How to make a Home Network

 If you have more than one computer at home, you are probably better off connecting them or networking them together to use the same resources and receive the same internet connection.  A home network is very easy to build.
 Here are some tips.:

 There are two main types of home networks, wired and wireless.  While wired home networks are popular, but they require you to run wires from one computer to another.  You might have to drill holes in a wall or run wire under the carpet.

 If you don’t want cords running all over the place, you can easily get rid of them with a wireless home network.  Wireless home networks are extremely simple to set up.  You only need a wireless router and a wireless networking card for each additional computer you would like to hook up.  Most wireless networks can send and receive data lightning fast at megabytes per second.

 Wireless networks are extremely inexpensive, you can hook up a few computers for less than $200.  The great part of wireless networks is that all computers on the wireless network can use the same internet or other resources such as a scanning machine and printer.  So if you are looking for a great way to share data and resources among your home computer, choose to build a home network

READ MORE- How to make a Home Network

What Is Router ? - Basics Of A Router

 Router is a computer device that receives or forwards data packets to and from the Internet towards a destination in the process called routing. Router is the essential component of the computer networking that enables any sent data to arrive at the right destination. 

 As an illustration, imagine that the Internet is the world and one computer is one household. Other computers connected through the Internet are households around the world. Say one household will send a letter to another household in any part of the world. The letter has an address right? And that address would determine the destination of the letter. But without one reading the address, the letter would not arrive to the right receiver. The letter also would not be able to reach the intended receiver if there is not medium. This medium would be the courier. And the courier of the computer data is the router. 

 A router (broadband router) is also a device that enables two or more computer to receive data packets from the Internet under one IP address at the same time. 

 Remember that to be able to connect to the Internet, a computer must have an IP address unique from the rest of the computers. Therefore, every computer connected to the Internet has it own IP address. It is like having a fingerprint or ID as an access pass to be able to enter the web. With the presence of the router, this “fingerprint” or “ID” could be shared by two or more computer at the same time. 

 In simplest form, a router makes two or more computer use the Internet at the same with one access pass. 

 One more thing: a computer with cable modem could also be considered as a router. In this, the computer would do the process of routing like normal routers do. Other computers are then connected to the computer with Internet connection that would give it with the Internet connection. The computer with cable modem has the direct contact with the Internet and the ones connected to it are sharing the connection.

 Why would anyone need a router?

 For households with two or more computers who would want to have Internet connection to every computers they have, taking subscription for each would be too much. The solution is to buy a router that would enable every computer in the house to have an Internet connection. In the definition above, the broadband router would act as a hub to the existing Internet connection. 

 If the router is comparable to a hub, would it affect the Internet speed?

 It should be taken into consideration that once a single Internet connection is divided, the connection speed is affected. But there are some broadband routers that would bring minimal slowdown to the Internet speed and the effect might not even be big. 

 Internet speed would also depend on the type of application used in a router. While some would inflict little effect on the speed like online games, others would terribly slowdown your connection and even hinder you to use the Internet at all. 

 Usually, offices use a more sophisticated router to redirect Internet connections to the large number of computers. These routers would give better data packeting compared to a typical router used at home that results to faster Internet speed.

READ MORE- What Is Router ? - Basics Of A Router

How To Make Your Own Computer / PC

 Many people simply go to the retail store and get sold to when it comes to computing equipment. You would be very surprised how easily you can pick up all the core components and assemble yourself or get a friend or family member in the know to do it for you. All the top brand PC manufacturers such as IBM, HP and Fujitsu Siemens offer you pre built PC’s, Dell on the other hand will take your order and build to your own style. Off them all Dell will come across more flexible with the specification.

 However, building your own will not only save you many dollars but make you aware of just how much profit these guys are making.

 What are the core components of a PC?

 Well let’s start with the basics you will need no matter how high or low spec you want the computer:

• PC Case
• Motherboard
• Processor Chip
• Fan
• Power Supply
• Hard Disk Drive
• Memory (RAM)
• Power Cord
• Keyboard & Mouse
• Graphics Card (may come on the motherboard)
• Sound Card (if you require one). 

 All these components will get you started. Remember build the PC to your own needs. Gaming PC’s generally need a good graphics card with 3D capabilities while general office PC’s do not need such powerful cards.

 Processors: Intel and AMD are the key players when it comes to processors, Intel offer the Pentium chip or Celeron while AMD have their range such as the AMD Athlon and Sempron. While both companies have their benefits Intel’s being that they are the largest selling globally but AMD seem to have the faster processing capabilities. When looking at the processors think sensibly and ask yourself do you really need the latest and greatest or would you notice the difference in point two of a processor e.g. 3GHz compared to 2.8GHz. Remember keep the cost down, basic components such as the PC case comes in a number of different styles such as Mini Tower, Desktop. Choose what suits you. RAM (memory) will depend on what you plan to do, some games and simulators require large amounts of memory so check before you buy, and the graphics card will also depend on your PC plans. If you are generally using the PC for home and Internet browsing remember to purchase a modem or if you are planning broadband arrange with the installer and get yourself on the waiting list.

  Building the PC Building a PC is not as daunting as it seems. If you have not attempted to do this before it is a good idea to have supervision. Some of the components such as the memory need careful handling due to static electricity. Get an anti static wrist strap to protect the components, they cost very little and could save you a lot of money. There are plenty of cheap books out there to guide you in assembly but you will also find free articles online with diagrams for assembly.

  Software: Hardware is one thing but you also need the software such as the operating system and anti virus software for protection against viruses. Depending on what you want and what you are used to using before you can get free operating system such as Linux. Most of us are used to Microsoft Windows but you will require a licence to use this software. You may also need some office software such as Microsoft Office XP or 2003 standard or Professional edition. The anti virus software is essential and Norton’s or McAfee are some of the better known brands. There are also free downloads that will help protect your PC such as Stinger and Ad-Ware.

  In Brief: Building your very own PC gives you the flexibility that most manufacturers do not. The price is greatly reduced if you can assemble yourself and it will give you a great insight to all the components and key terms in computing. You will be surprised to find that not all is as technical as first seems. Some quick notes: Do not forget the following: Modem – Make sure you also have enough USB ports for external devices such as a printer or digital camera. Always back your files up such externally on the off chance you have a problem with the Hard Disk Drive and your files are not transferable, something like a usb keyring would be ideal.

READ MORE- How To Make Your Own Computer / PC

Easy Way How To Speed Up Your Computer’s Performance

 We live in a fast paced world and we’re always looking for the fastest way to get things done. We barely have time to wait for our burger at the local fast food restaurant, our coffee to brew, our microwave popcorn to pop, so who has time to wait around for a slow computer? Barring adding more RAM to your computer, there are 6 steps you can take to speed up your computer’s performance. Most of these steps will allow you to speed up your computer, free of charge since they are applications already installed on your computer. One of the first steps you should take is to empty the Recycle Bin. It’s easy to do. Just point your cursor to the Recycle Bin icon on your desktop, right-click, and choose “Empty Recycle Bin.” Next, open up your Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options. Click on “Delete Cookies,” then on “Delete Files.” In the window that appears, check “Delete all offline content” and click OK. Once that’s done, click OK to close the Internet Options window, and close your Internet Explorer. Those two are steps are the quickest, and simplest ones so that’s why we got them out of the way first. Next, we’ll be conducting a Disk Cleanup. To do this, click on Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup. The disk cleanup function will now begin calculating how much space you will be able to free up. Once it finishes, it’ll give you a list of files to delete. It should already have some files checked, but you can go through the list and check off all the files you want to delete, then click OK. Now it’s time to do a disk defragmentation. This can be a long process so you should probably set this up during a time when you’ve got other things going on. For example, set it up, then go watch your favorite TV show, or go mow the lawn, or go workout. You get the idea. To begin go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Defragmenter. Click Analyze. If you’re lucky, you’ll get the “You do not need to defragment this volume” call-out, but more than likely, you’ll have to click on “Defragment.” If so, click on it, go do something else and come back in an hour or two. Once that’s done, it’s time to run a spyware scan. Most people don’t realize how easy it is to get infected with spyware, so running periodic scans is highly recommended. You can use any anti-spyware program you choose. Just be aware that no one program gets rid of everything. To play it safe, you should run at least three different programs. You might be surprised by what they find. You may have had spyware running on your computer and not even know it. Once the scans are complete, and all that spyware is taken care of, it’s time for the last step. This last step is to run an anti-virus scan. Hopefully you have an anti-virus program installed on your computer. If not, I highly recommend you get one as soon as possible. Once the anti-virus program is set, go ahead and run it. This could take anywhere from 20 minutes to a couple hours depending on how many files you have on your hard drive so once again, set it, and then go do something else. Come back in about an hour. Once all the steps are complete. Restart your computer and you’ll be surprised at how completely nimble it now feels. It’s a good idea to follow these 6 steps at least once per week (some steps you can even set up to be done automatically). By doing this, you will keep your computer performing almost like it did when you first bought it.

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Common E-Mail Problems and What To Do About Them

 When it works well, e-mail can be great.  It's hard to beat e-mail for everything from staying in touch with family to requesting information from businesses or other organizations.  Want to send the same message to several people?  Communicate with someone across the continent?  Transmit photos, manuscripts or other information?  For speed and efficiency, this virtually instantaneous medium is one of the most convenient features of modern life.

 But e-mail is not without problems.  If you key in the name of an intended recipient but your message keeps bouncing back, you might not be singing e-mail's praises.  Ditto for attachments that won't open or other such nuisances.  With just a little patience, though, you can readily overcome most e-mail problems.  What follows are 4 common e-mail problems along with solutions for overcoming them.

Problem – Returned Messages

 This may be the most frustrating of all e-mail problems.  After taking the time to create a message, you click on the “send” button and consider your task accomplished.  But the next thing you know, the message pops up in your in-box with a heading that it did not reach its intended recipient.

Solutions 

 First, take the simple step of checking to see that the address of your recipient has been entered correctly.  This may seem obvious, but sometimes the only thing wrong is a misplaced letter, the use of “com” instead  of “net”, or some similar error.  If you know the correct address, this is a straightforward matter of double checking each character.  If not, you might need to experiment by sending multiple messages, or by entering alternative addresses with slight variations.  Under this approach, you simply keep track of which messages are bounced back and compare them with the overall list of addresses you used.  If you sent four variations but only three were returned, you have solved the problem by the process of elimination. 

 Sometimes the source of your problem lies with the recipient.  If messages to other addresses go through but fail here, try to contact the intended recipient by other means and report the situation.  The cause may range from a temporary problem with the recipient's server to a switch to another e-mail provider, to a full in box.  In this case, simply waiting may be the best recourse.  Or a phone call or other communication may be required on your part to obtain the correct e-mail address.  If all your messages are being returned, you may have a connection problem.  See below for more details.

Problem 2 – You Have Lost Your Connection

 Sometimes a failure to send or receive e-mail can be traced to a lost connection with your Internet service provider. 

Solutions 

 If you see a “failure to connect” or “no response” message or have otherwise determined that you have failed to connect, double check to make certain there are no physical problems.

 First, check your cables and connections.  If you use a dial-up modem, listen to make sure it produces the normal high-pitched dialing sound.  If not, the problem could be a loose connection.  Locate the phone cord that runs from the back of your computer to the phone jack, and then make sure that each end is plugged in snugly. 

 If you will don't hear the expected dialing sound, check to make sure your phone cord is undamaged.  If it seems worn, replace it with a new one.  Other steps include making certain the line is plugged into the right port, and checking the phone jack by plugging the cord into a different jack.  If you hear the dialing sound after any of these steps, you have made a successful connection. 

 Connection problems may be more common with dial-up modems than with broadband connections, but the latter are also dependent on physical connections.  A loose wire or poorly connected cable can easily be problematic.  Sometimes a glitch occurs that can be best addressed by repeating portions of the initial set-up process.  A simple fix touted by Verizon technical service reps for some DSL (digital subscriber line) customers is to disconnect the three lines from the back of the modem and then reconnect them in a specified order.  When this action is taken, the online connection is immediately regained. 

 If you are online but keep getting bumped off, the lost connection can be the result of an unintended software command.  In Outlook Express, for example, you will find the command “Hang up when finished.”  If the box in front of this phrase is checked, the connection will automatically be severed each time you send or download e-mail.  Sometimes a misdirected click of your mouse will cause you to place a check in the box even though you do not realize it.  Simply click on the check mark to make it disappear, and the hang-ups will cease.

 These 2 common e-mail problems are quite easy to determine and when rectified will make your emailing experience more enjoyable.

READ MORE- Common E-Mail Problems and What To Do About Them

How does satellite radio work?

 Satellite radio is one of the biggest improvements in broadcasting since the introduction of FM. Satellite radio signal can be broadcasted for more than 35,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) with complete clarity and high quality sound. You will never get static interferences while listening to over 100 radio channels. The idea behind satellite radio has appeared in 1992, when the United States Federal Communications Commission granted a spectrum of the S band (the 2.3 GHz frequency) for Digital Audio Radio Service. The license to broadcast in that band was allocated to Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio in 1997. Now there are three companies that provide satellite radio in the world: Sirius and XM in Northern America and WorldSpace in Asia, Europe and Africa.  

 Each of these companies offer different broadcasting systems, since the radio signal of each is proprietary. This means that you will have to buy different hardware depending on your subscription to one of these companies. However, there are three components common to all satellite radio services: the satellites, the ground repeaters and the radio receivers. Different satellite radio companies broadcast the radio signal in different ways. For instance, XM satellite radio uses geostationary satellites which have orbits that are synchronized with the movement of Earth. These satellites are located above the equator. In order to allow subscribers to receive crystal-clear signal despite obstacles such as buildings, hills or bridges, XM satellite radio service has installed a network of repeaters antennas that receive the radio signal from the satellites and retransmit it to the subscriber’s receiver Sirius, on the other hand, uses satellites that have unique elliptical orbits around Earth. These kinds of orbits allow satellites to get higher in the sky than geostationary satellites and this prevents loss of signal. This is the reason why Sirius has fewer terrestrial repeaters than XM.  

 Satellite radio services have digital broadcast centers where a huge amount of music in digital format as well as CD format is stored. Radio programmers have the task of selecting which song has to be played at which time. There are also a lot of studios managed by digital radio companies where artists perform live. All songs and material are transmitted to the satellites in digital format so that the signal contains very high quality sound. The signal is encoded by the satellite and then retransmitted to the repeaters antennas, which then transmit it to the radio receiver which decodes it and plays the sound. The entire process is very quick and reliable. Satellite radio would not be possible without digital compression. Digital compression is a technique that uses sophisticated algorithms to compress as much material as possible on the available bandwidth. Once you make a subscription to a satellite radio provider you will need the appropriate radio equipment. Traditional radios cannot decode the signal received from satellites so you will need special equipment. 

 The popularity of satellite radio has exploded due to many technological advancements that enabled manufacturers to offer the receivers at very attractive prices. The fact that satellite radio is commercial free for many of its channels is also a major selling point. 

READ MORE- How does satellite radio work?

Samsung 17-inch Series 7 Chronos Review

Samsung 17-inch Series 7 Chronos

PROS :

• Dual-band Wi-Fi. 
• Quad-core Intel processor. 
• Numeric keypad.
• Matte screen.
• Good 3D performance. 
• Over six hours hours battery life. 

CONS :

• Annoying on-screen shelf tag.
• No Blu-ray.
• Older Sandy Bridge processor. 
• Subwoofer distorts at loud volume.

Specifications : 

Type: Media, Desktop Replacement

Processor Name: Intel Core i7-3615QM

Processor Speed: 2.3 GHz

Operating System: Windows 7, Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium

RAM: 8 GB

Weight: 6.44 lb

Screen Size: 17.3 inches

Screen Size Type: Widescreen

Native Resolution: 1920 x 1080

Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce GT 650M

Graphics Memory: 2048

Storage Capacity (as Tested): 1000 GB

Rotation Speed: 5400 rpm

Networking Options: 802.11n

Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW

Wireless Display Capability (WiDi): Yes

MobileMark 2007 – Standard Battery Productivity Load (hrs:min): 6:38

PCMark7: 3047

3-D BENCHMARK TESTS - 3DMark06 - 1,024 x 768 - Default: 16430

3-D BENCHMARK TESTS - 3DMark06 - Native – 0X/4X: 10719

Crysis - Medium quality - 1,024 x 768 - AA/AF=Off/Off: 54

Crysis - High quality - Native - AA/AF= 0X/4X: 15

Lost Planet 2 (DX9) - Middle quality - 1,024 x 768- AA/AF=Off/Off: 77

Lost Planet 2 (DX9) - High quality - Native - AA/AF= 0X/4X: 28

MULTIMEDIA TESTS - Handbrake: 1:18 min:sec

MULTIMEDIA TESTS - PhotoShop CS5: 3:23 min:sec

MULTIMEDIA TESTS - CineBench 11.5: 5.37

READ MORE- Samsung 17-inch Series 7 Chronos Review