Archive for January, 2008

by Jeff S Anderson
CA Antivirus by Computer Associate has been around the anti-virus software business for quite some time. But with so many other anti-virus programs on the market, it is very hard to know whether CA Antivirus should become your choice when it comes to protecting your computer. In this article, we would take a look at what current CA Antivirus users have to say about their purchase.

The Good:

1. You have a choice on what feature YOU want to use in the CA Antivirus program. You can, for example, turn off the Automatic Email Scanning if you don’t feel that you need it. There will not be any graphics and messages on your system tray that would “warn” you that you don’t have all the features turned on.

2. It won’t slow down your PC. This is a common problem among anti-virus programs. A slow PC is the last thing you want while having your computer protected and CA Antivirus is well-known in occupying very few resources.

3. Fast Scanning speed. CA Antivirus has been praised for its fast scanning speed. The time it takes to scan the entire computer is lower than most major competitors in the anti-virus market.

The Bad:

The CA Antivirus website seems to lack detailed information for troubleshooting the software. Though it would be useful to have such information, it appears that CA Antivirus was designed to be a “set it and forget it” kind of program that does not require much hands-on tweaking from the user.

The Ugly:

Some people criticize CA Antivirus for its lack of graphics, dull interface, and lack of blinking messages. However, others seem to find that welcoming with less disturbance from their anti-virus program and a user-friendly interface.

Overall, though it appears that CA Antivirus could improve its technical support, it has been favored as a good choice of antivirus program. Considering its solid protection without sacrificing the computer’s resources and performance, CA Antivirus could very well be a favored choice of anti-virus program this year. For more in-depth reviews, please visit my site.

Jeff S Anderson is a software reviewer who specializes in reviewing the latest computer softwares. His new reviews on CA Antivirus are now available. For more information, please see www.caantivirusreview.com

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by James Kara Murat
Avery offers a large range of labels available in multiple types and sizes. These labels are employed for various purposes, depending upon the size and type of the label. The smallest Avery labels known as mini labels are used for the purpose of return addressing so that the post is prevented from being lost and is returned to the sender instead. Hence Avery labels having the standard sizes 1.79in x 1in, 1.5in x 0.83in, 1in x 0.39in and 0.7in x 0.39in available as 40, 65, 189 and 270 labels per page are ideally suitable for return addressing, organizing ones documents and marking the brochures, boxes and packaging.

Labels slightly larger than the mini labels are employed for addressing and mailing purposes. These are generally small in size but are larger than the mini labels. Hence Avery labels with dimensions 2.625in x 1in, 4in x 1in and 4in x 1.33in found as 30, 20 and 14 labels on a sheet respectively should be employed for mailing and addressing. The Avery code for 2.625in x 1in size is 5160 and 8160 while that of 4in x 1in is 5161 and 8161 and that of 4in x 1.33in size is 5162 and 8162.

An Avery label with standard dimensions 2.75in x 2.75in is used for diskettes and is available as 9 labels per page with the Avery code 8196. The standard size 3.062in x 1.812in available as 10 labels per page with an Avery 5199-F is used for marking a tape face. The label size 3.5in x 1.625in with the Avery code 5198 sold as 12 labels per page is used as an audio cassette label. A 3.4375in X 0.667in sized label available as 30 labels per page is ideally designed for labeling file folders. It has an Avery code of 5266 and Avery 5366.

Labels that are even larger are used for shipping purposes. These are of the standard sizes 4in x 1.5in, 4in x 2in, 4in x 3.33in and 3.5in x 5in. Avery labels with dimensions 4.62in CD, 4.5in CD and 4.62in CD are designed to be used as CD ROM and DVD-ROM labels. An Avery label with standard size 5.812in x 0.687in and an Avery code 5199-S available as 15 labels on a sheet is best suitable for labeling the tape spine. Labels having circular diameters of 1.67in, 2.5in and 3.33in available as 24, 12 and 6 labels respectively are used as round labels for different products depending upon the label size.

In short, different Avery labels are specially designed to serve particular purposes and it is best to use them accordingly. The application of Avery labels vary widely with their sizes. Hence, in order to select the most appropriate Avery label for oneself, one must keep the size consideration in mind because a label with particular dimensions is only suited for a particular task.

James Kara Murat the contributor of Photo Printing, Photo Editing & Photo Sharing Ideas. A longer version of this article is located at How to Use Standard Avery Label Sizes, and related resources can be found at PrintCountry Discount Photo Paper.

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by James Kara Murat
One of the most popular Avery label sizes is 2.625in x 1in which is the white label 5160. It is available as 30 labels per page and is used for addressing and mailing purposes. It is one of the most important mailing labels and its layout has been copied by many other manufacturers. A reviewer dlstewart describes the pros of Avery 5160 in these words: “many uses for these labels, easy to format and print, labels stick well.” These labels are used for multiple purposes. In addition to their usage as mailing labels, they can be used as return address labels and can also be fitted with graphics, provided the images are quite tiny. Avery 5160 labels have also been found useful for identification purposes, whereby they are typed with item numbers and attached with the displayed items.

Another significant white mailing label offered by Avery is of the size 2/3in x 1-3/4in. This size is available with a product code Avery 5195. It is an easy peel label, white in color and rectangular in shape. It is a laser printer label with a permanent adhesive. This label is guaranteed to be jam free. Ability to get dried quickly makes it smudge free as well. Its large size makes it useful for being printed with text and graphics.

The most popular round label offered by Avery is Avery 5193 having a diameter of 1.67 inches. These are available as 24 labels on a sheet. Their distinguishing shapes and designs render them useful for creating attractive messages. They are mostly employed in priority messages and color coding. They are also used as identification labels and warning labels. In addition, Avery 5193 round labels can be used for addressing purposes.

The most popular size of clear labels is 1/2in x 1-3/4in. This size is sold with the product code Avery 5667. It is known as an easy peel clear label. The easy peel feature allows one to remove the labels quickly and easily. The label edges are exposed to provide easier and faster peeling. These Avery labels are transparent and are virtually invisible when attached to envelopes.

Another important Avery label size is 6870 having standard dimensions of 3/4in x 2-1/4in. It is a color laser label matte white in color and rectangular in shape. It has a special coating which provides vibrant colors and text giving bright high resolution images. It is ideally suitable for mailing, announcements and messages. Each pack contains 25 sheets, each of which has 30 labels on it. The most popular return address label is Avery 5167 with a standard size 1.75in x .05 in, available as 80 labels on a page.

James Kara Murat the contributor of Photo Printing, Photo Editing & Photo Sharing Ideas. A longer version of this article is located at Most Popular Avery Label Sizes & Their Uses, and related resources can be found at PrintCountry Discount Photo Paper.

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by Andy Butler
Effective server recovery can prove absolutely essential for business survival because servers are critical to business operations. Servers are continuously supporting operations by serving files, applications, transaction data and other kinds of support information and tools without which businesses and individuals would find it harder to survive.

Server Data Recovery Planning Differs From Server to Server

Businesses and departments differ in the lengths of downtimes they can tolerate. In a bank, for example, if current account information is not available, even for a short time during business hours, it can cause serious problems. On the other hand, if fixed assets information cannot be accessed for even a few days, the same bank might still be able to continue its normal operations.

Another aspect is the ease of reconstructing the data. With thousands of transactions every minute, reconstructing lost current account details is not the same as reconstructing the comparatively few fixed assets transactions.

Server recovery planning can thus opt for different alternatives for different servers. The servers serving current account transactions have to be fault-tolerant and must have immediate online access to backup data, if it becomes necessary. Fixed assets data can be backed up on offline media, which can even be stored in a distant location.

Backups Can Fail and Data Recovery Can Become Complex

Data backups can prove unreliable if they become corrupted, or contain data which has not been updated for quite a long time. In such cases, you have to either reconstruct the data or take action to recover data from the damaged media (which contains current data).

Reconstructing data from original sources is rarely a viable option except for small quantities of data. That leaves only the option of trying to recover lost data from the affected media.

Recovering Data From Servers

Servers come in a wide range of sizes and types, and work under very different platforms. Many internationally recognised companies and even individuals make servers, and each manufacturer offers different models. The servers might be working under Windows, Linux, Unix or other proprietary operating systems.

Data loss can be caused by different factors. For example data lost through deletion might be recovered rather more easily than data lost owing to a major catastrophe ( natural or manmade) which has physically damaged equipment or media.

Specialist training, experience, and tools are needed to recover data lost from any possible combination. You might be able to use data recovery software in some cases. In other cases replacing damaged components with compatible healthy components might work. In yet other cases, it might be necessary to work painstakingly analysing data streams to rebuild damaged files.

Conclusion

Server recovery, planning, and execution can prove critical to the very survival of a business. Servers are constantly serving files, applications and data to support business operations. If they are down, the operations suffer and profits are lost.

Selecting fault-tolerant systems with RAID 5 arrays for example (with its ability to cope with the loss of a drive) and implementing systematic backup procedures whilst minimizing data loss risks through appropriate training and other measures, are some of the ways you can plan for a business’ survival of a data loss catastrophe.

If data is lost or a drive / array has degraded despite all these measures, you will have to approach a server recovery specialist, who has the facilities, resources and techniques to recover as much data as possible.

About Author:
Andy Butler from ABC Data Recovery writes about Server-Recovery visit www.abc-data-recovery.co.uk for further information.

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by Mei Galang
A digital photo frame is the “high tech” way of displaying your pictures. Owning a digital camera or a phone with a camera is common nowadays, and with that resource people often take as much pictures as they can afford or care to print. A digital photo frame is a good solution for a cost effective way of displaying these life stills. Its main purpose is to display the pictures stored from various memory cards, either from your camera, phone or on its built in memory. There are diverse types of digital frames available in the market today each differs in features, quality and cost. Below are the 5 important factors to consider before getting one for yourself:

1. How large is large and how small is small? Decide on what size of viewing screen you prefer. It can vary from 1 or 2 inches digital photo keychain sized up to 19 inches wide TV-like frames. The bigger the screen the bigger it will cost you. The average size is at least 7 inches which can display the popular 4X6 sized images.

2. Quality matters. The quality of the image being displayed is a factor to be considered. The main purpose of a digital photo frame is to display images, owners should be satisfied on how the image was displayed. Three quality related factors to be considered are pixel, resolution and display area. The bigger the screen, the higher resolution it needs to get the desired image. Other points to consider for quality are the options for adjusting brightness, color accuracy and viewing angle.

3. Is the price right? Different brands and product specifications give rise to diverse price range for digital photo frames so you need to set a particular range on how much are you willing to spend.

4. Worthy add-ons. Most digital photo frames offers additional features to ease the usage of this gadget. Each have different capacity on the photos that can be displayed, some even have the multiple display capacity via slide show. Others have timers, clock, or can even play music and videos. Some brands change the picture orientation, re-size pictures to fit screen, have zoom capability or even allows image manipulation. The more sophisticated it gets, the more it will cost you.

5. Technically Equipped. Buyers should also take note of the technical aspects of the product. Below are the three guide questions that they need to figure out.

1. What types of image files are supported?
2. Where will be the images stored, from external memory cards or on built in memory? If its from a built in memory, is it expandable?
3. If it supports music and/or videos, what file types are supported?
4. Is there a USB port, wi-Fi or Ethernet connection? What are the other ways to transfer files?
5. What is the power source? Is it battery operated or from AC power.

When choosing a digital photo frame, do not just base your selection on cute graphic design or color. It will cost you money so might as well be smart and choose well and make this a good investment.

Mei recommends the Free Classified Ads section of OzFree for Electronics best buy sell and trade.

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by Sam Miller
Compare folder tools can be easily downloaded from various online software application vendors. But what exactly are these tools for? And why do many users consider them indispensable?

Compare folder tools are software applications that can be used to compare two folders that may or may not contain various files. In the context of computers, a folder is an electronic object where multiple electronic documents can be kept. These folders are often used for the purpose of organizing information. In DOS and UNIX operating systems, folders are termed directories. Compare folder tools are programmed to identify which of the files contained in the compared folders are new and which of them have already been modified. This saves the user from the hassle of individually opening and looking over each of these documents. Compare functions are generally done in three stages which begins in the creation of file lists contained in folders. These file lists are then compared. Subsequently, contents of files that have common file names are compared. These comparison utilities are especially useful when a user has multiple copies of certain folders. By using these tools, files that needed to be kept are identified. These files can then be renamed and reorganized for future reference.

Typically, these compare folder tools utilize a customized comparison algorithm that is based on the user’s chosen settings. They are programmed to look at the attributes of the items being compared. They determine the differences in items compared. These differences are then sorted and comparison result is displayed to guide the user. Some compare folder applications perform comparison functions based on text which make them effective in comparing different files in various encoding formats, be they HTML files, binary files, Microsoft Word documents or Excel spreadsheets. Some of these tools are also equipped with automatic synchronization software which allows the merging of the contents of common files. A user may also choose what action to take after the files have been compared and differences are identified. The user can choose to copy or restore certain files while the others could be moved or immediately deleted. The resulting files could also be programmed so that they would appear in the Get Info or Finder features. Other compare folder versions also allow a user to print the contents of the files being scrutinized. This feature benefits those who want to have hard copies of their electronic files.

Compare folder tools can be used by just about anybody since they can be integrated into any workflow. They can be used by web designers, computer software engineers or software developers since these people usually keep track of new and modified files concerning an ongoing project. Nevertheless, if there is an established need for this kind of utility, make sure that the software you have chosen is compatible with your operating system. Reading user reviews of certain compare folder tools will definitely be helpful. Moreover, time trial versions could be availed of to take advantage of free use of software application at no cost.

If you are interested in compare folder, check this web-site to learn more about file comparison.

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by jameshappy

Email holds critical importance in pushing business transactions and forms the backbone of most organizations each day’s activities. With increasing prevalence of emails in the market, email security has become a significant component to look for. Here, the security implications are towards email storage, policy, auditing, and proper email management to help you keep nasty email problems at bay. This underlines a need for an efficient email client program.

The email client programs that are gaining in popularity with businesspeople are some of the offerings by Microsoft such as Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. These email applications are offered by Microsoft at no charge, in bundle with the Internet Explorer web browser. The users can also customized the mails they send or receive according to their own preferences with the option of email set up rules provided with these email client programs.

Seeing the kind of malicious virus and spyware in the cyberspace, you cannot ensure your emails’ security until and unless you take a proactive approach. Also, email problems can arise with your account itself or with the configuration of your email client (the software you use to access your email account), and it’s not always easy to tell which of these is to blame. When considering an effective email management, a layered approach, stepping towards email support services makes sense.

To avail a comprehensive range of email support, computer support companies are the only one stop shop. Their email management includes several useful components: mail flow, storage, and user access — both at the server and user levels.

Another key aspect of buying email support services is the protection of your business from harmful or unlawful attacks. Email support available with computer support vendors ensures your business’s protection via a variety of methods like fixing any errors with your email right away, spam filters and virus scanners.

Other scope of services includes installation and configuration of new email accounts, setting free email accounts with your Internet Service Provider (ISP). You may also ask the technicians to activate spam blockers in your email program to prevent receiving adult spam. They will also help you with your email set up rules for easy storage and access.

James Larry is an Online Technical Support Executive in iYogi Inc. iYogi provides Computer Support, PC Repair Services, Online Technical Support, Computer Repair, 24/7 Support, Tech Support, Antivirus Support, Anti-spyware Support, Email Support etc.

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by Sam Miller
Computer users, usually managers, sometimes need to compare spreadsheet data in order to make an accurate analysis of the relationship between data categories and to monitor numerical changes.

A spreadsheet or worksheet consists of rows and columns where numerical or financial data are often recorded. These are used in various areas or fields especially in budgeting, accounting, financial analysis and sales forecasting. Traditional spreadsheets exist only in paper format. However, technological innovations have paved the way for them to be available in computerized formats. The latter is similar in appearance to that of the paper spreadsheet. Certain software applications have made computerized spreadsheets more easy to use because of their ability to update numerical data and perform quick calculations. The pioneering spreadsheet software was VisiCalc which was initially designed for Apple Computers. Various commercial computerized spreadsheet software exist today and most of them can be used in any operating system including Microsoft Windows. Two of the most popular spreadsheet applications are Microsoft Excel and Lotus 123. Microsoft Excel, in particular, was created for computers with Microsoft Windows and Mac operating systems. Currently, it is a part of the Microsoft Office package. It has a macro programming language which is termed Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). This programming lingo enables Excel tasks to be automated. Moreover, it features pivot tables, graphing and calculation tools. It was originally marketed back in 1982. However, at that time when MS-DOS systems were common, it was deemed inferior to Lotus 123.

In computerized spreadsheets, numerical figures are recorded in cells which are the intersection of rows and columns. Generally, rows are identified through numbers while columns are identified through letters. A cell, therefore, is identified as a combination of a letter and a number depending on its location in the spreadsheet. Formulas may be encoded in certain cells for it to perform automatic calculations. When there are changes in the contents of the cells included in the formula, automatic recalculation occurs. Different graphs and charts may also be created using the data entered on spreadsheet cells. This feature makes this application more convenient in illustrating the relationship between two or more factors. For some people, setting up a spreadsheet is complicated and time-consuming. This is why many software packages are sold featuring templates and sample spreadsheets that are tailored to the needs of the user.

Another common dilemma for spreadsheet users is the difficulty in comparing spreadsheet data especially concerning updates. Some spreadsheets feature a lot of rows and columns so comparing two large documents would really be physically tasking. In response to this, various software developers came up with compare spreadsheet tools that would allow comparison between Excel files and will provide a comparative report on changes in the details of these files. These tools save spreadsheet users from the time-consuming task of thoroughly looking and comparing similar templates to tell if there had been changes in the data or not. Some of these programs can be used for free within a time trial period. License for the software could be purchased when one is satisfied of its performance.

If you are interested in compare spreadsheet, check this web-site to learn more about compare excel.

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by Andy Butler
Hard drive rebuild, in the general sense of the term, can mean a simple operation of replacing the firmware (controller card) and reprogramming it using specialist software. Or it can mean replacing the drive’s precision components like its read/write head, done in Class 100 clean rooms by specialist data recovery technicians.

Hard Drives Are Susceptible to Failure

Hard drives are electro-mechanical devices that are spinning even when the computer is idle. Typical spin rates vary from 4000 to 15000 rotations per minute. They are thus susceptible to failure as are CD, DVD or tape.

A hard drive rebuild can become necessary owing to mechanical failure of the disk but a logical recovery of the file system may still be needed to make the data readable. The logical file system can get corrupted with errors during the failure of the drive.

Failures can occur through a variety of causes:- power surges, causing physical damage like a drive head crash, a natural disaster like fire or flood, dropping a laptop or external drive, or damage caused by faulty design of the drive or its firmware programming, even a virus attack or malicious intent could be an issue.

Hard Drive Recovery

Data recovery from a hard drive can be simple or complex.

For example, if the data was lost owing to accidental deletion of files, you might be able to recover them yourself by running a data recovery software.

On the other hand, if the read/write head has crashed and the drive is clicking or the motor has seized, you will have to entrust your drive to a specialist professionals. They will have a dust free clean room where they will open the drive and replace the damaged heads, and the necessary resources and experience with a range of drive problems to help you in your hour of need.

Data recovery professionals typically start by copying the existing image on the damaged disk to a backup location. They will work on a copy trying to recover the data using specialized tools. Only after they have succeeded are they likely to transfer the recovered data to a replacement drive or give you secure access to their servers so you can check the data is intact and download it directly.

Simply replacing a damaged part like the printed circuit board of the drive cannot put things right; it will require some reprogramming to ensure it is correctly matched.

Does Your Recovery Company Have Hard Drive Rebuild Experience?

Hard drives have come a long way since a 5MB RAMAC, weighing a ton, was introduced in 1956 by IBM. Today’s drives can be a tiny box in comparison offering many Terabytes (each terabyte is a 1000 GB and each GB is a thousand MB).

Today, there are many storage drive makers each offering models with different features. The drive can be a single drive or a RAID system with multiple physical drives with their own cut down operating systems and hot swap features.

The drive interfaces to the computer can differ. For example, it can be IDE, EIDE, SATA, SCSI, Lan, etc.

Data losses can be caused by many different factors, requiring different kinds of approaches to any recovery.

Only an experienced hard drive repairer can identify just the right remedy that is both effective and economical

Once you have decided on a hard drive rebuild, check that the company you select is experienced and has the resources in house, or is a reseller of a reputable established company who ensures any recovered data is managed securely for your protection and does not broadcast your company’s loss of information on their website without your permission.

Conclusion

A hard drive rebuild becomes necessary when you are unable to boot with the drive or to read the data you have stored on it. You will also be better off if you approach a data recovery specialist if your drive is making strange noises (that you have not heard before) or data seems to be disappearing, or your system is spewing error messages.

Considering the numerous makes and models of hard drives in the market, each with differing features, you should approach only an experienced data recovery company with a track record of success but beware of the varying costs and just like any purchase expensive does not mean it is the best.

About Author:
Andy Butler from ABC Data Recovery writes about Hard-Drive-Rebuild visit http://www.abc-data-recovery.co.uk/ for further information.

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by Andy Butler
A properly configured and sufficiently powerful server installation can facilitate collaborative working, efficient communications and informed decision making. It does these by providing:

• Interfaces for discussions, document sharing and presentations
• Communication tools like emails, instant messaging, voice and video conferencing
• Access to a knowledge base of an organizations accumulating experience in running the business

.

• Processing business transactions and keeping track of changes databases and email

A server installation can be a daunting task that must be done in a carefully planned manner. It involves both hardware and software know-how and familiarity.

What is a Server?

In the context of computing, a server is an application or computer that services client computers by accepting service requests and responding to them. Thus a Web server accepts requests for Web pages from numerous computers on the Internet and responds by retrieving and sending the requested pages.

In an organizational context, servers store applications and data that can be accessed by workstation computers connected to it. Practices like enterprise computing, where information generated anywhere can be accessed by any client workstation on the enterprise network, is made possible by the use of client-server computing.

Server computers run specific server applications such as file servers, Web servers and email servers. There are also appliance servers such as routers and print servers. There are several server applications in the market such as the traditional UNIX servers, Apache Web server, Linux-based servers, Microsoft IIS Server and so on. Each of these applications needs to be installed and configured in its own way.

Server computers are typically more powerful and reliable, using faster processors, more memory and disk storage, redundant power supplies and hard drives, modular design, and so on.

Server Installation

Server installation involves not only installing a compatible set of hardware components but also configuring the installation to meet the special requirements of the organization. It can be a local installation confined to a single premises or a global installation spanning offices all over the world.

The workload on the system also affects the configuration. One single computer can run all the server applications where the load on the servers is light. Where the workload is very heavy, a single server application might require several computers. The safest option is to use one server computer per server application.

There are several other issues that need be considered while configuring a server, such as security issues, the special features of the particular operating system, and so on.

Server installation is thus a task that requires specialized training with the particular server application and also considerable experience of likely problems that might arise with regard to disaster recovery and data recovery if the need should arise.

Conclusion

Servers are specialized applications that provide different kinds of services to the client computers connected to it. There are Web servers, file servers, email servers, etc looking at things from a functional viewpoint, and UNIX, Linux, Microsoft IIS, etc servers looking at specific products available in the market.

Server installation involves not only putting in place the hardware components of the network but also configuring the whole system to meet the requirements of the particular operating environment. It requires both specialized training in the particular operating system and a good deal of practical and technical experience in setting up networks.

About Author:
Andy Butler from ABC Data Recovery writes about Server-Installation visit www.abc-data-recovery.co.uk for further information.

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