Backup Using USB Flash Memory (Pen) Drives

No, am not joking, Seriously, the cheap and common pen drives have the following advantages as a backup storage media:

1. They are simple to use and understand
   
   A best backup solution is one that you can understand well and follow regularly. USB Flash drives are very simple to use and even non-technies know how to use them.
   
   
2. They are cheap
   
   With 2GB and 8GB pen drives available at reasonable prices, you can use them to backup your important data files. Most important files like text documents, spreadsheets, pdfs, database files of line of business applications etc can be accommodated in this size capacity. You may not be able to use them to backup your entire computer though.
   
   
   
3. No driver / drive problem
   
   When recovering the files, you need not bother about the driver for the USB Drive. Most systems with latest OSs support them out of the box. With tape backups, you need tape drives on the system you are planning to restore to.
   
   
4. They can be stored easily
   
   When it comes to compactness, there is no beating the pen drives. You can compactly and securely store them unlike tapes.
   
   
5. They can be erased and re-used.
   
   Unlike CDs or DVDs, you can erase or update the files on them. This is great if you just need the updated copy of your data and do not require archival.
   
   

Windows Update

Microsoft regularly releases updates to its software. They handle issues ranging from critical security issues or bug fixes to minor improvements. Generally, it is best to keep your PC up to date with security patches and critical updates. Visit WindowsUpdate.Microsoft.com or just update.microsoft.com to keep your PC upto date with the latest patches.

There are updates to cover the Windows operating system, Microsoft Office (if you have it), hardware drivers and any server software component that you may have (SQL Server, IIS etc).

Keeping your PC up to date with the patches and upgrades means that you are a little safer on the web, you computer's chances of crashing are lower and the overall performance can improve.

The website will detect the software you have on your PC and determine which components require updation. It will ask you which updates are to be installed on your PC, download them and install them one by one. You may have to reboot your PC after the installation.

Remember that for some updates, Microsoft will require you to run a Windows Genuine Advantage tool to "Validate your copy of Windows". Its purpose is to detect counterfiet or pirated operating systems. If you have a original copy of windows with your system, you need not worry about this. But if you do not have a proper licenced version, the WGA tool will detect it and nag you down to "Get Genuine" which is to buy original software. Another reason to go for genuine software :) with your new PC. For details, see this FAQ.

You can also check out non-microsoft offerings like http://windowsupdate.62nds.com/

Minimise Online Risks - Don't Use an Administrator Account

If you are using the Administrator account or an account with administrator privillages for routine work like internet browsing, email etc, then you are asking for trouble.

If a worm or a virus manages to get past your antivirus software (you have antivirus, don't you?), then the worm or virus will have all the previllages that your administrator account has - that's total control. It can install itself wherever it pleases, do whatever it wants and the total system will be at its mercy. System wide malfunction will occur. Removing the virus will be very dificult.

On the other hand, if you are using a non-administrator, limited account, the maximum rights that the virus can get is limited to your limited account's previllages. Atleast it wont be able to modify system files, install iteself everywhere etc. The infection will not be system wide and it will be relatively easier to recover from too.

To findout what your previllages you currently have, go to the Control Panel > User Accounts. If you are using an account that's labeled 'Computer Administrator', you better use another account which is a Limited account for Internet and email. If needed, create a new user with Limited privileges just for Internet and email.

Use the latest version of FireFox or Internet Explorer 7 to increase security. Go to Windows Update website to keep your software up-to-date.

Windows Keyboard Shortcuts

Windows has a keyboard shortcuts to quickly do things that you want to do. For a good list of keyboard shortcuts, see these pages:

http://www.seoconsultants.com/windows/key/

IE Tips: Easy Way to Scroll Through Web Pages

An easy way to scroll through web pages is with the spacebar.

Pressing the Spacebar key will scroll down a page.
Pressign Shift+Spacebar key will scroll up a page.

Yes, yes, Page Up and Page Down keys too do the same thing, but isn't it a lot easier to hit the Spacebar key than search the Page Up and Page Down keys?

See http://www.onecomputerguy.com/ie_tips.htm for more!

CRT Monitor Flickery? Check Refresh Rate

Tears running down your eyes when you see your CRT monitor? Check the Monitor Refresh Rate.

CRTs draw the image you see on the screen line by line. A rate of 60Hz means the screen is redrawn 60 times per second. That's fast, you may say. Its actually not fast enough. You can still see the flicker if you see the monitor with your 'peripheral vision' - if you see the monitor without looking at it directly and stare at some thing like the monitor's base.

To check your monitor's refresh rate, right-click on desktop, select 'Properties...' to get the Display properties dialog box. In the 'Settings' tab, click on 'Advanced' button. Select the 'Monitor' tab there.

The Monitor's current refresh rate is displayed.

If its set to 60 Hz, you can notice the flicker very easily. I would recommend a minimum of 75 Hz or a higher setting, if your hardware supports it.

If there are no other options listed other than 60Hz, or if no other settings work, it means that either your hardware does not support the higher settings or that you have not installed the proper drivers for your video card or monitor. To see if you have any devices with incorrect or missing drivers, you can use the Device Manager (Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager)

Please note that the Refresh Rate Setting is not relevant with an LCD monitor - they display images on the screen with a very different method.

Sore Eyes? How to set your CRT monitor's Brightness and Contrast Levels

Have a CRT monitor? Consider fine-tuning your monitor's brightness and contrast settings to minimise eye strain.

Its best to set your monitor's brightness and contrast settings with black and white text displayed on the screen. The best and fastest way to do it is with the Command Prompt.

Click on Start > Run..., type cmd and press enter. Maximise the window. (You can also use this!)

First, temporarily reduce the contrast of your monitor to its minimum setting. Now, adjust the brightness setting on your monitor so that the black is black enough. Set it so that black looks like pitch black and increasing brightness any more will cause it to become grey. If you set too much brightness, the black area on the monitor will look grey.

Now, to set the contrast setting. You have to set enough contrast so that white is white enough. If you set too much contrast, white text may seem to "bloom" and will not be crisp enough. If you set it too less, white will not be white enough and will look as off-white. Set it to the minimum required setting in which white looks white enough.

You are done! Also remember to check your monitor's refresh rate. It should be above 70 Hz or you will experience eye fatigue.

You can also use this excellent test page from monitorsetup.com to tune and calibrate your monitor. Read their single page documentation to save time and effort.

Want more detailed information? You must see this page.

Remember to clean your monitor regularly with a damp cloth or tissue. Dirt and Finger prints lead to eye strain.

What is keeping your PC busy?

Ever wanted to do something urgently but your PC seems to be too busy with mysterious things? Want to know what's keeping your PC obsessed? Task Manager to the rescue!



"Task Manager provides information about programs and processes running on your computer. It also displays the most commonly used performance measures for processes."



Depending on your Windows version, you can press Ctrl+Alt+Delete to bring up Task Manager directly or through another screen.

You can also use Start > Run... taskmgr to start Task Manager but Ctrl+Alt+Del will work even if the Start menu is not responding.

The Process tab of the Task Manager is what we are currently interested in. It displays all the processes running on the computer, who is running it and how much of the system resources each is using. The CPU column indicates what percentage of the CPU is kept busy by the processes. The Mem Usage column indicates what amount of memory is currently allocated to each process.


To find out which processes are taking considerable amount of CPU, click on the CPU header.

The list is now sorted in the order of CPU utilisation. Clicking it again switches between ascending order and descending order. If you are an ordinary order, the System Idle Process will have the largest percentage of CPU time - it means that your CPU is idle for that percentage of time.

To find out how much memory the processes are utilising, you have to click on the Mem Usage header. The list becomes sorted using the Mem Usage numbers now. You can switch between ascending and descending order by clicking on it again.


You can use this utility to figure out what application is keeping the CPU busy or taking up too much memory. You can decide to close unwanted applications or uninstall them too.

Free Antivirus for You

Does your system have an anti-virus software installed? If your answer is no, you defenity are looking for trouble. YOU NEED ONE.

Here is a list of antivirus software for you to choose from.

In my own experience, I have found Norton Antivirus to be very effective and comprehensive. It seems to stop a virus even before the virus sees your network cable! But you have to pay the price for it: Firstly, it would cost around Rs. 1500 per year. Secondly and most importantly, I have found it to be too demanding on the computer's resources. I have noticed performance degradation on most computers with Norton Antivirus installed. What ever does it do with my Dual Core 3Ghz CPU, 512 MB RAM, 7200RPM SATA HDD?

I find Grisoft's AVG offering to be pretty neat. AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is totally free of cost and includes regular updates from the Internet. I have found it to be satisfactorily effective in fighting against viruses. The free version does not include spy-ware protection or a firewall. But if you know what you are doing with your computer and on the Internet, you will find that AVG is a no-fuss, effective and keep-it-simple thing to have. The plus points are: 1. Its light on resources, 2. It doesn't cost anything.

You can also buy feature-rich versions of AVG Anti-virus if you need them.

Overall, a simple, must-have, no-fuss antivirus. Best when used along with some firewall.

PC Slow? Try Disk Clean-up

Do you have a Windows XP or Vista desktop or laptop thats too slow? Try Disk Clean-up!

The Disk Clean-up utility can be found in All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Cleanup. This utility removes unwanted files that were taking up space on your hard disk. The utility asks you to select which drive you want it to clean up. Clean up all drives one by one.

It will take some time to analyse your disk - so take a break and play solitaire or mine sweeper :).

In the next screen, the utility asks you to select which categories do you want it to clean up. Make sure you select Temporary Internet files, the Recycle Bin etc. In short, keep every thing selected. The only things you may want to NOT remove are the Office Setup files. They contain files required by MS Office when it needs to reconfigure itself. You can remove it if you have the original setup disks readily or if you need disk space badly. Else, its better to leave them on disk.

Also, you may not want to "Compress Old files" unless you are short of disk space. Selecting compression saves disk space at the cost of processing power, so the trade-off is yours to choose.

Remember to clean up all the drives in your system's hard disk.