If you’re going to be building computers, adding devices to your computer, altering BIOS settings, or just installing and deleting programs on your computer, then you’ll want to learn the basics of troubleshooting. You might notice that I didn’t say computer troubleshooting. That is because troubleshooting is an independent skill. I learned to troubleshoot
as an electronic technician. And most of those same techniques work fine for troubleshooting computers.
Troubleshooting is really a kind of detective work. If you notice, the TV detectives spend a lot of time asking questions and thinking over the facts. And that is where a good troubleshooter starts, asking questions, not with tearing apart their computer, swapping components, or running diagnostics programs.
My intent here isn’t to give you heavy technical troubleshooting instructions, but to provide you with common sense techniques that will likely save you a lot of time and trouble if you follow them.
Take note: I am assuming a basic to intermediate knowledge on the part of the computer user for this article. In other words, that you either build computers or add components to it, like hard drives or CD drives. I also assume you have a basic understanding of the boot process. Finally, I assume you know basic electrical safety rules.
A Typical Scenario
Let’s say one evening you turn on your computer and it starts, seems to boot fine, but stops dead at the point it should start loading Windows. What now? You panic of course. Like most of us you haven’t saved copies of your most important documents for months. And since Windows isn’t loading from the hard drive, you “logically” assume there is a serious problem with the hard drive. It must be physically broken or the data is scrambled.
Since you’re in panic mode you tear the hard drive out of your other working computer and try to boot the first computer. The same thing happens, it stops at the point of loading Windows. What a relief, at least the problem isn’t with the hard drive, your data is safe - there is probably a fault with the motherboard in the first computer.
To make sure, you test the hard drive from your first computer (the one that wouldn’t load Windows) in your second computer, it works fine. That confirms it, there is a problem with the motherboard on the first computer. Probably the hard drive controller, you think, being the expert.
by pcmech
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Swine flu: What you need to know
Hundreds people in Mexico and an increasing number in other countries have come down with a new kind of swine flu. People are concerned because some of those infected in Mexico have died, and because this is the kind of virus that could become a serious worldwide epidemic (see Deadly new flu virus in US and Mexico may go pandemic and Threat level for flu pandemic raised).
Should I worry about this flu?
That depends on two things: how severe this flu is, and how far it spreads. Its severity is still unknown. Those who died in Mexico were young adults who don't often die of flu, so we know this virus can be serious. But it isn't always this bad: the cases picked up in the US were mild. Outbreak investigators are now trying to find out how many people have had the virus, and how many of those were seriously ill, to get an idea of how bad it is.
Will it spread to where I live?
That depends, again, on two different things: whether the virus is transported to your region, and how efficiently it spreads between people.
So many people travel globally now that, as long as this virus keeps infecting people, it is unlikely not to get to where you live. Some countries are already using infrared cameras to spot people with fevers on flights from affected areas. But that won't stop it entirely, since five days can pass before an infected person shows symptoms, and the virus can spread before symptoms start.
The big question is how efficiently it spreads once it lands. From the number of cases in Mexico and the fact that those infected in the US had not been in contact with pigs or each other, we know that it can spread from human to human, and has done so for weeks at least. Investigators are conducting tests to see whether people who contacted known cases have also been infected to try to assess how easily it spreads. Preliminary observations in the US suggest it has spread readily to contacts of known cases.
Similar swine flu viruses have jumped from pigs to people before and have always petered out without causing a pandemic because they were not good enough at spreading in people. This virus may do the same thing.
Does this virus mean I shouldn't eat pork?
No. This virus is named swine flu because one of its surface proteins is most similar to viruses that usually infect pigs, and the whole thing is of a type that has been spreading in North American pigs for years. But this particular virus is spreading in people and we don't yet know if it infects pigs. In any case, cooking kills the virus. Wash your hands after handling meat.
Can I travel to other countries?
Yes. There are no official travel advisories against going to affected regions of Mexico, but the cases of this virus being discovered in other countries are all in people who had recently travelled there.
27 April UPDATE: At a European Commission briefing, the EU health commissioner Andorra Vassiliou asked Europeans to postpone nonessential travel to the United States or Mexico.
Europeans "should avoid travelling to Mexico or the United States of America unless it is very urgent for them," she said.
The US Centers for Disease Control has also warned against all non-essential travel to Mexico. The World Health Organisation however has called on countries not to close their borders, as epidemic models have shown this will have little effect on the spread of a pandemic.
What if it causes a pandemic?
Most countries in the world have pandemic plans, on paper at least. They can respond with vaccines, drugs, and measures called "social distancing", aimed at limiting human contacts that spread flu. Mexico has already done this, by banning public gatherings and closing schools in affected areas. Modelling suggests this can be effective.
The Mexican swine flu virus is susceptible to the most widely stockpiled flu antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and its relatives. But viruses of the same family can readily develop resistance to these drugs, so no one knows how long the drugs will remain effective.
There are no stocks of vaccine to this flu. The US has already created a "seed strain" from it, a virus that can be grown to make vaccines. Because of fears that H5N1 bird flu would go pandemic, vaccine companies and regulators, especially in Europe, have developed procedures over the past few years for rapidly approving and manufacturing pandemic vaccines in factories that normally make regular human flu vaccines.
The question now is whether and when they will switch production to a pandemic vaccine. If they do, the question will be how many doses they can produce, and how fast. Researchers are trying to find ways to stretch vaccine stocks, but there is no commonly agreed approach yet.
by Debora MacKenzie
Should I worry about this flu?
That depends on two things: how severe this flu is, and how far it spreads. Its severity is still unknown. Those who died in Mexico were young adults who don't often die of flu, so we know this virus can be serious. But it isn't always this bad: the cases picked up in the US were mild. Outbreak investigators are now trying to find out how many people have had the virus, and how many of those were seriously ill, to get an idea of how bad it is.
Will it spread to where I live?
That depends, again, on two different things: whether the virus is transported to your region, and how efficiently it spreads between people.
So many people travel globally now that, as long as this virus keeps infecting people, it is unlikely not to get to where you live. Some countries are already using infrared cameras to spot people with fevers on flights from affected areas. But that won't stop it entirely, since five days can pass before an infected person shows symptoms, and the virus can spread before symptoms start.
The big question is how efficiently it spreads once it lands. From the number of cases in Mexico and the fact that those infected in the US had not been in contact with pigs or each other, we know that it can spread from human to human, and has done so for weeks at least. Investigators are conducting tests to see whether people who contacted known cases have also been infected to try to assess how easily it spreads. Preliminary observations in the US suggest it has spread readily to contacts of known cases.
Similar swine flu viruses have jumped from pigs to people before and have always petered out without causing a pandemic because they were not good enough at spreading in people. This virus may do the same thing.
Does this virus mean I shouldn't eat pork?
No. This virus is named swine flu because one of its surface proteins is most similar to viruses that usually infect pigs, and the whole thing is of a type that has been spreading in North American pigs for years. But this particular virus is spreading in people and we don't yet know if it infects pigs. In any case, cooking kills the virus. Wash your hands after handling meat.
Can I travel to other countries?
Yes. There are no official travel advisories against going to affected regions of Mexico, but the cases of this virus being discovered in other countries are all in people who had recently travelled there.
27 April UPDATE: At a European Commission briefing, the EU health commissioner Andorra Vassiliou asked Europeans to postpone nonessential travel to the United States or Mexico.
Europeans "should avoid travelling to Mexico or the United States of America unless it is very urgent for them," she said.
The US Centers for Disease Control has also warned against all non-essential travel to Mexico. The World Health Organisation however has called on countries not to close their borders, as epidemic models have shown this will have little effect on the spread of a pandemic.
What if it causes a pandemic?
Most countries in the world have pandemic plans, on paper at least. They can respond with vaccines, drugs, and measures called "social distancing", aimed at limiting human contacts that spread flu. Mexico has already done this, by banning public gatherings and closing schools in affected areas. Modelling suggests this can be effective.
The Mexican swine flu virus is susceptible to the most widely stockpiled flu antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and its relatives. But viruses of the same family can readily develop resistance to these drugs, so no one knows how long the drugs will remain effective.
There are no stocks of vaccine to this flu. The US has already created a "seed strain" from it, a virus that can be grown to make vaccines. Because of fears that H5N1 bird flu would go pandemic, vaccine companies and regulators, especially in Europe, have developed procedures over the past few years for rapidly approving and manufacturing pandemic vaccines in factories that normally make regular human flu vaccines.
The question now is whether and when they will switch production to a pandemic vaccine. If they do, the question will be how many doses they can produce, and how fast. Researchers are trying to find ways to stretch vaccine stocks, but there is no commonly agreed approach yet.
by Debora MacKenzie
Characteristics of Bulk Email Software
In this age of science and technology you need to contact a large number of people to market your products or services. There is great competition among various companies of the world because every company is trying to reach more and more customers. They offer quality products at lower rates due to this competition. Bulk email software can be used to run your bulk email marketing campaign effectively. You can judge response of your email marketing campaigns by communicating to your target market. Business owners don’t need to spend huge amounts on their business advertisement due to bulk email marketing campaigns. Cost of email marketing is very low as compare to the advertisement on radio, TV or other print media. You can search for companies that offer mass email marketing services at reasonable prices. Market is full with paid and freeware bulk email software tools. Freeware tools provide limited access to their users on the other hand paid software tools provide complete control to the user. These software tools can be used to manage your email contact lists and marketing campaigns. Demand of email management software has been increased due to increasing complexities in marketing campaigns. Bulk email marketing is a cost effective method of marketing. Bulk email software tools should have necessary features such as contact list management, tracking system and email templates. It should be able to handle plain text and html message formats. Email tracking system is necessary to compile the results of your campaign because it let you know that whether the receiver has read your email or not. It should have mail merge feature to prepare personalize email messages. You need to analyze various features and costs of the bulk email software before making the final decision. Mostly companies provide 30 day trail period so it would be better to install this pack before purchase to obtain clear idea. It should be able to follow the rules and regulations of bulk email marketing otherwise your emails will be treated as spam. Your email address will be blocked and you would not have access to the reader. Whatever your business is, you need proper and reliable email management software to run your email marketing campaigns smoothly. It can work fast than a human being because you can send thousands of email daily with the help of such tools.
by: Khurram Zaveri
by: Khurram Zaveri
Windows vs Linux Hosting
Which operating system is better? Windows or Linux?
I am not going to answer this question definitely. I don't believe there is one simple answer as well as I can't provide a "this OS is better" statement. Windows and Linux have its own advantages and disadvantages. People usually say that Linux platform is more reliable and stable. Linux users and programmers are usually fanatics of their operating system. On the other hand, Windows OS doesn't have so much fanatics, or they do not show themselves so much. This may be explained by the fact that Windows was develped by Microsoft, and not by many independent programmers. Windows and Linux Performance If we compare Windows against Linux, we can note one thing: Linux can handle more processes that runs simultaneously at the same time being much better than Windows. Windows becomes unstable when running many processer on a single machine. This might be a very good reason to choose Linux, but in my opinion, a server can perform very well regardless of the operating system: Windows or Linux. Its all up to system administrators and server hardware. Linux is always free. Windows costs money! There is very popular opinion that Linux flourishes because of its open-source. Many programmers work hard to improve Linux' quality. Mainly, Linux operating system is always free. But Windows (as well as Linux) is a global and powerful product developed by many programmers from Microsoft. But the difference is that Windows programmers are paid for their work by Microsoft. Microsoft Windows operating system is paid, so every hosting company that wants to provide customers with Windows hosting should buy one or more Windows Server licenses. So, what is the decision? The right decision between Windows and Linux should be made based on your website and other needs. The right decision should be made base on the technology your web site is going to use. There are many technologies you can use while writing your website application. There are such technologies as PHP, Perl, Pythod, ASP, ASP.NET, Java and more. ASP, ASP.NET and PHP deserve special attention due to their huge popularity and functionality. PHP is open source project and can be used for free. ASP and ASP.NET are the Microsoft products and work only with Windows. However, PHP can be used on both Windows and Linux. But mainly PHP is used on Linux. Making the correct decision Microsoft Windows is an operating system and a hosting platform that has one big advantage: you can use ASP and ASP.NET. If you are going to use ASP and/or ASP.NET for building your web application, then Windows hosting is the right choice for you at the moment! And, you can easily use PHP on both Windows and Linux. For example, if you want to migrate from ASP.NET to PHP you will not need to change your operation system - you can still use Windows! Going back to Linux: while you can't use ASP on Linux, this OS is the most popular for web hosting servers. The stability of Windows and Linux depends on system administrators, not on operating system. Finally... As for me, the owner of the hosting company, I recommend to use Linux as your default decision because of its deserved stability, reliability and price (Linux hosting is always cheaper than Windows because Linux is free and, as I said, Windows always costs money for the hosters). However, some features are not supported by Linux, for example, ASP and ASP.NET. If you require these technologies, then this is the time to choose Windows as your web hosting platform.
by: Maxim Chicheyev
I am not going to answer this question definitely. I don't believe there is one simple answer as well as I can't provide a "this OS is better" statement. Windows and Linux have its own advantages and disadvantages. People usually say that Linux platform is more reliable and stable. Linux users and programmers are usually fanatics of their operating system. On the other hand, Windows OS doesn't have so much fanatics, or they do not show themselves so much. This may be explained by the fact that Windows was develped by Microsoft, and not by many independent programmers. Windows and Linux Performance If we compare Windows against Linux, we can note one thing: Linux can handle more processes that runs simultaneously at the same time being much better than Windows. Windows becomes unstable when running many processer on a single machine. This might be a very good reason to choose Linux, but in my opinion, a server can perform very well regardless of the operating system: Windows or Linux. Its all up to system administrators and server hardware. Linux is always free. Windows costs money! There is very popular opinion that Linux flourishes because of its open-source. Many programmers work hard to improve Linux' quality. Mainly, Linux operating system is always free. But Windows (as well as Linux) is a global and powerful product developed by many programmers from Microsoft. But the difference is that Windows programmers are paid for their work by Microsoft. Microsoft Windows operating system is paid, so every hosting company that wants to provide customers with Windows hosting should buy one or more Windows Server licenses. So, what is the decision? The right decision between Windows and Linux should be made based on your website and other needs. The right decision should be made base on the technology your web site is going to use. There are many technologies you can use while writing your website application. There are such technologies as PHP, Perl, Pythod, ASP, ASP.NET, Java and more. ASP, ASP.NET and PHP deserve special attention due to their huge popularity and functionality. PHP is open source project and can be used for free. ASP and ASP.NET are the Microsoft products and work only with Windows. However, PHP can be used on both Windows and Linux. But mainly PHP is used on Linux. Making the correct decision Microsoft Windows is an operating system and a hosting platform that has one big advantage: you can use ASP and ASP.NET. If you are going to use ASP and/or ASP.NET for building your web application, then Windows hosting is the right choice for you at the moment! And, you can easily use PHP on both Windows and Linux. For example, if you want to migrate from ASP.NET to PHP you will not need to change your operation system - you can still use Windows! Going back to Linux: while you can't use ASP on Linux, this OS is the most popular for web hosting servers. The stability of Windows and Linux depends on system administrators, not on operating system. Finally... As for me, the owner of the hosting company, I recommend to use Linux as your default decision because of its deserved stability, reliability and price (Linux hosting is always cheaper than Windows because Linux is free and, as I said, Windows always costs money for the hosters). However, some features are not supported by Linux, for example, ASP and ASP.NET. If you require these technologies, then this is the time to choose Windows as your web hosting platform.
by: Maxim Chicheyev
Web Page Monitoring: Be The First To Know About Web Content Changes
A wealth of content is available on the Web. With the aid of the dominant search engines like Google, or Yahoo, many an Internet user has mastered content discovery. Not surprisingly however, keeping up-to-date with constantly changing content is quite a challenge for most Internet users. But not for those that use ChangeDetect.com. Sure there are "RSS feeds" and many web sites today offer proprietary update notification services, but not everyone wants to deal with complicated web technology such as RSS or yet another content change notification service that is specific to a particular website. Besides not every web site is deployed with an RSS feed. Furthermore most on-site content change notification services are controlled by the webmaster which means less choice for Internet users. These days, everyone can name their favorite web site and most Internet users are completely comfortable using an e-mail service. RSS technology is still not widely adopted and/or understood. In addition, most on-site update notification offerings are firmly under the control of the website owner's webmaster. Power in the hands of only the site's webmaster often translates into fewer options for the casual Internet user. As such, most Internet users demand a simple means of tracking the "hidden" web, which is often times considered valuable content accessible only after entering a username and password.
Similarly, many corporate users have a business need for website change notification including monitoring sensitive content for any web-enabled content up to and including (1) new marketing announcements for a competitor, (2) the latest industry news and/or (3) joint venture partnerships between competitors.
Timely business information about an organization comes easily to insiders but those on the outside want and need much of the same information as insiders. In both cases, the information delivery must also be in as timely a manner as possible. However the typical goals and directives given to a webmaster are not likely to be harmonious with the business needs of organizational "outsiders" who demand an easy solution to monitor changes specific to certain areas of the webmaster's public website. Internet users value a centralized web page monitoring solution with update change notifications. This is best delivered as a hosted solution.
How Web Page Monitoring Works
Web Page Monitoring Defined: Web Page Monitoring is an Internet service that saves a user's favorite web pages, regularlly monitors them for changes and sends an e-mail alert with the actual changes included in the notification.
There are two main approaches taken by web page monitoring vendors.
* Download software
* Online web services
Of the two web page monitoring delivery channels, online web page monitoring services are far superior because there is nothing to download and new features can easily be added to the service in real time.
Also, having to download and then install software onto a laptop or workstation can also be a very serious virus risk. Most large corporations have implemented stringent policies against installing unknown and/or unproven software onto their mobile devices and computer networks.
With online web page monitoring, you also do not have to take extra steps to download software "patches" and security updates. Because there is no such thing with an online web service...
Monitor Web Pages for Changes
Benefits of Web Page Monitoring Services
Top 10 reasons why savvy Internet users use web page monitoring
1. Be the first to know about relevant content changes to the web content that interests you the most
2. Automatically, track any web-enabled content for updates
3. Monitor high value content hidden behind password protected web pages
4. Track changes to dynamic web searches and HTML forms
5. Use custom cookies to further unlock the hidden web to content monitoring
6. Avoid computer viruses because there is nothing to download when you use a web service
7. Monitor sensitive content such as a competitor's website, press releases or online price changes -- all done confidentially and privately from the web page monitoring service's (anonymous third-party) proxy servers
8. Leverage a unique, self-healing technical implementation for proactive web page change tracking that consistently delivers results that other services are unable to match
9. Collaborate with content monitoring experts offering premium web page monitoring services
10. Work anywhere as you work online...
Is Web Page Monitoring Right For You?
Web users just like you use web page monitoring services to track their favorite web-enabled content for changes.
* Sales Professionals
* Business Executives
* Intellectual Property Attorneys
* Newsletter Publishers
* Librarians and Information Researchers
* Software Developers
* Software Buyers
* Message Board Subscribers
* Job Seekers
ADVANCED TIP: The best web page monitoring solution features content changes with color coded highlighting, in red and green. Red is used for removed content while green is used for recently added content.
Most popular web page monitoring solution: http://www.changedetect.com/
by : Janice
Similarly, many corporate users have a business need for website change notification including monitoring sensitive content for any web-enabled content up to and including (1) new marketing announcements for a competitor, (2) the latest industry news and/or (3) joint venture partnerships between competitors.
Timely business information about an organization comes easily to insiders but those on the outside want and need much of the same information as insiders. In both cases, the information delivery must also be in as timely a manner as possible. However the typical goals and directives given to a webmaster are not likely to be harmonious with the business needs of organizational "outsiders" who demand an easy solution to monitor changes specific to certain areas of the webmaster's public website. Internet users value a centralized web page monitoring solution with update change notifications. This is best delivered as a hosted solution.
How Web Page Monitoring Works
Web Page Monitoring Defined: Web Page Monitoring is an Internet service that saves a user's favorite web pages, regularlly monitors them for changes and sends an e-mail alert with the actual changes included in the notification.
There are two main approaches taken by web page monitoring vendors.
* Download software
* Online web services
Of the two web page monitoring delivery channels, online web page monitoring services are far superior because there is nothing to download and new features can easily be added to the service in real time.
Also, having to download and then install software onto a laptop or workstation can also be a very serious virus risk. Most large corporations have implemented stringent policies against installing unknown and/or unproven software onto their mobile devices and computer networks.
With online web page monitoring, you also do not have to take extra steps to download software "patches" and security updates. Because there is no such thing with an online web service...
Monitor Web Pages for Changes
Benefits of Web Page Monitoring Services
Top 10 reasons why savvy Internet users use web page monitoring
1. Be the first to know about relevant content changes to the web content that interests you the most
2. Automatically, track any web-enabled content for updates
3. Monitor high value content hidden behind password protected web pages
4. Track changes to dynamic web searches and HTML forms
5. Use custom cookies to further unlock the hidden web to content monitoring
6. Avoid computer viruses because there is nothing to download when you use a web service
7. Monitor sensitive content such as a competitor's website, press releases or online price changes -- all done confidentially and privately from the web page monitoring service's (anonymous third-party) proxy servers
8. Leverage a unique, self-healing technical implementation for proactive web page change tracking that consistently delivers results that other services are unable to match
9. Collaborate with content monitoring experts offering premium web page monitoring services
10. Work anywhere as you work online...
Is Web Page Monitoring Right For You?
Web users just like you use web page monitoring services to track their favorite web-enabled content for changes.
* Sales Professionals
* Business Executives
* Intellectual Property Attorneys
* Newsletter Publishers
* Librarians and Information Researchers
* Software Developers
* Software Buyers
* Message Board Subscribers
* Job Seekers
ADVANCED TIP: The best web page monitoring solution features content changes with color coded highlighting, in red and green. Red is used for removed content while green is used for recently added content.
Most popular web page monitoring solution: http://www.changedetect.com/
by : Janice
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