Jusched.exe is the Java Update Scheduler. This process is installed by Sun Microsystems' Java to periodically check for updates related to Java handling, runtime environment and internet browsing and install them whenever present. By default, it is installed as a service and set to start automatically.

This process is a nonessential process and can be safely terminated since it sits there eating memory space only to check once a month for updates from the Sun community. Note that terminating the process will prevent automatic updates to Java.

To prevent the Java Update Scheduler from launching on Startup, in Windows XP/Vista open up the Java Control Panel and uncheck "Check for Updates Automatically".

When asked if you would like to update monthly, click on "Never Update." However this will mean that if a Java security update is made available you will miss it. If you want to update Sun Java at a later stage, simply go back to the same Java plug-in icon in the Control Panel, to the "Update" tab, and click the Update Now button.

What you can also do to set it up to run once a month automatically without you having to remind yourself to switch the feature on is, go to Start >> Control Panel and find Scheduled Tasks. Follow the wizard along to pick a month and date, and then when you get to the "Start a Program" screen, use this as the path:

"C:\Program Files\Java\jre1.6.0_01\bin\jucheck.exe"

adjusting the path if you are running a different version of Java. The key thing to note is that you run the jucheck.exe in your Java directory thus if you don't know JAVA Runtime Environment you're running, go to "C:\Program Files\Java\" and check in there.

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Files ending with the extension TMP are frequently found on computers. So what are these TMP files?

Well, as the file extension might suggest, they are temporary files. These files are typically created by applications to store some form of temporary data, in a permanent form than RAM, on your hard disk. TMP files are commonly produced either when a program can't allocate enough memory for its tasks, or as part of inter-process communication.

Modern operating systems usually employ a virtual memory system, where if a program exceeds its allotted memory space usage, it can provide the application with part of the hard disk space as a substitute for memory. Programs which use large amounts of data, like video editing software, may need to create many TMP files.

TMP files are usually deleted automatically by their parent application (the software, game, application) which created them. However there may be instances where these files aren't removed from your computer and end up taking unnecessary space. This happens particularly either because the parent application crashed during runtime, or because the program's developer forgot to add the necessary code to delete TMP files when finished using them. TMP files tend to accumulate over time and take up a lot of disk space.

All this said, I have to add an important note: not all TMP files are safe to remove. So how do I know when a TMP file can be removed or not?

Usually it is safe to assume that if a TMP file is several weeks or months old, you can delete. You can check the meta data to know when the file was created or last modified, by right clicking on the file and choosing Properties. For example when you are using a word processor and have the auto-save option enabled, the application will most probably create some form of temporary file to store the content of the document you're working on in some pre-defined location in your hard disk.

Other temp files as they are usually called, are created by the Windows and its default applications. One well known default application which creates hoards of temporary files is the Internet browser.

Whenever you access a webpage, buy from an online shopping cart, access your email, your browser is transparently saving and caching some data pertaining to the action you've taken for various reasons. One of the reasons is for optimizing your web experience and loading the web-pages you visit the most frequently faster.

Temp files which are created by default Windows applications are usually stored in a few pre-defined locations in your hard drive mainly C:windowstemp folder. For these reasons there may be temp files, unbeknown to you, scattered in various locations all over your computer. The easiest way to remove temporary files created by Windows and its applications is to use the Disk Cleanup service.

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Now that you've gotten yourself a new computer you're considering giving away your old one. Perhaps you have a relative, or a favorite charity, or even just a recycling/donation station that will take your old computer.

There's one thing you must do before giving it away.

Securely erase the hard drive.

It seems every day we hear of computers that have been discarded or donated by banks, hospitals, or others that later turn up only to find out that all sorts of private information that should have been erased first wasn't, and is now in the wrong hands.

It happens all the time, and it's one of the easiest ways to become the victim of identity theft.

What to do is easy: erase the data. How to do it depends on how paranoid you are.

Reformatting your disk is typically considered the right thing to do, and if done properly it's all that most need.

The catch, of course, is that word "properly".

There are two problems.

First, Windows will not actually let you format the drive that's currently running Windows. That's the most common scenario: you have one hard drive and when you start your computer it boots from that drive. In order to reformat it you need to boot from something else. It's too easy to give up at this stage and just hope that erasing files within Windows is enough. Hint: it's not.

Second: the most common kind of format, a "quick format" actually does very little except create an empty root directory on the hard disk and possibly add a label. The rest of the disk isn't touched, and more importantly isn't erased. That's why it's quick. It looks like it's erased, but in a very important way it's not and your data could potentially be recovered.

That's where disk-wiping tools come in.

There are several, and a good, free example is DBAN. Short for Darik's Boot And Nuke, DBAN is available at www.dban.org. It's purpose is simple: after downloading and burning it to a CD, you can boot from it. Once booted, DBAN will completely erase your hard drive, as securely as you like.

It's as simple as that.

There's a frequent recommendation to use a large magnet to erase a hard disk. Forget it. Hard disks are typically encased in shielding enclosures, and any magnets you might have around the house, even the really big ones, aren't likely to have any effect on the data stored on your hard disk.

For the truly paranoid, there's one more option: physical destruction.

Depending on the options chosen and techniques used it's sometimes possible to recover data from an erased hard drive. It's not simple, it's not cheap, it doesn't always work, and it's not something your average hacker can even attempt, but there are data recovery labs that can examine a hard drive in ways that might possibly recover data that had been previously erased.

If you're truly serious, physically destroying the disk platters inside the drive is guaranteed destruction.

Which of course renders your "gift" much less valuable.

For individuals, and even for banks and hospitals, the simpler and more practical approach is to use disk wiping tools like DBAN to overwrite the data securely, and then give away the computer with confidence that you're not including all your personal information as an added bonus.

Just realize that doing nothing, or just "deleting files", is risking complete data exposure.

Author - Get more free tech help and advice from Leo Notenboom by visiting http://ask-leo.com With over 30 years of industry experience, including an 18 year career as a software engineer with Microsoft, Leo gives real answers to real questions from ordinary computer users at Ask Leo! Subscribe to Leo's weekly newsletter now and receive a free ebook: "Internet Safety - Keeping Your Computer Safe on the Internet", a collection of steps, tools and concepts you need to know to keep your computer and your information safe.

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For users running Windows 7 editions - Professional, Ultimate or Enterprise, a need may arise to run older applications made for Windows XP that won't run on Windows 7.

Fortunately, Windows 7 provides a feature called XP Mode that will let you run a virtualized copy of XP SP3 on your computer in order to minimize compatibility issues.

The only problem is…can your computer run XP Mode?

You see, the key to running Xp Mode is that your computer must meet these two requirements:

• 2GB system RAM

• A CPU that supports chip-level virtualization

It's that second requirement, "chip-level virtualization" that will prevent some Windows 7 user from running XP Mode.

So how do you tell if your CPU supports chip-level virtualization? One way is to check your BIOS and make sure it's enabled.

That is, if you know what to look for.

Well, fortunately both Intel and AMD provides a tool to help you find out if your CPU is capable of chip-level virtualization.

To run the tool, you will need to download it at the following site:

• Intel Processor Identification Utility

• AMD Virtualization Compatibility Check Utility

NOTE: Intel provides two versions of the tool, one for Windows and a bootable version. Either tool will work for Windows users.

On my test computer, I have an Intel processor. After downloading and installing the Windows tool, you can run it immediately after installation has completed.

When the results are displayed, click on the CPU Technologies tab (circled in screen shot below) and look for "Intel(R) Virtualization Technology" (outlined) specifying if you processor is supported or not.

If so, you are in luck and you're ready to run XP Mode (make sure to check your BIOS to see if it needs to be enabled).

If not, as is the case on my test hardware…it's time to get new hardware or new software that is capable of running on Windows 7

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With the release of Windows 7, comes a new list of hardware requirements to run the latest operating system from Microsoft.

If you decided to make the move, after comparing the different versions of Windows 7 (link to above article) the next item you need to consider is if you can run Windows 7 on your existing hardware or do you need to purchase new hardware.

The Windows 7 requirements specifications released by Microsoft follows:

• 1 GHz or faster 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor

• 1 GB of RAM (32-bit)/2 GB of RAM (64-bit)

• 16 GB of available disk space (32-bit)/20 GB (64-bit)

• DirectX 9 graphics device with Windows Display Driver Model 1.0 or higher driver

Obviously, by today's hardware standards, these requirements are on the minimal side. And as we all know, you may want to bump these requirements up.

For example, if you plan to run XP Mode, you will need at least 2 GB RAM along with an extra 15 GB of additional hard drive space. Also consider a processor that supports hardware virtualization.

Same considerations should be made if you want to use Virtual PC running several virtual machines. Depending on the number of virtual machines you want to run will determine how much RAM as well as how much processing power is needed. You may want to move to 64bit hardware to allow for more processing power and larger RAM amounts.

32-bit versions of Windows 7 are limited to supporting just 4 GB of RAM (in reality, only 3.1 to 3.5 GB are actually usable), 64-bit versions can access between 16 GB and 192 GB of RAM, depending on the product edition.

Gamers and multimedia power users may also want to consider moving to 64bit hardware to run Windows 7.

If you are an average home Windows users, 32bit will be just fine.

Will My Existing Hardware Run Windows 7?

According to early tests, Windows 7 performs better than Windows Vista on the same hardware, but if you are not sure, Microsoft provides a tool called The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor.

The Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor will scan your system hardware, installed programs and attached devices. Once complete, the Advisor will report on how well your PC meets the system requirements, if there are any known compatibility issues with your programs and devices, and will also provide guidance on your upgrade options to Windows 7.

Unlike Vista, Windows 7 early tests have shown it to be more stable with performance than Vista. That's something us XP users are happy to hear!

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While Windows 7 release date is just around the corner (October 22 2009), the question on everyone's mind, after deciding to upgrade, is "which Windows 7 edition is right for me?"

One would think the choice is simple but as always with Microsoft operating systems, there are usually more than one choice available.

First let's start with how many editions are available for Windows 7 - six (6). They are: Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Enterprise, and Ultimate.

In reality not all six editions are available to the consumer. Let's look at those editions first:

Windows 7 Starter Edition - This version is really meant for basic computing tasks such as email checking, browsing the Internet, watching movies, listening to music, etc.

Essentially, Windows 7 Starter is optimized for less powerful machines, such as Netbooks and will only be availabel to OEM's (Orignal Equipment Manufacturers) who will pre-istall and ship to retail stores.

Windows 7 Home Basic Edition - This version is a step up from Starter but will only be made available in in emerging countries (such as Philippines, India, etc) and sold with new computers.

Windows 7 Enterprise Edition - Similar to Windows 7 Ultimate (see below) but for companies who purchase volume licensing.

This brings us down to three editions, from which the average consumer (you and me) can choose from:

Windows 7 Home Premium Edition - Similar to Windows XP and Vista Home versions, this is where the comparisons stop. Home Premium includes more features than it predecessors and is much more stable than Vista, something that XP users will be happy to hear (but were afraid of using Vista) when deciding to upgrade.

As with all editions of Windows 7, Home Premium also includes the Aero glass user interface and taskbar. Home Premium will not require the hardware upgrades that Vista demanded, partially because the hardware has caught up, and that Microsoft has gone to great lengths to make Windows 7 accessible to as many people as possible.

Some of Windows 7 Home Premium features include:

Windows Media Center (for playing a variety of multimedia formats), Windows Media Player streaming cabilities, DVD maker, backup utility that includes creating full system images along with the Previous Version utility that allows for retrieving files that you may have just deleted or changed accidentally.

And finally Microsoft has including Virtual PC which allows you to run other operating systems on top of Windows. This is a great addition that was only availabel to a more costly version of Windows in the past.

Home Premium supports up to 2 physical processors (unlimited cores), and a max of 16 gigabytes of RAM.

Windows 7 Professional Edition - In my opinion probably the best edition of the bunch for the average consumer, Professional Edition includes all features that are available in Home Premium.

The additional features include, Windows XP Mode which lets you run many Windows XP productivity programs, joining to Microsoft Domains on company networks, advanced networking features (Location Aware Printing feature allows you to choose different default printers for different networks), backup functionality to back up to a home or business network, remote desktop service that allows other computers to connect to your computer, encrypting file system and offline files.

The XP Mode feature may seem confusing at first to most people. Essentially, it will allow Windows 7 Professional (and Ultimate) users to run a virtualized copy (using Virtual PC) of XP SP3 in order to minimize compatibility issues. Yes, that means when you purchase the Professional edition, you also get a licensed version of Windows XP.

Not a bad deal.

For the typical home consumer, this is simply the best Windows 7 version to purchase.

Running Windows 7 Professional Edition requires the same hardware requirements as Home Premium, but you may want to consider beefing it up a liitle if you want to take advantage of Virtual PC and XP Mode.

Windows 7 Ultimate Edition - Ultimate includes all the features of Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional, but adds additional enterprise and security features (typically needed by large corporations). It is the only edition that lets you use multiple languages (35 of them) on the same computer.

Features include, Bitlocker and BitLocker To Go support used for protect data (encrypting) stored on portable storage devices (USB drives) flash devices, and other media, Federated Searches which allows searching across network drive, booting from VHD (Virtual Hard Drives) files, and Unix support.

With Ultimate, it's mainly for the corporate enterprise, not for the average home user.

If you are thinking of upgrading your existing Windows computer (running XP or Vista), you can use the Anytime Upgrade feature to purchase a serial key online and upgrade your existing Windows 7 license to a more advanced edition.

Also don't forget to consider Windows 7 hardware requirements, when deciding to move to the new operating system.

For an in-depth comparison of all Windows 7 versions via a shart, check out Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows.

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No matter what type of browser you are using, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Google Chrome, one thing is for sure, sooner or later you will receive an error message that will either make sense or not.

Some, you may have seen many times, such as the typical 404 or 408 error, to others that seem obscure such as the 503 error.

In most cases, you can simply refresh the page again by hitting the F5 key on your keyboard, while other errors will have you scratching your head in confusion.

So the next time you do come across a browser error while surfing the Internet, here are some tips on how to deal with them along with an explanation of each error.

404: Not Found - The most popular and frequent browser error message you will see. This type of error message can be customized by the site''s Webmaster, and may appear as The page cannot be found, or
Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage (if you use Internet Explorer browser).

No matter what the error message says, the 404 error always means that the page you are trying to reach can not be found.

Resolution: Try pressing CTRL+F5 on the keyboard to refresh the page and bypass your browser cache. If this fails, check the URL for any syntax errors. Sometimes if the link was clicked on from a different website (than the target site) the link itself may be incorrect. In this case, go to the website where the page exist and seach for the web page.

408: Request Timeout - The 408 Request Timeout browser error typically means the request you sent to the website took longer than the site's server was prepared to wait. In other words, your connection with the web site "timed out".

More often than not, this is a temporary error, usually due to the site that you are trying to view may be slow to respond or there is a problem with the network connection between you and the remote site..

Resolution: A simple page refresh (CTRL+F5) will fix the problem (resources become availabe on the server of the site you want to view). If not, verify that the connection between you and the Internet is still functioning by trying to connect to another site (such as Google or Yahoo).

If you can reach other sites, give it some time and come back later to the original site and see if they fixed the problem.

400: Bad Request - This browser error means that the request you sent to the website server was somehow malformed therefore the server was unable to understand or process the request.

Resolution: More than likely the URL was typed wrong or the link (that you clicked) points to a URL with some kind of mistake in it. Try verifing the that the URL is correct or go to the website and search for the page.

401 - Unauthorized - There is no guessing what this error means…the request requires user authentication. resource.

This is typically seen on Corporate networks with a proxy server or with sites that protect their content and require a user account and password to access.

Resolution: Make sure you have access with a valid user account and password. If you are not sure, contact your Network administrator or the site's Webmaster for assistance.

NOTE: A 403: Forbidden error message can also indicate authentication access is needed. Typically this browser error message will appear when trying to view a web site directory listing that you are not allowed to view.

500: Internal Error - This error message indicates that there is something wrong at the Web site itself (for example the site's server is not functioning correctly or it's unable to provide you with the requested Web page).

Resolution: In this case, it's best to contact the site's Webmaster or administrator, or try again later in the hopes that they have noticed the problem and fixed it themselves.

Failed DNS Lookup or Host Unknown - If you come across DNS errors, it always means that the Domain (www.google.com) can't be converted into a valid Internet address.

DNS in this message stands for Domain Name System.  Addresses on the Internet take the form of a string of numbers. For instance, www.watchingthenet.com is the domain name of this Web site and it's IP address is  207.218.240.194. If the DNS servers your computer or router is pointing to (for name resolution), cannot resolve the name to an IP address, you will see this error message.

Resolution: Check that the Domain you typed is correct. If you did, wait a few seconds and try again. You can also use http://network-tools.com DNS Lookup tool and verify that the domain is valid. If it is, try connecting using the IP address of the Domain.

Bad file request - This error indicates you've requested a page that contains a form with a feature your browser can't support.

Resolution; Unfortunately there is not much you can do other than contact the Webmaster of the error message and ask for assistance.

503 Service Unavailable - This error message will appear when the remote server hosting the Web page is not active.

Now, this message does not mean that the site is permanently unavailable. It may indicate the site is very busy, the web page is being updated or maintenance is being performed (site is temporarily unavailable).

Resolution: Your best bet is to try the page later. Also check the connection between your computer and the Internet is still accessible by connecting to Google or Yahoo.

As you can see, most  browser error messages are simple to fix, once you understand their causes. There are many more errors that can occur, but for the most part, these are the most common errors you will come accross while surfing the internet daily.

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What is a Macro?

Simply put, a Macro is a series of steps to accomplish a task which can be recorded and then reused in the future.

For example: Let's say you have many steps that you use to create a report each month for your boss. Each month you may have the same spreadsheet, but with the current month's figures. Each month you setup the same Sums, Formulas, Text Formatting, Pivot Table, and maybe more.

This could be very time consuming if you completed these steps individually each month.

However, with a Macro, you can record the steps you complete each month. Once recorded, you setup a Shortcut Key to repeat these steps whenever you wish. This, simply put, is a Macro.

Macros are not unique to Excel, but for this instruction, we will use Excel as the example.

Recording a Macro involves following these steps:

1) Plan the keystrokes needed to complete the tasks (in our example above, it is the monthly formulas, text formatting, etc needed to create our report)

2) Click Tools | Macros | Record New Macro

3) Assign a Name for the Macro

4) Assign a Shortcut Key for the Macro

5) Click OK

6) Perform the steps needed to create your report (the steps you complete each month, which includes formulas, text formatting, etc)

7) Click on the Stop button on the Macro Toolbar to stop recording and Save the Macro

Now that the Macro has been created, you may want to test the Macro to confirm it completes all of the necessary steps that you wanted recorded.

Once you have tested, you are now ready to use the Macro each month when you are ready to create your report. Macros can help you accomplish tasks quickly and efficiently through this automated recording process.

To run the Macro, open the Excel spreadsheet you wish, and simply type the Shortcut Key you setup when you created the Macro.  Depending on the number of steps in the Macro, you may see Excel performing these steps, but quicker than you would have been able to on your own.  Once the Macro has run, you will see the completed steps that were performed.

Author - Debbie McCusker, GoAskDebbie.com

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If it was not for Google Reader, I probably would not be able to keep up with all web sites on a daily basis. RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is really the only way to quickly surf the web.

Being able to list all the sites content on one page allows me to quickly scan headlines and read what interests me.

But one feature that has been visibly missing from Google Reader was the capability to send links to an email account or social bookmark or networking sites that I want to share.

Not any more.

Google has finally incorporated this function while allowing you to add additional sites not displayed in the default list.

To use Send To in Google Reader, you first need to enable it by selecting sites you want to "Send To".

To do this, click on the Manage subscriptions >> link in the left bottom navigation pane (where all your subscriptions are)…

…then click on the Send To link in the menu bar.

From the default list of sites that you want to send articles to, just click the check box next to the site.

When finished, go back to Google Reader main page, and at the end of each article, you will see the Send To link with a drop down arrow that will allow you to select a site for sharing.

You can also use SHIFT+T to display the Send To list.

For any sites not available in the default Send To list, you can add sites by using the Create a Custom Link in the Send To settings.

To add a custom link, you will need to use URL variables provided by Google Reader. The varables are:

${source}The source of the item
${title}The title of the item
${url}The URL of the item
${short-url}A shortened URL that redirects to the item

At first the variables look confusing, but they are actually easy to use.

For example to add a link for your default mail client installed on your computer (MS Outlook, Thunderbird, etc), click on the Create a custom link button (in the Send To settings page) and enter the following information in the appropiate fields:

Name: Outlook
URL: mailto:?subject=${title}&body=%0A<${url}>
Icon URL: http://office.microsoft.com/favicon.ico

When finsihed, click the Save button and the custom link will now be added to the Send To List

Once you get the hang of creating custom links, you can add as many as you like.

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If you use Windows Vista Sidebar you probably found out on more than one occasion, how easy it can be to mess up the settings or accidentally delete gadgets.

And when that occurs, the only way to recover if you're unsuccessful with piecing things back together, is from a backup or a system restore. Neither of which is worth the time for something that is considered eye candy (for the amount of system memory it uses) on the desktop.

But after using Vista sidebar for a while, you may find yourself dependent on those little gadgets sitting on your desktop, that you just have to have everything back as they were.

So before you go messing around with tweaking a gadget or sidebar setting, here is a simple backup method which will make restoring your sidebar effortless, with out the need of any third party utility.

Before making any changes to the sidebar, simply make a copy of the Windows Sidebar folder located under your user profile folder at:

C:\Users\yourusername\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Sidebar

NOTE: if your default Vista installation was installed on another partition, just substitute the drive letter in the path listed above, such as D:\Users\….

You can copy the folder (and it's sub-folder contents) to a USB drive or another location on your hard drive.

The next time you want to restore the sidebar to it's previous setting (from the last time you made a backup copy):

- close and exit Windows Sidebar by right clicking on the Windows Sidebar icon in the System tray and click Exit.

- then copy the folder back to your user profile (path shown above) and overwrite the contents of the folder.

- when the copy is completed, restart the sidebar, by clicking on Start and type sidebar in the search field, then click on Windows Sidebar in the search results.

You should now see the sidebar appear with all your gadgets and settings, as they were before you messed everything up

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Successfully connecting your Apple iPod Touch to a WiFi wireless network can be a real challenge.

Many owners find the process difficult and frustrating. This is mainly due to the abundant choices available for wireless standards and security protocols that can be used for setting up and securing networks.

Why is Connecting to a WiFi Network a Challenge?

A WiFi compatible device does not guarantee it will work with every network available. Wireless connections can be set up and configured in many different ways. The key point to understand is that the WiFi settings on your device need to be compatible with the network's settings. The key standards that need to be compatible, are the communication protocol and the security protocol. There are many to choose from given that these standards have historically evolved over many years.

The iPod Touch can only connect to WiFi networks that are based on the IEEE 802.11b or IEEE 802.11g wireless standards. If security is also configured on the wireless network, the same security protocol used must also be set up on the device to enable a secure connection to be made successfully. The exception to this rule is where a WiFi network has been set up with no security and is open to all WiFi devices. These are called "Free WiFi Hot Spots" and are offered by establishments such as McDonalds as an incentive to visit their stores.

11 Simple Steps to Connect Your Apple iPod Touch to a Wireless Network

Follow these simple 11 steps to quickly and easily set up your device to connect to a WiFi network:

1. Turn on your iPod Touch.
2. Press the "Home" button.
3. Tap the "Settings" icon.
4. Tap the "Wi-Fi" menu.
5. Slide "Wi-Fi" to "ON".
6. Slide "Ask to Join Networks" to "ON".
7. Wait for the device to detect a wireless network that is in range. If it is close, you will see 3 bars of signal. If it doesn't detect it, try sliding "Wi-Fi" "OFF" and "ON" again.
8. If the detected network has a "padlock" icon, then it is secure and you will need the password to connect. Tap the menu showing the detected network and enter the password. If a connection is made successfully, then a tick mark will appear. If not, then it means the matching security protocol was not setup on the iPod Touch for the network.
9. If you need to change the security protocol tap "Other…" to go to "Other Network" page.
10. Enter the name of the wireless network and select the matching security protocol used by the network. You have a choice of WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA Enterprise and WPA2 Enterprise.
11. Enter the password for the network and then tap the blue colored "Join" button on the bottom right of the screen. If the network is successfully found and connected to, then it will appear in the list of WiFi networks with a tick.

Connecting to a free WiFi network is straight forward, however connecting to a secure home or business wireless network requires some technical knowledge. You need to know which security protocol is used with the network if it is secured, the network name (or ID) and the password to connect to it. If you didn't set up the network at home or at the office, then you will need to obtain the details to log-on from the person who set it up, or seek help from the administrator of the network.Make "Smarter" Devices that Connect Automatically

As the technical standards continue to evolve and consolidate for wireless networks, the challenge of connecting to a WiFi enabled network with portable devices will become a thing of the past when devices become "smarter". Such devices will be able to automatically detect any wireless standard and network configuration in the local vicinity and connect securely and seamlessly. Hopefully we will see these advances in the next generation of the iPod Touch!

You can find more useful information about wireless technologies at http://www.best-wireless-router.com/ that explains the best wireless router technologies.

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Have you ever wondered about the capacity and performance of your hard disk drive.

Typically, the average desktop computer has a capacity of 50 or more gigabytes stored onto the hard disk.

All of this information is stored in the form of files, also known as a collection of bytes-which is all a file is at its core. Bytes can be stored in many ways depending on the data contained inside the file for use by the computer.

In text files, for example, bytes are stored in the ASCII codes which are for the characters of a text file while pixels are stored in files for gif or other picture type files. It doesn't really matter what information is held, the file is still a system of bytes that make up the information you need to work with them.

Programs on the computer request files for use based upon the user's needs and the needs of the operational files needed to run the computer in a coherent manner.

When a request is sent from a program, the hard disk retrieves the requested information and sends it to the CPU, one byte at a time. This is similar to chewing your food enough times to swallow. The hard disk sends it in small amounts to the CPU in order for the computer to execute the file correctly. This happens so fast that most users will never realize just how tedious the process is as most files contain a large number of bytes.

If you want to measure the performance of your hard disk, you will need to employ one of two methods.

You can check the data rate, which is the number of bytes per second that the hard disk sends to the CPU. Normal rates are between 5 and 40 megabytes per second, which should give you a good indication as to the performance rate of your computer when compared to the accepted parameters for computer performance.

You can also check the seek time, which is the amount of time between the request of a file by the CPU and the first byte delivered to the CPU by the hard disk based on that request. Common times that indicate a well performing computer is between 10 and 20 milliseconds.

The capacity of the hard drive, which is another very important parameter to computer performance, is the number of bytes that the entire disk can hold at any one time. Once you've checked your computer's performance, you may want to discover this capacity as it will greatly increase your understanding of what your computer can do.

For example, if your hard disk drive is capable of holding 60 gigabytes of information at one time, you may not be able to run multiple processes simultaneously as the capacity of the hard disk is directly related to the amount of available RAM you have to operate your computer.

However, if your computer has the capacity to hold 725 gigabytes of information at one time, then you will probably also have increased RAM capabilities that allow the simultaneous operations of several applications, allowing you to work more efficiently and quickly than with a smaller capacity computer.

Combined with the knowledge of your computer's personal performance and the total capacity that your computer has available, you can determine the best possible results for your computer and upgrade accordingly for your needs.

Author - Victor Epand is an expert consultant for computer memory, PC supplies, and computer games. When shopping, we recommend the best online stores for PC supplies, computer performance, computer memory, RAM.

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Ever have a computer name that you did not like or decided down the road you want to change it's computer name on your Windows XP or Vista system?

If so, you can easily change it to a more friendly name. Doing so can have many benefits, especially on a home network.

Instead of connecting to a system with an ugly name such as D2347TB998, you can change it to JOEPC or DUDE if you want and easily identify whose PC you are connecting to without guessing.

Changing the computer name is performed the same way no matter what system you are running - Vista, XP or Windows 7.

NOTE: Before starting, make sure any programs or applications that you have open are closed.

Now, just click on Start \ Run and enter sysdm.cpl in the run box and click OK.

When the Systems Properties window opens, click on the Computer Name tab…

…then click on the Change button next to "To rename this computer…."

You will see your current Windows computer name in the Computer name: field as well as the full name if your computer is a member of a Windows Domain (which many home users are not members of a Domain).

To change the name, just type a new name in the Computer name: field and click OK.

You will then see a dialog box informing you that you must restart the computer for the changes to take place.

Click OK again to close the Systems Properties window, then reboot your computer.

After rebooting, your computer name will be change to it's new name. If you want, you can verify it did change by checking the  System Properties (sysdm.cpl) Computer Name tab.

Changing Your Computer Name From The Command Prompt

For those of you who prefer to use the command prompt to change the name, you can do so by using the Netdom command.

If you are running XP, Netdom is available in the Support Tools installation, which can be found on the Windows XP CD in the tools directory, or as a download from Microsoft web site.

If you are running Vista or Windows 7, Netdom is not included on the CD and you cannot install the XP support tools on a Vista or Windows 7 system. Instead, you will need to copy the executable from a XP computer. If that's not possible, you won't be able to use the command prompt for changing the computer name.

Once you have the Netdom executable on your hard drive, open a command prompt by clicking on Start \ Run and enter cmd, then follow these instructions for changing the computer name.

N ow that you have a more friendlier computer name, it will make connecting computers together on your home network much easier to identify.

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One question I get from new users to Ubuntu is "how do I view my computer name?"

Since most of these people are new to Linux and Ubuntu, or switching from Windows, they want to know how to view their computer name from the desktop, like they can in Windows.

Fortunately Ubuntu is user friendly and this can be easily accomplished from the GUI or at the command prompt.

To see your computer name from Ubuntu's desktop, just click on the Shutdown icon on the top panel next to the date and time, and select Lock screen.

The lock screen will appear (if it does not, just click anywhere on the desktop or press any key) and your computer name will be displayed.

That was easy.

To view your computer name from the command prompt, click on Application \ Accessories \ Terminal from the top panel.

You will quickly discover that the Terminal window is more than happy to display your see the computer name which is shown after your username and in the title bar.

You can also execute the command hostname which will also display the computer name as well.

Now that you know how to view and display the computer name on your Ubuntu system, find out what else you can do in our Ubuntu tips section.

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When it comes to networking, knowing your IP address can be essential with troubleshooting problems.

For any Window user who is new to Ubuntu and Linux, more than likely the first problem you will encounter is making sure your Ubuntu computer has been configured with an IP Address if you run into network problems.

On Windows computers viewing the address is a simple task…while finding your IP address in Ubuntu is just as easy using a built-in graphical tool or a terminal window.

For new Windows users to Ubuntu Linux, the best way to find your IP Address is to right click on the network icon on the top panel System tray and select Connection Information from the menu.

Once the Connection Information window opens, all active network connections will be displayed showing the IP address, Subnet Mask, Default Route, Primary DNS as well as other useful information such as the adapter MAC address (shown as Hardware Address).

More than likely, your connection will be eth0 (ethernet adapter 0), which is the case on my computer and is a wired connection.

When finished reviewing click Close to exit.

For those who prefer to work at the command prompt, open a Terminal Window by clicking on Applications \ Accessories \ Terminal.

To display your computer IP address, enter the following command at the command prompt:

ifconfig

You will see the information displayed similar to the below screen shot. On my computer my IP Address is shown next to inet addr for adapter eth0.

For Windows users, ifconfig is a somewhat familiar tool to ipconfig which is used to display the computer IP Address as well as to reset other network adapter settings.

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