Computing Central

Things about computing, the web or just things

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Supercharge your PC’s Internet Browsing Speed

Getting on the Internet is usually an everyday experience. We will no longer tolerate dial up seed connections that are sluggish. Nevertheless, numerous people are stuck dealing with constant slowdowns and big breaks in the way their computer functions owing to many different difficulties with their PC. No more do we tolerate dial up speed connections or sluggish operations from our browsers. Nevertheless, a number of people are stuck coping with constant slow down and breaks in operations of their computers as a result number of difficulties with their PC.

However, it's not necessary to endure the slow under-performing speed of your Internet browser. You will be able to speed it up and prevent your machine from locking out each and every time you attempt to load videos. Here are a few fast and simple speed boosting tips:

Clean out Your Cache Daily

Your PC keeps local copies of a large number of files that may slowly start to develop and utilize space on your hard drive. One of the most telling of these temporary files would be the ones inside your web browser’s cache. The most effective way to process them is to get rid of them for nearly all browsers and doing so will help you to increase your browsing significantly.

You will find there's a catch though. In the event you delete the cache daily, you'll find sites which will seem to load slower. The reason being your PC will not have the ability to make use of the cached files to pre load a web page, something which most contemporary browsers do today to quicken things.

Select a Faster Browser

Let’s face the facts – Internet Explorer just isn't the ideal solution anymore. The outdated, bulky old browser is slow, filled with unwanted fluff and does not work very well on most style sites. So, opt for something faster. The most effective bet for all around usefulness is FireFox. However, you will discover that Google Chrome and Opera are both faster browsers. The only issue with the two latter is they do not really work as well for everything as they aren't as well developed or supported as FireFox.

Install Protective Software

Adding some protective applications on your PC can perform wonders. Use a firewall, in addition to some simple virus protection and ad ware protection. You can get free versions of all three on the Internet easily or else you can choose more costly suites of software. However, the latter may become bulky and slow your PC down more with its excessive operations.

The final outcome here is you will want something to prevent you from visiting sites packed with mal-ware and viruses also to live from getting bogged down by outside operations. A variety of unwanted, outside interlopers can severely slow down your progress if you're not careful, which could become a significant strain on your own computing power.

For proper care of your PC and the web browsing software you utilize on it, you ought to rarely, if ever notice the type of slow down that currently plagues you each time you attempt to check your email or read the news. Be sure to update often, continue to keep protective software active, and don’t visit sites that aren't familiar or checked by a 3rd party program.

Be sure to update often, continue to keep protective software active, and don’t visit sites that aren't familiar or checked by a 3rd party program.

www.computerrepairplus.com

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Selecting Editing Software

When you are about to engage in video editing, you must answer this question first – What do you want to do? There are so many video editing tasks but you can’t possibly do everything unless you’re a pro. Most of today’s videographers prefer to do certain editing tasks but not all of them. So when choosing the best software, you must consider the things that you’re planning to do; this is the only way of getting the best software for you to work with.

It’s ordinary to see a lot of attractive promos when you’re shopping for the best software, online and offline. There are even programs that come with a free camcorder; don’t be fooled by these things. Stick to your needs and get the appropriate software if you want to end up with a software program that’s useful.

Firstly, you need to look at the format. What is the format that you’re currently working on? Do you want to create a final video or movie of the same format? The input is largely determined by the material you’re using – a DVD recorder, camcorder, etc. The input may be standard definition or high definition. The output can be in DVD wherein MPEG2 files are written on the DVD, in HDD, Blue Ray Disc, handheld devices, computer viewing, and many other formats.

Focus on the source of your files because the output will be mostly of the same format. Choose software that ensures ease of work with the particular input format so that you will not encounter any difficulty.

Sellers of various software programs see to it that their products are ‘attractive’ to the eyes of customers. Even if the program is not what you want, the seller can make it something that you want and so you’re tempted to purchase the program.

The next thing that you need to consider is transition. When a scene changes, you should insert transitions between the clips. Transitions can be straight cut or cross fade and there are still others that you can use. You see, each software program usually offers about 50 different transitions.

Overlay tracks is another great feature of editing software programs. You can see this effect on movies and TV shows. A very good example is the news wherein you can see the station logo, tape readout, and a video of the reporter on a particular scene. Controlling the overlay tracks is important so that you won’t make a mess on the video output.

The audio control feature is limited in most consumer video editing programs. Just as the word suggests, the software is used mostly for editing videos and not audio. If you want to have maximum audio control, get advanced software packages used by pros.

DVD authoring is another feature that attracts videographers. You can use this if you have high definition materials. Make sure that it provides 10-20 menu templates for full customization.

Rendering is one of the most important features. The file is not finished until you render it; all the changes you’ve made on the video material are virtual. After rendering, the final video material is saved in viewing format.

Still looking for the best software in video editing? Focus on your needs and wants. If you know the video editing tasks that you’re about to do, then you can easily purchase the right software.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Computers and Video Editing

Computers and Video Editing

Many years ago, it would have been impossible to edit videos at home because it can only be done in exclusive editor suites. But now, things are quite different. If you have a desktop computer with enough disk space, CPU power, and FireWire or USB port, you can now edit cherished videos to create good quality videos with all the effects you see in modern professional movies.

When you’re editing videos, huge CPU power is being used as you move lots of data to and from the disk. Having a fast machine allows you to write and render in a few minutes but if you’re using a slow computer, the task will take several hours.

If you’re doing a lot of writing and rendering files, Pentium Quad Core computers are great or even a Mac model with a minimum 2GB of RAM (Random Access Memory). Pentium 3 machines can handle data stream but when you’re using other applications, the video editing software will not function.

In order to edit videos, you must also choose good quality software. If you have Windows XP, there is already built-in software that lets you edit raw footages. The same thing is true with Apple computers.

Why is it that many video editors use Adobe Premier? The reason why many people use Adobe is because it provides free demo versions and it can be used on Macs and PCs. Adobe’s software is also well respected and full featured so you can do various editing tasks. If you don’t want to spend money on new editing software, you can always use the WMM (Windows Movie Maker) and IMovie.

Aside from the CPU, RAM is another crucial element in video editing with computers. Even if the CPU is fast, the machine will still remain sluggish without enough RAM. The recommended minimum RAM is 2GB although most new computers come with only 1GB. So if you’re using 2GB of RAM, you can browse and use more than two files with ease. Here’s a good example. When the CPU needs a file, the file will be delivered to the RAM from the hard disk for greater speed manipulation. If another file is requested, you can get both files successively. Now this is possible only if you’re using enough RAM but if you’re using less than 2GB, the computer will work slower.

If you currently have 1GB, add more especially if you plan to do a lot of video editing tasks. You must be aware that Windows XP requires 1GB (RAM) and when you load other applications, it will need additional RAM to remain fast and responsive. For starters, you can settle with 1GB or if you want to invest more on video editing, you can increase the RAM to 2GB or even 4GB providing your computer will allow the 4GB upgrade. Check the specifications to see if it will. Make sure that you get the appropriate RAM for your computer’s motherboard. Check with the manufacturer or a certified technician.

Happy editing and good luck

Monday, January 4, 2010

What are Botnets?

What are Botnets?
"A botnet is comparable to compulsory military service for windows boxes" - Stromberg (http://project.honeynet.org/papers/bots/)

Botnets are networks of computers that hackers have infected and grouped together under their control to propagate viruses, send illegal spam, and carry out attacks that cause web sites to crash.

What makes botnets exceedingly bad is the difficulty in tracing them back to their creators as well as the ever-increasing use of them in extortion schemes. How are they used in extortion schemes? Imagine someone sending you messages to either pay up or see your web site crash. This scenario is starting to replay itself over and over again.

Botnets can consist of thousands of compromised machines. With such a large network, botnets can use Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) as a method to cause mayhem and chaos. For example a small botnet with only 500 bots can bring corporate web sites to their knees by using the combined bandwidth of all the computers to overwhelm corporate systems and thereby cause the web site to appear offline.

Jeremy Kirk, IDG News Service on January 19, 2006, quotes Kevin Hogan, senior manager for Symantec Security Response, in his article "Botnets shrinking in size, harder to trace", Hogan says "extortion schemes have emerged backed by the muscle of botnets, and hackers are also renting the use of armadas of computers for illegal purposes through advertisements on the Web."

One well-known technique to combat Botnets is a honey pot. Honeypots help discover how attackers infiltrate systems. A Honeypot is essentially a set of resources that one intends to be compromised in order to study how the hackers break the system. Unpatched Windows 2000 or XP machines make great honeypots given the ease with which one can take over such systems.
A great site to read up on this topic more is The Honeynet Project (http://project.honeynet.org) which describes its own site's objective as "To learn the tools, tactics and motives involved in computer and network attacks, and share the lessons learned."

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Dust Kills

Cleaning the Unit Fan is Essential Computer Care

Between taking care of the household, the kids, the pets, and the district PTA, computer care is probably one of the last things that you think of doing on a regular basis. Without a regular maintenance schedule however, you could find out (the hard way) that a neglected computer is an energy hog - one that works harder than it needs to and one that could be a financial burden to replace.

Let's talk about maintaining hardware. So much emphasis is put on maintaining a computer's operating system that we sometimes forget how important it is to maintain a computer's hardware components. Since there can be quite a few components to take care of, let's talk about the most important one.

The most important component of a computer's hardware system is its fan. The fan is located on the computer's CPU unit and when that thing gets clogged with dirt and dust, it can run down a computer faster than you can say, "Something's wrong with my computer and I don't know what it is!" In short, the fan is responsible for keeping a computer's motor cool and this motor is what keeps the computer's hard drive and peripherals functioning the way you need them to, which translates to "fast."

A dirty fan doesn't rotate fast enough to keep that motor cool and a completely clogged fan just stops rotating altogether. This causes the computer's motor to work harder - and a harder working motor can raise the electric bill! Worst case scenario: the motor can overheat and stop working as well. No motor equals no computer.

Keep your computer's fan clean by preventing the fan from getting dirty or dusty in the first place. Use the computer in a dust-free environment and never smoke around it. Nicotine and tar mean certain death when it comes to computer fans, however should you find a need to clean the fan, do so with extreme care.

It's quite easy to cause more damage from cleaning so if you're not comfortable with cleaning your PC yourself, take it to a shop for servicing. Otherwise, you can unplug and disassemble the computer to do it yourself.

You'll need a can of compressed air and an anti-static rag to remove stubborn clumps of dust. Hold the can perfectly vertical and spray the fan being careful not to spray the dust off the fan onto other sensitive parts of the computer like circuit boards or inside the motor casing. Wipe up remaining dust with your anti-static rag and then reassemble the computer.

One thing that you certainly don't want to use to remove computer dust is a vacuum cleaner. Although using a vacuum cleaner seems to make more sense, the strong suction of a vacuum cleaner can actually spark damaging static electricity or dislodge loose cables. You also don't want to use oil-based cleaners. Although Pledge may dust your wooden tables and cabinets to a perfect shine, the oil inside a cleaner like this will erode sensitive computer parts. Stick to a liquid-free dusting method and your dusting routine will be safe enough to repeat as often as you need.

As previously mentioned, preventing dust from entering the computer is extremely important and will reduce the need to open and dust your system in the first place. The severity of outside elements (smoking, humidity, pets, etc.) will ultimately determine how often you'll need to de-dust your machine. But as an average, you shouldn't need to perform this procedure any more than once or twice a year.

The entire exercise should take no more than twenty minutes tops and once complete, you'll immediately see and hear the difference in your machine. The computer's keyboard and mouse will run more smoothly, hardware won't take as long to connect, and the entire machine won't be as loud as one that's corroded with ugly dust bunnies.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Videos with your computer

Hello, sorry for being so deliquent in keeping things going here. Like the mechanic who works on his car last so I do my blog last.



I have been working on videos for the internet, making, editing publishing and making them fit the "style" that the gurus say is right. In the next few weeks I will be posting some ideas and suggestions on that very subject, hope they are helpful.



Video Editing with Computers

Prior to the invention of computers, video editing was not an easy task. It would cost hundred of thousands of dollars just to put up a professional video editing room equipped with all the components like tape decks, effects generator, switcher, audio mixer, character generator, multiple monitors, and signal enhancers. To be a video editor, it takes years to learn how everything works. If you’re not knowledgeable enough, you can’t operate the equipments inside the room. The computers changed the world of video editing. Now, even novice video editors can perform the different tasks at home.

Shots taken for several seconds take a couple of hours to edit and if you’re renting out an editing room for $500 to $1,000 dollars every hour, it will cost you a lot of money just to edit a shot taken for a whole minute. Instead of renting out an editing room, you can spend the money to buy a complete video editing system and good software. Through the use of computers, video editing is a lot cheaper and easier. Besides, it’s really a lot of fun to edit or create videos in the comfort of your home. The possibilities are also endless in today’s modern world.

Video editing is no longer limited to big and rich companies. Today, even an ordinary individual can enter the video and TV production industry; thanks to the creation of computers. Oftentimes, the computer is already equipped with a video editing program or software and you already have the opportunity to create edited videos or clips.

Microsoft Movie Maker allows you to import, edit, title, add graphics and you can also use the audio feature of the program. If you purchase a Mac, it is already equipped with IMovie. This is one of the easiest programs to use and it suits beginners. These programs are free and you don’t have to spend anything.

If you’re not satisfied with the free programs, you can purchase affordable programs like that of Movie Studio (Sony Vegas) for only $99 or the Movie Maker (Corel DVD) for $48. According to users, these programs are good enough for beginners. The basics are easy to learn so novice editors will not find it hard to pass the learning curve. Learning how video editing works is just like learning the word processing programs.


For those who are not content with the basic features of the video editing program, you can opt for software ranging from $50 to $300. Professional software packages usually cost more than a thousand dollars but only the pros buy them. The Media Composer by Avid costs $50,000 and many pros are clamoring for it because it is still a good deal instead of spending millions of dollars on editing equipment.

If you don’t have a computer at home and plan to get one, consider the disk space of your computer since you will be using a lot of space for video editing. Try to conduct a search online and you will be overwhelmed with the many choices you can find.

As long as you have the computer and a good video editing program, you can create your own videos. Capture memories with your camcorder or mini DV and create exciting videos. Video editing with computers is the surest way to tap the video and TV industry. Who knows, you too can become famous.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Clean it up, run smother

Most people who use computers today use them for work, games, research or socialization. With more and more people trying to begin home businesses, the computer has become the essential tool for their business startup and operation. People want to optimize their computers so that they will be as efficient as possible; however, there are many factors associated with the performance output of a personal computer.
In order for a computer to reach and maintain maximum performance, many factors must be considered. On the hardware side of the equation, one must consider their processor speed and system memory. With regards to the software side of your computer, you must be aware of your computer's privacy protection, system security, and anti-virus software.
Additionally, you should do your best to take care of your Windows operating system -such as Windows XP or Windows Vista including its registry and the files cleanup process.
To keep a PC running smoothly and error-free, there are some basic steps that anyone can follow. Fortunately, none of these steps are really at all difficult. Anyone can do these tasks, with a little bit of basic education. Keep this article around for future reference, just in case you need it again.

Shut-Down Processes

First off, it is important to understand that programs need to be given the proper signals to shut down. It is strongly recommended that you never simply unplug your machine to turn it off. Please go through the normal shut down procedures, no matter how long those processes might take.
If you lose power, it really is an unavoidable event. Microsoft has done a good job at helping Windows know when it was shut down improperly, so the next time you start up your computer, your operating system might repair itself. Typically, when you restart your computer after an improper shut down, it might take a few minutes longer to boot up than usual. Let Windows do its long boot up after it has unexpectedly shut down. The longer boot up process is Windows attempt to repair any corruptions caused by the unexpected shut down of your computer's operating system.
If you need to shut down your system more quickly than usual, we strongly recommend that you utilize the Control-Alt-Delete key combination, and then select Shut Down from your Windows Task Manager window. By utilizing this shut down method, Windows will make appropriate notes to itself that it will need to do some cleanup on its next boot up sequence.
If Windows is not allowed to clean up after itself, you run the risk of corrupting the operating system or different programs you have loaded on your computer. Corruption of programs may force you to reinstall those programs. Corruption of your data files is the worst-case scenario � you could lose hours or years of work in a single moment, as a result of your impatience. Don't be impatient; let your computer do what it needs to do to repair and protect your system files.

Unnecessary Applications Running In The Background

The "background" is not the image on your desktop. "Running in the Background" is a reference to programs that are running on your system in invisible mode. In some cases, they are completely invisible, and in other cases, the only indication that they are operating is their icon in your System Tray, next to your clock.
Certain programs think that they need to be operating in your System Tray at all times. QuickTime, Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger are three of these types of programs. Microsoft Office even thinks it should be loaded and running in your background. If you use these applications frequently and need access to them almost instantaneously on a frequent basis, then yes, you probably should let them run in the background. But, most of us only use those applications on an infrequent basis.
The theory of having those applications running in the background is that it prevents you needing to wait thirty seconds while the software loads, when you need access to those applications. But, there is a significant amount of trade-off for thirty seconds of reduced wait time. That trade-off is a less-responsive computer. In worst-case scenarios, the thirty seconds saved at program start-up could trim minutes of productivity from your full workday.
While your system is operating, you can right-click on any icon next to your clock and most programs will allow you the option to select Close Application. By closing unnecessary applications, you can literally speed up the Windows operating system.
With most versions of Windows, you can also go to start, run and then type in "msconfig" and click OK. Once the Windows System Configuration Utility opens, click the tab that reads Startup. You can review the list and deselect items that you will not want to open when your computer boots up. It is important to note here that you should only close applications that you recognize and know that you can live without. Don't turn off an item in the Startup window, unless and until you know what that file really does. A quick search for that file name on the Internet will generally turn up lots of pages explaining what those files do in your Windows operating system environment.

Mean Kids on The Internet

Mean kids, who are also computer nerds, frequently grow up to be computer programmers who create Viruses and Spyware applications. The mean teenagers of the programming world get their kicks from turning our lives upside-down, with viruses that create a multitude of problems on whatever machines they can get their software installed. Virus writers with a criminal history frequently grow up to be people who write Trojans and Spyware applications that seek to steal our private information.
A Trojan is a malicious program that pretends to be a screensaver or some other non­threatening and fun kind of thing. When you execute it on your computer, it installs malicious software and then it does its dastardly deeds. Trojans and Spyware typically try to harvest private information from your computer for the financial benefit of its creator. Most of these kinds of computer programs only want to shove their advertising in your face (Adware) or track your Internet usage habits, so they can sell that information to other businesses; but the really ugly versions try to steal your credit card data and other financial data from your computer.
For some people, Trojans and Spyware computer programs are responsible for as much as a 60% deterioration of a computer's performance capability.

Forgotten Programs On Your Computer
Do you remember some of those 30-day free trial software applications that you tried once or twice, but never used again? Some of these applications may be running in the background of your computer. All of these programs are also still taking up space on your hard drive. Never go into your Windows Explorer and simply delete folders that contain the software programs you will never use again. Instead, every two or three months, you should utilize your Add / Remove Programs procedure, which can be accessed by going to Start - Settings - Control Panel - Add or Remove Programs, and remove old computer programs that you no longer use. This can frequently free up a lot of extra space on your hard drive. It can also free up some extra memory in your computer, if the program had been running in the background of your operating system at startup.



Final Closing Thoughts

If you still encounter problems after following the above suggestions, you may wish to try out "Advanced Windows Care v2 Personal". It has been designed to help you perform all of these essential protection and maintenance processes for your computer, enabling you to get on with more important tasks like making more money. This software can remove Adware and Spyware programs from your computer system, protect your privacy, prevent security threats, fix registry errors, and much more.
This program is an all-in-one systems utility that only requires a single click each day for proper computer maintenance, optimization and protection. It is free, so try it out. Remember, if you don't like the software, we have already taught you how to remove it, if you ever wanted to do so.