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Sunday, March 8, 2009

Internet Broadband

Celcom Broadband

With the widest coverage, fastest speeds, and most affordable plans, Celcom Broadband lets you take charge of your broadband lifestyle whenever and wherever without any hassles. So you can now watch uninterrupted streaming videos, read and send emails or even do e-banking while having a quick lunch, all from your No. 1 mobile network.






Benefit

With Celcom Broadband, you’ll have nothing but peace of mind from the moment you sign up.
FlexibilityWhether you’re a light or frequent user, Celcom Broadband offers the right plans with the best value to cater to your surfing needs.

AffordabilityFrom as low as RM6.00 per day, Celcom Broadband packages not only make it faster to surf but it’s easy on your wallet too.

Mobility Tired of being chained to a fixed line while surfing? Take Celcom Broadband wherever you go. No wires, no hassles.

Ease of UseWith Celcom Broadband, you’ll no longer need to go through the trouble of installing drivers just to get connected right away. Plug and play for the ultimate broadband experience.

Widest CoverageNo matter where you are in Malaysia, we’ve got you covered with the widest unbeatable broadband coverage. Just take a look at our coverage map and see for yourself.

Fastest ConnectionWith speeds of up to 3.6 Mbps, you’ll no longer need to wait for long page downloads and you’ll have more time to surf than never before.

Satisfaction GuaranteedWith Celcom Broadband 7 Days Money Back Guarantee*









Celcom-Vodafone USB Modem

Get the new Celcom-Vodafone USB Stick with microSD slot + Celcom Broadband for instant high speed Internet connectivity anytime, anywhere.

Friday, March 6, 2009

How to Install a Hard Disk Drive

Caution: please read our safety information.

Before opening the case, unplug the PC to avoid an electrical shock hazard. Exercise caution as there are sharp edges on a PC and its components. Always wear a static electricity discharge strap and attach the lead to the metal frame of the case, when working with your PC's components to avoid damaging your PC. Note that some manufacturers will void your PC's warranty if you open the case.
Protect your data! Whether you are adding or replacing a drive, start by backing up any critical files from the existing drive. If you are replacing a crashed disk, that won't be an option, but in all other cases, it is wise to back up any critical files before you begin installing the new hard disk.
If you are replacing a hard disk, then you will be installing the new drive in the bay vacated by the old drive. If you are adding a drive, then you have some things to consider. First, is there an available bay? Will the communication and power cables reach that bay? Is there available space on either the primary or secondary controller? Will this drive be set as a master drive or a slave drive?

The communication cable can be no longer than 18 inches and if it is going to connect to two drives, make sure that the connectors can reach each drive. The drive that is set to be master should be connected to the end of the cable and the drive set as a slave should be connected to the middle connector. If this is the only drive on the controller, then it should be set as a master drive. It this drive will be the boot drive, it must be set as a master drive and it must be connected to the primary controller, usually labeled IDE 0.

When installing the drive, the connectors should face into the center of the PC and the exposed electronics should face down. If your case has a vertical bay, no need to worry, it is no longer required to mount a drive horizontally.

















Installation steps:

1-Unplug the PC and open the case.
2-Touch your hand to the power supply and the metal frame of the case to equalize any static charge. A wrist strap provides this same safety step.
3-If you are not replacing a drive, then skip to step #9.
4-Locate the disk to be replaced.
5-Disconnect the power connector.
6-Disconnect the communications cable.
7-Remove the mounting screws.
8-Remove the old drive (in some situations, you must remove the front panel of the case to slide the drive out).
9-On the new drive, set the jumpers to master or slave.
10-Locate pin one on the drive so that you can properly match the communications cable.
11-Slide the drive into the drive bay and fasten it with the provided screws. (Caution: using screws that are too large can destroy the drive.)
12-Note that one edge of the communications cable is marked to signify pin one. This edge must match with pin one on the drive. Connect the communications cable to the drive.
13-Connect the power connector to the drive.
14-If this is an additional drive, and you are using an additional communications cable, connect the cable to the drive controller on the motherboard. Make sure that pin one of the cable matches pin one on the motherboard.
15-Replace the case.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Bagaimana Nak Update Avira Secara Manual

Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic adalah perisian anti-virus percuma yang paling bagus setakat ni (2nd: Avast, 3rd: AVG Free). Seperti anti-virus lain, Avira ni kena update selalu untuk memastikan ia kenal virus dan malware yang terbaru. Tapi sesetengah dari kita tak ada kemudahan Internet kat rumah / bilik. Ikut cara kat bawah ni untuk ambil update dari Internet (Cyber Cafe, contohnya) dan update Avira kat PC korang tu.

1-Pergi ke laman web: http://www.avira.com/en/support/vdf_update.html untuk download update bagi Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Classic.

2-Perhatikan ada dua jenis update kat laman web tu. Pilih IVDF (Unicode).


3-Dalam Internet Explorer, File Download message box akan keluar. Klik Save dan letak kat mana korang nak. Tunggu sampai download siap.


4-Buka Avira AntiVir Personal Edition Classic dan pergi ke menu Update Manual.


5-Pilih fail yang korang dah download tadi. Proses update akan bermula. Siap! Cara-cara update antivirus yang lain:

Cara-cara Nak Update AVG Free Secara Manual
Cara-cara Nak Update Avast! Secara Manual Entri lain



Apa Itu Driver?

Setelah anda format komputer anda dan install Windows, perkara pertama yang perlu anda lakukan adalah memasang driver. Driver ini diperlukan oleh komponen hardware yang berada di dalam komputer, contohnya graphic card dan sound card.Tanpa driver, anda akan dapati komputer anda tak dapat berfungsi dengan sepenuhnya.

Contohnya, tanpa driver untuk sound card, sistem audio takkan berfungsi dan menyebabkan komputer anda tidak dapat mengeluarkan sebarang bunyi atau memainkan mp3.Selalunya apabila anda beli barang-barang komputer, pekedai akan membekalkan anda dengan CD driver. CD inilah yang sepatutnya anda simpan elok-elok, mana tahu anda perlukannya esok hari. Kalau anda tiada CD ini (hilang atau sebagainya), anda masih boleh cari driver anda di Internet.Jangan lupa backup semua driver yang sedia ada dalam komputer anda, sebagai langkah berjaga-jaga. Driver yang anda telah backup ini sangat berguna sekiranya anda perlu format kembali komputer.

Entri lain yang mungkin berkaitan:

-Cari Nama Driver Menggunakan Everest
-Cari Nama Driver Dengan PC Wizard
-Bagaimana Nak Cari Driver Di Internet
-Backup Kesemua Driver Anda Dengan DriverMax

Perisian


Dapatkan Data Yang Telah Hilang Dengan PC Inspector File Recovery
<http://sembangkomputer.com/dapatkan-data-hilang-pci-recovery/>

PC Inspector File Recovery adalah sebuah perisian percuma yang bagus untuk mendapatkan kembali fail-fail yang telah hilang. Sama ada fail tersebut telah anda delete, ataupun fail yang hilang dari partition yang anda format, anda boleh mendapatkannya. Berikut saya akan terangkan cara-cara menggunakan PC Inspector File Recovery.
Tags: Hard Disk, PCI Recovery, recovery

Tak Dapat Nak Uninstall Antivirus AVG, Kaspersky, dan Norton?

Sesetengah syarikat pengeluar antivirus menyediakan utiliti khas untuk membuang perisian antivirus mereka. Saya pun hairan, mengapa harus buat utiliti yang khas untuk tujuan ini, fungsi uninstall yang sedia ada tak cukup bagus ke?Walau bagaimanapun, jika anda mempunyai masalah dalam membuang satu-satu antivirus, anda boleh gunakan utiliti yang telah disediakan ini. Berikut adalah tiga antivirus yang [...]
Tags: antivirus, AVG, Kaspersky, Norton, uninstall

Download Video Dari YouTube Dengan Free Download Manager

Terdapat banyak laman web yang membolehkan anda download video dari YouTube, dan kegemaran saya adalah KeepVid. Biasanya saya akan copy link yang diberi oleh KeepVid dan gunakan Free Download Manager untuk download video tersebut dengan pantas.Namun dengan versi Free Download Mangager yang terbaru, saya tak perlu lagi bersusah-payah menggunakan KeepVid. Ini kerana Free Download [...]
Tags: Free Download Manager, YouTube

Lajukan Download Dengan Free Download Manager

Download accelerator adalah jenis software yang berfungsi untuk mempercepatkan download anda. Biasanya software seperti ini akan memecahkan fail kepada beberapa bahagian dan download kesemua bahagian tersebut sekaligus. Download accelerator juga biasanya membenarkan anda menyambung download walaupun setelah anda restart komputer, sambungan Internet terputus, dan sebagainya.Download accelerator kegemaran saya adalah Free Download Manager. Seperti namanya, [...]
Tags: Free Download Manager
<http://sembangkomputer.com/tag/free-download-manager/>

Cari Nama Driver Menggunakan Everest

EVEREST Home Edition adalah software yang boleh mengenalpasti nama driver. Hanya buka sahaja EVEREST, dan ia akan mengumpul maklumat tentang semua komponen hardware dalam komputer anda. Dengan maklumat ini, senanglah jika anda nak cari driver tersebut di Internet.Bagi mendapatkan senarai ringkas tentang hardware utama, klik pada Computer > Summary. Biasanya hardware yang paling penting [...]
Tags: driver, everest

xNeat Windows Manager: Uruskan Desktop Anda

xNeat Windows Manager adalah aplikasi yang boleh menambah pelbagai fungsi kepada desktop. Dengan XNeat, anda boleh sorok mana-mana program yang berjalan dalam komputer, ataupun letakkannya di system tray. Anda juga boleh jadikan satu-satu program separa lutsinar, macam Winamp.Setelah install XNeat Windows Manager, anda boleh gunakannya terus dengan right-click pada mana-mana program di taskbar. Anda [...]
Tags: desktop, XNeat Windows Manager

Cari Segalanya Dengan Everything

Biasanya jika kita ingin mencari satu-satu fail dalam komputer, kita akan menggunakan fungsi Search dalam Windows dengan menekan Ctrl + F. Maka keluarlah karakter animasi anjing yang akan membantu kita untuk mencari fail. Fungsi Search dalam Windows XP ini adalah sangat lambat, dan tidak cekap untuk membantu urusan harian anda. Lagipun karakter anjing itu [...]Tags: cari, everything, fail, folder, produktiviti

Hibernate, Dan Biarkan PC Anda Tidur

Ini satu fakta: saya tak pernah Shut Down PC saya. Ops, adakah itu bermakna PC saya terpasang 24 jam tanpa henti? Tidak sama sekali! Kalau saya biarkan ia terpasang saja sepanjang hari, dah tentu saya akan menyumbang kepada pembaziran elektrik. Dan membazir itu amalan syaitan, tak elok ^^
Saya tak Shut Down, tapi saya letakkan PC saya dalam mod Hibernate.


Apakah kelebihan Hibernate?

Katakan anda buka pelbagai aplikasi dalam Windows; contohnya Microsoft Word, Firefox, Adobe Photoshop dan sebagainya. Dan anda tidak save lagi dokumen-dokumen dalam semua aplikasi tersebut. Apabila anda Hibernate komputer anda, ia akan terpadam, dan anda boleh menanggalkan plag eletrik. ON kan kembali PC anda, semua aplikasi tersebut masih terbuka, bersama semua dokumen yang anda belum save lagi tadi! Mudah kan. Proses ON kan semula PC juga lebih cepat jika anda Hibernate, berbanding dengan Shut Down.

Bagaimana Hibernate berfungsi?

Dalam keadaan Hibernate, Windows akan terlebih dahulu menyimpan segala data anda ke dalam Hard Disk. Data ini kekal walaupun plag elektrik komputer ditanggalkan. Sebab itulah apabila anda ON kan semula PC, data tersebut masih ada. Berbeza dari mod Stand By, komputer hanya meletakkan data tersebut dalam RAM, dan data ini akan hilang sekiranya anda memutuskan bekalan elektrik.

Bagaimana Nak Hibernate PC?

Klik Start Menu > Turn Off Computer. Pada paparan window yang keluar, tekan Shift dan butang Stand By akan bertukar kepada Hibernate.Anda juga boleh menetapkan butang Sleep pada keyboard anda (saya sendiri menggunakan cara ini). Ikuti langkah-langkah inidalam Windows XP:

-Right-click pada Desktop dan pilih Properties.
-Pada Display Properties, pilih tab Screen Saver.
-Pada bahagian Monitor Power, klik pada butang Power.
-Pada Power Options Properties, perhatikan bahagian Power buttons.
-Pada pilihan “When I press the sleep button on my computer:”, pilih Hibernate
dari drop-down menu tersebut. Klik pada butang OK.

Nota: Terdapat beberapa pendapat yang mengatakan fungsi Hibernate ini tak elok untuk PC. Sebenarnya, semua yang berjalan dalam PC anda pun akan memendekkan jangka hayat Hard Disk, bukan Hibernate je. Jadi terpulang kepada anda samada nak guna fungsi Hibernate ni atau tidak. Dahulu, saya kerap menggunakannya kerana PC saya dipasang 24 jam, jadi fungsi Hibernate ni membantu menjimatkan elektrik dan mempercepatkan proses ON komputer. Tapi oleh kerana sekarang ni saya dah bekerja, dan hanya menggunakan PC di rumah tu pada waktu malam, saya Shut Down macam biasa je la.

Tak Boleh Double-Click Pada Hard Disk

Soalan:

Mengapa saya tak boleh double-click pada partition dalam komputer? Contohnya, bila saya nak buka partition C, akan keluar dialog “Open With”. Saya dah scan komputer dengan antivirus, tapi masih takde hasil. Bagaimana saya nak betulkan semula masalah ni?

Penerangan:

Masalah ini biasanya berlaku setelah jangkitan virus. Virus biasanya akan datang bersama fail autorun.inf yang berfungsi untuk melancarkan virus tersebut apabila anda double-click pada partition. Apabila anda scan komputer dengan antivirus, ia akan membuang virus ini. Namun sesetengah antivirus tidak membuang fail autorun.inf, dan membiarkan ia tertinggal di dalam partition. Sebab itulah anda tak boleh double-click pada partition anda walaupun setelah virus dibuang.

Penyelesaian:

Terlebih dahulu, pastikan virus di dalam komputer anda telah dibuang. Gunakan perisian antivirus seperti Avira. Pada Windows Explorer, pergi kepada menu Tools > Folder Options. Pada tab View, pastikan: Pilihan berada pada “Show hidden files and folders” Kotak “Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)” dikosongkan Buka partition yang bermasalah tersebut, dan buang fail autorun.inf Restart komputer

Entri lain yang mungkin berkaitan:

-WinDirStat – Gambaran Visual Hard Disk Anda
-Ketahui Apa Yang Memakan Ruang Hard Disk Anda Dengan Disktective
-Install Windows XP Pada Hard Disk SATA
-GParted: Buat Partition Pada Hard Disk
-Disk Heal: Baiki PC Anda Setelah Terkena Virus

Ketahui Apa Yang Memakan Ruang Hard Disk Anda Dengan Disktective

Saya baru sahaja mendapat mesej “Low Disk Space” dari Windows yang menyatakan ruang pada Local Disk (C:) saya hampir penuh. Ini membuatkan saya tertanya, fail apa yang besar sangat sampai nak penuh partition saya ni?Anda juga pastinya pernah mengalami situasi yang sama. Bagi membantu anda mengenalpasti fail-fail manakah yang banyak menggunakan ruang pada partition anda, gunakan Disktective.Disktective boleh memaparkan saiz bagi direktori-direktori dalam partition anda, dalam bentuk byte mahupun dalam peratus. Informasi ini dipaparkan dalam bentuk carta pai agar dapat memudahkan anda.
Download Disktective di sini.

Friday, February 27, 2009

5 Cara Untuk Lajukan Windows XP

Walaupun Windows Vista telah lama dilancarkan oleh Microsoft, kebanyakan dari kita masih lagi menggunakan Windows XP sebagai Operating System. Ini mungkin kerana anda telah biasa dengan Windows XP, dan lebih selesa dengannya. Mungkin juga anda memilih Windows XP kerana ia kurang mengalami masalah compatibility dengan software lama.Setelah menggunakan Windows XP buat beberapa ketika, anda mungkin perasan PC anda menjadi semakin lembab berbanding semasa baru lepas install Windows dahulu. Selain dari memastikan komputer anda bersih dari Virus dan Malware, terdapat beberapa perkara yang anda boleh amalkan untuk memastikan Windows XP berjalan dengan lebih lancar. Di sini saya ingin kongsi lima tips berikut:

Defragment Hard Disk Anda



Anda mungkin telah kerap kali mendengar istilah Defragment ini. Namun, tahukah anda apa fungsi Defragment?Apabila Windows XP menyimpan satu-satu fail dalam komputer anda, kadang - kadang ia diletak secara bersepah. Sebagai contoh, sebahagian dari fail Word anda diletakkan di bahagian tengah Hard Disk manakala sebahagian lagi diletakkan di bahagian hujung. Keadaan ini disebut sebagai Fragmentation. Untuk membuka fail Word ini, Windows XP terpaksa memakan sedikit masa kerana ia terletak berjauhan antara satu sama lain. Defragmentation bertugas untuk membetulkan kembali keadaan Fragmentation ini. Ia akan menyusun kembali fail - fail dalam komputer anda agar berada di tempat yang betul. Disk Defragmenter boleh dibuka melalui Start Menu > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter

Tetapkan Program Yang Dibuka Sewaktu Startup
Setiap kali Windows dimulakan, ia akan melancarkan sejumlah program secara automatik. Program ini dipangil sebagai Startup Program. Namun, tidak semua dari program ini diperlukan sentiasa, sebaliknya anda hanya akan buka program tersebut bila perlu. Terdapat beberapa cara yang boleh digunakan untuk membuang satu-satu program dari senarai Startup. Cara yang paling mudah ialah dengan menggunakan msconfig. Untuk melancarkan msconfig, klik pada Start Menu dan pilih Run (atau tekan sahaj Win+R). Pada kotak Run, taipkan msconfig dan tekan Enter. System Configuration Utility akan dipaparkan. Pergi kepada tab Startup dan anda boleh lihat senarai startup program. Hanya uncheck sahaja mana - mana program supaya ia tidak lagi dilancarkan secara automatik.Bagi mendapatkan senarai Startup Program yang lebih lengkap dan menyeluruh, gunakan perisian Autoruns. Pastikan anda tahu program apa yang anda hadapi, sebelum membuat apa - apa perubahan.

Matikan Servis Yang Tidak Perlu

Servis adalah proses - proses yang dijalankan secara senyap, di balik tabir. Seperti Startup Program, ada sebilangan dari servis - servis ini yang tidak diperlukan oleh anda, dan boleh ditetapkan agar tidak dilancarkan secara automatik.Untuk membuat tetapan pada servis, buka msconfig sekali lagi. Pergi kepada tab Services. Pastikan anda menanda kotak "Hide All Microsoft Services" (seperti dalam gambaraja) agar anda tidak tersilap membuang servis yang penting. Kemudian uncheck pada mana - mana servis supaya ia tidak lagi dilancarkan secara automatikUntuk senarai servis - servis dalam Windows XP yang lebih lengkap, buka kotak Run dan taipkan services.msc. Di sini anda boleh lihat segala servis - servis yang terdapat dalam Windows XP.

Bersihkan PC Anda
Windows anda. Temporary File ini adalah sampah - sarap yang perlu dibersihkan selalu agar ianya tidak membazirkan ruang dalam Hard Disk anda. Untuk membersihkan fail - fail ini, gunakan CCleaner.

Tingkatkan BIOS Anda
(Nota: Tips yang berkaitan dengan upgrade BIOS atau mematikan mana - mana fungsi dalam BIOS adalah agak teknikal. Pengguna baru adalah dinasihatkan supaya mengelakkan tips ini) BIOS bereti Basic Input Ouput System, yang berfungsi untuk memulakan perkakasan - perkakasan dalam komputer anda sewaktu PC dihidupkan. Bergantung pada PC anda, pengubahsuaian BIOS boleh meningkatkan sedikit prestasi komputer.Update BIOS Anda. Biasanya pengeluar komputer atau motherboard akan mengemaskini BIOS mereka, dan anda boleh download versi BIOS yang terbaru ini. Pastikan BIOS jenis apa yang anda pakai, dan cari update yang terkini di Internet. Setelah download, ikuti langkah yang diberikan untuk install BIOS tersebut. Matikan Komponen Yang Tidak Digunakan. Motherboard anda mengandungi banyak komponen - komponen seperti RJ-45, bunyi, dan grafik. Anda boleh matikan komponen yang tidak diperlukan; melalui BIOS. Contohnya jika anda mempunyai kad wireless, anda tidak memerlukan lagi komponen Ethernet. Ataupun jika port VGA anda tidak digunakan, disable saja fungsinya. Jika anda ingin menggunakannya kembali, enable semula komponen tersebut melalui BIOS.

Friday, February 13, 2009

How to Install a graphic card

Gamers take notice: Installing a new graphics card is one of the easier PC upgrades you can make. As PC games continue to get more complex (and more fun to play), you need a bigger, more powerful graphics card to push all those pixels. The latest cards from ATI and Nvidia deliver nearly cinematic effects. Once you decide on which card you want, it should take less than half an hour for you to be up and gaming.

Before you start, you'll need to gather these elements:
New graphics card
Phillips screwdriver
Antistatic wrist strap (optional)
Required attention span: 20 to 30 minutes


Step 1:-

Uninstall current graphics card drivers. Before you install your new card, you'll need to uninstall your current graphics card's drivers to avoid any potential conflicts. Right-click My Computer and select Properties. Under the Hardware tab, find the button to open the Device Manager. Your graphics card should be listed under the Display Adapter heading. Double-click the name of your graphics card to open a properties window for your current card. Still with us? We're almost there (it takes longer to describe the path than it does to actually click your way though it). Last step: Under the Driver tab, click the Uninstall button.

Step 2:-

Remove old card. Turn off your PC and unplug it from the wall. Open the case and locate the AGP slot--it's the brown-plastic slot typically found above the white-plastic PCI slots. Make sure you first ground yourself by first touching a metal part of your PC case or by wearing an antistatic wrist strap. (Grounding yourself will prevent you from getting shocked and from unintentionally damaging your PC's components.) If you are replacing a graphics card, you'll need to remove a small screw attached to the back plate prior to taking out the card.

Step 3:-

Install new card. It wouldn't hurt to page through your new card's instruction manual at this point. Then, take your new graphics card out of its foil wrapper and slide it into your motherboard's AGP slot. Press down firmly with even force until it is securely in place (your system won't boot up unless the card is in all the way). Screw it into the back plate and close up your case.

Step 4:-

Install new drivers. Turn on your PC and install the drivers. Windows XP should automatically recognize the new hardware and walk you through the installation wizard. If Windows doesn't detect the card, click Settings from the Start menu. Open the Control Panel and click Add Hardware. From there, a wizard will help you install the new drivers from the CD that came bundled with your new card. It's a good idea to check the graphic card vendor's Web site for more up-to-date drivers, just in case the vendor has released drivers since manufacturing your card. Once you've downloaded the drivers, simply restart your PC. Now, you're ready to start gaming.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

The Intel® Pentium® 4 processor is designed to deliver performance across usages—such as image processing, video content creation, games and multimedia—where end-users can truly appreciate the performance. With a PC based on the Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor with HT Technology†, you get advanced performance and multitasking capabilities for today's digital home and digital office applications
Features and benefits
Versatility, performance and reliability to meet all your computing needsEveryone wants something different from their computer—work, play, Internet, music, learning and more. A PC featuring the Intel® Pentium® 4 processor opens the door to many new experiences. It's as versatile as you are.

Greater performance with Hyper-Threading Technology (HT Technology)†Hyper-threading enables multi-threaded software applications to execute two software threads in parallel, thereby improving system responsiveness. Intel Pentium 4 Processors enabled with HT Technology deliver performance and multitasking gains that result in increased productivity and efficiency.

Improved power management with enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology‡Intel Pentium 4 processors that are enabled with Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology allow the operating system to adjust the processor clock down when running applications that require less power. Increased power efficiency brings savings.

Scalability and performance with Intel® EM64TΦIntel® Extended Memory 64 TechnologyΦ (Intel® EM64T) can improve performance by allowing the system to address more than 4 GB of both virtual and physical memory. Intel EM64T also provides support for 64 bit computing to help handle the applications of tomorrow.

Execute Disable Bit° functionality protects your investmentExecute Disable Bit can prevent certain classes of malicious "buffer overflow" attacks when combined with a supporting operating system.


Learn more about Intel® Pentium® 4 processors: www.intel.com

Window Vista







For those who encounter problems when upgrade to Windows Vista SP1, here is a good news for you. Microsoft is giving away free support for Windows Vista SP1 issues. The unlimited installation and compatibility support is available at no charge until March 18. 2009.
There are 3 support options: Email, Online Chat and Phone. Currently, email support response time is 1 business day. Online chat waiting time is over 60 minutes(!). The phone support is only available for users who have software assurance agreement, TechNet/MSDN subscrition, or Microsoft Partner Program.
Oh, the free support is for U.S. users only. (duh!)
[via News.com]



Now you can download Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1) via Windows Update or Microsoft Download Center. Windows Vista SP1 is an update to Windows Vista that addresses specific reliability and performance issues, supports new types of hardware, and adds support for several emerging standards.
How to install Windows Vista SP1?
You can manually check Windows Update on your Windows Vista for Windows Vista SP1. If Windows Vista SP1 is not listed, there could be several reasons. Here are the most common reasons:

-You have not yet installed all the prerequisite packages you need for Windows Vista SP1. Click “check for updates” on Windows Update control panel to install them, before you can install Windows Vista SP1.
-You have a pre-released version of SP1.
-You need to uninstall it before installing the final release of SP1.
-You already have Windows Vista SP1.
Windows Vista SP1 released in 5 languages (English, French, Spanish, German, and Japanese). If you have ANY other language installed, SP1 will not yet be offered to you.
Windows Update detected drivers that may be problematic when updating to SP1 and will not offer the service pack until an update has been installed.

“Windows Vista: The Missing Manual”
Download standalone Windows Vista SP1
Beside getting Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update. You may also download the Standalone version of the service pack. The standalone version of Windows Vista SP1 is a big size (434.5MB) executable file named “Windows6.0-KB936330-X86-wave0.exe”.
The standalone version is useful when you need to install Windows Vista SP1 on several computers (save total download time on each computers). If you are only install Vista SP1 on just one computer, you should get a smaller size download (~65MB) on Windows Update.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

System restore hilang!

System restore hilang!
Solution 1
Start > Run > GPEDIT.MSC
> Computer Configuration> Administrative Templates> System> System Restore
Set Turn off System Restore to Not ConfiguredSet Turn off Configuration to Not Configured
credit to : P.ramlie
solution 2
Start > run > type 'regedit' > HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\SystemRestoreKalau value "DisableSR" xder, prgi klik Edit >> New >> DWORD value, pastu buatlah value "DisableSR" tu…
Setkan kpada 1….
credit to : kukurue
solution 3
1) If you receive an error message when trying to use the System Restore tool, be sure to make a note of the error message and follow any contained instructions. Most of the errors will give a description of the error and instructions to help you resolve the issue.2) Be sure that you have plenty of disk space available where your System Restore tool is enabled.
3) Be sure that the System Restore tool is actually running. here's how you can tell:
A. Go to Start>> Run. Type in: compmgmt.msc [Enter] or click OKB. In the Computer Management window, expand the Services and Applications category.C. Click ServicesD. Scroll the right pane until you see System Restore Service listed. be sure that it says "Started". If it says "Stopped", then you will need to double click the entry and click the "Start" button to start the System Restore Service.
4) Try running System Restore in Safe Mode.
5) Try viewing the event logs to determine a probable cause of the error. here's how:
A. Go to Start>> Control PanelB. Select Administrative ToolsC. Click on Computer ManagementD. Expand Event ViewerE. Select System
When viewing the event logs, it will make it easier to click the "Source" tab to sort the events by name. You will then be looking for errors named "sr" or "srservice". Once you have identified the logs, you can double click the log to view a description of the error and a possible resolution.

credit to : http://www.5starsupport.com/xp-faq/1-105.htm
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Posted in Masalah PC & maintenance Tags: ,
Posted by: wakz82 August 20, 2008
Laptop atau Desktop? ..
Laptop atau Desktop? Persoalan ini mungkin timbul seandainya anda ingin membeli komputer peribadi baru samaada untuk kegunaan diri sendiri ataupun keluarga. Di sini disenaraikan beberapa kelebihan dan kekurangan dalam memiliki sama ada laptop atau dekstop – pilihan di tangan anda.
Adakah saya suka mengembara? Atau saya kerap melakukan kerja di luar pejabat?
Jika anda berada dalam kategori ini, maka laptop adalah pilihan yang paling sesuai untuk anda. Tidak kira sama ada untuk tujuan perniagaan atau sekadar melancong, anda akan dapati bahawa laptop adalah pilihan yang paling ideal untuk anda.
Sekiranya anda seorang yang suka melancong, anda dapat memasukkan gambar yang diambil menggunakan kamera digital dengan mudah– anda hanya perlu memindahkan gambar yang diambil ke dalam komputer sekiranya ruang di kad memori hampir penuh, maka anda tidak perlu bimbang untuk membeli lebih banyak kad memori . Selain itu, anda dapat menonton CD video kegemaran anda yang dibeli di mana-mana tempat anda melancong dengan segera. Jika anda seorang ahli perniagaan, maka urusan perniagaan anda akan bertambah mudah, dan segala maklumat pelanggan berpotensi kekal dan mudah untuk ditambah ke dalam laptop anda.
Tidak kira sama ada anda pelancong atau ahli perniagaan, anda boleh mengakses ke internet dengan mudah dan percuma di kebanyakan tempat perlancongan serata dunia, termasuk Malaysia. Dengan kemudahan hotspot di kebanyakan tempat di seluruh negara, terutamanya di lapangan terbang dan hotel perlancongan, anda dapat memanfaatkan teknologi Wi-Fi sekiranya ia disertakan sekali bersama-sama laptop anda. Selain itu, anda juga dapat memanfaatkan teknologi 3G masakini pada laptop anda dan dapatkan akses berkelajuan tinggi ke internet dengan mudah tanpa had di mana-mana tempat anda pergi.
Adakah laptop benar-benar 'portable' dan fleksibel?
Kenyataan 'mudah untuk di bawa ke mana-mana' untuk laptop sebenarnya adalah terhad. Katakan, sekiranya anda membeli sesebuah laptop, dan setelah beberapa ketika anda menggunakannya, anda akan dapati bahawa anda perlu menambah beberapa aksesori lain bagi memenuhi keperluan anda, misalnya hard disk dan DVD+RW. Jika anda tidak bernasib baik, ruangan pada saiz laptop anda yang terhad memaksa anda menggunakan aksesori tambahan ini secara external – dengan kata lain, anda harus membeli hard disk external atau DVD+RW external yang dipasang pada port USB, berbanding dengan Desktop di mana ia boleh dipasang di dalam Mini Tower Casing. Dan tidak pula lupa untuk disebut – peralatan aksesori external adalah jauh lebih mahal berbanding dengan aksesori internal. Misalnya, hard disk yang dipasang secara internal (di dalam laptop atau desktop) adalah lebih murah dari hard disk external.
Bagaimana dengan penyelengaraan dan servis? Mana lebih mudah? Dan lebih murah?
Secara amnya, menservis dan menyelenggara desktop PC adalah lebih mudah berbanding dengan laptop. Anda bebas membuka dan memasang perkakasan/hardware di desktop PC dengan mudah berbanding dengan laptop, terutamanya ketika komputer anda menghadapi masalah dengan perkakasan/hardware. Satu kekurangan laptop ialah kos menservis atau menaik taraf adalah lebih tinggi dan mahal. Misalnya, harga untuk sekeping modul memori (RAM) laptop boleh mencecah sehingga dua kali ganda harga RAM dengan spesifikasi yang sama untuk desktop. Selain itu, pemilihan komputer desktop memberikan anda kelebihan untuk menaik taraf PC dengan mudah berbanding laptop lantaran ruangan casingnya yang jauh lebih sempit dan terhad.
Adakah anda peminat games atau permainan PC?
Jika jawapan anda adalah ya, maka desktop adalah pilihan paling ideal bagi anda. Ini kerana anda akan mendapat kualiti video yang lebih mantap di monitor CRT yang didatangkan bersama-sama komputer desktop. Selain itu, anda mungkin ingin meningkatkan prestasi graphics card dan sound card anda dari semasa ke semasa. Maka dengan PCI slot dan ruangan Mini Tower Casing yang lebih besar, penambahan atau penukaran expansion card untuk tujuan naik taraf prestasi PC akan menjadi lebih mudah dan murah.
Apakah yang sesuai untuk pelajar?
Secara amnya, laptop adalah pilihan paling ideal untuk para pelajar terutamanya penuntut di mana-mana Institusi Pengajian Tinggi. Ini bagi memudahkan pelajar dan penuntut untuk mencatat nota, menyampaikan persembahan di dalam kelas dan tidak kurang juga untuk melayari internet melalui sambungan Wi-Fi ke hotspot yang sudah boleh didapati di kebanyakan IPT tempatan.
Tetapi, bagi pelajar yang ingin mendalami hobi PC, seperti mengenali hardware, memasang dan menyelenggara perkakasan/hardware komputer, maka desktop adalah pilihan yang paling ideal lantaran reka bentuknya yang memang amat sesuai bagi mereka yang ingin mendalami ilmu hardware PC – yakni anda dapat membuka, menambah sebarang aksesori dalaman pada komputer desktop anda.
Harga
Dari segi harga, laptop & desktop lebih kurang je, jika budget rm 1700 sudah memadai untuk mendapatkan sebuah laptop + free bag & mouse.. silap2 boleh dapat CD-R kosong percuma!!.. tapi kalau nak buat perbandingan, daripoada segi spec.. memang laptop akan kurang.. dengan budget rm 1800, kita cuma boleh dapat spec AMD Turion atau Intel celeron saje, ram 1Gb dan Hdisk 120GB.. kalau ikut, memang dah mencukupi.. tapi kalau nak di bandingkan dengan desktop, Rm 1800 boleh dpt Intel Core2 duo 1.7-2.0ghz dan 2Gb ram serta Hdisk 160GB…opss.. blh dpt LCD 19" jgk..hehhe.. kebiasannya dari segi baik pulih, harga bagi komponen laptop akan jadi 2-3kali ganda daripada desktop
Jadi, tepuk dada, selok poket!
p/s : kalau mampu, belli dua2 terus.. puas hati!
> Boleh layari : http://www.lowyat.net/ untuk senarai harga barang terkini!
credit to : wakz





1 Comment
Posted in Info
Posted by: wakz82 August 19, 2008
Reset Password User Account Win XP
Hi, salam..
bagi kengkawan yang lupe password user account @ saje2 nak ceroboh PC kawan2 ni carenye :
restart pc > tekan F8 ( pilih safe mode ) > login administrator account > user account > remove password > save ..
lepas tu restart pc , then login secara Normal.. User account masih ade, tapi password dah hilang…
selamat mencuba!
credit to : Wakz
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Posted in Tips & Trick Tags: ,
Posted by: wakz82 August 19, 2008
Keyboard Shortcut
ALT + Tab = Switch between windows
ALT, Space, X = Maximize window
CTRL + Shift + Esc = Task Manager
Windows key + Break = System properties
Windows key + F = Search
Windows key + D = Hide/Display all windows
CTRL + C = copy
CTRL + X = cut
CTRL + V = paste
Also don't forget about the "Right-click" key next to the right Windows key on your keyboard. Using the arrows and that key can get just about anything done once you've opened up any program.
Keyboard Shortcuts
[Alt] and [Esc] Switch between running applications
[Alt] and letter Select menu item by underlined letter
[Ctrl] and [Esc] Open Program Menu
[Ctrl] and [F4] Close active document or group windows (does not work with some applications)
[Alt] and [F4] Quit active application or close current window
[Alt] and [-] Open Control menu for active document
Ctrl] Lft., Rt. arrow Move cursor forward or back one word
Ctrl] Up, Down arrow Move cursor forward or back one paragraph
[F1] Open Help for active application
Windows+M Minimize all open windows
Shift+Windows+M Undo minimize all open windows
Windows+F1 Open Windows Help
Windows+Tab Cycle through the Taskbar buttons
Windows+Break Open the System Properties dialog box
Acessability shortcuts
Right SHIFT for eight seconds…….. Switch FilterKeys on and off.
Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN……. Switch High Contrast on and off.
Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK……. Switch MouseKeys on and off.
SHIFT……. five times Switch StickyKeys on and off.
NUM LOCK…… for five seconds Switch ToggleKeys on and off.
Explorer shortcuts
END……. Display the bottom of the active window.
HOME……. Display the top of the active window.
NUM LOCK+ASTERISK……. on numeric keypad (*) Display all subfolders under the selected folder.
NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN……. on numeric keypad (+) Display the contents of the selected folder.
NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN……. on numeric keypad (-) Collapse the selected folder.
LEFT ARROW…… Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder.
RIGHT ARROW……. Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder.
Type the following commands in your Run Box (Windows Key + R) or Start Run
credit : http://sembangcikgu.com/



Posted in Tips & Trick Tags: , ,

Hard disk jadi open with...






step 1
My Computer — tools — folder Options — View — Show Hidden Files( clik pada tanda )… pas tuh ko ko right clik My Computer … Masuk Manage– Disk Management– Clik pada C: . just OPen saje
step 2
cari file autorun.inf - delete kan , gantikan dengan software di bawah :
Download FlashDisenfector.exe

rvhost.exe

how to remove by manualFollow these steps to completely remove this worm:1-Start>RUN2-Write CMD3-In CMD,write "Taskkill /T /IM "RVHOST.EXE"then open a Notepad Start>RUn4-Write "NOtepad"5-in notepad paste these lines kat bawah ni
On Error Resume NextSet shl = CreateObject("WScript.Shell")Set fso = CreateObject("scripting.FileSystemObject")shl.RegDelete "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Policies\System\DisableRegistryTools"shl.RegDelete "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Policies\System\DisableTaskMgr"shl.RegDelete6- save the notepad as "Enable.VBS" and the change the file type to "All"7-double click "Enable.VBS"8-now Start>Run. Write "Regedit" in it and press enter9- Do the following changes in Registy
In the left panel, double-click the following:HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>RunIn the right panel, locate and delete the entry:Yahoo Messengger = "%System%\RVHOST.exe"(Note: %System% is the Windows system folder, which is usually C:\Windows\System on Windows 98 and ME, C:\WINNT\System32 on Windows NT and 2000, and C:\Windows\System32 on Windows XP and Server 2003.)–>Removing Other Entry from the Registry
Still in Registry Editor, in the left panel, double-click the following:HKEY_CURRENT_USER>Software>Microsoft>Windows>CurrentVersion>Policies>ExplorerIn the right panel, locate and delete the entry:NofolderOptions = "1″Restoring Modified Entries from the Registry
Still in Registry Editor, in the left panel, double-click the following:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Microsoft>Windows NT>CurrentVersion>WinlogonIn the right panel, locate the entry:Shell = "Explorer.exe RVHOST.exe"Right-click on the value name and choose Modify. Change the value data of this entry to:Explorer.exeIn the right panel, double-click the following:HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SYSTEM>CurrentControlSet>Services>ScheduleIn the right panel, locate the entry:NextAtJobId = "2″Right-click on the value name and choose Modify. Change the value data of this entry to:1Close Registry Editor.Deleting the Malware File(s)
Right-click Start then click Search… or Find…, depending on the version of Windows you are running.In the Named input box, type:AT1.JOBIn the Look In drop-down list, select My Computer, then press Enter.Once located, select the file then press SHIFT+DELETE.Note: AT1.JOB is a Sheduled Task so you can find this in C:\WINDOWS

Fatal System error

solution 1
STOP: 0xC000021A {Fatal System Error}"
step 1
Start > run > Taip regedit. Pergi ke….HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
step 2
Click winlogon folder dan lihat pada GinaDLL REG_SZ value. Klu ade value selain dari "Msgina.dll", Leh buang je. Klu tak jumpe ape² entry lain, ia menggunakan default.

Hard Disk Guide


The hard disk can have a huge impact on the performance of your PC: The fact is that the rotating magnetic media of the hard disk is one of the severest performance bottlenecks, causing second-long delays while fat programs spin off the disk and into RAM. Whereas disk access times are measured in milliseconds, system RAM performance is counted in nanoseconds. Understanding hard disk operation - and optimizing - can eliminate teeth-grinding delays.
The factors that affect the speed of a Hard disk:

Rotation speed
Number of sectors per track
Seek time / head switch time / cylinder switch time
Rotational latency
Data access time
Cache on the HD
How data is organized on the disks
Transfer rates
Interface (EIDE / SCSI)


What are sectors, tracks, heads and cylinders?
On a Hard disk, data is stored in the magnetic coating of the disk. The so called head, held by an actor arm, is used to write and read data. This disk rotates with a constant turn time, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Data is organized on a disk in cylinders, tracks and sectors. Cylinders are concentric tracks on the surface of the disk. A track is divided into sectors. A Hard disk has a head on each side of a disk. Nowadays, the actuator arm is moved by a servo-motor (not a step-motor which needs more time while swinging in after moving over the desired track). All harddisks have reserved sectors, which are used automatically by the drive logic if there is a defect in the media.
Rotation speed
Typical harddisks have a rotation speed from 4,500 to 7,200 rpm, a 10,000 rpm drive just hit the market. The faster the rotation, the higher the transfer rate, but also the louder and hotter the HD. You may need to cool a 7200 rpm disk with an extra fan, or its life would be much shorter. Modern HD's read all sectors of a track in one turn (Interleave 1:1). The rotation speed is constant.

Number of sectors per track
Modern harddisks use different track sizes. The outer parts of a disk have more space for sectors than the inner parts. Usually, HD's begin to write from the outside to the inside of a disk. Hence, data written or read at the beginning of a HD is accessed and transferred faster rate.


Seek time / head switch time / cylinder switch time
The fastest seek time occurs when moving from one track directly to the next. The slowest seek time is the so called full-stroke between the outer and inner tracks. Some harddisks (especially SCSI drives) don't execute the seek command correctly. These drives position the head somewhere close to the desired track or leave the head where it was. The seek time everyone is interested in is the average seek time, defined as the time it takes to position the drive's heads for a randomly located request. Yes, you are correct: seek time should be smaller if the disk is smaller (5 1/4″, 3 1/2″ etc.).
All heads of a Hard disk are carried on one actuator arm, so all heads are on the same cylinder. Head switch time measures the average time the drive takes to switch between two of the heads when reading or writing data.
Cylinder switch time is the average time it takes to move the heads to the next track when reading or writing data.
All these times are measured in milliseconds (ms).
Rotational latency
After the head is positioned over the desired track, it has to wait for the right sector. This time is called rotational latency and is measured in ms. The faster the drives spins, the shorter the rotational latency time. The average time is the time the disk needs to turn half way around, usually about 4ms (7200rpm) to 6ms (5400rpm).
Data access time
Data access time is the combination of seek time, head switch time and rotational latency and is measured in ms.
As you now know, the seek time only tells you about how fast the head is positioned over a wanted cylinder. Until data is read or written you will have to add the head switch time for finding the track and also the rotational latency time for finding the wanted sector.
Cache
I guess you already know about cache. All modern HD's have their own cache varying in size and organization. The cache is normally used for writing and reading. On SCSI HD's you may have to enable write caching, because often it is disabled by default. This varies from drive to drive. You will have to check the cache status with a program like ASPIID from Seagate.
You may be surprised that it is not the cache size that is important, but the organization of the cache itself (write / read cache or look ahead cache).
With most EIDE drives, the PC's system memory is also used for storing the HD's firmware (e.g. software or "BIOS"). When the drive powers up, it reads the firmware from special sectors. By doing this, manufacturers save money by eliminating the need for ROM chips, but also give you the ability to easily update your drives "BIOS" if it is necessary (Like for the WD drives which had problems with some motherboard BIOS' resulting in head crashes!).
Organization of the data on the disks
You now know, a Hard disk has cylinders, heads and sectors. If you look in your BIOS you will find these 3 values listed for each Hard disk in your computer. You learned that a Hard disk don't have a fixed sector size as they had in earlier days.
Today, these values are only used for compatibility with DOS, as they have nothing to do with the physical geometry of the drive. The Hard disk calculates these values into a logical block address (LBA) and then this LBA value is converted into the real cylinder, head and sector values. Modern BIOS' are able to use LBA, so limitations like the 504 MB barrier are now gone.
Cylinder, heads and sectors are still used in DOS environments. SCSI drives have always used LBA to access data on the Hard disk. Modern operating systems access data via LBA directly without using the BIOS.
Transfer rates
In the pictures you can see the several ways how data can be stored physically on the Hard disk. With a benchmark program that calculates the transfer rate or seek time of the whole Hard disk you can see if your drive is using a 'vertical' or a 'horizontal' mapping. Depending on what kind of read/write heads and servo-motors (for positioning the actuator arm) are used it is faster to switch heads or to change tracks.
The Interface (EIDE / SCSI)
Currently there are 2 different common interfaces: EIDE and SCSI. You will find an EIDE controllers integrated with the motherboard and that EIDE harddisks are much cheaper than SCSI drives. For SCSI you need an extra controller, because there aren't a lot of motherboards with integrated SCSI controllers. Together with the higher price of a SCSI disk a SCSI system is more expensive than EIDE.
The EIDE interface has a primary and a secondary channel that will connect to two devices each, for a total of four. That could be a Hard disk, CD-ROM or disk changers. Lately there have been tape backups with EIDE connectors, but you need special backup software.
Scanners for example aren't available with EIDE interface, only with SCSI. You can connect up to 7 devices to a SCSI bus or 15 devices to a Wide SCSI. In a standard environment, the performance of single Hard disk won't improve much from the SCSI interface. Rather, the power of SCSI is that several devices can use the bus at the same time, not using the bus while they don't need it. So, we see the best benefit from SCSI when several devices are all used on the same bus.
On one EIDE channel, the 2 devices have to take turns controlling the bus. If there is a Hard disk and a CD-ROM on the same channel, the Hard disk has to wait until a request to the CD-ROM has finished. Because CD-ROM's are relatively slow, there is a degradation of performance. That's why everybody tells you to connect the CD-ROM to the secondary channel and your Hard disk to the primary. The primary and secondary channels work more or less independently of one another (it's a matter of the EIDE controller chip).
The SCSI interface comes in several types. 8-bit (50 wire data cable) or 16-bit (68 wire data cable, Wide SCSI). The clock can be 5 MHz (SCSI 1), 10 MHz (Fast SCSI), 20 MHz (Fast-20 or Ultra SCSI) or 40 MHz (Ultra-2 SCSI).


It is not only the interface transfer rate that determines how fast a Hard disk is. How fast the data can be written or read from the media, e.g. data density and rotation speed is more important. The fastest interface can't do anything faster than the 'inner values' of a Hard disk are capable of. Today, most harddisks are still under 10 Mbytes/s transfer rate physically. A faster interface is advantageous on when data is read from or written to the cache in a multitasking environment with several devices accessed simultaneously.
Multitasking environments especially benefit from SCSI, since simultaneous access occurs frequently. If you have a server or are working with large files like audio, video or disk-intense applications, you will benefit more from SCSI than EIDE. There are three reasons for this:
All modern operating systems now supports SCSI very well. Windows 3.x didn't!
Bus mastering really works better with a SCSI bus mastering controller.
The fastest harddisks with the best performance are SCSI.
If you need large capacities and the highest transfer rates available on the market you need SCSI. This is not because EIDE is incapable of this, it's because of the market. High-end disks with high capacities and high performance are intended to be used in servers and aren't build with EIDE interface. At the moment, EIDE disks are only built with up to a 5 Gigabyte capacity (there is a problem with a 4 GB barrier with some BIOS's again and for drives bigger than 8 GB you need a new BIOS that supports the INT 13 functions AH=41h bios 49h) and transfer rates of about 9 Mbytes/s. If you need more, you'll have to use SCSI. Also, SCSI harddisks have larger cache RAM than EIDE harddisks.
Performance, some thoughts
You need to know how a slow or fast Hard disk affects your overall system performance in a standard environment. If your operating system isn't constantly swapping (e.g. you have enough memory) the speed of a Hard disk is only a small part of a well balanced system. Let's say you have a Hard disk that has 30% better performance than another older one; the benefit for standard applications would be from 2% up to 18%. Sometimes, you want or need the fastest components available. Other times, more capacity and reliability is needed.
There are several programs available that test the performance of a Hard disk. Some are crap, others are good. In any case, if you have one, you get numbers that tell you something. But do you have a point of comparison? Different benchmarks mean different numbers. Different environments mean different numbers. Modern benchmarks are independent from existing data on the Hard disk (only read performance testing can be done). But a benchmark could be affected by several things:
To which channel is the Hard disk connected
Is the Hard disk alone or together with other devices connected to the controller
Under which operating system is the Hard disk tested and used
Which drivers are loaded or not loaded.
Testing at Monday or Friday etc.


Installing a New Drive
Now that you've determined what type of drive configuration you have in the previous section, you can install the new drive. This section is divided into similarly appropriate parts, with steps common to all new installations here.
Before You Begin, You Need:
A screwdriver
An open drive bay (either 51/4- or 31/2-inch)
Slide rails
3 1/2- to 5 1/4-inch mounting brackets (if you are putting the drive in a 5 1/4-inch bay)
Mounting screws (come with the drive)
Proper length ribbon cable
1. Shut down, turn off, and unplug the PC.
2. Open the system.
3. Discharge your static.
The following sections are specific to the type of drive configuration, and you should skip to the section that suits your needs.
Replacing an IDE Drive
This section describes the process of replacing a drive in a single drive system. For information on adding a new drive, skip to the next section.
TIP: It is highly recommended that you replace your old IDE controller with a new EIDE controller. The additional cost is more than worth it in performance gains.
1. Locate the old drive, unplug the power connector and the 40-pin ribbon cableRemove the 4-pin power connector.Remove the 40-pin IDE ribbon cable.
2. Locate and remove the mounting screws. These are found either on the side of the drive bay or in frontRemove the drive mounting screws.
3. Carefully slide the drive out, making sure not to snag any other cables or wires in the process.
4. Remove and save any mounting brackets, slide rails, and screws that may be attached. You can reuse them on the new drive. That's the surest way of getting a good fit.Remove the old drive.
5. Attach any mounting brackets and/or slide rails from the last step to the new drive.
6. Check the position of the key in your 40-pin ribbon cable. This key assures the correct alignment of the cable to the drive.
TIP: Don't panic if your ribbon cable does not have a key; not all do. There will be one colored wire at the side of the cable to indicate the #1 pin position, and the drive will also indicate this pin on its underside
7. Slide the new drive in place of the old one, and replace all mounting screws.
CAUTION: When securing a hard disk, be extremely careful to avoid stripping or cross-threading a mounting hole. An unevenly mounted drive will vibrate excessively. This can lead to premature drive failure.
8. Reattach the ribbon cable, noting the position of the key, or the #1 pin position.
9. Reattach the 4-pin power connector.
TROUBLESHOOTING: My system doesn't even start when I turn the power on. What happened? You may have inadvertently replaced the ribbon cable reversed (#40 wire to the #1 pin). Turn the power off and double-check that the #1 pin positions are lined up.



Monday, January 26, 2009

Which DDR Is Which? Here Is A Full Guide To RAM.



Many computer enthusiasts know exactly what they want when they go to configure their new system. They've researched and picked out a perfectly matching CPU, motherboard and videocard combination that will meet all their needs. However, when it comes to RAM many users become totally befuddled. They generally know how much RAM they need (1GB is the effective operating minimum these days, 2GB if running Vista or using hungry apps like Photoshop), but they don't have a clue as to what DDR1, DDR2 or DDR3 means.It turns out that selecting the proper DDR variant is a very important factor that determines how your overall system will perform, thus every enthusiast/prosumer/gamer should be well-advised to learn the basics.
Double Data Rate DIMM is known as DDR-DIMM, DDR DIMM, or most popularly just plain DDR. Double Data Rate interfaces provide two data transfers per differential clock. The data becomes registered when the CK goes high [the + side], and /CK goes low [the - side]. DDR1 utilizes the JEDEC standard for Double Date Rate [DDR I] SDRAM. Like all DDR RAM it is available as registered or unbuffered. Registered DIMMs are generally known as FB-DIMMs and have their address and control lines buffered in order to reduce signal loading. FB-DIMMs are considerably more expensive than unbuffered DIMMs and are generally reserved for server use. There are very few enthusiast/prosumer/gamers utilizing FB-DIMMs in their rigs. Unbuffered DIMMs don't feature address lines and control line buffering, so they cost quite a bit less. However, they may be system-loading limited and are thus generally restricted in the number that can be fitted onto one system. You'll find that most unbuffered DIMMs these days can only be installed on one motherboard to a maximum of 4 x 1GB. Buffered or registered DIMMs don't have these limitations and server boards can accomodate 8 x 1GB, 16 x 1GB or more. An interesting and largely unknown aspect of unbuffered DDR DIMMs is that they are able to operate one clock cycle faster then FB-DIMMs.
DDR2 memory is the second generation in DDR memory. DDR2 begins with a speed level of 400MHz as the lowest available while the 400MHz speed is actually the highest speed for DDR1. Therefore, DDR2 picks up where DDR1 leaves off. It's a bit strange but due to different latencies a 400MHz DDR1 will outperform a 400MHz DDR2, but the advantage returns to DDR2 as soon as the speed reaches the next step 532MHz, which DDR1 cannot reach.

It follows that DDR3 is the third generation in DDR memory. DDR3 begins with a speed level of 800Mbps as the lowest available, and once again as in the DDR1/DDR2 comparison, DDR3's 800Mbps lowest speed is also used as the highest speed for DDR2. (No, geekizoid engineers rarely make it easy on the layman.)Adding to customer confusion is that RAM is often referred to as a DDR-number or a PC-number. (The Revenge of the Geekizoids continues.) Here is the Transfer Rate Chart for the various DDRs:

DDR1 Transfer RateDDR SDRAM:
Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR200, DDR266, DDR333 are standard)
PC1600 (DDR-200 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 100MHz, Data Rate: 200MHz, Throughput 1600MB/s
PC2100 (DDR-266 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 133MHz, Data Rate: 266MHz, Throughput 2100MB/sPC2400 (DDR-300 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 150MHz, Data Rate: 300MHz, Throughput 2400MB/s
PC2700 (DDR-333 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 166MHz, Data Rate: 333MHz, Throughput 2600MB/s
PC3000 (DDR-366 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 183MHz, Data Rate: 366MHz, Throughput 2900MB/s
PC3200 (DDR-400 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 200MHz, Data Rate: 400MHz, Throughput 3200MB/s
DDR2 Transfer RateDDR2 SDRAM:
Double Data Rate SDRAM II (Quad Edge Clock Rate, 1.8v signaling), Second Generation
PC2-3200 (DDR2-400 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 100MHz, Data Rate: 400MHz, Throughput 3200MB/s
PC2-4300 (DDR2-533 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 133MHz, Data Rate: 532MHz, Throughput 4300MB/s
PC2-5300 (DDR2-667 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 167MHz, Data Rate: 667MHz, Throughput 5300MB/s
PC2-5400 (DDR2-675 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 167MHz, Data Rate: 667MHz, Throughput 5400MB/s
PC2-6400 (DDR2-800 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 200MHz, Data Rate: 800MHz, Throughput 6400MB/s

DDR3 Transfer Rate

DDR3 SDRAM: Double Data Rate SDRAM III (Quad Edge Clock Rate, 1.5v signaling), Third Generation
PC3-6400 (DDR3-800 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 100MHz, Data Rate: 800MHz, Throughput 6.40GB/s
PC3-8500 (DDR3-1066 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 133MHz, Data Rate: 1066MHz, Throughput 8.53GB/s
PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 166MHz, Data Rate: 1333MHz, Throughput 10.67GB/s
PC3-12800 (DDR3-1600 SDRAM); Clock Speed: 200MHz, Data Rate: 1600MHz, Throughput 12.80GB/s


Now which CPU/chipset matches which RAM? It would take an encyclopaedia to list all the CPUs and all the chipsets and their "best-fit" DDRs. Before finalizing your system configuration you should research your CPU manufacturer's RAM recommendations and fit that exact type of DDR to it. You would be just as foolish in using a PC3-12800 DDR3-1600 with an AMD Sempron 2800+ as you would be to burden down your Intel QX6800 with a PC1600 DDR-200. Every CPU/chipset combo has its proper DDR fit, and you should find out exactly what they are and stick to them. Fitting a slower than recommended DDR to your system will bottleneck critical RAM functions and could slow your otherwise very speedy system to a tortoise crawl.There are many other factors involved in choosing the right RAM for your rig. Latencies are critical, but the details are too extensive to include here and will form the basis of a future blog. There are also a mind-boggling array of RAM brand names and pricepoints. Generally, you get what you pay for and as long as you are comparing various brands at the same retailer, the price will be a fairly good indicator of quality. Some of the leading manufacturers include:


Centon


Corsair


Crucial


Kingston


OCZ


Patriot

A couple of more points to remember. First, RAM heat spreaders may or may not be worth the extra cost. I can see that they would be useful only in the tiniest minority of high-load, prolonged-heavy-use situations. Don't ever touch your RAM (or other PC internal components) without being thoroughly grounded with a good static strap. Static can zap your circuitry before you know it.If you follow these guidelines and thoroughly research the proper DDR for your system, you'll be rewarded with years of speedy and trouble-free computing. A bit of prior study is a small price to pay!credit to : http://hubpages.com/hub/DDR1__DDR2__DDR3_Navigating_The_RAM_Maze