Windows 7 Upgrade Tricks and Traps

By: John Dow

I was bracing for the worst based on past rollouts from Microsoft. After experiencing the pain of Vista, I was quite apprehensive about the release of Windows 7. Even though there was good press (which I don't put a lot of faith in anyway) I knew there would be some serious bumps in the road to transition.

My first 4 or 5 installs went off without a hitch. Many of my customers were upgrading old Windows XP machines that were 6 years old. The new computers with Windows 7 had fast processors, more ram, and dedicated video cards, which helped a lot. The boot and shut down times were greatly reduced and the most popular software seemed to work right out of the box.

I didn't recommend upgrades to current equipment and most people went with the advice. Life was good and customers were happy. Since all of the installs were new computers and not Vista upgrades, none of the upgrade problems were an issue. There were quite a few problems found on the Vista upgrades, especially those who downloaded the Windows 7 install. The files wouldn't unpack properly, refused the new product keys, and had some rebooting problems. Then there were the unspecified errors and directory permissions problems. But all were confined to the upgrading Vista process, many due to reformatting the hard drive before the new install.

If you are upgrading a Vista machine, don't bother to reformat the hard drive before you upgrade. It appears that this is a problem. You should do a clean install and let Windows 7 format the hard drive in the process. That method appears to have few of the issues that the clean hard drive upgrades have and you still get a new clean system.

Then it happened, I found a nasty little problem on the new computers with Windows 7. Bringing in a new Windows 7 computer into an existing network worked fine as long as you stuck with the workgroup name of workgroup. But if you had a different name (which many clients do for multiple reasons), the Windows 7 computer was seen by the others in the workgroup but couldn't connect or see any of them.

I did a little research and talked to some other techs and they were experiencing the same problem. Not good, most clients didn't want to change their workgroup name. There was a work around by making every computer also a workgroup member and the original name. But it wasn't a great solution and might come back to haunt the client and me some day.
Another big issue with Windows 7 was the way it stored files. They went to a library system, which is a common method on the Macs and Linux machines. Once you get it, it's probably a better method of organizing files. But when you introduce it to the user and a bunch of older Windows XP systems it can get confusing. When you change something as basic as how you view and store files, and you have a lot of shared files, users don't always adapt quickly.

Automated backup systems have to be changed around and tracking changed files gets a little more exciting but with a little training and automation you can over come the differences. Most users are over worked these days and some aren't all that willing to change. So it's both an operational and an attitude you get to deal with when bringing Windows 7 computers into an existing environment.

And, don't believe what you read about the Windows XP Mode. Many older computers aren't compatible with the virtual machine methods used. About one in three of the computers I've tried to set up XP mode couldn't do it for one reason or another. New machines often have all the necessary bios settings, chip sets, and other requirements but older computer may not. When it works, it's great. But don't depend on it until you have tested it on the computer you want to run it.

Most of the other issues are basic configuration changes that default on a new Windows 7 install. For example the taskbar looks and acts different and many users are complaining they can't see what's open at a glance. There is a way to change the toolbar back to what it used to be by right clicking the toolbar and selecting properties. And make any changes in appearance you want.

All in all the Windows 7 transition and open issues are no where near what the Vista debacle was and most are easy to overcome. And if you don't like a particular feature or display method, most times you can change it back to what you want it to do or look like. The speed and faster boot times are more than worth the hassle of reconstructing your desktop like you want it.

IP Changer for the Yong Adults to Protect Their Identity and Privacy on the Internet

By: Virender Labroo

IP Changer software is a neat software application that enables rapid change of your IP address by use of multiple private proxy servers at multiple locations around the country and the globe. This will be significant for almost any one who is on the net for virtually any length of time. Teenagers and young adults who’re in their high schools or colleges at this time can hardly imagine living without social media sites such as My Space and face Book or their cellular phones. They have grown and prospered with it.

Internet privacy and security are of great concern and hot topics for discussion in business, personal and public policy forums. However, there doesn't seem to be a lot of discussion or concern expressed with specific regards to teenagers and young adults.

Similarly, the risks of insidious crime of identity theft is rarely addressed with young adults in mind. It is frequently but falsely assumed that folks who steal private and personal identity information are only interested in credit card numbers or bank account numbers for stealing money. This thinking ignores that identity of young adults will be of even greater value to those thieves. It needs to be noted though, that in additional to more talked about financial identity theft, medical, driver's license and personal charecter identity theft is much more insidious and damaging. It si very possible and has happened many a times you could be arrested for crimes you never comitted only because the real criminal used your social security number or your stolen or even a fake driver's licecnse.

Credit card issuers are prone to aggressively push credit cards and debit cards to teenagers and young adults. some times even before they turned eighteen and crooks start working on stealing these numbers almosyt immediately. Actually, using social security number of minors is safer for the thieves because they're not monitored and would not know until much later in their lives. Therefore, it is important for young adults who’re active on the web to educate and safeguard themselves against loss of identity and privacy while surfing the net.

Young adults own the social media of Face Book and My Space and again it is vital to teach them to protect their identity. It is important that when you are on the internet, especially on social sites that you be extra careful to protect your sensitive personal data. The main and vulnerable identifier on the internet is the IP address.. Your IP address is often a unique numerical identifier that can locate your computer's precise location along with give hackers the entry point to your computer and risk having your identity stolen.

You can browse the net safely and securely and protect your identity by routing your internet connection through different proxy servers located at many different location with the help of IP changer Software. Your real IP address is never revealed to the sites you visit. They solely see one of several IP addresses of these proxy servers. You will discover excellent IP Changer Software available out there that also encrypt your data on the internet, thus protecting the young adults from being victim of Identity theft and other internet crime early in their lives.

Save Money on Printer Inkjet Cartridges

By: Josh Hatfield

If you are reading this then you are most likely aware at the high cost of printer inkjet cartridges. Luckily for us, there are quality websites out there that offer vast selections of ink cartridges, toner cartridges, and refill kits at great prices. If you would like to learn more about the different options available to buying ink and toner online, then please continue reading for the main solutions of refilling printer ink cartridges and toner cartridges.

Shopping for Printer Inkjet Cartridges Online:

When deciding to shop online for printer inkjet cartridges, it is important to know the options that are available to you. In the following sections I will give a brief description of the different types cartridges and kits you can purchase online.

OEM Cartridges:

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) cartridges are exactly what you would see at your local retail store. These cartridges are made by the original manufacturers of whatever printer you are buying ink or toner for. While these printer inkjet cartridges ensure no complications and high quality results, they are always at a high price. The reason these cartridges always cost so much money is because the original manufacturers usually create printers at a low cost and in turn, must sell the refill cartridges at a high price to make some profit. If you'd like to save some dollars then I would look into the other means of buying ink below.

Remanufactured Cartridges:

If OEM cartridges are too pricey for you then I would highly recommend trying out a remanufactured ink cartridge for your printer. These cartridges are made by third party professionals and have been cleaned and filled to the top with quality ink. Since these cartridges were not made by the original manufacturers, they are sold at a relatively low price. You can usually find them costing about half of what OEM cartridges sell for. These printer inkjet cartridges are available at great prices but they are not always available to every printer model.

Printer Refill Kits:

If you are looking to save some serious cash on printer ink, and do not mind the hassle of doing it yourself, then buying printer specific refill kits is definitely the best option. Refill kits come with simple step by step instructions and multiple ink containers that can be used to refill your printer inkjet cartridges up to eight times with a single kit. Sadly, these refill kits are not available for every printer model but if one is offered for your printer, then I would take a look into it.

All in all, I hope you have learned something from my article and that you will consider the many options for buying ink cartridges, toner cartridges, and refill kits online. I guarantee the money you save will add up over time and you will be thanking yourself later for shopping for cartridges online. Be sure to check out the website listed below for a special 10% off discount.

Maintenance Tips For Your Computer

By: Jane Michael

Anybody who knows computers knows how quick one model can become outdated and how troublesome that can be if you use your computer on a fairly constant basis but an outdated computer is not the only problem that can cause your computer to run badly. That is the thing with computers, you could have a slow running computer or a problem with a particular program and there could be a million and one different problems with it. One of the most common problems has to do with not keeping up with your computer's maintenance. Many individuals do not realize how much basic maintenance means to the health of their computers. And the thing is, is that it is easy to keep up n such simple maintenance and some things you do not even have to be on the computer to do but can schedule such things to be done in the middle of the night. Other maintenance issues you may have to perform tasks to complete but in the end it will all be worth it when you have a good running computer without having to go out and buy a new one. So the next time your computer is not running so good try these simple maintenance tips to see if it may be just a minor problem that can be easily corrected.

The first thing that you should do when your computer is running sluggish is check to be sure that your antivirus program is up to date. Simply pull up you program and in most cases if anything needs updating it will know and tell you right then and there. If everything is as it should be you should run a virus scan on your computer and see if it may be infected with a virus that is causing it to run rough. This may take some time but you can still use your computer when the scan is running so you really will not be wasting any time by doing this.

Secondly you want to free up any extra space and memory on your computer that you can. You can do this by going to your computer's start menu then to programs. Under programs click on accessories and then system tools. Here you will find a disk clean-up tab as well as a disk defragmenter tab. Both of these will help to get your computer running better. You can also be using the computer at the same time that you run both of these programs as well.

Lastly, you should go to your control panel every once and a while and get rid of any unused programs. Having a bunch of stuff on your computer that you do not use is a sure fire way to slow your computer down. Each program will list how often it is used so this is another simple task with big results.

Follow these simple steps and you will have a great working computer in no time at all without having to spend a bunch of money.

HP Compaq 6400 Notebook Power Pack Safekeeping Instructions to Notebook Clients

By: Sekhar Somu

While consumers are buying Notebook battery the sellers can tell to them how many hours the Li-ion rechargeable battery may last, there are some reasons that are lead to the defectiveness of the Notebook Battery pack. Many of the laptop clients don't have thought about technical stuff incorporated on obtaining maximum life out of their HP Compaq 6400 Li-ion rechargeable battery. Like all other Notebook power packs; you need to provide care while the batteries are not use. Do not store the Notebook battery adjacent to chemicals or in a damp region that will less your Notebook Battery pack ability.

Another simplex method of boosting your Li-ion notebook battery life is by defragmenting disc and clean out unwanted folders. This simpleton method can permit yours laptop to Boot up more faster, which consumes less power. Modify your notebook power settings with that it may use smallest quantity of Power necessary to get your notebook working. More brighter display demand more battery power. Adjust brightness when ever using the notebook pc on the battery.

Stop total insignificant programs if yours notebook based over HP Compaq 6400 Li-ion battery as major power source. Don't run anti-virus scan if your laptop relaying on Battery pack, since this scan heavily enhance processor & hard disk usage when working over laptop battery. Make an effort to stay away from connecting by the internet application until it is really necessary, when we are relying on your HP Compaq 6400 Notebook power pack as the exclusive power resource. Perform anti virus scan when we are associate to primary energy resource. Don't run virus scan while we are working on Li-ion notebook battery. This can reserve Li-ion battery energy.

When ever it is possible try to minimize usage of USB attachments such as optical DVD/CD drivers or players, lead to draw the extra energy to control. Detach these optical devices and that have the highest precedence to drain the battery capacity. Detach all external peripheral suchlike an optical mouse, fire wire, PC cards, Wi-Fi tool box, Outer speakers, Pen Drives blue tooth and even the connected iPod.

Hibernate & Suspend techniques are used for saving Power of the laptop battery but, generally laptops consumes a lot of Li-ion Battery power when in STAND BY method. We do not know the causes although "instant-on" takes 30-60 second's additional period of time to go off of Hibernation method. This little amount of period represents a considerable impact on the total Notebook Power pack lifetime. When in the hibernate method in and out are very favorable and powerful than the standard start & shutdown activity. When in hibernate mode the shutdown procedure grants the possibility to pause existing work directly with the power-off and in start up process it will proceed with in a few seconds absolutely, As a result the method saving power. But suspend technique reduces the energy use of yours computer through cutting the energy to the hardware components those you are not utilizing. So by following hibernate mode you can save the Li-ion rechargeable battery power. We may create the shortcut icon for hibernate instead of manual activity (once carrying out the manual task in Control panel then make use of this shortcut icon by Press "Windows button" followed by U followed by H). If we have some particular work at outside for longer time, in that circumstances use the hibernate method as a replacement to stand by method.

Every Notebook user wants to make the HP Compaq 6400 Notebook power pack last as long as possible. But every Li-ion notebook battery has the Specific life span. So if you can go through the above listed worthy notebook battery tips that may help to extend Li-ion rechargeable battery life period.

How Do “Get A Free Laptop” Programs Work?

By: Jason Main

A free laptop might just be one of the few things that could make a person beam with excitement and jump with joy. For one, it is not very easy to obtain money that you can use to buy one of the expensive laptops in the store.

Furthermore, you can do a lot of things through your laptop especially these days when every task seems to require the help of technology. Most people these days also own laptops which would diminish anyone without it into a mere archaic, boring individual with nothing special to share in the virtual world. That is why it is not surprising that many companies would want to give away free laptops these days to entice more and more people to join and support their cause, patronize their services and buy their products. So if you are one of these many individuals who are interested to get a laptop for free in exchange of your efforts and time, patience, and determination, you better read more to understand how these programs work. You have to take extra precautions in joining these programs however, because there are many scams who can cleverly lay the bait for you. So bite into the temptation of having a laptop for free now!

How do these Get a Free Laptop Programs work?

•You will have to sign up for the program and agree to all the terms and conditions of the company. In this way you are giving them the right to sell your personal information to many advertisers in the web.

•There are a number of programs, product offers, as well as
subscription services that you have to sign up within the specified time. When you are able to do all these sign up requirements, you are free to get your free laptop.

To avoid getting hooked by scams here are few tips that you must do.

•You may want to start by conducting searches about Get a Free Laptop programs through the internet. There are sites in the internet that you may utilize to verify the information regarding internet scams.

•Read the terms and conditions carefully before you agree to them to make sure that you understand what you are getting yourself into.

•Evaluate other things like subscription fees, membership fees, and shipping cost.

•Ask about the number of affiliate programs that you’ll have to sign up for, affiliate programs that you can cancel after signing up, etc.

When you are able to accomplish all these requirements you will just have to wait for a little time so you can finally have the laptop you have been dreaming to have. So, start browsing the internet now for these free laptop programs. Good luck!

You can just search Google or YouTube for videos related to free laptops giveaway and you will run into lot of video of people showing their free products. Media giants are also featuring news interviewing people who got such free offers. There is no limit to the number of offers you can sign up with so sign up for one or more offers.

3 Common Mistakes Made When Choosing Web Hosting

By: Cynthia Wang

I am an owner of several websites hosted on a few good web hosting companies that have met my needs for the last 5 years. What I am about to share with you will most definitely save you heaps of time and money when it comes to choosing a great web hosting company and you must avoid the 3 most common silly mistakes that buyers of web hosting services made:

1. Buy from Multiple-Awards Winning Web Hosting Company

If you investigate further you will realize most of these awards are awarded by people none other than those who are promoting them. Their criteria for awarding are always based on the typical but outdated mode of selection such as good customer service, uptime, pricing and features etc. The web hosting industry is extremely competitive, and these days there are just fewer and fewer differentiations as far as the above criteria are concerned. Any quality provider worth their salt already knows this.

2. Buying Based on Reviews Available Online

If you do not already know by now, most of the reviews are extremely biased. And while a handful but rare few are sincere in their recommendations, it's still just plain silly to base your buying decsion on their reviews. And even if they have a good collection current feedback and comments listed on their website, you still should not buy based on that kind of recommendation. Why? Because often times, most comments are not objective, and everyone's experience with their provider are always unique to their hosting needs. And to handpick your choice based on a few isolated "good" or "bad" experiences is just not smart. I can almost guarantee you no great web hosting companies are ever spared from complains, genuine or fake anyway.

3. Focusing on the Wrong Feature to Compare

The typical buyer compares prices, the slightly savvy buyer compares customer support features, a smart buyer looks at the company's customer base, the number of years in business, check on their uptime and backup features essentially all those things that a typical and slightly savvy buyer will look at and probably more. Personally, it's just common sense to do those due diligence before you entrust your website to the provider but it's still highly unreliable and a waste of your precious time. Take for example, most web hosting companies claim their uptime is 99.9% but many people do not spend time tracking their sites or at least know how to do so.

So my final advice to you is this, don't choose web hosting companies based on how people feel or what they have experienced, it's just too not smart. If fact, please don't listen to me or anybody at all for that matter, instead I rely on a critical single piece of information to help me decide on which are the really good companies to buy from, and over the years this piece of information have never failed me and those who have access to it.