Creating a Bootable Pen Drive

All of us must have encountered the situation where our very own PC refuses to boot whatever the problem may be. It is here that a USB drive containing bootable XP comes in handy. You can install a bootable XP on to the pen drive along with the safety tools such as antivirus etc. to fix the problem.
But this cool way might not shine the light equally on everyone. In order to boot from a flash drive your system should be only around two years old. An alternative to this is that you upgrade your BIOS. Also the flash drive you use should be of a minimum of 256 Mb size to hold windows XP. Also a maximum size of 2GB is permissible.
So now you have the pendrive and an approprite BIOS. So get started with creating a bootable pen drive. For that you need to have a USB Disk storage format tool which is available for free. Now you can start formatting your pen drive. Then to make it bootable copy the following files on to the pen drive : Boot.ini, NTLDR, and NTDETECT from root directory of the boot drive.
Now you will be needing a software named BartPE that helps you install windows on a minimal space. After you have downloaded it follow the steps to copy the Windows files.
After you are done with all this you are having your very own flash drive ready to boot your Windows XP2.

FROM :

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Things We Hate About Apple

It's high time we unloaded on the high-and-mighty Mac maker.
Narasu Rebbapragada and Alan Stafford, PC World

The company formerly known as Apple Computer and now called simply Apple, Inc. is unique in many ways--including in its ability to drive even folks who admire it positively batty. It makes great products (usually), yet its secretiveness about them borders on paranoia, and its adoring fans can be incredibly irritating. Of course, its fans have to put up with some irritations, too: Simply being a member of the club still means you must endure unending jabs from the other side of the socio-political-techno aisle. But do they have to wear their suffering as a badge of honor?

Today, we--that's us, Narasu and Alan, veteran Mac users both--are going to get some stuff off our chests. We've enumerated ten things we hate about Apple (or its followers, or simply about the experience of using its products). But in the interest of fair play (not to be confused with FairPlay, Apple's DRM technology) we're also publishing another list--Ten Things We Love About Apple.

Use the Comment link at the end of this article to add your own gripes about Apple--or to defend it.

And so, with protective helmets in place, off we go:

1: Free Speech, Anyone?
Even if you're no Apple fan, this particular issue might not rise to the top of your own personal gripe list--but hey, we're journalists. So sue us.

Er, that's probably not the right turn of phrase to use, considering that in December 2004, Apple filed a lawsuit against the AppleInsider, O'Grady's PowerPage, and Think Secret Web sites for posting information about upcoming technologies that Apple had shared with outsiders under nondisclosure agreements. In the case of O'Grady, the news was of a FireWire interface for GarageBand. In the words of O'Grady himself: "yawn."

Apple pressured the sites to reveal their sources, and even worse, pressured the sites' ISPs. In May 2006, a California court said no way, ruling that online journalists enjoy the same First Amendment rights as "legitimate" offline journalists. Seems silly in today's world, doesn't it? Recently, the court ordered Apple to pay the sites' legal fees--about $700,000.

2. More Secretive Than Homeland Security
Those feds are secretive, but they're no match for Apple reps' infuriating stock answer: "We don't comment on future product plans." Being an Apple adherent means never knowing for sure if the shiny new MacBook or iPod you just bought is about to be rendered obsolete by a Steve Jobs keynote.

Of course, Apple is merely the most famous secretive Silicon Valley company, not the only hush-mouthed one. And tight lips make for explosive buzz when the company does decide to drop a bombshell. But contrast Apple's secrecy with Microsoft's lack thereof--Bill Gates, Steve Ballmer, and company love to talk about their company's upcoming products, and they still get their fair share of buzz. Even though many of those plans have a tendency to not actually come true.

3. Ain't Too Proud to Blame
When Apple shipped iPods containing a worm last year, instead of issuing a humble mea culpa, Apple took a swipe at Microsoft, saying, "As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it." As you can imagine, that didn't fly with security experts. How about an apology to the folks who were unlucky enough to buy the infected iPods, period?

4. iHate iAnything
Apple first floated the idea of product names with a leading lowercase letter in 1994 with eWorld, an ill-conceived online service that went belly-up after a year and a half. But when it introduced the original iMac in 1998, it hit on a phenomenal success--and prompted hundreds of third-party manufacturers to follow with sickeningly cute Bondi Blue products with names that also began with a lowercase "i." Now dozens of Apple and third-party product names begins with "i." Their manufacturers are all jumping on the bandwagon, hoping that a single letter will sway us to buy their stuff. Meanwhile, you can't even start sentences with the products' names.

Is it any wonder that we're inclined to like Apple TV in part because it turned out not to be iTV? Or that we're kind of sorry that Apple was able to strike a deal with Cisco to share the name iPhone?

http://computer-news-article.blogspot.com/2007/05/10-things-we-hate-about-apple.html

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DIGITAL MUSIC FILE FORMAT

MP3

MP3 is the most popular format because it has good quality and small size. This format had developed by Fraunhofer Institute. It's next generation, MP3 Pro provide same quality but with almost half bitrate from it's last generation. MP3 player can play MP3 Pro but not in optimum quality.

WAV

This format is the standard format in windows. Music file in this format is normally uncompresed, that's why music file in this format has big size.

AAC

AAC or Advanced Audio Coding is standard part from Motion Pictures Experts Group (MPEG) since 1997. It has twice sample rate than MP3. This format is used by Apple at their online music shop (iTunes).

WMA

This format is offered by Microsoft and almost all music vendor online like this format because it support Digital Rights Management (DRM). WWW.extremetech.com claimed that this format has better quality than MP3 and AAC.

OGG VORBIS

This format is the only one format that open and free. This format has better quality in low bitrate than other format.

REAL AUDIO

This format is developed by RealNetworks and find especiaaly in low bitrate that ussually use in video streaming.

MIDI

This format suitable for music output that use synthesizer but not suitable for convertion from analog music because it not too accurate. This format ussualy on small size and ussually use on ringtone.

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Want to Buy Desktops ?

What kind of desktop?

Most manufacturers offer several lines at different prices.Think budget for basic needs, including photo editing. For general computing such as word-processing, e-mail, and Web browsing, a budget computer should be more than sufficient. Budget models also have the speed and storage capacity needed for routine photo editing and light video editing.

Think workhorse for games, graphics, and video. If you expect to edit video frequently or run complex games with 3D graphics, your better bet is a costlier workhorse computer. It’s likely to come with a 180-gigabyte or larger hard-drive and 256

Desktops: Buy preconfigured or DIY?

TO CONFIGURE OR NOT After you make that decision, you’ll know where to shop.
You can buy a PC off the shelf in a store or via the Web, configured with features and options the manufacture pitches to average consumers. Or consider purchasing a desktop that you configure to order, either online or in a store. When you configure a computer to order online, onscreen menus typically show you all the options and let you see how a change in one option affects the overall price. Customizing is a strategy we recommend for getting optimal features at the lowest cost.

Shopping for an off-the-shelf package deal isn't as easy as it sounds. Deciding between a computer that has, say more memory or a faster hard drive can give you a headache. And retailers aren't always clear about what's really included. Our readers report higher PC-shopping satisfaction with online purchases.


If you buy off the shelf

• Look at our recommended configuration for the type of desktop you want as a starting point. Decide which additional features you want so that you can hunt for packages that approximate your needs.

• Use a shopping bot. Both Shopping.com and Bizrate.com allow you to compare prices at stores and Web sites. We shopped for a preconfigured HP computer with many of our workhorse features. On Shopping.com prices ranged from $785 to $900. The bots also calculate tax and shipping costs, which in our case ranged from zero to $88.

• When prices are close, consider a retailer on other important attributes.


If you customize

• Buy directly from the manufacturer. Retail Web site/mail-order operations in our Ratings (available to subscribers) scored well as a whole, but they don't customize the brand-name computers in our Ratings. Several brick-and-mortar retailers do let you customize some brands, but didn't rate as well overall as manufacturers. We can't say whether customer satisfaction with manufacturers extends to direct-sell kiosks, which makers like Dell and Hewlett-Packard have in some retail locations.

• Unbundle. Even computers that you configure yourself may come with a cheap monitor or a printer selected by default. If you already have one, you may save by not taking the new one. On the day we shopped the Dell site, eliminating the monitor saved about $40. On the other hand, if you need one, a monitor offered as part of a bundle is often less expensive than one separately purchased. Check each screen as you order to make sure you get only what you want.

• Track prices. They bounce around as promotional offers come and go. Recently we compared identically configured models from Dell; the same model that cost $1,736 in July cost just $1,299 two months later. Two days later, however, the price rose to $1,325.

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Want to Buy Laptop ?

What kind of laptop?

Budget models. These have slower processors and lower screen quality than others, but they are suitable for routine work. For general computing such as word-processing, e-mail, and Web browsing, a budget computer should be more than sufficient. Budget models also have the speed and storage capacity needed for photo editing, a limited music library, and even rudimentary video editing.

Workhorse models. These have faster processors, and all drives are built in so you won't need external attachments. They're not lightweight or battery-efficient enough for frequent travelers. Workhorse laptop computers cost a few hundred dollars more than budget machines, but are faster, more versatile, and upgradeable. Today's workhorse laptops can even handle most games and multimedia applications, and most are equipped with a DVD burner to facilitate creating home video DVDs.

There's another reason to opt for a workhorse computer over a budget model: upgradeability. Programs are fatter than ever. A single game, for instance, can consume 4 gigabytes or more of hard-drive space. And if you download music or video clips on a regular basis and don't transfer the content onto CDs, DVDs, or a portable device, you'll eventually fill a budget model's 40- or 60-GB hard drive.

Slim-and-light models. These are designed for travelers. They can be less than an inch thick and weight as little as two or three pounds. They generally require an external drive to read DVDs or burn CDs. An external docking station or port expander can simplify connecting to devices at home.

Tablet-style. These sit in your hands like a clipboard and have handwriting-recognition software. A few can convert to a "normal" laptop with a keyboard.

Buy preconfigured or DIY?

Dell and Gateway pioneered the notion that every computer can be tailored to an individual buyer's needs, much like choosing the options for a car. This configure-to-order model is now common practice for laptops as well as desktops.

You can also purchase a preconfigured computer off the shelf. (You can do the same online if you opt for the default choices of equipment the manufacturer offers.) That's fine if you don't have very strict requirements for how a laptop is outfitted or if you want to take advantage of an attractive sale.

Configure-to-order menus show you all the options and let you see how a change in one affects the overall price. You may decide to use a less-expensive processor, for example, but spend more for wireless capability or better graphics. Configure-to-order will often give you choices you won't get if you buy off the shelf. And configure-to-order means less chance of overlooking important details.

Shopping for an off-the-shelf package deal isn't as easy as it sounds. Deciding between a computer that has, say more memory or a faster hard drive can give you a headache. And retailers aren't always clear about what's really included. Our readers report higher PC-shopping satisfaction with online purchases.


If you buy off the shelf

• Look at our recommended configuration for the type of laptop you want as a starting point. Decide which additional features you want so that you can hunt for packages that approximate your needs.

• Use a shopping bot. Both Shopping.com and Bizrate.com allow you to compare prices at stores and Web sites. When we shopped for a particular preconfigured computer with many of our workhorse features, Shopping.com prices ranged from $785 to $900. The bots also calculate tax and shipping costs, which in our case ranged from zero to $88.

• When prices are close, consider a retailer on other important attributes.


If you customize

• Buy directly from the manufacturer. Retail Web site/mail-order operations in our Ratings (available to subscribers) scored well as a whole, but they don't customize the brand-name computers in our Ratings. Several brick-and-mortar retailers do let you customize some brands, but didn't rate as well overall as manufacturers. We can't say whether customer satisfaction with manufacturers extends to direct-sell kiosks, which makers like Dell and Hewlett-Packard have in some retail locations.

• Track prices. They bounce around as promotional offers come and go. Recently we compared identically configured models from Dell; the same model that cost $1,736 in July cost just $1,299 two months later. Two days later, however, the price rose to $1,325.

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Buying a Computer ?

Upgrade your current computer or buy new?

You can extend the life of an older PC by upgrading parts of it.
Before committing to a new purchase, decide whether upgrading your old computer will do. It may suffice if your additional needs are modest--say, a second hard drive because you’re out of room for photos or downloaded music. Adding memory or a DVD writer is also usually more cost-effective than buying a new machine.

But if your PC is now unreliable, or your wish list has grown, or there’s software you must run that your system isn’t up to (especially newer versions of Windows), a new computer is the answer.

Laptop or desktop?

WIRELESS FREEDOM A laptop allows you to use the Internet from Wi-Fi hotspots in some public locations like cafes.
Unlike past models, today’s workhorse laptops perform much like desktops. But there are still reasons to choose one over the other that go beyond portability.

If you’ll use a laptop mostly at home, built-in wireless networking lets you use it throughout the house and easily store it when it’s not in use. And while all the Windows desktops tested are tower models you can place below a desk, the keyboard, mouse, and display take up more space on a desk than a laptop does.

What you get in return are greater storage capacity, memory, multimedia features, and expansion flexibility. Also, desktops cost less overall (prices start at roughly $400, plus another $75 or so for a CRT monitor, compared with $700 for laptops), and their more standardized designs translate into lower repair costs.

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CHANGE TITLE of WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER

1. Open registry editor.
2. Browse to subkey HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\WindowsMediaPlayer.
3. Make a new string. ( Right click in right side panel, then new -> string value.
4. Give name Title Bar.
5. Double click and write name what you want.
6. Close registry editor.
7. Check it out !!

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Disk Formatting

This article is made to answer our guest question when we discuss about What to Do If your Hard Drives Crashed.

Disk formatting is the process of preparing a hard disk or other storage medium for use, including setting up an empty file system.Large disks can be partitioned, divided into logical sections that are formatted with their own file systems. This is normally only done on hard disks because of the small sizes of other disk types, as well as compatibility issues.

There is two levels of disk formatting. There are low level formatting and high level formatting

LOW LEVEL FORMATTING

User instigated low-level formatting (LLF) of hard disks was common in the 1980s. Typically this involved setting up the MFM pattern on the disk, so that sectors of bytes could be successfully written to it. With the advent of RLL encoding, low-level formatting grew increasingly uncommon, and most modern hard disks are embedded systems, which are low-level formatted at the factory with the physical geometry dimensions and thus not subject to user intervention.

Early hard disks were quite similar to floppies, but low-level formatting was generally done by the BIOS rather than by the operating system. This process involved using the MS-DOS debug program to transfer control to a routine hidden at different addresses in different BIOSs.

Starting in the early 1990s, low-level formatting of hard drives became more complex as technology improved to:

* use RLL encoding,
* store a higher number of sectors on the longer outer tracks (traditionally, all tracks had the same number of sectors, as is still the case with floppy disks),
* encode track numbers into the disk surface to simplify hardware, and
* increase the mechanical speeds of the drive.

Rather than face ever-escalating difficulties with BIOS versioning, disk vendors started doing low-level formatting at the factory. Today, an end-user, in most cases, should never perform a low-level formatting of an IDE or ATA hard drive, and in fact it is often not possible to do so on modern hard drives outside of the factory.

HIGH LEVEL FORMATTING

High-level formatting is the process of setting up an empty file system on the disk, and installing a boot sector. This alone takes little time, and is sometimes referred to as a "quick format".

In addition, the entire disk may optionally be scanned for defects, which takes considerably longer, up to several hours on larger harddisks.

In the case of floppy disks, both high- and low-level formatting are customarily done in one pass by the software. In recent years, most floppies have shipped preformatted from the factory as DOS FAT12 floppies. It is possible to format them again to other formats, if necessary.

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How To Change START Computer

If you feel bored when you see START button on your taskbar, now you can change it NOW ! Check this out :
1. Create a new file in c:\ and named with backup.
2. Copy file C:\Windows\explorer.exe to c:\backup.
3. Salin file C:\Windows\explorer.exe ke c:\.
4. Open MS Dos-Prompt then type “edit/70 c:\explorer.exe”. This command will open explorer.exe in editor with 70 column.
5. Find START on 2390th row, you can change it like this : If you want to change "S" klik S -> delete -> replace with new word.
6. If you want to change other words in START like "all program", find on 2334-2348 rows.
7. Restart your computer, then run MS Dos-Prompt, if you use XP clik boot then F8 then log in as an administrator.
8. In MS Dos-Prompt type copy c:\explorer.exe c:\windows, confirm it. Then restart your computer.

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