Do you know about your computer?

Why use Firefox ?

2008-04-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

For me, the biggest factor that inspired me to start using a browser other than Internet Explorer was the constant bugs and security fixes that were plaguing the latter, not to mention the tons of plug-ins that took over your browser. Changing your homepage to some paid advertiser, or adding a toolbar that does the worst job possible when searching.

The majority of these spyware and vulnerabilities are commonly programmed for Internet Explorer being that IE holds over 70% of the internet browser market. There are other browsers out there that can compete with IE, but Mozilla Firefox (formally known as Firebird) is a complete browser filled with tons of features that’s only light in size. From a built in pop-up blocker that works better than many commercial pop-up blockers, to tabbed browsing, these are just two of the factors that contribute to making Firefox an internet browser’s dream.

Popup Blocking
In this day in age, an internet browser without a popup blocker is like having a broadband connection without a fireball. “Firefox stops annoying popup windows dead in their tracks”, according to Mozilla.org, and that’s exactly what it does. Visiting a popup blocker test page, Firefox’s built in popup blocker was able to close all popup windows while the page loaded and during the page's onload() event. At http://www.popup-blocker.info’s test page, several test can be ran to prove your popup blocker’s power. Mozilla Firefox’s built in popup blocker was able to handle the “Stress Test”, which according to pop-upblocker.info… “[Stress tests] attempts to overcome your pop-up killer by trying to spawn large numbers of windows as quickly as possible.” Firefox’s popup blocker was able to close all 200 popup windows without even breaking a sweat. Trying this with IE and no popup blocker would probably bring your pc to its knee’s. You can also easily access the list of websites that the popup blocker blocks and altering it’s state by a simple click.

Download Manager
A feature which I thought was going to be integrated in Internet Explorer 6 was a download manager. Download managers allow you to manipulate and take control of your downloaded files. Mozilla Firefox’s download manager contains just the essentials to allow you to control your downloads. You can pause your download and continue it a later time, something which is not possible with IE’s download manager. Apart from sporting a nice look, the download manager stores the information such as size and location of your downloaded file. When the download is complete, a small notification is displayed in the lower right side of the screen.

Tab Browsing
Because having too many windows open at a time can be a bit annoying, not to mention time consuming, Firefox features tab browsing. Here’s more on tab browsing from Mozilla’s homepage…”Tab-Browsing changes the way you use the internet by allowing you to open links on a page in background "Tabs" and then read them when you're ready. No confusing new windows, no need for context menus, just hold down Ctrl when clicking a link, or use your middle mouse button (if you have one).”

Integrated Search Engine
Now why didn’t the IE programmers think of this? Mozilla Firefox comes with a built in search engine. The default search engine is Google’s, of course, with the ability to add others. The search entry takes up a very small space, which is a plus when compared to those huge toolbars out there.

Options
Less confusing and cluttered than IE’s Internet Options is another factor in Mozilla’s Firefox. You can easily navigate through each setting. Deleting saved passwords is a snap and clearing any saved history. The “Downloads” section of the options allows the user to choose which program will automatically open a downloaded file.

Page Info
When right clicking on a page (PC users), selecting “page info” will pull up a window displaying vast amount of information for the webpage. General information as well as a Link tab showing all the links that the page contains.

Faster Response
A typical webpage will load faster on Mozilla Firefox than Internet Explorer.

Keeps HTML Formatting
Mozilla Firefox is able to keep the html format when copying from a webpage to a text file. For example, when copying html formatted text from a webpage and pasting it on a note pad, the text copied using Mozilla Firefox keeps the format yet the text copied from IE doesn’t.

Security
Because many of those malicious plug-in’s that cause your everyday web surfing into a trip to the DMV are mostly programmed for Internet Explorer, having Mozilla Firefox as your internet browser can save you tons of headaches.

Open Source Advantage
The Mozilla project is an Open Source project where thousands of independent programmers can work on finding security holes before they are exploited.

Cleaner Interface
Firefox isn’t filled with clutter such as a history button or other buttons that take up most of the area in Internet Explorer. Firefox offers 2% more space to web pages than Mozilla, 4% more than Internet Explorer, and a whopping 10% more than Opera.

Smaller Download
Ignoring the fact that Internet Explorer comes integrated with Windows, Firefox is almost half the size of Internet Explorer meaning half the time downloading.

Block Images
When right clicking on an image, the user is given the option to block all images from that webpage. This feature comes in handing when visiting a site that holds many pictures, many due to ads, which can be disabled for faster surfing.

Mozilla Firefox is an alternate browser to IE with features that, I believe, surpass the latter. Firefox has defiantly broken ground in the war of the browsers. I know there are many out there who would think otherwise and never settle for any browser other than IE. Think of it this way, if Mozilla Firefox was integrated by default into Windows besides IE, would you switch to another browser?

You can download Mozilla Firefox by following below.

A Checklist For Used Computers

2008-03-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

A Checklist For Used Computers
By Lesley Lyon
It is very important to check a used computer thoroughly before buying it as it may lead to problems in the future. A hard drive will not show any outward signs but may be deteriorating. The same way the needle can suddenly slip and can cause scratches on the disc ultimately leading to memory loss as used computers can fail any time. If they are checked, the faults which may occur can be known. Let us first see the possible faults which may occur while purchasing a used computer.

Hard disk failures can happen due to heavy wear and tear over a period of time. The read and write heads of a hard disk are used to retrieve or recode data stored on the hard disk with the help of a disk platter rotating at a high speed. Over a period of time the risk of failure or malfunction of disk increases. Faulty sectors of the hard disks can be found out only if a full surface scan is done on the used computer. The scanning time depends on the capacity and size of the hard disk of the used computer. Many skip this procedure due to the time consuming process of scanning the whole disk and end up purchasing a used computer with a faulty sector.

Monitors need to be checked for any faults. The malfunctioning of a monitor is called a “dry joint” which results in the monitor not working after getting warmed. This can be checked only if the monitor is made to work for at least 20 to 30 minutes after switching on the computer.

Next is to look for any possibilities of the central processing unit getting freezed. Normally all the central processing units have a fan and heat sink for keeping the unit cool. Over a period of time the fans may not work properly due to the accumulation of dust and dirt resulting in over heating of the central processing unit and even leading to stopping from functioning. While buying a used computer the fan needs to be checked and if any abnormal sound is heard, it is not good for purchase.

The used computer may have a higher possibility of getting crashed and freezed due to the usage of the operating system for a good number of years. There may be a cache or RAM fault due to the over exposure leading to loss of data. To increase the performance of the computer and to avoid crashing, the operating system of the used computer can be reinstalled with a new operating system or a fresh one.

While checking the used computers for any faults, it is good to disconnect the network connection if any present before performing the tests. Also it is advisable to check the drives like the CD or DVD by opening and closing them and also playing something on the drives to see how they work. Monitors of the used computers can be checked for the resolution and brightness by trying different options of color, settings and so on. To check the hard disk size the CMOS setup can be gone through and to verify the speed of the processor, cache and RAM the pause button is pressed when it appears on the screen during the booting process. To check the booting process, the computer can be turned on and off a few times and seen how it responds.

Checking should be done to see if all the passwords are erased before purchasing a used computer.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleJoe.com

Notebook Or Desktop Computer -- Which Should You Choose?

2008-03-11T06:24:00.001-07:00

Notebook Or Desktop Computer -- Which Should You Choose?
By gurpreet singh

On TV and in the movies, we see a lot of portable computers being used in homes and offices. Does that mean that's the trend? Is that what you should get?

Portable computers cost more, so unless you really have the need for one, you get a lot more computers for your money with a regular desktop PC. The main thing is portability. If you need a portable computer, get a laptop. ("Laptop," "portable," and "notebook" all refer to the same thing, by the way). Otherwise, a desktop computer is a better buy, and better ergonomically.

The Price Difference

You might wonder why laptops cost more than desktop computers with comparable features and power. That is largely because it is more expensive to manufacture laptops and their parts. For portable computer components, factors such as compactness, the amount of heat they generate, their weight, and power consumption are more important than they are for desktops. Those factors add to their manufacturing costs.

Space Requirements

While laptops are certainly compact, a desktop computer with a flat panel monitor can take up almost as little space. While called a "desktop" computer, the computer itself is most often kept on the floor. That leaves just the monitor, keyboard and mouse on the desk, which is really very similar in footprint to a notebook computer.

A great way to further reduce the space taken up on the desktop computer is get a keyboard drawer to hold the keyboard and mouse. That way, they slide out of the way under the top of the desk when they aren't needed.

Be Mindful of Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the science of designing and arranging things so that people can interact with them more comfortably and safely. The basic ergonomic principals for computer use tell us that, 1) the keyboard should be as close to your lap level as possible (assuming you touch-type), 2) the monitor should be about arm's length in front of you, and 3) the top of the monitor should be at about your eye level. Try achieving that with a laptop computer! Two words: im-possible.

It is obvious then, that a desktop computer is much better ergonomically than a laptop is. For prolonged use, especially, you're much better off with a desktop computer.

And Don't Forget Usability

Another aspect of ergonomics is usability. Because of size constraints, laptops also are lower on the usability scale than desktop PCs are. For one thing, laptop keyboards lack the separate groupings of the different sets of keys with space between them. For another, there are fewer keys on a laptop's keyboard, so some of them have to perform double duty. On a standard keyboard, you don't have to deal with that.

Screen Resolution

Computer monitors -- the bulky ones, anyway -- can be set at different resolutions. In other words, you can change the fineness of the image on the screen. The range is typically 640x480 -- that is 640 pixel across and 480 pixels up and down -- to 800x600, 1024x768, or even higher. At 640x480, the icons and such appear quite large; at 1024x768, they are substantially smaller. The most common resolutions today for desktop computers are 800x600

and 1024x768.

Something They Don't Tell You

Laptop displays, on the other hand, have a fixed, or native, resolution. You can change the setting, but then the images and text don't look good. While people tend to think that bigger numbers are better, a higher screen resolution may not work as well for you. It may make everything too small to see comfortably.

Remember, the laptop's screen is smaller than a desktop's. While a typical desktop computer screen is 17" or so a laptop's is usually in the range of 12" to 15." That is a big difference. Make sure you can see everything clearly before choosing a high-resolution laptop.

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Why Build Your Own Gaming Computer?

2008-03-07T09:56:00.000-08:00

The best way to get the gaming computer that you want, that will provide optimum performance is to build your own computer. If you think you do not have the technical knowledge or are not capable of building a computer you are wrong. I'm pretty certain that I could teach my mother (who has a hard time working a VCR) how to build a computer. If you can plug a sweeper into a wall outlet and use a screw driver, you too can build a computer.What The Computer Manufacturers Don't Want You to Know!Manufacturers don't want you to know how easy it is to build a computer because they make their living selling complete computers. The truth is that manufacturers focus on selling a computer with an overall low price tag to entice people to buy. They use the processor and software as the primary selling point. In most cases other than the processor and maybe the graphics card you have no idea what components they actually use. Alienware is one of the rare exceptions. They tell you for the most, part what components they are using. However, this doesn't mean that these are the best components on the market. Every manufacturer gets regular visits from sales people convincing them that they should use their products. Just because a company gives them the best deal on a power supply that allows them to increase their profit margin on the computers they sell doesn't make it the best power supply. This often leads to the use of inferior products for the sake of profit.The Advantages To Building Your Own ComputerBy building your own computer you are assured of getting the highest quality because you have painstakingly researched every component. If you've ever wondered why your store bought gaming computer with the top of the line graphics card and ultra fast CPU is still having trouble running newer games, it is likely because they stuck you with an inferior power supply, cheap motherboard, inadequate RAM, and the list goes on. In my mind it makes sense to build your own computer.Warranties and Technical SupportIf you are worried about warranties, you need not be. In most cases you can get a manufacturers warranty on every component you buy. As for technical support, I've had much better luck with getting questions answered through friendly helpful forums on the internet than I ever have from technical support lines. Not to mention you don't have to pay to sit on hold.Upgrades Are Painless And FastWhen you build your own computer upgrades are a snap. You've already put it together so switching a hard drive or changing the graphics card is extremely easy. For instance I just upgraded my graphics card. It took me longer to unplug everything from the back of my tower than it did to swap the graphics card. All in all I was up and running with the new drivers installed in about 10 minutes. If you are impatient like I am taking your machine to a store to have it upgraded just isn't worth the wait.How To Build Your Own ComputerI hope I've convinced you to build your own computer. It is a very rewarding experience. As I've said it isn't very difficult. I do however recommend that you do your research. There are several good books published on the topic such as "Build Your Own PC", by Morris Rosenthal. You can also find a great deal of information regarding building computers and computer hardware at my website Nathan Holsing is the editor of Gaming-Computers.net, a site that provides computer hardware reviews, buying guides, and tutorials on building computers.

Computer Maintenance And Improving Pc Performance

2008-03-07T09:52:00.000-08:00

Once you bring your personal computer home from the store or receive it in the mail there is no one around to offer basic personal computer maintenance tips for cleaning up and improving performance of your computer. Maintenance and cleaning up of your PC should be part of a regular routine to ensure that you don't have any long-term problems with the computer. Unfortunately most basic computer users may not understand the mechanics of a computer or may feel intimidated with the maintenance. There are really simple steps anyone can take to ensure that your computer will continue working at the level it did when you first pulled it out of the box.

One of the first files to become acquainted with on your computer is the System Tools, located under the Start Menu, then Programs, and Accessories. The System Tools houses basic maintenance tools like Disk Defragmenter, Disk Cleanup, Backup, Scheduled Tasks, and System Information and ScanDisk on some Microsoft Windows computers.

Strange that these files are located in Accessories because they really are the key to keeping your system running correctly and helping to improve performance as the computer ages.

On a regular basis you want to go to My Computer and then right click on the Local Disk (C Drive) and open up the Properties. This allows you to see how much space you are using and how much you have left to use on your computer. Under Tools in this area you can usually perform a scan of the disk. If you cannot run a disk scan from here, your Microsoft should have a disk scan available under the System Tools.

It is important to run this disk scan to determine if there are any errors or problems running on your computer and the disk scan will repair those potential problems. Some experts recommend doing a thorough disk scan the first time and then a basic disk scan up to once a week to keep your computer performing at top conditions.

After this it is important to regularly perform a disk cleanup, which is located either under Properties under the C Drive, or under System Tools. Be aware that both the disk scan and the disk cleanup can take quite a bit of time and it is best to before these maintenance tools when you will not be using the computer. Set a routine with yourself like performing the disk clean up and disk scan on Saturday night while you are watching movies with your family. After a disk cleanup, it also helps to regularly perform a disk defragmentation.

A computer hard drive will begin to fragment over time, which means that programs that once worked in conjunction have become separated over time and may not be in the proper place to work well on your computer. This can slow down processes or make using certain programs difficult. Using the disk defragmenter can pull together those pieces again and return things to working order.

Basic maintenance routines that will ensure your computer runs at peak performance start with simply getting rid of files you do not use. If you have old word documents, software programs you have not used in a long time, or pictures and music you are not using, delete them from your computer.

Remember that once you delete them, they do not automatically disappear, but instead go to the recycle bin and it

is just as important to empty the recycle bin as it is to delete old files.

Old internet files can also cause your computer to slow down. Often with a Disk Cleanup there will be an opportunity for you to get rid of temporary internet files, but you can also get rid of them on your own by going to your Temporary Internet files in Microsoft Explorer. Click on Tools then Internet Options, General Tab, Temporary Internet Files, and Delete Files. As well, take time to clean out any other temporary files you may have acquired, like downloads from the internet.

Depending on the model of your computer, the temporary files could be in different locations, but most often when you go to Disk Cleanup and scan there will be an option to get rid of temporary files as well.

A lot of maintenance and pc repair work can be automated by a software utility like the PC Bug Doctor PC Bug Doctor

One of the other helpful and easy ways to maintain your computer's performance is to always run your protection programs, use a personal firewall when accessing the computer, and always install software updates available for Microsoft and protection programs. Keeping up on regular maintenance and setting a routine for updates on the computer will ensure that your computer performs the way it was intended to when you first brought it home.

What To Know Before You Buy Computer Equipment

2008-03-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

What You Should Know Before You Buy Computer EquipmentThere are so many factors to think about when deciding which computer equipment to buy. The bewildering amount of choices can seem overwhelming. This guide will help you compare computer equipment features, and help you to examine and sift through many of the basic items before you buy a new computer. If it be a desktop PC, laptop, discount/surplus computer, a refurbished computer or a computer accessory, this quick guide will help you to get the most for your money.With modern computer equipment almost any of them will adequately handle what most people need to buy a new computer for; word processing, basic office, internet surfing and email. Which you can buy for about $1000.

or less! But if you are into digital videos, photo editing, music, or manage a large database you will need more than the basic Desktop PC or Laptop. This higher end computer will cost you around $1500-$2000.(CPU) ProcessorsThere is always change in the computer market, but no matter what the upgrades there are always two basic choices to be made when purchasing computer equipment: 1) brand 2) speed. To buy a new computer that handles standard office and Internet tasks any processor will work.Need more power in your computer equipment? Then the Intel Pentium4 or the AMD Athlon XP (great for graphics and photos which use a lot of memory space) are for you.If you buy a new computer one or two levels from the top you will only lose about five percent per tier performance but you can save a couple hundred dollars!(RAM) MemoryMemory is very important because optimum running of your computer equipment is dependent on enough RAM. The minimum amount should be 256MB, for better performance you should get 512MB. If you can afford to buy a new computer with more, you should.

It's worth it because you can keep more applications open and it will easily handle memory hogs like Photoshop and music applications! MonitorsWhen buying computer equipment look for a monitor that is at least 17" with a resolution of 1280 by 1024 pixels. A Desktop PC with a 19-inch monitor gives you 20 % more screen area. If you can spend $300-$450 on a monitor when you buy a new computer you might want to get a 15" LCD because it has the same viewable area as the 17" CRT and takes up much less space.Hard Drives (storage)Most

hard drives sold today will provide more than enough storage. The basic computer equipment comes with 40GB or larger, which is plenty for most tasks. But for working with graphics, video, music, or large databases 80GB should be the minimum you settle for.

7200-rpm drives give better performance. But for the best performance get a computer with 8MB of cache.Basic Warranty and Tech SupportA one-year warranty on most computer equipment is enough, because most problems seem to happen in the first year. If you want you can get an extended two to three year warranty for around $150. to $200. If you buy a Dell you can get priority call routing to tech support for a year for only $39..

Bonnie Archer is a successful author and publisher of http://www.A1-computers.net. A great source of information about computers and computer accessories. support@a1-computers.net

Setting-up Your New Computer: How To Move Your Old Files To Your New Computer

2008-03-07T09:12:00.001-08:00

You've got a new computer for your office. It's cleaner, better, faster and you can't wait to start to use it!However, your satisfaction of making a fresh start with a new computer is tempered by the fact that all of your "stuff" is still on your old computer. Everything that made your old computer YOUR computer: your personal settings, your business files, your company spreadsheets are still loaded on your old computer. You find yourself with a new computer that's not so great without a whole lot of the useful file information that is still stored on your old computer. How are you going to get all of that information onto your new computer? The process is called "data migration" and it can be a tedious and time-consuming task for you and your business.

Here are some suggestions to make this data migration go a little easier for you. CDs One option is to copy ("burn") everything to recordable CDs. Blank CDs are cheap, at about $1 apiece, and can hold more than 600 megabytes each. That much storage space should be enough for most small businessess to transfer old data files from one hard drive to a new. Two drawbacks to the CD method of data transfer are that: ~ It may take a while to burn each CD and ~ That you may not have a recordable CD drive on your old PC.

Recordable CD units are standard on newer PCs but if older computers have a CD unit, it was insatlled as later add-on hardware feature. Thus, depending on the age of your older computer, it may not have a recordable CD drive installed at all. To install a recordable CD drive on your older computer now, may be more of a time-consuming effort when compared with other alternatives to moving your data files. Portable Drives Iomega has a pre-packaged solution designed to bridge the gap between old and new computers. They offer a software "moving kit" for individuals who have recently bought a new computer with Microsoft's Windows XP.

The software works with Iomega Zip, Jaz and Peerless drives. It allows individuals to "pack" the files they have on their old computer onto a portable high-capacity disks and then "unpack" the same files onto your new computer. The transfer software uses Microsoft's "files & settings transfer wizard," a feature included in Windows XP. After connecting a high-capacity drive to your old computer, you need to download the transfer tool, which primes a disk to prompt you to begin the transfer process the next time it is inserted into a drive. Setting up the disk also requires a CD with the Windows XP operating system.

Keep in mind, software moving kits, have the ability to move everything. Thus, if you are not aware of what files that you are transferring, you may be transferring unneeded problem or virus files to your new computer. Link Transfers There are other options if you do not want to shuffle CDs or portable drives. With the link transfer software option your computers are linked through a serial cable or USB cable. After the software program has been installed on both of your computers (the "source" the old computer and "target" the new computer), you click through a question-and-answer wizard to describe what files you want to transfer.

And for transfers on the fly, you can drag and drop folders or files between the two panes in the program representing each computer. Some link transfer software packages that work with Microsoft's Windows are: PCsync, IntelliMover, PC Relocator, and PC Upgrade Commander. In each case, the software must be installed on both your old and new computers. The software scans your old computer hard drive, to inventory the folders, subfolder, and files and then you select the data files that you would like to transfer to your new computer. It sounds like a fairly simple way to handle your data transfer.

However, be aware: ~ Generally, these programs want to move all the contents of your old computer to your new computer. That's OK for your data files but moving the program files that run your applications may cause problems because older applications may not be supported by your new computer operating system. Transferring a Windows 95-era program to a computer preloaded with the Windows XP operating system could be a problem because many of those programs haven't been upgraded to run under Windows XP. ~ When you move the full contents of a computer system, everything

moves over, including those obscure files that had your old computer running sluggish in its final days. ~ Moving data through a USB cable isn't fast, but it is faster than data transfer through a parallel port.

Choosing a Data Migration Software Package ~ Does the software allow you to pick and choose which files are moved, or does it move EVERYTHING -- even the junk files? ~ How is the data transferred? A wireless network is faster than a USB cable, which is faster than a USB cable, which is faster than a parallel cable. Are you prepared to wait hours or even days for this transfer to take place? ~ If you're using the Internet as a holding place for your data, check your connection and upload speeds. It could take hours to move those files. ~ Consider investing in a high-capacity external hard drive, a plug-and-play device that you'll simply connect to your new computer. The drive, though more expensive, will get far more use than one-time migration software.

Getting Ready for Your Data Migration ~ Get rid of all of your old files. Fill your recycle bin on your old computer with as much as you can. There's nothing worse than bringing useless data to the new computer. ~ Make a software checklist. Is your versions of current program applications compatible with Windows XP? Look on the Web for free Windows XP upgrades to new versions of the programs you need, such as your Palm desktop software.

~ Does your new computer have preloaded software on it? Chances are good the latest Internet browser is already pre-load on your new computer and thus you do not have to transfer the older browser version. ~ Make a list of user names and passwords that are stored in files on your old computer and automatically appear when you visit Web sites. They could be lost in the move, denying you access on your new computer. Copyright .