Edit Technology: July 2006

Friday, July 21, 2006

Gchart

Here is site to view the current time, time zones, area and country codes through a world map. Check out Gchart (http://www.gchart.com/) and click on the desired location to find its local time and other parameters (like international dialing code and country code).

Posted by Sriganesh at 8:58 PM | | Comments

Sharing Folder with a difference

Sharing documents, data, songs and other digital content with friends/clients is one of our prime requirements.
Many still use the e-mail attachment feature for sending files, though it has file-size limitations.
To get over this shortcoming in the e-mail technology there are a variety of solutions:
(Dropload- http://www. dropload.com/,
Yousendit -http://www.yousendit.com/,
Pando-http://www.pando.com/,
G-mail drive-http://www.viksoe.dk/code/gmail.htm,
XmailHardDrive-https://www. xmailharddrive.com/,
e-snips -http://esnips.com/,
Mozy -https://mozy.com/,
Streamload-http://www.streamload. com/,
NetDrive-http://www.acs. uwosh.edu/novell/netdrive. htm)

Most of the solutions mentioned above require uploading of files to be shared to the service provider's server. Whenever one needs to share a file, one has to e-mail or upload it to a service and later remove the same once it becomes obsolete. But, if one can directly share the files/folders stored in the local storage, one does not need to bother about uploading/deleting it from the server.One solution to this problem is Foldershare-http://foldershare.com (which i have discussed earlier in this blog dated:Sunday, July 09, 2006)
 Another innovative file sharing tool which solves our purpose is BoxCloud-http://www.boxcloud. com/.

To share files or folders with BoxCloud, one has to just install the client software. Once installed, the software allows us to share files and folders of our choice with other BoxCloud members — the interface is almost similar to that of an IM client. When we create an account, the service provides our web interface with a URL of the form: http://your-name.boxcloud.com.
Once the files/folders in our local storage are shared with a client, the service sends an e-mail mentioning our account URL to him/her. Now, using this web address, our client can view/access/download the files shared directly from our machine from anywhere on the Net — provided our machine is on-line. The service's advantage lies in the facility to access the shared files over a browser — the recipient need not install the client software. Also, there is no limit to the size of the file or folder to be shared (the whole hard disk can be shared).

Posted by Sriganesh at 8:20 PM | | Comments

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Rechargeable Battery for the future





A rechargeable battery that can be fully charged in just 6 minutes, lasts 10 times as long as today's rechargeables and can provide bursts of electricity up to three times more powerful is showing promise in a Nevada lab.

Read the full article here:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7081




Posted by Sriganesh at 8:39 PM | | Comments

PC crash : Reasons and Remedies


Hardware Conflict :
The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.
Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.
Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).
When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.
To be fair to Microsoft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

Bad Ram :
Bad (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble. EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

BIOS :
Settings Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

Hard disk :
Drives After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter.

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop). Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors :
Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message. Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

Viruses :
Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab.

Virus protection requires constant vigilance. A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2006, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

Printers :
The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file. Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

Software:
A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org.

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

Overheating :
Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to. One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

Power supply problems :
With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted.

A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut. If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.





Posted by Sriganesh at 7:17 PM | | Comments

Clear Unwanted Entries from Start Menu RUN


Whenever you use the Start Menu's Run command to launch a program, that program is added to a history. Since this is a possible cause to an irritating problem, a solution is provided here for clearing this history:
  • Run the Registry Editor (REGEDIT.EXE).
  • Open HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\Explorer\ RunMRU\.
  • Delete all of the values in this key (everything in the right pane, except for (Default)).
  • Close the Registry Editor when finished. You'll probably have to refresh the Desktop or restart Windows for this change to take effect.
Note: To clear the OtherFolder history, repeat the same process in HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Windows\ CurrentVersion\ Explorer\ OtherFolder.


Digg it.

Posted by Sriganesh at 7:13 PM | | Comments





Understanding CD Burner Speeds

Have you ever wondered what all those numbers mean when you go to buy a CD burner? When you see a configuration that looks like 12x 2x 24x (three numbers separated by the letter "x"), these numbers indicate the drive speeds of the CD drive. The "x" stands for the transfer of 150 Kilo Bytes of data per second, and each number represents a different action that the CD drive can take.
A CD-R drive has two actions -- recording onto and reading from compact discs. A CD-RW drive has three actions -- recording, rewriting (erasing and recording over) and reading. When looking at the drive speeds, the first number ("12" in the above example) indicates the speed at which the CD drive will record data onto a CD-R compact disc. So, in the above example, the CD drive will record data at 12 times 150 KB/second. The second number ("2" in the above example) indicates the speed at which the CD drive will rewrite data onto a CD-RW compact disc. So in the above example, the CD drive will rewrite data onto the compact disc at 2 times 150 KB/second. Typically, the second number, the rewrite speed, is lower than the first number, the write speed, because rewriting is a slower process than writing. The last number ("24" in the above example) indicates the speed at which the drive will read data from a compact disc. So in the above example, the CD drive will read data from a compact disc at 24 times 150 KB/second.

CD-R compact discs are discs that can be recorded on only once. Once the data has been burned, it is permanent and cannot be erased. CD-RW compact discs are discs that can be recorded, erased and re-recorded over. Most audio CD players, especially older models, can only read CD-R discs, so it is best to record music onto CD-Rs. CD-RWs are typically used to store data or used as back up files.



Posted by Sriganesh at 7:05 PM | | Comments




Port Numbers

In TCP/IP and UDP networks, a port is an endpoint to a logical connection and the way a client program specifies a specific server program on a computer in a network. Some ports have numbers that are preassigned to them by the IANA, and these are known as well-known ports (specified in RFC 1700). Port numbers range from 0 to 65536, but only ports numbers 0 to 1024 are reserved for privileged services and designated as well-known ports. This list of well-known port numbers specifies the port used by the server process as its contact port.

Port Number

Description

1

TCP Port Service Multiplexer (TCPMUX)

5

Remote Job Entry (RJE)

7

ECHO

18

Message Send Protocol (MSP)

20

FTP -- Data

21

FTP -- Control

22

SSH Remote Login Protocol

23

Telnet

25

Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP)

53

Domain Name System (DNS)

69

Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP)

80

HTTP

109

POP2

110

POP3

115

Simple File Transfer Protocol (SFTP)

143

Interim Mail Access Protocol (IMAP)

161

SNMP

179

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP)

389

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP)

546

DHCP Client

547

DHCP Server

Posted by Sriganesh at 6:54 PM | | Comments




Error Messages in MODEM

Error 602 : The port is already open.
Cause :
Your modem is being used by another Dial-up Networking connection. The error message may be displayed even if no other communications program is currently using the modem you are attempting to use.
Solution :
First thing is to cold boot your computer. If the problem persists, press Ctrl-Alt-Del on your keyboard and End Task on Rnaap and retry.

Error 629 : You have been disconnected from the computer you are dialing.
Cause and Solution:
Make sure your settings are properly configured.Change the authentication to Clear Text under Security.Lower the connection speed under Modem Configuration.Disable hardware flow control under Modem Configuration.Disable modem error control under Modem Configuration.Disable modem compression under Modem Configuration.Disable PPP LCP extensions.Disable IP header compression.Check DNS configuration.Check the user name and password syntax.Connect using a Terminal window.Contact the modem's manufacturer for updated drivers.Have the phone company check the phone lines.

Error 630 : The port was disconnected due to hardware failure.
Cause:
There is a problem with configuration and/or installation of the modem. There is a conflict between your modem and another device on your computer.

Error 640 : A NetBIOS error has occurred.
Cause :
Your Modem Speed Software CompressionModem CompressionNoisy Phone LinesServer Problems
Solution :
Reduce your modems speed.Uncheck "allowed software compression."Have your phone lines checked.

Error 645 : Dial-Up Networking could not complete the connection to the server. (Internal Authentication Error)
Cause :
This could be caused by the following:Winsock.dll, wsock32.dll not installed or corrupted.Require encrypted password option is enabled.Dial-up adapter components are damaged or missing.Corrupted installation of Dial-Up Networking.
Solution :
Your best solution is to re-install Dial-Up Networking.

Error 650 : The computer you have dialed does not respond to a network request.
Cause :
This could be a problem with the ISP’s server.
Solution :
You may need to reinstall Dial-Up Networking

Error 659 : The media.INI file refers to an unknown device name.
Cause :
These errors can occur if one or more of the Dial-Up Networking configuration files is missing or damaged.
Solution :
Remove and reinstall Dial-Up Networking.

Error 676 : The line is busy. Try Again Later.
Cause :
This could be cause by the following:This problem can occur if you attempt to connect to your ISP using Microsoft Outlook Express.Your ISP cannot allow anymore connections. Try again later.
Solution :
Connect using Internet Explorer.Try to connect again.

Error 678 : The computer you are dialing is not answering please try again later.
Cause :
The most common cause for this is you are not dialing the right number.Corrupted modem driver.
Solution:
Reinstall your modem drivers.

Error 680 : No dial tone.
Cause :
This could be caused by the following:Unclaimed messages in your voice mail.Modem phone cord plugged into the wrong jack on the back of your computer.No dial tone on your phone line
Solution :
Put 2 comas in front of phone number.Do you have voice mail? Get your messages.Disable wait for dial-tone.Switch the phone cord connected to the Modem.Switch the port the phone cord is connected to.

Error 691 : The computer you are dialing in to cannot establish a Dial-Up Networking connection. Check your password, and then try again.
Cause :
This could be caused by the following.This is usually a password error.If you are dialing from a shortcut to your ISP and the Dial-Up Networking connection does not exist.
Solution :
Retype your username and your password and try again.Delete the shortcut to your ISP and make a new connection.

Error 720 : Dial-Up Networking could not negotiate a compatible set of network protocols.
Cause and Solution :
Check to make sure that you have TCP/IP, Dial-up Adapter and Client for Microsoft Networks Installed.

Posted by Sriganesh at 6:23 PM | | Comments



JPG VS. GIF VS. PNG

Following are the most commonly used graphics file formats for putting graphics on the World Wide Web and how each differs from the others.

JPEG/JPG
Short for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the original name of the committee that wrote the standard. JPG is one of the image file formats supported on the Web. JPG is a lossy compression technique that is designed to compress color and grayscale continuous-tone images. The information that is discarded in the compression is information that the human eye cannot detect. JPG images support 16 million colors and are best suited for photographs and complex graphics. The user typically has to compromise on either the quality of the image or the size of the file. JPG does not work well on line drawings, lettering or simple graphics because there is not a lot of the image that can be thrown out in the lossy process, so the image loses clarity and sharpness.

GIF
Short for Graphics Interchange Format, another of the graphics formats supported by the Web. Unlike JPG, the GIF format is a loss less compression technique and it supports only 256 colors. GIF is better than JPG for images with only a few distinct colors, such as line drawings, black and white images and small text that is only a few pixels high. With an animation editor, GIF images can be put together for animated images. GIF also supports transparency, where the background color can be set to transparent in order to let the color on the underlying Web page to show through. The compression algorithm used in the GIF format is owned by Unisys, and companies that use the algorithm are supposed to license the use from Unisys.*

PNG
Short for Portable Network Graphics, the third graphics standard supported by the Web (though not supported by all browsers). PNG was developed as a patent-free answer to the GIF format but is also an improvement on the GIF technique. An image in a lossless PNG file can be 5%-25% more compressed than a GIF file of the same image. PNG builds on the idea of transparency in GIF images and allows the control of the degree of transparency, known as opacity. Saving, restoring and re-saving a PNG image will not degrade its quality. PNG does not support animation like GIF does. *Unisys announced in 1995 that it would require people to pay licensing fees in order to use GIF. This does not mean that anyone who creates or uses a GIF image has to pay for it. Authors writing programs that output GIF images are subject to licensing fees.

Posted by Sriganesh at 6:15 PM | | Comments




INTERNET ERROR MESSAGES

400 Bad File Request :
Usually means the syntax used in the URL is incorrect (e.g. uppercase letter should be lowercase letter; wrong punctuation marks).

401 Unauthorized :
Server is looking for some encryption key from the client and is not getting it. Also, wrong password may have been entered. Try it again, paying close attention to case sensitivity

403 Forbidden/Access Denied :
Similar to 401, special permission needed to access the site -- a password and/or username if it is a registration issue. Other times you may not have the proper permissions set up on the server.

404 File Not Found :
Server cannot find the file you requested. File has either been moved or deleted, or you entered the wrong URL or document name. Look at the URL. If a word looks misspelled, then correct it and try it again. If that doesn't work backtrack by deleting information between each backslash, until you come to a page on that site that isn't a 404. From there you may be able to find the page you're looking for.

408 Request Timeout :
Client stopped the request before the server finished retrieving it. A user will either hit the stop button, close the browser, or click on a link before the page loads. Usually occurs when servers are slow or file sizes are large.

500 Internal Error :
Couldn't retrieve the HTML document because of server-configuration problems. Contact site administrator

501 Not Implemented :
Web server doesn't support a requested feature

502 Service Temporarily Overloaded :
Server congestion; too many connections; high traffic. Keep trying until the page loads.

503 Service Unavailable :
Server busy, site may have moved ,or you lost your dial-up Internet connection.

Connection Refused by Host :
Either you do not have permission to access the site or your password is incorrect.

File Contains No Data :
Page is there but is not showing anything. Error occurs in the document. Attributed to bad table formatting, or stripped header information.

Bad File Request :
Browser may not support the form or other coding you're trying to access.

Failed DNS Lookup :
The Domain Name Server can't translate your domain request into a valid Internet address. Server may be busy or down, or incorrect URL was entered.

Host Unavailable :
Host server down. Hit reload or go to the site later

Unable to Locate Host :
Host server is down, Internet connection is lost, or url typed incorrectly

Network Connection Refused by the Server:
The Web server is busy.

Posted by Sriganesh at 5:56 PM | | Comments




How to hide a folder without using software:

  • First create a new folder somewhere on your hard drive
  • When you name it hold down "Alt" and press "0160", this will create an invisible space so it will appear as if it has no name.
  • Then right click the folder and select "Properties" then select the tab "customize" and select "change icon".
  • Scroll along and you should a few blank spaces click on any one and click ok when you have saved the settings the folder will be invisible to hide all your personal files.

Remember the same happens if we press 255 instead of 0160.




Posted by Sriganesh at 2:10 PM | | Comments

Sunday, July 09, 2006




McAfee expects 400,000 viruses by 2008

Read article at:
http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/?p=49

Posted by Sriganesh at 11:21 PM | | Comments




Microsoft: Vista Most Secure OS ever:

Microsoft senior vice president Bob Muglia talking about Windows Vista....
Read full article at:

Posted by Sriganesh at 11:07 PM | | Comments




Interesting facts about mobile:

1) Emergency number
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112.If you find yourself outof coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish theemergency number for you, and interestingly ...this number 112 can be dialed even while the keypad is locked. Try it out.

2) Locked the keys in the car?
Your car has remotekeys? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: Ifyou lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are home, call someone on your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a footfrom your car door and have the other person at your home press theunlock button, holding it near the phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance isbe hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has theother “remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk). Editor's Note: *It works fine! We tried it out and it unlocked our car overa cell phone!"

3) Hidden Battery powerImagine your cell battery is very low, u r expecting an important call and u don't have a charger. Nokia instrument comes with a reservebattery.
To activate, press the keys *3370# your cell will restart withthis reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increasein battery.
This reserve will gets charged when u charge your cell next time.

4) Very Useful information
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone:
a) * # 0 6 #
b)A 15 digit code will appear on the screen.
c) This number is unique to your handset.
d) Write it down and keep it somewhere safe.
e) Should your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider andgive them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so evenif the thief changes the SIM card your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoeverstole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody did this, there would be nopoint in stealing mobilephones.

Posted by Sriganesh at 10:49 PM | | Comments




Checkpoints before buying a CD /DVD drive/writer for PC:

Obviously u have to look higher speed. say 52x for CD drives. Other than speed, check for following information....

  • Check for CLV(Constant Linear Velocity) tech for reading and writing (for writers). Plextor is the first company to use CLV tech .
  • Don't go for drives which supports CAV (Constant Angular Velocity).
  • [optional] Check for front audio controls. It will allow you to play Audio CD's without need of any software.
  • Check for better error correction supported CD Drives. It is needed for reading scratched CD's effectively. [Important].
  • In Windows, Enable DMA option for ur CD/DVD drive/writer. Then only it will copy at a max speed. Windows -> Control Panel -> Device Manager -> your CD-Drive . Right click ur CD-Drive, click properties. U can see "Enable DMA support" , select this option.[This to be done for Windows 9x. Newer versions of windows will automatically enable this option].
    Caution: It will not work with ur old CD-Drive or Old motherboard. i.e. Drives came with PC's which less or equal to PII. Some drives which came with PIII .
  • If u writing Audio/video/MP3 CD's for using it in VCD players or MP3 players or Audio systems... write it at less than or equal to 24x. For very old drives write the CD's at 8x. Its because , VCD players can't read the CD's written at higher speeds.
  • Check for cache memory. More cache, better reading/writing. For writing , cache memory in the drive is very important. Latest drives are coming with 8MB cache memory.
  • Computer CD drives are not optimized for reading audio or video discs. its because in case of video Cd's, the data was written sequentially. But computer CD drives will works better with random reading . So, If u use Video Cd's to watch any movie from the CD-Drive, it will create a lotof over head to the drive, and it will reduce the life of the C Drive /Writer. Better copy the contents to the Hard-dsik and play it from there. Copying will take only 10 min, it will not affect the driver much. But watching movie from the drive will take >2 hrs, it will reduce the life of the CD-Drive.
  • While writing if u get "power failure" error , it means that the CD quality was low ,so that the writer can't able to get the details about the lead-in ( first few sectors) correctly. One way to get rid-off this error on the same CD is to write at 8x speed.
  • For DVD drives, check whether the drive supports all or most of the formats. DVD+R, DVD -R, DVD-ROM, DVD+RW, DVD-RW, Dual layer DVD's etc.

Posted by Sriganesh at 9:27 PM | | Comments




Internet File Sharing - Private peer to peer network

FolderShare allows you to create a private peer-to-peer network that will help you to synchronize files across multiple devices and access or share files with colleagues and friends. You no longer need to send large files via email, burn them to CDs/DVDs and mail them, or upload them to a website.

Synchronize all your devices - Retrieve work files at home or access photos at work. With your devices in sync, you no longer have to be frustrated that your information is on another computer. Share files, photos, and home videos with your peers - Select the content you want to share, invite members, and they will be able to access the shared files directly from their device. Access your computer or device remotely - FolderShare mobile access allows you to access your computer from any web browser.

Share files up to 2 GB in size. Unlimited file transfers - no limits on quantity or size of files transferred. Any file type - files are synced and transferred in their original format.

System OS Requirements:
Windows 2000 / XP / 2003, Mac OS X 10.3.8. PC: Intel Pentium II processor (or equivalent) 350 MHz or higher; Mac: G3/G4/G5, 128 MB RAM required, 256 MB RAM recommended, 10 MB available hard disk space. Display Resolution: 800x600, 16 bit - 65,536 colors. Web Browser: Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0, Firefox 1.0, Opera 7.x, Safari.

Internet Connection:
56 kbps dialup connection minimum; LAN (Local Area Network) with Internet access, DSL, or cable modem recommended.

FolderShare is ofcourse free of charge.

https://www.foldershare.com/

Posted by Sriganesh at 9:05 PM | | Comments

Thursday, July 06, 2006

Checkpoints before buying a Hard Disk.

1. Check for RPM - higher the rpm , higher the data transfer rate.
ATA / SATA HDD - Go for 7,200 rpm . Don't go for 5,400 rpm.
SCSI = >10,000 rpm

2. Don't do low level partition frequently. U can do normal windows format. but a HDD can withstand max of 20 low level partitioning.

3. check for warranty.

4. Check for protective sheild at the bottom of the HDD.

5. Never use the HDD verticaly, unless it is specifically manufactured for using vertically. Hitachi HDD can be used
vertically.

6. GB mentioned in HDD = 1000 MB, not 1024 MB.

7. If u r buying new HDD for old motherboard, check whether the max HDD capacity supported by ur motherboard BIOS. Even if doesn't higher capacity HDD, still u can use it with ur old motherboard. U need to use the jumber for the pins - that specifies "limit my HDD capacity".
Eg: ur motherboard supports only max HDD size of 80 GB, still u can use 120GB HDD with ur old motherboard - as per the above mentioned method. The will detect the 120GB as 80GB, but windows will show u all the 120GB.

8. Do u know , the life of HDD is 5 yrs for a frequent usage [ I had forgot the hour usage per day ].

9. If u partition the HDD, say it is 20GB, if u calculate the total size from all the partitions ,it will come around only 18.5GB. where is the remaining 2 GB gone???
As windows uses 1 GB = 1024 MB, and HDD manufactures ues 1 GB = 1000 MB, u will lose 480 MB in a 20 GB harddisk.
And, When u partition the harddisk, the ramining space of around 1 GB is taken for partition and File Allocation table.
That's y u will see only 18.5 GB out of 20GB Hard disk.

Posted by Sriganesh at 9:55 PM | | Comments




Computer Languages:

Language

Origin of name

Year

Uses/Comments

ADA

Augusta ADA Byron (Lady Lovelace)

1979

Derived from Pascal, used primarily by the military.

ALGOL

ALGOrithmic Language

1960

First structured procedural programming language, used mainly for solving math problems.

APL

A Programming Language

1961

Interpreted language using a large set of special symbols and terse syntax. Used primarily by mathematicians.

BASIC

Beginners All-Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code

1965

Very popular high-level programming language, frequently used by beginning programmers.

C

Predecessor was Bell Laboratory's 1972 B Programming Language

1972

Compiled, structured, programming language commonly used in many workplaces because its programs are easy to transfer between different types of computers.

C++

Advanced version of C. Developed at ATT Bell Labs.

1985

C++ is used in numerous fields, such as accounting and finance systems, and computer-aided design. Supports object-oriented programming.

COBOL

COmmon Business-Oriented Language

1959

English-like programming language, emphasizes data structures. Widely used, especially in businesses.

FORTH

FOuRTH-Generation language (4 GL)

1970

Interpreted, structured language, easily extended. Provides high functionality in limited space.

Fortran

FORmula TRANslation

1954

Initially designed for scientific and engineering uses, a high-level, compiled language now used in many fields. Introduced several concepts such as variables, conditional statements, and separately compiled subroutines.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language

1989

Designed for publishing hypertext on the Internet.

JAVA

Sun Microsystems developers drank a lot of coffee when coding for this.

1990

Originally developed for use in set-top boxes, transitioned to the World Wide Web in 1994.

LISP

LISt Processing

1960

A list-oriented programming language, mainly used to manipulate lists of data. Interpreted language, often used in research, generally considered the "standard" language for Artificial Intelligence (AI) projects.

LOGO

Derived from Greek logos, meaning word

1968

Programming language often used with children. Features a simple drawing environment and several higher-level features from LISP. Primarily educational.

Modula-2

MODULAr Language, designed as secondary phase of Pascal (Niklaus Wirth devised both)

1980

Language that emphasizes modular programming. High-level language based on Pascal, characterized by lack of standard functions and procedures.

Pascal

Blaise PASCAL, mathematician and inventor of first computing device

1971

Compiled, structured language, based on ALGOL. Adds data types and structures while simplifying syntax. Like C language, it is a standard development language for microcomputers.

PERL

Practical Extraction and Report Language

1988

It is a text-processing language that looks like a combination of C and several Unix text processing utilities.

PILOT

Programmed Inquiry, Language Or Teaching

1969

Programming language used primarily to create applications for computer-aided instruction. Contains very little syntax.

PL/1

Programming Language One

1964

Designed to combine the key features of Fortran, COBOL, and ALGOL, a complex programming language. Compiled, structured language capable of error handling and multitasking, used in some academic and research environments.

SGML

Standard Generalized Markup Language

1986

Designed as a metalanguage, it is used as an international standard for the description of marked-up electronic text.

SQL

Structured Query Language

1986

Designed to be used for creating complex databases and accessing data in a relational database.

VB

Visual Basic

1990

Sometimes called the Rapid Applications Development system, is used to build applications quickly.

XML

Extensible Markup Language

1977

Used for creating arbitrarily-structured documents and Web pages; it is commonly associated with the Internet.


Posted by Sriganesh at 7:14 PM | | Comments

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