Computer Topics Computer Topics Videos Finding Affordable Hard Drives One thing is for sure, the hard drive is something that no computer can be without. In fact, when you are looking to upgrade your computer or buy a new one you should use the hard drive as one of the most important considerations to follow. There are all types of affordable hard drives to choose from though. These will help to not only give your computer a place for its data to be stored but they will be useful in that you will not have to spend more money than you need to. The first thing to consider when finding affordable hard drives is the capacity of the hard drive. While larger hard drives have become the way to go for some computers these days the more affordable hard drives are going to be the ones that have lower levels of data capacity. A hard drive that fits 250GB of data will certainly cost less than that of an 800GB hard drive. Another thing to consider for the affordable hard drive is the USB capability. Some hard drives will only be able to be used inside of the computer. Some of them can be read through a USB connection. This has turned into one of the most convenient methods of data storage on the market. Groups like Western Digital and Seagate have been making these, but it should be noted that the most affordable hard drives in this range are ones with lower capacity levels. Affordable hard drives will still have great data transfer rates also. Inner zone transfer rates for one of these cost efficient hard drives will be at around fifty megabytes a second and close to a hundred megabytes in a second for data at the outer zone. There are various different places where you can find affordable hard drives. For instance, a typical computer hardware store will have new hard drives available for sale at different price levels so you can find one that will be in the range that you are willing to spend it on. Some independent computer hardware stores will have refurbished hard drives for sale. These have already been used but are cleaned up and restored so that they will work just like new. Even the higher end hard drives may be available in refurbished quality. This will mean that you can save a great amount of money on top quality products. An outlet store will also have affordable hard drives. This is because these hard drives are sold individually to people who are looking to customize their computers. In addition, with no middleman involved money will be saved because of the small transfer costs. You can find an outlet store in your area through your local phone book. Online sites can be useful too. TigerDirect.com, which is the website for the Tiger Direct Outlet Store, has many of these affordable hard drives. SuperWarehouse.com has plenty of hard drives and special deals for sale too. PCNation.com has more hard drives and arranges its hard drives by capacity size. Of course, those are some of the more credible sites to visit. Remember, some online stores may not be protected or secure like these three are. A hard drive is something that you should use for your computer. By using the considerations of the hard drive in terms of the size, you want and by looking at various different stores, you can find affordable hard drives that your computer can use without you having to spend more money than you want to. What To Look For In A Computer Monitor A computer monitor is important for any computer because it is what brings the world of computers to people visually. There are all sorts of different things to use for a computer monitor. Among the things to look for in a computer monitor, include the resolution of the monitor, its size, the type of display and the refresh quality of the monitor. The size of the pixels in the monitor should also be considered when you are considering what to look for in a computer monitor. The first thing to look for in a computer monitor is the resolution quality of the monitor. The resolution is based on the number of pixels that are in the monitor screen. When there are more pixels in the monitor the resolution will be better. For instance, a monitor with a resolution of 1600x1280 is better than a 1280x1024 monitor. The horizontal number of pixels is listed first followed by the vertical number. The next thing to look for in a computer monitor is the size of the monitor. The size of the monitor will refer to how big the screen is from a diagonal measurement. Sixteen-inch monitors are popular but there are other sizes available at typical stores that sell computer monitors. When looking for the monitor that has the right screen size the ability of the user to read what is on the monitor should be greatly considered. The display type that is used in a monitor is similar to what is used with a television set. Cathode ray tubes are used in larger monitors that have picture tubes working to display images. Liquid crystal display monitors are becoming more popular. This uses a liquid film to display images and is incredibly popular because of the thinner size of the monitor. It should be noted that the display type is going to make an impact on the colors in the monitor. A cathode ray tube monitor will be easily visible from multiple angles and will do a better job with displaying images. However, a liquid crystal display monitor will be able to bring out higher quality resolution for images. Technology for this is improving though. In fact, it is easier to place on a typical desk because of the smaller width of the monitor. The refresh quality of the monitor is another thing to think about when looking for a computer monitor. This refers to the highest number of vertical scans that a monitor can produce. A typical monitor will have a range between seventy and two hundred vertical scans per second. When the monitor has a higher number of vertical scans per second that means that monitor will be able to refresh what is on it at a faster rate. There will be less flickering when there are more vertical scans in a second. While the number of pixels in the monitor is one of the things to think about when you consider what to look for in a computer monitor, the size of those individual pixels should be considered also. Each pixel will have a size in a specific amount of millimeters. The size will determine the dot pitch in the monitor. A typical dot pitch for a quality monitor will be .25. This means that the pixel will be especially small and less than a millimeter in size. Overall, when the dot pitch is smaller the monitor will be better. This means that greater levels of resolution can be created on smaller monitors. That is what to look for in a computer monitor. The resolution, size, refresh quality, display and the pixel size should all be considered when looking into buying a computer monitor. Not all computer monitors will be the same, so it is important to look into all of these aspects so that it will be easier to find a monitor that is right for one's individual needs. What Computer Printer Characteristics Should Be Considered A typical computer should have a printer on hand. There are all sorts of computer printer characteristics to look into first. The type of printer that is used is one of the characteristics to consider. This includes the printing quality and the speed of the printing. Multiple services, including scanning and faxing, can take place from a printer too. Here is a look into these computer printer characteristics. The type of the printer is one of the computer printer characteristics to follow. The dot matrix printer is still used in some places. This is where pixels are printed to form a single image. However, more advanced technologies are being used. For instance, the toner based printer uses static electricity to move the toner into the paper for printing and then heat is applied to keep it on the paper. The inkjet printer is the most common printer on the market today. This is where small bits of ink are printed onto a piece of paper. Each bit of ink will be attached via a small electric charge. Laser printers are becoming popular too. These can work with toner in that the LEDs in the printer can get the toner to stick to the paper. Inkless printers are currently in development as well. Dye crystals are used to be heated into the area between the two layers of the paper. This is a process in development though, as the print has been known to fade quickly in trial tests. The first of the computer printer characteristics to consider is that of the quality of the printing. The quality that a printer will be capable of handling will be measured by its dpi, or dots per inch. The dpi readout will be based on the ability of the printer to be able to print high quality images. For instance, a typical printer on the market will have a dpi readout of 600x600. This means that there will be 600 dots per inch on both the vertical and horizontal parts of the page. 4800x1200 is becoming a standard on some of the higher end printers these days, and some will even go as high as 9600x2400 in quality. The speed of the printer is another of the computer printer characteristics that is important. The number of pages per minute that it will be able to print measures the speed. This speed will be different based on whether or not black and white pages or color pages are going to be printed. Some printers can handle up to thirty black and white pages in a minute and eight color pages in a minute, for instance. The multiple features on a printer are the last of the computer printer characteristics to look into. Some printers are able to handle scanning or fax technologies. Some will also be able to copy pages right from the printer without a connection to anything. CD and DVD label printing is also featured on some of these newer printers. Those are the computer printer characteristics to think about when buying a new printer. The type of printer, its quality output and the speed of the printer are all important. Additional services may be considered too. By using these considerations, it will be easier to find a printer that is right for one's specific needs. Hot Tips About Dual Core Processors Dual core processors have become very popular in the world of computing. Some hot tips about dual core processors have been printed in many computer magazines for the last few years and have served to whet the appetite of many computer users looking to upgrade their computer systems. The ability of dual core processors to make computer systems run much faster and cooler means that many people want these processors in their computers. The hot tips about dual core processors have been talked about in many computer user forums online for many months now and the consensus seems to be that everyone wants them to be in their computer systems. While many older computers may not have the correct architecture to accept these dual processors, many of the newer models of computer can easily adapt to this innovation. The ability of dual core processors to handle multiple programs at one time is a very attractive aspect for anyone thinking of buying dual core processor architecture for their computer system. The goal of the companies that are producing these dual core processor systems has been to get a system that can do the work at the best price for consumers. Because hot tips about dual core processors have become commonplace among many computer users, the popularity of these processors has grown a lot. Many people have been waiting for the 'bugs' to be worked out of the dual core processor systems, before they purchase a system for their own computer. The main groups of computer users who are interested in this technology are the ones that use higher memory applications and people who use a lot of graphic programs such as computer games. This last set of users has been behind the dual core technology since the beginning as this innovation will enhance their playing considerably and allow their systems to compete with video game consoles already on the market. Once dual core processor systems can easily compete with video gaming consoles, and then the gaming consumer will think twice about buying a video console rather than upgrading to a dual core system. While some manufacturers of these processors have gone after the gaming market, others have aimed their marketing towards the business sector. Offering reliable and powerful processing systems to both markets has resulted in many computer users having much more powerful systems with a high level of reliability. The speed at which these processors deliver results is staggering to many users who have been waiting for innovations such as this to come along. Many hot tips about dual core processors can be traced back to online forums among users who wanted a better and faster way to process computer applications. The companies that create these applications wanted the manufacturers of the processors to make the processors faster so that the newer programs could be run much better and faster than they once had. This allowed for a great deal of innovation in the programs being produced as well. Knowing that the dual core processors could handle the program criteria allowed the programmers of games and applications to do whatever they wanted in the creation of a better and faster game or applications program. When talking about hot tips about dual core processors, it's important to realize that not only are these new processors faster at handling multiple tasks, but they are more capable of being able to deal with many computer programs and processes running at the same time. Since many people seldom run a single program or application on their computer at any one time, this ability to handle multiple applications is very important. The chance of your computer crashing under the load of trying to operate many programs at the same time is very slim now. These powerhouse processors can easily handle all the computing needs you have. You can read all about the newest innovations where dual core processors are concerned by simply searching online for manufacturers who specialize in these systems for computer users. Hacking The Web Raises Security Issues If there is one thing that people do not want to put up with when they are online, it is a hacker that disrupts Internet connections and even affects the files a user has on a computer. Here is a look at how hacking the web raises security issues and how hackers can be stopped so that these security issues will not be a problem. One of the ways that hacking the web raises security issues is that it can create dangerous software. Hackers can easily insert malware into a computer. This consists of files that can be especially damaging to the computer. The reason for these damaging capabilities is that a hacker can easily look through and edit files that are inside a website or the computer of a user on a website. Hacking the web raises security issues because it not only affects the websites involves, but it can also affect the users of the sites that have been affected. Hackers who work on hacking the web can steal specific information that other groups may give to websites. This includes phone numbers that can be used to call people with unsolicited offers. In some cases, a hacker may have more control over the malware that is used and therefore insert this software into a mobile phone that is listed on a website database. This can cause the hacker to steal even more phone numbers. In many cases, the hackers can send data to people on a contact list and this is then considered spam. They can send viruses and other pieces of malware that will only end up expanding the level of power that the hacker has. Some people may not know what to do with the emails that they get from a hacker because they may not know exactly whether the message is legitimate. This makes it clear that hacking the web raises security issues. A hacker can steal the especially sensitive financial data, and this is another reason why hacking the web raises security issues. For people who are going to be sending financial information and other important pieces of data to a website the information can be especially important. A hacker for that person to use for that person's advantage can steal the information. This includes not only credit card numbers and other information regarding these cards but also Social Security numbers. Since hacking the web raises security issues, it is best to use a few simple tips to work with improving security. For businesses that run websites that may be prone to hackers, it is best to install a good firewall onto the server. This can be used to help monitor incoming transmissions and block any software that is going to be sent to the server without the permission of the company that owns the server. Having the appropriate antivirus software is needed. A typical firewall program will have all of this information. This can be used for a server as long as the program will automatically update itself as new information on viruses and other dangerous things that hackers may have to gain access to a website or your computer are known. With automatic updates, it will be easier to be protected. In addition, for people who visit these sites, a firewall can be used. General measures that the average person should be using can help too. These include visiting only websites that can be trusted and by not opening any online links from any emails that may have been sent as a result from visiting any sites. It is very clear that hacking the web raises security issues. By taking care of these risks with a good firewall and antivirus program and by recognizing how hackers will look into affecting a system it will be easier to handle hackers and any other dangerous things that may come around. Banning USB Flash Drives From The Workplace The last few years we have seen an increase in sales of the fancy looking USB flash drives. They have been made as small as a keychain figurine or a tie clip. Yes, USB flash drives to wear on your tie. Now that these flash drives have made their way to everyone because of the affordable pricing, many workplaces are banning them from the office. It is one of the best ways to steal company information without anyone knowing about it. Many companies have as far as disabling the USB ports on employee's computers. This may seem a little extreme, but companies have to protect their information. Although some businesses give these little units to their employees for advertising purposes, they are not allowed to use them in the workplace. They are basically given as an advertisement with the company logo on them for others to see. There are so many harmful affects that these flash drives can have on a business. Because of their different shapes and designs, businesses have decided to pull the plug on the USB ports. You might look at someone's keychain and think that little gadget they have is cute, but that cute little gadget could ruin your business. This type of theft and the creation of the USB flash drives brought concern from many businesses and individuals alike. What if you are individual that carries around a USB flash drive in their purse or on a keychain would lose the unit? All information would be loss and open to anyone who finds the flash drive. This causes concern for concern for how to properly store the flash drives that have sensitive information recorded. Carrying around a flash drive is just like carrying around your credit card. If you lose it, you are vulnerable to fraud. For the most part, flash drives have allowed people to download music, pictures and files and free up room on the laptop or the desktop computer. These are also valuable in the event you would lose information on your computer due to a hacker or a virus. In this case, the USB flash drives are extremely necessary. You can buy different size flash drives to hold different amounts of information. If you download a huge amount of music, you may want a USB flash drive that can accommodate all the files or more than one. New technology has enhanced the use of the computer for more than one reason. People can now use flash drives for file storage and businesses can storage vital information on these drives in order to keep it safe from potential security leaks. Although businesses ban the use of the flash drives from employee's, the company themselves do use these as way's to conduct business during travels. They can make presentations and instead of carrying a laptop along on their travels, they just take the flash drive. Today, with the higher security in airports, it is always important to check with new security rules before attempting to take a flash drive on the airplane to make sure it will be accepted. In most cases, you will fid that they are allowed. Other business concerns the flash drives are a valuable and handy little piece of technology that will help secure important files and information. An Abundance Of Pyramid Schemes Are you a candidate for working at home on your computer? You might just be, but there are some hot issues you need to understand first. Not all companies or job sites have legitimate offers. This has become a hot topic as more people have become frustrated after finding out you have to pay so much money to work online. The advertisements in your email box tend to arrive quickly, but the money just never appears. One thing many are unaware of is that you never should pay to work online. You are supposed to be paid for work you do. One issue that never seems to go away is the pyramid schemes. If you receive an email to join a program free and earn money from your down line, this sounds like the easiest way to make money. In all reality, it is a nightmare. You have to sign up and then "upgrade to a status member" by buying the product in question, whether you want it or not. After that, you are told you can make money from those under you, but only if they in turn buy the product as well. Now the pyramid scheme is taking place. Therefore, to make twenty dollars, you may have to spend sixty dollars. There is no guarantee that someone under you is going to buy the product. You could wait until the pyramid scheme falls apart and learn a valuable lesson, or you could stay away and look for a more legitimate way to make money. The companies that pay for work done are on the Internet, you just have to know where to look and how to tell if they are legitimate. A legitimate company already has people working for them and has a good standing on the Internet as far as people experiences with the particular company. There are many websites that offer opinions and advice for working at home and these websites or forums as they are called, offer some valuable information about specific companies and there reputation. A few years back, you may remember hearing about pyramids schemes and other types of moneymaking ideas. If everyone can make money then why are there so many people losing money on these types of pyramids? The answer is quite simple, who has money to buy sixty dollars worth of product that you will never use to make a few dollars. Therefore, people may be hooked into signing up because the advertisement does not tell you that you have to buy something in order to make money. After you sign up, they continue to send you emails, telling you that someone else has joined under you, "upgrade now" to start making money. Well, in order to upgrade, you are going to have to buy that product and take a chance that someone else will feel the same way. In many cases, you are going to find out that you were the only one to do it. After waiting to make money, you will give up and be out the sixty dollars for a product you never used. If people would just understand that pyramid schemes only benefit the original product owner, then maybe it would be easier to find real work at home jobs. The Internet would then become a place to find work at home jobs without the need to investigate before applying or signing up for anything. The World's Top Reference Software Programs Why should a computer have a good reference software program? It is because a professional reference program will be more credible than something that can be found on a typical website. This is especially true because many leading authorities work to compile reference software that is up to date and accurate. Here is a look at some of the top reference software programs. Some of these work as simple dictionaries or encyclopedias, but others can work for other services like travel or taxes. Microsoft's Encarta series of virtual encyclopedias has been seen as one of the top reference software programs of all time. It is updated every year, and it even allows for free updates for certain users. This program can be easily integrated with other programs in the Microsoft Office series, including Word and PowerPoint. Web search assistance for more information on topics in the encyclopedia is also featured through Encarta. Some of the top reference software programs includes dictionaries that can help with not only the English language but also various other foreign languages. While English language dictionaries from groups as Random House and Oxford are available there are foreign language programs that can help educate people on how to speak different languages. Rosetta Stone's foreign language programs are among the top reference software programs in that thirty different languages are covered. These languages range from common ones like Spanish and French to languages like Hebrew and Welsh. Some of the top reference software programs work to educate people on computer processes. Learn2, which is located at tutorials.com, has all sorts of programs that teach users about how to use certain computer processes. This includes using Microsoft Office programs, Lotus spreadsheet programs and even basic computer use lessons. There are programs that are popular for travel planning too. Unlike a typical atlas, one of these programs can give detailed instructions on how to get from one point to another with information on all sorts of hotels, restaurants and other attractions on the way. Microsoft Streets and Trips is the most popular program in this category. Not only does this include updated information but it also allows for free online updates regarding construction and GPS compatibility. The last of the types of top reference software programs involves that of tax preparation software. Every year the federal tax code will change and several new things will appear in the code. To keep up with all of these changes it is important that the right reference software programs be used for this. In fact, the best ones will help a user to find out new information that can help to get the person to save money on taxes or to get a greater return. TurboTax and TaxCut are clearly the most popular tax reference programs available. These programs work to help educate people on tax law changes and can help them with filing their taxes without having to go to a local tax specialist. This can definitely help get a person to save money. Those are some of the top reference software programs to choose from. Not only do these top reference software programs help to provide education through standard dictionary and encyclopedia services but they can also help to educate people on foreign languages. Those who do not know how to use a computer can be helped through tutorial software, and even trip and tax planning can be handled. These types of reference programs are ones that all computer users should consider having. The Top Video Cards On The Market The top video cards that can be used in today's computers can be easily found in many stores. Many of these cards will have different interfaces that are used and some will have high definition television compatibility. However, not all of the top video cards are going to be the same. The best of the top video cards on the market these days is the GeForce 8800 GTX. Made by NVIDIA, this features a GDDR3 memory technology chip and is PCI compatible. This is what is also used in Sony's PlayStation 3 gaming system. This second best video memory chip is available and has a memory clock rate that well expands over one gigahertz in speed. More of the benefits of the GeForce 8800 GTX is that it is the first video card that features DirectX 10 GPU. This is the latest edition in the Microsoft series of multimedia programming and is used exclusively with the new Windows Vista operating system. PNY's GeForce 8800 GTX Overclocked is a variation of this video card and is also one of the top video cards that are available today. In addition, a PCI card, this feature has the ability to create image resolutions as high as 2560x1600 in quality. It also supports DirectX 10, OpenGL 2.0 and high definition television systems. The memory bandwidth of this card is especially high, as it has a bandwidth of 96 GB per second. BFG's GeForce 8600 GTS OC2 is one of the top video cards in the PCI Express line. The PCI Express is a unique and easy to use interface for the video card. This specific card will handle more than thirty gigabytes of bandwidth per second and has 256 MB of video memory. OpenGL 2.0 and DirectX 10 are also used here. AGP cards are available for those who have computers whose motherboards can only take in AGP formatted cards. Diamond Multimedia's S120 Radeon 9550 is one of the top video cards in this category, and it is great for those who are not willing to spend a great amount of money on a video card. This costs around fifty dollars in a typical retail store. This contains a VGA analog output. This Video Graphics Array output is easy to connect. It also features 256 MB of video memory and a maximum resolution of 2560x1600, and it is AGP compatible. This is a great video card for those who are looking for a card that is affordable. Another good AGP video card is the XFX GeForce 6200. These features VGA connectors and a dual 400 MHz RAM. It contains 256 MB of video memory, which refers to the coordination of depth in three-dimensional images. The CineFX 3.0 engine is one of the most notable parts of this card. It makes it one of the top video cards because it uses unique shader architecture so that images will be displayed at a smoother rate. Some of the top video cards are SLI ready cards. This refers to Scalable Link Interface, which helps to link multiple video cards to create one output. NVIDIA's GeForce 7300 GT is one of the top video cards in this range. It features DDR2 memory and is compliant with PCI Express cards. Its unique transmission encoder will help to provide HDTV and composite output signals. Biostar's GeForce 7100 GS TurboCache is also popular. This has 256 MB of video memory and a top resolution of 2048x1536. It is also HDTV ready. Those are some of the top video cards to look for when shopping. These video cards all have different interfaces for PCI, AGP and SLI formats. They all have different resolution qualities and video memory ranges, but some of them will even handle HDTV signals. These cards will not only be great for a computer but they will work well for individual computer users. Recycling Old Computers To Save The Environment Many cities, towns and townships are now thinking about computer recycling as well as TV recycling methods to protect the environment and avoid possible soil contamination. Because computers contain many parts that could release toxins into the soil, city governments are seeking alternative ways to dispose of your old computers as well as all your old electronic equipment. This eventually will become a normal practice as more city governments become aware of the potential danger of dumping computers and all electronic products into a landfill. Many groups are also spreading the word about computer recycling and want to find better ways to dispose of the equipment. In many cities, there are local electronic stores or recycling centers that will take your old computers and other electronics, dismantle them, and place the right parts in the right containers for disposal. This method of disposal will soon become a necessity because of the computer industries continued upgrading and making more computers that are newer more affordable for the average person to buy. If the computers make it into landfills as they have in the past, it could eventually cause environmental issues that would then need to be addressed by the federal government. The issue of recycling computers and other electronics has become a hot computer topic and will continue to be addressed by conservatives and government officials in order to protect the land. Because the monitors as well as televisions have gases and other toxins that if placed in landfill sites could sooner or later release these gases into the atmosphere as well. This is a concern for all who have the ozone and air quality in mind. The gases inside a monitor need to be released safely as you do with a refrigerator or air-conditioner. Without proper release, the air can become filled with these toxic gases. When recycling computers, monitors and any printers, people need to take the equipment to a place that is accredited for safely disposing of the equipment in a safe and proper way rather than dumping the equipment in a pile somewhere and hope for the best. It is vital that everyone disposes of their computer equipment properly and take it to a participating recycler in the area. You may have to pay a small fee to drop off your old electronic equipment, but you will also be spending the money wisely to protect the environment. One of the issues surrounding computer disposal is the already thousands if not millions of computers, printers and monitors as well as other electronics that are already in landfills all over the world. Many people express concern about ways to clean up landfill sites that already have the electronics dumped there, but the cost would be in the millions to do such a huge project of this sort. Besides the fact that electronics that have been in landfills for some time now have probably already done what harm they could do already. Printers just need the ink cartridges and toner cartridges removed before dismantling them. Many stores such as Office Max and other retail electronic stores have barrels for disposing of your old cartridges. Many ink and toner manufactures that sell to stores, supply pre-paid envelopes for sending the old cartridges back for recycling. These practices have been around for quite a while now. This has cut down on ink cartridges and toner cartridges from being pull in landfills. If everyone would learn to recycle computer and electronic equipment, then it will save millions of dollars for future clean up of these landfill sites. Recycling old computers to save the environment is necessary and everyone has a responsibility to abide by this practice to protect and preserve land and air quality. With the newer computer systems becoming available for an affordable price and the way technology changes daily, people are going to need new computers and other electronic equipment to keep up with the changing world. Recycling is needed to accommodate all the old equipment that will double if not triple over the next few years. Portable Media Inputs For Computers Portable media is one of the most popular things that can be used. Whether it is for an MP3 player, a digital camera or something that is just used to transport files around, portable media can be used to easily transfer information from one computer to another. There are numerous portable media inputs to look into. The most popular of the portable media inputs for computers is the USB input. The Universal Serial Bus input is used to improve plug and play compatibility so that devices can be easily connected to a computer without having to restart the computer or install additional software. Flash drives are especially popular among USB inputs, but various other programs and hardware will use this. This includes MP3 players that use USB connections to connect the player to the computer or portable video players that work in the same way. Hardware for the computers have been using USB inputs too, including computer speakers, monitors and printers. An SD card is another of the portable media inputs for computers. Short for Secure Digital, this is a popular method of data storage for all different types of digital media. This includes digital cameras, GPS devices and PDA computers. Many of the top cards can hold multiple gigabytes of information. SD cards are becoming popular in these devices and more computers have built in SD card readers. SDHC cards, which are Secure Digital High Capacity cards, are also popular and can be read on these computers. These cards are known for using the FAT32 file system and can handle more than ten gigabytes of data. Most computers will have memory stick compatibility. This is one of the most commonly used portable media inputs for computers because it can be easily transported and can carry large amounts of data. This media input can write around two megabytes of information per second and can transfer more megabytes per second. This is one of the portable media inputs for computers that is continually evolving. Whereas an original stick would be able to handle sixteen megabytes of data, a Memory Stick PRO can handle more than a gigabyte of information and the Memory Stick Micro, which is smaller in size but can fit into a typical memory stick input, can theoretically fit up to thirty two gigabytes of data. CompactFlash is another of the portable media inputs for computers. This is an input that is used especially with digital cameras. Many computers today will have built in inputs for CompactFlash cards. Some of these cards will be able to handle data with sizes as great as that of four gigabytes. Professional film development stores that have machines that can read CompactFlash cards can even handle this type of portable media. Because of the ease of reading the data on the card, it is affordable to print pictures from a CompactFlash input at one of these stores. The last of the portable media inputs for computers is the SmartMedia card. This is a flash memory card made by Toshiba that is popular among digital cameras. Several considerations should be used with this input though. In addition, some devices will only be able to handle five-volt cards and not 3.3-volt cards. Some readers can handle cards of either voltage, and this is the case for most computers that have these portable media inputs for the SmartMedia card. Portable media is popular in that it is easier to store and move data between computers. These five portable media inputs for computers are among the ones that can be found on a typical computer system. Not only will these portable media inputs for computers read the data that is stored on cards and other devices, but in many cases they can be used to connect equipment that uses these cards and devices with ease. The Results Of A Hacker Finding Your Personal Information Everyone has heard of the latest scandal regarding the Monster.com site being hacked and vital information for over one million people being stolen. Now what would a hacker want with the information some would wonder? The though behind a hackers motives in most cases, is to just be able to hack the site that says it is "hack proof". In other cases involving fraud, it is to obtain your personal information and either uses it for spamming or to sell it to scam artists. In any case, a site that is hacked has legal responsibilities one would think. The latest Monster.com scare is more than likely just the theft of work history and name along with references. Now if the information also included Social Security information or annual salary requirements as well as cell phone numbers and credit card or bank information, people are going to have major problems. This type of activity happens all the time, but we only hear about the big news companies such as Monster.com or others in the spotlight. Now if a pet product site that is just starting out and is not a well-known name, they are not going to divulge that information and if they do, it will not make the news headlines. Everyone uses the Internet for one reason or another and if you are like most people, you may shop, look for work, play games or just browse. In any cases, you need to be careful how you supply your information. A secure site to display your information needs to contain encryption to protect your information if it is for buying and gaming as well. Anytime you give out personal information about yourself, you want to know your information is protected. With the latest scare with Monster.com, people have to wonder, what will they do with that information? As hackers become more devious in their endeavor to hack into websites and steal the information, more IT technicians will work harder to make the sites and products to secure the sites even better. All the scares that we encounter with our Internet experiences are just another form of criminal activity, unfortunately, it can cause problems for the entire world. Protecting yourself and your computer from a hack attack is top priority and every day, businesses are upgrading their systems and infrastructures to protect vital information. The best way to protect yourself some had said is, never give out personal information. Unfortunately, this is not always possible. If you want to shop, look for work, do some gaming or sign up for important newsletters and promotions, you have to supply the pertinent information. Therefore, using a little caution as to what sites you use is great, but as it was proved with Monster, even the best of sites can endure problems. This however, is no reason to stop using the Internet. You just need to be aware of the treat and use good judgment when you visit a website. Some day we will see a system to track and stop hackers from stealing vital information. Companies who make the software and other software for security measures work hard every day to find new ways to stop a hacker. As the hacker gains more strength, software developers gain more security knowledge to stop them in their tracks. The Rebirth Of An Old Email Threat On You Life Once again, people are being emailed or spammed if you want to call it by someone or persons unknown. The computer has allowed people the ability to swindle money from people, scared them into giving money and just spammed from every part of the world. The latest email threat comes after laying dormant for a year or so and has now resurfaced. The email explains that your life is in danger of ending if you do not pay the person sending the email a huge sum of money. It goes on to explain that someone you know has hired this person to end your life. This email was a hot computer topic about a year ago, has now resurfaced, and is scaring unknowing computer users to death. They fear for their lives and some have paid the money just to stay alive. The computer is a great communication system for families to stay in touch as well as for business needs. The problem that people like this can spam your email box and get away with it is causes alarm. Even with a spam blocker turned on, these people can fool the spam blockers into accepting the emails as good emails. Good spam blockers are not able to block the emails and unsuspecting people are falling for frauds such as this particular one. Many people express concern for more effective spam blockers to reduce the number of fraudulent emails. Gmail seems to have a hold on spam as they only allow registered users to invite a guest or you have to have a cell phone to receive an invite from the server. To date, this email account seems to hold out spam emails better than others do such as yahoo and hotmail. Hotmail seems to be the runner up with yahoo coming in third. Computer hoaxes and fraudulent emails will never stop, people come up with new ways daily if not hourly to hack into email servers and find ways to break the spam blocker code in order to spam your email box. Although government securities try to find the culprits, they cannot keep up with growing alarm of the computing world about such actins. If a hacker or spammer can break through email security, then they can probably break through other security systems that are in place to protect your communication systems. Therefore, one conclusion is formed, security systems and spam blockers need to be revisited daily to protect the public. If there were a way to track spammers and spam emails, we would then have a safe and secure way to conduct personal and business communications. Most spam emails come through IP addresses that are routed off other servers and cannot be tracked. Many people without technical backgrounds can and do change there IP addresses to make more posts on classified sites and this is another way to spam your email box without being caught. Until someone figures out a way to halt these practices, anyone, anywhere can email you without you knowing where it is coming from. The important measures that need to be taken against spammers is not as easy to do as most people think it is because of the ability to change or reroute the IP address. One way to protect yourself and your computer from spam emails is to be very careful about who you give your email address to and do not open emails from someone you do not know. Emails that contain viruses can either infect your computer or scan your address book for all your contact information and spam your friends and associates. If you follow these two important steps, you can help protect yourself and associates from receiving threatening emails such as the one that seems to be plaguing everyone around the world. Another thing to keep in mind is that it is a fraud and not a real email. People Are Rethinking The Idea Of Installing Windows Vista Many people who rushed into the download and installation of the new Windows Vista are having second thoughts. Like everything new, the bugs are not quite worked out. Microsoft has a great concept in Windows Vista, except it has some potential problems. Many businesses run Windows XP or Windows 2000 and have established great success with their current product and tend to be a little apprehensive about installing the new Windows. They may have good reason. The Window Systems they are using now have been around longer, are tested and have been proven to work for the businesses with IT technicians. Many businesses are waiting for the Service Pack 1 to become available before installing Windows Vista. The biggest downfall to installing Windows Vista is that some applications are not as compatible as Microsoft had hoped for and this is a major concern. Many companies that have older computer systems are worried that when they install the operating system on their older computers, they are going to have additional cost in upgrading computers and other applications and software that they currently use now. This concern is not only been proven by businesses but also by personal computer users. If you are a personal computer user, your software and other applications may be compatible with Windows Vista, as for business owners, they have many different programs that will more than likely not run correctly once they install the new Windows System. This is the top concern. If a business relies on the communication through computers, they are going to want a compatible Windows System that will allow them to use their current software and applications. This concern is the biggest problem that businesses have with Windows Vista. Another concern is coming from people who work at home as a freelancer. Many companies that are hiring for work at home jobs are not accepting people who have Windows Vista. There computer systems and software will not work with the new Microsoft Windows. This is causing concern for home workers who are buying new computers in hopes of making a living at home. Since the issues with the compatibility of Windows Vista have become such a hot computer topic, many have expressed concern about not being able to use the program. Many would like to use it, but feel it may hinder not only a business environment but also a home environment. If you have a newer computer with Windows XP and the newer software, it might not become an issue with the software, but if your computer is older and upgraded to Windows XP and then Windows Vista, then you will probably run into software issues. Many people are upgrading without reading the reviews and issues about upgrading, how it affects their current software and the possible problems. After they have installed the new Windows Vista, people are having problems with programs not running. They are finding that they have to also upgrade all the software or not use it at all. This causes concern for people who need the software they have and cannot afford to upgrade everything at one time. Many people also have slower running computers and find out that the computer is running slower after the upgrade. Windows Vista is a hot computer topic because of the concerns and issues, but also because people are waiting for the service pack to be released. Once the service pack is released and more people start having better performance from Windows Vista, it might then sell faster. Right now, the reviews of the Windows program is split fifty-fifty on the ease of use and the performance. Of course, like any new Microsoft product that comes out, Windows Vista is no different, many people wait to make sure all the glitches are worked out before rushing out to buy the product. This is something more of a personal choice more than anything. Parents Want Parental Controls On All IPS Servers Intrusion prevention system servers are important options for computer security. This is because an IPS server can monitor all activities that take place on a computer so that any activities that are not desired or wanted will be blocked. This includes monitoring activities that come from other computers that the computer with the IPS server is receiving. Parents want parental controls on all IPS servers because these servers can help to block certain websites and other activities that they do not want their kids to use. It is very clear that there are several different types of websites out there that are bad for kids to see. However, these are some of the most popular websites among older people. These sites include places that may contain strong adult language or even places that feature strong sexual content. Parents want parental controls on all IPS servers so that any activities that are going to take place on any of these sites will be blocked from happening on their computers. This way the kids will not have to see anything from the sites that the parents do not want them to see, and this makes for one of the best reasons why parents want parental controls on all IPS servers. Another important reason why parents want parental controls on all IPS servers is because of the fact that kids who are on the Internet may not be fully aware of the many dangerous things that can impair a computer's performance. Viruses, spam, adware and malware are things that kids do not necessarily think of when they are online. Therefore, educating children about these things can be useful. Just to be safe using parental controls on all IPS servers is greatly recommended. This will be needed so that sites that are trusted will be the only sites that kids will be able to have access to. This includes sites that are known to carry no dangerous invasions that may get onto a computer. Parents want parental controls on all IPS servers because they will work to help with preventing any kinds of dangerous emails from getting into the email account that a child will have. As mentioned already kids may not be fully aware of the dangers of spam. They may feel that great offers for things that come to them on their email accounts will be for real. Because of this, the need to keep spam from getting onto a computer will be especially important. Using parental controls on an IPS server will be needed so that the sites that can cause spam to pop up onto an email account will be blocked. The last reason as to why parents want parental controls on all IPS servers is that they want their kids to have the same level of protection from dangerous malware and other online hazards as they do. They do not want the Internet experience for anyone in the home to be affected. After all, malware can easily spread from one computer to another in a server, and when there are multiple computers in a home connected to the same server for online use, this can easily affect the activities that all Internet users have. Those are the reasons as to why parents want parental controls on all IPS servers. IPS servers work to monitor network activities and prevent certain things from getting into a computer or any specific activities from happening. However, it is important to have parental controls on an IPS server because kids may not be completely conscious about the many dangers that are on the Internet that can affect one's computer. In addition, there are many different sites that parents definitely do not want their kids to read. With these reasons, it can be seen as to why parents want parental controls on all IPS servers. So many great things can be used to help protect not only kids but also the entire family. A Look At What Caused Skype To Shut Down Skype is one of the most popular communication programs used by people on the Internet. People with Skype accounts can call one another and talk with each other verbally with computer microphones. Phone calls from standard landlines can even be received and handled through a Skype account. Rates for calls through Skype are cheaper than that of standard calls and calls between Skype users are free, and this makes Skype especially popular. However, on August 16 and 17 in 2007 there was a time in which Skype shut down because of a crash in the system. Here is a look at what caused Skype to shut down. One of the factors that caused Skype to shut down was that there was a security update that took place on the Microsoft Windows operating system. Microsoft Windows users will receive routine security updates from time to time. These updates are all used with the intention of helping to protect the user's computer from the newest hazards that are online. One of the requirements that are needed for a security update on the Windows operating system is that the computer will have to be restarted so that the new updates will be installed and able to function. According to reports from Skype, there was a high amount of traffic and it seemed that everyone was rebooting their computers at the same time and then trying to get onto the Skype program. This plays a very important factor into learning about what caused Skype to shut down. Another issue that caused Skype to shut down was from an error in the software code in the Skype program. This error prompted Skype to shut down in the event that excessive activity takes place. It is not clear as to how the error came about, but after this was found, work began to close the error so that a shut down like this would not take place again. The Skype Company described the error that caused Skype to shut down as a "deficiency in an algorithm within Skype networking software." The algorithm was described as an interaction that helps to connect the Skype network with the client that the individual Skype user has to connect. This was considered to be the first time in which this took place within the system. Some have argued that the company was not prepared to take care of this particular type of error. Many other factors evolve around what caused Skype to shut down. One of the biggest problems is that more people are using Skype more so than in recent years. This has prompted more people to use up the bandwidth that Skype has available. It is in theory that because of the incredible demand for services from Skype that the system may have shut down as a result. How popular has Skype become recently? In the early part of 2006, there were a little less than a hundred million Skype accounts throughout the world. As of July 2007, there are a little over 220 million users throughout the world. With an average of nine million individual users on at once at any time of the day around the world, the bandwidth amount and activity that can take place with all of the Skype accounts can cause the Skype program to be over taxed. That is a general look into what caused Skype to shut down. While the original problem has been fixed and Skype is now available for all people to use again, the Skype Company will be looking to take care of the problem so that this will not happen again. However, with the continuously growing popularity of Skype and the increased activity that is used in Skype, there is always the chance that something new may happen, unless Skype can upgrade their system to handle so much traffic. What Computer Hardware Magazines Are Out There Because there are many different kinds of computer hardware and products in the industry it makes sense that there are various different computer hardware magazines to choose from also. These computer hardware magazines can be used by computer users to get good ideas of what computers are going to be better for one to use. These magazines include ones that can be used for information on hardware that can be used for business or for fun. Apple computer hardware is also covered in magazines tailored for Apple users too. Here is a look at some of the many computer hardware magazines that are on the market right now. For those who are new to the world of computers First Glimpse is one of the best computer hardware magazines to use. This features information on not only the best types of computers to use but also other forms of electronics that are used in society today. This is great for those who are looking to learn more about computer hardware and how it works for a particular computer. People who are interested in computer hardware for business purposes should know that there are also computer hardware magazines that cater to their needs. InfoWorld, for instance, is a magazine that works with information technology hardware. This includes data and news on products in the IT industry. EWeek is another of the computer hardware magazines for those who are looking for computer hardware for business. This magazine is famous for its lab tests of software and hardware that is used for enterprise purposes. It also covers products in the IT industry. There are also computer hardware magazines that work with computers for entertainment purposes. Maximum PC is one of the country's top computer hardware magazines. Known for its interest in entertainment services from computers and its sense of humor, this works especially with hardware that can be used for entertainment programs on the computer. This includes information on how to make top performing computers and how to make computers that perform very well without having to spend lots of money. Inspections of various different types of computer hardware are also featured. PC Gamer is another big name product in the world of computer hardware magazines. While this magazine does more to cover computer games as a whole computer gaming hardware and other pieces of hardware for entertainment purposes can be found in this magazine too. This includes video cards, monitors and audio systems that will work great for computers. These technology products can be used not only for games but also for entertainment products and for home theater systems based out of a computer. There are also computer hardware magazines that are for Apple users. Macworld is the most widely produced and famous of these magazines. This includes information on hardware that can be used with Apple computers and comparisons of various different Apple products and hardware that can be used in the line of computers. Information on tuning up an Apple computer for maximum hardware performance is also included. MacAddict is also for those who use Apple computers. This features information on hardware that is included in new Apple products and on upgrades that can be used with Apple computers. Details of other products in the Apple universe and even software demos of new programs that can be used on Apple computers are also featured here. Full video previews of the hardware featured here is included in video discs that come with issues of MacAddict. Those are some of the many computer hardware magazines on the market. Whether it be for a first time user, one who is interested in information technology hardware, a person who wants to improve the entertainment quality of the computer or even an Apple user there's a magazine for everyone. These magazines can be found at a typical bookstore that sells magazines or at a computer product store. The World Of Online Streaming Media Formats Some of the most popular files formats that are available for media files these days can be read online without having to wait to download a large file. There are numerous online streaming media formats to choose from on various different websites. These include online streaming media formats for audio files and videos that can be viewed online. All of these formats will be better for certain types of computers and connections though. The first type of online streaming media formats is that of the Windows Media format. Established by Microsoft, this format is generally capable of being read by Microsoft Media Player programs. Windows Media Audio is the top format that is used for audio programs, while Windows Media Video can be used for streaming video formats. Apple's QuickTime format is another of the top online streaming media formats. Files that can be read on QuickTime can be easily streamed online. This includes both video and audio files. An ActiveX control will be needed for a website or other online service to be able to play the file for streaming. It does take a bit to load a typical file under this format though, but there will be no interruptions in stream under the QuickTime format, and the data will not be saved onto the hard drive as a standalone file unless the user requests it to be saved. The MPEG file format, or Moving Picture Experts Group format, is one of the most notable online streaming media formats for video files. There are three different formats in the MPEG system. MPEG-1 is a standard compression format for video files, while MPEG-2 can be used for ATSC, ISDB and digital satellite and cable transmission. MPEG-4 is the best quality format and it is used to support three dimensional content and low bitrate levels. It should be noted that when downloading streaming media in one of the online streaming media formats in the MPEG system it will take longer to load a file based on the level of quality. MPEG-4 formats take longer to download. In addition, depending on the kilobyte bandwidth the size of the file will be different. 64Kb files will be smaller and therefore of less quality than 256Kb files. Real Media files are also popular among online streaming media formats. This can be easily read through a Real Media Player. 64Kb and 256Kb files are available in this format with the 256Kb format being better in quality. Of course, MP3 files can be streamed online. This is especially popular among websites that use higher levels of information. The bitrate of the file will make a difference in the quality of the sounds and the speed of the download. The number of kilobits per second is commonly used in streaming MP3 formats. For instance, a 56kbps file will be best for a 56K modem. A 128kbps file will be better for DSL connections but it will be a larger file to download for streaming. The speed of the online connection will make an impact on the online streaming media formats that are used on the computer. MPEG-4 files and 128kbps audio files will be better for faster connections. The main reason for this is that the files will be of better quality because of the more complex encoding that is used in these files. Of course, with the more complex encoding more data will be needed for the compression of the streaming media. That is a look at the many online streaming media formats. These formats can be used for video and audio files. Of course, some of them will have more data to download and will have different quality levels, so it is best to consider the speed of the Internet connection when looking into the online media format that will be read. With all of these online streaming media formats, it is good to know that there are different formats for different types of computers to use. The New Age Of Communications For Businesses And Individuals The new way for individuals and businesses to conduct phone conversations and conference calls is with Voip communications. The idea of finding a company that allows you to communicate over the internet has allowed many people to conduct business meetings and to keep in touch with family and friends. You no longer need a landline with a local phone company to talk around the world. When you add the video option to the package, you can conduct conference calls with business partners and associates as well as friends and family while seeing the person or persons you are talking too. This feature is for both phone and computers. Vonage has gained popularity with people looking for the Voip option. You have a box that that hooks up to your phone line and it has a broadband connection. With this company, you can have unlimited international and local calls for a set amount a month. Many other companies offer the service as well, with different plans and options. The Voice over IP system helps people who need to work at home or you have a need for a lower phone bill other than what their local phone company has to offer. The only drawback to having the Voip phone system is that you also have to sign up for a 911 service. Since you have the ability to select an area code other than the one you reside in, this can cause problems if you have to use the system. Many people do not realize this and have encountered problems. You are also going to pay an additional charge for the 911 service. This is a great way to save money if you already have a broadband connection. There are other options to the Voip telephony system as well. One thing to keep in mind about using the Voip calling system is that depending on the type of service you have, you may need a different phone to use with the new phone system, it will have a USB plug, but they are relatively cheap. This is the only downfall to the Voip telephony because if you lose power you will lose your phone service. Video conferencing is also hitting the top of the hot computer topics list because of the convenience and affordability that it offers. You can do this via computer or through a Voip line. You will more than likely need a software program for the computer, but this also depends on the system, you have to use. If you use the computer software, you can hook up every computer in your business that is connected to the network. This is becoming more popular because employees can remain at their desks and still participate in conferencing meetings. This is the hottest thing since the computer or the internet. Businesses everywhere are switching to this type of communication within the company as well as outside the company communications. Because of this communication, businesses and individuals have more options for communicating rather than a landline with a local phone company or a cell phone. Look for more upgrades in this type of technology as more and more people start to rely on this as a sole means of communication in the very near future. The Buzz About P2P Computer Systems Anyone with a computer and access to the Internet has probably heard all about Peer-to-Peer systems or P2P. The buzz about P2P computer systems is that these systems take advantage of a network of individuals all connected by their computer systems online and sharing information as a group. By having the same form of P2P software loaded onto the computer systems, the network of users can easily pass along many forms of electronic files such as music, software and video format files. Each software program has its own certain set of operating instructions and features that allow the users in a specified network to share files. The network of users can be small, comprising only a few individuals or very large, with groups of computer users in the millions. The software that is required to be able to access the P2P systems of other users are generally offered for free though these free programs may have advertisements that occasionally pop-up in return for the free software. Each individual computer user in this form of network acts as a peer to the other users and they all share files equally. By having no central file server, the users in the network are free to share whatever files they like. When we talk about the buzz of P2P computer systems, what we are really talking about is the way that many computer users have embraced this aspect of being connected to the Internet and to millions of other users. When once, these users were satisfied with having a few songs downloaded off the Internet, they now have many thousands of them downloaded and in their hard drives or MP3 players. The feeding frenzy is growing every day and there seems to be no end in sight to the amount of downloading of files on P2P systems. Many magazines and online zines report on the buzz about P2P computer systems in almost every issue of their publications. That is because it is a very popular topic among many computer users. The buzz about P2P computer systems seems to be centered on the widespread usage of the many downloading programs out there that allow many computer users sharing a network to upload and download files among the hard drives of the network. The ability of these P2P software programs to allow users to download and share whatever files they want while remaining virtually anonymous is the main reason they are so popular. These software programs allow a user the option of allowing other users to download files from their own hard drive or to limit the downloads to certain folders, or to not allow downloading at all. This final choice may affect the ability of the network to run smoothly among some users, and may even limit your own ability to download from other computer users in the network. The way these programs are set up is that if you share your files with others, you can more easily download files from the network. By not allowing others to download from you, your ability to get files from the network may be limited to a few files or a very slow download speed. Some of the buzz about P2P Computer systems concerns security of the network and the computer users that use the software programs to access each other's computer hard drives. The ability of some unscrupulous users to upload viruses and other attacks to the network of users is always there, but many people have become very adept at spotting this form of attack in the files they download from a system. By simply getting in the habit of scanning all downloaded files with a reputable virus program before opening, the chances of downloading a virus file into your hard drive become much smaller. Computer Viruses Are A Hot Topic No matter who you talk to, everyone has either had a computer virus or knows of someone who has gone through the agony of trying to get rid of the problem. Computer viruses are a hot topic that seem to affect everyone who owns a computer system, whether at work or at home. The companies that produce software programs that catch and delete these computer viruses are constantly updating their databases for virus types and definitions so that they can better protect your system against all the newest viruses. Creating virus protection programs is a multi-billion dollar business that is growing more and more everyday. The number of viruses being created and uploaded to the Internet is growing at an astounding rate of a new one every eighteen seconds! This definitely keeps the virus protection companies on their toes with research and development. Because these viruses copy themselves to any computer system they come in contact with, the spread of viruses throughout a computer network or the Internet is a very fast and deadly thing to happen to your computer. Because computer viruses are a hot topic, they routinely are the subject of magazine articles and forum topics online. While some viruses do nothing more than frustrate you with pop-up ads or other messages, others are completely malicious and set out from the start to destroy the files and operating systems of your computer. Of the 53,000 viruses that have been identified and classed, more than 80 percent of them have been classed as malicious and capable of harming your computer system or data files. These computer viruses behave in much the same way as biological viruses by contaminating any computer systems they come in contact with. These self-executing programs are generally very small and work at damaging the way your computer works or by damaging or completely removing key system files. When computer viruses are a hot topic, more and more people find out about the destructive power of these programs. In this way a great many people find out about virus protection programs and rush out to get the newest protection programs or they ensure that their computer virus protection is up to date. Many magazine and news articles about computer viruses have the effect of sometimes panicking people into believing that their computers are at risk. Having a good anti-virus program and current updates is one of the best ways to protect your computer system against virus attacks. This must also be coupled with good file habits such as scanning all downloaded files with the anti-virus program before opening them. It is always a good idea to take the time to ensure that the file you thought you were downloading is indeed the file you have. For instance, a file that labels itself as a movie file and is less than one megabyte in size is not a movie file. Movie files are generally nearly a thousand times that size and therefore, the file you have downloaded is most likely not a movie file and may in fact be a computer virus. Computer viruses are a hot topic at the office when a virus attack manages to get past protection protocols put in place by the network administrators. All it takes is one person allowing some executable files they have been sent to open and start replicating itself through the network of computers to make life Hell for that company. Virus attacks can cripple office systems very quickly resulting in lost revenue and consumer confidence which can affect the way that stocks in that company are traded resulting in even further financial losses. That is why it is so important for larger businesses to have comprehensive computer virus protection programs in place. These virus programs are much more detailed and powerful than the anti-virus programs that many consumers have protecting their computer systems. Because the fallout from a virus attack is much more financially damaging to a large corporation, the virus protection program needs to be much more robust and capable of protecting multiple systems within the corporation. Computer viruses are a hot topic among businesses simply because of the way that they can affect the company financially. Computer Use by Seniors Eases Loneliness More and more seniors are catching the 'computer bug' and taking the plunge to go online. The active baby boomers have grown up and become active seniors looking to get out and explore the world around them. The Internet and computers in general, have opened the doors to many avenues of entertainment and excitement for these seniors. No longer are they resigned to the playing of shuffleboard or canasta with their friends for their entertainment. Now with the aid of computers and the Internet they can play these games and more over online connections with people from all over the world. While learning to use a computer is still one of the biggest challenges to many seniors, many of them, when they learn to use a computer, cannot believe that they were ever worried about it at all. Some seniors have expressed nervousness when it comes to learning how to use a computer and interact with others over the Internet. They are doubly proud when they cannot only learn to use a computer but can also manage to send emails and use computer programs without any outside help at all. While some seniors may have had some experience with computers in their past employment, most are learning the basics of computer use for the first time from the ground up. It is quite an ordeal at first for many people who find it all a bit overwhelming. This quickly passes though as they learn the basics very quickly and can see basic results after only a few lessons. Computer use among seniors has proven to be very beneficial to them in many ways. It gets them active again in something. While using a computer is not the same thing as doing exercise for the body, the use of a computer is a very stimulating way for them to exercise their most important muscle -- their brain. By keeping mentally active, many seniors find that they are not lonely any longer and they have much more that they can accomplish with the aid of a computer. Not only can they use computer programs to help them work on any hobbies they have, but the Internet can also help them to stay in touch with others who share in their hobby. Staying in touch with family and friends by way of email is another great way to help seniors feel connected to the lives of others and to the world around them. By staying in close contact, they find more purpose in their old age. Some seniors even become competent enough with their computer usage that they can take on part time jobs doing simple data entry for businesses. They can also help to teach other seniors about the benefits of learning to use a computer and the amazing world of the Internet. Many seniors may have only heard about the millions of web sites out there that have so much information that they can access easily. For many seniors it is like turning on a light that shows them what they have been missing all these years. They become passionate about their search for knowledge with computers and the Internet. The sense of isolation is immediately lifted the very first time they send and receive their initial email message to someone they know. Whether the person is across the country or just across the street, the excitement is the same. They soon learn to feel part of the world again and can take part in many more conversations as their knowledge about computers and the Internet grows. Being able to reconnect with old friends that they have not talked to for years is a very big deal for these seniors. They can also encourage each other to learn more as they go through many of the same things together while learning about computers and the Internet. Many seniors with hearing problems find it much easier to email someone rather than try and talk to them on the telephone. Seniors who are grandparents find the Internet a great way to stay a part of their grandkids lives. By sending emails and talking over everyday events, the family grows closer and stays closer as well. By using the Internet, many seniors have found friends with common interests, whether those interests are hobbies or health matters they share, the excitement at being able to message someone and have them chat back to you in nearly real-time is very fun for these seniors. Laptops Coming With 1.2TB Hard Drives Some companies have successfully shown that it is completely feasible to have hard drives of 1.2 Terabytes in the very near future. It is not a very well kept secret that the news of laptops coming with 1.2 TB hard drives is being reported in many magazines and online zines. This is big news for those people who find that they want more memory and speed from their laptop computers. This will allow them to run many higher end programs and memory-heavy applications in a much better way. The laptops coming with 1.2 TB hard drives will have many more features and power-saving applications than the laptop computers that people are used to using. While many people use their home computer systems exclusively for their work and entertainment, there are many more that use laptop computers at both work and at home, completely replacing their home personal computer as their main system. The new laptops coming with 1.2 TB hard drives will have many more applications for computer users who like to use their systems for entertainment. The ability of laptops to play and store movie files easily on the hard drives is going to be even more popular with the laptops coming with 1.2 TB hard drives. For individual computer users this will mean that the amount of memory and processing power will be much better and faster than what they have in their laptops now. The goal of these companies is to produce a hard drive system that can be implemented in the same space as the existing hard drives but offer much higher levels of processing speed and storage capacity. The laptops coming with 1.2 TB hard drives will make it much easier for laptop users to run the same sort of memory-hungry applications as computers at home and at the office. Being able to work on large computer applications at home on the laptop computer is a big bonus for many people who do not want to be chained to one area in their homes. The ability of the laptop computer to allow them to work anywhere is a very popular aspect to their use. Being able to use these higher-powered laptops in situations where they once simply did not cope well with applications is one of the major selling points for businesses looking to upgrade their laptops. The ability of their employees to be able to have access to the same sort of allocations while on the road or away from the office is a very attractive aspect of this new announcement. Being able to have higher capacity hard drives in the same space and weight as the older laptops will improve many aspects of business program applications. Some businesses that specialize in creating complex business programs can now use the ability of laptops to have larger hard drives as the backbone of their target audience. The applications can be as simple as spreadsheet programs or as complex as computer business forecasting model programs. The larger capacity of the hard drive will mean that the laptop will not slow its processing times down at all because of too much data stored in the hard drive. It will take a long time to fill up a 1.2 Terabyte hard drive. Laptops have come down a lot in price over the past few years and more people have started using them, both in the office and on the road. The largest change to the demographic of the laptop, however, is that more people have started using their laptop computer as a replacement for their home computer. When once, laptops were only used for portability, they now have become so powerful that they can do everything that home computers can -- and more. The laptops of today have much larger screens than they once did, which was always something that laptop users complained about in relation to the larger screens on their home computers. With larger screens, faster processors and now the prediction of much larger hard drives on the horizon, it will not be long before laptop computers push many home based computer systems off the desk at home. How Can You Tell If Your Computer Is Bot Infected A bot is an important thing that a computer uses when on the Internet. A bot is an application that works to run automated activities for maintenance and protection when the user is on the Internet. There are some instances of where bots can be dangerous. So, how can you tell if your computer is bot infected? You can find out when you follow the tips mentioned here. How can you tell if your computer is bot infected? You can find out by seeing if your Internet activities have been involuntarily restricted. There are various different types of bots that can be dangerous to a computer. Some bots will cause denial of service attacks to take place. This is where the user who is trying to get it to work cannot access a resource that is on a computer. It will be impossible for you to access certain websites on the Internet. This is one of the main ways of how can you tell if you computer is bot infected. How can you tell if your computer is bot infected? You can tell if there is a good amount of computer viruses that are found on your computer during a virus scan. Even though a typical antivirus program will update itself often and do automatic scanning and protection, there can be instances where new viruses can sneak onto your computer that are not listed in the definitions that your computer program has. Many malicious bots will have these new viruses on them, so you should especially watch out for these when you are online. One of the best things to do to find out how can you tell if your computer is bot infected is by checking to see how much spam you are getting in your email account. Bots will be especially effective in creating spam that can be sent to infected computers. This can even affect email servers that have strong spam filters. The reason why these filters will be avoided when bots send spam is that in some cases multiple bots on multiple systems can work together to send different pieces of spam. This takes place through a botnet that can build up when one bot infects a computer and it spreads to other computers. One of the other things that can be used to help you tell if your computer is bot infected is if you live in an area that is near a bot control server. Bots have become a global problem in many countries that have control servers that send bots to other innocent computers. The United States has most of these servers, particularly in the Washington D.C. and Chicago areas. Atlantic Canada, Stockholm and Seoul also have large servers. These are areas that have the highest concern levels. Are there any products that can help you with understanding about bot infections and that tell you how can you tell if your computer is bot infected? Of course there are. You can check to make sure that your firewall and antivirus programs are fully updated and contain the latest patches. After you update the program, you can run a scan to see if your computer is bot infected. Prevention is an even more important thing to use though. Having a firewall program is helpful. Protecting personal information that you may be sending online should be used too, as you should only give it to legitimate sites that are trusted. Do not forget to avoid spam emails that may sound like a good deal. This is one of the main ways of how bots can spread onto a computer, and it can indeed be prevented. How can you tell if your computer is bot infected? You can tell by looking into the viruses and spam that you have in your computer. Making sure your computer is protected can help you to avoid them so that only good bots that help with computer processes will be on your computer. Great News For Computer Users -- The New Intel 3 Chip Is Out The new Intel 3 chip is out. This is the newest chip in the world of Intel computer processors. This is going to be a chip that will be used to power some of the world's fastest and most powerful computers and will be used to help make a computer more efficient. Now that the new Intel 3 chip is out let's take a look at all of the different things that will work with this new chip. The reason why the Intel 3 chip has the three in its name is that the speed and strength of the chip is incredibly powerful at three gigahertz or higher. This is one of the strongest chips that is available on the market and will be impressive for high end products in terms of how well they will work on a computer. One of the best things about the Intel 3 chip is how it performs in certain display technologies. Image technology is one of the newest technologies in computers, and the new Intel 3 chip works very well with this technology. It also performs incredibly well in integrated illustration display. The audio quality of the programs that are run with the Intel 3 chip is impressive. 7.1 channels of ambient sound can be produced on programs that are run with the Intel 3 chip. This is the best sound technology that is available on the market and it can make computers that run with the Intel 3 chip work like a home theater system with its unbelievable sound quality. One of the most notable things to see now that the new Intel 3 chip is out is that the chip supports HDMI technology. This is High-Definition Multimedia Interface technology. It works to transmit fully uncompressed video and audio streams in high definition quality. This is found to be one of the newest technologies and is expected to replace coaxial cable based technologies in the future and VGA video technologies. Another thing to know now that the new Intel 3 chip is out is that it is a 45nm, or nanometer processor. With the smaller size of this chip there will be less power consumed by the chip. This is impressive in that it will help to keep from overheating or being especially stressed while still sending out the best technology available to a computer. Of course, because of the much smaller size of the chip, it will cost more money to make, and this will result in a cost for the chip that is going to be higher than that of other chips on the market. Because the new Intel 3 chip is out, there will be a greater demand for this than other chips in the world of computing. However, it will also be more expensive than that of other chips that are on the market. A typical chip that has a speed of three gigahertz or more can cost over a thousand dollars in most cases. In addition, since the new Intel 3 chip is out there will be many stores that will have them for sale. Technology stores like Circuit City and Best Buy will generally have these computers available for sale. Specialty stores like Fry's Electronics will have them also. Wholesale computer part stores and outlet stores will have these products in the Intel 3 chip family as stand-alone items that can be installed into certain computers too. For instance, Tiger Direct outlet stores in the Chicago, Miami and Raleigh areas will have them for sale. These outlet stores can generally be found online also for those who do not live near any of these places. For instance, by going to tigerdirect.com Tiger Direct products can be purchased online. The new Intel 3 chip is out. Not only is it powerful but it is also on top of the latest technologies in the world of computing.
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