Computer Problems - How to Prevent Common PC Errors

Computers can have issues and errors. These many times happen because there are security flaws in the system, malicious software, and some poor computer habits that the user is causing. Learn what you can do to help prevent computer errors on your machine as much as possible.

One of the most common mistakes is filling up the hard drive. A Windows machine needs at least a few gigabytes of space to correctly save settings when shutting down the machine. The extra space will also help your computer run faster since when you are using it, you need some space for your temporary files. There are variety of issues that you can avoid by deleting a few files or moving them to an external hard drive and leaving a few gigabytes of space. An external hard drive is a worthwhile purchase, not only will you help keep your computer's hard drive clutter free, but you will have a back up of all your important files.

Another step that needs to be taken is to always shut down the computer properly. Many times people might just hold down the power button to make the machine turn off. This is not good for the computer on the hardware side or even the software side. It's important to properly go through the shut down procedures to prevent possible complications.

One thing that should always be done regardless of what type of machine you are using is to update the operating system. There are many security patches that are there for your protection. Whenever there is an operating system update, be sure to get it as soon as possible.

The same goes for your applications that you are running on your machine especially those that are connected to the internet. The browser is attacked all the time regardless of which one you choose to use. You need to update the browser whenever there is patch available because it will help keep your machine more secure.

Following these steps will help prevent a variety of issues that you might have otherwise had to face. It is not fun to have any type of computer failure and many times failure happens because of something that could not be prevented. However, for peace of mind it is important to do what you can to keep your computer healthy and help to avoid any issues. You will be glad you did!

Cecil is a freelance website designer as well as a home improvement junkie! He loves to spend time tinkering in his workshop and finding ways to save energy around the home. You can read his reviews on the different types of radiant space heater on his website: http://www.radiantspaceheater.org.

Talking Rugged Notebook

A rugged notebook offers mobile professionals the ability to work in any environment and in any location. Versatile and powerful, rugged notebook computers are designed specifically for both in-plant and outdoor industrial (and military) applications. Built to handle the toughest environments, fully ruggedized notebooks should have IP54 environmental protection, meet MIL-STD 810F and have heavy duty - generally magnesium alloy - cases. Rugged notebook computers enable professionals to work smoothly in adverse environments and are adequately equipped to face almost any tough situation with ease. Naturally, these rugged notebook computers are heavier than non-rugged models but offer substantially more protection than standard laptops. RuggedNotebooks.com offer a variety of semi-rugged and rugged notebooks, wireless tablets and even rugged PDAs in their Recon series. They also offer custom solutions.

Arguably the most rugged and heavy-duty notebook available is the Rough Rider III from http://www.RuggedNotebooks.com. Meeting IEC and MIL-STD 810F, temperature, humidity, altitude, shock, vibration and drop standards, the case also conforms to IEC 529 and Ingress IP 54 requirements. It has extensive configuration options and a second bay available with internal PCI connector that supports a wide variety of options including two additional COM ports (RS232, RS422, or RS 485), two additional PCMCIA slots, a SCSI-2 port, DGPS or wireless modules, an auxiliary battery, or fixed floppy drive. It can be configured with 1.4 or 1.6 GHz Intel Pentium M processor, up to 2GB of DDR RAM, a 60GB HDD, and up to a 14.1 inch screen. It also provides extended wireless communications with 802.11b Wi-Fi, GSM/GPRS and DataTAC connectivity. As you might expect, all this ruggedness comes with a penalty and with the primary battery installed, the Rough Rider III rugged notebook weighs 12.7 pounds, definitely not a light-weight.

RuggedNotebooks.com offers a variety of semi-rugged and rugged notebooks, wireless tablets and even rugged PDAs in their Recon series. They also offer custom solutions. As one of the premier providers of notebook computers that meet and exceed military (810F and 461E) and industry standards (IP54), anyone interested in a high quality semi- or rugged notebook should make it a point to check them out.

Sterling Computer Sales in Landenberg, PA, offers a series of rugged notebooks meeting MIL STD 810E (which primarily involves small drops and rough transport). Their RB1500 has a rubber mounted HDD, spill-proof keyboard and magnesium alloy case. It comes with a 15.1 inch TFT boasting sXGA+ resolution (1400X1050) and a Pentium 4 Mobile 1.6Ghz processor. You can stuff it with up to 2GB of DDR ram and a 100GB HD. For communications this rugged notebook includes modem, Ethernet and 802.11b/g Wireless. This might be better considered a semi-rugged, but the price with default options starts at only $1,595.

The Durabook N15RI is a rugged notebook that has a magnesium alloy top and bottom case - which is 20 times stronger than plastic. This rugged notebook has anti-shock mounting and spill-resistant keyboard, scroll buttons and touch-pad. While it meets some (modified) 810F military specifications for ruggedness it doesn't appear to be IP54 compliant and is probably best viewed as a more rugged than usual semi-rugged notebook. It still provides the mobile professional with a tough, durable notebook at a more reasonable price than a fully rugged notebook.

HP also has a rugged notebook series - the HP nr3610 Rugged Notebook. This model meets MIL STD for ruggedness in the areas of ESD (Electrostatic Discharge), low pressure, humidity, sealing, temperature and vibration - and the Ingress IP-54 Protection rating for dust and water. However, it is very pricey for a notebook with a 12.1 LCD (over $4000) and nearly impossible to find currently.

Another rugged notebook, offering the choice of 14.1" and 15" Tflex displays - which work very well both outdoors and indoors, is the Argonaut Ranger. The hard drive and LCD are both shock mounted and the case is constructed of magnesium alloy. Both models of this rugged notebook - Argonaut Ranger - meet military specifications for ruggedness. The keyboard is spill-proof and the circuitry of this rugged notebook makes use of anti-corrosive technology for extra protection. Designed particularly for marine use the TFlex display works extremely well under any lighting conditions - from full darkness to direct sunlight.

Panasonic has its ToughBook line of semi-rugged and rugged notebook computers which are also worth looking into. The semi-rugged notebooks have a variety of features from the T2 with touchscreen weighing in at only 2.7 pounds to the Toughbook 51, available with a 2GHz Intel Pentium M 760, a shock-mounted 80 GB HDD and up to 2 GB of DDR2 SDRAM, with a 15 inch TFT Active Matrix Color LCD and a standard Combo Drive of a DVD multi-drive, weighing in at about 6.7 pounds. Base pricing for the T51 seems to start around $1600.

The Panasonic Toughbook-29 is a fully rugged notebook tested to MIL STD 810F. The vibration and drop-shock resistant design has Intel Centrino Mobile Tech and integrated 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN. It has a 13.3 inch outdoor-readable TFT Active Matrix Color LCD (optional touchscreen), a shock-mounted removable HDD in a stainless steel case, sealed port and connector covers and a full magnesium alloy case with handle. With battery and floppy drive it weighs 7.9 pounds. Base version pricing seems to be around $3500 currently.

One thing you need to be aware of about rugged notebooks - particularly full MIL-STD ruggedized models - they can be a little hard to find at your local computer store - or even on some of the big internet sites. The substantial added costs of manufacture and testing - and sometimes, the performance compromises that are made, make them a questionable option for the usual notebook user. If you will be working under harsh conditions, then they may be your only rational choice. However, for a user who will simply be doing a lot of traveling, day in and day out, and wants a notebook computer that can better tolerate the inevitable shocks and bumps, a semi-rugged notebook could be a much more affordable option, providing reasonable protection and better performance at a lower price.

Copyright 2005 Richard Keir

Richard, a computer professional and writer, has a strong interest in hardware as well as software. For more about all kinds of notebook computers and accessories, visit Completely Notebooks at http://Completely-Notebooks.net

Computer Hard Drives - Hard Drive Problems and Symptoms

Is your hard drive acting up? Do you fear the loss of data, downtime, and possible loss of revenue this could bring? Let's take a look at diagnosing hard drive problems, and what the symptoms are.

The surest sign of a major problem is this: when you write data to the disk, and retrieve it later, errors pop up. It might take the form of small amounts of data going missing, or being turned into gibberish. If this happens in more than one program, disk failure looms in the very near future.

Some users "cure" this problem by reformatting the drive, then re-installing the OS and all programs. Unfortunately, this doesn't correct the root cause of the trouble, and it will only be a matter of time before it pops up again, perhaps fatally.

Strange noises, particularly high pitched squeaks, are often attributed to the hard drive. In the majority of cases, these squeaks aren't coming from the drive, but from a case fan, or power supply fan.

Listen closely with one of the side panels removed to zero in on the sound. If necessary, unplug the drive's power cable, then turn the computer on. If you still hear the squeak, you know it's a fan. But if the squeak goes away, only to return when you boot the hard drive, you have a very serious problem.

If your hard drive seems to be working too much, constantly chugging away, always sending data to and from RAM, the problem isn't your drive. The odds are you need more RAM. Today's giant programs are memory hogs, immense in size, creating multi-megabyte files.

If your hard drive is slowing down there are a number of different causes. These won't lead to disk failure, but they can be frustrating.

The first, and easiest to deal with, is drive fragmentation. In XP and Vista it's easy to defragment a drive, requiring only a few mouse clicks, yet most users let months go by without doing it. They wait until their machines have slowed to a crawl before performing this most basic act of computer maintenance.

Another cause is the volume of data stored there. The more data on the disk, the slower retrieval and write-to rates become. The cure is obvious. Either do a bit of house cleaning, removing unneeded files, or add another drive.

Sometimes, a sluggish hard drive can be a symptom of spyware, adware, or a virus. A good security program can scan your drive, and tell you if you have one of these problems.

Michael Quarles is the author of "Building a PC for Beginners" and "Speed Up Your Computer". His website is http://www.monkeyseemonkeydobooks.com .

The Organized Coach, Part 4--Choosing a System of Organization

Before the coach begins to organize all of his materials a very important decision must be made. The method or system of organization is selected to match the objectives and expectations of the project. In today's office supply mega-stores, there is no shortage of organizational options and tools. Picking the right one for you is the key to becoming "The Organized Coach."

Due to my propensity to be organized from a young age I have become familiar with all types of organizational systems. By experiencing different systems I have come to a comfortable place in my organizational world. Each coach needs to select a system that works for him and that he will be most motivated to use. Being motivated to use your system once you get it into place is the most important element of this entire process. I've been frustrated in the past with coaches who take time to clear out the clutter and start over, just to abandon the system of choice shortly after turning over a new leaf.

The message you need to hear loud and clear is that all efforts without action are useless. Action is the spark plug that ignites any venture big or small. Let's review the steps that must be in place prior to the action step.

1. Decide you are unorganized and want to become an Organized Coach.

2. Commit to getting rid of everything that you do not need.

3. Divide and Conquer from Part 3 in this series. Placing information in piles according to label; i.e.--Offense, philosophy, drills, motivation, clinics.

4. Choose a system of organization which is the purpose of this article in Part 4.

5. Put ACTION behind your desire to be "The Organized Coach" and you will be amazed at the results.

Choosing a system depends on the individual and his preferences. No system is better than the other. Actually, the best system is the one that is best for you. If you can keep everything in its place and access it quickly, then that system is a great one for you. Your assistant coach or coaching buddy may use an entirely different system.

Try these exercises:

1. Think back to a time when you were most organized in your life. What system did you use and why was it a good system for you?

2. Identify a fellow teacher, coach, or businessman that you think is super organized and consult with them and their system. It may or may not be for you but you will learn a lot about what you do like by following through with this exercise.

3. Close your eyes and picture your office in its best, most organized state. Capture that mental image and re-create it through your own organizational project.

4. Go to Office Depot, Staples, or any large office supply store. Walk the aisles and check out all of the materials available. You will probably see some products that you had never seen before and like their potential in your system. Try not to overdo it and load up on a ton of materials, but if you see something you can use, buy it and give it a try.

TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS

1. Filing System -- One of the oldest forms of organizing. Can be used for any purpose and for any profession. How you decide to arrange, separate and divide your folders is the biggest factor once this system has been chosen.

2. Notebook System -- This system has great advantages over the other systems. Notebooks are portable and with three-ring binders your materials will not get lost or misplaced. Just like the filing system, the most important item is to decide how to arrange, separate and divide the materials into notebooks. Section separators and removable tabs are also another consideration. You must have a heavy duty three hole punch to use the notebook system properly.

3. Computer System -- Everything we have can be computerized no matter how long ago we obtained it. The ability to scan materials now makes it possible to computerize all of your materials. This can be a very time consuming process, even more than files and notebooks. The test is how quickly you can access materials on your computer and the ability to print these materials. The possibility exists that your hard drive can be wiped out at any time, leaving you in bad shape. Lack of familiarity with computers forces many coaches to shy away from this system.

4. Card Catalog -- This system allows you to organize your materials by using key words such as OB, Offense, Half court defense, and shooting drills. By keeping a card catalog system you can access materials quickly and efficiently. The cards are the center of your entire system and can keep you organized as long as you stay with the system.

5. Storage Racks -- These are useful for displaying books, DVD's, video tapes, and scrap books. It is important to purchase storage racks that are functional. Beware that storage racks can become a place to store a little bit of everything and will become a garage sale item before long.

6. Combinations of one or more systems -- Due to the kind of materials you have, you may want to use some of a couple systems. This is a very acceptable method and is used by most organized people.

This brings us to a point in the organizing process where your efforts begin to pay off. Once you select a system of organization, the rest is downhill. Moving to the ACTION Stage will put the final touches on this worthwhile project. Look ahead to Step 5 for the last and productive step!

Randy Brown has passion for the game of basketball. He works as a basketball consultant and mentor for coaches. Visit him at http://www.coachrb.com for free resources, Q & A, newsletter, and coaching programs. A speaker and writer, he has authored 75 articles on coaching and is nationally published. His 18 years in college basketball highlights a successful 23-year career. Mentored by Basketball Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson at Arizona. Resume includes positions at Arizona, Iowa State, Marquette, Drake, and Miami of Ohio, 5 Conference Championships and 5 NCAA appearances. His efforts have helped develop 12 NBA players including Steve Kerr, Sean Elliott, and Jaamal Tinsley. To contact Randy, email him at rb@coachrb.com

Why I Keep a Journal

I am a journaler. I have kept a journal for over 25 years. You can give me any date in the past 25 years and I can tell you what I was doing on that date. Some people have questioned why I do this. Why bother? What good reasons do I have to keep a journal? That's what I would like to talk about today.

Let me introduce my topic by sharing this little story with you:

There were two elderly couples who were enjoying a friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?" "Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques...visualization, word association...it made a huge difference for me." "That's great!" his friend said. "What was the name of the clinic?" Fred went blank. He thought and thought, but couldn't remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?" "You mean a rose?" His pal answered. "Yes," Fred exclaimed. "That's it!" Then he turned to his wife and said, "Rose, what was the name of that clinic?"

Let's face it. None of us has a perfect memory. Let me ask you this, can you remember what you did yesterday? Probably most of you can. What about a week ago? How many of you can remember what you did a month ago from today? How about a year ago today? How quickly we forget.

A life worth living is a life worth recording

Go to any cemetery and you will find headstone after headstone of people who have nothing left of their lives except a name on a headstone. That's it! Many of these people lived an entire lifetime full of trials and struggles, triumphs and failures and all that is left is their name - because nothing was recorded.

What would you think if I told you I have in my hands you mother's personal journal and that I'm going to read to you what she wrote on the day you were born? Would you like to hear what she wrote? Of course you would. So would I. But I can't do that because I don't really have her journal. I don't know if your mother kept a journal. Did she? If she had, would you be interested in reading it? I think you would.

I would like to share with you the 8 reasons I have discovered for keeping a journal. Here they are:

8 Reasons to Keep a Journal

1. Its Therapeutic

There is a psychological benefit that comes when you are able to express the thoughts and concerns and deepest feelings of your heart. It can provide a way for you to vent your pent up emotions. Plus it's cheaper than counseling!

2. For Yourself

I have an 83 year-old neighbor who has no children. He's a good friend of mine. One day I spoke with him about keeping a journal and his reply was, "Why would I want to do that. I have no children. Who would read it? I tried to explain to him that journals aren't just for your posterity. There is an enormous benefit from going back and reading your own thoughts and feelings that you recorded long ago. It helps you understand who you are and how far you have come in your life.

When I was in the 7th grade I lived in a small town in the desert in Arizona. For a number months I kept a diary in a very small spiral notebook. For some strange reason I made a time capsule using a mayonnaise jar and placed my diary in it and buried it in the desert. It didn't mean much to me then. Now, thirty-five years later, I've made the 14-hour drive back to that place and with a pick-axe and shovel dug and dug in the blazing sun trying to find my time capsule that contained my journal. Unfortunately I couldn't find it. What I would give to have that small diary again and explore the thoughts and feelings of my 12-year-old self.

What seems trivial and mundane to us now, we will treasure up in the distant future.

3. For Future Generations

My great grandfather was Peter Howard McBride. When he was 6 years old his family crossed the plains of America with nothing but a handcart to hold all their belongings. It was a terribly difficult trip with many trials along the way. In fact his father froze to death during a terrible snow storm in Wyoming. It is an amazing story. Why do I know this story? Because Peter's older brother Heber kept a journal. I'm sure when Heber McBride wrote in his journal he had no idea it would be quoted hundreds of time worldwide. Just do an internet search on his name and see what I mean. So yes, write for future generations.

4. Because You Forget

Like my little story I told at the beginning, our memories are temperamental and fragile things. I am amazed when I look back in my own journals and find events in my life that I have no recollection of whatsoever. It's totally gone except for the fact that I wrote it in my journal. Don't count on remembering all of the important events in your life. Like the snow melting in spring, your memories tend to melt away too.

5. For Legal Protection

If I'm ever accused of a crime I have a pretty good record of where I've been and what I've been doing. Plus, if I ever need to know when I bought that car or when that accident happened or what day my father died - it's all recorded in my journal.

6. To Remind You of Lessons Learned

They say that those who don't study history are bound to repeat it. I think that holds true with your own personal history. As you go throughout your life you are continually learning lessons from yours and other's mistakes. It can help to re-read those events and remember the lessons learned to avoid repeating them.

7. To Remind You of Your Blessings

It's good to look back and see how far you have come. Recently I was reading what I wrote in my journal twenty years ago. At that time my wife and I were in the middle of buying and moving into our current home. We basically had nothing back then. We could only afford a few pieces of used furniture and were scraping by to make it financially each month. Those were hard times but happy times. I'm grateful to have gone through them. It helped my wife and I grow closer together as we struggled through those lean years. It helps me appreciate what I have today.

8. For Just Plain Fun

My wife Lisa is also an avid journal keeper. Many times we have pulled out our journals and have read them together to see what we each wrote on a given day in the past. We sit on the bed laughing so hard at the crazy things we've been through. Sometimes we'll find an argument we had in the past and read what each of us wrote about it and laugh some more. Seeming tragedies and rough times of the past become delightful and fond memories in the future.

9 Suggestions of What to Write in Your Journal

1. Your day to day activities

2. Your feelings and thoughts

3. Your spiritual experiences

4. The important events in your life

5. Your successes and failures

6. Your children

7. Record humorous experiences

8. Write about the world

9. The truth

Conclusion

I would like to conclude by sharing the words of a master journaler, Spencer W. Kimball. Even though he was busier than most of us, he managed to fill 78 large volumes of personal journals during his life.

He said:

Your journal is your autobiography, so it should be kept carefully. You are unique, and there may be incidents in your experience that are more noble and praiseworthy in their way than those recorded in any other life. There may be a flash of illumination here and a story of faithfulness there; you should truthfully record your real self and not what other people may see in you.

Your story should be written now while it is fresh and while the true details are available. A journal is the literature of superiority. Each individual can become superior in his own humble life.

What could you do better for your children and your children's children than to record the story of your life, your triumphs over adversity, your recovery after a fall, your progress when all seemed black, your rejoicing when you had finally achieved?

Some of what you write may be humdrum dates and places, but there will also be rich passages that will be quoted by your posterity.

Get a notebook, my young friends, a journal that will last through all time, and maybe the angels may quote from it for eternity.

Thank you.

Garold N. Larson writes on self-mastery and personal development topics. You can find more information at Keys to Personal Development

Asus 1000HE - To the Left, to the Right

As you may know by now, the Asus 1000HE is a pretty powerful netbook for being the fist to use Intel's newest powerful processor for netbooks, the Intel Atom N280. However, there are things about this mini laptop you will surely love. From left to right and top to bottom, here is the rundown of the Asus 1000HE and its features:

To The Left:

* Headphone and microphone jack
* The Kensington lock hole,
* RJ-45,
* Ventilation air vent,

To The Right:

* 4-in-1 memory card reader
* Two USB ports
* VGA ports

On The Front:

* 10-inch display
* Touchpad with buttons
* Chiclet-style keyboard (similar to the Apple Macbook)
* Spacious palm rest
* Built-in microphone below the screen,
* Four quick access buttons above the keyboard (turn on/off display, two programmable application shortcut and change display resolution)
* A 1.3-megapixel webcam (above the screen)

Inside The Netbook:

* Windows XP Operating System
* Pre-installed Skype application
* Capability to play video in High Definition format
* Microsoft Live
* Microsoft Works
* InterVideo DVD XPack
* Microsoft Office Ready

Bottom Of The Netbook:

* Seagate Momentus 5400rpm 160GB SATA hard disk
* ASint 1GB DDR2-667 memory module
* One memory slot
* Six-cell battery (up to 9.5 hours of battery life)

To be in the neighborhood:

You can connect this netbook to the Internet through its WiFi capability. You can also pair it with Bluetooth devices because of its built-in Bluetooth V2.0. The good thing about is that because of its Intel Atom N280, you can actually multi-task on this machine. This netbook is also shipped with a Recovery CD, and Drivers and Utilities.

You can find more exciting information on the ASUS 1000HE on this website http://asus1000he.com

Causes Of Data Loss And Storage Devices Damage

There are a lot of storage devices used to store data but the most common used ones are the CDs, DVDs, memory cards, memory sticks and undoubtedly the hard drives. All these storage devices have on major flaw in common, they are not infallible and this means that the data stored on them can be lost or damaged through a number of unforeseen failures. Fortunately, there are companies that employ data recovery specialists that can recover your data by using special techniques, software and tools. Data recovery can sometimes be performed by the user of the damaged device by using software but there is a high risk of failure that can result in permanently erased data or damaged storage devices.

There are a number of conditions that can cause a storage device failure and they include heat, water, impacts and power interruptions. Other causes can be viruses.

Heat damage will usually be caused by fire but in the case of electronic devices and storage media, overheated equipment is the cause in most cases. For instance, in room with an ambient temperature that is too high, the air cushion thickness will be reduced by the air pressure. The hard drive heads might touch the recording plate and data will be damaged or lost.

In the case of hard drives, this kind of damage can also be caused by physical shocks or high vibration levels.

Most drives, but not all, have a seal that goes around the sides of the drive. If the seal is broken, the drive if prone to environmental contamination. The air is not very clean and with a damaged seal, particles from the air can grind the recording plate generating corruption or lost data.

If a hard drive is wet, water damage can occur even if it is turned off. Water is corrosive and will damage the metals found inside the hard drive generating microscopic pitting.

Data recovery specialists have both the required skills and the resources to perform a successful data recovery operation. This ensures a good chance that if you experience any data loss you can recover the data, be it sentimental data or business related information. The best advice is to keep a backup of the data that is important to you, this way you can avoid the expense of data recovery. If a backup is not available, expert services provided by data recovery specialists is a must.

Unirecovery Data Recovery specialists will provide a great recuperation success rate and are probably the best Data Recovery London service, Data Recovery professionals are waiting to help you.