Beating Adware, The Sneakiest Software

Promoters of adware, software that shows advertising on a user`s computer, use some cunning tricks to get you to install their software on your machine. Here`s what to look out for.Adware is, by definition, something reasonable people don`t want on their computers. That`s why malware can`t just come out and ask people to install it. Often, the computer owner is completely unaware of it being installed. But not always.When adware doesn`t want to sneak in through an open window, it will try to trick you into letting it in through the front door. Don`t think you could be tricked? Don`t be so sure until you`ve checked out these most common ways people have been tricked into allowing malware to be installed on their machines.Adware Installation Trick 1: Piggybacking• How it works: malware may come bundled with a legitimate piece of software the user actually wants, such as a game or emoticon. The malware is merely labeled `companion software,` without any indication of what it will do.• How to fight it: be very suspicious of any software that comes bundled with other software. Don`t installed software that comes bundled with other software unless you know everything that the bundled software does. After all, if the bundled program has anything to do with the program you actually want, why couldn`t the software developer just get both programs` functionalities into a single piece of software? Software developers are now very sensitive to malware concerns and will provide a lengthy explanation of just why the bundled software is necessary, in the cases when they actually do need to use bundled software.Adware Installation Trick 2: Bait and Switch• How it works: since people are getting more and more suspicious of bundled software, the malware`s developers may simply label it as valuable software, for instance, a browser plugin that supposedly accelerates web browsing (but in reality only shows ads).• How to fight it: again, a suspicious mind is useful in avoiding malware. Ask yourself some questions:o What will this software actually do? Malware often comes with very fuzzy claims attached. Sure, it says it will improve your browsing experience, but how? Often, this improved browsing experience just means a browsing experience with more advertising.o If the software is so great, why is it being given away free? Most commonly, software is only given out free in two cases: if it`s OpenSource (designed by a community of developers and not proprietary--OpenSource software is always clearly labeled as such); or simply a come-on for a fuller-featured version of the software. If neither case is true, there`s a real chance the software is financed by adware.Adware Installation Trick 3: Outright Lying• How it works: malware may even be labeled as something else entirely, such as a well-known piece of software or a crucial component of the computer operating system.• How to fight it: this is the trickiest malware of all, and requires extreme caution. You don`t want to start deleting any of your program files, much less your system registry entries, unless you`re absolutely sure it`s malware. Plenty of overzealous parasite hunters have shot their own machines to bits this way. This is one case where you want to be using an anti-spyware program, and preferably a second anti-spyware program to provide a second opinion.Getting Rid of AdwareAdware is so tricky that trying to uninstall it by yourself could be like a trip into the Matrix. Luckily, there are good anti-spyware programs that tackle adware as well--after all many adware programs are also spyware since they monitor your internet usage.True, it may feel like adding insult to injury to have to install more software to get rid of software you never meant to install in the first place. But sometimes you just have to fight fire with fire.
By: Joel Walsh
Source: http://www.spyware-refuge.com?%20adware%20protection

Antivirus Software – Get The Bugs Before They Get You!

You turn on your computer, and it doesn’t look quite right. Maybe your icons have changed, or the background picture is wrong. Some options are disabled. Even worse, you may not be able to boot your computer up at all. Guess what – it’s probably got a virus.In today’s online world, protecting your computer from all the nasty things online is vital. Viruses can cause obvious issues, as described above, but they can also run silently in the background, propagating themselves across your computer and transferring on to the computers of people you know. Mostly, you only know you have a virus when substantial damage has already been done.Some common signs of a virus include:-Programs working erratically-Computer locks up-Greyed out options-The browser home page has changed-Icons have changed-Difficulties starting up the computerThere is a solution! Antivirus software is readily available, and the good ones are very efficient at dealing with viruses in all their many and varied mutations. Basically, if you’re online, you need this type of software.So which one do you choose? For starters, be careful of using something free off the internet, particularly if it’s one you’ve never heard of. Sometimes these programs are a way of implanting more viruses on your computer. Some of the better known brands give you the option of doing a free scan online, which is useful, but not a long term solution.It’s really important to choose well-known antivirus software. Ask friends, or someone computer savvy, for their recommendations. It may be worth visiting a computer store and buying it there, rather than online – after all, if they’ve gone to the trouble of stocking it, it’s most likely an established and trusted product.There are plenty of good brands available, far too numerous to list here, but some of the best known are from McAfee, Norton and Trend. Check out the support available to you – can you contact someone if you have trouble installing the software?Most importantly, make sure there’s an easy way to update the software on a regular basis (preferably as part of the purchase cost!). For example, my antivirus software pops up a little box every time an upgrade is available. I click okay, and it’s automatically downloaded to my computer. Viruses change and develop at an alarming rate, so it’s vital to keep your antivirus software up to date.Finally, the all-important backup! The word “backup” tends to produce the same glassy eyed response as the word “budget”, but it really is an essential part of being online. Regularly backup your important files to CD or DVD. If you’re a business user, an automated and frequent backup process is vital. Once a virus has destroyed your computer, it’s too late.Being online is wonderful, but don’t let it become a nightmare. Antivirus software will play a vital role in keeping your online experience a positive one.
By : Felicity Walker
Source : http://www.media13.com

Computer Tips

Computer errors are very common and every computer user may face different kinds of issues so they should learn about the solutions of the common computer related problems. The common factors that cause problems in computer are viruses, spyware, Trojan horses, adware, corrupted registry, faulty hardware, low memory, low capacity hard disk, low CPU speed and stuffing computers with large number of software applications. In this article, I have compiled a list of the most common computer problems and their solutions.Computer is very slowThis is very common issue and it arises due to the several factors such as too many programs running at the startup, low RAM, low processor speed, spyware running as a background application, errors in the Windows registry and the buildup of the garbage files on the hard disk. Scanning your computer with an up-to-dated anti virus and anti spyware program, cleaning and repairing Windows registry, increasing memory, deleting temporary files, deselecting the programs at startup and uninstalling unwanted software applications can solve this problem to a very large extent. Network Server is not accessibleIn a networked environment every computer depends on the server for logon authentication, files access, internet and printing access and sharing server resources. The downtime and the communication failure with the server are very problematic and frustrating for the users. Check both end of the network cable and make sure that the attached RJ-45 connectors are properly plugged into the LAN card and hub/switch. Ping the server’s IP and make sure you get the reply from server. Ensure that your server is on and working fine. A large number of the running applications on the server and simultaneous access to the server from a number of users can slow down the performance and speed of the server. Scan your PC with an up-to-dated antivirus program because certain viruses and spyware are responsible for the communication failure. Replace your LAN card with new one and assign different IP address and try to connect with the server. Computer locks up or freezesMissing .dll files, viruses, faulty registry, defective RAM and spyware slows down the performance of the server and it locks up frequently. Scanning PC with the anti virus and anti spyware program, cleaning and repairing registry and increasing RAM can solve this issue.Computer won’t bootFaulty power cable, power extension and power supply all contributes to this problem. Checking one by one each of the above components can pinpoint the problematic part. Simply replace that part with new one and your compute is okay.Computer reboots itselfDefective cooling fan, power supply, RAM, viruses and spyware can cause this to happen. Memory usage is maximum in computerEither the memory is less than the recommend memory to run certain applications, swap memory chips with each other, scan your computer for viruses and spyware, increasing the page file and physical memory can overcome this problem.Browser’s home page has changed itselfThis is most likely a spyware problem and scanning computer with an up-to-dated anti spyware program can fix this issue.Computer’s clock losing timeIf you see that your computer’s clock is losing time frequently replace your CMOS battery. My computer can’t get connected to internetCheck IP address, gateway address, scan your PC for viruses and spyware, check network cables and make sure that server’s or gateway’s firewall application is not blocking http requests from your PC.Computer making noisesFaulty RAM, VGA, hard disk, Sound card, Processor and other components produce noises. Make sure that each hardware device is properly connected inside the PC and if the problem is still not resolved then replace the faulty hardware component with new one.
By B Bashir
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

How to Remove Spyware

Introduction to SpywareSpyware is a software program that stealthily collects information about the user’s activities on the computer and reports back to the spyware software creator. The most common sources of the spyware are files sharing programs, online gaming, screens savers and downloading software from insecure websites. Once spyware are enters the computer they change the behavior of the computer. A spyware can be installed in a computer by different ways. Sometimes it can be installed with the popular shareware programs. A spyware infected computer may show following changes.Symptoms of Spyware• Web browser’s home page is changed automatically.• New toolbars are installed.• Antivirus and Anti spyware programs frequently complains that your system is infected with the spyware, malware or Trojan horses.• It takes a long time to start or resume your computer programs.• Excessive pop-up ads are installed in the computer automatically.• Computer becomes very slow to response and internet connectivity also takes time.• Unwanted search results appear when you search something.• New desktop shortcuts are created.• If your system is infected with spyware then you may notice bounced back emails or emails being sent without your knowledge.• Keyboard loggers can capture the password and user name and send back to the spyware software creator.How to Remove SpywareA spyware program is very different in behavior and symptoms from the viruses. Following are some of the programs that help you manage detect, remove and protect your system from the spyware.Panda Security SuiteTrend Micro Anti spyware programZone Alarm ProMcAfee Antivirus + Anti spyware programPest PatrolSpyblockerSpycopAdditionally from the following spyware resources you can check if your system is infected with the spyware.http://www.spychecker.com/http://www.tom-cat.com/spybase/spylist.htmlhttp://www.infoforce.qc.ca/spyware/PreventionWith some preventive measures you can protect your system from being infected from the spyware, malware, adware and keyloggers. These safety tips include safe emailing, safe surfing, securing browser’s settings, using spyware detection and prevention software, blocking pop-up ads, blocking files sharing applications and regularly scanning your computer with the anti spyware and antivirus software programs.
By B Bashir
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

The Importance Of Proper Security For Your PC

The world online can be a scary place and sometimes it can get downright nasty. From viruses and spyware to internet identity theft, the information stored on your computer is under constant assault and should be protected at all costs. Why? Unscrupulous hackers will stop at nothing to get your precious personal information, and you have to stay one step ahead of them to ensure that they don’t. Let’s begin our search for the reason why we should protect our PCs with the proper security by looking at the ways that they can be assaulted online. Here are just a few of the nasty things waiting for an unprotected PC online: · Computer viruses are PC software programs that you accidentally download to your computer through an email attachment or other type of download. Once installed on your computer, a virus can interfere with your PC’s operation; record, corrupt or delete data; and spread itself to other computers through your network or the internet. · Identity theft occurs when some unscrupulous internet hacker, thief or otherwise bad guy gets a hold of your personal information such as your social security number, date of birth or other sensitive information and uses it to commit fraud or other crimes. Once obtained, this information is used to commit a wide variety of crimes. Those crimes include: credit card fraud, utilities fraud, banking and loan fraud, employment fraud, social security fraud, tax return fraud, medical fraud, securities and investment fraud, bankruptcy fraud, and immigration and government documentation fraud.· Spyware are software programs that you download onto your computer along with many other software applications. This software is then used to track your online browsing habits so that you can be “hit” with pop ups that you will be more likely to respond to. Not only is this software an invasion of your privacy, it also can compromise your data and affect your PCs performance.How to Protect Your PCThe number one thing that you can do to protect your PC is to have an operable firewall. A firewall can help protect your computer against security attacks. While most operating systems come with a firewall already in operation, you can update your firewall or get one for free if you don’t have one from most PC security software companies. In order to get the best PC security that software can provide, it is recommended that you use anti-spyware and anti-virus software in addition to a firewall. All of these anti-software and filters prevent hackers from accessing our personal information stored on our computers. They also protect against programs and viruses that we can unknowingly download. Once installed on our computer, these programs can direct us or our information to sites set on thievery. More Protection for Your PCEven though all of the above mentioned software applications go a long way in protecting your PC from harm, you may want additional protection to ensure that your PC’s vulnerable spots are impenetrable. Here are just a few examples of the security software that you may want for your PC:· Privacy Protector – As mentioned earlier, spyware can track everything that you do on your computer. This is because everything that you do on your computer leaves a trace or electronic trail that is stored on your computer. With the right software, prying eyes can see and access any sites you have visited and files you have accessed or shared while online by exposing this electronic trail. Privacy protection software helps reduce this risk by erasing the electronic trail that you have left behind. · Secure Delete – When you delete files on your computer, you may think that they are trashed and inaccessible, but with the right recovery utilities, your deleted data can be recovered easily. Secure deletion software makes sure that your deleted data is gone forever and safe from sticky fingers. · Spyware Detective – Added spyware detection software will help you spot spyware programs immediately and have them removed from your computer at the click of a button. As you can see, there are many dangers lurking on the internet including spyware, viruses and hackers. Just one unprotected computer can be a highly lucrative capture for the right thieves and provide them with countless data that reveals everything from your browsing habits to credit card numbers. Make sure that your PC does not fall into their grasp. Protect it with the proper PC security programs.
Author : PC Power Suite
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

How to Run a Successful Conference Call

These days with more and more of us working from home, working on the road, and generally dealing with multiple suppliers, contractors and business partners in locations all over the world, the conference call is supplanting the face-to-face meeting. Here are some tips on getting the most out of your conference call... Tip One: Send Out an AgendaThe key to an effective meeting is an agenda - this applies to any kind of meeting, not just a conference call. With a conference call, always make sure you have the instructions on how to access the conference call at the top of the agenda, preferably in a box or with some other text decoration to make it stand out.Another option is to send a meeting request from within your calendar application, whether it be Microsoft Outlook or Apple's iCal, or some other scheduling tool. The meeting request is sent as a specially formatted email, so you can add attachments just like with a regular email. Attach the agenda, and repeat the instructions on how to connect to the conference call in the body of the email.Most conference service providers require participants to dial a special number (which may be different depending on where the user is, or it may be a national number), then enter a conference "room" number, followed by a security code or PIN. Make sure all the necessary details are included on the agenda and the meeting request.If the conference call is a regular status update, ensure you also send out the meeting notes from the previous call, since the first item on the agenda should be chasing people up for the actions they've agreed to be responsible for.Tip Two: Take Care of HousekeepingAt the beginning of the call, call off the roll and ensure everyone is on the call. Introduce any newcomers to the rest of the group and invite them to spend a couple of minutes describing themselves and their role on the call. If anyone is missing from the participants list, immediately call them (preferably on their mobile) to get them onto the call as soon as possible. If they can't get on the call within a couple of minutes, proceed without them. Nothing detracts from a good conference call more than making everyone wait at the beginning.Next, ensure everyone has a copy of the agenda, and that they can all hear one another OK. If you are not going to be the one taking notes, make sure everyone is clear who is. This serves two benefits: firstly, the person taking notes is going to be careful and accountable, and secondly, a single set of meeting notes will be distributed after the call. If this is not made clear, you may end up with several versions, which is both redundant and confusing.Finally, lay out the rules for interaction on the call. Because it's audio-only, the usual cues we use to indicate that we wish to take a turn at speaking are not present. Therefore it's worth stating at the outset what the rules will be. These can be as simple as "Please make a note of any questions and we'll deal with them in turn after each agenda point", or as sophisticated as listing the order of speaking of the participants, and asking each participant only to speak at their particular time. This last is called "round table" conferencing, and is particularly effective once people are used to it. It has the dual effect of keeping all participants engaged, and speeding up the time it takes to get through each point.Clearly it's unrealistic to expect people to stick to the interaction rules for the duration of the call, but laying them out at the outset will help ensure things run quickly and smoothly.Tip Three: Turn Off SpeakerphoneUnless you have a majority of participants all in one room together, you should turn off speakerphone. Speakerphone and conference calls are a bad combination, unless you have a high-quality dedicated speakerphone. In order to prevent audio feedback, speakerphones automatically mute the speaker when a sufficiently loud sound is heard at the microphone. Unfortunately, few speakerphones do this particularly well, and often the speaker will mute because of its own output feeding back into the microphone. This means annoying dropouts and missed words and sentences. Because it's a conference call, often these dropouts can go on for some minutes before someone has the opportunity to pipe up with "We missed all that!" Needless to say, having to constantly repeat yourself can be very time consuming and irritating for all the non-speakerphone participants.Even if you're in the same room as someone else, it can sometimes be an improvement to use two handsets rather than use speakerphone.Tip Four: Send Out Meeting NotesYou should ensure everyone on the conference call gets a copy of the meeting notes no later than the following morning, while the call is still fresh in everyone's minds. There are many helpful guides on the web for effective note-taking, but in essence:
Don't try to write down absolutely everything; just the items where an action needs to be taken
Keep track of who has agreed to be responsible for each action
Keep track of the deadlines for each action item
Don't forget to note the time and date of the meeting and who was presentIf the conference call is a regular status update, ensure you note in the meeting notes the time and date of the next meeting. If possible, deadlines for action items should correspond to the dates of status meetings so that the notes can be quickly scanned (or even sorted) for items that need to be chased up in a given meeting.Tip Five: Keep it BriefStudies have shown that people start to suffer a number of unpleasant side-effects after holding a telephone receiver to their ear for longer than about an hour. In any event, forty minutes is about the limit of most people's concentration span.If you find the call is starting to drag on beyond an hour, it's a good idea to wrap things up and continue either later that day, or preferably the following day. If you find this is a regular occurrence, it may be an indicator that you need to revisit the agenda, or possibly split the group up into separate, more focussed groups. A particular time-waster is having engineers and businesspeople on the same conference call. A better way to handle this is to have three shorter meetings - one with just the engineers, one with the businesspeople, and one with single representatives from each group to present the results and take any feedback to the next department meeting. With practice, you can keep the length of each meeting down to around twenty minutes.
Author : Michael Pollitt
Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com

Notebook And WiFi Standards

Every modern notebook is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing internet access from any part of the globe. But while using your wireless notebook, you should be aware of Wi-Fi standards, hotspots, and how to effectively use this technology to make the optimum use of your notebook.The 802.11g Wi-Fi standard is the latest standard, which your notebook follows when you are online. The Wi-Fi alphabet spaghetti consists of protocols like 802.11, 802.15, 802.16, and 802.20. However, for most notebook users 802.11 would be sufficient with added `a`, `b`, or `g`. There are protocols like `e`, `h`, `i`, and `n` that are waiting in the wings to make their entry. Nevertheless, as of now, 802.11g is the only protocol that one needs to think when it comes to wireless connectivity. The latest Wi-Fi standard is the 802.11g and offers connection speeds up to 54 Mbps in the 2.4 GHz radio bands, which is five times more than the previous standard 802.11b. It is more stable, more secure, and backward compatible.Almost all notebooks that are manufactured today are 802.11g Wi-Fi standard ready. This standard is also designed to replace the older Wired Equivalent Privacy or WEP by specifying the Wi-Fi Protected Access or WPA. The WPA will function as an interim solution, until the next standard, the 802.11i network security standard is implemented with a new algorithm called Temporal Key Integrity Protocol, which shall be much more secure and reliable. However, until the new standard is implemented, the 802.11g is to be followed. There are only two disadvantages with this notebook Wi-Fi standard, that firstly, since it is a new standard, it may not perform as promised; and secondly, with fast emerging latest technologies, it may become obsolete by newer standards before you have the time to benefit from it.Few tips for a secure Wi-Fi experience:1 - You should raise the level of your laptop settings. Raise the security settings of software applications like Microsoft Outlook and Internet Explorer. Update them frequently to ensure latest protection from hackers and viruses. You should keep the encryption feature always on to ensure safest browsing with Wi-Fi.2 - Along with the software, you should also consider updating to better hardware. Hackers have always found 802.11a and 802.11b very easy to hack. However, 802.11g is harder to crack and you should consider upgrading your hardware to a `g` card. An 802.11g is backward compatible with IEEE 802.11b, thus 802.11g can leverage the widespread, international adoption of IEEE 802.11b in products from laptops to PDAs. A personal firewall, such as ZoneAlarm or BlackICE can significantly add up to the security level of your notebook.3 - Whenever you are using your notebook at a Wi-Fi hotspot, make it a point not to send data. While you are surfing, do not type your credit-card number, expiration date, passwords, bank account numbers, etc. Sensitive data are the goldmines for hackers, and they will swipe your bank account before you can finish saying, ` I have been a victim of online identity theft!`4 - Consider not staying online while working. If the risks outweigh the benefits, then it would be better to stay offline; at least until the new 802.11i standard is not implemented. Even then, the security can be breached, albeit with difficulty. If you do not need Wi-Fi to implement your work, then stay switched off. If you need the Wi-Fi just to send and receive files, then stay connected for only that period. Rest of the time, stay offline.Precautions to take at a public Wi-Fi hotspot:Whenever you are in public domain, you need to take precautions, as it is free for all. The Wi-Fi hotspots are available to any and every person, and anybody can be connected. Besides online thefts, there is also the risk of offline thefts.While in a public hotspot, do not be so absorbed with your notebook, that you fail to notice the people around you. There are persons who are in the business of stealing notebooks, from public hotspots. And they do not operate as individuals but as a gang.Also, while you are online at a public hotspot, follow simple rules like encrypting files before transferring or emailing them; making sure you are connected to a legitimate access point; and file sharing is turned off. Basic precautions like password protecting your notebook, updating your system regularly, and using anti-virus software should be strictly followed. For further online security, consider using a personal firewall, a virtual private network (VPN), and web-based email with secure http (https).Having a good Wi-Fi experience directly translates into a satisfying Internet experience. With the above suggestions being implemented, you are guaranteed to have a pleasant online time with your notebook.
By Roberto Sedycias
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Cell Phone Contract Tips

Cell phones (telefone celular) are increasingly used in the modern world. They are no longer a luxury, but are considered a need. They can send and receive e-mail, get information on news, entertainment, make a call home while traveling and contact the police or the ambulance during an emergency. The radio, telephone and computer technology fused together to make the cell phone technology. Nevertheless, with the advancing technology, marketing became much tougher, and cell phone operators devised numerous clauses in their contracts to ensure that their competitors do not erode their customer base. Thus the cell phone contract was born.A cell phone (telefone celular) contract is an agreement between the buyer and the wireless cell phone service provider. Usually it is of 1 or 2 years of duration, during which a consumer is legally bound to remain with the wireless service provider. Certain operators give a trial period to their consumers. After the trial period of 14 or 30 days is over, when the contract is entered upon and the phone is bought, the penalty for breaking the contract can range from $150 to $600, depending on where the phone was bought. Before the contract finishes, if a new phone is to be bought, then some companies give a customer loyalty discount, which in effect extends the contract. This may prove to be expensive when compared to buying a new phone with a good discount. Thus, you may be locked in to a single operator, without your knowing it, if you do not read and understand the terms of the cell phone contract.If one is not satisfied with the service provided by the cell phone (telefone celular) service provider, then one can come out of the contract, without paying a termination fee, if someone else is willing to go through the contract for the remaining period. Finding someone willing to undertake this may be difficult. Numerous websites have come up which help you in finding someone to transfer your contract to, however cell phone service providers do not endorse such websites as they only connect the buyer and the seller, doing nothing with the actual transfer.Thus once you find a buyer for your cell phone contract, you have to contact your cell phone service provider to complete the transfer. This may take quite some time, as your provider will do a credit check on the buyer and if the creditworthiness is not found sufficient for the contract, the transfer will not take place. In case the transfer does take place, then you have the option of keeping the same number that you originally had. Usually, it has been seen that with transfers, you may have to supply the cell phone also as a free incentive to the buyer. High-end cell phones offered free along with the transfer usually get buyers within a couple of days.Cell phone (telefone celular) service providers generally give a trial period before enforcing the contract term, which may be of 1-year or 2-year duration. Almost all providers give at least 14 to 30 days of trail period. A 1-year cell phone contract has a shorter commitment period, which may prove to be beneficial if the phone needs repairs, or is lost. In addition, since the period is short, one may avail of new discounts that come up. After the term of 1-year ends, the phone can be kept without any contract and no penalty is charged for quitting. However, in a 1-year contract, the activation fee and/or the phone may not be cheap. Certain discounts and promotional offers cannot be availed of as in a 2-year period.In a 2-year cell phone (telefone celular) contract, the activation fee and/or the phone may not be expensive. Huge discounts on the phone may be availed. Special promotions may be availed. However, since the phone is kept for a longer duration, more money may be spent on repairing, insuring, or replacing. The opportunity to buy a new phone reduces, and thus may not be eligible to switch cell phone service providers. Expensive phones may also opt for phone replacement insurance plans. However, due to the costs of such plans, few subscribe to these plans.Pre-Paid or No Contract cell phones (telefone celular) are not available with all cell phone service providers. They are attractive as they require no commitment, the credit history is unimportant, and there is no penalty for quitting. However, call charges may be more expensive, and no promotional discounts etc., may be availed of.It is always advisable to read and fully understand the terms of the cell phone provider as stated in the contract form, including the fine print, before signing the cell phone (telefone celular) contract.This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.
By Roberto Sedycias
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Old Fashioned High Resolution Photo Camera

Tired of trying to keep updated with the highest mega pixel resolution digital camera? Well even if one has tried to do that, most certainly he will soon find out that his few months old digital camera is outdated in terms of mega pixel resolution. It’s an ever changing kind of product that has become very hard to keep updated, unless one is willing to spend more money by making purchases every six to twelve months.If the main intention of purchasing a photo camera is enlarging the image, then mega pixel resolution indeed will become the main factor. In this case one might consider a different option, which will keep his product updated for years to come. I’m talking about a used 4x5" film photo camera, together with a high resolution flat bed film scanner. All of this for less than one thousand US dollars. With all of this, one will get over 100 mega pixels in fine detailed film resolution and fine scanned digital images that can be enlarged up to 30x40" in size with professional quality. These 4x5" film cameras have done a remarkable job in general personal and commercial photography such as wedding, portraiture, product, documentary, advertising and landscape for nearly a hundred years.Where to find 4x5" used film cameras? Since some of these cameras were mostly used in the past, until the 1960’s, it should be no problem in finding them in American auction web sites. Anyway, a good used 4x5" camera with lens can be found for less than four hundred US dollars.As for the flat bed film scanner, one can find brand new ones for less than five hundred US dollars. Just make sure the scanner is able to scan films.Whenever purchasing a 4x5" film camera, one should look for the following features: folds into a compact box, flexible bellows, lenses that can be easily interchanged, accepts sheet film, ground glass focusing screen, easily handheld and optical viewfinder accessory.As for the lenses, there are four main categories: 1 - general purposes; 2 - wide field (mostly used for close up work and landscape); 3 – extreme wide angles lenses; 4 – special effects lenses (telephoto). However, one might use a general purpose 127 or 152mm lens for most of his photograph sessions. In cases where it requires special lenses, such as architecture or macro photography, one will still find lots of them available in auction sites. Used lenses for 4x5” cameras made after world word II have excellent performances comparable to today’s modern lenses.Whenever making a purchase of a 4x5" camera make sure that: 1 - the bellows have no light leaks, 2 – the lens shutter works accurate at all speeds; 4 – the lens elements have no fungus and scratches of any kind; 4 – the focus is working properly between the ground glass and the film.The option of using a 4x5" film camera, together with a flat bed film scanner, for enlarging images with professional quality is viable and accessible. Cheaper than top digital cameras, the 4x5" film camera offers better image quality and will always be updated in the future, maintaining its original value.For those who wishes the very most detailed image enlargement, one can always use the 8x10" film camera. Four times the physical film size of the 4x5", this option offers so much film resolution that it is considered by many as the ultimate step for photo image enlargement.Sometimes analog products deliver better results that its digital counterparts. If you are doing the job of enlarging photo images, you should give it a try with a 4x5" camera. You might just surprise yourself.
By Roberto Sedycias
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Your Guide To A Notebook

A notebook or laptop is nothing but a small portable computer that weighs 2.2 to 18 pounds (1 to 8 kg), that depends on its brand, style, size, material it is made of, and many other factors. Notebooks generally operate on a single main battery or through an external adapter that can both charge the battery and also supply power to the notebook. Notebooks are adept at performing the same jobs like a personal desktop; the only difference is that they are generally less powerful for the same cost. They consist of similar components like desktop computers and execute the same functions, except that they are miniature in size and suitable for transportable use and effective power consumption. Notebooks usually have LCD and different memory modules. They have a built-in keyboard; input is done through a touchpad or a pointing stick, though an external mouse can also be attached.There are different categories of notebooks. UMPCs are Ultra-Mobile PCs and are very portable. Since they are of a small size they can fit in a small touch screen while some other models have a minute physical keyboard along with a mouse interface. The other type is Ultraportables which are notebooks and have screens less than eleven inches and have less than 3.7 pounds (1.7 kg) of weight. They are generally used by business travelers, as they are small and light though very expensive. They have an extended battery life and integrated graphics. The other type of notebook is the Sony VAIO FJ76, and Dell XPS M1330 and XPS M1210. Then we have the mainstream notebooks that are more of budget desktops. And if you want desktop power, then you can opt for desktop replacement which can accommodate many performance components. As far as the processors are concerned you should go for the fastest that your budget will allow. You can opt for Intel`s Centrino that has great speed and also good battery life. Or else you can also go for the economic AMD`s mobile processors whose performance still lags behind Intel. If you intend to watch DVDs on your notebook then go for wide screen ones that offer sharper, larger and great images. The only consideration is that they are not meant for carrying around a lot. For great system performance it is vital to have enough memory (RAM) that will allow you to run many applications together. Adequate RAM is also essential for image and video editing, graphics work, and 3D gaming. Generally notebooks have a terrible sound quality so it is recommended to use speakers or headphones. These are some of the factors that you need to consider before buying a notebook. Also keep in mind that like any electronic device, your notebook is vulnerable to accidents as well as system failures. It is recommended to get at least a three year warranty and also some additional insurance.Health hazards related to using a laptop has been a controversial topic for quite some time. Researches have proved that heat generated from notebooks can raise temperature of scrotum, leading to reduced sperm count. A solution can be using it on a table or keeping it apart from the lap that will enable better cooling of the notebook and also prevent your lap from excessive electromagnetic radiation and heat. Some of the famous brands that have notebook are Acer that have TravelMate, Ferrari and Aspire models; BenQ; Compaq with its Armada, LTE, EVO and Presario models. Other famous brands are Gateway, HCL, Lenovo, LG, Micro-Star International, Panasonic, Samsung, Toshiba and others. This article is under GNU FDL license and can be distributed without any previous authorization from the author. However the author's name and all the URLs (links) mentioned in the article and biography must be kept.
By Roberto Sedycias
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Get back your lost data

As the time progresses so the technology and we got accustomed to them. There have been regular changes from telephones to mobile phones, Roll camera to digital one, calculator with computer, locomotive to jet planes and such other various things. Style of maintaining records has also changed; instead of volumes and volumes of book it’s stored in small .85 hard drives. Although the size of storing data has been reduced to chip but it has given more chances of loss. Data losses occur due to several factors by accidentally formatting the content of the hard drive, or due to some file systems getting orrupt which doesn’t allow the operating system to boot and further damage the root and file allocation table of the hard drive. Viruses, sabotage or file/directory deletion also lead to the loss of the data. These losses occur due to the logical failure of the hard drive. Physical failure occurs due head crashing, spindle stops spinning, circuit board crashing or mal-function of Read/Write Head assemblies and PCB/Logic Board failures. Data loss occurs due to logical crash can be recovered by using data recovery software. Actually when data is lost from the hard drive then only the entries of the data get erased but data still resides in the data area of the hard drive. These data recovery software helps to regain the entries on File Allocation Table. Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery Software is one such tool capable of recovering data from virtually any kind of data loss situation, from logical media crashes caused primarily due to accidental formatting of hard disk, invalid drive & disk specification, accidental Deletion of Data even from Recycle bin / Sabotage, Data Lost due to a virus attack, Missing File/Directory. Stellar Phoenix also helps in partition recovery from FAT 16, FAT 32, VFAT,.NTFS & NTFS5 file system. Data loss occur to physical failure require Class 100 Clean Room where data recovery professionals carry out data recovery operation like replacing circuit board, spindle and other sophisticated method to recover data from damaged and crashed hard drive. These experts recover the data from all sorts of media and from the variety of damage done. Stellar Information Systems Ltd is capable of recovering all such data loss occurs due to physical failure on all operating system such as Windows, Linux or Macintosh. Stellar Information Systems Limited is an ISO 9001-2000 certified company specializing in data recovery software and data protection software, services and solutions. Stellar offers a complete solution of file recovery software and lost data restoration programs for Windows (Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003, XP), Apple Macintosh, Novell, Linux, Unix operating system and FAT, NTFS, NTFS5, HFS, HFS+, NWFS, JFS, EXT2 and EXT3 file systems.
By Andrew Watson
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

3 Simple questions for Hard Drive Users

Question 1: Is your hard drive sick? Have you ever tried to know your hard drive health? An obvious answer is No. Hard drive is the most important part in computer system, as it saves your compiled data, such that it can be user in future. It saves you hard work, your precious memories in form of photographs, emails and many more. And the point is we are not giving the importance to our data saver.And this Data Saver becomes Data Eater, when it gets SICK. And this other side of hard drive is really scary. This can make you lose all your important data, files, your pictures, emails, contacts & not the least it can ruin your business. Normally we start taking care of something when we know the importance of that particular thing in our life or the fear of loss makes us to take care of that. So, in case of hard drive we don't have any option... Either the fear of loss or the love for your data…. We have to start taking care of our data savers i.e. our hard drives.Question 2: How should I check my hard drive health? There are certain parameters from which we can conclude the hard drive health• Read Error Rate: This means the rate at which read retries is requested. Lower values indicate that there is a problem with either the disk surface or the read/write heads.• Spin up Time: It describes the amount of time hard drive takes to spin the disk platters up to their rated rotation speed (usually 5400 or 7200 Revolutions per minute). Values above 80 should be considered good. Values between 70 and 80 are acceptable.• Start/Stop Count: Indicates the total number of drive start/stop cycles (including both power on/off switching and suspend/wakeup switching).• Reallocated Sectors Count: Indicates the amount of the spare sector pool that is available. Spare sectors are used to replace sectors that become bad for some reason. A value of 100 means that no sectors have been replaced so far and a value of 1 means that spare sectors have been exhausted due to many replacements.• Power on Hours Count: Indicates how long the disk was working (powered on).• Spin Retry Count: Indicates the number of times the disk was unable to spin its platters up on the first attempt (lower values mean more retries).• Temperature: Indicates the temperature of disks equipped with thermal sensors.• Ultra ATA CRC Error Count: The UDMA controller performs error checking on the data it receives from the Hard Disk, ensuring that the data was not damaged while being transmitted over the cable. Each time an error is detected, the controller requests a retransmission, thus slowing down the overall transfer speed. Lower values of 'Ultra ATA CRC Error Count' correspond to a higher number of errors, usually indicating a cabling problem• Write Error Count: Indicates the rate at which write retries are requested. Lower values indicate that there is a problem with either the disk surface or the read/write heads.• Recalibration retries: Indicates the number of times recalibration was requested. A low value (multiple recalibrations) usually indicates some head positioning problem.For checking all these parameters you can use “ Stellar Phoenix SMART – An Early Warning System ”.Question 3: What precaution should I take such that my Hard Drive lives Healthy & long life. • Always use an UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) to avoid power fluctuations.• Get your hard drive defragmented in a regular interval• Handle your hard drive with proper care. Don't make you hard drive experience a shock.• Always do disk cleanup, to remove unwanted files.• If you ever get any error message, don't take it lightly. Try to reach the root cause of it.Note: As we know nothing is persistent, and there are any thing which is not in our control. So for the safer side take backup of your hard drive data. My Hard drive is sick? What should I do then? Try to take the complete backup or create an image. And if your hard drive is really bad condition I would suggest you to go for the new one. If you are not able to access the data then you have to take the help of data recovery professionals who will different data recovery techniques to recover your data back.
By Andrew Watson
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Importance of Email

As time progresses so the technology and we are not untouched. Message sending through post has been taking through E-mails as it much faster and accurate way of sending and receiving information. Emails are easier to understand with lesser time being consumed, large amount of work can be completed at a better pace. Important matter can be withdrawn by an individual at any given time. Emails are quite useful during emergency as the matter of concern can be sent across at the earliest. Now a day all the business matter is done through emails. Big companies instead of using free email services like yahoo or hotmail, they are using their own email system. They use outlook express or Microsoft outlook, configure their account their and use as a medium to send and receive the emails. It may happened that files in the Outlook Express becomes corrupt, especially when the database increases in size due to increasing number of stored emails and during database compaction. This has led to an evolution of email recovery software which can restore and recover corrupted files. Stellar Information Systems Ltd, a data recovery software and data recovery service company has come up with recovery software which correct problems and restore access to e-mail messages. Stellar Phoenix Mailbox Professional - PST Recovery Software which is designed to repair and recover email from corrupted Microsoft Outlook. This Outlook file recovery software scans the damaged .pst file and extracts and then saves information in a new usable .pst file, enabling PST File Recovery. For more information visit: http://www.stellarinfo.com/outlook-pst-file-recovery.htm
By Andrew Watson

Deleting data from the your PC

What your Operating System does when you request for deleting data?Is the permanent deletion, Is really a Permanent deletion of your data? Then what does your Operating system do when you request to erase the data beyond recovery...Let’s understand what is Deletion?Our operating system, provides us with two type of deletion i.e. Temporary Deletion Permanent DeletionTemporary DeletionWhen we simply delete a data, by Delete Button, or by Selecting a file with Right click and then selecting delete option from the popup menu. Both of the procedure will remove the file from the specific location and send it to Recycle Bin. This method is called as Temporary deletion, as this files can be restored from the Recycle bin.Permanent DeletionWhen we delete a file or folder using Shift + Delete. This method is called as Permanent deletion of data. This files is not recoverable according to your operating system. Is this True? If not, then why?No, you can recover this data very easily with many undelete utilities available in the market. Like Stellar phoenix deleted file recovery. Lets answer this question why this file is recoverable. When we do Shift + Delete, the operating system simply flags that file as deleted. And this file / folder does not appear in the recycle bin, however the data is still present in your hard drive.What wiping software does? Such that the data is beyond recovery!Let me answer this question by taking an example of a Wiping tool i.e. Stellar WipeCheck out what this software doesStellar Wipe 3.0 is a comprehensive solution to maintain your computer privacy by wiping worthless yet sensitive information off your system, beyond data recovery.All your on & offline activities are recorded by your computer, whether it is the >> Temporary internet files>> Cookies>> History>> Typed URL’s>> Recently opened documents, etc. The utility destroys data from already-erased files, the traces of which might still be present on your hard disk, in the Trash folder, Windows Registry or in the unused hard disk areas.Stellar Wipe is a simple yet powerful and effective data cleansing software. Apart from deleting selected files and folders, Wipe is also capable of deleting an entire drive, cleaning unused pace on your hard disk and also removing Internet and System traces from your computer. It also ensures complete data destruction by removing previously deleted files/folders. Extremely secure algorithms which conform to the US Government DoD standards are used to ensure permanent data deletion. It is thus a complete solution for computer privacy.The software is menu driven, simple to use with an intuitive interface, and requires no prior technical skill.What’s Fundamental of Data Wiping software?These software actually overwrites on the data area, with junk data, with number of complex algorithm’s. Stellar wipe uses the following algorithm’s to erase the data.  Zeroes Pseudo-random Pseudo-random & Zeroes DoD 5220.22-M (3 passes) DoD 5200.28-STD (7 passes) Russian Standard - GOST B.Schneier's algorithm (7 passes) German Standard, VSITR (7 passes) Peter Gutmann, (35 passes) US Army AR 380-19 (3 passes) North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NATO Standard US Air Force, AFSSI 5020So next time, when you want to delete some critical data to beyond recovery, then use some wiping tool, to erase your data completely. Like Stellar Wipe.
By Andrew Watson
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

Do you know your Outlook Express?

Do you know your Outlook Express?Outlook express is an email client that comes bundled with Windows 95 and higher and facilitates home users to access their e mails by dialing to an internet service provider.Outlook express is the primary e- mail client for most e mail needs. Every morning, office goers around the world begin their day with outlook express. They reach their workstations, sign into their account and download their emails. It’s business as usual. But some times everything doesn’t go as planned. The outlook express fails.Symptoms of Corruption?The performance of your outlook express may be sluggish, messages may take long hour for download or files and folders may just vanish. The files may be deleted or corrupted. The first clue of a damaged file or folder is the corruption of .dbx files.The .dbx and .mbx files are used by outlook express for storing files. All files in Outlook Express Folder list are stored on our hard drive with the same file name but with the extension of .dbx (eg inbox.dbx). Together these are saved on a folder named as store folder which is located deep within Documents and Settings folder. It is a hidden folder .The corruption of this folder crashes the outlook express. The DBX files chop each message into 512 byte pieces. What happens when an item is Deleted from Outlook Express?When a message is deleted from the deleted items folder, the Outlook Express removes the first 4 bytes of each piece, so it is not possible for outlook to recover a message in its has been deleted from the recycle bin OR permanently deleted using shift + del key.The following are the symptoms of file corruption in OE1) Outlook Express feels sluggish when starting and while switching folders.2) Simple tasks like marking a message as read might take several seconds.3) Inbox may not display incoming mails.4) Certain folders might be working improperly.Vulnerability of Outlook Express with Anti Virus Software!Virus can spell doom for any of our software’s. But our primary concern while dealing with OE is the anti virus software’s. Because it is well known that outlook is often corrupted by the very software’s believed to protect it. To eliminate the probability of this type of corruption you should disable the e-mail scanning module in your anti-virus program. In most cases, the corruption is due to damaged .dbx files, more precisely, folders.dbx files. This is the folder that indexes the entire store folder. Without its aid Outlook Express cannot do anything. The only solution in case is to delete the corrupt file from the Store Folder. If your OE appears sluggish or if the mails still take long to download, then the possible alternative is to compact all your Outlook Express folders, this may be suitable for correcting minor errors. But if the problem still persists, you must contact a reputed data recovery company like Stellar which offers Stellar Phoenix Mailbox Standard, Software which repairs damaged / corrupted Outlook Express folders and provides outlook express recoveryAll recovered / repaired messages are saved as .eml files at a location chosen by the user.In spite of the availability of data recovery and file repair software’s like above, it is best to observe certain Precautions while working with outlook express. These are • Always keep your inbox manageable and empty mails into relevant folders.• If you use windows XP sp2 (Service Pack 2), disable the automatic background compaction.• If the compaction is in progress, don’t use the computer till it is completed.• Maintain adequate back-ups of store folder.Never try to locate your store folder because one single corruption in that may wreck your outlook express. These basic precautions can be extremely useful if we use OE frequently or even if we have a large amount of correspondence on our OE inbox.
By Andrew Watson
Article Source: http://www.Free-Articles-Zone.com

What Is Data Management?

The Definition:Data Management is the comprehensive series of procedures to be followed and have developed and maintained the quality data, using the technology and available resources. It can also be defined that it is the execution of architectures under certain predefined policies and procedures to manage the full data lifecycle of a company or organization. It is comprised of all the disciplines related to data management resources.Following are the key stages or procedures or disciplines of data management:1. Database Management system2. Database Administration3. Data warehousing4. Data modeling5. Data quality assurance6. Data Security7. Data movement8. Data Architectures9. Data analysis10. Data Mining1. Database Management system:It is one of the computer software from various types and brands available these days. These software are designed for specifically for the purpose of data management. These are few of these; Ms Access, Ms SQL, Oracle, MySql, etc. The selection of any one of these depends upon the company policy, expertise and administration. 2. Database Administration:Data administration is group of experts who are responsible for all aspects of data management. The roles and responsibilities of this team depends upon the company’s over all policy towards the database management. They implement the systems using protocols of software and procedures, to maintain following properties:a. Development and testing database,b. Security of database,c. Backups of database,d. Integrity of database, and its software,e. Performance of database,f. Ensuring maximum availability of database3. Data warehousingData warehousing, in other words is the system of organization of historical data, its storage capability etc. Actually this system contains the raw material for the management of query support systems. That raw material is such that the analysts can retrieve any type of historical data in any form, like trends, time stamped data, complex queries and analysis. These reports are essential for any company to review their investments, or business trends which in turn will be used for future planning. The data warehousing are based on following terms:a. The databases are organized so that all the data elements relating to the same events are linked together,b. All changes to the databases are recorded, for future reports,c. Any data in databases is not deleted or over written, the data is static, readable only,d. The data is consistent and contains all organizational information. 4. Data modelingData modeling is the process of creating a data model by applying and model theory to create data model instance. The data modeling is actually, defining, structuring and organizing the data using predefined protocol. Then the theses structures are implemented in data management system. In addition, it also will impose certain limitation on the database with in the structure. 5. Data quality assuranceData quality assurance is the procedure to be implemented in data management systems, to remove anomalies and inconsistencies in the databases. This also performs cleansing of databases to improve the quality of databases. 6. Data SecurityIt is also called as data protection, this is system or protocol which is implemented with in the system to ensuring that the databases are kept fully safe and no one can corrupt by access controlling. The data security, on other hand, also provides the privacy and protection to the personal data. Many companies and governments of the world have created law to protect the personal data. 7. Data movementIt is one term broadly related to the data warehousing that is ETL (Extract, Transform and Load). ETL is process involved in data warehousing and is very important as it is the way data is loaded into the warehouse. 8. Data ArchitecturesThis is most important part of the data management system; it is the procedure of planning and defining the target states of the data. It is, realizing the target state, describing that how the data is processed, stored and utilized in any given system. It created criterion to processes the operation to make it possible to design data flows and controls the flow of data in any given system. Basically, data architecture is responsible for defining the target states and alignment during the initial development and then maintained by implementations of minor follow-ups. During the defining of the states, data architecture breaks into minor sub levels and parts and then brought up to the desired form. Those levels can be created under the three traditional data architectural processes:a. Conceptual, which represents all business entitiesb. Logical means the how these business entities are related.c. Physical, is the realization of the data mechanism for specific function of database.From above statements, we can define that the data architecture includes complete analysis of the relationship between functions, data types and the technology.9. Data analysisData analysis is the series of procedures which is used to extract required information and produce conclusion reports. Depending upon the type of the data and the query, this might include application of statistical methods, trending, selecting or discarding certain subsets of data based on specific criteria. Actually, data analysis is the verification or disproval of an existing data model, or to the extract the necessary parameters to achieve theoretical model over realty. 10. Data Mining Data mining is the procedure to extract unknown but useful parameters of data. It also can be defined that it is the series of procedures to extract the useful and desired information from large databases. Data mining is the principle of sorting the large through the large amount of data and selected the relevant and required information for any specific purposes.
By: Nawaz Lakho
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Instructions And Guidelines For Data Recovery

Sometimes, due to unforeseen occurrences, it may become necessary to recover information from your hard drive. For instance, you computer may encounter problems and you need to recover documents. In many cases such data retrieval is quite possible. So, how exactly does data recovery work? Specialists in data recovery will take your hard drive and evaluate it. Skilled technicians will determine how much information can actually be retrieved from your hard drive and what will be necessary to retrieve the lost data. Once this evaluation is complete; the data recovery provider will advise you what needs to be done to retrieve your data and how much the work will cost you.Lost data can be recovered successfully about 80 percent of the time. Bear in mind however, that the evaluation process can take several days to weeks, and it may or may not prove successful in determining what the problem with the computer is. Then, if you should decide to give the data recovery provider the go ahead, they will clone the system and begin attempting to retrieve the data that is on your hard drive. Laptops and notebooks can also have data recovered from them. Despite the fact that the procedures for doing so are different than those used on standard computers, data can still be recovered from these mini-computers. In essence, the primary difference is that these computers require smaller tools in order to recover the data on them because they are so much smaller. Specialists do not require your entire computer to recover your data. Rather, you can simply ship your hard drive to them and they will retrieve the data from it. Do It Yourself Tips are also there:There are also some other things to be aware of if you want to attempt data recovery. For instance, if you hard drive is exposed to water, you should be quite careful when shipping it. It is advised that data can be retrieved better before the hard drive dries out, therefore it is suggested that you ship it with a damp cloth in a plastic bag to ensure that it stays wet until it can be evaluated. Finally, when you do ship your hard drive to a data recovery provider, be sure to place it in a cardboard box, wrapped in bubble wrap, where it will have very little room to move around.Nevertheless, as a hard drive is a sensitive piece of equipment it, needs to be shipped very carefully. The drive will have to be wrapped in material that will not produce static and you should avoid the use of Styrofoam peanuts at all costs - they create a significant amount of static and static can destroy a hard drive.One thing that will prove very useful is keeping all your data on a small number of different external destinations. If you burn each document or excel file you create on a different disk as backup and you’ll need it later on, there’s two things that can go wrong: A. You won’t find the specific disk within the sea of disks where you keep your backup and B. The disk may get physically damaged itself after a while. Try keeping everything on a single DVD (you can burn data on a disk and leave it open for future burning), assuming 4.7 GB are enough for what most people consider essential data on their computers.Requirement of a Specialist:The decision is yours to make, but unless you absolutely know what you’re doing and know how to use the data recovery software by yourself, its best if you employ a professional company to do it for you. Don’t build a technical ego just because you managed to install Windows by yourself, with data recovery, you’ll be dealing with much more sensitive matters. If you fumble up your Windows installation process, you can simply start over. Both Mac and PC operating systems such as OS/X or Windows have built-in data recovery tools that can be helpful in case of logical or human error-related data loss. Sometimes you’ll find them easier to use than professional data recovery software, mainly because they’re built under the same structure as the operating system, so you’re already familiar with the interface. However, in what regards recovery options and efficiency, you can’t compare the standard operating system tools with a professional data recovery program so if your data loss issue is more complex, you’re probably better off using the latter. Data loss is a plague that can hit anyone and anytime, regardless of technical prowess, handling care, operating system or hardware configuration. In many cases, data loss is caused by factors that are out of our reach and unfortunately, in some of these cases data recovery is impossible.
By: David Faulkner
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Data Protection And Recovery

Data Recovery has become the buzzword of today. If you are looking for data recovery software on Google you will come to know about thousands of company. These data recovery company gives options to try the software before purchase. You can download the demo version which shows the preview of the recovered data. This helps you to choose the best data recovery tool to salvage your data. First step of data protection is back up. Data back up can be done on CD-ROM, DVD and an USB. It is best to have back up on the external hard drive. Data back up can be done on weekly basis; if it is done on daily basis then it’s the best measure of data protection.There are some important tips for data protection • To minimize the probability of accidental format it is advisable to have the back up of system files and make an emergency boot floppy for each system. • Do regular defragmentation to ease the data recovery task • Best way to prevent the data from virus is to use good antivirus and update on regular basis • You can also keep the information of CMOS of your hard drive this will help you to inter the data into your new system to get the drive workIf you have experienced a data loss then are certain things you should avoid these things• If you have accidentally erased the content of the hard drive then don’t write anything on the hard drive. • If you have erased any partition then do not create any other partition. • If you have emptied your recycle bin and afterward you realized that it was important then do not store any thing on the hard drive before recovering your data. Data loss can occur in any number of ways as described above or either due to software malfunction, viruses, or even sabotage. To over from such losses data recovery software provides help to recover from such logical crash. Actually when data lost occur from the hard drive then only the entries of the data get erased but data still resides in the data area of the hard drive. These data recovery software helps to regain the entries on File Allocation Table
By: Andrew Watson
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Digital Back-up Media

Below, we have surveyed some of the popular digital storage formats and weighed their comparative merits and demerits.Let us first have a look at the formats prevalent in the market.
Tape Drives – The tape has survived for generations now, in one version or the other. They began with the large, clumsy analogue boxes that have long ago become archive material, but tapes are still around in digital formats. Their first advantage is their inherent durability. Well protected inside their plastic casing, with plenty of storage space, and compatible to all kinds of file formats – they have a lot of advantages. Huge audio visual files that would clog up space anywhere else are safe on tapes. Then there is the cost factor, which alone may be enough to make it a winner. The disadvantages are no less though. Storage is a pain when it comes to tapes, and sharing options can be a nightmare. Storage not only requires space, but also a great deal of temperature and humidity control. However, they are still virus protected, with plenty of space, high quality of preservation, and cheap means of data storage.
Floppy – The floppy was a loser since it had too many disadvantages. The advantages were easier to count - the handy build, ease of use, low cost (once upon a time) and portability. The disadvantages can go on and on, but we may summarise them as very high susceptibility to viruses, extremely small storage space, the ease with which files in it got corrupted, and its inability to accommodate all types of files within its slim folds. The death toll rang when CDs became available in the market at roughly half the price of floppies. The nearest comparison is the replacement of the pager by the mobile. When a technology of mass usage has too many flaws, it will get pushed out of the race.
CD – The CD was too costly and unfriendly to begin with. It could be written on only once, and the drives were painfully slow. All operating systems were not yet comfortable with them, and there were some file types either got corrupted or copied badly. Like the tape, it has been a story of survival through evolution. The CD started winning with the facility to re write, and multi session disks provided better space management. Almost all file types are acceptable in a standard CD now, it can play just about anywhere and most importantly, it is currently the cheapest portable digital storage device in the market.
DVD – The audio visual reproduction quality of CDs containing large media files had never been very satisfactory, in fact, it was frankly bad at most times. The Digital Video Disk was born out of the huge demand of the rapidly expanding audio visual sharing and storage market. DVDs provide better quality for both picture and sound, apart from more space. Now the advantages of RW and mass production have been added to it. However, it also has all the disadvantages of the CD, and is as susceptible to damage through physical means.
USB Drives – USB drives are popular enough to have become household devices faster than the CD. Pen drives can be inserted into USB ports without any special software or separate drive, has lots of space (and are growing larger), are more easy to carry around than even the floppy, is a joy when it comes to sharing files, accommodates almost all file formats and are also becoming cheaper. But they are still comparatively costly, the most virus prone after the floppy, and tops the charts the device that is most convenient to lose.
Portable Hard Drives – Vast space, easy access, accommodation for absolutely any file, inbuilt virus protection and sometimes even an OS, larger memory (therefore less chances of data loss through fragmentation) and the convenience of plug and play – the advantages are too many. But this device is still clumsier than the others, and most importantly – it is also the costliest. Preventing Data Loss Now that we have surveyed the options, the question may come up, how do we ultimately protect our data if all these formats are fallible to a degree? There are three remedies –
We will take good care of our storage devices.
We will take adequate and updated back up.
We can use online and offsite storage spaces for better data protection.
By: James Wallis
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Hard Drive Recovery Not Always Possible

In this era where computer rules, data plays the most important role in our life. So the fear of data loss and the damage we might occur is most devastating. To over from such losses data recovery software has evolved which salvage our lost data. Either the data lost occur due to software malfunction, viruses, file/directory deletion or even sabotage. But these data recovery software are only helpful from logical crash recovery. The cause of data getting corrupt are varied, this may be of the following reasons• Improper shut down of computer system.• Due to power surge computer resets of it own, this freezes the computer making the shutdown impossible leading to data loss This type of failure can be recovered by using data recovery software. • Due to catastrophic hard drive failure where operating system is unable to recognize the hard drive• Head getting crash • Due to air pollution inside the drive (This generally occur while not keeping the system in the clean environment) Failure from such physical crash can recover by using data recovery service. This requires Clean Room Facility where data recovery experts know how to recover data from it. • Hard drive failure due to bad sector also. When certain sector of the hard drives becomes unreadable its content are copied to spare sector before it becomes completely damaged. Once the sector is not readable at all so data recovery from such bad sector is not possible Although data recovery services are able to recover from the most critical situation but sometimes it also fails. So there is no scope left to recover the lost and damaged data from such failures. Sometimes data recovery service is as simple as downloading a free data recovery software, other times its more complex where disk imaging technique is required So the best way to avoid such situation where even data recovery service is not possible is to keep regular back up. To stop the drive getting corrupt runs disk defragmenter every three month to keep it in good condition. While moving from the system from one place to another always pack the hard drive in original packing material so that drive doesn’t get damage.
By: Andrew Watson
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Hard Disks And Data Loss

It is very important for that devices used for data storage have a huge storage capacity running into tens of gigabytes and at the same time to offer sequential data access, that is, a file located anywhere on the data-recording surface should be accessible instantly. There is only one storage device that fits the bill – the hard disk. Indeed, hard disks have been the primary data storage media of computers since the latter got invented. Even today, there is no competitor on the horizon that can challenge their monopoly.
How Hard Disks WorkComputer hard disks are quite small, not much bigger than the palm of your hand. They are heavy because their outer covering and inside components are mostly made of metal. The disks come in the shape of a rectangular box which can be screwed securely inside the computer CPU. Their rear side has ports from where a data cable connects to the motherboard while a power cable feeds electricity from the SMPS.Inside the hard disk, the most crucial component is a series of platters stacked vertically that is mounted on a single spindle motor. The surface of these platters is thinly coated with magnetic paint and is the area where the data actually gets stored. When the hard disk is switched on, the platters begin to be spun by the motor at a very high speed, from 5,400 RMP to 7,200 RPM. Above the platter surface, at a sub-micron height, floats the actuator arm, on the tip of which is located a read / write head that carries an electro-magnet. It is this head that actually accesses and modifies the data as it is moved around over the platter surface by the arm. The higher the capacity of a hard disk, the more platters it will have, with a separate read / write head for each. When the user switches off the computer, the operating system first ensures that the actuator arm moves over to a side and comes to rest in its parking bay.The electricity supply to the disk is controlled by a circuit board while the operating system communicates with it through a controller card.Portable Hard DisksHard disks offer phenomenal functionality and data-holding capacity compared to their low price and small size. However, the problem is that the disks installed inside computers or laptops are not removable, which is a big issue if you have to transport a huge amount of data from one place to another or create its backup. This need was fulfilled by making hard disks portable and removable.Portable hard disks are nothing but ordinary computer hard disks that are enclosed in a tough casing that can take some amount of abuse. These are independent and stand-alone devices that can be connected to any computer or laptop through a USB cable. Portable disks come with a backup software that automatically takes backups of individual files or creates a mirror image of the entire hard disk.How Data can Get LostHard disk manufacturers strive to make their products as tough as possible. Still, it is a fact of life that these disks keep failing. They have a number of complex mechanical and electrical components that have a life of a fixed number of years. Regardless of how well-maintained they are, sooner or later something is bound to give. A user can experience hard-drive-related data loss due to a number of hardware or software causes. Perhaps the most dreaded word for a computer user is “hard disk crash.” This is a very serious situation that makes the entire data on the hard drive inaccessible. A crash occurs when the actuator arm becomes unhinged and falls flat on the platter surface.When the user switches on the computer, the platters start spinning and the read / write head begins to scratch their surface. This results in permanent damage since it is almost impossible to recover data from a recording surface that has been furrowed. Some other comparatively benign causes of a hard disk going dead are the failure of the spindle motor and a malfunction of controller card or circuit board.Data residing on a hard disk can be lost due to software errors too. A virus attack may corrupt the file and make it inaccessible. The user may delete data accidentally or reformat the entire disk, thus wiping out all files that existed on it.While most cases of data loss due to software errors can be easily tackled by commercially available DIY recover software, for hardware errors there is option but to take the hard disk to a professional recovery company.
By: James Walsh
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Tips To Recover Your Hard Drive After Crash

Many of you have experienced blue screen death or have heard the clicking sound from your computer system making your pc unable to boot. Whenever you try to do a message is flash on your screen, operating system not found, or drive not found. First thought which comes to your mind “have I lost my data”, is there anyway to take back to the previous situation. Hold on, do not panic, ways have been devised to get back your data. There is data recovery software which provides recovery from logically crashed hard drive. And recovery from physical crashed hard drive, data recovery Service Company has been setup with Class 100 Clean Room. But before coming to any conclusion there are things which you must know by yourself.
If your hard drive is not functioning, then it doesn’t mean that you can’t recover your data. There are chances where you can have free data recovery. Some times it might be possible that the crash is not sever and there is a fair chance of recovering your data by yourself or by taking the help of some data recovery expert. If the failure is of electro-mechanical then by replacing the circuit board you can make your drive re-function. The second way to recover your data from dead hard drive is that you connect your hard drive as a slave on different machine. If the hard drive is detected by BIOS and you are able to access your drive then you can copy the content of the drive to different drive. Some time taking the help of data recovery software also helps in accessing the drive which is not recognized by the system. Some times data recovery can be critical issue. If you find that you are not able to boot your system and hard drive is not recognized in the BIOS. Then in this case cut down the system immediately from any power supply because if the head stack gets damaged then it will lead to further complication. The best thing is to contact the data recovery service company to salvage your hard drive. There is some situation where user is not able to identify the problem. They don’t know that what exactly happened to hard drive. What type of crash happened to the hard drive? Sometimes because of the software malfunction also operating system is not able to boot up and they thought that it is the case of hard drive crash. But in this case data recovery software is able to recover the data. These data recovery software is typically designed for preventive maintenance. But in the extreme case of hard drive crash only data recovery service helps and it’s an expensive mechanism. If data recovery software is used in the case of physically damaged hard drive where clicking and buzzing sound is heard then it can further damaged the drive and chances of recovery becomes null. So before attempting any hard drive recovery recognize the fault and render the right service.
By: Andrew Watson
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Top Reasons For Data Loss

The digital goods and services company that undertook this survey of domestic computer users was not surprised when the majority quoted viruses as the top cause of data loss. Next in line were other types of software related problems including any ways in which data might get deleted, corrupted or lost. Hardware issues did less well, with a sizeable part of the British population managing to cite only a hard disk crash as an example of hardware faults.
At the end of the list came a mixed lot of causes, natural disasters and human carelessness were both included in this category. The above data indicate how we see, or rather, like to see the reasons of data loss. Now let us look at the actual and official figures of what causes data loss. The Statistics of Data Loss Hardware or system component malfunctions / failure accounts for a total of 44% of data loss in the country. Next is the rapidly expanding category of human errors, accounting for over 32%of all data loss cases. Software faults of various kinds cause an overall data loss in 14% of the cases. Viruses actually account for data loss only in 7% of the cases. Data loss caused by natural catastrophes is the least harmful – at only 3% of all data loss cases. The differences between assumptions and facts are quite clearly defined by this comparison. Hardware failures are somehow not acceptable as of yet, and people are usually unprepared for the casualty. One may assume that it is part of human nature to overlook the growing degree of ‘human errors’. Software flaws are more visible in general, and the threat posed by virus attack has been blown entirely out of proportion due to its high media coverage, and general level of public awareness. Trends in Data LossData recovery companies and digital magazines all over the world also keep track of the ‘trends’ in data loss, i.e. the rate at which reasons for data loss are growing or decreasing. In all surveys, both hardware related problems and human error mistakes are on the rise. In fact, human error related problems are ‘evolving’ as a trend, meaning that people are becoming more creative and frequent with their mistakes. Cases of taking out one’s anger or frustration on the machine are on the rise all over the world. Below, we have gone into the reasons behind some of the most prominent causes of data loss. Hardware Failures Hard disk crash is the most common form of hardware failure. This happens due to overheating, failure of any of the components, circuit board or motherboard getting blown, electrostatic discharge, mal handling of hardware devices, exposure to dust, temperature changes, moisture and impact. In case of hardware failures, it is strongly advisable to approach a professional data recovery company as soon as possible without tampering with the affected device in any way. Hardware defects are not manageable otherwise, and it is important that we do not complicate matters by trying to rectify things ourselves if we value our data. Human Errors People driving over their laptops, leaving USB drives sitting in someone else’s computer, scratching CDs and DVDs, electrocuting one’s own hard drive by mishandling it while installing new cards, deleting files by mistake, there are so many ways we can go wrong. And when the machine does not work properly, there have been instances of people throwing it out of the window, ripping apart parts of it etc. Software Errors This includes OS crash, accidental deletion of files, accidental formatting, fragmentation, corruption of files due to mismatching media or wrong ways of storing – these are all ways in which data loss can happen through software failures. It is now possible for home users to rectify minor problems by using DIY software themselves on their affected machines or devices. Virus Attack We all know what is antivirus software and how to install it, but thereafter we leave it like that instead of updating it and running regular scans. In the case of corporate firms, data oriented crimes are becoming alarmingly common with instances of hacking on the rise at a rapid pace. Natural Disasters and Manmade Disasters Natural catastrophes such as earthquake, fire, flood, wars or terrorist attacks are relatively rare, but when they do happen, the scale of such events cause massive data loss. Disaster recovery measures have been adopted in many countries for this now.
By: James Walsh
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com

Data Recovery Experts

Hard drive failure as become order of the day as number of technical user is growing. So with the rapid increase in hard drive failure, data recovery industry is also growing. Right now data recovery is a booming industry. Data recovery is an invaluable service which is performed by trained, experienced technicians. And also data recovery service is tedious process. You use computer with any length of time and because of this a situation arise where the screen goes blank. When we reboot a message is flashed “No hard drive can be found” resulting in “blue screen death”. And mostly likely it happens in the middle of the project which requires urgent attention. You hold your breath with fear “gone for ever”.
There are many people who have gone through this situation of hard drive failure. They are not aware that data recovery be recovered from such dead hard drive. They simply throw their hard drive purchased a new without considering any data recovery experts. Yes there are some technical people or data recovery experts who can make our data re-appear from such dead hard drive. If you have suffered a hard drive failure then don’t hesitate to call the data recovery experts. The data recovery experts not only recover the data from dead hard drive but some times they are also able to repair your hard drive. So computer users should be thankful to these people who recover their data. Choosing right data recovery experts is not a problem as hundred of computer users are going for the data recovery services. So there are more companies offering data recovery services. All these services are performed by trained technicians under the controlled environment. Data recovery experts can be found online by looking for data recovery Service Company. They help to retrieve whatever important files have been lost due to hard drive failure. Before performing any operation on the hard drive, data recovery experts perform evaluation of the drive. According to the data recovery expert’s analysis of the hard drive is very important as it helps in determining the real problem. Because of the stiff competition some data recovery experts perform free analysis of the hard drive. Once the analysis of the drive is over and before proceeding for the recovery you will be asked. Only after your consent data recovery service will be performed on the drive. It is nice to know that no matter what the cause of the failure these data recovery experts are able to recover your data from such dead hard drive. In some cases 100% recovery is also done by these data recovery experts.
By: Andrew Watson
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com