Close all programs

Every program that you have running is eating up resources.  If you have programs that are running, shut them down as you normally would.  This especially includes your email program, (like Outlook) your web browser (like Internet Explorer), and any image manipulation software (like Photoshop) as these tend to be memory hogs.

Ctrl+Alt+Del, aka the 3 finger salute

This process will help you assess what is running and whether this is what is slowing down your computer.  This may also help you identify viruses or malware that have been placed on your computer by unscrupulous programs.

• Press the Control, Alt, Delete keys on your keyboard at the same time.
• Click on Task Manager.  A box will open.
• Click on the “Applications” tab at the top.  See what programs are running.  Do you want them all running?  Can you stop them without losing important work?  If so, stop them by highlighting them by clicking on them once and then clicking “End Task”
• Important:  Many of the processes you will find in this next step are necessary for the normal operation of your computer.  Do not stop processes if you don’t know what they are.  Click on the “Processes” tab at the top and then click “Mem Usage” twice.  This should arrange the processes by the amount of RAM memory they are currently using.  The higher the number, the more that process is slowing your computer down.  If you recognize the process, for instance Microsoft Outlook or Internet Explorer, it is probably safe to stop it, (you will lose any unsaved work).  If you do not recognize the program, do not stop it!  If you can get to the internet, do a search for the process name (including the file extension, usually .exe) and see what the process is.  Only then should you consider stopping it. How much is a too much?  Different program use different amounts of RAM but if you see something that is using way more memory than the other programs, this could be the culprit.  Check it out.  Do you recognize the process? Did you want the process running?  Is the process part of a program that is stuck?  Can you research it online?  If you determine that you want to stop the process, highlight it (click on it) and click “End Process”

MSCONFIG

Many programs that you will install over the life of your computer have an overinflated sense of importance.  They feel that you will want them to run every time you start your computer.  After a while, your computer can get bogged down with many programs that launch in the background “at boot”, meaning every time you boot up the computer.  You may not know these programs are running.  Often you can see their icons in your system tray at the bottom right of your desktop.  Each of these programs is using resources and memory.

To trim these down, most Windows based operating systems come with a utility called MSCONFIG (short for Microsoft Configuration, obviously).  If you go through the steps below and your computer cannot find this program, you may be able to download and install it.  Search for it online.

• Click “Start”, then “Run”.  A dialogue box will open up.
• In the box, type “msconfig” (without the quotes).
• Click on the “Startup” tab at the top.  This shows you a list of the programs that start in the background each and every time you start your computer.
• Determine if you need these programs to run every time you boot your computer.  (If you don’t know what the program is, look it up online).  Usual culprits here are ITunes, QuickTime, Google Update, and Printer monitors.  Know what you are turning off! You may not want “ITunes” to launch on boot, but if you turn off “ITunes Helper” your computer may not recognize when you plug your phone in to synch it.  This is just one example.
• Turn off the program by un-checking it and then clicking “OK”.  Note: You will have to reboot.  Also, some operating systems will not allow you to stop certain programs from running “on boot”.

Conclusion
Often times a slow running computer is caused by programs that are running in the background.  Streamlining these programs is one of the first steps in identifying any issues.

Everyone gets frustrated with their computer at some point in time and the biggest complaint is that the computer is too slow. Most of these people are not alpha geeks; they just want to understand why it takes so long to get something done when computers are meant to speed things up. Why are they waiting in front of their monitor like a dog waiting for a treat? I would like to address these issues here and in the days to follow. This is meant to be a living series of articles. I reserve the right to come back and make changes as needed.

Your Computer Speed vs. Your Internet Speed

One thing many laypeople do not understand, or at least fail to communicate, is whether it is their computer or their internet that is performing slowly. Is your computer trying to launch a program or execute a command, or are you waiting for an online service or page to load? I will attempt to address both of these situations but the difference is major and must be understood. While there is a lot you can do to affect the speed of your personal machine, there is often nothing you can do to speed up online interactions.

Mac vs. PC

In my years I have dealt almost exclusively with PC’s. Many of the things I will explain here will apply to both, but this series is designed mostly for PC users and definitely for the layperson. Alpha geeks already know this stuff.

Your Computer’s Speed

There are basically 6 areas where you can investigate to determine why your computer is performing slowly. I put them here in the order of which I would check things out.

1. Running Processes - resources being used, number of programs running, add-ons, etc.

2. Viruses, Spyware, and Adware

3. Ram Memory – amount and speed of ram memory in your computer

4. ROM Memory – hard drive speed, SSD drive speed, cd-rom drive speed etc.

5. Operating System

6. Core Hardware – processor and motherboard

Your Internet Speed

There are basically 3 areas where you can improve your interaction with the servers and services on the internet. Much of this you cannot change but there are some areas for improvement.

1. Browser – type, version, and add-ons

2. Internet Connection – your connection speed

3. Web Sites – site design, embedded programs and services, etc

In the coming blog posts I will attempt to address all of these. I will also try to keep this as low tech as possible.

Thailand manufactures a quarter of the world’s hard drives.  The flooding has a very high potential to threaten the supply of hard drives starting as early as November 2011 and lingering on into 2012.  Hard drive suppliers are warning people of the possible shortage and increased prices as the flood waters continue to rise and enter their manufacturing facilities.

The hard drive shortage will include large suppliers such as Thailand’s Western Digital, Seagate, Origin Storage, Nimec, Fujitsu, IBM/Hitachi, Hutchinson Technology, Verbatim, LaCie and others.  The distributors are trying to be responsible by limiting the available supply.  By limiting doing so, they hope the available inventory will last longer and help them through the demands of 2012.

Here at EDGE Tech Corp., our thoughts and prayers go out to the country and people of Thailand.  We also hope the flood waters recede and manufacturing can return to normal for all the industries affected.

But does it really makes sense to spend more money on the iPad 2? For those types that absolutely cannot do without being able to proclaim they are leading the Jones’ of the world, the question is moot. For everyone else, however, the following list will compare features of the new tablet with its original counterpart. In the end, making one’s own choice is all that is expected.

iPad Features Versus New and Improved iPad 2 Features

• Footprint: Wholly unchanged. Both screens are the same size although the iPad 2 has a slightly thinner overall model, and sleek, tapered edges.
• Screen Resolution: Unchanged as well. As stated, the viewing area of the screen is the same on both models, the resolution claimed by both are consistent at 1024 x 768. The main difference between the two releases is the graphics processor in the iPad 2 delivers benchmarks 3 to 7 times faster. This might be a worthy consideration in the upgrade question.
• Device Memory: The iPad 2 has double the internal memory, and apparently a faster, better module as well. This amount of RAM is about half the reported amount in similar Android operating devices.
• Cameras: This is another of those features where their is no comparison. The iPad simply did not come outfitted with any sort of image capturing device. The iPad 2 has both a front facing and a rear facing camera. This camera configuration allows the user to participate in Apple’s Facetime video conferencing applications as well as capturing high definition video with the 720p rated rear camera.
• Weight & Thickness: The iPad 2 has slimmed down, losing nearly 80grams of weight and 5 mm of thickness compared to the original iPad. Some users won’t immediately find this terribly compelling. Others, those who tend to use the devices for extended periods of time, will quickly come to value a lighter, easier to handle tablet.

Of course, as technological innovations would have it, this discussion about the original iPad versus the iPad 2 is soon to become moot. Why? Yes, the iPad 3 has been rumored to ship to the world sometime during the first quarter of 2012.

Will there really be that much difference in that release? Perhaps comparing the original with the third line of iPad tablets is the new point of comparison. While much of what is conjectured to be in the newest Apple tablet, there are definitely features worth considering making the wait for.

One of them, a quad-core processor will allow Apple to step up their dominance in the tablet marketplace. Some indications are this processor will make the iPad 3 as fast and powerful as any desktop computer on the market today.

Possibly the core feature change between the iPad 3 and its predecessors is the anticipated release of Apple’s Retina Display technology. Effectively, Apple has packed more pixels into the same amount of space. Doing this provides far crisper and richer display capabilities. Add to these improvements the likely increases in the devices graphics processing unit, and the temptation to wait for the iPad 3′s release may be enough to make choosing one of the earlier models null and void.

Even if you decide to keep your first generation ipad through all of the upgrades, you can be sure that somewhere out there, an iPad app development company is continuing to create apps that will work for any model.

Video link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-15217984

All of us here at EDGE Tech Corp. would like to express our deepest sympathy to the people of Thailand.  We hope and pray that the devastation and destruction will come to an end quickly, and the people can rebuild their lives.

Maximum WiFi Experience in Your Home

• Importance of Placement: Your WiFi antenna, be it on a wireless router, access point, or other broadcasting device needs to be in specific places in order to ensure maximum efficiency of signal distribution. Since most off the shelf wireless WiFi antennas are omni-directional–they broadcast in every direction evenly–try to place the access point in the center-most part of your living space. Antennas too near an external wall are sending a good percentage of the WiFi signal outside and away from where it can best be used.
• Invest in Directional Antennas: As stated above, the stock antennas are omni-directional, but there are focused, directional ones available. Ensure the modem device has the capacity to unscrew and replace the antenna, then decide the general direction necessary to cover specific areas of the home.
• Upgrade the Laptops WiFi Receiver: This tip is for older laptop computers. Most of the internally located WiFi antennas installed in newer computers are more than adequate to receive even the weakest of WiFi signals. For those older laptops using PC cards, consider upgrading to something newer with stronger signal reception. Using the same manufacturer for both the PC card and the modem/access point may slightly boost capabilities as well.
• Install Wireless Repeaters: Larger homes may have many walls and much distance between the source of WiFi broadcast and the furthest outreaches where one might hope to receive signal. Devices known as repeaters will capture the WiFi from the source, and boost the signal strength for extending the broadcast signal. This is a great option when having signal from the house to an outdoor location is desired. Coupling this option with a directional antenna is the best of both worlds.
• Change the Channel: If many of your neighbors are using WiFi, likely from the same Internet Service Provider (ISP) chances there will be more than a few attempting to broadcast on the same channel frequency. Read the manual which came with the WiFi equipment to discover how to find a channel few if any neighbors are transmitting on. This should increase signal strength and reduce data loss or slow down, as well.
• Reduce in House Interference: Many of today’s wireless devices, phones and monitors operate on the same frequencies that some of the older WiFi apparatus do. If there are a number of cordless phones and other wireless devices transmitting in or about the home, consider going with the latest WiFi specification known as 802.11n (or Wireless-N) as it won’t conflict with other wireless devices in the home.
• Upgrade All Devices: If there are a number of WiFi enable computers and devices, making the upgrade for all of them to be Wireless-N enabled should show marked increases in data transfer speeds between the devices, as well as to the Internet. If possible, also consider going with the same manufacturer of WiFi connection equipment. As previously stated, there tends to be higher speeds and fewer interference when two devices from the same maker are talking to each other.

These simple tips will help to ensure faster large file transfer speeds, and fewer lost connection errors. Why have wireless access if it is slow and losing touch with the source?

Maybe this isn’t really a “technology video” in the strictest sense. It’s not necessarily a helpful or informative one either…unless you happen to be out of sharp kitchen utensils and facing certain ruin if you’re unable to slice up some fresh fruit or veggies. Regardless, the amount of creativity displayed here does merit reposting- if only for the purpose of pure entertainment.

Now, how many of you are currently grabbing your keys to run out to purchase a MacBook Air so you can try this at home? Probably nobody, but maybe you’ll be inspired to think outside the box in some other way.

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7 Things We’d Like to See Tim Cook Up

10 Gadgets to Make Life More Difficult

LinkedIn Groups for IT Pros: How to Find the Best

Rice University has Figured out How to Double Capacity on 3G/4G Networks

AES was adopted from the Rijndael encryption algorithm and was chosen by The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which is a federal technology agency that develops and promotes standards. AES is fast, secure and is less resource intensive than other encryption algorithms.

By trying every possible key, such as in a brute force attack, it would take “far longer than the age of the universe to complete.”  When the AES process was completed, a scientist by the name of Bruce Schneier that was competing with the Rijndael team said in a quote, “I do not believe that anyone will ever discover an attack that will allow someone to read Rijndael traffic.”

Now, with all of this being said, the weakness in this method is the user’s password. It is much more likely for a hacker to crack the password on the unit than the encryption algorithm. The Guardian requires a strong password which requires uppercase letter, lowercase letters and symbols to be used. An example of a strong password is Edg3Te(h. Do not use cognitive passwords since they can be easily detected through the use of password cracking programs.

Excerpts for this article were taken from: CompTIA Security+ by Darril Gibson.