Laptop Test

Laptops have become one of the most useful tools in today's generation. Teachers, businessmen, librarians, and other working professionals will find laptops quite handy. Of all the people who find laptops very useful, students are probably the ones who can benefit from it the most. There is a downside though; laptops can be a bit expensive, especially for working college students. With that said, there is a growing need to get a free laptop without spending any dime. Luckily, there are various ways one can obtain laptops for free. Some methods may be harder than others, but most of these methods can help you land a decent fully functional laptop.

If you are a fresh graduate from high school, a good way to get a free laptop is to find colleges that offer free laptops to enrollees. There are colleges that use free laptops as a form of incentive for enrollment. A freshmen college student from a low income family could definitely use this kind of incentive, don't you agree?

If you are a parent, for example, who has a son or a daughter who just graduated from high school, you can give your fresh graduate a laptop as a graduation present instead of money or anything else. You can ask the entire family to pitch in on the cost of the laptop.

Besides having a laptop in lieu of money as a graduation present, the Internet could also provide ample opportunities in getting a laptop for free. There are legit websites out there that give away free laptops from time-to-time. They hand out laptops through contests or raffles. Classified ad websites like Craigslist have a section in their website where all the free stuff is posted. Who knows, you might find a decent and fully functional laptop there?

Another good way to get a laptop for free is by participating in laptop tests. A laptop test is what companies without any extensive testing departments use to entice Internet users to test their products. In return, the individual who participated in the test will get a free laptop. You do not have to be a techie or computer savvy to participate in laptop tests. Detailed instructions will be provided to you by the computer companies so you will know what to do.

Once you have completed the laptop test thoroughly, you will then be required to fill out a form to input the results of your tests. All you have to do now is send the form via email to the computer company. They will then contact you to inform you that the laptop you tested will be yours for free. If you are willing to spend a few minutes of your time to go online, you can certainly find ways to get a laptop for free. Students who cannot afford to purchase a brand new laptop will now have a chance to get one free of charge.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6352259

How to Take Care of Your Laptop and Make Sure It Lasts for Years

A laptop is an expensive piece of hardware that is quite often prone to damage mainly due to the fact that owners don't usually know how to keep it out of harm's way. In this article I will teach you how to take care of your laptop in order to make sure you will be able to enjoy it for years.

Many of the laptop's problems are generated by the things that make it attractive for buyers in the first place: its compact size and the fact that it's by definition a portable device. Due to the fact that the laptop case is so small, all its internal components are stuck close together inside with little to no room around them. This generates a big problem when it comes to cooling and having a good air flow around the components. With time, heat causes irreparable damage to all the sensitive electronics inside the computer.

So, the first thing to get after buying a new laptop is a good quality cooling pad. The pad is nothing more than a slim board with a couple of fans in it that sits underneath the laptop. I suggest you buy a cooling pad that draws its power from the laptop itself via a USB port. This ensures that your laptop will remain a portable machine and not become dependent on a plug for the cooling pad.
Dust and minute sand particles are a real danger for your laptop. Dust is sucked into the casing by the coolers and quickly gathers on the internal circuits. This clogs them up and makes them overheat even more. Make sure to keep your laptop on a clean table and also clean the cooling pad regularly. You should also take your computer for a thorough internal cleaning to an authorised service centre once a year.

Laptop casings are usually made out of black plastic. Needless to say this attracts sun rays like a magnet which will in time deteriorate the fragile case. So make sure you don't leave your machine in direct sun light (a balcony, the dashboard of your car, or even a table that gets a lot of direct sunlight daily).

Laptops are also sensitive to shock. The hard drive is especially fragile and the disks inside it can get quickly damaged if the computer gets trashed around. A good option to consider is buying a laptop with SSD hard disks. The SSD has no moving parts and can take any kind of punishment without getting damaged.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6164327

Laptop Versus Desktop Computer Dilemma

Which one is better, laptop or desktop computer? Consider all possible choices to be able to select one that best suits your necessities. Understanding all your options when buying an item can be very attractive making good decisions. Familiarity prior to you buying is at all times the best thing!

If you will be using it only for some work or school works, laptop would be a good selection. But if it is for family use, desktop computers are strongly suggested. These days, you have to be practical. It is important to know your requirements and match it with your resources. The following must be considered when purchasing computers: Cost On the whole, laptops are pricier than a similar desktop computer. Tiny components of a laptop will set you back. If you will use it largely for word processing, reporting and meetings, and to do some researches, laptops will be a sensible choice. On the other hand, video games, video editing and desktop publishing necessitate bigger storage capacity and memory, fine quality video and audio cards. Every element will heighten the cost and the mass of the gadget.

Handiness - If you will need computers wherever you go, laptops are the best choice for they are handy. If you lack space at your residence for the gadget, or if your loved ones will likely need to use the computer in various areas, laptops are highly recommended. If you will just leave the computer at home, just get a desktop.

Upgrades and Repairs - Regardless of whether a lot of things can be upgraded or substituted in laptops, it is quicker to complete upgrades and computer repairs in desktop machines. This must be considered as well. As desktop computers' costs set out to lower, it may in fact be more less expensive to buy a hot new machine, as a substitute for trying to adjust an old one by doing several IT solutions. So, if a part of your laptop was damaged or somebody spills drinks on its keyboard, really it is more severe and it will cost you higher than a comparable destruction on a desktop computer. If you have irreverent kids at home, this must be one of your top considerations.

Ergonomics - Ergonomics means pattern and plan of your working area.You will need to analyse if your working area can supply users a comfy and safe environment. In this scenario, quite a few specifications with regards to a computer working area should be mirrored to forestall back pains, strains and many others. For desktop computers, you have to extra space to put your desktop table with a comfy, moving chair. Even if it is really helpful to create a good computer workstation, others would not mind.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6613971

How to Take Care of Your Printer Cartridges

Buying a printer does reduce your printing costs. However overuse or under-use of the cartridge can reduce its life. Moreover, not only are inkjet printer cartridges expensive to buy, but it's also rather difficult to find replacement cartridges, especially for old printers.

So here are a few tips to bear in mind in order to prolong your cartridges' life and thus reduce your maintenance expenses.

1. First and foremost, avoid waiting until you squeeze the last drop of ink from your cartridge before refilling or replacing it. If you use your printer even after its ink has run out, you probably end up burning out your printer. Make it a point to refill your cartridge as soon as its ink starts fading or it starts leaving streaks on the paper. The best way to do this is by keeping a backup cartridge with you to use in case of emergencies.

2. Similarly, don't under-use your cartridge as it dries out if not used for several weeks in a row. In order to keep the ink flowing you should print something at least once a week. In case your printer is a color one, you have to print something both in black & white and in color.

3. It is always better to keep your cartridge cool. If it is left in a warm location (like your car for example) for prolonged periods of time, there is a chance of your cartridge to explode. The heat leads to the expansion of air bubbles in the cartridge, which consequently leads to the leakage or explosion of the cartridge. This only leaves your cartridge useless, and of course, causes a big mess.

4. Your cartridge might get blocked sometimes. Take it out and then reinstall it in the printer.

5. There are basically two types of printers, those with a print head on their bottom like HP, Dell and Lexmark and those that have an ink tank like Epson, Brother and Canon. The printers with print heads (the copper contact you find on the cartridge base) are very sensitive and easily scratch. So don't touch them directly as scratched print heads can render your cartridge useless.

6. The cartridges used with these printers, especially the Lexmark ones, tend to dry out and get blocked. In such cases, you have to soak the print head in distilled water or isopropyl alcohol and let the cartridge dry completely before installing it.

7. Even if printers that work on ink tanks require less maintenance, you have to be careful not to tear the seal at the bottom of the tank. If torn, the ink in the cartridge dries out and cannot be resolved (soaking the ink tank will not solve the problem).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6600769

Top 10 Android Apps You Can't Live Without

There are tens of thousands of Android applications available in the marketplace so choosing just 10 of the best apps is a very difficult job. However, we've gone through hundreds of different apps and compiled these top 10 Android apps that you can't live without.
Handcent SMS
The default Android messaging app is ok, but Handcent SMS is better. Way better. You can customize the layout of your messages, view the messages in conversation format, password protect your messages and spell check messages before you send it. This should be the first app that you install!
BetterKeyboard
Just like the Android messaging app, the keyboard app is also ok, but BetterKeyboard lives up to its name by being miles better. With true multi-touch ability, proximity correction and a number of skins available; once you go Better you'll never go back.
Snap Photo Pro
Sack the default Android camera app and splash out 99 cents on this little beauty. Snap Photo Pro lets you take multiple shots at a click of a button which is great for catching natural expressions, a digital stabilizer which is useful if you have shaky hands, a digital zoom and there are multiple digital filters you can apply to the photo.
RingDroid
When it comes to pimping out your Android a unique ringtone is essential. RingDroid will let you edit MP3 files and slice out that catchy chorus or the really cool intro. Eye of the Tiger intro anyone?
Launcher Pro
The ultimate dashboard management app. Launcher Pro gives you 7 home screens to fill up with widgets and customize to your delight. It has super smooth scrolling between screens and can even handle 3D graphics for that extra cool look.
Norton Mobile Security
It's a scary world out there folks but Norton acts like your personal body guard defending your phone from intrusions and malware. It can even remotely disable and delete data if you ever have your phone stolen so those filthy thieves can't extract any personal data from it.
Angry Birds
We know that everyone is going crazy about Angry Birds and there is a good reason for it! This very simple game will draw you in and before you know it your morning commute won't last nearly long enough as you play the ever harder levels to defeat the greedy piggies.
Amazon Kindle
Get Amazon's Kindle without buying a Kindle. This app will let you read thousands of free ebooks right on your Android phone. Perfect for when you need a breather from Angry Birds.
Google Maps with Navigation
Download this app and you'll wonder how you ever survived without it. You can giveaway your Tom Tom because everything you need is now in this free app. Simply key in or say where you want to go and it will find the best direction for you to take.
Financisto
Take control of your finances with this pocket sized financial tracker. You can keep tabs on all your checking, savings and credit accounts and find out just why you seem to have no money left at the end of each month. Invaluable if you find yourself overspending all the time.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6599351

Tips for Buying a Budget Laptop for College

One thing every student is going to need is a notebook. The main benefits include size and portability over desktop computers. If it is going to be his first notebook, we suggest getting a cheaper one to learn all its features before moving to a higher end model. Here are some tips to keep in mind before you shell out money on a budget notebook.
1) Size: Notebooks come in a variety of sizes. You might find the 16 inch laptops a joy to use but they are not that practical to lug around all day. That is why, we recommend trying out netbooks like Asus Eee PC X101 and Lenovo X120e which weigh less than 2 pounds and are much easier to carry around. X101 runs Meego operating system that boots in less than 5 seconds. Thanks to its aggressive power saving techniques, you will easily be able to get around 4 hours from its small 3 cell battery.
2) Storage and RAM: There are two kinds of memories inside a computer - hard disk and RAM. RAM is volatile storage which means that all data is erased after you turn off the computer. On the other hand, data stored on the hard disk or a solid state drives is persistent. Photoshop, operating system and Office apps require a lot of space and that is why, we recommend getting at least 160GB hard disk and a minimum of 1GB RAM. If you are planning to do a lot of multitasking, consider getting a notebook with 2GB RAM.
3) Processor: Most of the mini notebooks come with Intel Atom processors. They are very power frugal and deliver excellent battery life. For college work, an Atom processor is more than enough. However, if you are planning to do a bit of gaming as well, get one with an Intel Core i7 processor.
4) Operating system: Most of the notebooks, other than Apple, come with Windows 7. Apple computers run Mac OS X and are not compatible with the plethora of PC applications. Some PC manufactures also sell laptops with Meego or Ubuntu OS pre-loaded to save costs. Almost all of them come with windows drivers.
5) Warranty: Most electronic stores and outlets often offer extended warranties that cover small or big damage for few years. However, we recommend getting extended warranties from the actual computer manufacture itself as they have ready supply of parts that would be required for repairing. All the notebooks come with 1 year warranty as standard that cover most of the hardware damages.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6601350

Laptop Repair - How to Repair Laptop Keyboard

The keyboard of a laptop is usually located directly on top of the computer and its sensitive hardware. This makes it relatively difficult to repair, unlike that of a desktop computer. However, the most common problems in these keyboards are easy to fix. Here, we look at how to repair laptop keyboard when it malfunctions due to spillage of fluids on it, when particles become stuck in it or some keys simple fail to work.
If water spills on your laptop, you should immediately shut it off, if it has not already. The water could harm the electrical components if the machine is still on. You should then carefully drain the water by tipping the device upside down over a cloth. You should however not shake the computer; gently shift it to force the water out through the spaces between the keys. Using a blow drier in the cool setting, gently dry the remaining water till the machine is sufficiently dry. Wait for a couple of days before turning the machine on to ensure that it dries completely.
This does not however work when other liquids spill on your machine. Some of them, such as soup, are known to permanently impair some internal components like the hard drive. In such a case, it would be necessary to contact your dealer for specialized repairs.
If debris is stuck under the keyboard, you should gently shake it to remove the particles. These may not cause any harm to your PC, but they may interfere with its proper functioning. If the debris remains stuck even after shaking, you should use a special vacuum designed for such particles. A can of compressed air will also dislodge the particles and make them fall off.
If a key has come off, you should gently remove the adjacent key by prying it cautiously using a screwdriver with a flat head. You must then cram the pattern of the key retainer, which is usually a white piece of plastic that connects the key to its corresponding hardware configuration. This is essential to enable you restore the key easily. You should then place the key retainer of the broken key back to its place, following the pattern of its retainer.
If the keyboard is extensively damaged, it may need specialized repair or replacement. This can be quite expensive, depending on the dealer and/or the specifications of your laptop. You may use an external keyboard with a PS2 or USB port as a temporary alternative before you are able to acquire a new one.
Each key on a laptop keyboard has a spring-like design which enables the key to press the sensor underneath and convey the typed letters to the screen. If the key fails to press the sensor sufficiently, then the typed letter does not show on the screen.
When this is the case, you may try replacing the damaged key with another one. You can get them from computer salvage stores, which buying defunct machines, disassemble them and sell their parts. This can be done without necessarily involving professional help.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6593373

Four Reasons to Buy Your Computer Online

Today there are two options to buying your new computer; you can buy it at a store or you can buy it online. Both offer similar drawbacks. You have to make sure that you buy it from a reputable dealer either online or in the store or you are taking a big chance.

However, after you've made sure the dealer is reputable and you're buying a good name with a good standard warranty, there are several advantages to buying online over buying in a store.

Buying Online is Cheaper

It's true. Buying online tends to be less expensive then buying from a store. This is because you are cutting out overhead. When buying online, you don't have to maintain a store, a display case, utility costs for that store, cleaners, and a whole host of other expenses. You just utilize a warehouse and warehouse staff. This translates into less overhead which means they can make the same profits with a lesser price. Nine times out of ten, unless there's some sort of special or sale, you can get the same machine online for less than from the store.

Cut Out the Warranty Middle Man

Buying online gets you the same warranty that you get in the store. This means that instead of going to the store so they can send it back to the manufacturer, you just arrange it for yourself directly. Why is this better? Often times stores are busy. You have to drive there, park, wait in line, deal with a low end employee who doesn't understand your request and has to get a manager - all things that can be avoided. Plus, when you register with a manufacturer for a warranty on a product, most of them will have online or over the phone help for free. This means that often your problem can be solved without you ever leaving the house, and this is a plus.

Eliminate the Commission Monster

Ever been to a big box store? Many of them have salespeople that work on commission and won't stop pestering you until you leave the store with SOMETHING. More often than not, they'll try to talk you into something that's more expensive than what you need - high cost items mean more commission for them. Buying online eliminates the commission monster and allows you to find resources that give you an honest answer to the best product for your needs.

Never Leave the House

You order from your house and it comes delivered to your house. This nice for anyone, but especially helpful for people that may have a disability, are sick, or are smaller in stature and may find it difficult to carry big packages from the store to a car to a home. Also, if you don't have personal transport this is an excellent way to shop.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6607104

Google Reduces Costs by Repurposing Hardware, Using Passive Cooling

As cost reduction trends continue to emerge in the data storage market, Google appears to be leading the pack with some extremely innovative and creative methods. Striving to make their data centers more efficient, they have implemented several plans to negate environmental impact and reduce spending.

Google isn't bashful about their cost effective strategy. On its data center website, Google states, "our approach is to reduce, reuse, and recycle as much as we possibly can."

To reduce their environmental impact, Google has built a data center in Hamina, Finland that uses passive cooling from the ocean as well as outside air. Frigid ocean water from the Bay of Finland is be pumped in to cool the data center, which Google says is cost and energy efficient.

This data center may also include another very important element of Google's cost saving strategy: repurposed data hardware. Google has been repurposing servers since 2007, and says "Before we buy new equipment and materials, we look for ways to reuse what we already have." This wise choice has helped Google avoid purchasing over 90,000 replacement machines.

How can cost saving strategies from Google work for you? Ocean water cooling systems may not be convenient (or even feasible!) for your enterprise, but repurposing data hardware can provide you with tremendous cost savings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6594707

Speed Up Your PC by PC Optimization

There are many reasons why a PC will run slowly and this depends on the amount of software in the system, the available space in hard disk, the memory in the program and the error that the system may have been exposed to. You will have a lot of challenges with your system if you have not taken preventative measures to prevent your PC from errors. One of the ways of doing so is by using antivirus software that will prevent the malicious action of virus from taking place.
You can speed up your computer manually by uninstalling some of the programs you do not need in your system. This is easy; all you need to do is click on the 'Start' menu and 'All Programs' options. Once all the programs in the system have been listed, go to 'accessories' and follow this up by clicking 'system tools'. After this, click on 'disk fragmentary' to defragment your disk. After defragmentation, click on 'disk cleanup' then 'add/remove programs which will remove the unwanted programs in your system.
These procedures will reduce the stress in your system and will speed up your system considerably since some of the load on the memory of your PC will have been removed by these processes. However there is only so much one can do when you want to improve your speed; this is not fool proof means of improving the speed in your speed. This is also a slow and tiring means of improving the performance of your system- it takes a lot of effort to perform all these tasks and you may not eliminate all the possible challenges that come with having a PC.
If you want to improve the system performance in your PC, look for PC booster software. For your computer to be free of threats of all kind from the internet and other source, you will need several different software programs which are not sold in one price and can be very expensive. This is the reason you need to have a PC booster software that performs the tasks of ensuring security in your system and much more. You can find a PC booster online; they work to ensure that all the applications in your system have been maintained at the highest possible performance level. The PC booster also acts as an antivirus that removes all possible virus threats from the system. They will help your system improve its performance by freeing up some space and enable it to perform better by accessing information faster. PC optimization software can be found online and is relatively cheap considering the functions that it performs. Some of the software programs for PC optimization are free online.
The one main importance of PC optimization and registry cleaning is ensuring that high speeds are maintained all the time. Regular cleaning and maintenance of the system will bring about a lot of benefits to your system, like the removal of unwanted material and high speed processing of commands in the system.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6582147

Windows XP Registry Repair Methods

Although you may have read various different methods of repairing your Windows XP computer's registry, most of them really don't work, or don't benefit your computer at all. However, from experience I can tell you about some methods you can use for Windows XP registry repair that actually work, and will benefit your computer to the highest extent.
Actually, the best method to repair your computer's registry is probably also the easiest. You can use registry repair software which actually do all the work for you, and do actually benefit your computer by making it faster, fixing errors, preventing crashes, and many more. This kind of software can be operated by almost anyone, and most of the time, it works at the click of a button.
A faulty or corrupt registry on your computer will without a doubt cause some major problems on your computer. Whether these problems are visible, or behind the sense, you should definitely be getting them fixed. Repairing a faulty or corrupt registry is extremely easy when using software, and can benefit your computer massively.
However, these useful registry repair software's don't come without a price though. In fact, I have recently seen one selling for over $100! Don't be alarmed though, as you won't have to pay this price if you are looking for quality. My very favorite registry repair software costs only $35, and I really do believe that it is better than all the rest. Don't spend too much on registry repair software, as for a good quality software you really should not be paying any more than $50.
There are other methods for Windows XP registry repair, but I am telling you from experience that using a software to do all the work for you is the best decision. I have seen people trying to repair their computer's registry manually before, and it has taken them hours upon hours when a registry repair software could be doing the same job if not better within only a few minutes.
If you still insist on repairing your computer's registry manually, or simply cannot afford to fork out around $35 for software, then you should really do a lot of research, and learn exactly what to do first before you begin manually trying to repair your registry. The slightest mistake could have a fatal impact on your computer, and leave it in a much worse state than what it first was.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6589010

The Right Way to Fix PC Errors

I can't think of anyone who does not have a computer these days, except maybe one or two in my personal circle of friends. One thing I do know is that many people do not think about is the basic maintenance of their computer, and for this, they should have the best PC tools.

If your computer is freezing, crashing and worse, showing the "blue screen of death", then you have some serious problems, my friend. The best PC tools are software programs that are for fixing pc errors. A good registry cleaning program will take care of all of your problems and even catch them before you notice there is any issue.

When you are surfing the internet, a lot of data is downloaded onto your computer. If you happen to visit a site that has a lot of advertising on it you can easily have infected files added to your registry. This is going to cause a lot of issues with your computer, but if you have the best PC tools, you can prevent a lot of grief.

A registry cleaning tool is one of the best PC tools to have, because it can save you a lot of time, money and heartache in the long run. There really is nothing worse than not having access to your important data because of registry errors.

Just about any time your computer is running slowly, there are some serious issues with the registry files. This is the time that you will need to do a registry scan and repair. You can obtain a good registry fix tool online and download it for free. Next, you will want to do a scan of your computer to see where the problems lie.

The download and scan are free, but you will need to purchase the full version of the software in order to make the full repairs to your registry. This is probably the best money you will ever spend, because quite honestly, if you have to take your computer into a repair shop, you will spend at least that amount, possibly more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6564574

Online Registry Cleaner Software And PC Performance Tools

Online registry cleaner software: The computers working with the Windows operating system have a strict connection between the hardware and the software components. Those connections are made with some files called registries. Those files are created and erased by the system, considering the commands of the user. However, you can't have total control over those files. For example, whenever you delete a game or a program, some registries remain in the Windows default directory. You can try to remove them manually, but you risk deleting some important files that would affect the stability of your computer.
This is why the manual interventions are not recommended, unless you are a specialist or you have experience with those files. Moreover, you must establish a restore point before attending any modification to registries.
When it comes to optimizing the registries, it is better to use automated online registry cleaner software. You have two possibilities there. One of them would be to install a program on your computer, but this method might result in a slowed computer especially for older models using a resource-consuming operating system such as the Windows 7. If you have a computer of this kind, it is better to use the Online Registry Cleaner. This program can be activated directly from the browser, it will consume a low quantity of resources and it won't occupy any space on your hard disk.
The Online Registry Cleaner software must be activated to scan the computer and the registries whenever you install or uninstall a program. Especially if we are talking about an antivirus, a program that works with registries a lot, the registry scan is mandatory.
Some people would say that the online registry cleaner software is the only program needed to improve the performances of the computer. While this is a good program, you can install several other programs for cleaning and protecting your computer.
Online Registry Cleaner Software And Tools
The smart computer users always choose complete suites including the online registry cleaner software, an antivirus solution and several other useful programs. This way, the suite will work as a whole system, protecting your computer, creating free space and optimizing the performances. Here are the programs needed for an optimized and safe computer.
Defragmenter
The defragmenter will arrange the programs on your hard disk in a proper order, so they would work effectively and fast.
Disk Cleanup
The Disk Cleanup program is used to find and delete unused or useless files. However, the program will show you a list of the files that are about to be deleted at the end of the scan. Check the list carefully, as the program might delete some files that you need, and without a restore point, you can't recover those files.
Anti-Spyware - Online Registry Cleaner Software
You should not even consider browsing the internet without such a program installed. The hackers could easily attack your computer, and your privacy could be greatly affected. Some users make the mistake to consider the antivirus as a solution to protect the computer from internet attacks. However, the antivirus is not a specialized program from this kind of protection, so the anti-spyware program is necessary plus a verified Windows online registry cleaner software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6605433

A Fast Free Reliable Web Browser

By Stephen Bucaro

Mozilla is a free Web browser that offers more features
than Internet Explorer 6. At the core of Mozilla is Gecko,
a fast, reliable, open-source standards-based page
rendering engine. You can have confidence in Mozilla
because it adheres strictly to World Wide Web Consortium
standards. Download Mozilla from http://mozilla.org

To install Mozilla, execute the self-extracting setup
program, mozilla-win32-1.1-installer.exe. The setup
program provides the option to set up Quick Launch, which
makes Mozilla start faster by keeping portions of the
program in the computers memory. The seup program also
provides the option to set Mozilla as your default browser.

=> Linux

Mozilla is fully certified to run on Red Hat Linux. First
log in as root and create a directory named Mozilla.
Download the file: mozilla-1686-pc-linux-gnu-installer.tar.gz
from http://mozilla.org to your Mozilla directory. Then
open a terminal window and change to the Mozilla directory.

The downloaded file has a .tar.gz extension. The .tar part
of the extension indicates that it is an archive. The .gz
part of the file indicates that it is compressed. To
decompress the archive type the following command.

tar zxvf moz*.tar.gz

A directory named mozilla-installer will be created in the
Mozilla directory. Change to the mozilla-installer
directory and type in the following command.

./mozilla-installer

The Install Wizard will appear. Follow the instructions in
the Install Wizard.

To start Mozilla change to the directory where you
installed it (/usr/local/mozilla by default) and run the
./mozilla command.

To put a Mozilla icon in the gnome panel, open the gnome
main menu and select Panel | Add to Panel | Lancher… In
the Create Launcher applet dialog box that appears, click
on the No Icon button.

In the Choose an Icon dialog box that appears, browse to
the Mozilla/icons directory and select the mozicon16.xpm
icon. Click on the OK button. Then in the Create Launcher
applet dialog box enter the name: Mozilla, Command:
/usr/local/mozilla/mozilla. Make sure Application is
selected in the Type: drop down box. Click on the OK button.

=> Features

Mozilla’s email reader can easily handle checking mail
from several servers at once without the complexity of
configuring multiple user profiles. The very first time
you launch Mail & Newsgroups, if you have not already set
up an account, it displays the Account Wizard so you can
create an account. To set up a mail account with an ISP or
email provider, you’ll need to provide your user name,
email address, and incoming and outgoing mail server names.

Mozilla’s built-in HTML editor, Composer, offers WYSIWYG
and HTML source code views. To open Composer select File |
New | Composer Page. Composer can FTP your files your Web
site.

Mozilla’s Preferences menu lets you block pop-up windows.

To block pop-up windows, select Edit | Preferences and

open Advanced | Scripts & Plugins, and turn off the option

that lets scripts “open unrequested windows” This feature

alone makes Moziila worth having.

site : http://computerarticles.net/a-fast-free-reliable-web-browser/

8 reasons why HTML emails will hurt your marketing efforts

Written By: Valerie Tay

HTML emails have been around for a while. They look more
professional than their text-only counterparts and
actually generate better click-through rates. For
example, there are studies which show that click-through
rate for text emails for some industries is 7.1% while that
for HTML emails is 10%.

That being said, many marketers are still not keen to
publish in html. The reason: there are many problems
associated with HTML emails that can actually hurt,
rather than aid your marketing campaign. So lets make
a list of how HTML can be hurtful to your marketing efforts.

1.Different email clients work differently

Internet Explorer (IE) is the dominant Web browsers used by
most web surfers, so when it comes to designing websites,
as long as the site presents well in IE, chances are, most
visitors to your site can view it properly.

Unfortunately, the equation becomes more complicated if we
are talking about emails since there are different types
of email clients (eg., Outlook Express, Eudora, web-based
email clients and so on), each with different capabilities,
settings, versions, etc. that make it more difficult to
predict how your email will look like at the recipients
end. Generally speaking, the capabilities of web-based
email clients such as Hotmail, AOL and Yahoo! Mail are not
as robust as program-based email clients, so certain
effects that appear all right in program-based clients may
not show properly in web-based clients. Another example
is how some web-based clients cause your re-directs on URL
to break or appear as plain text making it such that links
that are crucial to making the sales do not work. The
worst blunder happens when your recipient receives a
marketing message that they cant read at all. This is
the case with some email clients such as Pine that dont
have the capability to read HTML or AOL that cant
display HTML properly. Consider also the problem your
recipients will encounter if they use PDA and
Internet-capable cellular phone. These devices dont
support HTML email at all.

2.The problem with printing HTML emails

Some of your recipients like to print their emails and read
them offline for a variety of reasons. The danger of this
to your marketing message is that graphical components in
your HTML email may appear as blank boxes with icons
indicating that graphics should be there, but are
unfortunately not there. When such blank boxes appear, you
are kissing goodbye to the hope that your graphical HTML
email will present a professional image to your
recipients. Instead of looking disjointed and untidy with
blank boxes, your message will have a greater impact if it
has no frills (i.e., plain text), but is presented in a
properly formatted way.

3.Connecting your users to the Internet when they
dont intend that

Sometimes, the action of opening a HTML email will trigger
a connection to the Internet when your user doesnt have
the intention to be connected. This results in
inconvenience to your users because they then have to
disconnect from the Internet.

4.HTML emails load slower

Internet users are an impatient bunch. At the very least,
HTML email is twice the size of its text-based equivalent.
This means if you send your ezine in HTML, you tie up
more of your readers bandwidth during delivery and
receiving. Some of your ezines readers use dial-up.
This delay is much more noticeable to them than to your
broadband-user readers.

5.Security problems with HTML emails

You want to send your recipients your marketing message,
not a virus. The unfortunate reality is that HTML emails
transmit viruses easier than text-based emails. This is
because it is possible for attachments to automatically
execute code without the user opening the attachment.

6.HTML emails are harder to forward

Almost every marketer hopes for her campaign to be viral
(that is, your marketing message being passed on from one
recipient to another and another). Its straightforward
to forward a text-based email from one recipient to her
friends and family. But when one tries to forward a HTML
email to another, incompatibility problems arise. The
forwarded email may not be received by its recipients
looking the same way as it looked when it was first
received by the original recipient.

7.More variables to measure makes it more
difficult to gauge your success

The success of a text-based email marketing message is easier
to measure than a HTML one simply because there are more
variables involved in the success of the latter. For
example, your email may have a poor response not because
the message was badly worded, but because the font you had
chosen is tiring for the eyes. Is your font even readable
by every computer? What about the visibility of your
typeface against the coloured background you have chosen?
The point is: there are so many variables in a HTML email
marketing campaign that its difficult for you to measure
what went right or what went wrong in a particular campaign.

8.Do you want to maintain three lists?

Due to the uncertainty of how your HTML email will look at
each recipients computer, businesses that choose to go
HTML also have to maintain a text and an AOL version of
their ezines. This means, you have to maintain three
lists, rather than one. If you are a large corporation
with a database-driven mailer that have a sniffer, you
can rely on your sniffer to tell which recipient is able
to receive which type of email and then send only that
version. But if you dont have that capability,
maintaining three lists can be too challenging for your
home-based business.

In conclusion, if you dont know for sure whether the
majority of your readers will be able to receive HTML
emails, send them text messages. If you really love the
idea of having a HTML newsletter, theres always the
alternative of putting your newsletter up on your website
and providing a link at the beginning of your text-based
email which says, Click here if you wish to view this
message in HTML.

site : http://computerarticles.net/8-reasons-why-html-emails-will-hurt-your-marketing-efforts/

Autocomplete Passwords – How To Clear Stored Passwords

Written By: Angela Daley

“I asked Windows to remember a password for a website I visited in the past. Now I don’t want Windows to remember the password anymore. How do I clear this setting?”

That was the question my frantic customer needed answered before he left for vacation. He didn’t want to leave his desktop behind unprotected. Internet Explorer has an autocomplete feature that prompts you when you first type a user name and password on a web page. This can be a very convenient feature but if anyone else uses your PC, it isn’t very secure. Clearing these settings is quite easy however:

– On the Tools menu, click Internet Options. – Click the Content tab. – Click AutoComplete. – Click Clear Passwords,click OK, and click OK again.

Internet Explorer will also automatically complete your name, address, web addresses and other information that you type in the address bar or on web site forms. The options to turn this feature on and off or to clear these entries can also be found by following the steps above.

If you use FireFox, the same types of settings can be found by clicking Tools, Options, and then selecting the Privacy tab. Finally, for you Netscape users, click Tools and then select either Password Manager or Forms Manager.

site : http://computerarticles.net/autocomplete-passwords-how-to-clear-stored-passwords/

Banned By Google And Back Again.

The date: 29th July 2005. The time: early morning. I got out of bed and fired up my PC. Opened my browser to check my site. Had a look at the third-party Google toolbar plugin (http://toolbar.google.com/) on said browser (FireFox). It showed grey.Ice formed in my stomach. I opened my bugged version of Internet Explorer: my PageRank was 0. By now I was frantic. I went to http://www.google.com and typed in ‘site:www.tigertom.com‘: no pages listed. I did this for two other satellite sites of mine: ditto.
What had happened?
TigerTom.Com (http://www.tigertom.com) had been banned by Google. I went to the WebmasterWorld forum (http://www.webmasterworld.com), and found out the awful truth. Google was doing one of its periodic updates of its algorithm, and had filtered out my sites completely.
Further research there, and a bit of soul-searching, revealed why. I had too many pseudo-directory pages with auto-generated external links. Snippets from search engine results were used as descriptions of said links. Said links were run though a redirect script. These are hallmarks of pseudo-directories and ‘AdSense scraper’* sites. Google is reportedly trying to filter these from its ‘SERPs’**. I say reportedly, because Google doesn’t announce these purges. They are inferred.
To compound my sins, these pages were also effectively doorway pages.
The theory was that legitimate sites had been hit as ‘collateral damage’. I say theory, in that Google rarely comments on individual cases. It won’t tell you exactly why your site was banned. I guess this is for reasons of time, and to give no clues to spammers.
In my case the ban was justified for my two satellite sites; while not looking like spam, they were effectively doorway sites.
My main site was different. It had offending pages, but was mostly a diverse labour of seven years; a personal site on steroids.
Google bans sites algorithmically: a site that fits their ‘spammer’ profile gets dropped via software from their index automatically. Real spammers shrug their shoulders and move on; honest webmasters write emails begging for mercy.
Like me.
I did some searching via Google, to find out how to do a re-inclusion request. Here’s how:
1. First, you check your site is truly gone, by going to http://www.google.com, typing ‘site:www.yourdomain.com‘ without the apostrophes. If it returns no pages at all …
2. You check Google’s webmaster guidelines at http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html. These are not really guidelines; you should treat them as iron-clad rules.
3. You stop the offending content from being web-accessible, permanently.
If you’re familiar with Apache web-server mod_rewrite you can:
- Send a 410 ‘Gone’ response to requests for the offending pages, or
- CHMOD them to 600, which will return a 403 ‘Forbidden’ response, or
- Move them to a different directory if you need to keep them, or
- Just delete them.
Don’t try to be clever. Just get rid of them.
4. You go to http://www.google.com/support/bin/request.py, tick the relevant boxes, and type ‘Re-inclusion request’ in the subject box of the form.
4a. You add the complete URL of your site i.e. http://www.naughtydomain.com,
4b. You state that you have read the webmaster guidelines above,
4c. You admit what you did wrong; simply, succinctly, with no carping or special pleading.
Don’t try to be clever. Don’t argue. Don’t lie. Don’t waffle.
Google has cached copies of your site. When an engineer checks your site, he’ll look for the offending content, and compare it against their cache. He’ll spend about two minutes on it; don’t give him a reason to continue to exclude you.
5. You ask for re-inclusion.
6. You wait.
In my case, it took about a week; a long, unpleasant, fretful week. I sent follow up emails saying what I was doing, and a fax, and I was going to write letters if that didn’t work. That was probably excessive. Once you have a ticket number, that’s all that should be necessary.
They emailed a standard reply saying “the problem had been passed to their engineers”. That’s good. I understand they send no reply to spammers.
A week later my site was back in. Lesson learnt. To make sure I’m not so vulnerable again, I’m splitting my content to different sites, on the principle of ‘best not to have all your eggs in one basket’.
Have I learnt anything from this? Yes. Have more than one site as your ‘money-maker’. Spend less time on search engine optimisation and more on traditional marketing. Come up with a unique selling proposition that compels people to link to your site. Easy(!)

site : http://computerarticles.net/banned-by-google-and-back-again/

The question of spy-ware and junk on the internet

Written By: templatemagic.net

The spyware nuisance

Spywares are unwanted programs that lodge themselves into the computer aiding in secret broadcast of information about a users internet usage. They can even take over browsers and load unwanted pages causing the computer to slow down in a major way. Spywares can load unwanted pages to bookmarks and load pop-ups that say your system is infected with spyware, download anti-spyware now!! Hitting the download button or sometimes even closing the pop-up could bring into the computer other malicious spyware programs that can render some computer programs inaccessible.

The worst part is that spywares can even be programmed to transmit personal information including passwords and credit card information making them a real threat.

As new spyware programs are developed by the minute, anti Spywares and anti adware softwares do no good to remove them. They have the ability to remove only the secondary files while the primary files still remain. As these are not viuses the use of anti-virus software will also prove vain.

Precautions to protect your computer against spyware

1.) Do not allow your browser to download unsigned active scripts. (You can disable active scripts using internet tools or preferences of your browser; disable your active X controls using IE tools internet options security custom level.)

2.) Make sure to install a good anti-spyware software like ad-aware

3.) Do not download any software that you are not sure of. Even some anti-spywares can be malicios. Read the licensing agreements and download only from reliable sources

4.) Never open mail attachments that you are not sure of

5.) In case you encounter a site that gives out pop ups like ‘spyware detected’ or ‘download anti-spyware’ or any other suspicious messages, do not click the download/cancel button. Instead use alt+f4 or Ctrl+w to close the pop up.

6.) Download and install google or yahoo! toolbars that can help you effectively block pop ups.

7.) Download all the latest security upgrades that are available from microsoft.com.

8.) Install ‘Zone Alarm’ or other good firewall that does not allow unidentified programs to transmit information.

Internet becoming a dumping ground?

Recently the numbers of sick websites that are filled with junk and very destructive content have increased over the internet. I don’t why people do it, but they do it. Sadists are just a reality as any other normal person. They love to see people in pain and fear. They would go to any extent to promote themselves or harass others. But in their little game they tend to forget that they are playing with people’s minds and their hard earned money and making them waste their time in useless activities.

The need for regulation

The internet is becoming a dangerous place and if not regulated can lead to serious disasters. Things are developing too fast for men to cope with. In-fact the internet has developed at a speed faster than imaginable and hence there is lack of any order/rules and regulations. This is high time that we do something to protect the internet from damaging our personal property and privacy. This is a very serious problem and we need to think on this together. All nations should come together to solve this crisis, instead of ignoring it.

Search engines, hosting companies and internet service providers have a huge responsibility towards eliminating this crime that is going on unabated on the internet. They should work together to eliminate this problem for good and save the internet from becoming a hackers paradise and a dumping ground of junk.

site : http://computerarticles.net/the-question-of-spy-ware-and-junk-on-the-internet/