Start of with processors – not many things to know about them, just a few things to memorize or take notes of. What do processors do and why does your computer needs one. Well, CPU does about 90% of your computers calculations, that means if there were no CPU (Central Processing Unit), everything would just stand still, you would not be able to move your mouse.
Of course, most important feature of your processor is speed, the higher the speed the faster your computer can perform various actions. You may hear “CPU clock-speed” sometimes, know that they are referring to the speed of your processor. Some processors can be “Over-clocked”, that means that you can tweak your processor to get that little bit extra speed. Tweaking can burn your CPU, it not recommended to tweak it.
These days Intel Dual-Core is very popular choice, dual-core means just that underneath that hard surface of the processor, there are two small twin processors that share the work between them. Soon Quad-Core will be available to everyone, we may see even more advanced Operating Systems that will use all that processing power the Quad-Core will provide.
You should remember the socket number or name that your processor fits into and what other processors you can fit there. This is simple three numbers that show the count of pins there should be on a processor. An example would be, Intel Pentium Dual-Core fits into socket LGA 775 also know as Socket T, it also supports Intel Celeron D and Pentium D. Knowing what processors your motherboard supports is always for the best, you then know exactly how fast can you be.
Of course these sockets are different for laptops or server computers, because these use server and mobile processors. Knowing your's is enough, knowing what special features it may have which suite your specific needs best is even better.
We hope that explained the mystery of processors and their speeds. We hope this info was useful to you and will help you to make a better choice. Don't forget to sign-up for updates so you won't miss any important tips. In the next post we will be covering motherboards and which should fit you best.
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Sunday, 19 October 2008
Thursday, 16 October 2008
Laptops Vs Desktops Part 1
It's a two parter yet again, this is a topic that every computer helper faces once in a while. What is better a laptop or a desktop? Which should I choose? We try to answer these simple questions in this double post. The end choice is yours, these are only our opinions, we won't take responsibilities for any of your actions.
There are two main differences between a portable laptop or a notebook and the good old stationary desktop. The two differences are pretty simple, portability and scalability or expandability. These two differences will help you decide in most cases, but these days, laptop computers can be as powerful as desktops. Their sleek design, many integrated devices – there are enough points that attract buyers besides portability.
Don't start dreaming now, because a portable computer can cost several months pay or a long time of saving – it can also cost a dime on the street! Your probably heard stories of someone being offered stolen laptops. There are a lot of happy costumers and even more people crying over what they have lost. You can forget about portability and start to be paranoid about someone coming your home and taking away your new, cool, shining laptop.
There is a lot more to say for that part, but think if you ever seen some businessman, on a train or a bus working away on the latest model laptop, none. Because these computers only contain their latest work and there are a value of week's pay for them. You should not risk carrying around expensive things like a laptop with all your irreplaceable data on it.
We hope these tips will help you decide what to choose better, but really... If you live in a little place and have only enough room for a open pizza box, plus your laptops safety is 100% - if you ever decide to travel with it somewhere. And you won't be upset when in one year, your laptop is barely breathing, outdated compared to the new models on the market and you cant upgrade it anymore.
If that wasn't enough for you to say “I'm buying a desktop” or perhaps think of getting a second had portable computer. Then you should get a laptop today, even so finish reading this post, compare laptop to a desktop more closer and think on what you might lose.
Continue to Part 2
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There are two main differences between a portable laptop or a notebook and the good old stationary desktop. The two differences are pretty simple, portability and scalability or expandability. These two differences will help you decide in most cases, but these days, laptop computers can be as powerful as desktops. Their sleek design, many integrated devices – there are enough points that attract buyers besides portability.
Don't start dreaming now, because a portable computer can cost several months pay or a long time of saving – it can also cost a dime on the street! Your probably heard stories of someone being offered stolen laptops. There are a lot of happy costumers and even more people crying over what they have lost. You can forget about portability and start to be paranoid about someone coming your home and taking away your new, cool, shining laptop.
There is a lot more to say for that part, but think if you ever seen some businessman, on a train or a bus working away on the latest model laptop, none. Because these computers only contain their latest work and there are a value of week's pay for them. You should not risk carrying around expensive things like a laptop with all your irreplaceable data on it.
We hope these tips will help you decide what to choose better, but really... If you live in a little place and have only enough room for a open pizza box, plus your laptops safety is 100% - if you ever decide to travel with it somewhere. And you won't be upset when in one year, your laptop is barely breathing, outdated compared to the new models on the market and you cant upgrade it anymore.
If that wasn't enough for you to say “I'm buying a desktop” or perhaps think of getting a second had portable computer. Then you should get a laptop today, even so finish reading this post, compare laptop to a desktop more closer and think on what you might lose.
Continue to Part 2
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Laptops Vs Desktops Part 2
When comparing stationary desktops and portable laptops one big thing you have to keep in mind is that the portable technology is behind and in some cases it advances on its own. New computer processors and memory sticks are being originally designed for desktops and only after, re-designed for portable computers. Doesn't matter how new your laptop is, there is always a more advanced desktop for the same price.
Even if you get this latest model laptop which is less powerful than the latest desktop model, you won't be able to upgrade as many new parts or as many times as you could as on a desktop. In other words laptops can get upgraded in four places: Physical Memory, Hard-drive, CPU and the CD-ROM drive. Usually you can't expand as much as you can on a desktop too.
The design of your computer is very important – nobody wants to work on a ugly computer. Notebooks win this one, because it doesn't matter how many flashing lights or how big the cooling system is, laptops are much more attractive. Even a shy black laptop can look better than a round mini-tower and a monitor covered in fur.
You can call having a working coolest, the most stylish laptop one thing – trying to fix the most coolest and stylish laptop is another thing. Remember you can only replace few things, what if you accidentally smash the monitor? Your wireless card stops working and your laptop is louder than ever? A new laptop for any of those reasons, even if your laptop is very loud – it's because it has to be cleaned from the inside and only experts know how.
You can easily open most desktop cases these day and clean the dust but not on laptops. Be lucky if you can remove your fan separately from the rest of the computer. You just go and buy a new compatible part for your desktop computer, you don't have to stress yourself over such things.
The only real answer is to have both. Have a high-end desktop for your work and games and a little low-end cheap laptop that you can play with. Not worrying so much, if something was to happen to it and using it for things that don't eat up memory and space.
We hope you enjoyed this post, please read other important posts we have here. Hope to see you here again soon!
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Even if you get this latest model laptop which is less powerful than the latest desktop model, you won't be able to upgrade as many new parts or as many times as you could as on a desktop. In other words laptops can get upgraded in four places: Physical Memory, Hard-drive, CPU and the CD-ROM drive. Usually you can't expand as much as you can on a desktop too.
The design of your computer is very important – nobody wants to work on a ugly computer. Notebooks win this one, because it doesn't matter how many flashing lights or how big the cooling system is, laptops are much more attractive. Even a shy black laptop can look better than a round mini-tower and a monitor covered in fur.
You can call having a working coolest, the most stylish laptop one thing – trying to fix the most coolest and stylish laptop is another thing. Remember you can only replace few things, what if you accidentally smash the monitor? Your wireless card stops working and your laptop is louder than ever? A new laptop for any of those reasons, even if your laptop is very loud – it's because it has to be cleaned from the inside and only experts know how.
You can easily open most desktop cases these day and clean the dust but not on laptops. Be lucky if you can remove your fan separately from the rest of the computer. You just go and buy a new compatible part for your desktop computer, you don't have to stress yourself over such things.
The only real answer is to have both. Have a high-end desktop for your work and games and a little low-end cheap laptop that you can play with. Not worrying so much, if something was to happen to it and using it for things that don't eat up memory and space.
We hope you enjoyed this post, please read other important posts we have here. Hope to see you here again soon!
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Common Wireless Standards
Some things that every wireless network user should know about their network adapters. If you are planing to buy a new machine and you want wireless capabilities, we will explain everything water-clear to you.
Every wireless adapter works based on IEEE 802.11 standards. Which is just a collection of rules for the creators, so they have a structure to work from. There are many 802.11 standards, most of the letters of English alphabet, just Google it if you are interested. However, most home wireless adapters use only a few of these. Only two, two and a half, the third is not yet complete.
First standard came in 2000, that was 802.11b. It had transfer rates of 11 Mbps and range rate of around 35 meters (100ft) and was operating on 2.4 GHz frequency. It wasn't a lot but was the first wireless standard used in mainstream PCs. Just after tasting wireless, the world wanted more speed, so they came up with 802.11g.
Second mainstream standard - 802.11g came in 2003. It offered same range range and frequency as the previous standard, but had high 54 Mbps speeds. The two standards are almost the same, so adapter manufacturers combined them and most adapters today support both.
The third standard 802.11n, which has already been adopted by most wireless adapter manufacturing companies. New adapters that support 802.11n are already in the shops and they offer speeds of around 250 Mbps and ranges of around 60 meters (200ft). This standard should come out in 2010, but for now these specs are more than enough.
To get the most speed and range from these standards use hardware that supports the same standard or more. If your wireless router supports only g and your computer supports only b or vice-versa, don't expect higher speeds.
Wireless connectivity, speed and range depend on how clear is the space for the signal to pass from your router to your computer. Which means anything that any other waves or objects can interfere with the signal. Remember that cordless phones, microwaves and blue-tooth devices operate on the same 2.4 GHz frequency so, don't be surprised if your Internet disconnects when you are heating up your dinner or get a phone call.
Do read our post about wireless setup and protection here
We hope this info was useful to you, don't forget to check up on us for more great info and tips on wireless. Subscribe to our e-mail updates, then you won't miss a post.
Read More......
Every wireless adapter works based on IEEE 802.11 standards. Which is just a collection of rules for the creators, so they have a structure to work from. There are many 802.11 standards, most of the letters of English alphabet, just Google it if you are interested. However, most home wireless adapters use only a few of these. Only two, two and a half, the third is not yet complete.
First standard came in 2000, that was 802.11b. It had transfer rates of 11 Mbps and range rate of around 35 meters (100ft) and was operating on 2.4 GHz frequency. It wasn't a lot but was the first wireless standard used in mainstream PCs. Just after tasting wireless, the world wanted more speed, so they came up with 802.11g.
Second mainstream standard - 802.11g came in 2003. It offered same range range and frequency as the previous standard, but had high 54 Mbps speeds. The two standards are almost the same, so adapter manufacturers combined them and most adapters today support both.
The third standard 802.11n, which has already been adopted by most wireless adapter manufacturing companies. New adapters that support 802.11n are already in the shops and they offer speeds of around 250 Mbps and ranges of around 60 meters (200ft). This standard should come out in 2010, but for now these specs are more than enough.
To get the most speed and range from these standards use hardware that supports the same standard or more. If your wireless router supports only g and your computer supports only b or vice-versa, don't expect higher speeds.
Wireless connectivity, speed and range depend on how clear is the space for the signal to pass from your router to your computer. Which means anything that any other waves or objects can interfere with the signal. Remember that cordless phones, microwaves and blue-tooth devices operate on the same 2.4 GHz frequency so, don't be surprised if your Internet disconnects when you are heating up your dinner or get a phone call.
Do read our post about wireless setup and protection here
We hope this info was useful to you, don't forget to check up on us for more great info and tips on wireless. Subscribe to our e-mail updates, then you won't miss a post.
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Wireless Setup and Security
Wireless Internet has been with us for a while now - in some countries, most homes have wireless routers, almost everyone prefers a wireless connection to the Internet, over a wired one. Internet service providers offer wireless routers with their contracts, it is very tempting to get one even if your computer doesn't support wireless networking, because you may need it later.
It is one thing to own a wireless router, it is all together another thing to understand how it works and setting up a wireless network and secure it properly. We get a lot of troubles with our wireless network connections – knowing a few tips will help you understand and manage your network with less hassle.
There are not many things you need to do to setup your wireless network. In most cases reading the manual that came in the box is enough. You need to check it eventually, you need to know the routers address. Most people never even thought of accessing it, they call their ISP or call out technicians if their Internet goes down.
The first thing you have to do is check the manual to see that address, it is usually 192.168.0.1 or similar. Assuming you have all the IP addresses, passwords and other info that your ISP should have sent you, you can go ahead and login into your router.
Once you are there, you can use a wizards or whatever you have on your router to setup your network. You have to set these important settings for your wireless to work and for you to be able to connect to it:
1. Your network name as it will appear when you search for wireless networks, that usually is called SSID – set it so that it is broadcasted.
2. You have to set your region or your continent.
3. You have to set a specific channel on which your router will broadcast signals. Use channel 1, 6 or 11.
4. Select your mode, most adapters these days support b/g standards even new n standard. If you want to have full speeds of your network - you must have hardware that supports those speed on both sides.
5. Select a protection type - we recommend WPA, as it protects better than WEP.
WPA uses a phrase that you can come up with and is in most cases uncrackable. It is good to have a long easy password to remember with inclusion of a few numbers. In some cases you have a choice of different WPA protections, choose the one that works with your hardware. WEP passwords are crackable, if you don't have admin password set on your router – someone can take over and block you out of your own wireless network, so setup passwords where you can.
We hope these basic tips come in handy for you.
Don't forget to visit our blog again soon for more great tips on wireless.
Read More......
It is one thing to own a wireless router, it is all together another thing to understand how it works and setting up a wireless network and secure it properly. We get a lot of troubles with our wireless network connections – knowing a few tips will help you understand and manage your network with less hassle.
There are not many things you need to do to setup your wireless network. In most cases reading the manual that came in the box is enough. You need to check it eventually, you need to know the routers address. Most people never even thought of accessing it, they call their ISP or call out technicians if their Internet goes down.
The first thing you have to do is check the manual to see that address, it is usually 192.168.0.1 or similar. Assuming you have all the IP addresses, passwords and other info that your ISP should have sent you, you can go ahead and login into your router.
Once you are there, you can use a wizards or whatever you have on your router to setup your network. You have to set these important settings for your wireless to work and for you to be able to connect to it:
1. Your network name as it will appear when you search for wireless networks, that usually is called SSID – set it so that it is broadcasted.
2. You have to set your region or your continent.
3. You have to set a specific channel on which your router will broadcast signals. Use channel 1, 6 or 11.
4. Select your mode, most adapters these days support b/g standards even new n standard. If you want to have full speeds of your network - you must have hardware that supports those speed on both sides.
5. Select a protection type - we recommend WPA, as it protects better than WEP.
WPA uses a phrase that you can come up with and is in most cases uncrackable. It is good to have a long easy password to remember with inclusion of a few numbers. In some cases you have a choice of different WPA protections, choose the one that works with your hardware. WEP passwords are crackable, if you don't have admin password set on your router – someone can take over and block you out of your own wireless network, so setup passwords where you can.
We hope these basic tips come in handy for you.
Don't forget to visit our blog again soon for more great tips on wireless.
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Wednesday, 8 October 2008
Internet Security: Your Sensitive Information
You can have the best Internet-security system installed, the very best anti-virus software but it won't help you if you, yourself won't notice a fraudulent website. In the end you probably agreed to install and run this malware or you thought that the website is secure.
Many people buy on the Internet safely and never have problems. Others are afraid that even one form or a little transaction and their savings and identity will be lost. This shouldn't happen if you know a little on how to recognize fraudulent websites and browse the Internet safely.
There really is actually no way to protect yourself 100% from fraud or scam. For simple reasons. In the end you are the one typing-in you private information. Even if you have 0.0001% doubt about the website or its services, just don't type in anything private.
One very important thing you have to notice when you are filling out a on-line form is to check if that page uses secure protocol. Normal content web pages use Http (hypertext transfer protocol), but login pages, sign-up forms and sensitive data forms must be on a different protocol, which is Https (secured Http). This protocol uses different ports, the data traveling can not be read by anyone else. Make sure that the website you want to pay money to has this security feature.
If you are willing enough, Google webiste's name or address, find out who owns it. Check user feedback on the services provided, dig about before signing-up to something.
Check website's Privacy Policy Statement and Terms of Use before signing up. Check if they have a costumer support team, ready to answer any of your questions about your account or their services. Try to contact them before actually signing up. Ask them if you are not sure about anything about their website.
Remember when you want to purchase something over the Internet - it is best to find out everything you can about the product that you want to spend money on before buying it. Just like in real world you would know exactly what you are buying. Try to get a sample or a trial before getting the real thing. Make sure your money can be refunded, make sure your product or service has 30 day money back guarantee and or you can cancel your subscription anytime.
We hope these tips where useful and easy to understand. Please keep in mind that you are responsible for your actions and this information is here only for education purposes, don't hold us or anyone responsible for your own actions.
More tech browsing security tips will be posted soon, so remember to check back.
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Many people buy on the Internet safely and never have problems. Others are afraid that even one form or a little transaction and their savings and identity will be lost. This shouldn't happen if you know a little on how to recognize fraudulent websites and browse the Internet safely.
There really is actually no way to protect yourself 100% from fraud or scam. For simple reasons. In the end you are the one typing-in you private information. Even if you have 0.0001% doubt about the website or its services, just don't type in anything private.
One very important thing you have to notice when you are filling out a on-line form is to check if that page uses secure protocol. Normal content web pages use Http (hypertext transfer protocol), but login pages, sign-up forms and sensitive data forms must be on a different protocol, which is Https (secured Http). This protocol uses different ports, the data traveling can not be read by anyone else. Make sure that the website you want to pay money to has this security feature.
If you are willing enough, Google webiste's name or address, find out who owns it. Check user feedback on the services provided, dig about before signing-up to something.
Check website's Privacy Policy Statement and Terms of Use before signing up. Check if they have a costumer support team, ready to answer any of your questions about your account or their services. Try to contact them before actually signing up. Ask them if you are not sure about anything about their website.
Remember when you want to purchase something over the Internet - it is best to find out everything you can about the product that you want to spend money on before buying it. Just like in real world you would know exactly what you are buying. Try to get a sample or a trial before getting the real thing. Make sure your money can be refunded, make sure your product or service has 30 day money back guarantee and or you can cancel your subscription anytime.
We hope these tips where useful and easy to understand. Please keep in mind that you are responsible for your actions and this information is here only for education purposes, don't hold us or anyone responsible for your own actions.
More tech browsing security tips will be posted soon, so remember to check back.
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Wednesday, 1 October 2008
Task Manager Page 1
We are about to share some effective tips and tricks for the Windows Task Manager. These are extremely important to know, because they help in everyday PC usage a lot. Task Manager is a advanced user tool, most new computer users don't even know where to find it and what it is for. There are a lot of things to mention, so split this post in to two pages.
There are many ways to access it one of the fastest is right-clicking your Task bar, selecting Task Manager - you can also use a key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc in XP and Vista.
Most people use the Task Manager for one reason, that is to shutdown a program. The easiest way to do it is to load this tool, select the preferred program and click End Task. This usually brings up a little window with two options - End Task Now or Cancel. Of course, you will choose the first option, but most of the time it doesn't get you anywhere and you still have to wait or (a bad one) reset your crashed computer. But that is not advanced usage of this tool at all, you don't need to restart and lose most of the active stuff you had.
The only time you may really need to do a hard-reset (which is just holding the power button for a few seconds) is when you can't move your mouse. You might have been playing music and it freezes, starts playing the same half of a second - you may need to hard-reset your PC only at these or similar points. It is never recommended to hard-reset for what ever the reason, if you can navigate your mouse - you can enter Task Manager and maybe save your situation.
Most people use only the Applications Tab, they never really analyze the other tabs and what they are meant for. The most important tab. Processes Tab the scariest of these is not so hard to understand. Performance is in fact - very interesting to watch, it's like watching you computers heart, well to some of us... Networking is kind of the same, but only for your network adapter. Last tab is Users which doesn't do much accept Disconnect you from the machine, that works the same as Logoff.
Again most average windows users don't understand Processes Tab, because - yes you can accidentally crash your computer and lose your work. But if you know which one is the one not responding or one that you want to end, and you know how to start new processes - you can explore, test which processes take up memory and make your computer slow and loud. Good way of learning is by selecting the non-responding program and selecting go to procceses, only then select to end it. Doing so, might harm your computer, because a lot of aplications these days have more than one process and if you don't know - you are just messing things up.
Continue to Page 2
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There are many ways to access it one of the fastest is right-clicking your Task bar, selecting Task Manager - you can also use a key combination Ctrl+Shift+Esc in XP and Vista.
Most people use the Task Manager for one reason, that is to shutdown a program. The easiest way to do it is to load this tool, select the preferred program and click End Task. This usually brings up a little window with two options - End Task Now or Cancel. Of course, you will choose the first option, but most of the time it doesn't get you anywhere and you still have to wait or (a bad one) reset your crashed computer. But that is not advanced usage of this tool at all, you don't need to restart and lose most of the active stuff you had.
The only time you may really need to do a hard-reset (which is just holding the power button for a few seconds) is when you can't move your mouse. You might have been playing music and it freezes, starts playing the same half of a second - you may need to hard-reset your PC only at these or similar points. It is never recommended to hard-reset for what ever the reason, if you can navigate your mouse - you can enter Task Manager and maybe save your situation.
Most people use only the Applications Tab, they never really analyze the other tabs and what they are meant for. The most important tab. Processes Tab the scariest of these is not so hard to understand. Performance is in fact - very interesting to watch, it's like watching you computers heart, well to some of us... Networking is kind of the same, but only for your network adapter. Last tab is Users which doesn't do much accept Disconnect you from the machine, that works the same as Logoff.
Again most average windows users don't understand Processes Tab, because - yes you can accidentally crash your computer and lose your work. But if you know which one is the one not responding or one that you want to end, and you know how to start new processes - you can explore, test which processes take up memory and make your computer slow and loud. Good way of learning is by selecting the non-responding program and selecting go to procceses, only then select to end it. Doing so, might harm your computer, because a lot of aplications these days have more than one process and if you don't know - you are just messing things up.
Continue to Page 2
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Task Manager Page 2
To run a new program or process, you can choose New Task button in Aplications Tab or you can reach it from the File Menu of Task Manager. Basically you can run any program from here too, you have to browse to Program Files Or Windows System folders and find the actual exe program files.
The two programs that crash most of the time is Explorer and IExplore, you should know what these do by know. If you type-in iexplore when executing New Task - this will launch Internet Explorer. Remember that these processes control multiple windows, when you kill them - most of the time all pages go with it too.
Now the trick to restarting Explorer should be clear now. When it does crash and none of windows are responding - open Task Manager, End explorer.exe process and restart it by selecting New Task, typing explorer and clicking OK.
Remember shutting down processes is not healthy for your PC, but it is very effective and fast. Also you can shutdown unused processes that just make your PC loud, maybe try out new apps that take-up less memory.
It is fine to end one process, but what if you end process tree? This works on Explorer again, this kill your media players, your Internet explorer any other app that might be running.
We use this only if your machine restarts after a minute it loads. Sometimes killing all processes stops it from rebooting. Of course you have to be fast and know what your doing so we don't recommend doing it until we teach you properly, but in another post.
We hope these tips will help you become more nerdy, and help you blog and network smiling. Please remember that you use these tips at your own risk. It is not our fault if you break your computer. Don't forget to come back soon for more great tips from PC Helpers On Blogspot.
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The two programs that crash most of the time is Explorer and IExplore, you should know what these do by know. If you type-in iexplore when executing New Task - this will launch Internet Explorer. Remember that these processes control multiple windows, when you kill them - most of the time all pages go with it too.
Now the trick to restarting Explorer should be clear now. When it does crash and none of windows are responding - open Task Manager, End explorer.exe process and restart it by selecting New Task, typing explorer and clicking OK.
Remember shutting down processes is not healthy for your PC, but it is very effective and fast. Also you can shutdown unused processes that just make your PC loud, maybe try out new apps that take-up less memory.
It is fine to end one process, but what if you end process tree? This works on Explorer again, this kill your media players, your Internet explorer any other app that might be running.
We use this only if your machine restarts after a minute it loads. Sometimes killing all processes stops it from rebooting. Of course you have to be fast and know what your doing so we don't recommend doing it until we teach you properly, but in another post.
We hope these tips will help you become more nerdy, and help you blog and network smiling. Please remember that you use these tips at your own risk. It is not our fault if you break your computer. Don't forget to come back soon for more great tips from PC Helpers On Blogspot.
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