Do you think the keyboard is important?Try using your personal without it.Your personal will be nearly useless without the keyboard.And like all other Computer peripherals,the keyboard can and will put you down.

The keyboard is a easy peripheral and when it does go on the blink,you will be much improved off pyrchasing a untried 1 rather than considering repairing it,unless the problem is something easy like a stuck key.

TROUBLESHOOTING BASICS

As we look into problems with the keyboard,remember the check the obvious 1st and as with all problem solving procedures,don’t be tempted to take shortcuts. Follow these procedures to resolve basic keyboard problems.

KEYBOARD WILL NOT RESPOND

1st. Restart the computer. This sometimes will resolve a personal that has froze or locked up during the 1st boot up.

2rd. Look behind the system unit and check to see if the cable is fully inserted into the connector. Check to see if it is in the keyboard connector and not the mouse connector.

Shut the personal off and remove the cable from the system unit.Check to see if any pins or connectors have been bent or broken.

If all pins and connectors are good.Try connecting another keyboard and restart the computer. If the untried keyboard works,replace the old keyboard.

CHECK FOR KEYBOARD ERROR IN WINDOWS

If the untried keyboard ought fail as well,check the resource conflicts if your operating system is Windows 98 or Me.Click on Start,Settings,Control Panel,System, and Device Manager Tab in System Properties.

Windows displays your devices attached to your PC. Click the plus sign and scan the list for the keyboard. If you notice an exclamation point or a red X beside the keyboard,the keyboard has a problem.

Now highlight the keyboard,click the remove button, and click OK in the confirmation window. Close the Device Manager and restart the computer. The operating system will reconfigure the keyboard.

WINDOWS DID NOT FIX THE KEYBOARD

You have restarted the personal and the keyboard still does not work.Its today possible you have a faulty keyboard port.This might prove true if the 2nd keyboard failed to work on your personal as well.

Though it rarely happens,an error message will appear if the keyboard get hot.Stuck keys are also causes of error messages appearing on your monitor at bootup.

POOR KEYBOARD PERFORMANCE

Keeping the keyboard free from dirt and dust,is necessary to good keyboard performance. Liquid spills are basic and can be cleaned with a can of compressed air.

Your settings in Windows might also be the culprit in poor keyboard performance.To check your keyboard performance,click on Start,Settings, Control Panel,and double click keyboard.

On the Speed Tab,you have the option to control the Repeat Delay,Repeat Rate,and the Cursor Blink rate.The Repeat Delay is the delay between the time you press a important and when it responds. The Repeat Rate controls merely how fast the important repeats after it begins repeating.

Windows give you the capability to control features of your keyboard which will boost its performance, allowing you to do your tasks quicker.

While the keyboard is replaced rather than repaired, it is imperative that you learn troubleshooting steps to correct most keyboard problems.You might have problems with the keyboard late at night and you might require to get it working to complete a document you might require for work.Know how to correct problems and help others that might experience keyboard failure.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

With numerous IT departments operating in down-sized environments as well as under-staffed employees being forced to manage an extraordinary amount of mission-critical server room gear than what they can handle; the capability to remotely monitor and repair personal problems on the go is an important task in today’s modern data center.
Two remote monitoring options available for controlling personal over IP means will grant network administrators to view personal and access problems as they arise. Following we compare and contrast the 2 most common techniques of remote access personal management in the industry today.

Both hardware and software based remote personal management answers offers users valuable remote IP access when needed; however, all solution holds their own when comparisons are drawn between these one-of-a-kind solutions. Although, they all share 1 main feature – hardware based KVM over IP devices and Remote Desktop client based software do as though you are sitting directly in front of the target system, manageable from anywhere in the world with an world wide web connection.

A closer look behind the hardware component of KVM over IP and the software driven Remote Desktop makes them appear as 2 very similar remote access methods. In order to truly comprehend the important features as well as the crucial limitations of the 2 remote IP management products, here is a swift break-down of all individual solution.

KVM over IP Remote Access Management

KVM over IP is a hardware based solution which lets users to gain both in-band and out-of-band access to all the servers either connected to your KVM switch or directly connected to a single computer.

Late night trips to the data center to reboot 1 server have become a thing of the past because of this easy yet robust hardware component. KVM via IP front-end devices such as the Raritan Dominion KX101 will connect directly to a personal or a KVM switch and permits remote users to gain secure BIOS-level access to manage mission-critical servers. Remote IP management with products such as the Raritan Dominion KX or the
Avocent DS Series is conducted through a standard world wide web browser session. Front-end IP products work their magic by allowing remote users to gain full Keyboard, Video Monitor, Mouse access of the attached computer(s) from any location with world wide web connectivity.

Raritan's client software is automatically downloaded from the KX101; eliminating the require to install "client" software on all user desktop. Furthermore, Raritan’s client software supports most major Web browsers including; World wide web Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Netscape and Safari (Macintosh). 
Using the Raritan example once more, up to eight users can remotely access the same server for teamed troubleshooting approach.

Remote Access Software programs takes advantage of easily loading software on the local personal or, in some cases, both local and remote computers, and lets users to view and take remote keyboard, mouse and video monitor to view and access servers in the data center from any location with world wide web capabilities.

Types of remote management software include VNC and PCanywhere. The Computer based PCanywhere can only be used on windows based personal systems. VNC on the other hand can be used in most operating system environments across the board.

Although most Remote Access software is easy to load and is free in most cases, you must install the remote management software on each machine in the data center that needs remote connectivity. Also, the bottom line regarding Remote Access Software is the fact that such a heavy concentrate is put on having the remote operating systems up and running at the application level for the remote session to work properly.
If the operating system crashes on the remote personal during remote connectivity at any time, users will be forced to take substitute ways to activate the remote computer. This will result in needing to physically reboot the remote server from a cold begin in most cases.

Using a platform independent software approach, VNC or Virtual Network Computing, for example, needs users to load software both client and server computers. In addition, the local and remote personal do not require to be running the same operating system.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

The motherboard is the heart of any computer. It is that huge flat board inside the personal that everything is connected to. It performs the role directing information and connecting components. A motherboard is often overlooked when choosing components. This is a scary thinking as the motherboard determines system performance as much as each other component.

Choosing the right motherboard does not have to be a problem, even though there is a lot to consider. We will begin off with the more massive parts and move onto the things that are less essential.

Firstly is the socket type. The socket is where the processor (CPU) connects to the motherboard. There is no compatiblility between sockets, so it has to be the right one. The socket connection needs to match the connection of the processor you have or the 1 you intend to purchase for the computer.
Most older Intel Pentium 4s utilize socket 478. Newer ones use socket 775. AMD chips utilised socket A for a long time, but today the AMD Athlon 64 series and Semprons use socket 939. Just check with someone as to what yours or your intended 1 will have.

Your choice of chip will have a lot to do with your needs, but choosing 1 with an up to date socket type will ensure slightly longer motherboard life as you can upgrade the chip for a while.

DDR is the RAM of choice for most systems, but some newer systems, which includes all Pentiums with socket 775 use DDR2. These 2 kinds are not interchangable and have a different number of pins. Both DDR and DDR2 come in different speed ratings measured in MHz. DDR has a usual 400MHz denoted as DDR400 or PC3200, while DDR2 can go a tiny higher and comes in slightly faster speeds. Just make it match what the board needs.

A motherboard must be chosen carefully, to both match all the other components and fit in the case you choose. A tiny bit of research before you purchase will save a lot of hassle afterwards on.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

It is very key to check a used personal thoroughly before buying it as it might lead to problems in the future. A hard drive will not show any outward signs but might be deteriorating. The same way the needle can suddenly slip and can cause scratches on the disc ultimately leading to memory loss as used personal can fail any time. If they are checked, the faults which might occur can be known. Let us 1st see the possible faults which might occur while purchasing a used computer.

Hard disk failures can happen due to heavy wear and tear over a period of time. The read and write heads of a hard disk are used to retrieve or recode data stored on the hard disk with the help of a disk platter rotating at a high speed. Over a period of time the risk of failure or malfunction of disk increases. Faulty sectors of the hard disks can be found out only if a full surface scan is done on the used computer. The scanning time depends on the capacity and size of the hard disk of the used computer. Many skip this procedure due to the time consuming process of scanning the entire disk and end up purchasing a used personal with a faulty sector.

Monitors require to be checked for any faults. The malfunctioning of a monitor is called a “dry joint” which results in the monitor not working after getting warmed. This can be checked only if the monitor is made to work for at least 20 to 30 mins after switching on the computer.

Next is to look for any possibilities of the central processing unit getting freezed. Normally all the central processing units have a fan and heat sink for keeping the unit cool. Over a period of time the fans might not work properly due to the accumulation of dust and dirt resulting in over heating of the central processing unit and even leading to stopping from functioning. While buying a used personal the fan needs to be checked and if any abnormal sound is heard, it is not good for purchase.

The used personal might have a higher possibility of getting crashed and freezed due to the usage of the operating system for a good number of years. There might be a cache or RAM fault due to the over exposure leading to loss of data. To increase the performance of the personal and to avoid crashing, the operating system of the used personal can be reinstalled with a untried operating system or a fresh one.

While checking the used personal for any faults, it is good to disconnect the network connection if any present before performing the tests. Also it is advisable to check the drives like the CD or DVD by opening and closing them and also playing something on the drives to see how they work. Monitors of the used personal can be checked for the resolution and brightness by trying different options of color, settings and so on. To check the hard disk size the CMOS setup can be gone through and to verify the speed of the processor, cache and RAM the pause button is pressed when it appears on the screen during the booting process. To check the booting process, the personal can be turned on and off a few times and seen how it responds. Checking ought be done to see if all the passwords are erased before purchasing a used computer.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

What is Defragging?

Defragging is process done to a hard disk in order to improve performance and recover some lost disk space. Defragging is an necessary part of a PC’s upkeep as it keeps all the data on your hard disk in an easily readable order. If a hard disk is left without defragging, then over time the disk will start to lose performance and also slow reduce the available capacity to data. As you will be aware if your hard disk is running slow then this will affect the rest of the system performance, in all applications and especially in games, where frame rate is important.

How does Defragging improve performance?

When you defrag your hard disk you re-arrange the order in which the data is stored on the drive. The Computer will arrange the data so that data that belongs together and needs to be read together is in reality put in the same place on the drive. The obvious question here is why doesn’t the Computer store the data in the correct way in the 1st place? In an best situation (such as a blank disk) the Computer would do these as a 1st option. However with the amount of data being deleted and wrote to the disk all 2nd the Computer is on it is no wonder that the data can’t be stored together.

Lets have a look at an example. State you write three files to a disk all 10Mb in size the data would be all in a line all 10mb block after the other. This is how your Computer would like to store the data for maximum performance. It stands to reason that this is how you would like it to be stored as well if you wanted to search for the data. But today lets say that you determine to delete the middle file as its no longer any use to you. You today have a gap inbetween your files.

Lets say this time you write a file of 15mb in size. This file will be written in the 1st 10Mb of space and the remaining 5Mb added to the backend of the free space.As you can envision with the millions of files being written to and deleted from the disk all day, not to mention the temporary files that windows uses on a frequent foundation its not hard to envision the say in which your hard disk can be in after months of use. After a defrag in this easy example your Computer would re-arrange the disk to look as follows.

When files or indeed groups of files that belong together are stores next to all other the Computer has a much easier time locating the data plus the disk heads do not have to travel to different parts of the disk to retrieve the data required. This of course speeds up the disks performance and so in turn increases overall system performance. There are of course levels of performance gains. It becomes more negligible as you move to faster hard disks with massive memory buffers to compensate for file fragmentation however I would not ignore the problem of fragmentation, it doesn’t take much effort to defrag your disk today and then

How does defragging increase disk space?

Simply put defragging doesn’t really create any free space on your hard disk. It might appear when you look at the graphics that defrag programs show you, that the disk looks like it has more space, but all you are doing is moving data about not removing any. Any disk space gain is negligible and is caused when the defrag program puts together half clusters of data. Clusters can hold a number of files, but if not filled the next file is started at the next cluster. If a file is broken into pieces around the disk and defrag can put the file back into a single cluster, or merely save a cluster somewhere a small amount of space will be released.

Advanced Defragging

Some defragging software can go a tiny beyond merely sorting your files so they are all together. Programs such as Norton Speed Disk can also sort your whole sets of files and programs into the order that they are used. For example it can be set so that your windows swap file is at the fastest part of the disk, followed by games and most used applications which also require the fastest part of the hard disk., Then documents etc and rarely used application can be put to the back of the disk., This gives the priority speed access to the applications that require it most. Again this might only be a small increase in performance but all tiny helps.

Software to use for Defragging

You will be pleased to know that Windows comes with an sufficient defrag program which everyone can use. There are also some other pieces of software out there for a more particular use. Norton Speed disk is 1 option on the market which comes as part of Norton Utilities and Norton Systemworks. Doing a search on Defrag software on your favourite search engine will give you some options of free to use and pay for software.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites