Computers Technology Concentration http://www.martinelmer.com Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:25:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Simple Computer Maintenance Can Save You a Lot of Money http://www.martinelmer.com/25/simple-computer-maintenance-can-save-you-a-lot-of-money http://www.martinelmer.com/25/simple-computer-maintenance-can-save-you-a-lot-of-money#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:33:12 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=25 Maintaining a computer is very simple. People often neglect this important aspect and repent heavily after the damage has been done in terms of money and data loss. Thus computer maintenance is a job that needs to be done at regular intervals to ensure the safety and longevity of your computer. The following tips shall help you to accomplish the task of maintaining your computer.

Monitor Cleaning: Many people believe that glass cleaners are the best option to clean the monitor of the screen; sadly this notion is completely wrong. They do the worst damage to the screen by depleting the micron layer over the screen. Use a dry and smooth cloth to clean and dust free the monitor.

Keyboard Cleaning: Cleaning the keyboard is a bit tricky task. Using a very low power vacuum cleaner is the best option. If vacuum cleaner is not available then you can clean it manually with the help of small brushes which are adequate enough to get into the spaces between the keys. Avoid strong suction cups as they may permanently damage the internal structure of the keyboard.

Fans and Heat Radiating Plates: Fans are the most notorious as they accumulate huge quantities of dust with them. Cleaning the fan periodically is most essential as they take care of the heat balance of the system. To clean the fans use a very soft cloth and blower. Heat radiating plates can be cleaned manually with the help of a dry brush.

The following precautions must be followed while cleaning the internal elements of the computer:

  1. Switch off the power supply prior to the cleaning
  2. Never use a damp cloth.
  3. Never use bare hands as they store a substantial amount of static electricity which may interfere with the working of the system.

A careful maintenance at regular intervals can prove to be a great money saver in the long run.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/25/simple-computer-maintenance-can-save-you-a-lot-of-money/feed 0 PC Not Responding? How to Stop Computer Lockups and Freezes http://www.martinelmer.com/22/pc-not-responding-how-to-stop-computer-lockups-and-freezes http://www.martinelmer.com/22/pc-not-responding-how-to-stop-computer-lockups-and-freezes#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:32:05 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=22 Computer freezes, the most annoying experience a user can have while computing. These are signals which not only upset you but also show symptoms that something is wrong with the system. While there are many methods to stop the lockups, the following few tips are adequate enough to solve the temporary problems.

Simultaneous Programming: Running many applications simultaneously can affect the speed of the computer. When the numbers of programs reach the saturation level the PC locks up. The best away to avoid this problem is to avoid running too many programs at the same time. If the PC is already locked then press ctrl+alt+del and then terminate the processes from the task manager.

Blank Spaces: With too many installs, uninstalls and overwrites, the hard disk gradually develops blank spaces. These spaces eat up much of memory and processing time. This causes the abrupt locking up. To get rid of this problem, defragmentation at regular intervals is highly recommended.

Corrupted Registry: Structural defects and empty keys in the registry may also lead to the unexpected freezes of the computer. Sometimes when a program is not properly uninstalled, it leaves behind a lot of broken paths and empty directories in the registry. A registry scanner or cleaner is the best solution to this menace.

Weathered Chips: Sometimes broken and damaged chips may also lock down the PC. This type of damage is generally hard to recognize as it is hardware related. Replacing the damaged chip with a new one is the only option.

Wrong Driver: Installing the wrong driver for the hardware may also cause abnormal functioning of the PC. Updating the driver can considerably reduce the chances of freezes due to hardware malfunctioning.

While the above tips serves as great help for restoring the PC back into normal condition, the user can run the PC in safe mode if nothing works.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/22/pc-not-responding-how-to-stop-computer-lockups-and-freezes/feed 0 Optimize and Protect your New Computer http://www.martinelmer.com/20/optimize-and-protect-your-new-computer http://www.martinelmer.com/20/optimize-and-protect-your-new-computer#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:30:30 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=20 With the advent of internet as a powerful tool, its ill effect also came into being. It has been estimated that there are at least two million hackers and over thirty million viruses in the internet which constantly threatens the safety of your PC. A good optimization along with proper protection scheme can put the threats at the bay. Listed below are a few optimization and protection tips which ensure the security of your PC.

Check for Firewall: Always keep your firewall switched on. A firewall keeps a track on the incoming as well as outgoing traffic. It not only protects the PC from the hackers’ attempts but also restricts malicious codes which try to install themselves.

A Good Antivirus: A good antivirus is of utmost importance to protect your pc from the latest threats, virus, worms, Trojans and backdoor holes. Do a careful study about before choosing a good antivirus. Check if the antivirus has undergone parametrical tests to ensure its creditability like the EICAR string test. Merely keeping an antivirus is not enough; one has to regularly update it in order to get protection from the latest threats.

Strong Password: A strong password is the one which is easy to remember but hard to guess. Never keep any dictionary word as password. Keep the password as a combination of alphabets, numbers and special symbols. Also try to keep the password in a mixture of uppercase and lowercase and change it fro time to time.

Optimization: For the basic optimization one must follow the following steps:

  1. Defragmenting the hard drive at least once a month.
  2. Error checking of the disk.
  3. Using third party registry defragmenting tools.
  4. Using overall optimization software like Tune Up Utilities, Advanced System Care, etc.

In order for the complete maintenance, care should be taken to update all the software and drivers of the PC.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/20/optimize-and-protect-your-new-computer/feed 0 Laptop Computer Memory Schemes http://www.martinelmer.com/16/laptop-computer-memory-schemes http://www.martinelmer.com/16/laptop-computer-memory-schemes#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:28:53 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=16 Memory schemes are defined as the types of memory used by the system to perform various tasks. Basically two types of memory are required to perform all the data handling and computing applications, namely ROM and RAM.

In contemporary usage, memory usually refers to a form of semiconductor storage known as random-access memory (RAM). These are light, small sized but quite expensive at the same time. They lose information when they are not powered. As RAM is a volatile memory a computer only having RAM would not have a source to read instruction from. So a computer needs a non-volatile memory to bootstrap it to the computer which is useful at the time of the starting of the computer.

In case of a computer the task of booting is provided to the Read Only Memory (ROM). ROM consumes a lot of space and it is more expensive. Therefore in case of laptops a bootstrap is used instead of ROM. The function of bootstrap is to command the processor to load the system files required during booting into the RAM. Then the files such as io.sys and boot.sys act upon it to gather the information required for booting.

Hard Disk for Laptops and Computers: The type of hard disks to be used in case of the computer depends entirely on the type of usage. In case of laptops there are not much of options due to shortage of space. The different types of hard disks include 3.5’, IDE and SATA interfaces whereas in case of laptops the available modules include 2.5’, 1.8’, IDE, SATA and SCSI. Hard disk comes in different memory sizes starting from 60GB to 320 GB for laptops and 120GB to 1TB for computers. The life of the hard disk depends upon usage, power supply and type of files it holds.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/16/laptop-computer-memory-schemes/feed 0 Internet Monitoring Software for Home Computers http://www.martinelmer.com/14/internet-monitoring-software-for-home-computers http://www.martinelmer.com/14/internet-monitoring-software-for-home-computers#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:27:32 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=14 The cyber world is full of frauds, scams, online predators, porn sites and vulgar entities. The young minds are the most vulnerable to these kinds of obscenities. Internet monitoring software for the home computer is the best solution to prevent the young minds from being polluted. Some basic key features of the Internet Monitoring Software are given in nutshell below.

Parental Control: In this era children become sex conscious at a very early age. Their eagerness and inquisitiveness to know things makes them to visit adult and porn sites. The porn sites often allure them with online dating sites with vulgar contents. Internet monitoring software completely blocks those websites and thus the child remains protected.

Spam Protection: Another great feature of the internet monitoring software is the protection from spam. It tracks out malicious mails through keyword search thereby avoiding the flooding of mailboxes from unnecessary emails and advertisements.

Pop-Up Blocker: Pop-ups are those sites which generally contain advertisement of products and services and open up by themselves forcibly. There is always a danger associated with them as they can contain dangerous codes and even disturbing images. Internet monitoring software blocks them completely even if they are coded in JavaScript.

Protection against Phishing: There are some sites that use identity theft to get information. They generally pose themselves as security officials of banks or any government agencies. They copy valuable information and use the host identity to use their bank accounts, credit cards, etc. The internet monitoring software helps to give the authenticity and credibility of the site. Thus fraudulent scams can be avoided.

File Sharing and Related Issues: Generally the Trojans attach themselves at the end of files and software to be downloaded. They are very hard to detect. Internet monitoring software acts as firewall to check against such infections.

Thus with proper usage the internet monitoring software can make the internet surfing a delightful and pleasurable experience.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/14/internet-monitoring-software-for-home-computers/feed 0 Some Simple Steps to Accelerate Your Windows Computer Processing Speed http://www.martinelmer.com/12/some-simple-steps-to-accelerate-your-windows-computer-processing-speed http://www.martinelmer.com/12/some-simple-steps-to-accelerate-your-windows-computer-processing-speed#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:25:56 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=12 Today, Windows operating system is one of the most widely used operating system. The features provided by windows are very exciting but when the PC is slow, it gradually becomes too annoying to work on the machine. The speed and reliability of the PC depends on the maintenance. Unfortunately a majority of us do not know how to keep the PC in a good condition. The following few tips shall help to keep the PC clean and fast.

Registry Clean Up:  The working of different programs in windows depends on the registry. The registry is so designed that it keeps the track of all the installed programs, their start up, how they function and the file association. With due passage of time, many invalid references develop in the registry which accumulate and cause the PC to run slowly. The best option is to use a registry cleaner or fixer.  One should always keep caution while doing any change with the registry. A back up of the registry is recommended.

Freeing Up the Memory: Junk files are also a major reason for PC malfunction. One should therefore clean up the temporary and junk files to keep the PC in healthy condition. The temporary internet files, installation files, missing shortcuts, invalid references and unnecessary restore points should therefore be deleted.

Disk Fragmentation: A fragmented disk is always slow. To defragment the disk many third party software are available. Defragmenting the disk not only corrects the structural errors but also keeps the drives in healthy condition.

A Good Antivirus: Viruses, Trojans and worms are those malicious codes which are deliberately there to destruct and slow down the PC. A good antivirus is highly recommended in such cases. Just installing an antivirus is not enough; one has to update it on a regular basis in order to protect the PC from the latest threats.

Sometimes a hardware update also works wonders such as adding more RAM. With the help of the above tips, the speed of the PC can be considerably increased up to 75%.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/12/some-simple-steps-to-accelerate-your-windows-computer-processing-speed/feed 0 Hard Drive Maintenance – Five Ways to Maintain Your Hard Drive Health http://www.martinelmer.com/10/hard-drive-maintenance-%e2%80%93-five-ways-to-maintain-your-hard-drive-health http://www.martinelmer.com/10/hard-drive-maintenance-%e2%80%93-five-ways-to-maintain-your-hard-drive-health#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:23:39 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=10 With the growing craze for the latest softwares, addictive games and over usage of the internet, people are being rude to the health of their hard drives. Surveys reveal that there has been a sharp decline in the health and working period of the hard drives in the past five years. So if you are cautious enough about the usability of your hard drive then keep in mind the following five tips.

Effort on the Hardware Reliability: The hard drive must be checked from time to time to avoid structural defects like improper wirirng, orientation and fixation. While these factors may appear to be small but if not taken care properly can reduce the lifespan of the hard drive up to half its age.

Check for Software Reliability: Sometimes the hard drive develops bad sectors which hampers in its normal functioning. This errors occur due to the over usage of functions like cut, copy and paste on the hard drive. An error-checking application is therefore necessary. By default window has the facility of error checking in its tools option.

Check for Speed Issues: The speed of operation of the hard drive and its health are inversly related but both can be optimized to give the best results. In order to accomplish this one must disable the indexing service. The next issue is the need for defragmentation. On e must atleast defragment the hard drive once in a month.

Using Minimal Resources: Over usage of the hard drive causes wear and tear in the long run. To avoid this one must take care to use minimal resources. Avoid uneccesary and junk softwares which eat up a lot of space but are not used in day to day purposes. Keep away from using clone images for playing high graphic games.

Back Up Needed: Last but not the least comes the issue of creating a back up. A back up is of utmost importance if your computer is prone to accidental system failure and crashes.

Therefore have a practice of constanly looking for the above factors in order to maintain the longetivity and wellness of your hard drive.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/10/hard-drive-maintenance-%e2%80%93-five-ways-to-maintain-your-hard-drive-health/feed 0 Do You Use the Right Technology? How to Buy a Lower Priced and Used Desktop or Laptop Computer with Tips and Guide http://www.martinelmer.com/7/do-you-use-the-right-technology-how-to-buy-a-lower-priced-and-used-desktop-or-laptop-computer-with-tips-and-guide http://www.martinelmer.com/7/do-you-use-the-right-technology-how-to-buy-a-lower-priced-and-used-desktop-or-laptop-computer-with-tips-and-guide#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:20:03 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=7 Life without a computer is just unimaginable. Everybody needs one and preferably the latest one. Buying a computer is a not an easy task. You need to be tactic and wise enough to do the judgment. While buying a new computer under a reputed brand name is preferred but one may also go for buying a used one provided he takes up the following precautions.

Usable vs. Obsolete: The most important factor while buying a used computer is to decide its usability. Check for yourself that the computer you are going to buy supports the latest software, can it be upgraded or it has just become obsolete.

Warranty Issues: Next big thing to check for is the warranty. Most of the used computers do not have such facilities. If the computer has a spec of time period left for warranty then buying it would be wise. Buying a warranted used computer gives you an option for maintenance check.

Paper Work: The problem with buying a used one is about its authenticity. There have been cases where happy customers who bought used computers have landed up in legal issues because the computer was a stolen one. To avoid this always ask the owner to provide correct legal bill or receipt. Keep away from suspicious and unidentified sellers.

Check for the Hardware Devices: The last big task is to check for the hardware defects. Look for the following:

  1. Check whether all the ports are in working conditions or not. If they are not then whether they can be repaired or not. Repairing a port is very cheap.
  2. Check for the power pin. This is the most important part as it determines the power consumption of the computer. If the computer is consuming huge amount power than its rated value, then reject the computer.
  3. Check the monitor, hard drives, the CD drive and all the buttons.

If all the above terms satisfy then it would be a wise decision to buy a used computer. By this you not only save lot of money but also have the option to upgrade it later.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/7/do-you-use-the-right-technology-how-to-buy-a-lower-priced-and-used-desktop-or-laptop-computer-with-tips-and-guide/feed 0 Computer Repair the Remote Way http://www.martinelmer.com/5/computer-repair-the-remote-way http://www.martinelmer.com/5/computer-repair-the-remote-way#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:15:53 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=5 Technological advancements have gradually made things possible which we had never imagined of. Solving technical problems of the computer through online medium is one of them. Just imagine troubleshooting your PC, sitting in the comfort of your home. Yes all these and more made possible through the online repairing services. The following is a brief preview about the service and its advantages.

Virtual Medium: The repair of the computer through online means takes place through a virtual medium. The technician at the other end has full access to the faulty computer and can see the screen of the computer directly. He then does the troubleshooting work from his computer directly.

Economical Process: The repair of the computer through the remote way is very economical. As the technician can directly see the faulty computer screen, he can directly diagnose the problem by seeing the symptoms and the warning messages. This avoids the need to travel to the customer and thereby saving money and time.

Optional Access: The customer has all the facility to interact with the technician. He also has the option to choose what the technician can see or cannot see by using limited access facility. This option takes care of the privacy of the customer.

Services Provided: The various kinds of services provided by the remote repairing agencies are as follows:

  1. PC troubleshooting.
  2. Hardware problem diagnosing.
  3. Software updating.
  4. Protection from viruses through online scanning systems.
  5. Updating the operating system and testing the firewalls.

Thus the computer repairing system through remote access finds wide scale application in today’s computing age. With all the facilities and services remote repairing still has some limitations such as, hardware problems can only be diagnosed but can’t be solved. Whatever it might be one should always look at the positive side and should appreciate the quality of service it provides with the ease of access and saving of money and time.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/5/computer-repair-the-remote-way/feed 0 Computer Programming for Beginners http://www.martinelmer.com/3/computer-programming-for-beginners http://www.martinelmer.com/3/computer-programming-for-beginners#comments Sun, 11 Apr 2010 07:13:55 +0000 admin http://www.martinelmer.com/?p=3 To become a programmer is not something like rocket science; even a layman with proper understanding of the concepts can create wonders. For a beginner programming can be like learning an art. Whether it’s GWBasic, C, C++ or Java the fundamental concepts of programming are always the same. With concepts given below one can lay the foundation stone of learning programming as a beginner.

Object: Objects are primary run-time entities in an object oriented programming. They may stand for a thing that has specific application for example, a spot, a person and any data item related to program.

Class: A class is a grouping of objects having identical properties, common behavior and shared relationship. Once a class has been declared, the programmer can create a number of objects associated with that class.

Method: An operation required for an object or entity when coded in a class is called a method. The operations that are required for an object are to be defined in a class. All objects in a class perform certain common actions or operations.

Data Abstraction: Abstraction directs to the procedure of representing essential features without including the back ground details. Classes use the theory of abstraction and are defined as list of abstract properties such as size, cost , height and few functions to operate on these properties.

Encapsulation: The packing of data and functions in to a single component is known as encapsulation. The data is not accessible by outside functions. Only those functions that are able to access the data are defined within the class. These functions prepare the interface between the object’s data and the program.

Inheritance: It is the method by which objects of one class get the properties of objects of another class. In object oriented programming, inheritance provides the thought of reusability.

Thus the above fundamentals can enrich the learning process of the beginner programmer. The key to good programming lies in the indulgent of the programmer to learn and go beyond the conventional boundaries.

Related posts

]]> http://www.martinelmer.com/3/computer-programming-for-beginners/feed 0