Inkjet Cartridge Refill - How To Do It Right

Inkjet printing is the most popular printing technology for home users and small businesses. Inkjet printers are versatile, inexpensive and produce good printing quality. The price of inkjet printers has dropped considerably over the past few years but the cost of replacement ink cartridges remains extremely high.

To reduce the printing cost, consumers are looking for cheap alternatives. There are many options available, such as compatible / generic cartridges or remanufactured / refurbished cartridges. But the most economical and environmentally friendly way is to use the inkjet refill kits.

There are number of instructions to be followed at the time of refilling an inkjet cartridge. So whenever your printer ink runs dry you need to follow the below steps for inkjet cartridge refill.

1. It's very important that you handle the cartridge carefully. Avoid touching any metallic parts.
2. Always clean needles and syringe to avoid any color mixing.
3. It would always be advisable to store the cartridge in an airtight bag with a moist paper towel when not in use.
4. Refill the cartridge only when the warning light glows.
5. If you are re-filling black cartridge, then enlarge the fill hole on top of the cap with the drill provided.
6. If you are re-filing color cartridge, then you have to remove the cap first. Either hold the cap in a safe manner or carefully remove the cap with the help of a knife.
7. Put together needle and syringe and fill in the color that you want your cartridge to refill with.
8. Insert the needle into the correct fill hole straight down till the foam. If you are filling with the color ink then make sure you are inserting in the correct ink slot.
9. When you start injecting the ink into the slot, make sure that you are doing it slowly and you may have to clean the print head with a tissue.
10. When the color cartridge is completely full, ink could be seen at the fill hole, slightly remove the syringe till the ink on the fill hole vanishes.
11. The capacity of the black cartridge is about 20ml, so make sure that you don't over-fill it.
12. So you have now successfully filled the cartridge.
13. After the process of refilling is complete, re-cap the cartridge. To ensure safety, stick a tape on the top of the lid.
14. Clean the print head with a tissue or a sponge till the time it stops dripping.
15. Its time to install the cartridge back into the printer and run a cleaning cycle.
16. You should always clean the syringe and the needle that you have used with water so that it can be used again.

In general, the cartridge should be refilled before it has run out of ink. If printing continues after the ink has run dry, the cartridge's nozzle may burn out and be permanently damaged. Once the nozzle is damaged, it is impossible to reuse the cartridge. In addition, refilling the cartridge with too much ink can also cause it to overflow or uneven absorption of ink into the sponge, resulting in ink leakage and poor print output.

Inkjet Cartridges - How To Buy The Right One

There is something hard and difficult about finding the right printer cartridges for your specific needs. The good news is that you do not have to worry about where you can purchase them. You don't have to hope that the office supply store down the street or in your local mall will actually be carrying them. You will find the printer cartridges that you need right here on the web.

With the advent of information technology, more and more people are buying and using computers. This is because computers facilitate and accelerate all of the activities and transactions of most businesses.

Along with the computers, the printers are also one of the busiest tools that are being utilized by the people. Hence, with constant use, inks may start to decline. When this happens, the outcome of the printed materials will be poor. It may appear discolored and dull. That is why most experts contend that it is extremely important for most computer owners to use the right inkjet cartridges. Using the proper materials for your printer will promote better and quality prints.

In order to know which printer cartridges you need for your fax machine, your printer, your copier… you need to know several things. For most computer printers, you will be able to find out just what you need in the way of printer cartridges when they are ready to run out. A message will pop up and telling you so. In fact, it may even tell you what type you need to purchase. But, if not, you can find this out by referring to your owner's manual.

Choosing the right inkjet cartridges for your printer can be a daunting task. Hence, it is important that you know some guides when buying inkjet cartridges to ensure the quality of print output that you want to achieve.

Here is a list that you can use in buying inkjet cartridges:

1. Do not buy standard inkjet cartridges
Inkjet cartridges of this kind will only damage the “nozzles” of your printers. This is because standard inkjet cartridges may not fit the nozzles of your printer.

Generally, inkjet cartridges have their own sizes that are specifically made to fit a particular printer. Hence, using the wrong size will definitely ruin your printer's nozzles.

2. Be wary on the warranty
Most of the printers come with a warranty. However, there are some cases that might void this warranty like using inkjet cartridges that are manufactured by a different producer.

So if you want to continue using the warranty, it is best that you buy inkjet cartridges that are manufactured by the same maker of your printer.

3. Consider the price
When buying inkjet cartridges, it is best to consider the price of the items. They may vary from one shop to another. Hence, it is important to shop around and compare so as to get the best buy. Just be sure that you get the same kind of inkjet cartridge with the same manufacturer. If you cannot afford to buy original inkjet cartridges, you can opt for refills. Just try to look for quality refilling stations that will give you the same quality ink as that of the original one.

Indeed, buying inkjet cartridges could be very tricky, and yet, it is not that complicated as well. The only important thing to remember is the model, size, and the manufacturer of your printer's inkjet cartridges. Given all that, you are ready to make the best inkjet cartridge purchases.

Compatible Inkjet Cartridges - Paying Less For More

Nowadays many buyers are making use of compatible Inkjet Cartridges as they are less expensive and are easily available online. These compatible inkjet cartridges are available from the third party at a much lower price. These cartridges can be replaced by the printer ink of similar brand. Compatible Inkjet Cartridge will help you to make extra-ordinary savings with money back guarantee. As soon as the cartridge gets empty the ink that it contains begins to dry and finally clogs the nozzle. You can refill the cartridge once it reaches its wear out condition. Always remember to refill the cartridge as early as possible.

Let's consider some of these compatible inkjet cartridges

Dell Compatible Inkjet Cartridge
Dell Compatible Inkjet Cartridge is absolutely suitable for your Dell Inkjet Printer model. With Dell Compatible Inkjet Cartridge you can reduce your printer cost at a wider extent. Dell Compatible Inkjet Cartridge helps you to make extra-ordinary saving at a higher rate. Dell Compatible Inkjet Cartridge is not only beneficial to your printer but it works in an Eco-friendly manner.

Lexmark Compatible Inkjet Cartridges
Lexmark Compatible Inkjet Cartridge understands the quality of your printer and gives you best output. It works efficiently with your printer and maintains its quality. This cartridge is especially recommendable for you Lexmark printer model. There are number of online outlets that provide you variety of Lexmark Compatible Inkjet models. Purchasing Lexmark Compatible Inkjet Cartridge online can directly save your hundreds of dollars.

This product enhances professional quality to the desktop. Cartridge delivery system utilizes comparatively less water and concentrated inks in order to provide more intense colors by sharpening the text. Its ink features comparatively less paper distortion. As it is one of the best competitive brands it is rich in its qualities.

Canon Compatible Inkjet Cartridges
Canon inkjet cartridges are known for their reliability, color accuracy, and speed. They maintain printed image quality regardless of how long you use the printer. That means no blurry prints and faded images even after repeated use of canon inkjet cartridges.

Canon inkjet cartridges are probably the cheapest inkjet cartridges in the world. Easy to refill and use, they are made with the simplest design and manufacturing processes. Unlike other companies, canon inkjet cartridges do not contain chips, special modules, or printer heads that do not allow a customer to use cartridges from other manufacturers.

With Compatible Inkjet Cartridge you do not need to sacrifice the quality of your printer. It works with excellent efficiency that not only offers you quality output but it also maintains the quality of your printer for a longer period of time. Get Compatible Inkjet Cartridge for any printer that uses ink of any color.

How Inkjet Cartridges Work

The Inkjet Cartridges used in the Inkjet Printers were first introduced in 1980s to print images on papers. The Ink from the Inkjet Cartridges is emitted through the hairbreadth fine nozzles as they pass over a printing media. The cost of Inkjet Cartridges is higher than any other ink cartridges. The Inkjet Cartridges can also be refilled successfully.

The operation of Inkjet Cartridges
Inkjet printers work like a ball point pen in a way. This technology is quite less expensive, making the printer and its maintenance cheaper as well. This is probably the largest way in which the inkjet lords it over its competitor the laser. You will save a considerable amount of money purchasing an inkjet and regularly paying for the inkjet cartridges (which are still quite expensive if you ask me) than you will owning and operating the typical laser printer. This is why buy and large the inkjet has held the corner of the personal computing market for a long, long time.

The Inkjet printing is basically a non-impact process. It is very easy to visualize the operation of Inkjet Cartridges along with an inkjet printer. The Inkjet Printers with the help of Inkjet Cartridges place extremely small droplets of ink onto the printing paper through tiny hairbreadth fine nozzles to create an image. The amount of ink from the cartridges to propel onto the page is mainly determined by the printer driver software that controls when and which nozzles to shoot droplets.

The liquid ink in the cartridges has various colors which are squirted onto the printing paper. The Inkjet printers are capable of printing on a variety of printing media such as plastic film, canvas, labels or stickers. It can even print an image and put it on a T-shirt. At first the print head scans the whole page in horizontal strips. Then while the paper is rolled up in vertical steps, the page is moved from left to right and back again by using the inkjet printer's motor assembly. In this way a row or strip of the image is printed and the paper moves on for the next strip to be printed. The paper used in an inkjet printer greatly determines the quality of the image.

With the help of Inkjet Cartridges the printer can print a vertical row of pixels at a time instead of printing just a single row of pixels in each pass. The dots of ink from the Inkjet Cartridges are very small and are usually between 50 and 60 microns in diameter. These ink dots are very precisely positioned with resolutions of up to 1440 x 720 dots per inch. The ink dots emitted from the Inkjet Cartridges can also have different colour combinations to create bright and high quality photo images. A typical Inkjet Cartridge has cyan (blue), magenta (pink or red) and yellow inks in separate reservoirs. There is a problem with the inkjet cartridges that they have a tendency for the ink to smudge immediately after printing. But this problem has been overcome with the development of new ink compositions.

Quality can be measured in crispness of print, permanence of ink placement, speed of print, and ability to produce graphics and color. Inkjet cartridges printers are coming into their own however. Their prints are getting faster, more precise, and more smudge free than ever and all while maintaining that low price that everybody loves. Laser is feeling the heat and trying to respond, though moving more slowly, to these “threats.”

The one thing that laser printers still have a good hold of is the business market for multi-tasker machines. That is to say that inkjet still has not ventured into the facsimile and/or copier areas and seems to be conceding these areas. Therefore there is room to breath for the lasers over inkjet cartridges printers in this area.

Home Network - How To Set One Up

A home network is very easy to build. Most modern homes have any number of computers, printers, faxes, music systems and devices. These are increasingly being integrated so that each device can 'talk' to all the others and interact with them. While many of the possibilities are still being explored, the best place to start for the average person is with a home computer network.

Basically, if you have more than one computer in your house you can connect them, with ethernet cables or wirelessly, so that you can share your internet connection, share files and operate peripherals such as printers from any terminal.

As well as more practical advantages, having a home network is also ideal for leisure activities like gaming. As the technology advances, it is now becoming possible to hook networks up to gaming consoles, music speakers and even televisions.

However, for the purpose of this article we will just start with the basics. The two main choices when setting up a home network are a cable network or a wireless network. These are fairly self explanatory. Wireless networks are increasingly becoming the norm these days and are very handy if you have a notebook so you can connect from anywhere in the house. Wireless also has the advantages of having no cables cluttering your home. However, if you want to simply connect two desktop computers, using an ethernet cable could be a cheap and easy option if you do not have wireless.

Wireless networks are extremely inexpensive, you can hook up a few computers for less than $200. The great part of wireless networks is that all computers on the wireless network can use the same internet or other resources such as a scanning machine and printer. So if you are looking for a great way to share data and resources among your home computer, choose to build a home network.

If you don't want cords running all over the place, you can easily get rid of them with a wireless home network. Wireless home networks are extremely simple to set up. You only need a wireless router and a wireless networking card for each additional computer you would like to hook up. Most wireless networks can send and receive data lightning fast at megabytes per second.

Connecting two computers

The most basic exercise in networking is simply connecting two computers. This is very simple if you do not have an internet connection. So long as the two computers have networking interfaces you can simply connect using an ethernet cable.

However, most computers produced within the last couple of years have Wi-Fi. If so, an ad-hoc wireless network can be created between the two computers by configuring both terminals to ad-hoc mode. This is pretty simple to do in both Windows and OSX.

Similarly, if the computers have Bluetooth or infrared capabilities you can create a basic network, although transfer speeds can be slow. Of all these options, the cable network will provide the best transfer speeds. However, Wi-Fi speeds are improving all the time.

While there is only a limited amount you can do with a basic two-computer network, it is good practice if you have never set up a network before.

Setting up a network router

If you wish to incorporate an internet connection into the network, as most of us do, you will need to set up your home network with a router. This will also allow you to add more computers to the network as well as peripherals.

However, this process is a good deal more complex. Nevertheless, it is doable and is a skill that is well worth having. Once you do this once it will be will be a breeze the next time.

While cable routers are still commonly used, wireless is the way of the future so we will concentrate on wireless routers for this article. Before you start, you should have a few things to hand. Your computer and your router, of course, instructions for your wireless router, an ethernet cable, and your ISP's contact details.

Your first steps are to plug in and turn on your router, connect it to your modem and to your computer (it is best to connect your computer and router by ethernet cable for the set-up process).

Now, you can use your browser to connect to your router's built-in installation software. The urls http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1 will usually open up your router's administration page. You do not need an internet connection for this. If this doesn't work, consult the router's instructions.

Log in to the administration page using the router's provided username and password, usually 'admin' and 'admin' by default. Now you will have to enter the following information:

- Internet connection information
- You may have to input PPPoE information
- You may possibly have to change the default MAC address

If you run into difficulty here consult your ISP's instructions or contact them. They will be able to guide you through this process.

When all the information has been inputted, save it. You should be ready to go now. All going well, your computer should have received an IP address from the router. Try opening your browser to see if you can address to some websites, any websites will do.

If you can access these websites you can unplug your cable and now connect wirelessly. Any other computers, notebooks and other wireless devices should also detect the signal and connect without any problems.

You now have a fully functional wireless home network. Be aware though that your network is most likely open and accessible from any computers in range of the signal so you should take steps to secure it. There is plenty of excellent information available on the internet on how to do this.

Choosing Fiber Optic Patch Panels

When surmounting trouble rises, an optic fiber technician must choose the most suitable patch panel for a particular situation. That technician must recognize that when it comes to easy installation, proper termination and long term maintenance, not all patch panels are created equally. Optic fiber is robust and therefore deserves some special treatment. For example: if a horizontal copper cable is damaged, one user will be affected. If a backbone fiber goes down, it can take a lot of users down with it. This is why using fully enclosed connecting hardware for optic fiber is crucial. This is where the technician must choose between using wall-mounted or rack-mounted hardware. The optic fiber density required will most likely influence the technicians choice between the wall-mounted and rack-mounted connectivity. Many technicians will choose to use fiber patch cables. Trust your technician to know what's best.

Wall-mounted enclosures are suitable for up to 24 optic fibers, although with small form factors and high density connectors, can extend the fiber optic cable count to as many as 144. Wall-mount enclosures also offer the benefit of reduced floor space requirements. Rack-mounted optic fiber enclosures can be used with higher fabric counts or depending on the proximity to communications equipment, where rack-mounted optic fiber enclosures are preferable. 1U enclosures can handle up to 24 optic fiber cables with ST or SC connectors, or up to 48 optic fibers by using small form factor connectors. For extra protection, 2U to 4U enclosures can be used to handle up to 144 optic fiber connections.

A 12 fiber MPO connector can speed installation time and increase the concentration of connection hardware. The factory terminated and tested cassettes take care of breaking out the optic fibers from the MPO connectors to ST, SC, or MT-RJ connectors. The MPO cassettes can double the concentration that are possible in rack-mount enclosures - up to 72 optic fibers in a 1U enclosure and 288 optic fibers in a 4U enclosure - making these optic fibers perfectly fit to meet high density applications, such as data center's and storage area networks.

Accessibility is a concern for long term maintenance when choosing a rack-mount enclosure. The 1U enclosures may have a an access panel to reach the rear optic fibers, while larger enclosures may have a removable rear cover with adequate room inside to make changes or perform repairs. Strain relief and loop management for incoming cables must be provided, nonetheless management devices should be small enough as to not interfere with access to the optic fibers. Cable management for patch cords should be provided on the front of the enclosure with clear front covers and labeling arranged to ease moves, adds and changes and by ensuring that port identification is not obscured by patch cords.

Since copper patch panels need to be strong enough not to flex too much as the cables are punched down. The rolled edges on the panel sheet metal stock help to make the panels rigid. Copper patch panels should provide 24 ports in a 1U height or 48 ports in a 2U height. It's very important to make sure that the modular jacks and circuit traces on the panels are protected from debris that can short out circuits. All cable management systems must be easy to use and maintain to avoid any potential problems.

Fiber Patch Cables

Fiber patch cables are the backbone of the fiber optics industry. These fiber patch cables are strands of optically pure glass as thin as human hair. These cables carry information via mode of transmission of light. Short patch leads usually made with stranded wire are flexible patch cables. The fiber patch cables are used to plug one piece of equipment into another.

They have various uses in all kinds of industries. Fiber patch cables are used in medical imaging, mechanical engineering, LAN applications, cable TV networks, telephone lines, etc. Fiber patch cables have revolutionized the total network industry of telephones, cable, internet, audio applications, etc. The fiber patch cables offer accurate signal transfer which is totally distortion free. Thus due to these cables the audio or video transmission is completely distortion free and crystal clear. Since these fiber patch cables use light as a mode of transmission there is no hazard of electric interferences or any tampering.

Fiber patch cables are used to two nearby components with fiber connectors. Fiber patch cables come with their respective connectors. They can be an ideal and easy replacement of copper cables because they use the same RJ45 connector as copper patch cables.

Fiber patch cables are available in simplex, duplex, multimode, single mode with STST, STSC, SCSC connectors. Fiber patch cables are of two prominent types - single mode and multimode. Single mode fiber patch cables are used in long-distance high capacity voice applications like telephone transmission or long distance gigabit networking. These fiber patch cables can use 9/125 micron bulk fiber cables and connectors at both ends.

Multimode fiber patch cables are used in computer industry which is standard for data applications like local area network, wide area network, etc. Fiber patch cables in multimode are available in 50µm and 62.5µm. SC, ST, LC, FC, MT-RJ, E2000 and MU connectors have polished ceramic ferrules for precision and durability. The SC and LC duplex fiber patch cables come equipped with a clip to maintain polarity.

ST to ST fiber patch cable gives unlimited bandwidth at high speeds over long distances. These fiber patch cables are ideal for connections between fiber patch panels, hubs, switches, media converters and routers, etc. Fiber patch cables provide higher speeds and increased bandwidth, compared to conventional twisted-pair copper cable. These fiber patch cables are compatible with all standard fiber optic equipment and connectors. Ceramic connectors of these fiber patch cables ensure low signal loss and high reliability along with total immunity to electrical and electromagnetic interference.

Fiber patch cables are the most opted solution these days for the networking and broadcasting industry.

Fiber Optics Technology

The Principle of fiber optics is based on transmission of data by means of light. Concept of fiber optics was first conceived by Claude Chappe in 1790's. His idea for fiber optics was based on an optical telegraph concept invented by Graham Bell also tried the means to send information by the atmosphere but did not succeed. Finally, fiber optics emerged with the onset of new era based on the principle of total internal reflection which is a distinct quality of light rays.

Fiber optics emerged and grew into more advanced phase due to requirement from radio and telephone engineers. These engineers required more bandwidth for data transmission. Thus these engineers had been looking out for a medium to transmit data in more reliable and faster form rather than copper cables. They also wanted to avoid the hazards of electric shocks and interference which were a constant problem of copper cables.

Fiber optics attracted some attention because they were analogous in theory to plastic dielectric waveguides used in certain microwave applications. Finally a technology evolved that used glass or plastic threads to transmit data. Cables involved in fiber optics contain several bundles of glass threads which are capable of transmitting data in modulated form.

Understanding how fiber optics are made and function for uses in everyday life is an intriguing work of art combined with science. Fiber optics has been fabricated from materials that transmit light and are made from a bundle of very thin glass or plastic fibers enclosed in a tube. One end is at a source of light and the other end is a camera lens, used to channel light and images around the bends and corners. Fiber optics have a highly transparent core of glass, or plastic encircled by a covering called "cladding". Light is stimulated through a source on one end of the fiber optic and as the light travels through the tube, the cladding is there to keep it all inside. A bundle of fiber optics may be bent or twisted without distorting the image, as the cladding is designed to reflect these lighting images from inside the surface. This fiber optic light source can carry light over mass distances, ranging from a few inches to over 100 miles.

With the onset of fiber optics and fiber optic cables data started to transfer faster as fiber optic cables have greater bandwidth than metal cables and are more resistant to external interference. Lighter and thinner fiber optic cables readily transfer data in digital form rather than analogue form. This technology is most useful in computer industry which now forms an integral part of telephone, radio and television industry.

There are two kinds of fiber optics. The single-mode fiber optic is used for high speed and long distance transmissions because they have extremely tiny cores and they accept light only along the axis of the fibers. Tiny lasers send light directly into the fiber optic where there are low-loss connectors used to join the fibers within the system without substantially degrading the light signal. Then there are multi-mode which have much larger cores and accept light from a variety of angles and can use more types of light sources. Multi-mode fiber optics also use less expensive connectors, but they cannot be used over long distances as with the single-mode fiber optics.

Fiber optics have a large variety of uses. Most common and widely used in communication systems, fiber optic communication systems have a variety of features that make it superior to the systems that use the traditional copper cables. The use of fiber optics with these systems use a larger information-carrying capacity where they are not hassled with electrical interference and require fewer amplifiers then the copper cable systems. Fiber optic communication systems are installed in large networks of fiber optic bundles all around the world and even under the oceans. Many fiber optic testers are available to provide you with the best fiber optic equipment.

In fiber optic communication systems, lasers are used to transmit messages in numeric code by flashing on and off at high speeds. This code can constitute a voice or an electronic file containing, text, numbers, or illustrations, all by using fiber optics. The light from many lasers are added together onto a single fiber optic enabling thousands of currents of data to pass through a single fiber optic cable at one time. This data will travel through the fiber optics and into interpreting devices to convert the messages back into the form of its original signals. Industries also use fiber optics to measure temperatures, pressure, acceleration and voltage, among an assortment of other uses.

Fiber optics yield distortion free data transmission in digital form. The audio waves transmitted via principle of fiber optics deliver accurate signal transfer. Fiber optics is also useful in automotive and transportation industry. Traffic lights, organized and scrutinized highway traffic control, automated toll booths, etc. are some of the benefits of application of fiber options in the transportation mechanism.

Telecommunications applications of fiber optics use flexible low-loss fibers, using a single fiber per optical path. Along with the communication industry fiber optics plays an important role in medical and industrial applications also. Many medical appliances like endoscope use the principle of fiber optics. Industrial applications viz. in television industry use the principle of fiber optics to obtain flattened images in cathode ray tubes.

Cable TV companies and Internet Service Providers equivocally find fiber optics indispensable in their industry. Fiber optics provides tamper free, high bandwidth and larger data carrying capacity to the service providers. This eventually leads to better consumer satisfaction.

Unlike copper wire system fiber optics do not use and electrical form to carry data. The use of light gives a competitive edge to fiber optics over regular data transmission options. But eventually use of fiber optics is very expensive as compared to copper cabling system.

Data-Recovery Basics

Data recovery is something we hope that we will never need. Whether you simply make the mistake of deleting important software or you lose it all in a computer crash, that valuable asset of information may seem like it is lost forever. But, if you have complete and quality data-recovery software on your computer or through your system, you can be confident that it has a backup and it is there even though these things will happen to you. This can be so important when it comes to safeguarding your business or your personal information.

What people do not realize is that there are a number of ways that things can go wrong on their computers. Whether you are responsible for the computers of a large corporation, a small business or even just your own personal computer, having a way to restore information when things go wrong is quite important. Here are some things that could happen to you, well, anytime, even right now. Your computer could be running slowly or be loaded with powerful spyware that can destroy files, transmit personal data or, even worse, cause the computer to crash. All of a sudden, it's gone. Or, you could be working along nicely without a care in the world and bam! A power surge, an electric storm or something else electrical happens and it's all gone.

There are many more ways in which you can lose all of the personal data that is stored on your computer. You don't even have to have the programs running to lose it. Nevertheless, many people mistakenly believe this will not happen to them and therefore do not do anything to prevent this total loss. Data recovery is necessary for this not to happen. The strange thing is, it takes only minutes to install and use and it virtually and it takes care of itself. It is not overly costly either. So, why don't more people use data recovery? They just don't realize its importance. And that is one mistake we don't want to make. Data recovery is a need all computer users have.

Mac Data Recovery

HPS and HFS+ are the Apple Macintosh systems for referencing stored data and hard drives. HFS and HFS+ data recovery methods are uniquely adept for Apple and are not to be confused with NTFS and “fat file” systems, used by Microsoft.

So what are some examples of errors that might require data recovery for Mac's?

- Unreadable disks
- General disk errors
- No Volume (or Volume that isn't HFS)
- An uninstalled drive
- Computer cannot find the directory
- Internal file system errors
- Flawed master directory block
- Non-Macintosh disks
- Improper file names
- Segment Loader Error

If you use a Mac, whether for business or pleasure, you must protect your valuable data from hackers, viruses, human error, power surges, hard drive failures, and other unexpected problems. The most essential step to keeping your data safe is to back up files regularly - you should always be prepared for the worst-case scenario. Files, databases, emails, spreadsheets, and all other important data can be easily salvaged if this step is taken.

Mac's and PC's both offer limited solutions for data loss. Mac's are especially susceptible to data loss! But with data recovery, all bets are on.

When encountering data recovery problems, don't try and fix the problem alone. A hard drive is complicated and repair requires special tools, a clean room environment, and expert technological know-how. If you attempt to take on this task by yourself, not only may you be unable to retrieve the data, but you may also incur further damage on the drive. That is alright because data recovery assistance and service is only a call away. Skilled technicians can evaluate the lost data and instruct you on how to solve the problem. But don't expect the job to be done in one day. This kind of repair is challenging; it can take almost a week before your data is recovered.

Data Recovery - Why You Need An Expert

If you are a regular user of a personal computer or a laptop -- for professional or personal reasons -- you understand that a true calamity in regard to your computer is the loss of valuable data. In this regard, it is important for you to have access to a qualified and skilled data recovery expert. Indeed, you are best served if you have identified a qualified data recovery expert in advance of ever actually having a problem to make certain that you have someone you can turn to in the time of an emergency.

In nearly any city of town of any size nearly anywhere in the world today you will be able to find people who are in the business of providing data recovery services. In addition, there are many data recovery service providers now in operation and in business on the Internet and World Wide Web.

The challenge, of course, is finding just the right data recovery expert who can best meet your needs in time of a data loss crisis. Because of the value of the data that you maintain on your personal computer or laptop, it is absolutely crucial that you obtain the services of the best qualified and most capable data recovery expert in your time of need.

The first step that you should take in looking for a qualified, reliable and reputable data recovery service is to ask around. Word of mouth can be one of the best ways in which you can find out about a potential data recovery service provider. Find out who your colleagues utilize in regard to data recovery services.

It is very important for you to understand how a particular data recovery service operates and functions in a time of need. You definitely will want a data recovery service that responds quickly, that acts professionally and that has the skill and experience necessary to resolve typical data recovery emergencies.

Once you obtain some recommendations from friends, you might want to do a bit more research on what is available in your neck of the woods in regard to data recovery services. The Internet can be a helpful tool for identifying different data recovery that are in operation in and around your community.

Through word of mouth and your own research, you can then develop your own list of potential data recovery service providers. As you develop this list, you can then make appointments to meet with different data recovery service providers to determine if they have services that may be of assistance to you should you ever be facing a data recovery emergency.

In the end, by taking your time and doing your homework in advance of a data recovery emergency, you will be in a position to have on board the best possible data recovery service provider to assist you in your time of need. By being prepared, you will be able to quickly and effectively respond to a data recovery emergency.

How To Make Basic Internet Explorer Options

Most people get their computer with Internet Explorer already installed and set to all the default settings. The default settings are what Microsoft calls “recommended settings”. These settings are not always the best for your usage. One size does not always fit all. But how do you change the settings and what do they all mean?

This article takes you step by step through these settings to explain them to you. Open a new browser window before you start, so you can follow these steps as you read the article. At the top of your new browser window, click on “tools” then “Internet Options”.

The first tab you will see is the “general” tab. The very first option you have is where to set your home page. Pick a website that you want your browser to open to every time you go online. If you have a favorite search engine, put it there. If you have a home page enter that. Hit apply when you have done this and that will be your home page from now on. Anytime you hit the home button at the top of your browser it will automatically go to that page.

The next option you have is to “delete cookies”. There is a lot said about how to manage cookies and what they are for on the Internet. But for the purposes of this article I will just tell you that cookies store information like websites where you want to be automatically logged in rather than having to type in a username and password every time. There are other cookie uses and hopefully I will have time to write about that in another article. If you delete the cookies, you will have to login to websites you use often and it won't remember your username etc.

The next button says “delete files”. These are the temporary files Internet Explorer stores on your hard drive so if you go back to them they will load faster because the images and other files are already downloaded. Later we will get to another area with a setting that will help you manage this. You can go ahead and delete these files if you want to and every now and then you should.

The next button is called “settings”. Click on that button now. It says, “Check for newer versions of stored pages... “ then gives you several options. Clicking “every visit to the page” will cause pages to load slower because rather than going into the temporary Internet files for cached files, it queries the server for the newest version of any files on that page.

“Every time I open Internet Explorer” means that the first time you visit that website, “this session”, it will check for a newer version of the page. After that, it will refer to the cached page on your hard drive. “Automatically” means you let Internet Explorer manage this for you and that is the recommended setting. “Never” means it will always use the cached version on your hard drive rather than check for newer versions.

Either auto or never is recommended because if you want to check for newer versions of a page all you have to do is push shift and hit the refresh button on your browser tool bar.

The next option in settings is how much space to allow for temporary Internet files. Five to Twenty megabytes is plenty. Internet Explorer tends to override your choice here anyway.

The next button is “move folder”. Don't click that. Back away slowly and do not touch that button. It sends nuclear missiles at several minor countries. Seriously, moving the location of your temporary Internet files is not a good idea. The next button, “view files” is pretty boring stuff and you don't need to do anything here. The same can be said for “view objects”. Those three can all be left alone.

Go ahead and click ok so we can go back to the general tab. You will see the next option is about computer history. Now this is a personal choice. You know how links you have clicked on before are a different color than those that you have not clicked on? Well history remembers that for you so you know which pages you have or have not visited. It also records the history of all the websites you or anyone else on your computer has visited. In your address bar, the drop down arrow that shows you all the websites you have been to is put there by the “history” option. It is also used if you have auto-complete enabled for web addresses you are typing into your address bar.

You can set this for the number of days you want to save history for. If you have kids, you can access these files to see where they are going on the Internet as well. If you are using a computer at work you might want to set this to 1 day. To the right of where you enter the number of days is the button to erase history now. Computer experts can still find your history. This is not absolute.

Next button is “colors”. The best setting is “use windows colors, but experiment if you want to. Next button is “fonts” and if you click on that, it's pretty self-explanatory. This is not where you choose font size. That is in the “view” part of your browser rather than the “tools” area we are in now. “Languages” is also self-explanatory. “Accessibility” is where you can alter settings if you have special needs.

Ok, now let's move on to the “Security” tab. “Medium” is the best setting for most users and probably is already set there. Be careful when changing security options that you do not understand. Click “custom level”. Scroll through. If there are things you are absolutely sure about and want to change, then do so. But if you are not sure, don't change it.

You will see that when we first came to the tab the “Internet” icon was selected in the window at the top. You can also click on “Local Internet” and do the same for your settings there. This is for your local network if you have one. The next icons are, “trusted sites” and “restricted sites”. You can add websites to either area that you wish to allow or disallow no matter what other settings are on your computer. This is one way to block your child from visiting a particular website.

Go to the next tab at the top called “privacy”. Now this is another area where you need to be careful and understand what you are changing before doing so. This is probably already set to “medium” which is fine for most users. The “import” button probably doesn't apply to you. Click the “advanced” button. Everything here is probably grayed out except the option to check override cookie handling.

Automatic settings mean that you accept both first party and third party cookies. That means you accept cookies from the website you are visiting and from any other websites that the website you are visiting has chosen to set cookies on your hard drive like their advertisers or others who want to track user's habits.

Click ‘override automatic cookie handling”, then check “block” for the third party cookies and you will block some spyware or adware being placed on your system. If you want to block cookies from a particular website or you want to only allow cookies from specific websites, this is where you add those websites.

Next, we go to the “Content” tab. Again, this is an area that you need to know what you are changing before you change anything. You can click “enable” for content advisor. The first slider bar can be changed to block different types of content. First you can start with types of language you wish to block, then nudity, sex, and violence by clicking the icons in the window and using the slider bar. The “more info” button will help you understand this more.

The “approved sites” tab at the top will let you enter websites that you want to access regardless of the settings you just made with the slider bar. On the “general” tab, you should click allow websites that have no rating because not all websites are rated. You can also check the box that says a supervisor, you, can use a password to access restricted websites.

If you share your computer with your children, this is an option where you can visit restricted websites but they cannot. Be careful when setting this password. If you forget it, you will not be able to make changes to these settings later. If you lose this password, you have to know how to go into the registry to get it removed. Unless you know about rating systems, you don't need to worry about the two buttons at the bottom of this tab or the “advanced tab”.

Click ok to make any changes you made and to enter a password if you decided you wanted one. If you understand about “certificates” and “publishers” then you don't need my help here. If you don't understand them, leave those buttons alone.

Click the “autocomplete” button. This is pretty easy to understand. Autocomplete works to help you not have to type the same information on forms and in your Internet Explorer address bar. You can also clear any previous information here. Click prompt me to save passwords and it will ask you each time you enter a password if you want Internet Explorer to remember your password for this website so you don't have to type it in every time. It is recommended you allow it to remember banking and financial passwords.

“My Profile” is where you can enter information about yourself and use that whenever asked for your profile on a website or it can be automatically accessed by some applications saving you time.

Now, click the “connections” tab. If you are currently connected to the web and reading this article, then it is safe to assume your settings here are correct and you should leave them alone.

Click the “programs” tab at the top. There are drop down menus to help you set the default program for each of the tasks. This is a personal choice that will let you set your default web browser, html editor, and email program.

Now we reach the “advanced” tab at the top. Scary hunh? No, this area is mostly personal choices and your choices don't have near the serious consequences of your settings in “content”, “privacy”, and “security”.

Most of the choices should be left where they are as the default settings. Do not check notification for EVERY script error unless you want to be annoyed a lot. Not every script in every webpage is error-free and there will be a lot of popups about them if you check that box.

Notify me when downloads complete if checked will give you a sound when a download is done. Underline links is a personal choice. The next ones again are a choice of whether you want to use Autocomplete.

You can scroll through the rest of the choices and change the ones you understand. Likely if you don't understand an option you don't need to change it anyway. I hope this article has been helpful to you and has helped you personalize your settings rather than have Bill Gates do it for you.

The Extranet - How Advertising Agencies Can Choose

An extranet is an extension of your company's internal network that allows outside users to provide and access information in a secure environment. Like an intranet, it is web browser based, making information available on any computer without any special equipment. However, an extranet does require extensive security and may need special software to provide user authentication and to encrypt data.

Extranets are used to extend your business applications to suppliers, clients, vendors, customers or other businesses. They make sharing data simpler and more cost effective. Extranets have even allowed companies to save money from an unexpected source -- allowing employees to telecommute. As a result, a company can save on the cost of maintaining on-premises offices and equipment for these employees.

Some uses of extranets include:

Supporting day-to-day collaboration by service companies who need to share and organize documents with their clients

- Exchanging billing invoices and payments through Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
- Sharing online catalogs with suppliers, vendors and customers to eliminate printing costs
- Entering into joint ventures with other businesses
- Collaborating with other companies to develop training materials
- Providing online services to customers

One of the best known extranets in the word is the UPS package tracking system. Most people don't realize that they are using an extranet to track their packages, but they are. The customer, whether business or individual, logs in to the UPS network over the internet to see where their package is and when it will be delivered.

How to choose an Extranet
As with all ad agency software, when choosing an extranet there are a variety of choices, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Here are some questions to ask yourself as you examine the alternatives:

1. Does it support the way you work now? If you have to change the way you work, it's possible that your staff will be reluctant to use it. The extranet design should allow you to move forward without upsetting the way you and your clients currently work together.

2. Will your staff and client want to use it? The more complex the extranet, the less it will be used. Consider carefully the features that you really need, and choose an extranet that offers only those features. That will assure that it's easy to learn, and easy to use.

3. Does it have the tools your agency needs? Make sure that the extranet supports all the applications used in agency/client collaboration. For instance, assure that it will stream audio and video. And look for tools that allow you to create folder structures that mimic your current approach to communicating, filing work, etc.

4. Today, clients have less and less time. Projects are moving faster and faster, and there is less administrative support available to both client and agency.

An extranet addresses these issues directly, and offers the advantage of having all pertinent information available 24/7 from literally anyplace on the globe, within a highly secure environment. Ultimately, the case for an extranet is driven by everyone's desire to be more efficient and effective, with less frustration and aggravation.

Like intranets, large companies have been using extranets for years. The need for special software, firewalls, and trained personnel put them beyond the means of smaller businesses. However, like intranets, extranets can be purchased from application service providers who will host and maintain the extranet software and "rent" access at a cost substantially lower than implementing and maintaining an internal system.

How To Get Rid Of Adware

Adware is one of many "malwares" or malicious software programs that are unknowingly installed on your computer when you visit online sites and download freebies. When you use share files or visit sites with free downloads of wallpaper, videos, or music, some of these sites will send along adware software with your download.

Although it is much less a threat to your computer and information than spyware is, what adware will do is cause pop up banners and advertisements to appear on your computer. These advertisements are displayed on your computer no matter what program you might be using. What the people who place this type of nuisance software on you computer say is that adware advertising helps them to recover costs and allows them to offer you those freebies you want.

When adware doesn't want to sneak in through an open window, it will try to trick you into letting it in through the front door. Don't think you could be tricked? Don't be so sure until you've checked out these most common ways people have been tricked into allowing malware to be installed on their machines.


Adware Installation Trick 1: Piggybacking

How it works: malware may come bundled with a legitimate piece of software the user actually wants, such as a game or emoticon. The malware is merely labeled "companion software," without any indication of what it will do.

How to fight it: the fact that adware so often comes bundled with "entertainment" software, most notably the file-swapping program Kazaa, is a very good reason to separate business from personal when it comes to computing. But adware can sometimes comes bundled with non-entertainment software, such as search tools or cracks of legitimate business software. Be very suspicious of any software that comes bundled with other software.

Don't install software that comes bundled with other software unless you know everything that the bundled software does. After all, if the bundled program has anything to do with the program you actually want, why couldn't the software developer just get both programs' functionalities into a single piece of software? Software developers are now very sensitive to malware concerns and will provide a lengthy explanation of just why the bundled software is necessary, in the cases when they actually do need to use bundled software.


Adware Installation Trick 2: Bait and Switch

How it works: since people are getting more and more suspicious of bundled software, the program's developers may simply label it as valuable software, for instance, a browser plugin that supposedly accelerates web browsing (but in reality only shows ads).

How to fight it: again, a suspicious mind is useful in avoiding malware. Ask yourself some questions:

- What will this software actually do? Adware and adware-bundled software often come with very fuzzy claims attached. Sure, it says it will improve your browsing experience, but how? Often, this improved browsing experience just means a browsing experience with more advertising.

- If the software is so great, why is it being given away free? Most commonly, software is only given out free in two cases: if it's OpenSource (designed by a community of developers and not proprietary-OpenSource software is always clearly labeled as such); or simply a come-on for a fuller-featured version of the software. If neither case is true, there's a real chance the software is financed by adware.


Adware Installation Trick 3: Outright Lying

How it works: adware may even be labeled as something else entirely, such as a well-known piece of software or a crucial component of the computer operating system.

How to fight it: this is the trickiest adware of all, and requires extreme caution. You don't want to start deleting any of your program files, much less your system registry entries, unless you're absolutely sure it's malware. Plenty of overzealous parasite hunters have shot their own machines to bits this way. This is one case where you want to be using an anti-spyware program, and preferably a second anti-spyware program to provide a second opinion.

Getting Rid of Adware
Adware is so tricky that trying to uninstall it by yourself could be like a trip into the Matrix. Luckily, there are good anti-spyware programs that tackle adware as well-after all many adware programs are also spyware since they monitor your internet usage.

True, it may feel like adding insult to injury to have to install more software to get rid of software you never meant to install in the first place. But keeping your computer free of adware is just one new cost of doing business.

What you want to do to stop adware from appearing on your computer is to first run an anti-adware program. Run this program on demand regularly. Along with an anti-adware software program run your regular computer virus scan on demand also.

Also, always check the security level on your computer. Your security level setting should be at least medium to help protect you from unwanted downloads.

Do not download free files from the internet. When downloading any software read the end-user license agreement. Some of these agreements will state that when you download their software you are also agreeing to accept a downloaded spyware that may be placed on your computer at the same time. Be aware of threats to your computer, and your personal information.

Making Sure Your Wireless Home Network Is Secure

Wireless home networking is a system that allows you to network or connect more than one device in your home together, without wires, to share their resources. These can be desktop or laptop computers, cellular phones, Global Positioning Systems (GPS), printers and any other Wi-Fi enabled devices. Wireless home networks and home computer networking offer fast wireless connectivity, usually as fast as traditional ethernet. The innovative wireless networking products available make this connection a reality.

Wireless home networks are better than ever. The emergence of new industry standards has made them easier, more convenient, less expensive to own and operate. Wireless home networks provide all the functionality of wireline networks without the physical constraints of the wire itself. They generally revolve around either IR or radio transmissions within your home.

However, as more and more people make the switch from wireless networks to secure networks in their homes, there are a whole new range of security issues to be aware of. Too often people set up their wireless network and forget about the security implications. This can be a serious oversight as people can easily access your personal information and is a common cause of fraud. In this article you are advised on some of the steps you can take to make sure your wireless network is secure.

Almost all computers with recent operating system and wireless capabilities will have the option to turn on a built in firewall. If you are using an older operating system you may want to install a third party firewall. Although this alone will not stop third parties from accessing your network, it will act to secure each computer on the network from unwanted network requests.

Creating secure user accounts is also advisable. Weak username/password combinations are exploitable should a hacker try to gain access to your networked computer via your wireless network. Stronger passwords will generally contain mixed case alphanumeric characters. You can easily find advice on writing secure passwords on the internet.

Most wireless routers allow you to access their configuration with your web browser. Be sure to change the default username and password that allows you to administrate your router to prevent unwanted access. If you do not, almost anyone could breach your network.

In addition, every network capable computer will have at least one MAC address that identifies it on your network. Granting access to your wireless network based on MAC addresses will filter out unwanted users and network capable devices. It is not foolproof, but it will discourage most would-be hackers.

Wireless routers also broadcast an SSID which is basically a name of the network that appears when a computer picks up its signal. By default, this will usually be the name of the manufacturer of your wireless router. Many companies identify their networks using the SSID and it can be a handy way to identify Wi-Fi hotspots when you are out and about. However, for the sake of your home network it is not really necessary so it is a good idea to stop broadcasting it entirely.

It should also be possible to encrypt the data that is sent between computers on your wireless network. However, you must ensure that all computers have the same encryption settings.

One of the main reasons that wireless home networks can have security issues is because the signal can often reach beyond the boundaries of your home. One major financial institution recently lost millions of credit card records because it did not have its wireless system properly secured.

Another method that is commonly used to secure wireless networks is static IP addressing. IP addresses are often assigned automatically on wireless networks. However, networks are much more secure if the IP addresses of all computers on a network are set by hand. This is not foolproof but will keep out casual hackers.

If possible, place your wireless router in a part of your house or apartment where the signal will not travel too far beyond the boundaries of your home. If your home overlooks a street, do not put your router too close to this part of your home. In addition, if you are going on vacation or are going to be away for an extended period of time you should turn your router off while you are gone.

Even if you do not have a wireless network in you own home, it is important to know how to keep your notebook secure when you are out and about. You should make sure that your notebook does not auto-connect to other wireless networks. By default, both Windows and Mac OSX will display a warning before connecting to unknown networks and both will allow you to identify which networks you trust for automatic connection. When you are connecting to outside networks that you do not know, make sure that your firewall is turned on.

Too many people overlook the importance of securing their wireless networks. The steps outlined above should not take long to implement. While they may not guarantee 100% security, they are likely to deter any would-be hackers.

These are just some of the steps you can take to make your home wireless network more secure. There are millions of networks out there that are very poorly protected so if you take the time to put even a few of these safeguards in place you will most likely deter any would-be hackers.

How To Upgrade To Microsoft Windows Vista

Windows Vista is the next major operating system release from Microsoft. This highly anticipated release not only has many new and exciting features but Microsoft have also improved the graphical user interface and given it a new visual style. Windows Vista, which is due to be released to the business sector in November this year, sports hundreds of new features, many of which are designed for use within the business environment.

Windows Vista brings many benefits to small, medium and large organizations. New features such as “Desktop Search” and the “Windows Explorer” improvements make finding and using information easier and quicker than ever before. It is stated that over 30% of an employee's day is spent trying to find information - these new tools will help to reduce that figure and increase productivity within your company.

Upgrading To Microsoft Windows Vista Tips

The traditional annual days of giving are at hand. Some people will want to upgrade (if it can be called that) to Windows Vista.

Here are some tips to help keep you out of trouble.

Recommended minimum hardware requirements for Windows Vista
Windows Vista Home Basic
- 800-megahertz (MHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 800-MHz 64-bit (x64) processor
- 512 megabytes (MB) of system memory

Note On system configurations that use system memory as graphics memory, at least 448 MB of system memory must be available to the operating system after some memory is allocated for graphics.
- DirectX 9-class graphics card
- 32 MB of graphics memory
- 20-gigabyte (GB) hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space
- Internal or external DVD drive
- Internet access capability

Audio output capability

Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, and Windows Vista Ultimate

1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) processor or 1-GHz 64-bit (x64) processor
1 GB of system memory
Windows Aero-capable graphics card
Note This includes a DirectX 9-class graphics card that supports the following:
- A WDDM driver
- Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware
- 32 bits per pixel
128 MB of graphics memory (minimum)
40-GB hard disk that has 15 GB of free hard disk space (the 15GB of free space provides room for temporary file storage during the install or upgrade.)
Internal or external DVD drive
Internet access capability
Audio output capability

Note A Windows Aero-capable graphics card is a graphics card that meets the following requirements:
- Supports a Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver
- Has a DirectX 9-class graphics processor unit (GPU) that supports Pixel Shader 2.0
- Supports 32 bits per pixel
- Passes the Windows Aero acceptance test in the Windows Driver Kit (WDK)

Operating system requirements to upgrade to Windows Vista

There is a table which outlines the upgrade options mapped to the different Windows Vista editions listed below:

Home Basic
Home Premium
Business
Ultimate

Upgrading from the OS listed below:
- Windows XP Professional

- Windows XP Home

- Windows XP Media Center

- Windows XP Tablet PC

- Windows XP Professional x64
- Windows 2000

If you are currently using Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional x64, you are eligible for an upgrade copy to a corresponding or better edition of Windows Vista, but a clean install is required.

Upgrade copies are not available for versions of Windows earlier than Windows 2000. These earlier versions of Windows require you to install a full copy of Windows Vista.

If the edition of Windows Vista that you choose to install will result in a loss of functionality over your current edition of Windows, you will need to do a clean install, or install Windows Vista to a new partition on your PC.

Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor

Before you begin
Before you run the Upgrade Advisor, be sure to plug in any USB devices or other devices such as printers, external hard drives, or scanners that are regularly used with the PC you're evaluating.

Download Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor

When you are ready to upgrade, check out these special offers from Microsoft partners. The Upgrade Advisor works with 32-bit versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista. Review the upgrade options available for earlier versions of Windows. Make sure your computer is ready for the edition of Windows Vista you want. The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor will help you to determine if your Windows XP-based PC can run Windows Vista. You can also use the Upgrade Advisor to determine if your Windows Vista-based PC is ready for an upgrade to a more powerful edition of Windows Vista.

This small software tool will scan your computer and create an easy-to-understand report of all known system, device, and program compatibility issues, and recommend ways to resolve them. Upgrade Advisor can also help you to choose the edition of Windows Vista that best fits the way you want to use your computer. Just download, install, and run the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor.

Please note that the Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor works with 32-bit versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista, except Windows Vista Enterprise edition. It will not work with other editions of Windows. The Windows Vista Upgrade Advisor does not collect or send any personal, identifiable data to Microsoft Corporation or third parties.

Upgrade procedure

To upgrade your computer to Windows Vista, follow these steps:
1.Start the computer by using the current operating system. Verify that the Microsoft Windows operating system that is currently installed on the computer is eligible for upgrade to Windows Vista.

2.Insert the Windows Vista DVD in the computer's DVD drive.

3.Use one of the following procedures, as appropriate:

If Windows automatically detects the DVD, the Install now screen appears. Click Install now.

If Windows does not automatically detect the DVD, follow these steps:
a. Click Start, click Run, type Drive:\setup.exe, and then click OK.

Note Drive is the drive letter of the computer's DVD drive.

b. Click Install now.

4.When you reach the Which type of installation to you want? screen, click Upgrade to upgrade the current operating system to Windows Vista.
The Upgrade option is unavailable, and you receive an "Upgrade has been disabled" message

When you try to upgrade to Windows Vista, the Upgrade option is unavailable.

Additionally, you receive the following message:

Upgrade has been disabled
This issue may occur if one of the following conditions is true:
- The operating system that is currently installed on the computer is not supported in the upgrade path to Windows Vista.

- You did not start the computer by using the current operating system. Instead, you started the computer from the Windows Vista DVD. To resolve this issue, start the computer by using the current operating system, and then run the Setup program from the current operating system.

- The operating system is installed to a partition that uses the FAT32 file system. To resolve this issue, convert the file system on the partition to use the NTFS file system. For more information about how to resolve this issue, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 307881 ( http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307881/ ) How to convert a FAT16 volume or a FAT32 volume to an NTFS file system in Windows XP

- The partition on which you want to upgrade to Windows Vista has insufficient free hard disk space. To resolve this issue, free additional space on the hard disk.
tmm

Windows Vista also has many new security features that will aid in defending against the vast number of security threats that are present today on the Internet. With improved “Windows Firewall” and “Windows Defender” technologies, defending against spyware and unauthorized access is transparent. “User Account Control”, which protects against admin users inadvertently changing settings, ensures that any malware or virus that get onto your system cannot change any settings without you first agreeing to it. There are many other security features including granular auditing/logging, improved security update tools and full disk drive encryption - all of which combine to create the most secure Windows ever.

Benefits of Using External IT Support

As the IT sector takes over every unit in the industry be it a bank or any other business organization, every large and small industrial unit has requirement for IT support services. The need for IT support services arises in order to get full technical support to tackle day to day IT problems that the company faces. The IT support services also help dealing with high end technical problems that may threat the loss of important company data. When a company sets up its IT infrastructure the first thing it does is hires the computer support services in order to install the hardwares and softwares by proper process and get basic technical support.

1. Avoid IT salary bills

Even one experienced, trained IT professional can cost a lot of money. Paying a salary, tax, National Insurance, pension and any other benefits can make a big difference to your bottom line. For small businesses, there just isn't enough IT requirement to justify employing someone to run the system full-time. Instead, put your money towards your business, and pay a lot less for an external IT professional to help you when you need it.

2. Online and telephone support

If you haven't got support in the office, you need to know that there's someone on the end of the phone that can help with any IT problems that arise. Most IT support firms offer phone and online support and, because many problems can be sorted out over the phone, you won't have to wait for an engineer to come out to your office.

3. Security

Some of the most important parts of your IT system are the ones that protect you from fraud, virus or other harm. Any software that's protecting your system needs checking and updating on a regular basis, to make sure that your business is secure. Rather than scheduling this in for someone in your office to do, it's much easier to arrange for an external IT company to come in to your office on an agreed timetable to keep your IT security up-to-date.

All these factors combined can help you hire the best IT support service provider. Select the one who matches your needs and standards of your technical support requirements.

How To Choose The Best IT Support Services Provider

Large businesses require a lot of IT infrastructure and a department to look after it. Small businesses often can't afford to have that sort of internal support in place, yet they need fully operational IT systems in order for the business to run properly. For businesses like these, external IT support can be a cost-effective yet vital resource.

Today there is no dearth of companies that provide IT support services. But it becomes difficult to select one IT support company that will provide authentic IT support solutions. To know how to find the best IT support service provider, read on!

There are certain factors that one should keep in mind while selecting IT support service providers online. The things to be noticed about the service provider are:

1. Experience - The first thing you should know about your support service provider is the time period they have been in service. Expertise comes with time thus higher the experience better will be the IT support service and IT solutions provided to meet your business needs.

2. Certification - As the market is full of IT support service providers it becomes important to check certification of your support service provider. Generally IT support services providers are Microsoft Certified. There are other certifications as well. Make sure you hire Support services from an authentic IT support service provider.

3. Feedbacks - Read the customer feedbacks of the IT support service provider to get an exact estimate regarding the services it has been providing in the past and the satisfaction level of its previous clients. Make a thorough research before you hire IT support services, do not get flowed away with the appreciation the owner does. Reading feedbacks/testimonials is very essential.

4. Services Provided - When you hire IT support services check out the complete range of services the service provider is offering. The best IT support service provider is the one who offers complete support services be it installation of hardwares and softwares or tackling other technical problems. The services should have the flexibility to be molded according to your business requirements.

Using IT support has many benefits, but for small businesses, the most important thing is that external IT support allows you to concentrate on your business, whilst retaining confidence in your IT systems - and at a much lower cost than employing your own IT expert.

How To Download A Free Movie For Your Iphone

To download a free movie to your phone could be very easy. However, there are some things you have to put into consideration. Ever since it became apparent that it was possible, many owners of Apple's new Iphone have been doing all they can to download free movies for their Iphone. The general consensus is that using Itunes and other download sites is becoming too expensive, with many owners preferring to get their downloads for free. If you like the sound of free downloads, read on to find out more.

A simple Google search regarding Iphone movie downloads will soon give you an idea of just how many sites claim to offer free downloads. At first this seems great, the only problem being that a good percentage of them are not as they seem, so you need to be very careful. Follow these guidelines to help you spot which sites are trustworthy and which have ulterior motives.

Firstly, you'll need to be prepared to pay. Obviously, the fact that you may have to pay can make it seem like you aren't going to be getting any “free” movies for your Iphone, but you'll find that the most trustworthy sites will charge you a membership or admin fee to give you access to their downloads. This isn't as bad as it sounds, as you are usually only looking at around $25 - $60, and in most cases this will cover you for life. You will literally be downloading things in two years time from that same membership fee. It's easy to see the value when you think of it like that.

Secondly, avoid sites with spyware/adware. It can be easier said than done, so make sure you have reliable and up to date security software, this is essential, and also a good tip is to avoid any sites with those annoying popups etc. You'll often find that the sites with popups and things are the very same ones that will install spyware etc, so try to avoid these sites for maximum safety.

Thirdly, be sure to avoid the torrent or P2P sites, also known as file sharing sites. These first came into popularity five or so years ago, and should be avoided for a couple of very good reasons- first of all, downloading stuff from sites like this is illegal in most territories, so check your own local laws first. Second of all, these sites can be a real haven for hackers and spammers etc. All the files are uploaded to the sites by other users, and mostly there is no supervision which allows them to upload whatever they like. This means you could be happily trying to download the latest Brad Pitt movie only to find that the file you download contains nothing but a nasty virus.

PHP MySQL Database Scripts

PHP is for sure one of the best programming languages and technologies for web development and web business. It is especially reliable in times of economic downturn with its strength being efficient, maintainable and highly scalable. PHP allows you to preform numerous mathematical tasks. You can do anything from simple addition to complex geometry. PHP with PHPA has quite simply no compilation for unchanged scripts, and may well be the preferable technology and choice.

History of PHP
PHP (it originally was abbreviation of for Personal Home Page) was first written by Rasmus Lerdorf . These were Perl scripts to track users of his Web pages. On communication and suggestions from other people he rewrote it as a scripting language and added support for forms. As its popularity grew, a core group of developers created an API for it and turned it into PHP3. Presently we have version 5. (PHP5) and its growth is likely to continue.

Advantages of PHP
PHP will run on all platform, including most UNIXs, Windows(95/98/NT/2000) and Macs. As this uses the same code base, all scripts will run identically on all the platforms.

1. PHP is similar to C - Anyone who has experience with a C-style language will easily learnd PHP. In C-style languages we can also include Javascript and Java. In fact, much of PHP's functionality is provided by wrappers around the underlying system calls (such as fread() and strlen()) so C programmers will immediately feel at home.

2. PHP is extendible - This allows programmers two ways of extending PHP to do some special processing, either by writing an extension module and compiling it into the executable, or by creating an executable that can be loaded using PHP's dynamic loading mechanism. PHP currently will load into Apache, IIS, AOLServer, Roxen and THTTPD. Alternatively, it can be run as a CGI module.

3. Lots of database interfaces - PHP currently will work with MySQL, MS SQL, Oracle, Informix, PostgreSQL and many others. These are binary level interfaces, and ODBC is also provided for those situations where the database is not supported.

If a PHP user wants to interface to particular library, then it is easy to write an interface for it, and many have done so, and contributed to the main PHP source repository. So you can find modules for graphics routines, PDF files, Flash movies, Cybercash, calendars, XML, IMAP, POP and a host of others. If the library you need is not supported, you can either write one yourself, or employ your favourite programmer to do it.

4. The PHP Extension and Add-on Repository (PEAR) - Similar to the CPAN network for Perl, although still in its infancy, the idea of PEAR is to provide a set of PHP scripts that would be installed by default with the PHP installation

5. Fast - PHP is normally used an Apache module and this makes it very fast. It is entirely written in C and is quite small, so loads and executes quickly with small memory footprint.

6. PHP is Open Source - Therefore programmers are not dependent on a particular manufacturer to fix things that don't work.

Disadvantages of PHP
A scripting language has advantages and disadvantages. PHP also has some disadvantages. Some are direct disadvantages and some are indirect regarding functionality. PHP's main drawback is Error Handling. PHP has a very poor ability in this regard, but even this disadvantage can be over come using a feasible advantage solution.

PHP is a scripting language available on many, many servers. It's fast, it's free, it's open source and it handles everything on the server side, so there's no need to worry about users who have disabled client-side scripting in their browsers. PHP's programming syntax is very similar to that of Perl. Because of its elegant design, PHP makes it easy for anyone to learn. PHP is a very popular language so finding answers to your programming questions or finding tutorials on building various types of Web pages are also available free on the Net.

Wireless Router and Security

A wireless router functions in the same same way as a wireless cellular phone. It is hooked up to a cable or a Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet connection and uses radio frequency waves instead of telephone lines to transmit and receive networking signals, which allows data transmission from one place to another.

A wireless router is great when toting a computer with a wireless interface around, but moving a wired computer to another room or floor often means stringing an unsightly Ethernet cable through the house. The alternative is buying a wireless adapter, hoping that a Linux driver is available for it (there often isn't). A Wireless router offers flexibility in that you can share your high speed broadband with a mixture of wired and wireless connectivity or just pure wireless connectivity without the need of the main computer being switched on.

Setting up a wireless router is easy. Essentially you turn your cable or DSL modem off and your wireless router on. Then, you connect the router to the modem with a cable, and turn the modem back on. You are more or less done. The wireless network wizard on your computer will pick up the router and, if your ISP does not have any special requirements, away-you-go, you are on the Internet.

For ease of setup and configuration, manufacturers ship wireless routers with all security disabled. Therein lies the problem. If you do not take any further steps to secure your router, and a surprising number of people don't, your network will be wide open to all passersby and strangers. It's like you've hung out a sign, “The door is open. Please come in and help yourself.”

The problem is not that strangers will be able to use your router to access the Internet but that, without further protection, would-be intruders will be able monitor and sniff out information you send and receive on your network. Malicious intruders can even hop on to your internal network; access your hard drives; and, steal, edit, or delete files on your computer.

The good news is that it is relatively easy to secure your wireless router. Here are three basic steps you should take.

1. Password protect the access to your router's internal configuration

To access your router's internal setup, open a browser and enter the routers setup URL. The URL will be specified in the manual. The URLs for D-Link and Linksys routers, two major manufacturers of wireless routers, are http://192.168.0.1 and http://192.168.1.1, respectively.

For Linksys routers, leave the user name blank and type “admin” (without the quotes) in the password field and press enter. To change the password, simply click on the Password tab and enter your new password.

For other routers, please consult your manual. Alternately, you can search on the Internet with the term “default login for ”. Don't be surprised to find quite a number of pages listing default login parameters for many different routers, even uncommon ones.

2. Change the default SSID (Service Set IDentifier)

The SSID is the name of a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network). All wireless devices on a WLAN use SSIDs to communicate with each other.

Routers ship with standard default SSIDs. For example, the default SSID for Linksys routers is, not unsurprisingly, “Linksys”. As you can see, if you don't change the default SSID of your router a would-be intruder armed with a few common SSIDs from major manufacturers will be able to find your wireless network quite easily.

To change the SSID, click on the Wireless tab. Look for an input item labeled SSID. It will be near the top. Enter a new name for network. Don't use something like “My Network”. Use a name that is be hard to guess.

3. Disable SSID broadcast

Wireless enabled computers use network discovery software to automatically search for nearby SSIDs. Some of the more advanced software will query the SSIDs of nearby networks and even display their names. Therefore, changing the network name only helps partially to secure your network. To prevent your network name from being discovered, you must disable SSID broadcast.

In the same screen that you changed the name of your network, you will see options for SSID broadcast. Choose “Disable SSID” to make your network invisible. Now save all your settings and log out.

Since your wireless network is now invisible, you will have to configure your computers to connect to your wireless network using the new name. On Windows XP, start by clicking on the wireless icon in the Notification Area and proceed from there.

With these three steps, your network now has basic security. However, if you keep sensitive information on your computers, you may want to secure your wireless network even further. For example, you can

- Change the channel your router uses to transmit and receive data on a regularly basis.
- Restrict devices that can connect to the router by filtering out MAC (Media Access Control) addresses.
- Use encryption such as WEP and WPA.

As with most things in life, security is a trade off between cost (time, money, inconvenience) and benefit (ease of use). It is a personal decision you make. However for the majority of home uses, the three basic steps plus WEP/WPA encryption provides reasonably strong security.

Turning on encryption is a two-step process. First you configure your router to use encryption using an encryption key of your choice. And then, you configure your computer to use the encryption key. The actual process of configuring your router for encryption varies from router to router. Please consult the router's manual.

There are even stronger methods for ensuring security. A strong and robust security method is RADIUS (Remote Authentication Dial In User Service). Using RADIUS requires additional hardware and software. However, there are companies that offer RADIUS security as a subscription based service. The fees are reasonable and dropping.

Therefore for example, if you run a business on your wireless network, have sensitive data on your computers such as credit card information, and have a number of users who access your network, you should consider using RADIUS. Since the service sector for RADIUS is dynamic and growing, a search on the Internet with terms like “RADIUS subscription” or “RADIUS service” is probably the best way to locate one.

A wireless router allows you to use wireless signals or Ethernet cables to connect your computers to one another, to a printer and to the Internet. Most routers provide coverage for about 100 feet (30.5 meters) in all directions, although walls and doors can block the signal. A wireless router can be connected to the modem to provide Internet access to the network. A wireless router is a wireless device that connects one computer or a whole network to another computer or network. It is possible to have a wireless network in your home or office.

A Router - How It Is Essential

A router is a programmable device that works with other routers, via a routing protocol, to establish the best path on which to forward a packet with a given address. A router is connected to at least two networks, commonly two LANs or WANs or a LAN and its ISP's network. Routers are located at gateways, the places where two or more networks connect, and are the critical device that keeps data flowing between networks and keeps the networks connected to the Internet. A router can determine the destination address, the priority level of each packet transmitted, determination of the least-cost route, minimum delay route, and many more. This way, for example, on ATM data transmission, routers can determine which packets to prioritize, like packets of video data.

As an illustration, imagine that the Internet is the world and one computer is one household. Other computers connected through the Internet are households around the world. Say one household will send a letter to another household in any part of the world. The letter has an address and that address would determine the destination of the letter. But without one reading the address, the letter would not arrive to the right receiver. The letter also would not be able to reach the intended receiver if there is not medium. This medium would be the courier. And the courier of the computer data is the router.

A router (broadband router) is also a device that enables two or more computer to receive data packets from the Internet under one IP address at the same time. Remember that to be able to connect to the Internet, a computer must have an IP address unique from the rest of the computers. Therefore, every computer connected to the Internet has it own IP address. It is like having a fingerprint or ID as an access pass to be able to enter the web. With the presence of the router, this “fingerprint” or “ID” could be shared by two or more computer at the same time. In simplest form, a router makes two or more computer use the Internet at the same with one access pass.

A computer with cable modem could also be considered as a router. In this, the computer would do the process of routing like normal routers do. Other computers are then connected to the computer with Internet connection that would give it with the Internet connection. The computer with cable modem has the direct contact with the Internet and the ones connected to it are sharing the connection.

The importance of a Router
For households with two or more computers who would want to have Internet connection to every computers they have, taking subscription for each would be too much. The solution is to buy a router that would enable every computer in the house to have an Internet connection. In the definition above, the broadband router would act as a hub to the existing Internet connection.

Impact on Internet Speed
It should be taken into consideration that once a single Internet connection is divided, the connection speed is affected. But there are some broadband routers that would bring minimal slowdown to the Internet speed and the effect might not even be big.

Internet speed would also depend on the type of application used in a router. While some would inflict little effect on the speed like online games, others would terribly slowdown your connection and even hinder you to use the Internet at all. Usually, offices use a more sophisticated router to redirect Internet connections to the large number of computers. These routers would give better data packeting compared to a typical router used at home that results to faster Internet speed.

Choosing An MP3 Player

Would you like to have an MP3 player? The sale of Mp3 players is one of the fastest growing areas of consumer electronics. Whilst the apple iPod is synonymous with MP3 players there are many alternatives that should be considered when you are looking to buy.

The first thing to consider is the amount of storage available. At the lower end of the market a 512mb to 1Gb player will generally hold up to 200 songs. If you have a large music collection then you should look for Devices that offer at least 20 GB's of storage. In general every 10 GB's will hold around 2,900 MP3 files

The next thing to consider is portability; if you have an active lifestyle then you will need a player that is small and compact. If you intend to use your player whilst jogging or whilst training in the Gym then a flash based system will be a better choice as they contain no moving parts and therefore won't skip.

The type of interface is the next thing to consider, will the interface be easy to access and use on the move or will it require 100% of your attention to choose your songs. This is one area that is often overlooked and is one of the major areas of dissatisfaction among users.

The final area to consider is how the device is powered, many MP3 players come with built in rechargeable batteries, whilst these are very convenient and can last for a long time, if you are not able to recharge them or don't have access to a computer with a usb port you then you will need to wait to charge the player up.

The best deals for MP3 players are available online but before you buy make sure you know what you need. The right MP3 player is an excellent buy and will remain in use for many years, the wrong one will soon be consigned to the bottom drawer.

Importance of Wireless Network

Wireless networks provide an inexpensive and easy way to share a single Internet connection among several computers. This means you only need one modem, and you can add additional computers to the network just by plugging in a wireless card and turning them on. The new machines are connected to the Internet immediately.

A wireless network also lets you access files and printers from anywhere in your home. It allows you to synchronize files you have on your laptop with your home computer, and you can easily send files between computers as well. Using a wireless network to transfer files is faster than sending them via e-mail or burning them to a CD! Because printers connected to one of the computers on a network are shared by all the computers on that network, you can write documents anywhere in your home, press the ‘print' button, and collect the printed files from a printer that is connected to another computer.

If you are a game player, you've probably noticed that your games often have an option to play over a local area network or LAN. Wireless networks are LANs! This means you and your family can play these games together and don't have to be on computers that are next to each other to do so. Let's face it - it's more fun to play against real people, and it's even more fun to play against people you know instead of strangers on the Internet. Your games will also play much faster over your LAN. Additionally, you can connect game consoles to the Internet and begin playing these games online. It is much easier to experience online play through an Xbox or PlayStation 2 that is connected to a wireless network than have to use a modem!

Wireless network connections are always on. This means you can connect to the Internet whenever you want without waiting for your modem to dial in. Laptops can be carried from room to room, and they will always have access to the Internet. Since wireless networks operate without the need to log in, you don't need to set up usernames or passwords.

The single greatest thing about a wireless network is that it is, well, wireless! The biggest reason to have a wireless network is because it eliminates the need for costly, ugly, and dangerous wires trailing all over your house. You can use your computer in any room you want - no more being trapped near a phone outlet or walking over that tangle of wires in your home. The cost of getting enough Ethernet cables can add up, and sometimes, you may even have to make holes in your walls to set up a wired network. If you're renting, of course, this is impossible.

With a wireless network, you don't have these problems - you can even use your computer outside if you want! And if you move, there is no need to disconnect and pack up all those wires, and you no longer have to examine all the wires for damage whenever your Internet connection goes down.