How to backup your computer

Having your computer backup at all times is golden.

Think about it, it’s not your hard disk price that should worry you, it’s all the data you have stored that can be lost. Documents, photos, mp3′s, software, bookmarks, stored logins, chat history etc… The list is endless.

I had my hard disk burned down, twice!, and it’s not pleasant feeling, not at all.

Too bad I had to burn my data twice, before I decide to have computer data backed up at all times.

I’ve done some research and from all the comments and reviews of data backup services I could find online, Mozy looks like one of the best

They have free / paid versions, pick one depending on your needs.

The link – click here

Get that data on a safe place, please!

Now your data i secure place, enjoy:)

Formatting with Windows Vista

In this tutorial we will be installing clean version of Windows Vista.
Usually people format windows vista in try to fix their system, repair some functionality or upgrade from windows XP.
Recommended: If you are not sure about your computer hardware compatibility with Windows Vista, get this Upgrade Advisor and check your system compatibility. Next make sure that you have the Drivers CD (that came when you’ve purchased your PC), or if you don’t have them, download the latest Vista drivers for your hardware (you can find them at the support section of your hardware manufacturer, remember to save them to different partition than “C:” (don’t save them in MyDocuments folder, it will get deleted with the formatting), safest way is to store them in other partition than C: (ex. D: , E: , removable drive like USB or burn them on a CD/DVD)
Now after you are sure that your PC is compatible with Vista, and you have all the drivers saved, you can proceed with Formatting Windows Vista.

• Step 1. Insert your Windows Vista DVD. The DVD is bootable so after you restart your PC (with the DVD inside) the Windows Vista Setup will begin loading ( if the setup doesn’t start automatically, make another restart and press F2, or F8 after the boot screen and select boot from DVD ).
• Step 2. The first screen of the Format Windows Vista sequence will show up. At this point you need to select your Language and Time and currency format (click the image to enlarge). Press Next.
Step 3. Press Install Now
• Step 4. After a min you will be asked for your Product Key.Scenario 1: If you don’t have your product key, you can skip this step and at the next step you will be asked to pick Vista Package that you want to install : Vista Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Ultimate. If you install windows vista without providing product key, after 14 days you will have to enter a valid product key, or if you don’t, you’ll be forced to format windows vista again. This is good if you want to test which windows vista version is best for you, before your purchase.
  Scenario 2: You enter your product key (keep it handy!), and at the next screen your purchased version will be auto-recognized.
• Step 5. Accept the Microsoft Windows User License Terms and press Next
• Step 6. Dialog – “Which type of installation do you want ?”Scenario 1: If you already have another operating system installed (ex. Windows XP) you will have the Upgrade option enabled. It’s up to you to decide if you prefer “clean” install or upgrading from previous Windows Installation. Clean install is recommended for improving system performance, and Upgrade Setup is recommended if you have some files in your C: , My Documents, or Desktop folders that you don’t want deleted.
  Scenario 2: You already have operating system installed but you want to format your drive, deleting the old system and installing fresh Windows Vista copy. In that case select the C: drive and press Format ( don’t format all drives! only the primary where we are installing Windows Vista – ” C: “. The setup will do the rest.
• Step 7. Select Disk 0 and click Next
• Step 8. The copy process will begin. This process can take some time, so relax a bit, make a coffee or something :D . Your input won’t be required here for some time.
• Step 9. After Windows Vista Setup finishes, the computer will reboot.
• Step 10. Windows Vista files are copied , and now setup will configure Windows Vista for your PC. This step will take some really good time.
• Step 11. Installing Windows Vista finishes, insert your User Name and Password here.
• Step 12. Give your PC a name! and select one of the colorful backgrounds
• Step 13. Select your preferred security settings. If this computer is not behind a firewall, the best option is the ” Use Recommended settings”. If you are using firewall then you can select “Install important updates only” (Windows Update). If you want to be protected and your Windows Vista to have the latest updates from Microsoft , select the first option.
• Step 14. Select your time zone and location.
• Step 15. Network Configuration – Select your computer location. This settings sets your network permissions.
• Step 15. This is self explanatory :) Welcome to your new Windows Vista Operating System
• Step 16. After you press Start, some Windows Vista settings will be upgraded automatically.
• Step 17. You now need to install some drivers that the system will not install automatically.
Thats it! You’ve finished installing Windows Vista.

Formatting with Windows XP Installation CD

This explains step-by-step how to format hard drive partition using the Windows XP installation CD.
Before you continue, make sure you have backup of all documents you may need that are saved in C:, My Documents folder or your desktop.
Tip: Click the images to enlarge.

• Step 1- Installation CD Insert your Windows XP installation disc into your CD or DVD drive.
• Step 2 – Restart your computer and start Windows setup using Microsoft Windows bootable XP disk
• Restart your computer. As you computer boots, a screen with message “Press any key to boot from CD..” will show up counting from 9 to 0, here you need to press any key to start the setup. Note: If your computer doesn’t display the “Press any key to boot from CD..” message (by default it should), check your motherboard manual for info where to enable the “Boot from CD” setting, after you enable “Boot from CD” option from your BIOS, the message will show.
• Step 3 – System LoadingAfter you enter the setup, the CD will load up a blue screen and will start loading operating system files (this make take few minutes). When it finishes, it will list a few options, “Press ENTER to set up Windows XP now” is the one we need. Click it.
• Step 4 – Accept Windows usage agreementSecond screen is “The windows usage agreement”. It should be displayed now, showing that you need to press F8 to accept the agreement. Press F8 to accept. How to format a computer
• Step 5 – Setup startIf an existing Windows XP installation is detected by the system, you are prompted to repair it. We will bypass this step
• Step 6 – Delete old partition and formatAt this point you need to select the partition where you prefer to install Windows Xp. This is where you will delete your partition and format drive C. The box in the lower half of the screen shows all your drives and the partitions that currently exist on your hard disk. Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to highlight/select your “C:” partition and press the “D” key (pic 6.1). On the next screen press the ‘L’ key (pic 6.2) to confirm that you want to delete partition “C:”, and finalize the deleting of the partition. (if you have only “Unpartitioned space” and you have no C: or D: partitions, skip this step) How to format a computer
• Step 7 – Create installation partitionNow you should be back on the screen prompted to choose where to install Windows. The box on the lower half of the screen should no longer show a partition, instead of “C:” you should see “Unpartitioned space xxxxxMB”. Select/highlight this with the arrow keys and press the “C” key to create a partition on the drive (this is where you will install windows). Now setup tells you the minimum and maximum sizes the partition can use and lets you pick the size. The default size is the maximum available, leave the default value and press Enter.
• Step 8 – Format the computer (the hard disk)This screen lets you choose the file system you prefer the drive to be formatted with. Choose NTFS “Quick” (recommended because NTFS is faster and more secure). Use the arrow keys to select and hit Enter. How to format a computer
• Step 9 – Start Windows XP Setup Setup will start to and will auto-format the “C:” partition, and start with Windows XP installation. From here you are all set and the installation of Windows will proceed. This will take a while. The computer will reboot several times, and will continue with installation. Don’t remove the Windows XP setup CD, and don’t press a key when prompted (we already did that).

Format Windows 7 or Installing windows 7 with Dvd Disk

Windows 7 is far better than previous windows versions (XP and Vista). The install process is plain simple and easy to follow. Big Bravo! for Microsoft for this. Now, just follow these steps and you will install windows 7 in no time
You can Install Windows 7 via DVD Disk you’ve purchased or with bootable USB.
This post explains installing windows 7 with dvd disk.
- 31 steps total, every step is screen-captured

First, insert your Windows 7 Boot Disk into your dvd drive and reboot your PC

• While the PC is rebooting, you will be prompted ” Press any key to boot from CD…” Just press any key here
  
  
• After you press a key, windows will load installation files.
• Windows 7 setup will start
• Select your language, time and currency format and keyboard input (US)
• Click Install Now to proceed
• Setup will load for a min or two
• If you do, select I accept the license terms and click Next
• If you are upgrading from Windows Vista select Upgrade, if you had Windows XP you have to select Custom (Advanced). Upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 is not available. Click Custom (Advanced)
• Select the Partition where you want to install Windows 7 and click Next. You will need at least 5716mb free space.
• If you don’t have enough free space to Install Windows 7, you will receive the following warning
• If that’s the case, you will need to format the partition where you previously had Operating System installed. WARNING: Formatting a partition will erase all existing data on the partition, proceed only if you have backed up all your files!
• If you want to format the partition, go to Drive optionsand format the partition where you want to install windows 7. Again, do this only if you have backed up your documents/files!
  click format and then yes
• After you press Next, Windows 7 Installation will begin. Approximately takes about 30 min to 1 hour to finish, depending on your computer speed.
• After half an hour, setup is complete and windows 7 installation is almost finished. Few more minutes
• Now your computer will reboot, since the Windows 7 DVD boot disk is still in the drive, the message press any key to boot from DVD will appear. We already did that, so this time DO NOT press anything. Just wait 5 sec and your PC will continue booting and finish installing your operating system.
• Windows will continue booting and installing, almost there!
• Finally!Insert your name (this will be your windows username)
• If you want to, insert password for your computer. ( Hey….you won’t forget it, right? :) )
• Insert your Windows 7 product key and press Next
• Do you want Microsoft Updates for your new operating system? It is highly recommend you know…! Select use recommended settings
• It’s time for Time zone, select yours from the drop down menu
• Depending on your location, select the appropriate network location.
• If you have more than 1 computer, type homegroup password for sharing files. Make sure to remember it
• Windows is finalizing your settings
• Can you see the finish line ? Yup, we’re there
• That’s it. Now insert your computer manufacturer drivers CD and install drivers. Also FYI, Windows 7 has great driver support, go to Start –> Control Panel –> Select View By = Small Icons –> Click Windows Update
• Check for updates and click on optional updates, to see which drivers windows 7 found for your computer automatically.

Mozilla Thunderbird 6.0

By joining the rapid release cycle Thunderbird updates have become as frequently as those of the Mozilla Firefox web browser. It is therefor no surprise that Mozilla Messaging has just released version 6.0 of the email client Thunderbird on the same day that Firefox 6.0 was officially released. With that release, the release cycle is running in sync with that of the Firefox web browser.

So what is new in Thunderbird 6.0? The release notes, which are up already on the official website, list the following items that have been updated, changed or added to the email client.

• Thunderbird is based on the new Mozilla Gecko 6 engine
• Several theme improvements for Windows 7
• Support for Windows 7 Jump lists
• Several fixes when importing email from Microsoft Outlook
• Default mail client check now works with newer Linux distributions
• Various other user interface fixes and improvements
• Numerous platform fixes that improve speed, performance, stability and security

The feature list, as you can see, is rather small, and offers barely any new features for users of the  email program. Windows 7 users benefit from jumplist support and theme improvements. Jumplists show up when a Windows user right-clicks on the icon in the taskbar. For now, Thunderbird users get links to their address book, writing a new message and the mailbox.

The update check from within the email client is already picking up the new version. This makes it possible to perform an in-program update to install the latest version of Thunderbird.

Users can do that with a click on Help > About Thunderbird.

The email client is also available for download at the official website for all supported operating systems and languages. Thunderbird users who want to take a closer look at the release notes of this particular release can do so here.

There they find troubleshooting tips and known issues, which are always worth checking out before upgrading or install a new version of the software.

Intel AppUp(SM) Center: An App Store for Windows from Intel

App-Store:

Seems like App stores are the next big market. These app-stores are a good place for a user to look for exciting new application, games and accessories for his/her device. An app-store actually constitute significantly to the success of device/os, with Apple being the best example. Users can select from a wide range of variety of application which also includes free and demo versions apart from the paid ones. App-stores provides new and budding start-ups and individuals opportunity to make money by selling their applications.

First it was Apple who came up with its app store followed by Android. Nokia entered late into the market with Ovi Store. Ubuntu also has its own app-store: Ubuntu Software Center.

Intel AppUP:

Intel has launched a Windows based app-store named: Intel AppUp(SM) Center. You need to install the application on your PC and need an internet connection to use the app-store. Here you can find lots of applications for Windows based Operating System. There are several categories of application like Games, Educational, Finance, Health, Business etc. The interface looks quite elegant:

Features:

• Applications purchased through your account can be used on up to five (5) PC devices. Simply install the Intel AppUp(SM) center client on your favorite device, sign in, and go to My Appsand download apps onto your PC device.
• Applications are screened and filtered, showing you only those apps that will work on your device or the operating system installed on that device.
• All paid applications are free to try for 24 hours. If you do not like an app, you can cancel the purchase within the first 24 hours. All application purchases can be cancelled only one (1) time.
• All apps you purchase or download are easily accessible from the My Apps section.
• If you provided your credit card information during the registration process, you can purchase new apps with as little as one click.
• To edit your user preferences–including languages–click on your name located near the top of the client home page.

User Experience:

As I said before the interface is very elegant with no visible borders. This is why it does not blend into Windows environment. The interface and the looks resembles Mac applications. The biggest flaw (as of now) is that you have to use the minimize button to minimize the app window, it does not minimize the window itself when you click again when you click on it in the task-bar.

How to use it:

• Go here to Download the Intel AppUp application: http://www.appup.com/applications/index
• Install it
• Register on the website
• Use it

Free Britannica Kids Back To School Bundle Offer:

If you register now for the Intel AppUp, you can download Britannica Kids Encyclopedia Dinosaur and Solar System worth $4.99 free.

Hope you enjoyed this post. I would like to know the feedback on this post, quality, content, usefulness etc. Please do provide me with a feedback. Enjoy.

Jeff Bezos wants to put an airbag in your smartphone

Many of us have experienced the problem: We get careless with our mobile phones, they slip out of our hands, and all of a sudden we’re back at the store replacing a shattered device.

Well, none other than Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has a solution for us: Airbags for phones and other portable devices. Or springs … or a propulsion system.

No joke. And, of course, we know this because he wants a patent on the technology.

A patent application made public this morning lists Bezos and Amazon VP Greg Hart as the inventors of “a system and method for protecting devices from impact damage.”

It starts with a safety monitoring system that would use a gyroscope, camera, infrared beam, radar or other sensors to detect such things as motion, orientation and distance from other objects — then determine in a split second if the device is at risk of damage from impact.

One idea (shown in Fig. 2B above) is to embed one or more small airbags inside the phone, according to the filing. If the device is at risk of damage from a fall, the airbags would instantly inflate via an embedded cartridge of compressed air or carbon dioxide. The monitoring system could either detect which side of the phone will hit the ground, and deploy the airbag there, or pop airbags out of multiple sides of the device.

The patent application goes further — suggesting the possibility of reorienting the device in the air, by expelling gas, so that it lands on the side where an airbag is deployed.

But wait, it gets even nuttier. In another example cited in the application, springs would be deployed instead of an airbag (Fig. 4 above).

And finally, the patent filing outlines a “propulsion element” that would also expel gas to “cause a gentle or safe landing” (Fig. 3 above). Inspired by Bezos’ Blue Origin spacecraft, perhaps?

The patent filing was originally submitted in February 2010, but just became public. Whether or not any of this ever becomes a reality remain to be seen. It seems like a reach to expect airbags in the next Kindle version, or in Amazon’s rumored Android tablets, but who knows?

At the very least, it’s more evidence that Bezos & Co. are thinking a lot about mobile devices these days.

Beetel launches Rs.9,999 tablet in India

Bharti Enterprises group firm Beetel Teletech on Wednesday launched its Beetel Magiq, an Android 2.2 tablet worth R

s.

9,999 for the Indian market.



The device has a 7-inch screen, 2 megapixel front and rear camera and 8 GB internal memory which is expandable to 16 GB. The device supports wi-fi and 3G.



"The Beetel Magiq has been designed looking at the technology needs of the extremely demanding Indian customers," said Vinod Sawhny, executive director and chief executive officer, Beetel Teletech.



"Our tablet is not only about affordability but also about aspirational features which were previously available in the high-end devices and not within the reach of the majority of Indian customers," he added. 

How to Force Close a Dll

A dynamic link library, or DLL, is a collection of smaller applications that can be called by an executable, or .exe, file. Occasionally, a DLL does not close properly, and some DLLs may also contain malicious code such as malware or viruses. To force close a DLL that is not closing normally, use the Windows Task Manager utility that's available in all versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Right-click on the Windows task-bar to launch the context menu.
   • 2
     Click the "Task Manager" option from the context menu. The Windows Task Manager utility opens.
   • 3
     Click the tab labeled "Processes." All running processes are listed.
   • 4
     Locate and click on the DLL that is not closing normally.
   • 5
     Click the "End Process" button at the bottom of the window. The DLL process is shut down and the DLL is closed.

5 Best Dating Mobile Apps of 2011

The technology of today is something your parents probably still cannot figure out. If you ever get the time and think you have the stomach to ask your parents how they met, well, go ahead and try it. Some of the answers you’ll probably hear include: high school, through a friend, at a sporting event, at the beach, on and on.

One of the answers you probably won’t hear: an online dating site.

That’s not to say that their “conventional” ways of mixing and mingling are outdated, but they’re definitely not as cool and as readily accessible as the ways we’re able to meet up today.

Online dating sites and social networking sites have taken the web by storm. With just about everyone today having some type of mobile technology, it’s now easier than ever to reach out and touch somebody.

There are hundreds of dating apps you can download right now, but only a few stand out as worthy of use. In this article, we’ll give a quick run-down of the five best dating apps of 2011.

1: eHarmony

Yeah, eHarmony is still the king of all dating sites. Even though sites like Match and Chemistry might boast more members, eHarmony has more advertising out there and is the best-known site across the world. It’s only fitting that this dating giant has recently released a dating app.

eHarmony’s dating app is basically just a mobile version of their original website. Because of the company’s thorough user base and its strong sense of customer support, this app was custom-made to offer a full-featured version of the site in a compact, mobile application.

2: Dating DNA

Dating DNA comes in near the top because of their free version. Yes, they also have a paid version, but you can get almost every feature (at least the features you really need for a dating site) via their free app.

This app from Dating DNA provides a lot of security and monitoring so that fake accounts don’t bog down their servers. This “real” membership base, along with customizable filters and personality profiles, allows users to find legitimate dates via their mobile devices.

3: Match

Probably the second-most recognized dating site in the world, Match.com has also hit their big number of features with the shrink ray and are now providing a mobile app for online daters. For existing Match.com members, you are able to link multiple devices under one account, and for new users, Match’s mobile app is ridiculously easy to use.

The app is also feature rich and offers everything you’ll find on Match’s main site.

4: SmartDating

This is a great app because it was designed to be a mobile application, unlike some other apps you’ll find. SmartDating is more of a “cutsie” dating setup, allowing users to meet potential dates in their immediate vicinity (if they choose) and send a wide assortment of winks, flirts, and virtual gifts.

With SmartDating, the idea is to have some fun and to relieve the pressure normally associated with meeting new people.

5: Grindr

Grindr rounds out our list due its relatively small user base, but makes the list because of its feature-rich and user-friendly interface. Catering specifically to gay and bisexual men, Grindr is perhaps the best niche-specific app on the market today.

At 1.5 million members, it is quickly catching up with other apps. And with its anonymous features and multiple platforms, its popularity is certain to keep increasing.

Dating apps today are literally a dime a dozen, but only a few stand out from the rest of the pack. These five apps are the best of the bunch and will top almost anyone’s list – and for good reason.

If you’re an online dater, these are must-have mobile apps. All of the above Apps are compatible with iPhone / iPad / iPod (iOS devices) and Android platform so can be downloaded from respective app stores.

Installing RAID on Desktop PCs Session I

RAID Terminology Explained

Hard disks are mechanical devices with moving parts, and as such will break down eventually, compromising any data stored on them that is not backed up. One technology that was developed to deal with this pair of issues is RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks).

The idea is to use multiple hard disks in the same system to provide both increased performance (by dividing up data so multiple disks can process different parts of it at the same time) andincreased reliability by writing the same information to multiple disks at once.

This technology filtered down to the enthusiast level a while ago, and has become a common feature on many motherboards, as well as an integral part of operating systems from Windows 2000 & XP professional to Vista Ultimate.

In this PCSTATS Beginners Guide, we will explore how the different implementations of RAID technology function, and how you can make your own RAID setup using a hardware RAID controller, or the software RAID function built into Windows XP Professional.

What is RAID?

RAID, or Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks, is a technology that uses multiple hard drives to increase the speed of data transfer to and from hard disk storage, and also to provide instant data backup and fault tolerance for any information you might store on a hard drive.

The hard drives are joined in an array (a single logical drive, as far as the operating system is concerned) and all disks share the data written to them in some form. There are several different implementations, or 'levels' of RAID, ranging from RAID 0 to RAID 53.

The common factor that all RAID levels share is the use of a hardware or software RAID controller that intercepts data intended for storage on the logical hard drive. "Logical" being the hard drive space that the operating system sees as a drive letter, C:\ for example.

This data is then either duplicated by the controller for storage on multiple drives in the array at once ('mirroring'), or broken down into smaller chunks which are then divided between the available drives in the RAID array('striping'). The terminology that is going to be important to understand from here on in is:

RAID array: A group of hard drives linked together as a single logical drive. Must be connected to one or more hardware RAID controllers, or be attached normally to a computer using a RAID capable operating system, such as Windows XP Professional.

Striping: A procedure in which data sent to a RAID array is broken down and portions of it written to each drive in the array. This can dramatically speed up hard drive access when the data is read back, since each drive can transfer part of the data simultaneously.

Mirroring: A procedure in which data sent to a RAID array is duplicated and written onto two or more drives at once.

By breaking down the data and sharing it amongst two or more drives, higher performance can be achieved, especially when reading data back, as each drive can transfer its portion of the required data simultaneously. Of course, striping data on two or more drives actually reduces reliability, since if a single drive in the array fails, all data is lost as each physical hard disk only contains a fragment of the data which is useless without the rest. To combat this problem, a third RAID technology is used called Parity.