Windows Vista, A Killer OS

Author: Budi Febrianto

Article:
Windows Vista, A Killer OS

Yup, I mean in. Windows Vista, A killer OS (Operating system).
It really will kills (you).

You can see windows Vista requirements at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/s
ystemrequirements.mspx

You see know, why I says Windows Vista: A Killer OS. It will
kill your budget and wallet. If you have any plan to use one,
you can say good bye to your old computer. Simple upgrading the
memory simply not enough, this beast will require new processor
and new graphic card too.

The rules is simple. If you wan to use it, buy a brand new
computer with the latest hardware and huge amount of memory.
Event the home basic edition require minimum of 512MB of memory,
that just for the OS! If you need to run applications like MS
Outlook 2007, that you need at least 1GB of memory. That minimum
configuration. The 'Wow' starts now - that's True!.

These are just a few words about vista that I got from mailing
list that I join. These people mostly computer consultant with
years of expertise. I think I listens for what they says.

* I'm running Outlook 2007 on a dual Xeon 3.06Ghz (not HT
either) with 4G of RAM and it still drags.

* I just tried Vista with the latest MS Office. It ran quite
well. Of course, you have to have a system with the nuts to
handle it. This was on a Dell with an Intel dual-core (3.8 Ghz I
believe) system. Tons of memory. I would never use it on an
outdated single core system with 512memory.

* I find Outlook 2007 to be MUCH slower than 2003. I'm am not
impressedby Vista or Office 2007 so far.

* Yeah, and what will be the requirement in the next version on
windows, a supercomputer, and that's just for basics :P

* Quad processor, 4 GB ram, 2GB will be used upon successful
bootup. In order to have the cool graphics as MacOS XII, you
will need an SLI-2x4 4 - GPU video card that costs twice as much
as the motherboard and processor chip.

* I used Vista for a week on a laptop that was purchased within
the last six months and branded as "Vista Ready!" It ran like
crap, the driver support for the touchpad was abysmal, and it
lived in virtual memory. I'll run XP until I can't anymore.
After that, FreeBSD on the desktop is looking more and more
attractive.

* I don't object to Microsoft taking advantage of the power of
newer machines, but I do find it rather annoying in the case of
Vista that the *requirements* for the OS are so high. I've seen
nothing in Vista that justifies using so much machine for just
the OS. I do need to run a Vista box so that I can be familiar
with the thing when my clients call with questions about it.

* Currently I'm running Vista Ultimate on a Core 2 Extreme
X6800 with 2G of very nice RAM and an X1950XTX graphics card. I
have a very fast array of 3G SATA drives, and Vista does look
pretty and it's quite snappy. But... The same box feels faster
with XP SP2.

Sure they are also some good words about Microsoft Vista, but
hey... I'm not gonna quote them. :)

I'm not yet running Windows Vista, but for the prices of the OS
and the price for the new hardware, I think I never will.

I'm not prepare to buy a new computer, and I think many people
are like me, have a tight budget. I think I will stick with my
old notebook powered by Pentium III 733 Mhz with 512 MB, running
dual boot nicely with Windows XP Home edition and with Open Suse
10.1.

I still belive linux is the future (and now Lotus Notes runs
under linux too, see
http://indomino.blogspot.com/2007/01/lotus-notes-client-71-for-li
nux.html)

About the author:
Budi Febrianto have a blog that mostly talk about Lotus Domino,
Email and Spam at http://indomino.blogspot.com

How To Download Videos From Youtube or Google Video

Youtube and Google video are the two video sharing websites that I visit frequently. There are tons of good videos there. I mean, if you're a comedian and looking for some ideas, these websites are good place to start.

I think you know about the movie Norbit right? If you don't know, you can check out the movie official site http://www.meetnorbit.com. Eddie Murphy said he got the idea to make this movie from the Internet. He said he has seen a video clip where a fat girl hit his husband.

So, you can do the same. Well, maybe not for making some movies. But, if you have something in your mind and want to find some ideas, you can start there.

But, how if you want to download the movie clip from Youtube?

Here's how:

As far as I know, there are lots of sites offering this service for free. But, I always use these two sites:

a. http://www.videodownloader.net
b. http://www.keepvid.com

What you have to do to download a movie from Youtube is simple. Just copy and paste the movie URL to the box provided. For example, I like a *Saikano video clip that I've seen from Youtube and want to download it. So, I just copy the URL (http://youtube.com/watch?v=__Zs3Yq_VNM) to the box provided and wait until the download link come out.

Then, I'll just right click the download link and choose Save Target As and you're done!

That's all. You can try this for yourself.

*Note: Saikano is a Japanesse anime and the Youtube link is the link to the Saikano Live Action movie clip.

Secure your PC from online threats.

Author: Raymond Johansen

Article:
In this article I will try to explain how to secure yourself and
your computer from the threats that exists online today. I guess
you have heard of computer viruses. Well, these threats surely
exists, but today there are a new breed of threats that takes
the internet by storm. And in real numbers, viruses pale in
comparison. What I am talking about is spyware. Read more to
learn how to protect yourself from these parasites.

You have most likely been one of the many victims of spyware.
There are several thousands of them online today, and still
growing at an incredible rate. They are designed to spy on what
you do online, which pages you visit, what information you send,
or even to steal the codes for your bank accounts or other
accounts. Some of them will only spy on you to be able to target
pop-up ads on your computer screen. If you have installed a
pop-up blocker, they won'y bother you. But some are using a new
type of pop-up called "pop-under". These ads slips through a
pop-up blocking software because they are not a small pop-up
window, but a new full-blown webpage that lays over everything
that is on your computerscreen.

So, if you are experiencing that your computer is running slow
or hanging, even after you have installed a fresh operating
system, then you should try to check for spyware. They infect
you from suspicious sites, especially porn sites and
warez(pirate) sites. Very often you are asked to install a codec
to play a video or something. You go ahead and install it, but
no video appears, and nothing seems to happen at all. This is
when you propably have to look for spyware again. To find these
creeps, you will need a spyware detector. There are many good
ones, but there are also many that isn't that great. So you will
need to read some reviews and tests to find the one best
suitable for your needs. This brings me over to another type
that I urge you to be aware of. They are really sly, and you
might not believe it when you read this, but I assure you that
these things exist.

Again I talk about a new breed of threats. But this kind is very
tricky to get rid of. Maybe you have noticed that a security
warning from "security center". It claims that you have a
serious problem with your system, and you need to fix it right
away. You are asked to click on the button to fix it
immediately, or to fix it later by closing the warning. No
matter which button you push, you are sent to a website which is
offering you some fantastic anti-spyware software. Be aware.
This is nothing but spyware that has infected your system, and
the only problem you will get rid of with this software is the
spyware they have created themselves. It won't fix anything
else. For most people this security warning looks pretty scary,
and they will go ahead and purchase this so-called anti-spyware
software. Well, you will most likely get rid of the warnings
that pops up constantly. But remember that the problem was
created by the same people that offers you the fix. I don't
think they deserve any money at all.

I hear a question coming up now; how to get rid of the
disturbing warnings without paying? I have a solution that has
worked for me all the times I have been infected. That is to
format the harddrive and reinstall the OS(operating system). But
this is no method that I prefer, since it takes a lot of time,
and you have to set up your computer again. We are talking about
several hours of work here. So, before you go ahead and do this,
I recommend that you scan your computer with every piece of
anti-spyware and anti-virus software that you posess. Maybe you
are lucky and get rid of it, but in most cases it is stuck.
Anyway, it is well worth a try. Or ofcourse, you could pay the
thirty bucks, or whatever it costs, and you very easily solve
the problem. Again, this is nothing I recommend.

Just to mention it, these warnings is more a disturbance than a
real threat. If you decide to reinstall your system, you
absolutely have time to take backups. They are relatively
harmless, but very annoying. So in time you want to get rid of
it. Which method you choose is up to you ofcourse. If you'd like
to know more about computer security, I recommend that you visit
the website described below.



About the author:
About the Author: Raymond Johansen is a writer for Free Pc
Assistance. A website dedicated to computer safety. Click here if your
computer is slow

Free Download Manager Software

When you're downloading a file from the Internet, sometimes your connection will be disconnected. Then, you have to start downloading the file from scratch. However, if you're using download manager, this problem can be solved. In this post, I will tell you 6 free download manager you can use:

1. Download Express
http://www.metaproducts.com

2. Fresh Download
http://www.freshdevices.com

3. Webcow
http://subfiles.net/webcow/index.php

4. Download Accelerator Manager
http://www.tensons.com

5.Free Download Manager
http://www.freedownloadmanager.org

6. Wackget
http://www.millweed.com/projects/wackget

How To Maintain Accurate Time On Your PC

Author: David Evans

Article:
PC's have internal real time clocks designed to maintain system
time. The internal clocks rely on relatively low-cost crystal
oscillators, which are notoriously inaccurate. In many cases PC
system time can drift by several minutes each day. This article
describes various methods of maintaining a highly accurate time
on your PC. It describes how to utilise Internet time
references, radio and GPS clocks and dedicated NTP server
systems.

Internet Time References

The Internet utilises the Network Time Protocol to distribute
accurate time information to network time clients. NTP has been
an important part of the Internet for over 25 years. The
protocol was born through the need to provide synchronisation of
time critical processes across the Internet.

Most modern operating systems, including Windows XP, 2003 and
LINUX have the ability to synchronise time with a NTP Server.
There are a host of Internet based NTP Servers with public
access that can be used to synchronise your PC. Below is a list
of popular Internet based public access NTP Server references:

time.nist.gov - US based time reference. ptbtime1.ptb.de -
German time reference. ntp.my-inbox.co.uk - UK time reference.
canon.inria.fr - French time reference. clock.isc.org - Canadian
time reference.

Windows XP has pre-installed SNTP client software that can
synchronise time with a NTP server. This is achieved by simply
entering the domain name of an Internet NTP Server in the time
properties tab. The host computer will then periodically contact
the NTP Server and synchronise the system time to the specified
reference.

LINUX and UNIX systems have the NTP software distribution
available from the NTP website, ntp.org. The NTP application
runs as a daemon, constantly monitoring specified NTP servers.
The application reads a list of NTP servers from a configuration
file, 'ntp.conf', and periodically synchronises time. A list of
NTP server references is specified with the 'server'
configuration command thus:

server time-a.nist.gov # NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland NTP server
server time-c.timefreq.bldrdoc.gov # NIST, Boulder, Colorado NTP
server

Once configured, the NTP daemon can be started, stopped and
restarted using the commands: 'ntpd start'; 'ntpd stop' and
'ntpd restart'.

Radio and GPS Clock Timing References

There are many commercially available radio and GPS clock timing
references for PC's. Radio and GPS clocks obtain accurate time
from national radio timing references or from the GPS system.
The devices have serial or USB interfaces and provide an
accurate timing reference to PC's. Driver software periodically
synchronises the system time of the host computer to the
received reference time. Often reference clock drivers are
available that interface to the NTP application software to
provide your own dedicated NTP server.

Radio time receivers often have the advantage of having the
ability to obtain a good signal, indoors, close to the host
computer. However, the signal can only be received locally to
the transmitter. There are a number of radio time broadcasts
available: MSF transmitted from Rugby, UK; DCF-77 transmitted
from Frankfurt, Germany; WWVB transmitted from Colorado, USA;
CHU, Canada and TDF, France. GPS has the advantage of providing
a global time and frequency solution; however, an externally
located antenna is required which can be impractical.

Dedicated NTP Servers

NTP servers are dedicated time servers that obtain time from an
external source, such as radio or GPS, and provide a network
with an accurate timing reference. NTP servers are generally
rack-mountable devices with an external antenna and an Ethernet
connection. The devices obtain time from a radio or GPS timing
reference and maintain an accurate internal time. The accurate
time is then distributed to network time clients over an IP
network. Dedicated NTP servers often minimize the set-up and
configuration effort required to get a NTP server installation
up and running.

About the author:
Dave Evans develops NTP Server synchronisation systems to ensure
accurate time on PC's and computer networks. Dave has been
involved in the development of dedicated NTP server systems, NTP
synchronised digital wall clock systems and atomic clock time
synchronisation products. Find out more about SNTP and NTP
Server Systems at:
http://www.timetools.co.uk/ntp-servers/ntp-server-s5000.htm

Problem : Connecting To Site 1.0.0.0

There was one time when I installed Microsoft Protocol Version 6 on my wireless network connection. The result? I cannot open any websites. I know I was connected to the internet because I can receive emails from my Outlook Express. But, the problem was, I cannot open any websites and my browser said "Connecting to site 1.0.0.0".

I thought it was browser hijacker and I ran the usual software that I use. Spybot, Ad-Aware and my virus scanner. But, none of these software detect a problem. Then I wonder what is happening.

But then I remembered installing Microsoft Protocol Version 6 on my network connections.

"Maybe this is the problem," I thought.

Immediately I uninstalled it and reboot my computer and after that, I opened my web browser and guess what? Everything work fine. So, if you're experiencing this kind of problem, try uninstalling the Microsoft Protocol Version 6. Works for me.

Internet Explorer 7 Tip and Trick - Multiple Homepages

Another good thing about Internet Explorer 7 is you can set up multiple homepages. If you have three or four homepages that you would like to set, all you have to do is just click the drop-down box next to the Home button, and choose 'Add or Change Homepage'. Then, just choose your option.

Therefore, if you open your Internet Explorer 7, it will open multiple homepages. But, one thing that you need to know is it will load slower when you start your browser because it has to load multiple homepages.

Below is the location of the drop-down box menu

Monitoring Your Temperature

It's important to monitor your PC temperature if you don't want to lose your hard drive, processor or your RAM. If you want to monitor your temperature, you can use the Lavalys EVEREST Home Edition software.

Or you can check your temperature by entering the BIOS. You can set your BIOS to warn you if the temperature is too hot and this will give your some time to shut down your computer.

My Hosting Server

My webhosting company just contacted me last night. They replied my email and apologize for all that happened. Their server and email server are down and they're working around the clock to solve this problem.