Mouse and Coffee

How to Speed Up Your Computer the Fast and Easy Way

2009-10-22T03:46:00.000-07:00

Defragmentation (for convenience: defrag) is simply a long word for the process of sorting and collating the files on your hard drive. This is a utility program that has been available as part of the Windows Operating System since the early days of DOS. The earlier versions left a lot to be desired, but were mostly functional. There were a number of third-party defrag programs that were far superior to the one packaged with Windows. Today, the standard defrag is still adequate, but lacks some features which Microsoft has acknowledged and addressed with another file management program that is available as a separate download. These programs are designed for the user to run, regardless of your level of expertise.

To fully understand the process of defrag is tedious at best, requiring knowledge of the Disk Operating System and the NTFS file structure. Fortunately, a complete understanding of the mechanics is not required. It is comparable to using an automobile: you don't need to be a mechanic or engineer to drive it, or even understand what is going on under the hood. Although, you need to know enough to be able to fill the car with fuel and maintain proper fluid levels. Defrag theory is just like that.

To use another analogy, think of how you read an article in a newspaper or magazine. You find the article by the title in the Table of Contents – in computer terms, the directory. You go to the story you want to read by the page number referenced and find only a portion of the article is shown. Then, you are directed to another part of the magazine with another directory link: “Continued on Page 20.” Wouldn't it be great to have all the articles in their entirety in one place? This is exactly what defrag does, it makes the articles – files – one contiguous piece.
Just as skipping from page to page in a magazine slows your reading down, a fragmented drive is also slowed for the same reason. This is why there is a System Tool in Windows called “Disk Defragmenter.” It should be run with some regularity. All users are different, some may need to defrag every day, others can go a month between defrag sessions. As a general rule, you should defrag at least once a week.

Microsoft has written a program which is an outstanding complement to the defrag program. It is called “contig,” which is a low-level system file management tool. A Graphical User Interface – which is available free – called Power Defragmenter – is an easy way to avoid the command line interpreter syntax of DOS. A single file, folder or entire disk can be organized by this very light weight utility. In the Power mode (Triple Pass) it automatically runs the Windows defragmenter after collating the individual files and folders. This GUI is available from a number of reliable and trustworthy download services you should already be familiar with.

There are third-party defrag alternatives, however, they are hard-pressed to be a better combination than the contig and defrag program combination written by Microsoft. Several of the more well-known utility suites use the Windows defrag and scheduler to keep your system nice and tight.

The pot tackles the misery.

Source : http://www.isnare.com/?aid=426922&ca=Computers+and+Technology

How to Get Cheap Blackberry Phones

2009-10-22T03:44:00.000-07:00

In 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone, he had absolutely no clue that in the year 2009, people would have a device called the Blackberry. Although the initial telephone merely accomplished its primary task, that is, to transmit voice to other places, the modern blackberry is a magical invention that can perform several tasks apart from sending/receiving phone calls. Ever since the emergence of iPhone, smart phone is under the threat of being overtaken by it. But forces in the market are seeing to it that the opposite happens. Manufacturers and retailers are joining hands to retaliate the iPhone explosion by offering the latest Blackberry phones for astonishingly high discounts.
Blackberry is a device most suitable for the modern businessman who needs to be aware of his business progress and stay in contact with his colleagues while on the move. Blackberry offers enhanced facilities without taking up too much space. Despite its amazing features many were waiting for this wonderful device’s price to fall, and the good news is that your wait is over. Blackberry phones which were on sale for up to $300 are now easily available for as low as $79 by Verizon Wireless for a contract of two years.
Some online stores and retailers are offering blackberry phones for ridiculously low prices, just like Amazon, where the Curve in red is being offered for $0.01 if the consumer buys it through a 2-year contract with AT&T. Online mobile retailers like ‘Spring’, are also offering cheap Blackberry deals in order to get more and more contracts.
With amazing discounts on the best Blackberry phones, this magical device of the 21st century has now become affordable for almost every one. The sexy Blackberry 8830, can be acquired by anyone with a huge discount of $200, making the price only $219 for the consumer. While the curve is even cheaper as a consumer can possess it for only $99 with a contract of two years. Every company gives discounts on almost every product, but the discounts being offered on Blackberry phones are simple too good to be true, and this golden opportunity must not be missed by consumers.

Some consumers think it better to stay away from the bindings of new contracts, and prefer to pay a higher price for Blackberry phones rather than pay it cheap and enter into a contract. Ebay is a site to be visited if you want to buy great Blackberry phones without having to enter any two year contracts. But it must be realized that you will be spending a lot more money if you take this course, rather than the earlier ones, which offered much lower prices for great Blackberry phones like Curve and 8830.
Many sites also offer you a money saving opportunity while buying your Blackberry phone, by offering you the shipment facility at low or absolutely no cost. Low charges offered on shipment may seem nothing special, but at the end of the day, it will save you a lot of dollars making your deal cheaper.
Many sites even allow you to replace your current Blackberry phone with a newer model, and checking out your last cell phone provider will be useful. It is more than likely that you will have to pay a negligible cost for this replacement, while you get a fantastic Blackberry with latest features in your hands.

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=427856&ca=Computers+and+Technology

Dota 6.64 Official Map Download

2009-10-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

Dota 6.64 Official Map Download and Changelogs. The great news for the Dota lovers that the Icefrog has released a new Dota 6.64 map. Dota version 6.64 has released few times ago. You can download this map from this link on the bottom. You can read the full changelog in the official site by clicking this link.

Dota v6.64 Map Download Link - Click Here

AVG: Version 9 faster, includes ID protection service

2009-10-21T09:41:00.000-07:00

The feature-rich versions of popular security program AVG have been updated, with AVG Technologies claiming faster scan times, faster boot times, and other under-the-hood improvements. While version 8 introduced a consolidated product line, making those features work better together takes the attention of AVG Internet Security 9 and AVG Anti-Virus 9.

AVG 9 looks very similar to AVG 8. Most of the changes are under the hood.
(Credit: Screenshot by Seth Rosenblatt/CNET)
AVG is making some bold claims for these updates. The company is touting scan times that are "up to 50 percent" faster, based on marking files safe until their file structure changes, and boot times that are "10 to 15 percent" faster. Memory usage is also expected to be "10 to 15 percent" better, as well. The built-in firewall, available only in the Internet Security version, uses a new database for automatically determining if certain programs are safe to access the Internet without user input. This trusted database, called TrustedDB by AVG, should be less intrusive by querying for user input 50 percent less often than in the previous version, says AVG. Also, the installation process has been shortened from 22 screens to 11.

There are few wholly new features available in version 9, but an interesting one is the Identity Theft Recovery Unit. Included in AVG Anti-Virus and AVG Free, but only for users in the United States, ITRU is a business partnership with Identity Guard which provides "consumer identity theft solutions." Accessible only from the browser toolbar, which only works in Firefox or Internet Explorer, the service provides "a dedicated identity theft recovery unit with fraud experts," to assist handling, getting and analysing a credit report, enrolling in credit file monitoring, and offering report-filing support.
In hands-on testing last week, I found AVG to be relatively easy to navigate around, although the interface could be simpler. When you click on one of the items in the main window, you must double-click on one of the features to access more information on it. A single click, or even a mouse-over pop-up, would make the experience faster. Before I even ran my first scan, AVG detected icons associated with Pidgin as threats.
Double-checking them against Avira and McAfee revealed those detections as false positives, and when I finally ran the Fast Scan it took longer than 20 minutes. That doesn’t compare favorably to competitors, some of which can complete a first Fast Scan in around 60 seconds. I was also surprised to find that Mozilla Thunderbird was not automatically approved to go through the firewall, despite the new firewall trusted database. While the installation process offers to install the browser toolbar for you, it doesn’t seem possible to opt out during the installation and then install it later from the AVG interface, a strange oversight.
AVG Internet Security 9 is available for $49.99, and AVG Anti-Virus costs $34.99. Both come with a one-year license and a 30-day trial, although AVG Anti-Virus lacks the firewall, identity protection, antispam, and system tools that come in AVG Internet Security. Fans of the free version of AVG 9 will have to wait a bit longer, as AVG always delays the release of Free until after the full suites have been made public.

Source : ubuntugide

What Are Adware Removal Tools And Do I Need Them?

2009-10-21T09:36:00.001-07:00

About 5 years ago most of us would have shrugged at the term adware or spyware. Its mostly due to the popularity of adware and spyware that we are now aware about it. However there are still millions of internet users who don't have a clue on what adware and spyware will do. Thus the adware and spyware continues to infect us without us know.

Adware are programs that can either track your internet browsing patters and even capturing personal information like your email, phone number and bank account details. What's even worse about adware is that you probably agreed to installing adware on your computer without even know about it. How? Remember when you install software and it the very first thing it will ask you is, "Do you agree to our terms and condition?" Well that's your answer. No body bothers to read the fine print. I mean the president probably doesn't even have time to read fine print.

So how can these companies get away with installing adware on my computer when its against the law to obtain my personal information? The answer is in simple. When you agreed to the terms and conditions of the software being installed you've just sold your soul to the devil. Perfectly legal and you can't do a thing about it. However, you can stop adware and spyware from ruining your life by buying respectable adware and spyware removal software.

Now before you go out there and buy one here's something you need to learn about free software. Read the fine print! If you stumble across an adware site that offers your absolutely free adware remover software, don't download it. Don't even bother to read the fine print. There's so many free software out there with even more spyware in them that you'll just end up in the same spot of a spyware infected computer.

Take my advise, find yourself a good adware remover software try their free trial period and then buy the one that you think works best for you. It's not rocket science its logically. Again make sure you stay clear of free software because free means spyware. Nothing comes for free without a price attached to it.

If you're interested in adware and spyware removal software you'll find them in abundance in Google. Take a good read on the sponsored links and you'll find what you're looking for. All the best and I hope you've learned your lessons in spyware. Don't trust free software. Buy it.

Source: Free Articles