Archive for August, 2007

by James Walsh
Despite there being different back up media like floppy disks, CD’s, DVD’s, pen drives etc, there is no absolutely fool proof solution. With the introduction of portable hard drives, many hope that the quest for the perfect solution that is portable, affordable, hardy and with a high capacity has finally been met. Currently, anyone who is serious about data backup and storage only speak in terms of a portable hard drive. A portable hard drive is extremely versatile and can be used just for good old data back up or to transport movies, documents etc from place to place.

Portable hard drives are the result of cutting edge technology, which has been designed to solve the common backup woes of the average man. The technology used is similar to that used in laptops and portable media players. Portable hard drives are designed in a manner keeping the future in mind, so any investment in acquiring one will fully last the whole nine yards and won’t become redundant because of the lack of supporting technology which is so often the case. Especially with the evolution of the global citizen who jet-sets from destination to destination, the need is for a storage medium that can be accessed from multiple destinations without too much bother, the portable hard drives completely fulfill this need.

Portable hard drives come in two configurations and in several capacities. In fact one can even find a portable hard drive with the capacity of 500GB which truly is incredible and opens up all possibilities for storage of data. It is fairly easy to connect the portable hard drives to a system but in the case of large storage capacity drives, it is mandatory to have a powered hub.

Backup Media Has Come a Long Way

Often, portable drives are compared to other storage media like floppies, CDs, DVDs etc but most fall short in comparison as the currently available portable hard drives are the result of evolution and improvements on the older versions. For example, the earlier popular floppy disk is almost redundant now as a result of its slow transfer capabilities, small storage capacity and lack of hardiness so much so that most new PCs do not have a floppy slot. The only advantage that floppy users see in its use is that floppies are extremely affordable. While zip drives did gain in popularity not all computers were designed accommodate these drives and so the need to make special installations proved to be inconvenient. While CDs and DVDs are extremely popular they do have their limitations and are susceptible to rough handling.

Portable hard drives have been created, taking into account the drawbacks of their predecessors while keeping in mind future demands. Even security features are enhanced in portable hard drives with encryption possibilities being built-in. This is hugely beneficial as it prevents unauthorized access to the stored data. These hard drives are extremely popular amongst network and system administrators who find it convenient and help in troubleshooting maintenance.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Portable hard drives are very hardy and not very susceptible to scratches and mishandling as when compared to the less hardy media like floppies, CDs etc. Of course that they are portable proves to be hugely advantageous. They can be transported from location to location without any difficulty and therefore makes them very useful. However, what would be the single most attractive feature of portable hard drives is their dense storage capacity; this makes them a delight to users who require storage of voluminous data. It almost seems that the sky is the limit storage-wise while the portable nature of this media makes it an answer to storage and backup woes. The good news doesn’t end here. The use of portable hard drives does not require additional device drivers which makes it an even better investment.

This almost miraculous invention does have its drawbacks, one of the chief ones being that it is limited in the number of write and erase cycles it can sustain. Also most portable hard drives do not support a write-protect mechanism. This can be a drawback when the need for virus repair arises. The average user may find the portable hard drive a bit expensive but given its versatility and usefulness it is an investment completely worth it!

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on Data Recovery see http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk

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by A Singh
The Windows Registry is a hierarchical database of settings that is used by Vista and various individual applications running on it. Therefore, understanding the Vista registry tweaks enables you to access and modify Windows registry effectively and efficiently. This helps in troubleshooting, customizing, and unblocking various hidden features in Windows Vista.

The most important tool available for Vista registry tweaking is the Registry Editor (regedit.exe), which allows you to view and manually edit the contents of Windows Registry. The window of the Registry Editor is divided into two pans of which the left side contains a tree with keys that are represented as folders. The right side shows the values contained in currently selected specific key. There are several tweaks that you can perform using the Registry Editor. Among them, some of the important Vista registry tweaks are:

Appearance tweaks

1. To remove the annoying ToolTips that appears whenever you mouse over something:
• Open the Registry Editor by typing regedit in the Run option of the Start Menu.
• Select HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Explorer > Advanced.
• Set ShowInfoTip = dword:00000000
• Exit from regedit and reboot your system

2. To get rid of arrows present in shortcuts:
• Open regedit and select HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT > lnkfile
• Rename isShortcut available in the right pan to AriochlsShortcut
• Exit regedit and reboot your system
3. To change the delay on menus:
• Open regedit and select HKEY_ CURRENT_USER > Control Panel > Desktop
• Set the value of MenuShowDelay to specify the time you need the menus to be popped up
• Exit regedit and reboot your system

Security tweaks

To tweak the User Account Control (UAC):

• Open regedit and select HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion > Policies
• Set the value of PromptOnSecureDesktop to 0, which disables the desktop security to provide easy UAC
• Exit regedit and reboot your system

User Tweaks

To change the registered owner:

• Open regedit and select HKEY_CURRENT_USER > Software > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion
• Right click RegisteredOwner and select Modify
• Enter the correct owner
• Exit regedit and reboot your system.

Author is admin and technical expert associated with development of computer security and performance enhancing software like Registry Cleaner, Anti Spyware, Window Cleaner, Anti Spam Filter. Visit: Home Page. Read More at Vista Registry Cleaner and Registry Cleaner.

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by Peter Losh
When did you last spend a weekend taping music for a special occasion or your daily commute?

Chances are you haven’t done this since the turn of the century, because you’ve been using MP3s.

With their play lists, search functions, and high-quality portable music, MP3 players are the superior technology. Few of us wax nostalgic for the days of muffled audio tapes, which offered limited play time, took up space, and wore out quickly.

For mobile music lovers, the times have never been better. But video gamers and parents of small children, still dealing with the physical media of application CDs and DVDs, may struggle to manage the ever-expanding disc collections they share with other people.

More often than not, shared discs are treated badly. Left out their cases and exposed to kids and pets, game and application CDs are soon turned into expensive coasters, damaged beyond all other usefulness. Traveling with disc collections can create all kinds of logistical nightmares — for instance, volume 4 of an educational set may simply disappear when the family goes on vacation.

MP3-LIKE CONVENIENCE FOR DISC-BASED APPLICATIONS

A CD/DVD emulator brings MP3-like ease use and portability to video games, CD-ROM clip art collections, educational software, and other disc-based applications. It’s the perfect solution for anyone sharing application CDs with members of the family or taking discs from place to place.

A CD emulator converts an application disc into a “virtual CD,” or a file that you store on a laptop computer or a USB device and play just like a physical CD. There’s no need to load the physical disc — simply click on desktop icon to launch a favorite application. If you’re so inclined, you can have several virtual CDs running simultaneously.

A virtual CD operates directly on the hard drive, improving playback times by up to 200% and eliminating wear and tear on the CD-ROM drive. It can be shared over a network, customized to contain multi-disc sets and expansion packs, and organized with other virtual CDs in a searchable library.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CD EMULATOR

Most commercial CD emulators cost between $30 and $60 — less than the price of many game titles, and well worth the investment if you’re able to spare your application discs from abuse. But while nearly all CD emulators have certain basic features in common, not all offer the same usability and disc support.

If you’re serious about purchasing an emulator, you might want to download some evaluation software first to determine which product works best with the discs in you collection, and which gives you the best value for your money.

CD EMULATOR INFORMATION

VirtualDrive CD Emulator

http://www.farstone.com/software/virtualdrive.htm

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by James Walsh
Established data recovery companies such as Disklabs and DSI offer the latest clean-room technology promising a full recovery of nearly 99% of lost data. Data recovery companies of CBL and Vogon International provide storage and data recovery solutions to small enterprises — international market and the basic consumer. Thus, these corporations end up setting the service model for consumer choice. Usually data recovery companies are built around three guidelines:

• Customer base
• Technology being used
• Pricing

Companies such as Vogon International provide data recovery services to both big businesses as well as small manufacturing enterprises. In other words, every data recovery company has a niche market which dictates market usage and function. This means that a personal user is not likely to recruit the services of a data recovery company which supplies data recovery services to big businesses. Similarly, every company in the data recovery business has its target audience and caters to them alone.

The second criterion is that of data recovery technology used by the company. This includes the varied procedures of evaluation and recovery — clean-room technology and the machines used in dusting the clean room. A user or business is able to gauge the professionalism of a company just by looking at their brochure. Companies such as Ontrack and CBL employ the best practices of 100 Class clean-room technologies. This means that the clean-room where the damaged disks are opened is stripped clean of any microscopic air and bacterial pollutants. The intensity and magnitude of clean-room technology determine the success of the data recovery process.

A third criterion which helps to build the service model of a functional data recovery company is that of pricing and data recovery evaluation. The data recovery company has to provide the user with a price quote of the entire process including free evaluation of amount and type of data lost and the amount and type of which can be recovered. This guideline decides the niche market of the company including the technology being used. A user has to look for certain factors — the existence of these factors ought to send warning signals to the user about the company.

Duration of Existence: Data recovery was firmly established as a lucrative business only since the 1990s. But, in order to recover data from damaged drives, a user ought to look for data recovery companies which have been in the business for more than a year. The user has to choose a data recovery company which is firmly entrenched in the data recovery business — makes use of known established recovery procedures. A user should stay away from a new data recovery company as there is a trend of renaming bankrupt notorious data recovery companies.

Reputation: A user has to check out the reputation of the company on many fronts — employee, consumer, and technology and price level. Are previous customers satisfied with the data recovery service provided by the company? Are the employees committed and focused? Can the customer trust and rely on the company for the security of his or her data? Many new and small data recovery companies keep a copy of the recover red data and later sell it to other willing consumers. Thus, individual private data is compromised. A user has to consider this ethical and legal issue very seriously. Usually, reputable companies destroy copies of recovered data ensuring that the consumer has sole authority over recovered data. This determines user choice of a data recovery company to a large extent — data security and maintenance of privacy. Users are also advised to look at the previous record including testimonials and client record of the company.

Pricing and Free Data Evaluation: Many new and recently established data recovery companies charge very less for the entire recovery process. This is not possible as data recovery is a costly affair requiring immaculate skilled professionals and the latest technology. When this happens, it puts a question mark on the type and level of technology being used. A user should not consider a data recovery company which provides a free data recovery evaluation of less than 50%. Usually, it is possible to have a full recovery of data lost. In addition, the entire process should not cost less 1,500 pounds — the amount varies in accordance with the customer type. Data recovery companies charge more for huge businesses amounting to more than 3,000 pounds. Small enterprises and personal consumers are often charged less than 1000 pounds.

Finally, technology level decides consumer choice. Usually data recovery companies use precision-scanning technology combined with clean-room technology. But some small data recovery firms do not have a clean-room. This raises doubts about the company’s function and recovery process. Will the data recovered be infallible or will it be prone to constant errors? The absence of a clean-room means that there is no guarantee of disk safety and data recovery. Chances are that the entire disk might get corrupted destroying huge chunks of protected data even though a small portion of the disk was damaged when the user gave it for recovery. Thus, technology determines amount of data that can be recovered. It also determines the speed at which data can be recovered.

James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. For more information on computer crime and Computer Forensics see http://www.fieldsassociates.co.uk

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by Guy Miasnik
In May of 2007, AtHoc announced he Hawaii State Civil Defense (HISCD) has licensed AtHoc IWSAlerts™ software to build a comprehensive, network-centric emergency notification system (ENS) to support emergency response state wide. HISCD is actively leveraging IP-based, network-centric technology to provide emergency notification for first responders, citizens and the special-needs community. The system has already been installed in the HISCD headquarters at the Birkhimer Emergency Operating Center in Diamond Head Crater, Oahu, and is intended to provide support to HISCD personnel, to the emergency preparedness community and to the Hawaii special needs community on a pilot basis.

Hawaii State Civil Defense, Hawaii’s mass notification and emergency management agency, is responsible for preventing, protecting and assisting its islands and citizens during emergencies and disasters. The emergency notification system set in place by AtHoc allows HISCD to use its existing network to reach personnel within HISCD and partner organizations through multiple redundant channels of communications - including SMS text-messaging to mobile phones, desktop alerts over IP-networks, telephony, TTY/TDD devices and pagers. The system can be triggered either by HISCD emergency managers or automatically by monitoring events communicated from external agencies (i.e. National Weather Service). IWSAlerts also enable HISCD to trigger alerts to the public over the broadcast Emergency Alert System (EAS) using the same Web-enabled integrated system, which improves response time and bolsters public safety.

“It’s exciting to be working with HISCD and numerous other organizations across the state to help build this very important emergency notification infrastructure,” commented Guy Miasnik, president and CEO of AtHoc.

HISCD decided to create a far-reaching alerting capability that contacts various communities, including HISCD personnel, Hawaii’s emergency preparedness community, special needs citizens, emergency managers for larger businesses and corporations, and the general public via the media and EAS.

AtHoc, Inc. is a recognized leader in providing enterprise-class, network-centric emergency notification systems used for force and personnel protection, facility mass notification, public safety and critical enterprise communications.

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by Magic Mike
The Okidata C5100 printer’s performance is very good when compared to laser printers in similar pricing ranges. It has only one drawback and that is its large size. It occupies a good amount of desk space. But, if size does not bother you, then this is great printer for you.

There are many features optional on the Okidata C5100. First, its single-pass engine design can print up to twelve color pages per minute and up to twenty black and white pages per minute. This makes it one of the speediest printers within its price range. The Okidata C5100 also has a 250-page feeder, and an auto-duplex unit is also optional separately. A network-ready 10/100 Ethernet port and USB 2.0 connectivity finish off its features.

This printer contains four different toner cartridges. Every toner has a different color. These colors are black, cyan, yellow and magenta. This is a very good system, because if one color ink goes empty, you have no need too to replace the entire toner. You just replace that color ink. The Okidata toner prints less pages than a standard toner. A complete set costs about $150 for a branded toner, not as much for a generic.

The original company’s ink catridges are available at a very high price. On some websites you will locate a set of four toners for four hundred dollars. But I recommend the generic brand toners, because they print the same quality at a lower price.

The Okidata 5300 is also made by the previously mentioned brand. This printer has double the RAM as its predecessor, and its processing speed is twice that of the old model. The speed of its printing has remained the same, the Okidata 5300’s ink prints color pages at a rate of twelve a minute, and black and white pages at twenty a minute.

Hopefully, these details about color laser printers has been helpful in telling you the different features that these two printers have and the cost of the ink toners that people factor in when buying a new printer. The cost of ink is always of big importance, so make sure you look into the cost of ink along with the cost of the printer.

The Oki c5100 printer features a single-pass engine design that allows it to process 12 color pages, or 20 b/w pages, per minute and it contains a 10/100 Ethernet port and USB 2.0 connectivity. It comes with four separate toners, so the entire ink cartridge does not need to be replaced if you run out of one color. The Oki toner, however, yields less pages…

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by Paul Smiles
SWF Protect v1.6

No artist whether a singer, painter or even a writer likes to have his/her work stolen and reproduced with minor changes and then claimed as an original by the unscrupulous usurper. But at least in the real world, brick and mortar environment, an artist can at least get his grievances addressed, and get duly compensated for his or work. There are pretty stringent laws like intellectual property rights to that protect works of art and culture against plagiarism and theft. So some policies and laws are there to protect the works of artists and musician, which makes plagiarists and copycats a little weary of stealing works of other people.

But this however, is restricted only to the offline environment. Log onto to the net, and you will realize the absolute wilderness you have entered. The rich bounties information and art are there for the taking. It’s a complete free for all and nobody gives a damn, as to whose work he is lifting. Downloading images and animations form the net is as easy as 1-2-3…. So there nothing one to protect his/her works. Legally speaking, there is very little one can do to protect his or her prized works. So if you are so keen to protect your creations, then just keep them away from the net. But by doing this, you will be effectively depriving millions of people from appreciating your talent. Appreciation that could have earned you thousands perhaps hundred of thousands in income, the problem here is that by displaying your work on the net, makes it vulnerable to theft.

So if you have designed an excellent flash based site or beautiful animation to drive up the amount of traffic to your website, it won’t take long for crooked souls to steal your flash source make a few minor changes and pander them as their own. There’s nothing you would be able to do prevent the travesty. With flash decompiling software programs so easily and readily availing, even a complete novice can rob you of your creations and your countless hours of hard labor, money and talent will be drained away in a jiffy.

But there are a few things you can do to protect your flash animations. All you have to do is to encrypt your animations in such a way, that they can’t be decompiled and reused. For doing this, you can use the SWF Protect v1.6. It’s a powerful and unique software that will encrypt your flash pages so perfectly that any attempt to download and reuse it will be thwarted. Moreover, encrypting an average flash file takes little less than ten seconds

It’s very easy to use the software. And once you have encrypted your flash animations and images, you can upload them on your website, without any fear of them being lifted or stolen. It’s practically impossible to lift flash images that have been encrypted with SWF Protect v1.6. Anybody who tries to use decompiling software will only down a pile of utter gibberish and nonsense; which will be absolutely of no use to them whatsoever. With this software you can easily beat powerful and commonly used decompilers like ASV 5.21, SWF Decompiler 3.6 Build 70208, Imperator °FLA v3.5.1 and several others. SWF Protect v1.6. is perfectly compatible Macromedia Flash 8. It is truly an amazing software, priced so modestly that you won’t have to think twice, before purchasing them.

Paul
Swfprotect.net

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by Lynne Saarte
You have just taken all the necessary steps to jumpstart your small business. Now it’s time to develop your marketing campaign to start the ball rolling on the sales part. After careful planning, you decide to go for catalogs to promote your products. You chose catalogs to market your business because with so many products in your listing, your catalog printing project would be the most suitable to do the job for you. It has a number of pages and panels to hold all the information you want to tell your target clients.

So now that you’re all set and ready to begin, you also realize that you need a catalog printer to, basically, reproduce your print materials. Where to look?

Most business owners nowadays use the web to get their options for catalog printers. The internet is such a great place to get a listing of possible catalog printing companies that can do the job for you. What’s more, you can have a wide range of options, from your local area to the rest of the world. That’s right; if you choose to go online for your catalog printer, you can have a vast source that encompasses the whole planet.

Two things you have to consider, especially if it’s your first time in the printing industry — affordable price and excellent customer service.

If you go online for your search of a catalog printer for your marketing materials, it just goes to show that location is not actually a big consideration for you. You can always have your catalog printer ship your catalogs to your place. And there’s the email to communicate whatever concerns you and your catalog printer have on your catalog printing job. You just need to make sure that shipping costs are included in their catalog printing quote so you won’t have to think about it later on.

But if you want to avail of those who are within your state or local area, you might save from the elimination of the shipping costs. Often, those catalog printers who have more affordable prices are usually those operating on a national level. For one thing, they are working on a bigger scale that they can provide discounts and cheaper prices because they have a number of jobs to pay for their operating costs. Second, these catalog printers have access to a wider range of suppliers that they often get great discounts from the merchandisers that they can afford to work on a lesser priced catalog printing job.

But I’m not saying that catalog printers who print in a metropolitan area have higher catalog printing costs. You just need to scout around for the ones who can work according to the budget you have.

You also need to consider in your list how your catalog printer value customer service. The one who makes you the most comfortable and who is willing to discuss with you your needs is definitely worth keeping. A catalog printing company that provides you with the costs up front and is willing to work with you to achieve your requirements have to be considered for the job.

Nevertheless, there are no guarantees in the end. You just need to keep looking if you feel that the ones in your shortlist won’t fit with your requirements. But considering these two qualities would help you narrow your search until you find the most suitable that can help you get your desired results.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit: Catalog Printing Company

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by Wolfgang Schmuck
When it comes to buying software it can be hard to know if you are getting the best deal that is out there. It is also hard to know if there are ways you can get the same software for free, and if so whether you are doing so in a way that is legal or not. When it comes to buying software, it is usually the case that it is much cheaper buying it online rather than offline. The main reason for this is cost. When an offline retailer wants to sell a product they have far more cost-centers to absorb. These include retail outlets, the need for more staff and the problems they encounter through being limited to who they can sell to. An online retailer has a global audience to which they market. Whether you are looking to buy software for your ipod, or palm, or even the new Windows XP Vista you can be sure to get the best deal if you are willing to dedicate time to comparing sources and taking advantage of deals.

Choose The Product You Want

When it comes to choosing the product that you want, you may be surprised to learn that it becomes less attractive when you become aware of the alternatives. That’s why you should firstly look at what’s available, and read reviews in order to get an idea if it provides all the functionality that you are after. You may also find that there are alternatives available that have the same functionality at a much reduced cost.

Find Retailers Offering The Product

Once you have decided on the product that you want to buy you should find retailers that offer the product. Some ways to do this involve using search engines, such as Google, or to use a comparison shopping engine such as shopping.com for example. Once you have identified retailers, you should then check to see what shipping options and payments options that offer. If they don’t ship to where you live, or they charge too much, then you should choose another option. When it comes to computer software for the ipod, palm and Windows XP Vista you should also ensure that the retailer has an appropriate policy for returns in the instance where the software is not compatible or does not function correctly.

Find Coupons

Now you have decided on the software you want to buy, and possible sources from which to buy from, now you should find out if any of those retailers have coupon codes that mean you can gain discounts on those products. You can visit a coupon website or alternatively do a search for a phrase such as ipod software coupons, Palm software coupons or Windows XP Vista coupons into Google or alternatively into a coupon specific website. From there you will be able to calculate the retail price, less the coupon discount, and work out which is going to be the cheapest way to pick up your software online.

Wolfgang Schmuck, a proficient writer, writes articles for appcraft.org. The author writes articles about software utility, mp3 converter and video converter are accessible on the internet.

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by Wolfgang Schmuck
If you are looking to buy software for the Palm PDA or Treo then you may be surprised by how many options are available. However, making sure you get the best deal has become increasingly difficult; especially when there are so many options to choose from. If you are unsure of exactly what you need, then a great idea is to firstly read reviews and find out what other people are buying and what kind of experience they have.

One great way to do this is to search blogs and review websites for information on the latest Palm PDA and Treo software. Find out what people are buying, how they are finding the software works, and where they are buying it from. With so much software available, it can be hard to keep track of the latest releases and to know when a specific release has become outdated. There is new music software, DVD software, educational software and games released all the time, so finding a good source of regular information can be very beneficial for those that want to take advantage of the options that are available in the marketplace.

Once you have decided on a specific palm treo software product or pda software product, it is now time to find the best prices and most reliable provider. One great to do this is to go to a shopping comparison website. Not only will this give you an opportunity to come across a wide array of providers in one place, but you will also get an idea of the prices that they offer. From there you should also segment the retailers who offer the shipping options and payment options that you are looking for.

After you have created a short-list of potential suppliers, you should then try and find out if any of them are offering special deals that you can take advantage of. Go through every retailer and look on their website to see if they have any discounts available. If they do not, then you should consider visiting a coupon website and look to see if you can pick up any deals form the merchants that you have short listed. You could also try typing a search into Google such as retailer name + promo code. From there you should be able to work out what the price will be once you discount any coupon codes that are available. Now you will be able to find the cheapest retailer and give them your business! However keep in mind that price should not be the only factor when shopping for software products online. You should also find out about their return policy in the case that you do not receive the product that you were expecting.

When buying software for the Palm Treo and Palm PDA you have to pay particular attention to ensuring that it is compatible with your particular model. That is why a generous return policy can be advantageous. In the case that you cannot get this, be sure to be rigorous in your research in order to ensure that you do not end up out of pocket.

Wolfgang Schmuck, a proficient writer, writes articles for appcraft.org. The author writes articles about computer software, palm software and palm software are accessible on the internet.

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