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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

How to Clean your Laptop

Do you know how to clean your laptop computer? If you're purchased a good laptop, it only makes sense to keep it clean and dust-free.
Not cleaning your laptop can lead to a lot of problems. Dust can build up in your laptop cooling vents and cause your system to overheat. Dirt may also get trapped on your screen or keyboard and cause problems.
In this article, we will learn how to keep your laptop spick and span in a few a simple steps.
1. Read the User Manual Before you start cleaning your laptop, I'd recommend that you take a look at any special instructions in the laptop user manual. Manuals will usually highlight to you any special precautions you need to take, e.g. not to use any harsh cleaning agents or rough material on any part of the laptop. Once you understand the special precautions to take, you can get started on the cleaning process.
2. Equipment Needed You'll usually need the following to clean your laptop computer:
* Compressed air * Some cotton swabs * Cleaning solution * A soft cleaning cloth (e.g. cotton t-shirt)
You can also find some good laptop cleaning kits available in the market, such as the one below.
3. Cleaning the Exterior The first step is to clean the exterior of your laptop. What you do here is to use a soft damp cloth to clean the casing of the laptop. Never, ever use an abrasive cleaning cloth or use harsh cleaning products. If you do that, any glossy finish on your new laptop will get eroded very, very quickly (ouch).
4. Cleaning the Display To me, one of the most irritating areas where dust and grime accumulate is the laptop screen. This is because the screen is where you view the output of your work, your movies, etc. So any dust on the screen is very noticeable.
When cleaning the display, first you need to turn off the laptop. Again, don ever use abrasive cloth or paper towels to clean your display. You will scratch it and leave more than dust and grime on the screen.
You can try to use monitor cleaning solutions which come in spray form. Spray some on a cloth first, then wipe the screen conscientiously from left to right, and top to bottom.
5. Cleaning the Keyboard I also get very frustrated when dirt gets into my laptop keyboard. One key thing to remember is to keep food and drinks away from your laptop! Even if you don't spill something directly on the laptop keyboard, you just might dirty the laptop with the food and grime on your fingers. Try to get some cotton swabs to clean in and around keys.
6. Cleaning the Cooling Vents The cooling vents on a laptop tend to trap a lot of dust and grime. What you can do is to use a can of compressed air to spray and clean those cooling vents. One thing to be careful is to avoid spraying so much that you get liquid on the fan blades.
Conclusion Make sure you regularly set aside time to clean your laptop. Laptops which have not been cleaned in a long time are not only more unattractive, they are also potentially more prone to problems. Take care of your laptop and it will serve you faithfully for many years to come.
Gary Hendricks runs a website about laptops. Visit his website at Best-Laptop-Guide.com to learn more about selecting the best laptops and accessories to suit your needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Hendricks

5 Things to know about Laptop Hard Drives

If you own a laptop, it might be useful for you to learn about the hard drive in the machine. The reason is that many hard drives might need to be upgraded for increased speed or capacity, or they might fail at some point.
In this article, we will explore 5 things you need to know about laptop hard drives so that you can upgrade or replace your hard drive if there is ever a need. Remember, laptop hard drives are more expensive than desktop units so you need to consider carefully before purchasing one.
1. Small Physical Size Laptop hard drives are obviously smaller than their desktop counterparts. This is needed for mobility and you usually find laptop hard drives of thicknesses around 10 to 12 mm. That is extremely thin and suits lightweight and portable laptop models. The smaller size reduces the capacity of laptop hard drives as well (see Point 3 below).
2. Lower Disk Speeds Now, how does laptop hard drive speed measure up? Well, compared to their desktop and enterprise counterparts, laptop hard drives tend to be slower. You will usually find that a mobile hard drive spins at 5,400 rpm (although others spin with 7,200 rpm).
3. Hard Drive Capacity Typical laptop hard drive capacities these days come at 100 to 200 GB. That's a lot of storage space compared to the days when you could only squeeze maybe 20 GB in laptop hard drive. Interestingly, Samsung has just released a 500 GB hard disk drive for laptops. That is amazing storage that you usually only get in desktops. Things are clearly progressing in the laptop world.
4. Solid State Drives An important trend in laptop hard drives is the increasing use of solid state drives. What is a solid state drive? Well, a solid state storage device is like the thing that stores the music in your iPod nano or pen drive. It has no moving parts like a traditional hard drive, and is hence not subjected to damage due to jumps and shocks. Technology has progressed to the point where solid state drives are increasingly more popular and also more affordable. Some examples of laptops with solid state technology options are the Apple MacBook Air, the ASUS Eee PC and the Toshiba Portege R500.
5. Shock-Resistant Technology One of the more recent innovations in laptop hard drives is that of shock-resistant technology. If you own an Lenovo ThinkPad, you will notice that there is an icon on the lower right corner of your screen that changes when you suddenly move the laptop.
Now, there's an accelerometer inside the laptop which monitors any sudden changes in motion. If the laptop detects it, it will instantly park the heads on the hard disk to prevent them from corrupting data. Ingenious idea, huh?
Conclusion I hope the above has given you some good insight into laptop hard drives and their features. The next time you need to upgrade your laptop hard drive, keep the above points in mind - they will help you make a better purchase decision. So until next time, good luck and happy computing!
Gary Hendricks runs a website about laptops. Visit his website at Best-Laptop-Guide.com to learn more about selecting the best laptops and accessories to suit your needs.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Hendricks

Sunday, August 31, 2008

How to find Discounted DVD players Online

Today we live in a world of advanced technology. Science has developed so vastly that there is a smaller and larger version of almost everything. The DVD player is no exception. The smaller versions of it can be carried anywhere. Would you like to find out how to purchase them at discount prices? You can, but you will have to be on your guard when shopping online.
The DVD players are the devices that plays all discs, regardless of whether they are video or audio. Some players are designed to be attached to the television set, but now there are Portable players that come with the screen attached.
Portable players are basically developed to provide the facility to watch DVDs everywhere. They are very practical to use and the user can enjoy the audio CD music anywhere away from the home. But the primary function remains the same, which is playing DVDs.
All portable players have an attached LCD screen which gives high quality picture and sounds every time. These players are little more costlier than that of other players. But don't worry, I am going to show you how you can find reasonably priced portable players online.
On line shopping has now developed into a widely accepted area of buying things at reasonable prices. Expensive technical devices are available all over the internet at discount prices. Many people will purchase these items sometimes without inquiry or investigation. That is a bad idea. There are many legitimate companies who offer discount prices online. However you should always be on the lookout for scams and frauds which happen everyday on the internet.
There are some factors that you should focus on when purchasing a portable DVD player. The dimensions of the player are very important to check out. Some products may not come under a portable category even though they look smaller. Today most DVD players perform the function of a CD player as well. You might want to check the player you are considering, to see if this feature is included.
You should also check the size of the screen. If there is a player with a bigger screen available to you at the same price, it would be wiser to choose that one. No one should be limited to listening to music at home only. The player should have the capacity to modify the sounds according to your surroundings. These are several factors that you should concern yourself with when purchasing a DVD player.
Victor Epand is an expert consultant for computers, laptops and software. When shopping for used computers, used laptops and used software, we recommend you shop at only the best online stores for used computer, used laptop.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Victor_Epand

Product Review(Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS Camera

The Canon Digital IXUS 80 IS camera was released on the 10th of March, 2008 and has an impressive 8 megapixel lens for crystal clear photographs, and went one better than it's predecessor, the IXUS 70, by adding an Optical Image Stabiliser. What's it like though?
This little beauty has a Face Detection system that works out white balance, tracks faces and looks for subject movement, and all this while you simply point and shoot. It also has a Face Select & Track function plus white balance control for superior people shots and includes Canon's leading Optical Image Stabilizer lens for additional blur reduction and low-light shooting capability.
Without doubt the Canon IXUS 80 IS digital camera takes the hassle out of everyday photography while retaining Canon's hallmark design, engineering and manufacturing excellence. With Face Detection Technology and Red Eye Correction, this gem will take beautiful photographs each and every time.
While this is an attractive, advanced and intelligent addition to the Digital IXUS range, it can give users access to the latest Canon, up to the minute technologies to help them with those tricky shooting situations, making even the most difficult shots simple and straight forward, yet with top of the range results.
Yes this camera, available in four colours, brown, caramel, pink and silver comes with powerful new features that say adios to blur and fuzziness giving you top quality point-and-shoot capability.
No, this is not hype nor silly sales patter - you really will, at last be able to take superb shots with a camera boasting a household name you can trust.
John Milligan.
http://www.computer-games-store.co.uk
For your Canon IXUS 80 IS Digital Camera or any other camera you may want please visit the above site and scroll down to the superb Amazon Store and choose the Digital Cameras Category.
An excellent resource for all those consoles and games you've ever wanted, including the Nintendo Wii, Wii Fit, ps3, xbox 360 and Ipod Nano 8GB and lots more. No searching all over the web for different bargains. There's loads of choice here with all the top sellers and best prices. You certainly will not be disappointed.
So, if you're hungry for that bargain console, game or accessory, then go to the website, have a good browse and enjoy your shopping experience.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Milligan

FREE Registry Cleaner & Fixes to improve your PC's Performance

This is a Great Article I cams across that will improve the performance of your PC.
If your PC is running slower than how you first used it, then you need a free registry cleaner and fix to help you out. You should utilize one if you feel that your laptop or desktop is really slowing down. Your PC's slow speed is the result of a registry that's no longer efficient.
You may wish to discover how these things function. Basically your computer is a combination of physical machinery, the hardware and another component, the software or the programs. The software or program component is what you should pay attention to, since this is the portion which tells your hardware what to do. Without programs your PC is an expensive junk.
The programs installed in your Personal Computer do what they are supposed to do. These programs may enable you to create beautiful office presentations or may allow you to edit your home movies and post them on Youtube. You can even then download these special videos and transfer them to your cellphone.
All of these programs embed some instructions into your laptop or desktop. These are what your computer uses to execute the tasks outlined by the specific programs installed. These items are kept in your PC's registry where it is always referred to for basic program commands and functions.
The registry of your Personal Computer is the storage of the individual software's registry keys and program instructions. These specific instructions allow your computer to execute the software correctly. Each program on your program files makes a special key that performs a specific function related to the program. Due to the sheer number of the registry keys of your accumulated programs problems arise.
When the accumulation of these keys become too much for your desktop or laptop to handle, then your computer does the only thing it can do, freeze up. It may be a good idea then to find a free registry cleaner and fix. Like a person, your computer is growing old. It may even have problems like old people do. Like a person, it too is capable of regaining its former glory; but much quicker. A free registry cleaner and fix will improve your PC's performance and make it work as though it were new.
A free registry cleaner and fix is the best solution to your problem of a very slow personal computer. Your problem will be solved and the best thing, it's free. You only need to download it, install the software and then execute the program. These are easy steps in regaining your personal computer's former speed.
If you want to download the best free registry cleaner and fix, then go to my blog and download it now.
PC registry in a mess? Clean it up with the best registry cleaners. Read these top registry cleaner reviews to find out more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ryan_Clover

Make My Computer Run Faster!

With multiple uses for computers today, everyone is looking for new ways to speed up their computer. Many have found spending a couple of hours each day deleting their cookies necessary. When searching for resources, each website tags the computer's id number and fills cookies very quickly. As such, is necessary to keep these cookies removed constantly. With the new Internet Explorer 7, the tool menu in the bar makes it simple to remove your cookies.
These days, it is important that you Defragment your computer regularly. In the past, you could get by with Defragging once a week, yet, it has become an everyday affair. So, after you finish doing your work, take a break and use this time to do the Defragging. By the time you have return from your rest, the computer will have finished the process and you can then resume work.
Defragmenting your computer is not the only thing you can do. After the Defragmenting has finished, you should also do a disk cleanup to help compress your old files. Doing both procedures takes a little time, but are well worth it. This is because these two programs help prevent your computer from shutting down or locking up.
Keeping your desktop free from unused icons will make a difference in your computer's speed. Things such as short cuts, high resolution wallpapers, graphics, cursors, and skins slow your computer down.
If you have an older computer, say three years old, it might be a good idea to upgrade it. Rams and other chips tend to get outdated very quickly in that short span of time. When you upgrade your Ram, it will greatly increase the speed of your computer. Also, it is fairly inexpensive and easy to install, providing you with the opportunity to touch the edge of the computer with your forearms for about 60 seconds, enough to ground yourself and to protect you and the chips from static that may still be inside the tower. If you are not computer savvy, be sure to talk to a computer expert to find out what sort of chips you need to get before dismantling and fixing your computer. Most experts, such as the people at Radio Shack are very educated in such fields and will tell you what you need to know at no cost.
Sometimes, computers may be infected by some of the viruses picked up from the websites you visit. It is imperative to have some sort of anti-virus and anti-spyware programs installed on your computer. One of the more popular program used by PC owners today is Tend-Micro, a program that not only tells you when that there is a virus present, it also quarantines the virus and then fixes it.
All computer users are recommended to purchase a registry cleaner as it will eliminate any clutter or junk that has built up from installing and uninstalling programs. Without a registry cleaning program, your computer could become sluggish, crammed full of error messages, and may have regular computer systems crashes.
Click Here to speed up your computer for free. Logan Albright is an authority on troubleshooting computer problems. He provides valuable advice to thousands of people on how to optimize their computers through a proper computer check up.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Logan_Albright

Welcome To My World

Welcome,
I'm excited to have you check out my blog! I love Technology and I can't wait to impart my knowledge to you. I am a House Painter by trade but I'm a "Technology Nut" in my spare time.
I have a Degree in Computer Repair so I will be glad to answer any & all questions about Computers but I also have a Passion for Digital Cameras and Electronic Games so I will be bringing you articles on those subjects as well. This is not completely Mercenary on my part as I'm in this to make money as well so feel free to click on any ad you see on my site, I will much appreciate the money I can make from those ads, plus I am a regular seller on Ebay so I will be bringing you links to all Computer Supplies that I have for sale.I view this as a win-win situation for all of us. So please sit back and enjoy my posts and I hope you learn something from them and I hope you have as much fun reading them as I have writing them, and I hope you will become one of my loyal readers. I will do all I can to keep you entertained!
Thanks.