Computer Tips

 

Different Ways to SPEED UP Windows XP

Increase RAM: If you are running 128mb or 256mb of Ram, it's pretty cheap and easy to upgrade to 512mb. Although this suggestion will actually cost money but we think only 450/- Rs will increase Your computer's speed much more than before. Remember to buy RAM of good quality. In Pakistan the trusted RAM is of Kingston.
 

Uninstall Useless Programs: Having old games or other software you no longer use can take up a lot of space on your hard drive, which can lead to an overall decrease in your PC's performance.
    Removing old programs is easy. From the Control Panel click on the "Add or Remove Programs" Icon. You can safely remove programs like games, demos, and other software you no longer use.
 

Turn off Windows Animations: Fancy sliding, fading and animated effects that windows uses by default can easily be turned off, and will make the reaction time of simple tasks like opening and moving windows, taskbars, etc... much faster.
    From the Control Panel, click on the "System" icon. Click on the Advanced tab. Click the "Settings" button underneath "Performance". Uncheck the options related to animations, and other unneeded visual effects.
 

Disable File Indexing: Indexing service gets info from files on the hard drive and creates a "searchable keyword index."
If you don't use the XP search feature often to look for documents, you can turn this feature off, and the difference you'll notice is a slight increase in the time it takes for your computer to find a file, but an overall increase in general speed for everything else is much better than it.
    From My Computer > right-click on the C: Drive > select Properties.
Uncheck "Allow Indexing Service to index this disk for fast file searching." Apply changes to "C: sub folders and files," and click OK.
 

Clean Up Prefetch temp & cache file: Windows stores a lot of temporary files that can be safely cleaned out once a month or so. This will speed up Your Windows XP and of course You will enjoy much better speedy computer then.
    For this purpose You can use Free Software like CCleaner which You can easily download from software's section of Google URDU. So download it, install it and enjoy it Great Features, All Free and without any cost.
 

Always USE Good Antivirus Protection: Its very important for a PC to Run in a proper way, You need a good antivirus program. There are many antivirus programs now a days in market some of them are free too but less in features. Anyway You can download AVG (Simple and Easy to USE Antivirus) and install it on Yours system. Its Freeware version is available at its site and We think its one of the Best Ant viruses Which are FREE.
   You can download its Premium version and get its key from Google Urdu's Software's section also. In this way You can enjoy Registered Version of AVG.
 

Media Files: Do not store media files like mp3, dat, ram, wmv etc Audio and Video Files in the Windows XP drive i.e. C-Drive. Use other hard disk drives for storing media files.

Computer Tip & Tricks, Office, Windows tips

All mIRC Commands

/ Recalls the previous command entered in the current window.
/! Recalls the last command typed in any window.
/action {action text} Sends the specifed action to the active channel or query window.
/add [-apuce] {filename.ini} Loads aliases, popups, users, commands, and events.
/ame {action text} Sends the specifed action to all channels which you are currently on.
/amsg {text} Sends the specifed message to all channels which you are currently on.
/auser {level} {nick|address} Adds a user with the specified access level to the remote users
list.
 /auto [on|off|nickname|address] Toggles auto-opping of a nick or address or sets it on or off
totally.
/away {away message} Sets you away leave a message explaining that you are not currently paying
attention to IRC.
/away Sets you being back.
/ban [#channel] {nickname} [type] Bans the specified nick from the curent or given channel.
/beep {number} {delay} Locally beeps 'number' times with 'delay' in between the beeps. /channel
Pops up the channel central window (only works in a channel).
/clear Clears the entire scrollback buffer of the current window.
/ctcp {nickname} {ping|finger|version|time|userinfo|clientinfo} Does the given ctcp request on
nickname.
/closemsg {nickname} Closes the query window you have open to the specified nick.
/creq [ask | auto | ignore] Sets your DCC 'On Chat request' settings in DCC/Options.
/dcc send {nickname} {file1} {file2} {file3} ... {fileN} Sends the specified files to nick.
/dcc chat {nickname} Opens a dcc window and sends a dcc chat request to nickname.
/describe {#channel} {action text} Sends the specifed action to the specified channel window.
/dde [-r] {service} {topic} {item} [data] Allows DDE control between mIRC and other
applications.
/ddeserver [on [service name] | off] To turn on the DDE server mode, eventually with a given
service name.
/disable {#groupname} De-activates a group of commands or events.
/disconnect Forces a hard and immediate disconnect from your IRC server. Use it with care.
/dlevel {level} Changes the default user level in the remote section.
/dns {nickname | IP address | IP name} Uses your providers DNS to resolve an IP address.
/echo [nickname|#channel|status] {text} Displays the given text only to YOU on the given place
in color N.
/enable {#groupname} Activates a group of commands or events.
/events [on|off] Shows the remote events status or sets it to listening or not.
/exit Forces mIRC to closedown and exit.
/finger Does a finger on a users address.
/flood [{numberoflines} {seconds} {pausetime}] Sets a crude flood control method.
/fsend [on|off] Shows fsends status and allows you to turn dcc fast send on or off.
/fserve {nickname} {maxgets} {homedirectory} [welcome text file] Opens a fileserver.
/guser {level} {nick} [type] Adds the user to the user list with the specified level and
address type.
/help {keyword} Brings up the Basic IRC Commands section in the mIRC help file.
/ignore [on|off|nickname|address] Toggles ignoring of a nick or address or sets it on or off
totally.
/invite {nickname} {#channel} Invites another user to a channel.
/join {#channel} Makes you join the specified channel.
/kick {#channel} {nickname} Kicks nickname off a given channel.
/list [#string] [-min #] [-max #] Lists all currently available channels, evt. filtering for
parameters.
/log [on|off] Shows the logging status or sets it on or off for the current window.
/me {action text} Sends the specifed action to the active channel or query window.
/mode {#channel|nickname} [[+|-]modechars [parameters]] Sets channel or user modes.
/msg {nickname} {message} Send a private message to this user without opening a query window.
/names {#channel} Shows the nicks of all people on the given channel.
/nick {new nickname} Changes your nickname to whatever you like.
/notice {nick} {message} Send the specified notice message to the nick.
/notify [on|off|nickname] Toggles notifying you of a nick on IRC or sets it on or off totally.
 
/onotice [#channel] {message} Send the specified notice message to all channel ops.
/omsg [#channel] {message} Send the specified message to all ops on a channel.
/part {#channel} Makes you leave the specified channel.
/partall Makes you leave all channels you are on.
/ping {server address} Pings the given server. NOT a nickname.
/play [-c] {filename} [delay] Allows you to send text files to a window.
/pop {delay} [#channel] {nickname} Performs a randomly delayed +o on a not already opped nick.
/protect [on|off|nickname|address] Toggles protection of a nick or address or sets it on or off
totally.
/query {nickname} {message} Open a query window to this user and send them the private message.
/quit [reason] Disconnect you from IRC with the optional byebye message.
/raw {raw command} Sends any raw command you supply directly to the server. Use it with care!!
/remote [on|off] Shows the remote commands status or sets it to listening or not.
/rlevel {access level} Removes all users from the remote users list with the specified access
level.
/run {c:\path\program.exe} [parameters] Runs the specified program, evt. with parameters.
/ruser {nick[!]|address} [type] Removes the user from the remote users list.
/save {filename.ini} Saves remote sections into a specified INI file.
/say {text} Says whatever you want to the active window.
/server [server address [port] [password]] Reconnects to the previous server or a newly
specified one.
/sound [nickname|#channel] {filename.wav} {action text} Sends an action and a fitting sound.
/speak {text} Uses the external text to speech program Monologue to speak up the text.
/sreq [ask | auto | ignore] Sets your DCC 'On Send request' settings in DCC/Options.
/time Tells you the time on the server you use.
/timer[N] {repetitions} {interval in seconds} {command} [| {more commands}] Activates a timer.
/topic {#channel} {newtopic} Changes the topic for the specified channel.
/ulist [{|}]{level} Lists all users in the remote list with the specified access levels.
/url [-d] Opens the URL windows that allows you to surf the www parallel to IRC.
/uwho [nick] Pops up the user central with information about the specified user.
/who {#channel} Shows the nicks of all people on the given channel.
/who {*address.string*} Shows all people on IRC with a matching address.
/whois {nickname} Shows information about someone in the status window.
/whowas {nickname} Shows information about someone who -just- left IRC.
/wavplay {c:\path\sound.wav} Locally plays the specified wave file.
/write [-cidl] {filename} [text] To write the specified text to a .txt file. 

How to send anonymous email

Welcome to guide on how to send ANONYMOUS e-mails to someone without a prog.
We are going to explain a way to send home-made e-mails. We mean its a way to send Anonymous e-mails without a program, it doesn't take to much time and its cool and you can have more knowledge than with a stupid program that does all by itself.
Go to Start, then Run..., You have to Telnet (Xserver) on port 25
Well, (In this Xserver) you have to put the name of a server without the ( ) of course...
Put in iname.com in (Xserver) because it always work it is a server with many bugs in it.
(25) mail port.
So now we are like this.
 telnet iname.com 25 and then you hit enter
Then When you have telnet open put the following like it is written
helo
and the machine will reply with smth.
Notice for newbies: If you do not see what you are writing go to Terminal's menu (in telnet) then to Preferences and in the Terminal Options you tick all options available and in the emulation menu that's the following one you have to tick the second option.
Now you will se what you are writing.
then you put:
mail from:<whoeveryouwant@whetheveryouwant.whetever.whatever> and so on...
If you make an error start all over again
Example:
mail from:<saeed@microsoft.com.net>
You hit enter and then you put:
rcpt to:<saima@saima'sworld.com>
This one has to be an existance address as you are mailing anonymously to him.
Then you hit enter, and then type
Data and hit enter once more.
Then you write
Subject: whatever you want and then hit enter. Then
Write your mail and hit enter again.
Finally you write
quit
 
hit enter one more time and it's done.
Try first do it with yourself I mean mail anonymously yourself so you can test it!
Don't be asshole and write fucking e-mails to big corps. Because its symbol of stupidity and childhood and it has very effect on People doing this and they will treat you as a Lamer!

Boot Windows xp Fast

Follow the following steps to boot windows xp fast
1. Open notepad.exe, type "del c:\windows\prefetch\ntosboot-*.* /q" (without the quotes) & save as "ntosboot.bat" in c:\
2. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "gpedit.msc".
3. Double click "Windows Settings" under "Computer Configuration" and double click again on "Shutdown" in the right window.
4. In the new window, click "add", "Browse", locate your "ntosboot.bat" file & click "Open".
 5. Click "OK", "Apply" & "OK" once again to exit.
6. From the Start menu, select "Run..." & type "devmgmt.msc".
7. Double click on "IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers"
8. Right click on "Primary IDE Channel" and select "Properties".
9. Select the "Advanced Settings" tab then on the device or 1 that doesn't have 'device type' greyed out select 'none' instead of 'autodetect' & click "OK".
10. Right click on "Secondary IDE channel", select "Properties" and repeat step 9.
11. Reboot your computer 

Windows Xp Shortcuts

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Getting used to using your keyboard exclusively and leaving your mouse behind will make you much more efficient at performing any task on any Windows system.
You can use the following keyboard shortcuts every day:
Windows key + R = Run menu
This is usually followed by:
cmd = Command Prompt
iexplore + "web address" = Internet Explorer
compmgmt.msc = Computer Management
dhcpmgmt.msc = DHCP Management
dnsmgmt.msc = DNS Management
services.msc = Services
eventvwr = Event Viewer
dsa.msc = Active Directory Users and Computers
dssite.msc = Active Directory Sites and Services
Windows key + E = Explorer
ALT + Tab = Switch between windows
ALT, Space, X = Maximize window
CTRL + Shift + Esc = Task Manager
Windows key + Break = System properties
Windows key + F = Search
Windows key + D = Hide/Display all windows
[Alt] and [Esc] Switch between running applications
[Alt] and letter Select menu item by underlined letter
[Ctrl] and [Esc] Open Program Menu
[Ctrl] and [F4] Close active document or group windows (does not work with some applications)
[Alt] and [F4] Quit active application or close current window
[Alt] and [-] Open Control menu for active document
Ctrl] Lft., Rt. arrow Move cursor forward or back one word
Ctrl] Up, Down arrow Move cursor forward or back one paragraph
[F1] Open Help for active application
Windows+M Minimize all open windows
Shift+Windows+M Undo minimize all open windows
Windows+F1 Open Windows Help
Windows+Tab Cycle through the Taskbar buttons
Windows+Break Open the System Properties dialog box
 Explorer Shortcuts:
END....... Display the bottom of the active window.
HOME....... Display the top of the active window.
NUM LOCK+ASTERISK....... on numeric keypad (*) Display all subfolders under the selected folder.
NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (+) Display the contents of the selected folder.
NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (-) Collapse the selected folder.
LEFT ARROW...... Collapse current selection if it's expanded or select parent folder.
RIGHT ARROW....... Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder.
Type the following commands in your Run Box:
(Windows Key + R) or Start Run
devmgmt.msc = Device Manager
msinfo32 = System Information
cleanmgr = Disk Cleanup
ntbackup = Backup or Restore Wizard (Windows Backup Utility)
mmc = Microsoft Management Console
excel = Microsoft Excel (If Installed)
msaccess = Microsoft Access (If Installed)
powerpnt = Microsoft PowerPoint (If Installed)
winword = Microsoft Word (If Installed)
frontpg = Microsoft FrontPage (If Installed)
notepad = Notepad
wordpad = WordPad
calc = Calculator
msmsgs = Windows Messenger
mspaint = Microsoft Paint
wmplayer = Windows Media Player
rstrui = System Restore
netscp6 = Netscape 6.x
netscp = Netscape 7.x
netscape = Netscape 4.x
waol = America Online
control = Opens the Control Panel
control printers = Opens the Printers Dialog
                                                      Shortcuts For Windows XP:
Copy. CTRL+C
Cut. CTRL+X
Paste. CTRL+V
Undo. CTRL+Z
Delete. DELETE
Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin. SHIFT+DELETE
Copy selected item. CTRL while dragging an item
Create shortcut to selected item. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item
Rename selected item. F2
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word. CTRL+LEFT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph. CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph. CTRL+UP ARROW
Highlight a block of text. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document. SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select all. CTRL+A
Search for a file or folder. F3
View properties for the selected item. ALT+ENTER
Close the active item, or quit the active program. ALT+F4
Open the shortcut menu for the active window using ALT+SPACEBAR
Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously. CTRL+F4
Switch between open items. ALT+TAB
Cycle through items in the order they were opened. ALT+ESC
Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop. F6
Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer. F4
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. SHIFT+F10
Display the System menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR
Display the Start menu. CTRL+ESC
Display the corresponding menu. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name
Carry out the corresponding command. Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu
Activate the menu bar in the active program. F10
Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. RIGHT ARROW
Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. LEFT ARROW
Refresh the active window. F5
View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. BACKSPACE
Cancel the current task. ESC
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automatically playing.
 
Use these keyboard shortcuts for dialog boxes:
Move forward through tabs. CTRL+TAB
Move backward through tabs. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
Move forward through options. TAB
Move backward through options. SHIFT+TAB
Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option. ALT+Underlined letter
Carry out the command for the active option or button. ENTER
Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box. SPACEBAR
Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons. Arrow keys
Display Help. F1
Display the items in the active list. F4
Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box. BACKSPACEDisplay or hide the Start menu. WIN Key
Display the System Properties dialog box. WIN Key+BREAK
Show the desktop. WIN Key+D
Minimize all windows. WIN Key+M
Restores minimized windows. WIN Key+Shift+M
Open My Computer. WIN Key+E
Search for a file or folder. WIN Key+F
Search for computers. CTRL+WIN Key+F
Display Windows Help. WIN Key+F1
Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain. WIN Key+ L
Open the Run dialog box. WIN Key+R
Open Utility Manager. WIN Key+U

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                                                        BIOS Update Procedure
All latest Motherboards today, 486/ Pentium / Pentium Pro etc.,ensure that upgrades are easily obtained by incorporating the system BIOS in a FLASH Memory component. With FLASH BIOS, there is no need to replace an EPROM component. Once downloaded, the upgrade utility fits on a floppy disc allowing the user to save, verify and update the system BIOS. A hard drive or a network drive can also be used to run the newer upgrade utilities. However, memory managers can not be installed while upgrading.
Most pre-Pentium motherboards do not have a Flash BIOS. The following instructions therefore do not apply to these boards. If your motherboard does not have a Flash BIOS (EEPROM) you will need to use an EPROM programmer to re-program the BIOS chip. See your dealer for more information about this.
Please read the following instructions in full before starting a Flash BIOS upgrade:
  A. Create a Bootable Floppy (in DOS)
•With a non-formatted disk, type the following:
format a:/s
•If using a formatted disk, type:
sys a:
This procedure will ensure a clean boot when you are flashing the new BIOS.
B. Download the BIOS file
•Download the correct BIOS file by clicking on the file name of the BIOS file you wish to download.
•Save the BIOS file and the Flash Utility file in the boot disk you have created. Unzip the BIOS file and the flash utility file. If you don't have an "unzip" utility, download the WinZip for Windows 95 shareware/ evaluation copy for that one time use from _www.winzip.com or _www.pkware.com. Most CD ROMs found in computer magazines, have a shareware version of WinZip on them.
•You should have extracted two files:
Flash BIOS utility eg: flash7265.exe (for example)
BIOS eg: 6152J900.bin (example)
Use the latest flash utility available unless otherwise specified (either on the BIOS update page or in the archive file). This information is usually provided.
C. Upgrade the System BIOS
During boot up, write down the old BIOS version because you will need to use it for the BIOS backup file name.
Place the bootable floppy disk containing the BIOS file and the Flash Utility in drive a, and reboot the system in MS-DOS, preferably Version 6.22
 
•At the A:> prompt, type the corresponding Flash BIOS utility and the BIOS file with its extension.
For example:
flash625 615j900.bin
•From the Flash Memory Writer menu, select "Y" to "Do you want to save BIOS?" if you want to save (back up) your current BIOS (strongly recommended), then type the name of your current BIOS and its extension after FILE NAME TO SAVE: eg: a:\613J900.bin
Alternatively select "N" if you don't want to save your current BIOS. Beware, though, that you won't be able to recover from a possible failure.
•Select "Y" to "Are you sure to program?"

Windows Media Player Keyboard Shortcuts

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In Windows Media Player, We can use the combination of different keyboard keys to accomplish routine task. By using these keys, we can increase the working speed in media player, otherwise require a conventional mouse to select menus and buttons options. Basically keyboard shortcuts keys help you to save time and we can perform any tasks without leaving the keyboard keys.
 Here are windows media player keyboard shortcuts:
ALT+1 Adjust zoom to 50 percent
ALT+2 Adjust zoom to 100 percent
ALT+3 Adjust zoom to 200 percent
ALT+ENTER Display the video in full mode
ALT+F Go to media player File Menu
ALT+T Go to media player Tools Menu
ALT+V Go to media player View Menu
ALT+P Go to media player Play Menu
ALT+F4 Use to close media player
 
CTRL+1 Display media player in full mode
CTRL+2 Display media player in skin mode
CTRL+B Use to play the previous item in media player
CTRL+F Use to play the next item in media player
CTRL+E Use to Eject CD or DVD from CD or DVD drive
CTRL+P Use to Play or Pause the item in media player
CTRL+T Use to repeat the items in media player
CTRL+SHIFT+B Use to Rewind a file in media player
CTRL+SHIFT+F Use to Fast Forward a file in media player
CTRL+SHIFT+S Use to play items slower than a normal speed
CTRL+SHIFT+ G Use to play items faster than a normal speed
CTRL+SHIFT+ N Use to play items at normal speed in media player
F8 Use to mute the volume in media player
F9 Use to decrease the volume in media player
F10 Use to increase the volume in media player
ENTER or SPACEBAR Use to play an item

Find Files at Computer

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How to Find Files at Yours own and sombody's else Computer:
This tip will help you to enjoy the quick and easy way to find lost files on your computer. Here We recommends you, try to search a file with its file extensions (for example for word file, type *.doc, Excel *.xls, Acrobat *.pdf, *.ppt and *.exe for executable files. If you don't know the name of file but know that it contains a string of text then try to search for files containing specific text, type the text you want to find from any file or folder. This is time taking process but creates very precise result. In Look in, click the drive, folder, or network you want to search. To save time, always select the specified drive or location instead of whole computer.
Click Start Button, point to Search, and then click For File or Folders, a Search Results dialog box will appear. In Search for files or folders named, type the file name or folder name you want to find in containing text.
 To specify additional search criteria, click Search Options, and then click one or more of the following options to narrow your search:
Select Date to look for files that were created or modified on or between specific dates.
Select Type to look for files of a specific type, such as a text or WordPad document.
Select Size to look for files of a specific size.
Select Advanced Options to specify additional search criteria.

Mozilla Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts

---

Functional Keys for Mozilla Firefox:
F1 Opens Firefox help
F3 Find more text within the same webpage
F5 Reload the current webpage
F6 Toggles the cursor between the address/URL input box and the current webpage
F7 Toggles Caret Browsing on and off. Used to be able to select text on a webpage with the keyboard
F11 Switch to Full Screen mode
 Other Keyboard Shortcuts for Mozilla Firefox:
CTRL + A Select all text on a webpage
CTRL + B Open the Bookmarks sidebar
CTRL + C Copy the selected text to the Windows clipboard
CTRL + D Bookmark the current webpage
CTRL + F Find text within the current webpage
CTRL + G Find more text within the same webpage
CTRL + H Opens the webpage History sidebar
CTRL + I Open the Bookmarks sidebar
CTRL + J Opens the Download Dialogue Box
CTRL + K Places the cursor in the Web Search box ready to type your search
CTRL + L Places the cursor into the URL box ready to type a website address
CTRL + M Opens your mail program (if you have one) to create a new email message
CTRL + N Opens a new Firefox window
CTRL + O Open a local file
CTRL + P Print the current webpage
CTRL + R Reloads the current webpage
CTRL + S Save the current webpage on your PC
CTRL + T Opens a new Firefox Tab
CTRL + U View the page source of the current webpage
CTRL + V Paste the contents of the Windows clipboard
CTRL + W Closes the current Firefox Tab or Window (if more than one tab is open)
CTRL + X Cut the selected text
CTRL + Z Undo the last action 

Change Registration Information of Windows XP

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Some time when windows is fully installed then we think that we have entered the wrong or invalid registered owner information during instalation process of Windows Xp. But don't worry now we can change the registered owner information any time, by using the technique given below whihc only requires little knowledge about editing windows registry.

Follow the given steps to change the owner name:
First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.
Here locate the location to:
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows NT/CurrentVersion
Here in right side panel, double click on RegisteredOwner and here change its value data as you wish.
Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.
So Now it is very easy to change the name of registeration information of Windows XP owner.

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Computer tech

 

AMD-ARM Speculation Heats Up

Advanced Micro Devices is cozying up to ARM Holdings and that's led to speculation that AMD is pursuing an ARM architecture license or even plans to acquire the British chip designer outright in an effort to catch up with the growing media tablet market.
Available media tablets such as Apple's iPad and Motorola's Xoom almost exclusively use ARM-based central processors instead of the x86-based chips made by AMD and its larger rival Intel.
The news that ARM vice president of technology Jem Davies will keynote AMD's upcoming Fusion Developers Conference sparked rumors that AMD could be mulling a stab at the tablet market with an ARM license of its own.
But AMD has no specific plans to add ARM's RISC-based chips to its portfolio, an AMD spokesman told PCMag Friday.
"Specifically, I have no news to tell you about anything like that," said John Taylor, director of client product and software marketing at AMD.
But Taylor seemed to leave the door open for things to change.
"We're looking at all of our options as far as our strategy going forward," he said. "We feel we view the marketplace in a way that's pretty well aligned to the way ARM is looking at the marketplace as far as the future of devices."
That may yet happen, but IDC analyst Michael Palma said Intel had "been caught kind of flat-footed by the rise of tablets, even though they've been talking about [mobile Internet devices] for years."
Intel CEO Paul Otellini's recent comments that he'd be "disappointed" if there wasn't an Intel-based smartphone "in 12 months" had many analysts scratching their heads about such a lengthy window of time.
Intel has also said it plans to make a serious push on media tablets before the end of 2011, but that too seems like a company that is perhaps pacing itself too much in a race that's already being won.
But Palma said companies like Intel and AMD, which are selling more data center-targeted x86 server chips as Internet-dependent ARM-based device shipments rise, can afford to take their time.
 Update: AMD Looks Forward to 'Orochi,' Tablets
As expected, AMD reported flat revenue for the fourth quarter, but with a $375 million profit that company executives said demonstrated a return to profitability.
AMD reported net income of $375 million on revenue of $1.65 billion. A year ago, AMD reported net income of $1.18 billion, which was boosted by a settlement with Intel Corp. At that time, AND reported revenue of $1.65 billion as well.
For 2010, AMD reported net income of $471 million and $6.49 billion in revenue. Revenue increased 20 percent from 2009.
"AMD enters 2011 with significant momentum, amplified by the successful launch of our first Fusion APUs," said Thomas Seifert, CFO and interim chief executive, in a statement. "I am confident we can drive profitable growth based on the strength of new products we will bring to market. Our customers recognize that Fusion APUs are at the core of delivering the world's most vivid digital experiences." So far, AMD has shipped more than 1 million Brazos platforms, the company said. Next up? Orochi, the code name for the Bulldozer-based CPU that will be featured in the Zambezi platform for desktops, which will ship into systems in the "early summer," Seifert said, followed by Interlagos, the server platform, in late summer.
The next APU, Llano, is sampling in high volume now and will get ready to ship in the second quarter, Seifert said. That will help AMD move into "richer, higher-performance desktop and notebook performance as well," according to Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager of AMD's product group.
Introducing the Toshiba Satellite M645 Toshiba has spent the last half a decade carving out an interesting niche as a notebook manufacturer, with many consumer-grade notebooks that are ostensibly budget offerings but often feature a markedly different look and feel from the kinds of laptops vendors like Dell, HP, and Acer produce to serve this market segment. Oftentimes they can feel stylistically behind the curve, but every so often they produce a big winner as they did with their Portege R700 series.
Now, a trickle-down of style couples with modern hardware in a respectable new entrant in their venerable Satellite line: the M645. Our review unit features a shiny new Sandy Bridge mobile dual-core processor along with a healthy amount of memory, an Optimus-enabled NVIDIA GeForce 500M series GPU, and a Blu-ray combo drive, all in a reasonable 14-inch chassis. But it threatens to set you back a grand: is it worth it?

The elegantly titled M645-S4118X we have on hand for review is the most expensive unit in Toshiba's M640 line, and as you'll see from the specifications, it largely earns that. This is as decked out as Toshiba's 14-inch consumer notebooks get, featuring a lot of power and flexibility. Here's what you get:

Toshiba M645-S4118X Specifications
Processor	Intel Core i5-2410M (2x2.3GHz + HTT, 2.9GHz Turbo, 32nm, 3MB L3, 35W)
Chipset	Intel HM65
Memory	4GB DDR3-1333 and 2GB DDR3-1333 (6GB Total, Max 2x4GB)
Graphics	NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M 1GB DDR3 (Optimus) (96 CUDA cores, 475MHz/950MHz/1.8GHz core/shaders/memory) Intel HD 3000 (12 EUs, 650-1200MHz core)
Display	14-inch LED Glossy 16:9 1366x768 (Chi Mei N140B6-L02 Panel)
Hard Drive(s)	Toshiba 640GB 5400RPM SATA 3Gbps Hard Disk
Optical Drive	BD-ROM/DVD+-RW Combo Drive w/ Labelflash
Networking	Realtek PCIe FE 10/100 Ethernet Atheros AR9002WB-1NG 802.11n Wireless Bluetooth 3.0+EDR
Audio	Realtek ALC269 HD audio Stereo speakers Headphone and microphone jacks
Battery	6-Cell, 10.8V, 48Wh battery
Front Side	Indicator lights SD/MS/MMC reader
Left Side	Kensington lock 2x USB 2.0 Ethernet jack Optical drive
Right Side	Headphone jack Microphone jack HDMI USB 3.0 VGA Exhaust vent AC adaptor jack
Back Side	-
Operating System	Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Dimensions	13.3" x 9.0" x 1.12"-1.39" (WxDxH)
Weight	5.4 lbs
Extras	Webcam Flash reader (MMC, SD/Mini SD, MS/Duo/Pro/Pro Duo) Blu-ray drive Backlit keyboard USB 3.0 Bluetooth
Warranty	1-year limited warranty
Pricing	MSRP at $1,099

Starting from the top we have one of Intel's midrange Sandy Bridge mobile processors, the Core i5-2410M. Like its kin it features 3MB of L3 cache along with Hyper-Threading, and depending on thermals and workload it can turbo up to 2.6GHz on two cores or 2.9GHz on one core. Its only real weak point is that its HD 3000 GPU tops out at 1200MHz instead of the 1300/1350MHz you get on some of the faster models, but given our next major component that shouldn't be a huge issue.
The M645 benefits greatly from the inclusion of the NVIDIA GeForce GT 525M with 1GB of DDR3 running at 900MHz (1.8GHz effective) and Optimus technology to maximize battery life while allowing the end user to enjoy both a decent mobile gaming GPU as well as Intel's Quick Sync hardware video encoder. Unfortunately, this is a point where the unit also falters: Toshiba runs the GT 525M at clocks well below spec. NVIDIA specifies the 525M to run the core at 600MHz (and thus the 96 CUDA cores at 1.2GHz), but Toshiba has substantially reduced its core clock to just 475MHz (reducing the CUDA cores to a paltry 950MHz). The cut is a brutal one that you'll see reduces performance below even a GeForce GT 420M.
Fortunately, all is not lost. Toshiba includes a generous 6GB of DDR3-1333, and while the 5400RPM spindle speed on the hard drive is slow, at least the 640GB of storage is copious. Better still, Toshiba also includes both a Blu-ray drive and a USB 3.0 port. The backlit keyboard is also a welcome touch, but the inexplicable lack of gigabit ethernet connectivity is troubling, and the mediocre 48Wh 6-cell battery is unfortunate.
In terms of the internal hardware, we really wind up with mixed feelings all around as Toshiba has been generous in some places while frustratingly stingy in others. At the price Toshiba is asking, some of these trade-offs just shouldn't have been made.

Software Niche Marketing A NICHE MARKET is a subsidiary small group among the main mass market, which is usually ignored by large companies. It consists of specific products focusing on specific needs of potential customers. There is a fine line between focusing on customers of a NICHE market and unsustainable niches. Every products and services in any sectors invariably have niches in them. Difficulty is finding them, analyzing the feasibility and marketing. An example of NICHE market is business channel that offer news exclusively for investors. Mainstream news channels don’t provide information about shares and stocks. The potential customers are share traders, investors etc,Here is a brief explanation on how to market software NICHES and get maximum profit from minimum resources.

Why choose SOFTWARE NICHE MARKET?

Although there are numerous software mass market companies making exponential profits, the initial investment, human resource and infrastructure is equally huge. Because of large market potential, competition is fierce and pricing of softwares must be done accordingly. NICHE market needs low initial capital. There is little or no competition as it is a specialized market. So you will have the privilege to set software prices arbitrarily. By doing this you gain a large market share which enhances your reputation. If merger is acceptable to you then large mass market software companies who look to get into NICHE market will definitely offer lucrative deal.

CHOOSING A SOFTWARE NICHE

One of the most important things is choosing the right software NICHE. It is better if you have knowledge and are passionate about the software NICHE, but it isn’t absolutely necessary. There is a concept called “CATCHING A LONG TAIL” which in simple term means software products that are in low demand or have low sales can collectively make up a large share of market rivaling or even exceeding mainstream software products. It requires plenty of time and research to select a proper SOFTWARE NICHE. You have to target growing segments less affected by recession like government, health-care, utilities etc., once you develop a software niche, its all about sales and marketing.

EFFECTIVE MARKETING STRATEGY FOR A SOFTWARE NICHE.

The best way to start marketing is identifying your target customers. Once you explain about the benefits of SOFTWARE NICHE they will be happy to pay more than normal price as they are satisfied with specific customized software products. Since they are satisfied, they usually stick to you for almost all their specific software needs. This can be achieved by “UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION” (USP).Your SOFTWARE NICHE has to be like a patented product which nobody else can emulate. However to bring out multiple SOFTWARE NICHES, extensive research and innovative ideas are required. This is hard to achieve but once it’s over you will be far ahead of competition and get a monopoly in that sector. Another marketing strategy is going as narrow as possible and over delivering value to your specific customers which keep them loyal to you. Even within a SOFTWARE NICHE there are sub or micro NICHES which you can exploit provided it is sustainable. For example, a SOFTWARE NICHE is keeping track of salaries given to employees of an organization. SUB SOFTWARE NICHE of this will be keeping track of savings and expenditure of the employees. Most of the time customers feel so amazed by micro niches, as they were not expecting it, that they always depend on you for their specific needs. After dominating main SOFTWARE NICHES and sub SOFTWARE NICHES’ market, you will have a reputation and a brand name. All your future software products will be sold easily just by brand name and face value. A creative market segmentation strategy can really help you survive in financial meltdowns.
SOFTWARE NICHE MARKET is more dependent on choosing, planning and marketing a product rather than financial resources.Specialization always earns greater profits.
RECENTLY MANY MAINSTREAM SOFTWARE COMPANIES ARE ENTERING SOFTWARE NICHE MARKET TO UNLOCK ITS ADVANTAGES.

 

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CD Drive

CD-ROM

Short for Compact Disc-Read Only Memory, CD-ROM drives are CD players inside computers that can have speeds in the range from 1x and beyond, and have the capability of playing audio CDs and computer data CDs. Below is a picture of the front and back of a standard CD-ROM drive.

Interfaces
Below are the different interfaces that allow a CD-ROM and other disc drives to connect to the computer.
CD-ROM transfer speeds
Below is the standard transfer rates and access times of the majority of CD-ROM drives. The below figures are averages you can expect to find on each speed of CD-ROM drive. These averages may be slower or faster than your CD-ROM drive and to where the CD-ROM is accessing the data from the CD-ROM. In general the higher this number is the faster the transfer rate or in the case of a disc burner the faster the write rate.

IDE

Short for Integrated Drive Electronics or IBM Disc Electronics, IDE is more commonly known  standard interface for IBM compatible hard drives. IDE is different from the Small Computer Systems Interface  and Enhanced Small Device Interface (ESDI) because its controllers are on each drive, meaning the drive can connect directly to the motherboard or controller. IDE and its updated successor, Enhanced IDE (EIDE), are the most common drive interfaces found in IBM compatible computers today. Below is a picture of the actual IDE connector on the back of a hard disk drive, a picture of what an IDE cable looks like, and the IDE channels it connects to on the motherboard.



CD-ROM drives
Most software today ships on CD-ROM because CD-ROMs hold much more information than the standard floppy disk and are cheaper to manufacture. Software will never ship on Zip disks or LS120 disks because the media is too expensive and CD-ROMs are really cheap to make. Another use of a CD-ROM drive is to play music CDs on your computer or extract audio data to your PC.

Plextor, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media equipment, announces the newest addition to its Blu-ray lineup with the new external 12X Blu-ray Writer – the fastest Blu-ray writer available in the market today. This drive features the latest superspeed USB 3.0 and eSATA connections, providing bandwidth for high data transfer rate.

Supplied with advanced Blu-ray and DVD playback software and recording applications, the PX-LB950UE offers a full Blu-ray HD experience. The drive is designed to provide smooth and quiet HD Blu-ray movie playback with excellent sound reproduction and a crystal clear picture quality. This drive also supports 3D playback and is able to convert 2D contents to simulate 3D effects.
“We are excited to offer a transportable all-in-one blu-ray device to consumers,” said Christine Hsing, Marketing Manager at Plextor. “The PX-LB950UE lets you connect to any computer with USB or eSATA connection making access to Blu-ray technology a breeze.
OCZ Technology Group, Inc., a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today unveiled a new addition to the highly-awarded Vertex 3 SATA III Series. The Vertex 3 Max IOPS edition drives extend the company’s industry-leading Vertex 3 SSD product line to support users that require greater transactional throughput.

“Following the successful launch of our Vertex 3 SATA III 6Gbps solid state drives we are pleased to introduce the new Max IOPS edition,” said Ryan Petersen, CEO of OCZ Technology Group. “Vertex 3 Max IOPS drives increase random write performance, and are the ideal storage solution for applications that require high aggregate workloads and increased IO throughput.”
The Vertex 3 Max IOPS edition combines the cutting-edge SandForce® SF-2200 SSD processor with premium NAND flash components to deliver exceptional 4KB random write performance with up to 75,000 IOPS. Furthermore, these drives can significantly improve multimedia entertainment and management, and the overall computing experience compared to both traditional mechanical hard drives and competing SSDs.
Lexar Media, a leading global provider of memory products for digital media, today announced the immediate availability of Crucial m4 solid-state drives in capacities ranging from 64GB to 512GB. Designed for both business customers and general consumers, the Crucial m4 SSD product line incorporates Micron's industry-leading 25-nanometer (nm) NAND flash technology in a 2.5" form factor. Like its Crucial RealSSD C300 predecessor, the Crucial m4 also supports the SATA 6Gb/s interface, opening up the data path between the host processor and the SSD, and resulting in improved overall system responsiveness, including faster boot times and application loads.

The new Crucial m4 SSD reaches read speeds of up to 415 MB/second, a 17 percent increase over its predecessor. Likewise, write speeds on the new 512GB capacity have demonstrated increases up to 260MB/s, a 20 percent boost over the fastest C300 driv1. Ideal for client computing, Crucial m4 SSD products provide benefits for notebooks, desktops, workstations, and industrial applications, including low power consumption, lightweight construction, and resistance to shock and vibration.
 
CyberLink Corp. today released PowerDVD 11, the latest version of the award-winning media playback software for PCs. A universal player, is designed to be the only application you’ll need to view Blu-ray and DVD movies, videos, photos and listen to music.

 PowerDVD 11 introduces a multitude of new features including support for playback and transfer of content from the iPhone, , iPod Touch and Android phones and slates to PC. In addition to smart device content, PowerDVD also facilitates the playback of remote media from sources such as DLNA servers and social networking sites like Facebook, Flickr and YouTube.
“While the PC remains central to the digital entertainment experience, portable devices and online content are playing increasingly important roles,” said Alice H. Chang, CEO of CyberLink. “PowerDVD 11 smoothes the flow between the PC, smart devices and online content so that users can get the most out of their digital entertainment anywhere.”
Media playback wouldn’t be complete without top quality audio, and PowerDVD 11 takes this to the next level with a premium 5.1-channel DTS audio experience across all three retail versions, as well as new Dolby Digital Plus support for MP4 files.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a worldwide leader in digital consumer electronics and information technology, today announced the internal DVD writer with fast Lead-In that considerably reduces disc recognition time during start-up. With SAMSUNG’s new DVD writers, consumers will get ultra quick load times, dramatically reducing the wait time from disc insert to usage in the Optical Disc Drives (ODDs).

With Samsung’s new technology, the SH-222AB DVD writer reduces its Lead-In-Time up to 60 percent at maximum. Prior to this, users of traditional DVD-writers had to wait 15 to 30 seconds of load time to start after inserting a disc into the drive. By reducing the lag time, Samsung’s SH-222AB enables a much richer experience for ODD users looking for quick start-up operation.
DVD-ROM drives
DVD-ROM is a newer standard than CD-ROM, able to read 7 times as much data off of a typical DVD disk (4.7 GB) as opposed to the measly 650MB a CD-ROM drive can read, and also able to play DVD movies with the proper decoding software or hardware. With fast video cards and processors today, you typically don’t need any special DVD decoding hardware to play DVD movies. Microsoft ships a software DVD movie player with Windows XP that works fine.
DVD-ROM drives can read CD-ROM disks, so if you have a DVD-ROM drive, you don’t need an extra CD-ROM drive. Also, the x-factor for DVD drives refers to a higher transfer rate: 1x DVD-ROM drives transfer data at the rate of a 9x CD-ROM drive (150 KBytes/sec * 9 = 1.35 MBytes/second). Thus, a 5x DVD-ROM drive reads DVD data as fast as a 45x CD-ROM drive reads CD data. Most complete systems with DVD-ROM drives will ship with 12x or 16x DVD-ROM drives today. A slower drive isn’t out of the question, but with 16x and soon 20x drives available for cheap, why bother? DVD-ROM drives are dirt cheap today, so don’t even bother with plain CD-ROM drives unless you have no choice.
CD-RW drives
Remember, DVD-ROM and CD-ROM drives are read-only; that is, you can’t copy or save files to them. If you want to write CD’s, you will want to step up to a CD-RW drive for about an extra US$20. CD-RW drives can read regular CD’s and can write 650 MB of data to CD-R media (aka “greenies” – and some allow storage of 700 or 800 MB) that cost under US$1 apiece. CD-RW drives will also re-write data to CD-RW media which is slightly more expensive.
CD-R and CD-RW media can be read by standard CD-ROM drives after it is written. Also, you can use CD-R and CD-RW media in most consumer CD players, allowing you to mix your own CDs, or even to encode a CD-R full of MP3 files for play on newer consumer CD players (check to see if your CD player supports this). It’s great for long periods of music playback. We highly recommend a CD-RW drive for the functionality.
CD-RW drives are rated in three different speed categories. The speeds are listed as something like “40x/10x/4-x” and the speeds stand for: CD-ROM read spead / CD-RW write speed / CD-R write speed. Stick with at least a 40/10/40 drive if you can. Older drives write to media more slowly. If you go with those, you’re getting old technology.
A weaker option that is now nothing more than a curiosity nowadays is the plain CD-R drive. This type of drive is like the CD-RW without the “W”. Thus, it can write to CD-R media, but it cannot rewrite to CD-RW media. The cost of CD-RW drives is very reasonable, so we don’t recommend CD-R anymore, and you probably won’t see it as a selection anywhere, but is listed here for reference.
Recommendations
As you can see, you have many, many options. Nowadays, CD-RW is a necessity for the home user for making music CDs and backing up data on very cheap media. We recommend a combination DVD+RW/+R/CD-RW drive. This drive is being sold by Dell, if not others, and combines many different standards into one drive, allowing you to read CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs and write to CD-R, CD-RW, DVD+R and DVD+RW.
Another option is the DVD-RAM/-R/CD-RW drive being pushed by Gateway and others. The DVD-R part is compatible with all of those Apple SuperDrives and the media they use. If you’ve got friends or family with Macs, you may want to go this route
Corporate client PC recommendations
There are not a lot of corporate uses for DVD+RW and CD-RW drives. Not only that, but they make it really easy for your users to walk out of the office carrying a lot of corporate data. You could stick with the cheaper standard old CD-ROM drives or look toward the future and go with DVD-ROM drives that now cost about the same price. Microsoft is starting to ship software on DVD, and more companies will follow. Do you want to have to deal with the marketing department saying to you, “Hey, can you get access to this clip-art DVD? My CD-ROM drive won’t read it!” It’s up to you.
Either way you choose, you should definitely have some sort of drive that can at least read a CD-ROM as that can make it easier to repair machines if you are not doing network installs. If users need DVD+RW or CD-RW for certain reasons, consider it in special cases, at least for your IT department for utility reasons. Also, you may want to give them to trusted individuals that are technically savvy that need to deliver data to clients or archive files locally. Remember, though, this is a security risk to have the capability for users to write 4.7 GB of corporate data off of your network onto a DVD+RW disk. Take proper precautions if necessary for your environment
DVD-R/RW / DVD+RW/+R / DVD-RAM
There are 3 competing DVD writeable standards: DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW and DVD+RW/+R. DVD-R drives (aka “SuperDrives”) are shipping now in Apple Macintoshes, but Apple used used to ship DVD-RAM drives. Now, Sony, Philips, HP and Dell are backing DVD+RW. The DVD-R drive is somewhat more compatible with consumer DVD players, but DVD+RW drives have a larger group of companies backing them. If you own a DVD player and want to make DVDs of home movies to play in that player, you will need to research and find out whether DVDs produced by your DVD+RW or DVD-R drive will play in that player.
World leading flash memory manufacturer and brand Silicon Power realizes how individuals can’t help to speak for themselves; thus, for those who dare to show their capricious personality, Blaze B10, the market’s first USB 3.0 flash drive with color-changing pattern according to temperature, is born!

With USB 3.0 super speed interface, Blaze B10 boasts a remarkable read speed up to 70 MB/s. Compared to conventional USB 2.0 with 480MBps, USB 3.0 carries the bandwidth of up to 5Gbps. Based on real-world test results, transfer time of high definition data files such as videos, photos, music, etc is significantly reduced, making instant carrying and sharing rich digital contents quicker and easier.
In addition to the USB 3.0 features, Blaze B10 is especially designed for expressive individuals who are playful and bold with their portable storage devices. Smooth curves at two ends of its body get B10 a chic look while its surface is given a special finish for scratchproof and fingerprint-free purpose. Its front is designed with futuristic geometric pattern using heat-sensitive ink; color of the pattern will gradually change from Turkish blue to blazing red according to operating temperature of the drive, adding personality, style and fun to data transferring. Furthermore, Silicon Power includes a heat-sensitive sticker on B10 retail packaging for users to test out the cool color-changing effect of Blaze B10.
Tapping into the high performance potential of the USB 3.0 interface with the convenient form factor of a standard flash drive, the Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go USB 3.0 Flash Drive offers extreme speed, large capacity and plug-and-play operation. The unit supports transfer rates of up to 70MB/sec Write and 120MB/sec Read on USB 3.0 host systems. Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go USB 3.0 Flash Drive is available in capacities of 16GB, 32GB and 64GB. It is available in stores in April 2011.

The Verbatim Store ‘n’ Go USB 3.0 Flash Drive comes with a push and pull design that does not only protect the connector but also makes an extra protective cap unnecessary. Compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems, the drive also works with USB 2.0/1.1 ports.
“USB 3.0 drives make a lot of sense because they are 100 percent compatible with USB 2.0 and offer far superior speeds to devices that have USB 3.0 ports,” said Hans Christoph Kaiser, Business Development Manager Flash Verbatim EUMEA. “We are expecting the bulk of the premium USB flash storage market to migrate to USB 3.0 within the next 18 months.”
Transcend Information, Inc., a worldwide leader in storage and multimedia products, today introduced two new high-capacity portable hard drives: the SuperSpeed USB 3.0-powered StoreJet 25H3P and the standard USB 2.0-powered StoreJet 25H2P. Both models boast 1TB of storage capacity, and come bundled with Transcend’s advanced new Transcend Elite data management software, which allows modern users to keep their rich digital content organized, protected and up-to-date.

Housed in a robust shockproof case, the newly released StoreJet 25H3P and StoreJet 25H2P drives offer extra capacity for more downloads and files and provide the highest level of protection against accidental drops. Besides incorporating a brilliant purple anti-slip rubber enclosure, the new models include a reinforced hard casing that evenly distributes the force of an impact, and an internal hard drive suspension damper as a last line of defense. Both two drives have passed the rigorous U.S. military drop-test tests, making them one of the most robust portable hard drives in the market today.
Kingston Digital, Inc. today announced the DataTraveler 4000-M Managed (DT4000-M) USB Flash drive, a fully managed version of the company’s DataTraveler 4000 product. Specifically developed and priced for enterprise deployments, the FIPS-certified DT4000-M leverages SafeConsole for Kingston server software from BlockMaster® to deliver best-in-class USB protection, flexibility and centralized management control at an affordable cost.

The Ponemon Institute released data last month highlighting that data breach costs are skyrocketing. Specifically, monetary loss related to mobile devices for US-based organizations surveyed rose 15 percent year-over-year to $258 per record. Data from other industry sources show a 400-percent year-over-year increase in lost USBs during 2010, with 1 in 10 employees losing a USB drive containing corporate info. Additionally, a recent survey from BlockMaster found that 76 percent of workers plug unknown USB drives into their company laptops, exponentially increasing the risk of passing on viruses and malware to their corporate networks.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, announced today its new family of hard disk drives, including two portable drives and a desktop storage station. Supporting the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface, the new external hard drives can provide data transfer speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second, delivering a maximum 10-fold higher data transfer rate over the USB 2.0, allowing users to transfer a 25-gigabyte full HD movie in just four minutes.

Samsung's portable drives come in two designs, the entry-level M2 Portable and the premium C2 Portable 3.0. The M2 Portable comes with a wave-like matte finish that covers scratches and fingerprints, with curved sides for a comfortable grip. The drives are available in densities of up to 1 terabyte, USB 2.0/3.0 interface, and four colors: Brown Black, Noble Beige, Mist Gray and Clay Orange.
 

Today, CDRLabs brings you a review of LG's new two-bay network storage device, the N2A2. While lacking a built in DVD or Blu-ray writer, this consumer oriented NAS makes up for it by offering 2TB of storage, a versatile RAID system and a long list of features including USB device backup, Apple Time Machine support, Torrent file sharing and a built in DLNA media server.





ASUS offers the most complete Blu-ray selection with the fastest performance and award-winning design, including external and internal writers, combos and players with 3D support. The company has just launched the new  the world’s fastest external 3D Blu-ray writer. It enables an easy transition from DVD, the fastest and most reliable Blu-ray burning performance, and a unique artistic approach to optical media.

With burning speeds up to 12X via USB 3.0, Optical Tuning Strategy (OTS) technology for the best writing quality available and high definition 3D playback, the BW-12D1S-U further highlights the attention ASUS pays to design, arriving in a form inspired by diamond shapes. It also includes a unique blue power indicator for an artistic touch, and features a matching stand that allows for practical two-way horizontal and vertical placement to help users save space with increased versatility.
Seagate today announced the availability of its new GoFlex Slim portable hard drive –– a svelte, 9mm, 2.5–inch external drive designed for the latest trend of portable, thin, stylish laptops and netbooks. Initially showcased at the 2011 International Consumer Electronics show in January of this year, the new GoFlex Slim performance drive is now available on in–store and at select online retailers. A 320GB version of the GoFlex Slim drive can be purchased for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $99.99 USD.

At an ultra–sleek 9mm—38 percent leaner than the current GoFlex ultra–portable drives—the new GoFlex Slim drive is roughly the width of a pencil. Sliding effortlessly into a pocket, purse or messenger bag, the GoFlex Slim portable drive enables transport, access and enjoyment of personal digital content from anywhere, making it the perfect complement to today’s mobile lifestyle. Equipped with a 7200RPM drive and a USB3.0 interface to accelerate transfer speeds up to 10x faster than USB2.0, this attractive super–slim drive delivers quick access to large, multi–media files such as HD movies and video games. The faster drive speed takes full advantage of the included plug–and–play USB 3.0 interface, while still maintaining compatibility with USB 2.0 ports. The GoFlex Slim portable drive also allows for use between Windows and Mac computers, interchangeably, without formatting or performance loss. Additionally, the drive’s included p remium backup software provides automatic and continuous backups and encrypts files and folders.

Buffalo Technology today announced the highly anticipated, revolutionary Buffalo CloudStor personal storage solution is now shipping. First revealed at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, CloudStor goes beyond simple storage, creating a portal to freely access and share photos, videos, music and much more with anyone, anywhere through the cloud. Unlike online storage services, CloudStor has no capacity or service fees. Just plug it in, turn it on and create your free account at mycloudstor.com. CloudStor comes with everything you need to get started. You just have to be free to share.

At the center of every CloudStor is the Pogoplug® cloud service. The popular service connects users to their storage and allows them to freely access and share their storage anywhere in the world. CloudStor is the first and only Pogoplug device with integrated storage. Files are securely shared between people and there is no need for user setup; just email a link to your family and friends. Consumers’ digital content always resides on CloudStor and the online service is only used to connect users and guests to specified files on the device.

Panasonic announced today that they will begin shipping the first 100GB BD-RE XL media (LM-BE100J) to the Japanese market on April 15th. These new triple-layer, rewritable Blu-ray discs are fully compliant with the BDXL specification and can hold about 12 hours of terrestrial digital HD (17 Mbps) or 8 hours and 40 minutes of BS Digital HD (24 Mbps) video. Panasonic's new BD-RE XL media also features a special coating that helps protect against dirt, fingerprints, scratches and dents.

Panasonic has not released pricing yet. However, the discs are expected to cost about 10,000 Yen ($119US) a piece. Yikes!

G.Skill International Co. Ltd., manufacturer of extreme performance memory and solid-state storage with solid quality, today announces its new Phoenix EVO SSD, utilizing the performance leading controller SandForce SF-1222 and high quality 2xnm NAND flash chips. The Phoenix EVO drive contains 115GB with rated speed of read/write 280/270 MB/sec, and will be available via G.Skill authorized distribution partners in early April.

Keeping pace with the flash manufacturers’ transition from 3xnm to 2xnm, G.Skill has utilized 2xnm flash chips for its award winning SSD, Phoenix family. To ensure the best performance and reliability during the transition, G.Skill has teamed up closely with SandForce and has run G.Skill Phoenix EVO through a wide range of rigorous tests with the latest firmware. All Phoenix EVO drives only use strictly selected original flash chips from key suppliers to guarantee the top reliability and stability.

Mach Xtreme Technology Inc., a worldwide leader in top performance, high reliability and user friendly designed PC components, today unveiled the 1.8" micro-SATA . Based on the best-in-class SandForce SF1222 controller, the 1.8" MX-MDS Series delivers an enhanced mobile computing experience with much faster application loading, ultra-fast data access, shorter boot-ups, and longer battery life of all laptops with micro-SATA interface.

This series maintains the highest level of read and write performance though the life of the SSD. Highly intelligent block management and wear leveling optimizes longevity of MX-MDS series drives. The MDS series supports DuraClass, DuraWrite and unique RAISE technologies. DuraClass technology provides best-in-class endurance, performance, and low power. DuraWrite technology extends the endurance of MLC memory providing at least 5 year lifecycles with 3-5K cycle MLC flash. RAISE provides the protection and reliability of RAID on a single drive without the significant write overhead

Intel Corporation announced today its highly anticipated third-generation solid-state drive (SSD) the Intel Solid-State Drive 320 Series (Intel SSD 320 Series). Based on its industry-leading 25-nanometer (nm) NAND flash memory, the Intel SSD 320 replaces and builds on its high-performing Intel® X25-M SATA SSD. Delivering more performance and uniquely architected reliability features, the new Intel SSD 320 offers new higher capacity models, while taking advantage of cost benefits from its 25nm process with an up to 30 percent price reduction over its current generation.

"Intel designed new quality and reliability features into our SSDs to take advantage of the latest 25nm silicon, so we could deliver cost advantages to our customers," said Pete Hazen, director of marketing for the Intel Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) Solutions Group. "Intel's third generation of SSDs adds enhanced data security features, power-loss management and innovative data redundancy features to once again advance SSD technology. Whether it's a consumer or corporate IT looking to upgrade from a hard disk drive, or an enterprise seeking to deploy SSDs in their data centers, the new Intel SSD 320 Series will continue to build on our reputation of high quality and dependability over the life of the SSD."
Patriot Memory, a global pioneer in high-performance memory, NAND flash, storage and enthusiast computer products, today gives professional and hobbyist photographers and videographers an extra performance boost with the professional-grade LX PRO Series SDHC cards. The Patriot LX PRO Series SDHC cards surpass existing SDHC speed classifications and deliver twice the performance of standard Class 10 SDHC memory cards.
 

Although the Patriot LX PRO Series are classified as Class 10 SDHC cards, the professional-grade SDHC deliver 20MB/s transfer speeds – twice that of typical Class 10 SDHC cards. The high-speed transfer speeds ensure photographs and video are written to the memory card instantly to the Patriot LX PRO Series.
“Image and video quality constantly improve with each generation of digital camera and camcorder. The latest generation of professional-grade digital cameras and camcorders push quality to unprecedented levels of detail and video bitrates,” says Les Henry, Patriot Memory’s Vice President of Engineering. “With the new Patriot LX PRO Series SDHC cards, photographers and videographers can capture images in continuous shot mode or shoot films at maximum video bitrates without worrying about memory card write errors due to insufficient performance.”

Buffalo Japan sent out a this morning, announcing the industry's first portable, BDXL compatible Blu-ray Disc writer. Along with the ability to playback BDXL discs, the BRXL-PC6U2-BK can write to triple- (100GB) and quad-layer (128GB) BD-R media at 6x and triple-layer (100GB) BD-RE media at 2x. On top of that, the drive is capable of 6x BD-R, 6x BD-R DL, 6x BD-R LTH, 2x BD-RE and 2x BD-RE DL writing speeds and a maximum BD-ROM read speed of 6x. The BRXL-PC6U2-BK also features an LED indicator that shows whether or not it is getting enough power as well as a second USB cable to "boost" the power to the required levels.

The BRXL-PC6U2-BK is scheduled to ship in late March and is expected to cost about 22,100 Yen ($273US).


CDRLabs has taken an in depth look at Plextor's new 128GB solid state drive, the PX-128M2S. Equipped with Marvell's 88SS9174 controller chip and a high-speed SATA 6Gb/s interface, the PX-128M2S is capable of delivering up to 420MB/s sequential read and 210MB/s sequential write speeds. Plextor's new SSD also feature support for the Windows 7 TRIM command, dynamic wear leveling and the company's own Instant Restore technology which overcomes the problem of performance degradation.



Kingston Digital  today announced it is shipping a 4GB and 8GB Class 10 microSDHC card, joining the previously released 16GB Class 10 card. Kingston will add a 32GB capacity to the family in Q2. The Class 10 cards have a fast minimum data transfer rate of 10MB/s. “Kingston’s Class 10 microSDHC cards are compatible with many of the latest mobile phones including Android™ smartphones and BlackBerry® devices, hi-def cameras and the increasingly popular tablet PCs,” said Mike Kuppinger, Flash card business manager, Kingston. “The Class 10 speed provides faster data transfer rates and the various capacities help satisfy storage needs for users with both light and heavy memory needs.”
Kingston takes mobility and versatility a step further when it makes these cards part of the Mobility Kit, which includes an SD adapter and a USB card reader. The SD adapter allows users to capture continuous images or videos in digital cameras while the reader provides a simple and fast way to transfer data to a host PC. The Class 10 microSDHC cards will ship as part of the Mobility at the end of March.






Iomega today announced the worldwide launch of the exciting new Iomega® ScreenPlay® DX HD Media Player line, a family of easy-to-use multimedia devices that changes the way you experience digital entertainment in your home. With the Iomega ScreenPlay DX HD Media Player, you can access and enjoy videos, movies, photos and music on the Internet as well as content you own – all on your own TV in full 1080p high definition.

The new lineup of Iomega ScreenPlay DX HD Media Player products is compatible with the most popular formats, including H.264, WMV and RMVB, as well as being DLNA certified for easy streaming with compatible devices on your home network. Other notable features include DivX® Plus™ HD certification for stunning playback of MKV movies, WiFi capability right out of the box thanks to the included 802.11n adaptor, and a user-friendly remote control featuring a full QWERTY keyboard for fast and easy text entry of online links, websites and more

Toshiba Europe GmbH today announced STOR.E STEEL S and STOR.E ALU 2S: two external hard disk drives featuring USB 3.0 connectivity for fast data transfers of up to 5 Gigabits per second and high enough storage capacities to host large multimedia libraries. STOR.E STEEL S and STOR.E ALU 2S will be available during the first quarter of 2011 in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The ongoing digitalisation of entertainment content is fuelling user demand for reliable external hard disk drives with large capacities and fast data rates. Many users want to transmit large files such as videos, music tracks and photos quickly between the backup medium and the computer. STOR.E STEEL S and STOR.E ALU 2S both feature a USB 3.0 port offering a data rate of up to 5 Gigabits per second. However, computers and peripheral devices with USB 2.0 only can still be used with these new state-of-the-art hard disk drives.

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RAM

 

 This document describes Value RAM's 256M x 64-bit 2GB (2048MB) DDR3-1333 CL9 SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) Memory Module based on sixteen 128M x 8-bit DDR3-1333 FBGA components. The SPD is programmed to JEDEC Standard latency 1333Mhz timing of 9-9-9 at 1.5V. This 240-pin DIMM uses gold contact fingers and requires +1.5V.

Features

• JEDEC standard 1.5V � 0.075V Power Supply
• VDDQ = 1.5V � 0.075V
• 667MHz fCK for 1333Mb/sec/pin
• 8 independent internal bank
• Programmable CAS Latency: 5,6,7,8,9,10
• Posted CAS
• Programmable Additive Latency: 0, CL - 2, or CL - 1 clock
• Programmable CAS Write Latency(CWL) = 9(DDR3-1333)
• 8-bit pre-fetch
• Burst Length: 8 (Interleave without any limit, sequential with starting address �000� only), 4 with tCCD = 4
• which does not allow seamless read or write [either on the fly using A12 or MRS]
• Bi-directional Differential Data Strobe
• Internal(self) calibration : Internal self calibration through ZQ pin (RZQ : 240 ohm � 1%)
• On Die Termination using ODT pin
• Average Refresh Period 7.8us at lower then TCASE 85�C, 3.9us at 85�C < TCASE . 95�C
• Asynchronous Reset
• 1066Mbps CL7 doesn�t have backward compatibility with 800Mbps CL5
• PCB : Height 1.180� (30.00mm), double sided component

Performance

• CL(IDD) 9 cycles
• Row Cycle Time (tRCmin) 49.5ns (min.)
• Refresh to Active/Refresh Command Time (tRFCmin) 90ns
• Row Active Time (tRASmin) 36ns (min.)
• Power TBD W (operating)
• UL Rating 94 V - 0
• Operating Temperature 0o C to 85o C
• Storage Temperature -55o C to +100o C
•  

Kingston 2GB RAM DDR2 For Desktop PC800

  

How can I check if my computer has enough RAM?

Before we check current RAM (Memory) usage of your computer, lets define what "RAM" means, what it is and its usage.

RAM is short for Random Access Memory. It is a physical piece of hardware similar to the one shown below that is installed inside your computer. RAM is measured in KB (KiloBytes), MB (MegaBytes) or GB (GigaBytes).

RAM CHIP - DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module)

How is RAM Used?

RAM's function is somewhat similar to the short-term memory that a human brain uses for all of its computations.

When you launch a program such as Microsoft Word, it is first loaded from Hard Drive (permanent storage) to RAM (short term storage) then executed by your computer. If your computer has a lot of RAM installed, you can run multiple software without slowing things down.

Does RAM store data in it permanently?

RAM is volatile in nature; meaning it requires constant electrical power to refresh itself in order to keep the data contents stored in it. When power is turned off, all data stored in RAM is lost.

How do I check current RAM usage on my PC?

Windows 7/Vista:

Step 1: To check current Memory usage on a Windows 7/Vista computer, right click on Task Bar (Task Bar is the Grey/Blue bar at the bottom of the screen) then left click on "Start Task Manager".

You will see "Windows Task Manager" window. Task Manager shows application currently running on your computer.

Step 2: Click on "Performance" tab within "Windows Task Manager". A screen similar to the following appears. This screen shows Memory and CPU usage statistics of your computer. 

To keep this guide simple, we will note:

• "Total" under Physical Memory; which in this case is 2047MB or 2GB.
• "Memory" Section shows the amount of Memory computer is currently using; which in this case is 1.13GB.
• "Commit (MB)" value in right side column shows the total of Physical RAM and Virtual Memory in MB (Mega Bytes) currently in use; which in this case is 1619MB or 1.58GB.

As you can see, "Total" RAM value (2GB) is more than total Commit value (1.58GB); so this computer does not need a RAM upgrade.

But if "Total" RAM value (2GB) for example was lower than "Commit" value then you should upgrade the RAM.

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