Robot wheelchair finds its own way

MIT invention responds to user's spoken commands

MIT researchers are developing a new kind of autonomous wheelchair that can learn all about the locations in a given building, and then take its occupant to a given place in response to a verbal command.

Just by saying "take me to the cafeteria" or "go to my room," the wheelchair user would be able to avoid the need for controlling every twist and turn of the route and could simply sit back and relax as the chair moves from one place to another based on a map stored in its memory.

"It's a system that can learn and adapt to the user," says Nicholas Roy, assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics and co-developer of the wheelchair. "People have different preferences and different ways of referring" to places and objects, he says, and the aim is to have each wheelchair personalized for its user and the user's environment.

Unlike other attempts to program wheelchairs or other mobile devices, which rely on an intensive process of manually capturing a detailed map of a building, the MIT system can learn about its environment in much the same way as a person would: By being taken around once on a guided tour, with important places identified along the way. For example, as the wheelchair is pushed around a nursing home for the first time, the patient or a caregiver would say: "this is my room" or "here we are in the foyer" or "nurse's station."

Also collaborating on the project are Bryan Reimer, a research scientist at MIT's AgeLab, and Seth Teller, professor of computer science and engineering and head of the Robotics, Vision, and Sensor Networks (RVSN) group at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). Teller says the RVSN group is developing a variety of machines, of various sizes, that can have situational awareness, that is, that can "learn these mental maps, in order to help people do what they want to do, or do it for them." Besides the wheelchair, the devices range in scale from a location-aware cellphone all the way up to an industrial forklift that can transport large loads from place to place outdoors, autonomously.

Outdoors in the open, such systems can rely on GPS receivers to figure out where they are, but inside buildings that method usually doesn't work, so other approaches are needed. Roy and Teller have been exploring the use of WiFi signals, as well as wide-field cameras and laser rangefinders, coupled to computer systems that can construct and localize within an internal map of the environment as they move around.

"I'm interested in having robots build and maintain a high-fidelity model of the world," says Teller, whose central research focus is developing machines that have situational awareness.

For now, the wheelchair prototype relies on a WiFi system to make its maps and then navigate through them, which requires setting up a network of WiFi nodes around the facility in advance. After months of preliminary tests on campus, they have begun trials in a real nursing home environment with real patients, at the Boston Home in Dorchester, a facility where all of the nearly 100 patients have partial or substantial loss of muscle control and use wheelchairs.

As the research progresses, Roy says he'd like to add a collision-avoidance system using detectors to prevent the chair from bumping into other wheelchairs, walls or other obstacles. In addition,Teller says he hopes to add mechanical arms to the chairs, to aid the patients further by picking up and manipulating objects -- everything from flipping a light switch to picking up a cup and bringing it to the person's lips.

The research has been funded by Nokia and Microsoft.

MIT research bringing 'smart bikes' to Denmark

Project aims to match sustainability, interactivity

MIT researchers unveiled a major new project on Oct. 10 in Copenhagen aimed at transforming bicycle use in Denmark's largest city, promoting urban sustainability and building new connections between the city's cyclists.

The project, called SmartBiking, will utilize a novel self-organizing smart-tag system that will allow the city's residents to exchange basic information and share their relative positioning with each other. The project will be implemented citywide in time for the November 2009 U.N. Climate Change Conference, which Copenhagen will host.

"One of the most striking aspects of Copenhagen is that it is already a very sustainable city," said Carlo Ratti, Director of MIT's SENSEable City Lab, which is overseeing the Smart Biking project. "A considerable fraction of its energy comes from renewable sources and, unlike a few decades ago, 30 to 40 percent of its citizens use bicycles as their primary method of transportation.

"So our challenge was, 'How can we enhance these dynamics of sustainability? And how can we use technology to make them more widespread?'"

Beyond encouraging Copenhagen's citizens to ride more often, the program aims to help them interact as well.

"We have developed a Facebook application called 'I crossed your path,' which creates a social network for cyclists, allowing them to link up with people they may have ridden past during the day and potentially establish new connections," explained Christine Outram, the principal research assistant on the project.

The smart tags will also allow individuals to monitor the distance they travel while cycling as part of a citywide "green mileage" initiative, which is similar to a frequent-flyer program.

What will the reward for green miles be? "A year of free Muesli," mused SENSEable City Lab's Associate Director Assaf Biderman. "The very act of sharing this information and showing individuals the environmental impact of their actions could be very powerful. Research has shown that behavioral change is one of the most powerful forces to tackle climate change and the reduction of carbon emissions."

Ultimately, fine-grained monitoring of urban activities could allow cities such as Copenhagen to enter carbon-trading schemes. Cities could obtain funding for sustainable city services in exchange for their efforts to cut carbon dioxide emissions. The impact could be considerable, as cities account for approximately half of the world population, but are responsible for a much larger share of carbon emissions.

Finally, as part of the project, a prototype of a smart bicycle is being developed in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab's Smart Cities Group at the MIT Media Lab, directed by William J. Mitchell, the Alexander W Dreyfoos (1954) Professor of Architecture and Media Arts and Sciences. This hybrid bicycle uses a regenerative motor to harvest the energy created when braking and release it while cycling, in a manner similar to hybrid cars. Everything, including the battery, is packed in the rear wheel, which becomes a self-contained element that could be retrofitted on most existing bicycles.

The Smart Biking Project is developed by the SENSEable City Laboratory, an MIT research group focused on technology and urban planning that is a part of the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, together with the MIT Design Lab. In addition to professors Ratti and Mitchell, the team comprises Assaf Biderman, Francesco Calabrese, Michael Lin, Mauro Martino and Outram.

Google-Yahoo ad deal off, Microsoft in the wings?

The Google-Yahoo advertising deal that was a relic of Yahoo’s defense against a Microsoft takeover has been abandoned because of an inability to satisfy the concerns of US regulators:

Google Inc. has scrapped its Internet advertising partnership with struggling rival Yahoo Inc., abandoning attempts to overcome the objections of antitrust regulators and customers who believed the alliance would give Google too much power over online commerce.

The retreat announced Wednesday represented another setback for Yahoo, which had been counting on the Google deal to boost its annual revenue by $800 million and placate shareholders still incensed by management’s decision to reject a $47.5 billion takeover bid from Microsoft Corp. six months ago.

Google backed off after the U.S. Justice Department said it would sue to block the Yahoo deal to preserve competition in the Internet’s rapidly growing advertising market.

“The arrangement likely would have denied consumers the benefits of competition — lower prices, better service and greater innovation,” said Thomas Barnett, an assistant attorney general who oversees the Justice Department’s antitrust division.

Without Google’s help, Yahoo now may feel more pressure to renew talks with Microsoft and ultimately sell for a price well below the $33 per share that Microsoft offered in May. Yahoo shares traded Wednesday morning at just $14.05, gaining 70 cents in a move reflecting investor hopes that Microsoft might renew its pursuit.

So will Microsoft try again at a much lower price? There are a lot of good buys in today’s depressed stock market, but is Yahoo one of them?

Cell phones—The new cigarettes? (3)

Robot surveillance dragonfly takes flight
Researchers at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands earlier this week unveiled a small, remote-controlled aircraft weighing just 0.11 ounce (3.1 grams) and with a four-inch (10-centimeter) wingspan—just large enough to accommodate an onboard camera. The DelFly "micro air vehicle," which flaps its wings and looks like a dragonfly, can fly for about three minutes at a speed of 16.4 feet (five meters) per second. The team hopes the DelFly Micro—Delft's third-generation robot flyer (after the 0.81-ounce, or 23-gram, DelFly I in 2005 and the 0.56-ounce, or 16-gram, DelFly II a year later) will capture images from nooks and crannies that bigger cameras cannot reach. The DelFly II's camera transmits TV-quality images, allowing it to be operated from a computer using a joystick and giving the person controlling the mechanical insect the feeling of being inside the cockpit of a miniature aircraft. The researchers are hoping to further develop the DelFly Micro's camera so that it can be used the same way. They are also working to give it DelFly II's ability to hover (like a hummingbird) and fly backward. Next on the agenda: the DelFly NaNo, projected to weigh a single gram and have a two-inch (five-centimeter) wingspan. In addition to making ever-smaller robots, the researchers want to add image-recognition software that will let the DelFlys zoom on their own without getting tangled in a tree or crashing into a wall.

Lime-aid: Acid oceans, warming globe? Just add lime
By adding lime to seawater, scientists hope to slow or even reverse some of the worst effects of climate change by cutting the acid in oceans caused by the excess carbon dioxide released by an industrialized world. When the world's seas—which absorb the greenhouse gas—become acidic, coral and other shelled sea life suffers. But by adding lime (derived from the stone formed from billions of dead coral), the acid is neutralized and even more CO2 can be absorbed without upsetting marine denizens—or so goes the theory. First proposed in the 1990s by ExxonMobil, the plan was dismissed because of the hundreds of millions of dollars in energy costs, along with the CO2 that would have been emitted in the process of making and transporting the lime. But researchers backed by another oil giant—Shell—now believe they can get over those hurdles by producing the lime in areas that are rich in limestone and have readily available cheap electricity, such as solar. "There are many such places," says management consultant Tim Kruger, the brains behind this renewed idea. "For example, Australia's Nullarbor Plain would be a prime location for this process, as it has [2,400 cubic miles] 10,000 cubic kilometers of limestone and soaks up roughly 20 megajoules per meter squared of solar irradiation every day." Of course, that wouldn't even put a dent in the 7.7 billion tons (7 billion metric tons) of greenhouse gases that the U.S. alone emits. And no one knows what the other consequences of adding that much lime to the ocean might be.

Back to the Future?: 14-million-year-old fossil reveals a warmer Antarctic
Was the Antarctic once a balmy place? Researchers report in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B that a fossil of a tiny crustacean offers proof that it had a relatively toasty clime as recently as 14 million years ago. The rocks in eastern Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys region yielded the fossil of an ostracod—a shrimplike crustacean that lived in an ancient lake. The tiny crustaceans need liquid water to survive—unavailable in today's Antarctic where temperatures average –13 degrees Fahrenheit (–25 degrees Celsius), but possible eons ago when the climate there was more like Alaska's. The living progeny of the ancient critter don't get any closer to Antarctica than the surrounding seas, but the fossil indicates that the bone-dry landscape, often compared to that of Mars, once was warm enough to have liquid water. What it doesn't reveal is what caused the shift to a colder climate, a process that may be reversing itself at present.

E-squire? Men's mag cover to feature electronic ink news ticker
Esquire magazine plans to give its readers both the written—and digital—word in its October issue, which will feature so-called electronic ink. E Ink, the company that supplies the technology for Amazon's popular Kindle and the Sony Reader e-books, is behind the devices—paperlike display cells that will allow black-and-white words and images to crawl news ticker–style across the cover. A tiny battery will power the display for about 90 days before it runs out of juice. (The issue will also include a foldout ad on the back cover that will also use electronic ink.) Only 100,000 issues of the mag (circulation: 720,000) will feature the snazzy technology; these coveted few will be delivered via refrigerated vehicles designed to preserve the batteries. Esquire editor David Granger told The New York Times that he wants to shake up the world of magazines, which have looked basically the same for the past 150 years. He hopes that in several years the budding technology will have advanced enough that this first attempt will look like "cell phones did in 1982."

Cell phones—The new cigarettes? (2)

Climatic Conundrum: Could wildfires chill the warming Arctic?
Alaskan residents who watched as wildfires claimed a record 10,000 square miles (25,900 square kilometers) of land in 2004 may take cold comfort in the fact that the choking smoke endured during wildfire season could blunt some of the effects of global warming. Researchers from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) analyzed the short-term climatic impact of smoke from wildfires that swept Alaska and western Canada in 2004, burning 22,000 square miles (57,000 square kilometers) in total. They report in the Journal of Geophysical Research that the billowing clouds may have a cooling effect on the Arctic, where dwindling ice sheets have researchers worried about the potential for sudden climate changes to come. They say that smoke carried north on the wind absorbs some of the sun's rays and perhaps lessens the impact of global warming for weeks or months at a time, to a degree that depends on the soot's thickness, the sun's elevation and the brightness of the ice or water surface. They note signs that the 2004 wildfires had atmospheric effects as far north as Greenland and the islands above Norway and down south to the Gulf of Mexico. The only hitch: Particles that land on snow or ice might actually cause it to melt faster. Still, , NOAA says, it is possiblethe Arctic might benefit if wildfires intensified—a distinct possibility as global warming leads to drier summers up north.
http://climate.gi.alaska.edu/News/Fire04.html

Meet Makemake, the fourth dwarf planet
Astronomers have upgraded a distant body discovered in 2005 to the category of dwarf planet, the controversial designation created two years ago by the Paris-based International Astronomical Union (IAU) to deal with planetlike bodies far out in the solar system. The IAU decided at a meeting last week that the object formerly known as 2005 FY9 (or unofficially, "easterbunny") will henceforth be known as Makemake (pronounced MAH-kee MAH-kee) for the Easter Island Polynesian god of fertility and creator of humanity. That makes it the fourth dwarf planet, joining Ceres, Eris and Pluto, and the third "plutoid," or dwarf planet beyond Neptune. (Ceres resides in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.) Slightly smaller than Pluto and nearly as bright, reddish Makemake is one of the largest transneptunian objects in the solar system. Its discovery, along with that of Eris and similar specimens, precipitated the IAU's decision to create a separate category for round objects in the solar system that have not swept clear their regions of competing debris. This new criterion robbed Pluto of its prior status as a planet.

Not lost in space: NASA plans GPS-like system for return to the moon
NASA has coughed up $1.2 million for a navigation system that will help astronauts find their way around the lunar surface when they return in 2020. The Lunar Astronaut Spatial Orientation and Information System (LASOIS) is designed to function much the same way as a global positioning system (GPS). The major difference: the moon version will rely on signals from lunar beacons, stereo cameras and orbital imaging sensors instead of from GPS satellites to map coordinates. A group of The Ohio State University (O.S.U.) researchers are working with NASA Glenn Research Center, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, to develop the LASOIS. This is old hat for Ron Li, an O.S.U. professor of civil and environmental engineering and geodetic science heading up the project, who was part of a team that developed software that helps NASA scientists guide the Spirit and Opportunity rovers as they roam the Martian landscape. NASA mapped portions of Mars by comparing images taken by a high-resolution imaging science experiment (HiRISE) camera onboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter with those snapped by Spirit and Opportunity on the Red Planet's surface. Li explained how the system works this week during a conference held at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif.: Images taken from space will be combined with surface shots to create maps of lunar terrain; motion sensors on lunar vehicles and clipped onto the astronauts' spacesuits will help computers pinpoint their locations; signals from lunar beacons, the lunar lander and base stations will give astronauts a picture of their surroundings similar to what drivers see when using a GPS device on Earth.

Cell phones—The new cigarettes? (1)

There has been a raging debate over whether cell phones—or more specifically electromagnetic radiation that they emit—up a person's cancer risk. The latest chapter: Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, this week warned consumers to limit exposure to cell phone radiation—and alerted parents to beware of possible effects on their kids' developing brains. Although the evidence remains controversial, he is convinced that the radiation poses a risk to human health. As he pointed out, a number of countries, including France, Germany and India, have already issued such warnings to their citizens. Herberman outlined 10 ways to reduce exposure. Among them: reduce cell phone use, use a hands-free earpiece, switch ears while chatting to limit radiation concentration in one spot, and avoid using mobile phones in public places to limit second-hand radiation. In particular, he cautions parents about the possible effects of cell phone radiation on children. He indicates that kids should only be allowed to use these devices in cases of emergency, as their developing brains are more likely to be susceptible to possible side effects. He said recent studies indicate that "living tissue is vulnerable to electromagnetic fields within the frequency bands used by cell phones." Worried? Perhaps you should be. But that doesn't mean you should hang up altogether, Herberman says. As he noted in his memo: "Our society will no longer do without cell phones." But he says there's enough biological data to indicate that consumers should take precautions. Herberman also called on the cell phone industry to improve current technologies to limit radiation risks. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not respond to requests for comment, but the agency says on its Web site that no clear link exists between cell phone usage and cancer. Soy vey! Does eating tofu lower sperm count?
Do real men eat soy? Perhaps. But if they want to become fathers, they may want to limit their tofu intake. A new study shows that downing soy products may lower sperm count. The reason, according to the research published in the journal Human Reproduction (pdf): soy beans contain high amounts of phytoestrogens, organic compounds that mimic the female hormone estrogen in the human body and, in animal studies, have been shown to reduce testosterone levels. Lead study author Jorge Chavarro, a research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, and his colleagues found that men who ate at least half a serving a day of soy had, on average, 34 million fewer sperm per milliliter than those who skipped it. But Chavarro doesn't recommend you give up the soy burgers—at least not yet. He notes that the study was limited (99 men) and that more research is needed to prove that tofu actually reduces male fertility.

Found: FDA officials link salmonella outbreak to Mexican-grown jalapeño
Forget tomatoes. At least for now. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a direct link to hot peppers as a culprit in the salmonella poisoning that has sickened 1,250 people in the U.S. and Canada since April. FDA investigators announced Monday that they found a strain of salmonella that matched the one in victims in a single jalapeño pepper grown in Mexico. The contaminated pepper was uncovered at the Argricola Zaragoza, Inc., packaging facility in McAllen, Tex., a town near the border. The firm has recalled all jalapeños distributed since June 30. The product is known to have shipped to customers in Georgia and Texas. Still unknown: whether the pepper was contaminated on the farm where it was grown, in the packaging facility or while it was being transported from one to the other. FDA officials say that tomatoes were not necessarily blameless in the salmonella outbreak, which landed some 200 people in the hospital. But they insist they are okay to eat now. Jalapeños, however, are still a no-no. The FDA yesterday warned people to steer clear of raw jalapeños. (It says that the elderly, infants and people with compromised immune systems should also avoid closely related serrano peppers.) FDA investigators plan to retrace the route of the tainted jalapeños from the packing plant back to the farm in Mexico where they were grown, to determine the contamination point. They also plan to check out distributors of peppers packaged at the Texas plant to determine if they played a role in the salmonella outbreak.

How to "Tune Up" Your Windows Based Computer

This editorial contains simple procedures for optimizing the performance of your Windows 95, 98, 98SE and ME based computer. These simple tricks of the trade will open up system resources for programs so that your programs will start faster run smoother and be a little more reliable. These procedures are not difficult and only require a minimal amount of computer savvy to accomplish.

Cleaning Out the StartUp Folder
If you are running Windows 98, 98SE or ME this is a very simple procedure to gain back system resources lost to programs that automatically "StartUp" when Windows boots up. This procedure will not remove the programs from the computer but will keep them from automatically starting so you can use them when they are needed but they will not be running all the time in the background taking up valuable resources that could be used for programs that you wish to run right now.

Using Windows 98, 98SE and ME simply click on the "Start" button and then choose "Programs". Find the Folder titled "StartUp" and double click on it to open it in a window. All the icons you see here are merely shortcuts to the actual programs. Highlight the icon you wish to remove by right clicking on it (all can be safely removed without any problems). Choose "delete" from the drop down menu that appears. That's all there is to this procedure. If you are using Windows 95 you will have to open the "Taskbar Properties" window. To get maximum efficiency from your computer it is recommended to remove all icons from the StartUp folder.

For Windows 95 users, right click on the Start bar (not the Start button but a blank space on the bar next to it). Choose properties from the drop down menu that appears. You now have a window open that is titled "Taskbar Properties". There are two tabs at the top of this window labeled "Taskbar Options" and "Start Menu Programs". Click on "Start Menu Programs" and you will then see a list of folders that appear on your "Programs" menu when you click the Start button. Find the folder labeled "StartUp" and click the + next to it to open the list of shortcuts inside it. Click on a shortcut you wish to remove so that it is highlighted and then click remove at the bottom right of the window. You will have to repeat this procedure for all the programs you wish to remove from the StartUp folder.

Locking Down the Swap File and Defraging
Windows operating systems all use virtual memory or a Swap File located on the hard disk to help run programs and for basic operating system tasks. By default, Windows will set the swap file on the C: drive and allocate a minimum of "0" MB and a Maximum of "No Maximum", which means Windows will use any and all empty areas of the hard disk to store the swap file. This can hinder performance of your computer when the swap file becomes fragmented among all the other files on the hard drive. Locking down the swap file to a set size will keep it located in one area and help to keep it from becoming fragmented among other files on the drive.

To lock down your swap file, right click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop and choose properties from the drop down menu that appears. This opens a window titled "System Properties". There are four tabs at the top of the window. The fourth (last) one to the right is labeled "Performance", click on this tab. At the bottom of the window you will now see three buttons, the one to the right is labeled "Virtual Memory", click on this button. You will get a new window titled "Virtual Memory" and the first paragraph will warn you that these settings can adversely affect system performance and should be adjusted by advanced users. Don't let this discourage you, you're almost done.

Note: If you follow these instructions you will have no problems and will have better performance.

By default, Windows is managing the swap file but if you click the radio button that says "Let me specify my own virtual memory settings", you can change the amount of disk space used by the swap file. If you have plenty of space on the C: drive, set the settings to "Minimum 256" and "Maximum 256". This will keep the swap file the same size so it won't fluctuate and keep it in a specific location on the hard drive so it won't intermix with other files. Do not disable virtual memory or Windows will crash and cause you many headaches. Now click "OK" and Windows will prompt you asking you to confirm virtual memory settings and ask, "Are you sure you want to continue?" Click "Yes". When you close the window, Windows will ask you if you want to reboot, choose yes. That's all for this procedure.

Defraging
The way your computer writes information to the hard disk is in bits and pieces. It will write the information in any free space available. This is also how it writes information in the swap file. Therefor a file can be written in fragments anywhere there is an empty space and virtually take up more room than it actually needs. By defragmenting the hard disk at regular intervals you will keep the file system in order and help the computer run to it's optimal performance. To defrag your hard drive, simply click the "Start" button and choose "Run". In the blank field type "defrag" and hit the enter key. Defrag will start and ask which drive you wish to defrag. Choose C: first and if you have more than one hard drive or more than one partiton, you can defrag the others when C is finished. Click "OK" to start defraging. This procedure may take a while to complete if you have a large hard drive or a slow processor. Be patient and let the operation finish before doing any other tasks.

Setting the Primary Role of Your Computer
Most people are using their computer at home for simple internet access, games, music and word processing. Some may even use personal finance software or data base programs but most people do not think of their computer as a server. The primary role of your computer may be a desktop PC but when this is the setting in Windows your computer uses resources a little more freely than if your primary role is set to a network server. When the primary role is set to "Network Server" your computer uses less resources and uses them in a stricter fashion. This opens up resources for your programs to use and consequently runs them better.

To set the primary role of your computer, right click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop and choose properties from the drop down menu that appears. This opens a window titled "System Properties". There are four tabs at the top of the window. The fourth (last) one to the right is labeled "Performance", click on this tab. At the bottom of the window you will now see three buttons, the one to the left is labeled "File System". Click on the "File System" button and simply scroll the choices down or up until you see "Network Server" and choose this option. Under this you will see the control for "Read-ahead optimization", make sure this is set to "Full". Click "OK" and then click "OK" again on the previous window. Windows will now prompt you to reboot, go ahead and reboot. That's all for this procedure.

Doing only one of these procedure will not improve your performance that much, and may not even be noticeable but if you do all three you will see a significant system performance increase of about 6 to 8% in speed and programs will start faster and run smoother. You only have to do these procedure once unless you upgrade your operating system or format your hard drive. The only exception is defraging. Defraging should be done at least every week to keep your hard drive in top condition.

There are many more ways to help get the most out of your PC but this editorial is intended for people who may not have a lot of computer savvy or money to spend on utility software but wish to optimize their computing experience. I wanted to keep this as simple as possible so that anyone could take advantage of these procedures to increase their computers performance.

Disable or Enable Auto run CD in Windows XP Tips

In windows XP you can enjoy a good feature to run CD or DVD automatically when you loaded it into you CD drives on your computer. This is a defaults feature in windows XP but you can disable and enable it according to your nature of work. In user interface mode there is no option to disable or enable this feature, you must edit the registry of windows and be careful to work registry.

Click Start button then type regedit in Run option then press Enter for next.

Here locate the location to:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\Cdrom

Here you can disable or enable automatically running your CD. Change the value of Autorun to 0 for disable and change the value to 1 for enable. At the end restart your computer for this change.

USB

USB 2.0 - Hi-Speed USB - FAQ


What is USB 2.0?
USB 2.0 is a complete overhaul to the Universal Serial Bus input/output bus protocol which allows much higher speeds than the older USB 1.1 standard did.

USB 1.1 allowed a maximum transfer rate of 12Mbits/second. That rate is now called 'USB.' Though some manufacturers label their products Full-Speed USB. Note that this seems a bit deceptive. Its easy to mistake Full-Speed for Hi-Speed.

As an aside, USB mice and keyboards need only 1.5Mbits/s to function. That performance level is also named 'USB' by the USB Promoter Group.

To sum it up, USB 2.0 specification incorporates three speeds: Hi-Speed, Full-Speed and Low-Speed. You as a consumer don't need to figure out all the jargons. Just keep in mind that only 'Hi-Speed USB' and 'USB' host and devices exist.

How do I know if my PC has USB 2.0?
You can identify whether your PC has Hi-Speed or not relatively easy. Open Device Manager and expand the Universal Serial Bus section. There should be an "Enhanced" USB host controller present.

Windows 98 systems may use a different name, because Hi-Speed USB drivers in these operating systems are not provided directly from Microsoft (Windows ME, 2000 and XP get their drivers through Windows Update).

These drivers are provided by the manufacturer, and may carry the maker's name (i.e. ADS, Belkin, IOGear, Siig, etc.). There should also be two standard version USB host controllers present as well. They are embedded in the USB chip which routes the differing USB speeds accordingly without user intervention.

There are currently 6 manufacturers of the Hi-Speed USB host silicon themselves:

• ALi (Acer Labs)
  

• Intel
  

• NEC
  

• SiS
  

• VIA
  

• nVidia (shows as "Standard" controller
  

Any other brand name that appears in Device Manager would likely be an add-in Hi-Speed USB PCI card. The makers above do not make add-in cards, but they do make the chips that are used in them.

How do troubleshoot "unknown device" error listed in Device Manager?

• The USB device or the USB adapter requires its own power source. If your USB device or adapter came with an AC power "brick", try connecting it.
  

• Here's a likely one - the front USB ports on your PC case may be misconnected. I've seen them that way from the factory. It's a good idea to check the connections against specifications. The standard order of connection is Red, White, Green, and Black. No more than 4 wires per USB bank are needed.
  

• Defective device. Do not assume that all PC components work correctly out of the box. I've seen many new USB devices that do not work. If you can, try the device on another PC.
  

• All drivers are not installed. Some devices will require installing the driver package before plugging in the device. Some devices will also require basic USB files from the Windows CD before the unit will function. The general rule is to always follow installation directions precisely and to have the Windows CD ready.
  

How fast is USB 2.0?
USB 2.0 has a raw data rate at 480Mbps, and it is rated 40 times faster than its predecessor interface, USB 1.1, which tops at 12Mbps. Originally, USB 2.0 was intended to go only as fast as 240Mbps.

How will consumers benefit from USB 2.0?
With speed 40 times more than that of USB 1.1, USB 2.0 broaden the range of external peripherals that can be used on a computer. Even with multiple high-speed peripherals connected to a USB 2.0 bus, the system will less likely to hit the bandwidth bottleneck. The new specification also inherits the current USB's Plug and Play and hot-swapping capability as well as providing backward compatibility for USB 1.1 hardware, allowing existing user base to upgrade seamlessly.

Do USB 2.0 & USB 1.1 hardware work interchangeably?
You may have heard that USB 2.0 is "backward-compatible" with USB 1.0/1.1 (Full-Speed USB). While that's true, USB 1.1 is also forward-compatible with USB 2.0. Whenever a system has USB 2.0 ports, you'll find the "Enhanced" USB controller in Device Manager, but you will also find two other USB controllers. These two to maintain backward compatibility to USB 1.1 devices. Each USB 2.0 host actually has 3 chips onboard. The USB controller routes signals to the correct controller chip depending on how a device is recognized. Where a device is physically plugged in has no bearing on how it is routed. All ports on a USB 2.0 motherboard can host any USB devices at all as long as the system and devices are healthy.

The vast majority of USB 2.0 devices will work on older PCs and Macs. None should flat-out fail unless there are other issues with the system. Hi-Speed USB devices will revert to Full-Speed operation when connected this way. Understand that Hi-Speed is at least ten times faster than Full-Speed in actual operation, so the speed difference is quite noticeable - unless you have never experienced Hi-Speed, of course.

When it comes to USB hub compatibility between USB 2.0 and USB 1.1, here some facts:

• A powered hub is always preferable to unpowered.
  

• USB hub ports are not as capable or flexible as real PC ports so it's best not to expect the world of them.
  

• USB 1.1 (obsolete) hubs will work fine on USB 2.0 ports, but they cannot utilize USB 2.0 capabilities. They will default to slower speeds.
  

• Hi-Speed and Full/Low-Speed USB devices can coexist nicely on USB 2.0 hubs. Connecting such a hub to a USB 2.0 port is recommended.
  

• USB 2.0 hubs can be used on older USB 1.1 computers.
  

• Although it is said that you can "cascade" up to 4 hubs, problems may start to arise after two hubs, it's best to minimize hub usage if possible.
  

• Many USB devices don't work well on hubs. Cameras, scanners and especially USB drives are known to have problems with hub connectivity.
  

• Remember that "active USB extensions" are really just one-port hubs.
  

Will USB 2.0 replace USB 1.1?
Not entirely, because many products such as generic keyboards, mice, joysticks and audio speakers do not require the faster speed of the new USB 2.0 technologies. Only bandwidth-hungry devices, such as web cams and high-capacity storage systems, will need all the speed. However, next-generation systems will come with USB 2 ports rather than USB 1.1.

How do I distinguish between a USB 2.0 and a USB 1.1 devices? New logos designed by the USB Promoter Group allow consumers to easily identify the new USB 2.0 products. The new colorful logo for USB 2.0 is labeled USB Hi-Speed, and the new logo for USB 1.1 is labeled with USB Basic Speed. However, most people won't miss it as manufacturers often label USB 2.0 READY Or 40 times faster than USB 1.1, on the boxes.

Will USB 1.1 devices run any faster on a USB 2.0 bus?
No. However, the new USB 2.0 archiclecture allows more high-speed USB 1.1 devices, such as web cams, audio devices, to share the bandwidth. Developers need to follow USB 2.0 spec in order to design higher speed peripherals that can take advantage of the extra bandwidth. USB 1.1 devices still operate at 12Mbps at full-speed and 1.5Mbps at low-speed on a USB 2.0 bus. Even though USB 1.1 devices won't run any faster, they can work alongside of USB 2.0 devices on the same bus.

What are USB Hi-Speed and USB Basic Speed logos?
These logos are part of USB Promoter Group's branding program that ensures the quality of USB products. The USB 2.0 certified products would display a blue, white and red logo, bearing the words Certified and Hi-Speed. The classic USB 1.1 certified products would display a black and white logo with the words USB and Certified.

Under a license from USB-IF, products must pass the compliance tests before manufacturers can use one of the two trademarked logos. The Promoter Group will take legal actions on manufacturers that label either logo on their products, which have not passed the tests.

What happen if a USB 2.0 devices are plugged into a USB 1.1 systems?
The entire bus under the USB 1.1 root hub will slow to 12Mbps. The operating system will probably notify the user about the sub-optimal configuration and recommend for a better course of action.

If several USB 1.1 hubs are connected to a USB 2.0 bus, then each of the USB 1.1 hubs will get a full 12Mbps bandwidth.

What is the max? Length of a USB 2.0 cable?
5m. however, if you cascade 5 hubs with 5m USB cables, this will allow you to connect a device 30m away.

What do I need to use a USB 2.0 device?
The requirement is similar to that of USB 1.1, but all components will have to be USB 2.0 compliant. A successful USB 2.0 connection requires a USB 2.0 host controller card, a USB 2.0 driver and a USB 2.0 peripheral.

How much will it cost to upgrade to USB 2.0?
Around $80 to $150. Currently, Orange Micro., Adaptec and IO Gear are shipping USB 2.0 PCI cards, some of which even have FireWire ports. Interestingly, almost all USB 2.0 PCI cards include an internal port, which is probably for connecting internal USB 2.0 IDE enclosure or USB 2.0 front panel.

Will USB 2.0 arrive on mobile computers?
Yes, but not in integrated solution on laptops. You will need a USB 2.0 Card Bus card. Orange Micro. is shipping USB 2.0 compliant 4-port Card Bus card. Eventually, notebook vendors will adapt to USB 2.0 technology, and we will see USB 2.0 ports on laptops. This transition won't happen until 2002 at the earliest.

Which operating systems support USB 2.0?
Microsoft has released the official USB 2.0 driver for Windows XP and Windows 2000. The version is 5.1.2600. The software is available on-line at Windows Update website. (If you don't have a USB 2.0 card installed in your system, Windows Update won't list the USB 2.0 driver as an update.)

The software company is still considering USB 2.0 support for Windows ME, but it already has decided not to bring USB 2.0 to Windows 98 and Windows 98 SE. If you have Windows 98, you will have to rely on 3rd party USB 2.0 support from USB card manufacturer.

Do USB 1.1 cables work with USB 2.0 devices?
Ideally, yes. USB 2.0 architecture uses the same cables and connectors as USB 1.1 compliant products. Unfortunately, only 3 out of 11 cables on the market are certified as USB 1.1 compliant. You may run into the cables that cause problems connecting high-speed peripherals. To avoid negative user experience, most vendors include USB 2.0 compliant cables with their USB 2 PCI cards and peripherals.

Speed up the Start Menu Tips

If you are still working with old or slow computer but don't worry, you can give surprise to your friends with some changing in windows registry. Edit your computer registry keys to speed up your computer start menu, because the default speed of start menu is slow. After these changes your computer start menu will response like latest computer.

Follow the given steps to change the speed of Start Menu.

• First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.
  

• In Registry Editor panel go to the path:
  

HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop \ MenuShowDelay

• By default the value "MenuShowDelay=400", but you can set value between 0 to 400. Now put the value "MenuShowDelay"=0 to speed up.
  

• Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

Safer Registry Editing Tips

Make sure before modifying your system Registry about its backup and you need to know how to organized the registry, how to perform the basic editing, because Registry contains all information how your system runs. This backup will help you to restore Registry in case any problem occurs after modifying. Learn how you can Export and Import Registry File before Editing?

You can backup the whole Registry and only Registry subkeys also.

Click Start Button then type regedit in Run dialog box and click Ok button. Here you can backup the whole Registry or you can locate the required subkeys that contain the information that you want to edit.

Go to File menu option then click on Export option for backup and save it with on any your system drive with .reg extension and you can restore this backup going File menu using import option.

Disable drives in My Computer from unknown user Tips

If you want to prevent any users to access your computer or network shared drives using My Computer then you can hide the all drives for example C:/, D:/ and save your data from any unknown user. But next time you can turn on the display of these drives using registry editor. Now edit the computer registry to turn off the display of drives, but be careful to work with computer registry.

Follow the given steps to hide computer drives:

• First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.
  

• Here locate the location to:
  

HKey_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows

\ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer

• Here right click on right side of Registry editor panel and add new DWORD then put its value 3FFFFFF.
  

• Now close the registry editor and restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.
  

Control all open windows using windows shortcut keys Tips

nA cool tip to minimize and maximize all your active windows programs. You can do all using your mouse, but if you want to do this with keyboard then simply press Windows key+M to minimize all active programs and later maximize it using Windows key+Shift+M.

If you want to minimize the all active windows programs one by one then use the shortcut by pressing Alt+Space+N keys and sequentially maximize the active windows programs using shortcut Alt+Space+X keys.

Change The Recycle Bin's Name Tips

You can change the name of Recycle Bin of your system if you wish. It is very easy and interesting but it require some changes in windows registry,

• First click on Start button > click on Run option.

• Type here regedit.exe and press enter then you will find there regedit editor.

• In regedit editor you will open HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT folder, In this folder open the CLSID folder then open the {645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} folder >ShellFolder folder at last.

• Here simply change the data value from "40 01 00 20" to "70 01 00 20".

After performing all above steps restart your computer then you will find option to rename Recycle name after right clicking on Recycle Bin Icon. Now you can change new name as you wish.

Database Tips

What is database?

A database is a collection of related data stored in an efficient and compact manner. The word “efficient” means that stored data can be accessed very easily and quickly.

Similarly, the word “compact” means that stored data takes up as little space as possible. In the above definition of database, the phrase “related data’ is used. It means that a database contains data or information about a particular topic such as:

• Database of employees that contains data of employees of an organization or department.
  

• Database of students that contains data of students of college or university.
  

A database holds related data as well as description of that data. For this reason, a database is also defined as a self describing collection of integrated records. The description of data is known as the system catalog or data dictionary or metadata. For example when a table of a database is designed, the data type, size, format and other descriptions of fields are specified. This is an example of metadata, which describes the properties of data to be stored into fields of table.

The data of any organization is its integral part. The data is very important for developing new products and their marketing. The data must be accurate and available when needed. This is the reason that all organization must organize and manage their data into database. The databases are used for variety of purposes in as organization. For example, when you purchase goods from your local supermarket, the checkout assistant will pass the purchased product through a scanner device known as bar code reader. This device will read the bar code printed on the product and gives the accurate price of the item. Actually, the bar code reader is accessing the database, which contains the information about the products. The bar code reader is linked to a database application program, which uses the bar code to access price of item. The database program automatically updates the database. The assistant can also check whether a required item is in stock by running the database application program. Similarly, you can purchase goods using your credit card. Your credit is checked by a card reader linked to a computer system. In this case, there is a database somewhere that contains information about your credit. Almost all organizations and government departments of every country in world use database to maintain their records. Some examples of large databases that have been developed around the world are:

• When you draw amount from bank through ATM card, you are accessing the database; your account is accessed and checked through auto teller machine. When you draw some amount from your account, your record in the database is automatically updated immediately.
  

• When you visit your local library, there may be a computerized database containing details of the books in the library. There will be a computerized index, which allows you to find a book based on its title, its author’s name etc.
  

• The meteorological organization contains databases having information about current and previous meteorological data. The meteorological department is totally dependent on the meteorological data.
  

A database may be generated and maintained manually or it may be computerized. The library card catalog is an example of a database that is created and maintained manually. On the other hand, a computerized database may be created and maintained either by using application program, which is developed specifically for that purpose or by a database management systems.

Browsing Your Computer via the Address Toolbar Tips

Here is a very cool tip to open your system drive and web page quickly. You can open any web page without opening browser, windows will automatically open your windows browser and open your web page. you can do this if you put an Address Bar on your Taskbar.


Right click on your system taskbar > go to Toolbars and then click no Address option, here you will see a mark on Address option. After this a Address Bar will appear on your system Taskbar, you can open any web page by typing URL name here and press Enter, Windows will automatically open your web page in be default set browser.

You can also browse files and folders on your computer by using the Address Bar. simply type drive letter like C:\ , D:\ in Address Bar and Press Enter.

C:\

WiMAX

WiMAX Wireless Broadband Info

WiMAX stands for World Interoperability for Microwave Access that enables the actual broadband wireless network with high speed. WiMAX operate same like WiFi but WiFi operate with some limitation like it is base band technology and cover only 100 feet radius with slow speed. WiMAX covers a radius of 50 Km and work with the speed of 70 Mbps. WiMAX is the replacement of the wired broadband. In wired broadband connection, we can transmit data with 512 Kbps to 10 Mbps speed and more, for example DSL broadband and cable broadband. In future all new desktop and notebook computers will be incorporated with WiMAX technology. With this technology you will be connected to the internet even you are driving your car with the speed of 120 Km.

Objective of WiMAX

• Superior Performance

• Flexibility
  

• Advanced IP-Based Architecture
  

• Attractive Economics

IEEE 802.16 Specifications

• Range 30 mile radius from the base station for LOS (line-of-sight).
  

• Range 4-6 miles radius from the base station for NLOS (Non-line-of-sight)
  

• Maximum data speed supported as 70 Mbps.
  

• Licensed frequency band: 2- 11 GHz
  

• Un-licensed frequency band: 10- 66 GHz
  

• Line of sight is not needed between user and the base station unless very high date rates are required at the user premises.
  

Download the youtube videos on harddisk Tips

Using this tip, you can easily download the youtube.com movies and save on your computer hard disk. Actually all videos are saved on youtube in flash video format, so you can simply play these videos on the website and can't save directly to your computer. But there are many tools are available in the market to download these videos on the hard disk, but here you can do this using a website. You can convert also the downloaded videos from youtube into any common video format, for example, windows media video file (wmv), windows video file (avi) and movie file (mpeg).

Follow the given steps to download videos from youtube on your computer:

• First open www.youtube.com then plays any your favorite video.

• For example, you search a video and the URL of that youtube video is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVkUG6XLItc The ID if this search is pVkUG6XLItc after equal sign.

• Now open a website http://youtube.navi-gate.org, now copy and paste above video ID in the search box, and press button ID search.

• The result may be displayed in any different language, but don't worry, just click on download button and save this video on your computer hard disk. Now use any video converter to convert it in any other common format.

Fake Windows Update Email

Well Microsoft believes that the grace period is over and wants everyone to jump on board and get Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed. I know everyone has an opinion on the Service, some good some not so good, but it really is only a matter of time. Do you know anyone without SP1 on his or her XP machine? I hope not.

As you may also know, Microsoft has picked the second Tuesday of the month to run their new security patches. These two issues have really set the stage for a new attack on windows users. Hackers have decided to try and slip one by your defenses with a Phishing/Trojan scam. You may get a spoof emails that link to a bogus Microsoft site where the hackers get you. If successful in their efforts, the ambushed PC will be infected with the TrojDSNX-05, a back door Trojan that attempts to gain control over your system. With control of your system the hacker will more than likely use you (of course unknowingly) as a spam server to mail out huge amounts of spam in your name. If a network PC happens to get infected, then a denial of Service, exploitation of network shares, and further infection are something you may look forward to.

The TrojDSNX-05 is not the newest virus on the block and can be controlled if you have decent anti-virus software that is up-to-date.

Microsoft will never send you an email reminding you to update.

Very similar to the fact that companies will never send you an email asking you to reply with your credit card and account info in order to fix some discrepancy with your account. In fact, if you ever receive any emails that seem "Phishy" to you, try going directly to the company web site (not the link in the email) and see for yourself what's going on.

As far as SP2 goes, if you haven't installed it yet I suggest doing it on your own terms, backup all your important data (pictures of the family, documents, whatever is important) set a system restore point. Go out to the manufacturer's site of your favorite programs and see if there are any known issues, FAQ's, or patches. If so, follow the instructions to properly install any necessary components and follow any necessary procedures in the exact manner in which the instructions describe. After this you should have all your bases covered, and feel comfortable installing SP2.

XP SysKey Trick

If you have Windows XP then I really think you're going to like this week's security tip. Are you in a situation where you really don't want anybody accessing the family PC while you're not around? Maybe you don't want anybody to use your computer at all. Maybe you just want a little tighter control over when and by whom your PC gets used. If any of these situations sounds like yours then read on.

This week's security tip is on the syskey command. The syskey is a command line tool to help you enable your Startup Key. Without getting too techy on you, the Startup key is a complex algorithm that if configured can stop anyone from logging on to your system who doesn't poses the key. No startup screen or user accounts will be available until you present the key, you're basically looking at a black screen with one small lonely window asking for the Startup Key to gain access. The Startup Key, which is a floppy disk with the appropriate key code, simply needs to be inserted into the floppy drive, and activated. This will satisfy the security request and allow you to proceed to the login screen. If you don't have a floppy drive then I'm afraid you might as well stop reading now.

The Startup Key is created when you enable the Startup Key process as described later in this article. One thing you must keep in mind, and is of the utmost importance, you should make at least one copy of this floppy, test it to insure that it works, and put it in a safe place. If you lose this Key you will not be able to log into you Operating System. You may even want to make a third copy to keep off-site. If you do lose your Startup key then your only option is to use a Restore Disk (If you have one) to restore your registry to a state it was prior to the enabling of Startup Key.

OK, if this sounds like a security measure you would like to put into action then follow the directions below. Again, please make at least one copy of this disk so you don't lock yourself out of your system and send me a bunch of hate e-mail. Well, with that said twice I guess it's show time. The directions below will help you get things set up, and below that I have attached a link out to Microsoft's information on this so you can look it over.

CONFIGURING STARTUP KEY:

• Go to Start/Run and in the blank field type "syskey" press enter, or OK.

• You should see a small window titled "Securing the Windows XP Account Database". From this Window select the "Update" button to move to the next window.

• The "Startup Key" is the next window. You'll see a couple of options there, but the one we are looking for says "Startup Key on floppy disk", along with some warning about how your system is going to startup now.

• After selecting this click OK, and a pop-up will alert you that the key has been changed. Another message follows asking you to insert a disk in drive A: (Floppy drive).

• Insert the floppy, click OK, and one more window will come up telling you that the Key has been changed and you need to have this floppy disk in order to log into Windows. That's exactly what we want.

When you're all done go ahead and eject the floppy (you might want to slide the little lock up on the floppy to insure you don't format it on accident), and restart the PC. Windows will appear to come up normally, but after it loads the kernel the "Windows XP Startup Key Disk" window pops-up. Grab your Startup Key floppy put it in the floppy drive, and select OK. You'll see Windows load up and bring you to your user logon screen.

I told you this is a cool trick and really helps lock down you PC. I hope you get some use out of this, but please be careful.

Apply password and compressed feature in windows XP Tips

In windows XP, you can store your data on harddisk using less space than normal size. There is no need to install any third party software to compress or decompress your data, you can use windows built-in data compression or decompression feature to manage disk space issue.

I think many users are worried about the security of their file and folder also, so another benefit of this feature, you can protect your compressed file and folders with password.

Follow the given steps to implement the compression and password feature to mange data:

First double click on "My Computer" and locate the disk where you want to create compressed (zipped) folder. For example, if you want to create this compressed (zipped) folder on C drive, then open C drive.

Here open the "File" menu, go to "New" then click on "Compressed (zipped) Folder" option.

Rename this folder according to data information and press "Enter" button.

Now you can move (drag and drop or copy and paste) your files and folders to this compressed (zipped) folder then compression feature will implement automatically on that data.

When you want to open these compressed files, simple right click on compressed folder and click on Extract All. This extract wizard will automatically extract all these files to location you choose.

Now if you want to protect this compressed folder with password, simply open the compressed folder and go to "File" menu then here click on "Add a Password" option.

A small dialog box will appear with title "Add Password", type password in "Password" box and confirm password also then press Ok button.

Now when you will try to open your compressed files, system will prompt you a dialog box to enter password to open this file.

Email Security Scan Tips

The problem with all the security holes that arise from day to day is that it's hard to keep up. "Am I protected?" you wonder, "I update constantly, I scrutinize all my email messages, especially attachments, and read all of Chad's awesome security articles, but how do I know for sure?"

Well, since such a large number of security holes center around email I'm glad to announce today a service that can check your system for potential exploits. The service is a web based email scanner that you can tailor to send out over 20 different emails, each attempting to defile your system with dummy exploits. It's like hiring a security agent to go over your system and tell you what aspects of your security is in good shape, and what areas could use some improvement. When set in motion, the scanner fires off the dummy virus and exploits to the specified email address. Don't be surprised if your virus software starts popping up with security messages, as a matter of fact, this is exactly what you want to happen it means your system is seeing the threats coming in.

The emails themselves have message bodies describing what their particular test was for and how to make sure you're protected from this sort of attack. Some of the emails have attachments and some attempt to create text documents on your desktop, the emails tell you exactly what to do to ensure the tests ran correctly, thus providing an accurate assessment of your system's defenses.

In addition to the testing your system for security holes this is also a good way to educate yourself on some email-born security issues by getting a chance to see them in action without putting yourself in any danger.

Secure your password from hackers attacks Tips

Today tip will help you to secure your computer from the access of professional hackers. There are some hacker’s breaks into your computer without using any impressive programming skills but trying to find words to guess as your password. Normally people use their name, house number, mobile number and word “password” as a password. If you have very simple password then a hacker can hack your computer very easily. To safe your computer from hackers there is a best way to create a tricky password. Here I will tell you some different type of tricks to make your password that can’t guess easily by any body.

• Use the maximum characters in your password.

Always set the password using maximum characters length, because it is simple method, if your password is longer then it is very difficult to guess.

• Use the combination of lower-case and upper case letters in your password.

Normally computer users use the lower case in password selection but it is best practice to use the combination of both (lower-case and upper case). So using different cases in your password makes it much more difficult to crack.

• Use the combination of letters and numbers in your password.

When you mix both letters and numbers just like one letter and one number then your password is more incomprehensible.

• Avoid using the name of your family members as password.

Always try to avoid the name of your child, spouse, city and country name as password, because if any body knows about your personal life’s details then they try to use these detail to guess your password.

• Use any tools to create random password.

Google Security

Google is always adding new products and features. One of these is the Personalized Google Homepage. You can customize it with news, movies, weather, stock market reports and more. How convenient. But there is a dark side.

Google saves your search history. Every person, place, thing, or word you look up is stored in your history (BTW-same goes for the Google Toolbar). This can be cleared or paused on your end, but it will still be saved on the Google server. It's in their Privacy Policy:

"You can delete information from My Search History, and it will be removed from the service and no longer available to you. However, as is common practice in the industry, and as outlined in the Google Privacy Policy, Google maintains a separate logs system for auditing purposes and to help us improve the quality of our services for users."

So, if you have a Personalized Google Homepage, here's how to at least manage history items on your end...

Click the "My Search History" link then "Remove Items". Put a check next to the items on the list you want removed, or select "All". Finally, hit the "Remove" button.

If you don't want Search History activated, just click the "Pause" link. Again, the search info still goes to Google, but it doesn't show up in your search history display. To turn S.H. back on just hit "Resume".

As I mentioned, the Google Toolbar also keeps your history, but it doesn't track you like the Personalized Homepage. To turn off...

Go to the "Options" button and select the "Search" tab.

Uncheck "drop down search history", "Save the search history...", and "Automatically search..."

Hit OK.

Now your toolbar searches are known only to you. As for the personal homepage searches... at least no one outside of Google or the government can see what you looked up.

Scanner Cleaning Tips

Digital scanner is a very popular input device. Its main purpose to translate images and text printed on the paper into electronic form that can be processed and stored by the computer.

• To clean the scanner first unplugs your system power from the electrical outlet.
  

• Always clean the glass of your scanner with any optical surface cleaning fluid.
  

• This process should be done after every three months if you want to save your scanner life.

LCD Cleaning Tips

Flat panel monitors are commonly used in mobile devices such as laptop and table PCs. Similarly, smart phones, PDA calculators have LCD screens. LCD screens are much softer than old CRT screens, so they required extra care as compare to the CRT Monitors.

• First read the LCD manufacturer manual about your LCD model on how to safe and clean it.
  

• To clean LCD monitor first unplugs your LCD power from the electrical outlet.
  

• Never use dirty cloth, spray any cleaning fluids on the LCD screen and paper towel to dry it.
  

• Always use dry cotton cloth to clean the fingerprints and dust on the LCD screen. You can use lightly dampened soft cloth if you feel any difficulty to clean the screen.

Mouse Cleaning Tips

The mouse is the most commonly used pointing device in windows environment on the personal computers. That is why mouse required extra care as compare to the other parts of the computer. You should clean your mouse when you feel the mouse is slow to move in different directions or making some strange movements.

• First disconnect your mouse from the back side of the computer.

• Now read the mouse manufacturer manual about your mouse model on how to safe and clean it.

• Open the ball cover from the back side of the mouse and wash the ball then dry it with cloth.

• Now clean dust in the inner side of the mouse specially removes the dust on the rollers with lightly dampened cotton bud. You can use the compressed air for this purpose.
  

• At the end dry it and Re-assemble your mouse then connect with computer.

Motherboard Cleaning Tips

Motherboard is the main part of your computer that contains all hardware components. Your computer motherboard could fry, if you do not keep it clean on periodically basis. Dust is the main cause to heat up your system and heat link to hardware failure. You can save your computer maintenance cost if you clean your computer on the regular basis. This will improve the cooling and performance of the motherboard components.

• To clean your motherboard first unplugs your system power from the electrical outlet.

• Using the screwdriver remove the side covers of your computer case and put them to one side.

• Check all data and power cables connections. Inspect all motherboard PCI and AGP slots.

• Remove all add-on card of your motherboard for example RAM, modem, VGA, sound card and LAN card.

• Now blow the air around all the motherboard sides and keeping away your blower nozzle 4 to 5 inches away from main board components. You can use vacuum cleaner also for this purpose but compressed air is the better solution to clean a system.

• At the end assemble back all cards, cables and side covers of your system.

• I recommend you doing this after every three months if you want to save your system life.

Changing the Title on Windows Media Player Tips

You can change the title bar for the Windows Media Player

1. Start Regedit
2. Go to HKEY_USERS \ .DEFAULT \ Software \ Policies \ Microsoft \ Windows Media Player
3. Create a string value of Title Bar
4. Give it a value of whatever you want to appear in the title bar
   

Automatic Screen Refresh Tips

When you are working on your local computer and want to refresh any changes in your system automatically. For example some times you are watching sports results, online Stock Exchange rates and any changes to your hard drive but these changes are not usually refreshed until you press the F5 key on your keyboard.

To refresh your screen automatically you should edit your system Registry. But the best technique to edit the windows registry keys, always export or backup the whole windows registry keys on backup drive before editing. Because any mistake in Registry can cause serious problem in your computer to run properly.

Follow the given steps to change the updates automatically.

• First click on Start button then type Regedit in Run option.

• In Registry Editor panel go to the path:
  

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet /Control / UpdateMode
  

• Here in right hand side panel edit the DWORD value to be between 1 and 5.

• Now restart your computer after any changes to go into effect.

Graphic Card Tips

The graphic card is one of the most important pieces of hardware in your PC. Without it, your super monitor with all the bells and whistles is just a junk box.

Make Directional Input

Most video cards come with simple frame capture programs, but you'll have to do some programming if you plan to integrate video capture with other operations on your computer, such as adding text data as an overlay or changing video-in channels on the fly. In this case you'll need good programming libraries in a language with which you are familiar for the video card. Some companies include libraries with their cards, but most charge extra. Most often libraries, when available, are for C or BASIC, and sometimes Pascal.

Choose Between 24 bit and 32 bit

For True Color mode, some graphic cards offer 24 bit while some offer 32 bit. Which is the best? When True Color mode was first suggested, it utilizes 32 bit which was very pleasing to the eye, they realize that 24 (with less coolers) won't look much different since the human eye can only take about a certain amount of colors. On the other hand, 24 bit will run faster compared to 32 bit because it uses less colors. So if your card utilizes 24 bit, don't worry, it isn't bad.

Always Use The Latest Drivers

Yes, it is important to make sure you always have the latest drivers. The latest drivers will offer you better performance, more utilities and more compatibility (usually for Direct X or Direct3D). Take the effort to check you card manufacturer's site to look for the latest driver updates.

Clean computer Casing Tips

When you noticed your computer case is looking yellowish then you can understand about inner side of your computer case as dirty as outside. Because Dust is the main cause to heat up your system and heat link to hardware failure. You can save your computer maintenance cost if you clean your computer on the regular basis.

• Never place your computer on the ground, always use computer table or shelf for this purpose.
  

• To clean computer case first unplugs your system power from the electrical outlet. Remove all cables and connectors from the back side of your computer.

• Now use the compressed air and start clean from back to front of your computer case, specially casing and power supply fan.

• At the end using lightly dampened cloth or spray any cleaning fluids on the computer case and use paper towel to dry it.
  

• This process should be done after every three months if you want to save your system life.

CD-ROM Cleaning Tips

If your CD drive creating problem to read CD disc, taking time to read and showing message there is no disc in the drive. These are the symptoms of dirty or weak CD-drive lens, because dirty lens can create errors in reading or writing and soon will not work at all.

Follow the given steps to care and clean a CD-Drive.

• First make sure your discs are clean, unscratched and you’re loaded it properly.
  

• Always use laser lens cleaner to clean drive lens.

• Insert the laser lens cleaner disc and play it for 2 to 3 min.

• Using CD drive cleaner properly clean the CD-ROM laser from dust. If your drive still creating problem then open it and clean the lens with a cotton swab.
  

General Cleaning Tips

You can save your computer maintenance cost if you clean your computer on the regular basis. This will improve the cooling and performance of the computer components. Your computer components could damage, if you do not keep it clean on periodically basis, because dust is the main cause to heat up your system and heat link to hardware failure.

• Never place your computer on the ground, always use computer table or shelf for this purpose.

• To clean computer case first unplugs your system power from the electrical outlet. Remove all cables and connectors from the back side of your computer.

• Now blow the air around all the hardware components and keeping away your blower nozzle 4 to 5 inches away from main board components. You can use vacuum cleaner also for this purpose but compressed air is the better solution to clean a system.

• At the end using lightly dampened cloth or spray any cleaning fluids on the computer case and use paper towel to dry it.

• Never clean inside computer components or other circuit board with damp or wet cloth.

• Always be careful to eat or drink around the computer.

SCSI Disk

1. Disk SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) IDE with similar organizations in addressing.
2. Differences in the tool interface capable of transferring data in high speed.
3. High-speed transit, is a standard for computers.
4. UNIX from Sun Micro systems, HP, SGI, Machintos, Intel, especially computer-server computer network, and vendor-other vendor.
5. SCSI is actually more than just a tool interface hard disk.
6. Each device has a unique ID as a media introduction by the SCSI.
7. SCSI is a bus as capable as a checker to 7 equipment such as:
   

• Hard
• CD-ROM
• CD-Recorder
• Scanner music, n traveling.

SCSI Disk Version

RAID

RAID level 0

1. Actually not use RAID redundancy does not improve in performance.
2. Data distributed on the entire disk array, is the advantage of using a large capacity disk.
3. RAID - 0 become a model of the data strip on the disk with a data management system specific to the data stored on considered a logical disk.
4. Mechanism for the transfer of data in one sector at a time so that only good for handling large data transfers.
   

RAID level 1

1. Redundancy obtained by duplicate all the data on the disk mirror.
2. As with RAID - 0, RAID - 1 stripping also use the technology.
3. The difference is in level 1 each strip mapped to the logic of the two disks that are logically separate so that each disk arrays will have a mirror disk that contains the same data.
4. RAID - 1 expensive.
5. RAID - 1 increase in performance approximately doubled compared to RAID - 0 in the operation read, but not to write operations significantly increased.
6. Matches are used to handle data that is often experienced failure in the process of reading.
7. RAID - 1 still working on sector-sector.
8. Benefits of RAID - 1:

• Request reading can be served by one of the disk because there are two disks contain the same data, depending on access to the fastest time.
• Demand for storage or writing is done on 2 disks in pararel.
• There are beack-up data, namely the disk in the mirror.
  

RAID level 2

1. RAID - 2 using the technique pararel access to all the disk. - All participating disk and executing every request so that there are mechanisms for synchronization and disk rotation head.
2. Technology used in the stripping this level, only strip small size, often in word or byte size.
3. Use a system error correction bits parity with the Hamming code.
   

RAID level 3

1. Organized similar with RAID - 2.
2. The difference in RAID - 3 requires only a single disk redudant, does not depend on the number of arrays disk.
3. Computing parity bit for each word and write data on disk pritas special.
4. When the drive failure occurs, the data re-arranged the rest of the data is still good and from information paritasnya.
5. Using pararel access to the data distributed in the form of small strip-strip.
6. Performing high-yield transfer, but can only executing a request.
7. I / O, so only if used in high data transaction environment decline in performance.
   

RAID level 4

1. Using techniques that independent access to every request so that disknya read or write served in pararel.
2. RAID is suitable to deal with the culture system data transfer rates.
3. No need synchronization because each disk operate independently.
4. Stripping the data in a large size.
5. Strip parity bits-per-bit is calculated to strip all the related data on each disk.
6. Parity stored on disk for parity.
7. When the writing operation, array management software not only to update the data but also related to parity.
8. Benefits of parity with the disk that has made special security data more secure, but with a separate disk parity will slow performance.
   

RAID level 5

1. Having a similarity with RAID - 4 in the organization.
2. The difference is strip-strip parity distributed across the entire disk.
3. For security reasons, the strip parity disk is stored on a disk other.
4. RAID - 5 improvement from the RAID - 4 in terms of improving performance.
5. Disk is usually used in the network server.
   

RAID level 6

1. It is the latest RAID technology.
2. Using the method of calculating parity for two reasons to anticipate the accuracy and error correction.
3. As with RAID - 5, parity stored on the disk other.
4. Have a high transfer speeds.

RAID Images

Tape Magnetic Emissions

• System using the technique of magnetic tape reading and writing, which is identical with the magnetic disk system.

• Medium magnetic tape, a track pararel, the old tape system bears fruit 9 tracks that allows storage one byte at a store one bit of parity on the remaining tracks.

• The system uses a new tape, 18 or 36 tracks as an adjustment to the width of word in a digital format.

• As the disk, magnetic tape, read and written in the form of blocks connected (continue), which is called physical records.

• Block-block is separated by gaps called inter-record gaps.

• Head magnetic tape is a sequential access device.

• Head must adjust the location of records that will be read or written.

• When the head is in place more of the desired records from the tape need rewind first, the new reading is done with the forward direction.

• Very different technology on the disk using the techniques of direct access.

• Lap speed magnetic tape is low so that the transfer of data to be slow.

• Pita begin magnetic abandoned replaced by the type of CD products.

Mechanism head

• Head touch the disk (contact) as the floppy disk, the head of the north still have a slit or not depends on Fixed magnet field.

• Gap, or the distance that the head near the head of the risk factors, namely the occurrence of an error reading.

• Technology Winchester from IBM to anticipate problems rift over the head with a model head aerodynamic.

• Head formed tin plate on a different disk, the disk will head.

• The term on Winchester model introductions of IBM's disk 3340.

• Model is a removable disk pack with a head wrapped in packs.

• Now, the term used by the cleanup Winchester disk drives that are wrapped packs and the aerodynamic design of a headhunter.

Mechanism Read & Write Magnetic Disk

- The process of reading and writing through Conductive coil (head).
- Head can consist of one to head out; is / read, but there are also separate.
- During the write / read, head quiet place, the move is the HD disc.
- Write
* Head moving in the magnetic disk.
* "Vibration" was sent to the head.
* A pattern (of data) written on the surface of the disk.
- Read (traditional)
* Disk rotating magnetic, adjust the "desire" head.
* The read / write head by the same.
- Read (Contemporary)
* Head divided into 2 parts to read and write.
* Operates at high speed.
> Block data more closely and more quickly.

Magnetic Disk

Magnetic Disk

• Disk is a circular disc made of certain materials (metal or plastic) surface coated with a material that can be magnetic.

• Mechanisms read / write head using read or write head is called a spindle conduction oil.

• Design physical, head are stationer disc while the disk rotates in accordance control.

• Two methods of data on the layout of diak, the constant angular velocity and multiple zoned recording.

• Disk organized in the form of ring-ring concentration called tracks.

• Each track on the disk separated by a gap (gap: prevent or reduce the reading and writing errors caused melesetnya head because of interference or magnetic fields).

• A number of bits that will occupy the same track that is available.

• As to the disk, then the density (dens Ty) disk will be large.

• Data sent to the memory of this in the form of a block, block generally smaller capacity of the track.

• Block-block data stored in the disk-sized blocks, called the sector.

• Track usually filled some sectors, generally 10 to 100 each tracknya sector.

IDE Disk (hard drive)

IDE disk (hard drive)

• IBM PC XT develop, use a Seagate 10 MB hard disk for storing programs and data.
• This hard drive has 4 head, 306 cylinders and 17 sectors per track, controlled by Xebec disk checker on a plug-in card.
• Technology is developing rapidly to make the disk checker that previously separated into one integrated package.
• Did the IDE drive technology (Integrated Drive Electronics) in the middle of 1980.
• Technology IDE disk can only handle a maximum capacity of 528 MB of disk and control 2.
• IDE developed into EIDE (Extended Integrated Drive Electronics).
• Capable of handling the hard drive more than 528 MB and supports address LBA (Logical block addressing), the only method that gives the number in sectors ranging from 0 to a maximum of 224-1.
• This method requires checker able to convert addresses into the address LBA head, sector and cylinder.
• Improving the performance of other transfer speed is higher, able to control the 4 disk, able to control the CD-ROM drive.

Intel cache Evolutions

Problem
1. External memory slower than the system bus.

• Solution : Add external cache using faster memory technology.

• Processor on which feature first appears : 386

2. Increased processor speed results in external bus becoming a bottleneck for cache access.

• Solution : Move external cache on-chip, operating at the same speed as the processor.

• Processor on which feature first appears : 486

3. Internal cache is rather small, due to limited space on chip.

• Solution : Add external L2 cache using faster technology than main memory.

• Processor on which feature first appears : 486

4. Contention occurs when both the Instruction Prefetcher and the Execution Unit simultaneously require access to the cache. In that case, the Prefetcher is stalled while the Execution Unit’s data access takes place.

• Solution : Create separate data and instruction caches.

• Processor on which feature first appears : Pentium

5. Increased processor speed results in external bus becoming a bottleneck for L2 cache access.

• Solution : - Create separate back-side bus that runs at higher speed than the main (front-side) external bus. The BSB is dedicated to the L2 cache.

• Processor on which feature first appears : Pentium Pro

-Move L2 cache on to the processor chip.

• Processor on which feature first appears : Pentium II

6. Some applications deal with massive databases and must have rapid access to large amounts
of data. The on-chip caches are too small.

• Solution : - Add external L3 cache.

• Processor on which feature first appears : Pentium III

- Move L3 cache on-chip.

• Processor on which feature first appears : Pentium 4

Database Tips

What is database?

A database is a collection of related data stored in an efficient and compact manner. The word “efficient” means that stored data can be accessed very easily and quickly.

Similarly, the word “compact” means that stored data takes up as little space as possible. In the above definition of database, the phrase “related data’ is used. It means that a database contains data or information about a particular topic such as:

• Database of employees that contains data of employees of an organization or department.
• Database of students that contains data of students of college or university.
  

A database holds related data as well as description of that data. For this reason, a database is also defined as a self describing collection of integrated records. The description of data is known as the system catalog or data dictionary or metadata. For example when a table of a database is designed, the data type, size, format and other descriptions of fields are specified. This is an example of metadata, which describes the properties of data to be stored into fields of table.

The data of any organization is its integral part. The data is very important for developing new products and their marketing. The data must be accurate and available when needed. This is the reason that all organization must organize and manage their data into database. The databases are used for variety of purposes in as organization. For example, when you purchase goods from your local supermarket, the checkout assistant will pass the purchased product through a scanner device known as bar code reader. This device will read the bar code printed on the product and gives the accurate price of the item. Actually, the bar code reader is accessing the database, which contains the information about the products. The bar code reader is linked to a database application program, which uses the bar code to access price of item. The database program automatically updates the database. The assistant can also check whether a required item is in stock by running the database application program. Similarly, you can purchase goods using your credit card. Your credit is checked by a card reader linked to a computer system. In this case, there is a database somewhere that contains information about your credit. Almost all organizations and government departments of every country in world use database to maintain their records. Some examples of large databases that have been developed around the world are:

• When you draw amount from bank through ATM card, you are accessing the database; your account is accessed and checked through auto teller machine. When you draw some amount from your account, your record in the database is automatically updated immediately.
• When you visit your local library, there may be a computerized database containing details of the books in the library. There will be a computerized index, which allows you to find a book based on its title, its author’s name etc.
• The meteorological organization contains databases having information about current and previous meteorological data. The meteorological department is totally dependent on the meteorological data.
  

A database may be generated and maintained manually or it may be computerized. The library card catalog is an example of a database that is created and maintained manually. On the other hand, a computerized database may be created and maintained either by using application program, which is developed specifically for that purpose or by a database management systems.