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Thursday, August 16, 2007

Technology behind LCD

LCD(Liquid crystal display) is a technology which is now fast being used in the monitors for the desktop PC's and already being used in the laptops. LCD consist of a thin liquid crystal gel sandwiched between two thin polarized materials. This gel is divided into small dots called as pixels. In order to darken a pixel the pixel is polarized 90 degrees to the polarizing screen. For a bright pixel the polarization is 0 degrees.

Related Topics :
Cleaning an LCD TV
Free LCD TV

Monday, August 13, 2007

Scheduling a computer for shut down

The computer is downloading a heavy file, and you are getting late for the work. If this is the situation we certainly have to schedule the computer to shut down after some time. Here, the Task Scheduler( you can find it under Start>Programs>Accessories>SystemTools ) comes in handy.
To shut down the system at a specific time
  • Open Task Scheduler and double click Add Scheduled Tasks





  • A wizard opens, click next. You will be presented with a list of programs you can schedule to run.
  • Click on browse, locate the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder. Then find the file named Shutdown.exe and click open.
  • Specify a name for the task and when do you want the task to run. Click next.
  • Specify the starting date and time and click next.
  • Then you will be prompted to enter the user name and password. Supply the information and click finish.
  • Now you are done with the process of scheduling the computer to shut down and can go to your work without worrying about terminating the download.
You can also visit the Task scheduler log in case you want to see the performance of the task scheduler.

Friday, August 10, 2007

Get your voice on Air ( Internet Radio )

You like listening to radio, so do I. But how many of us have ever tried to broadcast our voice over the internet radio. There are a few websites that allow us to create our own online radio station and broadcast our voice. One such radio broadcaster is Live365.
Live365 is an internet radio provider in which members can create their own radio station and air your voice over it. You can also listen to other such members you have uploaded their voices. To get such access you have to purchase the "Broadcaster's" membership. Different packages are available to choose from depending on your requirements. In the very basic package, one can upload an MP3 file created by him, which will be relayed on the internet. Advanced members can upload the music at their home by getting handy a microphone. Get a quick access to Live365. So, if you think you play an instrument good enough or your voice is worth listening to, just start broadcasting your voice and see fame coming your way.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Recovering files deleted from the Recycle bin

Have you lost an important file from your hard drive, then this content is for you. Whenever a delete a file using Shift+delete or deleting the files in the recycle bin, most of us consider to be that file a thing of past. But we can rejoice for it can still be recovered.
Whenever we delete a file using the above said methods, the file is not deleted rather that file is removed from the list of files in the folder and the memory area in which the file is stored is available to windows to write something else. So, longer the period since when you have deleted the file, lesser will be the chance of it being recovered.
Defragmentation frees the space occupied by such deleted files, so if you have defragmented your hard-disk recently, you can forget the idea of recovering your file. There are many tools that help you recover your files, some are paid and some for free. So here is one such free tool named "Restoration". It helps you recover the deleted files with ease. Just give it a try.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Wireless Monitor for your desktop

So you have a wireless mouse and keyboard combo sitting on your computer table, but do you think that's ample to call your PC a wireless one. Well, give yourself a second thought. Still you have the monitor along with it's wires eating up the space and look of your PC. So here is how to make your desktop PC completely wireless.
For the same you need a wireless monitor connector. Many such gadgets are available like WID101 from Teq Gear, Avocent LV3500W longview wireless extender, and many more.
A pic of the WID101 is shown below :
This device connects the DVI port situated in your PC with the one on your monitor over an encrypted network. It can provide you a resolution of 1366*768.
But in order to have this wireless connectivity you need to have a DVI(Digital Video Interface) port. This port is mostly available in the flat panel LCD monitors and some of the CRD(cathode ray display) monitors.
The DVI port looks similar to the following figure :
Well this technology does come for a price(around $1000), but it is worth a buy if you are wretched by the amount of wires on your table.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Internet on the Go


As people have rapidly started switching over to the laptops from their traditioal desktop PC's, the need for having an internet connection that travels with you is rapidly becoming a necessity.
Thankfully many compaies are trying to take advantage of this situation, thereby simplyfying our lives. There are data cards available in the market that can be connected to the laptop or the PC.
Basically, the companies have introduced this technology using two media. First is the data card which can be inserted in the card slot embedded in your laptop. A picture of it is shown below.







These cards however have certain disadvantages :


  • They cannot used on every laptop as not every laptop has such ports in them.

  • They obviously cannot be used on a desktop PC unless you have bought an external such card reader.

The alternative to this is the USB modem which has been launched necessarily to overcome the above weaknesses. The USB modem is simply inserted in the USB port of your laptop or desktop PC. A USB modem is shown below:


But with this advantage of internet on the go you have to bear with the slow speed these tools offer. They offer a speed of around 144kbps, but one is able to get a speed of around 50kbps only. But this downside of these tools sure is overpowered by the mobility it provides to the internet connection.

These cards can be purchased for anything arount 2500-3000 bucks plus the monthly tarrifs. Providers for these technologies now a days include : Airtel, Reliance, Tata Indicom and so on. So the next time you go out on a long trip you don't have to worry about the availability of the cyber cafe.

Monday, July 16, 2007

Dynamic Link Library

Most of us must have seen a few windows files with a dll extension, but did we care about what these files really are and what they actually do.
DLL(Dynamic Link Library) is a file consisting of number of functions that can be called by other programs running on the computer. DLL files that help in the operation of certain devices are known as the device drivers(These are the same files that are provided in a CD with your motherboard, the so called "driver CD").
DLL files help save memory as they are not loaded into the RAM along with the program making a call to it, rather it is loaded only when an explicit call is made to it. This property of DLL's help save the precious RAM memory. A DLL file simply acts as a repository of functions which can be used by a number of applications at the same time. Also the dll file is not compiled, only a reference is provided tothe dll file to use it.
A DLL file is often given a dll extension. A DLL file differs from an exe file as it can not be run directly, it must be called from other code that is already executing. In order to use a DLL file we have to register it by providng its references in the registry. To do this goto the command line(Start>run) and type in "regsvr32 filename.dll". This will register the dll file.
In order to open up a dll file you have to use a file named ILDASM.exe. This file can be found at "C:\Program Files\Microsoft.NET\FrameworkSDK\bin" if you have the .net framework installed.
So, now don't be puzzled in seeing all those dll files on your system and try checkingout a few of them.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Data Recovery when you need it the most

Often there is a situation when your computer gets infected with a virus and your indispensable office project cannot be accessed. Well don't worry here I provide with a nice website dedicated to data recovery.
iDatacare is a nice website which helps you in performing all your data recory related issues. It handles many situations like data corruption by virus, e-mail corruption, recovery of data even if deleted from recycle bin and many more. It provides an interactive session to the users in which the user can tell the experts their problem. In response to this the experts from iDatacare take control of your computer via remote desktop connection and load a data recovery software on to your PC.
After 40 minutes of scan of your computer by the software you get your data back as it was earlier. Now the only job you are left with is to thank the guys who have helped you out.
You can also download the demo of the data recovery software and help yourself.




Thursday, April 19, 2007

Hosting a website at home

Ever thought of hosting a website at home rather than buying space on other hosts server. Well here I provide some ways of doing so without spending a buck.
We can access any computer on the internet by its IP address (eg. http://10.25.121.2). But this way of accessing through numbers is not considered user friendly. For this purpose we make the use of DNS service to give name to the IP address. We'll use one such free DNS name provider DynDNS. It provides free static and dynamic DNS service. You can also use no-Ip as an alternative.
So now you can have a dynamic DNS account. Sometimes you might face problems in logging in to DynDNS every time your IP address changes. You can handle this by installing the DynDNS Updater software, which automatically updates your IP address in the DNS records.
To get the DNS updatig software visit DynDNS updater. On installing this software you will be asked for a hostname group, give a name to your group of hostnames.And when you reach the "Hostname Information" screen,check the box next to your hostname before clicking "Next."
Now you have your very own hostname on the Internet without troubling your wallet. For most people, the next step is to assign a static local IP address to your computer so that you have a fixed address on your home network to forward web or BitTorrent traffic to.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Removing the Get Genuine Notification

Many of you guys might be trying to get rid of the irritating 'Get Genuine' logo that pops up each time you start your windows. This is nothing but a notification by the microsoft to tell you that your copy of windows is pirated. But this is nothing else but intrusion into the users privacy. The software that is responsible for such repetitive notifications is downloaded while the updates for your computer are being installed after you have confirmed its installation.
After this whenever you start your PC it prompts the user to buy a licenced copy. To remove this notification a small number of simple steps have to be followed :
  • Go to My Computer and open the folder "C:\Windows\System32".
  • Locate the file "WgaTray.exe" and rename it to "WgaTray-spyware.exe".
  • Locate the file "WgaLogon.dll" and rename it to "WgaLogon-spyware.dll".
  • Go to the task manager(by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del) and end the process "Wgatray.exe" under the processes tab.
  • Then just restart your computer and you will see the change.