Gentility

How to succeed in exams: all you really need to know

2012-03-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

The good news: the right preparation can improve your results by two grades. The bad news: waving a magic wand won't help. Matt Rodda gets advice from the experts

Some people read textbooks in the bath when revising for exams while others plaster their homes with notelets covered in facts. There are certainly many ways to review work, but there is no magic formula guaranteeing exam success. Experts agree that only hard work, planning and starting early, preferably during the spring term, will maximise most people's chances.

There are a few wily short cuts that can make a big difference - but the exact approach can only be determined by the person who is going to have to sit the GCSE, A-level or other exam.

The first and most basic point is to make a solid revision plan, says Dr Val Brooks, a specialist in educational assessment from Warwick University's Institute of Education. "Research on undergraduates shows that those who have a working style based on breaking down tasks into small, manageable parts end up with better degrees," she says.

Revision should never simply be seen as soaking up knowledge. Pupils should try to get involved in what they are studying - preferably by trying to marshal the topics they are revising.

Parents should not stop their children from revising with a friend, if they are explaining concepts to one another, she says. This can be one of the best ways to understand a complicated subject. Writing out plans for exam answers and doing timed exam questions are also important.

Anyone who is going to sit an exam needs to have as good a knowledge as possible of the marking scheme, according to Dr Brooks. Teachers should pass on to pupils details of specimen material from exam boards. These model answers help to show exactly what the difference is between an A star and a C grade, and show students just how much work they need to do.

It is generally better to have a series of intensive study periods followed by a short break. The length of time individuals can concentrate for varies, but Dr Brooks believes a 40-minute session followed by a 10-minute break and another session is a good way to start.

Writing down key points can help to build up a sort of index in a student's memory that can unlock more detail once they have written down a few key words.

Dr Rosemary Stevenson, a researcher in learning at Durham University's psychology department, says: "People who say they can't revise are talking themselves out of it. Motivation is at the root of learning. That is why some people find it easier to learn than others, although how we learn is a very complicated subject."

Some students, for example, like to use colour-coded charts, while others favour writing out notes. There is a lot of research on different learning styles, but no clear view about which technique is best. Colour coding, for example, may help students to learn facts, but it won't help their understanding - which is the key to doing well.

Being organised is one of the most important skills any student can have. It is also the best defence against a panic attack during an exam.

If you start to panic, the best thing is to control your breathing by taking slow, deep breaths. After that, you should move on to another question before coming back to the difficult section later.

Students who are extremely anxious about exams should consider professional counselling. But for this to be successful, it is necessary to start during the spring term, because it usually takes several weeks to take effect.

George Turnbull, spokesman for the Associated Examining Board and author of the booklet How to do Better at Exams, advises students to be realistic and to start revising soon. "For most students, the hardest thing is getting started. It's best to do about 10 minutes a night and build up to doing more revision later," he says.

If parents try to intervene too strongly, they may end up turning revision into a battleground. The best way for mothers and fathers to help is by being supportive. During the final few hours before an exam, they should do everything to help students to feel relaxed.

And anyone taking GCSEs or A-levels, remember: history is littered with famous people who did not do well in exams.

First cereal and toast, then the work begins

It is 8am and the rain is lashing the classroom windows. Early- morning revision at Coundon Court School is about to begin.

The room smells strongly of toast. Around 20 16-year-olds are crunching their way through breakfast laid on by the Coventry comprehensive to fortify themselves for maths GCSE revision. Also on the menu is the Fibonacci Sequence and revising square numbers.

The school is unusually silent at this early hour and the pupils uncharacteristically quiet. Downstairs another group is revising science, refreshing their knowledge of photosynthesis.

Maths teacher Simon Ellis is in favour of the 8am slot. It is the best time to teach, he says, though he knows he is teaching the converted: the harder-working students.

Most revision-class pupils are aware that they have reached make-or-break time for their GCSEs and that a grade C in maths is vital. Vicky Vincent- Betts, 16, speaks for many: "The GCSE exams are not far away. They're just nine weeks off and I'm quite worried about them.

"For the first couple of weeks it was quite hard to start school this early, but I've got used to it and I've saved time by cycling instead of walking."

Matthew Jones, 15, doesn't mind getting up at 7am. He knows he needs maths and it seems sensible to come in early one day a week if that made the difference between a C and a D.

Coundon Court runs the classes as part of a series of additional revision sessions that began two years ago. There are also lunchtime, after-school and holiday classes, though the early-morning sessions were only started this school year.

Teachers coming in early are given time off in lieu. The school is a technology college and has been given extra funding which helps to cover the cost of employing more part-time staff.

But the headteacher, David Kershaw, says the revision sessions would have gone ahead anyway because they are crucial to raising standards, particularly in helping students who might have got a grade D to achieve a C.

The school has an impressive record of improving GCSE grades. The percentage of pupils gaining five A-C grades has risen by a fifth over the past four years, to 58 per cent.

A guide to the guides

There is a huge range of guides to help students study for exams - in book form and on the television, and increasingly through multimedia. In addition, students are helping one another. Here are some aids:

n It is possible to buy a guide to revising GCSE physics written by sixth-formers at Manchester Grammar School, based on their own experiences.

n The Associated Examining Board and Barclays Bank have published a free booklet, How to do Better in Exams. To order, phone 0990 102222.

n Longman is one of a number of publishers producing traditional study guides. The guides, written by experienced examineers, cost pounds 9.99 and cover 21 GCSE subjects. Longman produces exam practice papers (pounds 4.99 each) and a CD-Rom covering English, maths and science (pounds 19.99).

n The BBC has produced a GCSE Bitesize package including books, television programmes and an Internet site. The package covers seven subjects, and the books cost pounds 4.99 or pounds 6.99. The TV programmes are designed to be recorded, and access to the Internet site is free.

n Manchester Grammar School's physics revision guide costs pounds 6.95 and is on sale in Waterstone's and Dillons bookshops.

In their own words ...

Gareth Fowler,16, five GCSEs at C and above.

"Extra tuition in maths was critical for me. I got a lot of help on how to answer questions. I found exam technique a bit difficult. I also had help making sure I could understand things like Pythagoras' theorem and trigonometry."

Carl Hudson, 16, five GCSEs at C and above, A-levels in information technology and geography.

"I got extra tuition in maths and it raised my grade from a D to a C. I want to work as a computer technician, and I wouldn't have had any hope of getting a job without it."

Sukhbir Atwal, 17, English, history and media studies at A-level, says having extra help has improved his maths grade. "I was on for a C in maths and I could have just carried on, but I wanted to get a higher grade and going to a revision session helped me."

Marie Hancocks, 16, English, history and geography A-levels: "I went to several revision sessions. They were a confidence- booster and gave me pointers about how to lay out answers."

success stories

School: Sharnbrook Upper, Bedfordshire.

Claim to fame: Grant-maintained comprehensive with Ofsted award of excellence.

Passed/failed: 62 per cent of pupils gain five A to C grades at GCSE. Students come from what Ofsted called a ''slightly favoured'' catchment area.

n Pupils advised to take half-hour breaks every two hours and then revise another subject. Staff say research has shown it is difficult to concentrate on revising the same subject for more than a couple of hours.

n Sixth-formers encouraged to talk to GCSE pupils, urging them to study.

n Parents are shown how to help their children revise.

TOP TIP

Fred Birkett, deputy headteacher: ''Preparing your revision properly can increase your mark by two grades. March is about as late as you can leave starting to revise''.

The school: Manchester Grammar

Claim to fame: Founded in 1515, it is the largest independent day school in Britain. It has a 100 per cent pass rate for gaining five A to C grades at GCSE.

Passed/failed: School is highly selective and pupils all have IQ scores in the top 6 per cent.

n Pupils urged to get organised in the second half of the spring term.

n Absolutely vital for pupils fully to understand everything they have learnt before they revise. Many pupils miss some lessons through illness or fail to understand all topics.

n Sixth-formers published their own revision guide to GCSE physics this week. Other guides will follow.

TOP TIP

Dr Martin Stephen, High Master: ''If you put rubbish in, you get rubbish out."

School: Northicote, Wolverhampton.

Claim to fame: The headteacher, Geoffrey Hampton, was knighted in the New Year honours list for turning around what was a failing inner-city school.

Passed/failed: Results are rising. The percentage gaining five A to C grades at GCSE are up from 10 to 12 per cent. The percentage of children gaining five A to G grades is up to 87 per cent.

n Sixth-formers talk to 15- and 16-year-olds to encourage them to revise.

n A special parents evening is held to offer tips on revision and advice on what standards are expected.

TOP TIP

Sir Geoffrey: "All those taking GCSEs are given a revision guide, containing tips on studying and model revision plans. During the week before the GCSE exams begin pupils are shown around the hall to help calm them down

Exam Preparation Tips

2012-02-22T04:52:00.000-08:00

For many people, exam time is the most stressful part of the school year. With so much riding on the outcome, there can be a high degree of pressure to perform well. Here are some exam preparation tips to help you excel in school.

Getting Started

The earlier you start, the more time you will have to prepare for the exam. You don't have to wait until exam time approaches; try to set the stage from the beginning of the course by reviewing the material after each class. By starting early and studying on a regular basis, you will have a better opportunity to absorb the information and life will be a lot easier when it's time to put it all together for the exam.

Make sure all of your course material is well organized so you can find and fill any gaps. If you miss any classes, get the notes from your friends right away instead of scrambling at the last minute. Proper organization will help you to get a better picture of the material that has to be covered and improve the flow of the study process.

Creating a Study Plan

As the exam nears, you will need to create a plan to help you study effectively and minimize stress. The first step is to figure out how much time and effort you must dedicate to studying for the exam by asking the following questions:

How much material do you need to cover?
How difficult is the material?
How much time is available?
Do you have any other priorities during the study period?
What is the format of the exam?
How important is the exam?
What is your performance target for the exam?

To prepare the study plan, map out all of the material that has to be covered and make a schedule showing what, when and how much you will study each day. If you have kept up with the course work, studying will involve revision of the material that you have already covered. If you are behind in the course, you will have to finish the readings and other uncompleted work before starting the revision (if there isn't enough time to go over everything, you must decide what is most important for the exam).

Here are some tips to follow in creating your study plan:

budget your time realistically;
allocate the study time into several manageable study sessions;
divide the course material into small segments and assign them to the study sessions;
set clear and specific goals for the study sessions;
prioritize to ensure that material weighted more heavily in the exam gets sufficient study time;
take into account your familiarity with the material and the difficulty level;
don't make the study sessions too long;
study sessions should have enough variety in terms of topics and activities to prevent boredom and loss of effectiveness;
avoid cramming before the exam; and
don't forget to include regular breaks.

Studying for the Exam

You are now armed with a plan and ready to start studying for the exam. Try to study in a location where you can concentrate and won't be interrupted. You can work with others or join a study group if you find it helpful, but be careful to keep it from turning into an inefficient use of your time. Some proven study tools and techniques are listed below - people respond to different learning styles, so use what works for you.

Revising with Summary Notes

Make a condensed version of your readings and class notes by creating summary notes. Pinpoint the key terms and concepts and make sure that you understand them. You can identify key terms and concepts by paying attention to what has been emphasized in your classes, textbooks and course syllabus. For example, if a particular topic has taken up a lot of time in the classroom, it is more likely to be on the exam and you should have a good understanding of it.

The process of making summary notes can help you to retain more information. By writing the information thoughtfully instead of just seeing it, you can develop a greater perception of the material. To take this further, activate your other senses: you can recite the summary notes aloud, and even record and listen to them.

Memorizing with Flashcards

Flashcards (or "index cards") are a good memorization tool. Reduce your summary notes into bullet points, keywords, lists, formulas and diagrams and place them onto a card for each topic. (Some people like to use flashcards to prepare their summary notes in the first place, while others find that it leads to information overload.)

The items on the flashcards act as memory triggers. By memorizing the flashcards you can enhance your ability to recall larger bits of information referenced by the triggers. You can carry the cards with you and review them even when you have only short bursts of time available.

Practicing under Exam Conditions

Knowing the course material is necessary but not sufficient to guarantee success on the exam - you also need to be able to communicate the answers effectively under exam conditions. Practice using sample questions in the same format as the exam and answer them in a simulated test environment. The sample questions can be sourced from old exams and assignments, which are often similar from year to year with small changes. Even though you are only practicing, it is better to write full answers to the questions so you can work through the entire thought process.

The practice session should serve as a feedback loop. Check the answers to the practice questions to diagnose your strengths and weaknesses. If you are weak in an area, go back and study it further to address any gaps.

Taking Care of Yourself

Don't forget to take care of yourself during the exam preparation. It is very important to be in good mental and physical condition for the exam. A small amount of stress can get you psyched, but too much mental or physical strain can be detrimental to your performance. The last thing you want to do is to sabotage your efforts by ignoring your well-being.

After you finish studying, take some time to relax. Don't stay up too late if you can help it and try to get a good night's sleep. Eat before the exam to build your energy, but avoid heavy foods that can make you drowsy.

Keep a positive attitude about the exam. Think of it as a way to demonstrate your knowledge and not as some imposing challenge. Go to the exam focused and relaxed - you have done the work, now it's time to reap the rewards

Edited By: Obi Chidiebere Samuel

Seven Common Mistakes Youth Do in Relating to the Opposite Sex

2012-02-22T04:07:00.000-08:00

Mistake 1: We misinterpret the attentions of the opposite sex.

As an outgrowth of the frustration and desperation sometimes experienced when we want to be married, many singles overreact to any attention from someone of the opposite sex, especially if that someone is attractive to them. If a man looks at us twice, we women can read all kinds of things into it. If a woman happens to sit by a man at a social function, he thinks she’s sending him come-ons.

This misinterpretation of attentions is one of the major reasons it’s difficult for a single man and woman to have a platonic relationship. Both are on their guard, worried about signals, instead of allowing that two people can actually have a friendly conversation and enjoy each other’s company without a romantic attraction.

I also observe too often that many singles – yes, Christian singles – enjoy sending signals and then disowning them. After all, it’s an ego trip to think that one or two people are “on your string,” hoping you’ll come their way sooner or later, even if you’re not attracted to them. They disguise their maneuvers (perhaps even to themselves) by telling everyone, “We’re just friends.” They even say that to the other person right up front, laying the groundwork for a quick exit when necessary, and then proceed to give attentions and signals that are truly misleading. Anyone would misinterpret them. And they break not a few hearts in the process of feeding their egos.

Mistake 2: We put up with too much in a relationship and hang on too long.

Do yourself a favor: Admit you have an emotional dependency you’re calling “love” – or even admit that you really love the person if you think you do – but acknowledge that it’s a wrong relationship and get out.

How do you get out? By taking drastic steps. Jesus said, If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell (Matthew 5:29-30).

If you’re in a relationship and you’re being treated with disrespect, thoughtlessness, or unkindness, that’s a good sign you’ve hung on too long and put up with too much. If you’re hoping he or she will change, you don’t know too much about human nature. The one thing that might make a person like this change is having to live with the consequences of his or her behavior – namely, losing the relationship. As long as he or she can get by with treating you shabbily, there’s not likely to be much change in behavior.

If you’re not happy with the treatment you’re receiving from a person before you marry, you can be sure the treatment you would get after marriage would be much more of the same and worse.

Mistake 3: We’re not always very good at reading danger signals in a relationship.

I often see single people in relationships that have poor choice written all over them, but somehow they never seem to see the danger signals. The truth is, most of the time they just don’t want to see them.

Remember that when our emotions get involved in a situation, it’s very easy to lose perspective. Someone once told me, “Emotions and feelings have zero IQ,” and I think that’s a good thing to remember. You cannot trust your emotions. Those juices get flowing, those romantic notions start whirling around in your head, and you can lose perspective in an instant.

Let’s list a few of the danger signals:

Significant age difference. This will vary depending on individuals and depending on the ages involved. I’m not saying that age difference is always a problem, but it certainly is one thing you should consider carefully.

Different family upbringing. It’s a fact that no two families are alike, but look at the basics: Were both families Christian? What values were taught by the families? What kind of relationships exist among the family members? Some families are very close and some are not.

Priority of spiritual life. If one person in the relationship puts a higher priority on spiritual life than the other, it’s a real danger signal and should not be ignored. Usually when you are involved with someone whose spiritual temperature is below your own, you don’t bring them up to your level, you go down to theirs. I’ve seen it time and again.

Mistake 4: We get physically involved much too soon and go too far.

Here again we Christians have allowed the world system and philosophy to infiltrate our thinking about the physical aspects of a relationship. Romans 12:1-2 says we are not to be conformed to this world, but transformed by a renewed mind. The Phillips translation says, “Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold.” When we become casual about having sex before marriage, we’ve been shoved into the world’s mold.

If you truly want to remain pure in your sexual life and keep yourself for the one person God has for you, or keep yourself for Christ if you remain single, you most certainly can do that. There is nothing impossible about it.

However, in order to do that, you will need a discipline that I don’t see in many singles, a discipline to go the extra mile in keeping the physical contact down to a minimum. You simply cannot trust the chemistry of your body. It is very powerful, and once it gets going, finding the discipline to keep it under control is extremely difficult. So the secret is to keep the electricity down to low levels by controlling the physical contact.

Mistake 5: We think that the only necessary requirement for a date or mate is that he or she is a Christian.

I don’t believe that there is only one person in this whole world whom God intends for us to marry, and if we miss that person, we’ve missed our perfect mate. (Of course, I don’t believe that it’s necessarily true that each of us is intended by God to be married. But that’s another subject!) I think it’s possible to find more than one person with whom you can be compatible and have a good lifelong relationship.

It’s very smart to put yourself though intensive soul-searching when you consider marrying someone. Keeping in mind that your emotions are involved and therefore your perspective may be off center, ask for advice from trusted people. Get them to play devil’s advocate and throw every question they can at you. Take every compatibility test you can find. Do all you can do to know what you’re getting into before you jump. You’ll never be totally prepared for marriage, but it’s a good idea to try to find out before you walk down the aisle whether this match is likely to work well.

Mistake 6: We carry our list of requirements for a relationship with us and judge others too quickly and selfishly.

I used to have a list of the things I wanted in a man. The list was divided into “Essential” and “Nonessential.” Now, that’s not an altogether bad idea.

My “Essential” list now has one thing on it: “Must be someone who would enhance my walk with God and allow us to have a more effective ministry together than we have separately.”

Isn’t it great that our God is big enough to deal with all our differences and idiosyncrasies? He isn’t looking for cookie-cutter Christians, all of us looking and acting just alike in every way. We certainly all have the same biblical principles to apply to our lives, but within those principles, there’s much room for individuality and personality. Amen to that!

Many singles, however, seem to have a long list of requirements for their potential date or mate, and they’ve gotten a bit carried away with it, probably as a reaction to the many failed marriages around us. It’s as though they’re checking you out, making sure you meet their needs. They approach this area of their lives as they might approach buying a car: What features do you have and what are the benefits of those features to me?

Having certain important guidelines in mind as we meet and date people is helpful in keeping us from making totally emotional decisions. But checking people out for selfish reasons is going too far.

Mistake 7: We think that anything is better than being alone.

While it’s true that we have basic needs for companionship, it’s not true that aloneness is the worst condition in the whole world. Note that I said aloneness, not loneliness. There’s a big difference, you know.

Most people fear aloneness because to them it represents loneliness. They haven’t learned to fill their time so that aloneness is valuable and refreshing for them. I have learned to love my aloneness, but it has not always been that way. It has come as I’ve learned to enjoy the presence of God and stopped equating aloneness with loneliness.

Loneliness is a feeling, an attitude. We don’t get through this life without experiencing it to some degree. But to settle for anything as a substitute for loneliness is a big mistake. There are worse things than loneliness, and by God’s grace we do not have to be overcome and defeated by loneliness. He can take our aloneness and turn it into beautiful, fruitful, productive time with Him.

Recognize that being alone doesn’t mean you’re a social misfit. Don’t buy into the lies of our enemy, who wants you to feel desperate. When we feel desperate, we act in irrational and unprincipled ways. When we feel an overpowering need to have someone near, we’ll settle for anything.

Also recognize your need for social interaction and plan good things. But you don’t have to have a date to have company; reach out to others and share your time. Not with the idea that it’s second best – you’d rather have a date but since you can’t you’ll be with friends – enjoy those people for who they are, and you’ll discover that the loneliness goes away.

Edited By Obi Chidiebere Samuel

How to Detect Common Computer Problems

2012-02-18T01:59:00.000-08:00

The using of an electronic devices including computer certainly caused problems during the working time. Maybe just an operating problems or even worse “crash” between applications installed or the lost of data
within. All these major common computer problems and be handled if we doing maintenance actions to prevents problems ahead. The following tips below shows us how to detect the most common computer problems.

Steps to detecting what’s going on to your computer:
1. Check the POST. POST stands for Power On Self Test. This is generally the first or second thing that appears on a computer after turning on the power. This appears before the operating system begins to load. The POST will display any problems found with hardware that makes the computer unable to boot, POST may also display problems with hardware that allow the computer to boot, but not operate at its full capacity during operation.
2. Notice the operating system booting time. If it takes longer time than usual, it means something is slow it down the performance.
3. Perform a mandatory clean up and tune up procedures. It will keep your computer to its maximum performance.
4. Check on the new hardware installed. Many of new hardware installed can cause, malfunction to the main systems. To check and arrange hardware properties jus click on the Device Manager from Control
Panel, click System icon, go to Hardware tab, then Device Manager.
5. Check on the new software installed. Just like the hardware, many of software or application could cause a crash system while it works. For prevent it happens, you could uninstalled the software that caused
crash systems and in the feature have a better check out on the software compatibility with your system installed.
6. Check RAM and CPU consumption. Use the Task Manager to check on, click taskbar select Task Manager, and select Processes tab.

Common Problems:
Slow Computer Performance
There are so many factors that can cause slow running laptop includes:

1. Hard Drive Capacity
The hard drive capacity is the easiest part you can check on. When the computer not performs as fast as usual, the hard drive capacity is the first aspect you can check on. Just easily go to “my computer” and
then right click on the “properties”, it will popup the capacity you’ve been used and how much spaces available. If the hard drive capacity is used up 90% it’s a red alert for you. Immediately backup your data into another media, into a DVD or flashdrive, or just uninstall rarely used/ no longer need applications and delete unused files to save up hard drive capacity. Performs hard drive defragment or used software to clean up your computers.

2. Virus
Virus is the major problems in computers problem these global connection days. It will interrupt the standard application algorithm. To clean up your computer from viruses, you must install an antivirus (recommended from the famous vendors)

Heaten Up Computers
Heaten up computers could be caused by several things, such as the decrease of cooling system performance or even the malfunctions of the application installed that caused th hardware works too hard and
finally caused an extra heat on. If that happens, just buy a new cooling systems part to replace the old parts. Or if the problem is software, then uninstalled the software.

Complete Guide to Networking Windows 7 with XP and Vista

2012-02-17T06:08:00.000-08:00

XP and Windows 7 should (in theory) work together in a peer to peer LAN.   Having stated that the real truth is that Windows has and always will be a pain in the neck when using a mix of different OS versions.   Somewhere deep in the bowels of the windows networking code there are flaws that rear their ugly head when linking older versions of Windows with a newer version of Windows. It was true when linking Windows 98se to XP Pro, XP Pro to Vista, and now I just hit the TCP/IP wall with XP Pro SP3 to Windows 7 Home Premium.   It has always been that the TCP/IP protocol that is built into all versions of Windows (from Windows 3.1 on) has never worked well with peer to peer networking. I won't go into and details because I could write volumes about what the problems are so I'll try be as brief as possible.

1. Always make sure the XP and Windows 7 computers have a password for the user name you are logging in with. Windows XP Pro can be set up to network in what is called "anonymous" login mode but that leaves some big security problems that can (and should) be avoided by making sure all computers in the network have login passwords. If you have a single user name on your computers and don't want to have to type in the password every time you boot XP or Windows 7 (you just want to boot right to the desktop) then go to a command prompt and type "control userpasswords2". This will run a simple utility "User Accounts" that has a check box at the top stating "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer". Uncheck this, click OK and another window pops up asking you to type in a user name and password. Once you do that every time you boot XP, Vista, or Windows 7 (thank god that Microsoft didn't take it out of 7) you will automatically log in with that user name and password.

2. Always use 1 word user names. Some of the workarounds I've had to use require typing in commands from the DOS .. err .. Command prompt and since spaces in usernames don't work there having a single user name (or at least use the _ character instead of the space) will allow these commands (such as NET USE) to work when the "Network Places" method of navigating to the shared computer and finding the shared folder to map a drive letter to doesn't work. I ran into that exact problem yesterday trying to get a Windows XP Pro SP3 computer to map a drive letter to a share folder on a Windows 7 Home Premium computer so Microsoft hasn't fixed this yet.

3. As always make sure all computers have the same Workgroup name. It may seem like a trivial thing but a simple oversight on this will cause you big headaches so double check that each computer (XP and Windows 7) all have the same Workgroup name. I've always run into a failure to see other computers in the network if the workgroup names are different so pick a Workgroup name and set it on all computers in your network.

4-A. On the computer you are sharing the hard drive you will need to add the user names and passwords to be able to auto log in from the other computer. IF XP is the "server" then just go to the control panel, go into "Administrative Tools", and pick "Computer Management". In the Computer Management tool double click on the "Local Users and Groups" to expand it, then click on "Users" to get the current list of user names on the right. From here you can right click on either the "Users" in the left column or right click in the empty white space on the right to get a menu that has the "Add User" choice at the top so you can create user names and passwords for them. When done don't forget to go into the "Groups" choice and add the new users to the appropriate group (such as Administrators if that user needs full permissions).

4-B. WARNING !!! If you are going to want to use the Windows 7 Home Premium computer as the server and have XP Pro workstations then you are going to be in for a rude awakening. Microsoft (in their infinite wisdom... err... stupidity) has removed the "Local Users and Groups" out of all Home versions of Windows 7.   This means there is no Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) so there is no easy way to add user names and passwords.   It seams that Windows 7 should magically see the other XP Pro computers when you are "sharing" out a folder and adding the user names that are allowed access to it.   This is another "In theory this should work" issue that is causing me big problems such as not seeing the XP computer because nothing on it is being shared so the "NET VIEW" command doesn't list these computers and when typing in the username Windows 7 states that it can't find the user so it refuses to add it to the share list.   If anyone has tried to copy the "Microsoft Management Console" DLL file from a Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate version to Windows 7 Home Premium and get it to work I'd love to here from you. That trick worked with XP Home but I don't have a computer running either of these versions of Windows 7 yet so I haven't tried it myself.

5. Here's where the hair pulling can start so be prepared to get you hands dirty if the TCP/IP protocol fails to work properly. Normally after making sure the workgroup, user names, and passwords are all correct you should be able to go to "Network Places" and navigate down through "Entire Network", "Microsoft Windows Network". your Workgroup name, and see a list computers that have a folder(s) shared on them so you can then right click on the share, choose "Map Network Drive", pick the drive letter, and you're done. If in fact you do get this to work then HURRAY for you. You are indeed done and no hair pulling or gnashing of teeth is required. If you aren't one of the fortunate ones then network life just got a lot harder (I 'm not a "fortunate one").   I won't go into all the nitty gritty details (if you ask me nicely I will though) but the short answer to this is that there are still weird SNMP bugs in the Windows OS when using TCP/IP as the communication protocol in a mixed Windows OS environment.   Microsoft always insists that this is all you need but I live in the "real" world and when all too often peer to peer network communication fails with the TCP/IP protocol I have to resort to adding in a 2nd network protocol. I just went through this on 11-27-09 when XP Pro always came back with a 1326 error even though I had everything set correctly on the Windows 7 Home Premium computer with the shared folder. Windows 7 did correctly see the XP Pro computer (it had a shared printer) so the XP user name was correctly added to the share list so all was good there but XP stubbornly refused to connect properly to the Windows 7 shared folder.   I've had this problem too many times with XP and Vista so at least I knew what I had to do. I needed to add the IPX/SPX protocol. Since this is not in Windows 7 anymore I had to Google and find a link to download the Vista IPX/SPX protocol and add it but at least it can be found and the Vista IPX/SPX version works with Windows 7. Again if you need help here ask and I'll provide details. Anyway, after the IPX/SPX protocol is installed into XP and Windows 7 Home Premium the XP Pro computer can log into the Windows 7 computer successfully and the mapped drive function finally works. One would think that after 5 versions of Windows (98, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 7) that this shouldn't be hard to do but the fact is that Windows has had so many programmers coding it and so many programmers have come and gone and Windows has been patched so many times that it's a wonder it works at all.

To anyone reading this I'd love to hear if you have any easier and simpler ways to use Windows 7 Home Premium as a server (and please no comments about why I shouldn't be using Home Premium at all as a server).

How to find out if your computer has a virus

2012-02-16T05:03:00.000-08:00

If you use the Internet, your computer is at risk of infection from viruses. Much like biological viruses, some are harmless, some are merely annoying and some can make your life hell. Even if you only occasionally use your home computer, it is important that you understand the risks and know how to protect yourself.

What is a virus?

In the 1990s the public's impression of what a virus is came from the media. Newspapers reported how programs such as Michaelangelo^[1]would could cause a financial appocalypse by infecting computers around the world and deleting vital data. If a virus announces its presence in such a melodramatic way as shutting down your PC or deleting your data, although you might find it infuriating, at least you know that you have a problem. Far more dangerous are the new breed of crimeware viruses, unwelcome programs that run unnoticed while you continue to use your computer, blissfully unaware that you are at risk.

A virus is a form of malware (malicious software). Malware is software on your computer that you didn't intentionally install, that is running against your wishes and against your interests. Precisely defining the distinction between a virus and other types of malware can get confusing and the definitions are constantly evolving. For now just rememeber that a virus is a form of malware and that malware is bad news for you and your computer.

Why do people make viruses and other malware?

Some eccentric people make viruses for fun or as a personal challenge, but these are generally harmless or annoying at worst. A lot of malware is now written with truly criminal intent and is designed to acheive financial gain for their creator at your expense. Don't assume that the target is only big business because home users are equally at risk. Here are some common motives for creating malware.

Stealing your bank details

Your bank will have warned you that shopping on the Internet involves a risk of people stealing your financial details. This can result either from inadequate security considerations by the online seller or because you have some form of malware on your computer. This is a scary thought when you consider that certain transactions can take money from your account immediately if the criminal has access to the right details.

Stealing your identity

Even if you don't shop online, you could potentially end up in a lot of difficulty if someone steals your identity. Many websites request that you provide them with personal details that may seem innocuous enough, but to criminals can provide the first step to identity theft. A gradual accumulation of your personal details collected by malware could be sufficient to enable someone to build up a profile of your identity and, for example, apply for credit in your name. You might not find out about this until the credit company has started hassling you for the repayments.

Using your computer for illegal activity

Have you ever wondered where all those spam e-mails come from offering investment tips, cheap viagra and breast enlargemnts? One way that spammers get junk mail delivered is to send it using software, known as bots, running secretly on other people's computers. With millions of computers connected to the Internet, malware that uses innocent home users' equipment for dubious or illegal activities can put a lot of power in the hands of deviant people.

Find out if you're infected

By now you should understand that malware is a bad thing and it can affect you. One last misconception needs to be addressed:

Misconception: 'You only get viruses from dodgy looking websites and emails'.

The reason why this isn't true will be explained later. For now, let's address the problem.

Antivirus software

The practical defence for home users is antivirus software. Crucially this software must be up-to-date. If your computer came with trial antivirus software that has now expired it's as good as useless. This is because there are hundreds of new threats crawling the Internet every year and if your antivirus software hasn't received its updates, it can't defend you against an attack. So, if you don't have antivirus software or if your software is out of date, you must install an antivirus program. Here's how:

1. Manually air gap the computer

Disconnect your computer from the Internet immediately, preferably physically (i.e. disconnect your modem or network cable).

2. Download antivirus software from a trusted source using a clean computer.

Use a computer that is already running up-to-date reputable antivirus software to download the latest antivirus installation software, then burn the installation files CD or DVD. If you don't want to pay for antivirus software, some antivirus companies offer free antivirus software for home use. Make sure you download from a source that has a reputation for virus free downloads such as www.download.com. Avast! Home Edition and AVG Antivirus Free Edtion are two popular antivirus products that are free for home use, easy to download and easy to install^[2].

If downloading and burning isn't possible or seems too complicated you're probably going to have to buy some software from your local computer shop. There are many commercial antivirus products available off-the-shelf for home use. Ask the dealer which product will suit you best.

3. Stop suspicious software from running

Kill any processes that are running that you suspect may be malware. To do this, bring up Task Manager (by pressing Control, Alt and Delete at the same time and then clicking on Task Manager) then look through the list of processes on the processes tab. Make a note of the names of all the processes, then using an uninfected computer, look up the names of these processes on a reliable site like http://www.processlibrary.com/. If possible, manually stop any unidentified or malware processes on the infected machine using the End Process button from Task Manager. You should also try to stop any unnecessary or suspicious applications from running using the End Task button on the Applications tab in Task Manager. Leave your computer running in this condition as malware is likely to restart if you restart the infected computer.

4. Backup your data

Backup your important personal files to CD, DVD or another form of removable media. Beware that these files may contain infected material so put a warning label on the disk. These backups are for an emergency restore only, such as if the files on your hard drive are wiped unintentionally later on in the procedure or if the antivirus installation prevents the computer from starting correctly.

5. Install antivirus sof tware and scan for viruses.

It is preferable to install the antivirus software in a diagnostic mode such as safe mode in Microsoft Windows^[3]. Malware and extraneous operating system services are less likely to be running on you computer if you are in safe mode, hence it is less likely that the installation can be sabotaged or conflict with another program. Not all antivirus programs will allow you to perform an install in safe mode. In that case, at least make sure that suspicious and unneccesary processes are not running by following the instructions in Step 3 before installing the antivirus software.

Follow the instructions supplied by your antivirus software providor to complete the installation. This will usually involve restarting the computer and automatically retrieving the latest antivirus updates from the Internet.

Once you have completed the installation you should use the software to run a scan of your computer. Depending on the age and type of your setup this may take hours, so have patience. Once the scan is complete your antivirus software should present you with some reassuring information - either that the machine is clean or that malware has been detected that can now be bannished. The exact procedure will vary depending on your antivirus software.

Make another backup of the now (hopefully) clean personal data files to CD or DVD. If you are intending to or have to do a low-level reinstallation (see Advanced Techniques), use these backups to restore your personal data rather than those you made in step 1.

6. Get advice on identity theft.

If you suspect that you may have been the victim of malware you need to prepare for the possibility that your identity has been stolen. Advice may vary depending on your country, but a good starting point will be contacting your bank. You may need to renew accounts and cards or even file a police report. In all cases you must keep a close watch on any future bank statements. Advice in the UK is available from the Home Office online: http://www.identity-theft.org.uk/what-if.html. In the USA, the Department of Education provides similar advice at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oig/misused/index.html.

If you are still having problems then you probably fall into one of two categories - either your operating system is not applicable to the process presented above or you are dealing with a particularly nasty virus that requires a more complex removal process. In either case, if you're not confident or able to deal with the attack using advanced techniques (see 'Advanced malware removal') then you will probably have to get help from a trusted person more technical than yourself to help you. If in doubt, contact your Internet Service Provider for advice.

Isn't there a faster detection method?

There are some common symptoms that arouse immediate suspicion including:

Computers mysteriously shutting down on their own.
Programs running excessively slowly.
Unfamiliar processes running on the computer.
Unfamilar programs starting on their own or duplicating themselves.
Other unexpected computer behaviour.

Unfortunately, the most insidious attacks will not be apparent to the victim until it's too late, so looking out for syptoms alone is not a substitute for installing antivirus software. Ultimately there is no guarantee that your computer is not infected with malware. New attacks are becoming ever more sophisticated and many attacks will innevitable infect home systems before the antivirus updates are available, however, antivirus software is currently the most reliable and practical way for a home user to reduce the risk of a problem and to detect infection.

How do you get a virus?

Returning to the question of how malware is transmitted in the first place, it should be repeated that in the current age this is not limited to getting infected through contact with dubious material such as Internet porn sites, pirated games and unsolicited e-mails. Although these traditional sources still propogate malware, many of today's attacks employs more subtle and sophisticated methods than, for example, the Anna Kournikova virus^[4].

The Blaster worm

Blaster was a malicious program that spread itself over the Internet to Windows XP and Windows 2000 computers in 2003. One of the syptoms was quite dramatic, effectively making a computer unusable by forcing it to shut down within seconds of booting up. Most of the high profile viruses in the recent years up until then had spread through email attachments and required a bit of assistance from the user themselves, but Blaster could spread over a network without the user being involved. Computers without the latest Windows updates or the protection of a firewall were vulnerable merely by being connected to the Internet.

Phishing sites

Your bank has probably warned you about phishing (pronounced 'fishing') sites. Users are directed to the phishing site from a phishing email - a bogus but official looking electronic communication pursuading you to visit the phishing site. By presenting a web page that looks identical and could even appear to have the same URL as a familar trustworthy site, such as your online bank, the phishing site lures you into following instructions or submitting information in the belief that you are safe, when in fact you are submitting information to a criminal or assisting them with the installation of malware on your computer.

A variation on this idea is that gaining the victim's trust by appearing that you are there to help them with an urgent problem. Some malicious webpages disguise themselves as a warning messages claiming that you have a virus but that it can be removed by following certain instructions. Those instructions then acheive the exact opposite - exposing the computer to an attack and installing the malware.

Auto run from CDs, DVDs and pendrives

The PC's autorun or autoplay feature was once very useful as it enabled you to insert a disk, such as a data CD, and the software on the disk would start automatically. As long as you only inserted media that came from a reputable source, you could be pretty sure that this feature wasn't going to automatically run any malware because in the old days, CDs read only for most users, so malware was not able to write itself to the disk media in the first place.

Today most users have CD or DVD burners and can use pen drives (also known as 'USB sticks' or 'memory sticks'). Although lots of CDs and DVDs are still read only, pen drives are almost always the opposite. With the autorun feature still enabled on most computers, malware can easily install itself to and from pen drives that are inserted into your computer. You can stop autorun from functioning by holding down the shift key while you insert the pen drive or CD. To disable the feature more permanently is a bit more complicated, but instructions are provided in a Microsoft knowledge base article available from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/953252.

The unprotected transfer of data with pen drives is so prolific at the moment, it is suspected malware has even managed to make its way onto the International Space Station using this method ^[5].

Staying protected

The battle against malicious attacks is an exercise in risk management and as always there is a trade off between risk and cost. For example, when Blaster was spreading itselft over the Internet, the protected Windows XP/2000 users were those with either firewall software (which was less common at the time) or both the latest antivirus updates and the latest operating system updates. Should you therefore religiously download and install the latest operating system updates? Not necessarily. Even the more rigorously tested and less frequently released service packs may not be suitable to install on your computer^[6], although this is the exception rather than the rule.

So what can you do? Whilst there's guaranteed solution to the problem, there are steps you can take that are not too complicated, time consuming or expensive and will help to keep you protected:

1. Always have antivirus software installed and up to date. Check for web browser and OS updates regularly.

2. Use 'strong' passwords and don't reveal them to anyone. See http://www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/password/create.mspx for password advice.

3. Don't use an administrator account if you don't have to. Most modern operating systems support accounts with different levels of privelege. If you're just surfing the web, you don't need to be logged on as the system administrator and your normal user account doesn't need administrative priviledges.

4. Verify the authenticity of websites and emails that request information. Check that the webpages and emails come from the company they claim to be and are not a clever typographical variation on the company name. Be suspicious of any email requesting personal or financial information and ignore all spam mail.

5. Don't download or install software from an untrusted source and hold down the shift key when inserting pen drives or other types of media.

6. Use an e-mail service that scans emails for malware and don't open email attachments from an untrusted source, even if apparently forwarded by friends.

7. Use a personal firewall. Most commercial home operating systems now come with a free firewall built in. If not, use a third party personal firewall product designed for your operating system.

8. If while browsing the Internet you start to receive messages claiming that you have a virus, exit your web browser, disconnect from the Internet and restart your computer. Once restarted, if you genuinely have a malware problem, your antivirus software will inform you after downloading the latest updates and doing a scan.

9. Be suspicious of instuctions from unverifiable sources. If an someone tells you to manually adjust the configuration of your computer, find out what the risks are and try to understand what your browser configurations actually do^[7]. Never assume that an unverified source is an innocent source because it has plausible motives. A plausible positive motive is exactly what malicious attackers use as their disguise.

In general you should be vigilant regarding computer security and not just where it concerns malware. If personal or financial data needs to be kept secret then it must be sent using a secure web page. This is usually signified by an address starting with 'https' instead of 'http' and a symbol presented by the web browser (not the webpage) such as a padlock. Find out exactly what this should look like in your web browser so you don't fall for fakes and remember that this is only protecting the information in transit, you still need to be sure that the recipient is trustworthy. Also, be aware that a standard e-mail is not a secure private communication - the data is very easy to read in transit by someone snooping with the right equipment. If you do send payment details over the Internet use a credit card. Credit cards are less risky than debit cards as the seller does not receive immediate payment, so you may have time to cancel the transaction if you realise that you're being ripped off.

Advanced malware removal

Re-installation

This may seem like overkill, but re-installation is the most reliable way to get rid of a virus. The lower the level at which you can do this the better, because the aim of some malware is to entrench itself at as low a level as possible. So if you know how, format your hard drive, then re-install the OS with current anti-virus before restoring your applications and data. Obviously you are in a better position to do this if you are pre-prepared. Sometimes when you buy your computer it will come with a restoration disk that can be used to return the machine to its factory condition. Keep this safe. If not, find out from the manufacturers/suppliers if your computer has an alternative factory restoration method, and if not, look in to preparing your own restoration procedure.

To download FREE BlackBerry Aplications to your mobile phone

2012-02-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

FREE BlackBerry Apps directory. At the links below you can find some of our favorite free software applications for your BlackBerry Bold, Curve, Pearl Storm or other BlackBerry device. We've broken it down by category - simply scroll down down and click on the links to learn more and download each app. If you're browsing this page on your BlackBerry, you can also visit our mobile-optimized free apps download page. We also have a HUGE selection of free BlackBerry apps, games and themes within our CrackBerry App Store Free BlackBerry Apps Catalog.

Free CrackBerry Software
Show that you are a true CrackBerry fan with some great free applications. Our new CrackBerry Wallpaper changer brings our wallpaper galleries to your device. You shouldn't be without our CrackBerry launcher that gives you quick access to our mobile site. The CB Podcasts app will let you check out our podcasts on the go. The CrackBerry Superstore lets you browse our huge inventory of BlackBerrry applications and accessories no matter where you are.

CrackBerry Wallpaper Changer

CrackBerry Launcher

CrackBerry Superstore

CB Podcasts

Free Instant Messaging Software
When on the go, you'll need to keep in touch. With these free instant messaging apps for BlackBerry, you'll never be out of touch. From BlackBerry Messenger to Google Talk, you'll be able to chat with your contacts no matter where you are.

BlackBerry Messenger

AOL Instant Messenger

Google Talk

Yahoo! Messenger

ICQ

Windows Live Messenger

IM+ Lite

Nimbuzz

Free Social Networking Software
Social networks keep us connected more and more these days. While you're on your BlackBerry, you'll want to keep up with everything. Thankfully, there are loads of free social networking apps to keep you informed. From Facebook to Twitter, you can stay in the loop wherever you go.

Facebook

MySpace

Flickr

Twitter

Ubertwitter

Seemic

LinkedIn

TwixTreme

OpenBeak

Free Streaming Media Apps
When you're out and about at work, the gym or just hanging on the couch, you'll want some free streaming media apps to keep you entertained. With these free apps you can rock out to your favorite tunes or catch the latest podcast no matter where you are.

iheartradio

Pandora

Slacker Radio

Stitcher Radio

BlackBerry Podcasts

Free BlackBerry Utilities
No matter what kind of user you are, you'll be sure to find these free BlackBerry utilities handy. There are some really great apps that can increase your productivity and help you be a better BlackBerry user.

QuickPull

FlashOn

LaterDude

Google Mobile App

DriveSafe.ly

SmrtGuard Free

Free Location Based & Mapping Software
Whether on the go or right at home, there will be a time when you'll need to find directions, movie times or the closest pizza place. With these free location based apps for BlackBerry you'll be able to do all of those and more.

Trapster

WHERE

Google Maps

BlackBerry Maps

Poynt

Urbanspoon

Even More Free BlackBerry Apps, Games and Themes >>

How To Update Facebook Status Via Any Device :: Blackberry, iPhones, Xbox, Nintendo, Play Station

2012-02-10T05:52:00.000-08:00

Recently, I updated my Facebook status via Xbox without having one. All I did was a little trick which allows me to pretend to be posting Facebook status via anything at anywhere. This trick can update status via: Blackberry, Xbox, iPhones, Palm, iPod, Moon, Heaven, Hell, ATM Machine, Typewriter, Calculator etc.

Today, I want to share some simple codes you can use to update your Facebook status via costly and funny devices such as Blackberry, Android, Calculator, iPhones and so on. I will also explain how you can also use this trick to write on your friends wall on Facebook.
There is a Special Offer at the end of this Post Updated 02/02/2012

To use this trick to update status, follow the rules below:

http://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=Your APP ID Here&redirect_uri=https://www.facebook.com&to=&display=touch

You shall be working with this link whenever you want to update your Facebook statuses. We shall be dealing with Your APP ID Here in the code above.

For example if I want to update my Facebook status via Blackberry, then it will look like this
http://www.facebook.com/dialog/feed?app_id=111498688870155&redirect_uri=https://www.facebook.com&to=&display=touch you will notice a slight change in this code. What I change in this new link was “YOUR APP ID HERE” to “111498688870155”. The number I changed to is called the APP ID. Once you have the APP ID of what you want your updates to look like, you will have to change the YOUR APP ID HERE shown in the first link. Now Click on the link above to update your Facebook status via Blackberry. At the end of this post, you will be given many APP ID that you can use to update your Facebook statuses.

To use this trick to post an update on friend’s wall on Facebook, follow the rules below:
Whenever I want to use this trick to post on friends wall on Facebook, I always use this same URL, but I have to add and alter a target ID designation to match my friend ID number.
Here is the code we shall be using: http://www.facebook.com/connect/prompt_feed.php?preview=true&display=touch&api_key=YourApiCode&target_id=FriendId. To apply this trick, there are two things you will need to get. The two things are:

• Your Friend ID Number &
• Your Preferred API Key

To get your friend Facebook ID Number, go to your friend profile and this code will be found at the end of his or her Facebook URL or hidden within a link on his or her page. For example, one of my friends Facebook URL is http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002378853695. The “100002378853695” Is my friend ID Number. If i want to say a happy birthday to one of my friends, then i will put it like this http://www.facebook.com/connect/prompt_feed.php?preview=true&display=touch&api_key=111498688870155&target_id=100002378853695.

In case your friend is using username or vanity URL like http://www.facebook.com/justnaira.team.
To get your friend id number, note his username which is gentility.team, then launch http://graph.facebook.com/justnaira.team in your browser.

Then you should see something like this:
{
"id": "100002514519463",
"name": "gentility Success-Team",
"first_name": "Just-Naira",
"last_name": "Success-Team",
"link": "http://www.facebook.com/chidi.samuel",
"username": "gentility.team",
"gender": "male",
"locale": "en_US"
}

The id in the code above is the profile id for Just Naira, you can now post something on Just Naira wall using the id number shown above.

Below are some useful APP ID you can use to updates your status and have fun on Facebook.

1. iPhone: 6628568379
2. Blackberry: 111498688870155
3. Palm: 7081486362
4. Sidekick: 21810043296
5. Sony Ericsson: 38125372145
6. Xbox LIVE: 5747726667
7. iPad: 112930718741625
8. Foursquare: 86734274142
9. Telegram: 140881489259157
10. Carrier Pigeon: 130263630347328
11. Morse Code: 134929696530963
12. Message in a Bottle: 123903037653697
13. Commodore 64: 138114659547999
14. Your moms computer: 132386310127809
15. TRS-80: 134998549862981
16. K.I.T.T.: 129904140378622
17. Mind Computer Interface: 121111184600360
18. eyePhone: 110455835670222
19. toaster: 203192803063920
20. microwave: 0a5266c8844a1b09211e7eb38242ac2f
21. Super Nintendo Entertainment System: 235703126457431
22. Gameboy Color: 180700501993189
23. GoD: 256591344357588
24. Glade Air Freshner: 4aeb4db2e8df1cdb7f952b2269afb560
25. Strawberry: a4c9fb1708a848c2241674531176209b
26. The moon: 221826277855257
27. Dr. Pepper: eea90d40e1d12565695dbbbdbd5e965b
28. Nintendo wii: 243870508973644
29. Alcohol: 250335888312118
30. Cheese: 218791271497130
31. iPod Nano: 142039005875499
32. Nintendo 64: 236264753062118
33. Microsoft Excel: 242740155751069
34. Linux Ubuntu: 220593361311050
35. iPhone 5g: 211333348912523
36. My Bedroom: 174811032586879
37. Your Mums Bedroom: 5f64bbc9ac2f12b983200925da461322
38. Lamp: 230755826955133
39. Your moms anus: b625297b655f0b46c86b68f754b82121
40. Refrigerator: 250828364944350
41. A potato: 127926427295267
42. Nasa Satellite: 31d608d30292175bf7703149699ccb39
43. Vibrator: eb4c6d1a60e19a7795da501e1f468035
44. Sperm Whale: 170318539700306
45. Pogo Stick: 185103391549701
46. Banana Phone: 1477a4cd29ec724a3de19be5d26e0389
47. Google+: 4d8243dbb7064f88351fe6c809582320
48. The Future: 108372819220732
49. Smoke Signal: 134138923334682
50. tin cans connected by string: 242191299125647
51. Pokedex: de3da265cf6976745bb1d60a8c198151
52. Telepathy: ea01a57edb26cf1de143f09d45cfa913
53. Typewriter: d3d554bf60297cb2c384e3d7cf5a066d
54. Harry Potter: b8ebeb983f45eaa0bd5f4f66cad97654
55. TARDIS: 200439256674396
56. Pip Boy: 142806259133078
57. Mind Control: 1dc633368924b3b0b4d08e3f83230760
58. Jedi Mind Control: 240597869302110
59. Telekinesis: 224139600960217
60. Post-It Note: 115227201900831
61. GLaDOS: 246126362083515
62. Ansible: 185474028180003
63. W.O.P.R: 228373497202865
64. Airwolf: 123944137696757
65. HMCS Belafonte: 222345601140304
66. Hogwarts: 2dc1d3004dbc4a67c4b552be3c25ccb0
67. Stephen Hawking's Wheelchair: 129985073756521
68. Head Antenna: 221107014598348
69. UPS: 258012620879655
70. Fedex: 232029733497914
71. Raven from King's Landing: 193094050743722
72. Harbinger of Doom: 180354375362451
73. Mind Meld: 186993071361881
74. Unspeakable Ritual: 174903625908095
75. A Van down by the River: 119883641439994
76. Pony Express: 186359518090057
77. Sub-Etha: 120168391409358
78. Myspace: 119920871434786
79. Friendster: 247310815280913
80. Zombocom: 195518590504787
81. Postcard: 213487932030106
82. Toilet: 173687282696461
83. Minecraft: 231623746870852
84. Accident: 211312955581644
85. Mystery Machine: 259314457416472
86. Magic: 181277448602956
87. Hell: 148841558523990
88. The afterlife: 220816157954138
89. Heaven: 245437548809330
90. The Event Horizon: 119999311425820
91. The Laughing Man: 222077737828487
92. The Lexx: 123356437754169
93. Microsoft Zune: 23244056678669

If you are having more API keys and questions, try using the comment box below.

Click Here To Update Your Facebook Status Via Just Naira
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If you are too busy to edit those codes, you can update your status below:
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Click Here To Update Facebook Status Via Palm
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Click Here To Update Facebook Status Via Xbox LIVE
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Clcik Here To Update Facebook Status Via Foursquare
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Click Here To Update Facebook Status via PlayStation 3
Click Here To Update Facebook Status via MyPad For iPad
Click Here To Update Facebook Status via iPhone 4S Siri
Click Here To Update Facebook Status via Facebook for every phone
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I will be updating more as time goes on.

In case you can't find the App you want to use here, you can use the comment box below to request for it.

I have a special new month package for my readers, and this special package is for the first ten people to request. I made a special Custom Facebook Id for myself. I titled it via Olusegun Fapohunda Ijesa Laptop :::: Ese BABA™. Click Here to check what am trying to explain.

If you love such id and want me to create it for you use the comment box to request for it....... Just for the first 10 people to request.

If you have any question or comment regarding this post, please share through the comment box. I will try my best to give answers to every questions. Love you all.

How to Browse free on your Computer using indian Web-proxy

2012-02-10T02:10:00.001-08:00

I want to introduce to you an internet proxy software that will allow you to browse the internet without paying. This means that you will browse free with your computer with this java application, this java application is very small in size, it is less that 1mb in size. This java application is called INDIAN WEB PROXY. You might have heard of it before, but I want to give you the latest configuration. This software can work with the major network providers in Nigeria (MTN, ETISALAT,GLO and Airtel). This software can download at an average speed of 30kb/s on gprs and edge while it download as much as 350kb/s on 3g and 3.5g network.

Before you can use this software, you will need:
1. The software itself (Indian Web Proxy). You can download it HERE
2. A java runtime software . You can download it HERE

These are the main thing you will need for this software to run and work.
After downloading those software’s, install the java runtime software, after the installation open the india web proxy software. The software is in zip format; unzip the folder to your desktop. Open the folder and locate the java application (India web proxy). Run the java program and click on settings, it should bring a dialogue box that look like this:

log level(0-3) : 3
max buffer size : 9080
Http proxy host ip : 127.0.0.1
ssl proxy Host IP : 127.0.0.1
https server_443 IP : 127.0.0.1
https server_8443 IP : 127.0.0.1
https server_443 port : 420
https server_8443 IP : 421
http proxy port : 6050
ssl proxy port : 6051
(php)web server IP : http://www.mtnfootball.com or use 10.199.212.8
(php)web server port : 80#443
(php) file full URL : http://ayalaantonio.com/IWP1/tutorial.php ( This is a paid server, it will only work for a limited time)
organization proxy host : 10.199.212.2
organization proxy port : 8080
organization proxy user name : web
organization proxy password : web
Note untick the enable encryption
then save and close

After this, go to your browser and change the browser settings to
Http proxy: 127.0.0.1 port: 6050
Ssl proxy: 127.0.0.1 port: 6051
Fill the remaining protocol with 127.0.0.1 with port: 6050.

Your computer should now browse if you properly configure it.
N.B: The configuration above work very well with Mtn as at the time of writing this post and it work perfectly with Indian web proxy V1 and V2

Henceforth,If you don't want to miss any of our updates, SUBSCRIBE HERE,so that you will receive our free updates through email
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at Monday, October 03, 2011
Labels: Free Browsing
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How to install Windows XP Pro on my computer

2012-02-05T22:14:00.000-08:00

As a Microsoft Windows support professional, one of your tasks may be to install the operating system. This article provides a step-by-step tutorial on installing Windows XP Pro.
Windows Vista Update: We've recently added similar instructions for how to install Windows Vista

Step #1: Plan your installation
When you run the Windows XP Professional Setup program, you must provide information about how to install and configure the operating system. Thorough planning can make your installation of Windows XP Professional more efficient by helping you to avoid potential problems during installation. An understanding of the configuration options will also help to ensure that you have properly configured your system.
I won't go into that part right now but here are some of the most important things you should take into consideration when planning for your XP installation:
• Check System Requirements
• Check Hardware and Software Compatibility
• Determine Disk Partitioning Options
• Choose the Appropriate File System: FAT, FAT32, NTFS
• Decide on a Workgroup or Domain Installation
• Complete a Pre-Installation Checklist
After you made sure you can go on, start the installation process.
Step #2: Beginning the installation process
You can install Windows XP in several methods - all are valid and good, it all depends upon your needs and your limitations.
• Manual installations usually come in 3 flavors:
• Boot from CD - No existing partition is required.
• Boot from the 6 Setup Boot Disks, then insert the CD - No existing partition is required (see the Create Setup Boot Disks for Windows XP page).
• Boot from an MS-DOS startup floppy, go to the command prompt, create a 4GB FAT32 partition with FDISK, reboot, format the C partition you've created, then go to the CD drive, go into the I386 folder, and run the WINNT.EXE command.
• Run an already installed OS, such as Windows NT 4.0 Server. From within NT 4.0 go to the I386 folder in the W2K installation CD and run the WINNT32.EXE command.
• If you want to upgrade a desktop OS such as Windows 98 into Windows 2000 Professional you can follow the same procedure as above (You cannot upgrade Windows 98 into W2K Server).
There are other non-manual installation methods, such as using an unattended file along with a uniqueness database file, using Sysprep, using RIS or even running unattended installations from within the CD itself, but we won't go into that right now.
It doesn't matter how you run the setup process, but the moment it runs - all setup methods look alike.
Step #3: The text-based portion of the Setup program
The setup process begins loading a blue-looking text screen (not GUI). In that phase you will be asked to accept the EULA and choose a partition on which to install XP, and if that partition is new, you'll be asked to format it by using either FAT, FAT32 or NTFS.
1. Start the computer from the CD.

1. You can press F6 if you need to install additional SCSI adapters or other mass-storage devices. If you do you will be asked to supply a floppy disk with the drivers and you CANNOT browse it (or a CD for that matter). Make sure you have one handy.

1. If you want, you can press F2 to run the ASR sequence. For that you need a good backup created by the Windows XP backup program, and the ASR floppy disk. If you plan to install a new copy of XP - don't do anything.

1. Setup will load all the needed files and drivers.

1. Select To Setup Windows XP Professional Now. If you want, and if you have a previous installation of XP, you can try to fix it by pressing R. If not, just press ENTER.

1. Read and accept the licensing agreement and press F8 if you accept it.

1. Select or create the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional. Depending upon your existing disk configuration choose one of the following:
• If the hard disk is unpartitioned, you can create and size the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional.

• If the hard disk is already partitioned, but has enough unpartitioned disk space, you can create an additional partition in the unpartitioned space.
• If the hard disk already has a partition that is large enough, you can install Windows XP Professional on that partition. If the partition has an existing operating system, you will overwrite that operating system if you accept the default installation path. However, files other than the operating system files, such as program files and data files, will not be overwritten.
• If the hard disk has an existing partition, you can delete it to create more unpartitioned space for the new partition. Deleting an existing partition erases all data on that partition.
If you select a new partition during Setup, create and size only the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional. After installation, use Disk Management to partition the remaining space on the hard disk.
1. Select a file system for the installation partition. After you create the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional, you can use Setup to select the file system with which to format the partition. Windows XP Professional supports the NTFS file system in addition to the file allocation table (FAT) and FAT32 file systems. Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, and Windows NT are the only Microsoft operating systems that you can use to gain access to data on a local hard disk that is formatted with NTFS. If you plan to gain access to files that are on a local Windows XP Professional partition with the Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating systems, you should format the partition with a FAT or FAT32 file system. We will use NTFS.

1. Setup will then begin copying necessary files from the installation point (CD, local I386 or network share).
2. Note: If you began the installation process from an MS-DOS floppy, make sure you have and run SMARTDRV from the floppy, otherwise the copying process will probably last more than an hour, perhaps even more. With SMARTDRV (or if setup was run by booting from CD) the copying will probably last a few minutes, no more than 5 max.

1. The computer will restart in graphical mode, and the installation will continue.

Step #4: The GUI-based portion of the Setup program
The setup process reboots and loads a GUI mode phase.

It will then begin to load device drivers based upon what it finds on your computer. You don't need to do anything at this stage.

1. Click Customize to change regional settings, if necessary.
• Current System Locale - Affects how programs display dates, times, currency, and numbers. Choose the locale that matches your location, for example, French (Canada).
• Current Keyboard Layout - Accommodates the special characters and symbols used in different languages. Your keyboard layout determines which characters appear when you press keys on the keyboard.
If you don't need to make any changes just press Next.

If you do need to make changes press Customize and add your System Locale etc.

Note for Hebrew users: Unlike W2K, it is SAFE and it is OK for you to install Hebrew language support at this phase.
To install Hebrew support:
After pressing Customize go to the Languages tab and select the "Install files for complex script and right-to-left languages".

A warning message will appear. Press Ok.

Warning: You must now press Apply!!!

Setup will copy the necessary files from the installation point.

You can now go to the Regional Options tab and select Israel in the Location drop-down list, and Hebrew in the Standards and Formats drop-down list. Click Ok.

1. Type your name and organization.

1. Type the product key.

1. Type the computer name and a password for the local Administrator account. The local Administrator account resides in the SAM of the computer, not in Active Directory. If you will be installing in a domain, you need either a pre-assigned computer name for which a domain account has been created, or the right to create a computer account within the domain.

1. Select the date, time, and time zone settings.

1. Setup will now install the networking components.

After a few seconds you will receive the Networking Settings window. BTW, if you have a NIC that is not in the HCL (see the What's the HCL? page) and XP cannot detect it, or if you don't have a NIC at all, setup will skip this step and you will immediately go to the final phase of the setup process.
Press Next to accept the Typical settings option if you have one of the following situations:
• You have a functional DHCP on your network.
• You have a computer running Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).
• You're in a workgroup environment and do not plan to have any other servers or Active Directory at all, and all other workgroup members are configured in the same manner.

Otherwise select Custom Settings and press Next to customize your network settings.

1. One thing you CAN do (you don't have to do it, it's your call - read more about it on the Increase Internet Connection Speed in Windows XP page) is to uninstall the Qos Packet Scheduler. Click it and press the Uninstall button. If you want to keep it you can simply remove the mark from the QoS check-box. In anyway you can later install or uninstall it if you want.

Keep the TCP/IP, Client for Microsoft Networks and the File and Print Sharing options selected.
1. Highlight the TCP/IP selection and press Properties.

In the General tab enter the required information. You must specify the IP address of the computer, and if you don't know what the Subnet Mask entry should be - you can simply place your mouse pointer over the empty area in the Subnet Mask box and click it. The OS will automatically select the value it thinks is good for the IP address you provided.

If you don't know what these values mean, or if you don't know what to write in them, press cancel and select the Typical Settings option. You can easily change these values later.
1. In the Workgroup or Domain window enter the name of your workgroup or domain.
• A workgroup is a small group of computers on a network that enables users to work together and does not support centralized administration.
• A domain is a logical grouping of computers on a network that has a central security database for storing security information. Centralized security and administration are important for computers in a domain because they enable an administrator to easily manage computers that are geographically distant from each other. A domain is administered as a unit with common rules and procedures. Each domain has a unique name, and each computer within a domain has a unique name.
If you're a stand-alone computer, or if you don't know what to enter, or if you don't have the sufficient rights to join a domain - leave the default entry selected and press Next.

If you want to join a domain (NT 4.0 domain of W2K/2003 Active Directory domain) enter the domain's name in the "Yes, make this computer a member of the following domain" box.

To successfully join a domain you need the following:
• The person performing the installation must have a user account in Active Directory. This account does not need to be the domain Administrator account.
and
• The computer must have an existing computer account in the Active Directory database of the domain that the computer is joining, and the computer must be named exactly as its domain account is named.
or
• The person performing the installation must have appropriate permission to create a domain account for the computer during installation.
Also, you need to have connectivity to the domain's domain controllers (only to the PDC if on an NT 4.0 domain) and a fully functional DNS server (only in AD domains). Read the Joining a Domain in Windows XP Pro and Requirements when Joining a Domain pages for more on this issue.
Enter the Active Directory domain name (in the form of xxx.yyy, for example: DPETRI.NET) or the NetBIOS name of the NT 4.0 domain (in the form of xxx, for example: DPETRI). Press Next.
Note: If you provide a wrong domain name or do not have the correct connectivity to the domain's DNS server you will get an error message.
A username/password window will appear. Enter the name and password of the domain's administrator (or your own if you're the administrator on the target domain).

Note: Providing a wrong username or password will cause this phase to fail.
1. Next the setup process will finish copying files and configuring the setup. You do not need to do anything.

1. After the copying and configuring phase is finished, if XP finds that you have a badly configured screen resolution it will advise you to change it and ask you if you see the new settings right.

BTW, the minimum supported screen resolution in XP is 800X600.
1. Setup finishes and boots Windows XP.

1. A Welcome screen is the first thing you see. The computer checks your Internet connectivity (required for the mandatory Activation and voluntary Registration processes).

You will be asked to register your copy of XP. You can decline if you want.

1. XP will ask you for the default username that will log onto this computer. You can enter as many as 5 users, but you can create more after the installation is finished.
BTW, the Administrator is not shown as a valid logon option (read more about it on the Add the Administrator's Account to the Welcome Screen in XP Pro page).

1. That's it! you're done!

OBSCURE WINDOW QUESTIONS

2011-03-23T04:22:00.001-07:00

obscure Windows questions I’ve been asked. I hope you find them helpful, and if you have specific questions on how to do something in Windows, contact me, and I’ll add it to this page.
________________________________________
________________________________________
Turn on the Windows Quick Launch Toolbar
1. Right click on the Start button. A menu will pop up.
2. Left click on Properties.
3. Click on the Taskbar tab.
4. Put a check in the box next to Show Quick Launch and click OK. You'll now see a small toolbar now next to the start button that has the Show Desktop icon, Windows Media Player and Internet Explorer on it.
I started with this Windows tutorial because the quick launch toolbar is very useful. You can customize it by adding program icons to it. Here's what my quick launch toolbar looks like; I have all the programs I use the most on it:

________________________________________
Place a Picture of any Windows Dialog Box into a Word Processing Program
1. Open the Windows dialog box you want to paste. Make sure it is the active window and that the edges are not off the screen.
2. Hold down the Alt key and press the Print Screen key on your keyboard. This will paste a picture of the window onto the Windows clipboard.
3. Open your word processing program. Put your cursor where you want the picture to go.
4. Press the Shift + Insert keys together to paste the picture onto the page.
Note: If you are going to paste multiple pictures into a single Microsoft Word document, I would recommend that you do this instead:
1. Copy the pictures to the clipboard as directed above, but then paste the pictures into the Windows Paint program first (using the same method in Step 4).
2. Save the picture as a jpeg file (*.jpg) in your My Pictures folder. Call it pic1.jpg if you want.
3. Open Word. Go to Insert | Picture | From File to place the pictures in Word.
Reason? Word does not handle the Shift Insert method very well, and I have corrupted large documents by inserting multiple pictures with the Shift Insert method.

________________________________________
Turn off Sticky Keys
Did you know that after hitting the shift key 5 times in a row, you'll get a pop up asking you whether you want to enable a feature called "Sticky Keys"?
If you click OK, Sticky Keys will be enabled and from that point on, you'll just get sounds whenever you press the CTRL or ALT key. Annoying.
To turn Sticky Keys off permanently, do this:
1. Press the Shift key 5 times in a row.
2. Click the Settings button.
3. On the Keyboard tab, click the first Settings button.
4. Uncheck all the checkboxes, and click Ok. Sticky Keys will be turned off now.

________________________________________
How to Cut and Paste "Clean" Text from One File to Another in Windows
This Windows Tutorial is one of my most popular.
Say you want to copy some text from a webpage into a Word document. You probably already know that you can copy and paste the text using the generic steps below:
1. Highlight the text you want to cut and paste with your mouse, and then press Control + C on your keyboard.
2. To paste the text, put your cursor in the receiving document, and press Control + V to paste it.
Simple, right? Except that when you copy from a webpage or from another Word document, all the formatting comes with it, and messes up the formatting of the document you're working in. Annoying.
You could paste it into a new page and manually remove all the formatting, but here's an easier way:
1. Highlight the text you want to cut and paste with your mouse, and then press Control + C on your keyboard.
2. Open Word, and click on the Edit menu.
3. Click on Paste Special
4. From the Paste Special dialog box, choose Unformatted Text and click Ok. Voila, nice clean text!
________________________________________
________________________________________
Restore the "Show Desktop Icon" to Quick Launch Menu on the Windows Taskbar

See the circled icon in the picture above? That's the Show Desktop icon.
If the Show Desktop icon has been accidentally deleted from the the Windows Taskbar, the procedure below will recreate the file.
1. From the Windows desktop, right click and choose New | Text Document. This will create a new Notepad file on your desktop called newtextdocument.txt.
2. Open this new Notepad file.
3. Copy and paste the bolded text below into the document.
[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop
4. Click File, Save As, and save the new file with the file name
Show Desktop.scf
(If you followed this Windows tutorial correctly, the file icon picture should change to show the Desktop icon like the one in the picture above.)
Now you can drag and drop the icon onto the Quick Launch bar or where ever you want the shortcut to appear.
________________________________________
Here's a quick Windows tutorial that will make computing so much easier:
Create a Desktop Shortcut From the All Programs Menu
Let's say you want to create a shortcut to the Spider Solitaire game on your Windows Desktop. Here's how you would do this:
1. Click on the Start button, and go to All Programs
2. Point to the Games folder and then to the Spider Solitaire game.
3. Right click on Spider Solitaire and then left click on Send to..
4. Click on Desktop (create shortcut).
5. Done!
Easy, huh? You can follow these steps for any program listed in All Programs.
________________________________________
Here's a helpful Windows Tutorial if you accidentally deleted a shortcut:
Recreate a Deleted Shortcut
Let's say you accidentally deleted the shortcut for Spider Solitaire from the All Programs menu. Here's how you get it back:
1. Right Click on the Windows Desktop.
2. On the menu that appears, choose New, then Shortcut.
3. A Create Shortcut dialog box appears.
4. In the shortcut path field, type the path that you see in the picture below:

5. then click Next.
6. Type Spider Solitaire as the name of the shortcut, then click Finish.
7. You should now have a Spider Solitaire shortcut on your Desktop.
Most of the non-Internet games for Windows are in that Windows System32 folder, so you can use the same steps above add the name of the game that was deleted.
Here are the game names for convenience:
• Hearts: mshearts.exe
• Spider Solitaire: spider.exe
• Solitaire: sol.exe
• MineSweeper: winmine.exe
• Freecell: freecell.exe
Pinball has it's own folder: Look under C: drive, Program Files, Windows NT, Pinball, Pinball.exe
Alternatively, you can remove and re-add them as components of Windows. Go to:
1. Control Panel | Add or Remove Programs
2. Add/Remove Windows Components
3. Accessories and Utilities
4. Details button
5. Games
Uncheck the games you are missing from your Games menu, and OK your way out. Then go back in and check off the same games, and OK your way out. That should put them back in your menu.
________________________________________
Here's a few more Windows Tutorials..
Click here for a few more Windows tutorials on:
• MS Office, including Outlook 2003, Word, Excel
• Internet Explorer
Here's a tutorial on Windows File Associations
________________________________________
________________________________________
Done with Windows Tutorials, take me back to the Home page.

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WIRELESS NETWORK

2011-03-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

Before we talk about wireless network security, we must first understand how a wireless network operates.
For most home and small business users, a wireless network is basically a set of devices that enable all of the personal computers in your location to use a broadband internet connection simultaneously.
Wireless networks don't use cables for connections, but instead use radio waves, like cordless phones. Also known as Wi-Fi, or Wireless Fidelity, wireless networks allow you to use your networked computers or laptops anywhere in an office or home.
Wireless networking is also available in public "hotspots," like coffee shops, hotel rooms and lobbies, and airports.
You may have heard the term "Internet Cafe". This refers to a place of business (most often, a coffee shop) which offers wireless network access for anyone who wants to bring in a laptop equipped with a wireless network card. The wireless network card picks up the wireless network signal and the two communicate over that signal. Here's a web page which talks about the wireless network security risks of using Internet Cafes, if you are interested.
But, just as with a cell phone, a wireless network (and any computer you have connected to it) can be hacked, especially if it isn't secured.
CAVEAT and Disclaimer: Wireless networks are inherently unsafe and cannot be completely secured, as there are hackers who will always be one step ahead of the commercial security vendors.
So I, Ellen Davis, do not guarantee that your wireless network security will be impenetrable after completing the steps offered on this site.
However, in my opinion, the majority of hackers are going after bigger fish, and don't have much interest in your wireless home network, except maybe to use it for free internet access.
So unless you are storing hundreds of credit card numbers on your computers for some reason, or you have some kind of important information that can be sold on the black market, or you make some hacker mad, applying the steps below will help ensure your wireless network security is at least better than it would be if you did nothing.
Let's take a closer look at setting up a wireless network and the best practices for building in wireless network security.
First, here’s a list of components needed to build a basic home or small office wireless network:
1. Windows based personal computers, and/or personal laptops with Windows XP SP2 installed. (Windows XP SP2 is compatible with WPA2 Personal encryption, which is what I recommend using).
2. WPA2 enabled wired or wireless network adapters, which should be (or may already be) installed in each of your computers.
If you aren't sure whether Windows XP and the network cards installed on your computer are enabled for WPA2, here's an excellent page that walks you through how to upgrade Windows XP, routers and network cards to WPA2.
3. Ethernet cables, also known as CAT 5 cables. They come in 3, 6, 10, 25, and 50 foot lengths. Desktop and laptop computers won’t need a cable if a wireless network card in installed.
4. A wireless router that supports WPA and WPA2 encryption. There are many different brands, but I use Linksys wireless routers because they are reliable and easy to set up. They cost around $60 in the big office supply or computer stores.
5. A broadband internet connection.
6. The wireless network security steps below.
Second, you need steps on how to secure a wireless network. I've included the details on how to implement reliable wireless network security below: (I'm assuming that we are in your home or small business office, and that you have a desktop PC wired into your broadband box and that you will be using a new Linksys router):
1. First, you must have either a regular or wireless network card in all of the computers in your house. For most wireless networks, a desktop computer nearest to the broadband jack will be connected via a wired network card and cable. Laptops or any other computer not close to the router will be connected via wireless card (or long CAT 5 cable).
IMPORTANT Note: If you have older network cards, they may not be compatible with the new WPA2 security protocol. Upgrade the drivers or the cards if you have to, because relying on any other security protocol like WEP is just not as good when it comes to wireless security.
You may also need to upgrade Windows XP SP2 to be compatible with WPA2 security. Here's the Microsoft page to do this.
2. If you haven’t done so already, place an order for a broadband (aka high speed) internet service installation with your local internet service provider. (This can be a cable company, the telephone company or a wireless tower provider – shop around for the best deal).
3. Purchase a wireless router and install it. NOTE: Be careful about buying used routers; the previous owner could install malicious software on them that could hurt your computer. New is better if you don’t know how to clean them up.
4. Following the instructions that come with the router, set it up next to the computer that is plugged into the broadband connection box.
5. IMPORTANT!! SECURE your wireless router. Follow each of these steps to make sure your wireless network security is reliable and your network is safe from outside intrusion:
a. Change the default wireless network name or SSID to something unique but not personal (no social security numbers or house addresses). The name you choose can be up to 32 characters long and you need to be able to remember it. Linksys sets the default name to Linksys on their routers and every hacker in the world knows that, so don’t leave it unchanged.
b. Change the default password. Linksys sets a default password of admin, and every hacker knows that too. Change it to a password that includes both letters and numbers. Avoid using words that can be found in a dictionary. Also, make sure you either remember it or note it somewhere secure. You will need if you want to access your router later to make changes.
c. Enable Encryption. Linksys routers offer several kinds of security protocols – WPA, WPA2 and WEP are the major types.
The newest and most secure kind of encryption is WPA2. Both WEP and WPA have already been cracked by hackers. WPA2 is the most secure, so I would implement it over the other choices.
When the router setup asks you to choose a wireless security encryption method, choose security mode "WPA2 Personal". Then choose algorithms "TKIP+AES". Choose a strong password for your encryption key, such as a combination of letters and numbers. It can be from 8 to 63 characters, I would use at least 14 characters. Leave the key renewal interval as it is, and save the setting. Make sure you can remember the key. I hate to tell you to write it down, but if you must, you must.
Later, when you try to connect your wireless clients to your network, the card utility should automatically ask you for the preshared key. Enter it twice and you should get connected. If not, please check that the wireless card in the computer is actually compatible with WPA/WPA2.
Note: If you have an older router that supports WEP only, and you don't want to upgrade it, please remember that WEP is very easy to crack, so your wireless network won't be as secure. You'll be at least safer if you use 128-bit WEP keys, but I would recommend that you check the router manufacturer's website for a firmware upgrade that will add WPA support.
d. DON'T turn off SSID Broadcasting. A wireless router can broadcast its SSID name by sending out a continuous radio ping. This is convenient for people trying to connect to it, because they don’t have to remember the name of the network. It seems like it would be good to turn that off, but on Windows XP, it isn't a good idea.
Windows XP, by default, always tries to connect to the first broadcasted wireless network. If you turn off SSID broadcasting, Windows XP won't connect to your network first if it finds a broadcasting network in close enough range. That's not good wireless network security, for sure. So it's best to continue broadcasting while implementing WPA2 encryption instead.
Plus you won't have to choose to connect to "nonbroadcasting networks" on your computers, and then type in the name of the network to connect to it.
e. You have now successfully implemented wireless network security on your router that should keep your data relatively safe (see caveat above for more info).
Let's keep going to finish setting up our network, and connecting to the internet.
6. Change the network card settings in each of your PCs to match the router settings. Pay particular attention to the SSID, the type of encryption, and the key you used when you set up the router.
You’ll need to know this info when are ready to connect any wireless PCs or laptops. Wired computers will get the information they need automatically, as long as the network card is set up to use DHCP, which basically means the network card goes out and gets what it needs from the network automatically.
7. If you have a laptop with a wireless card, check to make sure the wifi capabilities are on. NOTE: On some laptops, there is a switch or button on the laptop that turns the wireless network card on or off. If you are having trouble "seeing" the wireless network, you may have to "turn on" your wireless network card.
8. Once your computer network cards have the network information that matches the router, they will connect and you’ll be able to connect to the internet, with confidence that your wireless network security is set up correctly.
9. Note: Look for the wireless signal strength in the system tray located in the bottom right hand corner of your Windows desktop. It will look a bunch of colored bars.
Green means the signal is strong, yellow is weaker, and red means no signal at all.
Walk around your house with your laptop and see how good the signal is in each room.
Being able to work anywhere in your house depends on how big your house is, and where your wireless router is located. As you walk around, you’ll see the signal strength icon in the Windows system tray changed.
Very quickly, you’ll find out the best places to be for full network speed. It's makes working on your computer kind of fun, and now you have the peace of mind that your wireless network security is keeping your computers safe.
All done! You now know the best steps for setting up a wireless network and configuring strong wireless network security. I hope this information helps you keep your computers and your data safe.
One more note: If setting up wireless network security seems a little overwhelming, and you live in Cheyenne, Wyoming, I can help. Send me a note via my contact form, and I’d be happy to come out and set it up for you. My rates are reasonable.
________________________________________
Some other helpful information:
Want to know how to add a wireless printer to your wireless network? Here's my page on Wireless Printers.
Since we're talking about security, you might also want to see a page on Password Safety.
________________________________________
I'm done with Wireless Network Security, take me back Home

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MOTHER BOARD

2011-03-23T04:17:00.001-07:00

MOTHERBOARD
A motherboard is also known as a main board, system board and logic board. A common abbreviation is ‘mobo'. They can be found in a
variety of electrical devices, ranging from a TV to a computer.

Generally, they will be referred to as a motherboard or a main board when associated with a complex device such as a computer, which is what we shall look at. Put simply, it is the central circuit board of your computer.

All other components and peripherals plug into it, and the job of the motherboard is to relay information between them all. Despite the fact that a better motherboard will not add to the speed of your PC, it is none-the-less important to have one that is both stable and reliable, as its role is vital.

A motherboard houses the BIOS (Basic Input/Output System), which is the simple software run by a computer when initially turned on. Other components attach directly to it, such as the memory, CPU (Central Processing Unit), graphics card, sound card, hard-drive, disk drives, along with various external ports and peripherals.

There are a lot of motherboards on the market to choose from. The big question is how do you go about choosing which one is right for you? Different motherboards support different components, and so it is vital you make a number of decisions concerning general system specifications before you can pick the right motherboard.

A motherboard can come in many configurations to fit different needs and budgets. At its most basic, it comes with several interfaces for necessary components and a BIOS chip set to control setup of the motherboard. Many computer enthusiasts favor one type of BIOS over another and will choose a motherboard partially based on the BIOS manufacturer.

An equally important feature of the motherboard is the type of CPU it will support. Some motherboards support AMD CPUs, while others support Intel processors. If you purchase your case before other components, the first factor to think about motherboard is the size, or form factor. A form factor is a standardized motherboard size.

If you think about fitting a motherboard in a case, there are numbers of mounting holes, slot locations and PSU connectors. The most popular motherboard form factor today is ATX, which evolved from it's predecessor, the Baby AT, a smaller version of the AT (Advanced Technology) form factor. Generally todays computers have ATX form factor motherboard.

Chipsets are a crucial part of a motherboard - they control the system and its’ capabilities. Furthermore, a chipset supports the facilities offered by the processor. A chipset is part of the motherboard, and cannot be upgraded without upgrading the whole board. It is therefore important to make sure you choose the right one for you in the first place.

There are a few main producers of chipsets, which are AMD, Intel, NVidia and Via: The latter two make chipsets for both AMD and Intel processors; AMD and Intel only make chipsets compatible with their own processors.

Another important consideration is the amount and type of RAM the motherboard will support. It is always best to buy a board that supports more RAM than currently needed. If new technology for RAM chips are available, getting a board that supports the newer chips will help future-proof the investment.

The number of PCI slots varies from motherboard to motherboard, as do other interfaces like the number of SATA ports, different RAID abilities, and USB and Firewire ports. As mentioned earlier, sound and video capability might be built-in, although enthusiasts generally prefer to disable internal video, sound and add superior third party cards.

Computer display is an important issue as there are many kinds of graphics cards available these days. Graphics cards vary from PCI or AGP. These days, PCI is ruling the market but one will find that AGP graphics cards are still in use.

One of the best things you can do when looking for a motherboard is to read lots of reviews. They will give you good information about how the board performs and what it is compatible with. Never make a judgement on one review alone and wherever possible ask for recommendations from other people.

Unless you have limitless resources, price is always a consideration when buying computer component. A motherboard usually takes up a fairly large part of any PC budget, so it requires careful consideration. It is worth bearing in mind that cheaper boards sometimes support only more expensive components. If this is the case, work out the total cost of buying the board and components as sometimes it may be worth spending a little more on a more expensive board. A cheap motherboard may be unreliable and more trouble than it is worth. A motherboard is one of those components where it pays to spend a little extra.
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NETWORKING COLOUR ASSIGNMENT

2011-03-22T05:54:00.001-07:00

ENGINEERING AND MAINTENACE

CROSS OVER CABLE (T568B)

RJ45 PIN# WIRE COLOUR DIAGRAM END RJ45 PIN# WIRE COLOUR
(END1) #1 (END2)

1 White/orange 1. white/green
2 Orange 2. green
3 White/green 3. white
4 Blue 4. white/brown
5 White/blue 5. brown
6 Green 6. orange
7 white/brown 7 blue
8 Brown 8. white/blue

Cross over Ethernet cable pin outs.

STANDARD, TRAIGHT THROUGH WIRING (BOTH ENDS ARE THE SAME):

RJ45PIN# WIRE COLOR WIRE DIAG. 10BASE-T SIGNAL 1000BASE-T SIGNAL
(T568A) (T568A) 100BASE-TX ‘’

1. white/green transmit+ BI_DA+
2. Orange transmit- BI_DA-
3. white/green receive+ BI_DB+
4. Blue unused BI_DC+
5. white/blue unused BI_DC-
6. Orange receive- BI_DB-
7. white/brown unused BI_DD+
8. Brown unused BI_DD-

STRAIGHT-THROUGH ETHERNET CABLE PIN OUT FOR T568A:

RJ45PIN# WIRE COLOUR WIRE DIAG 10BASE-TSIGNAL 1000BASE-T SIGNAL
(T658A) (T658A) 100BASE-TX ‘’
1. white/orange transmit+ BI_DA+
2. Orange transmit- BI_DA-
3. white/green transmit+ BI_DB+
4. Blue unused BI_DC+

5. white/blue unused BI_DC-
6. Green receive BI_DB-
7. white/brown unused BI_DD+
8. Brown unused BI_DD-

STRAIGHT THROUGH ETHERNET CABLE PIN OUT FOR T568B.

MODEMS

2011-03-22T05:51:00.001-07:00

A modem is a device that converts digital signals from a computer's serial port to the analog signals required for transmission over traditional telephone lines, and vice versa. Modem stands for modulator/demodulator.

Conversion is necessary because telephone lines were initially designed to handle the analog nature of the human voice, not data. Modems provide remote access to machines in the field to eliminate unnecessary site visits and provide fast access to information in the machine.

The speed of a modem is measured by the rate at which it sends and receives data. This is expressed as bits per second (bps), thousands of bits per second (Kbps) and/or Megabits per second (Mbps). The term baud is approximately equivalent to bps.

Some modems have a V number on them to express their speed and features. V32bis modems run up to 14.4 kbps, V34 modems up to 28.8 kbps, and V34plus modems up to 33.6 kbps. The most recently-adopted standard is the V.90 standard for 56 kbps modems.

Telephone lines are the cheapest way of connecting to the Net, allowing connection speeds up to about 56 kbps. No matter what your modem speed is, actual connection speed may be less than the modem's rated speed depending on the quality of the line.

Connection speed may also vary from connection to connection. You can run your Internet connection from your existing telephone line but if you do, be aware that when you are online you cannot receive or make telephone calls using that line.

You might want to get a separate line for the Internet connection or, if you have a fax line already and you don't use it a lot, you can probably utilise this connection. If you want faster connections to allow you to spend less time online, or to make your time online more interesting and more immediately interactive, you can get connected through ISDN, DSL lines or cables. < Prev

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COMPUTER MEMORY

2011-03-22T05:43:00.001-07:00

RAM is Random Access Memory. It is the part of the computer that processes information. When a program is started it is loaded into RAM to be run.

Inside your computer is one or more slots (usually black) that contain memory chips. Most computers ship with only one filled. To add RAM to the computer you need to find out what kind of RAM (Random Access Memory) your computer takes. The manual that came with your computer's motherboard should have details on what kind of RAM you will need, how much RAM each slot can take and how many slots your computer has. When you receive the upgrade chips they simply snap into the slots on the motherboard.

In Windows, click your START button (bottom left) and click Settings, then Control Panel (In XP, click START then Control Panel). Then click the System icon and look at the info listed on the General tab. The amount of RAM in your system will be listed there in megabytes (MB).

Once the RAM is installed your Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT/XP system will automatically detect the new memory and start using it.

Adding RAM is the easiest, most cost effective way to boost your computer’s performance.

There are many types of RAM: EDO, FPM, SDRAM SODIMM, RAMBUS and more. Your manual or manufacturer should be able to explain what kind of RAM you have and need. If you have a brand name computer a quick way to figure out what RAM you need is to see Crucial's Memory Advisor. Pick your computer brand from the list below and then the model and model number. It will report what type of RAM you need to buy and how much it will cost.

Every computer has a different maximum amount of RAM you can install. Each motherboard (the big circuit board in your computer) has different a maximum. The are a couple of ways you can figure out how much RAM your motherboard can hold. If you still have a manual that came with your computer, there should be information found in there that shows how many RAM slots are on your motherboard, how much memory each slot can take and what the maximum amout of RAM your system can use.

HOW COMPUTER WORKS

2011-03-22T05:40:00.000-07:00

think about how computers work once the power is turned on. As long Microsoft Windows pops up within a few seconds, most people are quite content to move onto the task at hand without knowing anymore.
But once you learn about how computers work, you'll see that these machines are really engineering marvels. The boot process alone is amazing.
From the moment the power is turned on, a computer goes through a multitude of processes before its operating system (i.e., Windows XP) is fully loaded and takes over.
Here's a curious fact about how computers work:
Most computer systems can only run programs which are found in memory (ROM or RAM). But current operating systems like Windows XP are too big to reside just in memory, so they are stored on the hard disk of the computer, or occasionally on USB flash drives, or other non-volatile storage devices.
This means that when a computer is first powered on, it does not have an operating system in memory. Plus, by itself, the computer's hardware can’t perform complex actions like loading the operating system from the disk. So, an apparent roadblock exists. If Windows isn't stored in memory, and the hardware can't load it from disk, how does it start when you turn on your computer?
The answer is in a small program called a bootstrap loader. The bootstrap loader’s only job is to load other software, usually in a sort of sequential chain up to the point when the operating system can get loaded into memory and start. The name "bootstrap loader" comes from the idea that the computer is pulling itself up by its "bootstraps".
This sequential bootstrap loading process is what happens when you press the power button on a Windows XP computer, and it is an essential part of how computers work.
Important: For troubleshooting purposes, pay particular attention to the areas below that start with Note:
How Computers Work When Booting Up
You press the computer power button. This begins a lightening quick (hopefully) but complex process. Here's how computers work during the boot phase:
Electricity flows and first thing, the computer's power supply performs a self test. If all is well, it sends a "Power Good" signal to the "brain" or CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the computer. This takes about ½ second.
Once it gets the thumbs up from the power supply, the CPU begins operations, and executes the instructions found in a chip called the ROM BIOS (Read Only Memory, Basic Input/Output System). The ROM BIOS chip has information permanently burned into it, so the information stays even when the power is off.
This ROM BIOS (or just BIOS) chip is designed to begin giving commands as soon as it receives power. It contains information which includes an entire set of instructions to manage the computer's boot-up process.
The BIOS chip is a critical player in how computers work. Without it, the computer wouldn't know what to do next in the bootstrap process.
The BIOS chip's first task is to start a basic check of the computer’s central hardware (disk drives, keyboard, the mouse, printer, scanners, etc.) to verify that all are working properly. This is called a power-on self-test (POST).
The BIOS also looks for and activates other ROM BIOS chips on different cards installed in the computer (i.e., sound and video graphics cards) and provides a set of low-level routines that the operating system uses to interface with all the different hardware devices such as the keyboard, mouse, printer, etc. (A "routine" is a simple set of instructions for carrying out a specific but limited task. It's used frequently in explanations of how computers work).
At about the same time, the BIOS checks to see if the computer is performing a cold boot or a warm boot (reboot). If the computer is simply rebooting, the BIOS skips the rest of POST, and goes directly to loading the operating system.
If the BIOS finds the computer is starting from a powered off state, it then completes a full POST, which means it verifies RAM (Random Access Memory), checks the PS/2 ports or USB ports for a keyboard and a mouse, and finishes verifying that all peripheral hardware is working.
The BIOS then looks for a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus and, if it finds one, it checks all the PCI cards. (A bus is a collection of wires through which data is transmitted from one part of a computer to another).
________________________________________
NOTE: If the BIOS finds any errors during the POST, it will notify you by a series of beeps or a text message displayed on the screen. An error at this point is almost always a hardware problem.
________________________________________
(If you know how computers work, these mysterious sounds start to make sense)!
The BIOS then checks the CMOS for a list of disks identified as boot devices. The CMOS is another internal computer chip which holds the boot disk list information (and other information including the date and time). It has a tiny battery that supplies just enough electricity to do the job.
The BIOS tries to initiate the boot sequence from the first device listed in the CMOS list of boot devices. (This list might read like this: 1 - floppy drive; 2 - CD-ROM; 3 - hard drive).
If the BIOS does not find the first device, (i.e. no floppy disk is available) it will then try the next device in the boot list.
________________________________________
NOTE: Here's a fact about how computers work that you may have experienced; if the BIOS does find a boot device but does NOT find a proper Master Boot Record (MBR)on the device, the startup process will come to grinding halt.
If you have ever left a floppy disk in the drive when you restarted your computer, you’ve witnessed this. You get a message saying “Non system disk or disk error. Replace and strike any key when ready”.
This is because the CMOS showed the floppy disk as the first "boot" disk and tried to use it to boot the computer. Floppies don't usually have MBRs on them, hence the error.
(This message will make your heart stop for a moment, until you figure out it just means you need to take the floppy out of the drive and restart).
(Interesting that knowing how computers work is good for your health! :)
________________________________________
Once the BIOS finds a suitable boot device with a valid Master Boot Record, it transfers responsibility for the rest of the boot process to that device. (Normally, the valid boot device would be the hard drive of your computer).
The Master Boot Record on the hard disk has two parts: the first part describes how the hard disk is structured or partitioned, and the second part contains the partition loader code, which includes instructions for continuing the boot process. The partition loader code is what takes over the boot process from the BIOS.
Once this MBR is verified, the boot instructions located in the MBR are executed as a program.
A hidden file called NTLDR switches the CPU to a protected operating mode which places the processor in 32-bit memory mode and turns memory paging on. This basically means it puts the CPU in a mode from which it can load and run the 32-bit Windows operating system.
NTLDR then looks for a file called Boot.ini. If the boot.ini file exists, it will be loaded it into memory and any custom settings displayed.
This might include a choice of two different operating systems; for example, some people like to have two different versions of Windows, or Windows and Linux available to them upon booting up.
For our purposes here, we’ll stick to just plain old Windows XP Service Pack 2.
If no boot.ini file exists, NTLDR then tries to launch Windows XP from the 1st partition of the first hard disk, namely C: drive.
NTLDR looks for a file called NTDETECT.COM which is a file that detects and collects a list of the currently installed hardware components.
This list gets loaded into the Windows registry under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hardware key. (If the computer has more than one hardware profile, it will stop at this point and display a Hardware Profiles/Configuration Recovery menu). Most computers have only one hardware profile.
After selecting a hardware configuration, NTLDR begins to load the Windows XP kernel file, called NTOSKRNL.EXE. The kernel is the central component of most computer operating systems. Its responsibilities include managing the system's resources and the communication between hardware and software components.
At the same time, NTLDR also loads the Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL.DLL). This file protects the kernel file from hardware requests during the first phase of its initial start up. Finally NTLDR loads the device drivers for the boot devices.
At this point, the kernel takes over the booting process. It begins its second startup phase and with the help of the HAL, it begins accepting interrupts and loading the various Windows management modules. (Interrupts are basically "calls" or requests to the kernel to perform a task).
The Object Manager, Memory Manager, Security Reference Manager, and the Process Manager are initialized. In addition, during this second kernel phase, the I/O Manager is initialized and this begins the process of loading all the systems driver files.
________________________________________
Note: If any of these driver files fails to load, it may prompt the computer to reboot and try to start the system from the Last Known Good Configuration.
________________________________________
The last task for the kernel is to launch the Session Manager Subsystem (SMSS). The SMSS is responsible for creating the user-mode environment that provides the graphical user interface (GUI) to Windows XP.
SMSS loads a file called win32k.sys which in turn starts the Win32 graphics subsystem. Shortly after win32k.sys starts, it switches the screen into graphics mode.
The Services Subsystem now starts all the software which has been marked to Auto Start. This would include your anti-virus programs, anti-spyware programs, and the like that run in the background, protecting your computer.
Once all devices and services are started, Windows assumes the boot is successful, and it writes the current configuration to the Last Known Good Configuration file. Now the Windows Login process starts. The kernel loads a file called WINLOGON.EXE which is taken over by a process called the Local Security Authority (LSASS.EXE).
A Windows logon dialog box is displayed, which appears at approximately the same time that the Services Subsystem starts the network service.
(On most home machines with one user profile, you won’t see the login box. It will just boot directly into Windows at this point, but it's logging you in automatically).
Whew, that’s a lot of stuff happening in the 60-90 seconds it takes for your computer to boot up to Windows, huh?
Hopefully, you haven't entered an information overload coma. I personally find the explanations for how computers work to be fascinating. :) Guess that's why I'm in the IT business!
Okay, so let's close this "how computers work" page and go back to Computer Troubleshooting.
________________________________________
Done with How Computers Work, take me back to Computer Troubleshooting

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COMPUTER ENGINEER TIPS

2011-03-22T05:34:00.000-07:00

A BIOS:

BIOS stands for basic input and output system, it is usually found in form of a chip on the motherboard. BIOS kick in the moment you boot your system to get the necessary components running b\4 the operating system starts.
Modern BIOS are plug and play which means they can automatically recognize and configure most new expansion cards and hardware devices.

CMOS:

COMPLIMENTRY METAL OXIDE SEMI- CONDUCTOR.

It is a permanent memory powered by a battery that keeps the record of your system configuration when the system is shut down. A batter is attached to it .Here at the CMOS you can alter the system configuration for instance the drive order in which your system boot with. E.g. cd-rom> hdd>floppy.
In some pc you will see hit del to run setup or hit f2.The moment you enter the setup i.e. the BIOS\CMOS setup you will be furnished with set of information on a dialogue box which after any amendment will prompt you to save and exit.

SYSTEM TOOLS AND UTILITY:
These are the recovering tools in the technical field which help to resuscitate your pc when there is abnormal behavior coming from the hard disk and other sensitive component. It is also called Repairing tools. some example of system utility are as follows Newton disk doctor, Newton anti-virus, anti virus guard{AVG},scan disk, disk defragmentation, fdisk, format, disk clean-up.
N\B: to activate this system tool you must make sure that no other program is running to avoid deleting it.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL SYSTEM TOOL

INTERNAL SYSTEM TOOLS:
these are the those system utility tools that are in side the system e.g. disk defragmentation and disk clean-up.

EXTERNAL SYSTEM TOOLS:
These are those systems utility that are not found inside the system rather they are writing programs that are meant to be use as recovering tools for the system e.g. anti-virus.
N\B: boot sector virus is those unwanted programs which when it affect your system will eventually lead to reformatting your system.

HOW TO USE OF SYSTEM TOOLS:
1st step: Go to start button
2nd step: Go to programs
3rd step: Go to accessories
4th step: Go to system tools.
Then finally select the system utility that you want to apply.

TERMINOLOGIES:

UPGRADE: To replace low capacity hardware with a new higher capacity .stepping from lower grade to a higher grade.
CD-ROM: compact disc read only memory
I.D.E: Integrated Device Electronic
ATAPI: Advance technology attachment interface
ISA: Industrial standard architect
PCI: Peripheral component interconnect
PnP: Plug and play {a standard that enables the window to automatically
Recognize and configure a device}.
P.P: Power Pack
FAT: File allocation table
USB: universal serial bus
SCSI {pronounce scorzy}: small computer system interface
CMOS: complimentary metal oxide semi-conductor.
VGA: video graphic adapter\array’
CNR: Communication and network riser

HARD DISK (HDD):

Hard disk is an electronics device use in storing, processing and formatting data. Files once saved on the hdd are housed in a safe storage. These files are retrieved from the hdd disc deleted or resaved at will. These files are not lost even if the hdd is removed from the system. The hdd is described as the power house of the computer. It is also referred to as the heart of the computer as every thing in the system is related to the hdd in one way or the other. hdd come in different capacities ranging from 5mb,10mb,500mb,1gb,20gb,50gb 100gb e.t.c. We have different maker of hdd some maker of hdd includes the following: sea gate, carnaval, western digital, Maxtor, quantum e.t.c.
N\B: higher capacity hdd cannot be accommodated in a lower level mother board.

JUMPER

Jumpers are small pin found on the motherboard which controls the setting of drives on your motherboard. Jumpers are also known as switch, they help in assigning work to the component and drives. It is a divisional media which helps in assigning work to the drives e.g. CD-ROM,HDD e.t.c. N\B: Misapplication of these jumpers can deter the smooth running of the pc.

HOW DO WE JUMPER:
We jumper in the following ways: MASTER, SLAVE, And CABLE SELECT.

USING ONE IDE TO CONNECT ONE DRIVE:

We connect the drive with the IDE by umpiring the drive to the master position .it may be the hdd or the cd-rom.

USING ONE IDE TO CONNECT TWO DRIVES:

When using one IDE to connect two drives, we connect the drive that we want to boot with to the master position and the other to the slave position. E.g. it can either be two hdd or two cd-rom.
USING TWO IDE TO CONNECT TWO SEPERATE DRIVES:

When using two IDE to connect two separate drives, we connect the hdd to the master position on its own drive and the cd-rom to the master position also in its own position.
CONNECTING TO CABLE SELECT:

We connect to the cable select position when we want the system to select the drives by its own.

MS- DOS ERROS:

ACEES DENIED:
Meaning the file has an attribute to it or the file cannot be worked on
ABORT, RETRY, and FAIL:
Usually you will get this error msg if you are trying to read a file that is not readable or if no disc is inserted.
BAD COMMAND\FILE NAME:
This is when you miss type a command or if DOS does not recognize the command.
BAD OR MISSING COMMAND INTERPRETER:
DOS cannot locate the command.com, an important file that holds all of the DOS needed information’s will need to recopy it and there may be chances of virus in the system.
DIVIDE OVER FLOW:
Program has attempted to divide something by zero
DRIVE NOT READY:
Disc in the drive is not readable or no disc is in the drive
FILE CANNOT BE COPIED INTO ITSELF:
Attempt to copy a file could not be completed b\c the file already exist or is being copied the same source or destination.
FILE NOT FOUND:
The file you are looking for is not in the directory or there is no file in the directory.

GENERAL FAILURE:
Something bad has occurred and DOS doesn’t know what to say it just give you this answer. Hdd failure can cause this kind of error report.

INSUFFICENT DISK SPACE
Disk is full or if you are trying to copy a file too large for the disk destination target.
INVALID MEDIA TRACK ZERO BAD\UNUSABLE:
Format command cannot format the specified disk or the disk capacity is invalid or bad disk.
INVALID SWITCH:
The wrong switch was typed such as cd\ when you are supposed to type cd/

NON SYSTEM DISK OR DISK ERROR:
When you are trying to boot a drive without a disk in the drive, also when the disk in the drive is not formatted or is miss the necessary booting files it required

WRITE PROTECT ERROR:
Trying to write to a disk that is locked.

WINDOW XP

This is one of the latest upgraded system windows operating system that we use in the recent time. The full meaning is Microsoft windows service professional. It now come in different operating mode modes called service packs. we have service pack 1,service pack 2,and last but not the least of the operating systems called service pack 3.from service1-3,each has an enhance utility that it is known for. Whenever you are running an XP and it asked for file or report that it needs some missing file to continue running. Don’t skip anything and know that file in respect to the disk in the drive is corrupt or there is file in the disc. And thing that can cause the system to ask for files is the hard disk. check the hardware in the device drive.
However the window xp is one of the best operating system from the Microsoft family, even the so called Vista is yet to beat the operating system in terms of system performance. XP 2005 was a huge success in the history of operating system as it ushers in the era of hyper technology performance in computer history. Everyone one can enjoy and do many things with the computer as the operating system supports many programs and applications from different developers.

COMPUTER CLONNING

By cloning we mean assembling different parts of computer to form a complete system. A cloned system can be referred to as an unbranded system, meaning that different component from different makers were assembled to for a complete system. However a system bought with from a particular maker is called a branded system. e.g., compact, Sony, mercury e.t.c.
However, to clone a system we first bring the casing which most times come with the power pack. Lose the power pack to give way to fix the motherboard. Screw carefully in perforated place to avoid electrocute when power is on. Motherboard housed different components of a system. Fix back the power pack and check the voltage rate as our domestic voltage rate is 220v any thing below 220v is not normal. power to see if their is light in the board run the test for like 30mins[standard] or 15mins[minimal].
Fix the Rams in the RAM banks and run another test. Fix the cards into the expansion slots e.g. the sound cards the VGA cards and the LAN cards. The most efficient and fastest card adapter is the PCI slot adapter. You fix the processor into the own position and then run another power test to confirm that they are working. The you fix the IDE to their own position and connect to hire different drives respectively run a power test the fix the cables to the normal position as the miss application of this cables might deter the smooth running of the system. Cover the casing and fix the external components like the mouse, the keyboard, the VGA cable the printer and other e.t.c.

EXPLAINNING SOME COMPONENTS OF THE SYSTEM:

THE POWER PACK [P.P]:
The power pack as the name sound is the power supplier of the system. We have two types of P.P the AT and ATX the AT power pack is the normal and most common P.P as it does not have auxiliary power cable. But the ATX P.P is referred to as customize P.P. it has extra cable called the auxiliary power cable. normal voltage for P.P in this part of the world is 220v u like the foreign voltage which is 110v.

THE MOTHERBOARD:
The mother board is the engine room of the system as is house different components of the system. It is the center of every operation that is carried out in the system. The capacity of the mother board is determined by the capacity of the Processor that it uses.

THE RAM BANK:
As the name sound it is the bank of the system RAM. It is all the Rams use in a system is fixed. There are different type of Rams e.g. EDO RAM, SDR, DDR. RD. These are different types of Rams that we have and they come in their own diff. capacities. It is the RAM that makes the system to be fast in operation as the more RAN you add to system the faster it will become. RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY is the full meaning of RAM it access all the available memory in a system to provide the required the information needed

THE PROCCESSOR:
The processor is the brain of the computer it processes all the required information as demanded by the RAM whose work is to access the data being processed by the processor.
The processor works hand in hand with the RAM as the two determines if the system is fast or not. The processor comes with a heat sink and a fan. The work of the heat sink is to absorb the heat that is coming from the processor, without the heat sink the processor will go up in flames. The fan is there to cool the processor as the heats are coming out from the processor. We have different types of processor namely the fix or pin processor, the slot processor and the pin less processor. The fix processor come in different models and types of PCs, but the slot processor are mostly see in Pentium 3 PCs, the pin less mostly comes in the range of P3,P4,PM,P5 e.t.c.

THE EXPANSSION SLOTS:

The expansion slots are adapters provided in a specific location on the PC, they are use in connecting logical cards to the system. Example of cards used in expansion slots are sound cards, VGA card e.t.c. We have different types of expansion slots which include P.C.I, I.S.A, AGP, e.t.c.
SOUND CARD:
It is used in connecting audio devices to the system.

V.G.A:
This is called the video/visual graphics adapter/array. It is used to connect and display audio and graphic data through the monitor.

THE LAN CARD:
This is called the Local Area Network. It is used to connect the Ethernet cable to the system. The card is used to generate network for internet purposes.

THE LED AND SWITCH CABLES:

These are cables used in connecting the power switch, led display cables e.t.c. Each cable bears a name on it, and it is slotted into the motherboard following their name or sign orientation. Most times their names are writing on the cables for you to choose the one that you want to.

FLOPPY DRIVE:

This must be fitted into its slot as may be written on the board. Normally the floppy drive adapter is the smallest among all the IDE adapters on the motherboard. However the floppy drive is where the floppy diskette is being slotted into the system. The drive reads and interprets the data in the floppy for us to understand through the system command.

THE CD-ROM DRIVE:

This drive is the compact disc are being slotted to system, this drive interprets data in the cd for us to understand. It must be fitted very well in the adapter and jumper to the proper position depending on number of drives in use.

THE HARD DISK DRIVE:

This must be the last thing that you must fix into the system, the hard disk always represented on the board as HDD. it is the heart of the system as every data, programs or any thing that is being stored into the system are saved on the HDD .it is also called the drive O.

MONITOR:

Is connected with the power cable and the VGA. It display all the command entered in the system through the keyboard.

KEYBOARD:

Is connected to the c.p.u. is used to give command to the computer. We different types of keyboards, they are serial, Ps2, and the USB keyboards respectively.

MOUSE:

Is connected to the c.p.u. is used to give and select the type of command that you want to give the computer.

BASIC THINGS WE DO IN MAINTAINANCE

In maintenance the basic things we do is called troubleshooting.

TROUBLESHOOTING:

By these we mean careful tracing and deleting the problems with the computer system. Two types of troubleshooting are as follows:
BEEPING METHODS
THOROUGH METHOD

THOROUGH METHOD:
This is going from the unknown to the known. The unknown is always difficult to understand.
For you to troubleshoot very well you must discharge yourself and the tools. Always remember that the power test is the most important thing to do in troubleshoot.
However you must be familiar with the components and the parts of the system, in other to know the ability of each of the components.
Remember that the parts of the computer are not the same thing as the components of the system.

POWER RATIO/VALUTION:
This is still in the process of thorough evaluation. By this we mean the power conversion .i.e. the rate of voltage that is required to power the computer accurately
N/B: our normal voltage in Nigeria is 220v-230v {NIG}, AND
110v-220v {America}

A/C INPUT AND OUTPUT SYSTEM:
Is known the required voltage the system will take in and the voltage it uses to transmit out operation.
N/B:
In dealing with a motherboard pls to avoid confusion use your pen and sheet of paper draw a draft of the system on it in other to remember how you lose the system or how you remove any switch on the system and the cable accurately.
When brushing the board remember not to put the board under the sun. To run a power test fix the power switch from the power pack or you can use your screw to on it by inter-connecting at the power panel and the fan will start.

BEEPING METHOD:
When you power the mother board without mounting it on the casing, listen to the beeping coming from the boarding,1st fix the V.G.A. to see the display, on the display you will see the components that are in the system and the ones that are not there e.g. hdd, Ram, processor e.t.c. it power successfully without any interruption then proceed to mount the it on the casing but remember to put a carbon under it to avoid raw contact with the metal casing, and only were there is insulator and improvise were there is none.
then you power the system and listen to the beeping sound, the first sound that you will here lets take it that there is no ram, VGA e.t.c. will be that of the ram, followed by the VGA, the ram sound come in a single strike sound of: beam---beam, bit will come repeatedly, while the VGA sound will come in a double strike sound of: beam, beam. Then fix the require components and power to listen if it continues know it that one of the cards you fix are not good ,moreover the bad one will be notice ether the system is not displaying after booting or it is not booting properly.

THING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE MOTHERBOARD:
There are different types of motherboard, but the ones we are to talk about here are the Gigapro and the Gigabyte motherboard.
Gigapro motherboard do not carry detachable processor .it carries an on board processor. Though early processor come with detachable processors.
Well among the two above mentioned boards the gigabyte is the modern version i.e. the current version and the higher grade among them.
Also another thing that you will take note of is that window xp will not set up in a system with ram of capacity below 64mb.know it that 64mb is the minimum required ram that can allow you to run win xp.

HOW TO SET UP A SYSTEM UP FOR FORMATING AND UPGRADING:

Boot the system, tap F2and DEL button if don’t know the key to enter setup. Most system enters setup with the F2, DEL or F12 in the case of laptops. On entering the setup environment, go to the boot priority setting and set the system boot sequence to the following format:
1st boot sequence--CD-ROM/DVD
2nd boot sequence--HDD
3rd boot sequence--FLOOPY
Check the master/slave position; make sure that the hdd is in the master position and the cd-rom in the slave position. Put them all in auto under 32 bit/LNB. Use the autos detect of hard drive and know if your hardware is being seen by the system.
when you must have confirmed the all the setting are alright proceed in slotting the software for loading the OS in the drive save and exit from the setup environment and press start with cd-rom option(if you are loading 98se OS)and press any key to start if you are loading win xp OS.

HOW TO RUN 98SE OPERTING SYSTEM ON YOUR COMPUTER

Know that 98se OS is the only OS that carries both DOS and window utility at the same time.
So to run 98se OS after checking the necessary thing that you need to check in the setup environment you save and exit then chose the option that states start with CD-ROM support this will bring you out to the A:\ prompt the you will type fdisk meaning find disc, these will display all the information about your system so that you will then chose the type of format you want the hdd to be formatted in.
After fdisk you will be furnished with the following options:
Create DOS partition
Set active partition
Delete partition
Display partition information
Chose the option that states display partition information to know the required information about the hdd. Go back with Esc button and chose delete option, you must first delete the primary dos partition before any other partition or else it will not delete any selected partition apart from 1st deleting the dos partition. Make sure that after you delete any portion you create another one. After creating dos partition you set one partition active for the system to boot from that one. Esc and restart the system start with cd-rom support, and then you will arrive at the A:\ prompt, type thee following: A:\ FORMAT C:\ and Y for yes to continue formatting. After formatting you will then systemize the disc to make it bootable or else if don’t systemize the disc and go on to setup the OS the system will not boot after you remove the cd-rom.

If you systemize a disc you will get this answer SYSTEM TRANSFERED.
Go to c:\ type dir and the files and directories under the drive will be listed. However as a new formatted disc you will only see command.com which is one out of the three main files transferred when you systemize. Know that when you systemize a disc three major file transferred to your disc are: INPUT SYSTEM, OUT PUT SYSTEM, and COMMAND.COM.
In the c:\ type md win98se, by these you have make directory in which you will copy the system files into. Go to E:\ type dir and all the files and directories in that drive will be displayed, type cd win98se, by these you have called in the win98se OS main file and is ready to copy, then copy the files and the extension from there to c:\win98se,you must specify it to copy to win98se or else it will copy to the hdd on the open. To copy the file in the win98se you will type in the E:\copy *.* C:\win98se.when the file have finished copying it will tell you that it copied 102 files, any thing less than this know it that the files didn’t copy well. But when it must have copied the 102 files go to C:\ call in the win98se and type setup the setup will begin to run. Then you follow the options that will prompt you to choose and run the setup.
N\B: Note that 98se is used to determine if a hdd is good or not as any good hdd will format well and complete in 98se, also win 2000 can do that too.

HOW TO RUN WINDOW XP ON YOUR SYSTEM:

If you want to run window service professional on your system you must make sure that the system RAM is up to the required capacity to run the setup. The minimum capacity to run the setup is 64mb.
however to run win xp on your system, insert the disc with the OS into the system and it will prompt you to press any key to start from cd-rom, make sure that you are reading the messages at the bottom of the screen called the status bar, wait until the window starts the setup and ask you to press Esc or enter to begin or cancel the setup, followed by pressing F8,however delete partition with D and crate another one with C, after a new partition proceed to format with F and the system will start to format, moreover the system will be showing you the options to choose, it is not like running the 98se OS, which you will have to do all the things by your self, rather these type of OS is the enhance version of OS that normally do almost everything by it self. After formatting it will copy the setup by it self, the system will restart still leave the disk inside the drive when the system restart, it will move on to copying the required files for the setup the system reboot after each stage and finally will setup the OS and after you must have fill in the license key, user name work group, and the network setting which is not all that important as you are not connected to the internet at the moment.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FAT32 AND NTFS:

The major difference between fat32 and NTFS is that fat32 though a higher version supports or allows you to upgrade the system if you wish to while NTFS do not support or allows you to upgrade. By this we that system the is setup with NTFS can never be upgraded let say you setup 98se with NTFS and later wish to upgrade it to win xp you must have to reformat the system b\4 you can setup the win xp, but if the system is setup with fat32 you don’t need to reformat the system again all you need to do is to start to upgrade it immediately.

REQUIREMENT FOR WIN XP:
XP cannot be run on a system below 64mb of ram. For you to enjoy win xp on your system your ram must be up to 256mb lowest 180mb, and the processor must not be lower than 900 MHz.

SOME PRACTICAL GUIDELINES:

DIAGONISING A PRINTER PROBLEM:

QUESTION:
A printer was giving a command to print some pages of information from the system, along the line to print the information it stop to print after printing some pages, there are still indication that there is still light in the power indicator.
SOLUTION:
When printer develops such a problem that it could not print a given command, go to the system go to the control panel to the printer and fax option, don’t delete the printer as you may not find the driver if you want to install it again. Only delete when you know that you can get the driver for the printer model. On the printer and fax environment you will see the whole number of command given to the printer and delete by right clinking select cancel, after canceling the printer will be fresh again to receive new command. note that you must not give the printer multiple command as it will hang the performance, you must allow the printer to execute a given command b\4 you give it another one.

DIAGONISING V.G.A. PROBLEM:

When diagnosing a V.G.A. problem you must make sure that the monitor is switched on so that you have to confirm when it started displaying any signal. first check if the C.P.U. carries an on board V.G.A. test if it is displaying if not then you have to improvise by fixing a V.G.A card to the system and make sure that the new card is tested in another system to confirm that it is good and plug back the cable to the new card and check the monitor for display. if it not displaying check the monitor to see if the brightness and the contrast setting of the monitor has been tempered.

DIAGONISING A POWER PACK PROBLEM:
QUESTION:
A working computer all of the moment stop working and every effort by the owner to make it power again where in vain so the system was brought to you to repair. What will you do?

SOLUTION:
As the system couldn’t boot again discharge the ram if it continues the you know that you have to drive the P.P
1st check the voltage regulator of the P.P if it is up to the required voltage to power a system. if not you change it through the regulator switch at the body of the P.P, if it still not responding then you have to dismount the P.P from the system use a copper, led, or wire to drive the P.P by 1st checking the color assignment for the you to know the one that carries the main positive and negative power.2nd if you don’t know color assignment just use the wire and inter-connect the cable head ports one straight line against the other b\4 you are through with the whole ports one pair must bring light if it didn’t bring light then you know that the power pack is not good, but where it is good you proceed to mounting the power pack back to the system next check the system processor if it is working normal by removing the heat sink from it and use the back of your hand and felt the processor immediately you on the power mind you in testing the processor like this the power test must not past 5seconds to avoid blowing the processor. However if it didn’t heat up within that specified time know it that the processor is not good. But where let say now it is good no it that automatically the ram is not good.

SPOOLER PROBLEM:
Whenever the system give information that the spooler is not good know it that the printer data cable is not good.

SYSTEM NOT BOOTING PROBLEM:
Check the connection to know if the are well connected the you have to go to the ram and discharge it. Know it that the ram and the P.P work hand in hand. Fix back the ram and the system will boot if there is no major fault with the system.

MONITOR PROBLEM:
The problem with the monitor is that if you plug it on the light it will begin to smell.
SOLUTION:
the monitor was lose and the power cable was tested and it was alright, likewise the fuse was tested it was alright too, so we trace our problem to the power capacitor and it was found out that it was leaking current. So the leakage was bridge by adding a flexible wire to one of the legs of the capacitor that was leaking current and join it with the leg of the other capacitor near to it and a power test was run and the smell stopped immediately.

HANGING SYSTEM:

The problem with the system is that it will boot only to hang at the ram test environment which is that first major display that tells you if the system has seen the keyboard, mouse, hdd e.t.c.
SOLUTION:
The diagnosing start from the ram to the processor, still the problems persist, the board was discharged and the system starts to boot normal again without any problem.

DISK FRAGMENTATION

Disk fragmentation is an utility tool built in the system windows. It is a software utility tool used in repairing the hdd. It is used to wipe\clean clusters in form of fragment in the hdd caused by unfinished programs as a result of power fluctuation and shutting the system down improperly.
However we use disk fragmentation to wipe out this fragmentized cluster that cause the hdd to have cracks which may cause the system to crash, run slowly or not perform well.
To use disk fragmentation go to the START BOTTON--PROGRAMS---SYSTEM ACCESSORIES---SYSTEM TOOLS---DISK FRAGMENTATION {no4}.

On the disk fragmentation environment the entire available disk on the system will be shown on the dialogue box, you will the select the disk that you want to defragment, select defragment option on the box and the disk will start defragment. However below you will see a bow with different colored columnist will be two, the upper one shows the state of the disk b\4 defragment while the down one shows the state of the disk after defragment. The RED colors are the fragmented files, the white color represents the free space in the hdd, the green color represents the unmoved files, while the BLUE represents the contagious files. take a close look you will see how it will first compact the files b\4 moving it, when accessing the file if it is not good it will mark it bad.
NOTE:
When there is high level of fragmentation it will take time to finish i.e. if there is too many gaps to repair it will take time to read the percentage of the fragmenting. However we defragment because there are too many clusters in the hdd which have cause the hdd not to perform fast and normal. Which might have left the hdd in a state that if you are not fragmenting you are formatting?
Remember the defragmentation does not remove virus from the system as it is not an antivirus. It only prepares the hdd to be working well and fast. Sometimes bad cluster may trap some file and while trying to remove them, it may affect other files, those trapped files might be virus and defragmentation will not remove them rather if you try to remove them they will degenerate to other files corrupting them.
Some external files like the cd-rom, flash, mp3, removable disk e.t.c. can also be defragment.

REPAIRING A CRASHED HDD:

When a hdd crashed there are so many way of to retrieve back the information in it or even repair it back if the damage is not too bad. Take the hdd and jumper it to the slave position and go to another working system and connect it, if it see the hdd it will show R sing meaning repairing, the it will begin by verifying the integrity of the disk in this options: Verifying file record segment 1 of 3
Verifying index record segment 2 of 3
Verifying security description 3 of 3
After running these test access the hdd through the good one then copy out the files inside it for safety reason, then defragment the bad disk to enable it to remove the bad cluster, go to start button--All programs--Accessories--System tools--Defragmentation.
However if the system doesn’t show any R sign when you first connect the hdd never mind the system will
Just do the rest for you. What matters is for the system to see the hdd.

ROLL BACK:

These normally during installation of program and along the line the program could not finish, or the software disc is corrupt, or is being terminated these will cause the window to perform a roll back.

VITUAL/VIDEO MEMORY:

These is an allocated memory to the display unit by the default which enable the display unit to be able to show any graphics\animation, the higher the memory the more it can be able to show more graphics and animation no matter how small at a time.
Normally the video memory of your system will cut some memory of your default and use it for display purposes. I.e. if your system ram capacity is 256mb, and after installation of programs u for out that the memory is now 200mb, know it that the remaining 56mb has gone for video memory.
However when loading a program and it asked for more free space, go to bios setting of the system and change the video settings or you can go to control panel at display settings and reduce the video memory of the system. This normally happens when loading printer, arch cad e.t.c. You can change it back after the installation.

BOARD DRIVER:

This is the main driver the controls all the installation of the system. Without them installations on the system will not be complete. They are quite different from the system driver. They are the drive loaded in the chips that are found on the motherboard. These type of drivers are in built drivers waiting to be activated when you are loading an OS. Lets say you formatted a system and after loading the operating system the system will not have sound, these does not mean that the system does not have sound in it rather the sound controller has not being activated, that is the sound controller on the motherboard has not been activated for the system to bring out sound.

SYSTEM DRIVER:

This is software that enables you to activate the system board drivers. Every system has it own driver, but some OS like the win xp sp2, carries emulating driver for most system. These system driver is not the main driver rather it helps to activate the factory built driver inside the system, as the whole driver the system requires is built in form of a chip inside the motherboard, only to be activated with these
Divers. Note that you will use the same driver u used for desktop for laptop too. The same thing that is applicable in laptop is applicable in desktop.

USB DEVICES:

By USB devices it means any devices that use USB port to connect to the computer. Most modern device produce these days come in form of USB device. They are automatically recognize\configured by the system. Whenever the system tells you that it sees an unknown USB device know it that the device is not good and if the USB is through wire connection know that the wire\cable is not good. However make sure that the USB driver is activated by going to the system properties, right click on the my computer icon on the desktop environment ,select properties--device manager, scroll down to USB device and check if it carries a question mark on it. If it carries it then means that the USB drive is activated. But if it didn’t carry any question mark then know the device is unknown because it is not good, that is why the system couldn’t recognize it.
Note also that these may happen when you plug lower USB device in a higher speed port.

MEMORY:

Memory is a temporary electronics device that helps to store information on the system. We have two types of memory reading, namely RAM and ROM.

RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY {RAM}:

By random we mean that the memory helps to access data in the system randomly instead of alphabetically or sequentially. By random we that irrespective of the place or the other which the information is stored it can access it at any time without first accessing the ones before it or tempering with them. By this way information is access easily from the computer.

READ ONLY MEMORY {ROM}:

Information in the ROM is non volatile i.e. you cannot erase the data or the temper with it. But with the aid of a software you can store, change, and adjust the information. However by ROM we mean that it can only read the memory or the information on the disc and translate it to the computer language. We have different types of rams e.g. CD-ROM{Recordable}, CD-ROM{Rewritable}, DVD-ROM{Rewritable}.As we have the different ROM drives, so do we have discs for writing the information e.g. CD{recordable} and CD{Rewritable} respectively.

BUFFERED:

Buffered means that the information in a memory logic sticks is protected. It is only associated with memory. And can only be seen in a new board manual where the manufacturers will tell us if the memory is buffered or not. It is advisable to use a buffered memory so as to enhance the system performance and protect its data.

UNBUFFERED:

These means that the information on the memory is not protected. Using unbuffered memory is like suicide mission. Because any thing that happens like excessive power may cause the lost of the memory.
As we earlier said that buffered and un-buffered is only associated with ram. When a memory is not buffered, power fluctuation can damage it. We only know that a ram is buffered through the carry come manual that comes when you by a new board or system. Only the manual can tell us the level of buffer a ram has.

VIRUS:

Is an unwanted program that affects the smooth running and the system performance? Whenever a virus affects a system it doesn’t affect any thing that it sees. It only affects drives that contain the type of information that it want to corrupt. How ever when a virus affects a system all we have
To carry in mind that in the hdd. Virus are dynamic in nature, these makes it to affect different types of file or data in the system.However we have different types of virus namely:

DIFFERENT TYPES OF VIRUS:
1. Those that affect the boot sector files
2. Those that affect the ordinary file
3. those that affect both the boot sector and the ordinary files at the same time
4. Those that affect the root files of the system.

DIFFERENT NAMES OF VIRUS:
1. Troghan horse 2.rootkits virus 3.worms 4. Macro 5.script e.t.c.

HOW DO WE DE-VIRUS?
We de-virus by sing a viable and strong anti-virus program. We also de-virus by formatting.

EXPLAINNING DIFFERENT TYPES OF VIRUS:

WORM: is a program that creates copy of its self, each of which creates a copy of them self thereby multiplying randomly. They can spread through your documents with you knowing it.
TROGHAN: A virus that masquerades it self like a useful program. It changes into a desirable icon of a program in the system.
MACRO: A program hidden in a word processor document or spread sheet usually with a destructive capacity.
SCRIPT VIRUS: Like a macro virus but written in a dynamic computer language, like signatures or java script.

UNDERSTANDING ERROR MESSAGES:

Every computer user is bound to receive a cryptic note from windows warning that some error has occurred in side your system. Errors a not bad thing it only mean that the program has realized a problem has occurred and has foresight to warn you about it.
Though the white cross on the red background and the yellow exclamation mark can be intimidating, there is often a fair simple cure to the error being indicated.
Below is an identity parade of some common error message with useful explanation of what they mean and their remedies.

NOT ENOUGH MEMORY:

‘There is not enough memory to run this program’. Quit one or two programs and then try again YES or NO
This is one of the user friendly messages that can appear when you are using windows, as it actually suggests action that you can take to remedy that situation. It also means that there is not enough memory to start a program and may also appear if many programs are running at the same time.
REMEDY:
Close the entire necessary program. If these messages persist then make changes through the control panel.
PROCEDURE: Go to start button---settings---control panel----system performance---virtual performance.
Make sure that there is no maximum size specified for the virtual memory. It is for windows to specifically check the disk free space.

LOW IN RESOURCES:

The cause of this message may also be the same as the limited memory to carry out the task. Every window application requires certain amount of memory to function when the application is closed the memory is freed up for other application to use. Some times application may not free up the ALLOCATED MEMORY when terminated. This may lead to such error message. It may also occur in the middle of work so try to close down all other application to enable you to save successfully and the restart the system for the window to free up all available memory.
The system is dangerously low in resources would you like to terminate the following application¬¬. Winword.exe YES NO.

ACCESS DENIED:

This occurred when you are trying to delete or rename a file that is in use. This means that it is currently open on your pc.

REMEDY:
Close an application that may be using the file in question. If your system recently crashed, when windows believes that the files are still open. Restart the windows.
Cannot delete ngozi.doc. ACCESS DENIED. Make sure that the disk is not full or right protected and that the file is not currently in use.

MISSING SHORTCUT:

Where a program is mistakenly or deliberately removed or delete from the pc without due procedure of using add and remove utility software module, the chances are that the shortcut of this program will remain on the following messages will appear as window attempts to find the file which the shortcut refers to.
REMEDY:
To rectify this reinstall the deleted application or delete the shortcut. Example: Window is searching for the winword.exe. To locate the file your self click on browse option.

FILE TOO LARGE:

This message is self explanatory. When a file being copied is too large for the destination it is being copied to. It is not possible to split the files across more than one disk. Therefore the solution is compressing the file using the utility WinZip.
REMEDY:
Example ‘The file to be copied is too large for the destination drive,’ If possible insert a higher capacity disk. RETRY CANCEL

REGISTRY ERROR:

Warning: Window has detected a registry\configuration error. Chose safe mode to start the window, with minimal set of drivers.

INTERPETATION OF REGISTRY ERROR:
The Registry is a kind of data base that contain all the information the window needs to keep the track of your hardware and software. This message requires urgent attention when noticed. This is because the window is making a report that there is problem with the all important Registry. This message appears when the window is booting or running windows in safe mode. However running windows in safe mode loads the minimal driver but doesn’t solve the problem
REMEDY:
Just follow the error message prompt to load windows. A Registry problem box will appear. Click the restore from backup and then restart button.
Windows will attempt to load the Registry form it’s automatically created archive of backup copies. Ensure a steady supply of power when you are running the restore operation. Reboot after a successful operation .If the problem persist reinstall windows and all the requested software’s.

NOTE:
When the windows cannot boot and report registry error press F8epecilly if the OS is window ME it will take you to DOS prompt on entering the ODS environment i.e. C:\WINDOW\SCANREG,and it will register all the missing command files.

TROUBLESHOOTING A HARD DISK PROBLEM

NATVE MODE:
When windows cannot detect a hdd enter the CMOS and BIOS environment before any other thing, check the hdd settings and see if the hdd is on NATIVE MODE. If it is on the native, change it as it will cause the system not see the hdd. Then you warm boot. If the bios setting of the hdd is on native mode the system will not see the hdd, you must disable the native mode setting before the system will have to see it. This problem is likely to be experience in branded system\customize systems, if you remove their hdd and prepare it on another system and put it back it will not see it. N\B: you cannot setup up a window xp in one system just to use it in another. You must set it up on the system that will use it.

QUICK FORMATTING OF HDD:
Quick formatting of hdd is not a standard recommended option when formatting a hdd. It will only format a small portion of the hdd. It may format faster than the one you did normal formatting, if the hdd is good it will format normal but were the hdd is not good it still might format fast as it will not detect if the disk is bad or not. A hdd formatted with quick format may crash on event of power interruption. Quick formatting of a system is just meant for a supplementary supporting format option, after you might have formatted the system with unconditional format option{normal format}.You must format normal before you can apply the quick format option if the need arises.

NORMAL FORMATTING:
This type of format is the best format option use can use to prepare a system. During normal format if the hdd is good it will go normal but were the hdd is not good it will stop on reaching the bad spot when formatting it will begin to recover allocation unit, sometime it will hang. If the hdd is a bit manageable it will past and continue, but if it is too bad it will just hang there.

NO FREE SPACE IN FORMATTED HDD:
A hdd was formatted after the formatting we proceed to loading programs. Along the line during loading of programs the system demand for more free space to continue operation as window cannot continue to load the programs. On going back to the system setting it was discovered that the total disk space is 10GB but the system is seeing only 483MB,Changes were made at the IDE device settings option the whole device where put to AUTO from floppy to hdd and the LNB was changed to normal. Then the system was restarted and the lost volume of the hdd was recovered.

VIRUS IN A FORMATTED DISK PARTITION:
If when you might have formatted a disk and still the files copied are corrupted try use window98se to re-format the disk again, because window98se carries an inbuilt anti virus and it helps to detect if a hdd is good or not. With the help of the in built antivirus it wills de virus the disk thoroughly. Also you can take the hdd to another system jumper it and use it to format it.

FILE COPIED INTO HDD CANNOT COPY FINE:
Many things can be responsible for this. First virus can make the hdd not to copy files well. So make sure that the cd-rom is driving well trusted. Also check the software you are using because if it has crack it might also cause it. If the problem continues take the hdd to another system and prepare it there by first formatting it there copy some files into it from that system and then take it to its original system and prepare it there

CLEAN UP YOUR WINDOW REGISTRY:
Is a huge internal database of windows settings, This task is recommended to be performed every day, it is important to perform this task but it normally over looked by pc users. Every time a program is being installed it makes changes in the windows Registry. All window program and windows it self stores a massive array of information inside the database. These thousands of entry control the behavior and appearance of virtually everything in your system. The changes in your system are not handled correctly in the registry, leading to conflict and slow down of your pc. Over the time leads to bloated and possibly corrupt the registry. cause of these are: frequently installing or uninstalling programs, Removing a program which leaves trace behind, Leftover entries from a hardware uninstall, unused driver on your system. You can edit registry using windows program called Regedit, but it is job left for professional pc users.

REMOVE UNUSED PROGRAM EVERY MONTH:
At least after every month try to remove any program that you barely use, this will help to unpack cluster and fragment the surround the un used program.

RUN DISK CLEAN UP EVERY MONTH
Disk clean up is a fantastic built in utility that automates regular maintenance task to improve pc performance, such as deleting temporary internet files, setup log files, e.t.c. To start disk clean up double click on my computer icon on your computer and right click on C: drive and then select properties. Now click disk clean up, your computer will spend few moments to analyzing it self. When it has finished the audit window will give you list of areas that it found files to clean up. To clean up an area tick on the box next to it and the click on ok, this will then take some time to finish.

DISK FRAGMENTATION:
At least this can be done quarterly. It is also a built in utility tool for improving the system performance.

EMPTY PREFECT CACHED:
These improves the time it takes to load a program, windows guesses which files are likely to be needed next and it generally works well overtime though the prefect cache can become clogged with files you no longer need and that can slow down windows startup.

NETWORKING ENGINEERING
(N+)

NETWORKING ENGINEERING (N+)

Before discussing networking engineering we have to first list and explain the items need for networking.
TX AND RX WIRES:
These are two types of cable wire use for send and receiving of information
MODEM:
This is where the information received from both TX and RX wires are decoded, these are connected from the receiver hanged in front of the dish to the modem which will then pass the information to the other devices i.e. the computer. We have different types of modem namely: ail-up modem (which can voice out) and ordinary modem (voiceless).
THE RECEIVER(LNB):
Is a device hanged in front of the disc extended by a bent metal. As the name sounds it receives information from the satellite and passes it to the modem to decode. They come in different bands, e.g. KU band and the C band e.t.c.
THE DISH:
Is the dish like pan which reflect the information to the receiver. All dish in this region faces east.
ROUTER:
Is a device that regulates the transmission on the internet. It picks the most efficient root to connect through; each packet can pass through several routers before reaching its destination.
It is an electronics device which serves as an instrument used in checking the unauthorized use of the server. If you code the server, it will be hard for an UN authorize person to have access to the server, i.e. the modem. It is the gateway through which the IP address is seen by the satellite. We have two types of router namely the wireless and non wireless routers.
THE SERVER:
This is main system which now controls all the information that the modem receive. It is a computer system which is prepared as the main server which controls and directs the flow of information that is received from the modem. It is from this main system that you can give access to other computers.

THE HUB\SWITCH:
This is a controller switch which enables the server system to give access to other systems that will be connected to it through the switch. It has holes or ports in which an RJ45 PLUG or any other version of plug can be plugged into. There is also option to connect the main server which will be indicated on the body of the switch. We have different size of switch.
TRUNK BOX\KIT:
It is a long pan made of aluminum, used in holding wires together. It helps to put the wires in place and making the work look neat.
SHOWER PINS:
Is a plastic holder used to bundle the wires together. Any type of shower pin can be used.
CRIMPING TOOL:
It is metallic instrument used in crimping the RJ45 plug fixed with the communication wire. It fattens the plug together with the wire to enable communication.
THE COMMUNICATION WIRE:
It is used to connect the receiving system to the hub. It connects the server to other systems. It communicates information through different colored wires. We have different types of communication wires namely: CAT 5e, CAT 6 CAT 7 e.t.c. They come in different colors but most common is the black. If you are using a lower version of the wire make sure that the range is not long, because the longer the range of wire the slower the communication will be when you are using lower version of the wire.
RJ 45 PLUGS:
Is a plastic plug fixed at the end of the communication wire after selecting the colors carefully? It is fastened with the aid of the crimping tool to the communication wire.

COLOUR ASSIGNMENT
WHITE---------- ORANGE--------ORANGE W\O\O
WHITE---------- GREEN---------- BLUE W\G\B
WHITE----------BLUE-------------- GREEN W\B\G
WHITE----------BROWN-----------BROWN W\B\B

TYPES OF NETWORK
LOCAL AREA NETWORK (LAN):Use to connect computers within the same vicinity or place. GEOGRAPHICAL \
METROPOLITAN AREA NETWORK: Use to connect computers within the same geographical locations. It is a network of computer service that covers only a metropolis \ geographical location
WIDE AREA NETWORK: Use to connect computer into a wide range of network like the http:// www…. It connects the computer to the wide area network.

HOW TO CONNECT TO THE INTERNET

VIA INFROMATION SERVICE GATEWAY:
One of the ways to gain access to the internet is to subscribe to the commercial information services e.g. American Online (AOL) services. There duty is to connect information services. This connection is popular for persons at home or small business. AOL and other commercial information services are themselves large self contained networks. Each of them provides an electronic gateway to the internet.
VIA INTERNET SEVICE PROVIDER:
At this level of connection we make connection via a dial-up connection through an ISP. This method links us up to the internet directly.
NOTE: A dial-up connection is a temporary connection established using a dial-up number with a line linked to a remote pc and t the internet access. An ISP is any company or that provides individuals and organization with access to the internet.
VIA DIRECT NETWORK CONNECTION:
This level is preferable to the above mentioned two because it gives faster internet interaction. At this level our pc is wired directly to the internet usually via a local area network (LAN). To have direct connection our pc must be connected to a LAN dat is linked to an internet host.

INTERNET SEVICE PROVIDER (ISP):
Is the company that provides you with internet services are the owners of the server from which you receive your internet network service.

INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP):
Transfers information to small packet and send it across through the network. It is a rule or a way of locating an address. It tells us how to access a particular file. http is a primary method of accessing the internet.
PACKETS:
Is a transmission unit of a fixed size of data or information.
TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL (TCP):
Helps to check if packet are well reassembled at its destination computer and it also check if there is any lose or damage and automatically send it back if there is file missing.
HTTP:
It means hyper test transfer protocol. It is divided into http and ftp

HTML:
Hyper text mark-up language: Is a computer language use to create web pages. An HTML document has an extension i.e. HTML or HTM. We can create a html document using a text editor or word processor. When we enter html command called task we define how text or graphics will appear on the pages. Task usually work in pair and affect the text between them e.g. [B] dogs [B] , this command will produce dogs in bold letters e.g. DOGS

HYPER TEXT:
Web pages are hyper text document. A hyper text document contains hyper lighted text that connects to other pages on the web. They are also called hyper links. They are colored text that can connect to other web pages. They can display a page located on the same pc on other pc across the city or the world. Hyper lighted text allow us to easily navigates through a vast amount of information by jumping from one web page to another.

URL:
Means uniform resource locator.

DOWNLOADING:
Bringing down information from another pc on the internet.

UPLOADING:
When we are sending information from our computer to the internet we are uploading.

WORL WIDE WEB:
Is part of the internet, it consists of all the programs and documents contained in all the pcs all over the world. It is also called the web, www, w3.

A WEB PAGE:
Is a document on the web. It can include text, pictures, sounds, and video. It is a unit of a site.
A WEB SITE:
Is a collection of web pages maintained by collages, universities, government, non-governmental organizations, individuals, e.t.c.

A WEB SERVER:
Is a pc connected to the internet that makes web pages available in the world.

BANDWITH:
This is the range of frequencies with a given band. As it implies it depend on the user to choose the type of range connection that you want if you want high range or low range. We have different types of bandwidth example: KU and C band respectively.

THE DIAGRAM ABOVE SHOWS A TYPICAL WORK GROUP
In the diagram you will see how connection flows form the center system which is the server, to the other systems called the WORK STATION, all of them together are called WORK GROUP.

HOW TO SETUP AN INTERNET CONNECTION

The diagram below shows the connection from dish to the server room then to the other rooms that are within the vicinity or compound. Note that all dish in these southeast region faces east.

NOTE: That tall buildings and tall trees may affect the smooth running of your router.
ITEMS NEEDED FOR SETTING UP AN INTERNET CONNECTION
1. CAT 5e roll of wire
2. RJ45 plug (packet)
3. crimping tool \ machine
4. LAN tester
5. shower clips
6. trunk box

EXPLAINING THE DIAGRAM:
The above diagram shows us how to connect a dish with computers and make them to be browsing the internet.
The work first start by mounting the dish, and the receiver i.e. LNB. however your Internet service provider ISP will help you in mounting the dish as the will be communicating with you telling the degree of the region you will mount the dish and will confirm it if you get the polarity. Then you run the two cable wire i.e. the TX and RX which is responsible for receiving and sending information. You will then connect it to your modem.
From the modem you then run the connection down to your router which blocks unauthorized access to your server.
The router will feed the cables to the system. At this point of connection their two ways you can run connection:
1. If the system (server) carries two LAN ports you run the connection to the system and from the other port provision you run connection to the hub.
2. the other connection is you run the connection from the router to the hub then from the hub you feed the main server, then with the other connection in the hub you feed the other system (work stations).
When the work stations are connected you have build a global village. I there is other rooms within the vicinity the needs connection like show in the diagram all you need is to run a cat5e wire down to a hub in the supposed room the from the hub feed the other systems.

HOW TO CREATE AND WORK WITH WEB PAGES

WEB BROWSER:
Is a program that allows us to view and explore information on the World Wide Web (www). Some popular browsers include:

NETSCAPE NAVIGATOR BROWSER:
Is currently the most popular browser in the world today. It is available for computers running different operating systems like the OS/2, UNIX, LINUX, MACHINTOSH (APPLE) e.t.c. visit www.netscape.com.

MICROSOFT EXPLORER:
Microsoft Internet explorer is a newer browser in the internet. It is quickly becoming the most popular browser. Visit www.microsoft.com

MOZILA FIREFOX:
It is also one of the most popular browsers on the net. It makes surfing the net an easy task. Visit www.mozilafirefox.com.

There are so many other web browser which are being frequently use on the internet which we may not explain here e.g. Opera, crazy browser, crazy monkey, avant, Google chrome, e.t.c. You are made to understand in this passage what we do with web browser and their uses.

CREATING A WEB PAGE

We can create and publish web pages to share information with people around the world. People publish on the web pages to share their favorite pictures, hobby and interest; companies publish on the web pages to share their products and promote their business and publish job opportunities and vacancies.

WEB PAGE ORGANISATION

HOME PAGE:
The first page that we normally view on the web is called the homepage. I t is like a table of continent in a book. it is the table of all the resources at the sever site. In it we have links to several other pages associated with the homepage on the sever or other severs. A homepage provides a general introduction to our web pages.

Before we start to crate web pages, we have to first decide what ideas we want to discuss and how they are related to each other. Break up your information so that you discuss on major idea on each page. And finally you will find it useful to sketch the design of our pages on a paper.

HYPER TEST MARK-UP LANGUAGE (HTML):

This is computer language used in creating web pages. An html document has extension that is html or htm. We can create html document using a test editor or word processor. When we enter html command called task, we define how we want the test or graphics will appear on the web pages. Task usually work in pair and affect he test between them e.g. [B] dogs [B] this command will produce the word dogs in bold letters e.g. DOGS.

EDITOR:
We can create html document (web document) using html editor and the editor we are going to use here is called FRONT PAGE OR NETSCAPE GOLD. Front page is a member of the Microsoft family while Netscape belong to the Netscape family. Html editor makes it easier for us to create web pages because they enter the task for us these means that we don’t need to know html pc language to create web pages.

WHAT WE FIND IN OUR WEB PAGES

IMAGES:
We can add images in our web pages to make it look attractive. To crest images in our computer system the images are represented as series of dots. The closer the dost the brighter the images become. The dots are called elements i.e picture elements or pixels. We can use graphics program to crate images. Programs such as the adobe Photoshop or Corel photo print to put images we add on our WebPages. Another way to put image is by copying. There are places in the internet where we can get and download images. Also we add images by scanning the image

INTRODUCTION TO SOFTWEAR ENGINEERING
In this topic we are to discuss the use of software to maintain computer system. Software’s as we know is defined as a written program use to communicate with the system. it is use to solve many unknown problem arising from the usage of computer system. Software’s are the main engine that engineers the movement and the simultaneous running of the computer system. We have two types of software they are namely: system software and application software.

SYSTEM SOFTWARES:
These are those software’s that work with the main files of a system. Like the boot files and other files that hold the configurations of the system. When we run these programs no other thing is being done as it may deter the system performance, also when they are being run you make sure that there is steady supply of power to avoid damages. We have different type of application software’s the are as follows, Operating system, disk fragmentation, check disk, and scan disk e.t.c.

APPLICATION SOFTWARES:
These are those software’s that are use to run those program that does not affect the system files. This program only goes with the registry files but does not affect the main boot file or the command files of the system. They are quite different from the system software’s as you can be running other program while they are being run. Examples of system software are Microsoft office, adobe PageMaker, yahoo messenger e.t.c.

COMPUTER TROUBLESHOOTING

2011-03-22T05:28:00.001-07:00

How to troubleshoot a computer brings to mind all of the possible causes of computer problems, and it seems to be an overwhelming task – where do I start?
Possible issues can be eliminated one by one if the computer is in front of you, giving you feedback while you try to determine the problem.
But it’s not so easy when you are trying to imagine the computer and the problems.
This is the reason, I think, for the computer troubleshooting websites I’ve seen where every possible problem and resolution is listed in the hopes that the shotgun approach will help.
And I’m sure that it does help in many cases. But it also makes finding the solution more difficult for the novice because there is so much unfamiliar computer information to wade through.
I hesitated to even write this page, because there are so many computer troubleshooting pages out there on the web, each much more comprehensive than I could hope to produce.
But in the end, I DO know how to troubleshoot a computer and in my 15 years experience, I've found that most computer troubleshooting can be done by anyone, if they have the right information. So I decided to share my way of computer troubleshooting here, in the hope that it helps someone in some way.
Over the years, I have found that most causes of computer trouble fall into one or more of three specific categories:
1. Hardware issues: Problems in the hardware area cover the hard components of the computer; the power supply, the motherboard, the memory chips, the cpu, the cpu sink, the various cards and parts that make up the actual physical presence of the computer.
Because the first thing a computer does when it is turned on is check out its hardware, issues in this area tend to show up immediately upon powering up.
However, sometimes hardware issues don’t show up until the computer has been running for a while. If that happens, the cause of the problem will have something to do with the computer overheating and the heat causing the malfunction.
2. Operating System Issues: For our purposes here, the operating system we will look at is Windows XP. Problems with Windows XP usually arise when some process or event has corrupted or deleted settings or files that Windows depends upon to run smoothly.
At the core level, the method that Windows uses to track what is installed and removed is through the Windows registry. This registry file is quite often the source of Windows problems.
You might see errors about dll files missing, or cab files being overwritten, or you might see that Windows just won’t start, or it will start, but then crash with the “blue screen of death”, a not so happy term for a the blue screen that is associated with Windows physical memory dumps.
There are some good programs on the Internet that are written to fix registry errors, so some self help solutions are available. I personally use CCleaner. You can out more about it on my freebies page.
Windows issues can also be traced to the user profiles that are set up for each individual user who logs on to a particular computer. These profiles can get corrupted, and cause weird behavior. At that point, the offending profile may need to be deleted and a new profile created to fix the problem.
3. Software problems: Software issues are the main cause of most computer problems. There are so many different software programs, all written in different code, all trying to talk to each other and work together without having conflicts. Inevitably, just as in human interactions, there are conflicts, and these can cause overall computer issues.
The best way to avoid these types of problems is to keep track of what you install on your computer.
Watch how your computer behaves after you install a new program. If your computer begins to slow down or act strangely, you can troubleshoot the issue by uninstalling that program and seeing if the problem is resolved.
That’s really the best way to view computer troubleshooting, in my opinion. Know your computer, and keep track of anything new you do with it. Then when a problem shows up, ask yourself, "Since the last time my computer was working fine, what changes were made?" In this way, you can quickly narrow down the possible causes to the most likely culprit.
Computer troubleshooting is easier I think, if you know how the computer works, and especially what happens when you turn it on. If you have that information, then you can use it to troubleshoot most Windows problems.
For example, let’s say our problem computer won’t start. It gets to the Windows splash screen and just stops. Because we know what a computer does when it first starts, and how it gets to that Windows screen, and what it is supposed to do once it gets there, we know immediately where to go to look for the problem.
So then, let’s first learn how a computer works, and more specifically how it boots up, since this is where most Windows trouble will begin and end.
________________________________________
On the page I linked to above, you read about what happens when a computer starts. Let's get back to our computer troubleshooting and go on to what happens when Windows starts:
Windows Overview and Troubleshooting

Now that Windows has started, and you’ve logged in (either by actual entry of your login information or by being logged in automatically), you are now working in your Windows profile. A user profile basically holds all of your Windows and software settings.
Within your user profile are your desktop settings, your printers, your Internet bookmarks, and any other settings for the software that you use.
If another person logs into your machine with a different name, Windows sets up a separate profile for them. All of the desktop, favorites, and other software settings can be completely different for this new user. That's how Windows handles different users on the same computer.
You can see the various user profiles on your machine by opening Windows Explorer and looking at the C:Documents and Settings folder.
You’ll see several folders:
 a folder called Administrator, which is the default profile that Windows creates,
 a folder called All Users, which Windows uses to load software settings that all users have access to on the computer,
 a folder with your name or whatever name you gave to your login when you first set up the computer,
 and folders for anyone else who has logged into Windows on your computer.
So how do we use all this information for computer troubleshooting?
Well, we now know that:
• If the computer starts beeping at you when it first powers up, you’ve probably got a hardware problem. Check to make sure everything is plugged in correctly, at the least. If the problem persists, you may have to call a computer hardware service person.
• If the computer gets past all the hardware tests and begins loading Windows, but reboots and tries to load the Last Known Good Configuration, we know there’s a problem with the Windows management modules, which means some Windows configuration files have either gotten corrupted or deleted. Choose to load the Last Known Good Configuration and see if the problem resolves itself.
• If the computer gets to the Windows login screen, but never loads the Windows desktop, more than likely, a Windows file has gotten corrupted. Boot the computer into safe mode with a command prompt, and run a check disk to try and fix the corrupted files. Here's a more detailed page on this.
• If Windows boots up fine but then starts to act strangely once it is loaded, (slowing down, hanging, just not acting right, etc..) the cause might be a corrupted user profile, or it could be a trojan, a virus or spyware causing the problem. Run a spyware and virus scan. Make sure the anti-virus software has been updated with the latest engine and dat files.
There are links to a free antivirus and antispyware program on my Free Virus Protection page.
• If Windows crashes after it has loaded, and shows the "blue screen of death" (which is to say it does a physical memory dump), it could be a poorly written device driver, a corrupt registry, an incompatible Dynamic-link library file (DLL) or bugs in the Windows kernel.
To troubleshoot it, look at the blue error screen and write down the error and the 8-digit number it presents. Then you can use one of the many websites that will tell you about specific Windows stop errors. Here’s a website that I’ve found very helpful.
You can get some great computer troubleshooting information at Microsoft’s Support Center. Search the Knowledgebase (Under Self Support) for specific error messages and resolutions.
This is also a great place to look for Microsoft Office errors and resolutions.
________________________________________
Well that's my best shot on computer troubleshooting. I hope this has helped you understand how to figure out the cause of any computer troubles you run into.
If you have a specific computer issue with which you need help, you are welcome to contact me. I'll do my best to point you in the right direction to get it fixed.
________________________________________
Are you having problems with a slow computer?
Go to my Slow Computer page for tips on speeding up your PC.
Printer not working?
Here's a Printer Troubleshooting page that might help.
________________________________________
Done with Computer Troubleshooting, take me back to the Home page

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COMPUTER STORAGE DEVICES

2011-03-22T05:08:00.000-07:00

COMPUTER STORAGE DEVICE

Storage hardware provides permanent storage of information and programs for retrieval by the computer. The two main types of storage devices are disk drives and memory.

There are several types of disk drives: hard, floppy, magneto-optical, and compact.

HARD DISK DRIVE

Hard disk drives store information in magnetic particles embedded in a disk. Usually a permanent part of the computer, hard disk drives can store large amounts of information and retrieve that information very quickly.

FLOPPY DISK DRIVE

Floppy disk drives also store information in magnetic particles embedded in removable disks that may be floppy or rigid. Floppy disks store less information than a hard disk drive and retrieve the information at a much slower rate.

MAGNETO-OPTICAL DISC DRIVE

Magneto-optical disc drives store information on removable discs that are sensitive to both laser light and magnetic fields. They can typically store as much information as hard disks, but they have slightly slower retrieval speeds.

COMPACT DISC DRIVE

Compact disc drives store information on pits burned into the surface of a disc of reflective material. CD-ROMs can store about as much information as a hard drive but have a slower rate of information retrieval. A digital video disc (DVD) looks and works like a CD-ROM but can store more than 7 times as much information.

MEMORY

Memory refers to the computer chips that store information for quick retrieval by the CPU. Random access memory RAM is used to store the information and instructions that operate the computer's programs.

Typically, programs are transferred from storage on a disk drive to RAM. RAM is also known as volatile memory because the information within the computer chips is lost when power to the computer is turned off.

Read-only memory (ROM) contains critical information and software that must be permanently available for computer operation, such as the operating system that directs the computer's actions from start up to shut down. ROM is called nonvolatile memory because the memory chips do not lose their information when power to the computer is turned off.

Some devices serve more than one purpose. For example, floppy disks may also be used as input devices if they contain information to be used and processed by the computer user. In addition, they can be used as output devices if the user wants to store the results of computations on them.