Information Technology For Dummies

Another easy way to update your computer drivers

admin — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:21:13 +0000

As we all know that very often the computer problem occurs because computer drivers or Windows driver are not updated, indeed sometimes we feel to keep always drivers updates sometimes not a very necessary, especially if the condition of your computer (hardware / software) are now running with optimal and there is no problem in it. But even so, for some hardware is recommended that we keep the driver update. This needs to be done to maintain the computer system does not have a problem. Did you can imagine if your computer suddenly lost sound, but then you really need it for a presentation, then you have not had time to download driver or update your sound driver .

Usually when we want to update the drivers, we will take steps like the following below :
1. Search new drivers, usually with internet browsing
2. Driver downloads, then
3. Update / install these drivers,

You have to do it one by one step above on every hardware that we install, so I think is no wonder if we tend to be reluctant to do all off these, because it ‘s consume and waste many time and energy.

But now you no longer need to do all the steps as above, there is another way that is very easy to do that, you just need to install driver download software on your computer, with a single click this software will automatically update drivers on any hardware that you plug as sound drivers, display drivers, motherboard drivers and others,

How The ATMs Work

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:08:31 +0000

These machines so really to help us when we need a cash money, and now we’ll be easy to found these machine at most supermarkets, convenience stores and travel centers. Did you have think about the process that makes your funds available to you at an ATM on the other side of the country?

ATM is a simply a data terminal with two input and four output devices. Like any other data terminal, the ATM has to connect to, and communicate through, a host processor. The host processor is analogous to an Internet service provider (ISP) in that it is the gateway through which all the various ATM networks become available to the cardholder.

Most host processors can support either leased-line or dial-up machines. Leased-line machines connect directly to the host processor through a four-wire, point-to-point, dedicated telephone line.

Leased-line ATMs are preferred for very high-volume locations because of their thru-put capability, and dial-up ATMs are preferred for retail merchant locations where cost is a greater factor than thru-put. The initial cost for a dial-up machine is less than half that for a leased-line machine. The monthly operating costs for dial-up are only a fraction of the costs for leased-line.

The host processor may be owned by a bank or financial institution, or it may be owned by an independent service provider. Bank-owned processors normally support only bank-owned machines, whereas the independent processors support merchant-owned machines.

Settlement Funds

When a cardholder wants to do an ATM transaction, he or she provides the necessary information by means of the card reader and keypad. The ATM forwards this information to the host processor, which routes the transaction request to the cardholder’s bank or the institution that issued the card. If the cardholder is requesting cash, the host processor causes an electronic funds transfer to take place from the customer’s bank account to the host processor’s account. Once the funds are transferred to the host processor’s bank account, the processor sends an approval code to the ATM authorizing the machine to dispense the cash. The processor then ACHs the cardholder’s funds into the merchant’s

bank account, usually the next bank business day. In this way, the merchant is reimbursed for all funds dispensed by the ATM.

Differences between Memory and Disk Space

admin — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 17:41:30 +0000

Almost all computer users know the term Memory and Disk Space, but many of them mistakenly interpret these two terms, many of them interpreted as a long-term memory and short-term memory.

Memory or RAM stands for Random Access Memory and is known as volatile or temporary memory types. This can be used to store new information, just like you when trying to remember something for a minute.
On the computer, this is biasda happens when you save the document before closing it. When you save a document, its contents are transferred from RAM (temporary memory of the computer) into the hard disk (long-term memory of the computer). If this process is disrupted by power failure, cancellation by the user, or some other things, the contents of this document are “missing”. This is similar to what happened when we were sorting important, keeping valuable information from our short-term to long-term memories.

Disk Space is a space on your hard drive, where the applications you use on your computer is stored. When you open or run the program, this program will take from the disk into your computer RAM, and the program instructions and then run from RAM. Computers can only process the instructions in RAM. Therefore, for each program to be executed, must first be loaded from the disk into your computer’s memory. RAM is also used when we create documents and pictures or other files.

RAM is volatile memory, would “wipe out” when we turn off the computer or if there is a power failure. If the information is “erased” in RAM, this is not saved and the computer does not have a record of the existence of such information ..

Every time you type a new document, whatever you type at first stored in RAM. But, since RAM is volatile or temporary, if you want to keep what you’ve typed, you need to save your document. When you remove the Save command in your application, the information you have that type of RAM will be transferred to the hard drive and stored in a file.

As you can see, the memory (or RAM) and disk space related. They depend on each other for your computer to operate properly. When you use a computer, application and transfer of data from disk to RAM when needed. This data is then manipulated in RAM. The contents of the RAM should be kept back any changes back to the hard disk. If not, anything in RAM is not saved will be lost.

Data or files on a disk can be deleted, too. When a user “delete” a file, whether it is operating system files or files from your favorite application programs such as MS Word, iTunes, or a graphics program used to edit images, files are not really erased. Instead, your computer simply marks the space available and the program or remove material that is inaccessible to users.

When the computer needs the space program or document removed once claimed, then the space is replaced with the new information. However, if the files deleted the old space is never needed by the computer, the material remains on the hard drive. This realization has given birth to a forensic computer science as the material is obtained if you have the proper equipment and be able to access the hard drive storage space with special programs aimed to retrieve deleted files.

How to upgrade your Blackberry

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:16:28 +0000

If you feel your blackberry performance was runing slow and felt the need to upgrade your OS on your Blackberry, here are steps by step how to do it, There are 2 way to upgrade firmware (OS) your Blackberry :
Basic
1. Download the latest OS for your device from the official Blackberry website (Make sure the OS for your blackberry type)
2. Remember please Backup your data before upgrade your blackberry, you can backup your Blackberry data with using Desktop Manager.
3. Install OS that you downloaded earlier in the No.1 (. Exe files) to your PC
4. Delete the file “vendor.xml” (C: \ Program Files \ Common Files \ Research In Motion \ AppLoader)
5. Install the new OS was downloaded to your BlackBerry with a way to connect your BB to your PC, then use the Desktop Manager.

Advance
1.Download the latest OS for your device from the official Blackberry website (Make sure the OS for your blackberry type)
2. Backup your data using the Desktop Manager
3. Backup applications that you have previously installed.
4. Install OS that you downloaded earlier in the No.1 (. Exe files) to your PC
5. Delete the file “vendor.xml” (C: \ Program Files \ Common Files \ Research In Motion \ AppLoader)
6. Download JL_Cmdr from here.
7. Run your JL_cmdr and Wipe your Blackberry using JL_cmdr,
8. Install the new Blackberry OS to your handheld using Desktop Manager> App Loader.
9. Restore your third-party application.
10. Restore from the backup data that was created at No.2

Here is some instruction for wiping your BlackBerry using JL_cmdr:
1. Connect BB to PC using USB cable
2. Run JL_Cmdr, select the option no.4 – Wipe Handheld
3. Type “blackberry” (without the quotes) to remove the entire system blackberries.
After this, the Blackberry will reboot, and there will be a white screen with the words ‘507 ‘error. Do not panic, this is so, because the OS was not there. After that you can proceed new OS instalation.

New Redesign Radical of Monopoly

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:55:48 +0000

In the first this year Hasbro has come out with the new radical redesign of the famed Monopoly board game.

First, the world is round. Hasbro ditched the four-corners look for a pizza-like circle. The stops on this journey are the same, but each location now comes as a radial wedge. Houses and hotels basically match older versions, but the game replaced its pewter character pieces with plastic tokens. Farewell, little doggy, shoe, and top hat.

Second, no more paper bills. Monopoly’s trademark funny money has gone digital. A computer banker sits in the center of the “Revolution” board. Players spread the money around by using novelty debit cards. Good news for parents: No more picking up colored bills all over the house. Bad news for older siblings: No more sneaking extra cash under the table. Some special editions of Monopoly already come with faux ATMs – it’s only a matter of time before kids figure out new ways to “game” the system.

Third, inflation hit Monopoly-ville. As you pass Go, you do not collect $200. Instead, you earn $2 million. Hasbro says all of the prices have been jacked up to better represent today’s financial market.

Finally, the sound of money. As in good movies, music will punctuate the action. Clips of pop songs, such as Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day,” and Beyonce’s “Crazy in Love,” will ring out during the game.

The World Of Advancing Computer Memory

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:59:43 +0000

The development of static and dynamic RAM integrated circuits followed swiftly in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Compared to the relays and vacuum tubes used for computer memory function prior to the development of the magnetic core memory models, the advancement created a more user friendly experience as well as an increase in the amount of memory a computer could be expected to produce. This precursor to the common personal computer revolutionized the technological world since it made it possible to begin to see the advantages of the computer for personal use instead of being seen and used only in business operations. The computer systems of today boast a hierarchy of memory that includes CPU registries, SRAM caches, external caches, DRAM, and swap space among others. This is often referred to as RAM, but it actually defies the original concept of true random access memory and does not hold the same intent as the original magnetic core memory from which RAM was born. The methods utilized by the pool of memory in today’s computers often sequence through various subsystems with different access times in layered sequential order to allow the illusion of instantaneous response times. Generally, the computer accesses its memory in order of speed with the slower forms of memory being the last to be drawn from when a command is given to the computer. RAM now has methods of upgrading that allow for even greater memory capacity if there is a need to change the amount of RAM a computer has based on the amount of RAM used by the operator on average, these are usually in the form of DRAM and come in the form of memory modules. A few sticks of chewing gum are comparable in size to the memory modules in terms of physical size. These modules can be replaced quickly in the case of damage or should the amount of memory need to be increased again at a later date. Small amounts of RAM, most commonly SRAM, are also found in other locations on the computer, such as the mother board or the hard drive. Developers are currently investigating the possibility of non-volatile RAM. This would be another huge step in computer memory as these new forms of RAM would allow for the preservation of data upon the loss of power. Currently, RAM is a volatile memory form and will lose information if an interruption of power occurs. Carbon nanotubes offer promising results in this field of RAM development, but no non-volatile RAM has been released for public use yet. All of the developing technologies under this direction of RAM are pre-beta stage at present. MRAM has seen some success with the release of several chips that have undergone extensive testing. The core technology of MRAM depends upon the concepts of the magnetic tunnel effect and is promising to turn the world of computer memory onto the pathway of the future as a result. In 2004, Solid state drivers became available. Bases on flash technology, these drivers have a capacity exceeding 150 GB. These drivers also have speeds that far exceed the speed of traditional disks. In short, this means that the lines between RAM and disks have blurred and there is less difference between the two in performance. With each passing year, memory capacity grows. New technologies revolutionize the way we think of computer memory and how we use that memory once it becomes available. It is expected that computer memory will only continue to increase and evolve as our world becomes more technologically advance.

Four Option for Computer Data Recovery

admin — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:24:25 +0000

Maybe almost all computer user has had experience of having their PC crash or hang, and sometime that problem make your data gone, so maybe you will lost your email, your mail contact address, your document and all the important file. So here the option for your consideration, to prevent your data being lost :

1. Check the components hardware. Occasionally a computer data recovery effort will not even be required at all. While it might seem like a hard drive has crashed, another component may be to blame. For example, the mother board or power supply might be faulty. Therefore, it makes sense to check these things before writing off the hard drive. If it’s unclear that these parts might be to blame, enlisting professional help might be in order.

2. Repair Operating System. If a your computer will still not boot up, computer data recovery in this case might require repairing or replacing corrupt core operating system files. To do this, follow to repair the OS.

3. Data recovery software programs. If the operating system or hardware issues are not blame for the failure and the computer will still boot up, a computer data recovery disk might help restore missing or accidentally deleted files. There are programs available from computer shops and online that are specifically designed to help with data recovery efforts.

4. Professional data recovery services. At now many companies that specialize in computer data recovery. They have the necessary hardware and software tools required to be able to recover files that individuals will not have at home or in the office. While these services can be costly, I’m sure that if your data is restored, you’ll agree that the expense is worth it. Beyond regular computer professional services that specialize in data recovery, computer forensics companies might be able to help out in extreme cases (for example, computers damaged in the case of fire or flood).

Computer data recovery is possible even when a hardware crash or failure has occurred. While the results will vary depending on the severity of the crash, the cause and the methods used, it is possible to retrieve files and data off of even the most severely damaged of hard drives.

Short explaining about BIOS

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:00:26 +0000

BIOS abbreviation for basic input/output system, is a firmware code that a PC runs at start up to identify and initiate component hardware. This enables the PC to allow software programs to load, execute, and run for user use. More commonly known as booting up, BIOS simply enables a computer to work for the user in a capacity that is expected. It is referred to as memory only because it usually resides embedded within chips which use ROM as a main memory function. Part of the non-volatile memory formats, BIOS is not lost due to power loss or shut down.

In the beginning, BIOS chips could not be altered because of their placement on ROM and PROM memory. Then, the BIOS moved to EEPROM and flash, giving it more functionality than had been previously seen. The EEPROM gave the user the ability to easily change and update the BIOS. Manufactures issued updates to help users improve compatibility and remove bugs that were often troublesome to the applications in question concerning the BIOS in the same manner that updates are offered for many applications and hardware components of a PC. Since the issuance of these updates ran the risk of destroying a computer if the updates were interrupted by the user or otherwise, manufacturers altered the BIOS to include a block that must run separately and be upgraded before the rest of the blocks. This fix seems to have reduced the risk to computers while upgrading BIOS nicely.

As BIOS is flash-based, it shares the same risks that other flash-based memory experiences. Flash can only be rewritten a finite number of times before becoming unusable. Flash-burn viruses that occur after too many rewrites on the flash device will result in permanent corruption and the BIOS will be unable to be salvaged. The only true way to avoid having this happen is to replace the flash driven BIOS with a ROM based BIOS.

While some older, less sophisticated operating systems accessed the BIOS chips within the personal computer directly, more advanced systems access the BIOS indirectly. The main reason is that it is inefficient with today’s more complex and faster technologies. Accessing the BIOS directly can seriously delay speeds which are valued in today’s business and personal worlds.

If a process in the boot series of execution occurs from BIOS due to a forgotten disk in left in the hard drive, a user will get an error message. The message may vary from operating system to operating system, but all error messages will have one common fix. Simply remove the forgotten disk from the hard drive and reattempt your boot. The reason for this is that BIOS can accidentally attempt to boot your computer from incorrect files if such an occurrence as a forgotten disk is present. By removing the interfering disk, such as a floppy or installable application disk in your hard drive, and rebooting the computer after removal of the offending software, BIOS can continue the process without confusion.

No computer can run without BIOS. It is an integral part of unseen system checks that occur when the computer is started. If the system cannot check itself for possible problems and have its commands properly executed by BIOS, then the computer will halt booting executions. Based on this, and the knowledge that BIOS is generally flash based (although it can be ROM based), if your computer refuses to start, you may want to have your BIOS chips examined by a professional.

Tips and Tricks to optimize notebook battery usage

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:45:07 +0000

Some facts are often found on notebook batteries for notebook users Many people think that plugging the charger when using notebook with installed battery condition is good, because there notebook protection circuit that automatically decide when battery power is full. But it was not like that, this is the reason.

1. The main enemy of lithium batteries is overcharge. Although the notebooks now have intelligent circuit that stops charging when the battery is full, but when the battery is reduced again (because he used) will automatically back up to full charge again, and will be repeated. The problem is, in fact after a full he will not immediately end, but still had few seconds until minutes before the circuits actually work to decide the flow of charging. At the time this happens overcharge, if this happens repeatedly assured battery will drop quickly

2. The second enemy is the life cycle of lithium. Lithium batteries have a certain life cycle where each time a charge capacity will be less and less. We charge an automatic circuit breaker working (short-circuit because it is full charge, then automatically refilled when the battery is not full), Charge the battery from 99% to 100% was considered tantamount to fill from 1% to 100% or 20% to 80%, so intelligent charging circuit here instead become a boomerang, because it will reduce the remaining life cycle of the battery.

3. When the battery charged and in use at the same time, the heat released will be greater because there are two conditions of energy processes. Heat generated can hardly seemed to feel depending on the type dekali notebooks, and we know overheating is one of the main enemy of electronic devices. Use notebook with battery and charger installed simultaneously and continuously, confirmed 1 / 2 years the battery capacity you will be able to drop the remaining live 1 / 2 its just the initial capacity. And not until the year your battery can only hold power 5-10 minutes before the notebook out. Indeed lithium batteries. Although not in use, every year its capacity will drop by itself about 25% of initial capacity when he made (normally do this kind), but there are so cara2 durable notebook battery discharged 2 even 4 years old, with a record capacity must be reduced, but still reliable.

How to use the right notebook battery.
1. How to compromise: Charge the battery up to 95% of (not necessarily 100%), use up the battery going down 5-10% depending on the type of notebook, there is a notebook that 15% had wanted to die (the big notebook and thirst for power) is also a 5% still good (netbook). New plug charger while in use anymore. Remember when you want the full (95% of) off charge it again.
2. The way a little trouble: Just like above, only when the notebook will be in charge, notebook standby / power off / not used, fitted’ve lights green / full off the charger. Here intelligent circuit are usually working right, so it does not happen disconnect and recurring charge (because he used) which causes a decrease in battery life.
3. How to repot. Turn off the notebook, sampe charge the green light signal, off the charger, remove the battery and store in a bag. Pake notebooks via UPS’ll be safe. Travel longer fit the new battery installed. This method can not be used for the type of notebook battery built in (example: Macbook unibody).

Macrium Reflect Free Edition – An award winning disk imaging solution for free

admin — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:34:27 +0000

Create an exact image of partitions on your hard disk for easy hard disk upgrade or complete/partial system recovery. An award winning disk imaging solution for free. A complete disaster recovery solution for your home and office. Protect your personal documents, photos, music and e-mails. Upgrade your hard disk or try new operating systems in the safe knowledge that everything is securely saved in an easily recovered backup file. Macrium Reflect supports backup to local, network and USB drives as well as burning to all DVD formats. Free edition is Pfor personal/home use only. Version 4.2 build 2098 may include unspecified updates, enhancements, or bug fixes. Free. No limitations. Windows 7, Vista, Server 2003, 2008, XP; 32 and native 64 Bit. This installation file contains the 32 and 64 bit versions of Macrium Reflect. The correct version will be automatically installed. – Macrium.com

CNET editors’ review – Backing up your computer shouldn’t be a tedious task. Macrium Reflect Free Edition makes file backup incredibly easy thanks to its intuitive user interface and helpful wizards. Installing the program did confuse us a bit, because although it’s a free program, it refers to purchasing the program, and you’re given a confirmation number. On top of that, the program recommends that you view the online tutorials before getting started, but you might have some trouble deciphering them unless you speak Italian. Luckily, the built-in Help menu is more than adequate and written in English. The user interface is simple but professional in appearance. Intuitive commands line the top of the window, and tabs reveal options for disk images, partitions, XML definitions, and scheduled backups. A helpful wizard guides you through the process of setting up your backup. We were able to quickly select our backup location (local hard disk, network, CD/DVD). Before proceeding, it provides you with a summary of your backup so that you can see the backup type, destination, compression type, and password protection. Here is also where you can make advanced configurations to the compression levels and file sizes. The program did slow our computer while it worked its magic, and we were unable to browse or work with other resource-intensive programs at the same time. However, we were able to watch the backup process, and the program successfully backed up our C Drive without a hitch. If you’re looking for a simple but reliable backup program, we highly recommend Macrium Reflect Free Edition to all users. – Download.com

Download Macrium Reflect Free Edition at Download.com
http://download.cnet.com/TSA/3000-2242_4-10845728.html