Computers and Technology Articles

Errors are a common problem for Windows. They are simply a warning from your system that something is wrong and that you need to fix it. There are 1,000’s of different errors but only a handful of causes. And if you fix the cause, you’ve fixed the error - so here are some real easy ways to fix most of the errors on your PC…

1) Uninstall Any Troublesome Programs

Programs are not only essential for the best Windows experience, but they can also cause trouble with your machine. If you’re getting errors after trying to use a program, OR are getting errors because of a program, then the best thing you can do is uninstall and then reinstall that program. This wipes away all the corrupt files and are actually causing the errors.

To do this, simply browse to START > CONTROL PANEL > ADD / REMOVE PROGRAMS. Then click on the program which is causing the errors and hit “uninstall”. Make sure you have all your data for that program saved & backed up before hand, and then just remove it from your system. When that’s done, you then need to install the program again. This can be done either with the CD it came with, or by re-downloading the install files.

2) Defrag Your Hard Drive(s)

Defragging is an inbuilt Windows function which actually goes through all your hard drives and puts all the files into order again. Many errors are caused by files becoming “fragmented” and not being able to be found by Windows. When your system stores files, it assigns a certain place on the hard drive for them. However, if that space on the hard drive is already occupied, Windows just finds the next best place and ends up splitting the files up.

This is bad, because when your system wants to find a file, it has to look in two places for it, which not only slows it down… but also means that if it can’t find the files, it’s going to cause a lot of problems for you. In order to fix this (it’s simple), you just need to click on START > ALL PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > DISK DEFRAGMENTOR. It’s all pretty simple after that.

3) Clean Out Your Registry

The registry is simply the central database where Windows stores all your files and settings. Everything from your desktop wallpaper to your latest email messages are actually stored in this database and it’s vitally important to your computer. Every time, your computer is actually adding and upgrading 1,000’s of files inside this database, and unfortunately, some of these actually become corrupted or even lost.

This not only slows down your PC, but if the damaged files were important, it will show you an error. Luckily, there’s a tool which automatically fixes this problem for you. It’s called a registry cleaner and basically searches through your entire registry database and fixes any of the problems it finds. The registry can actually account for 98% of the errors on your PC, so cleaning it out is essential if you want your PC to run smoothly.

Joomla is a content management system (CMS) like none other I’ve researched to date. There are a dozen or so CMS competitors. Some are commercial and charge for their software. Several others, like Joomla, are open source and available without cost.

Any perceivable differences are limited to a few specific traits. For some there is the cost factor which could deter many potential purchasers from buying the commercial products. While there are a few open source products that have low costs the commercial software products tend to be much higher.

Many proponents of the commercial CMS software suggest the product is a better choice once installed, primarily because of the post sale support such as training and stability associated with security experiences with the software.

Since most of the open source CMS developers are largely volunteers the issue could appear to be a potentially formidable challenge. This is where Joomla, for one, works very hard to capitalize on several factors that are currently feeding the product’s success.

An example of Joomla’s out-of-the-box approach to creating a trouble free product is a recently held “Doc Camp.” This international get-together was a follow-up to a weekend Joomla “bug squashing event.” The company promoted the events with the goal of increasing the viability and functionality of the product while focusing on cleaning us any inconsistencies in its operational functions.

Reports indicate literally thousands of volunteer developers were on the project. Industry observers state Joomla has a strong commitment to timely upgrades and new releases. Credit is given to the marshalling of volunteers and their exuberant, as well as technologically strong support.

Comparisons tend to favor open source CMS options due to several features:

• Consumer friendly free downloads
• Strong documentation.
• Reliable training.
• Ongoing support and development

The Players

In addition to Joomla other open source CMS’s are Mambo, Drupal, PHPNuke, Post Nuke, Plone, TYPO3, e107, Open CMS, MODx CMS, WordPress, XOOPS and Zope.

The commercial entrants in the field are Vignette, Alfresco, RedDot CMS, Interwoven Teamsite, Tridion, Microsoft CMS, Oracle portal, Immediacy CMS, GOSS iCM, Hot Banana and Fatwire Content Server.

Can Joomla Hold On To The Top Spot?

Joomla tends to meet the strictest parameters expected of companies that would like to be considered leaders in the field. The competing team at Mambo also renders a build quality and application strength that keep them squarely in Joomla’s sights.

The remainder of the group provide add-on features like, job posting, guest books, and chat to name a few of the most popular features.

Once thing all open source CMS have in common is they are distributed under GNU GPL and tend to work well with most operating environments. Joomla gets the higher marks mainly because of the strengths of its largely volunteer developer family.

When looking more closely through the list of commercial CMS contenders we find the licensing differs greatly. Additionally databases and related servers in addition to programming languages are similar but created specific differences depending on the applications.

Overall, when comparing features like, building applications, operability, performance and user friendliness, Joomla out ranks 99.9% of all comers in every category. It must be hard to be humble when you’re that good and Joomla’s legion of fans is expanding more rapidly at every download.

What should you be looking for in an anti spyware software? Before we get into that, let’s look at why you need an anti spyware product. Spyware infects 90% of computers with an internet connection, so there’s a good chance it’s on your system. Spyware can cause big problems, most notably your banking information ending up in the wrong hands.

Here’s some of the features you should look for in an anti spyware product:

* Ease of Setup/Use: Is it simple to get the program up and running without having to read a book or tech support manual? You also want to be able to quickly find the features you need, and the descriptions should make perfect sense to someone who does not know a lot about computers

* Effectiveness of Detection: How good is the product at finding spyware, keyloggers, malware, and trojan horses? You also want an anti spyware program with real time protection that acts as a defense mechanism

* Effectiveness of Removal: This refers to the spyware remover’s ability to find intruders that are actual intruders, and not important program files. Some programs find a lot of spyware that is not really spyware

* System Performance: Once you install the anti spyware program, does it make your system slow down? Your goal is to improve your computer, after all!

* Performance of Scan: Will you be able to keep using your computer for other applications while the spyware scan is taking place?

* Help & Support: Does the anti spyware product offer support whenever you need it? How easy is it to communicate with a live person, whether it’s by phone or by online chat

All of DellÂ’s laptops feature Windows XP. Windows XP has standard for all operating systems to follow. All of DellÂ’s basic models features a slimmed down version of Windows XP Home, which provides excellent performance without the fluff. For mid-range and business oriented laptops, Dell provides Windows XP Home with Office software or Windows XP Professional. This provides you with the tools to achieve maximum productivity. Finally, all of DellÂ’s gaming and media oriented laptops features Windows XP Media Center. Media Center gives you complete control over you digital media, including pictures, movies, and music.

DellÂ’s laptops also provide plenty of room for all your plug and play devices. Each laptop comes standard with at least two USB 2.0 ports, but many of the laptops feature four ports. USB 2.0 allows peripherals such as printers, digital cameras, scanners, and MP3 players to be easily connected to the laptop. Most laptops also feature a IEEE 1394 (Firewire) port. This port can be used to connect a video camera or similar devices, and perform functions such as importing video. Audio jacks can be found in every Dell laptop also, which lets you plug in headphones or a pair of external speakers.

All Dell laptops are created and designed to provide the optimal computing experience. The cases are made to be attractive, but durable enough to protect your laptop against the bumps along the way. The Dell laptop keypads are easy to operate input devices that are made to be portable but large enough to still type with ease. Finally, whether the size of the screen is twelve inches or seventeen inches, each screen is designed to provide a cutting-edge picture with rich color and detail in any lighting environment.

Data recovery tools are widely available so that you can successfully recover your own files. That’s not just marketing talk: I’ve experienced it first-hand. Just know that if you have accidentally erased an important file and thought it might be gone for good, a variety of data recovery tools are out there ready to recover your data.

If you have gone through the experience of needing data recovery tools before, you know how important it is to establish a system for backing up. That’s my only lecture to you. You can now pass go to download data recovery tools. However if this is your first time, you first need to spend three more minutes to get an overview of what to do.

The recovery products dilemma

There are a number of different data recovery tools available right now to restore data are software programs. But there are so many different products available that finding just one or two can seem a little overwhelming. In an effort to make more money, lots of vendors will separate their software into several utilities to make more money. Often all this does is make a lot of consumers confused.

Use your own data recovery tools

This might seem obvious to you, but many computer users forget all about using the data recovery tools that are already available on their computers. The Trash Bin on your desktop may have a secondary copy that can be reused. Try searching for any copy throughout you entire computer through the search function.

Start with the Trash Bin. Click on the icon and begin searching through all of the trashed files. If you find what you need, double click the file and you will see the restore button. The Search function can help locate missing files. It is located in different places according to the operating system you are using.

At the bottom of the computer screen in Windows look for the magnifying glass within the start icon. When you open it, directions instructing you on how to proceed will appear to the left. It’s been a while since I’ve done it for Mac but they have a pretty similar data recovery module.

Trying professional tools

After you have tried the above mentioned recovery options and still get no results, then it is time to move on professional data recovery tools. You may be glad to find out that there are some free data recovery tools available. However, many of these programs are not all that powerful, so you may need to try quite a few of them. Searching for these free programs can take some time too. So take this in to consideration.

If you want to get your data back quickly without trying out a bunch of different methods that may not work, start looking for data recovery tools online that have dollar signs next to them. The data recovery tools that cost are more powerful than free utilities. And all data recovery tools allow you to try them out first before purchasing, so that you can make sure they actually work.

All data recovery tools have limits. They cannot promise recovery 100 percent of the time, so there is a chance they may not work. Your next option is to contact an experienced data recovery company. A professional service is more expensive than using data recovery tools on your own, but they can get back your data.

The risk analysis and business impact analysis have identified risks to key business functions. Also, the potential impacts and probabilities of these risks as well as the costs to prevent or mitigate damages and the time to recover will have been established. Evaluating and selecting strategies is based on using this knowledge. Strategy selection involves focusing on key risk areas and selecting a strategy for each one. The primary goals are to maintain business continuity in the face of a disruption or disaster, to recover key business functions quickly and to mitigate damages.

Many companies associate disaster recovery and business continuity only with IT and communications functions and miss other critical areas that can seriously impact their business. Other common areas for strategy development and selection are employees, facilities, power, customer service, billing, and customer and public relations. All areas require a clear well thought out strategy based on recovery time objectives, cost and profitability impact.

Recovery related to employees is the most overlooked part of strategy selection. Simple steps like the ability to contact employees at home or on their personal cell phone and to ensure all are accounted for at each facility are often overlooked. Communications is critical to keep employees informed and engaged. The most powerful tools for continuity and recovery are the knowledge, capabilities and motivation of employees.

Developing strategies with implementation steps means no time is wasted in a recovery scenario. The focus is to implement the plan quickly and successfully. The right strategies implemented effectively minimize the disruption and mitigate damages.

In some cases, a strategy decision may be no strategy at all. In this scenario and others where there is significant risk to the financial viability of the organization, business interruption or business income insurance may be a viable strategy. Generally, this provides the company with the income it is losing due to damage to its property. It therefore increases the company’s chances of survival and the ability to keep its customers and recover.

Web based metrics software make it possible for management to track relevant measures all across an organization’s different branches. For instance, different branches of a retail store chain, as long as they are connected to the web, can update their own metrics in real time. This information would then be stored in a central database, and would be accessible to other parts of the organization, no matter their physical location. Web based software improves collaboration and visibility of the information greatly.

But what exactly are these metrics? They are quantifiable measures or criteria by which performance of an organization or a part of it may be judged. Taking the same example of a retail store chain, a relevant metric for a single branch might be the gross sales, the average number of transactions daily, and so on. For other parts of the organization, such as accounting, more relevant metrics might be accuracy of records and timeliness of updates. Hence, the concept of metrics allows for a lot of flexibility to select the most relevant measures based on the type of company and the functions that each department of the organization performs.

While keeping track of metrics is relatively easy once they have been selected and established, how exactly should they be chosen? There is no easy answer for this question that would be applicable for all management situations. The answer, no matter how useless it may sound, is that it depends on the exact circumstances. However, there is a general methodology that applies to most situations.

First, an overall goal should be set for the organization, usually called a mission statement or vision. This represents what the organization would like to eventually become or achieve. Managers should carefully formulate this vision, since the next steps would depend upon it. Once this has been established, each subpart of the organization should then make their own goals in line with this vision. Then the smaller parts of each subpart should make their goals, and so on, until the individual employee level. Often, this is called the strategy map or strategy linkage method, because it connects the goals of various levels of organization of a company in a coherent manner. By ensuring that the highest-level goals and the lowest-level goals are all working towards the same vision, unified performance could be expected. Making use of a strategy map also makes it less abstract to select which metrics need to be monitored and which might not be as important.

Online metric management applications can then take over to indefinitely implement and monitor the selected metrics. These web based metrics software solutions are attractive because of their flexibility and wide reach. As mentioned above, these metrics are usually chosen to be in line with the metrics of other parts of the organization. With online applications, each part can see how well each other part of the company is performing. This further reinforces intra-organizational collaboration and ensures that everyone continues to work for the same mission.

Do you want to create an artistic version of your photo? How about a program that allows you to undo individual steps that you applied on the image without affecting all other steps?

Paint Shop Pro 9 introduces two special effects filters, the Displacement Map and the Radial Blur. The Displacement Map is a tool for creating 2D and 3D surface distortions while the Radial Blur is used for creating blur effects including spin, twist and zoom. With the Print Layout dialog, you will be able to add freeform text captions and title to your photo layouts using the Text Options. The new Text tool options allow you to create vertical text and render small font sizes. For polygons and star shapes, you can use the new Symmetric Shape tool thatÂ’s customizable.

Paint Shop Pro introduces another tool for digital camera users, the Info palette. This palette is designed to show the EXIF data that digital cameras automatically store with their images. Examples of which are aperture and exposure. Paint Shop Pro 9 contains features to support unprocessed raw sensor data that are captured by advanced cameras. It also allows you to set customized white balance and exposure, as well as sharpening of settings for import.

You can now easily undo any individual editing step in a documentÂ’s history through the use of the Powerful Selective Undo. The History palette lists all the commands that you applied on the image. You can undo specific steps without affecting subsequent actions.

The latest Paint Shop Pro features new enhanced filters. It has Digital Camera Noise Removal, which not only scans photos it also eliminates image noise introduced at the sensor while intelligently preserving image textures. Its Chromatic Aberration Removal removes undesirable coloured glow around images caused by digital cameras. It contains a Fill Flash Filter that corrects the underexposure of shadows and Backlighting Filter compensates for overexposed areas.

Not only does this software handle existing photos, it can also create images from scratch in both bitmap and vector format. It also has Rectangle and Oval tools. The Pen tool in this version is a lot simpler.

The new Art Media tool is a realistic art-based functionality that contains tools including Oil Brush, Palette Knife, Chalk, Pastel, Crayons, Colored Pencil and Marker. This tool features a traditional-style Mixer thatÂ’s just like those traditional artistÂ’s tools. You can add, mix and sample your paint on an off-canvas area using the new dockable palette. You can also convert photos to an artistic version by setting the colour to Trace, it automatically samples the underlying colour.

However, working with this software requires longer time, but you can be assured of great results. It can convert average photos to outstanding shots with eye-popping quality and clarity.

Internet security suites have become an increasing necessity when it comes to protecting your computer. The internet has everything from viruses to spyware to ad and malware and it has become increasingly difficult to find a website that is not putting something onto your computer. As a result, it is important to protect your computer and protect your privacy and information while you surf the web.

This is especially true for individuals who do transactions such as bill pay and banking using the internet. This is why having an internet security suite can help to give you peace of mind and help you to protect all your personal information. An internet security suite is going to be comprised of several different types of programs.

For the most part, they are going to come with a popup blocker. These are designed to keep your computer safe from popup ads. Most of the time these pop up ads are merely an annoyance and there are times that these pop ups can actually either place ad or malware onto your computer or be caused by it. In addition, there are websites now that can actually download a virus onto your computer as soon as the page loads or when you click on a follow through link.

In order to protect against this most internet security suites are going to provide a way to scan links in order to ensure that they are not going to create issues with your computer or put something on your system that you do not want. Internet security suites also usually have virus scans for downloads to help ensure that when you download you are protected from anything that could be found in the file.

Internet security suites may or may not also include an email scanner in order to check emails that are coming in and ensure that you are safe from viruses, worms as well as spyware, adware and malware.

Finally, most internet security suites are also going to come equipped with a firewall. Firewalls help to protect your computer from a host of software applications, which can cause an issue with your computer. If the most part this is going to limit the activity of software applications from your computer to the web.

This helps to prevent spyware from connecting to the site they are programmed to transmit information too. Having an internet security suite is about protecting all aspects of your internet experience so you can be assured that you are going to have the best possible surfing experience without having to worry about what you might be putting on your computer or where your personal information may be ending up once you log on. It also helps to protect your passwords and usernames from being picked up. These suites can also help to provide an additional level of security when it comes to making sure that the use of banking information and credit cards online is secure and safe every time you log on.

Too many times we find ourselves stumbling through a program. The program requires information entered in a certain order even if some of the fields are prefilled with default data. This forces the user to stop at unnecessary fields. As a result the user spends unproductive time navigating through the program and not getting the ultimate job done.

 

One example of this is a point-of-sales program I personally wrote. The user enters an items product code and hits enter. In the next field they enter the number they want to sell. This field defaults to one so they usually hit enter again. Their next choice is where they can edit the previous fields, commit the item for sale or cancel the item all together.

 

To simplify this procedure I introduced an overlay keyboard to the process. Each key on the keyboard contains the sales code of the most popular item and three enters. The user then presses the key corresponding to the item being sold and the item is entered for sale. If more then one of an item is sold they simply press the button multiple times.

 

As a result the program does not get in the way of the sale. Errors are reduced since the sales code is entered correctly. Customers are serviced more quickly. The program’s requirements for entering a sale have been meet.

On an overlay keyboard each key can be assigned any sequence of key that can be pressed on a standard keyboard. In the example above item keys contain a one to ten character sales code followed by three enter keys. Other keys on the keyboard are assigned to reproduce control function keys the program response to such as committing the sale.

 

Each user of my program can configure the overlay keyboard to his needs. Some group items by the size others by manufacturer. The ability to create a graphic overlay for the keyboards means that they can color code keys themselves along with their background color. Blue keys can represent on size while green keys a different size.

 

This is just one example of using an overlay keyboard. Your imagination is the only limit on other uses. To learn more about overlay keyboards visit http://www.pmkidder.com/enterpad