Computer How To

These days there are more and more people who feel that the phrase internet safety is a real contradiction in terms. There is no question that in recent years there has been an escalation in the number of internet threats to computer users because of "bad guys" who are trying to crack into personal computers to get at the information they store. Because of this, it is more important than ever for people to be very vigilant and to take every possible precaution in order to make sure that their computer is properly protected. Knowing how to maintain the safety of your computer, your network and all of your files and information has become a real necessity today. Because so many people depend on their personal computer's these days, this is no longer a topic just for computer experts or for businesses, but for anyone who has a PC sitting on their desk or a laptop within their reach. However, many people have no idea where to start to learn about internet safety, or how to pr...

To set up any type of PC to TV system whether to watch home TV on a computer or use a computer Internet TV (with PC Satellite TV software installed) to watch free Internet media on a home TV-set, it requires two key components: 1) Video Card, and 2) Video connector cable. Setting up this type of system using number 2 will be the focal point of this article. Whichever one is the goal, watch home television on a PC or watch computer Internet TV (with PC Satellite TV software) on a home television set, keep in mind the picture quality on a digital high definition television will be higher than on a computer screen. This has a lot to do with the computer and screen capabilities/limitations that determine the video quality. Setting up a PC to TV can be very cheap and simple enough that even a cave man can do it. For instance, while there are all kinds of computers today, many of them share common audio and video ports to make the transition easier. There are four different types of video/au...

Are you tired of your computer? Our computer technicians repair your PC in your home or office. Online technical support resources provide computer service and computer repair on most makes and models of computers and PCs. If you have a high speed Internet connection, service technicians can securely access and repair your computer remotely. Your PC will be diagnosed using different diagnostic tools at which point a problem should be found, diagnosed and repaired while you remain in the comforts of home. It's like having a personal computer technician to resolve all your computer problems. Since most computer users do not have time to learn those complicated computer knowledge, tech support offers a nice way to all to get acquainted with the intricacies involved within their system. Although, you have to pay much money to computer tech support to get the answer you concerned, but it's really worth your money. Most of these companies concentrate their efforts exclusively on home...

IT departments and their parent organizations must make significant decisions on letting employees download and use outside applications. This is a tricky situation: While many of these apps bring value to the business, they are real security risks. Processor offers some good insight into this vexing issue. The first step - as it invariably is when the topic is security - is educating employees on what to do and what not to do. It is important to remember that most workers want to do the right thing. They just don't always know how. The story suggests that simply outlawing all employee-originated applications probably isn't the right answer. But there are easy calls. There are few good reasons for an employee to use peer-to-peer (P2P) in the enterprise, and whatever rationales there are are easily outweighed by the dangers. Law.com has a scary article about the dangers of P2P The piece notes cases of dangerous leaks of personal and corporate information from the Walter Reed Arm...

The CPU or central processing unit is the brain of your computer. It does all of the processing of data and of applications running on your system. The CPU is the most important chip in your Computer so care should be taken in choosing the one that most suits your needs. Our Interactive Buyer's Guide will help to make you a savvier consumer and help you navigate the through the wide array of CPUs available today. We will guide you step by step through important aspects of choosing a CPU most suitable for your needs. Becoming a savvy shopper begins with knowing your budget and asking yourself the right questions. Here are some questions to keep in mind as you read through our buyers guide: What is my budget? What type of Mother Board do I have? What is the highest level task that I plan to "throw" at my computer in the next 6 months? Step 1: Determine Your Budget The best way to narrow your search is to have a clear notion of how much you want to invest. As will most thing...

Almost all of us would prefer using laptop computers rather than regular desktop computers. Why? Simple, because of the mobility it offers. There are actually more advantages that anyone can think of. Every user has a different experience with laptop computers and one can simply add an advantage while using it. But all of us share the same story that we are blessed with the invention of such machines. Laptop computers offer mobility. Designed to work on batteries and direct electricity from wall outlets these are truly advantageous for someone who is always on the go. Who would want to bring a desktop on a plane? Without laptops monitoring businesses miles away would be difficult. This feature of a laptop gives us the freedom and ability to use computers anywhere. Be it in a restaurant, in a car or places we feel comfortable, we can use laptops as long as we do not disturb others and go beyond rules. Unlike desktop computers, laptop computers are compact and may contain features that a...

There is no question that the hottest technology in the AV (audio/video) market today is High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), as it has made it possible to not just combine the PC and AV, but also provide unprecedented advances in digital entertainment. Jointly developed by Panasonic, Sony, Philips, Hitachi, Silicon Image and Thomson and Toshiba, HDMI has been the driving force behind the Blu-Ray movie players, HD-DVD, high definition TVs (HDTV) and other AV products. Defining HDMI HDMI is a cable and plug in device that allows for the delivery of high definition video resolutions and also multiple audio channels. The HDMI itself is a cable that contains 19 wires inside, which allows for the delivery of 5 Gbps of uncompressed digital audio/video, a bandwidth previously unheard of. How it Works The HDMI wires function by emitting digital signals from an AV source, be it an A/V receiver, DVD player, or satellite receiver. It then relays the signal back to another digital device (...

The traditional approach to purchasing technology may be stated as follows (with minor variations): 1. Create a budget 2. Create a requirements list 3. Review technology demonstrations 4. Get proposals from the technology providers 5. Buy from the lowest bidder if they meet the basic requirements What's wrong with this picture? Let's drill deeper beginning with "Create a budget." Typically the budget is predicated on what the organization thinks they want to spend on their new technology. This is precisely the wrong starting place. The enterprise ought first to determine what strategic and tactical benefits they want their new techology purchase to deliver. They should determine, in advance, how they expect their new investment in technology will help them increase throughput, reduce inventories and other investment demands, and hold the line or cut operating expenses. These goals should be quantified and they should be rational. For example, the organization might sa...

The computer virus is named after the biological virus that causes many illnesses such as the common cold. Just as the human virus could be so troublesome and detrimental to human health, so is the digital virus to computers. A virus is basically a code that causes disruption to normal computer processes. Viruses are ordinary programs but just malicious. Viruses could be incomplete code that if otherwise regular could have served useful functions. So it is not always true that virus are originally created as malicious programs - they could be of good intent but may cause havoc due to improper coding or some other reason. There are many ways that a virus can be introduced onto a host computer. The most common is through internet downloads. The virus would attach itself to this otherwise safe download and once it gets to your PC, executes the bad code or just hides there until some specific time. You could also have a virus by just surfing compromised websites. Some come from pen drives ...

How can I learn macros in Excel? I have been asked this question many times by friends and colleagues. I don't think I have a perfect answer for this, this is what I think. Firstly, it is seldom good idea to pick up a book on Excel programming and start reading it from cover to cover. I haven't seen this work so far, not only for Excel VBA but for computer applications in general. It is better to learn when there is a specific task at hand. Excel's macro recorder is a great way to begin: start the recorder, do the steps manually, and then examine the code. The next step is to learn to modify and optimize the code generated from the macro recorder. For example, if the step needed is to change the background colour of the cell A1 to yellow and put in the number 34 into it, the macro recorder generates the following code: Range("A1").Select With Selection.Interior .ColorIndex = 6 .Pattern = xlSolid End With ActiveCell.FormulaR1C1 = "34" Range("A2"...

If you've ever pondered a strange email address you've seen in your incoming mail, you're not alone. There are many different ways to research email addresses including reverse email lookups. One great place to start is by learning everything you can from the strange email itself by examining the email headers. Email headers are a lot like the envelope of an email; they include information that tells email programs where the message came from and where to deliver it. However, reading email headers can be difficult, and sometimes even finding them can be hard, especially if you use a program like Outlook. Here is some basic information about how email headers work and how to find them using Outlook. The first step to using email headers is to find them, which is simple and easy if you use the email program Outlook. There are different ways to access email headers, depending on which version of Outlook you use. If you use Outlook 4, 5, or 6 click on the File menu, then choose...

If you've ever tried to conduct a people search on the Internet, you know it is not an easy task. With so much information to sort through, many people don't even know where or how to start. The problem is only made more difficult when all you are searching with is an email address. You could just enter the address in a search engine and hope for the best, but this may only yield a few, if any, worthwhile results. Fortunately, reverse email lookups let you find the name and location of the owner of almost any email address. Reverse email lookups, also called reverse email searches, work a lot like search engines, except they search for information linked to the strange email addresses. Simply enter the mystery address and click search, and within a few seconds you can learn everything you need to know. Reverse email lookups work by maintaining access to vast numbers of records and databases. While accessing these records isn't free, it means that you don't have to spend...

If you manage a computer service company and you're trying to grow your company's profits, you need to learn how to focus on your bottom line. Because so many owners of computer service companies fall in love with gadgets, they can get lured into focusing on products rather than offering sophisticated solutions that solve real small business problems. To make sure you balance your clients' small business IT needs against your own computer service company's profitability challenges, use these following 3 strategies to build your computer service company, and keep both you and your clients happy. Show Business-Savvy and Motivation with Your Computer Service Company Clients. You don't want to be seen as just another tech geek. Therefore, you need to think of yourself as a Virtual CIO for hire. Your main focus should be continuing to find new solutions to solve your clients' big business problems and not just fixing broken hardware and software. Dedicate Yourself to...

Email is a very popular form of communication today. The reasons for this are many. It moves very fast, it is very easy, and most people can sign up for an account for free. It might seem like you press a button and the email is instantly in the place for where it was destined, but there are a few things that happen in there that you may not know about. Emails move about much like phone calls. You may think of email as a real thing, but it is actually just a jumble of symbols that are sent over the wires to get where they need to go. Your actual words do not really go, but rather a set of commands and information that reform your email when it gets where it is supposed to go. This information is sent off in a packet, but has many stops along the way. The packet of information that contains your email leaves your computer through your Internet connection. That you probably know. It then goes out to a local server in your area that is owned by your ISP (Internet Service Provider). There ...

By now, you have probably heard of Blu-ray or Blu-ray discs and players, but do you know how this high definition technology came to be born or developed? It's a fascinating story, with some major battles thrown in for good measure, a story that is well worth reading even if you're not a tech junkie. In order to truly understand Blu-ray, you have to go back to the early 80's when CDs or Compact Discs were introduced. CDs were a giant leap forward if you compared it to the current media at the time; mainly because the CD offered more storage, better sound quality and quickly became the universal standard for pre-recorded, recordable and rewritable media. CDs had around 650MB of storage capacity which was revolutionary at the time for data storage and retrieval. However, no technology stands still, especially when you consider our insatiable need for more compact storage and higher quality images. Hence, we had the introduction of the DVD in the 90's which had a 5-10 X in...

Whenever we make a purchase at a shop or at a supermarket, more often than not, we see a little printer next to the cash register at the checkout counter. That little printer, called a thermal transfer printer, prints out receipts, and is a minute detail in an elaborate system called point-of-sale system or POS. Have you ever wondered how a thermal transfer printer works? As its name implies, a thermal transfer printer is dependent on heat. It makes use of a special form of paper, called thermal paper, and a ribbon with solid "ink" or resin with a polyester film backing. When you open a thermal transfer printer, you will see the rolled thermal paper nestled within, just beneath the printer head. Sandwiched between the thermal paper and the printer head is the ribbon. When the thermal transfer printer is used, what happens is that the printer head generates heat. Just what pixels or dots are heated on the printer head depends on the characters that are being printed. The heat ...