A New Way to Use Your Old Hard Disk Drive

Are you thinking about upgrading or replacing your old computer?



Or maybe you are just replacing an old hard disk drive with a new one.



Have you given any thought to what you are going to do with the old ones?



Normally you maybe do two things with your old hard disk drive: erase the hard disk drive and dispose of it, or, give it to a trusted friend or relative.



However, do you think it’s a good idea that uses it as a second hard disk drive with an enclosure?



Using an HDD enclosure is a cheap way to add storage area to your computer and use your old hard disk drive. And you do not need to open your new computer, just plug it into a USB port. No messing around with the BIOS, the drive is found by the operating system automatically.



With an enclosure, you don’t have to worry about the data on your old hard disk drive if you are throwing the computer away, selling it, or giving it to someone. You also increase your storage capacity for the fraction of the cost of a new external drive.



Today Chinazrh will show you how easy it is to set-up and use an enclosure.



For example, if your old Hard Disk Drive is 3.5 inch USB 2.0 SATA, just follow the below 8 simple steps:



1. You will need to buy a SATA HDD Enclosure.

2. Pull the HDD out of your old computer and check the connections.

3. Remove the rear panel and connect the SATA HDD

4. Connect Hard Drive to Panel (Secure the HDD to the rear panel with the screws supplied)

5. Insert the rear panel into the enclosure.

6. Connect the power adapter and USB cable.

7. Once the USB cable is connected to your computer, turn the enclosure on.

8. Then your computer should find the new HDD automatically.



If your old hard disk drive is another drive, enclosures for compatible drives are available and all the procedures are the same.



Finally, you have a second or back up HDD for a fraction of the cost of a new external hard drive and you recycled your old hard drive. It’s a win-win.



Now, do you have any inspiration to recycle one by yourself?



And you just keep some hard disk drives, why not come to Chinazrh buy some HDD Enclosures and convert them into external hard drives.

Helicopter Flash Game By Low Jeremy

When I typed in “helicopter flash game” to my favorite search engine, I thought I was into something high-tech. I thought I would have the chance to fly my favorite Blackhawk helicopter along with other helicopters I want to fly for free. But then, my hopes fade away when I saw what is up for me… A helicopter flash game that seems to be as old as the first video game created.

What I saw was neither an RPG nor a simulator. I did not see any Blackhawk, Heuy, Comanche or Apache. I did not see anything that would spark a single interest that would make me feel like playing it. But what the fuss? I am on the site so made my very first click.

And so the game began. At first I did not know how to make the helicopter fly. And since this was the case, the tiny helicopter on my screen that’s surrounded by neon green wall kept on falling down. I never read the instructions or the ‘how to play’ portion of the window since I was not planning to spend another minute with it. But then again, what the fuss?

And so, for the second time within the period of 1 minute, I read the ‘how to play’ portion. I realized it wasn’t so hard. All I have to do is to hold the button of my mouse to make the helicopter raise and release it if I want to lower the helicopter.

What happened next was unexpected. After getting the hang of it and beating my personal best game after game, I was playing the helicopter flash game for several minutes that I never noticed it at all.

Okay, I admit, the game is very addictive. For several reason:

The helicopter flash game is easy to play even your kid will learn it in no time. There is only to way to go: either up or down. You don’t need to go forward or backward for the helicopter will automatically fly forward. All you have to do is to make it go up or down.

The helicopter flash game is so simple. It may not have very good graphics but hey! At the office, you cannot really play modern games.

And, the helicopter game has no ending. You can play it over and over again, period.

Sometimes, I just want to see the helicopter plummet the ground or hit the wall, just to see and hear the explosion. Try it if you like. You might not get the same experience as I do but the thing is, you have tried it.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=102232&ca=Computers

The Ipod Audio Revolution By Yvonne Volante

Do you know anyone who today doesn't know what an iPod is? Unless they've been asleep for the last ten years or are totally out of touch with today's technology, the answer is probably not.

But, in case you don't know, just be aware that the iPod, made by Apple (of Macintosh fame), is the absolute king of the MP3 market. Don't know what MP3 is? Well, that's for a seperate article. Speaking of articles, go check out more at http://www.foraudio.com.

The iPod is the most popular and successful portable digital music device in the world. Another way of explaining it is that he iPod is The Format for digital music, period. End of story. You can love the iPod or hate it, but it's hard to dispute the facts. And, or such a tiny device, Apple's iPod sure knows how to throw its weight around!

And, your iPod is about more than just music. Here are a few interesting things to know about an Ipod:

*The iPod is the latest educational tool

*Thanks to the emergence of the podcast, the iPod is a powerful tool that makes learning just about anything fun and more convenient to access

*The latest version of the iPod includes a video player feature

*The iPod is no where even close to being 'out of date'

*Moving your songs to the iPod is as easy as copy a file to a disk

*Although the iPod is an Apple product, it works with both Mac and Windows machines.

*The greatest advantage and disadvantage of an iPod is its small shape.

And there are many more features to mention.

Here is a surprising statistic that you may find of interest: Apple's iPod is turning 5. That's right, the iPod's development dates back to 2001. In that short time it has become such a huge success that some people have predicted that in the future Apple will be more of a music company than a computer company. Well, that remains to be seen, but it could happen.

But one thing is for sure, the iPod is still in the prime of its life and has many years ahead of it even without the upgrades and updates that are sure to come. Add the future improvements to the mix and we have a product that will be with us for many years to come. An iPod is many things to many people, but it can be much more than most people realize.

So, do you have your iPod yet? If not, be sure to do your homework and determing how you will use yours. There are other MP3 players out there, but if you are fashion-concious, the Ipod is your choice.

For many people, their iPod is a constant companion. Are you ready to jump on board?

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=102057&ca=Computers

Office 2007 Update Will Take A Lot Of Getting Used To By Mike Fletcher

Get ready for Office 2007, the most sweeping update to Microsoft’s popular suite of productivity applications.

An extensive re-education awaits those who will upgrade to the new Office 2007. It’s truly a redesign. The menu bar and navigation buttons for Word, Excel and PowerPoint, for example, look completely different.

But before buying, I’d suggest you do think about whether you're willing to spend the time learning new ways of doing things. Office 2007 has a great many new features and controls.

There’s something else that’s very different: Microsoft uses a different format to save files with Office 2007 that, without a special viewer that will have to be downloaded, makes them unreadable with earlier versions. When saving a document with Office 2007, you have the option of saving as a previous version — which makes them compatible with earlier versions — but I’m betting this change alone is going to cause massive amounts of confusion among the early adapters.

That said, the beta of Office 2007 that I’ve been testing for the past couple of weeks is faster, more powerful and lots more intuitive and interconnected to other programs and files. Once you figure it out.

There are lots of subtle new features, too, like built-in blogging functionality and something called the ribbon that replaces the traditional toolbar and gives greater control over each program’s various functions.

Office 2007 is the biggest change Microsoft has ever made to the interconnected suite of software tools so many of us depend upon.

So big, it’s going to take a learning curve to master.

Buying Office 2007 also promises to be confusing. There will be no fewer than eight versions to choose from, all aimed at different markets ranging from home and student users, to small businesses, midsized companies and corporate conglomerates. Depending on what software you have bundled into Office, the prices will range from $147 to $679.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=101469&ca=Computers

How To Install A Motherboard By Anthony Elias

(Important make sure you read through this guide before you begin installation of your new motherboard.)

The motherboard is the largest and one of the most important components of your computer. It’s reliability and health is utmost important.

Once you have picked out and purchased your motherboard you are ready for installation.
Carefully remove the motherboard from the box, do not remove it out of the ESD (electro static discharge) bag. Do a quick inventory to make sure you have all of your parts. Most likely you should have all of you IDE cables for the hard drive and cdrom, and possibly I/O plate. If you purchased a motherboard that support ATA hard drives you should have those cables.

Once you have verified that you have all the parts, pick up the user manual, and read through it, you don’t have to read it from cover to cover but you want to familiarize yourself with the motherboard, in addition many motherboard manufactures will also include a quick installation guide so take a look at that also.

Now you are ready, your work area should be clean and static free. Put on your anti static wrist band, if you have one. A anti static wrist band is just basically a cloth wrist band that has a snap on stretchable cable that is grounded, the grounded surface area helps keep electrostatic discharge in control.

Remove the motherboard from the box and all of the parts. Then remove the motherboard from ESD bag and lay it inside the empty box. Cut open your ESD bag on each side and turn it inside out so that you can lay your motherboard inside of it. Just laying your new motherboard on top of your ESD bag is not enough protection from electro static discharge.

Prepare your computer chassis. If you have already installed and mounted your power supply, tie the power cords out of your way with some wire ties, or some Velcro. You need a clear path from the opening of your chassis to the bottom of your chassis, where your motherboard will be mounted.

Something’s you need to think about before you drop your new motherboard into your chassis is, cooling. Depending on what type of processor you have purchased, the processor may run hot. So you have to think about good ventilation for your chassis. Heat can destroy your new investment in a matter of hours. If you do not already have at least two exhaust fans on your chassis you may have to think about actually cutting a hole either at the top of your chassis or on the side to mount the exhaust fans. Ok pick your jaw off the ground; it’s not as bad as it sounds. If you have a dremel with a cutting blade it can be very easy. Use an old CD as a template and draw around the CD with a washable marker. Then just follow the line with your dremel. Now you don’t have to do this, you can buy a chassis with plenty of exhaust fans already installed, so that is something to consider when you are in the process of buying all of your parts.

Now let’s get back to installing your new motherboard. Once you have a clear path to the bottom of your computer chassis, make sure that you have your bag of screws handy, and a long neck Philips screw driver. Take a look at the motherboard mounts, they are installed inside your chassis, these are the mounts that you will align with the holes on the motherboard. If you do not have any mounts you will have to installed them your self. The hardware should have come with your chassis if your chassis is new; if not make sure you save your screws, when you remove your old mother board.

Remove the old I/O plate and install the new one, take a look at the manual for reference. Make sure that it is secure. Look at the mounts that are on the bottom of your, chassis you want to make sure that you line up the mounts with the holes that are drilled on your mother board. (Important DO NOT DRILL ANY HOLES IN YOUR MOTHERBOARD) Angle the motherboard so that I/O ports will match with the holes on the I/O plate. There is a good chance that you might need to remove the break away pieces of metal the cover some I/O holes on the I/O plate. It is a good idea to check for proper match before installing the mother board.

As you angle the motherboard towards the I/O plates make sure that mounting holes on the motherboard are lining up with the mounts on the chassis. Gently push the motherboard towards the back of the chassis so that the I/O ports are snug against the I/O plate, and that all of the ports are protruding all the way out.

Once you have the motherboard correctly align with the I/O plate you are ready to mount the motherboard to the chassis with the screws provided. Tighten each screw down so that they are snug; do not over tighten the screws.

Use the manual as your guide and connect the power LED, speaker, reset switch ECT, coming off of the chassis to the F_panel (Front Panel) of your motherboard. Since each motherboard will be slightly different make sure to refer to the manual for exact instruction.

Ok well there you have it. You just installed your new motherboard. Need more information on motherboards, and motherboard form factor like the AT or ATX head on over http://www.amecomputers.com/form-factor-motherboards.htm

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=101491&ca=Computers

Remember what typewriter keyboards felt like?

First, they'd add a phone jack for plugging in the modem. (Until they do, we'll keep packing our grab-bag of cords and adapters. On long and important trips, we also pack a modem accessory that attaches to the phone's receiver in cases where we can't make a proper wired hookup.) Second, hotels would put electrical HP Compaq NC6400 battery outlets for laptop travelers near the hotel room's table or desk. Instead, outlets tend to be under beds, behind headboards or behind TV tables.

In one fancy suite, the only free outlet was behind the walnut cabinet housing the TV. We could use it only by threading the laptop's cord through the small hole in the cabinet's rear.If you're like the people in that Macintosh PowerBook commercial, better get at least a 500M disk. If you're a typical user, 100M may be adequate for now.

The Canon NoteJet has a 486 processor, 4M of RAM, the Bubble-Jet printer, and a whopping 120M drive. Its screen is black and white but, surprisingly, we rarely wish it were color. What we do miss is space! Somehow, we managed to fill up the hard disk within a couple months. We upgraded to MS-DOS 6 to get some room.

File management is a lot more flexible, thanks to very good drag-and-drop features. Want to pop open a folder, pick just one file, and put it on your desktop? Windows 3.1 won't let you, but the Macintosh will, and so will OS/2. Want to delete a program? With OS/2, you just drag the icon over to a "shredder" and fling it in. That's a big improvement over Windows.

How much battery time can you count on? For most of us, it's about two-thirds of the manufacturer's figure. Two to four hours is common. For more money, you can get close to six Or you can buy a brand with short HP Pavilion DV9000 Battery life and an extra set or two of batteries.

Remember what typewriter keyboards felt like? Then you'll love the Canon keyboard. It responds like an old Smith Corona. But a few keys are put in unique positions, and that's a nuisance. Finding DELETE is still a challenge.

It's the printer that makes this machine so special. The printer adds weight, too. Nonetheless, the whole package totals out at 7.7 pounds.

For one thing, there's hardly any real OS/2 software on the market. Users will end up HP Pavilion DV8000 Battery doing nearly all their work on DOS or Windows programs. OS/2 seems to run DOS perfectly well. Windows software works, too, but slower. A handful of programs won't run at all. For instance, my new MCI Internet software refuses to work with OS/2.

Some OS/2 features are surprisingly crude. For instance, why didn't they imitate the Windows File Manager? In Windows, you can get a nice split-screen listing of every directory on a disk, and detailed information on each file in a directory. OS/2's file directory isn't nearly as well-designed.

Remember what typewriter keyboards felt like?

First, they'd add a phone jack for plugging in the modem. (Until they do, we'll keep packing our grab-bag of cords and adapters. On long and important trips, we also pack a modem accessory that attaches to the phone's receiver in cases where we can't make a proper wired hookup.) Second, hotels would put electrical HP Compaq NC6400 battery outlets for laptop travelers near the hotel room's table or desk. Instead, outlets tend to be under beds, behind headboards or behind TV tables.

In one fancy suite, the only free outlet was behind the walnut cabinet housing the TV. We could use it only by threading the laptop's cord through the small hole in the cabinet's rear.If you're like the people in that Macintosh PowerBook commercial, better get at least a 500M disk. If you're a typical user, 100M may be adequate for now.

The Canon NoteJet has a 486 processor, 4M of RAM, the Bubble-Jet printer, and a whopping 120M drive. Its screen is black and white but, surprisingly, we rarely wish it were color. What we do miss is space! Somehow, we managed to fill up the hard disk within a couple months. We upgraded to MS-DOS 6 to get some room.

File management is a lot more flexible, thanks to very good drag-and-drop features. Want to pop open a folder, pick just one file, and put it on your desktop? Windows 3.1 won't let you, but the Macintosh will, and so will OS/2. Want to delete a program? With OS/2, you just drag the icon over to a "shredder" and fling it in. That's a big improvement over Windows.

How much battery time can you count on? For most of us, it's about two-thirds of the manufacturer's figure. Two to four hours is common. For more money, you can get close to six Or you can buy a brand with short HP Pavilion DV9000 Battery life and an extra set or two of batteries.

Remember what typewriter keyboards felt like? Then you'll love the Canon keyboard. It responds like an old Smith Corona. But a few keys are put in unique positions, and that's a nuisance. Finding DELETE is still a challenge.

It's the printer that makes this machine so special. The printer adds weight, too. Nonetheless, the whole package totals out at 7.7 pounds.

For one thing, there's hardly any real OS/2 software on the market. Users will end up HP Pavilion DV8000 Battery doing nearly all their work on DOS or Windows programs. OS/2 seems to run DOS perfectly well. Windows software works, too, but slower. A handful of programs won't run at all. For instance, my new MCI Internet software refuses to work with OS/2.

Some OS/2 features are surprisingly crude. For instance, why didn't they imitate the Windows File Manager? In Windows, you can get a nice split-screen listing of every directory on a disk, and detailed information on each file in a directory. OS/2's file directory isn't nearly as well-designed.

Remember what typewriter keyboards felt like?

First, they'd add a phone jack for plugging in the modem. (Until they do, we'll keep packing our grab-bag of cords and adapters. On long and important trips, we also pack a modem accessory that attaches to the phone's receiver in cases where we can't make a proper wired hookup.) Second, hotels would put electrical HP Compaq NC6400 battery outlets for laptop travelers near the hotel room's table or desk. Instead, outlets tend to be under beds, behind headboards or behind TV tables.

In one fancy suite, the only free outlet was behind the walnut cabinet housing the TV. We could use it only by threading the laptop's cord through the small hole in the cabinet's rear.If you're like the people in that Macintosh PowerBook commercial, better get at least a 500M disk. If you're a typical user, 100M may be adequate for now.

The Canon NoteJet has a 486 processor, 4M of RAM, the Bubble-Jet printer, and a whopping 120M drive. Its screen is black and white but, surprisingly, we rarely wish it were color. What we do miss is space! Somehow, we managed to fill up the hard disk within a couple months. We upgraded to MS-DOS 6 to get some room.

File management is a lot more flexible, thanks to very good drag-and-drop features. Want to pop open a folder, pick just one file, and put it on your desktop? Windows 3.1 won't let you, but the Macintosh will, and so will OS/2. Want to delete a program? With OS/2, you just drag the icon over to a "shredder" and fling it in. That's a big improvement over Windows.

How much battery time can you count on? For most of us, it's about two-thirds of the manufacturer's figure. Two to four hours is common. For more money, you can get close to six Or you can buy a brand with short HP Pavilion DV9000 Battery life and an extra set or two of batteries.

Remember what typewriter keyboards felt like? Then you'll love the Canon keyboard. It responds like an old Smith Corona. But a few keys are put in unique positions, and that's a nuisance. Finding DELETE is still a challenge.

It's the printer that makes this machine so special. The printer adds weight, too. Nonetheless, the whole package totals out at 7.7 pounds.

For one thing, there's hardly any real OS/2 software on the market. Users will end up HP Pavilion DV8000 Battery doing nearly all their work on DOS or Windows programs. OS/2 seems to run DOS perfectly well. Windows software works, too, but slower. A handful of programs won't run at all. For instance, my new MCI Internet software refuses to work with OS/2.

Some OS/2 features are surprisingly crude. For instance, why didn't they imitate the Windows File Manager? In Windows, you can get a nice split-screen listing of every directory on a disk, and detailed information on each file in a directory. OS/2's file directory isn't nearly as well-designed.

Inventory Software: What It Is And How It Can Benefit Your Business By Freelance Writer

When a small business owner shops at a retail chain store, he or she might be a little green with envy, seeing how well the inventory control system works at that store. If an employee is asked how many of a certain item the store has on hand, that worker can find the answer by simply scanning a bar code. Many small or medium businesses do not have that capability, but wholeheartedly, wish that they did.

That envious color of green can actually become “tickled pink,” even for a small business owner who thinks inventory tracking is beyond his competitive and financial reach. This is because inventory software is now available in affordable price ranges, with right out of the box, ready-to-use, capture and tracking systems. Inventory control software provides the business owner with programs and solutions to manage any type of product inventory. Items can be checked in or out. Products can be located with ease, and an up-to-date inventory is constantly maintained. All of this is accomplished within minutes of the initial start-up!

Since the small business market place is growing at a record pace, it is only natural that inventory software for this market area should keep up with that growth. The small business owner would be wise to take advantage of these new advances. A small business’ inventory may be tracked in a number of ways, including by serial number, lot, pallet, purchase order, or date code. Inventory labels and custom labels can be created and printed with barcode label software that is included in the inventory control solution. Countless reports to help you better manage your inventory can also be generated with user-friendly inventory tracking software. All of these benefits to a business can be achieved at a surprisingly low cost.

The greatest advantage of inventory software is its ease of use. Small business owners rarely have any extraneous minutes in a day to devote to a new product, let alone to a new inventory system. That’s why inventory control software is such a plus for the small or medium sized establishment. It saves time immediately. Improved inventory control frequently translates to increased sales and more revenue, particularly in today’s electronic age, which has elevated client expectations for immediate delivery. Maintaining up-to the minute inventory control, knowing where inventory is located, on or offsite, and what the on-hand amounts are improves distribution and customer response time. A good user-friendly system will feature a graphic-oriented, simple-to-use interface that makes the whole process a snap.

High-tech inventory control, with all of its labor, time, and money-saving devices, is no longer exclusive to large companies. The small or medium sized business entrepreneur need not be envious any longer. It behooves smaller business owners to check out the latest inventory software packages , to see for themselves what advances have been made in technology. In just a few minutes of time, a business can make that huge leap from the twentieth century to the twenty-first!

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=101071&ca=Computers

Custom Software Development Checklist By Michael Cordova

Custom database software development is facilitated by the use of a checklist of standard questions to be answered before a system is created, and before analysis begins. This checklist is provided to assist in the Analysis/Requirements phase of a new custom software development project.

If you are interested in having 21st Century Technologies, Inc. create a new system for you, then the following checklist and the associated answers will facilitate the analysis process. The answers can be e-mailed or faxed to us at the email address and fax number at the bottom of the page.

BUSINESS CONSIDERATIONS

1. Desired delivery date or proposed project schedule.
2. Business reason for, and urgency of project.
3. What are the cost constraints?
4. Use cases - description of how each group of users will be using the system.
a. General business process - web user will buy a product, web user will add a customer, web user will add contact information, etc.
b. Input/Output - web users will enter data into forms, data will be imported, administrator must run many management reports, administrator needs to export to Excel and text, etc.
c. Frequency of activity - many times each day, once daily, weekly, etc.
d. Cycles of activity - weekly sales reports to all sales managers on Monday morning, close books at end of year, etc.

NATURE OF APPLICATION

1. Do you have a desired development tool or technology in mind? You may want to split the application into some parts that can be run on a Windows workstation computer, while other parts (like reports, or timecard entry screens) are accessed via a web browser on your local intranet. Web applications and reports can be viewed on all computer types and operating systems that are capable of viewing web pages. Some tools currently available to build the system are listed here:
a. C#/VB.NET
b. ASP.NET
c. Active Server Pages or Cold Fusion for robust database driven Web applications
d. ColdFusion
e. Visual Basic
f. SQL Server
g. MS Access
h. JavaScript - for cross browser compatibility,
i. VBScript - for server scripting, and client scripting if Internet Explorer is the only client browser
j. Dreamweaver - for higher ended client functionality
k. SQL Server Reporting Services
l. Crystal Reports - for Windows and Web based reports
m. ActiveReports
n. Excel
o. PowerPoint
p. Interactive Voice Response (IVR) Systems - dial 1 for English, 2 for Spanish...
2. If other applications are involved (MS Word, MS Excel, QuickBooks, etc.), what version will be used?
3. Desired screen resolution (800x600, 1024x768, etc.),
4. Screen Size (15', 17', 19”, 21')
5. Preferred Font and size (Arial 10, Times New Roman 12, etc.)?
6. Target Windows version for each client computer in the system (98, NT 4.0, 2000, XP, 2003 Server, etc.),
7. Web Server – MS Internet Information Services (IIS), Apache, etc.
8. Target computer Operating System if not a Windows Platform - Apple, Unix, Linux, etc.
9. Target workstation hardware for all client stations,
a. Clock speed –1333, 1500, 2000, 3000, etc. MHz,
b. Hard drive space – 100, 200, 400, etc. Gbytes,
c. RAM – 128Mb, 256Mb, 512Mb, 1Gb, etc.
10. If a network application, which network and version? –Windows, Novell 3.1, Novell, etc.
11. What are the drive letters for the networked back end databases if a network application? F, G, H, etc.? This reduces the deployment effort by developing in the same environment as the target workstations.
12. If available and pertinent, please provide a network configuration diagram with paths to server (where database will reside) and all clients, security/user groups, etc.
13. Is 24x7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) uptime required? If so, please explain the business need. We will discuss this further. The cost goes up as more uptime is required. More resources are needed - various personnel on pagers, redundant computers or components like power supplies RAID or mirrored hard drives, etc.
14. Is Internet/Intranet data access desired?
a. For data entry?
b. For report reviewing only?
c. To disseminate existing documents?
d. To email notification of pre-determined business trigger events (project milestone met and approved, employee appraisal ready for approval, etc.)?
15. Is Security desired?
a. Extremely high network (Internet) security - firewall, proxy server, etc.
b. Database level security - MS Access has security, but SQL Server has a much tighter security model tied in with the Win 2000/NT operating system.
c. Application level security
d. Minimum (pseudo) security algorithm – low cost
e. Please specify User Groups that may have special Security needs requiring different levels of security:
i. Administrative Assistants
ii. Analysts
iii. Engineers
iv. Managers
v. Company Owners
vi. System Administrators
16. Are Backup Scenarios currently in place? Backups will be an integral component of the system. The importance of this cannot be over emphasized.
a. Daily, Weekly, Monthly onto tape
b. Daily, Weekly, Monthly onto CD or other optical drive
c. Onto another computer
d. Regular backups located at a remote site
17. Are Anti-Virus protection and policies in place? It is an important part of ensuring that a system stays up and running.
18. Will remote troubleshooting be desired? The addition of Error Processing and Logging software will facilitate remote support and troubleshooting.
19. Desired Documentation?
a. None
b. Installation
c. User
d. Administrator
e. Software
f. On-line help
g. Special
h. All of the above
20. What is the proficiency level of all users for the target tools and environments – Windows, Excel, etc.?
21. Will interfaces to other systems (accounting, payroll, another database, GIS, truck routing, etc.) be required? This will affect the data model and system configuration, so early planning for these interfaces is critical to their successful inclusion into the system.
22. Is an audit trail function desired for changes to existing data? What parts of the system will need to be audited?
23. Is government reporting or data security required – Sarbanes Oxley, HIPAA, etc.
24. Number of reports. A sample hardcopy or at least hand drawing of each will significantly help in determination of report prices and commonalties (company headers, formats, etc.). Important items are:
a. Number of sections including sort groups,
b. Definition of the source data for all fields in each section and their calculation method,
c. Summaries,
d. Desired output format:
i. Windows screen preview
ii. HTML
iii. E-Mail
iv. PDF
v. Delimited Text
vi. Excel spreadsheet
vii. Other outputs
25. Is an ad hoc user-defined reporting, data retrieval, or analysis (On Line Analytical Processing (OLAP), Data Mining, etc.) capability desired?
26. Is an installation program needed for distribution of an application to many users?
27. Is an automated network or internet installation desired?
28. Are custom point to point communications needed? This may also include automated faxing.
29. Special Considerations:
a. Unique business rules, calculations, desired warnings, etc.
b. Significant text parsing
c. Known or possible issues and problems that may be alleviated with testing
d. Voice driven capability
e. Multiple databases (Access and SQL Server, Oracle, etc.)

DATA AND VOLUME

1. How many users are expected on the system in the near (first 6 months) and long (1 – 3 years and past) term?
2. How many users are expected to use the system at the same time during peak periods in the near and long term?
3. What type of data traffic will be on the network for the near and long term - numbers, text, images, video, multi-media, etc.?
4. What is the expected volume of traffic for the near and long term?
5. What is the estimated number of data records to be stored for the near and long term?
6. Do we need to import data from existing files or systems? Note that Characters like ‘ ' # have special significance in data processing and conversion, and require special code handling. Names (D’Joy) and other data fields may contain these characters.
a. No. Example data will usually be provided in database, text, or spreadsheet format. This helps significantly in system testing and allows for error discovery and error trapping before the system is delivered.
b. Yes.
i. Is all or part of the existing data needed? What parts?
ii. Can use of the existing data be stopped while we convert the data into the new system?
iii. Is this a one time data conversion, or will we have to import data from existing systems regularly?
iv. Are some fields mostly blank?
v. Are some desired fields missing?

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=102450&ca=Computers

Capture Precious Memories With The Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory Deluxe Software. By Paul I. Etkin

The Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory Deluxe is an absolute miracle in scrapbooking software. This sought after program is the greed of many of the moms who frequent the scrapbook club I joined a few months ago. This package has everything any scrapbook making mom, dad or child could want. There are endless possibilities.

There are so many features available through the Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory Deluxe that are not available in other programs. Premium photo editing is my personal favorite. I love the idea of editing my photos right in my scrapbooking software program. Before I had to visit Photoshop for a few hours then transfer the pictures to the other software program. Now I can do everything in one place.

There are tons of editing tools that can give the popular Photoshop program a run for its money. Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory Deluxe offers cutting edge editing options for your pictures. You can achieve a lot in relatively little time by using this outstanding program.

Once your pictures are edited, the Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory Deluxe allows you to look through a plethora of templates to beautify your photo masterpieces. The options are seemingly endless. The only complaint I have is that I spend way too much time trying to choose just one for each page. It can be very difficult.

In addition to the patterns, there are images to use as well. This adds to the time consumption in the project as well. The images are of superior quality and there are so many that you can take hours and hours out of your day just sorting through the wonderful graphics that the Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory Deluxe has to offer.

There is also a spell check feature that I appreciate beyond my ability to express. I can’t spell my way out of a wet paper bag so I rely heavily on this type of feature in my software programs. Many do not provide such a service which means that I have to enter my text into Microsoft Word to run a check for errors.

Normally, I would have to edit my photos in Photoshop, browse the Internet for good templates, continue to browse the Internet for images and make sure my text for spelling mishaps in Microsoft Word. The time that I save just by using Art Explosion Scrapbook Factory Deluxe actually affords me an afternoon of browsing its lovely images and excellent templates.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=103046&ca=Computers

Following The History Of Photography By Low Jeremy

No one knows when exactly the first camera-type device was made. In fact, no one even knows what device came first in the market. The earliest recorded camera-device was the obscura, which became really popular during the Renaissance age when the artists in that era used it to trace the image that it projects from the tiny hole.

Daguerre’s positive process

Photography, as a word, was used during the 1800s. In fact, it was in the year 1839 that the first photographic process was made public. After which, a number of light-sensitive materials were created and tested to capture the same image as that of the obscura. Eventually, the first successful photograph done was made by Louis Daguerre.

The picture that Daguerre made was captured in a silver-coated sheet of copper that used positive image. The photograph, which was entitled “The Artist’s Studio, was really fragile and difficult to reproduce.

Talbot’s negative process

In 1839, other artists and scientists had discovered other photographic imaging techniques that they used in their profession. William Henry Fox Talbot, for instance, created the Calotype process, which used light-sensitive paper and produced instead a negative image in contrast to Daguerre’s. Talbot’s method, however, required long exposure time and will only work with inanimate objects. A person cannot hold still long enough for the photo to be taken. This is why the first recorded photographs taken using Talbot’s process were all architectural and landscape.

By the year 1840, man began to discover more sophisticated techniques. The procedure improved and the exposure time began to shorten. This is the time when portrait became the rage especially among the rich class who can afford the procedure.

Discoveries that changed the face of photography

Photography became a separate and thriving field in the arts. Starting from black and white cameras to Polaroid cameras that can produce the picture in an instant, the field had one important discovery after another. This helped the field flourish from being used in portraits, photographs have now become important tools in media.

Digital photograohy

Then, digital photography came into the scene and made the process of photography even easier than before. With the digital process, there is no need to buy films and develop pictures in the dark room. One can store the images in the computer and print them the same way one would print any file in the computer.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=104144&ca=Computers

Following The History Of Photography By Low Jeremy

No one knows when exactly the first camera-type device was made. In fact, no one even knows what device came first in the market. The earliest recorded camera-device was the obscura, which became really popular during the Renaissance age when the artists in that era used it to trace the image that it projects from the tiny hole.

Daguerre’s positive process

Photography, as a word, was used during the 1800s. In fact, it was in the year 1839 that the first photographic process was made public. After which, a number of light-sensitive materials were created and tested to capture the same image as that of the obscura. Eventually, the first successful photograph done was made by Louis Daguerre.

The picture that Daguerre made was captured in a silver-coated sheet of copper that used positive image. The photograph, which was entitled “The Artist’s Studio, was really fragile and difficult to reproduce.

Talbot’s negative process

In 1839, other artists and scientists had discovered other photographic imaging techniques that they used in their profession. William Henry Fox Talbot, for instance, created the Calotype process, which used light-sensitive paper and produced instead a negative image in contrast to Daguerre’s. Talbot’s method, however, required long exposure time and will only work with inanimate objects. A person cannot hold still long enough for the photo to be taken. This is why the first recorded photographs taken using Talbot’s process were all architectural and landscape.

By the year 1840, man began to discover more sophisticated techniques. The procedure improved and the exposure time began to shorten. This is the time when portrait became the rage especially among the rich class who can afford the procedure.

Discoveries that changed the face of photography

Photography became a separate and thriving field in the arts. Starting from black and white cameras to Polaroid cameras that can produce the picture in an instant, the field had one important discovery after another. This helped the field flourish from being used in portraits, photographs have now become important tools in media.

Digital photograohy

Then, digital photography came into the scene and made the process of photography even easier than before. With the digital process, there is no need to buy films and develop pictures in the dark room. One can store the images in the computer and print them the same way one would print any file in the computer.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=104144&ca=Computers

Gps: More Than Just A Gadget By Christopher Anderson

Whenever we hear the term 'GPS', what would probably come to our minds is a digital device with maps and other features that tells us our exact location on Earth. But did you know that such a device is just one part of GPS? The device is called a GPS receiver, and while it is certainly an important GPS device, it is but a part of a very large and complicated system that allows us to measure our exact location on earth.

The three-lettered abbreviation 'GPS' stands for Global Positioning System. It is a satellite-based navigation system that has the ability to measure an object's exact location on earth. The United States' Department of Defense (DOD) developed the system and officially called it the NAVSTAR GPS (Navigation Signal Timing and Ranging Global Positioning System). It was intended to be used for only military operations but has been available for civilian use since the 1980s.

The Global Positioning System is an enormous and complex system that may be divided into three segments: space, control, and user. The 'control' segment refers to the various stations on Earth that sustain and control the system. The 'space' segment of the GPS refers to its system of satellites that transmits the signals used for location identification. The 'user' segment refers to the GPS receivers--the actual unit that we often mistakenly think of as the system.

CONTROL

The 'control' segment of the GPS refers to the various ground stations run by the US Department of Defense that controls the numerous aspects of the system. Specifically, these stations oversee the flight of the GPS satellites, synchronize the satellite's onboard atomic clocks, and upload the data to be transmitted by the satellites.

SPACE

The 'space' segment of the GPS is a constellation of 27 satellites that orbit Earth 12,600 miles above its surface. 24 of these satellites are in operation while the other three are on standby mode and will be used only if one of the 24 fails. Each of the satellites travels around the earth twice in less than 24 hours, traveling at a speed of approximately 7,000 miles per hour.

Each of the satellites used in the GPS configuration weighs between 3,000 to 4,000 pounds. All of these satellites are solar-powered, but all have backup batteries onboard to be used in the absence of solar power (i.e., solar eclipse). The satellites are also equipped with small rocket boosters to keep them flying on the correct path.

The signals that are transmitted by the GPS satellites are low-powered radio signals. These signals contain three different sets of data--a pseudorandom code, ephemeris data, and almanac data--that are deciphered by the GPS receiver to obtain a precise measure of its location. The pseudorandom code tells the receiver which satellite is broadcasting the signal while the ephemeris data provides information about the satellite's position. Meanwhile, the almanac data contains information like the status of the satellite, current date and time.

USER

The 'user' segment of the GPS refers to the GPS receivers, used for either military or civilian purposes. The GPS receiver is essentially an electronic device that picks up the signal transmitted by the satellites and uses the information on those signals to figure out its precise location. Of course, this function is much more complex than a simple summary makes it sound.

The GPS receiver in fact needs two things for it to gauge its location. First, it needs information to tell it the location of at least three GPS satellites. Then, it would need to measure the length between it and each of the three GPS satellites. The first information can be interpreted from the signal transmitted by the satellites while the second set of data can be obtained by measuring the speed at which the signal was received.

ALL-IN-ONE SYSTEM

Combining the control, space, and user segments, we have a Global Positioning System that can reveal our precise location here on earth.

As you can see, the GPS is not solely the GPS receiver alone. It is an immense system, and a very complex one at that. But, because every other part of the system is well maintained by the Department of Defense, we should never have to worry about those parts. All we must do is secure a GPS receiver and, in an instant, we'll receive information about our current location and other landmarks and road conditions that the receiver may want us to know.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=103872&ca=Computers

Is The Sony Playstation 3 Worth The Money? By Gary Ruplinger

The Playstation 3 is Sony’s newest game system. Sony touts it as being nearly 40 times faster than the Playstation 2 and even claims that it’s 3 times faster than Microsoft’s competing Xbox 360 (although Microsoft claims that isn’t true and says both are nearly the same).

The Playstation 3 is also the most expensive new game system on the market. The PS3 comes in at $499 for its 20GB version and $599 for its premium 60GB version. The Xbox 360, however can be purchased for $299 (core system) or $399 (20GB version) - $200 less than the PS3. The Nintendo Wii is even cheaper, retailing for just $250.

So when compared to its competition is the PS3 worth the money?

I’m not going to debate which one is more fun to play or which one has the best games. Each system has its fan base that will say their preferred system is the best, no matter what the price. While I understand the importance of the games, I’m not going put a value on the games, just the systems themselves.

The 60GB Playstation 3 is not your run of the mill gaming system. It comes with a 60GB hard drive, wi-fi, media card slots, USB ports, and a much ballyhooed Blu-ray drive. The new PS3 even has the ability to support multiple operating systems – making it capable of acting like a personal computer that just so happens to have a supped-up gaming engine. As far as processing power it has one main 3.2GHZ processor and seven DSPs running at 3.2GHZ. The Playstation three also supports high definition gaming with its ability to output in full 1080p resolution.

With all of the features it has, the Playstation 3 certainly beats the competition.

When you consider that a brand new Blu-ray player costs nearly $1,000 for a standalone unit, that makes the Playstation 3 look even cheaper. In fact, given that Sony is initially losing over $300 on each system it sells, you’re actually getting an incredible deal on this system. Not only are you getting a very good Blu-ray player for $400 less than anywhere else, you’re also getting a very powerful gaming system.

Even though the PS3 is the most expensive gaming system on the market by a considerable margin, it certainly packs the most value into its package. If you’re a bargain hunter then the Playstation 3 is the gaming system for you.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=104120&ca=Computers

Is The Sony Playstation 3 Worth The Money? By Gary Ruplinger

The Playstation 3 is Sony’s newest game system. Sony touts it as being nearly 40 times faster than the Playstation 2 and even claims that it’s 3 times faster than Microsoft’s competing Xbox 360 (although Microsoft claims that isn’t true and says both are nearly the same).

The Playstation 3 is also the most expensive new game system on the market. The PS3 comes in at $499 for its 20GB version and $599 for its premium 60GB version. The Xbox 360, however can be purchased for $299 (core system) or $399 (20GB version) - $200 less than the PS3. The Nintendo Wii is even cheaper, retailing for just $250.

So when compared to its competition is the PS3 worth the money?

I’m not going to debate which one is more fun to play or which one has the best games. Each system has its fan base that will say their preferred system is the best, no matter what the price. While I understand the importance of the games, I’m not going put a value on the games, just the systems themselves.

The 60GB Playstation 3 is not your run of the mill gaming system. It comes with a 60GB hard drive, wi-fi, media card slots, USB ports, and a much ballyhooed Blu-ray drive. The new PS3 even has the ability to support multiple operating systems – making it capable of acting like a personal computer that just so happens to have a supped-up gaming engine. As far as processing power it has one main 3.2GHZ processor and seven DSPs running at 3.2GHZ. The Playstation three also supports high definition gaming with its ability to output in full 1080p resolution.

With all of the features it has, the Playstation 3 certainly beats the competition.

When you consider that a brand new Blu-ray player costs nearly $1,000 for a standalone unit, that makes the Playstation 3 look even cheaper. In fact, given that Sony is initially losing over $300 on each system it sells, you’re actually getting an incredible deal on this system. Not only are you getting a very good Blu-ray player for $400 less than anywhere else, you’re also getting a very powerful gaming system.

Even though the PS3 is the most expensive gaming system on the market by a considerable margin, it certainly packs the most value into its package. If you’re a bargain hunter then the Playstation 3 is the gaming system for you.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=104120&ca=Computers

Ebook Cover Secrets - What the Pros Use

Ebook software will help you create the highest quality eCover graphics that you will be in a position to find on the web. The software comes piled high with a spread of 300 DPI High Resolution pictures that have been meticulously perfected by the developers with the result being highly pragmatic looking pictures that will bring your ebook to life.

Photoshop Actions permits you to create everything from ebook covers to mag covers, flyers, full page spreads, leaflets, logos, business cards, post cards and much more by following a straightforward two click procedure. in order to provide simplicity of use the software has been made compatible with a selection number| selection} of different versions of Adobe Photoshop starting from 7.0 and going up to CS4. This ensures that you'll be able to work with the software irrespective of the particular version of Photoshop you have installed on your computer.
When you observe closely you'll be able to appreciate the amazing attention to detail that this add-on toolhas the capability to deliver. When compared to the sort of work that the conventional graphic designing house can deliver you'll find the electronic book software to be a far better alternative.

You can gauge the quality graphics of the software by taking a look at the spiral notebook example created using the software. This is exactly the kind of performance that you should expect from the three hundred DPI eCover graphics that are inserted in the software without having to pay any graphical designer.
The software has purposely been made incredibly straightforward to use so that any one with just basic know-how about Photoshop can work with the software to create fantastic designs for a wide selection of products.


The more time and cash you give the designer the better the results will be but sadly most marketers are pressed for time. This will save you some time and money.
Your one-time investment in the software will end up in giving you access to the hard work put in by a designer to form a high quality cover graphic. You can actually cut back your investment in graphic design costs by trying the software for graphic design and actually boost your productivity and sales by creating more attractive packing for your e-books with the software.

Great Features Of Power Door Locks By Joe Goertz

Back in the past, you needed to buy a luxury car in order to have one of those handy power door locks on your car. Everyone else was stuck with the ordinary door locks – the kind requiring you to have your key handy every time you want to unlock your vehicle. These days, however, everyone seems to own one. You see people all over, pushing their keypad to open their specific car parked somewhere in a parking lot full of cars. Hardly anyone with a newer vehicle has to suffer the extra effort of actually using their car keys to unlock their vehicle or push the door locked when they leave their car anymore.

Believe it or not, power door locks have been around for nearly a half century. This feature was initially used on a particular kind of luxury Packard. It took a number of years until this convenient feature was gradually introduced and used as a standard feature on luxury vehicles everywhere. Now, you needn’t buy a luxury car to have a power door lock as on option on your automobile.

While it’s easy to get out of the habit, you still can open and lock your door the regular way. Regular door locks are installed on every vehicle and your key still works in the lock provided on the outside of the vehicle. You may never need them but, if the battery on the remote keypad goes bad, at least you have a backup method of getting into your car.

This optional feature has some major advantages over the regular method of opening your car. For example, it’s very easy to use and you can have your arms full while still being able to open your vehicle without digging for your keys, trying to get into your car without dropping something. With this power feature, all you need to do is push the remote keypad, grab the handle and open your car door.

Another helpful thing about remote power door locks is that the remote often opens all the doors to the car at the same time. That way, if you have children, they can get themselves into the car without you having to unlock another door to let them in. In addition, if you’re putting your groceries onto the passenger seat, the door is already open for you to throw them in and hop into the driver’s side without messing with locks and keys.

There are actually two types of systems available in remotely-operated power door locks. If you have the more complex system, there will be a body controller in the automobile that monitors a specific radio frequency; when you send the correct code to the controller, it unlocks the car door. If you own the simpler system, you send a signal to actuators in the vehicle which lock or unlock the car door. There are lots of these kinds of locks available and many different companies manufacture them. If you don’t own one but want one installed after purchasing your vehicle, it takes only a couple of hours and can be installed in almost any car. The costs of such a system depend on the type of system you acquire.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=102651&ca=Computers

R4 Firm ware & Games

New firmware for R4DS flash card: 1. It supports NDS and GBA games card ans it automatically recognize slot 2 adapter. 2. Frameset can be customised for loading slot 2 GBA games.

(save your gbaframe .bmp to _system_ dir) 3. Backup/Restore game saves. (press SELECT to switch to Display Savefiles, choose the SAV file and then press A to backup, chose the BAK file and then press A to restore) 4. You can empty directory and it also supports deleting file. (Press X to del while highlighting the corresponding file or directory) 5. Bug has been fixed for 0970 save complicacy.

There is sometning new that the R4 DS team have released a new version of their firmware for the flash cart.: 1) Optimization delete process; 2) Solve the 0991 issue; 3) Solve issue to some of the games without displays of icon and the title; 4) Support master switch of action replay cheat for real-time game (opening cheats by L+R+START+UP, temporaryly closing cheats by L+R+START+DOWN);

5) When cheats to the same game are in both the official database and the users database, users can choose to use the cheat in any database; 6) Solve the 1070 achiving issue; 7) Solve the 1085 issue; 8) Update Cheat code editor v1.01; 9) Released the list of cheats. In a somewhat ironic twist, the R4 team has announced on GBAtemp that from September 15th onwards, R4 firmware updates may brick your DS.

Why have they been upto this? Why is it that for a long time no firmware update has come out? Do the R4 team hate us? WHHY, R4 team, WHY???!!! The R4 team Is certainly not going to hate. By the way. But anyways, for those who have genuine R4 cards, you need not worry! Apparently the bricking only applies to the "R4 clone cards" that are able to function using the R4's firmware.

For the rest of you, however, you'll have to find other ways to update your card: Getting the R4 from now on will be playing with Death (for your DS)! Bricking as in completely forcing up your DS! Bricking as in making your DS useless so that it functions better as a brick than an actual gaming console! As soon as this deadly firmware pops-up, the NDS-Roms News team will let you know. There are some questions asked frequently by the users.

Is the R4 OS/Firmware can be upgraded? A: Yes! And the best part is that its DEAD EASY and SAFE to do it Do I have to flash my DS firmware in order to operate the R4? A: No firmware tricks are required to use the R4. Don't ever try to change your firmware because if u do so you lose your warranty!

Cheap International calls from UK

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. Are you always left over with minutes from your monthly mobile monthly calling credit plan?

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.....with Best Mobile Saver you can. This is how:

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Simple, we instantly build online an 0208 local number to connect to the international destination number that you want to dial. You call the 0208 number that directly connects to the international number and since 0208 numbers are free to dial on your bundled minutes, the international call is free of charge on your mobile. We can build this service for any international destination number and for any number of international telephone numbers.

When you dial the 0208 number, you are seamlessly connected to your chosen international number. Your mobile provider charges are free, in the case of bundled minutes, or, in other cases, the charge is for a local UK call. You do not have to enter any pin number with this service.

For ease of use, the 0208 number can be put into your mobile's phonebook and listed against the name of your contact. Ideal if you make regular calls to one or more international numbers. For instance, your company may have offices abroad or you may want to keep in touch with friends and family in other countries with the convenience and cost saving of calling from your mobile for free.

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