) You can extend battery life somewhat by
dimming the display as you work and by removing PC cards and
turning off wireless devices when they aren't needed. Playing a
DVD movie uses more battery power than usual, but any laptop
should be able to play a movie through to the end.
A laptop's keyboard can be quite different from that of a
desktop computer. The keys themselves may be full-sized
(generally only lightweight models pare them down), but they may
not feel as solid. Some laptops have extra buttons to expedite
your access to e-mail or a Web browser or to control DVD
playback. You can attach an external keyboard, which you may
find easier to use.
A 14- to 15-inch display, measured diagonally, should suit most
people. A few larger models have a 16- or 17-inch display. A
resolution of 1,400x1,050 (SXGA+) pixels (picture elements) or
more is better than 1,024x768 (XGA) for viewing the fine detail
in photographs or video, but may shrink objects on the screen.
You can use settings in Windows to make them larger. Many models
are now offered with a display that has a "glossy" surface
instead of a dull one. Those look better in bright ambient
light, as long as you avoid direct reflections.
Most laptops use a small touch-sensitive pad in place of a
mouse--you slide your finger across the pad to move the cursor.
You can also program the pad to respond to a "tap" as a "click,"
or to scroll as you sweep your index finger along the pad's
right edge. An alternative pointing system uses a
pencil-eraser-sized joystick in the middle of the keyboard. You
can attach an external mouse or trackball if you prefer.
Laptops include at least one PC-card slot for expansion. You
might add a wireless network card or a digital-camera
memory-card reader, for example, if those are not built in. Many
laptops offer a connection for a docking station, a $100 or $200
base that makes it easy to connect an external monitor,
keyboard, mouse, printer, or phone line. Most laptops let you
attach these devices anyway, without the docking station. At
least two USB ports, for easy hookup of, say, a printer, digital
camera, or scanner, is standard. A wired network (Ethernet) port
is common, as is a FireWire port for digital-video transfer.
Many models have a standard or optional internal
wireless-network ("Wi-Fi") adapter. The infrared port found on a
few models can be used to synchronize data wirelessly between
the computer and a personal digital assistant (PDA).
Laptops typically come with less software than desktop
computers, although almost all are bundled with a basic
home-office suite (such as Microsoft Works) and a
personal-finance program. The small speakers built into laptops
often sound tinny, with little bass. Headphones or external
speakers deliver much better sound.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Decide if a laptop is right for you. If you're on a very tight
budget and aren't cramped for space, a desktop computer may
still be OK. Otherwise, consider a laptop.
Windows vs. Macintosh. Many people choose Windows because it's
what they've always used. Apple's iBook will suit you if you're
interested in photo editing, music, video, and other multimedia
applications. Apple computers are also less susceptible to most
viruses and spyware than Windows-based computers. The Apple
PowerBook is relatively expensive as laptops go, however.
Buy à la carte. Dell and Gateway pioneered the notion that every
computer can be tailored to an individual buyer's needs, much
like choosing the options for a car. This configure-to-order
model is now common practice for laptops as well as desktops.
You can also purchase a preconfigured computer off the shelf.
(You can do the same online if you opt for the default choices
of equipment the manufacturer offers.) That's fine if you don't
have very strict requirements for how a laptop is outfitted or
if you want to take advantage of an attractive sale.
Configure-to-order menus show you all the options and let you
see how a change in one affects the overall price. You may
decide to use a less-expensive processor, for example, but spend
more for wireless capability or better graphics.
Configure-to-order will often give you choices you won't get if
you buy off the shelf. And configure-to-order means less chance
of overlooking important details.
Downplay the processor speed. Speed is no longer the be-all of
personal computers. For years, processors have delivered all the
speed most people need. That's still very much the case. Spend
the money on more memory instead. A Pentium 4 processor with a
speed of 2.4 GHz and a Pentium M at 1.4 GHz earned the same
speed score in our tests. The different types of chips now on
the market make direct speed comparisons difficult.
Look closely at warranties and insurance. Get the longest
manufacturer's warranty you can afford; many offer one or two
years above the basic one-year warranty, for a price. If you
intend to travel a lot, buy screen insurance from the
manufacturer. If you take full advantage of the manufacturer's
warranty and insurance, you won't need an extended warranty from
the retailer.
Copyright © 2002-2006 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
For the latest information on this and many other products and
services, visit www.ConsumerReports.org.
Find More
tops with Easy Deal
About the author:
SEO
Article:
Laptops account for about 25 percent of sales. It's not hard to
understand why. Small screens and cramped keyboards have been
replaced by bigger, crisper displays and more usable key
layouts. Processors have caught up in speed, and innovative new
processors provide some real advantages. Fast CD and DVD
recording drives are common, as are ample hard drives. And a
growing interest in wireless computing plays to the laptop's
main strength: its portability. A laptop is the most convenient
way to take full advantage of the growing availability of
high-speed wireless Internet access at airports, schools,
hotels, and even restaurants and coffee shops.
The Centrino technology that's central to Intel's newest laptop
processors has wireless capability built in, and delivers
commendably-long battery life. The thinnest laptops on the
market are less than an inch thick and weigh just 2 to 5 pounds.
To get these light, sleek models, however, you'll have to pay a
premium and make a few sacrifices.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Dell, Gateway, Hewlett-Packard, Compaq (now owned by HP), IBM,
Sony, and Toshiba are the leading Windows laptop brands.
Macintosh laptops are made by Apple. Laptops can be grouped into
several basic configurations:
Budget models. These have slower processors and lower screen
quality than others, but are suitable for routine office work
and home software. Price range: $800 or less.
Workhorse models. These have faster processors and more built-in
devices, so there's less need for external attachments. They're
not lightweight or battery-efficient enough for frequent
travelers. Price range: $1,000 and up.
Slim-and-light models. These are for travelers. They can be less
than an inch thick and weigh as little as 2 or 3 pounds. They
generally require an external drive to read DVDs or burn CDs.
Price range: $1,500 and up.
Tablet-style. These sit in your hands like a clipboard and have
handwriting-recognition software. Some convert to a "normal"
laptop with a keyboard. Price range: $1,800 and up.
IMPORTANT FEATURES
A diskette drive is becoming a rarity in all computers. As an
alternative, you can use a USB memory drive (about $20 and up),
which fits on a keychain and holds as much data as numerous
diskettes. Or you can save files on a writeable CD or camera
memory card. Most laptops have slots that can read one or more
types of memory cards.
Windows laptops generally have a 1.5- to 3.5-GHz processor.
Pentium 4 processors have the higher speed ratings; the new
Pentium M and Celeron M processors have a slower rated speed but
actually perform on a par with other processors. Macintosh Power
PC processors are measured on a different basis altogether. In
short, the different types of processors make direct speed
comparisons difficult. It doesn't pay to try because any type of
processor is likely to deliver all the speed you'll need.
Laptops come with a 40- to 160-gigabyte hard drive and 256
megabytes or more of random access memory (RAM) and can be
upgraded to 1 gigabyte or more.
Today's laptops use a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. In
Consumer Reports tests, batteries provided 2 to 5 hours of
continuous use when running office applications. (Laptops go
into sleep mode when used intermittently, extending the time
between charges.) You can extend battery life somewhat by
dimming the display as you work and by removing PC cards and
turning off wireless devices when they aren't needed. Playing a
DVD movie uses more battery power than usual, but any laptop
should be able to play a movie through to the end.
A laptop's keyboard can be quite different from that of a
desktop computer. The keys themselves may be full-sized
(generally only lightweight models pare them down), but they may
not feel as solid. Some laptops have extra buttons to expedite
your access to e-mail or a Web browser or to control DVD
playback. You can attach an external keyboard, which you may
find easier to use.
A 14- to 15-inch display, measured diagonally, should suit most
people. A few larger models have a 16- or 17-inch display. A
resolution of 1,400x1,050 (SXGA+) pixels (picture elements) or
more is better than 1,024x768 (XGA) for viewing the fine detail
in photographs or video, but may shrink objects on the screen.
You can use settings in Windows to make them larger. Many models
are now offered with a display that has a "glossy" surface
instead of a dull one. Those look better in bright ambient
light, as long as you avoid direct reflections.
Most laptops use a small touch-sensitive pad in place of a
mouse--you slide your finger across the pad to move the cursor.
You can also program the pad to respond to a "tap" as a "click,"
or to scroll as you sweep your index finger along the pad's
right edge. An alternative pointing system uses a
pencil-eraser-sized joystick in the middle of the keyboard. You
can attach an external mouse or trackball if you prefer.
Laptops include at least one PC-card slot for expansion. You
might add a wireless network card or a digital-camera
memory-card reader, for example, if those are not built in. Many
laptops offer a connection for a docking station, a $100 or $200
base that makes it easy to connect an external monitor,
keyboard, mouse, printer, or phone line. Most laptops let you
attach these devices anyway, without the docking station. At
least two USB ports, for easy hookup of, say, a printer, digital
camera, or scanner, is standard. A wired network (Ethernet) port
is common, as is a FireWire port for digital-video transfer.
Many models have a standard or optional internal
wireless-network ("Wi-Fi") adapter. The infrared port found on a
few models can be used to synchronize data wirelessly between
the computer and a personal digital assistant (PDA).
Laptops typically come with less software than desktop
computers, although almost all are bundled with a basic
home-office suite (such as Microsoft Works) and a
personal-finance program. The small speakers built into laptops
often sound tinny, with little bass. Headphones or external
speakers deliver much better sound.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Decide if a laptop is right for you. If you're on a very tight
budget and aren't cramped for space, a desktop computer may
still be OK. Otherwise, consider a laptop.
Windows vs. Macintosh. Many people choose Windows because it's
what they've always used. Apple's iBook will suit you if you're
interested in photo editing, music, video, and other multimedia
applications. Apple computers are also less susceptible to most
viruses and spyware than Windows-based computers. The Apple
PowerBook is relatively expensive as laptops go, however.
Buy à la carte. Dell and Gateway pioneered the notion that every
computer can be tailored to an individual buyer's needs, much
like choosing the options for a car. This configure-to-order
model is now common practice for laptops as well as desktops.
You can also purchase a preconfigured computer off the shelf.
(You can do the same online if you opt for the default choices
of equipment the manufacturer offers.) That's fine if you don't
have very strict requirements for how a laptop is outfitted or
if you want to take advantage of an attractive sale.
Configure-to-order menus show you all the options and let you
see how a change in one affects the overall price. You may
decide to use a less-expensive processor, for example, but spend
more for wireless capability or better graphics.
Configure-to-order will often give you choices you won't get if
you buy off the shelf. And configure-to-order means less chance
of overlooking important details.
Downplay the processor speed. Speed is no longer the be-all of
personal computers. For years, processors have delivered all the
speed most people need. That's still very much the case. Spend
the money on more memory instead. A Pentium 4 processor with a
speed of 2.4 GHz and a Pentium M at 1.4 GHz earned the same
speed score in our tests. The different types of chips now on
the market make direct speed comparisons difficult.
Look closely at warranties and insurance. Get the longest
manufacturer's warranty you can afford; many offer one or two
years above the basic one-year warranty, for a price. If you
intend to travel a lot, buy screen insurance from the
manufacturer. If you take full advantage of the manufacturer's
warranty and insurance, you won't need an extended warranty from
the retailer.
Copyright © 2002-2006 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
For the latest information on this and many other products and
services, visit www.ConsumerReports.org.
Find More
tops with Easy Deal
About the author:
SEO
Monday, November 5, 2007
Useful Computer Tips For Everyone (Part1) - Cleaning Your
Author: Martin Lemieux
Article:
Using a computer is part of our regular lifestyle. Technology is
everywhere; in our phones, TV's, radio's, pda's, cell phones,
vehicle's, and especially within our desktops. Using a computer
system can be daunting for some, many people still aren't used
to the fact that technology is essentially within everything we
do. This article will teach you many basic computer tips that
will help you everyday, and which will help with your computer
maintenance. What Will You Learn Within This Series?
Part 1 - Cleaning your computer of viruses Part 2 - Cleaning
your computer of spyware Part 3 - Cleaning your computer
registry Part 4 - Defragmenting your computer, and disk cleanup
Part 5 - Useful keyboard shortcuts
All of these tips should be used on a regular basis. Your
computer is like a car, you need to change the oil, replace the
tires, clean the interior frequently to ensure that your car is
runs smoothly, that it keeps you safe, and remains clean.
Cleaning Your Computer of Viruses: I think I can make the
assumption that most of you have heard of computer viruses
before? For those who haven't, a computer virus is a program
created by highly advanced programmers world wide with the
intent on harming your computer in so many ways. Viruses can
infect your computer, delete important files, corrupt your hard
drive, or even make your computer unusable. Viruses can mean
death to your computer. We are all subjectable to a virus
attack, in fact millions of computers are infected with some
form of virus right now as you read this, and your computer may
be one of those infected.
Ways To Get Infected With A Virus:
- 1) - Firewall is not activated
- 2) - No anti-virus software
- 3) - Spam Email attachment
- 4) - File transfer via a messenger service
- 5) - Copying files from an infected CD, or floppy Disk
- 6) - Network of computers sharing files
A virus can infect your computer through any of the methods from
above. Prevention is the key to making sure you don't keep your
computer to such attacks.
How To Prevent Viruses From Coming In:
1) Activate Your System Firewall: You want to make sure that
your firewall is active. A firewall blocks hackers from finding
loop-holes within your computer that gives them a gateway
(doorway) in. A firewall can help to stop most hackers, but not
all of them.
Activating your firewall:
Windows systems: START > CONTROL PANNEL > INTERNET CONNECTIONS >
WINDOWS FIREWALL > "On (Recommended)".
Mac Users: APPLE MENU > SYSTEM PREFERENCES > SHARING PANE >
FIREWALL > START
There you go; your firewall is now active!
2) Scan Your Computer With An Anti-Virus Software: Installing an
anti-virus software is key! An anti-virus software will help to
monetize your computer for viruses. An anti-virus software will
also help to perform a system wide scan of your computer for
already infected areas.
Most newer computers come with an anti-virus software already
installed; all you need to do is run the program.
Here are some of the top PAID anti-virus software's: (No
particular order)
- Norton Ani-Virus By Symantec
- McAfee Ani-Virus
- BitDefender
- Kaspersky
Here are some of the top FREE anti-virus software's: (No
particular order)
- AntiVir Personal Edition Classic 6.32
- Active Virus Shield (AOL)
- Alwil Software Avast Home Edition 4.6
- Grisoft AVG Free Edition 7.1
For more anti-virus software's, with good editorial reviews go
to: Download.com
Once installed, launch the program, and find a button that says
"update virus definitions". This will help to make sure your
virus definitions are up-to-date. Virus definitions have the
most recently found viruses that just came on the market.
Up-to-date definitions are key to finding newer, more powerful
viruses.
Once you've updated your definitions, close all running programs
and perform a "full system scan". Depending on your computers
size, and speed, the scan can take up to a couple of hours to
complete.
Once complete, hit a button that will say something like;
"Quarantine Files", "Delete Infected Files", "Clean Up Files",
"Remove Infected Files". This process will remove all files that
have been flagged as a virus, and it will do this safely without
harming your computer.
Things to know:
- Once a virus scan is complete, reboot your computer.
- Some viruses cannot be caught while your computer is running;
they may have to be removed after a reboot (which should be
automatic).
- You can setup a full system scan to start at 12 midnight every
night.
- Scan your computer ATLEAST once a week if connected to the
internet.
You'll probably start to notice that your computer is running
faster, this is because the viruses which were there before, are
no longer using your computers memory to run consistently.
Some viruses are extremely resilient and cannot be removed from
a simple virus scan. Going through (Part 2 & Part 3) will help
to attack these harder-to-find viruses.
3) Don't Open Suspicious Email attachments: So many viruses are
activated by people like yourself who open email attachments
that they don't recognize. Most viruses are distributed this
way. Part 6 - "Useful Email tips & fighting spam" from this
mini-series will go into greater detail on fighting spam, but
for those of you who won't get to read that article, I must
mention a couple of things here:
- Do NOT open an email that you don't recognize, or didn't ask
for!
- Do NOT open an attachment with the extension ".exe".
- Immediately delete emails from people you don't recognize
- Do NOT save emails onto your computer that you don't recognize
- Spammers will try to trick you into thinking they are your
friend
- Pay close attention at the person, email, and content from
each email
- Do NOT click "Unsubscribe" from a spam email, this will do the
opposite
- Do NOT reply back to an email you don't recognize
- Do NOT forward an email that you don't recognize
- Report ALL spam to your internet service provider
These email tips I just mentioned are part of the basic
foundations to helping you fight spam, and to ensure that you
don't inadvertently activate a malicious virus onto your
computer.
4) Avoid Using Messenger Services: Messenger services, or "chat
programs" on your computer are like leaving an open gateway
pointing directly to your computer. Messenger services like "MSN
Chat", or "Yahoo Chat" connect two computers together in order
to talk to each other over and over again. This allows the two
computers to give, and receive information through the software.
An Example of What Can Happen: Many viruses have infiltrated
millions of computers through this easy to hack service by
disguising itself as "your chat friends" and by sending you a
link to a virus file to open up onto your computer. The problem
is, you have no idea what kind of file you're opening, because
it seems as though the file came directly from your friend (who
is infected by this virus), and it looks as though they are
simply trying to send you a photo of themselves.
Personally, no one is allowed to have a messenger chat software
installed on any of our computers. They are too easily misused,
and can give a hacker a passport to your computer.
If your children use such a service, make sure to let them know
of what can happen if they accept files from others. Tell them
that it's better to send files via an email attachment, rather
than through a messenger chat script. At least this way, an
email can pass through various firewalls, and anti-virus
software's before getting to your computer. This also ensures
that you know exactly who is sending you the file.
5) Copying Files From An Infected CD, or Floppy Disk: We've all
done it, taken a disk from a friend, or co-worker, and inserted
a disk into our computer in order to copy all the files from the
disk. Did you ever think to scan the disk for viruses before
copying any of the files?
Viruses come in all shapes & sizes, they are passed along from
one computer to another. The person who gave you the disk could
have had a virus lurking within their files, and they may have
copied it onto the disk they just gave you. It happens all the
time.
An easy way to protect yourself from getting viruses this way is
to launch your anti-virus software, and scan your disk drive
with the cd, or floppy disk in it. It takes only a couple of
seconds to prevent a disaster.
6) Sharing Files From A Network of Computers: Many companies
network their computers together so that they can share files
easily between the two, instead of always copying files onto a
disk. The same thing happens at home as well when two computers
are networked together. Make sure you have your firewall in
place (step 1 above), and make sure your anti-virus software
(step 2 above) is keeping an eye on your "shared folders"
section. This just helps to prevent viruses from jumping one
computer to another. Again, always perform a virus check within
your "shared folder" when you receive files from others.
In Conclusion: There you have it. You now have a good base of
knowledge to help prevent viruses from getting into your
computer. Make sure to make it a habit to double-check
everything to ensure that you don't unwillingly leave an open
doorway directly to your computer. When using software's like
chat scripts, make sure not to accept files via your chat
script. Never read, or open emails that you don't recognize, and
always make it a habit to scan your disks, hard drive, and email
attachments before something terrible happens.
Now that you have some knowledge against fighting viruses, let's
move onto part 2 of this series which talks about fighting
another form of attack against your computer, the deadly spyware!
Next: Part 2 - Cleaning your computer of spyware & ad-aware
About the author:
Martin Lemieux is the owner and creator of many article
directories and business directories world wide including:
http://www.Article99.com - Authors Club
http://www.article99.com/IT/computer-learning/ Computer Learning
http://information-technology.smartads.info/ - Information
Technology
Copyright, All Rights Reserved - Adcidia™ Network. Reprints
accepted as long as the entire article remains the same,
including the author resource box.
Article:
Using a computer is part of our regular lifestyle. Technology is
everywhere; in our phones, TV's, radio's, pda's, cell phones,
vehicle's, and especially within our desktops. Using a computer
system can be daunting for some, many people still aren't used
to the fact that technology is essentially within everything we
do. This article will teach you many basic computer tips that
will help you everyday, and which will help with your computer
maintenance. What Will You Learn Within This Series?
Part 1 - Cleaning your computer of viruses Part 2 - Cleaning
your computer of spyware Part 3 - Cleaning your computer
registry Part 4 - Defragmenting your computer, and disk cleanup
Part 5 - Useful keyboard shortcuts
All of these tips should be used on a regular basis. Your
computer is like a car, you need to change the oil, replace the
tires, clean the interior frequently to ensure that your car is
runs smoothly, that it keeps you safe, and remains clean.
Cleaning Your Computer of Viruses: I think I can make the
assumption that most of you have heard of computer viruses
before? For those who haven't, a computer virus is a program
created by highly advanced programmers world wide with the
intent on harming your computer in so many ways. Viruses can
infect your computer, delete important files, corrupt your hard
drive, or even make your computer unusable. Viruses can mean
death to your computer. We are all subjectable to a virus
attack, in fact millions of computers are infected with some
form of virus right now as you read this, and your computer may
be one of those infected.
Ways To Get Infected With A Virus:
- 1) - Firewall is not activated
- 2) - No anti-virus software
- 3) - Spam Email attachment
- 4) - File transfer via a messenger service
- 5) - Copying files from an infected CD, or floppy Disk
- 6) - Network of computers sharing files
A virus can infect your computer through any of the methods from
above. Prevention is the key to making sure you don't keep your
computer to such attacks.
How To Prevent Viruses From Coming In:
1) Activate Your System Firewall: You want to make sure that
your firewall is active. A firewall blocks hackers from finding
loop-holes within your computer that gives them a gateway
(doorway) in. A firewall can help to stop most hackers, but not
all of them.
Activating your firewall:
Windows systems: START > CONTROL PANNEL > INTERNET CONNECTIONS >
WINDOWS FIREWALL > "On (Recommended)".
Mac Users: APPLE MENU > SYSTEM PREFERENCES > SHARING PANE >
FIREWALL > START
There you go; your firewall is now active!
2) Scan Your Computer With An Anti-Virus Software: Installing an
anti-virus software is key! An anti-virus software will help to
monetize your computer for viruses. An anti-virus software will
also help to perform a system wide scan of your computer for
already infected areas.
Most newer computers come with an anti-virus software already
installed; all you need to do is run the program.
Here are some of the top PAID anti-virus software's: (No
particular order)
- Norton Ani-Virus By Symantec
- McAfee Ani-Virus
- BitDefender
- Kaspersky
Here are some of the top FREE anti-virus software's: (No
particular order)
- AntiVir Personal Edition Classic 6.32
- Active Virus Shield (AOL)
- Alwil Software Avast Home Edition 4.6
- Grisoft AVG Free Edition 7.1
For more anti-virus software's, with good editorial reviews go
to: Download.com
Once installed, launch the program, and find a button that says
"update virus definitions". This will help to make sure your
virus definitions are up-to-date. Virus definitions have the
most recently found viruses that just came on the market.
Up-to-date definitions are key to finding newer, more powerful
viruses.
Once you've updated your definitions, close all running programs
and perform a "full system scan". Depending on your computers
size, and speed, the scan can take up to a couple of hours to
complete.
Once complete, hit a button that will say something like;
"Quarantine Files", "Delete Infected Files", "Clean Up Files",
"Remove Infected Files". This process will remove all files that
have been flagged as a virus, and it will do this safely without
harming your computer.
Things to know:
- Once a virus scan is complete, reboot your computer.
- Some viruses cannot be caught while your computer is running;
they may have to be removed after a reboot (which should be
automatic).
- You can setup a full system scan to start at 12 midnight every
night.
- Scan your computer ATLEAST once a week if connected to the
internet.
You'll probably start to notice that your computer is running
faster, this is because the viruses which were there before, are
no longer using your computers memory to run consistently.
Some viruses are extremely resilient and cannot be removed from
a simple virus scan. Going through (Part 2 & Part 3) will help
to attack these harder-to-find viruses.
3) Don't Open Suspicious Email attachments: So many viruses are
activated by people like yourself who open email attachments
that they don't recognize. Most viruses are distributed this
way. Part 6 - "Useful Email tips & fighting spam" from this
mini-series will go into greater detail on fighting spam, but
for those of you who won't get to read that article, I must
mention a couple of things here:
- Do NOT open an email that you don't recognize, or didn't ask
for!
- Do NOT open an attachment with the extension ".exe".
- Immediately delete emails from people you don't recognize
- Do NOT save emails onto your computer that you don't recognize
- Spammers will try to trick you into thinking they are your
friend
- Pay close attention at the person, email, and content from
each email
- Do NOT click "Unsubscribe" from a spam email, this will do the
opposite
- Do NOT reply back to an email you don't recognize
- Do NOT forward an email that you don't recognize
- Report ALL spam to your internet service provider
These email tips I just mentioned are part of the basic
foundations to helping you fight spam, and to ensure that you
don't inadvertently activate a malicious virus onto your
computer.
4) Avoid Using Messenger Services: Messenger services, or "chat
programs" on your computer are like leaving an open gateway
pointing directly to your computer. Messenger services like "MSN
Chat", or "Yahoo Chat" connect two computers together in order
to talk to each other over and over again. This allows the two
computers to give, and receive information through the software.
An Example of What Can Happen: Many viruses have infiltrated
millions of computers through this easy to hack service by
disguising itself as "your chat friends" and by sending you a
link to a virus file to open up onto your computer. The problem
is, you have no idea what kind of file you're opening, because
it seems as though the file came directly from your friend (who
is infected by this virus), and it looks as though they are
simply trying to send you a photo of themselves.
Personally, no one is allowed to have a messenger chat software
installed on any of our computers. They are too easily misused,
and can give a hacker a passport to your computer.
If your children use such a service, make sure to let them know
of what can happen if they accept files from others. Tell them
that it's better to send files via an email attachment, rather
than through a messenger chat script. At least this way, an
email can pass through various firewalls, and anti-virus
software's before getting to your computer. This also ensures
that you know exactly who is sending you the file.
5) Copying Files From An Infected CD, or Floppy Disk: We've all
done it, taken a disk from a friend, or co-worker, and inserted
a disk into our computer in order to copy all the files from the
disk. Did you ever think to scan the disk for viruses before
copying any of the files?
Viruses come in all shapes & sizes, they are passed along from
one computer to another. The person who gave you the disk could
have had a virus lurking within their files, and they may have
copied it onto the disk they just gave you. It happens all the
time.
An easy way to protect yourself from getting viruses this way is
to launch your anti-virus software, and scan your disk drive
with the cd, or floppy disk in it. It takes only a couple of
seconds to prevent a disaster.
6) Sharing Files From A Network of Computers: Many companies
network their computers together so that they can share files
easily between the two, instead of always copying files onto a
disk. The same thing happens at home as well when two computers
are networked together. Make sure you have your firewall in
place (step 1 above), and make sure your anti-virus software
(step 2 above) is keeping an eye on your "shared folders"
section. This just helps to prevent viruses from jumping one
computer to another. Again, always perform a virus check within
your "shared folder" when you receive files from others.
In Conclusion: There you have it. You now have a good base of
knowledge to help prevent viruses from getting into your
computer. Make sure to make it a habit to double-check
everything to ensure that you don't unwillingly leave an open
doorway directly to your computer. When using software's like
chat scripts, make sure not to accept files via your chat
script. Never read, or open emails that you don't recognize, and
always make it a habit to scan your disks, hard drive, and email
attachments before something terrible happens.
Now that you have some knowledge against fighting viruses, let's
move onto part 2 of this series which talks about fighting
another form of attack against your computer, the deadly spyware!
Next: Part 2 - Cleaning your computer of spyware & ad-aware
About the author:
Martin Lemieux is the owner and creator of many article
directories and business directories world wide including:
http://www.Article99.com - Authors Club
http://www.article99.com/IT/computer-learning/ Computer Learning
http://information-technology.smartads.info/ - Information
Technology
Copyright, All Rights Reserved - Adcidia™ Network. Reprints
accepted as long as the entire article remains the same,
including the author resource box.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Get rid of mouses and keyboards and enter the world of digital
Author: Darlene Kaitlene
Article:
Wanna get rid of keyboards and mouses?
Flexibility is the need of the hour. Many of us find it hassling
to carry laptops in business tours or in some presentations.
This is due to the lack of flexibility and portability. Managing
and handling a laptop with the keyboard and mouse is not easy.
digital pens
A tablet PC is a new concept in mobile computing that
offers flexibility. It is a portable fully-equipped,
slate-shaped computer that functions like a laptop but doesn't
have a keyboard or mouse. It has a touch screen that allows the
use of a 'stylus' or a digital pen or fingertip for inputting.
The touch screen receives information as the user writes on the
screen with such input devices. The digitising tablet technology
can also be used to access content on the PC without the help of
a mouse or a keyboard. As you can activate the display screen
with a pen or your finger, you will find that a tablet PC is an
easy multitasking fare, whether in meetings or while on the move.
So, a tablet PC can be considered as a pen-based computer with a
digital pen. The digital pen can recognize handwriting as
"digital ink," which can then be reformatted and edited.
Some of the well-known tablet PC brands are Toshiba, Hewlett
Packard, Fujitsu, Gateway, Panasonic, Table Kiosk and so on.
Toshiba and Hewlett Packard are recognized for their quality and
advanced technology.
l target=_blank>Tablet PC memory can range from 250 MB
to 750 MB depending on the model.
Tablet PC's can be classified according to their basic
structure. Broadly, there are two main designs of tablet PC:
"clamshell" design
"slate" design
Replace your bulky laptop with a sleek and stylish tablet PC
while you go for a business tour. It is lighter as compared to
even the lightest laptops. Get rid of the bulk of keyboards and
mouses and make a breezing entry into the world of digital pens!
About the author:
Dennis Jaylon is a renowned business writer who has years
of experience in writing technical reviews, product descriptions
and product feature analysis of technical gadgets and gizmos. He
has won appreciation especially for enlightening people about
the latest communication gizmos...the
l target=_blank>Tablet PC
Article:
Wanna get rid of keyboards and mouses?
Flexibility is the need of the hour. Many of us find it hassling
to carry laptops in business tours or in some presentations.
This is due to the lack of flexibility and portability. Managing
and handling a laptop with the keyboard and mouse is not easy.
digital pens
A tablet PC is a new concept in mobile computing that
offers flexibility. It is a portable fully-equipped,
slate-shaped computer that functions like a laptop but doesn't
have a keyboard or mouse. It has a touch screen that allows the
use of a 'stylus' or a digital pen or fingertip for inputting.
The touch screen receives information as the user writes on the
screen with such input devices. The digitising tablet technology
can also be used to access content on the PC without the help of
a mouse or a keyboard. As you can activate the display screen
with a pen or your finger, you will find that a tablet PC is an
easy multitasking fare, whether in meetings or while on the move.
So, a tablet PC can be considered as a pen-based computer with a
digital pen. The digital pen can recognize handwriting as
"digital ink," which can then be reformatted and edited.
Some of the well-known tablet PC brands are Toshiba, Hewlett
Packard, Fujitsu, Gateway, Panasonic, Table Kiosk and so on.
Toshiba and Hewlett Packard are recognized for their quality and
advanced technology.
l target=_blank>Tablet PC memory can range from 250 MB
to 750 MB depending on the model.
Tablet PC's can be classified according to their basic
structure. Broadly, there are two main designs of tablet PC:
"clamshell" design
- resembles a laptop
- the
display screen can be hinged on the keyboard base unit
"slate" design
- an inclusive PC in itself
- has a
removable keyboard
Replace your bulky laptop with a sleek and stylish tablet PC
while you go for a business tour. It is lighter as compared to
even the lightest laptops. Get rid of the bulk of keyboards and
mouses and make a breezing entry into the world of digital pens!
About the author:
Dennis Jaylon is a renowned business writer who has years
of experience in writing technical reviews, product descriptions
and product feature analysis of technical gadgets and gizmos. He
has won appreciation especially for enlightening people about
the latest communication gizmos...the
l target=_blank>Tablet PC
Monday, October 15, 2007
Configuring A Wireless Connection For Your Laptop
Author: Jay White
Article:
Laptops came into existence in the twenty first century and
since then have made a lot of difference in people's life. All
those people using computers in their professional and personal
life have benefited by switching to laptops. All of them are now
successfully using laptops at their workplace and/or at home.
Almost all well known organizations are now using laptops for
their day to day transactions and proper functioning. If you
have a laptop but do not have a wireless connection, continue
reading to know about how to configure a wireless connection.
Now a businessman no more needs to sit in front of his personal
computer for a very long time and waste his time. He can now
carry his computer along and continue working from any corner of
the world. He can also connect his computer to some other
computer in the network, be it at home or in the office network,
to transfer valuable data and to stay in touch. In such networks
more than one computer are attached to the network sharing files
and other useful data and hardware. Connecting your laptops with
this network ensures safety and in case of some emergency you
can carry these laptops along and without much loss of data.
Besides portability this unique combination also offers some
more benefits. Not only you can surf the internet, you can share
some important files as well. All you need to do is just put
those files on the shared disk drive and viola, anybody can
share them. Your colleagues can also get some urgent files from
you while you are sitting at home. When your laptop is connected
to the printer through wireless connection you can simply give a
command from anywhere through your laptop and can get the
documents printed. Now your colleagues no more have to wait for
you to get latest reports. Just give a print command from home
and the printer at your office shall provide the printed version
of the same.
How To Make A Wireless Connection
These laptops are nothing without a wireless connection. To
configure a wireless connection on your laptop, you need to
click the Start menu and select Control Panel. But before that
you should set a gateway in the personal computer. In the
Control Panel, you shall find the icon called Network
Connections. Double click on the same. A wizard appears. Follow
all the steps in the wizard till the last page with Finish
button appears. Click the button. Follow the similar steps for
rest of the laptops to be connected to the network.
About the author:
Jay White is a copywriter, marketer, and wireless internet
junkie. For more great info on wireless laptops, check out
http://www.wireless-laptop-review.com
Reviews
Article:
Laptops came into existence in the twenty first century and
since then have made a lot of difference in people's life. All
those people using computers in their professional and personal
life have benefited by switching to laptops. All of them are now
successfully using laptops at their workplace and/or at home.
Almost all well known organizations are now using laptops for
their day to day transactions and proper functioning. If you
have a laptop but do not have a wireless connection, continue
reading to know about how to configure a wireless connection.
Now a businessman no more needs to sit in front of his personal
computer for a very long time and waste his time. He can now
carry his computer along and continue working from any corner of
the world. He can also connect his computer to some other
computer in the network, be it at home or in the office network,
to transfer valuable data and to stay in touch. In such networks
more than one computer are attached to the network sharing files
and other useful data and hardware. Connecting your laptops with
this network ensures safety and in case of some emergency you
can carry these laptops along and without much loss of data.
Besides portability this unique combination also offers some
more benefits. Not only you can surf the internet, you can share
some important files as well. All you need to do is just put
those files on the shared disk drive and viola, anybody can
share them. Your colleagues can also get some urgent files from
you while you are sitting at home. When your laptop is connected
to the printer through wireless connection you can simply give a
command from anywhere through your laptop and can get the
documents printed. Now your colleagues no more have to wait for
you to get latest reports. Just give a print command from home
and the printer at your office shall provide the printed version
of the same.
How To Make A Wireless Connection
These laptops are nothing without a wireless connection. To
configure a wireless connection on your laptop, you need to
click the Start menu and select Control Panel. But before that
you should set a gateway in the personal computer. In the
Control Panel, you shall find the icon called Network
Connections. Double click on the same. A wizard appears. Follow
all the steps in the wizard till the last page with Finish
button appears. Click the button. Follow the similar steps for
rest of the laptops to be connected to the network.
About the author:
Jay White is a copywriter, marketer, and wireless internet
junkie. For more great info on wireless laptops, check out
http://www.wireless-laptop-review.com
Reviews
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
A Review of the Best Priced Computers for Those on a Budget
Author: Bill Healey
Article:
Let's face facts here. In today's fast moving world you're going
to find yourself needing a computer. From planning a vacation to
paying your bills, everything is moving towards the internet.
That doesn't mean you need to break the bank on buying a new
computer. It's quite the contrary. Computers are at a more
affordable price now than ever before.
However, finding a budget desktop computer is a bit more
difficult these days just because of the lack choices you face.
The number of companies offering desktops for the budget market
has decreased dramatically since they are focusing more on
laptops.
If you're looking to purchase a cheap desktop computer, there
are a few questions you'll need to consider beforehand such as
saving money by sacrificing performance or are you skilled
enough to buy the parts separately and build it yourself. Here
is a list of the five of the best bang for your buck desktop
computers available to buy.
About the author:
ComCastInfo is the premier one stop shop for all of your
broadband and cable shopping needs. Be sure to visit
the best in broadband
internet and highspeed
internet service packages and cable such as Comcast cable
plans.
Article:
Let's face facts here. In today's fast moving world you're going
to find yourself needing a computer. From planning a vacation to
paying your bills, everything is moving towards the internet.
That doesn't mean you need to break the bank on buying a new
computer. It's quite the contrary. Computers are at a more
affordable price now than ever before.
However, finding a budget desktop computer is a bit more
difficult these days just because of the lack choices you face.
The number of companies offering desktops for the budget market
has decreased dramatically since they are focusing more on
laptops.
If you're looking to purchase a cheap desktop computer, there
are a few questions you'll need to consider beforehand such as
saving money by sacrificing performance or are you skilled
enough to buy the parts separately and build it yourself. Here
is a list of the five of the best bang for your buck desktop
computers available to buy.
- Dell Dimension E521
- The E521 is a different approach from their traditional Intel
based designs. They opted to instead use AMD Athlon 64 X2
processors which actually paid off well for Dell by providing a
system that has a better overall performance. Although not one
of the newest systems in this list, Dell constantly updates its
specifications to meet all of the current market trends. - Compaq Presario SR2180NX - Officially called a Media
Center by Compaq, the SR2180NX doesn't really have the necessary
hardware to support any recording and viewing of TV. It does,
however, offer a very solid all around system for its price. HP
makes a very strong software suite for the system which includes
a LightScribe compatible drive for recording labels directly to
its LightScribe media. - Gateway DX430S - The DX430S from Gateway is a step up
from their basic and flawed DX430B system. It has its
imperfections such as the CD-RW/DVD combo drive standard and
smaller hard drive, but it tries to make up for it in other
ways. This is a complete system including speakers and a 17" LCD
monitors unlike a lot of the other budget desktop PCs in this
list. - eMachines T5224 - eMachines used to be one of those
companies that relied a great deal upon AMD in its systems. The
T5224 uses an older Intel Pentium D 820 processor which is ok
for people using their computer for general purpose types of
things. This is changing gradually and the budget oriented
GT5404 now uses the Intel Pentium D 915. In some respects the
system is a marked improvement over their DX430S, but in other
ways it is lesser. The fact it comes with a DVD burner and
larger hard drive, but no monitor is one example of its
shortcomings. - Acer Aspire L310 - This PC normally draws less
support from computer reviewers as its competitors. It costs
more than an HP or eMachines, and is smaller than both of them.
Its only advantage is a Core 2 Duo processor but that doesn't
make up for its other shortcomings such as its weak integrated
video and no upgradeability. Just because you are not buying the
most expensive or the newest hardware released doesn't mean you
are left with a computer that isn't functional. As a matter of
fact, the computer you get now will be able do everything and
anything you need for the next few years.
About the author:
ComCastInfo is the premier one stop shop for all of your
broadband and cable shopping needs. Be sure to visit
the best in broadband
internet and highspeed
internet service packages and cable such as Comcast cable
plans.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Monday, September 3, 2007
My experience with Gateway Laptops
I love my gateway laptop. It runs fast, runs smooth, and I can take it anywhere. I have had mine for quite a long time now, and it has lasted longer than my desktop Systemax computer that I paid way more for. My husband plays World of Warcraft on it and I have not seen any better picture quality, and as I said, it runs smoothly which is particulary important for a game like wow online. The gateway laptopis also great for playing movies. We play movies on them all the time and it runs seamlessly. Aside from Gateway being a big name, they from my experience follow through with their commitment to quality.
This is the best computer brand on the market and you can find many different Gateway Laptops by clicking here gateway laptop
gateway laptop
This is the best computer brand on the market and you can find many different Gateway Laptops by clicking here gateway laptop
gateway laptop
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