Keep your laptop cool

Keeping your laptop cool is essential to lengthening the machine's life. Laptops may overheat for several reasons, the most prevalent being because it is dirty or the fan has malfunctioned. Overheating frequently can cause internal damage to your laptop's motherboard and prevent the computer from functioning properly or at all. Implement these techniques to keep your laptop cool.



Steps to Follow

• Place your laptop on a towel on a solid surface when it is on.
• Alternatively, clean out any dust inside. Start by carefully removing the screws from the bottom of the laptop and setting them aside. Do not lose or drop them.
• Remove the face cover from the unit's CPU . Set aside.
• Using your pressurized computer air duster (or hair dryer), clean and blow out all of the dust inside the laptop. Make sure you get in between the blades of the fan and other hard-to-reach places. Screw the bottom of the laptop back on.
• A third option is turning your computer on and setting a desktop fan next to the side of the computer with the vents and the internal computer fan. This helps keep the entire system cool.

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Format a Protected Disk

 

If you have forgotten your password to the disk and want to wipe it clean, work around the protection by using your Windows registry. The Windows registry logs all of the protection on disks and can also turn them off for editing and formatting.

1). Restart your computer and hold down the "F8" key. This will take you into Windows "Advanced Boot Options." Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate to the "Safe Mode" option and then press the "Enter" button.

2). Click the "Start" button and then click the "Search" bar on the menu. Type "regedit" into the "Search" box and press the "Enter" button.

3). Follow this path in the registry from the icons on the left side of the window that appears: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\StorageDevicePolicies."

4). Click the "WriteProtect" key in the "StorageDevicePolicies" section. Change the value to "0" in the "WriteProtect" key. Click the "OK" button to save this and then restart your computer. Insert your disk into the computer's optical drive or USB port.

5). Select the "Computer" option and then right-click on your now unprotected disk. Click the "Manage" icon in the menu and click the "Disk Management" option in the next menu. Right-click on the unprotected disk and choose the "Format" option. Click the "OK" button and then select the "OK" button again. Wait for the system to prompt you when the formatting process is completed, and close the window to finish.

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ANSI Cable Certification Standards

The American National Standards Institute creates standards for a wide range of devices and infrastructure. ANSI standards must be followed during cable installation and certification. ANSI standards 568, 569 and 606 are used for certifying various types of cable installations. Buildings cannot receive certification for use if they do not meet these ANSI standards.

Phases of Cable Installation

The first step of cable installation is the rough-in phase. This is the laying and pulling of cabling into place. The second step of cable installation is the trim-out phase. This is when splicing and terminating of cables is done. The final phase is the finish phase. This is when the testing and certification of the cabling occurs.

ANSI Standard 568A

ANSI standard 568A defines the installation practices and certification of fiber optic cable and unshielded twisted pair cable. This ANSI standard is used only for communication cables. According to "CRC Handbook of Modern Telecommunications, Second Edition", ANSI standard 568A is the definitive guideline to use during the design phase of a building.

ANSI Standard 568B

ANSI / TIA standard 568-B is used for twisted pair cabling. According to "Cisco LAN Switching Fundamentals" by David Barnes and Basir Sakandar, twisted pair cable most commonly comes in the categories 3, 5, 5E, and 6, with these categories representing the certification of the radio frequency capability of the cabling.

ANSI Standard 569

ANSI standard 569 applies to telecommunication room design. For example, according to "Cabling: The Complete Guide to Network Wiring," ANSI standard 569-A states that if a building has more than 70,000 usable square feet, a dedicated and locked room with plywood termination fields on two walls must be included. ANSI standard 569 requires a minimum of one telecommunication closet per floor.

ANSI Standard 606

ANSI standard 606 is the Administrative Standard for the Telecommunications Infrastructure of Commercial Buildings. This standard defines how cabling must be labeled and color coded. ANSI standard 606 states that network connection cables are green while first-level telecommunication cables are white.

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Color Alignment Issues on a Xerox Phaser 6360

The Xerox Phaser 6360 printerproduces high-quality color prints suitable for home and office environments. Once the printer is set up, you might experience undesirable print quality.

Test Print

Print a color test print. If the colors have halos or the lines aren't crisp, inspect the surface on which the printer sits. Move the printer to a solid, flat surface. Uneven surfaces put pressure on the print nozzles and misalign them over time.

Color Registration Page

If the color quality of a print is hazy, print a color registration page. This page will help to realign the print nozzles. From the Xerox Phaser print control panel, click "Troubleshooting," "OK," "Print Quality Problems," "OK," "Color Registration" and "OK." Follow the directions printed on the page.

Color Calibration Page

From the Xerox Phaser print control panel, click "Troubleshooting," "OK," "Print Quality Problems," "OK," "Calibrate Colors," "OK," "Tutorial Page" and "OK." The color calibration page will print out. Follow the directions printed on the page to recalibrate the 6360's color output.

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How to fix Keyboard not detected by the computer:

When you use a wired keyboard, you may experience one or more of the following problems:

• The keyboard is not detected.
• The keys on the keyboard do not work.
• Wrong characters are typed.
• The keyboard shortcuts do not work.

To work around keyboard is not detected, use the following methods

1.      Turn off your computer before troubleshooting. Verify that the keyboard is securely plugged in to your computer. Try another PS/2 or USB port if your computer has more than one, or try the connections on another computer, if applicable. If the keyboard  still doesn't work, then it may be defective and needs to be replaced.

2.      Confirm that the driver software was installed correctly by checking whether there is any error next to keyboard entry in device manager. Some keyboards, especially if they're wireless, require drivers in order to function properly. Also follow the instructions to install any software that came with the keyboard.

3.      Update the driver for your keyboard, if necessary. Open the control panel on your computer, check the hardware settings and then follow the commands to update the driver.

4.      Turn the keyboard upside down to remove any dust, debris or food crumbs. These particles can also prevent the keyboard from working properly. Clean out hard-to-reach areas of the keyboard with an air compressor or a "static-safe" vacuum cleaner.

5.      Fix the keyboard layout if the characters on screen don't match what you type. Select an input language on your computer, then choose the keyboard layout that matches that language from control panel( region and language settings)

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Linksys Wireless N Home Router

Linksys Wireless N Home Router

 

With Linksys WRT150N Wireless-N Home Router, you will be able to do more than just share the Internet. Now you can stream video, share files, listen to digital music, and make Internet phone calls from anywhere in your home, with anyone - all at the same time.

The Access Point built into the Router uses the very latest wireless networking technology: Wireless-N (draft 802.11n). By overlaying the signals of multiple radios, Wireless-N's "Multiple In, Multiple Out" (MIMO) technology multiplies the effective data rate. Unlike ordinary wireless networking technologies that are confused by signal reflections, MIMO actually uses these reflections to increase the range and reduce "dead spots" in the wireless coverage area. The robust signal travels farther, maintaining wireless connections up to 3 times farther than standard Wireless-G.

With Wireless-N, the farther away you are, the more speed advantage you get. It works great with standard Wireless-G and -B equipment, but when both ends of the wireless link are Wireless-N, the router can increase the throughput even more by using twice as much radio band, yielding speeds up to 9 times as fast as standard Wireless-G. But unlike other speed-enhanced technologies, Wireless-N can dynamically enable this double-speed mode for Wireless-N devices, while still connecting to other wireless devices at their respective fastest speeds. In congested areas, the "good neighbor" mode ensures that the Router checks for other wireless devices in the area before gobbling up the radio band.

To help protect your data and privacy, the Router supports WPA2, WPA and WEP security features. It can serve as your network's DHCP Server, has a powerful SPI firewall to protect your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks, and supports VPN pass-through. Configuration is a snap with the web browser-based configuration utility.

Important Specifications:

Device type:

Wireless router

Wireless Network Standards:

- IEEE Draft 802.11n

- IEEE 802.11g

- IEEE 802.11b

Ports/Buttons:

- Internet: 1 10/100 RJ-45 Port

- LAN: Four 10/100 RJ-45 Switched Ports

- One Power Port

- One Reset Button

Security Features:

- Wireless Security Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2), WEP

- Wireless MAC Filtering

- Firewall, Internet Filter and Web filter

- Internet Access Policy

Supported VPN Pass-through Features:

- IPsec VPN Pass-through

- PPTP VPN Pass-through

- L2TP VPN Pass-through

Other Features:

- Port Forwarding

- Port Triggering

- DDNS

- DMZ

- Quality of Service

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D-link Wireless Router

D-link DIR-655 Xtreme N Wireless Router

The D-Link DIR-655 Xtreme N Wireless Router is a draft 2.0 802.11n compliant device that delivers up to 14x faster speeds and 6x farther range than 802.11g while staying backward compatible with 802.11g devices.

The DIR-655 also includes a 4-port 10/100/1000 Gigabit switch that connects Gigabit wired devices for enjoying lag-free network gaming and faster file transfers. With wireless prioritization technology and our award-winning intelligent QoS engine, jitter-free Internet phone calls (VoIP), high-definition video streaming and Web gaming are achievable on your wired and wireless networks.

The Xtreme N Gigabit Router supports the latest wireless security features to help prevent unauthorized access, be it from over a wireless network or from the Internet. Support for WPA™ and WPA2 standards ensure that you will be able to use the best possible encryption regardless of your client devices. In addition, this Xtreme N router utilizes Dual Active Firewalls (SPI and NAT) to prevent potential attacks from across the Internet. Also, the DIR-655 uses advanced firewall features.

Connect the Xtreme N Gigabit Router to a cable or DSL modem and provide high-speed Internet access to multiple computers, game consoles, and media players. Create a secure wireless network to share photos, files, music, videos, printers, and network storage.

Important Specifications:

Device type :

- Wireless router

Wireless Network Standards:

- IEEE Draft 802.11n

- IEEE 802.11g

- IEEE 802.11b

Wireless Data Transfer Rates:

- 300 Mbps

Ports/Buttons:

- Internet: One 10/100 RJ-45 Port

- LAN: Four 10/100/1000 RJ-45 Switched Ports

- One USB 1.1/2.0 port

- One Reset Button

- One Power Port

Security Features:

- WEP, WPA, WPA2

- Access Control

- Network, website and inbound filter

- SPI firewall

Other Features:

- Application Level Gateway (ALG)

- Wireless Intelligent Stream Handling (WISH)

- Virtual Server

- Port forwarding

- Application rules

- QoS Engine

- DDNS

 

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Linksys Wireless-N Router

Linksys Wireless-N Router

The Linksys E1000 wireless-N router puts the power of Wireless-N technology in your home. Speed up your wireless network with a router that connects your computers, wireless printers, smartphones, and other Wi-Fi devices at up to 300 Mbps. Included Cisco Connect software gets you set up quickly and offers powerful tools for managing your wireless network. This Linksys router gives you basic, quick-to-install Wireless-N connectivity for surfing the Web, sending e-mail, and file sharing.

A variety of security features help to protect your data and your privacy while you are online. Security features include Wi‑Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) security, whichencrypts data on your wireless network; a Stateful Packet Inspection (SPI) firewall to help block unauthorized access to your Router; and Network Address Translation (NAT)technology, which enhances network protection by allowing your computers to share Internet access through a single, public Internet IP address. (IP stands for InternetProtocol.)

In addition, you can connect computers or devices to this router by giving them local access (Computers and Devices option)or Guest Access (Guest Access option). Computers and Devices with local access will have access to the Internet and to other devices (shared computers andprinters, etc) on your local network, whereas guest Access allows you to provide guests visiting your home with Internet access only.

Setup and use of the Router is easy using Cisco Connect, the software that is installed when you run the included CD. Advanced configuration of the Router is available through the provided browser‑based utility.

Important Specifications:

Device type:

Wireless router

Wireless Network Standards:

- IEEE 802.11n

- IEEE 802.11g

- IEEE 802.11b

Wireless Data Transfer Rates:

- Up to 300 Mbps

Ports/Buttons:

- Internet: One 10/100 RJ-45 Port

- LAN: Four 10/100 RJ-45 Switched Ports

- One Power Port

- One Reset Button

Security Features:

- Wireless Security Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2), WEP

- Wireless MAC Filter

- Firewall, Internet Filters and Web Filters

- Internet Access Policy

Supported VPN Pass-through Features:

- IPSec VPN Pass-through

- PPTP VPN Pass-through

- L2TP VPN Pass-through

Other Features:

- Port Forwarding

- Port Triggering

- DMZ

- DDNS

- Quality of Service (QoS)

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NETGEAR Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router

NETGEAR Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router

The Netgear WNDR3700 RangeMax Wireless Dual Band Gigabit Router is the ultimate networking router which offers the high performance wireless Internet access needed for demanding applications, such as streaming HD video and multiplayer gaming. Dual band technology avoids interference, ensuring top speeds and the greatest range, while Gigabit offers ultra-fast wired connections.

Ultra-fast wired — Four Gigabit Ethernet ports deliver ultra-fast wired connections

Dual band — Ensuring top speeds and the greatest range while minimizing interference

Faster multimedia streaming — Provides Wireless-N speed for streaming HD videos, simultaneous downloads, and online gaming in addition to basic Internet applications

Shared storage — ReadySHARE provides fast and easy shared access to an external USB storage device

Live Parental Controls — Keeps your Internet experience safe

Jitter-free video and gaming — Automatic Quality of Service (QoS) for reliable Internet connections

Guest network access — Provides separate security and access restrictions for guests using the network

Broadband usage meter — Monitors Internet traffic and sends customized reports to help keep costs under control

Secured connection — Push ‘N’ Connect ensures a quick and secure network connection

Easy setup — Smart Wizard CD with graphical installation guide and multi-language support

NETGEAR Green features — Power and Wi-Fi on/off buttons, Energy Star-compliant power adapter and 80% recycled packaging

Important Specifications:

Device type:

Wireless router (with extended wireless coverage)

Wireless Network Standards:

802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz

802.11 a/n 5.0 GHz

Wireless Data Transfer Rates:

- Up to 300 Mbps

Ports/Buttons:

- Internet: One 10/100/1000 RJ-45 Port

- LAN: Four 10/100/1000 RJ-45 Switched Ports

- One USB 2.0 port (backward compatible to USB 1.0/1.1)

- One Power Port

- One Reset Factory Settings Button

Security Features:

- Wireless Security Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2), WEP

- Wireless MAC Filter

- Double Firewall Protection (SPI and NAT firewall)

- Internet Access Policy

Other Features:

- Port Forwarding

- Port Triggering

- DDNS

- Quality of Service (QoS)

- USB Storage

- Traffic Meter

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Wireless Access Point

Linksys WAP54G Wireless Access Point

The Linksys WAP54G Wireless Access Point lets you connect Wireless-G (802.11g) or Wireless-B (802.11b) devices to your wired network so you can add PCs to the network with no cabling hassle. Create a "wireless bubble" in that hard-to-wire home or office space, and save the time, hassle, and expense of running cables. Plus, notebook PCs can travel around your home or office and stay connected wherever they go.

This wireless product can work with other Linksys wireless devices by acting as access point, AP client, wireless repeater and wireless bridge. The new push button setup feature makes it easy to configure your wireless devices. Just push the button on the Access Point and on your other SecureEasySetup-enabled wireless device to automatically create an encryption-secured wireless connection. Also the latest and strong WPA2 encryption is supported by this wireless device.

The Linksys Wireless-G Access Point is the best way to add wireless capability to your existing home or small office network.

Important Specifications:

Device type:

Wireless access point

Wireless Network Standards:

- IEEE 802.11g

- IEEE 802.11b

Wireless Data Transfer Rates:

- 54 Mbps

Ports/Buttons:

- One 10/100 Auto-Cross Over (MDI/MDI-X) Port

- One SES Button

- One Reset Button

- One Power Port

Security Features:

- Wireless Security Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA, WPA2), WEP

- Wireless MAC Filtering

- Linksys Wireless Guard

Other Features:

- AP Client, Wireless Repeater and Wireless Bridge Support

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Memory Module

Memory Module

Computer memory is responsible for a wide variety of tasks in the modern computer system.

How Memory is organized?

Let's get started by seeing how computer memory is organized. Think of memory in a PC as many 'boxes' to store numbers. Each box has a unique address. Collections of these boxes work together to store meaningful instructions that can be interpreted by programs.

The numbers stored in individual bytes in memory range from 0 to 255. For those more technically inclined, this is really what can be represented by 8 bits. Each 'box' stores 1 byte and 1 byte = 8 bits.

Parameters Defining a Memory Module

Capacity - Each memory module is designed to hold a specific number of bytes. The capacity of a memory module is the number of bytes it can store.

      

Width - This one is a bit technical. Memory modules are also assigned a width - which determines the number of bits the memory can access at one time.

      

Access time - It takes time for the memory to read its 'number' and get it ready for the CPU to use. This is known as the access time. But do remember that a faster access time doesn't mean your PC will run faster. The speed is still controlled very much by the speed of your CPU.

      

Cycle time - The cycle time defines the minimum time from one memory operation to the next. If you add the access time to the time the module needs to recover and start the next operation, you will get the cycle time of the memory module.

Now, the bandwidth of the memory - the amount of data it can read and write per second - depends on its width, access time, and cycle time.

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Wireless Router

Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless Router

The Linksys WRT54G2 Wireless Router is really three devices in one box. First, there's the Wireless Access Point, which lets you connect both screaming fast Wireless-G (802.11g at 54Mbps) and Wireless-B (802.11b at 11Mbps) devices to the network. There's also a built-in 4-port full-duplex 10/100 Switch to connect your wired-Ethernet devices together. Connect four PCs directly, or attach more hubs and switches to create as big a network as you need. Finally, the Router function ties it all together and lets your whole network shares a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection.

The new Wi-Fi Protected Setup feature makes it easy to configure your wireless devices. Just push the button on the router and on your other Wi-Fi Protected Setup-enabled wireless device to automatically create a WPA2 connection that protects your data and privacy with up to 256-bit industrial-strength encryption. The Router can serve as a DHCP Server, has a powerful SPI firewall to protect your PCs against intruders and most known Internet attacks, supports VPN pass-through, and can be configured to filter internal users' access to the Internet. Advanced configuration is a snap with the web browser-based interface.

Once your computers are connected to the Router and the Internet, they can communicate with each other too, sharing resources and files. All your computers can print on a shared printer connected anywhere in the house. And your computers can share all kinds of files -- music, digital pictures, and documents. Keep all your digital music on one computer, and listen to it anywhere in the house. Organize all of your family's digital pictures in one place, to simplify finding the ones you want, and easing backup to CD-R. Utilize extra free space on one computer when another's hard drive starts to fill up. By having this wireless router, you can share a high-speed Internet connection, files, printers, and multi-player games with flexibility, speed, security and simplicity!

Important Specifications:

Device type:

Wireless router

Wireless Network Standards:

- IEEE 802.11g

- IEEE 802.11b

Wireless Data Transfer Rates:

- 54 Mbps

Ports/Buttons:

- Internet: One 10/100 RJ-45 Port

- LAN: Four 10/100 RJ-45 Switched Ports

- One Wi-Fi Protected Setup Button 

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