Quick Diagnosis of a Dead Laptop LCD Display

Posted on April 1, 2009 by CP

If you own a laptop computer, sooner or later you are going to be faced with a computer that has a display that has gone dark typically in one of two scenarios. In the most common case the LCD screen is damaged because of some physical event that caused the screen to be cracked or broken. Laptops do not take kindly to being dropped, especially when the case is opened and the accident occurs. In the second case there no physical damage and a malfunction in the video,power or control circuitry has caused the display to malfunction.

In the case of the cracked or physically damaged screen you need to determine if there is other damage to the laptop. The best way to do this is to plug in an external monitor using the video output connector at the rear of the laptop case. If the external monitor works and you see that your applications function then you know that you are looking at a LCD screen repair, and in the event you don’t repair the laptop you can still recover your data. Even if you elect not to repair the laptop this kind of failure is the best of a bad situation because the laptops still functions and you can still recover your data.

If the Laptop screen hasn’t been physically damaged, but the screen is still blank, you should still connect an external monitor as described above and determine if the rest of the laptop is functional. In the case where the screen is blank and an external monitor doesn’t work a more expensive diagnosis and repair scenario will probably be your only option.

It is always best to take these basic steps before you get a repair person involved. You should think through your repair options before you are confronted with a potentially costly repair decision.

The author is a computer industry professional in the service and repair industry. His career dates back to the early 1960′s and the early solid state large scale super computers. He has managed services organizations responsible for service of large PC networks and manged repair center operations. He has served on service industry councils of IBM, HP and Compaq. His website http://www.finestlaptops.com is focused on providing information on, and sources for cheap laptop computers.

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Data Recovery Equipment

Posted on March 30, 2009 by CP

Today, computers are an integral and indispensable part of the IT world. No matter what your line may be, finance, education, business consulting and investigation, IT information security, or else. In fact, most people always take it for granted. You should never brag your computer can be failure-free.

The foremost use of computer is data storage. All the data is stored on a physical disk named hard disk drive which is a magnetic layer. And it is more likely to be stricken by a wide variety of reasons, such as a partition lost, system can not access, human mistake (accidental reformatting, deletion), file corruption, power surge, and virus attack, to the worst, these physical level failures typically are head crash, platter scratch, and motor failures caused by overwriting, physical damages, natural disasters, etc.

Sometimes a hard drive has been stricken dead or not working at all without any warning signs, but some other times there may be some clues that something is going bad or amiss. Such changes in performance or sudden blue screens are telltale signs that the hard drive may be on its way to collapse. The most obvious and common sign are clicking, squealing, scraping or grinding noises.

The computer become more involved in our daily life, so the danger of data loss also surfaces.

As most of us have already experienced data loss, it could be frustrated and traumatic, when you finally find your critical data are not able to recover. As a matter of fact, logical failures as I previously mentioned, a data recovery software program can simply work out, but speaking of physical failures, No! Those drives with minor physical failures will need a special equipment to repair hard drive itself or recover data.

Why data recovery software will stop there? The ordinary user-level repeated-read access method that is used by imaging software bring a risk of damaging the disk and head, making data lost irretrievable. Also the software skips bad sectors directly in order not to get hang (freeze). Even so it gets hang most of the time in case the drive has lost of bad sectors. Plus, there is no guarantee that all the data will be extracted as much as possible, though days or weeks of time wasted on imaging bad drives. That’s why you should avoid it at all cost.

A unique data recovery equipment known as Data Compass is mostly used among experts and practitioners worldwide, where traditional tools can not reach the height. Data Compass reads data of each sector physically byte-to-byte, including good and bad, and copy to a good disk using its data extraction software and hardware. “Shadow Disk” technology allows Data Compass to maximally avoid further damage to the drive, and ensure the data is not lost from repeated recovery attempts.

Technically speaking, it is hard to figure out how exactly the data can be recovered. It all depends. In most cases, data will be able to recover as long as the parts of hard drive are not severely damaged, otherwise you should swap its components then like platters, heads, and a spindle motor, for example.

A current tool named “hard drive head/platter exchange professional” used for drive disassembling and head/platter exchange will be replaced by the vendor soon. The change is made for optimization reason, and the new product is a better enhancement; plus, the new platter exchanger allows users to work on hard drive with spacers between platters.

If you have known much about data recovery and if you have a craving for this field, you should start your own business with a right equipment and then you can be an expert. Of course, it is not easy to find a proper option from current data recovery equipments with sky-high price in economy hard times. It is even worse when comes to new versions of software to products you are possessing, vendors will charge every time. In this case, free of charge upgrade service is the way to go.

All rights reserved. Free to copy. No adaptation.

To learn much more about hard drive data recovery solutions, please visit salvationdata.com where you can get more free information on specialized data recovery equipment and firmware repair tools.

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External Hard Drive With RAID – My Book Mirror Edition

Posted on March 25, 2009 by CP

Western Digital My Book Mirror Editions are a great new form of data storage and backup. Western Digital is known for high quality external storage drives, but they have now added an extra layer of security with the ability to set RAID 1 or 0 on the Mirror Editions. Whether you need external storage for business or personal reasons, these drives are worth looking into.

The My Book Mirror Editions currently are available in two sizes – 1-terabyte and 2-terabyte. As with other My Book drives, these do not come at a small MSRP. MSRP on these units are $289 – $549 dependent on the size you get. Keep in mind, these are suggested retail prices; the units can be found for much less.

The My Book Mirror Edition measures 6.54-inches x 6.06-inches x 3.87-inches and weighs around 5 pounds. This, in concatenation with its polished black exterior and book shape, makes the unit presentable in any atmosphere. Additionally, there is a blue LED light, on the front face of the box, which lets users know the status of the My Book, with a simple glance.

Users have the choice between either RAID 1 or RAID 0 on the My Book Mirror Edition. Using RAID 1 reduces the overall storage size to half, but provides you with a duplicate copy of your data on the second drive. RAID 0 provides you with a bit less security – no replica of data – but gives you more overall storage space. The drives are somewhat customizable to your needs.

The unit has a Drive Manager, which enables users to view the status, temperature, and capacity of the unit. Users can also change the configuration through Device Manager. You can change from RAID 1 to RAID 0 and vice versa. (For consumers who do not understand what this will do, your data will be wiped if you reconfigure your unit to a different RAID setting.)

Western Digital implemented an application called WD MioNet, which allows users to access their drives via the internet. You can now access your data regardless of where you are at. Additional applications and software are available, some of which are WD Anywhere Backup, a 30-day trial of Memeo Autosync, Google, Desktop Search, and Picasa.

Installing additional software and transferring files is very user-friendly. The overall user-interface, and ease of navigation and use, enables users of any skill level to operate the My Book Mirror Edition nearly effortlessly.

If one of the hard drives, in the unit, happens to fail, users can easily replace. Each hard drive is simple to remove for this purpose. The unit only uses USB connectivity; no there is no way to connect via FireWire or eSATA.

If you are looking for an external drive for data backups, and would like a little bit of security with it, the Western Digital My Book Mirror Edition is the right move. With a little bit of bargain hunting you can add this unit to any network with a small dent in your pocket book.

Author Matt Ryan can help you save money on Western Digital Hard Drives. Visit MiracleShopper to find information and pricing on External Hard Drives and more.

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The Seventh Cloud

Posted on March 23, 2009 by CP

Have you ever thought of pushing an operating system into its own recycle bin? Well, it may not be possible practically but that’s what most of them thought after using Microsoft Windows Vista. After getting used to Windows XP, which undeniably ruled over the last 8 years in the home and corporate segment, people’s expectations increased when Microsoft tuned Vista. Though it was able to deliver the look and feel of a stylish new operating system, the performance part pulled it down. Few of them used it as they couldn’t find any better option. Macintosh was heavy for pockets; Linux was too techy for beginners and so the only option was Windows. Being in a computer manufacturing industry, I had a chance to closely connect with users and understand the needs and expectations from an operating system. It’s like you buy a new car and the very next day you realize there’s a big dent on it, and that’s when you repair and that’s what Microsoft did with Vista Service pack 1. But most of them chose to exchange the car instead of repairing it and so the manufacturer had to come up with a better one.

Ladies and Gentlemen, please put your hands together for Windows 7. If you are wondering what it is, you are either too far from technology or too close to dreams. For advanced users, I need not say anything because you guys are too interested to know it yourself. So, I will keep this article simple and straight which gives a sample peak into the world of windows. Don’t worry, it won’t be too technical, but I guess Microsoft expects its users to be on cloud 7 if not on 9 after the release. If you are fascinated to know more and want to disintegrate your brain and slobber over the operating system, you better download the Windows 7 beta.

I have done the Windows Seven installation and setup, I obviously installed and tested few basic applications like Norton Internet Security 2009, iTunes, Adobe Flash Player, Adobe Reader 9, Skype, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Office 2007, Virtual Dub, SpyBot Search and Destroy. The beta version is offered only for a limited period and is purely for testing. So, anyone trying it out, there is an option for feedback where you can kill your frustration. Installation speed for the above mentioned software’s was quick, Microsoft Office 2007 being the slowest. I had to install it from a disc and the extra tad of time was taken in staging the installation files to a local store. When you install applications from the local drive or from an USB Flash storage device, the installation speed is much faster. The startling one out of all was Norton. Traditionally a slow installation, it went through in less than 4 minutes (not counting the system scan). I’ll be trying more stuff as time passes though. In scenarios where the installed application was not compatible, the operating system reaction was parallel to Vista. If you are guy with patience, you have few options to send the information to Microsoft and to retry the installation with recommended compatibility settings.

One of the major changes in the UI (User Interface) is the taskbar. It’s wide and has only icons of the running applications. Personally, I didn’t like the change but it doesn’t look that bad either. There are some appealing features like Peek but that can be understood better when you look at it. Overall, it’s a decent upgrade but again if you want to compare with Mac, all the best!!

The annoying part in Vista was the User account control (U.A.C). For those who used it, it’s the screen which prompts or blocks you from installing and asks permissions to continue, even though you trust that application. The user account control has been redesigned in Windows Seven, but the application installation has not changed much. For the programs which are inbuilt, thankfully we do not require U.A.C grants. For example, TaskManager (All User Mode) Device manager, Disk Management, Services and a host of other control panels and windows apps load directly without U.A.C prompting you to grant access. However non-native applications continue to have U.A.C. prompts. This behavior can be controlled even better in Windows Seven. Instead of the plain vanilla on / off modes that U.A.C support in Vista, Windows Seven has an improved U.A.C control panel, that allows you to adjust your U.A.C needs.

Compared to the publicity that was generated when Vista was first showcased, Seven has so far seen a lukewarm response in terms of the number of people grabbing the beta. Reason could be in the fact that the driver model is backward compatible and most Vista Compatible hardware also works with Seven, which was not the case during the Xp-Vista jump. So, it is possible that people are moving up the upgrade chain, however finding minor quantity of troubles to deal with. The versions of the operating system are pretty much same as Vista, and yes we can expect the upgrade from Vista to Windows 7.

The probable upgrade path looks something similar to this:

1. Windows Vista Home Premium -> Windows 7 Home Premium

2. Windows Vista Business -> Windows 7 Professional

3. Windows Vista Ultimate -> Windows 7 Ultimate

Microsoft Windows Vista® Home Basic, Windows Vista® Starter Edition, and Windows® XP (all editions) are not qualifying products under the program.

Good or Bad, we are going to see it and we are going to try it, and let’s hope Windows 7 is actually Windows 7 and not just Windows vista service pack 2.

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Inserting Accented Characters Using AutoCorrect in Word 2007

Posted on March 22, 2009 by CP

The AutoCorrect function in Word can assist you in entering diacritics to provide their proper appearance in a word. AutoCorrect is programmed with a number of two- or three-key combinations that will correct the appearance of a letter with a diacritic.

To add a grave accent (`) above a letter, press Ctrl + ` and then type the letter that requires the grave accent. The grave accent can be applied to capital and lower-case vowels.

To add an acute accent (‘) above a letter, press Ctrl+’ and then type the letter that requires the acute accent. The acute accent can be applied to upper- and lower-case vowels, and upper- and lower-case “Y.”

To add an accent circumflex, (^) above a letter, press Ctrl + ^ and the letter that requires the accent circumflex. The accent circumflex can be applied to upper- and lower-case vowels.

To add a diaeresis (?) above a letter, press Ctrl +: and type the letter that requires the diaeresis. Diaereses can be applied to upper- and lower-case vowels, including “Y.”

To type a single symbol for a combined character like ? or ?, press Ctrl + AO, or Ctrl + OE. This command will work only for recognized “combined” letters.

To type an “A” or “a” with a ring over it, use the Ctrl + @ combination and type the upper- or lower-case “a”. To create a cedilla below the letter “C” or “c”, press Ctrl + , and type upper- or lower-case “c”. To create an ?, type Ctrl + /, then type the letter “O” or “o”.

The alternative to this is to select the proper character from the symbol dialogue box. If you often use words that require diacritics, you may find that learning the AutoCorrect key combinations is faster and more convenient.

Notes for editors: Claire Jarrett is the managing director of Computer Training Solutions in Bristol, Solihull and Bracknell. Computer Training Solutions offer Word Courses call 0800 019 6882 for more details.

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Electronic Pick-Pocket – Stop it Now!

Posted on March 19, 2009 by CP

Banks and financial institutions are doing their best to improve security. They are adding multiple questions to answer before gaining access to an account and using secure (HTTPS) connections to scramble the transmission so prying electronic eavesdroppers cannot grab information. This all sounds great except if the criminal element is able to pick this information directly from your computer! And, sadly, there are too many computers surfing the Internet with open computer ports, the doors into the computer, ripe for the picking or a person opening bogus emails that download a thief’s malicious code.

You might say, “I’m safe, I’ve got the Windows Firewall, a respected Anti-Malware (Virus) protection Software plus a Anti-Spyware program. What’s the problem, hey, the computer does seem a bit slower but everyone is complaining about that!” The problem, like the last Computer I performed a Security Audit on, was 120 detections of which 2 were electronic pick-pocketing programs. And, the slow computer was due to these plus other issues of which one was excessive Add-Ons to Internet Explorer. In fact, part of the slowness of Internet Explorer was due to the Anti-Spyware program they were using for protection.

Maybe you are getting a little worried, and this is a necessary ingredient towards action, because the criminal element is keen to have your money and your identity. Don’t go too far and be fearful because there is plenty of help! First of all, financial institutions are not going to allow these rogue elements to stop the economy and the Internet is too useful a tool. The first thing to do is follow some KEY TIPS – such always typing in financial institution web site addresses directly and do not click on links for these in emails. Do not use a debit card on the Internet, only use a Credit Card for purchases. The other step is to setup a multi-layered Security using top-rated security.

What are the criteria for top rated security programs; consistency, efficiency and proficiency. The Security Program needs to perform over time and be adaptable. A slow computer will boil your head and there is too much bloat-ware out there. You need trusted protection. The beautiful news is that home computers can get all this for free!

Currently, there are 3 Anti-Malware programs that border on 100% detection rates which outstrip some well known Security Software. And, they do this efficiently without unduly burdening the computer.

Success, you install one of these Programs and it finds over 100 detections and these are all cleaned. This is good news but first check the computer is running okay. If so, toggle the Restore Points, because this is a well know hiding place for Malware hoping to be “Restored” back onto the computer. Toggling Restore Points on and off will delete all the previous Restore Point files and the corresponding Malware.

Now, what about those PORTS? Ports are the communication pathways between your computer and the Internet. You might even think of each PORT being a different language communicating to different countries for different activities. Now, if you were to walk into a dark neighborhood it would be nice to be invisible? Sure, and the technical term is STEALTHED. Your computer will be invisible to the general Internet. Windows Firewall can STEALTH the PORTS but eventually an EXCEPTION is needed and now the computer is visible. If a criminal element finds your computer they can begin using different kill methods to tear down the firewalls. But if you are using a top-rated FIREWALL, also free for Home Use, their task will be next to impossible. Installing top rated Firewall and Anti-Malware software are the primary steps to safe Internet use.

If you are using Windows XP the real trick is to use a LIMITED USER account for general web surfing. Many Windows XP users run with the original computer configuration that has them assigned as an ADMINISTRATOR. This is convenient for installing programs and making modifications but also convenient for MALWARE. By using a LIMITED USER account the privileges are greatly reduced on what files can be accessed and what can be modified. The net result is even if MALWARE makes it to the computer it is likely to find it cannot install itself since you and thus it do not have the necessary privileges. In giving up some control in another sense you have more control of the computer!

Making these modifications is not beyond the reach of the average or even beginning computer user. The Computer Appliance Learning Maintenance Manual is written for this purpose. There is no reason to settle for a slow computer and small business owners, especially, need to take the proactive step to protect their vulnerable computers that house important customer information. The criminals like the current situation but it is costing our economy. Take action today to protect your computer and your identity.

Diana & Paul Woodward, Authors

Copyright (c) Napa Valley Security Consulting 2009

A list of DO’s and DON’ts for using the Internet to avoid becoming a victim of Malware, Virus’s, Spyware and email scams.

Tips from Diana & Paul Woodward, Stop the Electronic Pick-Pocket

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Data Protection and What it Means to Your Business

Posted on March 18, 2009 by CP

We all need computers whether for personal use or toil, or for a commercial applications. For like purposes, it is critical precautions since information can spread and it’s state of affairs more risky when you using to the Internet as well.

Remember about what you experience during the time when you lose important data. You won’t be able to sleep properly in the event that you information is destroyed so it is thus essential to have constant backups made.

Nobody desires private and confidential to be disclosed through the Internet regardless sadly with the rising popularity of computers in this time knowledge isn’t safe. The size of your organization or business is not hardly an a problem therefore it hardly matter whether are using your personal computer at your residence or in the workplace, the only worry is data preservation. It is a great challenge in itself to protect personal records however it is additionally critical to be alert of what exactly are the purposes behind these data loss.

Several utilities are available on the market right now in order to protect your important information Some of these are backups, firewalls and various protection software program bundles for viruses.

Poor judgment of an employee is yet another reasons related to data leakage, so it is considered then, that workers have the ability to stop a much of the of information loss. If an worker is equipped essential knowledge surrounding computers and are honest when do their tasks, loads of important information can be prevented from ending up destroyed. If good powerful security system is not incorporated, employees mostly take this at face value and function without any care which means that confidential data may end up gone.

These are various ways that would assist in preserving your information:

Encryption:

You are able to defend your files utilizing a technique called encryption and through utilizing this technique, information is encrypted or is rewritten as some code, that may be unencrypted by only the person that know the key or a associated password. These days with the easy access of so many data encryption software on the market, you can easily decide on any one of them to ascertain secure transfer of information.

Backups:

Backing up your data is an additional one of the tools that you may use to halt sudden data loss and it’s extremely effective in the event of loss because of a random power failure. If you’re doing constant backups, those issues may be easily be avoided though there isn’t specified time at which you’re expected to make a backup. Though, once within a week is the least it needs to be done, though thrice per week is what’s advisable when making the backups. The sensible thing is to be sure to make backups every day seeing how the personal nature of this files is the sole standard to create the limit for these backups.

Firewalls:

A layered type of system is followed in the case of security however the system can also be as a defender of information or else a firewall should be introduced. Through firewalls, no one is able to use your system unless they have your permission and with this method, your data is much secure. It is highly suggested to update your machine at frequent intervals in order to maintain security in a more consistent fashion.

P Abbey owns and operates http://www.dataprotectionfacts.com, Data Protection

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Building Vs Buying a New PC – An Overview

Posted on March 15, 2009 by CP

You’ve come to a point where you need a new computer. Should you head to the local electronics megastore and see what’s on the rack, or should you try and build a system yourself?

First off, you need to ask some fundamental questions. What is your budget? What do you expect from a computer? What will its primary functions be? Do you want it for gaming, or to surf the Web and create documents and spreadsheets? Will you be doing a lot of photo editing and artwork?

These are just some of the things to consider. Also, what kind of money are you willing to spend not only on the computer, but a printer, monitor, security software, separate data storage devices, webcams etc.

We’ll take a stroll down both paths, and I’ll try to keep things as easy to understand as I can, and limit the techspeak, unless it’s unavoidable.

Buying a New System

There are several manufacturers in the computing world, and each one makes several different types of systems. I won’t use brand names, as each company has its own merits, and its own drawbacks. Just remember, a good rule of thumb these days is a new computer system is generally obsolete after a year, sometimes sooner.

Another thing to keep in mind is expandability. A key question to ask is can you upgrade components easily? With some manufacturers, you can only use the parts that they make, such as RAM and power supplies. As time passes, the cost of replacing parts becomes a problem, as well as even being able to find them.

Don’t let these things throw you, however. Many companies are leading edge, and do their best to stay current, if not ahead, of the game. Just be aware that you’ll pay a premium for the newest features, but the cost usually doesn’t pay for itself in the long run.

Always do your homework on a particular system that catches your eye. There is plenty of information available on all the devices and gadgets out there, and if something about a system is suspect or faulty, it won’t take long to be made known to the world.

Also, don’t be shy about grilling a salesperson about features that you don’t understand or have heard bad things about. Rule of thumb on this is: If the salesman can’t answer your questions, don’t be led astray. It’s your investment, and any investment is worth understanding fully.

Building a System

Here’s where things get really interesting. If you’ve never put a computer together, it can seem impossible. However, if you have a small amount of mechanical ability and patience, you’ll find this to be a very rewarding pursuit.

You’ll also get a good understanding of how each component makes up an overall computer, as well as how each one works. I’ve personally built more machines than I can easily count, and each time out it’s always similar, but also very different.

A trip to a bookstore or the ‘Net will get you more than enough information for a complete overview of how a PC is constructed.

One of the main considerations on building your own machine is that you can blow your budget quickly on components. Always try to get the most value for the money you’re willing to spend, and shop around for the best bargains. Again, do your homework and research before heading to the store.

If you’d like to send questions to me, please feel free to visit my Website and I’ll be happy to answer your queries, or point you in the right direction.

Good luck, and happy computing!

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Measuring the Business Value of Project Data

Posted on March 5, 2009 by CP

Can you imagine losing all business data including your accounts receivable, project data and customer information? What would you do? As business owners with years of expertise in our field, we are proud of the many projects we have completed, the clients that we have long relationships with and the incredible education and project experience of our key staff. For any firm that has been in business for many years, the information about our projects and people is captured in multiple documents, reports, resumes and proposals within our business.

Multiple databases may capture significant company information about your company. If you have a project accounting database to capture time and expense on your projects, there is a significant amount of detailed data about each of these projects. You may also have other data sources including a CRM database, HR system, proposal and photo library or Outlook that captures a wealth of information needed and used every day to manage projects, people, maintain client relationships and win new business. What is the value of all of this important data?

Most firms do not recognize or put adequate value on their project data, and therefore do not protect its integrity, security or preservation in an adequate manner. The intention for this article is twofold – to try and help you put a “price” or value on your project data, and help create an urgency around assessing and improving the disaster recovery methods employed by your firm.

While we know there is a value to our experience and the projects our firm has completed, we do not show this asset on our balance sheet with a dollar value. For a firm that has been in business a long time or worked on many high profile projects, the value could be significant. These projects help us win many new projects and gain notoriety and publicity. We use this information daily when bidding new projects and analyzing our performance and profitability to determine where to cut costs or change the scope of a contract.

For a firm with 10 years experience, averaging 25 employees over the years, the data could be valued in the ballpark of $250,000! This is based on personally witnessing many clients that have lost their data, and the incredible cost of re-creation. Losing data is more common than you might think. During my 23 years of software consulting, firms lost data due to fire, hardware failure, software failure, theft, backup failure, sabotage and viruses.

While many of our clients recognize the value of their past project data, we are constantly astounded by those clients willing to “start over” and not convert their entire past project history when converting to a new system. For example, in 2008, we had two of our Deltek FMS clients lose all of their system data. In both cases the cause was hardware failure with malfunctioning backups. Our consultants saw first hand the huge amount of work and unbelievable cost of trying to re-create this data from old reports, invoices, bank statements and timesheets.

But losing the data is just a small part of this disastrous experience. Our clients now lacked the ability to bill on time or collect outstanding receivables, as well as track costs on their current projects. These costs added up exponentially. Because of payroll and billing deadlines, these clients had to get up and running as quickly as possible. They faced challenges due to incomplete information. Both the financial and intangible costs of this scenario were enormous. Our goal is to help our clients avoid this type of business disaster.

Measuring the business value of your project history and the cost to replace lost history will help you identify how important this data is to your firm. Our company has developed a questionnaire to help our client’s value their historical data. The questionnaire identifies critical information about your firm such as number of years in business, number of and duration of projects, employees, number of years of historical data available and the types and complexity of projects you have completed or are in progress. It will also identify the number and types of proposals generated each year, the types of data being tracked in addition to basic accounting (HR, Govt. Compliance, Payroll, etc) and the diversity of experience of your team. Once this data has been complied, you will begin to understand the value your data provides to your firm each month, and the cost to replace it (or opportunity cost of not having it).

This data must be protected and knowing its true value to your firm will hopefully help you make better decisions about future data conversions, software upgrades, internal controls, security, disaster recovery, virus protection, possible mergers and acquisitions and hardware purchases. Although this historical business asset can not be reflected on your balance sheet, you can start to incorporate the belief that this valuable asset is critical to your firm’s practices and decisions.

The intention for this article was not to scare you. It was to help you recognize the tremendous asset that your firm has because of all of the amazing project experience in your system. It is also meant to motivate you to determine the value of this data and do everything you can to protect it just like you would any other asset of this amount.

About June R. Jewell, CPA and Jewell & Associates: June R. Jewell has over 20 years of business management software consulting experience and unsurpassed knowledge of the industries her company serves. As an innovative leader she is committed to providing the best in professional services and her company’s mission is to help every client to grow profitably. Jewell & Associates, a Deltek Premier Partner, has been providing clients with enterprise business solutions for over 18 years. With over 750 clients and offices in Northern Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Florida and Colorado, Jewell & Associates has consulting staff for planning, implementation, deployment and training for Deltek Vision software. Visit Jewell & Associates http://www.jewellassociates.com

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Paid Vs Free Internet Security Software

Posted on January 21, 2009 by CP

Internet security is a constant concern for all internet users and it is important to take note of how you can keep your data secure. Of course, you can pay big money for fancy internet security measures. However, there are also free internet security packages. But with most free things, many users tend to doubt the effectiveness of these types of internet security software.

With the ever-expanding world of computers and digital technology comes the inevitable dark side. This dark side pertains to the hackers and their creations which include the viruses, the Trojans, the worms, and the spyware. Since people are increasingly reliant on computers when it comes to their day-to-day activities as well as their businesses, internet security has become a very important player in their lives. This results in a wide and growing number of internet security software packages. That in itself can be a problem because internet users often have a hard time in choosing the right one.

Some people don’t bother weighing the options of each individual software suite and just purchase the most complex and effective brand, no matter the cost because of the belief that what’s more expensive should be better. On the other hand, others go after the free stuff like SpyBot Search and Destroy, Ad-Aware, and AVG Anti-Virus. The problem in determining which internet security software to choose from is deciding between the expensive and the free as well as weighing the pros and cons of each.

Free stuff is usually thought of as the less reliable material, or at least the kind that gets more questions about its reliability. Most people believe that commercial products contain more to protect a user’s computer than the free stuff. However, tests as well as users’ testimonials prove that this really isn’t true.

Generally, anti-virus software suites aren’t totally effective. Sure, some are better than the others, but simply installing one won’t cut it. This is true whether the internet security package is free or not. However, to be completely fair, the expensive programs do contain better internet security packages than the free download software but oftentimes, there is only a small margin between the two.

So how should internet users really decide? It would be laudable to purchase the best software your budget can sustain. Your purchase can even assist the software companies in their research and development departments. This will help them creating better and more advanced internet security software. However, if you’re scrapped for cash, you may find it’s enough to download two or three of the online internet security freebies and merge their defenses. Layering, as this technique is called, lowers your reliance on a single program. As a result, many believe that layering is much better and more effective than using just one commercial product.

No matter what you choose to use, make sure you pair your internet security software with common sense. This involves being wary of emails (and their attachments) from unfamiliar sources. Give your confidential information only to internet sites with secure connections. Also, be wary of “phishing” expeditions. If anything seems suspicious, act accordingly. These measures will take care of a good percentage of internet security problems.

Despite all this, choosing the perfect product shouldn’t be reduced to a matter of price. Nothing works perfectly. However, if you pick the one that best suits your needs, you should be ahead of the game.

What is most important is to make sure that your computer is protected from these hidden dangers. Read reviews on popular Adware and Spyware killers at Five Star Reviews.

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How to Convert HTML to PDF

Posted on December 29, 2008 by CP

Before we look at specific ways to convert HTML to PDF, lets consider the task in more detail. HTML is the programming language that is used to create websites. Obviously, HTML is more versatile — it supports Flash, animated images, embedded video, background music (this is thankfully rare) and other dynamic page elements. These and some other features of HTML pages can’t be converted to HTML, so when choosing a html-to-pdf converter it’s important to take into account what HTML features it can handle.

Another factor is how you want to use the converter:

  • Do you simply need to convert a single page?
  • Or do you want to make an application that lets other people convert certain HTML documents to PDF?
  • Would you prefer something you can download and install, or an online service?
  • How much are you willing to pay for the HTML converter?

The third and final issue is whether the page that needs to be transformed to PDF was created specifically for that purpose, or is it just some arbitrary webpage. This is important because if you want the resulting PDF to be easy to use, with fulltext search and clickable links, the source HTML should be built appropriately. Some HTML pages uses images to represent text, which means that text won’t be searchable. Also, menus and navigation links that rely on JavaScript won’t be clickable in PDF format. As a rule of thumb, if a webpage has good accessibility, it will work well when converted to PDF. On the other hand, pages that rely or browser-specific feature or flash-based sites usually aren’t suitable for PDF conversion.

Finally, lets look at specific HTML to PDF converters. For the average user, PDFonFly is likely the best choice. It’s a free online service that takes a webpage URL and creates a matching PDF file for you to download. The only annoyance is having to enter a captcha, but that’s a small price to pay for a quick and painless HTML to PDF service. The conversion quality is very good – the colors and fonts look nearly as good as in a web browser, with a few minor layout glitches for some webpages. If you want to convert a lot of HTML documents to .pdf, take a look at html2pdf (a commercial online service, average quality) or XHTML2PDF (an open source Python library).

Want to learn more about PDF converters? Check out my article about a free pdf to Word converter to find out how to convert PDF to Word online. This article was created by Janis Elsts, a techy blogger and hobbyist tutorial writer.
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How to Improve Quality Mp3 and Wav Files

Posted on December 27, 2008 by CP

Ways of processing Mp3 and Wav files can be divided into 2 sorts: distorting and not distorting. And if distorting ways of processing change an original relation and level of amplitudes and frequencies of a sound whereas not distorting ways of processing change level of all amplitudes equally or leave invariable level of all amplitudes and frequencies of a sound. The most widespread distorting way of processing is 0 equalizer, and the most widespread not distorting way of processing is 0 normalizer. We will consider a normalizer in given article. Gist of a normalization consists that an amplitude of initial beep varies, and a form remains former. And it feel on hearing as change of force a sound or volume. Change of volume is accompanied by change of dynamic range that is relations of the loudest value to the most silent value of beep. Increase of a volume leads to increase a dynamic range.

Contraction and reduction of a dynamic range is accompanied by music which sounds exactly, monotonously, all time with approximately identical loudness, it becomes boring, inexpressive, more plane, an expression and dynamism disappears, brightness of perception is lost. Certainly, it is possible to take advantage of a pen or a button of volume and easier to increase volume level, not resorting to a help of a normalizer but if you have many composition it supplies notable inconvenience. Each composition has its a dynamic range and a volume average level. If all musical compositions are executed in one style or a genre that, as a rule, it is possible will be limited to peak normalization. Peak normalization for group of compositions fixes for each composition a dynamic range at one level thus that all compositions have a same dynamic range. If all musical compositions are executed in different style or a genre that, as a rule, resort to normalization on an average level. Normalization on an average level for group of compositions fixes a dynamic range at different level for each composition depending on average value of volume of this composition that creates sensation of identical volume at transition from one composition to another for all group of compositions. Let’s consider normalization of a sound with reference to program Sound Normalizer . You need to open a file prior to a beginning of normalization. The program has 2 modes: single and batch.

You can open a file in a single mode having executed a command “Open”. You can go in the batch mode having executed a command “Batch Processor”. You can open files in the Batch Processor using three ways:

If You execute a command “Add Files” that can select Mp3 or Wav a file or files; If You execute a command “Add Folder” that can select all Mp3 or Wav the files which are in this folder; If You execute a command “Add Folders” that can select all Mp3 or Wav the files which are in this folder and all subfolder being in this folder.

The program has for Mp3 files normalization on an average level with definition of clipping. As level of a sound for Mp3 files is near to peak level or exceeds that one peak normalization for Mp3 files it appears not expedient. Combination of a normalization on an average level with a peak normalization preventing a clipping will be a optimal variant. Clipping is a distortion of beep expressing in appearance of “hissing” and “cod”. Program Sound Normalizer has for Wav files while only peak normalization. Before normalization fulfil test for Mp3 files and define a recommended maximum level of normalization without clipping will be the best order of performance of normalization.

The recommended maximum level of normalization without clipping is a optimum level of normalization eliminating clipping and providing maximum quality of a sound. In the batch mode the recommended maximum level of batch normalization of the list of processing without clipping is the optimum level of normalization eliminating clipping and providing maximum quality of a sound, calculated for a current list of processing.

There is a command “Normalize each file on a maximum level without clipping” in the batch mode this command represents implementation of peak normalization on a maximum level for Mp3 files.

Level of normalization for Mp3 files expresses in percentage concerning value in 89 db in the program Sound Normalizer. For example 89 db is 100 %. 89 db is defined by practical consideration for majority Mp3 files volume level, on which else there are no clipping.

Resume

The normalization is not distorting sort of processing. The normalization is accompanied by change of a volume or of a dynamic range, that is the relation of the loudest value to the most silent value of beep varies. The normalization allows to improve quality: if it for Wav files expresses by increase of a dynamic range for Mp3 files it expresses by elimination of a clipping. Starting normalization Mp3 and Wav files it is necessary to mean, that there are 2 sorts of normalization: Peak normalization; Normalization on an average level.

It is necessary to know that there are 2 modes of normalization:

The single; The batch.

The normalization of the batch mode works with a list of processing and allows to align perceived volume for group of compositions. If all songs belong to the same genre or style of music in group of compositions that usually enough and peak normalization. If there are songs in group of compositions having different genres then it is usually necessary to use normalization on an average level. Usage of peak normalization will be enough in most cases for Wav files because often level their volume is not equal maximum and group played back Wav files on disk of usual capacity, as a rule, belongs to one genre. Usage of normalization on an average level is necessary for Mp3 files as their level of volume, as a rule, is equal maximum or exceeds it, that calls appearance clipping. Mp3 files have a small size and consequently are allocated on a disk of usual capacity in a considerable quantity and belong not seldom to different genres of music. Usage of normalization on an average level together with peak normalization preventing clipping of beep and allowing to receive maximum quality therefore will be optimal for Mp3 files.

Author: Peter Kantsler, Source: http://www.kanssoftware.com

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How to Print to PDF From Any Application

Posted on December 20, 2008 by CP
PDF (Portable Document Format) is one of the most popular and widely accepted file formats. It’s used mainly for distributing various documents – when you send someone a PDF file you can be certain they’ll be able to view it, as multiple PDF viewers are available for every platform and OS. But first, you need to create the .pdf. There are several ways you could go about that – using a converter tool, a PDF-specific document editor, or printing a document to the PDF format. The latter approach, i.e. printing to PDF, is arguably the easiest one, so that’s the one I’ll explain in this article.

To print something to a PDF file, you will need to install a virtual “PDF printer”. There’s a number of freeware applications available – PrimoPDF, CutePDF, Pdf995 and so on. At their core, most of these are very similar – each installs a virtual printer driver that intercepts the specially formatted, printing-ready data that word processors and other applications send to the printer. The virtual printer then converts the data to the PDF format using a third party library (called Ghostscript) and saves the result in the location you specify.

So if all those print-to-pdf tools are so similar, which one should you pick? I recommend doPDF – a lightweight application that doesn’t require any additional software. Unlike most other PDF converters, with doPDF you only need to download & install one program and you’re set.

To create a PDF file from any document, first download and install doPDF. It’s very simple – there’s practically no configuration to worry about. Then open the source file in any editor that supports printing. Lets take Microsoft Word for this example (the procedure is nearly the same in any application). In Word, select “File — Print…” to open the “Print” dialog and choose “doPDF v6″ from the printer name dropdown. doPDF will ask you where you want to save the .pdf file. Choose a location and let the virtual printer do it’s job. After the PDF has been created it will be automatically opened in your default PDF viewer.

Using a virtual PDF printer is the easiest way to convert files to PDF as it works with almost any file format. Now you’ve learned how to print to PDF from Word or any other application, and it probably took you less than 10 minutes – congratulations.

This article about printing to PDF was written by Janis Elsts, a techy blogger and web programmer. As a bonus tip, check out my tutorial about free PDF to Word converters – see how you turn a read-only PDF file back into an editable document.

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New Security Options in Lenovo Notebooks

Posted on December 11, 2008 by CP

Due to a growing number of notebook theft cases both manufacturers and normal users are always looking for new ways to protect data on their hard drives. Notebook theft is not a joke especially if you keep on his hard drive personal or confidential business data. The thief can get access to virtually all the information needed for identity theft.

Many peoples to avoid these types of threats chose notebooks with built-in fingerprint readers and encrypts data on their computers. But the Lenovo company proposes completely new solution in notebooks security which intends to put on sale in the coming year. One sms message sent by the owner will be sufficient to disable stolen notebook computer.

Service “Lenovo Constant Secure Remote Disable Feature” will together with devices that support WWAN. The user sending simple text message such as “Lockdown PC” or “PC shut off” will be able to block his computer operation.

At the time of receipt of message your notebook will automatically shuts off and in the case that thief will try to start it again it will completely block your machine. Also there will be message sent to the owner of the notebook informing that his computer was successfully blocked. In the case when the owner will get back his notebook he will be able to unlock his machine via a previously set password.

Introducing this type of security significantly reduce the stress associated with the loss of the notebook and the data contained on his hard drive. And with connection with already existing security features such as fingerprint readers, hard drive encrypting or security chip’s Lenovo notebooks will have the most advanced security features available on the market – says Bob Galush from Lenovo

As for now however it is unknown whether the data contained on a computer’s hard drive will be secure after it will be dismounted from the computer.

Marcin Zielezny

Marcin is the writer for Go-GetIt.com blog reporting on the latest new gadgets and gizmos that you can buy in stores.

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