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Archive for the ‘Computers & Accessories’ Category

In this article I’m going to make sense of normally confusing computer terms: “operating system”, or “OS”.

Maybe you’ve found yourself with questions and wonder what OS means,, if so, you’re not the only one.

This actually can be a pretty simple concept to get when you have it explained the right way, as you’re going to discover by the time you’re done reading this computer dictionary article.

First, an OS or operating system, is a type of software.

To repeat my explanation from a previous article, here’s how you can think of software:

“Software” refers to all of the pieces of the computer that you can’t really observe or handle directly. Software would include things like Microsoft Excel, an email program like Outlook, Windows or the Mac OS, plus all of your own files like specific emails, photos, MP3s, etc.

Here’s how you can think about it: hardware is like your brain, a physical part of your body, while software is like your mind or your thoughts — the non-physical part of yourself.

Software runs on hardware, just like your thoughts “run on” your brain.

Are you getting the idea now? So let’s talk about the operating system specifically.

First off, let me give a couple of examples:  the two best known operating systems right now are Windows, and Mac OS X (pronounced “Oh Ess Ten” — as in the Roman numeral ten).

Windows XP and Windows Vista are a couple different versions of the Windows operating system.  While Mac OS 10.4 (often called “Tiger”) and the newer Mac OS 10.5 (a.k.a “Leopard”) are two examples of versions of Mac OS X.

OK now, so what is an OS?

Think of it this way: when a person is born, they have the instinct to eat, to breathe, and so on, and they also have the instinct to watch, listen, and absorb what’s going on around them.

Gradually over time, a young person learns to talk and walk by observing others, and as they mature, they also learn more fundamental skills like reading and writing, hand-eye coordination, etc.

Another way to say this is, they gradually transition from being able to do not a lot except eat, sleep, and fill diapers, to physical and mental maturity where they have all the common skills they need to learn more specific skills such as driving, playing a sport like hockey, writing an essay for a class, working a job,etc.

In some ways, when you power up your computer, it’s just like a newborn baby, only having a few built-in “instincts.”

The computer is able to power on, and show a picture on the screen, but that’s pretty much it.

The only other thing it’s able to do is check the hard drive, and if it finds an operating system there, it is able to start running the OS.

That process is called “booting”, which is what happens between when you turn the computer on, and when you can actually start using it.

So, it’s just like when a child is born and grows up: the OS contains the “life experiences” and lessons that give a “child” all the basic skills like walking, talking, reading, writing, etc., that lets everything else take place.

So in a sense, it’slike your PC is “born” and “grows up” in the space of 30 to 60 seconds or so (or longer for some computers) that it takes to “boot” the OS.

In other words, the operating system is sort of like those fundamental skills we all have and learned as we grew up. More specifically, it’s the software on the computer that creates its desktop, your icons on it, moves the little mouse pointer around on the screen when you move your mouse around,lets you work with files, lets you type, etc..

Without the OS, you couldn’t do anything with a computer but push the power button and see an unhelpful message such as “non system disk or disk error” on a Windows-type computer, or a flashing question mark on one of Apple’s Macs.

So even though many people don’t really understand what an OS is, or what it’s for, no-one could use a computer without one.

Finally get it?

In this article, I’m going to explain a computer term that, like so many computer terms, isn’t very well understood by most people. And in many cases, isn’t understood at all. Maybe as a result you’ve done web searches for things like: “define drivers”, or something along those lines and looked in vain for plain language answers.

Of course, I’m not criticizing you — if you’ve always been baffled by this term, it’s simply because it was never explained to you in a way that actually made sense.

Don’t worry, it’ll all make sense by the end of this article.

I have a simple way to explain it that will just make sense for you. You can consider this article an entry in a basic computer dictionary, if you will.

To start with, just to make sure we all we’re all on the same page, I’m going to briefly explain the difference between “hardware” and “software”.

It’s really not hard to understand : “hardware” refers to all of the physical pieces of equipment, such as your mouse, your display, the hard drive, and so on.

“Software” refers to all of the pieces of the computer that you really can’t observe or handle directly. Software would include things like Microsoft Excel, your email program, Windows or the Mac OS, plus all of your personal files like specific emails, pictures, songs, and so on.

Here’s another way to think about it: hardware is like your brain, a physical part of your body, while software is like your mind or your thoughts — the non-physical part of yourself.

Software runs on hardware, just like your thoughts “run on” your brain.

Understand? OK, let’s talk more specifically about drivers.

Here’s the easy way to grasp what a driver is. Pretend every piece of hardware, including your printer, your mouse, etc., talks a different language.

So one speaks Spanish, another one speaks Italian, a different one Arabic, etc.

So when you plug in a new printer and power it on, your computer says hello and the printer comes back in a foreign tongue the computer doesn’t understand.

So it needs an interpreter.

And when I say interpreter, I mean just like in the real world, like if a foreign diplomat visits the country but doesn’t speak the local language. They need an interpreter to help them talk with the locals.

That, basically speaking, is what a driver is — an interpreter that helps your computer talk to a specific piece of equipment. And (most of the time) you need a different interpreter for all of the equipment that you hook up to the computer.

Get it?

Now occasionally, the driver may be “preinstalled” on your computer (in other words, the computer already has the interpreter ready and waiting in case it’s needed) and other times, it needs to either be installed from a CD, or downloaded off the Internet, and then put into the computer.

But no matter what, the computer needs that driver before it can talk to the printer or whatever other thing you may have connected to your computer.

And, simply speaking, that’s what a driver is.

When it comes to a computer, there is so much basic computer terminology like RAM, megahertz, gigabytes, etc. that people can find confusingthat can confuse people and leave them asking questions like “What is RAM?”, “What is a hard drive?”.

Having a better understanding of some of these terms can can help tame your fears of the computer, which can help you get more out of them.

A lot of people I talk to seem to be apologetic about their lack of knowledge. It’s too bad people feel that way; they really shouldn’t.

What I tell them is that while they may not know as much as I do about computers, it’s not their fault at all, and they probably know about stuff I know nothing about. All you need is someone who takes the time to explain things to you in a way that makes sense.

One term many people confuse is memory (also known as RAM), and hard drive storage space.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory (relax — you don’t have to memorize that). It is a temporary working space the computer uses to get work done, which gets emptied when the computer is turned off.

Think of it like a work bench or table. You have a project you’re working on and you do your project on the table and when you’re done, you put everything away.

The hard drive is the main place your computer uses to store information. It looks like a rectangular metal box about 3.5″ wide (or 2.5″ on a laptop), which contains a non-removable disk. It is the disk inside the drive which stores everything.

Think of it as a cupboard where you store the tools or materials for your project — when you want to work on something you choose the things you need from the cupboard, put them on the bench and work on the project.

This is like when you run a program; the computer loads the program from the hard drive into memory.

So the larger the space, the more you can store — i.e. the more programs you can have installed, the more songs or pictures or videos you can save on your computer.

Many people accidentally call their computer (the big box-like thing hooked up to the screen) a hard drive, but this is based on a misunderstanding. Both RAM and the hard drive are parts located inside of the computer, and most people never actually see these parts.

Most people with a computer made in the last few years have far bigger hard drives than they’ll ever have any hope of filling. Not many ever fill them up, unless they are hording a lot of large files such as music or pictures, or especially video files. Saving entire movies on your computer can really eat up space very quickly.

If someone tells you need more memory, or or you get an error message about not having enough memory, this usually means you don’t have enough RAM. This can slow your computer down drastically.

Think of the bench idea again: if your bench is very small, you can’t fit everything you need on it to get your work done, so you’re constantly wasting time moving stuff off and back onto the table to get your work done, if you can work at all.

Both RAM and hard drive space are measured with the same terms: kilobytes (KB), megabytes (MB), and gigabytes (GB). This may be one reason people confuse the two pieces of jargon.

So why is it that you buy a computer one year that has a lot of RAM, and two or three years go by, why do people tell you you don’t have enough memory? This is because each year the average size of software, and the amount of memory it needs, gets larger.

It’s as if the tools you use on your workbench keep growing every year so you eventually have to get a larger bench.

If your computer seems to be running more slowly recently, or you’ve been having odd errors, it could be that you need to add more RAM, which is inexpensive and can add life to your computer. It’s not a cure-all for a slow computer, but it can make a difference.

Remember, basic computer terminology doesn’t have to be hard to understand, just as long as the explanation makes sense!

Now that telecommuting has come to stay, it is important to find out what type of telecommute careers are best suited for one’s qualifications and experience.  So as not to jeopardize one’s career in future, it is best to pick on the most suitable of jobs for oneself.  Out of the careers available for telecommuting people, data entry telecommute jobs are the most famous and favorite at present.

data entry telecommute

At the mention of the words data entry, what strikes one first of all is the proficiency needed in keyboard handling.  Truthfully, a data entry job involves exceptional typographical talents as the work in hand concerns entering data into a computer with emphasis on the correctness and the rapidity.  Anyway, as countless jobs are available as data entry jobs which do not necessarily give prominence only to talents in keyboard handling, data entry telecommute jobs cannot solely be described as work connected with typing and inputting just the data. 

Data entry telecommute jobs also require that the person engaged in such work should be very good at concentration and focus.  These traits go a long way in making the work of the data entry worker flawless and appealing to the employer.  It is of interest to note here that majority of data entry work does not tax the worker much physically and mentally as other types of telecommute jobs do.  It is not a big task to avoid strain whilst engaged in data entry work if you follow the simple steps like taking periodic breaks, maintaining a good posture at work, etc..

To get started on a data entry telecommute job, one should, first of all, have a very reliable computer, preferably with multi media.  You should set this up in a quiet room at your home or special work place where you wish to engage in work as peace will greatly enhance your work speed and accuracy.  As various companies pay special attention to the rapidity and correctness in typing, they will test you on those points in Online 10 Key Test.  This cannot be termed as superfluous because in some instances a simple error may cause big embarrassments.

data entry telecommute

Therefore, when it comes to data entry telecommute jobs, the aspirant worker should give thought to above points at first and make a fair judgment of one’s abilities before taking the plunge.

For most people they have a choice of DSL or Cable for a high speed internet provider.  But what happens when you do not live in an area that offers DSL or Cable.

If you live in a rural area and no DSL or Cable company will service you then you stiil have at least one to two options left for high speed internet access.

One thing to do is to call the cable of DSL office.The question to ask is if they plan on serviceing your area any time soon.These cable and DSL companies are growing fast and they may soon be in your area.

Chances are this is not the case but it will at least get you a definite answer.  There are two other options you have.They are Satellite internet and something you may of never heard before called line of sight.

For very detailed info on both we encourage you to check out this rural high speed internet provider
site.  They provide great info on the different carriers as well as the latest specials and coupons for providers.

The line of site option works like this.  You have a small dish installed some were on your property and this dish is pointed to a tower that is several miles away.The price totlly depends on the reagion but the speeds are generally 5 to 20 times faster then dialup and more then worth the added cost.  The downside is most rural areas still do not have towers in their area and because all of these providers are small companies it can be hard to find out were to get the service.To find such a careir you cna check with neighbors or the phone book.

Your other option is to go with a high speed satellite internet providers.The neat thing about satellite is it works every were in the United Sates and the prices are half what they used to be just a few short years ago.  What used to cost 200 bucks a month is now starting between 39 and 59.That vast majority of these providers offer a free install service and you can either rent or purchase the satellite dish from them.

For far too long people who live in rural America have been stuck with dial-up.  Rural dwellers have the same needs as city folks and high speed internet is one of them.  Not only do they need instant access to weather and news but such things as farm futures are vital to their survival.The down side is almost every rural area can not get DSL or cable internet access.

All is not lost because in recent years the cost of high speed satellite internet has dropped by 50%.  You can now get speeds that are 50 times faster then dialup and for a starting price of under 40 bucks a month.

The great thing about high speed satellite internet is the fact that not only is the internet connection always on and ready when you are, you free up your phone line so you don’t miss any calls.It’s great to be able to look up whatever you want in just a minute and then get on with the rest of your day.This is a great way to start your day.
Besides using satellite internet for business you will now be able to take advantage of all the fun and entertaining things on the internet.  There are thousands of free games and plenty of free communities that you can shown that have a common hobby or interest as you.
There are a few snags you might encounter when selecting a satellite internet provider.  We never recommend you sign longer then a one year contract.  Most likely you will have to sign a contract but avoid two year contracts.  This is to make sure they will take care of you as a customer.  Plenty of places have screwed people over and this will help cover your wallet and pride.

NEVER pay for an installation of the satellite.If you are a new customer then you should not have to pay for installation.  You just need to ask about any current specials before ordering and if any of the packages offer a free install.
For the many people out there who have more then one computer then you will want to ask about this, that way you can get access on all computers for the same low price.This is important because if you want internet access on more then one computer using satellite internet then you will need to ensure you have a wireless router setup so you can add on computers at will.This is a very good way to go.

Be sure to check out the links in the article for current coupons and specials that are goining on.

Surfing the Internet is never safe for computers without proper and effective computer security. In fact, surfing the net without anti virus protection is like walking through a hospital without having an immune system. There are threats in the thousands from minimal nuisances, like pop ups and add banners to very severe viruses and worms that can completely and permanently disable vital functions, such as Internet browsers, parts of hard drives, destroying even the best of computer brands, including, Dell computers as well as important data. 

There are many different types of malware and viruses, as well as different types of security software that can protect, detect and remove these threats. The best anti virus software will have real-time or drive-by protection that will alert to and block malicious sites and downloads when surfing the web. There are many cheap computer softwares that are very effective at preventing virus infections.

Malware is short for malicious code software (mal-ware), which includes any and all forms of malicious code designed for destruction, advertising and other schemes. Malware is the term under which all Internet dangers fall, such as viruses, worms, spyware, adware, phishing, tracking cookies and rootkits.

Computer Viruses - 2 Worst Threats

Viruses
Computer viruses range from intermediate to severe in danger levels.  And there are thousands of different viruses and new ones emerging everyday. Basically a virus is a malicious code that adds itself to other existing programs, including operating systems. Computer viruses spread fast and can easily cause lots of damage. Including potential destruction of operating systems and data. The Trojan horse series of viruses is one of the worst and has several forms. The latest of bad viruses is the Conficker Virus.

Computer viruses can not only disable major computer functions, such as Internet browsers, they can also destroy data and completely lock you out of your system.

Rootkits
Rootkits are very dangerous because they can hide from innefective virus software and the user. Rootkits create stealth program codes that run at a lower level than the user can see with most below average anti virus software. 

Not all anti virus software have rootkit protection so it is important to choose one that does.

One thing to keep in mind is to never surf the Internet or have an open connection to the Internet without a solid computer security virus protection suite installed, up to date and running on your PC. The best protection against computer viruses is prevention, early detection and removal. A good anti virus software always has a real time up to date viruses database, excellent quarantine and accurate and accurate removal capabilities. Another crucial

It is much more difficult to remove viruses if infection occurs than to protect against it. This is why it is crucial to have real-time or drive-by protection. This is essential as a real time scan is always running when surfing the web that will alert you to and block bad sites from adding viruses to your computer. This type of protection is not standard on all virus software and should always be looked for when choosing a security suite.Nothing is more essential to computer safety than a good anti virus software program.

With the price of ink cartridges often exceeding the price of a new printer, it’s good to know that there are some affordable alternatives.  Many companies sell remanufactured inkjet and toner cartridges, often at a fraction of the cost of a brand name cartridge. But the most affordable method is refilling your inkjet cartridges yourself.  Refill kits are incredibly affordable, and many cartridges can be re-used up to 6 or 7 times.  Following this helpful guide will ensure that you inkjet cartridges are in the best condition for a successful refill.

Best Time to Refill

The best time to refill your cartridge is before it is completely out of ink. Look out for signs that the ink is running low, such as light prints or white streaking. When your printer gives you the second ‘low ink’ warning, this is a prefect time to refill your cartridge or take them to a refiller.

Don’t let the cartridge become completely empty before you refill it because it can cause the nozzle to fail.

Handling Cartridges

Handle cartridges with care. Try not to touch the metal plate on the print head with your hands. Be especially careful when inserting or removing a cartridge from your printer. Be gentle with the cartridge, the circuit board is fragile and forcing the cartridge can cause permanent damage.

Cleaning

If you don’t use your printer often, the cartridge needs to be cleaned to keep it in good working order. Regularly run the print head cleaning program to keep the nozzle working. Instructions will likely be included in the operations manual.

Keeping a Cartridge in Refillable Condition

These two tips will help you increase your cartridge’s refillable life:
1. Store your cartridges with the print head down to keep it moist and in proper working condition. Keep full color cartridges upright. Leaving it on its side can cause the colors to mix.
2. After removing the cartridge from the printer, refill or bring in your cartridge as soon as possible. The less exposure to air will help prevent the ink from drying and damaging the cartridge.

Cartridge Tips

You should use your refilled cartridge within two months to ensure the cartridge will work properly.
Run test pages every week or every other week to keep the cartridge from drying out
If you are not going to use a refilled cartridge right away, wrap it in a moist paper towel and put it in an air tight plastic bag to prevent the nozzle from drying out.

Keep in mind that not all inkjet cartridges can be refilled, but following these guidelines will increase your possiblity for sucess.

Written by the InkSell.com Staff.

What are MSN emoticons or smileys? The necessity to render emotions in written words while still keeping the style casual led to the appearance of smileys or emoticons that are simple combinations of regular keyboard characters. They are used in different forms of communication involving the computer, such as: email and instant messages. Among the most popular, smiling symbols represent the first MSN emoticons introduced, that are common to other web services. The smiling faces represent a substitute for the face-to-face casual encouraging smile, but depending on the context other meanings can be conveyed.

msn messenger emoticons

Since many people tend to use these signs while communicating via the Internet, MSN, Yahoo, and Google, too, provide you with lists of emoticons, which are converted to real icons while used during a chat session. These emoticons graphically express an emotion through an icon. Hence the name emoticon. Whether MSN emoticons or symbols belonging to another provider, they truly make online communication more pleasant. The idea of using these symbols is to emphasize the writer’s feelings, emotions and, also, to do it in a funny way.

msn emoticon

Is there any difference between smileys and emoticons? The tendency seems to be for the Europeans to use the term emoticons, whereas Americans tend to refer to them as smileys. Anyway, messenger users often call them Yahoo smileys, MSN smileys or MSN emoticons. There are huge numbers of sites that give away free smileys, of which  Smiley Central smileys are the most popular.

MSN messenger gives its users some free emoticons but it also allows you to use your own custom MSN emoticons. Many of these, which are really great, have been designed for messenger by fans. The basic MSN emoticons feature enables you to use animated emoticons up to 50×50 pixels in size. At My Emoticons, for instance, all sorts of categories are available for the MSN emoticons, and romance, bad boys, girlie or moody instances are just a few examples. They have even come up with adult emoticons and sex smilies, which, though not for everybody, are still terribly funny.

msn emoticons

There is a tag for every MSN emoticon necessary for item generation. Type a colon and a right hand bracket and you’ll get a smiley. The use of the opposite bracket will make the smiley sad or desolate. Many other emoticons come with similar tags, and a constant Internet user can learn them quickly. For those that are not so easy to remember, there is a drop down menu available in the chat window. Like this, MSN emoticons will be just a click away.

Computers are everywhere: at home, at work and at school.Most of us seem to spend a large part of our days squinting at a monitor and with more of our shopping and entertainment being driven by the Internet, computer use is surely going to increase.For many that’s not a problem. If you spend more than two hours a day at a PC, then it’s likely that you will experience symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).
CVS is caused by many environmental factors.Decreased blinking while you’re focusing on a computer screen is also thought to be a factor.Studies have shown that the blink rate goes down to 6–8 blinks per minute if you’re focused on a computer display (the normal blink rate is 16-20 per minute).This leads to dry eyes and the focusing for long hours also puts strain on the ciliary muscles in the eye. The most common symptoms of CVS include headaches, focusing difficulties, burning eyes, tired eyes, aching eyes, dry eyes, double vision, blurred vision, light sensitivity, and neck and shoulder pain. 
CVS can also accelerate the early onset of a condition called presbyopia (usually associated with aging) where you experience difficulty reading fine print, particularly in low light conditions, eyestrain when reading for long periods blurred vision.
The positive news is that it is relatively simple to ease these symptoms. Daft as it may sound, try blinking more often!   If you are not a glasses wearer, simple changes like ensuring your computer screen is clean, correctly positioned, and set up properly will make a difference.
If you do wear glasses, then ensuring your lenses are clean and smear free will help to reduce glare and reflections. Anti-Reflective coatings on your lenses (available free of charge through suppliers like SelectSpecs.com) will eliminate surface reflections and enable good, clear vision day or night.Anti-Reflective coatings also have the cosmetic advantage of making the lenses of your glasses appear almost non-existent, so your eyes look more natural.
Whether you wear glasses of not, you can improve your vision at work by having regular eye examinations, taking frequent breaks and resting your eyes every 20 minutes and avoiding glare or bright reflections on the screen.Change to an LCD display if you are using a CRT monitor.Purchase a minimum 19 inch screen with the highest resolution possible and a dot pitch of .28 mm or smaller.They lack the “flicker” of CRT monitors, are kinder to the eyes and generally have an anti-reflective surface.  

The even better news is that If you you use a computer or VDU screen on a regular basis (i.e. for at least an hour most days), then according to the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, your employer is obliged  to pay for regular eye examinations. Your employer may have a pre-existing scheme or they may refund you the cost of an examination.  If that examination reveals that you require glasses specifically for Display Screen Equipment use, your employer must also pay for budget  glasses.