Computer Tips [ What's Causing Your Slow Start Ups? - 64-Bit Vs. 32-Bit - Your Questions Answered + The Secret To Winning Photo Contests ] 11/08/2011

	Worldstart Computer Tips 11-08-2011 Having trouble viewing parts or all of the newsletter? View the entire newsletter here! The POST Have you ever wondered what your computer goes through when it’s booting up each time you restart your computer? Sometimes computers will start up so quickly, but other times, they drag, don’t they? Well, every time a computer is booting up, it has to go through what is called a POST test. POST stands for Power On Self Test and it’s just a little personal start up test for every computer to make sure it meets all of the system requirements, etc. There are actually 10 steps in the POST, with the first one testing the power supply to make sure the computer is turned on and that it meets its reset signal. The second step checks to make sure the CPU (Central Processing Unit) can execute instructions. The next two steps are used to ensure that the BIOS are readable. Again, the next two steps are devoted to the CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) to make sure they are readable. The seventh step tests the CPU to make sure it can read all the different forms of memory, like the memory controller, the memory bus and the memory module. Next, your computer’s memory is tested to make sure it is operational and that it can be read and written, as well as, capable of containing the POST code. The last two steps deal with the I/O bus and controller. They need to be accessible and be able to write and read from the video system and to read all of the video RAM. If your computer happens to fail any of these steps, an irregular POST will be recorded. The irregular test is known to you by a beep code and it may often result in you having to restart your computer. There you have it, the basic steps to a system start up test. At least you now know what your computer goes through while starting up and you have an idea of what might be going wrong if your computer ever fails a proper boot up. ~ Erin Click here to rate this tip | Printer friendly version The Files On Your Computer Are AT RISK! Documents, Music, Pictures... Lucky For You - We Have The Solution... BACK 'EM UP ON THIS AMAZING 4GB BACK-UP DRIVE! Keep ALL Important Files on your Keychain! Archives and Updates Files When YOU Modify Them! AUTOMATIC FILE RECOGNITION AND COPY! USB 2.0 - BLAZIN' Fast - Brilliant Sliding USB Connector Design! PC AND MAC COMPATIBLE! SAVE YOURSELF TONS OF TIME! BACK THOSE FILES UP! This CAN'T be Happening.... You've been hard at work for weeks on a paper you're writing. You've been slavin' over the computer, getting your work done, when all of the sudden, with the simple push of a button...OOOPS! You've just accidentally deleted EVERYTHING you were working on... Your music collection is important. You've spent countless hours tweaking your collection, not to mention a nice little chunk of money. You're FINALLY satisfied with your massive, extensive collection and then...YOUR COMPUTER CRASHES. You've got THOUSANDS of pictures saved to your computer. Family vacations, nature hikes, birthdays. You name it - it's like a digital scrap book following the life of yourself and those you love. One day, your hard drive crashes (happens to MILLIONS of people every day). Where are those pictures now? GONE. DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU EVER AGAIN! If ANY of the above has EVER happened to you - you understand the frustration this causes. You've felt your money literally get eaten up by digital space forever. You've learned your lesson. Lucky for you and EVERYONE else who owns a computer - there's a NEW back-up drive in town. And it's AMAZING! Check this out! Maxwell - You've SAVED my Digital Life! Think of this back-up drive as a flash drive. Only this flash drive comes with software installed on it that backs up and finds the data that YOU tell it to! Whether it's music files, pictures, documents - you name it! If it's on your computer, you can back it up and be safe! Oh, and it's got 4GB of storage space - which is HUGE! We're talkin' over 1000 music files! Imagine how much music, how many pictures and how many of your important documents you'll be able to store on this little guy! USB 2.0 = DATA TRANSFER RATES AT 480MPBS! So not only are you getting a TON of digital space in this compact back-up drive, you're getting fully compliant USB 2.0 capabilities! TALK ABOUT POWERFUL! Is it EASY to Use? YOU BET! Whether you're a MAC or PC user, slide the USB connector out, stick it in your computer, and this is what you get: HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT! Simply select what type of computer you're using and you're all set! There's even a user's manual built in! You Like a SIMPLE-TO-USE, FRIENDLY User Interface? Who doesn't? You'll be SHOCKED by how easy this device makes it to back up your files. All you do is plug it in, and tell it what you want backed up. Click those check boxes, select apply, and in a matter of seconds, your selected files are AUTOMATICALLY backed-up! Have a Look! IT'S ALL UP TO YOU! Maybe there's files on your computer you just aren't worried about. If your hard drive were to crash tomorrow, surely there's some files that you wouldn't be too upset about losing. But the important documents, the beautiful pictures, the EXTENSIVE music collection...if they were all to disappear how DEVASTATED would you be? PERFECT for Multiple Computers! TOTAL FREEDOM! Do you have a bunch of stuff on your computer that you want to transfer over to a different computer? Maybe you just want to give your friend all of your pictures, or your music. Guess what? THIS BACK-UP DRIVE MAKES IT EASY! Once all of your files are backed up on this BRILLIANT KEYCHAIN DRIVE, they're yours to do whatever you want with. So not only are they backed up FOR GOOD, you can easily transfer ALL of those files to ANY computer you want - NO MATTER HOW MANY COMPUTERS! All you have to do is stick it into whatever computer you want, open your files folder, and transfer them over! It really is that simple - anybody can do it! Talk About a Good Lookin' DESIGN! As you can see, this back-up drive makes life easy and convenient for you - ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THE DESIGN! Observe the images: notice anything? Yep, it's a sliding design! So when you're getting ready to stick it into your computer, simply slide the USB connector out. And when you're done, slide it back into it's shell! This keeps it safe from dings and scratches, liquid, the nasty weather - anything! And due to it's perfect size and the keyring at the top - you can keep it on your key chain and have ALL of your important files, right at your fingertips AT ALL TIMES! Yes! UNBELIEVABLE PRICE! We've got an AMAZING deal for you today on these brilliant back-up drives. How about for today only, you pay just $18.97 with FREE US SHIPPING?! How's that for an awesome deal! http://store.worldstart.com/product/7485 PS: We only have a handful of these to sell - once they're gone, they're gone! There's no telling when they might come back. Get yours now and back those important files up! In part one of our series about 32-bit and 64-bit processors, we defined basic terms. This segment will deal with processing speed, memory, and how the balance of hardware and software affects performance. Speed Processing speed, referred to as clock speed, is generally measured in megahertz (MHz) which amounts to one million cycles per second, or gigahertz (GHz) equaling one billion cycles per second. A computer’s architecture is a significant contributor to that processing speed, so CPUs (computer processors) with the same clock speed may not perform functions at the same rate. While a fixed number of clock cycles is required for each command (instruction), a faster clock will execute more instructions per second, and the machine will perform those instructions more quickly. However, clock cycles (or clock ticks), like so many other terms in this bewildering lexicon jungle, is a term with multiple meanings. On one hand, a clock cycle is as described above, the relative speed of a processor, but it also refers to the internal system clock, which always runs at 66 MHz (66 million clock ticks per second). So, more powerful CPUs can execute instructions more rapidly than their less sophisticated counterparts, while still displaying the same number of units per cycle. Memory While the clock speed of the CPU is the primary indicator of processing capability, RAM (Random-Access Memory) also plays a significant role in performance. When a CPU requests information from the hard drive, it’s put into RAM, where it can be accessed with greater efficiency. But, if the memory (RAM) isn’t sufficient, the information may have to be returned to the hard drive before the next request can be answered, thereby slowing overall performance. Hardware and Software Hardware and drivers (the software that controls the hardware) must match the device’s system type, and this should be a primary consideration when upgrading a 32-bit system. For information about how to check device driver availability for 64-bit, click here. For a more in-depth look at the processors themselves, see the article, Switching Processors. While some software is system specific—antivirus programs are good examples—many will run effectively on either system type. To learn about software compatibility, go to either the Windows Vista Compatibility Center, or the Windows 7 Compatibility Center. What all this means is that, with each operation, 64-bit processors can handle bundles of information that are twice the size of those processed by 32-bit systems, and the speed at which these bundles are delivered is determined by the overall balance of system resources (RAM, processors, etc.). In researching this article, I was directed to an analogy of a two lane highway that had been converted to a four lane highway to relieve bottlenecks. But, while that’s a good comparison, the benefit is more than just a method of efficiently moving traffic. 64-bit is not just an increased amount of data per bundle, it’s also higher quality data, as images, audio, and video files comprised of 64-bit elements are richer, with more depth and texture, than those made up of 32-bit elements. The final article in this series, How to Determine if a System is 64-Bit Capable, will explain how to tell whether a system is 32-bit or 64-bit, and whether upgrades are possible (or practical). I hope this has been as enlightening to read as it was to write. ~Kevin Click here to rate this tip | Printer friendly version Do you have a question for us? Ask it here! MS Office: Close, Move and Re-size Task Panes Using Your Keyboard Here’s a cool set of keyboard commands I stumbled upon today that have to do with managing those task panes that seem to pop up in our daily work while using MS Office. Get the rest of this tip here! (Want these tips in their entirety? Sign up for Premium!) Name Completion in the Windows 7 Command Prompt Did you know that there’s a key you can press that will auto complete a path or file name in the Windows 7 Command Prompt? Yeah, me either – that is, until I was messing around the other day and stumbled across an article on Microsoft’s site detailing how to do it. Here’s how! Open a Command Prompt by clicking Start, then typing cmd in the Search Box. Click the Command Prompt icon in the results that appear or just hit Enter. In the Command Prompt window, type in the change directory command, like this: Now click here to read the rest! (Want these tips in their entirety? Sign up for Premium!) Tips for Winning Photography Contests If you are a good photographer, but it’s only a hobby, you can still make money by selling your work to stock photo sites and art galleries. But there’s yet another avenue that brings in the dough and also gives you good publicity. Who knows, it might even prompt you to become a full-time photographer, too. Just follow these guidelines and you could end up winning more than one photography contest. Click here for the tip! (Want these tips in their entirety? Sign up for Premium!) For stories, jokes, quotes and cartoons every day, sign up for our Just for Grins newsletter. Cooking For Engineers Welcome to Cooking for Engineers! I adore this site! What you are going to find is an amazing assortment of recipes, cooking tests, and general foodie information. I discovered this site because I was looking for the Nestle Tollhouse chocolate chip recipe – I had used half the chips for some brownies and threw away the original packaging – and this site came up in my search results because it had the recipe as well as experimentation with the recipe. You can find that here. The author of the site, Michael Chu, tested how the flour affects the recipe. I hadn’t even checked out the Cooking Tests section, and I was hooked! Navigation is easy! You can use the menu at the top of the page and check out the following sections: Books – here you’ll find interesting cookbook reviews. Cooking Test – here you will find awesome experiments in cooking! If you like bacon, you have to check out the bacon tests! Dining Out – here you’ll find restaurant reviews. Equipment and Gear – this section is devoted to explaining what different pieces of equipment do, what your options are as a cook in using them – for example, what kind of cutting board to use or what is the difference in the materials that cutting boards are made out of? Kitchen Notes – this section is like a cooking encyclopedia. Here you will find cooking terms defined and explained. Off Topic – here you will find information that that is off topic, or only loosely related to the cooking information on the site. I liked this section and the different topics it covered. I especially liked the Iron Chef America topic (one of my favorite TV shows) where Michael talks about how he got hooked on Iron Chef! Recipe File – this is probably the section that you are looking forward to the most. Check out the recipes showcased here! Sous Vide – if you watch any competition cooking television (Iron Chef America, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, etc.) you have probably noticed at some point or another a chef cooks something Sous Vide. Well, what is Sous Vide? And how can you set up your own Sous Vide setup at home? Check out this section to find out! Test Recipes – here you’ll find a collection of recipes that Michael has tested out in his kitchen What I love about this section is that not only are the recipes educational, but the comments on the recipes are usually just as in depth as the test recipe itself. I love a good discussion. I think I’m going to try out the marshmallow recipe from this section. And that’s the just the tip of the iceberg on this site, so make sure you check out the featured sections on the main page and whatever else might take your fancy! http://www.cookingforengineers.com/ ~ Amanda Click here to rate this tip | Printer friendly version Do you have a cool, non-commercial site that you want to share? Send it to Amanda at amanda@worldstart.com Do You Want Hi-Def, 3D Sound For Your Computer? TIRED of That Tinny, Garbage Sound Spewing From Your Speakers? YOU NEED MASSIVE POWER - AND WE'VE GOT IT! Brilliant Audio Adapter Converts Analog Signals... INTO PURE 3D DIGITAL SOUND! We're talking 7.1 Channel Virtual Surround Sound! This is Pure Audio Luxury... In a Small, POWERFUL Little Package! Hear It The Way It Is Supposed To Sound! Terrible Audio is WORTHLESS! So, have you ever noticed that CD's don't sound quite as clear when playing them in your computer as they do on your stereo system? And if you've ever watched a DVD on your computer...I'm sure you'd agree the sound quality is not the same as it would be coming from your TV. That's because the sound card that comes in your computer is a very basic run of the mill sound card, which doesn't produce the best audio. You NEED this incredible 7.1 audio sound adapter! Just plug this little adapter into a USB port on your PC or laptop and then plug in your speakers, headphones, or microphone to this adapter...your ears won't know what hit them! The adapter even has a volume control and mute button for extra fine tuning. You won't believe the difference that this little adapter makes in sound quality and clarity!! This little guy gives you quality 7.1 channel virtual surround sound! Let me just say that... I could have swore that I put on an entire set of surround sound speakers to my laptop!! You will be hearing everything the way it is suppose to sound versus that slightly cloudy, fuzzy mess that comes out of your typical computer speakers. With this adapter you'll convert that crappy analog signal into a hi-def, 3D digital signal...how that for an incredible listening experience? Better yet 7.1 is the most advanced listening technology you can find,it is more advanced than your standard DVD 5.1 audio! Now you know, you will be getting the most elite listening experience with this awesome adapter! Never again will you have to go scrambling around on your hands and knees searching for that so inconvenient microphone jack on the back of you PC either...this makes it convenient, since it plus into any USB port! And the cost is gonna blow your mind - just $13.97 and US Shipping is Free! Experience amazing sound - order yours now! http://store.worldstart.com/product/6846 PS - Don't miss out on this great offer - the price is headed up to $24.97 first thing tomorrow! Your ears will thank you! November Wallpaper! Ready for November? Yeah, neither am I. However, time marches on and we have some new wallpaper for your to check out :) All the desktop wallpaper below is 100% free. Head on over and check it out! http://www.backcountrygallery.com/wallpaper/ Mosquito Beach Stormy Rainbows This was easily one of the toughest photos I’ve ever created. It was taken one cold, rainy morning in Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore along Lake Superior - Mosquito Beach to be exact. I had backpacked in and set up camp to facilitate... (More) Blue Hen Falls In Autumn This is one I’ve been trying to bag for awhile – since my film days in fact! See, each time I’d stop to shoot the falls (usually in autumn), I’d end up with VERY little water flow. Instead of the nice robust waterfall you see here, I would typically... (More) Stormy Sunset At Sleeping Bear We had been trying for three days to get something – anything – at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The first evening saw a sunset that was blocked by clouds, the second was clear and colorless, so this was our last chance. If we didn’t get something here... (More) It can all be found here: http://www.backcountrygallery.com/wallpaper/ ~ Steve
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