How to Convert VHS to DVD with a DVD Recorder

When preserving your favorite movies or memories, the standard used to be <b>VHS video tapes</b>. But with the advancement of <b>DVD technology</b>, the advantages of DVDs proved to outweigh those of VCR tapes. Video tapes can wear out over time, becoming bent, damaged or dirty. The cassette casings are vulnerable to damage as well, rendering the tape inside useless. Storage is easier with DVDs since they take up less space than videos. Not to mention the quality of picture and sound is higher on DVDs.

So the question becomes, how do I <b>convert my video tapes to DVDs</b> in order to preserve them for my future enjoyment? There are several options. First, you could use a VHS to DVD conversion service that will do the transfer for you. However, if you have a great deal of videos to convert, over time you'll save money by doing the conversions yourself in the convenience of your home.

The computer savvy among us will <b>use their computer</b> to transfer their videos to DVD. It requires copying the video to a digital file on the computer using an analog converter. The file gets compressed into MPEG-2 format before being burned onto a DVD. This method takes some time, but it does allow you to make changes to the video, like special effects or music, before you burn it to the DVD. Depending on the burning software that you use, you might be able to add a menu or other special features. However, the process can be quite slow because you have to transfer the file twice: first from the video to the computer and then again from the computer to the DVD.

So in order to save time and effort, you can <b>copy the tapes to a DVD without the use of a computer</b>. There are two ways to do this:

<ul><li>The first involves buying a <b>DVD recorder that allows input from another source</b>. You simply connect your VCR by cable to the DVD recorder. Then while the video plays, it is also recording. If you choose this option, consider purchasing a video processor called a proc amp or a time base corrector. These devices stabilize and improve the quality of the analog video as it is fed to the DVD recorder and can greatly improve the resulting images that you get on the DVD.</li><li>The second option is to purchase a combination <b>DVD/VCR recorder</b>. It does the same thing as the previous option without needing to connect any cables. If you are planning to copy a lot of videos, it is worth your time and effort to find out what kind of processing the machine does to the analog signal from the video tape before it converts it to the digital signal that gets recorded in DVD format. You want the best possible result that you can get.</li></ul>

If you do the conversion yourself, always follow the manufacturer's instructions to ensure you capture the video appropriately. Make sure that you have cleaned the heads of the VCR between copying videos. Old tapes carry a lot of dust or other particles that can clog up your VCR. And since you are copying directly from the video to the DVD, whatever picture quality issues you have with the video will appear on the DVD. Understand that if you have videos which are recorded at SLP (6 hours of video on a tape) you will not get the same quality of recording onto a DVD as if the video was recorded at SP (2 hours of video on a tape). If you find the quality is not acceptable for you, consider changing your method of converting videos to DVD. However, for many people, the time and energy saved in converting the videos on their own will outweigh any concerns over video quality.

How To Clear A Stubborn Inkjet Printer Clog

Do you own an inkjet printer? Has the printhead ever clogged up on you, creating streaks or missing colors from your printing?

Clogs can be incredibly frustrating. Normally when you find out you have a clogged printhead, it's because you're right in the middle of printing something important. It's one of those problems that you never ask for. It just seems to throw itself in your lap without warning, and then taunts you in your efforts to fix it.

The printhead is the mechanism of your printer (or inkjet cartridge), where the ink actually comes out.

For the most part, printhead clogs can be normally be flushed out with a couple of "head cleaning" cycles. A head cleaning cycle is a built-in function of your printer. It's a specialized routine meant to address this type of problem.

This "cleaning cycle" works by sending a strong 'print signal' to your printer, while at the same time drawing a small vacuum from underneath. The combination of these two steps works in an attempt to suck out clogged ink from the printhead. From my experience, you'll probably need to run between 3 and 5 cycles to fully clear a clog.

The location of the head cleaning cycle proceedure varies for each printer brand, so refer to your printer owner's manual for specific instructions to find yours. Check the index first.

If you don't have your owner's manual anymore, you can check our your printer manufacturers website.  Most likely, they will have your printer manual online.

There are times however, when a few standard head cleaning routines don't seem to solve the problem.  A stubborn printhead clog like this can be persistant enough to make you want to rip out your hair.

For times like these, you'll need to pull out the big guns!

For stubborn inkjet printhead clogs, there are various cleaners out there specifically for this purpose.  These cleaners are formulated to disolve dried or "gummy" ink which may have accumulated from infrequent printer use, or even just a general build-up over time.

I personally brought an old printer "back from the dead" using a product called 'Clog Buster'.  It was a printer I had purchased off of eBay which apparently hadn't been used in awhile.  I spent a few hours trying to revive the printer, and 'Clog Buster' was the only thing that worked when nothing else did. 

The only downside with using a cleaning product like this however, is that you usually don't have it in your immediate possession when the clog hits.  Unless you have some already on hand, you'll have to wait for it to be shipped to you.  In the meantime, your printing project will have to remain on pause until it arrives. 

(But maybe I can help...)

The good news is that you MAY be able to solve the problem using some basic household products.  In fact, Windex glass cleaner can actually work well for dissolving dried ink.  What's the secret ingredient? 

Ammonia.

Tough printhead clogs can usually be brought into submission by soaking the printhead in a solution of 50/50% ammonia and distilled water. 

A important word of warning...  Ammonia is potent and powerful stuff.  When working with ammonia, always make sure you've got adequate ventilation, and avoid mixing it with other chemicals.  Very important.

So, if your printhead is located on the inkjet cartridge itself, you'll want to soak the printhead in the 50/50 solution for an hour or two.

If the printhead unit is located inside your inkjet printer itself, then you'll first need to remove the inkjet cartridges.  After those are removed, put some of the solution into the top of the printhead (directly into the nozzle holes) and let it sit a few hours.  Go ahead and put a little more into the printhead resting seat.  (This is the rubber rectangle part that seals off the printhead unit while the carriage is in it's resting position.)

If this initial soaking doesn't work, then repeat another time using 100% ammonia for up to one hour.  Afterward, make sure to rinse completely with distilled water.

If the clog doesn't immediately clear, go ahead and let the printer sit overnight and try it again the next day.  Sometimes the clog will breakdown slowly and release later as the ammonia takes it's toll.

Finally, for those of you wondering about the effectiveness of using alcohol to unclog cartridges and printhead -- here's a quick note...

Alcohol won't work as well as ammonia, but may work better than a few cleaning cycles.  The downside is that alcohol may actually dry out the plastics and metals in the printhead.  This could actually increase the chances of clogging later on down the road.  So try to avoid alcohol if possible.

How To Choose The Best Laptop Accessories?

For the first time in history, notebooks or laptops are out-selling their bigger cousins, desktop computers.

The rise in popularity of the notebook computer can be contributed to many factors: drop in prices, stiff competition, aggressive marketing, but perhaps the biggest factor - increased performance.

With each new generation of notebooks, we are seeing some novel breakthroughs: dual core notebooks, PCI Express, Sonoma Chipset, increased storage, increased RAM, faster CPUs, better battery life and better wireless access including a Cellular Modem Connection. All these new innovations are making for a more powerful computer embodied in a sleeker smaller package that consumers want.

However, as most notebook enthusiasts know, to get full enjoyment from your laptop or notebook computer - you must have certain essential accessories. These laptop accessories will greatly enhance your notebook experience and make for a much more satisfying all-around 'complete laptop'.

Here's a wish list of laptop accessories you may want to consider purchasing:

1. Carrying Bag or Backpack  - This is essential if you will be doing a lot of traveling. You might even want to consider a wheeled bag for those heavier laptops.   Try to purchase a laptop carrying bag that has plenty of compartments for all those notebook peripherals. Always check to see if your laptop or notebook will fit!

2. Extra Battery  - Since most batteries last less than 5 hours you will need an extra battery or two. You should also check out bringing along an external battery for your laptop.

3. Port Replicator - This is one essential you should consider buying for your laptop or notebook computer. It's a real hassle dealing with all those wires and connections on your laptop - that's where your port replicator or docking station solves your problem. Plug all your peripherals into the docking station or port replicator - connect and disconnect your laptop with ease without having to deal with all those wires and connections. A must have!

4. Auto and Airplane ac adapter -  Another essential laptop accessory if you do a lot traveling, battery life on most notebooks is not great so having a handy source of ac power from your auto or from an airplane is a 'no-brainer'!

5. USB Hub - Some older model notebooks come with only one or two USB ports; if you need more - try a handy USB hub. It will give you more options.

6. Wireless Card - Most laptops and notebooks now come with a wireless card. Many top brands have 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g or all three! If your notebook doesn't have a wireless card, you can get a rather inexpensive 802.11b Linksys PC Card adapter for under $50.

You may also want to check out the new Sony VAIO VGN-T350P - it has the world's first 'Cellular Modem Built In' - access the Internet thru your cell phone. It has an Integrated EDGE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth for the ultimate in wireless networking.

EDGE stands for 'Enhanced Data for Global Evolution' thru the Cingular Wireless national network.

7. Optional External Hard Drive - Most notebooks or laptops now come with a 40 to 100 gig hard drives, but still if you download and save a lot of movies or songs you will take up that storage space quicker than you ever thought possible. If you need an extra hard drive for storage or back-up, try an external hard drive.

8. Optional External DVD Burner - Many laptops now come with a built in DVD drive but in case you need this extra for or DVD burning (movies, songs, videos, etc.) try an external DVD burner for your notebook. For maximum compatibility, try to get one that supports both DVD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW formats.

9. Optional Wireless Keyboard and Mouse - Might sound strange suggesting this option since most laptops already come with a keyboard! But depending on your notebook make and model, the keyboards on most notebooks are not the greatest to type with. It all has to do with the wrong angles and the shape of the laptop, so if you want a wireless desktop style keyboard and mouse, it is relatively cheap to buy.

10. Insurance! -  If you do a lot of traveling, you may want to invest in some laptop insurance. Laptop theft is   still a big problem and it's better to be safe than sorry.

Acquiring any of these laptop accessories will greatly improve your notebook computer, making for a hassle-free computing experience that you will appreciate and enjoy much more. So don't skimp, instead, bring your laptop enjoyment up to its highest level by purchasing some of these much needed laptop accessories.

You will thank yourself later!

How to Choose Printer Paper

Everybody wants to know about the correct inkjet cartridge for his or her printer, but what about printer paper? Inkjet and laser printers can print on a variety of surfaces, including photo paper, labels, business cards, stickers, and t-shirt transfers. One of the biggest advantages of laser printers is their ability to churn out quality prints on almost any paper. However, the same does not apply to inkjet printers. Although most of your inkjet printing probably involves standard white papers, when it comes to this medium, you may have more options than you realise.

Inkjet Printer Paper
Although standard printer paper can do the job as well, your printouts will probably be better if you use paper specifically made for inkjet printers. The quality of your printouts is affected by two major factors: brightness and absorption.

1. Brightness
When a type of paper is advertised as being brighter than average, it indicates that the surface of the paper is smoother than average. The smoothness of the page determines the amount of light reflected from its surface. This factor also determines how bright your images appear on the page. The brighter or smoother the printer paper is, the better your printout will appear.

2. Absorption
In this case, if the printer paper absorbs less ink, your document will definitely look better. As the paper absorbs ink, tiny dots on the page may spread outside their borders. This may cause the edges of text and images on the page to look fuzzy and soggy. To counteract this problem, quality printer papers are coated with a waxy substance that prevents the absorption of ink by the paper. A well-coated paper allows for more precise and smoother printing. In general, most of the printers on the market print at a higher resolution on coated paper than on standard paper.

Branded Paper – To Buy or Not to Buy
It's no secret that the big names in printers, such as HP, Canon, and Epson, offer a complete line of inks and papers. Each company claims that you will get the best results when you use its products with its printers, and warns you to steer clear of products sold by other companies.
Generally speaking, they're right. In the case of inkjet printers, especially, companies design printers, inks, and papers to work together to yield the best results. If you use third-party paper with your inkjet printer from a big-name manufacturer, the ink may spread too far into the paper before drying, causing inaccurate colours, lower print resolution, and a dull finish. Plus, it is likely that the prints will fade faster.

The choice, after all, lies with you. Printing great photos from an inkjet printer is a tall order, requiring a perfect match between the ink, paper, and printer to work together; and the companies don’t make it easy on the consumer’s pocket. You can reach the most economical solution through a little experimentation.

Alternatively, laser printers can print plain text documents or draft-quality graphics with equal ease, and you can stock up on your local office supply store's bright white copy or laser paper to your heart's content.

Getting Past the Jargon
To find out if the paper package on the shelf is right for your printer, simply read the fine print that usually lists out the compatible companies and models. Moreover, if you are interested in high-quality photo printing, you can generally see if a particular paper makes the grade.

For example, some papers may have unusual descriptions such as "swellable" or "cotton rag." Swellable paper is designed for high-quality photo printing—the coated surface actually swells as it absorbs ink. Cotton rag is ideal for inkjets that use pigment-based inks; most low-cost inkjet printers, on the other hand, use dye-based ink, so you should steer clear of cotton rag in this instance.

High-quality paper also has a polymer coating—for both dye-based and pigment-based inks—that keeps the ink from spreading, and it protects the ink from fading over time. However, coated paper can take a number of hours to completely dry your prints. Better quality paper may also be advertised as acid-free and lignin-free; these indicate that your paper is more likely to give you the best image quality and the best overall life span.

Checklist
It is important to remember that most branded photo printer paper from corporate names, including well-known ones, is only suitable for printing at 1440 and 2880 DPI. Here is a simple checklist to help you when deciding the inkjet photo paper best suited to your needs.

1. Always check the DPI (Dots Per Inch) of the photo printer paper.

DPI is an indicator of how much ink the photo paper can absorb per inch on the page. Using low DPI photo paper for high-resolution printing will result in poor quality prints. Usually, if the seller does not advertise the DPI of its inkjet photo paper and card, then it is likely that it is very low and therefore a lower grade paper.

2. Check that the photo paper is instant dry.

Cheaper photo paper may not be designed to dry instantaneously and can result in colour running or smudging while the ink is soaking into the paper. Once again, if the seller does not advertise this feature, then it is likely that it is absent.

3. Decide the weight of inkjet photo paper you need.

Although the weight of photo paper and card vary, the most common weights are between 120gsm to 280gsm.

If you are printing in bulk, then 120gsm is usually sufficient and cost effective. If you are printing photographs at home, then 160gsm to 200gsm should suffice. Buy glossy printer paper if you want shiny pictures, and matt paper if shine is not an issue for you.

As a general rule, bigger the weight is, thicker the photo paper or card will be.

How to choose a right PDA

There are a few questions before buying a new PDA. You should consider them carefully and choose a right product as there are too many products in the market.

Question 1
Budget?
How much you are willing to spend will also be an important question. The more you spend, the more that your PDA will act like a laptop. That is not to say that if you spend little, that you cannot get much. The $99 PalmOne Zire 22 is capable as a replacement to the paper planner, as well as has the ability to play MP3s and carry large reference materials via the SD (secure digital) memory card slot.

As a general rule, spending $100 will get you a basic PDA; up to $200 can get you a PDA with a camera, MP3 player, or included document editing abilities; up to $350 will net you a midrange PDA that can have wireless connectivity (wifi or Bluetooth) along with cameras, MP3 players, and full document editing; over $400 will get you enhanced screens (higher resolutions than lower models), dual wireless capabilities on some models, more included software, and much more memory (up to 128MB internally on some models) than lower priced models.

Question 2
What to do with the PDA?
When looking to purchase a PDA, you will want to figure out what you want to do with the PDA. Most people look at PDAs first because they help you to organize your calendar, tasks, and phone numbers. All PDAs do this well, and so other tasks should be looked at such as: carrying large references, mobile email and Internet, gaming, music play, or one that does all those things well. Once you have figured out what you will do with it, you should analyze your budget.


Question 3
Need it as a mobile phone?
Some people do not like the idea of carrying around a PDA and a mobile phone. They may like the functionality of a PDA, just in the form of a phone; or, the functionality of a phone in the form of a PDA. If you need to access the internet and would find getting email on the go as making things easier, then a smartphone or wireless PDA would work best for you. Many mobile phone companies offer smartphones with a discount if you get a contract with it.

Question 4
need a keyboard built in?
When purchasing a PDA, deciding how one wants to input data is very important. Though all PDAs have some form of handwriting recognition and a virtual keyboard, if you plan on sending a lot of email or editing documents, then you may want to look at the PalmOne Tungsten C, Treo 600, etc..(included accessory).

All PDAs can also accept input from keyboard attachments.



Question 5
battery life?
Acceptable battery life is anything in over four hours of continuous usage. That will translate to 3-5 days of intermittent usage. Many PDA models will do this and better.

There are different factors that go into getting the most out of your battery, such as: the screen resolution (the higher the resolution, the more power that is needed to keep the screen on); how bright you keep the screen; are you using the multimedia functions (they drain the battery faster); are you using wireless technologies (bluetooth uses battery power at a lower rate than wifi, though both drain the battery more than not using them). How you will be using the PDA you choose will determine how much of the battery that you will be using. Some Windows Mobile PDAs  use removable batteries. You could use one battery while charging the other.

Question 6
Does your business support using a PDA with a camera?
These days, data security is very important within many organizations. If you are looking to purchase a PDA to use within a work setting, make sure that your organization authorizes its use, especially if the PDA you want has a camera. Many government agencies, and some health clubs, do not allow you to carry devices with cameras on them. Make sure that you do clear it with the IT and senior personnel of your organization.

Hoping these few questions can help you choosing a right PDA

How To Choose A Good Tuner From The Bad

Choosing a tuner for your system is of little difference from choosing other components. When auditioning other components, people are primarily concerned with their sound quality, not their technical performance.

For example, if a preamplifier under audition sounds good, you do not need to worry much about its technical performance. Because .if it sounds good, then it is working well.

Tuners, on the other hand, exhibit great variability in their technical performance. It will not only concern the tuner’s sound; tonal balance, sound staging, portrayal of timbre, etc., but also basic characteristics such as the ability to pick up weak or distant stations, reject adjacent stations, provide a noise-free audio signal, and stay tuned to a station without drifting.

A tuner’s performance in these areas can be accurately characterized by measurement; this makes tuner specifications much more significant than those of other audio components.

There is a direct correlation between a tuner’s specifications and its sonic performance. You still have to listen to the tuner before you buy, but you can often separate poor performing models from better units by looking at the specification sheets.

Unlike most audio products, the best high-end tuners have more features, front-panel controls, and displays than the lower-end products.

The price range for a good tuner from a mass-market manufacturer is between $400 and $1000. Some of the higher-end models from mass-market companies offer excellent performance.

The price range from $750 to $1200 is very competitive, with many superb units to choose from. The very best tuners cost as much as $12,000.

The differences between mediocre and excellent tuners.

Good tuners are characterized by their sensitivity or the ability to pull in weak stations. The greater its sensitivity, the better it can pick up weak or distant stations.

This aspect is more important in suburban or rural areas that are far from radio transmitters.

On the other hand, a tuner characteristic of greater importance to the city dweller is adjacent-channel selectivity or the ability to pick up one station without interference from the station next to it on the dial.

This specification defines a tuner’s ability to reject a strong station two channels away from the desired channel. When stations are packed closely together, as they are in cities, adjacent-channel and alternate-channel selectivity are more important than sensitivity.

Equally important to all listeners is the tuner’s signal-to-noise ratio, a measure of the difference in dB between background noise and the maximum signal strength. A tuner with a poor signal-to-noise ratio will overlay the music with an annoying background hiss.

A poor tuner will have trouble receiving weak stations, may lack the ability to select one station when that station is adjacent to another station, have high background noise, and be overloaded by nearby FM transmitters or other radio signal sources.

Many tuners have a high-blend circuit that automatically switches the signal to mono when the signal strength falls below a certain level.

The difference between high-blend and the mono/stereo switch just described is that the high-blend circuit puts only the treble into mono, leaving the rest of the spectrum in stereo. This gets rid of most of the noise, but maintains stereo separation through most of the midrange and bass.

Lastly, all good tuners have a 75-ohm coaxial antenna input as well as the more commonly used 300-ohm flat-lead input. The coaxial input should be used for best signal transmission between the antenna and tuner.

How to buy the perfect PC

PCs have become a staple in every home. Without PCs, you will find it hard to stay connected and to even do the work required of you in school or in the office. With so much PC packages being shoved to our throat every time we go to department stores and computer shops, you’ll really get quite confused on what you really need and what PC package will fit your budget and lifestyle. To help you through this dilemma, here is a brief backgrounder of the parts of PCs that you should get to know.
Processor.
This is one of the three primary components of your PC. The processor is the part that determines how fast your computer process information. Intel is still the leading brand in processors but competitors such as American Micro Devices (AMD) are slowly catching up, offering cheaper alternative. In shopping for a processor, one should consider the following:
Clock speed – this will show the number of instructions that a computer can execute in a second. This usually comes after the brand name. Processors nowadays are already set at the gigahertz range.
Cache memory – this stores the data that were previously accessed. This simplifies the work of the computer as it would not take twice as long to access information already stored in memory bank. Without a cache memory, much of the work will fall on the RAM (Random Access Memory).
Operating temperature – some processors easily heats up. Before buying, make sure that you have asked about the operating temperature just in case you need to buy additional fans or put the computer in an air-conditioned room.
RAM (Random Access Memory).
RAM serves as the temporary memory of the PC, containing information that are needed for the computer and the programs to function. In addition to processors, RAM also determines the speed of the computer. The higher the RAM, the faster the computer is in accessing information and responding to commands.
Motherboard
This is where all the parts of the PC’s CPU (Central Processing Unit) are attached. Some motherboards already have videocards and soundcards embedded on it while others don’t. what is important however is to choose a motherboard that is compatible with your RAM and processor. Incompatibility of PC hardware can cause major problems and may even lead to the breakdown of your computer.
Hard drive.
This is the part where you store all the information in your PC. Picture a floppy disk with much much larger storing capacity. The hard drive serves as the permanent memory of your computer. Here you install all your programs and save all the documents that you need. It is also important that you buy a hard drive with really big capacity especially now when people are so used to storing multimedia files that may use up a lot of hard drive space.
Video cards
This is the part of the computer which determines the quality of the multimedia images that you will view. The higher the memory of the video card, the better is the picture quality and the colors. Also, video cards are also responsible for how fast multimedia images are accessed. This is especially needed if you use your computer for multimedia activities such as watching a movie or playing video games.

How Safe Is Safe?

There has been an increasing amount of emphasis in recent times on the subject of keeping the information on your computer safe. The terms Back-Up, Archive, Data Storage and Security being mentioned frequently, but what is all about?

In simple terms, people are increasingly holding more and more information on their computers, be it photos, personal data and finance, business data, accounts, contacts, addresses and much more.

What everyone needs to understand is that the information held on your computer is a very vulnerable entity and can be very easily and completely lost, either by component failure, malicious acts or theft. If loss of the information you keep on your computer would cause you distress, then you need to take steps to ensure it is kept safe and that you would be able to continue even if your computer was stolen.

The only definite way of safeguarding against the many different kinds of threats is to have a copy of the valuable information and keep it away from the computer, this is commonly referred to as back-up. In case of loss, the information can then be restored to a computer from the safe back-up copy. A back up consists of an exact copy of this important data, kept on a separate storage medium such as a CD / DVD or an external tape or hard disk drive.

Naturally, a back-up is only as good as the last time that you actually made a back-up copy, so it is common practice to create a new back-up frequently and overwrite the old copy. How frequently you do this depends on how often your valuable information changes, the more changes, the more frequent the back-up. A back-up can be performed manually by simply copying the data you wish to back-up to your chosen media, or the process can be automated by using specialist back-up software programmes. Back-up software allows you to select the data that needs to be backed-up, when to make the back-up and where to copy the backed-up data to, this set up can then be memorised by the back-up software. Backing-up your data then becomes a relatively quick and simple process.

Many confuse back-up with "archiving". Archiving is where you transfer data, which is important enough to keep, but no longer required (e.g. old photos, old accounts) to an external, safe storage medium for future reference. The archived data is then removed from the computers main hard drive to free-up space.

Whether backing-up or archiving, there is a choice of media you can record your copy on to:

Floppy or Zip Disk
A Floppy or Zip Disk drive provides a simple solution. The downside to this method however, is very limited recording space and not a particularly reliable or long-term solution.

Recordable CD or DVD
If you have a CD or DVD recordable drive, this is a better longer-term solution with more space. The downside is that the recording process can be a pain as you cannot just drag and drop and that you need CD's or DVD's to record on.

This type of backup can be cumbersome, time consuming and sometimes frustrating, depending on the software and the quality of disks used.

When using this method of backup, remember to check the disk you have transferred your data to, to make sure your computer can read the disc ok in future.

USB Pen Drives
Also known by various other names USB Pen Drives are an excellent low cost solution for smaller back-up purposes being easy to use and they are also great for transferring data from one computer to another.

External USB Hard Drives
For most users the best storage solution for back-up and archiving purposes is the USB external hard drive, being reliable, easy to install (just plug in to your USB port) and easy to use (just drag and drop your files to be backed-up). USB External Hard Drives are available in pocket or desktop sizes and storage capacities from a few Gb to 250Gb + offering a huge amount of recording space. Being a plug in device they can be easily disconnected and kept separate from your computer and out of harm's way. Some external USB Hard Drives like Iomega come packaged with back-up software too.

How Platespin Server Consolidation Works

It is no secret that servers can take up a lot of floor space, and power. As a result, they can sometimes seem inconvenient. One way to save space and power is to consolidate servers. Server consolidation is very important in order to ease some of the frustrations of overdue consolidation processes. Server consolidation projects can also be accelerated via automation and virtualization. Platespin server consolidation helps to accelerate consolidation projects, and reduce errors. This is done without actually having to have contact with the physical machines.


Platespin allows managers to measure and evaluate resource utilization in order to speed up capacity planning for consolidation projects. This is accomplished by remotely gathering information about the server. This information can be the server operating system, memory, CPU speed, the network, and memory. Platespin server consolidation works on Windows NT, 2000, and 2003 systems. The system works without the help of agents. Therefore, the need to manually deploy software is eliminated. The risk of missing certain agent dependencies is also eliminated in this case. Platespin is also very simple and lightweight, so it can start to collect data in almost one minute.


Platespin completely automates the physical to virtual migration of data. This allows the servers to be consolidated quickly and with more ease. There is a drag and drop interface that allows the user to convert machines running Windows or Linux into one fully functional virtual machine that is hosted on several types of servers. These servers include VMware GSX Server, Microsoft Virtual Server 2005, or simply a Platespin Flexible Image file.


Network configurations, CPU cycles disk space, and memory allocations can all be converted rather quickly.  This ease allows users to right-size target servers as the conversion process is occurring. As a direct result, data centers are made able to increase the number of servers that are able to be consolidated. This further optimizes resource utilization rates.


Sever consolidation may seem complicated, but the right program can make it quite simple. Platespin automates many processes and allows many different factors to be converted quickly. This means that the total time for consolidating servers is reduced.

History of Hewlett Packard and Ink

Hewlett Packard’s tryst with ink took off when it acquired a company named F.L Mosley based in California in 1958. Mosley was manufacturing recorders and plotters for industrial applications such as continuous process monitoring systems, data loggers and the like in the 1950’s. 

Hewlett Packard was the pioneer in imaging and printing technologies. It was the first in the market during the 1980’s to come up with inkjet and laser technology used in printers until date. Its first printer was the “ThinkJet” in 1984 based on the inkjet technology and later the “DeskJet” printer also based on inkjet technology and the “Laser” printer as the name suggests based on laser technology.


The Ink

Today inks are not just gooey fluids filled in cartridges to give you images on your print media.  Specially engineered ink gives high quality prints-it has specially designed active agents and colorants that give rich color and fade resistance.

There is a difference between printer ink and toner - printer ink is a liquid that is applied to paper by pressure. Toner is a fine powder that is burned onto the paper through heat and laser guidance.

There are two types if ink - dye based and pigment based. The rest are a variation of these two basic types.

The Ink Cartridge

The printer cartridge nowadays is not only an object that holds ink but also a highly technical one that has an integrated circuit to control the quality of printouts. The printer ink cartridge is by far the most important consumable as far as its cost, type and replacement is concerned. Every printer model has its own specific ink cartridge.

Inkjet

The inkjet cartridge is a combination of speed and precision. Each ink nozzle in the cartridge fires up to 36,000 drops of ink per second to deliver crisp text and sharp images.
The Inkjet and DeskJet printers use this cartridge. They are ideal for home and personal use.

LaserJet

The Laser Jet cartridge comprises up to 70% of the total imaging system and therefore plays a key role in delivering quality prints. It uses a precision laser to draw the image giving clear sharp and precise prints. These are ideal for home as well as small to large businesses and workgroups.


Design Jet

These cartridges give uniform fills, sharply defined lines and crisp clear text across a wide range of durable printing applications. These cartridges are used for large format printing media such as trade show and event displays, posters and presentations, photo enlargements, architecture and engineering applications such as CAD/CAM.

Color Layering Technology

In color layering, a number of microscopic droplets of colors ranging from three to eight colors are combined and managed through hundreds of small nozzles in the cartridge. The result is a print of high quality with vibrant and realistic true to life images. This technology gives a wide range of colors up to millions.


Available Cartridge Options

1. OEMs
OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges are the same ones that come with your printer. The company that makes the printer generally manufactures them. For example, HP laser printers come with HP toner cartridges. OEM laser printer toner cartridges are the most expensive type. You can save money by choosing remanufactured cartridges, compatible cartridges or refill kits.

Benefits of OEM Cartridges
Many manufacturers recommend only using OEM cartridges with their printers to achieve the best results. However, they are also trying to get you to buy their product. Again, if you require optimum quality then it is best to use OEM cartridges. They also prove to be economical in the long run because remanufactured or refilled cartridges may fail 70 to 80 percent of the time in their first attempt or they usually don’t give as many prints as the original or as promised by the remanufacturing company. 

2. Remanufactured

A remanufactured cartridge is one that has been disassembled and its worn parts replaced. A new print head is then fitted onto the cartridge, is refilled with ink, and is tested in the factory to guarantee print quality. Remanufacturing is considered more comprehensive than refilling. 
         
Your printer's print head cleaning utility (described in your printer's operating manual) should always be run 1-2 times after inserting a remanufactured cartridge. They are thoroughly tested to ensure quality, and their performance is generally equal to new cartridges. 

Just because a cartridge ran out of ink, does not mean the print head and electronics are not still in perfectly working order.

To view a wide range of HP ink cartridges visit http://www.stinkyinkshop.co.uk/acatalog/hewlett_packard_printer_supplies.html


3. Refilled

Refilling your cartridge means cleaning the cartridge and refilling it with new ink. Now, either this can be done at home using a refilling kit or you can ship your cartridge to a refilling company in your area.
Some refilling companies claim that Refilled Cartridges are environmentally friendly and provide a high quality output, which meets or exceeds consumer expectations and that they are
· Ultrasonically bathed to ensure a clean print head
· Filled with top quality inks using state of the art equipment
· Tested to ensure high quality printing
· Sealed and packaged in vapor resistant material

 It is best to refill your Cartridge within 15 days of the cartridge becoming empty.
Empty cartridges have a certain life span and this can range from between one refill to five refills on average. However, cartridge circuits have been known to fail on the 1st attempt of refilling / remanufacture and in contrast, cartridge circuits have been known to last up to 10 refills, the latter being exceptional durability.
Once a cartridge circuit has failed, the ink cartridge is unusable and a new or serviceable cartridge has to be purchased.

High Definition Tuners

High definition TV tuners or HDTV tuners are designed to receive high definition programs by connecting to an external antenna. HDTV tuners will not only show movies and DVD’s at high definition, but will improve the viewing of normal TV. It is because of the improved definition or color and picture quality of DVD’s and programs that make HDTV tuners very popular with viewers.

Television sets often come with HDTV tuners already built into them, these are called integrated HDTV’s. If you are considering buying an external high definition TV tuner for your television, make sure that your TV set is HDTV compatible. A separate tuner may also be needed. This can be either a cable or satellite box for watching high definition programs.

Most people have heard that there is a mandate on televisions to make integrated HDTVs. This is not entirely correct. Certain televisions that are for sale after a certain date will be required to have built in tuners. The tuners required won’t be HDTV. The mandate is actually referring to ATSC tuners. It is not even necessary that TV’s be able to display HDTV resolutions without either an internal or external tuner. This new mandate will not apply to plasma and front projectors. The mandate will not take effect for some time. Until then there will be no change in television manufacture or tuners.

It is important to ask about features of high definition TV tuners before making a choice. If you are not sure what some of the features are, ask for clarification. Make sure that your television is compatible, HDTV tuners may not work with older televisions. Ask your cable or satellite company weather they support high definition TV, as many people find out later down the road that they cannot receive HDTV programs through cable or satellite.

Ask about what kind of warranties are available and what parts they actually cover before buying. External high definition TV tuners are quite reasonably priced. Prices start at around $150. If you are on a budget, make sure not to buy cheaply made appliances. Always wait for specials or price reductions on reliable brands.

One of the most popular brands available is the Samsung SIR-T451. This one is ideal for high definition programming on any high definition TV compatible television. There are many more HDTV tuners available on the market. By doing a quick search on your favorite search engine, you will be able to find a HDTV tuner that will fit both your budget and your TV’s requirements.

Here's How To Get Sound From Your Speakers

This article was written to answer many of the most frequently asked questions on this topic. I hope you find this information helpful.

You have tried and tried to get your speakes to work. You have the sound card and the speakers; so what is the problem? The first step is to check the connections. Most people accidentally plug the speaker jack into the Line-in Jack of the sound card. Check to see if this is what you did. If you have amplified speakers, make sure that the power is on and mute is not.

Check and see if the speakers work properly before trying to troubleshoot your system. Do this by connecting the speakers to a music system or radio. If they do, the problem is definitely related to the system.

Check the volume levels in the system. Check the volume controller in the system tray and also open the advanced audio controls to make sure that there isn't anything muted or at really low levels. Now use several multimedia applications to play various media files to insure that the problem is truly system related, and not limited to a particular application or file. If you find that only a certain application has the problem, such as Windows Media Player or Winamp, reinstall it.

If all this is to no avail, go to the system properties [Windows] + [Pause/Break] or right-click on My Computer and select Properties and in device manager make sure that sound card is installed properly. If you see a yellow exclamation mark, reinstall the drivers.

If you have an integrated sound card that is disabled in the BIOS, then Windows will not be able to detect it. Refer to your motherboard manual, and find out how to enable it. Usually it is present under the advanced peripherals section in BIOS.

If you have access to another PC, plug the sound card into that system, and check if it is working. If the problem persists, take the speakers to a technician.

Help to choose your monitor

Making the right choice in a computer display or monitor is an important part of involving yourself in today's web-browsing and multi-media technology. Right now, you are viewing this in a computer monitor (unless you've had someone print it for you and you're reading it on paper because your monitor made it completely unreadable) and how it appears to you depends entirely on the quality of your display.

Monitors

What are the differences between an LCD screen and CRT monitors?

LCD screens are the current trendy looking; flat screen displays that are now sold with practically all bundles, whereas CRT screens are bulky older style technology. Apart from the space saving that the flat screen LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) offers, it also generates very little heat and radiation, uses considerably less power and is less reflective. LCD screens present excellent image quality. CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) monitors on the other hand, occupy a lot more space on your desktop, do generate heat and use more power and usually have a curved screen (although flat screen CRT monitors are available).

From a display point of view, the major difference between the two lies in how the image is created, and the resolution that the screen can accommodate. Each pixel in a LCD screen is produced by a tiny cell containing a layer of liquid crystals that bend light in response to electric energy. While they can be clearer than CRT screens, they are limited by only one optimal resolution. Setting the screen at a higher than optimal resolution reduces the overall screen image, and at a lower one causes the screen image to appear "pixelated".

A CRT screen creates its image through cathode ray emissions striking the phosphorous lining on the back of the tube glass. It offers more detail in images and colour at higher resolutions.

One other difference to note is the display size. Display size is the diagonal measurement across the screen. A 17 inch (these have not been metricated yet) display is measured from one corner diagonally to its opposite. In a LCD display, this covers the entire framed display, but in a CRT monitor, the display image is usually 8%-10% smaller than the framed screen area, which means a 17" CRT monitor has to have a bigger framed screen than a LCD.

Compatibility

There are possibly two issues of compatibility to consider. One is the compatibility of the screen with your workspace and the work you want it to do. If you have a small space, then the slim features of the LCD will be a major part of your decision. It is better to buy an all-digital screen rather than one that plugs into a standard video card (which is analogue) and then translate an analogue signal to digital. An all-digital display will offer brighter images. Compatibility with your computer's video card is another consideration. You need to be sure that the video card you have in your computer will provide the screen resolution your require from your monitor and match the refresh rate.

Technical considerations

Dot Pitch. This is the distance between the same colour dots in any direction on a display. A smaller dot pitch enables easier reading of characters and better colour clarity. The maximum dot pitch you should consider for high quality graphics and text is .28 for a 17" monitor and .31 for a 21" monitor.

Screen resolution. The number of pixels a screen displays determines the resolution. A resolution of 1024 x 768 has 1024 pixels in the horizontal plane, and 768 in the vertical. The higher the resolution, the more detail is displayed. Be sure that your video card matches the resolution you require.

Refresh rate. This is the frequency at which the screen image is being refreshed to avoid flicker. A vertical refresh rate of 75 HZ (cycles per second) delivers a flicker-free environment and will reduce eyestrain and fatigue.

Cost

Of course it all comes down to what you can afford. But a good quality display is a good investment in your work environment. CRT monitors can be bought very cheaply. Digital LCDs can become very expensive. Manufacturers are now offering displays with inbuilt television receivers and speaker systems than can enhance your overall environment and improve the flexibility of your purchase. Ultimately, it depends on what you want to see on your desk as much as what youn want to see on your monitor. You can spend as little as $200.00 or well over $2,000 and you can do it all online. Myshopping.com.au offers you that special advanyage of being able to compare the specifications and prices of hundreds of different brands and vendors.

Hardware: Now What Exactly Are We Talking About?

Now just because this article is on the internet doesn’t mean that the hardware that we’re talking about has anything to do with computers! I mean that is probably the case but why don’t we remain patient and civilized and find out before we start jumping the gun and squawking about hard drives and monitors and video cards and CPUs and the like. Lets take a minute to consider what else we could be talking about and make sure it isn’t those things before we proceed any further down the computer path.

Hardware could be ACE or The Home Depot right? I mean after all most retail stores today are trying to maximize their market share and are therefore making available many services including a large part of their inventory online. So maybe you are looking for a new compound miter saw or some 35 year guaranteed shingles. Maybe you want to replace that old squeaky screen door. Maybe you have a leak in your plumbing that needs immediate attention. Well you are going to have to stay tuned because I may be able to help you.

Within the above category of hardware there is another category of hardware that refers to the handles on drawers and doors. This is a surprisingly popular market sector as shows like trading spaces, extreme makeover, and Martha Stewart’s Home show. People, especially with the economy being rather slow, have decided that instead of getting new things that they will just make due with their old cupboards, or doors, or desks, or dressers, etc. But they are willing to spruce them up by refinishing them and adding new, more generationally acceptable, knobs that match the simple yet elegant and refined look of today. Silver not gold; brushed or “antique” finish rather than a chrome shine.

Ok, ok so I am talking about computer hardware I just wanted to let you know that this may not be what everyone else is referring to when they are talking about hardware in an article on the internet. Any this is a great time for those struggling with their computer components. Online support is getting more and more useful and soon you won’t have to ever take your computer anywhere to have it fixed. A technician will be able to analyzed, diagnose, and correct problems over the internet and you will be on your way without much bother at all. Sounds good doesn’t it?

Hard Disk Clicking Sound

1. Observations
You hear clicking sounds emitting from your hard disk drive, either in a form of clicking or grinding sounds. This can happen when you power up your computer from start or halfway while working on your projects.

2. Possible Causes

The irregular clicking or chunking sound usually indicates that your hard drive is suffering from physical damage. If you use a S.M.A.R.T enabled disk, you may see a warning of a imminent disk failure when you power up your computer. This problem can be caused by the following:
- Head Crash
- Bad Sectors
- Mechanical Faults
- Virtual Memory Paging

3. Resolution
a. Head Crash

This is a physical damage of the disk platter when the head of a hard disk scratches the surface of the disk. The grinding sound is therefore observed when this occurs. Firstly, turn off your computer and do not attempt to power it up. Consult a data recovery firm immediately and avoid dismantling the disk to repair the problem yourself. Operating without the correct tools and a clean environment can result in further extensive damage which complicates the recovery process.

b. Bad Sectors

Typically bad sectors are physical damage of a span of disk area. The clicking sound happens when the head attempts to read from the same area of disk multiple times due to failed attempts. This can also occur when the head is unable to calibrate with the media servo tracks due to the gradual weakening of the magnetic domains on the platter that causes the drive to reset continuously. If the conditions of the disk is not too bad, a standard process is to perform a disk surface scan. This helps to mark all bad sectors and prevent your system from writing new data on the damaged areas of the disk.

c. Mechanical Faults

Sometimes these sounds can be a result of a defective spindle, Read Write head or loose components. If you are still able to access data on the disk, you are strongly advised to backup all your data immediately. Your disk is close to demise. If your disk stops spinning after a period of clicking sound, you may wish to send your disk to a reputable data recovery firm to recover your data.

d. Virtual Memory Paging

When your physical memory is full, the drive may perform numerous virtual memory paging at the same time maintaining the system's operation. This will result in excessive disk activity. To deal with this problem you can increase the physical memory by adding more RAM into your computer or use a secondary hard disk to contain the swap files.

Further Notes

Hard disk drive occasionally produces a whirring sound when it searches for a file which is heavily fragmented. This is caused by the spinning platters as the read-write heads zoom back and forth to access the sectors where the data is stored. It is important to distinguish the whirling sound from the clicking sound. This whirring sound can be reduced by periodically defragmenting your hard drive. Defragmenting reorganizes the scattered data on the hard drive to make files and programs run faster. It relocates the commonly accessed files to the beginning of the hard disk where data can load at a faster rate.

Handheld Devices: Supporting Your Clients Needs

While it’s tough to make much of a profit margin on sales of desktop or notebook PCs, it’s next to impossible to profitably sell personal digital assistants (PDAs) to your small business clients.

After all, these handheld devices are generally positioned more as consumer electronics devices than full-blown "computers".

The Popularity of Handheld Devices or PDA’s

Nevertheless, today’s PDAs, based on the Palm and Microsoft Windows CE OS’s are quite powerful.  Because of power and flexibility, PDAs have become quite popular with organizations of all sizes.  However, lurking behind PDAs soaring popularity are some hidden IT support dangers where your small business clients really need you to step in and save the day.

The Whole World in the "Palm" of Your Hand

In most cases, either your consulting firm or your clients’ internal gurus get the first handheld device or PDA support request.  Even when an employee purchased the handheld device on his or her own or received it as a gift, they will call on you for support.

Inevitably, regardless of whether your small business clients purchase them for employees, handheld devices or PDAs sooner or later will make their way onto your computer support radar screen.

Will Your Client Fund PDA Support?

Just be sure to have a heart-to-heart with your main client contact person to decide what the "official party line" will be on PDA support.

Consider all the different product and operating system variables when deciding how your company will cost-effectively support PDAs.  There are two additional main issues to think about when considering offering handheld device support to clients: data security and desktop connectivity.

Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consulting 101. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}

Guide to Buying a New printer

One of the more perplexing decisions when faced with choosing a new printer is which print technology is going to suit you best. At the moment there are two main printing systems: the laser technology, using toner cartridges and a transfer drum assembly; and ink jets using ink tank cartridges and fine-spray nozzles. The method that will suit you best will depend largely on what you plan to print on your new printer, and cost factors that affect the costs of running it. Laser printers are possibly better for high-volume printing, with lower 'per page' costs and they better black intensity text than most ink jets. Laser printers tend to have a faster page rate but ink jets still offer the important advantages in affordable colour printing.

For home use, you'll probably want to print out digital photos or graphics, which makes colour a must. The traditional differentiation between lasers and ink jets has been office versus home use; however, colour offers obvious presentation advantages for business use as well. Fortunately, prices for both categories of printers have come down enough to make it practical to purchase both a laser and an ink jet if you absolutely need both colour and high-quality text.

The work you do

There are a number of different printer configurations available today, many of them quite specialised in the applications. There are specialised photo printers, direct disc CD printers, Multifunction printers, desktop ink jets and high-speed lasers.

If you want a printer that is specifically designed for printing photographs, you will most likely look for a colour ink-jet system that is a photo printer, allowing very high quality colour output and capable of printing all the way to the edge of the page. Recent releases by major brands now include all-in-one Multifunction devices that include scanning and printing capabilities. Many smaller units that are designed purely as a photo-printer to plug directly into your digital camera are also available. Much the same can be said for CD or DVD printing, with specialist printers available for printing directly onto discs, saving label application.

On the other hand if you are a small home-office worker, then your requirements may be more general, in which case you need to make a printer decision based on the types of documents your produce and how many. In general terms, ink-jet printers offer high quality colour outputs at a low hardware cost, but high consumable cost. Lasers offer significantly higher speeds but at a much higher hardware cost. High volume usage however, reduces the cost per page considerably.

Multifunction printers (MFP) are often ideal for home office or student needs because they combine multiple functions into one unit, usually a scanner, printer, copier fax machine, doing a little bit of everything, and saving considerable desk and office space in the bargain. Generally ink-jet style printers, some MFP may trade-off performance for price and convenience ( e.g. lower resolution, slower print speed) than if you were to buy a printer and scanner individually.

You can buy Multifunction printers specially configured for printing photographs, with some machines providing the ability to scan directly from 35mm slides and store digital files and print them, which is ideal for archiving old photo libraries. However, the scanned images may not exhibit the same clarity and brightness of digitally capture photographs, or as the kind of quality that you can obtain from a deidcated scanner. Search Myshopping.com.au for the specifications you require and compare prices and performance between brands and technologies.

Dealing with Technical Talk

One of the specifications that you will be faced with, is that of resolution. Up to a point, a printer's resolution determines aspects of its print quality. Images are made up of tiny dots of ink or toner that is applied to the page, and resolution is the term given to the number of dots per inch-quoted as dpi. This usually represented in a two-dimensional matrix (eg: 600 x 300 dpi). Most printers today support a basic 600 x 600 dpi resolution that produces adequate quality in most instances. Many ink jets, however, especially photo printers and high-end plotters, offer higher resolutions and more dots in the vertical plane than the horizontal.

Resolution ratings are not the whole story however. Many printer manufacturers now incorporate smoothing and enhancing features through software algorithms. This means that some output from printers with a lower dpi looks just as good as that from a higher dpi unit. And, although some printers have very high resolutions, you're not likely to notice any difference in quality with common print jobs once you go above 600 x 600 dpi resolution. What you will notice however, is much higher consumption of inks or toner. It is noteworthy, and perhaps obvious to some, that the higher resolution you are printing at, the higher will be your consumable consumption, and this is the most expensive part of your printer.

Speed is another important consideration. Vary rarely will you find that your printer performs at the 'pages-per-minute' rate (ppm) that is advertised or cited in the specification. There are a number of reasons for this including the size of the file being printed, the amount of ink coverage on the page, the proportion of black to other colours, the weight of the paper stock and possibly even the constancy of the power supply of electricity to your premises. This is not to day that the manufacturers, under laboratory conditions are not able to make the machine perform at spec, just not to rely on the claim as a gospel figure. However you can use the speed ratings to make some judgement of performance differences between brands and models. If speed is an important consideration, then you can short-list printers that claim to perform above a certain rate and the compare other factors. You can do this at Myshopping.com.au simply by searching for printers that offer a certain ppm speed.

Laser printers use powder toner that is electromagnetically attracted to the page by an image temporarily made on a transfer drum through a laser scanning process, and then fused to the page with a heat-setting system. This toner is supplied in cartridges, usually one for each of a four-colour printing system (cyan, magenta, yellow and black). Manufactures give some estimate of how many pages of a given size each toner cartridge will print, based on a predetermined proportion of coverage (say 10%). As with the speed claims, these estimates are rarely accurate, but can be used to make some judgement between makes and models. The higher resolution of image you are printing, the more toner will be used in the process. Ink jet printers use a liquid ink stored in tanks that are sprayed by very fine nozzles onto the page as they are required. Just as you replace the toner cartridges in the laser system, you replace ink tanks when they're depleted in an ink jet printer.

It is important to understand that even thought the printer might be cheap, consumables is where the manufacturers actually make enormous profits, so be sure to consider replacement consumables when doing your cost comparisons. With ink jet printers, some have colour cartridges in one unit, others have separate colour units. In the long run, separate tanks will most likely work out cheaper, because as one colour runs out, you replace only that colour. When all colours are housed in the one cartridge unit, you may have a nearly full tank of cyan when the yellow is completely gone, and you have to throw away unused ink. Not only does this waste your money, it can also be environmentally expensive.

Cost

There are two parts to your cost assessment of a printer. The first is the purchase price of the printer itself. This can vary considerably between brands and models, and is usually differentiated through different features being offered. Use Myshopping.com.au to search for a printer based on a given price range and compare the features. However, possibly more important is the ongoing cost, often measured in cost per page. A typical ink jet printer may cost you 40-50 cents per printed page, depending on how much ink you are using on the page, it may even cost more. By comparison, a colour laser may work out to 15-20 cents per page. These costs don't usually include the paper stock, and are based on consumables and maintenance costs. Companies like Xerox often supply large colour Laser printers for a cost per page fee.

One cost assessment technique is to estimate how much printing you will do in a given period, load your calculations with a percentage of ink coverage (if you are printing all full gloss and high resolution photographs, for example, you might load the cost per page by a factor of 8-10), factor in the machine cost and make a comparison of what you will spend in a year, including the cost of the printer.

Other things you might consider

How paper travels through a printer can affect your whole printer experience. The closest you can get to a 'straight through' paper path, the more trouble-free your printer will be. If all your printing is only on plain white bond paper, then paper path will possibly not be a major consideration. But if you're printing on photographic stock, thick paper, envelopes, transparent film or other materials, then be sure the print path is compatible with your requirements. How you connect to your computer might also be a consideration, especially if you work with large files where connection speed is a consideration. Most printers today offer relatively high-speed USB interfaces. But you might want to consider wireless connections or networking capabilities.

When choosing a Laser printer, on-board RAM (read only memory) might be a consideration. A printer with a standard 64 Megabytes of RAM will be slow to print a quantity of documents that are larger in size than the printer's memory. If large documents are a consideration, make sure you can upgrade the printer's memory. The printer driver provides the software interface to your printer, offering you on-screen control over copies, page size, orientation, resolution, text smoothing and paper thickness and type. Many drivers now include advanced features and enable you to create your own custom-setting profiles for quick selection. Moreover a good driver provides complete printer management from on-screen, including paper jams and job queue management. Ink-jet drivers often provide graphical indications of remaining ink levels for each colour.

Search using Myshopping.com.au

Consider any bundled software offerings when you're choosing a printer, for this can mean a significant bonus in value-added software. Bundled applications might include greeting card, poster, and banner creators, and photo editing programs. With computing becoming a major component of education, software for kids that provide a user-friendly way to create word processing and graphics documents can be a major bonus. Space may be an issue in your office, in which case you should consider the amount of space the printer will need to operate efficiently. This is often more than just its footprint. You need to also consider access to paper trays and airflow around the machine. While basic printer configurations may be fine for your immediate needs, take a look at the options available and their costs for each unit before you buy. You may see future applications. This is easy to do using Myshopping.com.au where you can simply compare types of technology, prices, vendors and the options each one offers.

Guide to Buying a Laptop Computer

With the many different brands and models on the market, buying a laptop or notebook computer may at first seem confusing. But simply breaking down the process into a few key areas and using Myshopping.com.au to search for the most suitable features and pricing makes it much easier to access exactly the machine you're looking for.

How important to you is mobility?

Mobility in laptop computers is a combination of size, weight and battery life: how often you carry it around, and if you will be relying mainly on the notebook's battery, or whether you will access an external power source. Laptops can weigh from a little over 1 kg up to 6kg, depending on the model and features included. The screen, storage space and disc drive all affect the weight.

Battery life is shortened by bigger screens and multiple disc drives. Manufacturers advertise the weight of the laptop in their specifications, but it is important to consider whether that specification includes batteries and other peripherals such as external drives that you may be lugging around. The most common battery type is Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), which can operate for one to three hours under normal working conditions. But many power saving options available and higher celled batteries can extend the discharge time considerably. Battery life deteriorates over time however, and as your laptop ages; the discharge rate of the battery will diminish. Sometimes it is worthwhile carrying an additional battery.

Application and cost

If mobility is of a lesser concern, then battery life and weight will be less important. You may be more inclined to have a bigger processor, screen size and memory capacity. The type of work you do can affect the screen size and type that is most suitable for you. For a lighter load, and less graphics intensive applications a 12-14in screen instead of 15 or 17in widescreen will be more suitable. If, on the other hand, the graphics capabilities and size of the screen are important then the best screen you can afford will be more of a priority. It may work out cheaper to buy a basic unit and add such things as an external TV card and DVD burner when the need arises.

How much you need to spend is closely related to how you use your laptop. If you only want to access your e-mail, browse the Web and do word processing, then you can consider lower budget machines with smaller processors, screens and facilities.

A medium-level user, perhaps playing games or working in multimedia applications, will need a powerful processor, graphics controller, storage space, and a bigger screen. The more features your laptop has, the more expensive it will be. Including a DVD-burner instead of DVD-ROM, hard drive capacity of more than 40GB, a 17in widescreen screen and wireless capabilities results in a more expensive machine.

If you are not looking for high power and graphics capabilities, then you may find a suitable laptop for around $1500. The latest processor, full blown graphics capability, DVD burner, widescreen and wireless connectivity may cost over $4000. Use Myshopping.com.au to search with different price ranges.

Other key components

Having determined by what you will do with it, and how mobile you need to be that you are definitely buying a laptop, you now need to get down to the nitty gritty and find the specifications that will meet your needs. So, what to look for? Essentially, you are considering differences between the following components: display, graphics controller, memory (RAM), hard disk, removable storage, networking options, peripheral connectivity, sound and battery.

Display and Graphics

Notebooks now all feature LCD screens (Liquid Crystal Displays) presenting crisp text and reduced eyestrain. These screens display sharper text than standard CRT monitors, but are less capable of displaying well-rendered graphics. If you will be using your notebook for graphics work, it may be worthwhile having a CRT monitor to connect to. Screen sizes for notebooks range from 12.1in to 17in (widescreen). A 15in display or 15.4in widescreen alternative is the most common in notebooks today. Widescreen is quickly becoming more common, partly to accommodate playback of DVDs and also because widescreen proportions make it is more durable.

On-screen graphics are affected by both the size and type of screen as well as the graphics card. It is reasonably safe to assume that larger displays offer higher on-screen resolution. Screen brightness (measured in nits) is another specification that can vary between makes and models. Brighter screens impact less on eyes and can be more easily read in bright conditions. Some manufacturers have a glossy, reflective coating over the display improving contrast and colours. But, because it increases the reflectivity of the screen, it can show you reflected in the screen. Surface scratches may also show up more readily. Not all LCD screens have the same viewable angle, with some screens not easily viewed from a side angle.

Graphics performance in laptops is still inferior to that of desktop machines. All graphic controllers easily render 2-D images and if you don't need more from your graphics, then an integrated graphics controller is ample. However, if you want to play the latest 3-D games at a decent resolution and frame rate or you're a CAD designer, then you'll need a discreet graphics controller with a dedicated DDR video memory.

Memory and Storage

In all computers RAM chips keep the CPU efficiently fed with data or instructions from programs on the hard drive. Notebook computers now commonly use DDR SDRAM (Double Date Rate SDRAM), the default standard, and DDR2 SDRAM which is a next-generation memory type offering considerable performance and power benefits over SDRAM. Either way, when it comes to RAM, more memory is better and you should consider 256MB as the absolute minimum. Upgrading memory can achieve better performance, and quite a number of vendors offer higher RAM configurations as a 'deal sweetener' at the time of purchase. Search through Myshopping.com.au for bundled extras such as more RAM.

The hard drive provides the long-term storage and is the centre of program control. There are two critical specifications of hard disks. One is disk speed, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Faster disks speeds provide quicker access for loading and saving and 'file swapping'. The other is storage capacity, and drives are now available for notebook computers with 120GB capacity. If you work with large file sizes, then you will probably want at least 40GB of hard drive space. You may also want to consider the type of removable storage such as a DVD writer, removable hard disks and media or 'flash' card systems that will suit your use best.

Networking and connectivity

Laptop computers now include 56Kbps modem (RJ-11) and 10/100 Ethernet (RJ-45) connections as standard features. Some feature an Infrared port and you can use it to connect your mobile phone. Other wireless technology for connecting mobile phones, printers and PDA devices includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing connection at certified public access points and home wireless networking. Most laptops use USB 2.0 or FireWire connection for connecting keyboard, mouse, printers, cameras and other peripherals. Nearly every new notebook will have around three USB 2.0 ports, and one FireWire port and a VGA-out port to connect an external monitor to.

Notebook computers have traditionally been able to expand their capability through simple plug-in PC Cards. Recently a new standard has emerged called ExpressCard, a smaller, faster and more portable plug-in card to provide such things as expanded video and sound capacity.

Choosing a laptop becomes much easier once you've decided on these basic requirements. You can search Myshopping.com.au to compare makes, models, prices, accessories and all the important specifications. You can also compare vendors and their prices and service.

Getting Your Own 17 Inch Notebook

I have just recently gone out and bought a 17 inch notebook, and so far have been fairly impressed with its quality. It is definitely superior to the old IBM Thinkpad that I owned years ago. Back then, laptop computers were pretty big and bulky, with poor screen resolution. They were considerably more expensive than they are now and to top it all, the battery life was poor at best.

My new Dell 17 inch notebook is everything that my old laptop was not. It is sleek, low-profile, contains hours of battery life, and now comes with a high-resolution lcd screen that is just simply a joy to behold.

I had put off buying a new 17 inch notebook for quite a while. I have always found the process of buying a new computer agonizing. No matter how long you wait, the very following week after you've made your purchase on whatever system you have chosen, out comes something cheaper, more powerful, at a lower price and with a better warranty! It is enough to drive you completely crazy.

I knew that the convenience of a new laptop computer was going to be worth it no matter what, and eventually I got and bought myself the new 17 inch notebook. And I am glad that I did. There is nothing that beats having your own laptop computer, especially a fully configured one at that.

The best thing about my new 17 inch notebook is how easy it makes working on-the-go seem. With the prevalence of wifi (wireless broadband enabled) coffee houses, I can now work from my 17 inch notebook from any part of town. I actually do quite a fair bit of freelance work, so the luxury of being able to do all my work on the go, when I want, and from where I want, makes my life almost feel like being on permanent vacation!

And when I am done with my 17 inch notebook, I simply slip it back into my laptop computer sleeve, and can carry it around with me wherever I'm off to next. It is no burden at all, because of its light weight, and though I occasionally worry about having it stolen, or accidentally damaged, so far no harm has come to my computer. You can of course include insurance for it when making your initial purchase.

My sturdy 17 inch notebook has really changed my life, certainly for the better. Of course, for many people, getting a new 17 inch notebook computer like I have done might be a bad idea. If you are not that good at keeping track of your things, it is a definite no. You could easily lose your 17 inch notebook computer, along with all of your work and data, due to one careless mistake.

Getting the Best Deal on Used Laptops

Laptops have become a necessity these days.  Used laptops are seen as a viable option to own a laptop at a very affordable price. These are the laptops that have been used by a person for sometime and sold for some reasons.  Even if the laptop is used for a single day, it is called as a used laptop. 

The reasons for purchasing used laptops are many.  The main reason is that, it is available at a cheaper rate than the retail price of any new laptop.  The availability of used laptops has increased owing to the recycling legislation that makes discarding of old PCs very expensive.  Also used monitors are used for photo editing as the CRT monitors provides ultimate color purity than the LCD monitors for editing colors.

When purchasing a used laptop it should both serve functionally and at the same time save money.  Doing a little amount of research by comparing and weighing various options from different kinds of sources will help in achieving the aim to buy used laptops at the best possible price.  The price of the used laptop should coincide with the features.  Internet serves as a good source for searching used laptops.

The working condition of the used laptop is of utmost importance.  Normally it is not recommended to buy a laptop, which is more than three years old, for the reasons that either the system would have become outdated, or the user may not be able to run the latest applications and soft wares on it.

The features on the used laptops are the next important thing to be taken into consideration.  The speed of the used laptop needs to be checked as used laptops run at a lower speed than the normal desktops with the same processor.  Used laptop with less than 128 MB memory is not at all recommended for buying.  The screen size, resolution and definition are other important factors in a laptop.  Portability of used laptops is also taken into consideration.  Laptops these days are getting slimmer and lighter.  The weight of the backpack and, accessories should be kept in mind along with the weight of the used laptop to see if it is comfortable to carry.  It is wise to purchase an extra battery while buying used laptops as the battery life of any laptop can be only for two years time.

While buying used laptops, checking should be done if it has a wireless connectivity, if not at least should have an external wireless card, since connectivity to the internet and intranet is very common these days.  Select the one with a longer range and greater speed.
Check for a USB ports as older laptops may not have them.  The more the USB ports the more convenient it is.  Also the hard drive of the used laptop needs to be more than 20 GB.  The higher hard drive space of the used laptop purchased depends on the budget of the buyer.  These days, songs and movies are stored in the laptops requiring larger hard disk space.  The most important thing is to buy a used laptop from a reputed dealer so that the purchaser can get a warranty on it.

Getting Started With Your New Printer

If you have recently bought yourself a new printer, follow the directions in the manual for setting up cables. Put the installation CD into the CD drive and follow the set up instructions.

If you are using Windows 95/98, select Start Menu, then select Printers. Now select Add Printer, select Local Printer. Choose your printer (If your printer is not listed, choose the one closest to yours and select OK).

For the Mac, select go to server, (or chooser) and then select printer. Then choose your printer. (If your printer is not listed, then select the closest one.) Then select install.
If you are using Windows XP, then the PC will prompt you for the drivers and install the relevant one from the CD itself (if the appropriate driver is not in the database already).

If you have any problems printing, first check your cable connections. If you get repeated error messages, then reboot your computer and redo the steps above.
If you would like to upgrade the driver of your currently installed printed, then follow the steps given in the next sub-topic.

Installing Printer Drivers
A printer driver is a piece of software that allows the computer to communicate with the printer. Without this software, the printer would be hopelessly lost since it does not speak the same language! Printer manufacturers often update the drivers and these they can be easily downloaded form the company’s website for free. It is a good idea to keep a check on your printer driver version and upgrade if it is too far out of date.
Here is how you can check your print driver version number:
Windows XP

1. Click the Windows Start button, choose Control Panel, and then choose ‘Printers and Faxes.’
2. Right-click your default printer and choose Properties. (Your default printer will have a checkmark within a black circle above the printer icon.)
3. Click the General tab, click the ‘Print Test Page’ button, and then click OK to print the test page.
Windows 95/98

1. Click the Windows Start button, choose Settings, and then Printers.
2. Right-click your default printer and choose Properties. (Your default printer will have a checkmark within a black circle above the printer icon.)
3. Click the General tab, click the ‘Print Test Page’ button, and then click OK to print the test page.

Look on the test page for Driver Version.
All major printer manufactures have web sites that allow you to freely download their printer drivers. To do so, you will need your printer’s manufacturer and model number. When you go to the web site, look for words such as ‘Downloads’, ‘Drivers’, ‘Software’, or ‘Support’ and shortlist your model.
Given below are the website URLs for the popular brands:
Hewlett Packard  — http://welcome.hp.com/country/uk/en/support.html?pageDisplay=drivers
Canon — http://software.canon-europe.com/
Epson — http://emeasupport.epson-europe.com/downloads.aspx?LNG=en-EU
Lexmark — http://support.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/selections.cgi?ccs=227:5:0:0:0:0&target=http://downloads.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/downloads.cgi&&req=:::::
Xerox — http://www.support.xerox.com/go/prodselect.asp?Xlang=en_GB&metrics=HDR
Brother — http://www.brother.com/E-ftp/info/index_eu.html
Troubleshooting Printer Problems
In this section, you’ll find some of the more common problems that cause 45 percent of the help centre phone calls.
If nothing has occurred since the last time you used your printer, chances are the problem is quite straightforward. As obvious as it sounds, check to ensure that the printer is turned on. It is quite possible that somebody might have turned it off while you were away from your desk or computer. Make sure the printed is connected properly and there is power to the printer. All printers have some kind of LED that lets you know if it is powered up.

If the printer is turned on but has some flashing lights, then check with your owner’s manual to see what the lights mean. Most of these indicators will be related either to paper, ink, or toner.

Make sure there is enough paper in the printer. Refill the paper tray if it’s empty. Make sure you ‘fan’ the paper stack before putting it in the printer. When the paper stack is cut and packed at the factory, it sometimes causes the pages to stick together. Fanning the paper simply involves flipping through the paper stack with your thumb. This ruffling separates the paper, thereby reducing paper jams.

If the paper is stacked well, then check for a mis-feed or paper jam. Remove the paper stack and check the feed area for jammed paper. You may have to open several panels to make a thorough examination. Even a small piece of paper stuck inside the printer can cause problems. You might have to use tweezers to remove small pieces. Be careful of any contact of the tweezers with printer parts to avoid any damage.

If everything listed above is in place, then check the wire that connects the printer to the computer. You may be using a parallel or a USB connection. Make sure the cable is connected properly. Turn the equipment off and remove and re-insert the connection on both the printer and the computer to ensure a solid connection. If you are at work and your printer is connected to what appears to be a telephone wire, then you should call your resident network expert.

If the printer is functioning but only seems to print illegible garbage, then that is a good indication of a printer driver problem. Try re-booting the computer and turning the printer off and on before making any changes to the driver. If after re-booting you still have the problem, it's probably time to replace the printer driver. You can download the driver from the website URLs listed earlier in this articles. Follow the instructions given by the manufacturer to install your driver.
Scanner can also sometimes interfere with printers. Try re-installing the software for both but install the printer driver first, and the scanner driver afterwards.

If nothing listed above results in a solution, then perhaps it might be time to call the printer manufacturer. Make sure that you are near the printer when you call and have all your warranty information available at hand.

Getting Crafty With Paper Office Stationery

You know how much damage the making of new paper costs our environment. However, there is hardly any substance that can replace the function of paper. Even high-tech computers are not able to eliminate the need for paper. But there is one thing we can do to lessen our use of paper in our own way. You can segregate white office paper from other office trash for recycling. But with a bit creativity and effort, you can turn recycled paper supplies to a profitable business.

Paper recycling is old news, but it seems to be an on-and-off venture for most people. Making recycled paper crafts into a business provides fuel to the recycling machine. If you look at bookstore displays, you'll find coarse looking stationery and specialty papers. Even if these look old and rough, they are more expensive than those smoother and printed papers. Those coarse specialty papers are handmade and use natural fibers and recycled paper. You don't need to buy a truckload of waste paper to get started. In fact, look around your house. Sort through your old files and see if there's anything in there that you don't need anymore. White office paper like bond papers are great for this recycling project.

After sorting the white papers from the rest of your office stationery supplies, shred them in a document shredder or just tear them to little pieces. Throw in colored paper if you like a bit of color and different textures. Place the shredded papers in a blender or food processor with hot water in batches. Blend for a couple of minutes until the mixture looks fine and in one color. Add food color or dye if desired. For a touch of ingenuity, a few drops of essential oils like lavender or rose water make for lightly scented papers.

The blended pulp will be the base for your homemade paper. But to form and harden it, you must have a screen and mold. These materials are available in paper supplies stores or made at home using wooden frames and fiberglass screen. Meanwhile, soak the pulp in batches in a soaking solution made of water and liquid starch. The starch will prevent the ink from softening the paper. The amount of pulp per batch depends on the desired paper thickness. More pulp means thicker paper. Stir amd make sure that the starch is well incorporated in the pulp. Scoop the paper out using the molds and tap it to drain excess water. Level the surface of the pulp until smooth. Do this repeatedly until the right thickness and texture is achieved. Cover the mold with a fabric and invert it, making the pulp slide onto the cloth. Squeeze the pulp to remove excess water and dry it out. Stack the prepared pulp together with fabric in between in each layer. Press excess water out and separate the individual sheets. The sheets can be air-dried or laid out in newspapers to dry by sunlight.

When dried, the handmade paper can be cut into desired sizes and bound by natural fibers like hemp rope to form a journal. When cut into tiny pieces, the sheets also make lovely note cards. To add a touch of elegance, dried flowers and leaves can be added during the molding process. The use of office paper is not limited to the office. With this project, you can start your own paper supplies business.

Get To Know The Components Of The Keyboard

Your computer use output devices such as your Monitor to send data to the computer user.This same user must also use input devices to send data to the computer.

Even though you won't open your keyboard to make any repairs other than to unstuck a stuck key or replace a broken retainer,its a good idea to study every part of your keyboard. If you're blessed enough to have an extra keyboard, take the time to open the case and study each component in great detail.

Some of the special features of newer keyboards are that they can be Cordless and is often used with such devices as the cordless Mouse.Special keyboards may be used when the user may want have the freedom of movement. The average user will have very little use for the cordless keyboard or mouse.

The keyboard come in layouts which refer to how to keys are arranged.The Alphanumeric Key layout are the letters, numbers,and symbols.This is the most commonly used type the keyboard layout. The QWERTY Layout is the most popular Alphanumeric layout

The keyboard must have power to operate and it get this power from the motherboard.The operation of led indicators let you know the keyboard is receiving power.

Use the right rool,usually a screwdriver to open the case and study the components inside.You will not replace these components but it will boost your understanding of computers when you know every part of every device in your computer.

THE KEYBOARD CASE

Yea,I know,this is going to be exciting to discuss. While there is nothing much to discuss about the case of the keyboard,we don't want to cut corners.

You may have to help someone with their ailing keyboard so you want to be on your toes. With that in mind,let's get hyped up as we begin our keyboard case discussion.

Ready,the keyboard case is almost always plastic. I told you this would be exciting.This case holds the keycaps,the internal controller and other chips.

Keyboard LED Indicators will have a set of three LED indicators. They are used to display the current operation of the keyboard. NUM LOCK, CAPS LOCK,and SCROLL LOCK are the three standard led indications found on most keyboards.

The most popular keys such as the Enter Key and the Space Bar will get used often.These keys may be the ones that will need to be replaced.The springs or clips underneath may give in to wear and tear over time.

INSIDE THE KEYBOARD

As the CPU is the brains of your computer,the brains of your keyboard is the circuitry inside.These circuits and chips process the operation of every keystroke.

The keyboard has its own Microprocessor and ROM or Read Only Memory that the micropressor use to transfer data.

Some keyboards are programmable and uses the EEPROM or Electrically Erasable Programmable Memory, which holds data,acting like a very small hard drive.

CABLES AND CONNECTIONS

Wired keyboards will have a cable that connects to the rear of the computer through a serial connector. There are two types of keyboard connectors.The large 5-DIN connector or Deutsche Industrie Norm was used on the first systems up to the mid 1990s.

The smaller 6-DIN was made by IBM for the PS/2 and later model computers.Each pin provides a special function to transfer data to the computer.

INSTALLING THE KEYBOARD

Unless you've invested in one of those super duper special featured keyboards which will reqiure the installation of software,you simply connect the keyboard to the rear of your computer.

When the system is booted up,the new keyboard will be recognized and you're on your way.Notice the Led indicator lights to verify the keyboard is receiving power.

And that's it.The functions of the keyboard can even be replaced if you have Windows XP.Special features help you should your keyboard decide it want to quit.www.ultimatepcrepair.com/photos.html is where to see all components of your computer.

Gather as much information and data about your system now,while it is still running smoothly.Prepare for computer breakdown before it happens.