Computer Training for OFWs

Lenovo will provide complimentary computer training lessons to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and their dependents or relatives to enhance their personal computer (PC) skills for increased career and business opportunities in a technology-savvy society. The initiative is a result of Lenovo’s partnership with Microsoft Philippines, the Overseas Workers Welfare Association (OWWA) and the Blas F. Ople Training Center and is aimed at leveraging technology to empower and enable greater career confidence. Dubbed “Learn & Earn Through Computers”, Lenovo’s one-day seminar is part of Microsoft’s Tulay Program, a 10-day information and technology skills training course available for free to OFWs and their families. The Tulay Program is conducted twice a month in 18 Tulay Community-based Technology Learning Centers (CTLCs) across the country, and eight CTLCs overseas including Malaysia and Singapore.

Lenovo’s course is divided into two modules: the Learn module, which focuses on utilizing PC skills for educational purposes—such as accessing online tutorials for distance learning, and portals such as news websites and blogs, which may be relevant sources of information to OFWs. The second module is the Earn module, centered around PC-based career opportunities, such as running a home business and making use of the Internet for job prospects. The ‘Learn & Earn Through Computers’ course brings the participants’ learning to a higher level. With Lenovo’s support and contribution, we can raise awareness and train the OFWs and their families to recognize the myriad opportunities and harness their unlimited potential.”

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Tips on Computer Hardware Servicing NC-II

Here are some few tips how to pass the Computer Hardware Servicing NC-II exam

The trainees/students also should be able to pass the Occupational Qualification and Certification System (National Certificate - Level II) of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) – a government accrediting institution. The Computer Hardware Servicing NC-II Qualification consists of competencies that must possess to enable to diagnose and troubleshoot problems in personal computer systems, software, replace parts and get the system back to normal operation. The exam has two assessment methods or parts: Observation/Demo (4 hours) and the last is Oral/Interview (at least I hour). As a computer technician you must familiar yourself about (DOS) disk operating system commands especially the different internal and external DOS commands. You need also know how to install an operating system such as windows 98 and windows 2000. And then you must also familiar in installing dual boot operating system using win98 and win2000. Next is, you should know how to create a straight trough cable and crossover cable. Creating these cable needs a UTP or cat5e cable and RJ-45 with crimping tool. The two cabling system is the common type of cabling system that are required in networking when taking up NC-II. You need to familiar yourself also with different types of networks especially Peer-to-Peer network. First connect the straight through cable from your PC to a server. After connecting you must have also familiar in putting up IP addresses. The IP address is given by the assessor so you don’t need to create for yourself. After configuring the IP address you must connect to the server and view the shared folder and its file. Once you’ve done that print a document that comes from the server. After the printing unplug your straight through cable and change it to crossover cable. Next you need to connect to other computer view each other shared folder and file. The last part is the Oral/Interview (question and answer) portion, well my tip is very simple if you know what you’ve done during assembly, disassembly, creating cables, installing OS, networking then you will answer it well. Why? Because most or at least 60 percent of the questions that suppose to be given by the assessor comes from the Observation/Demo. But remember not all assessor has the same questions it will based on your performance overall, what I mean is different assessor has different styles or types of questioning so it might differ. These Computer Hardware Servicing Technician NC-II tips can help you pass the examination. Good luck to all!

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How to Recover Lost Data

In this article you will learn how to recover lost data from the physically damaged hard drives, data recovery tips, and basic recovery methods. In the world of computers, disk problems are a serious issue. A failing hard disk can mean loss of data and/or failure of an entire system. Hard drive data recovery is the process of recovering lost data from a hard drive when the data cannot be readily accessed through normal retrieval methods. Whether your hard drive has locked up or has completely crashed there is a good chance the data can be recovered by using a variety of hard drive data recovering techniques. There are different causes of the data loss such as Electro-mechanical failure, natural disaster, viruses, sabotage, human error and data corruption. Generally speaking hard drives last 3 to 5 years. If yours is beyond this then there's not much harm in replacing it anyways. They're cheap nowadays and you'll probably end up with a bigger, faster one just because even the cheapest ones are bigger and faster. The other side of it is that their consistency is far from perfect and they are often burdened with mechanical defects and failures. The hard drive is a magnetic disc which spins and has an extended arm that collected data from any area of the hard drive. If the arm fails to function or the motor overheats or stops spinning, then there is a chance your hard drive will crash rendering data seemingly inaccessible from all hard drive areas. Most hard drive data recovery firms utilize the latest tools like magnetometers to retrieve the lost bits from the magnetic media. The recovered raw bits from the damaged hard drive are used to construct a new disk image, and the logical damage can be repaired.

As you probably know, many different things can cause hard disk failure. When you’re troubleshooting such a problem, it’s usually best to start with the simple and work toward the more complex techniques—unless you happen to know exactly what the problem is.

Here are some of the good tips on how to recover lost data.

1. Recovery through software: First try to find some good software that can recover your lost data from your friends. They may have some good data recovery software.
2. Hardware Crash: If you have detected that your hard drive is crashed then tries the normal shutting down procedures. Just pull out the plug and do not wait. Never try to save or recover the data at this time as you may lose the other saved data as well.
3. Identify the trouble in the hard disk: If you are not sure of the problem listen to your hard disk for any unusual sounds. If this is the case then you will need data recover service.
4. Verify the health of the drive: If you have determined that the drive is healthy, then you may still be able to recover the data by yourself, try using the software that can recover the data.
5. Use the drive as Slave disks: Try to connect the drive as a slave to another computer. In this way, you might be able to recover all the data. I have practically used this technique and I was successful in recovering the data.
6. Locate the corruption: You should locate the corrupted partition and this can easily be done by booting the system from the any bootable disc or using the Fdisk command.
7. Shop over the internet: Do an online research in Google for the data recovery software and see what software is ranked best and suits you. Usually the data recovery software is not free so you will have to buy it and it will surely recover your lost data if the problem is not severely mechanical.
8. RAID Drive Crash: Replace the RAID data drive that fails and never ever use it again.
9. RAID Drives: Label the multiple drives in the RAID array.
10. Database files: In case of Microsoft Exchange or SQL failure, never try the direct recovery operations on the corrupted database file instead make a copy of the database files and then start recovery on these files.
11. Utilities: Do not try to run the system utilities such as Defragmenters and volume repair utilities.
12. Other utilities: Also avoid using Volume Repair utilities if there has been power outage or if the files system is corrupted.
13. Boot drive malfunction: If the corrupted drives also have the Operating systems then things are tricky and you can boot the system from the recovery software and in this way you can find you corrupted data and you can recover it to some safe place.
14. Avoid physical cleaning of drives: Never attempt to shake or clean the data drive at your own this can do harm to your hard drive physically.
15. Do not remove drive covers: Never try to remove the hard drive covers because they have to be used by the specialists for getting the configurations and features of the hard drive.
16. Dropping the hard disks: The hard disks should not be drop like balls.
17. Exposure to water: Never try to expose the hard drive to water because there is not dryer to dry the hard disks.
18. Analyse the workplace: Pay full attention to the places where you have placed your computer because humid environment, warm places and shaky desk can do harm and can become the cause of the hard drive failure.
19. Firewalls: Make sure that you are well protected from the viruses, adware, malware, Trojan horses. An up to date anti virus and anti spyware should be installed on your computer and you should guard your PC with by putting it behind a firewall.
20. Physically damaged drives: If the drives have been corrupted physically they must be sent to a good laboratory where experts can recover the data.

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How to optimize your computer

Everyone knows that computers can sometimes slow down over time. While not an exhaustive list of solutions to problems, this collection presents several ways to speed up a computer. These step-by-step instructions can easily be followed; even novice computer users can follow these steps. The steps are intended for Windows XP users, but users of other Windows versions can follow a similar process.

1. Defrag Your Hard Drive
   Over time, the data on your hard drive gets scattered. Disk Defragmenter consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer's hard disk, so that each occupies a single, contiguous space on the volume. As a result, your system can gain access to your files and folders and save new ones more efficiently. By consolidating your files and folders, Disk Defragmenter also consolidates the volume's free space, making it less likely that new files will be fragmented. Defragmenting your hard drive puts your data back into sequential order, making it easier for Windows to access it As a result, the performance of your computer will improve.
2. Scan Your Hard Disk. Has your computer ever crashed, making it impossible to shut it down properly? Have you ever experienced a power outage? These problems and others can cause damage to your system files. Windows provides a utility called scandisk that will automatically detect and fix much of the damage, improving your system's performance in the process.
3. Scan for Viruses
   In today's computing world, you must prevent intentional intrusions into your computer and network that take the form of viruses and Trojan horses. Detecting and cleaning viruses is an excellent way to improve your system's performance. Educate yourself about viruses and how they are commonly spread. Learn the common signs of viruses: unusual messages that appear on your screen, decreased system performance, missing data, and inability to access your hard drive. If you notice any of these problems on your computer, run your virus-detection software immediately to minimize the chances of losing data.
4. Increasing the virtual memory
   Virtual memory, also known as Page File memory, uses a portion of your hard disk and acts like RAM allowing more information to be used and made at one time. It stores data about programs while your computer is running, and dumps it as needs be. Open the control panel and double-click the System icon, go to the Advanced tab. By clicking the ‘Change’ button will allow you to increase your virtual memory. Look for performance and click the settings button. Go to advanced and click change. Then choose your hard disk drive from the list and choose custom size. Set the sizes accordingly to however much page file your computer uses (1024MB is best as an initial size). Once finished, press ‘Set’ and ‘OK’You should not set your maximum size larger than double the minimum setting, otherwise too much space may be used on your hard drive leaving you nothing left.
5. Using Disk Cleanup. Disk Cleanup helps free up space on your hard drive. Disk Cleanup searches your drive, and then shows you temporary files, Internet cache files, and unnecessary program files that you can safely delete. You can direct Disk Cleanup to delete some or all of those files. Uninstalling/Removing programs that you no longer use can free up space on your computer and speed up your system's performance. However, you need to uninstall the programs properly to see much improvement; deleting them is not enough. And make sure you know what your deleting coz if you don’t it will give you much more problem at the end.
6. Adjust Visual Effects for Better Performance. Windows XP provides a number of interesting visual effects like animated windows and fading menus. These effects, however, can slow down your computer. If you like the style of the old Windows Classic themes, you should follow this step to enable your computer to be faster. Sure it’ll looks like an older version of windows, but at least your computer will improve its performance. Going to Control Panel, then System then click Advanced tab. Look for performance and click the settings button. In Visual Effects tab select the option to “Adjust for best performance” and press apply.

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How The Internet Works

The term Internet access refers to the communication between a residence or a business and an ISP that connects to the Internet. Access falls into two broad categories: dedicated and dial-up. With dedicated access, a subscriber’s computer remains directly connected to the Internet at all times by a permanent, physical connection. Most large businesses have high-capacity dedicated connections; small businesses or individuals who desire dedicated access choose technologies such as digital subscriber line (DSL) or cable modems, which both use existing wiring to lower cost. A DSL sends data across the same wires that telephone service uses, and cable modems use the same wiring that cable television uses. In each case, the electronic devices that are used to send data over the wires employ separate frequencies or channels that do not interfere with other signals on the wires. Thus, a DSL Internet connection can send data over a pair of wires at the same time the wires are being used for a telephone call, and cable modems can send data over a cable at the same time the cable is being used to receive television signals. The user usually pays a fixed monthly fee for a dedicated connection. In exchange, the company providing the connection agrees to relay data between the user’s computer and the Internet. Dial-up is the least expensive access technology, but it is also the least convenient. To use dial-up access, a subscriber must have a telephone modem, a device that connects a computer to the telephone system and is capable of converting data into sounds and sounds back into data. The user’s ISP provides software that controls the modem. To access the Internet, the user opens the software application, which causes the dial-up modem to place a toll-free telephone call to the ISP. A modem at the ISP answers the call, and the two modems use audible tones to send data in both directions. When one of the modems is given data to send, the modem converts the data from the digital values used by computers—numbers stored as a sequence of 1s and 0s—into tones. The receiving side converts the tones back into digital values. Unlike dedicated access technologies, a dial-up modem does not use separate frequencies, so the telephone line cannot be used for regular telephone calls at the same time a dial-up modem is sending data.

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Hectic Capiznon Bloggers: WebCrawler

WebCrawler, a search engine, computer software program for locating World Wide Web (WWW) information. WebCrawler was developed by University of Washington graduate student Brian Pinkerton in 1994 but is now maintained by America Online, Inc., a commercial Internet service provider. WebCrawler uses a program called a spider. A spider sometimes called robot, softbot, spiderbot, wanderer, crawler, and fish. A Spider is a computer program that automatically monitors documents. Most Web pages include at least one link (an automatic connection) to another Web page, and some include hundreds of links. A spider takes advantage of this structure by starting at one Web page and working its way out by following every link on a Web page and then following every link provided by the new Web pages. Some spiders save the URL (Uniform Resource Locator), or address, of every Web page they visit. These spiders are used by search engines to build indexes of Web pages that users can access to search for information on a particular topic. Indexing spiders, as they are called, often also store the title and partial or complete text of a Web page so users can do more detailed searches. A WebCrawler uses a program called spider to search the WWW for new documents (called Web pages) and to index all the words in the documents. A person using WebCrawler enters a keyword or phrase, for example if you type the keyword Hectic Capiznon Bloggers 2009 the WebCrawler provides a list of all documents that contain the word(s) or phrase for Hectic Capiznon Bloggers 2009. Each title is linked to the document's site on the WWW, so users can go directly from the list to any document on the list and find more useful information about the Hectic Capiznon Bloggers 2009 documents.

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Using the Internet

Using Internet
Computer-based global information system. The Internet is composed of many interconnected computer networks. Each network may link tens, hundreds, or even thousands of computers, enabling them to share information with one another and to share computational resources such as powerful supercomputers and databases of information. The Internet has made it possible for people all over the world to effectively and inexpensively communicate with one another. The internet is still a great way to look things up. You can find addresses or recipes, listen to music, or find things to do. You can look up information on hobbies or musical instruments, or read a magazine or newspaper online. If you search the internet on your own, make sure the web site you find is reliable.

Using a Search Engine
The best way to find web sites is to use a search engine. Here are some helpful ones:
Google (www.google.com)
Yahoo (www.yahoo.com)
MSN (www.msn.com)
Start by typing one or two search terms or keywords that describe your topic. For example “Hectic Capiznon Bloggers 2009” the search engine scans the internet and gives you a list of sites that contain them and you will find information about Hectic Capiznon Bloggers 2009 topics. The results appear in a certain order, or rank. Search engines use different ways of measuring which websites are likely to be the most helpful. The site that’s listed first may not have what you want. Explore as many of the sites as possible. You might have a narrow search by using more keywords. Or trying using directories to help find what you need.

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How to make your Computer Healthy

1. Don’t manually delete.
Don’t delete an application from your hard drive unless you have to do. Doing so will leave you with visible and invisible debris cluttering up the hard drive.
2. Don’t open everything at once.
Unless you have a top-of-the-range system, avoid firing up multiple programs all at once. Windows has been known to freeze up on slower systems it its given too much to do at once.
3. Run Scandisk.
Try and run it at least once a month to check file and hard drive integrity.
4. Watch Out.
Check the integrity of all files loaded to your PC. If you often download files from the net, it is particularly essential that you install a virus detector. But remember, even files given to you by a colleague on USB flash drive can infect your system.
5. Backup your files.
Windows have their own backup utilities, accessed through System tools.
6. Run the Disk Defragmenter.
Do this once a month too. Your hard drive can get fragmented if you are often installing and uninstalling programs.
7. Get acquainted with System Tools.
Windows in particular, has an impressive range. A few minutes a week turning your PC could save you trouble down the line.
8. Press Ctrl, Alt, Del.
If your system crashes or freezes, try not just switch off manually if possible. Try and get a response first using Ctrl, Alt, Del simultaneously: shutdown from there.
9. Backup before editing.
This can’t be emphasized enough: never try editing the OS Registry file before packing up the original configuration first.
10. Be aware.

Be aware of programs running in the background. If many are active, you should be aware of the possibility of a system lock-up, you can see what is running by opening the task manager by pressing Ctrl, Alt, Del simultaneously.

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How to know your motherboard are dying

How will you now that your motherboard is dying? This has happened to me twice now. First time it was the BIOS chip that had failed on me. The board refused to get past the "verifying dmi pool data" message. New board on that one. Second time around it was the CPU overheating. If you don't mind playing with the hardware and you have some sort of speaker on the motherboard then try the following suggestions:

Remove ALL of the pci cards, the ram modules and the mouse (yes, the mouse as well) and bare-boot the board. (If you are using a separate graphics card then unplug that too for the moment). If you have a speaker connected to the board then when you try and boot you will hear a long series of continuous beeps (See PC Boot Problems), which means that the board is trying to tell you that you have no ram installed. This is good because it means that the board's BIOS chip and the CPU are working just fine at this point.

If you hear nothing then it's time to either try another CPU or to change the board. Game over...

If you get past this point then switch off and plug the ram back in, and then try a re-boot. If you have more than one module then switch off and try each one separately before booting. If the problem is the ram then this will soon show up. If you get to this point then you should hear a different set of beeps (usually one long and three short). This means the board is looking for a graphics card.

Now switch off, plug in the graphics card (if it is off-board) and try booting again. If you get a hang-up this time then you have a graphics card problem. If all is ok at this point then you can turn off the pc, replace each pci card one-by-one and try booting every time you plug one in. If the problem is with one of the cards then this will soon show up. I suspect you may fall over at one of the first two options, which means either board or CPU.

Note: not everyone knows how to tweak and configure a PC. So if you’re one of them, don’t try to experiment because it will do more damage to your system or other components. But if you got lucky, then that’s good. If you’re not sure of what you are doing on how to troubleshoot your own PC try to look for a Computer Technician because he/she knows what to do.

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How to know different Hardware components need for networking

This guide will help you decide what hardware you will need to setup you HOME network: here are a list of components, you may not need to buy depending on the number of computers you have.

1. Each machine will need a NIC (network interface connectors).

2. a hub

3. router

4. switch

5. cables (crossover / straight through)

Deciding which cable to use:

here's a small chart that will give you an idea which cable should go where:
computer to computer - crossover cable
computer to hub - straight through cable
hub port to hub port - crossover cable
hub uplink to hub port - straight through cable
computer to broadband router port - straight through cable
computer to switch - straight through cable
computer to cable modem - crossover cable
cable modem to router - crossover cable
hub uplink to switch port - straight through cable

note:

Some hubs share the connection on the Uplink Port with the port next to it. Some hubs and switches use a switch or button to enable or disable the Uplink Port. Check your product manual to see how to do this.

Maximum cable length:
Maximum cable length for Ethernet depends on what kind of Ethernet you are talking about! Here are some details on the most popular kinds of Ethernet. (UTP = unshielded twisted pair)

Gigabit Ethernet (over copper), 1000baseT

Speed: 1000 Mbps

Max Len: 100 Meters

Cable: UTP, RJ-45 connectors

Fast Ethernet, 100baseT

Speed: 100 Mbps

Max Len: 100 Meters

Cable: UTP, RJ-45 connectors

Twisted Pair Ethernet, 10baseT

Speed: 10 Mbps

Max Len: 100 Meters

Cable: UTP, RJ-45 connectors

Two computers scenario:

If you only have two computers, you will only need two nic's and a crossover cable. If you also require both computers to have internet access, then you could either

(a). Install another NIC (connect it to the cable/DSL modem with a crossover cable) or fax modem in one and connect it to the internet, then use a software proxy, ICS, Wingate, etc to share the internet.
(b). Get a router (I would prefer getting a router). Connect it using a crossover cable to the cable modem and connect the computers to the built in switch on the router. Some routers don't have built in switches, in this case you will need to get a switch or hub and connect it to the internal interface of the router.

More than two computers scenario (hub/switch cascading):

With more computers you will need a hub/switch and straight through cables, connect all computers to the hub/switch with straight through cable. If you run out of ports then add another hub/switch to your network. Connect the uplink of one hub/switch to a port on the other hub/switch using a straight through cable, or connect port to port using a crossover cable.
If you have more than two hubs/switches, then connect all the hub/switches using uplink ports and straight through cables, to regular ports on a main hub/switch.
If you require internet connectivity:

(a) Install another NIC (connect it to the cable/DSL modem with a crossover cable), or fax modem in one machine and connect it to the internet. Use a software proxy, ICS, Wingate, etc to share the internet. Now connect the gateway computer and the rest of the computers to the hub's ports using straight through cables.
(b) Using a broadband router, connect a cable modem with a crossover cable to the WAN port of the router, then connect the other computers to the router's LAN ports with a straight through cables.If you do not have enough ports then get more hub/switches. Connect the uplink ports to the router's LAN port with straight through cables and connect your computers to the hubs/switches.

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Six signs a drive is about to fail

As reliable as hard drives have become, they still have a finite lifespan. While regular backups and RAID technology can help you prevent data loss when a hard disk drive fails, it's better to catch the problem early and replace the hard disk drive on your schedule, rather than when it decides to fail.

Ironically, improvements in hard drive technology have caused some of the symptoms of impending failure to disappear. For instance, hard disk drive and controller designs now can hide the intermittent read/write failures that once foretold a hard disk drive going bad. Likewise, today's hard disk drives are virtually silent, which eliminates the changes in sound that used to alert IT personnel that a drive was going. Bearing failures, which used to be one of the most common causes of drive failure, are much less common today.

However, hard disk drives can still give off signs that they are about to fail. Including:

1. Disk takes a long time to come up. A hard disk drive that takes a long time to boot up is working hard. Maybe it's working hard because a lot of stuff needs to be initialized. But it could also be trying to compensate for intermittent read/write failures.

2. CHKDSK shows bad sectors. Bad sectors used to be a fact of life. Not any more. These days, any bad sectors showing up with chkdsk or similar disk test utilities usually mean the disk is going away. This is doubly true if the number of bad sectors is increasing, even very slowly.

3. Running hot. All drives get warm, but if the hard disk drive itself is running unusually hot compared to others in the enclosure, it is probably nearly the end of its useful life.

4. Consider the drive's history. A hard disk drive that has been dropped onto a hard surface (running or not) or else has overheated should be regarded with suspicion. It's a good candidate for failure. Overheating usually occurs when an enclosure's main fan or fans fail, allowing temperature to build up. If the system gets hot enough that you start getting read-write errors before the problem is spotted and fixed, there's a good chance the lifespan of the drives has been drastically shortened.

5. Drive LEDs that never go off. There's no relationship between overt computer activity and hard disk drive activity, as indicated by the drive LED. But if the LED used to come on intermittently and now glows constantly, something is very wrong and is probably going to get worse.

6. Disk cannot locate file table. If the disk can't find the Windows Master File Table (MFT), especially after an unexplained crash, the disk is almost certainly dying.

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How to avoid the Blue Screen of Death

Here are some excellent tips sent in by a community member at large, to help us all avoid the Blue Screen of Death. These are not only frustrating, they can also sometimes signal a major failure.

Here are some tips on how to avoiding Blue Screen of Death problems

1. Reboot daily. Windows stores some vital information in sections of RAM called resources. If these resources become full then Windows can become unstable. To avoid this, don't run too many programs at once and reboot your computer every day.

2. Video drivers: The code controlling your display can cause problems. If you get errors that refer to a file that ends in .VSD then check the graphics board vendor's Web site for a more up-to-date driver.

3. Viruses: If you don’t know how to remove viruses and other variants, these can cause all sorts of unpleasant problems so please make sure you are using an up to date antivirus tool. It's no good unless you update it regularly. Try downloading some Anti-Virus like F-Secure, It has all the features you'd expect. It's comprehensive, has regular downloadable updates, and is absolutely free for home and small office users. It also regularly wins awards for killing lots of viruses and other variants!

4. Incompatible system files: When you install Windows software, the installation routine can replace existing Windows .dll files. There's often a dialogue box that warns if the installer has found a later version of a file on your hard disk than the one it is installing. If you accidentally installed the earlier version then programs expecting the more up to date .dlls can get confused and cause problems. The answer is to reinstall the original program once again to restore the correct files. Indeed a general tip is to reinstall any programs that cause problems.

5. Check for updates: Sometimes programs have known problems - known to the vendor that is! Check the vendor's web site for information about how to avoid clashes. There may be patches or updates to download.

6. Hardware problems: Sometimes hardware problems can cause crashes. Bad memory, unstable power supplies, processors running too hot, cables with poor connections or boards that are not properly seated can all cause problems. Check that the fan is running properly - you should be able to hear it. Also check that the ventilation apertures are not blocked with dust.

7. My last Tip: Don’t try to read the Blue Screen of Death. Reading the Blue Screen of Death will just cause you confusing and make yourself look like a fool. It will only help to write down the STOP number near the bottom of the screen and search it by using Google to help you solve the situation. This is yet another way to help you solve the issue if everything else fails. If nothing else works then is probably time to reinstall Windows. If you don’t know how, then contact a computer technician nearest you. This is easier than it sounds and you'll be rewarded with a frisky, responsive system that should run smoothly -at least for a while!

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Common Troubleshooting Techniques and Strategies

This got me thinking about my early days of troubleshooting. If you're just starting out in the trenches of end-user desktop support, you'll soon find out (as I did) that the same problems tend to crop up again and again and again, regardless of the user, the model of PC, or the operating system version. The following article is based on years of experience when it comes to troubleshooting PCs. It is provided as a free service to our visitors. However, The lutodlutodcapiz.blogspot.com is not responsible for any damage as a result of following any of this advice.You are welcome to distribute these computer support tips free to your friends and associates as long as it's not for commercial purposes and you acknowledge the source. You are permitted and encouraged to create links to this page from your own web site to tell your friends.Here are some common-sense techniques and strategies to solve common computer hardware problems.

(1)Trial-and-error

Personal computers are highly modular by design. The most powerful troubleshooting technique is to isolate the problem to a specific component by trial-and-error. Swap compatible components and see if the system still works. Try different peripherals on different machines and see if the same problem occurs. Make one change at a time.

(2) Its the cable.

More than 70% of all computer problems are related to cabling and connections. Ensure all cables are connected firmly. IDE and floppy ribbon cables and power cables can often go loose. Ensure microprocessor, memory modules, and adapters such as video card and sound card are inserted correctly and didn't "pop-up" during transportation.

(3) Don't be frustrated.

Don't be afraid of computer problems. It is often the best opportunity to learn. Troubleshooting is part of the fun of owning a computer. Imagine the satisfaction you could get by solving a problem yourself. Of course the fun could run out quickly once you are frustrated and have spent too much time on the same problem. If you feel frustrated, it's time to leave it for a while have a drink and go back with some new ideas or call someone who can help. You shouldn't spend more than three hours on the same problem at one time.

(4) Take notes.

Take notes of what you have done and all the error messages. You may need to use them later. For instance, when you see an unusual blue screen of death with an error message, copy the entire message onto a piece of paper. In many situations, that message may point to the right direction in getting the problem solved quickly.

(5) Take a look.

It's OK to open a computer case and take a look inside. There is only 5V and 12V DC voltage supplied to the components outside the power supply. Of course, still always shut down and unplug the power cord first. If you don’t, it will fry you.

Hope you learn something in this article. If you have any questions you are free to leave a comment. Thanks for reading.

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College Students of Capiz

College students of Capiz are lucky to enroll here at AMA Computer Learning Center Roxas. You know why? Because ACLC is the best computer school in Roxas City, were not just only local school but also an International school, and we are proud to be an AMA CLC Roxas Student. ACLC is the best 2 year course you can ever have, the school has complete equipment/ instructional materials in different subject areas such as ACLC also have a system of E-Learning and InfoTech. Students of ACLC have made the right choice when they decided to enroll here. AMA Computer Learning Center offers you the best choice after high school. With comprehensive, full curriculum diploma programs, ACLC will equip you with the necessary training and skills to start-up a career in the field of Information Technology in just 2 years. ACLC provides you with the bigger and better opportunities for the future. ACLC offer the following courses, Computer System Design and Programming, Computer-Based Accountancy, Business Information and Management and Computer System and Network Technology. Studying at ACLC is the stepping stone to achieve our goal in life. College students of Capiz are proud where they belong. A college student of Capiz is joining the Mini SEO Contest at ACLC hosted by OptiRed Company. It was grateful to know that not only me who joined but many ACLC college students of Capiz who join the said contest. It is glad to hear that many of the ACLC college students of Capiz love blogging. At this, ACLC college students of Capiz joined this contest to learn, experience, and to measure there ability about their knowledge in search engine optimization and also this college students of Capiz want to promote the best computer school in Capiz. The ACLC college students of Capiz are proud to be an AMA CLC Roxas student. You and I must always be proud to be an AMA CLC Roxas student that we have taken part in the making of history…that is ACLC Roxas.

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Things to Do Online on a Rainy Day

Summer has come and gone, and now the rainy season has begun. More typhoons will be paying us visit now and then and you’ll be thankful for the “no classes today” announcements. Sure, you’ll be warm and cozy at home while the wet and dreary world outside pounds on your windows. However, the downside is you’ll be stuck with nowhere to go and nothing to do, which puts a damper on your unexpected holidays. Before you start wishing for the rains to go away, think again. Start up that computer and let yourself be sucked into the cyber frenzy of things to do on the net.

Chat

You’re bored. Either all your friends are stuck at home or you’re tired of talking on the phone or texting with the same people day after day after day. Go online, enter a chat room and viola! There’s a whole new population of people you can interact with. Exchange views about anything and everything. At first, chat lingo may seem to be a foreign language for you, but pretty soon, you’ll be trading asls (age, sex, location) and brbs (be right back) with other chat addicts.

E-Mail

It’s the rainy season and you’ve got lots of hours at home on your hands. This is the time for you to get in touch with the people you haven’t been able to communicate with because of your busy schedule. Send them an e-mail. That will surely be appreciated. The internet is indeed making communication easier by the minute.

Online Games

Those years when the only thing you could play on your family computer was Mario Brothers might as well be considered the Stone Age. Today, your PlayStation isn’t the only thing that can give you extreme action while playing. Network and online games have gotten more and more popular. A lot of young people have gotten hooked on these games, spending hours and hours trying to beat each other. First-person shooters and real-time strategy game will surely keep you enthralled.

Surf

The World Wide Web is full of endless possibilities. Try surfing and discover what the internet can do for you. Use search engines to look for websites that are related to your interest. Who cares if your best friend is surfing in Hawaii? You can see the whole world through your monitor – if you know how to look.

Make your own website

After visiting god-knows-how-many Web sites in how many days, you could feel the desire to build your own place online. It sounds difficult, looks complicated, but is something you can accomplish if you put your mind to it. There are a lot of sites that offer free web page hosting. You can do whatever you wish with this space. You may try following the instructions; most sites that offer free Web hosting are user-friendly. Everything is ready - all you have to do is add your personal touch. This is just the beginning. As you continue to explore the different facets of the internet, you will find more and more things to do online. Soon, you will find yourself wishing for the rain never to come an end.

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How to Solve Common PC Problems

Common problems in PC, crashes, and safety precautionMost of us computer users have experienced at one time or another that your computer sudden urge to freeze up and crash. Most of you might blame it on windows and most probably Bill Gates, but there are other reasons or causes why a certain program of yours suddenly won’t respond, or why your computer suddenly won’t boot up. I know you might experience some of this, but never fear lads, you are not alone in this kind of crusade. We are legion. Even MAC or Linux users get the blues.Now let see if you’ve had any of these nerve-wracking and head banging events happening to your computer just trying to beat a deadline…Your computer slows down, and part of the screen goes either black or white. This usually means that you’re using too many applications or programs all at once, and your computer can’t handle it. Try pressing ctrl+alt+delete, and look for the program that giving you trouble (usually labeled “not responding”), then try closing the said application by clicking end task. And if your computer is still in the line age of the dinosaur, try not to do all things at once. You might end up with less than you want to gain. Also, this may mean that your 20 years old version computer needs some upgrading like increase of RAM, or better yet, a new computer.You removed some files or programs from your PC, and the next time you boot up, it won’t.

All computer operating systems (OS) have their own standard files and applications that will render the computer inoperable if you remove them. It safe to say that in windows, whatever was installed in your PC should not be removed, because windows will look for it when you boot up again. Also don’t simply delete programs that look unnecessary or uninstall them. When you boot up, windows system files look for programs that have been installed, so whether you remove the program manually or accidentally, you’re bound to get in trouble.

You installed a new hardware and software, and get a fatal exception error (or something like that). That’s what you called “Blue Screen of Death”.You might have installed something that is incompatible with your OS, it might be a new sound card, RAM, device driver, software. Try to remove that hardware that you installed or download the latest software updates for that particular hardware. Also pieces of advice, if you are unsure about installing something, try to find someone who knows better.

Why doesn’t my PC shut down, why is it so slow? When about to shut down your PC, allow a few minutes for some rest time. Illegal shutdowns can result in more permanent damage to your files or worst to your PC as well. The system might still be resolving something, maybe like cleaning up temporary files or folders, reallocating memory. This will help prevent from crashes. Try to backup your files on another media, like CD, DVD, or another hard disk. When your system fails, you can still restore your files. Screensavers and desktop themes along with a huge desktop picture of you and your boyfriend/girlfriend can also eat up resources, so try to disable those, or get one that’s not too heavy. Regular system maintenance can prevent slowing down or crashes of your PC. Try to run disk defragmenting and scan disk sessions, virus scanning, dust cleaning, and cleaning up unwanted files. That’s all folks thanks for reading.

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A COMPUTER KEYBOARD KEYS

Definition of Terms

Character keys – the keys marked with letters produce alphabetic characters.
The Shift Keys – You can type capital letters by holding down the shift key.
The Control Keys – the control key in conjunction with another key causes a different code to be sent to the computer, but it effect varies according to the program you are using.
Alternate Keys – It is used in the same manner as the control key but with a different effect depending on the software you are using.
The Escape Key - It is normally used to go back to a previous screen, previous application or to clear or to reset a command.
The Print Screen Keys – Sometimes you will want to print a copy of what you see on the screen.
The Function Keys - These keys from F1 to F12 are used to perform special functions. Each type of Software assigns different meaning to each key. Pressing a function key may allow the user to accomplish something quickly or it may be the only way to issue a command.
The Cursor – marks the screen location where the next character, number, or symbol will appear.
The Backspace Key – the backspace key deletes the character to the left of the cursor and moves the cursor one position to the left unless the cursor is already at the far left edge of the screen.
The Home and End Keys – Generally it can cause one character or one line in the direction of the arrow.
The Insert Key – This key allows you to insert characters to the left of the cursor.
The Delete key – To delete a character at the cursor position.
The Page Up and Page Down key – These two keys “Turn an electronic page”, press them to display information stored “above” or “below” the displayed screen information.
The Scroll Lock key – This special purpose key is defined differently for each type of software. This key locks the scrolling of the “electronic page”.
The Tab key – This key is labeled with two arrows and pressing this key usually causes the cursor to move one tab position to the right.

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Parts of the Keyboard

The Keyboard

The keyboard is the common data entry device in a computer system. It is also called the Standard Input Device. You should also note that it is the slowest of all the input devices to use. It works with the very low current to send electrical impulses to the CPU when you press a key. Because the low current there is very little risk of electric shock from a keyboard and safety precautions are not necessary when using one.

A typical keyboard is divided into 5 regions:

1. The Qwerty keyboard – This is the part of the keyboard that is used the most and gets its name from the first six letters of the top rows of the keys i.e. “Q, W, E, R, T, Y”. Note that this is only the case in the UK – other countries such as France have different key combinations reflecting their different use of letters. The layout of the keys was originally devised to actually slow typist down as the early typewriters were prone to getting jammed if the keys were hit too quickly. The average speed of a trained typist on a qwerty keyboard. Such as the shown above is up to six character per second.

2. The Function keys – this part of the keyboard is situated above the qwerty keyboard. These keys are given the symbols F1 to F12 and are really shortcut keys to operate actions in programs or in the computer’s memory system. For example, pressing the F4 key might be a shortcut to saving a document to disk in a common word processing package.

3. Editing keys – this part of the keyboard is situated to the right of the qwerty keyboard and is used to edit text or data in common programs. The edit keys are also used to move around the document (Page up or Page down) or go to the start (by depressing the Home key) or end (by depressing the end key).

4. The Cursor Control Keys – These keys represent a quick way to move the cursor (in. for example, a word processing program) and are often quicker to use than the mouse. They are not recommended for moving the cursor over large distances. Here the home, end or page up and page down keys should be used.

5. The Numeric Keyboard – this part of the keyboard is used mainly by the people in the financial services to enter large amounts of numerical data. The keys are duplicates of those above the Qwerty keyboard but are the positioned on the extreme right of the keyboard for ease of use with one hand.

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