Dave "Bytes"

Please remember to use your thinker, before you tinker! 

May 2009 - Volume 2

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 A Periodic Newsletter for the Members of the PC User Group Community !!! 

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In this edition .......

Speed Up Your PC
How to Add Podcasts to iTunes
Microsoft Releases Free Beta For Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor
Opera Turns 15
Dave's Cool Download - Easeus Partition Manager
Customize the Start Menu
While Wandering the Web - Playboy
We Didn't Start the Fire
Reloading Web Pages
Bumper Sticker
Pause for Thought
The "Bytes" Guestbook

Here's A PC Tip

Did you know that the biggest bottleneck of your PC or laptop is the built-in hard drive? Even the fastest processors and memory chips are slowed down by the lagging data of the mechanical drive. This leads to:

slow copying and moving of files

delayed program start

irritating pauses when working

jolting and interruptions when playing games and videos

I'll show you how to fire up the afterburners and get everything you can out of your hard drive.

Normally, Windows and applications write directly to the hard drive, which can quickly lead to a bottleneck. Because whenever a lot of data is written simultaneously, the hard drive quickly reaches its limits, which slows down your PCs performance. However in Windows Vista and XP it is possible to switch on the cache. The data to be written is first saved "virtually," which considerably accelerates the write access. Later, when the computer is no longer working at capacity, the data is written from the cache to the hard drive. In this way you work significantly more efficiently and quickly!

How to activate the cache:
Search for the "Device Manager." To do this press the "R" key while holding down the "WINDOWS" key. Enter the command "devmgmt.msc" in the "Run" dialog box that appears and confirm with "OK."

Now double click on "Disk drives" and then on the hard drive of your computer. (Note: USB drives, card readers, etc. are also shown under "Disk drives")

In the next window click on “Policies” and on “Optimize for performance.” Then select “Enable write caching on the disk” and, if available, also “Enable advanced performance” (only Windows Vista).

 Finish by clicking on “OK” and then restart the system.

Congratulations!
Now your computer's hard drive access will speed up noticeably. In our tests, for example, copying a 2GB file was accelerated by 25% by using this tip.

There is, however, a small residual risk: Since the cache is a virtual memory, in the rare case of a power failure your data is not saved.
With laptops this is not a problem since the battery prevents a sudden loss of power.
There is a slight risk for desktop PCs. However a loss of data would occur only if a power failure coincided with a cache that has not yet been written to the hard drive. In this case decide for yourself whether increased security upon power failure or long-term improvement of your PC's performance is more important.

Conclusion:

With the cache switched on the hard drive works more efficiently than ever - and the speed of your data increases considerably. However, carry out regular maintenance of your hard drive in order to benefit from improved access times in the long run.

Have A Question? Why Not "Byte" Me?
You know my motto ...
"If I don't know the answer I'll make something up!"
Not really ... I'll do some research !!

 


Click the teeth to submit

Here's an iPod Tip
 

How to Add Podcasts to iTunes

It’s easy to add podcasts to iTunes. You can add podcasts to your iTunes library by subscribing to them in the iTunes Store or by subscribing to them directly from Web sites that host them. Similar to a tape of a radio broadcast, you can save and play a podcast at your convenience — both in iTunes on your computer and on your iPod.

A podcast can be anything from a single song or video to a radio or TV show. Audio podcasts are saved in the MP3 format and may be used with any media player, device, or application that supports MP3, including your iPod. Video podcasts are saved in the QuickTime (.mov) format or the Moving Pictures Expert Group (MPEG-4) formats, including the standard .mp4 format and the Apple TV .m4v format, which can be used with iPods (that play video), Apple TV, and many other video players.

The podcast producer uses Real Simple Syndication (RSS) technology — the same technology used to distribute blogs and news feeds across the Internet — to publish the podcast. RSS feeds are typically linked to an RSS or an eXtensible Markup Language (XML; the language of RSS) button. With a feed reader, aggregator application, or browser plug-in, you can automatically check RSS-enabled Web pages and display updated stories and podcasts. RSS version 2, the most popular version for podcasting, is supported directly by some Web browsers.

With iTunes, you can play a podcast, incorporate it into playlists, make copies, and burn it onto CD as much as you like. If you don’t like the podcast, simply delete it from your iTunes library and update your iPod to delete it from your iPod.

Microsoft Releases Free Beta For Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor

Microsoft on Thursday released the beta of a free app that helps users determine whether their PC is powerful enough to run the upcoming Windows 7 operating system.

The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor gives a user's PC a pass/fail grade in four areas and checks to see whether there are any compatibility problems with hardware devices such as mice or printers or with applications.

The Advisor, which is available for download, requires PCs running Windows XP SP2 (with .Net 2.0), Vista or release candidate versions of Windows 7.

It tests whether users' PCs meet the minimum requirements of:

  • A 1-GHz CPU
  • 1 GB of RAM for a 32-bit Windows 7 and 2 GB for 64-bit Windows 7
  • 16 GB free space for 32-bit Windows 7 (20 GB for 64-bit)
  • and a graphics card/chip powerful enough to run the Windows Aero graphical user interface.

Microsoft says users should plug in all of the external devices that they want to check for Windows 7 compatibility.

Unlike the Vista Upgrade Advisor, the Windows 7 Advisor does not recommend a specific version of Windows 7 to users based on the results of the scan. Windows 7 comes in six versions in the U.S., though Microsoft is emphasizing two main ones: Home Premium for consumers and Professional for companies.

The Advisor also does not tell users whether their computer can handle Windows 7's new XP Mode.

That compatibility feature requires PCs equipped with hardware virtualization. Intel Corp. and AMD Inc. slowly began releasing CPUs equipped with hardware virtualization more than three years ago. But some PCs shipping today, including many netbooks, lack either Intel VT or AMD-V.

Users wanting to check compatibility with XP Mode can download a free third-party utility called Securable.

Intel users can download a different free utility, while AMD users can download yet another one.

XP users whose PCs pass can buy upgrades to Windows 7, though they will still need to do a clean install of Windows 7. Vista users can buy and do an in-place upgrade to 7 that does not require a clean install. Generally, any PC that can run Vista should be able to run Windows 7, too, according to Microsoft.

Indeed, pre-release versions of Windows 7 have been widely praised for running faster and requiring less powerful hardware than Vista.

However, one test by PC World this week concluded that the overall improvement will be barely noticeable to most users.

 

Have A Question? Why Not "Byte" Me?
You know my motto ...
"If I don't know the answer I'll make something up!"
Not really ... I'll do some research !!

 


Click the teeth to submit

 

Opera Turns 15

Top 15 reasons to use Opera

  1. Tomorrow’s browser today
    Speed Dial, Page Zoom, Synchronize, tabs above Address Bar and many more. Opera’s features are often emulated by other browsers. Read below to see why we are often called the Research & Development center of the browser industry.
  2. Instant navigation
    With Mouse Gestures and extensive keyboard shortcuts, you will never need to click the back button again.
  3. It is FAST
    Opera invented fast browsing. We were fast before the other guys were even born. From day one speed has been a prime focus, something that is visible to anyone using Opera. This is not just about tests, but real life.
  4. Super safe
    An outstanding security record (according to Secunia) in addition to the included fraud and malware protection.
  5. Synchronize your life
    With Opera Link your PC, Mac and mobile browsers are all synced with bookmarks, notes and more.
  6. Tabbed browsing master
    Opera is the pioneer of tabbed browsing with features like undo closed tab and rearrange tab order.
  7. Speed Dial
    Another first from Opera--access your favorite Web sites with a thumbnail quick-dial. Opera lets YOU decide which sites should be there, unlike other browsers.
  8. Save tabs for later
    With sessions you can save different tabs for opening at another time.
  9. Zoom in & out
    Opera introduced this feature where you can zoom into Web pages to read small fonts and get a closer look at image details without straining your eyes.
  10. Fill forms & passwords
    With the Wand, you never have to retype your information.
  11. Unique & customizable
    Opera’s uniqueness lies in its personality and tradition which is obvious every time you use it. At the same time, you can customize it with hundreds of skins and configuration options.
  12. Look nowhere else
    Read your RSS feeds, download BitTorrent files and access your email--all from the browser.
  13. Opera runs on all (even older) hardware
    Opera believes that even your old computer deserves to continue being in use longer. Our goal is to run on up to 10 year old computers and on real world networks. Thus you will notice a significantly faster browsing experience on your old computer on a slow network, and Opera Turbo now makes it even faster.
  14. The Opera community
    More than 2 million members of the most helpful, fun and passionate community anywhere.
  15. It’s FREE!

 

 
 

Dave's Cool Download of the Month 

 

Easeus Partition Manager

EASEUS Partition Master 3.5 Home Edition is an excellent partition management freeware. With its help, you can resize, move, copy, create, convert, explore, delete and format partitions quickly and safely! The most attractive feature is it can resize/move partition without destroying data. This free partition software works perfectly with hardware RAID and Windows 2000/XP/Vista Operating Systems.
It not only provides convenient user-interface to simplify your job but also enables you to configure and manage partitions of hard drives. Converting File System from FAT to NTFS and exploring FAT/NTFS partition are available now. In addition, Disk & Partition copy is designed for protecting your data.
Main functions of EASEUS Partition Master 3.5 Home Edition:
Resize/ Move partition Disk & Partition Copy to protect data.
Support hardware RAID
Create & Format partition Delete/ (delete all) partition
Convert file system from FAT to NTFS
Explore partition before any operation.
Label partition
View Disk/Partition property
Set Active Hide/Unhide partition
Up to 1.5TB disk supported

 

 

Here's A Windows Tip

Customize the Start Menu

You customize the Start menu to make it show the items you use frequently. You can customize your Start menu to add a favorite program’s icon or to purge an unwanted icon. Follow these steps to customize the Start menu:

  • To add a favorite program’s icon to the Start button’s menu, right-click the program’s icon and choose Pin to Start Menu from the pop-up menu. Windows copies that icon to your Start menu’s left column. (From there, you may drag it to the All Programs area, if you want.)

  • To purge unwanted icons from the Start menu’s left column, right-click them and choose either Unpin from Start Menu or Remove from This List. (Removing an icon from the Start menu doesn’t remove the actual program from your computer; it just removes one of many push buttons that launch it.)

When you install a program, the program almost always adds itself to the Start menu automatically. Then the program boldly announces its presence, as shown in the following figure, by displaying its name with a different background color.

 

Have A Question? Why Not "Byte" Me?
You know my motto ...
"If I don't know the answer I'll make something up!"
Not really ... I'll do some research !!

 


Click the teeth to submit

While Wandering The Web

 

Do you remember the first time you opened an issue of Playboy? I might have been 14 and it was a breathtaking experience. Now you can relive those days with Playboy's archives -- every issue and every page, all on a searchable site. The viewer makes scrolling and zooming in a pleasure. Make sure you browse some of the early ads and interviews. (Important note: You'll need to download and install Microsoft's free Silverlight in order to view the site; Like Adobe's Flash, Silverlight is a valuable browser accessory to have on your PC

 

                Click: We Didn't Start The Fire ..... watch & remember.. it's a good one

 

                               Thanks to Billy Joel and some guy from the University of Chicago with a lot of spare time and Google.

 

Here's An Internet Tip

Reloading Web Pages

When your browser retrieves a page you have asked to see, it stores the page on your computer. If you ask for the same page again five minutes later, the program doesn't have to retrieve the page again -- it can reuse the copy it already has. The space your browser uses to store pages is called its cache (pronounced "cash").

 

Some of us hardly ever exit from our browsers, which is probably not a good idea for our long-term mental stability. If you are one of us, however, remember that the pages your browser has cached aren't normally reloaded from the Web (they're taken from your disk) until you reload them.

 

If you want to make sure that you're getting fresh pages, reload pages that you think may have changed since you last visited. Your browser is supposed to check whether a saved page has changed, but because the check sometimes doesn't work perfectly, an occasional Reload or Refresh command for pages that change frequently, such as stock prices or the weather report, is advisable.

 

Click the Reload or Refresh button on your browser's toolbar, or press Ctrl+R.

Bumper Sticker

 

Pause For Thought

 


Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die .....your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck

                     --  George Carlin


 

 

 

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Last Updated
05/09/2009