A Career in Computer Maintenance – Where to get Started

October 12, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Computer

At one time, long before personal computers came to exist or became affordable and ubiquitous, General Electric designed a huge “mainframe” that they deployed in Boston. At the time, they believed that the entire city of Boston, all of its government offices, all its universities, its scientists, could easily be served by that one computer – all they would need would be to connect to it for a server at home. Routine computer maintenance shuts down servers and nodes on a regular basis these days; the GE mainframe was designed to never need any computer maintenance whatsoever – no software updates, no hardware upgrades. Thankfully for anyone who hopes to get into computer maintenance for a career, this isn’t the way things are done anymore. Because for people who have a technical bent of mind, and who love solving complicated tech problems, the computer maintenance niche is a godsend – it pays extremely well (starting salaries hover around $60,000), it comes with a good deal of respect, and it can be very satisfying to those who care.

The kind of training you need to get into computer support actually begins right at home – driven by a strong interest in learning about how machines work. As in most areas of problem solving, you don’t necessarily need to know everything to become an expert; you just need to know where you need to go to consistently find the answers. Put that together with a good deal of hands-on experience fixing your friends’ computer problems, and you’re off to a good start. Your formal training to become a computer maintenance technician starts in high school. Certification training courses exist in many high schools that count as credit towards a college degree or associate’s degree. Once you graduate from high school, you can run for a two-year or four-year graduation course, or you could attend community college that will send you out into the real world for hands-on experience. Certification though, is what will truly set you on your path.

A computer maintenance technician requires the certification of a competent authority in the field to be accepted at any business as an IT maintenance expert. Where you go for your certificates depends of course on the area of hardware that interests you. Basically, if working on hardware from a specific vendor is what really does it for you, you will of course need to apply for certification by that company. Several major vendors offer their specialized certifications – Novell, Microsoft MCSE., Apple and Cisco are just a couple of the most famous names. If your interests run more widely than the narrow focus of a single vendor, vendor neutral certifications should be your thing. The Computer Technology Industry Association Certification would be your goal here. An A+ certification from these people allows you to accept work in computer installation, preventive maintenance, basic networking, and computer security. If you go to a high school where they offer you classes to prepare for these certification exams, you could be in luck.

When you finally do qualify and get into the biz, make sure that you keep on learning. The computer industry is all about innovation and advancement. Nothing impresses your client like a little obscure program you can tip them off to that can solve a problem of theirs. However, if at any time, you should find out that you don’t have the answer to a problem, make sure that you admits as much up front, and make sure you know where to go to look for an answer. Too much damage is done to careers when people don’t have the stomach to admit that they don’t know.

The New Macintosh Laptop Line – how much of an Improvement are They?

October 11, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Macintosh

To look at, the new 15 inch MacBook Pro isn’t all that different from the models that were in vogue last year. Those models last year brought in innovations like the captive battery, and the SD slot; to all appearances, the current iteration of the famed Macintosh laptop line doesn’t have anything earthshaking to offer? Well, looks can be deceiving; for under the shiny single piece aluminum mold that makes for the surface of the laptop, lie some impressive revamps in architecture and performance.

There are three models in the 15 inch MacBook Pro line; and visually, you’d be hard-pressed to tell them apart. Let’s get with the features they do share first – they all come with a 15.4 inch LED screen, twin graphics processors and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. All three models in the range have left the Core2 Duo processors behind that powered the previous Macintosh laptop line for new fleetfooted Core i ones. The prices range from $1800 for the baby of the bunch that runs on an i5, all the way to the $2200 2.66 GHz Intel i7.

Undoubtedly, most revolutionary feature in the new MacBook Pro line is the graphics engine – actually, it’s the way there are two separate graphics engines, both simultaneously powered up. There are innovations here on two levels. The dual graphics chips aren’t intended to pull together as dual graphics cards as you wouls see in an ATI Crossfire system. Instead, they are laid out for two levels of performance. There is a basic Intel integrated video chip of the kind that you would see on any standard Windows desktop motherboard, and ten there is a separate NVidia GT330M chip that is equipped with its own RAM. Standard garden-variety display functions go to the integrated video chip, and the heavy lifting if there is any, is done by the discrete card. This is quite innovative, to have the OS decide when and how to switch dynamically between two different graphics engines. It never used to be dynamic – you always have to log out and log in back again if you needed to see a change.

Another hysterical new feature on the new MacBook Pro is the new multi-touch glass trackpad. If you ever used one of Apple’s new mobile devices, the iPad or the iPhone, you’d know how to use Apple’s barnd of multi-touch. For instance, scrolling through a page just requires you to swipe your finger across; the page acts as if it understands the rules of momentum and inertia, and keeps rolling until it slowly loses steam. This feature isn’t available on any older Macintosh laptop – not even as an upgrade. And the DisplayPort output now sends multichannel audio through as well. If you want to use the sound on your HDMI flat screen, you have to make sure that you get the appropriate Apple adapter.

I kind of expected that Apple would bring in Blu-ray and USB 3 on its new MacBook; this hasn’t happened though; Steve Jobs just put out a statement that says that Apple doesn’t believe in Blu-ray (even though they threw their support behind it in the format wars from three years ago). The company believes that it won’t be long before people discard physical media altogether in favor of going with downloads completely.

I expected a lot of the new MacBook Pro when they advertised nine hour battery life.They must have really optimistic measurement techniques, because running stuff like movies, I could coax no more than four hours out of the battery. For such a powerful laptop and such a bright screen, that doesn’t seem exactly stingy though. Of all the models in the entire revamped 15″ Macbook line, I find the entry model especially tempting. It comes with a screaming fast i5 processor, a larger hard drive, discrete graphics, and the value for money is hard to argue with.

Toshiba Folio 100 Review

October 07, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - cell phone, Toshiba

Tablets have started becoming extremely popular all of a sudden, after the release of the Apple iPad. Many Global Electronic Manufacturers are taking advantage of this situation by releasing tablets of their own. Toshiba being no exception has also released a tablet named the Toshiba Folio 100.

While all the other tablets in the market at the moment are offering pretty much the same features, Toshiba has decided to tread a slightly different path to its rivals. Instead of going with Intel or Qualcomm, Toshiba has chosen Nvidia’s Tegra 2 to take the centre stage in the Folio 100.

There was a bit of information that was derivable about the Folio 100, from Toshiba’s presentation at the IFA show held in Berlin. Firstly, with the introduction of the Nvidia Tegra, the Folio has got what it takes to handle HD video much better than any other tablet in the market at the moment. Its 10.1 inch multi touch screen also boasts an impressive 1,024 x 600 pixel resolution. Secondly, there will be 16GB of internal memory, along with a full sized SD card reader slot, supporting cards up to 32 GB. The other standard features such as support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and 3G are present along with a 1.3 Mega Pixel Webcam. Lastly, it will run on the Android 2.2.

One of the few down sides to the Toshiba Folio 100 is the narrow viewing angle compared to other tablets. The other one being the fact the Apps for Android does not support high resolution as of yet. The second issue is expected to be resolved soon after its release, but it does not look like it will be the same case with the first one.

Despite its flaws, the Toshiba Folio 100 looks like it has the potential to become the next iPad Killer. How it will do against its rivals? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Getting Macintosh Antivirus – Should you, or Shouldn’t You?

September 30, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Uncategorized

Apple has just broken 10% of the personal computer market share, and they aren’t as insignificant a target as they used to be. Did anyone ever tell you that OS X was based on UNIX, and was therefore more stable, and more difficult for evil virus makers to get through to? So why is it then that Snow Leopard includes antivirus signatures right in the grain of the operating system? That’s how it goes now; the latest versions of MacOS includes inbuilt features that fight against some of the more well-known Mac viruses out there. What kind of viruses does a Mac have, you ask? One well-advertised virus was packaged by its authors as the iPhoto application. If you are trusting enough to launch it, the virus will you gain access to your computer and phone home to send screenshots. Apple, the company that’s always calling cool press conferences to announce every little feature that makes it out of their labs for each of their products, hasn’t breathed a word about these new Macintosh antivirus definitions they’ve loaded onboard their OS X. And they aren’t doing anyone any favors by not really promoting the antivirus habit among their users either.

Macintosh owners have battled virus and malware attacks on the web that have been coming in with increasing intensity, and many of them have been startlingly sophisticated too. And it isn’t the Macintosh alone that is the target; as you might well expect, the iPhone has had a bull’s-eye painted on it over the last year too. Most Macintosh viruses last year were aimed at their iWork package. But there were some heavy-duty ones aimed at Photoshop CS4 for the Mac, and an address book Trojan called TorredA did some damage too. According to leading antivirus makers today, each of the latest Mac and Windows operating systems is just about at unsafe as the other. Apple has been on the job, issuing about 50 security updates for the Safari over the last year alone, and several for iTunes and QuickTime.

So do you really need Macintosh antivirus? What about the inbuilt security features on Snow Leopard that are supposed to scan any downloaded files? Actually, those features, while useful, only looks at files downloaded by a few applications, and then too, only looks for a couple of Trojandesigns. Let’s put a figure on it though to make it clearer – the iServices B Trojan took down nearly 7000 machines last year; and Apple hasn’t been really quick about issuing any updates as regularly as Microsoft. If you are still in doubt that the Mac could ever attract viruses the way “poorly designed Windows systems” can, take a look at the tersely worded statement that’s on the Apple website – it says that it admits that no software is completely safe.

If you’re contemplating finally biting the bullet, which brand of antivirus should you go with? To begin with, even on Windows systems that have a reputed half million viruses targeted at them, antivirus is rarely worth the trouble. This is software that is constantly using up your processor cycles to look for nonexistent threats, and generally slowing your computer down. But if you really wanted it, which antivirus with you choose?

By all accounts, Intego’s VirusBarrier X6 rules the roost at the Macintosh antivirus party. And AVG and McAfee,both Windows stalwarts, have competent versions of their software for the Mac. For a free choice, try ClamX. You have to understand that antivirus software, no matter how good it is, can never keep up with new viruses at the speed at which they come online. There are schoolboys around the world who design and release the stuff into the wild; no one even learns about them for months. In the end, unless you plan on really risky behavior with your shiny new Mac, there really is no reason why you should pay good money to get antivirus software that will only slow down your experience.

Describing about Canon ink cartridges

September 29, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Ink cartridges

The canon ink cartridges is available in the market with many types such as canon inkjet inks, canon laser toner, canon ink jet refill kit, and many more. This type of canon ink cartridges is used for many purposes, and widely used in the offices, schools, colleges, stationeries, and many places where this type of product is actually needed. The cartridges consist of ink specially designed for having the good quality of the photographs. The different types of printers mainly require other types of ink which is incompatible with the respected printer.

The canon ink cartridges are very cheaper so people try to purchase the printers that are easily available with the low rates from the original one. The different things have to be taken into account before purchasing this type of printer as firstly the type of quality that it gives, secondly with the price that is within the budget of the employee, or the worker, and last but not the least the different designs that can be chosen by the user for having the printer, as well as there should be the good ink that gives the clear print outs of any data or image.

The genuine canon ink cartridges are also available from the world’s leading printer providers so that people make the best use of it, and many manufacturers, and suppliers who provide these sales of printers from one place to another. The manufacturer of the printer makes people to use the very reasonable ink cartridges in order to save the money of the people.

Virus Protection Software

September 28, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Software

The reality is that most people utilize computers on a daily basis. These wonderful, compact electronic machines assist us in so many ways with our everyday lives. Needless to say, it would be difficult living without PCs and Macs at this point. While they started out fairly basic and simple, now they can do pretty much everything under the sun. Just imagine for a moment all of the work you accomplish on a computer each day, as well as all of the emails you send out to family, friends and coworkers. Then there is surfing the net for information, products, games and entertainment. We certainly need our computers!

This is exactly why virus protection software is so imperative at this point. In the beginning, there was not much of a concern with viruses. However, this changes soon enough. Nowadays there is always a new Trojan horse or form of spyware emerging. It seems like there is literally no escape from Computer viruses that damage your hard drive and slow down your PC. Therefore it is necessary to install virus protection software on your computer, regardless of how new it is. This will form a protection barrier around your hard drive, so to speak. Virus protection programs work to spot viruses and block or quarantine them.

As you may already know, when you utilize virus protection software, you give your PC the ability to recognize viruses, harmful emails, and websites that may harm your computer. These kinds of protection programs additionally recognize spyware, and keep it off of your computer. You see, spyware can really slow down your computer’s processing speed. Viruses can do the same. They can also make your passwords and personal information vulnerable, which is something no one wants. The last thing you need is some one accessing your bank account or email. Fortunately there are new and improved virus protection software programs that are released all the time.

Consider taking a look at websites like AVG.com, Norton.com, and pctools.com. These are all sites that can assist you further with finding and choosing the best virus protection software for your personal computer. Although you may not realize it, some virus protection programs are free of charge. You can actually download them online, and you are all set. Just make sure you do not get involved with any shady companies offering faulty products. While there are great virus protection programs out there today, there are also a lot of useless downloads that will not benefit your computer in any way. If you have any doubts, it is a good idea to go with well-known virus protection programs that everyone knows are legitimate. One of these is Norton antivirus software.

Finding a Trusted Reverse Cell Phone Look Up Directory

September 28, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Uncategorized

People looking for reliable reverse cell phone lookup directory have a host of options to choose from. However there are several factors to look in to before selecting either of them.

A site should be legitimate and it should have the capabilities of doing free searches. Such free searches enable the buyer to find out whatever they are looking for and then decide whether to buy the product or services.

Information makes the report generated acceptable to the customer. Therefore it is important to learn exactly what each of the reports would contain. Some minimum requirements are there. At least the searchers should be able to find the owner, name, and contact details of the carrier.

Customer should also be able to find out the sources that the directory uses for gathering information for the database they have built up. Last but not the least, a money back guarantee would be ideal to prefer as it will save the user from unfruitful investments.

Why you need Search Engine Optimization for your website

September 13, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Internet

With the increase in the competition over the internet, web masters are fighting with each other for getting the top position on various search engines such as Google, MSN and Yahoo. Owning a website is not enough for your business. It is very important that you promote your website online so that it is visible to more visitors and you get the potential customers.

There are various marketing techniques for search engine optimization and depending upon your requirements and business, you can select the best one. With the help of these techniques, the website becomes more visible on search engines and more traffic is generated.

It is a well known fact that without search engine optimization; it is impossible to have visitors on the website and there is no way you can sell the products and services. In order to get it done, you must hire a professional as he will be able to analyze the requirements of your business and point out areas of concerns. There are lots of providers and you must make sure that you hire the one who has expertise and experience in this particular area. You will notice increase in return on investments in few months.

BullGuard Internet Security 9.0 – Antivirus

August 28, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Antivirus, Computer, Review

BullGuard Internet Security 9.0 is the result of two years of development following the release of Internet Security 8.0. The most significant change is a complete overhaul of the user interface to improve user-friendliness, building upon the effective, tried-and –tested anti-virus engine of previous versions. The idea behind the design of the new interface is enhancement of the software for a variety of end-users; making it accessible for novices while retaining a level of deeper control for experts.

The new interface has icons that link to the following tasks:

  • Virus Scan
  • Data back-up
  • Allow/Block programs
  • Contact support
  • Online Drive (5GB of online storage)
  • System status
  • Check for updates
  • Your BullGuard Account
  • Upgrade

Each icon represents a single click to navigate the whole suite of functions the software performs, from one home screen. This simple structure makes the software very easy to use, without the need to navigate through multiple menu layers, giving the software a friendly and streamlined feel.

Key features of the software include: anti-virus anti-spyware, and anti-phishing protection spam filtering, Instant Messaging protection, and 24-hour online customer support.

BullGuard Internet Security 9.0 also incorporates the previously released ‘Gamer’s Edition’, with the same features found in the new ‘Game Mode’ setting.

Game mode optimizes computer resources for improved gaming performance, and features pre-defined and customizable settings for major games. Interruptions such as security pop-up messages and system scans are prevented, and auto-updates are delayed while games are played.

Instant messaging protection is another important innovation; increasingly vital these days with the popularity of these systems. All data transferred via an instant messenger service; photo, document, or anything else, is scanned for viruses and harmful content.

BullGuard Support is an online personal assistance service to solve any security-related problems, available 24 hours, with a 1 hour fastest response-time available.

The online drive provides 5GB of storage for protection of highly-valued personal information. Important data is preserved in a remote location in case of irretrievable crashes, or computer theft or damage.

With an improved user-interface, Internet Security 9.0 from BullGuard remains effective in protecting your computer from all online threats; viruses, spyware, hackers, credit card and identity theft, with improved accessibility. The software is optimised to provide quiet, no-fuss internet security, unobtrusively working in the background to secure your computer.

Get your free trial of Bullguard antivirus download at bullguard.com

Reverse cell phone lookup Service that you need

July 30, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - cell phone

With reverse cell phone lookup services you can find the identity of whoever is calling in just a few moments. All you have to do is take the number that’s calling you and use a reverse cell phone lookup service to get to the person that’s calling you from this number. Though you will probably find even free reverse phone lookup services available on the market, for more accurate results you will have to pay. Even so, these services are very cheap and well worth your money because you can find out much more information about the caller if you are willing to pay e few extra bucks.

Of course you can always use the internet to try and find out some information about the number that’s calling you but with a reverse phone lookup service you get full details: full name and address. There’s no wonder why more and more people decide to use this service and you should definitely give it a try.


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