Many computer users adopt the ‘it will never happen to me’ policy, but there are a number of computer viruses out there just waiting to infect and destroy the information contained on their hard-drive. This is why companies invented anti-virus software, which is a program that automatically helps to detect the presence of viruses on a computer or in a file before it is opened.

Anyone who spends a considerable amount of time surfing the internet, visiting unfamiliar websites or downloading photographs is at a higher risk for computer viruses than those who do not. Computer viruses are typically attached to word processing documents, computer programs and images which, if downloaded, may instantly affect the computer’s performance.

If a computer virus infects a computer, the owner may immediately lose everything in their computer and may be forced to use the factory restore disk. This CD, which is accompanied by most new computers, will restore the computer to it’s original factory settings.
Read the full story

You browse the Internet, find interesting files, applications, open source software, movie trailers or even your favorite band’s songs. And you wish you could use them whenever you want and so you decide to download it.

Ever wondered what happens when you click on download? You send a request (few bytes of data) to the hosting server seeking its permission to access the file (or rather send you digital data). This request signal will be replied with an acknowledge signal from the server followed by the actual data requested for.

There is much more of communication engineering involved, but let’s not dig deep into it.

Now that the actual transmission is taking place, what are the facts about the speed of transfer and data rates of transmission?

There is considerable variation of speed with the type of connection you use. If its dial up that you are using, you are actually sending digital data along with the voice data (at the same time). A s a result, they share the bandwidth available and so the speeds are slow. Whereas now we are using ISDN (Integrated signals digital networking) which was the major reason for the big boost in internet speeds. Gone are those days when we were using 144Kbps to 2Mbps. At the present moment the data rates we experience is tremendous, thanks to Broadband ISDN.
Read the full story

The best way to fail at an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is to choose the wrong software up front. Choosing software without following some basic guidelines is a sure-fire method for disaster. Probably the worst thing that someone has done (that we know of), was to buy their ERP software at a tradeshow, thinking it would be the cheap and easy way to solve their problems. They ended up spending more than they expected in finding ways to force the software into their business.

Below are some ways that will set you on the path to fail at your choice. In other words, they are ways that you can insure that you will choose the wrong system for your company.

1. Choose ERP software without understanding your requirements. – First, you should ensure that you are getting the best fit for your company by documenting your requirements. The requirements should cover the strategic, reporting, functional, and technical aspects of what your company requires to run the business. Choosing software without these documented and without using them as a benchmark to compare the software against is a strategy for problems.

2. Select ERP software without paying attention to business processes. – There are certain ways that you run your business. Not all of them are rocket science, but there are certain things that make your company unique and successful. Choosing software without understanding how things flow in your company will create big problems in the implementation when the software processes information contrary to how you run your business.

3. Choose ERP software because your Friend/Neighbor/Relative is using it successfully at their firm. – Another nightmare scenario that has actually occurred is that decision makers have purchased software because their ____ (fill in the blank) has used it and it worked great at that company. That company is not your company. On the surface they may seem similar, but just because one company is running well on the ERP system does not mean that yours will. You may have a special process for getting your goods out the door. The software may not support that method. Perhaps there is some information that you must have because of financial, regulatory, or supply chain requirements. The other company may not have that issue. Perhaps you need to track lot numbers and the _____’s company does not. There are too many business issues that can create havoc in an information system, if the system is not carefully matched to the requirements (see #1).

4. Not having the ERP vendor prove that it will support your business processes. – ERP vendors have one goal. Sell you software. Do they care if it fits, can successfully operate your business, or even if it will be a huge burden on your staff? Not really. In fact, if you buy software that requires a lot of care and feeding because it is not a good fit, then the vendor is the one who supports it and makes a handsome flow of income off your company. Get the vendor to demonstrate that it meets your requirements and can transact information in a method that is aligned with your business processes.

5. Choosing ERP software because it looks cool. – You may laugh at this one, but the user interface is a sexy selling point of many systems. Is a plain old green-screen as nice to work in as a really colorful Windows ™ screen? Probably not, but does the Windows™-based system really address your issues? Your goal should be aligning a perspective system with your business needs. If it comes with a cool interface great, if not, can you live with it?

6. Let the ERP vendor tell you what you need to be doing. – Related to number 4 above, having the ERP vendor guide you in your selection is a roadmap to hell. You need to guide them. Tell them what you want and expect. Too many times has a single vendor gained the trust and confidence of a decision maker and guided them to a particular system, without any concern for how close a match is it to the business requirements and processes.

7. Take the ERP vendor’s first offer without negotiating. – You can generally negotiate with a vendor several times and get a more than fair price. But the key is to follow good negotiation tactics. Don’t forget that most everything is negotiable. The software, the services, the maintenance, the timing, etc. In the ERP industry, the best time to buy software is at the quarter or year end according to the vendor’s financial calendar.

The key thing to understand is that there is a path that can lead you to success and many routes to failure. Know thyself first. Understand your business and document it. It is not enough to think you know it. Talk to all levels of users and managers. Ensure that everyone’s needs are defined and a priority is placed upon those needs. If you are not sure of selecting a major investment such as an ERP, then get outside help from a consultant who is non-biased towards systems and can guide you. Be careful of assistance from a company that has an SAP practice, or an Oracle practice, etc. They have internal motivation to help you choose their flavor of software.

Most importantly, understand that you need to drive the process. It is your selection and you need to live with the results. As any good project manager will tell you, start with the end in mind. What do you want the system to do for your company now and in seven years from now? Understand this and go forward in selecting your system.

If you use earlier editions from Adobe and then start using adobe acrobat reader 8 then there will be lot of positive surprises. The first and most important is loading time. The time taken to open a file is very less as compared to earlier versions. There are many advantages as viewing screen is larger than earlier one and there is special taskbar on left hand side of document which allows you to add comments, thumbnails, which show where we are right now when there are many pages to read. There is one more option where you can create PDF files online but that is not preferable as there is good free software such as primo PDF you can see the review of that software on review page on www.mypczone.co.nr

Adobe PDF 8 have net meeting feature where people all across the world having internet can connect with each other and share their PDF files and presentation online it is very good for corporate and business clients but not so useful for normal people.

It has very simple tool bar containing zooming options, printing, page numbers, and search option where you can search for required word or bookmark. So it is very convenient for reading e books. The most impressive feature is faster opening of online PDF files and faster file saving from Internet.

It also has automatic scroll option where you don’t have to click to go ahead with page and it is done automatically. It also has full screen mode to read documents as in book. It is good for reading e books where you can concentrate on material as there is no toolbar etc to distract you.

Some features such as dictionary additions and digital signature that are good.

Appearance: ***1/2

Ease of working: *****

Tools: ***1/2

Overall:****

If you have not decided already,you will soon want to network your two or more computers in your home. You want to be armed to the teach with knowledge of just what it takes to connect your computers to one another.

You first should decide which network is best your you. If your computers are in the same room,the Wireless network should not be considered.The wired by cable network should work just fine.

Computer that may be close to each other but cannot be seen may and have phone jacks close by can easily be networked with the HomePNA Network.While PCs that are far from each other can be connected with the powerline network,assuming wall outlets are nearby.

And when there are computers in different rooms and you want the convenience of moving the systems from room to room,the more expensive Wireless Network is the way to go.After you decide on the type of network that is best for you,knowing what components you’ll need to purchase will be a great help.Let’s take a look at each network and the components needed to get it up and running.

The WIRED ETHERNET NETWORK

If your computers are in the same room,the basic network kit can wire your systems together.Be sure to carefully open any kit or component you purchase and do not damage the box it came in.The purpose for this is to make it easy to return the component if needed.

Basic kits will have instructions and software for the network as seen as two NICs.Better known as Network Interface Cards,these NICs are installed in empty slots in the system unit.The PCI slot is where the card is installed and there are the USB adapters as well.The network will need cabling to connect the computers and the CAT 5 or Category 5 cable is the one to look for.

Ethernet networks come in two speeds,which are 10 and 100mbps or megabits per second.The wired network will also need a Hub or a Switch to direct traffic from each system.If you want fast traffic,and who don’t,you will want to connect a Switch instead of a Hub.If you want all PCs to connect to the Internet,most kits come with Special Bridging Software which links the systems together.

The WIRELESS HOME NETWORK

Wireless networks rely on radio frequency to transmit and receive data.Wireless network equipment will offer you the choice of both wired and wireless connections.

If your computers are in direct line of each other,the IR or Infrared frequency can be used.But most wireless networks now use the Radio Transceiver technology with computers being located just about anywhere.

You will need a Wireless Router to connect each PC to the network.Wireless NIC Cards must be installed in each computer in the network.When you purchase your wireless kit,take note of the indoor range.

As you can see when looking at the wireless Router,you have the option to wire your computers together should something go wrong with any wireless component.Take note of the difference between the wired nic and the wireless nic cards.

The POWERLINE NETWORK

The powerline network uses the electrical wiring in your home to transfer data to and from each computer.Present powerline networks run between 50kbps or Kilobits Per Second and 350kbps.

This network has a drawback in back it will have lots of electrical noise which will cause the network to lose speed.And other PC users can snoop in your computer if they know how.

This network will need a Router for data transfer and nic cards for each system.A Bridge will be needed for access to the internet.These Bridges can be used with your Router.

The PHONELINE NETWORK

The components you will need in the Home Network are close to that of the Wireless network.In most cases,the 10mbps speed network is fast enough for home users.

The computers are connected with a Switch,a gateway,or Router to share Internet access and to send data to each computer through the phone line network.This network is considered the easiest to setup.

Phoneline Network adapters are installed in each PC. The USB or Universal Seriel Bus port connection is the most commonly used adapter for Phoneline networks.To reduce line noise,a Phone Filter may be needed.If you plan to connect a phone and line in one phone jack.you will have to invest in a Line Splitter.Be sure each computer in the network are close to a phone jack.

The Phoneline Network is thought to be less expensive .more dependable and faster when compared with the Powerline network.

In a nutshell,all networks will need some type of adapter inserted in the computer.Each network will need a hub, switch,or router to transfer data.Windows 98,Me,and XP will have the needed software to make everything work together.Adapters and and other hardware will come with device driver software which enables the hardware to talk to the computer.

We have taken a brief look at the hardware needed to network two or more computers.Connecting the hardware was rather simple when we networked our computers using the wireless technology.Learn all you can about PC networking and you will be grateful in having this knowledge should you experience computer problems.

Since we have seen basic network components,its time to see how each component is installed and connected.Then we’re going to see how to move data from one machine to the other and share the internet using broadband with a DSL or a Cable modem.Remember to enjoy learning about your computer by performing as many tasks as you can without causing damage to your system.