Be Your Own IT Blog

Defragmenting=Very Important

Kevin — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 23:00:54 +0000

To keep your computer running as fast as possible, it is important to perform certain maintenance tasks on it. One these tasks are called defragmenting your hard drive(s) or defrag for short.

What is defragmentation?

Let’s say you have saved a bunch of files to a brand new hard drive (HD) and then over time you remove half of them. Those spaces or blocks you removed the files from are empty but scattered throughout the HD. Now let’s say you save a much larger file to the HD. The system will use the smaller blocks first thus breaking the file into pieces. When you go to open that file, the system needs to reassemble the file and depending on how many blocks the file resides in will depend on how long it will take to open. Defragging your HD will put those pieces in order allowing the system to find them faster and open quicker. Running periodic defrags will keep your system running as fast as possible and although Windows comes with its own utilities including one for defragging, I use a software called Defraggler.

Defraggler

Defraggler can be found here and is developed by Piriform. With Defraggler you can analyze and defrag your HDs as well as certain folders and files. I found it to be very fast and a better utility than the one offered by Windows.

Defragmenting=Very Important is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Apple Re-invents iPods

Jeremy-Be Your Own IT — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 21:36:23 +0000

This past week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced three new iPods during Apple’s annual music focused event in San Francisco.

Apple went with a completely different look with the iPod Nano which boasts beautiful touch screen, but gave up the ability to play videos, and the Shuffle has gone back to a more classic design with buttons to more easily control the songs you want to play. But probably the coolest feature of the new line of the iPods is on the new iPod Touch which is now thinner than ever and has a webcam identical to that of the iPhone 4 and allows users to Video Chat using FaceTime. The only requirement to use FaceTime is that you must be connected to a WiFi network. I currently have the iPhone 4 and have used FaceTime only a couple times due to the fact that not many of my friends have the iPhone 4 yet. Hopefully with this new feature, FaceTime will become more of a relevant application and will be used much more often.

But not only did Apple release a new line of iPods, they also introduced iTunes 10 with Ping, a social music service that lets you see what your friends are listening to and you can make recommendations and comment on the music. In its early stages, it seems as though Apple has some bugs to work out before Ping will really catch on.

Apple Re-invents iPods is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

iPhone + Netflix = Awesome

Ty — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 21:16:45 +0000

How practical is streaming Netflix movies and TV shows to your iPhone? Who cares. I just downloaded the Netflix app on my iPhone 4, and Arrested Development is playing on 3G pretty well. On Wi-Fi I had no issues. On 3G, it only stopped to buffer a few times during the show, which is pretty good. It’s very usable in 3G which makes the app worth it.

I used to be a Blockbuster guy until I switched to Netflix a few months ago. Before Blockbuster shutdown a ridiculous amount of stores, I was having the time of my life. I could rent 2 movies from Blockbuster online, they’d get to me in a few days, I’d watch them, return them to a local Blockbuster, they would ship them back and let me rent 2 free movies in the store for free while I was waiting for the next movies in queue to be delivered. I’ll be honest, sometimes I’d get lazy and not send back movies for a few months (and my credit card would get dinged $14.95 each month), but in my prime I could get 2-4 movies per week, which was a good deal. The 2 free in-store rentals is what kept me a Blockbuster fan. Now I don’t even know where a Blockbuster is so…

I finally came around to Netflix because I wanted to stream movies through my Xbox 360. I rarely rent online movies. Again, I think I’ve had The Blind Side on Blu-ray for over a month, but I stream movies and TV shows a few times a week, which makes the $9/mo subscription worth it.

The best part is that the Netflix iPhone app is free, and they easily could have charged at least a few bucks for it. Giving away this “added value” was smart on their part.

So, if you have an iPhone/iPod Touch and Netflix, what are you waiting for?

Here are some screenshots of Netflix on my iPhone:

1) Netflix home screen, 2) After loggin in, 3) Browse by Category, 4) Takes less than 5 seconds to load your instant queue, 5) Instant Queue, 6) Show description screen, 7) Loading movie or TV show, Watching Arrested Development

By the way, I didn’t get a screenshot of it, but after the Arrested Development Season 1 page fully loaded, it recognized that I had watched about 50% of episode 5 on my Xbox/TV and asked if I wanted to resume. A simple, yet elegant and appreciated feature.

iPhone + Netflix = Awesome is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

New Roxio Creator 2011 Has 3D Capabilities

Ty — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:58:09 +0000

I have to say, I’m impressed. I didn’t think we would be able to incorporate 3D technology into our home movies so soon. I mean, I’m sure it’s not Avatar quality, but still, it’s pretty cool. Roxio Creator 2011 allows you to add 3D to your movies and photos, and the best part… 3D glasses are included.

Creator 2011 should work with most 3D-enabled cameras and HDTV’s, and you can even transform some of your 2D images and movies into 3D.

Why update to this year’s Creator product besides 3D? They’ve added a lot of new audio features. For instance, you can create custom soundtracks for your home movies and photo slideshows. Roxio helps you find musical styles that match the mood of your movies. And you can remove annoying hisses, rumbles, and other background noises from digital files.

Plus there are additional tools that allow you to backup your whole computer, stabalize shaky videos, and upload videos directly to Facebook.

As I’m writing this, Roxio is selling Creator 2012 on their website for $79.99 after $20.00 mail in rebate. If you have a previous version of Roxio, you can probably upgrade for less.

We’ve heard that you might be a little dissappointed that colors look washed out after transforming your movies into 3D, but it’s still fun to use and quite nice for Roxio’s first attempt and initial release of 3D technology.

An explanation of how 3D works from Roxio:

New Roxio Creator 2011 Has 3D Capabilities is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Install All your Apps at once with Ninite

Jeremy-Be Your Own IT — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:14:31 +0000

A great piece of free software called Ninite allows you install multiple apps at once without having to tediously click next or install annoying toolbars.

Ninite is a great alternative for those who have just purchased a computer and want to install a bunch of programs at once, or if you are just looking for a couple programs.

Once you have downloaded the Ninite Installer, you will see a bunch of different programs that are available for you to download from Web Browsers such as Chrome and Firefox to Media Players such as VLC and Audacity. There are more than 75 applications for you to choose from. After you have selected which you want to install, let Ninite run as it “quietly” installs all the programs you have selected while you are free to do other things.

If you ever find an application that Ninite does not already have on their install list, there is also a place to suggest new ones as well.

Install All your Apps at once with Ninite is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

All About Motherboards

Jeremy-Be Your Own IT — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:54:21 +0000

If the CPU or Microprocessor is the brain of your computer system, the motherboard is equally important as it acts as the central nervous system. If you open up your computer, you will be able to identify your motherboard as the biggest circuit board in your computer and every device on your computer is connected to your motherboard in one way or another.

If you look closely at this picture, you will see there are many slots for devices such as video cards, RAM, and sound cards. The CPU hooks up to the motherboard and essentially works as a facilitator between the CPU and the rest of the components throughout your computer. MAKE SURE that you pick a reliable motherboard that will be able efficiently communicate the data around your computer. The last thing you want is a motherboard that has overheated or stopped working. A good thing to look at when buying or evaluating motherboards is the chipset. A chipset is the ‘basic instructions’ and determines many of the boards basic features. Another thing to be aware of is to make sure that your motherboard has enough slots for your RAM and potential USB drives.

Also be aware that sometimes motherboards come with onboard components for video or audio, but beware because most of these onboard components (built into the motherboard) are not up to par with what they should be.

Motherboard costs are usually based on the chipset it has, but in general, the costs are about the same across the board. Look for one that has a built in cooling component for the chipset if you are purchasing a higher chipset, as these tend to run hotter than their less speedy counterparts. Keep an eye out for slots, cooling, and a good chipset, and you will have a good motherboard to add to your computer system!

All About Motherboards is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

All about Central Processing Units & How they Work

Jeremy-Be Your Own IT — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:11:45 +0000

If you are looking to learn more about computer repair, it is essential that you are informed about the parts of a computer. And one of the most important parts of a functioning computer is the Central Processing Unit, otherwise known as the CPU. The CPU is as important as any part in the computer as it is literally the brains of the whole operation. Also called Microprocessors, CPUs are very small chips that fit into the motherboard and are covered by the heatsink and then a fan to keep the CPU as cool as possible. The heatsink and fan form a seal with a silver paste used in building computers called thermal compound which allows for even disbursion of heat out of the computer. Because the CPU is so delicate, it can be ruined or broken by simply becoming overheated, and is for sure the most delicate part of the computer.

Central Processing Units are necessary for all computers, laptops as well as desktops. As technology has advanced, there is no longer a need for multiple CPUs in one computer to process all the data in the computer. In today’s computer, you will usually find just one CPU and can process all the data needed to run the applications performed on your computer.

When you purchase a Central Processing Unit or Microprocessor, there are plenty of terms you will need to have some knowledge about so you know which one to buy. They have several different aspects and numbers that describe the different speeds and similar that the CPU will run at. These numbers and aspects allow you to compare CPUs against one another, as well, to tell which is better, and include transistors, microns, Data Width, MIPS, and clock speed.

Transistors Number: tells you how many transistors there are on the chip. As newer and newer central processing units are designed and produced, the number of transistors you will find on them has gone up.

Microns: unit of measurement that describes how wide the smallest wire on the chip is. The lower the micron number, the higher the transistor number, usually – small wires mean there is more room on the chip.

Data Width: describes the width of the ALU on the chop. The higher the Data Width, the more information can be processed by the CPU at one time.

Clock Speed: maximum speed the central processing unit can run at, and MIPS stands for “millions of instructions per second.” The millions of instructions per second measurement is a rough estimate of the performance of the central processing unit, as in, how much information your CPU can process in a second

All about Central Processing Units & How they Work is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Thought IM was a Thing of the Past? Think Again.

Jeremy-Be Your Own IT — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:09:11 +0000

Remember the days where AOL Instant Messenger took over the Internet by storm? As those days have faded, and we have seen social networking giants such as Facebook take over the IM market in the past couple years, you would think that IM has become a thing of the past. But think again.

In this day and age with Instant Messaging, you have plenty of choices. Whether you want HD Video capabilities or a service that allows you to run multiple chat services at once, there is an IM client suited for you. This year has seen plenty of new messaging software all with unique capabilities, but most all with the ability to retrieve your social updates on Facebook and Twitter.

After rounding up the IM Clients that are out there, two have made the cut to be the best out there. An Independent software company called Digsby has shown itself to be not only a great IM program, but an even better way to manage your social networking and email notifications. Video and audio chat are also available, but the thing that puts Digsby above the rest is its acceptance of almost every single IM protocol out there. The other IM Software that has made the cut is Windows Live Messenger 2010. It’s easy user interface combined with its HD Video chatting capabilities makes it the best big name messaging software out there. Windows Live Messenger does also integrate with Facebook and Twitter and redefines what an IM client provides for their services. The only downside to it seems to be its lack of compatibility with other IM clients.

Do you prefer a certain IM service? Share your thoughts with us!

Thought IM was a Thing of the Past? Think Again. is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Learn about Video Cards and What to look for when Buying

Jeremy-Be Your Own IT — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:05:35 +0000

Why are you buying a video card?

The obvious number one reason why you are looking to buy another video card are simply because your old one is outdated or not working properly. But it is important to know what the specs mean, even if you are looking to buy a whole new computer. The most important question to ask when buying a video card is what do you want it to do? Do you do a lot of gaming on your PC? Watch movies? Launch a lot of applications? If your computer does not contain the necessary video card for your purposes, you will find that your computer will tend to get choppy and is not fun to use.

What does it mean?

Memory Bus—Think of memory as a highway. The Memory Bus can be viewed as how many lanes the highway has (essentially how much information can flow through at a time).

Memory Speed and Type—If Memory Bus is the width of the highway, then Memory Speed and Type determines how fast or slow the cars (data) can move on the highway.

Shaders— Shaders are able to perform the specific operations your computer tells it to do

Clock Speeds—Determines how fast the graphics card will perform. There is a happy medium between working too slow and underutilizing your system, or overworking and overheating your system.

TDP—Stands for Thermal Design Power, and represents the maximum amount of power that your cooling system is allowed to dissipate.

The key to buying a video card is to understand what you need it to do. If you need any more help with understanding or buying a video card, please take advantage of our resources such as our online community forum.

Learn about Video Cards and What to look for when Buying is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog

Introducing the Micosoft Windows 7 Tablet

Jeremy-Be Your Own IT — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:15:57 +0000

With the recent unprecedented demand and success with the iPhone 4 and the Tablet has pressured Microsoft to respond with something of their own. CEO Steve Ballmer has been under a bit of pressure to produce a tablet for awhile now, and has said last Saturday that “Job one Urgency” is to get their Tablet on the market as fast as possible, although no time tables or release dates have been made.

So we know that the Windows Based Tablet will be coming sooner than later, but does it have a chance at competing with the iPad? What features would it need for you to feel convinced to buy one? A couple options Windows 7 has is perhaps a bigger interface screen, a front web-cam for wireless video chat, more capabilities as far as memory and hard drive.

Needless to say, Microsoft has quite hill to climb to reach the heights of its top competitor, Apple, and in order to do so, they are going to need to offer users something that has never been offered before. Only time will tell.

We would love to hear from you, our community. What do you want to see in the Microsoft Tablet?

Introducing the Micosoft Windows 7 Tablet is a post from: Be Your Own IT Blog