The computer. The thing we all love to hate. It does so many important things for us, yet also causes some of our biggest headaches. There is always something that needs to be fixed or optimized, no matter what we do it seems. No matter how well they invent new technology, something still breaks down.

And when it does, you end up calling tech support where either you or the technician is bound to feel stupid at some point. Believe me, it’s the technician in many cases, so don’t feel bad.

In this article, I am going to go over one of the most common computer problems and how to fix it without calling a computer support technician, or your Uncle Bob’s third cousin’s friend, who knows a lot about computers.

Let’s start at the beginning. Booting up, that (for some of us) long process where your computer comes to life. I read a book that explains computers pretty well. In it, the author said that when a computer gets turned on it’s as if every time you woke up, you had to make sure you still had 10 fingers, 10 toes, two eyes, two arms, etc.

That is exactly what a computer does as it boots up and starts the operating system. It uses the registry to examine itself to see if anything it remembers having is not there anymore. So look at the registry as the brain. I do not recommend novice computer users doing anything in the registry. If you would not be comfortable performing your own lobotomy, then leave the registry alone.

Windows comes with tools built into the operating system that makes changes to the registry for you. One of these you should get to know well is msconfig. Every program you download had someone programming it that believes you cannot live without his or her software program running all the time and starting up every time you start your computer.

For almost all software, this is not the case. You can live without his or her program running constantly on your computer. Even Microsoft office and Corel office install themselves into your startup process. They must have thought while writing that program, that everyone will be using their product as soon

You can store your computer data in several different ways. Data can be stored on removable disks, hard drives, CDs, DVDs, and other types of media. Even though there are several ways that you can store your data, at some point in time the electronic or mechanical device is bound to break down, resulting in a loss of data. Even though the device may work good for years, it can always break down when you least expect it, with no way to avoid it.

Hard drives are the most common way to store data, although they are mechanical devices and can break down or crash at any time. When they crash, you’ll normally lose all of your data, which can put you in quite a bind. To be on the safe side and keep yourself protected, you should always have a backup plan, such as an external hard drive.

continue reading "External Hard Drive Recovery"

CCNA stands for Cisco Certified Network Associate – a certification for IT professionals that is issued by Cisco Systems, Inc., one of the most successful computer networking companies.  Cisco manufactures and markets a wide range of devices for both enterprises and telecommunications carriers. Cisco is an abbreviation of San FranCISCO.

The Cisco Certified Network Associate is an apprentice, or foundation level (along with Cisco Certified Design Associate), within the three levels of certification that include Associate, Professional, and Expert. Basically, CCNA professionals are certified to install, configure, and operate LAN, WAN, and dial access services for small networks (100 nodes or fewer), including but not exclusive to use of these protocols: IP, IGRP, Serial, Frame Relay, IP RIP, VLANs, RIP, Ethernet, and Access Lists. The certification is valid for three years, after which recertification may be sought.

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Buying a printer is a one time cost, but since printer ink cartridges need to be bought on a regular basis, the cost of operating the printer and maintaining it in proper condition can add up. Each ‘print’ command, however small, makes your printer use ink, but with some easy tips, you can actually save a lot of ink and use a cartridge for a longer period than usual.

1) Print only what is necessary

Let’s begin with economising. Most often, we end up making unnecessary printouts and in the process waste precious ink. For instance, you might need to print only a small portion of a web page instead of the whole page. Instead of simply printing the whole page, complete with its heavy graphics etc, be specific on what you want to have in hard copy and print only that portion.

continue reading "Tips to Save on Your Printer Ink Cartridges"

The best way to fail at an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is to choose the wrong software up front. Choosing ERP software without following some basic guidelines is a sure-fire method for disaster. Probably the worst thing that someone has done (that we know of), was to buy their ERP software at a tradeshow, thinking it would be the cheap and easy way to solve their problems. They ended up spending more than they expected in finding ways to force the software into their business.

Below are some ways that will set you on the path to fail at your choice. In other words, they are ways that you can insure that you will choose the wrong system for your company.

1. Choose ERP software without understanding your requirements. – First, you should ensure that you are getting the best fit for your company by documenting your requirements. The requirements should cover the strategic, reporting, functional, and technical aspects of what your company requires to run the business. Choosing software without these documented and without using them as a benchmark to compare the software against is a strategy for problems.

continue reading "Fail Factors in ERP Implementation"

It is important that your web host has all the greatest features and technologies. However, you may not be aware of what you should look for in a web host. They all say they are the best, most reliable, etc. but how do you decipher who is really telling the truth? How do you find out what is really important when choosing a web host? When you are researching a web host and you come across one that does not have these things below,  just click away to find one that does have what you need.

1. Greatest Control Panel: The control panel is the place you will be visiting most often, so it should be easy to use, have all the features you need, etc. You can find a great control panel with cPanel, which provides one of the best control panel user experiences among all of the others. CPanel offers more than 42 different icons, 50 of the most used PHP scripts, shopping carts, forums, and even a WordPress blog – one of the best blog hosts out there. cPanel also provides an easy to use layout and navigation so when you do use it you can forget about frustration.

continue reading "Make sure your web host have this features"

Computer Batteries is advising that in order to avoid the risk of losing data, you should take heed the government’s current heat wave warning and protect IT equipment in your office.

Computer Batteries is ensuring the fastest, most convenient and cost-effective solutions to clients who have experienced a data loss and they advise that companies should adopt anti-melt down measures for PCs and servers. The advice is following the many cases of data loss the vendor is dealing with lately due to the high temperatures and thunderstorms in the UK.

continue reading "Avoid Data Loss During Thunderstorms and Blackouts"

If you don’t know how to use a computer at all, it’s a good idea to get a computer lesson and get started. Even just having a basic working knowledge of how to use a computer and how to use the internet will drastically increase the amount of things you can do and open a lot of doors that would otherwise be shut for you.

Indeed, if you are still working or looking for employment (i.e.; not yet retired) knowing how to use a computer will allow you to do a world of different jobs you never would have been able to before. You are extremely limited in the kind of work you can do without any knowledge of computers, so it is well worth whatever the fees are for a computer lesson or two. Of course, if you are reading this you probably already have at least a basic knowledge of computers because you are online right now. Even if you already know the basic skills to use the internet and some simple programs like word processors or spread sheet programs, an additional computer lesson or two can still be very valuable.

continue reading "Computer Lessons To Get You On The Right Path"

The motherboard is the heart of any computer. It is that big flat board inside the computer that everything is connected to. It performs the role directing information and connecting components.  A motherboard is often overlooked when choosing components.  This is a scary thought as the motherboard determines system performance as much as every other component.

Choosing the right motherboard does not have to be a problem, even though there is a lot to consider. We will start off with the larger parts and move onto the things that are less essential.

continue reading "Choosing a Motherboard"