To ensure that the printer was working fine, they did some test prints on the printer and it seems that it prints out alright, perfect quality everytime. However, the long beep happens again. They printed again. It sounds again. They remove the toners, shake it, put them back, test print, and it beeps again.

After half-a-day of meddling, they called for me to go to their Tuas office to check for them. So I went.

I think a test print on the printer, and yes, there is a loud and continuous beep that seems to emit from the printer, but that tone don’t sound like it is from the printer, especially a Samsung printer which we have been selling so many of it.

I went to the printer this time and ask somebody to test print something, and the beep happens again, and there, I noticed, that the LED indicator on their UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) turns red and when it turns red, the long beeping sound appears.

That sound did not come from the printer, it came from the UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply), which is located under the desk where they placed their printer!!

I looked at the UPS closer and the indicator signals that during that time, it was actually under-voltage, and that’s why it beeps!!

I looked at all the connections and found that someone has reconnect the printer power source to the UPS output socket, meaning that the UPS is actually powering the printer itself!! This is a definite no-no because by doing so, it’ll drain the power from the UPS battery very fast and it cause the battery to have a very much shorter lifespan.

I asked and they told me probably their CCTV cable cable guys have swiped the cables without bothering when it came from and where the power is going to.

So, just to share the knowledge with you, if you want to extend the lifespan of your UPS battery, you must at least do the following:-

1. Make sure that you keep your APC UPS in a dry location with plenty of ventilation. Leave roughly one to two inches on each side for proper airflow.
2. Keep your UPS in a cool temperature. Ideally, the temperature where your UPS is kept should not exceed 75° F (24° C). As a guideline, every 8 Deg C (15 Deg F) rise in temperature will cut the battery life in half. A battery which would last for 6 years at 24 Deg C (75 Deg F), will only be good for 3 years if operated at 33 Deg C (95 Deg F). Do note that the battery temperature inside your UPS will always be warmer than the ambient temperature of the location where the UPS is installed.
3. Only perform runtime calibrations on your UPS one or two times a year, if necessary. Consistently performing battery calibrations can significantly decrease the life expectancy of your UPS battery.
4. If you buy UPS batteries for spare, make sure you do not store the  batteries for extended periods of time. New batteries can be stored for 6 to 12 months from date of purchase. After this period, the battery should be used or it will lose a great deal of its charge . It is not advisable to store batteries that have already been in use.
5. Do not utilize your UPS above 80% of its rate capacity. Once you exceed it, your runtime battery life will be shorten and if there is a power failure, a fully loaded UPS will drain and discharge much faster, and the lifespan of the batteries will also be shorten.
6. The final point, and most important one, NEVER connect your laser printer to your UPS battery backup outlets. You MUST connect them to the “surge-only” outlets of your UPS. If you do not have a “surge-only” outlet, consider getting a separate surge suppressor for your printer.

If you do not have a UPS or if your UPS do not have a “surge-only” outlet, do contact us to purchase at least one for your computers.

Normally of course, I’m not supposed to be there listening or viewing their presentations, especially for such an important one, but somehow they usually treat me as their own and do not guard against me. Which of course makes me feel good on one hand, but feel kinda not that comfortable on the other hand. Did they know business espionage usually happens from insider or sorta insider job? Anyway, I’m cleaned, so no worries.

Why I’m mentioning this incident here is because while I was setting up the network, I overheard one of the managers claiming that he can’t see the figures on the screen and the others begin to concur with him. I raised my head and take a look at the screen and yeah, seriously, unless you put on a pair of binoculars, you really can’t see the figures.

They begin to adjust the monitor resolution, the projector resolution, the projector distance and this and that, until I tell them why not let me give it a try. They agree and step forward to the laptop, do a few mouse click and voila, the figures are enlarged and the figures clearly presented.

At least this incident helps them to lighten up a little.

Every one of the managers start to laugh and smack their head as to why they are wasting 15 minutes of their precious time fooling around the non-essentials. At least this incident helps them to lighten up a little. Without wasting much time, they asked me how I did it, and this is what I do:-

1. Select the range of cells you want to fill the window.
2. Click the drop-down arrow on the Zoom tool in the standard toolbar and click Selection. Excel will instantly resize and reposition the selection to fill the worksheet window.

To return to normal view, select 100% from the drop-down Zoom list. That’s it.

Tips On Using Microsoft Excel 2007 Zoom Feature To Enhance Your Presentation

During my daily morning working ritual, that is, clearing emails, answering queries, replying to Twitters and checking out my Facebook account, all done with multiple windows on my 2 laptops and 3 screens using Synergy, an email from UPS suddenly caught my attention and all work was put on hold to check out this email. I’m usually a multi-tasker (who’s not), but in this case, nothing is more important than to read this email.

What’s The Story?

The reason why it gets my 100% attention is because we’ve recently help a customer to dismantle their server appliances from their Singapore office and ship them to their Belgium office, using UPS as our courier service. That job alone cost around S$4,900 for the shipping fees and the cargo itself is estimated to be around S$90,000. We almost make a loss for this job because another vendor who estimates the weight of the cargo for us miscalulated the total weight by a difference of over 90kg, meaning that the buffer charges we impose on the customer plus our profits have almost all gone down the drain, and if includes the manpower to do the migration, this definitely is a loss job. Any hiccups for this shipping is therefore not tolerated and that’s why my heart sinks and my mind froze when I read the first sentence from the email.

What’s In The Mailbox?

For your viewing pleasure, I’ve pasted the image of the email below:-

Computer Virus Masqueraded As UPS And DHL Delivery Failure

If you can’t see it, below is the exact mail from “UPS”:-
————————————————————–

Hello!

The courier company was not able to deliver your parcel by your address.
Cause: Error in shipping address.

You may pickup the parcel at our post office personaly!

Please attention!
The shipping label is attached to this e-mail.
Please print this label to get this package at our post office.

Please do not reply to this e-mail, it is an unmonitored mailbox.

Thank you.
United Parcel Service of America.

————————————————————–

If you are in my shoe, will your heart pound fast and your brain starts to go berserk when you see this email?

Congrates if you don’t, you have a very steady heart

What’s The Give?

Thanks to my years of training as a I.T. professional, I’m able to recollect myself and start to think and work logically after the initial shock. The few things I noticed amissed are:-

1. The email was send to me via my delson(at)pacificlanworks.com account, which I immediately knows something was wrong because our UPS account is not linked to this email!
2. I’ve corresponded with UPS multiple times before and the format and structure of this email seems not to be the same as those I’ve received from UPS previously.
3. The tracking number seems to be shorter than usual for UPS, again, this is based on our frequent shipping experience with UPS itself.

With these 3 doubts that I have, I begin to suspect this is more of a rogue email rather than a legitimate one. I blew a breather and starts to relax myself a bit. At least right now I can “rest in peace” knowing that nothing was wrong with my recent shipping ;p

Don’t Do This At Home

It’s been a long while since I’ve gotten myself so exited, especially receiving any official email from anybody, I decided to kill my curiosity cat and open the attachment.

By doing so, I can learn more about this type of fraudulent email and secondly, to test my new version of AVG Internet Security software

I look for my AVG icon on my bottom-right taskbar and double-click to open it and make sure it is updated and running properly. This is especially important because what I am going to attempt to do will have a very avast result if my AVG Internet Security software is not running properly.

I double-click on the attachment (please be reminded again NOT to attempt this action if you are not prepared for any disastrous result and if your data are not backed up) and the zip file was opened to show an .exe file embedded in it. See image below:-

Rogue .exe File In Email Attachment From UPS

When I double-click on the .exe file, AVG kicks in and flagged it as a trojan and immediately blocked the access to the file and safely quarantined it away from me.

Well, this proves that my hunch was correct and that my AVG Internet Security software is working fine too.

I then delete this email from UPS and pops comes the next email from DHL, same format, same structure. See below:-

Fraudulent Email From DHL Regarding Shipping Failure

Even the attachment contains the same type of .exe file too, see below:-

Fraudulent Email Attachment From DHL Regarding Shipping Failure

Since I’m receiving these emails, I’ll presume that everybody will be receiving too, either sooner or later, but definitely will be, and therefore I’m writing this post to alert everybody about it. Please ensure that  your system is protected with an anti-virus software  and that it is updated to the latest version with the latest virus definition file.

Which AntiVirus Software I recommend?

For me, I’ll recommend AVG software (almost 95% of our customers are using AVG software and some has already renewed it twice since their first usage.)

Do note that AVG software comes with 2 years subscription and when my customer has renewed it twice, it means that they have been using it for more than 4 years already.

If  you are having a  little budget problem, feel free to download your free copy of AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition 9.0. There is absolutely no charge for this edition of AVG software but do note that this is just an antivirus software and do not have any firewall or antispyware to protect your system.

Alternatively, you can get FREE McAfee Internet Security software, which includes firewall and antispyware, with FREE 6 months of subscription just by becoming McAfee’s Official Facebook Fan.

Whichever you choose is not important, they are all great software, as long as you MUST choose one and get it installed in your system will do.

Good luck and have a great day.

For some, they understand that I.T. is not just an accessory but a major component of their business operation, and for others, their thinking is always “… as long as it works and must be cheap cost-effective…”

No matter the size of the company, eventually there will be a time when the customer needs a server for their central file storage and/or central backup purpose. At this moment, the “higher budget” customer will only want the best and most up-to-date server and the most cost-conscious will want some other alternatives.

One of the most frequently asked question is “Can I use one of my PC to be a server?”

To answer this question, we need to ask, “What really is a server?”

Essentially, a server is a machine that is specifically designed to store, manage, send, receive and process data. Their external outlook of a server may look physically similar to most PCs, but their hardware specifications are optimised to suit their role in reading and processing data. As such, they have several advantages over normal PCs.

Using your PC to act as server may serve the initial purpose of file sharing, but with an actual server hardware, there are numerous advantages residing over the normal PCs.

The main advantages are:-

Tougher data protection

Using servers to host hardware resources such as printers and file systems, you get central access control to all your network assets. Security is definitely enhanced when you back up your data centrally. Think about it, it is definitely easier to back up all the data from a server, rather than go around all the PCs and backing up each and individual PCs data.

Enhanced Reliabilty

Servers incorporate heavy-duty mechanical components such as disk drives and fans that provide higher reliability when compared to regular computers.

Connectivity

All servers include robust network connections. This allows them to handle large amounts of data, ensuring a smoother flow of traffic for the client PCs.

Scalability

Servers are built to scale along with your business.

Essentially it means that at any time, you can always expand your server’s ability to support your data and traffic even as your employee and customer base grows.

Reduced administration and cost

With the server as your central resource controller, it is easier to support and maintain all the resources, be it those that reside in the server or those that are connected to the client PCs. Cost is reduced also since there is lesser duplication of hardware.

Overall, servers offers tremendous amount of advantages over regular PCs, both in terms of hardware features and functionality. Though there is a slightly higher initial cost, you tend to save more in terms of reduced downtime and increased productivity in the long run.

For more enquiries regarding servers, please feel free to contact us.

His computer was basically crawling and hardly even got a chance to do a proper boot-up. Ten minutes after turning on the computer, the Windows logo finally appeared (never thought I’ll miss seeing it…), and before the logon screen appear, lots of windows start popping up. Missing file this, error message that, buy this, “your system is infected with …” that and WOW !! It just keeps popping up like fireworks!!!

There is no way for me to work on this system, and the only way for me to revive it is to totally reformat the whole system and start fresh again (if life can be so easy too…sigh….), but the user claims that he has got lots of very important data and they cannot be gone. Well of course, that’s what our job is all about.

I then proceed to remove his hard disk from the system and install it into another computer, making sure that the second computer has already installed with AVG antivirus and that it is updated to the latest definition file. The rest…. is just basic file copy, … virus alert, … heal, … continue, … virus alert, heal… and well, just too much of a nightmare to continue. I’m just sitting there clicking on the above messages like a mindless cuckoo and wishing there’s a much better way to end a day than this.

… begins to realize what kind of crap he’s putting into his system and how his life’s work can just go into the abyss of 0s and 1s …

Well, not too bad though, as during this time, my customer begins to realize what kind of crap he’s putting into his system and how his life’s work can just go into the abyss of 0s and 1s.

We begin to talk and this time (out of the many times I’ve talked to him), he’s serious. He asked me lots of questions and even took out his trusted organizer and begin to take down notes about how to prevent these incidents from happening again, and we even talk further and discuss about things to avoid when using computers. In fact, the list was pretty long, and I’m very surprised of his change of attitude towards learning to protect his system, and at the end of everything, at around 11:40pm (I started working on his system since 10am), he voluntary made a copy of his notes and gave it to me and asked me to always share these with my other customers, together with a S$500 cheque to buy whatever that’s necessary for him!! And that’s on top of my bill

Anyway, long story short, I’ve narrowed down the list and these will be the top 10 things to avoid when using your computer:-

1. Using a computer without a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply)
   • Protecting a computer is not just getting an antivirus program to protect your operating system and your software, you need to protect the hardware too.
   • Power outrages such as trips and brownouts are very common destructive forces and they can be easily avoided by getting a UPS. You may think that your systems are in danger only during an electrical storm, but anything that interrupts the electrical circuit and then starts the current back again can fry your components. Something as simple as someone turning on an appliance that’s plugged into the same circuit (especially a high voltage one such as a hair dryer, electric heater, or air conditioner) can cause a surge, or a surge may be caused by a tree limb touching a power line. If you have a power outage, you may experience a surge when the electricity comes back on.
   • An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) has a battery that keeps power flowing smoothly even when there’s an outage, giving you time to gracefully shut down your system without corrupting your operating system and software.
2. Using your computer without a firewall or at least an antivirus software
   • “This computer don’t use the Internet, so it’s alright…” , “I only use the Internet to access my trusted bank site, after that I don’t surf the web…”, “The ISP says the router has built-in firewall, so I don’t need…”
   • If all the above sounds too familiar to you, imagine how many times I’ve heard it! In the older times, having an antivirus software to protect your system is considered sufficient, you are as well-protected as the brand of the antivirus software you use, but now, it is just not enough. Antivirus don’t protect your system against intrusion, hackings, worms and spywares (sometimes they do but in a very limited capacity).
   • If you don’t have any antivirus or firewall protection on your system, do keep my contact and call me when you need me to camp at your place too
3. Not updating your antivirus/firewall/antispyware definition files
   • For the above programs to protect your system, the software must learn about the latest virus patterns and/or intrusion signatures before they can flag it to be a malware or viruses. If you did not update your definition file, you may be able to catch those older and outdated viruses, but you are no match for the latest one.
   • The good thing is that all of these software will auto-update themselves and even if they don’t, all you need to do is to click the Update button and the software will usually update themselves.
4. Installing lots of programs, including beta version software
   • The more programs you install, the more likely you are to run across ones that either include malicious code or that are poorly written and cause your system to behave improperly or crash. The risk is greater with pirated programs.
   • Even if you install only licensed, final-release commercial software, too many installations and uninstallations can gunk up the registry. Not all uninstall routines completely remove program remnants and at the least, this practice can cause your system to slow down over time.
   • You should install only the programs that you really need, stick with legitimate software, and try to minimize the number you install and uninstall.
5. Having full and fragmented hard disk
   • One of the results of installing and uninstalling lots of programs (or adding and deleting data of any kind) is that it fragments your disk. Disk fragmentation occurs because of the way information is stored on the disk: On a new, clean disk, when you save a file it’s stored in contiguous sections called clusters. If you delete a file that takes up, for example, five clusters, and then save a new file that takes eight clusters, the first five clusters’ worth of data will be saved in the empty space left by the deletion and the remaining three will be saved in the next empty spaces. That makes the file fragmented, or divided. To access that file, then, the disk’s read heads won’t find all the parts of the file together but must go to different locations on the disk to retrieve it all. That makes it slower to access. If the file is part of a program, the program will run more slowly. A badly fragmented disk will slow down to a crawl. You can use the disk defragmenter built into Windows (Programs | Accessories | System Tools) or a third-party defrag program to rearrange these pieces of files so that they’re placed contiguously on the disk.
   • Another common cause of performance problems and application misbehavior is a disk that’s too full. Many programs create temporary files and need extra free space on the disk to operate. You can use Windows XP’s Disk Cleanup Tool or a third-party program to find and delete rarely used files, or you can manually delete files to clear space on your disk.
6. Opening every email attachments
   • Getting an e-mail message with an attachment is like getting an unexpected gift. You just have to peek inside to see what it is. But just as that package left on your doorstep could contain a bomb, that file attached to your mail message could contain code that will delete your documents or system folder or send viruses to everyone in your address book.
   • The most blatantly dangerous attachments are executable files–those that run code–with extensions like .exe, .cmd, and many others (see http://antivirus.about.com/od/securitytips/a/fileextview.htm for a list of file extensions for different types of executables). Files that aren’t themselves executables, such as Word .doc files and Excel .xls files, can contain embedded macros. Scripts (Visual Basic, JavaScript, Flash, etc.) aren’t directly executed by the computer but are run by other programs.
   • It used to be that you could assume plain text (.txt) or graphics (.gif, .jpg, .bmp) files were safe, but not anymore. File extensions can be “spoofed”; attackers take advantage of the Windows default setting that doesn’t display common file extensions to name executables something like greatfile.jpg.exe. With the real extension hidden, it shows up as greatfile.jpg. So the recipient thinks it’s a graphic, but it’s actually a malicious program.
7. Clicking on everything
   • Opening attachments isn’t the only type of mouse click that can get you in trouble. Clicking on hyperlinks in e-mail messages or on Web pages can take you to Web sites that have embedded ActiveX controls or scripts that can perform all sorts of malicious activities, from wiping your hard disk to installing a backdoor program on your computer that a hacker can use to get in and take control of it.
   • Clicking the wrong link can also take you to inappropriate Web sites that feature pornography, pirated music or software, or other content that can get you in trouble if you’re using a computer on the job or even get you in trouble with the law.
8. Unnecessary sharing of system resources
   • When you’re on a network, sharing can expose you to dangers. If you have file and printer sharing enabled, others can remotely connect to your computer and access your data. Even if you haven’t created any shared folders, by default Windows systems have hidden “administrative” shares for the root of each drive. A savvy hacker may be able to use these shares to get in. One way to prevent that is to turn off file and printer sharing–if you don’t need to make any of the files on your computer accessible across the network. This is especially a good idea if you’re connecting your laptop to a public wireless hotspot.
   • If you do need to make shared folders accessible, it’s important that they be protected by both share-level permissions and file-level (NTFS) permissions. Also ensure that your account and the local administrative account have strong passwords.
9. Using a weak password
   • Don’t pick passwords that are easy to guess, such as your birthdate, loved one’s name, social security number, etc. Longer passwords are harder to crack, so make your password at least eight characters long; 14 is even better. Popular password-cracking methods use “dictionary” attacks, so don’t use words that are in the dictionary. Passwords should contain a combination of alpha, numeric, and symbol characters for best security.
   • A long string of nonsense characters may create a password that’s tough to crack, but if you can’t remember it, you’ll defeat the purpose by writing it down (where an intruder may be able to find it). Instead, create a phrase you can remember easily and use the first letters of each word, along with logical numbers and symbols. For example: “My dog ate a mouse on the 5th day of June” becomes “Md8amot5doJ.”
   • Many times when I go to a customer’s site, I’m able to just log into the system without asking anybody for password. The users will just stare at me with their big round eyes and ask me how I do it, and I just simply point at a sticky note pasted below their monitor or pinned to their partition wall and tell them that is how I know. So please, imagine if somebody wanted to sabotage you in any sense, accessing your system with your password is the best way to hack.
10. Not backing up your data
    • An attacker may crash your system or your data may be corrupted or get wiped out by a hardware problem. That’s why it’s essential that you always back up your important information and have a plan for recovering from a system failure.
    • Most computer users know they should back up, but many never get around to it. Or they make an initial backup but don’t update it regularly. Use the built-in Windows backup program (Ntbackup.exe in Windows NT, 2000, and XP) or a third-party backup program and schedule backups to occur automatically. Store backed up data on a network server or removable drive in a location away from the computer itself, in case of a natural disaster like flood, fire, or tornado.
    • Remember that the data is the most important thing on your computer. The operating system can be reinstalled and so can applications, but it may be difficult or impossible to recreate your original data. Don’t wait for disaster to happen, take the first step, backup your data!

The email should like something like this:

The fake alert informs recipients that as part of a “State Vaccination H1N1 Program” they need to create a profile on the CDC Web site. The link in the e-mail goes to a fake CDC page where the visitor is assigned a temporary ID and a link to a vaccination profile that is actually an an executable file containing a copy of the Kryptik Trojan targeting Windows, according to an AppRiver blog post on Tuesday.

The link was embedded on the webpage and looks like this:-

Once installed, “this Trojan will create a security-free gateway on your system and will proceed to download and install additional malware without your authorization,” the post warns. “It also enables a remote hacker to take complete control of your computer. This malware can log your typed keystrokes and send confidential personal and financial data (including banking information, credit card numbers, and website passwords) to a remote hacker.

According to AppRiver, the fake CDC email was dispatched at a rate of nearly 18,000 messages per minute, approximately 1 million in the first hour alone.

the fake CDC email was dispatched at a rate of nearly 18,000 messages per minute, approximately 1 million in the first hour alone.

The worst part of it is, according to Symantec, the landing page that the link led to contained a hidden iFrame that pointed to a site hosted in Ukraine. The iFrame checks to see if the system is running an unpatched version of Adobe Reader, Acrobat or Flash Player and if so it uses an exploit to download a file to the system.

Do be aware that these sort of phishing sites and emails are on the rise and there’ s no way for you to know them all, and usually by the time you know it, you’ll be another statistic in the number of victims. I recommend that if you do not have a proper firewall or antivirus software install right now, please get one immediately.

We have been selling AVG Internet Security and Antivirus software all this while and so far, lots of my customers just love it for its low cost, low maintenance and also low resource hogging. Get your AVG Internet Security now.

For your corporate use, please feel free to contact us.

“… how did they managed to work till today …”

“… how did they managed to work till today …”

“… how did they managed to work till today …”

“… how did they managed to work till today …”

No, it’s not that I’m not paying attention to what they are saying. No, I do not have any doubt in their business acumen and no, I do not have any doubt in the working efficiencies of the management and staffs.

I just do not understand how are they able to work with multiple copies of probably the same data, and may be a few revised one which no one knows who is holding the latest copy, how that they are able to collaborate just via email and probably thumb drive transfer of data, and worst, who is actually doing the backup of the data?

When I express my doubts and my questions to them, few of them will be looking at each other for a short while, and then some will start to explain how their system works and at this very moment, another staff will look very surprised and say “No… I thought you are doing it the other way…” and so forth.

At this very moment, everybody begin to look even more surprised and some starts to panic and asked “What happened to our system??”

The fact is, probably there is nothing wrong with the system, it’s just that they might be outdated in today’s fast-moving business pace, and probably they are not using correct technology to harness the power of todays’ business technology.

Sometimes, a simple solution to them is to get a server. That’s it.

So, when is it for you to get a server?

Well, for a basic thumb of rule, you can consider getting a server when the following conditions are applied to your office:-

• You have two or more computers in your business that you need to connect.
• You need to save money by sharing equipment and resources such as printers, fax machines, and Internet connectivity.
• You need to protect business information and your network from unauthorized users.
• You need a reliable process to back up information.
• You need to access company information and resources while away from the office.
• You need to store, access, and share information in one central location.
• You need to manage different versions of files.
• You need to easily schedule group meetings and communicate efficiently with colleagues.
• You need a tool to share ideas and information with your colleagues.
• You need to present a professional image and manage your customer relationships more effectively.

If you happen to meet any one of the above conditions, you can start planning to get one then. Contrary to popular myths, getting a server does not need to break an arm or leg. Feel free to contact us for your non-obligatory consultation and we’ll be able to assist you further.

Bluetooth, Firewire, Wi-Fi, Kensington Slot and so forth.

…if you are not into I.T. itself, you will not be interested to know what the technology mean…

They just sound too geeky and seriously, if you are not into I.T. itself, you will not be interested to know what the technology mean, you just need it to work, and that’s it. We understand, and we want to “ease your pain” for your next purchasing with us, so, right here, right now, I’m going to decipher these geeky acronyms for you and hopefully you can understand them better.

Bluetooth Technology

• for wirelessly transferring data short distances (up to 30 feet) among notebooks, cell phones, Palm or Pocket PC handhelds, and printers.
• available on many notebooks.
• not a competitor to wireless Ethernet.
• comes with most notebook computer

DVD-Rom/CDRW Combo Drives

• Slowly being phased out but you’ll still find it in some budget and business notebooks.
• reads DVDs and CDs and writes CDs.

Dual Layer, Dual Format DVD RW Drives

• Adding writeable DVD is extremely cost effective these days.
• Virtually all consumer laptops will have some kind of DVD writing capability.
• Dual format writes both mi-nus(DVD RW) and plus(DVD+RW) discs at a maximum capacity of 4.7GB.
• Dual Layer adds another layer on top of the disc to give it a total capacity of 8.5GB.

Docking station

• A cradle for your notebook that provides space for extra drives and attachment ports for all your cables.
• Popular in business, but are losing favor to port replicators among individuals.
  • Replicators typically don’t have any expansion bays.

ExpressCard Slot

• Already replacing PC Card slots as a feature for expandability.
• Supports two form factors:-
  • ExpressCard/34 (34 mm wide) and
  • ExpressCard/54 (54 mm wide, in an L-shape).
• Currently, there are very few ExpressCard devices out there that can take advantage of the faster bus speeds.

FireWire

• A high-speed connector (capable of 400 Mbps).
• Universal on Macs, common on media-oriented PCs for transfers from digital video (DV) cameras.
• USB is used for virtually all other high-speed data transfers on PC notebooks.

Kensington slot

• A universal connector for a physical security lock, named after the company that invented the feature.
• virtually every notebook security lock you can buy fits the Kensington-style slot.

Key pitch

• Distance from the center of one key to the next.
• Desktop keyboards have a 19mm (0.75 inches) pitch.
• Full size notebook keyboards have a 97 percent (18.5mm) pitch.
• To check key pitch, measure across 10 keys (from the left side of the Q key to the left side of the left bracket ([) key).

Modular Bay

• A cavity in a notebook used primarily for removable drives, but also for accessories.
• A two-bay notebook has an internal bay for the hard drive and a second bay for a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, floppy disk drive, or a spare battery.

PC Card slot

• A space in a notebook where you can insert credit card-size accessories such as modems, network adapters, wireless network adapters, security cards, and memory cards, as well as connection points for some external disk drives.
• PC Cards are slowly becoming legacy ports as they are being replaced by ExpressCards.

Pointing device

• A built-in substitute for the mouse—
  • either a touch pad or a pointing stick that looks like a pencil eraser stuck below the G and H keys.
• Some notebooks have both types.

Port replicator

• A hardware device that attaches to a notebook and connects all the cables (modem, printer, power, and mouse) that you would otherwise attach one by one to your notebook’s ports.
• simpler than a docking station and cheaper.
• Most replicators include a security locking slot.

Travel weight

• The total weight of a notebook package for computing on the road, including the notebook, transformer, battery, and possibly an adapter module for connecting accessories.
• Marketing literature usually quotes system weight (computer, battery, and usually the internal optical drive).
• Add 0.75 pounds for the transformer and 0.5 pounds for the optical drive if it wasn’t quoted by the manufacturer.

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

• An all-purpose input/output connector that lets you attach a digital camera, audio player, memory key, mouse, external drive, or printer.
• A notebook has one to four USB ports (two are adequate for most users).
• All notebooks sold today use USB 2.0, capable of 480 Mbps.

Widescreen

• An LCD display with a width-to-height ratio of 16 to 10 (sometimes 16:9) instead of the more common 4:3.
• better for watching movies, but total size (square inches) is about the same.

Wi-Fi

• Short for wireless fidelity, an umbrella term for wireless Ethernet.
  • 802.11b, capable of 11 Mbps theoretical speed (about 5 Mbps actual), is most common.
  • 802.11g, capable of 54 Mbps, is succeeding (and in-corporates) 802.11b.
  • Some corporations prefer 802.11a, also 54 Mbps. It is possible for a wireless card to integrate both g (with b) and a.
  • Virtually every notebook incorporates wired Ethernet; many include wireless, too.

XGA (Extended Graphics Array)

• One of the two most common screen resolutions for notebooks and desktops:1,024 pixels horizontally by 768 vertically.
• Equally common is SXGA+ (1,400 by 1,050).
• Other resolutions are SXGA (1,280 by 1,024, used more on desktops than notebooks), and
• UXGA (1,600 by 1,200).
• The higher resolutions make for crisp graphics and small text.
• Widescreen displays typically use WXGA (1280 by 768), WSXGA+ (1680 by 1050), and WUXGA (1920 by 1200).

I told him why not just remove those programs he’s not using and that will make his system perform better too. And of course, he says it’s impossible because he uses every one of the program on his system. Hmmm….O….kay.

So, I created a shortcut on his desktop and by double-clicking it, the system shuts down immediately.

This is what I do:-

1. Right-click the desktop to bring up a context window.
2. Select New, then Create Shortcut.
3. In the Command Line space, type the following path:
   • %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe -s -f -t 00
     • -s is for shutdown. You can use -r for reboot
     • -f is to force running applications to close without warning and
     • -t xx is to set the timeout for shutdown to xx seconds (00 means immediately)
4. Click on Next, then rename the Icon Shutdown. Click on Finish and the new icon will be on your Desktop.

To shut down the system, just double-click on your new icon and the computer will go directly to shutdown.

How To Create A Shortcut To Shutdown My Windows XP