Canon's Selphy printer knows how to keep it together

One thing I hate about having so many gadgets is keeping track of all the wires, manuals, disks, and parts that come with them. I'm getting better at keeping track of all those extras, but I wish each gadget came with a special accessories container to help me get more organized. Don't you?

Gizmodo spotted Canon's Selphy CP770 dye-sublimation photo printer sits on top of a storage container deep enough to hold all the wires, and extra parts that come with the printer. The printer itself is detachable, and can be placed anywhere in a room.

Gizmodo says the Selphy printer is aimed at kids, which might explain the big buttons, the 2.5-inch TFT screen, and of course, the colorful beach bucket design. The printer features 300 x 300 dpi color, can print borderless postcard-size photos, supports most memory cards, and uses USB/IR/PictBridge connections. It also includes a very cool face recognition feature I find very useful, as it optimizes the background around each face and does red-eye correction as well.

The printer will sold in Japan starting June 15th for around $150, and hopefully will come to the U.S. soon.

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Brain game can boost IQ - Here's 5 new brain games to play now

According to one group of brain doctors at the University of Michigan, at long last a mental exercise has been discovered that could really make you smarter. Literally, if the research is correct, the more you play and the harder you play it, the smarter you get.

The came is pretty simple in design: Players are presented with a computer screen that shows a pattern of squares. If the pattern matches the same one the player saw two patterns earlier, he pushes a button with one hand. At the same time, he has to listen to letters narrated over a set of headphones. If the letter matches the one said two letters earlier, he pushes a button with his other hand. The better the player does, the longer the interval stretches out: Three patterns and letters earlier, then four, and so on.

In tests, 20 minutes of daily training over a varying period of time led to "significantly" increased IQ vs. a control group, and the longer people played the game, the higher their IQ got. The study is of course contested for a variety of reasons: Primarily, that it was too small to be scientifically rigorous. But if it pans out, this is good news for people who want to improve their intelligence through video games, or at least help stave off the effects of old age with them.

Alas, the U-Mich game just doesn't sound like that much fun. But there are a ton of new games on the market that aim to help you improve logical thinking, reaction time, and coordination. If matching dots on a screen isn't your idea of a good time, check out one of these new titles:

Lumosity (Web)

This browser-based game offers about a dozen mini-games, each designed to help with one area of cognition, including memory, processing speed, attention span, and "cognitive control." Many games are surprisingly similar in design to the one in the Michigan study and some present a real challenge. ($9.95 a month, pictured)

Brain Challenge (Xbox Live Arcade)

Similar to Lumosity, this used to be a cell phone game that was ported to the Xbox. A series of mini-games asks you what comes next in a sequence of graphic designs, count items quickly, do basic math questions, and more. 30 types of rapid-fire games are available, and your progress is tracked by the game over time. (800 points)

Rocky & Bullwinkle (Xbox Live Arcade)

No, I wouldn't have expected a game based on a hapless cartoon duo to be good for the brain, but this set of WarioWare-like micro games are great for those looking to boost reaction time and improve eye-hand coordination. Nothing here is too complex (quick: click the correct button in the next 2 seconds!), but it's all good for working on the "twitch" reflex. (800 points)

Blokus Portable: Steambot Championship (PSP)

This challenging board game comes to the PSP, offering a grid in which you have to place your Tetris-like pieces in such a way that they touch only on their corners. It really works on your pattern recognition skills and gets exceptionally tough when playing with a group of four. ($20)

Wild Earth: African Safari (Wii)

No, it's not a brain game at all, but really little kids won't be able to manage the controls and strategies of most of the above titles. Still they shouldn't be left out of the fun. Wild Earth isn't exactly the most thrilling title on the market, but youngsters will enjoy looking at the animals on this virtual photo hunt while learning the names of all the beasts of the wild. Good for very small minds. ($30)

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2010: D-day for the Internet as it hits "full capacity"?

Doom-filled warnings arrive from AT&T this week. The company says that without substantial investment in network infrastructure, the Internet will essentially run out of bandwidth in just two short years.

Blame broadband, says AT&T. Decades of dealing with the trickle of bandwidth consumed by voice and dialup modems left AT&T twiddling its thumbs. The massive rise of DSL and cable modem service in the 2000s has had AT&T facing a monstrous increase in the volume of data transmissions. And that's set to increase another 50 times between now and 2015. That's enough, says AT&T, to all but crash the system.

In response, AT&T says it's investing $19 billion to upgrade the backbone of the Internet, the routers, servers, and connections where the bulk of traffic is processed.

Of course, AT&T is using this breathlessness in part to point fingers beyond simple broadband use. Web video (especially high-definition video) is the most commonly mentioned bandwidth hog. AT&T says video alone will eat up 80 percent of traffic in two years vs. just 30 percent now. One wonders how YouTube doesn't collapse under the pressure. Hmmm.

Meanwhile, many are wondering whether this is prelude to AT&T announcing (or not announcing, but doing anyway) a traffic prioritization/shaping system like Comcast has been tinkering with... and which has earned it nothing but scorn. Net neutrality (which would forbid premium pricing for certain Internet applications and destinations) is a topic that continues to be hotly debated on Capitol Hill, and telcos are anxious to kill the idea since they'd love to be able to charge additional money for different kinds of web traffic. If the whole Internet is about to crash, well, that makes AT&T's argument all the more compelling, doesn't it?

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Windows XP going off market in June: What it means

Microsoft originally announced over a year ago that Windows XP would be going off the market in January 2008. XP was later given a brief stay of execution, to June 30, 2008. That deadline is fast approaching, which has led to much panicking from people who aren't quite sure what XP's "going off market" means, exactly.

People are still as confused as ever. So let's take a stab at clarifying, once again, what's going to happen by answering some frequently asked questions about XP's imminent disappearance.

Will Windows XP really no longer be on sale after June 30? Sorry for the double negative, but no. All this means is that Microsoft will stop selling the OS. Finding a computer with XP preinstalled will likely be very difficult, as well. However, you'll still be able to find copies for the foreseeable future, and likely the unforeseeable one, too. See for yourself: You can find copies of just about any Microsoft product, including ancient versions of Windows and even MS-DOS, by simply searching online. But hang on to your current copy of Windows XP. You may need it down the road if you don't want to move to Vista.

Will I be forced to upgrade to Vista soon? No. But it will get harder and harder not to, especially since new software and peripherals are likely to stop working with XP. That could take years.

Will my XP machine stop working in June? No, but Microsoft will stop releasing non-security software updates to the masses on April 14, 2009. But let's be clear: XP will continue to "work" even after this point.

Will Microsoft shut off product activation for XP after June? No, that would be crazy. While no one has said this will happen, it's conceivable that Windows could shut down product activation for XP at some point. But that would only happen after XP reaches its end-of-support term (when all support plans expire). The good news for you: That happens on April 8, 2014, which should be plenty of time to get the kinks worked out of Vista-or switch to a Mac, Linux, or anything else. Bottom line: Your copy of XP will work, totally legally, for at least six more years.

What about this exception for Windows XP Home Edition I hear about? Doesn't apply to you. Microsoft will continue to sell XP to makers of ultra-cheap laptops like the Asus Eee PC until 2010 because they just can't run Vista. But it is not going to make XP Home Edition available as installable software to end-users.

What about after 2014? Well, that's unclear. But it's possible XP will stop being installable at that point. Microsoft's official policy is that these dates have "no affect [sic] on how long you can use a product," which may imply product activation will work forever. However, two things come to mind:

1) Even the most die-hard XP enthusiast will probably be ready to upgrade at that point (as XP will be nearly 15 years old, and your PC will be dead by then, I'm sure).

2) Even if Microsoft shuts off product activation, the hacker community will certainly make dozens of tools to let you continue using XP with abandon. Fret not.

Can I install XP on a PC that has Vista already on it? Yes. You can delete any partition with any OS on it (and reformat it) during the installation of XP. If you're feeling brave, you can even run both OSes at the same time by setting up a dual-boot machine.

Whew! Does that clear everything up? Feel free to continue sending your queries and adding your comments below.

Note: This post was originally created in April 2007 and updated with new and changed information in April 2008.

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Beat the spyware

Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behaviour to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.

To see a list of threats Spybot-S&D can remove, in the navigation bar at the left click on Support --> Threats. For an introduction to Spybot-S&D, please read the tutorial. If you fear incompatibility with other software you are now using, although we can assure you that there is no danger you can review our compatibility overview which lists some software whose compatibility has been analyzed.

Spybot-S&D can also clean usage tracks, an interesting function if you share your computer with other users and don't want them to see what you have been working on. And for professional users, Spybot-S&D allows you to fix some registry inconsistencies and extended reports. A list of all the application's features is also available.

I've try it and i can said it's the best free anti-spyware now! compared with ad-aware 2007 free edition, Spybot 1000% better than ad-aware.

Download Spybot S&D (not a fake anti-spyware)

Donate Spybot

Best antivirus software for 2008

You're crazy to use a computer on the web without antivirus software, but getting solid antivirus protection doesn't have to mean spending a fortune. In fact, some of the most capable antivirus products don't cost a thing.

Here are some of my personal thoughts on the best antivirus products on the market, both free and commercial.

Free

Alwil Avast! 4.6 Home Edition - Venerable Avast! is still free for personal use, and it's a relatively unobtrusive and capable virus stomper that will work well for just about anyone. A new feature adds a web proxy to the mix (which filters all traffic running through it for security risks), and it works will all major web browsers. It also recognizes non-virus threats like spyware and adware. The Pro edition ($40) adds a few power-user features that the average user probably won't miss. Give the free version a try!

Aviva AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic 7 - This has long been a capable and effective antivirus product, especially noteworthy for its fast operation.

UPDATE: Many readers have asked me about Grisoft's AVG product. I've used it and don't really prefer it to Avast/Aviva, namely because it does not seem to scan all files effectively. Independent security ratings place it relatively low in overall capability as well. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Paid

Trend Micro Internet Security Pro - Trend Micro has long been an also-ran in the antivirus world, but after spending some time with a recent version of the software I've been impressed with how well it works, its paucity of crashes, and how generally effective it is. Trend offers three vaguely similar versions of its security application; this one ($70) is the most inclusive, and cheaper than the rest. You can also get plain antivirus for just $40.

Kaspersky Internet Security 7.0 - If you want absolute and utter control over every 1 and 0 that enters and exits your computer, Kaspersky is the app for you. I honestly don't think you can get any more secure than with Kaspersky locking down your system, but it was overkill even for me, and I had trouble convincing it not to remove some applications I knew were OK and actually wanted on my PC. Kaspersky is a hungry shredder with no reverse button (and it's on the slow side, too). $80. (Anti-virus only is $60.) I put NOD32 in this category; it's very similar in operation but can be heavy-handed.

Symantec Norton 360 - I've been a Norton user in various forms for close to a decade; the latest version doesn't do much different than the last few years' worth, but it's still rock-solid security that I don't hesitate to rely on. My only complaint is that Norton can slow down your computer quite a bit (like Kaspersky) and almost invariably hangs when I'm trying to shut down my computer. If you've ever wondered where all those error messages about programs like "ccApp" not responding come from, well, you've found it. It's frustrating that these problems persist year after year. $80 for Norton 360, or AntiVirus only for $60.

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Movies on DVD, hard drive, or USB: Which is best for laptop batteries?

Notebooks use a lot of power, but by isolating which components use it, you can add substantial run time to a machine without sacrificing utility.

To answer this question I performed three experiments on a Dell Inspiron notebook, playing back a movie file as a DVD, as an AVI ripped to the hard drive, and as the same AVI ripped to a USB thumbdrive and played back from there. All other settings on the machine were identical.

The results were interesting. Playing back a DVD, I got battery life of 2 hours, 36 minutes. As expected, when playing back from the hard drive, battery life climbed to 3 hours, 5 minutes. I expected even higher numbers from the USB thumbdrive playback but was in for a surprise: Run time plummeted way down to 2 hours, 33 minutes, the worst of the bunch. Quite interesting.

The hard drive vs. DVD isn't a big shock. A spinning optical drive uses about 5 watts of power, while an active hard drive uses just 2 to 3 watts. So naturally battery life will rise when you're not using the optical drive (especially since Windows likes to access your hard drive periodically anyway, whether you're using it or not).

The USB thumbdrive results were surprising, though, as USB devices have a reputation for not using a lot of power. I did a little research I found that power consumption can be erratic for USB devices, which likely explains the discrepancy (there is also a random component to any battery test, but not 30 minutes of randomness). One thumbdrive may only draw half a watt of power, but another may draw several watts. The USB interface itself draws power, too. Alas, there are no good studies of power consumption among different brands of thumbdrives, and I only tested using a single thumbdrive. The results could have been different had I used a different brand drive, but you'd have to experiment to find the right one.

Putting USB aside for now, one thing is clear: You can get substantially better battery life if you rip your DVDs to your hard drive before you take that trip. Not only that, you'll have to pack less (and DVDs are fragile), and you'll find switching between movies much more convenient, too.

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LocalCooling manages your PC's power consumption

Earth Hour took place this past weekend, but you don't have wait another year to do something about global warming. Doing simple things around the house, like shutting down the computer when it's not in use, can make a huge difference too. A free application called LocalCooling can help you adjust your computer's power settings so you can save money and reduce your greenhouse gas emissions.

This utility only works on machines running Vista or Windows XP, but really, anyone can go into their control panel to change the power options at any time. The one advantage this application has is that it tells you how many watts your computer is using. More specifically, it tells you which PC components (monitor, CPU, hard drive) are using up the most power, and it gives you the option to choose from a low, medium, or high power savings mode, so you don't have to waste time guessing which options will save the most energy.

The widget also translates your overall stats into the amount of gas, trees, or kWh you're saving over time so you can brag to your friends. What's neat about LocalCooling is once you've created an account, you can either set up a local group or join an existing one to take the energy savings competition to another level. This is definitely a cool tool you can use to teach the kids about saving energy and money.

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How to beat spyware and viruses

The last time I wrote a piece on how to remove spyware from your computer was in 2006. Time for an update, I think. Here's my perennial "How to Beat Spyware" howto, revised and updated for 2008 (and combined into a single file instead of two parts).

Here's what to do if you suspect an infection on your Windows PC. (Please note these steps apply to both Windows XP and Vista.)

1) Are you sure it's spyware or a virus? Windows pop-ups and alerts can often seem invasive enough to be viruses, especially with Vista. Try searching the web for the exact text you see on the screen to make sure you aren't dealing with an aggressive Windows message. (Many of these can be turned off, so try whatever instructions you find.) On the other hand, some viruses masquerade as Windows alerts, so tread lightly.

2) Boot in safe mode. If you have a virus, first step is to try booting in safe mode. You can get to safe mode (a simplified version of Windows that disables a lot of extra gunk, possibly including some spyware apps) by restarting your PC and tapping F8 during boot. Soon you'll get a menu of options. Select "Safe Mode" (it's at the top of the menu) and wait for the machine to fully boot. The system will look funny (with a black background and larger icons, probably), but don't worry about it. This is only temporary. (Also note that many spyware applications can disable safe mode, so if you find this doesn't work, just boot normally.)

3) Run your antivirus application. This is of course assuming you have an antivirus application. (Need one? Check here.) You're in safe mode now, so run a full scan of your PC at maximum security levels (include the option to scan within compressed files, for example). This will probably take an hour or more, so be patient. Fix any problems the virus scan turns up. Then reboot into safe mode again using the procedure in step 2.

4) Run one or two anti-spyware applications. I used to recommend running multiple anti-spyware apps, but virtually all antivirus apps now do a pretty good job at getting rid of spyware too, so you don't need an army of additional applications just for spyware. Also, I now recommend starting with AdAware (which is free) and moving on to Spyware Doctor (free as part of the Google Pack) if you feel you need additional help. (Please note that recent versions of Spyware Doctor and Norton Antivirus have some trouble with each other.) You can try other apps too, but the once-recommended SpyBot Search & Destroy is no longer very effective, sadly. (Neither is Microsoft's own Windows Defender.) Of course, fix anything and everything these apps find.

5) Reboot normally. (Not in safe mode.) Now take stock. Still got spyware? It's time to move along to my more advanced techniques for removing the nasties.

6) Run HijackThis. HijackThis is a free software tool that scans your computer to find malware that other apps might miss. Scroll down to "Official downloads" to download the tool. Next, simply open the ZIP file you downloaded, extract the application, and run the tool (you don't need to install it). Click the "Do a system scan and save a logfile" button. You'll receive a large text file as well as a dialog box which gives you a list of active software processes, which you can then choose to delete. Unfortunately, this list includes both helpful and unhelpful software, so don't just start deleting items. Continue in step 7 to figure out how to fix your spyware infection.

7) Post your log file online. Visit this page, which offers a list of forums staffed by volunteers who can help you interpret your HijackThis log. The SWI Forums are especially busy, but most of the forums on the list are equally apt. Go to SWI and visit the "Malware Removal" forum which has over 50,000 topics listed: Those are all people like you who are seeking help getting rid of spyware. Register for an account, read the FAQ, then visit that Malware Removal forum, and post a new topic. Paste the content of the text file you created in step 5 into this topic and (politely) ask for help. You will get a response from a volunteer helper, typically within 3 days. You'll be given specific advice on what entries to remove with the HijackThis tool, and you might be pointed to additional software to run to help remove common spyware infections. Follow all the instructions and keep working with the forum helpers until either you or they give up. (And no, don't send your log file to me or post it here. I am not nearly the spyware removal expert that these guys are.)

7a) Alternately: Paste your log file into an automated tool. Don't have three days? Try simply pasting your HijackThis log file into this form. It does a pretty good job at auto-analyzing what's wrong with your machine, with no waiting. As well, if that doesn't work, you can search for the items you find in the HijackThis log by name to see what they are and how to remove them, if they're spyware. This can be quite time consuming, though.

8) Try System Restore. If that doesn't work, you might try running Windows System Restore to roll back your OS to a time before the infection happened. This isn't foolproof: You might not have System Restore turned on, or the spyware might have shut System Restore off, as well. But it's worth a shot. With either XP or Vista, System Restore can be found under Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore.

9) Give up and wipe your hard drive. At this point, you've exhausted all the options I know of. You might try again at steps 6/7 to make sure you've done everything you can to salvage the PC. Forum helpers will often work with you for weeks to help fight a spyware infection, but there are tens of thousands of possible variants out there, with new ones cropping up every day. It's just not possible to clean them all, every time. Sometimes the only thing you can do is call it quits, reformat your hard drive, and reinstall your OS. Again, make sure you have your backups ready and verified. Once you're up and running, reinstall your antivirus and anti-spyware applications, and stay vigilant against infection. Good luck.

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10 myths about Windows passwords

When I first clicked on this article, I expected to see yet another diatribe telling you to use numbers, mixed-case letters, and special characters when you created a password. Boy was I wrong.

Get past some of the geeky language and you'll find a truly eye-opening story about the security of passwords in Windows.

Some key points from the piece (at least, points that challenge the conventional wisdom of password security):

• Random passwords aren't necessarily more secure. Strings of garbage like Gh&739(*j are hard to remember, easy to mistype, and can be vulnerable to password crackers, especially if they are short.


• The most secure passwords are 15 characters or longer.


• Replacing an "o" with a "0" does nothing for security. Do you really think a hacker can't figure out to try d0g instead of dog? Adding a few digits to a cracking program is no big deal.


• Realistically, changing your password every four months is good enough.


• Documenting your password is not necessarily a bad thing. If a password is written down and stored securely (say, in a safe), this can be useful if an employee quits, for example. Many people store their passwords in a safe deposit box in the event of emergencies, so spouses or children can get access to bank accounts and the like.

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Watch higher-resolution YouTube videos with this hack

Any YouTube fans out there tired of its low-resolution videos? Personally, I'm still waiting for that high-resolution player the company promised some time ago. Many YouTube competitors, such as Blip.tv, have been offering high-definition content for some time so I'm puzzled by YouTube's late entrance into the HD arena, since the company is already talking about streaming live video.

Back in November Steven Chen said the company was testing a player that detects a viewer's connection in order to serve up high-quality videos, but if you can't wait until that's launched, there are a few things you can do.

Apparently YouTube stores videos in their native resolution, so by appending a few extra characters to the end of the URL, you can access high-quality videos instantly. I tested it, and it worked, so here it goes:

• By adding &fmt=6 to the end of the URL, you'll get a video at a 448 x 336 resolution, and audio at a 44100 Hz sample rate. The video still loaded fast for me, and I was able to see a better video immediately.
• If you want even better quality change the 6 to 18 and append &fmt=18 to the end of the URL. This changes the resolution to 480x360.
  

Example:
Regular video (320x240): http://youtube.com/watch?v=nzxa0SLWMnc
High-quality video (448x336): http://youtube.com/watch?v=nzxa0SLWMnc&fmt=6
Higher-quality video (480x360): http://youtube.com/watch?v=nzxa0SLWMnc&fmt=18

I'm not sure if this will work for all the videos on YouTube, but it works fine with newer videos. If you don't think you can remember those characters, you can download a Firefox script that automatically does this for you. Give it a try.

Related:
YouTube to Stream High-Quality Videos Soon
YouTube to stream video this year, maybe

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Is your password secure enough?

Password security is a biggie, which is why I like websites with a password checker that tells me if the password I'm choosing is weak or strong. I usually try to choose complicated passwords with numbers, letters, and symbols, but sometimes even those passwords can be weak.



If you're dying to know if one of the passwords on your list needs a makeover, check out this handy password checker over at Microsoft. The tool was actually pretty tough on my own passwords giving most of them a "medium" rating, which probably means I need to get a little more creative.

Passwords get rated as weak, medium strong, and best, and I was surprised to have a hard time achieving a best rating. After trying several passwords, the only one that got a "best" rating had a good mix of letters, numbers, and an underscore. I think the underscore is what really did it.
According to the site a strong password should:

1. Appear to be a random string of characters to an attacker.
2. Be 14 characters or longer, (eight characters or longer at a minimum).
3. Include a good combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

If you're getting a "medium" rating on all your passwords, maybe it's time to update them.
Related:
How to set up an intruder alarm on your email account
Tips to make your inbox less vulnerable to identity theft

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What is a firewall and why do you need one?

Of the many computer security measures available to end users, none is more confusing to the novice than the firewall. I can understand why. Unlike anti-virus or anti-spyware tools, a firewall doesn't immediately telegraph what it does. I wouldn't be surprised if many people thought it was designed to prevent fires inside your computer. (It doesn't.)

I'm writing this post for novices, so please forgive any over-simplifications. Basically, a firewall is software (or hardware) that blocks malicious attacks on your computer from coming through over the internet. But wait, you might say, don't most malware attacks, like viruses, come over the internet? They do, but the difference is that with viruses and spyware, there is generally some human interaction that starts the infection: You might open an infected email or visit a bad website, for example. Anti-virus software helps in these situations where you're actively involved in the process.

But believe it or not, many, many computer attacks come over the internet even if you aren't at your desk and your web browser and email client are closed. Thanks to the millions of zombie PCs in the wild, attack computers are constantly scanning the internet, almost at random, looking for unprotected computers to attack. These zombies continuously scan for security holes (and I won't go into the intricate details of how this works), many of which are caused by Windows. It's like walking down the street, trying all the car doors to find one that's unlocked. If your computer is connected to the internet, they will find you—fast. Before a firewall was added to Windows XP in Service Pack 2, it was commonly held that an unprotected Windows machine connected to the internet would be infected with some form of malware within 20 minutes and in some cases as quickly as 4 minutes. Just plug it in, and the bad guys do their work.

So where does a firewall come in? A firewall plugs the security holes I mentioned and blocks that bad, random traffic from coming through to your computer. Anti-virus won't help you in many of these cases. You really need a firewall to stop a lot of this stuff.

The good news is that you probably already have a firewall up and running. The best firewalls are found inside router hardware (either wired or wireless) that you attach to your broadband modem. Every router I've ever tried has the firewall turned on by default, but check in the configuration tool to make sure it is. It should be easy to find. You usually need not configure it any more other than turning it on.

Don't have a router? Turn on the Windows Firewall by going to the Windows Firewall control panel (in XP or Vista). It also needs no additional configuring, and in my experience it is just as good as using a third-party firewall software product. You do not need both a router-based firewall and the Windows firewall. One will do.

Once your firewall is on, you can largely forget it and let it do its work. You may not notice this silent friend protecting you in the background, but believe me, you'll notice if you turn it off.

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First Aid for Your Hard Drive

So you've ignored our advice about backing up your data, and now you're in trouble. Steve's got tips that can help.

You're doing OK, right? Your computing life has settled down; your machine is stable; and you haven't even considered upgrading to Microsoft's Windows Vista.

Then--oops! You spill coffee on your notebook. (Oh, you don't think that's possible? Read Amber Bouman's "Laptops and Liquids Don't Mix.") Or maybe there's a storm and a power surge fries your PC's hard drive.

One of our Windows experts, Scott Dunn, has marvelous advice on moving the folders that hold your data files off your Windows XP or Vista drive to simplify backups. You can read it in "Keep Your Data Safe by Reorganizing Windows' Folders."

I also have advice from PC World experts about what to do if your hard drive crashes--and you don't have a backup.

A medicine cabinet for your PC

Lincoln Spector, our jack-of-all-trades computing expert, tells you what to do when your Windows XP or Vista system refuses to boot. Get the details in "Diagnose and Repair an Unbootable XP or Vista PC."

It could be possible to bring a stalled hard drive back to life--at least until you can grab the data from it. Watch our "How to Resurrect a Crashed Hard Drive" video for tips, including the freezer and Frisbee techniques. (Hey, it's worth a try, right?)

If you want to fill your toolbox with just-in-case utilities, browse our "Recovering From Disaster" download collection.

But honestly, do you really want to go through all that?

Dig this: If you think "24" took a turn for the boring last season, just be thankful that Jack Bauer isn't fighting terror in the age of dial-up connections, pagers, and dot-matrix printers. BTW, you'll want to turn down your system's volume when you watch this video. [Thanks, Jim G.]

Dig this, too: Have you ever wondered what a combat aircraft's cockpit looks like? Click on a plane to see the cockpit. [Thanks, Bob.]

Better back it up

Readers keep asking me why should they should bother backing up their entire hard drive.

Data's definitely important, but so are your favorites, the look of your desktop, the customized feel of your beloved programs, and Windows patches. Reinstalling and reconfiguring everything from scratch is a nightmare. The best, most staunchly conservative method is to back up the entire drive, with daily incremental backups of just the files that have changed. Mine's set to back up at 7 o'clock every night.

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From : MSN Tech

MacBook Air Versus PC Ultraportable Laptops

The MacBook Air is a stunner, no doubt, but it's going to be up against stiff challenges from PC notebook makers. Here are a few of the top ones.

The MacBook Air is Apple's first foray into a crowded ultraportable market that has seen its share of very light, very capable products from companies including Sony, Lenovo, and Fujitsu, among others. Here's a fast look at how they stack up.

The MacBook Air is lightweight and well-balanced—and one of our editors, Senior Product Editor Melissa Perenson, had no difficulties lifting this 3-pound notebook up one-handed. Unlike most notebook computers, the MacBook Air has a clean, tapered, uniform look when closed.

There is no optical drive in the MacBook Air, but that isn't unusual for laptops in this class. It has only three ports (a headphone jack, one USB 2.0 port and one Mini-DVI port), and no Ethernet—and its battery is sealed into the case. But its keyboard is already being compared to the popular MacBook and its large (for this class), 13.3-inch monitor boasts 1,280 by 800 resolution.


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How to Choose a New PC: 2008 Self-Help Edition

I will confess the response to my "how to ask for help in buying a new computer" blog post has overwhelmed me. Dozens of you write every day, looking for guidance. I'm happy to help, but a lot of my suggestions are applicable to many buyers. Turns out a lot of you want/need the same thing... even if your budgets are wildly different. With that in mind, here is some general advice that can help you determine what kind of computer to buy, or at least point you in the right direction.

Windows vs. Mac vs. Linux - Windows vs. Mac has long been a perennial debate, and it's still a personal decision as to whether that OS is right for you. But now desktop Linux is on the rise, complicating things even further. It's all very confusing, but here's some advice: Don't jump from Windows to a Mac or Linux without spending a little hands-on time with the OS, either at a physical store or a friend's house. Both are very similar to Windows in many ways, but some substantial differences remain. I regularly recommend both alternatives for readers, but not unless they've experienced Mac OS or Linux in the flesh first.

Desktop vs. Laptop - Most people know this answer coming in, but many are still confused about whether they should go portable. A key issue is price: Expect to pay an extra $500 for a comparably equipped laptop vs. a similar desktop (sans monitor). Is that premium worth it to you for the extra mobility? If so, make the jump to laptop. Don't forget, though: Your laptop will be dead after anywhere from one to three years of use, depending on how rough you are with it. A good desktop PC will last you five years or more, and even longer with appropriate upgrades.

CPU - I'm assuming we're talking a Windows Vista or XP PC from here on out, as that represents the vast majority of computer buyers. (Linux and Mac PCs have far fewer choices when it comes to specs, so just roll with what's available.) As for CPU, right now Intel Core 2 Duo is the way to go, especially on laptops. The AMD Athlon 64 or Phenom are still solid choices for desktops, especially if you're on a budget. Don't get Celeron- or Sempron-based systems if you can help it. Also, it's not worth buying the very fastest CPU on the market. A good rule of thumb is to get a CPU that is two rungs down from the top, speedwise. You'll be getting great performance at a very good price.

RAM - This one's easy. In the Vista world, you need 2GB of RAM. Less will slow down your computer. More will do you no additional good. Don't worry about the speed of the RAM, cache, front side bus, or any of that stuff.

Hard Drive - Even an entry-level drive is more than enough for most people, unless you do loads of video editing on your computer. Even starter computers usually come with 250GB of hard drive space or more now. Upgrade as you need it.

Optical Drive - Unless you are set on high-definition DVD, a dual-layer DVD writer (standard on most machines now) is all you need.

Graphics - Unless you're spending under about $1,000 (laptops) or $600 (desktops), avoid integrated or "shared" graphics. They will noticeably slow your system under Vista and any gaming will be impossible. You don't need to break the bank to get a good graphics card; an Nvidia GeForce 8500GT supports DirectX 10 and can be found for a mere $70, for example. PC makers tend to offer only a couple of video card options with new computers, so get what you can afford, Nvidia or ATI, as long as it's DirectX compatible.

Laptop Screen Size - 15.4-inch laptops are the mainstream now. You'll find the best deals on machines at this size. However, plenty of smaller options abound, at 14 inches, 13.3 inches, and even smaller, but I personally find the lack of screen real estate makes me less productive below 15.4 inches. Again, it's up to you... and remember that those sexy ultraportables have stripped-down components (to keep them light) and can cost much more than larger laptops. 17-inch laptops (aka "desktop replacements") are another option, but they are not terribly feasible if you travel with them.

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Heat-busting tips and tricks for your PC

Heat is like kryptonite for your precious system—it can slow your PC's performance to a crawl, fry the motherboard, and threaten your data. Check out these easy tips for keeping your desktop or notebook cool as a cucumber.

Location, location, location: Have your CPU tucked away in a cabinet or hidden on the floor beneath your desk? Well... don't. Your system needs plenty of ventilation to keep cool—about a foot on every side, according to SmartComputing. And while the floor may seem like a relatively cool place for your CPU, it's also a breeding ground for dust and dirt, which could block your system's all-important cooling fans. Finally, keep your system in the shade—direct sunlight may brighten your mood while you're working, but it's a serious no-no for your components.

Clean out the dust: Over time, a fair amount of dust and dirt will collect inside your CPU—it's inevitable—and as I just noted above, that dust will eventually start to block the cooling fans. Beat back the dust by opening your PC's case (don’t be afraid, a simple Philips-head screwdriver should do the trick) and spraying around the wires, circuits, and cooling fans with a can of compressed air (available at any office supply store). Squeamish about opening the case? Then just spray the cooling fans themselves—it's better than nothing. Got a laptop? Spray around the cooling vents on the sides and bottom. Repeat once a week or so and you should be in good shape.

Shut down your laptop at night: Leaving your desktop running all day, every day might be fine (if not terribly green). But laptops, which tend to run hot anyway, need their beauty sleep. If it's Miller time, go ahead and shut your notebook down for the night.

Keep an eye on the mercury: Want to know exactly how hot it's getting inside your system's CPU? PctipsBox found a handy—and free—download called Speed Fan, which keeps track of fan speeds, internal temperature, and monitor voltage, and it'll even regulate your system fans to prevent heat buildup.

Laptop chill-out: Here's another good lead from PctipsBox: the Ergo Fan Riser, a stand for your laptop that doubles as an external cooling unit. The $40 version includes four built-in USB 2.0 ports for good measure.

Keep your ears open: Has your system been making any unusual noises—or not making noises, as the case may be? It could mean something's up with your cooling fans—and that's a situation you need to address, rapidly. If you have Speed Fan installed, you should be able to tell if your fans are working properly; if they're not, either replace the fans yourself (if you know what you're doing) or lug your CPU to a service center, pronto.

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48 percent of teens bought zero CDs in 2007

The writing's on the wall for physical media and music: Nearly half of all teens, widely considered the most-desired demographic for media consumption, didn't buy a single compact disc in 2007. Not one.

In 2006, that figure was 38 percent, and in one year it shot to 48 percent. The downloadable music revolution—whether legal or otherwise—is well underway, and there's really no turning back at this point. Need more proof? Apple iTunes is now the second largest retailer of music, following retail giant Wal-Mart.

The data, from market researcher NPD Group, surveyed 5,000 shoppers about their music consumption habits. Among their other discoveries: 29 percent of people buy music online now (up from 21 percent), with legal purchases most common in the 36- to 50-year-old demographic, where iTunes is seen as a convenience issue to avoid having to rip CDs to their computer and then load them onto their iPod. Kids buy single tracks for an obvious reason: They just want the hits, and they don't want the rest of the junk on the album.

As for piracy? Looks like it's actually headed up: Paid music made up only 42 percent of music obtained in 2007, down from 48 percent in 2006 and 50 percent in 2005. However, only 19 percent of people were actually sharing music on P2P and other illegal networks.

The LA Times story linked above has plenty of additional fun facts and some equally enlightening quotes from teens about how totally hosed this industry is about to get.

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Function of SHIFT button

1. Sure we now SHIFT used for uppercase and special character printed above normal character on keyboard.
2. Hold down the SHIFT key while plugging in the flash drive to prevent virus autorun.
3. Press SHIFT key frequently to show sticky keys.
4. Press SHIFT key + delete to delete the file without going to recycle bin.
5. Hold down the SHIFT key while opening files on explorer to make the files unnamed.
6. Hold down the SHIFT key while booting to make the boot faster.
   

U.K.'s Fastest Supercomputer Unveiled

The largest and most advanced supercomputer in the U.K. has been unveiled in Edinburgh.

Hector — or the High-End Computing Terascale Resource — can handle 63 trillion calculations per second, which is the equivalent processing power of 12,000 desktop systems and four times faster than its predecessor. The amount of calculations the system can handle is equivalent to every person on Earth simultaneously carrying out 10,000 calculations per second.

The supercomputer is based at the University of Edinburgh's Advanced Computer Facility near the Scottish capital and will cost $221.3 million (113 million pounds) over six years. The facility will be operated by the Edinburgh Parallel Computing Center (EPCC).

The EPCC claims Hector will take high performance supercomputing up "another gear" and will play a key role in allowing scientists to be at the forefront of research.

Work due to be carried out using Hector includes forecasting the impact of climate change, projecting the spread of disease epidemics, and developing new medicines.

Hector uses a Cray XT4 system with software and application support provided by Numerical Algorithms Group.

At present, the supercomputer has a peak capability of 63 teraflops (a teraflop is one trillion floating operations per second), but this is due to increase to 250 teraflops in October 2009, with a further upgrade due two years later.

The procurement was managed by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council on behalf of U.K. Research Councils with some of the money coming from the Department of Innovation, Universities, and Skills.

EPCC also runs a green supercomputer called Maxwell — unveiled early in 2007 — which is 10 times more energy efficient than traditional equivalents.

Despite its vast power, it falls short of the world's fastest computer, Blue Gene/L, which can reach speeds of 478 teraflops.

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Conserving Your Laptop's Power

You can do certain things to help your laptop's battery last a bit longer. On the short list, you have computer components that consume a lot of power:

• The hard drive

• The CD/DVD drive

• The floppy drive (if you have one)

• The modem

• The network interface

• The display

Each of the above devices consumes power when you use it. Obviously, by not using those devices or by rationing their use, you can save a modicum of power.

For example, by setting a lower resolution and fewer colors on the display, you cause the computer to use less video resources (though this technique saves only a minor amount of power). For more savings, consider not using the CD/DVD drive, which requires real power to keep it spinning (such as when you're watching a DVD movie).

But you can really take control by setting various timeouts in the Power Options Properties dialog box, Power Schemes tab, as you can see in Figure 1. Here, you can disable or timeout certain laptop features and help extend battery life in a dramatic way.

Figure 1 shows two major items: Turn Off Monitor and Turn Off Hard Disks. You can direct Windows to turn off those power-sucking hardware leeches after a given period of inactivity, greatly saving battery life.

In Figure 1, the settings disable both the monitor and hard drive after five minutes of inactivity. This disability works just like Stand By, or sleep, mode: Power to those devices quietly turns off. The hard drive stops spinning. The monitor goes blank. The devices wake up if you need them to, so if you want access to your hard drive, the computer restores power to the hard drive. And if you press a key or touch the mouse pad, the display comes back to life, as well.

You can also use the Power Schemes tab of the Power Options Properties dialog box to set when your laptop automatically suspends or hibernates when it's running under battery power.

When you find device custom settings that work for you, save them permanently. Click the Save As button and type something like "My Scheme." That way Windows remembers your settings, and you can choose "My Scheme" from the list, should Windows forget.

Here are some tips for making the most of your battery power:

• You have separate settings for when the laptop is plugged in and when it's running off battery power.

• Yes, you can't see the screen saver if you suspend the monitor before the screen saver kicks in.

• You may want to snooze the hard drive, especially if you don't plan on doing much hard drive access while using your laptop.

• Any disk access at all does wake up the hard drive, which requires an extra squirt of energy. If you set the hard drive to sleep after one minute, but you constantly revive it, then you're actually wasting power. Try another setting.

• You can tell when the hard drive has been sleeping because it takes a wee bit longer for disk access to complete stuff like file saving, opening programs, browsing folders, and so on.

• When a computer is plugged in, you don't need to suspend hard drive operation.

• You can also save power by running the laptop's microprocessor at a slower rate. This option is automatically controlled in modern laptops, though older laptops may have some manual control over the CPU or bus speeds.

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How to Tame PC Wires

Our main computer sits in our combination home office/mudroom. Yep, you get the picture, and it's often messy. But the biggest thing that bothers me is all the wires I see beneath the desk when I walk in the door.

In need of a more expansive surge protector to handle all of the plugs we have in our mini media center, I bought Belkin's Conceal Surge Protector. It has 11 outlets to handle plugs and bricks of all sizes. But the best thing about it is after you connect those ugly black plugs and wires, a door swings over to hide them.

So, $40 later, it's looking better around here. But there are some other ways to tame the wild wire look that comes with connected living.

• CableOrganizer.com has some good, affordable cable-hiding options, including a $10 cable tunnel organizer and a $20 cord caddy, which you can wrap long cables around.

• Under-the-desk basket -- This $13 one from Ikea attaches to open computer desks in the back so you can snake wires through it unseen.

• A simple basket. When all else fails, routing your wires to a surge protector hidden in a strategically placed basket can help soften the wired look at bit. eHow has a step-by-step guide to hide your tangle of cords on the cheap with some twist ties, Velcro, cup hooks, and a basket.

Lifehacker has some more tips, though I can't back them up on using paper towel holders to corral wires. Not sure that would add to the decor in a good way.

Got a better homegrown answer to untangling the web of wires around your home computer? Post away.

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Java is designed with Object Oriented Programming which make user easier to develop the proggramme. Java's language is familiar with C and pascal language.

Java can be used in all Operating System because Java has it's own platform.

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JCreator : Compiler

NetBeans IDE : Compiler