Computer Related Articles

In this day and age, it is hard to deny the influence of technology in our lives. We live in an era where pretty much is automated and computerized. And amidst all the technological advancement that humankind has achieved, one important device has been created that will only sure to become more relevant to our lives as technology progresses, the computer. No one can deny that computers are now an essential part of our lives, the same way a cell phone and television does. It is safe to say that in this day and age, having no computer would be an inconvenience. Which is why it is important that we know the how our computer works so that we would be aware of the things that we should do in case it stops working. The hardware of the computer is considered to be the most important because without it, it will simply not work.

Simply put if you know how to handle the hardware of a computer and know each of their function for the unit, then you can easily determine what the problem is in case the unit stops functioning. In order to be familiar with basic computer troubleshooting, then you also need to be familiar with computer hardware. A good example of this is the memory of the computer (RAM). All programs and applications that are ran in a computer needs memory. Without RAM it simply won’t function. Aside from that, even if you have a RAM but it does have the specifications to keep up with the programs that are being ran, then the operation would be slowed down to a crawl. So when it comes to computer hardware, you have to make sure that it is not obsolete, so you need to upgrade depending on what sort of program that you are usually using.

When handling computer hardware, you have to keep in mind some safety measures so you can manipulate the unit safely. Before opening any computer cases, you have to make sure that the unit is unplugged or you might risk electrocution or shocks. While checking your hardware components, always check for damaged parts because that is most likely the one that is causing problems. When inserting components and parts, you have to remember that if it doesn’t fit, then most likely you are inserting it on the wrong slot. If it does not fit, then do not force it or you will risk breaking the component. Before touching any parts inside the unit, make sure that you discharge yourself first by through a grounded metal object or you can use an anti-static wrist strap or mat which is sold in stores for cheap.

By knowing and analyzing every computer hardware part you will know about its importance and if it ever breaks down then you can perform the proper troubleshooting steps. Every hardware component is important for the computer’s operation. The performance of your computer largely depends on how good your hardware is, so be sure that they are always in good working condition.

Author Bio: Wanda Kane Walker enjoys writing for Expresssafety.com.au which sells BMP71 and Spill kits as well as a host of additional products.

With the variety of digital projectors on currently available on the market makes their potential uses wide ranging. Not all projectors can be used for the same task and some will have specification that makes them better adapted for some applications over others. The two main areas of use for digital projectors are in the home and of course in the workplace.

In the home environment digital projectors are most commonly used as part of a home cinema system. A DVD player can easily be connected up to the inputs and then displayed onto a suitable screen. It is just as simple to hook your projector up to a satellite or digital TV box. Don’t think that you have to limit use of a projector to a home entertainment system as you may also with to connect it up to your computer or laptop in order to provide you with a screen size that no ordinary monitor will allow you. If you are looking to use a projector with your computer then you would be advised to use an HD projector as if you try to use an older model you will find that the resolution will not provide you with the quality of display which you require. As the technology used in projectors improves and becomes more affordable the use of projectors with computers is becoming increasingly commonplace.

Digital projectors are equally adaptable in the workplace as they can be used for staff meetings, business presentations and training. Presentations will commonly be done for customers as well as potential customers using PowerPoint. If your business dictates that you are likely to be doing presentations out of the office then it would make sense for you to buy a portable projector. In this case you should try to buy as powerful projector as possible as the room in which you are doing your presentation may not be as dark as you’d ideally like. A bright projector will help to compensate for the lack of quality image as a result of ambient light conditions. Do bear in mind that with the portable models of projector you wont always get the same quality of images that you will with a digital projector which is permanently fixed. However there is a bonus in that portable projectors are often much cheaper than their permanently fixed counterparts.

If you are travelling around with your projector then you would also be wise to invest in a suitable projector screen as you cant always rely on the venue you are travelling to having a suitable surface on which to project. Even if you find that you do have a white wall to point your projector at, the surface may still compromise the image somewhat. Projector screens are designed specifically to reflect as much light as possible into the eye of the viewer. If you have not purchased this sort of equipment before then it would be a good idea to approach an audio visual equipment company who will be able to advise you on a suitable purchase or even a cost effective rental option if your budget is more limited.

Author Bio: Edward Kendricks is writing on behalf of CTS, a UK audio visual equipment retailer.

There are a few different types of network servers, and they are all intended to perform a very specific task. The question that many people have pertains to what exactly a server is, and for that reason we are going to talk about the concept, and then we will take a look at a few of the network servers that perform the various tasks within a business.

A server can refer to a piece of software, or it can refer to an entire computer. When you have an entire computer functioning as a server it is referred to as a dedicated server. If you have a computer housing multiple servers, it is a non-dedicated server. In many cases this is referred to as a ‘box’, and no business would be complete without at least one of these.

VoIP

The types of servers out there are quite varied. First of all there is the VoIP server. It stands for Voice over IP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. This is not a server type that you would normally see in a private home, but in business you might see it quite a bit. The size and power of a VoIP server will depend highly on the number of users that need to access it.

Web

Another type of server that you will find common in businesses is the HTTP server. This is a fairly powerful type of server that hosts web pages and in some cases can become a file server. It is not often used as a file server however, because this is the job of the FTP server.

File Hosting

FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and is used solely for hosting and the distribution of files. FTP can be used for either small or large files, and is available in two varieties: Client and Server. Both of these can be obtained as free open source, or they can be paid for. Paid versions obviously have more support, but free versions have the advantage of being…well…free.

This is a list of some of the more basic servers in a business. The file server will be the most useful in any business as you are no doubt going to find out. The others will come in handy, and web servers will be useful for advertising. There are a number of other different server types out there that you might be interested in using however, among them being a mail server. The important thing to remember is that you should of course only strive to use the servers that your business truly needs. In other words don’t overreach, and don’t invest in technologies that simply will not be useful to you.

Stick to these guidelines every time you find a new server that may be worth using. Figure out what your exact requirements are and what system would best suit it, then find the quickest way to implement it. You will find that in this modern age of e-commerce, servers are of great use to large and small businesses alike.

Author Bio: Vincent Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For information about Business Telephone Systems and Unified Communications,he recommends Prodec Networks.

In the last decade there’s been a revolution in portable storage space available to PC and Mac owners and at the apex of this revolution is the 500GB external hard drive. It is a revolution driven by a technological trend which has itself been fuelled by the explosion in the availability and popularity of graphics (games, tools and design applications), audiovisual applications, video streaming and digital photography. These are space-hungry technologies and the growing demand for them has generated a corresponding demand for a powerful mobile storage solution. At the very forefront of this solution is the 500GB external hard drive or hard disk.

But it’s a solution for whom? In our household it is a necessity for the young mother who takes digital photos and videos of her first born almost every day. By the time he was two years old, she’d run out of PC space but was reluctant to give up any of the memories she was storing there. Enter the 500GB external hard drive solution. Now she is not only able to store those past memories but add to them while freeing up space on her PC for video streaming of her favourite television series.

Another member of the household is a business consultant who needs to be able to physically transport graphic demonstrations, research information and operations reports from her home base to this week’s work site. A handful of small flash drives have now been replaced by a 500GB external hard disk which has proved to be a far happier and more effective solution.

Business professionals, travellers, tertiary students, designers, web developers, downloaders and teenagers – in short, all those who need extra space and/or portability – are those for whom the 500GB external hard drive or hard disk is the most viable, all-purpose solution.

Transportability and capacity, however, are not its only advantages. Originally the size of your average dish washer when first developed back in the 1950s, the 500GB external hard drive is now sleekly compact and stylish. Fully secured in rugged, solid-state casings, the design of these mobile memories is a recommendation in itself because it is mobility with the utmost convenience. Lightweight and slender, they are easily packed away in the side pocket of a lap top carrier or briefcase; some may even be slipped into a purse or shirt pocket.

In a technological world where amateur computer enthusiasts easily outnumber the professionals, the user friendliness of the 500GB external hard drive and hard disk is another huge recommendation of their working design. They are ready to use out of the box with one simple cable to be plugged into any available USB port.

Above all, it is an affordable solution. The technological trends that have fuelled the revolution towards large capacity, portable storage space have also driven down the price. It is welcome news for all computer users – more especially those, like yourself, who need a 500GB external hard drive now!like yourself, who need a 500GB external hard drive now!

Author Bio: Are you looking for an unbiased review of 500gb external ? Visit http://500gbexternal.net today for more information!

Networks are a reality that all businesses have to face; unfortunately upgrading your system is another reality. Upgrading a network has never been particularly easy, and it can become even harder when both the cables and the hardware itself needs to be replaced. The question remains however, as to when you need to replace the entire system, and what you need to do with the old hardware. This is definitely a good question, so let’s talk a bit about network upgrades shall we?

The best thing you can do when it comes to determining a time is to take a look at the different technologies that are being released. You need to examine each new technology carefully and then ask yourself a series of questions regarding your current networking equipment. The first thing that you should ask yourself is whether or not you need the new equipment.

Take a look at the new features. Can your current hardware do something similar? Will these new features actually benefit you and your business? For instance, the new generation of network routers might have better security, but the question is whether or not you can do a simple firmware upgrade to achieve that level of security by yourself.

In addition to that, you will need to look at cable technology. Network cables started at coaxial, and they have slowly moved to twisted pair and fiber optic. One of the most recent additions to the cable family is the category six cable which is more suited to businesses than it is to individuals. Because cable is run throughout an entire building, it becomes an upgrade of necessity rather than something you would do on a whim.

If a single piece or multiple pieces of your networking equipment fails and you have no viable backup, it might be a good idea to order further replacements to ensure that it doesn’t affect the smooth running of your business. This could include a next generation router, but you need to determine whether or not it is compatible with your current equipment. This will require a great deal of research and patience before you can truly make a determination simply because if you place an incompatible piece of equipment into your network you could suffer from some rather serious issues, and it might actually take you some time to track it down. In some cases the issues might not even start right away and could take weeks or even months to fully emerge.

Deciding when and to what extent to replace your network equipment is never going to be an easy task in any case, but you can at least take your best guess. Remember not to wait too long, because if you do, you may find yourself sitting on a legacy network ordering parts from Ebay. That is never a good situation, and if you remember, that’s exactly what happened to NASA back in the day. That being said, keep up with technology, keep an eye on your network, and make sure there is adequate funding to replace your setup when the time comes.

Author Bio: Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For information on Network Infrastructure Services, he recommends Network 24.

When you have networking equipment in your business, there may come a time when you need to replace it. There are many reasons to replace your equipment, and there are many reasons for which it would be considered to be at the ‘end of life’. The most obvious would probably be that it is broken, but a more common reason is that new or improved software or hardware has been released.

At this time you will have a decision to make. You can either replace the network hardware or you could keep it and continue running on what is known as a legacy network. Running on a legacy network can be extremely difficult. It might be easy at first, but once you get past a certain point it will be difficult to replace parts and expand it to meet your businesses needs. It might even become extremely expensive.

If you decide to forego the legacy network option, you will need to get rid of your old network equipment. The question however is what will you do with it? In some cases it is illegal to simply throw it out, but as the IT manager you might actually find it immoral to get rid of the equipment, this might not be an option anyway.

There are a number of things that you could do with outdated equipment. For one thing, you could donate it to an educational institution. Vocational schools and colleges love receiving old equipment because they can either use it on their own network, or they can use them for repair practice.

Some businesses would rather make some money from their old equipment which is perfectly understandable. If this is the case with you, then you could choose to have an auction, or even list the equipment on a website if you do desire. The choices are nearly limited as you will no doubt find out in your quest to rid yourself of that old network equipment.

Keep in mind that you will not be able to sell every single piece of equipment. In some cases you will have broken equipment, or perhaps you have equipment that no one really wants anymore. In any case, getting rid of that old equipment can definitely prove to be a challenge, and with that being the case, you might have to contact a recycling center.

There are many recycling centers that specialise in getting rid of old computer parts, and this could serve to help you quite a bit. You will normally have to pay a fee of some sort, but you will at least be rid of those legacy parts, and you will have done it the legal way. Also keep in mind that hanging on to your old hardware might not be a bad idea. There may come a time down the road when someone wants parts of this nature and they may be willing to pay quite a bit for it. In fact, some older equipment can become very expensive in later years. So sit down, figure it out, and do something about the legacy equipment in your building.

Author Bio: Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For information on Network Support Services, he recommends Network 24.

The best pocket projector so-called Pico projector don’t propose the features and capabilities of more advanced and bulky projectors, but they do set aside you to do relatively a bit- namely, project in your videos or PowerPoint presentations in a moment, but the equipment is new, and it’s hard to come to a decision what pocket projector is the right one for you.
Even though, not as vivid as traditional projectors, palm-top projectors and also known as best pocket projectors that are also much smaller and lighter than traditional projectors. They are great choices for carrying with you on a business trip for presentations to small groups or for background up at home on the prompt of the moment to show a movie or play a game with a large size image, but still recovered because they use LED’s as their light source, with the LED’s meant to last the life of the projector, you don’t have the additional cost of replacing lamps as with traditional projectors.

Below are the Three Most Excellent Pocket Projectors for Excitement and Production:

1Aaxa L1 Pico Projector- the world’s first laser powered Pico Projector with an internal media player and storage with unique three-color laser light source enables the L1 to produce images with amazing color saturation that are always in focus. The pocket projector employ’s a revolutionary laser technology that combines a laser light source, propriety despeckling technology, and an LCoS imager laser projectors. Other features include a powerful media player capable of decoding of video, audio, images, and popular document formats, on-board memory, and a USB port capable of reading files directly off a standards USB thumb drive. Battery life is rated at 90 minutes and consists of AC adapter that allows unlimited run time.

2Aaxa P2 Pico Projector- the brightest Pico Projector on the market, designed for the professional user, the AAXA P2 micro projector employs an ultra-efficient optical engine design, new LCoS chip, and high-power LED. It brings true business presentation capabilities to the micro projector market with ultra-efficient optical engine; the P2 can produce excellent quality images even in less-than-dark environment. Features include AAXA’s popular MP4 player capable of decoding of video, audio, and images, 1GB on-board memory, and a microSD slot capable of reading up to 4GB cards. The battery life is rated at 35 minutes, with optional 70 and 180 minute batteries available.

3Optoma PK102 Pico Pocket Projector- the PK102 features four gigabytes of built-in memory that can used to accumulate and present pictures and video directly and can attach to any device with a complex video output. The PK102 is a model fit for the mobile videophone or anyone who needs a highly portable and extremely flexible display device. The Pk102 is extremely small and light weight with dimensions of about 2 inches wide, 4 inches long and 2/3 of an inch thick. Te projector is also light weight- 4.4 ounces including the battery and this can be transported comfortably in front of the shirt pocket.

Author Bio: Read more about Best Pocket Projectors at http://www.pocketprojectorreview.net/

In today’s world, running a business means you will undoubtedly accumulate a tremendous amount of documents. Record keeping is an important part of business. It is a standard business practice to maintain records for a minimum of seven years. An ability for organizing, storing and accessing these documents is just as important as maintaining all that paper in the first place. In this digital world shouldn’t you consider document scanning solutions to help streamline and bring your business into the digital age?

Transforming your paper documents into digital ones will require the use of a document scanner. Incorporating document scanning solutions into your business will provide the benefits that will help you take your business into the future. Firstly, digitally scanned and saved documents are easier to find and don’t require manual filing. Without paper documents to store you cannot lose documents to natural disasters such as floods or fires. The documents can be viewed remotely meaning that you (or your clients) can view files from remote locations. This allows for increased productivity and client satisfaction. Although many newcomers to the digital age fear that their records will be lost forever if the computer breaks, scanned documents can be stored offsite and easily backed up for future retrieval. Finally, valuable office space can be reclaimed. No need for endless walls of filing cabinets. Document scanning as well as document storage essentially allows for increased productivity, customer satisfaction and most importantly, reduction in costs.

The need for a high speed document scanner will become increasingly apparent if you are managing a large volume. When you have huge stacks of old documents that need to be scanned you will undoubtedly begin looking at high speed document scanners that can handle large volumes in the shortest amount of time. The old style flatbed scanner is not suited for this task. You will need a scanner with an automatic document feeder. The automatic feeder will allow you to insert multiple pages of paper into the scanner. The auto feeder will then take over the task thus allowing the user to process entire batches of documents and save them digitally.

The key to selecting the appropriate scanner to meet your needs is to look at the PPM rating of the scanner in question. The PPM tells you the average pages per minute that can be scanned. Obviously, the higher the PPM, the faster you can convert your pages to digital format. High capacity and automatic scanning of double sided documents will also increase productivity and make it easier to complete the scanning of stacks of documents. Other nifty features that you can look for when deciding on a scanner include automatic document size detection, automatic de-skewing, background color removal, optical character recognition, text enhancement, hole punch removal, and automatic blank page removal.

Of course you will want to be certain that creating digital documents with a scanner is something that you can manage. Selecting a scanner that is relatively easy to use is important. A good reliable scanner that meets your needs and is able to grow with your business would be a sound investment as we together head into the paperless age of digital technology.

Author Bio: Inception Technologies offers complete document management solutions that meet your needs. Find everything from high volume scanners to data capture systems at their online store. Visit http://inceptiontech.com/ today.

When it comes to buying a printer, you could well find yourself surprised by the amount of choice you have. Printer technology has come a long way since the old dot matrix models (even though these are still around); allowing for faster print times, great colour reproduction, networking and multifunctional elements.

So to sort your laser from your inkjet and your duplex from your Wi-Fi, here are my top 10 tips on buying a printer:

1. Determine a Budget…and Stick to it!

Printers come in all shapes and sizes. They have a dazzling array of features, making them better suited for some environments than others. With all of this technology available, understandably the prices can differ. So before you get started on your hunt for the perfect printer, you need to have a budget set. This will ensure you don’t end up spending more on functions you don’t really need.

2. Determine the Main Purpose of Your Printer

If you are looking to do bulk prints regularly and don’t want to have excessive expense or hang around too long, then a laser printer or gel sprint (from Ricoh) would be your best bet. For smaller, infrequent printing jobs with no time parameters, go for an inkjet. If you want to integrate copier and scanning functionality, go for a multifunction model.

Maybe you will be just printing out high quality images or photographs. In this instance, only a good quality photographic printer will do.

3. How Many Users Will Need the Printer?

If you have a busy office and need a printer to service dozens of work stations, you will need to get a printer that has network capabilities. If the hardwire option of networking doesn’t appeal to you, perhaps you should consider a Wi-Fi printer. These wireless models use internet connectivity to send jobs from a number of different devices.

If it is for a single computer, whether at home or an office, you won’t need to worry about spending extra on network options.

4. Consider Future Requirements

It’s all well and good getting a printer that is perfect for your requirements here and now, but what happens a few months down the line when this changes? For example, you might find that you buy a mono printer to save a little money then, weeks later, you find that you need a regular batch of colour prints – suddenly you have to outsource or upgrade.

Printers only have a certain lifetime, but you need to make sure that you are able to get the very most out of it during that period. So allowing for future growth is not always a bad strategy.

5. Which Features Are Essential?

There are some features on a printer that we would all like, although the thought of paying additional cash for the privilege sews a few seeds of doubt. So it is important that you determine what is absolutely necessary for your home or business printing needs.

If you are likely to do a lot of major projects where double sided printing will be a major benefit, then you will need a printer with a duplex printing option. Perhaps your printing output is usually around 300 pages a day, in this instance you will want a printer that has a tray that is big enough to handle these demands without continuously having to replace the paper.

6. Research Models that Match Your Criteria

Don’t just go with the first printer that you find. Having determined how much you are looking to spend and what you need, it is important to find a few different alternatives to choose from. Weigh up the pros and cons of each, do a little research online and decide which one will work best for you.

7. Choose Your Brand

Not necessarily the most important, but you have to find a brand that is established and has a reputation for developing models of a certain standard. It’s all well and good saving some money by going with another brand, but if their consumables are exorbitant or customer services aren’t up to scratch, you could find yourself with all kinds of long-term headaches.

8. Find a Reputable Reseller

Whether shopping on the high street or online, you need to buy from a business that enjoys a reputation for providing great products and after care services. It might be slightly more cost-effective to go elsewhere, but if you don’t get a warranty or can’t deal with anybody if anything goes wrong, you could be on a hiding to nothing.

Look for reviews and talk with other people who have bought products from them in the past; this should give you a clear indication if it is worth going elsewhere or not.

9. Consider Long-Term Expenditure

Pennies saved today might cost you pounds tomorrow. Consumables vary in price and quality across the full range of printers that are available. So don’t just research how much it costs, or who makes it, ensure you know what toner/ink it uses and how much maintenance could end up costing you. Small differences in price can really add up over time, especially if you are printing in bulk.

10. Check the Small Print

Particularly if you are buying online, you need to know what guarantees the seller offers and what method of delivery they utilise. You need to be sure that you will be receiving exactly what you thought you would be getting, not a printer that is full of costly extras or something that is out of stock for weeks.

Author Bio: Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For a wide range of printers and products by brand, he recommends Printware Ltd, a leading provider of Brother Printers.

As printer technology has developed, so too has the diversity of models available. When once it was just black and white dot matrix printers that filled offices and homes, today there are laser, inkjet, gelsprint and multifunction models challenging for consumer attention.

Each printer has its own unique quality. Whilst many share broad similarities, every model from the vast array of manufacturers has a standout feature. The trick though is to work out a basic outline of what you need and slowly work your way towards the colour printer that is perfect for you.

Let’s start with the basics. The two major types of colour printers are laser and inkjet printers. The inkjet uses a liquid ink that is slowly applied to the page in horizontal lines. The image is created by small dots plotted strategically across the page. As it uses liquid ink, it is often slow to dry and may take some time to print full colour pages.

Due to its limitations, the inkjet is commonly used as a personal printer. It is ideal for infrequent use or producing high quality images. They have come on a long way and speeds are constantly improving, so certainly not worth writing off.

However, if you are looking to do major printing jobs or have a number of workstations accessing the device, a laser printer might be the better option. Rather than using liquid ink, which can be smudged and slows the printing process as a result, laser printers use a special dry powder solution. This is applied to the page using the laser, which creates an image based on a magnetically developed blueprint. Complicated stuff, but it does work.

Laser printers can produce full colour pages in around two seconds (on average). Despite the high speed, there is little or no chance of your finished page containing smudges or smears as a result of the ink. As they have been purposefully developed for larger volume jobs, lasers are also extremely cost effective; particularly in the long run.

From the outset you will often pay less for an inkjet printer as compared to the equivalent laser model. This is because the technology is a little more straightforward, whilst the associated consumables are also priced lower than the liquid ink alternative.

However, laser printers come into their own when the ongoing costs are taken into account. Whilst the toner cartridges cost more, they also last significantly longer. This means that you won’t have to splash out for refills or replacements as regularly; therefore, over time, you should see that your costs per print are significantly reduced by using a laser.

Quality differences are largely negligible. In the most part you will have to pay more for whatever type of printer you decide to buy in order to get the very highest levels. Remember that the clarity of an image is defined by the number of dots per inch (dpi) the printer produces; so if this is a significant factor for you, be sure to seek out a high-end laser or inkjet.

In terms of producing photograph quality images regularly, you will need a printer that is equipped to deal with this unique requirement. Photo printers are widely available, with increasingly higher quality and lower prices to boot.

But in all of this, the underlining issue is your requirements. All environments have different printing needs, therefore you have to be able to find a model that is able to satisfy all of yours.

For an office with significant volume and numerous workstations, a Wi-Fi networked laser printer might well offer you the best in convenience and turnover. The ongoing costs will be lower than an inkjet and you will be able to produce huge volumes of printed pages in no time at all.

However, if you are looking for a cost-effective printer with high output quality for low volume offices or your home, an inkjet or even gelsprint colour printer might well provide a better solution. They tend to be more compact, cheaper to buy and run for smaller print loads and are straightforward to maintain.

Author Bio: Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who writes for a number of UK businesses. For a wide range of printers and products by brand, he recommends Printware Ltd, a leading provider of the Epson C1100.