Managed network services-- An emerging trend

by Jhoana Cooper)


The number of companies opting for managed network services is growing rapidly. From banks to telecom companies and IT companies, there is a huge demand for managed network services. Market analysts are of the opinion that after the outsourcing of software services, the next big thing is getting managed network services. However, the difference between software services and managed network services is that the later finds equal importance in the domestic market as well. Unlike managed network services, software services did not find much space in the domestic market. This is a huge impetus for managed network services providers like San Diego managed services.

The recent slump in world economy has made it a challenging time for many companies. Even some of the big names in the industry had to stop projects midway, when they were hit by recession. However, there has been a positive outlook towards managed network services. This has pushed many players to join the managed network services bandwagon. Companies in both public and private sectors are resorting to managed network services because everyone is looking for ideal management models.

Managed network services have become a vital aspect of every business, small and big. The IT infrastructure of a company needs regular updates and patches. Not being professionally trained in it can lead to serious business losses. San Diego managed services are known for the comprehensive program they have in dealing with a company’s IT issues. With San Diego managed services, one is entitled to benefits like regular data backups, networking, spyware and anti-virus removal, updates and reporting. Managed network services have become synonymous with the ultimate solution for all IT problems.

San Diego managed services use their experience and expertise to find the ideal solution for all your problems. Availing San Diego managed services cheaper than human resource. It is also the perfect way to eradicate all IT problems from their very root. The knowledge of the managed network services provider will create the perfect IT environments for the development of the business. In business, there is no cookie cutter that will provide the same solution to all IT business needs. To customize your business needs, san Diego managed services are needed.

Managed network services provide a host of other facilities like giving insights on the right kind of software for optimum progress. A good managed network services provider like San Diego managed services will have a strong back up system that will cover all emails and contracts. Once these are taken care of by the managed network services provider, you can focus on the marketing and other important factors. Most managed network services provide off-site backups, which are safe from any fire or flood happening in the office. Each time there is a query or a problem, it can be sorted out by managed network services provider like San Diego managed services. Managed network services have a fixed rate which helps one in budgeting. The employees of the company do not have to deal with IT problems, and this in turn will increase employee productivity.

All you need to know about computer tech support

by Jhoana Cooper)


With the abundance of online computer tech support service providers, no one feels the need to go to a regular repairing store. Computer tech support involves resolving all problems related to laptops and desktops. All services that deal with errors in a computer are termed as computer tech support. San Diego tech support is known for the unparallel service it provides.

Apart from repairing the computer, there are several advantages of using online computer tech support. With San Diego tech support, convenience is the name of the game. Nothing can match the computer being repaired at home. Neither does the user have to carry the computer to any distant place for repairing, nor does he waste time looking for good technicians. Technicians at computer tech support use remote desktop connection to diagnose the problem of the computer. The problems are then dealt with immediately. The most important advantage of computer tech support is that it can be availed by anyone, living in any part of the world. All one needs to have is the internet connectivity. And for people who do not have the internet connection at home, computer tech support is available over phone.

San Diego tech support is offers service for 24 hours a day in seven days a week. Unlike regular repairing shops, San Diego tech support helps people in trouble round the clock. The technicians are always ready so that all problems can be sorted out instantly. People prefer computer tech support to regular stores as the former does not take the computer away for a few days to repair it. The computer stays at home and is repaired within minutes. There are some computer tech support service providers who send their technicians to the homes of the users for immediately solving the issue. Their 24x7 service is just a call away.

With computer tech support, users can save up a lot of time and money. Seeking online assistance through computer tech support service providers like San Diego tech support can be a more cost effective option. Calling a technician at home can prove to be very expensive as some of them charge on an hourly basis. Computer tech support is available for a fixed rate. Some online service providers also have free rate offers. This means that users have to pay only if their computer issues have been solved and they are satisfied by the service.

Renowned computer tech support service providers like San Diego tech support boast of qualified technicians for solving all problems related to computers. The experience and expertise of the technicians make them capable to dealing with the most complex problems with ease. Technicians at San Diego tech support are professionally trained take care of the nastiest troubleshooting errors. Not only is the problem solved, but the user can also clarify all other queries related to computers. The main aim of San Diego tech support is to cut down on time required to repair the computers. The reliable services and the friendly reception of the computer tech support service providers make their services memorable.

Kindle Wireless Reading Device Check For Best Price Now

, by mocowiz)




User Review


By Douglas H. Haden

Excellent, but…

The packaging is elegant cardboard(!). I'm not kidding.

Since I purchased Kindle Wireless Reading Device as a gift, the kindle did not come pre-registered to an Amazon account. Naturally, I wanted to read something more interesting than the user guide; so I called customer service to see what the deal is when transferring a Kindle Wireless Reading Device from one person to another. This call ended up being a fairly extensive conversation with an intelligent and articulate service-being about a great range of issues involving ownership transfer, sharing, privacy, and copyright protection.

Here is a summary of how kindles and the material purchased for them are related. When you buy reading material, it is associated with the Amazon account, and six licenses are granted with each purchase. That means that up to six Kindle Wireless Reading Device can be associated with an account, serially or in parallel. They will all have identical access to the materials bought on that account. A kindle can be de-registered, but its licenses are then lost, and they cannot be reassigned. However, the service-being told me that she has it within her power, case by case, to override the six license limit.

This information was in response to a story I invented where the six license limit would clearly not be in Amazon's interest (nor of course in the account holder's too). If you think about this, it's not hard to see how things could get seriously confusing after a little while. Amazon may have to hire a rabbinic court to adjudicate matters. What will really happen, I think, is that Amazon, like iTunes, will have to liberalize their policies considerably, for two reasons: First, popular demand (the market speaks). Second, crackers. The Kindle Wireless Reading Device will be cracked, if it already hasn't been. That, too, is a kind of market pressure. See iTunes, see iPhone.

Thus informed, I registered the kindle to my Amazon account and immediately bought a Jared Diamond book ($6). Seconds later it was aboard the kindle. Way easy, just like they said. There's a bunch of free stuff available, too, including the Bible. Worth every penny, probably even more.

Now to the thing itself. Very, very nice. It looks good, feels good in the hand, has good buttons, which are easy to operate on purpose but not so easy accidentally. But how does it read, you ask! Extremely well. In fact, it's much easier to read than a glossy magazine because of its low-glare surface, which hardly shows fingerprints. I can read it without strain in low light, high light, bright sunlight. It is easier to hold than a real book, because it's not always trying to close itself. What's more, it's easy to change font size. Heck, who needs fonts? A couple of tolerably good robot voices will read to you, male or female, slow, medium, or fast. I tried reading to the robots but got no response. Black and white illustrations display fairly well, even photos. The kindle is the size of a medium size book, but much thinner. Its screen is the size of a small paperback.

There is an unobtrusive cursor "|" which is moved around the page with a nubbin-sized joystick (the "five-way controller"). While reading, the page's bottom line shows the first line of the built-in New Oxford American Dictionary's definition for the word after the cursor. A button click brings up the dictionary, starting with that entry. A most excellent feature.

It's very easy to page forward or backward through the text with the dedicated buttons. It takes about second to page to or fro. Faster would be even better. You can get to the Table of Contents pretty quickly and thence to the beginning of any chapter. The kindle does not recognize page numbers, since they would change radically when you change font size; so Amazon provides the notion of location which is display independent. The bottom of the page shows the percent of the way through, the current location range displayed, and the location number for the end of the text. You can go to an arbitrary location.

You can also set bookmarks and return to them. Unfortunately, if the book in question has an index, it may not be useful, because it probably trades in page numbers, not locations. However, by way of compensation, you may search for arbitrary text strings. Kindle kindly displays the context around the locations where it finds the sought string and lets you jump to any of these locations and back to the search results at will. Search works well, better even than most indexes, and can do things no index can do.

I tried reading in bed. It was much easier to hold and use the kindle than any kind of book. It was more like holding a rigid magazine.

The Kindle Wireless Reading Device comes with a charging cable. I thought, that's ok, but do I have to supply a USB cable to connect to a computer? The answer is no: The supplied device is a USB cable that plugs into a compact wall charger. Very nice.

The big drawback, so far, is the huge issue of illiberal rights management. Related to that is Amazon interposing itself between your documents and the kindle. You may not directly put documents onto your own kindle. You must send a document to Amazon for conversion to the kindle's ultra-secret proprietary format, which they then return to you via Internet for free or via 3G network for ten cents. This is a privacy and control issue and not a trivial one.

In summary, it's totally wonderful if you ignore the digital rights management and privacy issues.

Software Development Methodology - What is it Exactly

by Sheena Vc)


Software development methodology is basically the art of developing quality software. This involves series of software development process aimed towards perfecting the software. An error free, defect free, time saving and value giving product is what the methodology is after. The steps involved in engineering the development of software are a long process, which require experience and expertise. There is a lot of struggle, hard work, ideas, tweaking, testing, rinsing, repeating etc put into its production. The developers are striving to bring out the best in their line of work by updating the software versions quite often. It is now almost a challenge for the developers to update their software to slay their competition.

Software development methodology is actually the whole process undergone in the development of software. This involves series of steps like researching, planning, analyzing, designing, coding etc. In short we could say the developers are working on customizing software to the needs it has to serve. Leveraging experience, industry knowledge and technology to create software, are some of the basic norms involved in the development methodology.

Have you ever wondered how fast technology has been developing in the recent years compared to earlier times? Just imagine what technology we had just two years back and how different it is in the present day. Even our life styles have changed beyond recognition because most of our tasks have become simpler and easier, we can get things done much faster and more efficiently. One of the reasons for this is the advance in software development. Things have started happening all around us, things which were once in our wildest dreams has come in reach of our finger tips. What causes all this? You will again come up with the very same answer software development? All these happenings are due to the hard work and toil put in by teams of software developers

When we speak of software methodology what comes readily to mind is agile methodology which is a more recent term in the software industry. Meaning, just as the word suggests the ability to be agile with technology. It may also be described as being versatile with the practice or more fashionably put as changing with the changing trends. Not every industry can boast of advancing from well established practice and being accepted widely. But with software development if you can provide value then everyone will look forward to embracing you.

When particular software is developed hundreds of similar ones crop up every where so selecting the best could become an ache in the back. So if it is quality you require please stand by the time tested and experienced developers who do not compromise on quality. They will also see to it that the software is updated with newer versions and will not let you bother with such details. It is common now to see one software technology being replaced with another more advanced more developed and simpler products. Every industry has its share of software and technology developments and most of them are eagerly looking forward to what new product the software development methodology is bending on providing them.

Make My Computer Faster – How to Make My Computer Faster Right Now

by Jim Marshall)




As a computer technician, the #1 question I receive from customers is – How can I make my computer faster? My first piece of advice is always the same. Before investing hundreds even thousands of dollars on upgrades or new computers, why not make sure your computer is running at top speed first. And I will tell you, over 95% of people I have met are not utilizing the full speed of their computer.




And often times I am perplexed. After all, people spend tons of money on the latest and fanciest equipment. Yet they spend no time performing maintenance tasks. Their computer runs slow and they just ask how to make my computer faster. Well follow these three steps and you can turn your computer from a Volkswagen to a Ferrari.




Eliminate unnecessary startup programs. Every new piece of software we install thinks it should open automatically every time we start our computers. Well this is hogwash. Not only does it cause your computer to have a slow startup, it also eats up valuable RAM and gives your computer a sluggish feeling. Eliminating as many programs as possible will make your computer faster than ever.




Use the disk defragmenter. I advise people to run a disk defrag once a month. How often do you run one? What the disk defragmenter does is quickens your computers access to data. Many files are fragmented and need to be compiled into neat sections. The disk defragger will make your computer run faster when accessing and running different programs.




Clean up Windows registry. The Windows registry is one of the most complicated, important, and least understood areas of our computer. The registry contains the information to run every single piece of software and hardware in our computers. And more often than not, the directory is a complete mess. Yet at the same time because it is such a sensitive area, no one should attempt to clean their registry without the help of a program. When people ask “how to make my computer faster” the #1 biggest help is a clean and optimized Windows registry.




For computer experts, these steps should be quite easy. Those of you who are less than experts, don’t worry. I actually use a program that can perform all three of these tasks very easily. Not only will it make your computer faster, with scheduled scanning and auto repair and cleaning, you can actually completely automate the maintenance of your computer. Simply set it and forget it. Before you throw hard earned money at new equipment why not give this a shot first. Scan your computer below for free.

Speed Up Laptop – 3 Quick Steps to Speed Up My Laptop Computer

by Jim Marshall)


Are you wondering “why is my computer so slow”? Looking to speed up laptop computers overall performance? Well you have come to the right place. All computers and especially laptops slow down when they get a little wear and tear on them. Unfortunately instead of adjusting a few things, people believe they need to buy a new computer in order to increase laptop speed. This just isn’t true. You can actually speed up your laptop with these three quick steps. I will also recommend a program that can perform all three automatically for you. Speeding up your laptop was never this easy!

The first step is to run a disk defrag on your system. What a disk defragmenter does is increase the speed in which you can access information. Whenever your computer processes information it needs to jump from place to place and this takes time. Defragging your system allows your computer to stream information through one path. This will speed up laptop computers ability to access and run different programs.

The second step is to eliminate as many unnecessary startup programs as possible. Anytime you install a new program it will try to automatically start itself every time you power your computer on. This will dramatically slow down the speed your computer can start up or shutdown. These programs also eat up valuable RAM which causes the computer to be very sluggish. Eliminate all but the necessary programs and feel the incredible difference in your laptop processor speed.

The third step is to clean up registry congestion. This is without question the most important step you can take to speed up your laptop. As we download new or remove old programs our registries get congested with useless and redundant files. This clogs everything up and leaves you asking why is my computer slow? Getting rid of those unnecessary files will not only speed up your computer but prevent it from crashing in the future.

These are three steps you can do right now to get your computer running like it did out of the box. If you are a computer novice and want a program to do the work for you I highly recommend visiting the link below. Instead of spending hundreds on new upgrades or thousands on a new laptop, why not just optimize your computer to reach it’s peak performance for a fraction of the cost? Give it a try.

ACTION SCRIPT IN PHOTOSHOP

by BLUR LOTERI�A)


Are you tired of doing the same task over and over, say scanning? You might be wondering whether there�s a program that will repeat the job for you. Well, there�s one, the Actions by Photoshop. Curious? Then, read on.

An action is referred to as a recording of a series of commands that is used to capture repetitive tasks. These commands are to be applied to a series of files and will guide users in a step-by-step manner. It also allows you to play back recording. Here are some techniques.

Create a new action by clicking on the Create New Action Button located at the bottom of the palette. Then, make a set by clicking the Create New Set button on the Actions palette. A dialog box will appear. In here, you must type a specific name for every set. In the Action dialog box, you should assign an action to a particular set, define a function key and apply a color.

Next is to record the action. Photoshop automatically records your steps. Every step you take will be recorded as well as the settings. If you made any mistake, you will be able to correct them later.

If you are through, click the Stop button at the bottom of the Action palette.

Check the Action so that it will function well. Make sure that it lives in a Set. It must contain at least one command. Every command must have settings associated with it and a check mark next to it.

An action can be edited. You can reorder commands, delete commands, reset a command setting, add a command in mid-stream, insert a stop, record again and troubleshoot it. To reorder command, in the Action palette, grab the command with the cursor and drag it up or down. In deleting commands, just select a command and press the Delete key. Double click on the Command in the Action if you want to reset it. To add a command in mid-stream or anywhere in the action, select the command and click the action button. Inserting a stop will allow you to apply settings to a step. To Record Again, simply select Record Again on the Actions Palette. Photoshop will allow you to reset the settings. Photoshop has a sort of diagnostic tool that will help you see what was causing the trouble in your Action.

You can play the Action in three ways. You can play it from the palette, just set your file up and click on the Play button. You can also use function keys. The dialog box will allow you to assign a function key so that you will be able to play the Action by simply pressing the key. You can use the button mode that is selected from the Actions side menu.

Wireless Installation Checklist

by Lee Asher)


Buyer Beware - Ignorance can be a financial waste and a lot of hassals. Before you buy any wireless equipment, you need to be sure about what you're doing. There's nothing worse than having everything there and finding that it doesn't work in your house, or with your computers, or over the distances you need. Here's a handy checklist of the things that you really ought to do before you go out and spend any of your hard-earned cash on wireless networking equipment.

Interference Checks

While it won't stop a wireless network from working altogether, interference in its frequency range can slow it down significantly, as well as reducing its range. If something is causing interference, the first thing you'll know about it is when your connection stops working -- unless you know what to look for.

There are two very common causes of wireless interference: wireless phones and microwave ovens. 2.4Ghz, the most common wireless networking frequency, is also a commonly-used wireless phone frequency. It is possible, though, to find phones that use other frequencies. Microwave ovens, on the other hand, operate at around 2.4Ghz by definition. It should be alright to have devices like these in your house, but certainly not in the same room as any computer that you plan to use a wireless connection with.

Wall Construction

Wireless can, in theory, pass through walls and other partitions easily. In practice, though, some walls are more solid than others, which means that they are more likely to block some of the signal. Note that it's only your interior partitions that matter, not the exterior ones. This does, however, include your floors, if you want the connection to work between levels.

Wireless does well with partitions made from: drywall, plywood, other wood (including doors), glass.

Wireless has trouble with: brick, plaster, cement, metal, stone, double-glazed glass.

Basically, it's all to do with how porous the materials are -- ones that let more of other things through also let more of your wireless signal through.

If you have a wall made of one of the 'bad' materials, it's not the end of the world. It just means that your wireless connection might have a slower speed or a shorter range. You may want to spend more than you otherwise would to get better equipment and overcome this problem.

Decide Your Budget.

You need to stand back, take a look at your needs, and decide how much you're going to spend. Do you have long distances to cover? Do you want your connection to go through stone walls? Each factor will help you decide how much you should be looking to spend -- remember that the more problems you have, the more power you will need. On the other hand, if you live in a small wooden house, you can probably just go for the cheapest thing you can find.

Read Reviews.

It's well worth searching a site like amazon.com for wireless equipment, and taking a look at people's reviews to see what the different brands out there are like, and what you can get for your money. It is always a very bad idea to buy something without getting a second, third and fourth opinion, especially if you're buying it online. If you can, try to get to a computer shop and see some wireless networking equipment in action before you commit yourself.

Install and Update Windows XP.

Finally, your wireless life will really be improved if you have the latest version of Windows. Because wireless is such a new technology, it wasn't really around in any significant way back when Windows 98, ME and 2000 were released, and support for them wasn't built in to the system. You'll have a lot more trouble getting wireless to work on systems like these than you would on Windows XP.

Even if you've got Windows XP, though, that doesn't solve the problem entirely. Windows XP Service Pack 2 (an updated version of Windows XP) contains much easier-to-use tools for configuring and using wireless than the un-updated versions do. If you've been using your copy of Windows for a while without updating it, you should really make sure you've got all the latest updates from http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com before you go any further.

About the author:

FBI and FCC Seek Control of Software Industry

by Richard A. Chapo)


With government agencies, one often has to try to guess what they are hiding. A close look at a FCC policy document released at 9 p.m. on a Friday may shock you.

Controlling Software

The Federal Communications Commission has issued a policy paper that sets free speech back a few thousand years. Yep, the FCC is taking the position that computer software companies must first get approval from the FBI before they will be allowed to put software products on the market. Think about that for a minute and cringe.

The ostensible reason for Big Brother's power grab is, once again, the pursuit of terrorist and bad, bad people. You see, Brother wants to make every software company put a backdoor in their systems that lets Big Brother access your computer on the sly to keep an eye on you. No doubt, many evil people use Adobe and Microsoft products!

Big Brother Out of Control?

Obviously, everyone is interested in catching terrorists and bad guys. The idea of giving the FBI carte blanche power over the software industry, however, goes way beyond such concerns. Let us consider a practical example.

What if construction companies had to seek approval from the FBI before building homes? The ostensible reason would be to make sure the FBI could place cameras and wire taps in every home to monitor and stop terrorist activities. Surely, nobody could disagree with such a noteworthy goal. On the other hand, how would you feel about having cameras in each room of your home?

For a counter argument, government apologists claim that the FBI would watch the computer activity of only a small number of people because the FBI doesn't have the manpower to do anything else. This argument is so much nonsense. "Watching" computer activity doesn't require manpower. It is a technical function carried out by a software program. The FBI already has such programs, including the controversial green lantern program. If it didn't, why would it want this power?

FBI monitoring programs run automatically. They continually accumulate data, which can be accessed when needed. This data collection can be used in thousands of different ways by hundreds of different agencies. For instance, what if the IRS audits you? What is to stop it from accessing your computer data and looking at all of the sessions you performed online banking? Nothing. The IRS and FBI work hand-in-hand on numerous prosecutions.

The United States is supposed to be the land of the free. Just don't assume as much when using your computer.

Secure Your Data - Windows Data Backup Computer Software

by Joe Light)


In nowadays computers have entered almost every imaginable domain in our lives - from our homes to space shuttles. As they hold more and more precious data - in material or merely sentimental way - securing that data is not only option, but a must. Data backup computer software is in the spotlight. With the increased need for data backuping the different backup computer programs out there are quite a few. But the large quantity can be not only asset but a liability, too. With so many data backup utilities out there it becomes more and more hard to find a good, stable and easy to use one that will suits you best.

To aid you in the process of finding a good data backup program here are listed the more notable ones which you can download and try right away.

Handy Backup Pro

Handy Backup Pro� is an easy-to-use program designed for an automatic backup of your critical data virtually to any type of storage media including CD-RW devices and remote FTP servers. You can use Handy Backup Pro to make a reserve copy of any valuable data on your system. Special addons are provided to facilitate the backup of MS Outlook, system registry and ICQ files. Restoring is as easy as clicking a button, but you can also use a number of advanced options. The program can be also used to synchronize files between two computers on a network.

Handy Backup Pro is designed for MS Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP. Strong file encryption and multi-choice zip compression on the fly, as well as many other useful features, will protect your valuable data. All backup activities are recorded in a log file. Detailed online help is available.

If you are looking for a simple yet powerful backup solution for your business or for your personal needs in a networking environment or on a single machine, you have just found it. Download the 30-day trial version and see for yourself. You may purchase Handy Backup Pro from our e-commerce provider RegSoft.

Scott Swedorski, founder of TUCOWS:

"This is a far superior product to anything I have seen out there. I could find no faults with it and I enjoyed using it quite a bit. I am actually going to consider using this application now for some of my own personal needs. Your Website is very well laid out and you provide an exhaustive amount of information for the user to read. Definitely a good value for the price."


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CompuApps Renaissance 2006 SE

Renaissance is a simple yet powerful Backup application that provides user the peace of mind by its ease of use, comfort and security, with optional verification. Renaissance enables selection of data with a quick and easy to use wizards. Comprehensive scheduling options allow the user to do backups at idle time, thus making the backup a painless and interference free process.


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Protects servers, business-critical applications, desktops, and notebooks

Easy to set up and manage

Fast, reliable, secure backups

Smart restores with unparalleled accuracy Backup to hard disks and removable disks

Simplifies media management


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Major Functions

Dual Backup & Protection

Zero-Touch Backup

Value Pick

Find Files


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BootMaster Partition Recovery

BootMaster Partition Recovery is a powerful and easy to use rescue diskette for Windows systems. Recovers deleted FAT and NTFS partitions with a few keystrokes. Recovers & undeletes files on FAT & NTFS volumes. Features include "Advanced Diagnostics and Repair", guided by timely and aggressive technical support from a data recovery professional, safe master boot record backup/restore, extensive context-sensitive help system, partition table and boot sector editing, BootMaster Diagnostics - a powerful partition diagnostics utility, and more.

Music CD-R vs. Data CD-R

by Mike Waters)


You wouldn�t believe how many times I run across this question. Is there a difference between music CD-Rs and traditional data CD-Rs? I think what people really want to know is if I buy a data CDR can I still put audio on it and vice versa. Well, hopefully this article will shed some light on the confusion and give you some insight into which type of blank media best suits your needs.

The simple answer to this question is yes. There are differences between music and data CD-Rs. However there is a big neon green flashing asterisk next to the yes that indicates to the informed consumer, that no there is not a difference. Let me explain.

Depending on where you gather your information, there are some articles that indicate minor differences between data and music CD-Rs. For starters, there is the name difference, but that�s obvious. There have also been rumors that the recording industry receives a very small percentage of each sale of blank music CD-Rs. However, that rumor has yet to be verified to my knowledge.

What is known is that there are technical differences in what is embedded in blank music CDs in comparison to blank data CDs. These embedded differences center upon bytes within the sub channels of the actual blank music disc. But does that really make a difference in quality or what types of information can be stored on the disk?

Not really. Both audio and data can be duplicated onto both music and data CD-Rs. I�ll say it again. Audio and data can be burned onto music and data CD-Rs. However, whether or not you can get data onto a music CD-R depends on what type of hardware is used to burn the blank CD.

If you are using a PC to do all of your burning, then it doesn�t matter. PCs do not differentiate between music CD-Rs and data CD-Rs. They simply see a blank media and duplicate information on to it pertaining to the settings you have outlined in the software you are using to burn the CD.

However, if you are using a separate home CD burner, it may or may not allow you to burn data/music onto a generic blank data/music CDR. Proprietors are funny like that. They really only want you to use blank media with brand names that they have approved of.

So my advice is if you are doing most of your CD duplication on the computer, it doesn�t matter which type of blank CDR you use. They both will work fine in most cases for storing audio and data. However, if you are using a CD writer outside of your computer for you burning needs, check the manual and see what they recommend.

About the author: Mike Waters is owner of Waters Rock music studio and the senior technology columnist for Media-Tech Entertainment and You. Be sure to check out more about his music cd duplication services and data cd duplication at

Know XML

by Pawan Bangar,Birbals,India)



Introduction to XML

XML--- extensible markup Language --- is an exciting development in web technology. It is the youngest and most comprehensive of markup Language. (Markup refers to any thing on a document that adds special meaning to a particular text; for example, bold text is a form of markup). This language got the name Extensible Markup Language from the characteristic that is not restricted to fixed set of tags, as is HTML (Hypertext Markup Language). An XML user creates his own tags according to need. A tag is a sequence of characters in a markup language used to provide information, such as formatting specifications, about a document.

Markup languages are roughly classified into three types:

•Stylistic ----- defines character presentation; for example bold, italics, underline, font etc. •Structural ----- define the structure of the document as for heading and paragraph. •Semantic ----- informs us about the content of the data, like giving a title.

SGML (Standardised Generalised Markup Language) is the mother of all markup languages and has been in existence since the late 1960s. In 1986 it becomes an international standard for defining the markup languages. It is used to create other languages, including HTML, which is very popular for its use on the web. HTML was made by Tim Berners Lee in 1991. While on one hand SGML is very effective but complex, on the other, HTML is very easy but limited to a fixed set of tags. This situation raised the need for a language that was as effective as SGML and at the same time as simple as HTML. This gap has now been filled by XML.

The development of XML started in 1996, when a team led by Jon Bosak of sun Microsystems began work on a project for remoulding and cutting the inessential parts of SGML. They took the best of SGML, guided by the experience with HTML, and produced something that was no powerful, but much simpler to use. The World Wide Web Consortium also contributes to the creation and development of the standard for XML. The specifications for XML were laid down in just 26 pages, compared to the 500+ page specifications that define SGML.

Although, XML looks like HTML, there is a world of a difference. While HTML specifies what each tag and attribute means and how the text define by it will look in a browser, XML uses the tag only to delimit pieces of data, and leaves the interpretation of the data completely to the application that reads it. For example, if we see "" in an XML file, it may or may not mean bold (as in HTML) ---- it may mean 'book', ‘bank' or anything else specified by the programmer. HTML is only a presentation technology ----it carries no description of the content held within its tags ----whereas in XML a programmer can describe the text in its own tag. Moreover we can specify the importance of a tag in XML so that a hierarchy of data can be represented, which is not possible in HTML.

Like HTML, both Netscape and Microsoft browsers support XML. As XML files are text files, it becomes easier for a programmer to debug application. But at the same time, being in a text format, XML files are always larger than comparable binary formats. XML is a family of technologies. XLINK is one of them, which describe a standard way to add hyperlink to an XML file. XPOINTER and XFRAGMENTS are syntaxes for pointing to parts of an XML document. XSL is an advanced language for expressing style sheets. We can also use cascading style sheets (CCS) as we do in HTML. XML NAMSPACE is a specification that describe how to associate a URL wit every single tag. XML SCHEMAS help to define the XML-based formats.

DOM is a standard set of function called for manipulating XML files from a programming language. Math ML is a describing mathematic as a basis for machine communication. With adequate style-sheet support would ultimately be possible for browsers to natively render mathematical expression, which is not possible in HTML. XML encryption is a process name for encrypting and decrypting digital content. XML signatures provide integrity, message authentication for data of any type. These things are extensively used for providing security in applications.

XML protocol used to develop technologies that allow two or more peers to communicate in distributed environment, using XML as its encapsulation language. Nowadays we can find a number of quality sites made by using XML. Use of XML can also be seen in B2B portals and it is also used in WAP development. WML (Wire-less Markup Language) is derived from XML, which plays the primary role in the development of WAP application.

The most novel features of XML is that it is able to express complex data structure, and even distributed action, in terms of simple, punctuated stream of text. Any network component newer than the Abacus can send and receive XML; almost any processor has sufficient power to parse it. XML is license free, platform independent and well supported. Visual Studio .NET, Hailstorm, .NET platform, latest products from Microsoft, are fully compatible with XML.

Many companies are using this language according to their needs. As this language can be used for various objectives, it can be seen on various platforms, in combination with different languages. XML is a key to the next-generation Internet, offering a way to unlock information so that it can be organised, programmed and edited ----a way to distribute data in more useful ways to variety of digital devices and allowing web sites to collaborate. Today XML is a young child developing various aspects of its personality; which of these would be the dominating trait to give it its final adult character could be anybody's guess.

About the author: Pawan Bangar, Technical Director , Birbals, India

Seecrets On Security

by Stan Seecrets)


The recent explosive growth of PC�s and Internet-based commerce has significantly increased the need for a wide variety of computer security mechanisms. This article, the second of a three-part series, lays the underlying foundation in plain language.

A slightly longer series of articles "Keeping Your Secrets Secret" will examine practical examples in greater detail and provides useful tips and advice. Of course, these will continue with the theme of making crypto and computer security easily understood.

One-Way Hash

Also known as a one-way function, a message digest, a fingerprint or a checksum, the algorithm creates a fixed-length output that cannot be reversed. One-way hashes provide checksums to validate files, create digital certificates and played a central part in many authentication schemes.

Let us consider this example. For ages, the Chinese have a fortune-telling method that relies on "Ba Ji" (eight characters) which uses the time, day, month and year of birth according to their calendar. There are sixty possibilities (almost equal to 6 bits) for each of the four variables. Since the Chinese use two characters for each variable, the result is always eight characters. This is an example of a nonsecure 24-bit one-way hash.

Obviously, this way of producing a one-way hash is not acceptable for security purposes because of the huge number of collisions (different inputs producing the same output).

The most commonly used hashes are SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm uses 160 bits) and MD5 (Message Digest uses 128 bits). In August 2005, a team of cryptographers led by Xiaoyun Wang of Shandong University, China, presented a paper that found faster ways of finding collisions than the usual brute force method. These exploits (vulnerabilities) may make digital certificates forgery a reality.

The implications to e-commerce may be widespread not to mention the millions of websites which used MD5 to hash the users� passwords in their databases. Any webmaster can tell you that converting these sites to use SHA-256 or SHA-512 will not be a trivial task.

In a recent directive, NIST (National Institute of Standards & Technology, U.S.A.) has advised U.S. governmental agencies to use SHA-256 or SHA-512 (256 and 512 bits respectively) instead.

Biometrics

A biometric device is one that can identify unique characteristics from a finger, eye or voice. Many believe that biometrics should provide a higher level of security than other forms of authentication.

There is a news story in March 2005 of how a Malaysian owner lost his Mercedes car and index finger to car thieves armed with machetes. Obviously the keyless ignition electronics cannot detect whether the finger is still part of the original body nor whether the finger (and by extension the person) is alive or not.

Recent security breaches have heightened concern over depositories of personal information stored on many financial sites. When such breaches occurred, the incidence of identity thefts will thus rise also.

If you lose your credit card, you can always void the card and get a new one. When you lose your fingerprint (stored digitally), or other biometric features, who can replace those?

Passwords

When asked to conjure a random number or characters, most people inevitably used materials that are familiar to them like birthdays, names of family members, pets� names and so forth.

For example, most will choose dates when asked to choose a six-digit number for their ATM Personal Identification Number (PIN). Doing so will reduce the number of possibilities by nine times.

Random Numbers and Generators

Random numbers are central to crypto. To qualify as true random numbers, the output from random number generators (RNG) must pass statistical tests of randomness. Two suites considered as de facto standards are the "diehard" suite developed by Prof. George Marsaglia of State University of Florida and "Statistical Test Suite" from NIST.

Second, the RNG�s output must be unpredictable even with complete knowledge of the algorithm or hardware producing the series and all the previous bits produced.

Third, the RNG�s output cannot be cloned in a repeat run even with the same input.

The most common approach to producing random numbers is by using an algorithm carried out by a computer program (Yarrow, Tiny, Egads, Mersenne Twister). Such algorithms cannot produce random numbers, hence their names, pseudo-random number generators (PRNG).

Another approach is to use physical events such as entropy produced by the keyboard, mouse, interrupts, white noise from microphones or speakers and disk drive behavior as the seed (initial value).

Some may argue that true random generators are those that can detect quantum behavior in subatomic physics. This is because randomness is inherent in the behavior of subatomic particles - remember the electron cloud from your high school physics.

One-time Pad

The most effective system is often the simplest. A one-time pad (OTP) is a series of random bits that has the same length as the digital object to be encrypted. To encrypt, just use a simple computer operation, exclusive OR (XOR). To decrypt, simply XOR the encrypted result with the same random bits.

The downside of using OTP is that once used, it must be discarded. Second, the OTP and the digital object must have the same number of bits. Lastly, the obvious problem of synchronizing the OTP between the receiver and sender.

[Author�s note: The concluding Part 3 will focus on keys management and public key cryptography.]

"In God we trust, others use crypto."

� Copyright 2005, Stan Seecrets. All rights reserved

Cisco CCNA Certification

by Chris Bryant, CCIE #12933)


One question I'm often asked by CCNA candidates is whether to take the "one big exam", or take the two separate exams required by Cisco to achieve the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam.

The question comes up because there are now two separate paths to the CCNA certification. Candidates may take a single exam, 640-811, or two exams, 640-821 and 640-811.

What's the difference? The two-exam approach involves exams with different topics and therefore different preparation techniques. 640-821 is the Introduction To Cisco Networking Technologies exam. This course does introduce the candidate to Frame Relay, PPP, and other WAN technologies, but goes into little detail. Emphasis in the Intro course is placed on knowing how Ethernet behaves, how different types of cable are used for different purposes, and knowing what cable to use in a certain situation. The candidate should expect some questions involving binary math as well, but they will involve fairly simple conversions.

The 640-811 exam, Interconnecting Cisco Networking Devices, goes into much more detail on WAN technologies. Routing and switching behavior are covered, and the candidate is expected to answer difficult questions involving binary math and subnetting as well. The candidate may also have to demonstrate ability to configure a router or switch via a simulator. Since the ICND exam goes into more detail, it's generally considered the more difficult exam.

The approach I recommend to a CCNA candidate depends on their background. If the candidate is a relative newcomer to networking, or hasn't taken a certification exam before, I recommend they take the two-exam approach. This allows the candidate to focus only on the Intro topics, and gives them a strong sense of confidence after passing the Intro exam. That confidence flows over into the ICND exam.

For those who have networking experience, and are very familiar with Ethernet behavior and cable types, I recommend the one-exam approach. This allows the candidate to focus on the more advanced topics they'll be seeing in the single exam, while spending just a little time reviewing their Intro-level knowledge.

Regardless of the approach you choose, the path to true CCNA success remains the same. Get some real hands-on experience, either by renting rack time online or by putting together your own home lab. Understand what's going on "beneath the command" don't use router commands when you don't understand what they're doing. Add to that a true mastery on binary math, and you're on your way to having the magic letters "CCNA" behind your name!

Chris Bryant

CCIE #12933

Why Coloring Your Fonts is Not Always Recommended

by Maricon Williams)


There�s something wrong with a house dominated by weeds and vines. Those crawlers are an eyesore to the passersby. Not only that, they camouflage the beauty of the architecture and landscape and no one would dare explore it�

This is also true when it comes to background, fonts and color of visual ads and prints. Too much color wipes out eagerness on the part of the readers. They can appear to be the weeds, where blades in one way or another can cause destruction this is the reason why it is important to wisely choose colors and fonts. It can either make or break your marketability chain.

Colors communicate. In fact they are so much part of our lives. Font should be of sufficient contrast to the background so that it can be easily read. In practice, most of us uses black on white or vary pale backgrounds because the combination makes it more readable compared to green fonts on a red background or vice versa which is very much awkward.

When choosing your color scheme for your fonts, make the major color choices first. Plan on what color will dominate the background. Ensure that the selected colors coordinate with your selected color scheme and that all font colors can be seen well on your background colors.

Experts tell us not to color small font. In doing so results to misregistration or a little bit of variance in the consistency of the different color plates. There is a bit of inconsistency in the lining up of cyan, magenta, yellow and black pigments in the font characters.

Colored font can be used in making large headline type text. It can also be use to smaller fonts but not less than 12 point size. Too smaller colored fonts will become unnoticeable and hard to read. In cases when you use dark background, do not use white text with smaller point sizes same result will accrue. It will look unprofessionally made.

Be aware also of the needs of color-blind readers of your webpages who see a screen with a little deviation of colors. They can hardly read pale fonts. Sometimes it is better to opt for the standard way of making font colors and designs. Most of the time, it is better to stick on the principle - less is beautiful. That way you can be assured of the usability and readability of your pages.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

by Paul van Zyl)


When I observe most colleagues and friends working on their PC's they mostly use the mouse as they are unaware of the powerful Windows keyboard shortcuts that will make their lives so much easier. Some people might be aware of the keyboard shortcuts, but they are used to be working mostly with the mouse and old habits are hard to let go.

In this article I will take things step by step so you can learn the keyboard shortcuts that are required to navigate your way around the Windows operating system.

Let's assume your machine is starting up and due to a faulty mouse or some other related problem your system cannot be accessed with the mouse. A user that is not using keyboard shortcuts on a regular basis will be completely lost. Ok it's relatively cheap to replace the mouse, but what if you had to quickly perform a task that cannot wait until a new mouse is acquired or the problem is fixed?

Navigating the Start Menu in Windows XP

I will firstly explain how to launch an application without the use of the mouse and instead use keyboard shortcuts. Immediately after system startup if you are required to log in, type out your password and press the Enter key. Once the system have fully initialized you will be presented with the Windows Desktop. As an example we will launch Notepad. Follow the steps exactly as explained below:

Press Ctrl and Esc to show the Start menu or press the Windows Logo key. Now press the Up Arrow until you can see the selection rectangle moving upwards in the Start menu. Once the selection rectangle enters the Start menu press the Left Arrow to move to the left section of the Start menu. Then press the Down Arrow until "All Programs" is selected. Press the Right Arrow to expand the "All Programs" menu. Press the Down Arrow until "Accessories" is selected. Press the Right Arrow to expand the accessories menu. Now press the Down Arrow until the Notepad menu item is selected and the press Enter. This will cause the Notepad application to launch.

Armed with this basic keyboard shortcut knowledge you will be able to launch any application without the use of the mouse.

Moving Around the Desktop

Frequently users place icons on the desktop to quickly access some application, files or folders they regularly use. What now if the mouse packs up and you have to get to that file? Here is how to make use of the Windows keyboard shortcuts to get that done: Depending on the current situation different steps might be required so keep in mind that you do not have to do all the steps.

Press the Windows Logo key and M simultaneously to minimize all Windows. Press Ctrl and Esc simultaneously and then press Esc again. (Only required under certain conditions so you might only need to perform this step if you do not get the desired results from the step below). Press the Tab key and release it. Keep on pressing and releasing it until you see a "focus rectangle" surrounding one of the icons on the desktop. If there are a lot of icons on the desktop you might need to look carefully if any receives the focus indicated by the focus rectangle. Also occasionally use the arrow keys to see if you can move between different icons if it is difficult to notice the icon with the focus rectangle. Normally the focus will move between the Windows Taskbar and the last icon that had the focus (being selected) on the desktop when the Tab key is pressed. Once you got the "focus rectangle" on any icon on the desktop it is just a matter of moving to the icon of your choice using the arrow keys. When the required icon got the focus or is selected press the Enter key to open the file, folder or launch a program.

Working with Windows

Our next step in this Windows keyboard shortcuts article is to manipulate windows in the context of minimizing, maximizing, moving and closing them. To minimize the currently active window press Alt and Spacebar. The Control Menu for the window will appear. Now press N to minimize the window.

To maximize or get a window to its restored state when it is minimized to the Windows Taskbar hold down Alt and then press and release the Tab key until the desired window is selected. When the window of choice is selected also release the Alt key which will ensure that the window will either be maximized or restored depending on its previous state.

If you want to maximize a window from its restored state press Alt and Spacebar. After the Control Menu appears press X to maximize the window. To restore an maximized window press Alt and Spacebar. When the Control Menu appear press R to get the window from its maximized to restored state.

To move a window press Alt and Spacebar. When the Control Menu appear press M. Now use the arrow keys to move the window to the desired location and press the Enter key to round of this operation.

When you want to re-size a window press Alt and Spacebar. When the Control Menu appear press S. Now press the arrow keys depending on which side you want to size the window from. Right will take you to the right edge of the window for sizing and the Down arrow will take you to the bottom right corner for sizing purposes. When pressing the left key first you will be taking to the window left border to carry out sizing from that side. Once you have selected your sizing location by pressing the left or right arrows and up or down arrows do the sizing by using any of the arrow keys. When finished press Enter to complete this operation. Pressing the Esc key will leave the original size of the window intact.

To close the currently active window press Alt and F4 or press Alt and Spacebar, then press C.

General Use Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Take note that the WINDOWS key is the Windows Logo key on the keyboard.

ALT+TAB

Display list of open programs and switch to next program.

(Press TAB again to advance to the following program).

ALT+SHIFT+TAB

Display list of open programs and switch to previous program.

(Press TAB again to select the pervious program).

WINDOWS or CTRL+ESC

Displays the Windows Start Menu.

WINDOWS+E

Open My Computer.

WINDOWS+D

Toggle between Show Desktop and Show Open Windows.

WINDOWS+M

Minimize All Windows.

F2

Rename selected folder, file or shortcut.

CTRL+N

Create a New document for the active application.

CTRL+O

Display the Open dialog box of the active application.

CTRL+S

Save the current document of the active application.

CTRL+P

Print the current document of the active application.

CTRL+A

Select All content of the current document.

CTRL+X

Cut the selected text or object.

CTRL+C

Copy the selected text or object.

CTRL+V

Paste contents of clipboard into active document.

CTRL+Z

Undo the last operation.

CTRL+Y

Redo the last Undo operation.

CTRL+B

Make selected text bold or remove bold formatting.

CTRL+U

Underline the selected text or remove underline.

CTRL+I

Make selected text italic or remove italic formatting.

CTRL+F

Displays the Find dialog box.

CTRL+H

Displays the Replace dialog box.

To download keyboard shortcut reference and training software with 100's of shortcuts

What Is Computer Programming Anyway?

by Shamsul)


Computer programming in plain language, is giving instructions to a computer to do something. Technically it is actually giving instructions to the microprocessor - the brain of a computer.

If the instructions are only for the microprocessor, why a computer is so complicated with numerous types of hardware accessories?

All the other hardware are to support the function of feeding the instructions to the microprocessor, and conveying the result from the microprocessor to its user - which can be a human or another computer or hardware.

Every time you want a computer to do something you have to give the instructions. Luckily people are smart enough to figure out that since we might want the computer to repeat the same process over and over again, we better store the instructions into a permanent storage - hard disk, CD, flash memory etc.

The stored instructions are called COMPUTER PROGRAM or computer software and the act of arranging the instructions is called COMPUTER PROGRAMMING and the person that is responsible to arrange the instructions is called .....COMPUTER PROGRAMMER ...do you see the pattern here?

On the lowest level, a microprocessor only understands a limited set of instructions. To a microprocessor the instruction sets and data are read in �binary� form.

Binary means 2 states � such as in on and off, high and low, left and right. To make it easier mathematically, binary normally is represented by 1 and 0. Electrically, 1 represents high voltage and 0 represents low voltage.

On the hard disk, program instructions look just like a stream of 1s and 0s. But a microprocessor reads in the stream one chunk at a time. Among normal chunk sizes are 8, 16, and 32. Chunk size is normally referred to as instruction size.

One binary data (that can be a 1 or a 0) is called a �bit�. For example a data �1001� is a 4 bit data. Where first bit is 1, second bit is 0, third bit is another 0 and the fourth bit is 1.

Bit is the computer terminology for �chunk�.

How instructions can be represented by bits?

One bit data can only represent 1 out of 2 possible states � either 1 or 0. Which in real world can be used to represent things such as on or off, high or low, black or white � any 2 states condition?

If we increase the instruction size to 2 bits, then we can represent 4 instructions � 00, or 01, or 10 or 11. If we increase the size to 3 bits then we can represent 8 possible instructions � 000, 001, 010, 011, 100, 101, 110 and 111

If you notice the trend from the above examples is that maximum possible number of instructions is the power of 2 of the bit size. That is 2 bits can represent maximum of 2^2 (which is 4) instructions, and 3 bits can represent maximum of 2^3 (which is 2x2x2 = 8) instructions.

So 8 bits data can represent maximum of 2^8 (2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2 = 256) instructions (or states) and 32 bits data can represent 2^32 (4,294,967,296) instructions.

You can actually read a program stream contents using certain editor � normally called HEX editor. Using these special text editors you can look at the instructions in binary, hexadecimal, octal, and decimal format.

I�ll cover the details of what each of the above format (hex, oct and dec) means in other article.

Permission is granted for this article to forward, reprint or distribute, use for ezine, website, offer as free bonus or part of a product for sales as long as no changes are made and the byline, copyright and the resource box is included.

About the author: Resource Box: Copyright � Shamsul Anuar of Bouncingcube.com newsletter. To learn more about computer programming and software development visit www.bouncingcube.com and subscribe to the free newsletter

Free Wi-Fi Hotspots

by Phil Haley)


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'TANSTAAFL', the acronym for 'There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch', may be familiar to those of you who have taken a college economics class or two. Whenever you hear the word 'Free' in association with a product or service it's a good idea to keep it in mind because, in truth, nothing is free. Someone, somewhere, somehow, is bearing an economic cost; and so it is with free Wi-Fi hotspots. For the most part any of the free Wi-Fi hotspots you'll come across will have some sort of quid pro quo associated with them.

If you go to a McDonalds, for example, you can get a bit of free Wi-Fi with the purchase of a meal, if you go to Panera Bread or Port City Java, although not explicitly stated, it's implied that you're expected, as you should be, to buy something for the privilege of taking up table space while surfing the 'net.

Along with businesses several Municipal and International Airport Authorities, as well as a growing number of airline club lounges, are providing free Wi-Fi in an effort to sway travellers, who may have a choice between several carriers or nearby airports, to choose them. Similarly, more and more hotels are offering free Wi-Fi for their guests so, while the Wi-Fi hotspot may be advertised as free, it's cost is rolled into the room rate or expensed to advertising.

There are a few venues in which, although funding may come through taxation of some sort, no direct user cost is associated. An increasing number of public libraries, for example, are offering free Wi-Fi and, amid increasing controversy, several towns and cities have either set up free Wi-Fi Hotzones or they're exploring the possibilities.

Finding these free Wi-Fi hotspots is not that difficult. JiWire.com sponsors the Wi-Fi-FreeSpot Directory and some Wi-Fi aggregators, like GoRemote, are beginning to include the listings of free hotspots in their directories.

When you're accessing a free wifi hotspot there are a few things you should keep in mind:

Don't expect much tech help. The waiters, waitresses or baristas may have some working knowledge but, don't count on it, that's not why they're there.
Don't overstay your welcome. If there's a line of people trying to find a seat and you've been nursing a latte for two hours you, and others like you, may be contributing to the venue owner's growing desire to start charging a hefty fee for the Wi-Fi access they provide.
Make sure you follow good Wi-Fi Hotspot Security practices.

So, while free may not be entirely free, it's definitely reasonable. With a bit of planning you should be able to save yourself a few dollars a month while enjoying the ambiance of your favorite free Wi-Fi hotspot.

About the author:

Phil Haley is a technical writer and the editor of Refurbished Laptop Computer Info. For more information regarding buying, maintaining, upgrading or enjoying a laptop computer

Games For wii Found Online Wii Downloads

by Ben Dave)


Wii is reported to be the seventh-generation console. With the existence of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's Playstation 3, it has been said that Wii is on top, leaving the other two behind it, when the subject lies on worldwide sales. That explains the reason why there are more and more people who are using such device and Download Wii Games nowadays.

It’s not that easy to Download Wii Games. Although is now available on several websites, it requires people to be clever enough to find out which sites are reliable, virus-free and will provide good quality games. A good site is further defined as that site which will not only offer older games, but those newly releases as well.

A download site can either be paid per file download or paid with a flat rate only. With the second type, you only have to deal with a one-time fee for you to have unlimited download of those Wii games. Some of those websites will also require you to have a special software downloaded first prior to doing the said downloading.

Wii Media Downloads offers free download service. This is also one of the means where Nintendo Wii Games Download can be done. From the types of site mentioned above, it falls under the first category which requires you to pay a small one-time fee. That means that you got to pay less than the price of one Wii game and you'll then have access to multiple games you'll surely enjoy. Not only that, you will also be able to download music, TV shows, movies, software, etc.

The following are the things that you have to consider if you are planning to download Wii games: find the right Wii download site and think of the speed of the downloading process. With the first factor, you have to make sure that the site that you’re using offers you a lot of downloads. The second one asks you to make sure that the said site offers the latest and greatest servers for faster download.

How to Download Wii Games is perhaps one of the biggest questions one might have in mind, especially for those who are users for the first time. The answer then is through online. With the help of the internet, we can always easily download the desired Wii game anytime. There are free downloads from these websites, but you have to be careful in checking that they're free from viruses. There are also sites where you have to pay a one-time membership fee only and get unlimited downloads afterwards. Anyone who will perform such download is warned against scams to be able to protect the device.

How to Install Drivers for Your Older Devices in Windows 7

by Molly Smith)


Though there are a large number of hardware drivers came with Windows 7 RC, for the support to some older plug-and-play peripherals, they are with limited help.

I try to run an outdated web camera in Windows 7. This small-brand product is produced in 2004. It is too old and no way to find or

Tips for Search Engine Optimization

by Steven Magill)


When you are looking to boost traffic to your website, you need to search engine optimize - or SEO in abbreviation - it. In order to do that you have to understand the basics of SEO and how to use it to make sure your website is found by the people you want to see it. SEO allows search engines, spiders, crawlers, and other search methods to hit upon your website every time. Here we have collected seven SEO tips we think you can use towards achieving this goal and making your website come out as the cream of the crop and not on the bottom of the web searching food chain. Be forewarned: these SEO tips will take some time and effort to put into effect on your website, but they are well worth it and will keep you from losing visitors because they can't find you.

SEO Tips #1: Make sure that your website is designed to be search engine friendly.

How do you do that? Actually, it's pretty easy. Use as much text in your website as possible as most search engines search on keywords. Pictures are great, but keep them to a relevant minimum. If you use things such as Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) or JavaScript, do not include it with your HTML coding. Instead keep it in a separate file so that the web search engines look through your text first. Research the pros and cons of tables as compared to frames and use the one that is right for you, and try to steer clear of non-HTML file types such as Adobe PDF and Microsoft Word documents.

SEO Tips #2: Use keywords in your text that the search engine will hit upon.

By using the right keywords in your website text you should get some outstanding results when someone searches for your site. The key to search engine optimization is getting your website to the number one spot when the search results are displayed. Use words that describe what your website is about and words that you think other people would use to search for the information you are presenting. Take your time and if you have to, take a look at other websites and see what keywords they are using to score the results they are getting.

SEO Tips #3: Review the information on your page such as headings to see if it is helping or hindering your page rankings.

This particular SEO tip should be done every few months. The information in your page title and header should include not only the description of your website, but also a keyword or two so that the search engines hit on it immediately.


SEO Tips #4: Add META tags and META description tags to all of your pages.

When you use a search engine to find a website, it usually returns a small paragraph telling you what the website is about. This is the META and META description tags. By using keywords in these and including them on all of your web pages - remember, if properly done the search engine will go to one of your web pages as compared to the homepage - you will be able to quickly and efficiently tell the search engine and the visitor what you are all about. This is a very important SEO tip that should not be ignored.

SEO Tips #5: Utilize link popularity. A trick used by Google, link popularity is used to rank your search engine.

This is done by the search engine seeking out all of the other websites and pages that are linked to your website. The more sites that carry a link to you, the better.

SEO Tips #6: List your site with Google's Open Directory Project for more recognition.

Google is partial to websites that are listed in the Open Directory Project, so do your best to get your website listed in there.

SEO Tips #7: Use ALL of the above tips in conjunction with one another.

By using all of the above SEO tips together when you are building or tweaking your website, you should notice an almost immediate difference in your website page rankings. You may have to tweak your website a few times to accomplish your goal, but it will be worth the effort in the long run.

Protect Yourself from Computer Viruses

by bela)

No matter what you do, you are bound to run into a computer virus at some point. These are nasty little customers, and can leave your computer running at a snail’s pace, or can crash it altogether. The very bad ones can erase your data and render your machine useless. Even worse than this, they can get hold of your passwords and credit card details. There are great antivirus software packages out there, but at times, even they can fail to protect your computer. This is why you need to keep an eye on things, and always remember to run a virus check. If you have software like Norton’s, you should get automatic updates. Always make sure you take the time to download these. This information may be vital to protect your computer from a newer type of virus. Computer viruses are always evolving, and those who produce them are always looking for new ways to infect your computer. If you have broadband Internet service, you should know you are at the highest risk for getting a virus. If you don’t have virus software on your computer, you can find a free virus check on the Internet. There are quite a few that will scan your computer for viruses, but most of them stop there. I remember spending two days looking for a virus check that found the viruses and then took care of them. Most places will scan your computer, show you what you have, and then tell you that you must buy the their software to get rid of them. This trick is quite common, and also happens with many free spyware and malware scans. You might want to read the fine print before you put your computer through a lengthy virus check only to be told you must then buy the product. Some come with a free trial period, and if they offer that, you may want to do it. In many cases, you may like the service so much that you buy it. This is the best way to find out if a virus check is worth your money. Another thing to remember when running a virus check is to look into customer support if you choose to buy. You want a company that offers you online support if you run into trouble. Many viruses can be removed by software, but on occasion, some may need to be manually removed. This is often a long and complicated procedure. When you have to do this, it is nice to know help is at your fingertips.

Tips For Streamlining Your Movie Collection

by Maxim Smirnov)

It's easier than ever to collect movies now that films have gone the way of music. But when you begin to amass a large movie collection, things can begin to get out of hand. Not only will your computer be filled to its maximum, making every other program load slowly, but you will also begin to 'misplace' the movies you own, making them useless. Here are some basic tips to help you streamline your movie collection before things get out of control. Put Everything in One Place You can only begin to streamline your movie collection if you know where all of your films are. To make sure you know what you own, you need to begin assembling your movies in one location. Take a day to put all of your DVDs into one room of your home, helping to centralize the inventory you will need to do. Then you will want to take all of your movie files on your computer and move them to the desktop or to another folder which will allow you to see what you own. Of course, if you have let friends and family members borrow the movies you own, this step might be a little more difficult. To help yourself out, a week before you are ready to assemble your movie collection, email or call people who might have your movies so that you can have them all on hand for your organizational efforts. What Haven't You Watched? Once you have your movie collection in one place, it's time to start thinking about what you own. It's time to think about what you own and what you have actually watched. Often, we collect movies because we are told they are good or they are given as gifts - but then we never watch them. Put your movies into two piles (or file folders): what I've watched and what I haven't watched. This way, you can begin to see just how many movies you might need to start watching in order to make them worthwhile. As you are making these piles, you might realize that the movies you haven't watched might be movies you would never miss if you got rid of them. Which Movies Could You Repeatedly Watch? You will also want to look at your movie collection to see what movies will certainly be watched again and again - those you will want to keep. These might be family favorites or they might be movies which have a special sentimental value to you. However, you might find that there are no movies you would watch more than a few times here and there, so they might not need to be a part of your permanent movie collection anymore. No matter how you streamline your movie collection, looking to see what you own and what you do not watch is going to help you make better decisions about movie buying and downloading in the future. After all, if you aren't ever going to watch it, why does it need to be on your shelf or on your computer?