Nintendo Number One in Game Sales

Nintendo displaced Sony as the leader of video game sales this past quarter said a new market report published on Tuesday.

According to iSuppli, combined game sales of both Wii and DS totaled US$1.2 billion dollars during the third quarter of 2007, up 31 percent from the second quarter of this year and more than double the amount sold a year prior.

By comparison, combined PS3, PS2, and PSP game sales totaled $1 billion for the same period while Microsoft reached $318 million in total Xbox 360 and Xbox 1 games sales.

The news marks the first time that Nintendo has accomplished the feat since first being displaced by Sony in the mid nineties with the release of the original and much more popular PlayStation 1 when compared to the Nintendo 64.

"Because Sony was slow to reduce the price of the PlayStation 3 and to produce compelling games, third- party game publishers are flocking to other platforms," says the report. "If the PlayStation 3 can't promote more game sales, developers may begin to feel working with Nintendo outweighs the benefits of working with Sony."

U.N. Agency Gives Boost to WiMax

PARIS, Oct. 19 — The United Nations telecommunications agency in Geneva gave the upstart technology called WiMax a vote of approval, providing a sizable victory for Intel and something of a defeat for competing technologies from Qualcomm and Ericsson.

The International Telecommunication Union’s radio assembly agreed late Thursday to include WiMax, a wireless technology that allows Internet and other data connections across much broader areas than Wi-Fi, as part of what is called the third-generation family of mobile standards.

That endorsement opens the way for many of the union’s member countries to devote a part of the public radio spectrum to WiMax, and receivers for it could be built into laptop computers, phones, music players and other portable devices.

Unlike Wi-Fi, this mobile Internet technology can hand off a signal from antenna to antenna, thus allowing a device to hold a connection while in motion. WiMax potentially can move data at 70 megabits a second across 65 kilometers, or 40 miles. Current fixed-line broadband connections have speeds of about 2 megabits a second.

The approval, which came in the form of a consensus of the radio assembly ahead of the World Radiocommunication Conference next week in Geneva, gives WiMax a leg up on Ultra Mobile Broadband, an alternative technology from Qualcomm, and Long-Term Evolution, an equivalent from Ericsson.

Intel has been promoting and investing in WiMax for the last three years and led “a pretty substantial amount of lobbying” to prove its case and get the union’s stamp on the technology, said Sriram Viswanathan, vice president of Intel Capital, the company’s strategic investment program, and general manager of its WiMax business.

The radio technology is the first to be added to the specifications for third-generation radio standards since the union approved them a decade ago.

Even before the union’s endorsement, WiMax had been gathering momentum with Intel’s weight behind it. Lenovo, Acer and a few other makers of personal computers recently committed to using Intel’s WiMax chips, which are expected to reach the market in May. Nokia said last month that it would make its N-series of tablet devices with WiMax when they go on sale next year.

Japan, Britain and Switzerland have scheduled auctions in the coming months to allocate licenses in the radio frequency in which WiMax operates, 2.5 to 2.69 gigahertz.

But WiMax is not universally cheered. Gary D. Forsee resigned as chief executive of Sprint Nextel last week amid doubts about his strategy, which includes $5 billion to roll out a commercially unproven WiMax network. Sprint Nextel’s WiMax partner, Clearwire, introduced an access card this week for laptops for its high-speed network.

Qualcomm said Friday that it "remains dedicated" to providing the technologies, including WiMax, that its operators choose.

Before You Buy Desktop Computer Systems

Looking to buy a new desktop personal computer system? This guide covers many of the basic items to examine when comparing desktop computer systems so that you can make an informed purchasing decision. Due to the changing nature of the PC Hardware industry, this guide will be periodically updated. Links are provided below each topic for a more detailed discussion on that subject.
Processors (CPUs)
For processors there are two basic choices to make: brand and speed. A lot of change is happening in the market. Both Intel and AMD are starting to produce dual core processors, but they aren't required for most people. Budget CPUs can be found around the 2.4 to 3.0 GHz (PR of 3000+ and below) range, mid-range at 2.8 to 3.2 GHz (PR of 3200+ to 3800+) and high-end processors at or above 3.4 GHz(PR above 4000+)

Understanding Desktop CPUs:

Knowing a CPUs Power When Buying a Desktop PC

The first specification listed for all computer systems on the market tends to be the processor that is running on the computer. Typically it will say the brand, model and speed of the processor in the spec sheet, but the marketing information may only list its speed rating. This can make it very difficult to determine how good a machine is. After all, one processor running at a specific speed may not run as well as a different model from the same manufacturer. That is why I've pieced together this list of categories to let you know how functional each processor is.

Outdated Processors

Processors that fall into this category are generally no longer in production by the manufacturers and are typically sold in either budget systems or older refurbished systems. Machines with these processors will typically take longer to run application and possibly might not even run some of software on the market today.It is best to try and avoid systems with these processors unless you want to use a computer for the very basic functions such as word processing and general web browsing.

* AMD Athlon 64 (Socket 754)
* AMD Athlon XP
* AMD Duron
* Intel Celeron (Without the D Model Numbers)
* Intel Pentium 4 (non-Socket T)
* Intel Pentium III

Budget Processors

These are processors that may or may not be in production anymore by the manufacturers but are very inexpensive and functional. There are typically two types of processors that will fall into this category: older high-end processors no longer manufactured and new low end budget processors. Discontinued high-end processors typically provide a better bang for your buck functionally. While they may have a slightly lower clock speed, their architecture of the processor tends to allow them to actually perform better at most computing tasks than newer budget processors.

* AMD Athlon 64
* AMD Sempron 64
* Intel Celeron D 300 Series
* Intel Pentium 4 (Socket T)
* Intel Pentium D 805 Through 820

Middle Processors

This is the segment of the market that is probably the best overall value for your computing dollar. These are generally processors that used to be top of the line processors 6 to 9 months ago but now have hit that sweet spot in the price points from the manufacturers. While they are not the fastest processors on the market, they still perform very well in all aspects of computing. They may not have the total functional lifespan of the highest end processors, but the price to performance ratio tends to outweigh their longevity.

* AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+ to 4600+ (Socket AM2)
* Intel Pentium D 900 Series
* Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 to E6700

Top of the Line Processors

This is the cream of the crop when it comes to processing power. If you absolutely must have the best thing out there for your new computer than this is what you want to look at. It will cost you though. Generally the most recent processors from the manufacturer's come at a price premium of about double that of the middle processors. While the price is over double that of the middle processors, the performance tends to be only about 25-50% more at the best of times from their counterparts in the middle category.

* AMD Athlon 64 FX-60 and higher
* AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ and higher
* Intel Core 2 Extreme X6800, QX6700 and higher
Dual-Core Processors:

Are Two Really Better Than One?

Introduction

Both Intel and AMD have been slowing down the rate for increasing the clock speeds of processor. Part of this is due to the limitations of the current technology and designs. To try and keep up to pace with future developments, both companies are introducing dual-core processors in 2005.

For some time now, the benefits of multiple processors have been seen in the server environment. By having multiple processors on a single server, the tasks running on the server can be divided between the processors to allow the system has a whole to function faster. The goal of a dual-core CPU is to take two physical processors and integrate them on one physical chip.

Threading

Before going into the benefits and drawbacks of dual-core or multiple processors, it is important to understand the concept of threading. A thread is simply a single stream of data through the processor on the system. Each application generates its own or multiple threads depending upon how it is running. With current multitasking, a processor can only handle a single thread at a time, so the system rapidly switches between the threads to process the data in a seemingly concurrent manner.

The benefit of having multiple processors is that the system can handle more than one thread. Each processor can handle a separate stream of data. This greatly increases the performance of a system that is running concurrent applications such as a server.

Intel implemented something they called Hyperthreading. This is not the same as multithreading. Instead it is a technology embedded within a single core processor to make it appear to the system as if it had multiple processors. What this really did was speed up the rate at which the system could switch between multiple threads thus boosting multitasking on personal computers.

Software Dependent

While the concept of multiple processors sounds very appealing, there is a major caveat to this ability. In order for the true benefits of the multiple processors to be seen, the software that is running on the computer must be written to support multithreading. Without the software supporting such a feature, threads will be primarily run through a single processor thus degrading the efficiency.

Thankfully, all of the major current operating systems have multithreading capability. But the multithreading must also be written into the application software. Most of the applications that the average user runs currently do not have this. As a result, any speed benefits will solely be from the operating system being able to separate applications between the processors.

A good example to explain this is to look at a typical PC game. Most games require some form of rendering engine to display what is happening in the game. In addition to this, there is some sort of artificial intelligence to control the computers controlled events in the game. With a single processor, both of these must function by switching between the two. This is not necessarily efficient. If the system had multiple processors, the rendering and AI could each run on a separate processor. This looks like an ideal situation for a multiple processor.

The problem is that the game, like most applications, is not designed to take advantage of the multiple processors. As a result, both the rendering and AI happen on a single processor leaving the second processor essentially unused. As a result, a multiple core PC will not have any speed benefit. If the game is designed with multiple threads, then a dual-core processor would be advantageous over a single processor.

Clock Speeds

One thing that has not been mentioned yet is clock speeds. Most people are still familiar with the fact that the higher the clock speed, the faster the processor will be. Dual-core processors are going to make things more complex. Since the dual-core processors are being designed to fit in roughly the same dimensions as a single core processor, speeds are not going to be equivalent.

Most of the early dual-core processors are going to be running at lower clock speeds compared to single core processors. The rational behind it is that a dual-core processor with each running at 1GHz should be equivalent to a single processor running at 2GBz. The problem is that this doesn't work in practice when the applications are not written to take advantage of the multiple processors. Until the software is written this way, unthreaded applications will run faster on a single processor than a dual-core CPU.

Conclusions

Those individuals out there who already use software that is multithreaded will see the most benefit from the dual processors. For the majority of people, there is not going to be much of a benefit for the dual-core over a single core processor. This will gradually change as the dual-core model becomes more common, but it will likely take some time.

Top 6 Desktop CPUs:

8/1/07 - There are a large number of desktop processors available and this list was generated to point out the three major categories of processors for both the Intel and AMD product lines. The three categories listed are the top performance processors, best value processors (<$250) and best budget processors (<$100). This allows users to select the CPUs best suited to their budgets.
1. AMD Performance - Athlon 64 FX-74
AMD has fallen pretty far in terms of the performance crown in processors, but that doesn't mean they aren't willing to try different things. The Athlon 64 FX-74 certainly is much less expensive than the Intel Core 2 Extreme processors, but it does require additional specialized hardware. Unlike the standard AM2 socket design, the FX-74 uses the Socket F design this requiring a different motherboard from the other Athlon 64 processors. It is the fastest one can currently get from AMD though.

2. Intel Performance - Core 2 Extreme QX6850
It wasn't that long ago that Intel introduced the Quad Core Extreme QX6800, but they have already released the QX6850. It still features the same quad core configuration and the unlocked clock multipliers for easier overclocking. It does boost the overall base clocking speed to give it some additional performance over the previous model. Of course, only those with heavy multitasking or multithreaded applications will see a huge performance boost with the QX6850.

3. AMD Value - Athlon 64 X2 6000+ AM2
The Athlon 64 X2 6000+ is currently the fastest processor available to use the Socket AM2 design. What would have once commanded a high price is now going for an extreme bargain due to the competitive pressures from Intel and their Core 2 Duo lineup. It may not command a high price due to its older design, but when compared dollar for dollar with Intel offerings, it certainly offers an extremely compelling value.

4. Intel Value - Core 2 Duo E6750
With all the rapid development happening at Intel recently, the pace of processor upgrades is just as hectic. Much of the change occuring now is due to the new Intel chipsets that support the new 1333MHz bus speeds. The new Core 2 Duo E6750 is one such model that comes at a very affordable rate. The performance is quite strong from this dual core processor and it comes in at a price that is higly competitive. This is certainly a very strong desktop processor capable of pretty much any task one has for it.

5. AMD Budget - Athlon X2 BE-2300
One area that AMD does beat Intel is processor efficiency. Sure, they aren't as fast overall compared to the new Core 2 lineup, but in a performance per watt comparison, AMD has the clear advantage. The new Athlon X2 BE-2300 is certainly not one meant to be a top of the line performance processor from AMD, but it does perform quite well and has some of the lowest power consumption on the market. This makes it great for those looking for a system with a decent processor that can help them save on electricity.

6. Intel Budget - Intel Pentium Dual-Core E2160
While AMD has pushed their dual core processor prices down heavily, Intel has attempted to compete using some of their older product lines such as the Pentium D. These didn't offer the same level of performance, but were still quite good for those on the budget. Now Intel has gone and tweaked their designs to boost performance in the form of the new Dual-Core E2160. Sure, it won't have the same performance as their new E4300, but this processor does come in under the $100 mark.

Memory (RAM):
RAM is important because if you don't get enough, your system won't run optimally. The minimum amount of RAM for today's systems should be 512MB even for budget systems. 1GB of RAM provides better performance. DDR memory is now used by all current systems with the most common being PC3200. DDR2 can be found on newer Intel systems. Budget systems may still use older PC2100 or PC2700 DDR. When buying memory, try to buy as few DIMMs as possible to allow for future memory upgrades if needed.

Understanding Desktop Memory:

How to Evaluate Memory in a Desktop PC

Most computer system specifications tend to list the system memory or RAM immediately following the CPU. In this guide, we will take a look at the two primarily aspects of RAM to look at in computer specifications: amount and type.
How Much is Enough?

The rule of thumb that I use for all computer systems for determining if it has enough memory is to look at the requirements of the software you intend to run. Pick up the boxes for each of the applications and the OS that you intend to run and look at both the "minimum" and "recommended" requirements. Typically you want to have more RAM than the highest minimum and ideally at least as much as the highest listed recommended requirement. The following chart provides a general idea of how a system will run with various amounts of memory:

* Minimum to Boot: 512MB
* Minimum Functional: 1GB
* Optimal: 2GB
* Smooth Sailing: >2GB

The ranges provided are a generalization based upon most common computing tasks.It is best to check the requirements of the intended software to make the final decisions. This is not accurate for all computer tasks because some operating systems use more memory than others.
Does Type Really Matter?

The type of memory does matter to the performance of a system. There are two basic types of memory currently used: DDR and DDR2. There are older RDRAM and SDRAM modules, but these forms are both outdated and should be avoided in a computer purchase. Beyond the type of memory, each memory type also has a related speed to that ram as well. Below is a chart detailing the order of the type and speed in order of slowest to fastest:

* DDR2 400 MHz or PC2-3200
* DDR 400 MHz or PC3200
* DDR2 533 MHz or PC2-4200
* DDR2 667 MHz or PC2-5300
* DDR3 800 MHz or PC3-6400
* DDR2 800 MHz or PC2-6400
* DDR3 1066 MHz or PC3-8300

These speeds are all relative to the theoretical bandwidths of each type of memory at its given clock speed when compared to another. A computer system will only be able to use one type of memory and this should only be used as a comparison when the CPU is identical between the two systems.

Before You Buy Computer Memory Upgrades:

One of the easiest ways to boost performance for any PC is to add memory to the system. But before you go to get that memory upgrade, be sure to gather information about your computer to ensure you get the right memory for your system. You need to know what type of memory the computer uses, the memory module sizes and what already exists in the system.
How Much Memory Do I Have?
Find out how much memory is in the computer by examining the BIOS or operating system. For Windows, this can be located by opening up the System properties from the Control Panel. Also open up the case while the computer is off and find the memory slots to determine how many modules are installed and how many slots are available. If all the slots are full, you may have to take some out to put more in, if the system can use larger modules.

How Much Do I Need?
Check your operating system and application programs. Often they will have a printed "Minimum" and "Recommended" memory listing somewhere on the package or in the manual. Find the highest number out of "Recommended" section and try to plan on having this much or more memory by the time you are done upgrading your system memory.

What Type Does Your Computer Support?
Look through the manuals that came with your computer or motherboard. Included in the documentation should be a listing of the specifications for the memory supported. This is important because it will list exactly the type, size and number of memory modules that are supported. Many retailers and memory manufacturers have this information in case you can't find the manuals.

How Many Modules Should I Buy?
In general it is best to try and buy as few modules as possible for the amount of memory that you wish to install. This will increase the potential for future upgrades on the system. Thus, if you have 3 memory slots, one of which has a 1GB module in it, it would be better to buy another 1GB module to get to 2GB of total memory than to purchase two 512MB modules.

Not All Memory is Created Equal:

Part I: Background and Memory Types

Most people who have or are planning on purchasing a computer know to look for certain things. One of those things is the amount of memory or RAM that comes in a computer. The higher the amount of RAM, the better the system. What a lot of people don't know is that the type of memory that goes into a computer can also make a big difference in the performance and future ability to upgrade that system.
Some Background

Before really talking about memory and what to look for, it is important to talk about the other components in a computer that interact with the memory. In particular, there are two primary pieces that determine the memory that is used in a computer, the CPU and the motherboard or chipset.

All CPUs have a speed rating given to them. This is often the rating of the processor in gigahertz.There is a second speed rating to the processor referred to as the front side bus. The front side bus refers to the speed at which the processor can talk to the memory and other components on the system. The processor speed is actually a multiplier of the front side bus speed. For example, an Intel Core 2 Duo E6400 CPU has a 1066 MHz front side bus which is multiplied by 2 to generate the 2.13 GHz speed. Even though the front side bus is 1066 MHz, the memory interface runs at a fraction of this due to memory not running to such high speeds when it was released.

Now the motherboard also determines a lot about the memory. The chipset that interacts with both the CPU and the memory is designed to work with specific memory types and sizes. While the chipset may be able to support a processor such as the Intel Core 2 Duo mentioned before, it might only support memory up to speeds of 533MHz. Also, these chipsets are generally designed to communicate with memory up to a specific size, such as a 2GB DIMM modules. This coupled with the motherboard layout will determine the maximum amount of memory a system can hold. If the system has 2 slots, then the maximum would be 4 gigabytes of RAM which is less than a separate board which can support 4 modules resulting in 8 gigabytes of RAM.

Therefore, before you start looking at the memory, do research and make sure you know how many memory modules your motherboard can support as well as the maximum speed of the memory it can hold. This will help you to determine what the best mix of memory modules in a system will provide you when the system is first purchased and for when you plan any future upgrades.
Memory Types

While there are many different types of memory on the market, the most common types that are used in PCs right now are:

* Double Data Rate DRAM (DDR)
* Double Data Rate 2 DRAM (DDR2)
* Double Data Rate 3 DRAM (DDR3)

Double data rate or DDR memory is designed to function at two memory operations per clock cycle. This effectively doubles the speed of the memory over older synchronous memory modules. This memory type has been phased out in favor of the high clocked DDR2 standard.

DDR2 is an updated version of DDR that provides even faster clock speeds than the previous DDR memory standard. The two types of memory are not interchangable as they interface with the chipset and memory in a different method. To differentiate the two, each type has a different pin count and layout for the memory modules.

DDR3 is the latest version of memory to be released and once again provides speeds faster than those of DDR2. It is still fairly uncommon but will likely gain more acceptence over time as processor speeds increase requiring the faster memory.

Hard Drives
Hard drives boil down to capacity and speed. Most hard drives available now will provide you with more than enough storage. Look for 80 GB drive as the minimum. If you feel you need more space or the extra space doesn't cost more, get the upgrade. As for performance, 7200 rpm drives are the best choice currently. If you really want performance, look for drives with 8MB or 16MB of cache. Drives will either be Serial ATA or IDE but performance levels are roughly the same.

Optical Drives
Most systems sold now feature DVD burners, even the budget systems. It is best to make sure that you get a multiformat DVD burner that can support both the +R/RW and -R/RW formats. Speeds should be 16x for the recordable speed. Dual or Double Layer media support is also a common feature although less likely to be used due to media cost. If you don't need a DVD burner, try to at least get a CD-RW/DVD combo drive of 24x recording speed to allow for CD media storage and DVD playback.

Video Card
Video cards change every 6 months, so selecting the right one is difficult. If you want to have future capability, go for a card that supports DirectX 9 and has at least 128MB of memory. If don't have to be on the cutting edge of video technology, there is a wide range of choices to fit your needs. Things to consider now on video cards are DVI connectors for digital LCD panels and multi-monitor support. New systems should use PCI Express graphics cards over the previous AGP interface.


External Connectors
Many upgrades and peripherals to computers now connect through external interfaces instead of internal cards. Check to see how many and what type of external ports are available on the computer for use with future peripherals. Look for systems that have both USB 2.0 and IEEE 1394 or FireWire ports. It should have at least six USB 2.0 connectors and one FireWire ports.

Monitors
What good is a computer without a monitor? Consumers can choose between CRT or LCD monitors. CRTs provide a wide range of capabilities at a good price but are bulky. LCDs take up less desk space but cost more and have limited capabilities. Regardless of type of monitor, look at getting at least a 17” monitor capable of displaying a resolution of 1280 by 1024 pixels.

CRT vs. LCD Monitors

Which Monitor is the Best to Buy?

Introduction

This question is actually much less valid than it was several years ago. Many companies have cut the production of CRT monitors except for the extremely high end and the very low end. In fact, most desktop computer systems sold now by default come with LCD monitors. Still for those that what to know the difference and which they would be better off purchasing, I have updated this article to be more relevant to the current technologies and products offered today.

CRTs

The primary advantage that CRT monitors held over LCDs was their color rendering. The contrast ratios and depths of colors displayed were much greater with CRT monitors than LCDs. While this still holds true in most cases, many strides have been made in LCDs such that this difference is not as great as it once was. Many graphic designers still use the very expensive large CRT monitors in their work because of the color advantages. Of course, this color ability does degrade over time as the phosphors in the tube break down.

The other advantage that CRT monitors held over LCD screens is the ability to easily scale to various resolutions. This is referred to as multisync by the industry. By adjusting the electron beam in the tube, the screen can easily be adjusted downward to lower resolutions while keeping the picture clarity intact.

While these two items may play an important role for CRT monitors, there are disadvantages as well. The biggest of these are the size and weight of the tubes. An equivalent sized LCD monitor is upwards of 80% smaller in size and weight compared to a CRT tube. The larger the screen, the bigger the size difference. The other major drawback deals with the power consumption. The energy needed for the electron beam means that the monitors consumer and generate a lot more heat than the LCD monitors.

Pros:

* Multisync Capable
* High Refresh Rates
* Color Clarity and Depth

Cons:

* Very Heavy and Large
* Use Large Amounts of Energy
* Generate Excess Heat

LCDs

The biggest advantage to LCD monitors is their size and weight. As was mentioned earlier, the size and weight of an LCD monitor can be upwards of 80% lighter than an equivalent dimension CRT screen. This makes it possible to users to have larger screens for their computers than was possible before.

LCD screens also tend to produce less eye fatigue to the user. The constant light barrage and scan lines of a CRT tube tend to cause strain on heavy computer users. The lower intensity of the LCD monitors coupled with their constant screen display of pixels being on or off produces less fatigue for the user.

The most notable disadvantage to LCD screens is their fixed or native resolution. An LCD screen can only display the number of pixels in its matrix and no more or less. It can display a lower resolution in one of two ways. Using only a fraction of the total pixels on the display or through extrapolation. Extrapolation is a method whereby the monitor blends multiple pixels together to simulate a single smaller pixel. This can often lead to a blurry or fuzzy image particularly with text when running the screen below is native resolution.

Video was problematic with early LCD monitors because of lower response times. This has been overcome by many improvements, but there are some that still have low response times. Purchasers should be aware of this when purchasing a monitor. However, the improvements are often work arounds that can actually lead to another problem of reduced color clarity. Unfortunately, the industry is very poor about properly listing the specifications for monitors to help buyers understand and compare monitors.

Pros:

* Smaller and Lighter
* Energy Efficient
* Causes Less Eye Fatigue

Cons:

* Blurry Images Outside Native Resolution
* Motion Blur on Fast Moving Images
* Come Models Have Reduced Color Clarity



Conclusions

At this point and time, most consumers will likely be purchasing LCD monitors over CRTs. There is almost no difference in the cost to consumers thanks to production improvements in LCDs and the reduction in the production of CRTs. Typically CRTs will only be seen sold with the least expensive of desktop computer systems or by those with special imaging needs such as graphics and medical professionals.

Beginners Guides: Essential USB Memory Drive Projects & Tips

Encryption, Firefox browser, word processing, arcade games and yes even an operating system can be run off your USB hard drive... if you know how! - Version 1.0.0

The USB memory key appears well on its way to replacing the floppy drive completely; as flash memory prices have dropped, these devices have become cheap enough that anyone can afford them. This, coupled with the easy support of such drives in Windows XP, has made them an extremely attractive device for anyone that needs to move files from place to place. USB memory drives are not just geek toys anymore!

As you will see here though, there's a lot more you can do with your USB memory key than just transfer files. These flexible miniature storage devices can put a whole range of portable applications, and even operating systems in your pocket.


Boot your computer with a USB drive

As long as your computer's motherboard allows booting from USB devices, your system will quite happily start from a correctly formatted USB key, just as it would from a hard drive. As you would imagine, this fact has led to enterprising users putting all sorts of interesting programs and operating systems onto USB keys.

We will get to some of these later in the article, but for now, let's look at how to turn your USB drive into a useful device for booting your system into DOS for troubleshooting, BIOS flashing , or any number of other purposes.

The emergence of 'boot from USB' features on all newer motherboards may well prove to be the final nail in the coffin for the venerable 1.44MB floppy disk. Previously, floppy disks were still essential troubleshooting tools, as they were the only device which could easily be used to 'clean boot' a PC into DOS (or a similar OS) for troubleshooting and BIOS update purposes. Now you can use your USB drive for the same things (provided your motherboard supports the feature). Let's find out how.

The first thing you need to make sure of is whether your motherboard's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) supports booting from a USB drive. Reboot your computer, pressing the 'DEL' key several times as soon as the computer restarts. This should bring you to your system's BIOS setup screen.

Due to the number of BIOS brands and variations out there, it's impossible to give a precise guide for this procedure, but this should give you the general idea. In most BIOS versions, you will need to go to the 'advanced BIOS settings' section and look for the '1st boot device' entry or the equivalent. Cycle through the possible options in the BIOS. Ideally, you are looking for the USB RMD-FDD option. Failing this, try USB ZIP and USB FLOPPY. If it's there, leave the entry set to it and save and exit to reboot your system

Boot up with a USB drive con't
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If you can't find that setting, look through the various BIOS settings for anything pertaining to USB devices, including DOS support and removable drives. Depending on your BIOS version you may want to look in the 'feature settings' or 'advanced setup' sections.

If you can't find anything relevant, your computer probably does not currently support this feature. All may not be lost though. The manufacturer may have added this feature with a BIOS update to your board. To check this, visit your motherboard manufacturer's website and look for newer BIOS versions for your motherboard model. For more information on finding the exact make and model of your system's motherboard, as well as downloading and upgrading your motherboard with new BIOS files

Once you have set your motherboard to boot from the USB drive, it's time to make the drive itself bootable.

Ironically, the easiest way to do this is by using a floppy disk. If you have a floppy drive on your system, insert a blank disk and double click on 'my computer.' Right click the floppy drive and choose 'format.' Make sure the 'create a bootable system disk' option is checked. This will add the system files you need on your USB drive to the floppy. Click 'ok' to format the disk.

When the formatting process is finished, download the HP USB disk storage tool and install it. It is intended for HP removable drives, but we've found that it works just fine on every USB drive we tried. Using this software and the system files now contained on your floppy disk, you can make your USB drive bootable.

To do this, plug in your USB drive and run the HP USB disk storage tool.

Ensure that the tool has found the correct drive in the 'device' window. Change the file system to 'FAT.' Check the 'create a DOS startup disk' option, and in the 'using DOS system files located at' window, enter 'a:\' to point the program to your floppy disk. Now click 'start.' The program will create the necessary boot files on your USB device.

Reboot your system (with the BIOS set to boot from the USB drive) to check that it works. If all goes well, your system should 'clean boot' to the A: prompt. You can now customize your new boot drive with whatever programs and utilities you need.

If you do not have a floppy drive, you can obtain the necessary boot files from several locations on the Internet including here. Extract the zip file to a directory and point the HP USB disk storage tool to that directory for boot files.

Run Linux on a USB device
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The most obvious and desirable use for a bootable USB key is to cart your entire operating system around in your pocket. Enterprising Linux enthusiasts have made it possible to do just that.

Linux (in case you didn't know) is an open-source, Unix-derived operating system. As it is open-source, people are free to experiment and re-invent the code in new ways. This has led to many interesting Linux operating system variants, the most useful of these being the 'live' Linux distributions which boot and run the entire operating system from a single CD or other storage device. Regardless of the operating system that might be installed on the system's hard drive, booting from the 'live' CD will load and run Linux instead. The advantages of this are obvious. You can have a familiar environment and set of applications with you wherever you travel.

Recently, some of the smaller 'live' Linux distributions have been re-engineered to work from USB drives. These portable operating systems use the system's memory for performing operations, and your flash disk as the 'hard drive' for storing personal data. The rewritable nature of USB disks actually makes them a better platform for portable operating systems than CDs. For now, let's look at one of the easiest of these 'flash' Linux distros to get to grips with; Puppy Linux.

Puppy Linux was originally a 'live CD' Linux distribution notable for its extremely small footprint. All applications load fully into memory (on a machine with 128MB of RAM or more), making loads from the CD non-existent.

Fairly recently, instructions and a wizard for creating a USB drive-based version of Puppy were included on the CD. This 'Flash Puppy' operating system is what we'll use for the purposes of this article, as it is incredibly simple to set up and run. Your USB drive should be formatted with the FAT file system (not FAT32) before you begin this process. To do this, right click the removable drive in 'my computer,' choose the 'format' option, then choose 'FAT' as the file system. Do not do a quick format.

First things first: You need to go to the puppy Linux site and download the latest version of their 'live-puppy' operating system. This will come in the form of an .ISO file which you can use to create a CD with the CD burning software of your choice. If you need help with this process, see our guide here. We used Puppy Linux version 0.9.6 for the purposes of this article.

Once you have created the Puppy Linux Live CD, boot your system from the CD to load the Puppy Linux OS (note that you may need to change the boot options in your BIOS to boot from CD. You will be asked if you wish to use a USB drive as a storage device for personal data. Hit ENTER for no, since we have another use in mind for your USB drive!

Choose the 'US QWERTY' keyboard layout (or whatever is appropriate), enter your mouse type (PS/2 or USB), then choose an appropriate (and safe) graphics resolution. Whatever you normally use on your Windows desktop should be fine here. Now that you are on the Puppy Linux desktop (Puppy uses the FVWM Windows manager by default), go to the familiar 'start' button in the bottom corner, open it up and go to 'utilities\install puppy USB drive.' This will start the USB installation dialog.

This very friendly and simple wizard will walk you through the process of installing Puppy on your USB device (note that you will need at least a 64MB USB key to do this). There are a couple of things that need to be changed though.You will need to type the address of your USB drive as displayed in the dialog. If you have only the one drive plugged into the system, this will generally be '/dev/sda1'

Assuming you formatted your drive cleanly with the FAT file system as instructed, enter N for no when the dialog asks for permission to erase all files on the drive. You will also need to specify a keyboard layout also. Choose 'US' if you are in the US or English-speaking Canada. The final choice you need to make is between the two possible installation modes. Mode 1 will allow you to access documents you created in Linux from a Windows operating system, provided you have applications that can open them correctly. Mode 2 will not, but may run more efficiently.

The process will now format and install the necessary files on your USB drive. When it is finished, reboot and set your computer's BIOS to boot from the USB drive as instructed in the first part of this article. Congratulations! You now have a fully functional pocket operating system at your disposal, complete with the Firefox web browser and ABIword word processor. Now start learning Linux!


Private email encryption application
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If you are using email on a foreign or public computer or Internet connection and you are worried about the privacy of your correspondence, we have a solution for you.

The CryptoAnywhere program is a free, portable email encryption program capable of both sending encoded email and decrypting returning messages. With this program, you can send email securely from any location without worrying about your privacy being compromised, and you can download similarly encrypted messages and decode them safely within the program itself.

This has several obviously useful applications. If you are not keen on the idea of your email correspondence being monitored at work, this is one solution. To use the CryptoAnywhere application, download the file and install the program.

Run CryptoAnywhere and create your first 'identity' with your email address and mail server when prompted. The password is used to decrypt emails sent to you, so remember it. Once this is completed, click the 'create a travel floppy' button along the left side of the screen.

Enter the drive letter of your USB device or use the browse button to locate it. The necessary files will be copied to your USB drive. You can now use CryptoAnywhere (complete with the identity you just created) anywhere you can plug in your USB drive.

When you send mail with CryptoAnywhere, the program adds the encrypted message to an attachment and prompts you for a password which the recipient can use to decrypt the message. To send mail, simply click the 'new message' button, enter the address, message text and any attachments then click 'encipher and send.'


USB travel kit A) Portable web browser
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Using the Internet away from home can be an annoying experience. Despite the ubiquitous presence of Internet Explorer, you may still miss your favourites list and the other comforts of a home-trained browser. Thanks to one enterprising user, you can now take your browser with you wherever you go.

The Mozilla Firefox web browser is an excellent alternative to Internet Explorer, and this portable version of it will run completely from a USB key, so you can always have a familiar web surfing experience. Best of all, it takes up very little space on the USB drive itself, so there's no reason not to try it.

Simply download the latest file from here, unzip it to your USB drive and run the 'portablefirefox.exe' file from the device to start the browser.

All favourites are stored on the drive and travel with you. As you would expect, some compromises have been made to reduce wear and tear on USB drives; the browser does not keep a history or cache web pages, so browsing back through previously loaded pages will be slower than a 'regular' web browser, but we think that's a small price to pay for the benefits this package offers.

USB travel kit B) portable email client

If you thought the portable browser listed above was useful, how about having your email client with you at all times? All you need is Internet access and you can send and retrieve email at will from your own address book without compromising your security or privacy.

Thunderbird is Mozilla's email client counterpart to the Firefox browser. The same clever fellow responsible for the portable Firefox browser modification has also made this program portable. Again, installation is very simple. Download the latest version from here. Unzip the archive onto your USB drive.

Now run the 'portablethunderbird.exe' file to start the application. If you've used Outlook Express, Thunderbird should seem instantly familiar.

All your current addresses can be easily imported from Outlook Express or Outlook by going to 'tools\import' and selecting 'address books.' The same goes for your existing email folders. You can transplant your entire email system onto your flash drive if you'd like.

This is an excellent tool for the road warrior or student, as it makes communicating from the office, public computers or Internet cafes much, much easier.


USB travel kit C) portable word processor
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To finish up our trifecta of essential portable applications, how about the AbiWord word processor? This complete cross-platform writing tool has the distinction of working perfectly well when installed on a USB device, something you can't say about Word or Wordperfect.

Happily, installation is incredibly easy again. Download the file from here , run the installer and set your USB drive as the target. During the installation process, choose not to create a desktop shortcut (for obvious reasons).

Once installation is complete, the executable file can be found in the 'abiword\bin\' directory. Make a shortcut to this file from the root of your USB drive to run the program easily.

A selection of plugins is also available here and here to make this word processor play nicely with various other office applications. These can be installed directly to the USB drive also.

All three applications (browser, email client and word processor) we just listed take up only 40MB of your portable drive. We can't think of a reason not to use these excellent tools if you are planning to compute away from home anytime soon.



WinXP briefcase to synch files on the USB drive
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If you regularly carry documents to and from your work on a USB drive, the Windows XP briefcase feature can help you avoid the confusion of having several different versions of the same work floating around.

The briefcase is a simple-to-use document synchronization application which acts as a virtual container for your work documents. It holds copies of all your current documents, and allows you to work on these files away from your main work system. Upon returning the briefcase to the original computer, you can update any files which have been changed since you left.

Basically, the briefcase creates offline copies of all of your files which can then be moved to any other system and worked on. Returning the briefcase to your original system allows you to update your files with any changes you made while away.

To use the briefcase application on your USB drive: Create a new briefcase on the desktop by right clicking on an empty area and selecting 'new\briefcase.' Now locate any files you wish to add to the briefcase and drag them onto the briefcase icon. This will create copies of the files in your briefcase. Double click the briefcase icon.

Now Drag and drop the briefcase to your USB drive. Now you can take the USB drive to your other system. Double click the briefcase icon to open it, then work on your files inside it. Do not move the files out of the briefcase. Instead, open the files within the briefcase folder in order to edit them.

When you return the briefcase to the original computer, double click the icon again to open it. Note that the 'status' of any files that you edited has been changed to 'needs updating.' Select 'update all items' from the 'briefcase tasks' section on the left.

A window will open illustrating the changes that will be made to the original documents to bring them into line with the ones in the briefcase. Confirm the changes and click 'update' to carry out the operation. All the original files will be updated with the changes you made on your other system.

Format a USB drive with NTFS file system
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By default, Windows XP will not allow you to use anything but the FAT and FAT32 file systems to format your USB drives. With a little fiddling you can also enable the NTFS file system on your removable devices though. As for whether you would want to, there are pros and cons.

On the positive side, enabling NTFS allows you to encrypt your documents with Windows XP's built in file encryption (though you should only do this in a Windows 2000 or 2003 domain network). It also allows the use of file compression to stretch the capacity of your disk. You can also use NTFS to allow and deny permissions for individual files and folders within XP, something you can't do with FAT file systems. You can also set disk quotas. In short, enabling NTFS on flash drives might have several benefits for IT departments that use or issue these devices as standard.

One potential negative of using NTFS on your flash drive is the additional data writes that are necessary. NTFS is a journaling file system, which means that disk transactions are logged separately on the disk as they occur. This adds up to a considerable amount of extra disk activity, which could mean wearing out your USB drive faster in the long run. As the life span of intensively used flash memory is still measured in years, this is unlikely to be much of an issue. Also, Windows 98/ME systems, and most Linux systems cannot read NTFS partitions.

As we mentioned, using the EFS file encryption is not really recommended unless your home or office uses a Windows domain with centralized user accounts. The reason for this is that the encryption depends on the user account to unlock it. Even if your user account on your other computer has the same name, it has a different ID as far as the encryption is concerned. The upshot of this is that you will not be able to open your documents when you get home, as your 'home' user account does not possess the right credentials. While it is possible to get around this with 'recovery agent' certificates, the procedure is time-consuming and complicated. You'd be better off using a third-party program to encrypt your files, like the one we detail below.

To enable NTFS on your drive, right click 'my computer' and select 'manage' then open 'device manager.' Find your USB drive under the 'disk drives' heading. It should be listed as 'generic storage device USB device' or something similar.

Right click it and select 'properties' then go to the 'policies' tab. Select the 'optimize for performance' option. Click 'ok.'

Now open 'my computer,' right click on the removable drive and select 'format.' You will have the option to format to NTFS in the 'file system' dropdown box.


Create permanent folders and share over a network
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An interesting feature of Windows XP's handling of USB drives is the way it assigns them locations and drive letters. As you know, Windows will happily assign any USB storage device the next available drive letter when it is plugged in, then reclaim the letter when the drive is unplugged. It will just as happily assign the same drive letter to a different storage device you plug in later. So far, not very useful... The interesting part comes in if you decide to mount a USB drive as a folder in one of your permanent hard disks.

The storage manager in Windows XP, like Windows 2000 before it, allows you to mount a partition (which would normally be represented with a drive letter like c: or d:) as a directory inside a different partition. Using this method, you could add a new hard drive to your computer and mount it in a directory on your existing c: drive called 'new drive,' for example. The target drive (where the directory is located) must be formatted with the NTFS file system to do this.

This is already a cool feature, but it takes on a new twist when used with USB drives, especially if you use more than one drive on your system or network. While drive letters are assigned dynamically, drive mount locations as we described above are not. The upshot of this is, if you give your USB drive a folder location, that particular drive will be associated permanently with the disk location. Every drive can have its own 'home folder' which will be active and available whenever that drive is plugged into the system, and inaccessible when it is not.

This has several advantages. For one thing, if you use several USB storage devices on a network, you can choose which devices you wish to share data from across the network without having to redo the share permissions every time you plug in a new device. For another, every device can now have a distinct identity on your system or network based on its folder name. Also, this tip removes the need for each USB drive to use up a drive letter.

Let's look at how to set this up. First, plug in your first USB storage device. Go to the Windows XP disk manager by right clicking on 'my computer,' hitting 'manage,' expanding the 'storage' category and choosing 'disk management.'

In the lower disk management window, locate the entry for your USB storage device. It will be marked as 'removable.' Right click the entry and select 'change drive letters and paths.'

Click the 'add' button, then highlight 'mount in the following empty NTFS folder.'

Use the 'browse' button, then the 'new folder' button to create an empty folder in the location of your choice. This will be the new home of your USB drive. Choose the new folder and click 'ok' to get back to the 'add drive letter or path' window. Now that you have your new drive folder, you can remove the drive letter that your USB device was automatically given if you'd like. To do this, click 'remove' and take it out.

Click 'ok.' Your USB drive is now permanently assigned to the new folder you created. When it is plugged in, the drive is accessible like any other folder on the disk you chose. When the drive is unplugged, the folder will still appear as normal, but will be inaccessible. You can share this folder over a network just as you would with any other folder. Share permissions will be removed and restored as the drive is removed and returned.

Repeat this procedure with your other USB storage devices, creating a new directory for each. Now each of your devices has its own particular identity on your network.


Take your favourite media player with you
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Here's a handy and fun use for any USB drive. Several freely available media player software packages (such as certain versions of Winamp) do not require registry entries to run. What this means is that they can be effectively run off any computer without installation.

You might already use your USB flash drive to carry music and other media files from computer to computer. Why not carry around the program to play them with as well? Simply copy the player and your files to a directory on the computer you have plugged into (or even run the player from the drive) and enjoy your media files!

Here's links to a couple of media player applications that can be run straight from their executable files, and will thus work fine on USB drives: Zoom Player (video and music) and XMPlay (audio only). Simply download the files, unzip them to your USB drive, add your media files and move out!

Carry a bootable, portable arcade on your USB drive

Bored in class? Need something to make your off time at work pass faster but can't install games? How about having an entire arcade on your USB drive?

AdvanceMAME is an open-source emulator for arcade games, the kind you might have used to play in the days before Playstation. This in itself is not novel. MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) and its variants have been around for ages. What is novel is that the latest release of AdvanceMAME (2.4.0 as of this article), supports booting from USB drive.

AdvanceMAME, like all MAME versions, uses ROM files, images of the original arcade machine programs you might have played. Generally these files are copyrighted, but you can find many legal ROMS on the Internet. AdvanceMAME comes with three games to get you started, and a menu system so intuitive that it's not even worth describing.

To install AdvanceMAME on your USB key, download the latest files from here and unzip them to a folder on your hard drive. Now plug in your USB drive and format it (right click the drive in 'my computer' and choose format). Use the FAT file system.

Navigate to the folder that you unzipped the AdvanceMAME files to and double click the 'makeusb' batch file. A DOS window will open and begin the process of installing the necessary boot files onto your USB drive. Once the install is complete, simply boot any system with the USB drive to load AdvanceMAME and start playing.

Spyware

How You Get Spyware
Spyware usually gets onto your machine because of something you do, like clicking a button on a pop-up window, installing a software package or agreeing to add functionality to your Web browser. These applications often use trickery to get you to install them, from fake system alert messages to buttons that say "cancel" when they really do the opposite.Here are some of the general ways in which Spyware finds its way into your computer:

* Piggybacked software installation - Some applications -- particularly peer-to-peer file-sharing clients -- will install spyware as a part of their standard install. If you don't read the installation list closely, you might not notice that you're getting more than the file-sharing application you want. This is especially true of the "free" versions that are advertised as an alternative to software you have to buy. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

While it officially claims otherwise, Kazaa has been known to include spyware in its download package.
While it officially claims otherwise, Kazaa has been known to include spyware in its download package.

* Drive-by download - This is when a Web site or pop-up window automatically tries to download and install spyware on your machine. The only warning you might get would be your browser's standard message telling you the name of the software and asking if it's okay to install it.

If your security settings are set low enough, you won't even get the warning.

* Browser add-ons - These are pieces of software that add enhancements to your Web browser, like a toolbar, animated pal or additional search box. Sometimes, these really do what they say they do but also include elements of spyware as part of the deal. Or sometimes they are nothing more than thinly veiled spyware themselves. Particularly nasty add-ons are considered browser hijackers -- these embed themselves deeply in your machine and take quite a bit of work to get rid of.

Bonzi Buddy is an 'add-on' application that includes spyware in its package.

* Masquerading as anti-spyware - This is one of the cruelest tricks in the book. This type of software convinces you that it's a tool to detect and remove spyware.

This type of software convinces you that it's a tool to detect and remove spyware.

When you run the tool, it tells you your computer is clean while it installs additional spyware of its own.

What Spyware Can Do
Spyware can do any number of things once it is installed on your computer.

At a minimum, most spyware runs as an application in the background as soon as you start your computer up, hogging RAM and processor power. It can generate endless pop-up ads that make your Web browser so slow it becomes unusable. It can reset your browser's home page to display an ad every time you open it. Some spyware redirects your Web searches, controlling the results you see and making your search engine practically useless. It can also modify the DLLs (dynamically linked libraries) your computer uses to connect to the Internet, causing connectivity failures that are hard to diagnose.

Snitches and Sneaks
There are computer programs that truly "spy" on you. There are applications designed to silently sit on your desktop and intercept personal information like usernames and passwords. These programs include Bugdrop, Back Orifice and VX2. These are more like viruses or hacker tools than spyware.

Certain types of spyware can modify your Internet settings so that if you connect through dial-up service, your modem dials out to expensive, pay telephone numbers. Like a bad guest, some spyware changes your firewall settings, inviting in more unwanted pieces of software. There are even some forms that are smart enough to know when you try to remove them in the Windows registry and intercept your attempts to do so.

The point of all this from the spyware makers' perspective is not always clear. One reason it's used is to pad advertisers' Web traffic statistics. If they can force your computer to show you tons of pop-up ads and fake search results, they can claim credit for displaying that ad to you over and over again. And each time you click the ad by accident, they can count that as someone expressing interest in the advertised product.

Another use of spyware is to steal affiliate credits. Major shopping sites like Amazon and eBay offer credit to a Web site that successfully directs traffic to their item pages. Certain spyware applications capture your requests to view sites like Amazon and eBay and then take the credit for sending you there.

There are several applications you can turn to for trustworthy spyware detection and removal, including Ad-aware, Spybot and Microsoft AntiSpyware, which is currently in beta. All three are free for the personal edition. These work just like your anti-virus software and can provide active protection as well as detection. They will also detect Internet cookies and tell you which sites they refer back to.

Note - Once you know which spyware is on your computer, in some cases you'll need to seek specific instructions on how to remove it. Links to some of those instructions are listed in the "Spyware Help" box to the right, and more are included in the Lots More Information section at the end of this article. Here are a few more solutions:

Use a pop-up blocker.
Many of the current browsers, including Internet Explorer 6.0 and Mozilla Firefox 1.0, have the ability to block all Web sites from serving you pop-up windows. This function can be configured to be on all of the time or to alert you each time a site wants to pop up a new window. It can also tell you where the pop-up is coming from and selectively allow windows from trusted sources.

Disable Active-X.
Most browsers have security settings in their preferences which allow you to specify which actions Web sites are allowed to take on your machine. Since many spyware applications take advantage of a special code in Windows called Active-X, it's not a bad idea to simply disable Active-X on your browser. Note that if you do this, you will also disallow the legitimate uses for Active-X, which may interfere with the functionality of some Web sites.

Be suspicious of installing new software.
In general, it pays to be suspicious when a site asks to install something new on your computer. If it's not a plug-in you recognize, like Flash, QuickTime or the latest Java engine, the safest plan of action is to reject the installation of new components unless you have some specific reason to trust them. Today's Web sites are sophisticated enough that the vast majority of functionality happens inside your browser, requiring only a bare minimum of standard plug-ins. Besides, it never hurts to reject the installation first and see if you can get on without it. A trustworthy site will always give you the opportunity to go back and download a needed component later.

Use the "X" to close pop-up windows.
Get to know what your computer's system messages look like so that you can spot a fake. It's usually pretty easy to tell the difference once you get to know the standard look of your system alerts. Stay away from the "No thanks" buttons if you can help it, and instead close the window with the default "X" at the corner of the toolbar. For an even more reliable option, use the keystroke combination for "close window" built into your software. You can look in your browser's "File" menu to find it.

Vista Tricks

1. If you hate the look of Aero, click Start/Control Panel/Themes and you can choose a non-Aero theme, such as Windows Classic.

2. Windows Vista's installer can detect serial-ATA (SATA) drives without the need to provide a driver diskette. Don't bother creating a diskette for your SATA drives before you install Vista.

3. If, for some reason, the Vista installation gets interrupted due to an unintentional shutdown or reboot, start the computer without booting the Vista DVD. Windows Vista's installer should pick up where it left off. If it does-n't, then restart the installation over from scratch.

4. When you perform a search with Vista's new, instant search feature, you can save the search in a special folder. This powerful feature allows you to create a virtual folder which, by default, is saved in your \\Searches\ folder. Every time you open such a folder, the search results are updated.

5. In Windows Vista, you can add additional clocks to the system tray. Click the clock, and then click Date and Time Settings. Click the Additional Clocks tab. You can add one or two additional clocks to the tray and select their time zones.

6. You can save your progress in most of the games included with Windows Vista—even the carry-overs from earlier versions of Windows.

7. You can create XML documents, which are more secure than regular text files or even word processor docs. Just create a document in a word processor, print it via the options menu, and select the XPS printer.

8. If you upgrade your graphics card in preparation for Windows Vista, be sure to get a new card with as much local memory as possible. Since Windows Vista renders everything—even the desktop and windows them-selves—as 3D surfaces, local 3D memory greatly improves performance...sometimes even more than a more powerful GPU.

9. Windows Vista games deposit their saves into a special directory, called Saved Games, in your personal folder. In theory, that will make upgrading to a new system much easier for gamers, who like to migrate their game saves.

10. When using the Help system, it's usually advantageous to include Microsoft's online database in your search. The online/offline status of your search is located on the bottom right of the Help window. You can click it to toggle.

11. The Games folder is a powerful repository of all things gaming. From within, you launch games, update games with the latest patches, enable parental controls to protect younger users from harmful content, and more. Invoke it by clicking Start/Games.

12. Several applications are available to help you tweak Windows Vista for maximum performance. They in-clude TweakVI (www.totalidea.com), TweakVista (www.tweakvista.com/tweakvistautility), and VistaBootPRO (www.vistabootpro.org). And don't forget about Windows ReadyBoost, which lets you use a removable flash memory drive to boost system memory.

13. Do you use the icon in the upper left corner of system and application windows? A quick double-click closes the window (instead of a single click on the X at the upper right). Though Microsoft left the icon out in Vista, the function remains.

14. In Microsoft Windows Explorer, you can use column headers (Name, Size, and so on) to sort files. Savvy users may right-click on a column head to remove items or add some—say, Dimensions for images. There are around 45 such columns available in Windows XP. Windows Vista has well over 250, covering a multitude of metadata.

15. If you've become used to surfing your Program Menu to get to applications, you'll be in for a shock when you first use Microsoft Windows Vista. The new Program Menu shows you only recently used applications and requires extra clicks to navigate to submenus. This can be very frustrating but, thankfully, the Search box Microsoft has added to the Start menu is a great replacement—as long as you're an accurate typist. As quickly as you can type, it returns intelligent results in apps, files, even e-mail messages.

WII Tips n Tricks

1. Press the home button on the main menu. Next click on the controller image. You can adjust the wii-mote volume and rumble functions.

2. Hold a and b down and you can move the windows on the main menu around.

3. In order to add someone to your friend's list you BOTH have to enter each other's Number ID and Console Nickname to be able to send messages and Mii's.

4. Want your plain-looking Wii to have some style? Add a blue light around you CD drive anytime the console is on by doing the following:

Go to your email from the home menu, and add your personal computer email address to your address book. Wait ~1 hour for the email (mine took at least this long) Reply to the email from your computer. In a few minutes, you will have an email waiting for you on your Wii. Don't read it! As long as it remains new, you have a pretty blue light!

5. In wii sports bowling, you can release on the back swing and throw the ball backwards. It scares all the miis behind you.

6. Email A Wii: You can email any Wii that you know the Friend code for. The Email address will be w(Wii Number here)@wii.com. For Example: w123456789012@wii.com

7. Get rid of Generic Teammates/Spectators: The Wii will automatically use the other Miis in your Plaza as teammates and spectators in certain Wii sports games. Create friends and family, and you can get rid of the generic Miis.

8. Register and Extend Warranty: Register your Console on Nintendo.com, get a free 90 day extension to your warranty.

9. Get Free Nintendo Power: Register 3 Nintendo products on Nintendo.com, and get 3 months of Nintendo Power free.

10. Extra Parts: There are two parts to the Wii in your box that you may either not find, or never know what they are. The first is a Clear Disc piece. This piece fits under your Wii stand to Stabalize it's balance. The second is a Small(1" - 1.5") plastic Piece. This piece is the stand for the Sensor bar. It puts some disntance between your TV and the bar. In theory, that should give you a better angle reception.

11. Get Miis in your parade: Setting your Miis to Mingle, and having your friends do the same thing will soon have Miis walking around in your parade. Your friends' Miis will wonder over to your console and parade around, so long as they are set to Mingle. You can then grab them and send them to your Plaza so you have a copy.

12. In Zelda, the direction Link spins when doing a spin attack depends on which way you spin your nunchuck.

13. In Wii Sports Bowling, when you press up on the Directional Pad, it will zoom in on the lane. The zoom in sound is the exact same sound from Super Mario 64 anytime you moved the camera.

14. If you go to the Channel section in your menu you can choose to save VC games on a SD card.

15. In LOZ:TP if you keep it at the start screen for an extended period of time, it plays an extremely extended trailer that they didn't show to the general public.

16. On hole 3 of Wii Sports Golf, there is a small section of fairway at about a 45 degree angle to the left from the tee box. It is a small patch surrounded by Out Of Bound-ness. If you can land your ball on there, you can easily make it on the green in 2, to to Eagle the course.

17. Wii Video 9 - Wii Video Converter

Wii Video 9 is a free video conversion application developed by Red Kawa. It allows you to convert your computer video files (like avi, divx, mpeg, etc.) into the specific video formats that are playable on the Wii.

Wii Video 9 can also be combined with Videora, another software application, and together they can let you automatically download and convert video for your Wii using BitTorrent and RSS technology.

18. In the Wii menus, turn your wrist and the hand cursor will also turn.

19. from Varelse: While your Wii is powered down you can press any button on your Wiimote and lights will flash. The number of lights flashing is the amount of charge left in your battery (1 is least charge, 4 is most charge).

20. In Wii Bowling, if you aim right to any lane near you, you can throw your ball there, but you won't hit any pins unless you aim right.

21. Zelda. You can skip cutscenes in Zelda by hitting the - button. You must have at least seen the cutscene once, however.

22. Black Ninja Wii Bowling easter egg YouTube - Wii Sports Bowling Easter Egg

23. When you purchase a virtual console title and Mario runs across the screen, if you happen to get fire flower Mario, you can shoot fireballs with the A button.

24. Omie When looking at your messages press a+b and you can move the messages around. If you have a lot of messages then you can arrange them in this manner or you can just delete them.

25. Order a nice wii sports case from here: eBay: Wii Sports White DVD Case - Store your game in style (item 320053039034 end time Nov-29-06 18:24:43 PST)

26. In the Photo Channel, you can catch the evil cat that runs across the screen to get tips! It appears in the Fun option, and you can grab the cat with the A and B button.

27. You can have a 194 piece puzzle by holding down the 1 button before selecting any piece amount.

28. when you get an e-mail, not only does the disc drive light up and pulsate blue, but your Wiimote sends out a little chirp

29. when you’re in the Mii channel and you don’t use the Wiimote for a little bit and your Mii’s start walking around, if you then suddenly use the Wiimote, all the Mii stop and follow the ‘hand’ for about 3 seconds.

30. If you hold the SYNC button down on the Wii for 15 seconds, it will clear all synced Wii Remotes from the console.

31. Hold the B button and point to the direction you want to go in the Mii channel and you can scroll around the screen. You can see all the Miis without arranging them.

32. from zorilla. Press down on the control pad while watching a video to change the voices, if you change the mood on a video the sounds will be affected too.

33. With Wii forecast, you can rotate the globe on a different axis by turning/twisting the remote.

34. if the weather shows rain when you check it, you will hear the sound of rain and the same for thunder.

35. The weather channel will affect your in-game weather on Wii games. http://forums.nintendo.com/nintendo/...age.id=2808300

36. from Inibriator on IGN: Hit left and right on the dpad in the Weather Channel Globe to change the icons between the various options.

37. from +Maniacal=Maniac+ You Can Use The Right Analog Stick On The Classic Controller To Navigate The Wii Menu.

38. from Snoopwiius I have just found when on the main menu on Wii Play were you select which game you want to play you can click on various places on your Mii and he/she will perform different poses and facial expressions.

39. from scorpio369 In the globe view in the weather forecast channel, if you grab the world and give it a quick flick the world will go spinning (it works better if you zoom out with the - button) you can only really spin it east or west cause it gets stuck on the poles. This has no real value unless you wanted to choose some random city in the world.

40. from kwarp If you're winning in Wii Sports Baseball by 4 or 5 points, the pitcher on the other team will start sweating.

41. from avidlinuxuser On the Beta Version of Opera, there are two files. One is in the Wii channel for the browser itself. The other is in the same area as game saves. If you delete the file, it clears the cache and cookies resulting in keeping the experience snappy.

42. from albino_vulpex When viewing photos in the photo channel, press B to create a pixilated circle for censoring The size of the circle depends on how close your remote is to the TV.

43. from joeydarkfire Wii Tennis: When you get to the screen (in 1 player) where there is a picture of 2 yous and 2 "?" press on them and they will change between "?" and u so u can play against yourself or just watch a match.

44. from duckols In bowling when the bowling game is loading you can press different directions on the D-pad to change the color of your ball.

45. from doctorecs In Wii boxing you can have your character do poses by moving your hands around. Example, put both hands up in the air as if you just won a victory.

46. from kiobot In Wii Play: On the game selection screen poke your Mii's arms, legs, face and torso with the (A) button and see what happens...

47. from razoola In Wii Play, leave the main game select title page on and do nothing. After a while you character Mii's will fall asleep and the music will change to a more nite nite twinkley sound.

48. from riviet In tennis, hold the two button during the warning screen right until the positions screen loads up for a blue court (the one from training).

49. from Carbon the number of coins mario gets when downloading VC games is the same as the number of blocks of memory it takes up.

50. from ToadIsDoingMagicMushrooms After beating the Boxing champ - Matt - you can get silver boxing gloves. To wear - Hold (1) when the screen goes black before a match.

51. from dialtone75 Press 2 while pitching in Wii Sports Baseball and you'll pitch side-armed.

52. from Zorilla When loading WII NEWS grab the cat that appears at the top of the loading screen to get some tips.

53. from Braniac If you click on the loading cats on the news channel each one will make a different pitched noice a bit like a miaow. They act as a kind of keyboard.

54. from +Maniacal=Maniac+ To Make Your Mii's Pants Red... Select Them As A "Favorite"
To Make Them Blue, You Must Send The Mii To SOmeone, And Have Them Send It Back To You.

55. from Ken drummer Go to http://wiiminder.com whilst on the opera browser to have tabbed wii browsing

56. from rustinsmommy In the boxing, if you dodge a punch it will do a slow motion type sound and the screen will blurr a bit. If you quickly hit your opponent when this happens it will do a special punch that hits really hard.

57. from strubcube when in the doodle mode of the Photo channel, when you add things like glasses, or lip marks, or hearts, or whatever, if you move your remote closer or further away from the screen, the images you put on the picture get smaller or larger depending on the distance from the screen

58. from cpa|mer You can add more Miis in Parade and audiences. Use Wii Sports to do it:

1. Make about 10 Mii's.

2. Transfer those Mii's to your Wiimote.

3. Delete the Mii's that are transfered to the Wiimote out of the plaza.

4. Start up Wii Sports.

5 When given the option of which Mii to use during gameplay choose the option to get the Mii from the Wii Remote.

6. After viewing the Mii's on the Wiimote back out by using the B button.

7. Exit out of Wii Sports and back onto the Wii Menu.

Now check the Mii parade and all 10 of the Miis that were on the Wiimote are in the parade. Now if you dont want the Miis on the Wiimote just delete them off. These Miis will now show up in all Wii Sports games that have an audience.

ERGONOMICS FOR GAMERS AND PROGRAMMERS

If you are a long time computer user like me, you might have noticed the occasional hurts and discomforts that go hand in hand with spending long periods of time in front of the PC. Stare at a monitor for hours on end, year after year and most likely you'll eventually start to notice the pains magnify in frequency and severity. Do this long enough, and the discomfort could become part of the daily routine when you sit down to work or game at a computer.

This is especially noticeable when using a computer setup outside your home or office, where the mouse and keyboard, monitor and even the position you are sitting in are different. If you depend on your computer to make a living, these symptoms can present a major barrier to your ability to work effectively, and not just day-to-day.

Poor ergonomics in your computer environment can lead to permanent personal injury.

Computer Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSIs), including conditions like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Tendinitis, are the most common occupational injuries in North America. Many of these cases would be easily preventable, but still occur due to ignorance of the symptoms or the severity of the injury. Ironically, repetitive strain injuries have been documented as far back as 1793.

This guide aims to provide a guideline for identifying and avoiding situations which could result in the development of a repetitive strain injury, and to recommend ergonomically sound computer setups and products.

And please, if your livelihood does not depend on computer work and you are reading this anyway, chances are that you are a gamer. Don't pass this article up, unless you can be sure you are not going to be spending 8 hours straight or more in front of your computer when Half-Life 2 comes out… RSIs happen to gamers too, believe me, and a little prevention goes a long way to keeping you in the game. Pun, intended.

What is a repetitive strain injury?

Repetitive strain injury is a blanket term for several conditions. All involve damage done to one or more of the muscles, bones, nerves or soft tissue due to constant, recurring motions. This also referred to as Cumulative Tissue Damage or CTD.

Repetitive strain injuries are by no means unique to computer users, though this is what we will focus on. Like any injury, they are generally easier to prevent than to treat once they have become entrenched. Repetitive strain injuries can result in permanent nerve damage and disability. RSIs caused by computer use are generally in the hands, wrists, neck and shoulders, and include the infamous carpal tunnel syndrome, a compression and irritation of the median nerve responsible for sensation in the thumb, index and middle fingers.

Common symptoms

Carpal Tunnel syndrome results from inflammation of the tendons of the wrist which can be caused by repetitive hand movements like constant typing. The common factors that link the various computer related repetitive strain injuries are the pain and discomfort that they cause, and the difficulty of treatment once they are established.

Common symptoms of computer related repetitive strain injuries include:

* Pain or numbness in the hands and fingers
* Pain or numbness in the wrists
* Weakened grip
* Problems opening and closing hand(s)
* Stiffness and pain in joints of hands, wrists and arms
* 'Pins and needles' sensation in the hands and wrists
* Lack of coordination
* Eyestrain
* Sore neck/back
* Recurring headaches

What can you do to avoid the pain?

The best way to avoid any form of injury while working on the computer is simple. Take a break. If you are typing or using the mouse intensively, try to take a 5-10 minute break for every hour of work. Just make sure you get up, or at least move your arms and hands out of their work positions.

Stretching is recommended during these breaks, provided you are not already experiencing some form of pain which may be associated with an RSI. If you think this may be the case, see a doctor before attempting stretches routinely, as they may aggravate your injury. See the resources section for some excellent desktop stretching exercises.

Good posture and correct hand placement are far more important for reducing your risk of developing a repetitive strain injury than any of the various products out there. Any activity which contorts the wrists or hands for extended periods of time while putting pressure on them will lead eventually to injury, which is why good typing position is so important.

Good typing habits include:

* Keep your hands straight and level at the wrists, not bent inwards or outwards.
* Do not rest wrists or arms on the wrist rest or table during the act of typing.
* Key combinations such as shift+(a letter) are best done with both hands, not by contorting the hand to hit multiple keys at once.
* Do not use the elevation pegs at the back of the keyboard to raise it, as this will always result in an unnatural typing position. The flatter the keyboard plane, the better.
* The position of the keyboard should be lower than your elbows when your arms are hung at your side.
* Avoid using excess force to press the keys. Typing faster does not have to go with typing harder.

Other ergonomics tips

For your work station, the mouse should be within easy reach so that you do not have to stretch every time you use it. Keeping it close to the keyboard reduces some risk of injury. You should be grasping the mouse from slightly above, so that your wrist is higher than your hand.

Good posture is important of course. If you don't have a good chair with back support consider getting one. Remember, just like your parents have always told you, avoid slumping.

The monitor should be directly in front of you with the top of the screen at eye level or below. To reduce eyestrain while using a traditional (CRT) type monitor, set your refresh rate to 75Hz or higher. Do this by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop, hitting 'properties' then the 'settings' tab, then 'advanced' followed by the 'monitor' tab.

Using the drop down box on this page you can adjust the refresh rate, which is the frequency that the screen redraws itself every second.

Higher settings equal less perceptible flicker, which equals less strain to the eyes. Older monitors may not be able to reach 75Hz refresh rate however. Note that changing the refresh rate may cause a brief period of discomfort while your eyes adjust to the new speed.

Also note that if the 'monitor' tab indicates that you are using a 'default monitor' you will need to obtain the correct drivers for your monitor before you can change the refresh rate without hitting "unsupported frequency" errors. If you do don't worry, you just need to wait 15 sec before the computer resets the values if you don't agree to a little pop up box.

Pain and discomfort is the best indicator of repetitive strain injuries. If you are not experiencing anything worse than eyestrain after long periods of computer use, chances are your current setup suits you ergonomically.

Ergonomic products can help

There are many products out there intended to help you avoid repetitive strain injuries. We will not cover specific products too closely, but rather look at some genres with specific examples. Keep in mind that buying a new keyboard, wrist-rest or mouse will not cure an existing condition. They may well help ease the strain on your body, allowing it to eventually heal, but if you suspect you already have an RSI, seek medical help.

It may seem like a small discomfort now, but believe me, given the amount of work hours and even careers lost to RSI, it's worth taking seriously, and your doctor and co-workers should understand that.

Here are some of the most common types of ergonomic products that have been created to help prevent RSI in the first place.

Keyboard trays: Useful for ensuring that the keyboard and mouse are placed correctly level to or below the elbows. Test the position if possible before purchasing a desk with a tray.

Wrist rests : Useful for resting the arms and wrists in-between typing periods. They should not be used while actually typing, as this can cause extra strain on the hands and wrists. Make sure they are not high enough to interfere with your natural typing motion.

Split keyboards: Keyboard design in which the main keys are split into two groups and angled at approximately 45 degrees to ensure that the wrists are kept straight while typing. Studies have shown that these are more comfortable in the long run, though they require some time to adjust to. Generally, the faster the typist, the longer the adjustment period. An example of a split keyboard is the Microsoft Natural Keyboard range.

Tented keyboards: A split keyboard in which the two halves are tilted outwards away from each other so that the palms of the hands face slightly inwards instead of straight down at the desk. These keyboards are based on the principal that working with the palms down distorts tendons in the fingers and wrist, increasing risk of injury over time.

Vertical keyboards: The tented keyboard taken to extremes. A split keyboard with the keys placed at 90-degree angles, so typing is done in the 'handshake position.' Can be very difficult to adjust to.


Dvorak keyboard: An alternative key layout designed to place the most commonly used keys within easier reach. Can reduce risk of injury through reducing the range of movement needed to type, but requires complete re-learning of keyboard layout.


Ergonomic Resources

Negative tilt keyboards: Keyboards with raising legs on the front edge of the keyboard, enabling them to be tilted to provide a more level surface for typing. This reduces problems associated with bending the wrists back while typing, including Carpal Tunnel syndrome. You can easily raise the front of a normal keyboard yourself, but note that a flat keyboard allowing close to no wrist tilt is the ideal, so raising it higher than this may harm more than it helps.

Monitor Arms: Can be used to position monitors independently. Keep in mind that the top of the monitor should be positioned at eye level or lower, and at a comfortable distance to reduce eyestrain.

There are many other types and categories of ergonomic products available, so do a little researching if you need a piece of gear to relieve a particular stress.
Other online resources you may wish to check out include an excellent interactive computer ergonomics primer, a guide to good posture and stretching exercises, and perhaps even an RSI sufferer's story. This website has good list of common repetitive strain injuries and information also.

IPOD Solutions

There are millions of iPod stories and many of them involve dead or dying batteries. Apple faced one of its biggest public-relations brouhahas when users of first-, second-, and third-generation iPods complained en masse about the relatively short life of the music players’ lithium ion batteries.

After only a few months (sometimes weeks) of use, they could no longer hold a charge. Even notebook batteries go south after a time, but at least you can replace a laptop’s battery—you can’t swap out an iPod battery (although Apple replaces out-of-warranty iPods containing failed batteries for a sum).

A quick and humbled learner, Apple improved the battery life of its latest hard disk–based players—up to 20 hours on one charge for the 60GB model. Still, several tricks will let you extend the life of your iPod battery, both for daily use and for the long haul. Note that while some of the following tips will work on the iPod Nano and Shuffle, which use flash memory, they are intended specifically for hard-disk iPod models.

Pausing vs. standby: Because much of the power consumed by hard-disk iPods (not the Nano or Shuffle) spins the disk, press Pause when you leave the player unattended. Left playing in default mode, the iPod will run until the battery is drained.

But did you know… You can think you’ve turned off the iPod when you’ve actually entered a standby mode. The way Play/Pause is engineered on the click dial, if you press down until the screen goes dark, the iPod may be in a paused standby mode (not Pause), which uses more power. To verify that the unit is in Pause mode, press the middle button. When the screen lights up, look in the upper-left corner for dual bars (Pause), not the triangle (Play). To cut power totally, flip the Hold switch on the top.

Backlighting vs. equalizer: The backlighting on portable devices eats up battery power faster than a piranha gobbles up a goldfish. To do without the backlight, choose Settings•Backlight Timer•Off.

But did you know… Turning off the iPod’s sound equalizer will also preserve battery life. It takes processing power to transform a Madonna dance track into an acoustic tone poem. To disable the equalizer, select Settings•EQ•Off.

Changing tracks vs. making tracks: Rewinding or fast-forwarding uses extra energy, but so does changing tracks via the Previous/Next buttons, as the hard drive turns on to find and open the songs. Similarly, using the device’s Shuffle or Random modes, which require frequent hard-disk accesses, will put a bigger dent in your player’s battery life.

But did you know… The iPod sends tracks to its memory cache so it can seamlessly play them while powering down the hard drive. That’s great for tracks that are 7MB or smaller (the average length of a single), but podcasts, audiobooks, and other long files need sustained hard-disk access, which can run down your battery.

An alternative is to use a lowersound- fidelity compression method when you load tracks onto the device, such as ACC or MP3 at 128 kilobits per second (the cache can play for 25 minutes at this level). Note that while compressing in AAC is likely to give you better sound quality than MP3 at the same bit rates, few non-iPod players support AAC. Also, keep in mind that spoken content can be compressed much more heavily than music, so don’t hesitate to use lower bit rates for talk-radio-style podcasts or recompressed audiobooks.

ipodMacs are not immune to hard drive or system startup problems. On occasion, something may go wrong during the boot process and your computer just sits there. If you have enough open space on your iPod, you can use it as an emergency startup disk. Then, if you experience the frightening feeling of not having your Mac boot properly, you can at least boot it from the iPod and possibly repair the problem or at least move some of your files off the boot drive.

Light aircraft maker LoPresti Speed Merchants is adding the ability to use an iPod as a flight data recorder, more commonly known as "black box," to its Fury piston aircraft. The airplane will include an iPod dock connector, and will be able to send data to the iPod for storage.