When it comes to making a living online, the chances have never been brighter! You already see that there are plenty of people who are seeing a great deal of success when it comes to making money online, but what might not be immediately apparent is how you can join them. Search engine marketing, particularly through pay per click services, is becoming quite popular when it comes to earning a living from the comfort of your own home, but remember, you need to be critical of the opportunities that you will find. Take a look below for some tips that will steer you towards the right opportunity, and don't go forward until you can tick every single one off of your list.
Find out how much time you can devote to this opportunity.
The best opportunity for you will be one that will fit into the time that you have slotted for it. It doesn't matter how great an opportunity is if you are constantly trying to get more work, or it constantly expects more from you than you can give.
Think about the salary.
What are your current needs? Do you have a job that you are looking to get rid of, but does it currently pay the bills? Are you unemployed and need a situation fast? There is often a time period when search engine marketing opportunities and pay per click services will need to wait before they pay you. Ask how long it will be before you receive your first pay check and how much they think it will be.
Do you have the capabilities to do the job?
Think about your internet set up at home. Do you have a reliable connection and can you clock time on your own on the computer? Too many people need to fight for a turn to use the computer, and this can be quite detrimental to your plans. Take some time to really sort through your resources and what they will be for the foreseeable future. Think about any disruptions (visits, vacations, the busy time at your other job) and make sure you take them into consideration.
Do your research!
What do you know about the company that is hiring you? Do they have a good reputation online and what do people who have worked for them in the past say? Take some time to find out what people are saying in reviews and on forums about your new company. How much did the other people make, and were they paid in a regular and timely fashion? There are many points to consider when you are starting a new job, and you want to make sure that your newest opportunity is a good one.
By keeping to a checklist, you can make sure that you have criteria for judging the opportunities that you come across. This is a good rubric to use when you are choosing between pay per click opportunities because it gives you a place to start from. Take some time and make sure that this opportunity is the one that helps you succeed!
About The Author
Derek Rogers is a freelance writer who represents a number of UK businesses. For Recruitment, he recommends SEM Recruitment, one of the UK's leading suppliers of SEO Recruitment: http://www.semrecruitment.co.uk/
Monday, March 31, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Notebook / Laptop Memory (RAM) Upgrade In 5 Minutes Or Less
This article is set up in two parts, one part about RAM overview and a second part about RAM upgrade. If you are curious on how the RAM works, you will find a detail summary that should give you all the information that you need to know about RAM, organization and speed. If you just want to read the how to upgrade section, move on directly to part two Upgrade your laptop ram in 5 minutes or less.
1 – RAM Overview
There are two big categories of random access memories:
Functioning of the random access memory
The random access memory is constituted of hundred of thousand small condensers storing charges. When it is loaded, the logical state of the condenser is equal to 1, otherwise it belongs to 0, what means that every condenser represents one bit of memory.
Given that condensers off-load, it is always necessary to recharge them in a space of regular time called cycle of refreshment. Memory DRAM requires cycles of refreshment for instance (Ns) is about 15 nanoseconds.
Every condenser is coupled with a transistor allowing to "recover « or to change the state of the condenser. These transistors are lined up in form of matrix, that is they achieve a hut memory (so called memory) by a line and a column.
So, for a memory of type DRAM, the time of access is of 60 nanoseconds (35ns of delay of cycle and 25 ns of time of latency). On a computer, the time of cycle corresponds contrary to the frequency of the clock, for instance for a computer pulsated in 200 MHz, the time of cycle is 5 ns (1 / (200*106)).
As a result a computer having a frequency well brought up and using memories the time of access of which is much longer than the time of cycle of the processor must perform cycles of wait to access to the memory. In the case of a computer pulsated in 200 MHz using memories of types DRAM (which the time of access is of 60ns), there are 11 cycles of wait as a cycle of transfer. The performances of the computer are of as much diminished as there are cycles
Formats of Random Access Memory (RAM)
There are numerous types of random access memories. These all come in the form of barrettes of memory attachable on the motherboard.
2 - Upgrading Your Laptop RAM
upgrading a notebook memory is a specific simple process pending that you have the right RAM and are somewhat delicate.
There are different types of RAM, and you must choose the one that is compatible with your notebook computer. Memory is also a fragile, so you need to be very cautious when installing it. You should ensure that the laptop is turned off and disconnected from any exterior power supply. No lights should be visible.
It is a lot easier to install RAM on a laptop versus a desktop PC. Access to the memory slots is via a panel generally located in the bottom of the laptop. Once you have opened this panel with a small screwdriver you can see the existing memory. you can check the exact type of memory that your Notebook currently uses, because it is usually shown on the front of the memory strips and will be evident when you open up the memory panel.
The memory strips are generally locked in with small clips on the ends of the strips. To take out existing memory, simply flip the clips and then remove the memory strips gently from their holding place. If you are simply adding memory, and there is space available, just add the new memory, gently pushing it in to ensure it is fully seated in the slots, and then push the clips to hold the new memory in place.
Once you have replaced or added your Notebook computer memory, replace the access panel, and then screw the panel back in place. Lastly, power up the notebook, When the PC starts up, it will count the memory and tell you how much RAM is loaded on your laptop.
As long as you have right memory, the whole operation should take less than 5 minutes, you can then enjoy your faster, less crash prone laptop.
About The Author
Christophe Catesson - Communication Manager for http://www.bestlaptopsreviews.com . Laptop and notebook reviews and ratings, most popular laptops, industry news, Forum, Q/A....
1 – RAM Overview
There are two big categories of random access memories:
- Dynamic memories (DRAM, Dynamic Random Access Module), not very costly. They are in most cases used for the central memory of the computer
- Static memories (SRAM, Static Random Access Module), quick and expensive. SRAM is notably used for cache memories of the processor
Functioning of the random access memory
The random access memory is constituted of hundred of thousand small condensers storing charges. When it is loaded, the logical state of the condenser is equal to 1, otherwise it belongs to 0, what means that every condenser represents one bit of memory.
Given that condensers off-load, it is always necessary to recharge them in a space of regular time called cycle of refreshment. Memory DRAM requires cycles of refreshment for instance (Ns) is about 15 nanoseconds.
Every condenser is coupled with a transistor allowing to "recover « or to change the state of the condenser. These transistors are lined up in form of matrix, that is they achieve a hut memory (so called memory) by a line and a column.
So, for a memory of type DRAM, the time of access is of 60 nanoseconds (35ns of delay of cycle and 25 ns of time of latency). On a computer, the time of cycle corresponds contrary to the frequency of the clock, for instance for a computer pulsated in 200 MHz, the time of cycle is 5 ns (1 / (200*106)).
As a result a computer having a frequency well brought up and using memories the time of access of which is much longer than the time of cycle of the processor must perform cycles of wait to access to the memory. In the case of a computer pulsated in 200 MHz using memories of types DRAM (which the time of access is of 60ns), there are 11 cycles of wait as a cycle of transfer. The performances of the computer are of as much diminished as there are cycles
Formats of Random Access Memory (RAM)
There are numerous types of random access memories. These all come in the form of barrettes of memory attachable on the motherboard.
- SIMM (Single Inline Memory Module): it is about printed circuits among which one of the faces has fleas of memory. There are two types of barrettes SIMM, according to the number of connector cables (30 or 72)
- DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Modulates) are from memories 64 bits, what explains why it is not necessary to match them. Barrettes DIMM have fleas of memory on both sides of printed circuit and have also 84 connector cables on each side, what endows them with a total of 168 brooches. They have bigger dimensions than barrettes SIMM (130x25mm).
- RIMM (Rambus Inline Memory Module, conscripts also RD-RAM or DRD-RAM) are from memories 64 bits developed by the society Rambus. They have 184 brooches. These barrettes have two notches of location (détrompeurs), avoiding very risk of confusion with the previous modules. Considering their well brought up speed of transfer, barrettes RIMM have a thermal film made responsible for ameliorating the clearing up of warmth. As in the case of DIMM, there are modules of smaller size, called SO RIMM (Small Outline RIMM), intended for laptop computers. Barrettes SO RIMM include only 160 brooches.
- DRAM (Dynamic RAM, dynamic RAM) is the type of memo most spread at the beginning of the millennium. It is about a memory from which transistors are lined up in a matrix according to lines and of columns. A transistor, coupled with a condenser gives the information of a bit. 1 byte consisting of 8 bits, a barrette of memory 256 Mb DRAM will contain 256 therefore * 2^10 * 2^10 = 256 * on 1024 * on 1024 = 268 435 456 bytes = 268 435 456 * 8 = 2 147 483 648 bits = 2 147 483 648 transistors. A 256 Mb barrette has so in reality a capacity of 268 435 456 bytes, that is 268 Mb! These are memories from which the time of access is 60 ns. On the other hand, accesses memory are made in general on data lined up consecutively in memory. So the mode of access in gust (burst mode) allows to achieve the three successive data in the first one without time of additional latency.
- DRAM FPM to speed up accesses to DRAM, there is a technology, called pagination consisting in achieving data located on the same column by changing the address of the line only, what allows to avoid the repetition of the number of column between the reading of each of the lines. They speak then about DRAM FPM (Fast Page Mode). FPM allows to acquire time of access in the order of 70 - 80 nanoseconds for a frequency of functioning that can go from 25 to 33 Mhz.
- DRAM EDO (Extended Data Out, Goes out of data ameliorated sometimes also called "hyper-page") appears in 1995. The technology used with this type of memory consists in addressing the following column during the reading of the data of a column. It creates an overlapping of accesses allowing to save time on every cycle. The time of access to memory EDO is therefore about 50 - 60 nanoseconds for a frequency of functioning going 33 - 66 Mhz. So, RAM EDO, when it is used in mode gust allows to acquire cycles of form 5-2-2-2, that is a benefit of 4 cycles on the access to 4 data. As much as memory EDO did not accept the upper frequencies in 66 Mhz, it disappeared in aid of SDRAM.
- SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM, translate synchronous RAM), appeared in 1997, allows a reading of data synchronized with the bus of the card-mother, contrary to memories EDO and FPM (qualified as asynchronous) having their own clock. SDRAM allows therefore to free itself from time of wait owed to synchronization with the card-mother. This one allows to acquire a cycle in mode gust of form 5-1-1-1, that is to say benefit of 3 cycles in comparison with RAM EDO. In that way SDRAM is able of working with a cadenza going until 150 Mhz, allowing him to acquire from time of access about 10 ns.
- DR-SDRAM (Direct Rambus DRAM or else RDRAM) is a type of memory allowing to transfer data on a bus of 16 wide bits to a cadenza of 800Mhz, what confers on him a band passer-by of 1,6 Go / s. As SDRAM, this type of memory is synchronized with the clock of the bus to ameliorate exchanges of data.
- DDR-SDRAM (Double Dated Miss SDRAM) is a memory based on technology SDRAM, allowing to double the rate of transfer of SDRAM with equal frequency. Reading or writing of data in memory am accomplished on the basis of a clock. Standard memory DRAM uses a method conscript SDR (Single Data Fails) consisting in reading or writing data in every forehead going up. DDR allows to double the frequency of reading / writings, with a clock pulsated in the same frequency, by sending data in every forehead going up, as well as in every downward forehead. Memory DDR has in general a commercial appellation of type PCXXXX where "XXXX " represent the debit side in Mb / s.
- DDR2 (or DDR-II) allows to attain twice as well brought up debit sides as DDR with equal external frequency. They speak about QDR (Quadruple Dated Fail or quad-pumped) to indicate the method of reading and used writing. Memory DDR2 uses in effect two channels separated for reading and for writing, so it is able of sending or of accepting twice more data than DDR.
2 - Upgrading Your Laptop RAM
upgrading a notebook memory is a specific simple process pending that you have the right RAM and are somewhat delicate.
There are different types of RAM, and you must choose the one that is compatible with your notebook computer. Memory is also a fragile, so you need to be very cautious when installing it. You should ensure that the laptop is turned off and disconnected from any exterior power supply. No lights should be visible.
It is a lot easier to install RAM on a laptop versus a desktop PC. Access to the memory slots is via a panel generally located in the bottom of the laptop. Once you have opened this panel with a small screwdriver you can see the existing memory. you can check the exact type of memory that your Notebook currently uses, because it is usually shown on the front of the memory strips and will be evident when you open up the memory panel.
The memory strips are generally locked in with small clips on the ends of the strips. To take out existing memory, simply flip the clips and then remove the memory strips gently from their holding place. If you are simply adding memory, and there is space available, just add the new memory, gently pushing it in to ensure it is fully seated in the slots, and then push the clips to hold the new memory in place.
Once you have replaced or added your Notebook computer memory, replace the access panel, and then screw the panel back in place. Lastly, power up the notebook, When the PC starts up, it will count the memory and tell you how much RAM is loaded on your laptop.
As long as you have right memory, the whole operation should take less than 5 minutes, you can then enjoy your faster, less crash prone laptop.
About The Author
Christophe Catesson - Communication Manager for http://www.bestlaptopsreviews.com . Laptop and notebook reviews and ratings, most popular laptops, industry news, Forum, Q/A....
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
SEO Training – How to Get the Most Out of It
Let’s set the stage…
You’ve just invested valuable time and money by completing your hands-on SEO Training. You are now sitting back in your office contemplating all the wonderful information you just gathered, but you’re really confused on where to start. You pick up your notes leafing through them hoping something will inspire you to know what to do next. You start to drift back to class wishing you where still there. You hated to leave, you didn’t want it to end, you silently wish your instructor was there telling you where to begin.
Good news! I am going to share with you a detailed search engine optimization and internet marketing plan to get the most out of your seo training and to get you started today.
Step #1 – Setting Goals
Before you can really get started you have to know what you want to achieve with your Web site. There could be a number of goals that you have in mind but your first step is get a clear picture of what you want the outcome to be. It could be:
• To gain higher rankings.
• To redesign your Web site to be more user friendly.
• To implement SEO basics throughout your site to make it search engine friendly.
• To increase your visitor response online.
• To open additional windows to your site through social media marketing.
• To launch an article marketing plan.
• Or all of the above.
What ever your goal is it is important to write it down and post it where you can see it every day. “Goals that are not written down are just wishes.”
Step #2 – Keyword Research
Any new project should always include this step. Keyword research is the basis for any successful page on your site. Let’s take the goals above and see how the keyword research you learned to perform in your seo training can be used.
• Higher rankings can be achieved by finding those keywords in your industry that have a high KEI (Keyword Effectiveness Index) and low competing pages. You should concentrate on finding five phrases that you can work on simultaneously.
• By redesigning your Web site you can be including your new found phrases and work them into your sales copy. If you are creating a new site this is the ideal time to make sure you are concentrating on your visitors experience while on your site.
o Include a call to action above the fold
o Contact information above the fold in straight html including area code and zip code.
o Only use Flash in small elements and not as the whole page.
o Include something that will grab your user’s attention. Something out of the normal that will make your visitor stop and take notice of your page.
• Implementing SEO basics can be a daunting task if your site is large or it is many years old. Tactics that where used years ago are no longer useful and most times are being flagged as spam. Depending on how many elements need to be addressed you need to determine if it would be better to start with a fresh page or redo the existing page. A determining factor would be if the current page is already indexed. If this is the case then it would be best to fix the existing page. If the page has too many errors and creating a new one would be wiser be sure to name the new page the same as the old one or do a 301 redirect to the new page. Include your keyword phrase when implementing your basic search engine optimization.
• Visitor response will increase if you are giving your visitors exactly what they are looking for. Only your keyword research will help you with this. We are in an instant gratification world and your visitor will only give you a few seconds to answer their search, so make sure it exactly what they are looking for.
• Open additional windows into your site by using your keyword phrases in your social media avenues. A couple great places to include your keyword researched phrases would be in your blog post and creating a lens in Squidoo around your researched phrase.
• Article marketing is not for everyone but it does allow you to open multiple windows into your site but writing articles around your phrase and submitting them to places like Scribd, ArtcileFactory.com and EzineArticles.com.
Step - # 3 – Which one to choose?
I know you want to implement each and everyone of those goals into your site and you still don’t know where to start.
Stop here and go find five phrases to work with and don’t even think about anything else at this point.
After you find those phrases refer back to your SEO training notes and refresh your memory on how to create a search engine friendly Web page and create content for each of the new keywords you found.
It is going to be hard not to get side tracked but stick to the project at hand. Your only concern is finding 5 phrases, creating content and designing five search engine friendly pages.
Once that is done go ahead and publish the five pages to your Web site. Include each page on your site map, link it from and to relevant pages on your site and include keyword rich link text within the body of the page.
Make a note of the day you added the new pages to your site for later use.
Now that you have the first three steps under your belt you are ready to move onto step four.
Step #4 – Addressing Existing Web Site Issues
Now that you have gotten a good start with the above steps, you can start working on bringing your current Web site up to par while you are actually waiting for indexing on your 5 optimized pages. Your next plan of attack would be working on existing pages within your site. You may not be able to change every issue with your site but remember every small change could result in increased ranking for your site. You may only be able to change your title and Meta tags and not be able to change your corporate sites navigation so tackle what you can and don’t worry about the rest. Each and every issue is just one of the over 200 factors so learn to pick your battles and fix what you can.
Step #5 – Social Media and Article Marketing
Your whole goal is to open as many windows into your site as possible. You have already started this by creating 5 new pages into your site now it is time to open the windows even further. Whether you decide to use article marketing or all the endless possibility of social media marketing now is the time to concentrate on one or both of these window opening wonders.
You can use the five phrases you found in your first step or you can find 5 new ones but at this stage you are creating content to be used in articles, on blogs or bookmaking pages within the many social media avenues. Your title is the most important element when tackling this step. Make your title keyword rich, compelling and deliver what your title describes in the article or blog post.
If you are not quite ready to dive into social media start at least with adding a blog to your Web site. Your best results will come from the blog residing on your server and not one that is hosted on a free blogging site. Make a commitment to blogging regularly and always about your industry so your site and your blog are industry related.
Step #6 – Tracking Your Progress
Web analytics can show you information about all of your optimization projects. Not only will it show you your results for the 5 keyword phrases you are working on but it will open your eyes to how your visitor is moving through your site. Record your results on a weekly or daily basis. This step will help you in testing each one of your projects and help you decide which one you should concentrate more on. Usually I find 2 or 3 phrases that are really performing and those are the ones I concentrate on blogging and adding it to the social media venues.
Step #7 – Keep Up With the Changes
There is no other step as important as this one. The internet changes its landscape on a daily basis so it is imperative that what you learn in your SEO Training is always the latest information. Your Web site and or clients are depending on your expertise so don’t let them down by applying out of date or useless techniques. There are many places you can turn to for guidance.
The first place would be Google, Yahoo! and MSN’s Webmasters guidelines. Each is posted on their site and is updates each and every time they have made changes to them.
Another place would be to subscribe to one of many search engine optimization and marketing blogs created by industry leaders. Your instructor should be able to point you in the right direction to their most trusted resources.
Continue learning by attending your favorite SEO Training provider’s courses on a yearly basis. Principles and techniques change often so always keep on top them.
Often students are overwhelmed with the amount of information they are given at class but if you learn to take them in small steps starting with setting your goals you will find that your seo training is working for you and your Web site.
About The Author
Tracy Fredrychowski – SEO Instructor
http://www.searchengineacademysc.com
You’ve just invested valuable time and money by completing your hands-on SEO Training. You are now sitting back in your office contemplating all the wonderful information you just gathered, but you’re really confused on where to start. You pick up your notes leafing through them hoping something will inspire you to know what to do next. You start to drift back to class wishing you where still there. You hated to leave, you didn’t want it to end, you silently wish your instructor was there telling you where to begin.
Good news! I am going to share with you a detailed search engine optimization and internet marketing plan to get the most out of your seo training and to get you started today.
Step #1 – Setting Goals
Before you can really get started you have to know what you want to achieve with your Web site. There could be a number of goals that you have in mind but your first step is get a clear picture of what you want the outcome to be. It could be:
• To gain higher rankings.
• To redesign your Web site to be more user friendly.
• To implement SEO basics throughout your site to make it search engine friendly.
• To increase your visitor response online.
• To open additional windows to your site through social media marketing.
• To launch an article marketing plan.
• Or all of the above.
What ever your goal is it is important to write it down and post it where you can see it every day. “Goals that are not written down are just wishes.”
Step #2 – Keyword Research
Any new project should always include this step. Keyword research is the basis for any successful page on your site. Let’s take the goals above and see how the keyword research you learned to perform in your seo training can be used.
• Higher rankings can be achieved by finding those keywords in your industry that have a high KEI (Keyword Effectiveness Index) and low competing pages. You should concentrate on finding five phrases that you can work on simultaneously.
• By redesigning your Web site you can be including your new found phrases and work them into your sales copy. If you are creating a new site this is the ideal time to make sure you are concentrating on your visitors experience while on your site.
o Include a call to action above the fold
o Contact information above the fold in straight html including area code and zip code.
o Only use Flash in small elements and not as the whole page.
o Include something that will grab your user’s attention. Something out of the normal that will make your visitor stop and take notice of your page.
• Implementing SEO basics can be a daunting task if your site is large or it is many years old. Tactics that where used years ago are no longer useful and most times are being flagged as spam. Depending on how many elements need to be addressed you need to determine if it would be better to start with a fresh page or redo the existing page. A determining factor would be if the current page is already indexed. If this is the case then it would be best to fix the existing page. If the page has too many errors and creating a new one would be wiser be sure to name the new page the same as the old one or do a 301 redirect to the new page. Include your keyword phrase when implementing your basic search engine optimization.
• Visitor response will increase if you are giving your visitors exactly what they are looking for. Only your keyword research will help you with this. We are in an instant gratification world and your visitor will only give you a few seconds to answer their search, so make sure it exactly what they are looking for.
• Open additional windows into your site by using your keyword phrases in your social media avenues. A couple great places to include your keyword researched phrases would be in your blog post and creating a lens in Squidoo around your researched phrase.
• Article marketing is not for everyone but it does allow you to open multiple windows into your site but writing articles around your phrase and submitting them to places like Scribd, ArtcileFactory.com and EzineArticles.com.
Step - # 3 – Which one to choose?
I know you want to implement each and everyone of those goals into your site and you still don’t know where to start.
Stop here and go find five phrases to work with and don’t even think about anything else at this point.
After you find those phrases refer back to your SEO training notes and refresh your memory on how to create a search engine friendly Web page and create content for each of the new keywords you found.
It is going to be hard not to get side tracked but stick to the project at hand. Your only concern is finding 5 phrases, creating content and designing five search engine friendly pages.
Once that is done go ahead and publish the five pages to your Web site. Include each page on your site map, link it from and to relevant pages on your site and include keyword rich link text within the body of the page.
Make a note of the day you added the new pages to your site for later use.
Now that you have the first three steps under your belt you are ready to move onto step four.
Step #4 – Addressing Existing Web Site Issues
Now that you have gotten a good start with the above steps, you can start working on bringing your current Web site up to par while you are actually waiting for indexing on your 5 optimized pages. Your next plan of attack would be working on existing pages within your site. You may not be able to change every issue with your site but remember every small change could result in increased ranking for your site. You may only be able to change your title and Meta tags and not be able to change your corporate sites navigation so tackle what you can and don’t worry about the rest. Each and every issue is just one of the over 200 factors so learn to pick your battles and fix what you can.
Step #5 – Social Media and Article Marketing
Your whole goal is to open as many windows into your site as possible. You have already started this by creating 5 new pages into your site now it is time to open the windows even further. Whether you decide to use article marketing or all the endless possibility of social media marketing now is the time to concentrate on one or both of these window opening wonders.
You can use the five phrases you found in your first step or you can find 5 new ones but at this stage you are creating content to be used in articles, on blogs or bookmaking pages within the many social media avenues. Your title is the most important element when tackling this step. Make your title keyword rich, compelling and deliver what your title describes in the article or blog post.
If you are not quite ready to dive into social media start at least with adding a blog to your Web site. Your best results will come from the blog residing on your server and not one that is hosted on a free blogging site. Make a commitment to blogging regularly and always about your industry so your site and your blog are industry related.
Step #6 – Tracking Your Progress
Web analytics can show you information about all of your optimization projects. Not only will it show you your results for the 5 keyword phrases you are working on but it will open your eyes to how your visitor is moving through your site. Record your results on a weekly or daily basis. This step will help you in testing each one of your projects and help you decide which one you should concentrate more on. Usually I find 2 or 3 phrases that are really performing and those are the ones I concentrate on blogging and adding it to the social media venues.
Step #7 – Keep Up With the Changes
There is no other step as important as this one. The internet changes its landscape on a daily basis so it is imperative that what you learn in your SEO Training is always the latest information. Your Web site and or clients are depending on your expertise so don’t let them down by applying out of date or useless techniques. There are many places you can turn to for guidance.
The first place would be Google, Yahoo! and MSN’s Webmasters guidelines. Each is posted on their site and is updates each and every time they have made changes to them.
Another place would be to subscribe to one of many search engine optimization and marketing blogs created by industry leaders. Your instructor should be able to point you in the right direction to their most trusted resources.
Continue learning by attending your favorite SEO Training provider’s courses on a yearly basis. Principles and techniques change often so always keep on top them.
Often students are overwhelmed with the amount of information they are given at class but if you learn to take them in small steps starting with setting your goals you will find that your seo training is working for you and your Web site.
About The Author
Tracy Fredrychowski – SEO Instructor
http://www.searchengineacademysc.com
Monday, March 17, 2008
How to create Screensaver from Flash movie?
Have you ever thought your Flash movie would make a great screen saver? This tutorial will show you what you should do to create a colorful full-featured SCR screen saver with great visual effects from any SWF project.
Complete the following steps to create a screensaver:
About The Author
John Dell writes Flash tutorials and articles for http://ALLFlashTools.com. ALLFlashTools.com: a wide selection of Flash tools and components to enhance your Flash needs.
Complete the following steps to create a screensaver:
- Open SWF Maestro SCR. If you do not have it, you can download it at http://tools.allflashtools.com/SWF_Maestro_SCR-review-140.html
- Click New to create a new project.
- Open "General Screensaver name" settings and specify the name for your screensaver.
- Open "General Version info" settings and specify version, company and copyright info.
- Open "Files Files for compilation" settings and specify a SWF file you'd like to turn into the screensaver. You can also specify a directory if your SWF project loads data from other files (XML, JPG, MP3, FLV, etc.)
- If you want to set your own icon for the screensaver, specify it in the "Files Screensaver icon" settings.
- Open "Files SWF Player" settings and specify the Flash player requirements.
- Open "Files Final screensaver" settings and specify where the screensaver should be saved.
- If you want to add a 'settings' menu for your screensaver, specify it in the "Screensaver Settings menu".
- If you want to create an "interactive" screensaver that will terminate on ESC key or other key combination, use the "Screensaver Termination conditions" settings.
- You can also setup the context menu for "interactive" screensavers using the "Screensaver Context menu" settings.
- Use the "Screensaver Installer" settings if you want to generate an installer for your screensaver. An installer is the user-friendly and comfortable way to distribute the screensaver. Once started, it will automatically install the screensaver on the user's computer and enable it. If the user would suddenly like to remove the screensaver, he can easily do it using the uninstaller coming together with the screensaver.
- Click Save to save the project.
- Click Preview to preview the screensaver.
- Close the Preview window and click Compile to compile the screensaver.
About The Author
John Dell writes Flash tutorials and articles for http://ALLFlashTools.com. ALLFlashTools.com: a wide selection of Flash tools and components to enhance your Flash needs.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Why It’s Crucial To Have A Dedicated Server
A dedicated server is a single web server or computer on the internet that hosts websites and shows pages as viewers request. A dedicated server is within a network of computers, exclusively dedicated to one costumer or a large business, since it can meet many needs.
Dedicated servers are most commonly used in the web hosting industry; hundreds of sites are hosted under one dedicated server. A dedicated server is considered to be the next step on from shared hosting environments. Having your own dedicated server makes you free of worry about other websites slowing you down or crashing your server. Dedicated servers also give you total control, and allows for installing software on your website that opens doors for gaining extra performance.
The advantage of having a dedicated server is that the clients of the server can customize both hardware and software setup so they meet needs like faster data access and effortless accommodation of traffic on the site.
These dedicated servers come with good costumer service. The web host works with the client in making sure that the dedicated server meets the needs of the client. In cases of companies having several divisions like a chain of outlets, it is still crucial for each to have their own dedicated server because they can create many domains on a single server easily, which results in more efficiency rather than having to lease host space on different web servers for each division or outlet individually.
For large companies having websites for every dealership such as motorcycle manufacturers, the advantage of having a dedicated server is that the parent company can put all of the websites for each dealership under the same server.
Here’s how it works. Assume a company named “Taurus Cars Corp.” is running a series of dealerships, the parent company could host an individual website for every dealership. Each website may look like this; for the parent company “www.taurusmotorscorp.com”, for the dealership in Florida “www.taurusmotorsflorida.com “, for the dealership in Colorado “www.taurusmotorscolorado.com” and so on.
The advantage of this setup is the dealership in Florida is using the same online tools as the dealership in Colorado. Making the online presence of the company Taurus Motors Corp. very streamlined and cost-efficient, while making things significantly easier for the company’s administration and support, also known as customization and uniform of point of sale software. Considering the websites of each of the different divisions or dealerships residing on one dedicated server, makes this advantage beneficial in terms of increasing sales.
In some cases other business want to use dedicated servers for the sole purpose of customization, costumer service, and fast access. They host websites themselves or better yet sub-lease the extra space for interested companies to set up their websites and domains. The advantage derived by any business under a dedicated server is the ability to enhance security.
All these advantages imply that dedicated servers are the best option for most large companies or businesses. Hosting personal websites or small business websites in general doesn’t require a dedicated server, instead for this purpose you can lease from a standard web host.
About The Author
Stu Pearson has an interest in Computers & Technology related topics. To access more information on dedicated servers, dedicated server hosting, dedicated game server rental and on linux dedicated servers please visit this link http://westgazette.com/
Dedicated servers are most commonly used in the web hosting industry; hundreds of sites are hosted under one dedicated server. A dedicated server is considered to be the next step on from shared hosting environments. Having your own dedicated server makes you free of worry about other websites slowing you down or crashing your server. Dedicated servers also give you total control, and allows for installing software on your website that opens doors for gaining extra performance.
The advantage of having a dedicated server is that the clients of the server can customize both hardware and software setup so they meet needs like faster data access and effortless accommodation of traffic on the site.
These dedicated servers come with good costumer service. The web host works with the client in making sure that the dedicated server meets the needs of the client. In cases of companies having several divisions like a chain of outlets, it is still crucial for each to have their own dedicated server because they can create many domains on a single server easily, which results in more efficiency rather than having to lease host space on different web servers for each division or outlet individually.
For large companies having websites for every dealership such as motorcycle manufacturers, the advantage of having a dedicated server is that the parent company can put all of the websites for each dealership under the same server.
Here’s how it works. Assume a company named “Taurus Cars Corp.” is running a series of dealerships, the parent company could host an individual website for every dealership. Each website may look like this; for the parent company “www.taurusmotorscorp.com”, for the dealership in Florida “www.taurusmotorsflorida.com “, for the dealership in Colorado “www.taurusmotorscolorado.com” and so on.
The advantage of this setup is the dealership in Florida is using the same online tools as the dealership in Colorado. Making the online presence of the company Taurus Motors Corp. very streamlined and cost-efficient, while making things significantly easier for the company’s administration and support, also known as customization and uniform of point of sale software. Considering the websites of each of the different divisions or dealerships residing on one dedicated server, makes this advantage beneficial in terms of increasing sales.
In some cases other business want to use dedicated servers for the sole purpose of customization, costumer service, and fast access. They host websites themselves or better yet sub-lease the extra space for interested companies to set up their websites and domains. The advantage derived by any business under a dedicated server is the ability to enhance security.
All these advantages imply that dedicated servers are the best option for most large companies or businesses. Hosting personal websites or small business websites in general doesn’t require a dedicated server, instead for this purpose you can lease from a standard web host.
About The Author
Stu Pearson has an interest in Computers & Technology related topics. To access more information on dedicated servers, dedicated server hosting, dedicated game server rental and on linux dedicated servers please visit this link http://westgazette.com/
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Must Know Shopping Tips For Internet Faxing
There are more than a few reasons why virtual faxing is recommended for most users. In fact Internet fax is growing into a multimillion industry where virtual faxing services are now offered worldwide. Conventional fax machines are old, expensive, and some what inefficient in modern days like now. Imaging you have a service that requires zero to low start up cost, great working mobility, easier fax management, and more over, a service with better reliability – would you be switching to this service from the stale facsimile machine? You bet!
The service I am talking about is Internet faxing service
Internet faxing in brief is a web application that allows you to send and receive faxes via Internet. Also known as virtual faxing, Internet fax uses IP networks to transmit fax data instead of the conventional PSTN. E-mails are normally used as the medium in commercial Internet faxing services.
Explaining the Email faxing service in detail might be a very tough job. However, there is nothing much consumers need to learned in order to implement the Internet faxing technology into their business. In brief, Internet faxing is a service that enables you to send and receive faxes without using the fax machine.Instead, faxes will be transmitted in digital form via the Internet. Sent (or received) in Email attachment, Email faxes can be read and organized in both soft- and hardcopy.
What can Internet fax service do for you?
While faxing is an indispensable communication way, Internet faxing turned out to be a better choice against conventional fax machine. Instead of causing problem like paper jam, extra phone line cost, cuts off page text, and fax transmission failure; Internet faxing offer faxing solution with cheaper operation cost, easier 24/7 faxing, greater mobility, and of course, no more paper jamming.
Internet faxing requires very low start up and operation cost. You can actually estimate to save 50 – 70 % startup cost when compare with conventional faxing machine. To use Email faxing services, all you need is a computer with Internet connection and an active Internet fax service account. As the PC is a must for any kind of business nowadays, theoretically the account subscription fees is the only extra pay for using Internet fax. When comparing with conventional faxing equipment such subscription fees are extremely low as they normally ranged from $10 to $20 (depends on your level of usage).
Mobility is another selling point for Internet faxing services. All you need for sending Email fax is just a PC with Internet connection and an Internet faxing account – this enables you to send faxes in anywhere, anytime.
Answering the 'who' question
So who are the reputable merchants in Internet faxing services? If you are shopping for one, these names should not be stranger to you: eFax, Fax Away, MyFax, Virtual Fax, and CallWave Virtual Fax (new service).
Now shopping for Internet faxing might be confusing with so many merchant, there are, nevertheless, lots of great deals available online. The smart thing to do is, of course, check a few reputable ones and pick the one that suits your faxing needs best.
About The Author
Article by Phil Anderson.
Need guides in picking up the right virtual faxing service? View DumbShopper's unbias guide on fax via email services at: http://www.dumbshoppers.com/internetfaxing/
The service I am talking about is Internet faxing service
Internet faxing in brief is a web application that allows you to send and receive faxes via Internet. Also known as virtual faxing, Internet fax uses IP networks to transmit fax data instead of the conventional PSTN. E-mails are normally used as the medium in commercial Internet faxing services.
Explaining the Email faxing service in detail might be a very tough job. However, there is nothing much consumers need to learned in order to implement the Internet faxing technology into their business. In brief, Internet faxing is a service that enables you to send and receive faxes without using the fax machine.Instead, faxes will be transmitted in digital form via the Internet. Sent (or received) in Email attachment, Email faxes can be read and organized in both soft- and hardcopy.
What can Internet fax service do for you?
While faxing is an indispensable communication way, Internet faxing turned out to be a better choice against conventional fax machine. Instead of causing problem like paper jam, extra phone line cost, cuts off page text, and fax transmission failure; Internet faxing offer faxing solution with cheaper operation cost, easier 24/7 faxing, greater mobility, and of course, no more paper jamming.
Internet faxing requires very low start up and operation cost. You can actually estimate to save 50 – 70 % startup cost when compare with conventional faxing machine. To use Email faxing services, all you need is a computer with Internet connection and an active Internet fax service account. As the PC is a must for any kind of business nowadays, theoretically the account subscription fees is the only extra pay for using Internet fax. When comparing with conventional faxing equipment such subscription fees are extremely low as they normally ranged from $10 to $20 (depends on your level of usage).
Mobility is another selling point for Internet faxing services. All you need for sending Email fax is just a PC with Internet connection and an Internet faxing account – this enables you to send faxes in anywhere, anytime.
Answering the 'who' question
So who are the reputable merchants in Internet faxing services? If you are shopping for one, these names should not be stranger to you: eFax, Fax Away, MyFax, Virtual Fax, and CallWave Virtual Fax (new service).
Now shopping for Internet faxing might be confusing with so many merchant, there are, nevertheless, lots of great deals available online. The smart thing to do is, of course, check a few reputable ones and pick the one that suits your faxing needs best.
About The Author
Article by Phil Anderson.
Need guides in picking up the right virtual faxing service? View DumbShopper's unbias guide on fax via email services at: http://www.dumbshoppers.com/internetfaxing/
Monday, March 10, 2008
Streamlining Regulatory Publishing with Submission
As the business world turns its attention from back office automation to front office efficiency the need to streamline document and information management is starting to play an increasingly important role. This has never been more relevant than in the pharmaceutical industry. Enterprise Content Management applications, eCTD software and other information management tools all provide benefits that are designed to better manage information and streamline document workflows. As much as these applications aid in general contributions to document management, there are still further requirements in regulatory submissions that the generalities of these applications don’t address. The cost of government and regulatory compliance leaves a lot of room for improvement – a key area being the document conversion and publishing process. The real and opportunity costs of non-compliance leave most companies spending an inordinate amount of time and money ensuring document quality and compliance. What if there was a tool that would not only automate document conversion and publishing but reduce the need to perform quality checks and balances? Streamlining the sub mission process not only saves money but it can generate millions of dollars on the back end of the life cycle of the product. This article talks about real-world process improvements, cost reductions and the opportunities for streamlining document submission processes, highlighted by applications with proven track records.
Time to market has always been a critical success factor for manufacturers and marketers of consumer products. But when every day’s delay can mean millions against your bottom line – and when your product might mean the difference between life and death for millions of people worldwide – the stakes are that much higher. These are the stakes that leaders of Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical companies must contend with every time a new drug or technology is faced with regulatory approval. For a blockbuster drug like LIPITOR® or NEXIUM®, that are now prescribed in excess of $10 million every day, reaching the marketplace quickly can make or break the financial quarter or even a full fiscal year. High stakes indeed.
The regulatory minefield
For Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical companies, time to market is always held hostage, to some degree, by the global regulatory landscape. Few industries face regulation on the same scale and level of complexity. Such intense oversight and scrutiny is reasonable for an industry of such intricacy and potential impact on the health and wellbeing of much of the world’s population. At the same time, the agencies that impose these regulations, like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, face intense pressures of their own.
Recent media and congressional examination of several high-profile cases in the drug industry have put the FDA and its international counterparts firmly on the defensive. This is not good news for the industry. Scandals surrounding first the cardiovascular effects associated with Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), and more recently the “sleep driving” and “sleep eating” side effects of popular new insomnia treatments are causing a significant retrenchment within the regulatory community. The FDA in particular is facing growing pressure for congressional action to address these issues but the proposals currently under consideration, in the opinion of many industry players, would harm, not improve, patient safety by making it more difficult to get promising new drugs approved and into the hands of doctors and patients.
The FDA has also been perceived in the past as “cozying up” to the industry and of rushing promising new drugs and technologies to market without an adequate paper trail. The result of this perception, justified or not, is heightened scrutiny, leading the agency to become progressively more conservative and defensive in its decision-making and in its approach to reviewing and approving submissions for new medicines and technologies. At the same time, promising new areas of study such as the Human Genome Project (HGP) are turbo-charging innovation and discoveries in the research community. In fact, the Wall Street Journal recently cataloged over $1 billion worth of currently pending IPO filings and there is a growing collection of existing bio-engineering companies applying HGP concepts in the marketplace.
The combination of more rigorous oversight, increasing threats of litigation and the explosion of complex, technology-driven areas of research have created a perfect storm for companies looking to succeed in this complicated landscape. It has also led to an atomic explosion in the size and complexity of submissions related to new drugs and technologies. Though this cutting edge research is conducted using the latest technology, it is remarkable how often the key results are compiled and maintained on nothing more sophisticated than a series of unconnected MS Word documents and even hand-written forms. Documentation for a single research study may consist of tens of thousands of pages with a full submission including multiple study results documents. Extend this over multiple jurisdictions, different languages, add in the complexity of joint ventures, patent laws, sub-contracting and outsourcing research and it is hardly surprising that some FDA and EMEA (European Medicines Agency) submissions were traditionally delivered not by the box load but by the truck load.
Electronic submissions: technology to the rescue?
When every day is critical, ensuring that you have effective regulatory submission processes and technologies in place is “table stakes”. Having leading-edge document management technologies coupled with collaborative document transformation tools, on the other hand, is a significant competitive advantage. The effective implementation of these technologies can significantly accelerate submission lifecycles that contributes directly to the bottom line.
Preparing submission compliant documents, typically in PDF, is a time-consuming and highly iterative process critical to successful submissions. As discussed earlier, the highly collaborative and fractured nature of the research and development process means that many of the original source documents that make up the submission need to be manually reworked. The rework stems from deficiencies inherent in MS Word, particularly the inability to retain key navigation information during conversion to PDF. This kind of manual rework is time-consuming, prone to error and, not surprisingly, very expensive. These deficiencies can be overcome during the PDF creation process by having the right technology in place.
Not all solutions are created equal
The excessive size of these submissions is also a significant burden for the agencies themselves. For its part, the FDA plans to streamline and simplify the process by moving all submissions to an automated electronic platform by the end of 2007 – with the caveat that this may be pushed out to a later date. The standard, known as eCTD (electronic Common Technical Documents) is an interface between industry and agency for transferring regulatory information while at the same time taking into consideration the facilitation of the creation, review, lifecycle management and archival of the electronic submission. The specification has set criteria that make electronic submissions technically valid, and any eCTD-compliant submission prepared in any compliant environment can be transferred to another environment built on technology from another vendor. In theory it sounds ideal, however in practice it should be remembered that not all technologies are created equal.
With the FDA demanding the use of the eCTD format, the leading players in Life Sciences and Pharmaceuticals were quick to make the transition; recognizing the opportunity to streamline their own processes and take advantage of the inherent cost savings. Even companies not required to make eCTD compliant submissions are seeing the advantages of an electronic workflow in accelerating time to market. They are finding ways to leverage the technology and transform eCTD into suitable printed CTD. These companies have also seen the way the wind is blowing with the news that the European Union has mandated that all 27 member countries be ready to accept eCTD submissions by 2009. Can the chapter of paper submissions be nearing its end? Can the rest of the world be far behind?
There is no shortage of document workflow, rendering and output solutions available but the requirements for eCTD compliant submissions are unique and require an integrated solution that puts the focus where it belongs – squarely on delivering final submissions that can handle the complex, ever-evolving landscape of this leading edge industry. The documents for an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) or New Drug Application (NDA) submission are always “in play” – constantly under review, endlessly annotated and eternally being “improved”. These improvements must not corrupt the perfection of the submission, which is often the result of post-production re-rendering where critical errors are made or repeated.
Software applications, like those offered by Adlib Software, avoid these pitfalls by focusing on document rendering quality while employing a design philosophy of stable, open protocols and standards such as XML and Web services. Adlib’s document transformation technologies streamline the rendering process for documents being used in the submissions process. By integrating seamlessly into the document workflow, any source document can be easily rendered automatically into a submission-ready PDF.
Robust rendering is the core
Robust PDF rendering forms the backbone of any document management workflow and is the lifeblood that flows through the entire eCTD submission lifecycle. By creating higher quality renditions, quality assurance churn can be reduced to only minutes per document. This is a significant process acceleration over traditional QA cycles – searching for missing, broken and invalid hyperlinks – that usually takes hours to complete. The cost savings, projected over submissions running into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of pages, have proven to be enormous.
Submission-ready PDFs are infinitely flexible and contain an almost limitless set of features. These PDF outputs can be readily equipped with essential elements like version control, downgrading, font embedding, automated Table of Contents creation, audit history and submission taxonomy. These PDF documents are also flexible and scalable at every stage of the submission lifecycle, particularly important given the FDA’s increasingly aggressive use of post-marketing “risk minimization action plans” (RiskMAPs) – including the requirement to submit additional safety information (such as larger safety studies to screen earlier for relatively rare potential adverse reactions) – after the original submission is made.
The right instruments: powerful, flexible and nimble
When it comes to partnering with leading edge players in Life Sciences and Pharmaceuticals, Adlib Software is uniquely positioned to supercharge the submissions process with its powerful document transformation framework anchored by Adlib Express Server and Express Web Services. For more than 10 years, Adlib as enabled several key industry players to gain a competitive advantage by maximizing the efficiency of document workflows. The difference with Adlib Software’s solutions compared to some of the other PDF rendering engines is that Adlib Software cut its teeth working with global Life Sciences partners to ensure that the quality and fidelity of its PDF renditions not only meet but exceed the demands of regulatory submissions.
Several of Adlib’s customers have reported savings amounting to millions of dollars with the majority of the direct cost savings coming from substantial QA cycle time reductions due to unprecedented confidence in PDF rendering quality. QA has been reduced to a couple of minutes compared to what used to take hours. Given the sheer volume of document rendering that takes place for just one submission and multiply that by the number of submissions performed each year, the numbers add up quickly. The indirect impact, although harder to measure may even have a greater impact on the bottom line. By streamlining the submission process and providing higher quality submissions, product hits the market sooner. As mentioned earlier, each day gained could be worth millions of dollars in extra sales. Not a bad ROI is it.
With its advanced publishing features and support for multiple formats including MS Office-based sources, Adlib Express Server applications give companies all of the advanced features necessary to significantly accelerate submission compliant document workflows. Some of these features include automated, accurate optical character recognition (OCR) to create searchable files from images and PDFs, stamping to create headers, footers, volume numbers and cross-references from hyperlinks, as well as dynamic Tables of Contents generation capabilities. Importantly, Adlib Express also normalizes hyperlink styles to meet FDA standards and includes advanced bookmarking control with the ability to merge and/or volumize PDFs based on page count, size or other variables. Adlib solutions are XML-ready with XML Job Ticket support and Web services. A truly complete solution.
Adlib Software then takes things to the next level with its Exhibit product. Exhibit enables organizations to leverage existing XML backbones, as well as folder structures for Rest of World (ROW) submissions in either paper or volumized PDF formats. Exhibit works with eCTDs as well as other submission formats (e.g. 510k) and with other applications to provide the ultimate in flexibility and interoperability.
Exhibit was developed in partnership with several world leading pharmaceutical companies to automate the process of creating paper-based submissions from eCTDs. It’s a collaborative browser-based solution that optimizes the capabilities of Adlib Express Server to prepare electronic submissions for print or volumized PDF destinations. It includes the ability to convert electronic hyperlinks into paper-based bookmarks and references as well as automated features that allow for intelligent document assembly; modifying Tables of Contents, page scaling, the application of headers and footers, page numbers and the insertion of tabs and slip sheets. All of these advanced operations are available with Express Server but leveraged through applications like Exhibit.
The benefits of a solution like Adlib Express Server is that the scalable conversion, publishing and OCR functionality can be leveraged for not only regulatory submission processes but it can also be applied across the entire enterprise to create a complete rendering framework for all sorts of document workflows. The robust infrastructure of Adlib Express Server is designed to be a foundation for growth that allows Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical organizations to take advantage of existing investments in skills and technology to achieve document management efficiencies that truly support the critical work they do on behalf of humanity – and their shareholders. These solutions are also flexible and scalable enough to act as the launching pad for adopting innovative new methods of information management to achieve competitive advantages over time.
About The Author
For more information about the author, this article subject matter or Adlib Express Server applications, please go to http://www.adlibsoftware.com or call Adlib Software at +1 905 631 2875.
Time to market has always been a critical success factor for manufacturers and marketers of consumer products. But when every day’s delay can mean millions against your bottom line – and when your product might mean the difference between life and death for millions of people worldwide – the stakes are that much higher. These are the stakes that leaders of Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical companies must contend with every time a new drug or technology is faced with regulatory approval. For a blockbuster drug like LIPITOR® or NEXIUM®, that are now prescribed in excess of $10 million every day, reaching the marketplace quickly can make or break the financial quarter or even a full fiscal year. High stakes indeed.
The regulatory minefield
For Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical companies, time to market is always held hostage, to some degree, by the global regulatory landscape. Few industries face regulation on the same scale and level of complexity. Such intense oversight and scrutiny is reasonable for an industry of such intricacy and potential impact on the health and wellbeing of much of the world’s population. At the same time, the agencies that impose these regulations, like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, face intense pressures of their own.
Recent media and congressional examination of several high-profile cases in the drug industry have put the FDA and its international counterparts firmly on the defensive. This is not good news for the industry. Scandals surrounding first the cardiovascular effects associated with Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), and more recently the “sleep driving” and “sleep eating” side effects of popular new insomnia treatments are causing a significant retrenchment within the regulatory community. The FDA in particular is facing growing pressure for congressional action to address these issues but the proposals currently under consideration, in the opinion of many industry players, would harm, not improve, patient safety by making it more difficult to get promising new drugs approved and into the hands of doctors and patients.
The FDA has also been perceived in the past as “cozying up” to the industry and of rushing promising new drugs and technologies to market without an adequate paper trail. The result of this perception, justified or not, is heightened scrutiny, leading the agency to become progressively more conservative and defensive in its decision-making and in its approach to reviewing and approving submissions for new medicines and technologies. At the same time, promising new areas of study such as the Human Genome Project (HGP) are turbo-charging innovation and discoveries in the research community. In fact, the Wall Street Journal recently cataloged over $1 billion worth of currently pending IPO filings and there is a growing collection of existing bio-engineering companies applying HGP concepts in the marketplace.
The combination of more rigorous oversight, increasing threats of litigation and the explosion of complex, technology-driven areas of research have created a perfect storm for companies looking to succeed in this complicated landscape. It has also led to an atomic explosion in the size and complexity of submissions related to new drugs and technologies. Though this cutting edge research is conducted using the latest technology, it is remarkable how often the key results are compiled and maintained on nothing more sophisticated than a series of unconnected MS Word documents and even hand-written forms. Documentation for a single research study may consist of tens of thousands of pages with a full submission including multiple study results documents. Extend this over multiple jurisdictions, different languages, add in the complexity of joint ventures, patent laws, sub-contracting and outsourcing research and it is hardly surprising that some FDA and EMEA (European Medicines Agency) submissions were traditionally delivered not by the box load but by the truck load.
Electronic submissions: technology to the rescue?
When every day is critical, ensuring that you have effective regulatory submission processes and technologies in place is “table stakes”. Having leading-edge document management technologies coupled with collaborative document transformation tools, on the other hand, is a significant competitive advantage. The effective implementation of these technologies can significantly accelerate submission lifecycles that contributes directly to the bottom line.
Preparing submission compliant documents, typically in PDF, is a time-consuming and highly iterative process critical to successful submissions. As discussed earlier, the highly collaborative and fractured nature of the research and development process means that many of the original source documents that make up the submission need to be manually reworked. The rework stems from deficiencies inherent in MS Word, particularly the inability to retain key navigation information during conversion to PDF. This kind of manual rework is time-consuming, prone to error and, not surprisingly, very expensive. These deficiencies can be overcome during the PDF creation process by having the right technology in place.
Not all solutions are created equal
The excessive size of these submissions is also a significant burden for the agencies themselves. For its part, the FDA plans to streamline and simplify the process by moving all submissions to an automated electronic platform by the end of 2007 – with the caveat that this may be pushed out to a later date. The standard, known as eCTD (electronic Common Technical Documents) is an interface between industry and agency for transferring regulatory information while at the same time taking into consideration the facilitation of the creation, review, lifecycle management and archival of the electronic submission. The specification has set criteria that make electronic submissions technically valid, and any eCTD-compliant submission prepared in any compliant environment can be transferred to another environment built on technology from another vendor. In theory it sounds ideal, however in practice it should be remembered that not all technologies are created equal.
With the FDA demanding the use of the eCTD format, the leading players in Life Sciences and Pharmaceuticals were quick to make the transition; recognizing the opportunity to streamline their own processes and take advantage of the inherent cost savings. Even companies not required to make eCTD compliant submissions are seeing the advantages of an electronic workflow in accelerating time to market. They are finding ways to leverage the technology and transform eCTD into suitable printed CTD. These companies have also seen the way the wind is blowing with the news that the European Union has mandated that all 27 member countries be ready to accept eCTD submissions by 2009. Can the chapter of paper submissions be nearing its end? Can the rest of the world be far behind?
There is no shortage of document workflow, rendering and output solutions available but the requirements for eCTD compliant submissions are unique and require an integrated solution that puts the focus where it belongs – squarely on delivering final submissions that can handle the complex, ever-evolving landscape of this leading edge industry. The documents for an Investigational New Drug Application (IND) or New Drug Application (NDA) submission are always “in play” – constantly under review, endlessly annotated and eternally being “improved”. These improvements must not corrupt the perfection of the submission, which is often the result of post-production re-rendering where critical errors are made or repeated.
Software applications, like those offered by Adlib Software, avoid these pitfalls by focusing on document rendering quality while employing a design philosophy of stable, open protocols and standards such as XML and Web services. Adlib’s document transformation technologies streamline the rendering process for documents being used in the submissions process. By integrating seamlessly into the document workflow, any source document can be easily rendered automatically into a submission-ready PDF.
Robust rendering is the core
Robust PDF rendering forms the backbone of any document management workflow and is the lifeblood that flows through the entire eCTD submission lifecycle. By creating higher quality renditions, quality assurance churn can be reduced to only minutes per document. This is a significant process acceleration over traditional QA cycles – searching for missing, broken and invalid hyperlinks – that usually takes hours to complete. The cost savings, projected over submissions running into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of pages, have proven to be enormous.
Submission-ready PDFs are infinitely flexible and contain an almost limitless set of features. These PDF outputs can be readily equipped with essential elements like version control, downgrading, font embedding, automated Table of Contents creation, audit history and submission taxonomy. These PDF documents are also flexible and scalable at every stage of the submission lifecycle, particularly important given the FDA’s increasingly aggressive use of post-marketing “risk minimization action plans” (RiskMAPs) – including the requirement to submit additional safety information (such as larger safety studies to screen earlier for relatively rare potential adverse reactions) – after the original submission is made.
The right instruments: powerful, flexible and nimble
When it comes to partnering with leading edge players in Life Sciences and Pharmaceuticals, Adlib Software is uniquely positioned to supercharge the submissions process with its powerful document transformation framework anchored by Adlib Express Server and Express Web Services. For more than 10 years, Adlib as enabled several key industry players to gain a competitive advantage by maximizing the efficiency of document workflows. The difference with Adlib Software’s solutions compared to some of the other PDF rendering engines is that Adlib Software cut its teeth working with global Life Sciences partners to ensure that the quality and fidelity of its PDF renditions not only meet but exceed the demands of regulatory submissions.
Several of Adlib’s customers have reported savings amounting to millions of dollars with the majority of the direct cost savings coming from substantial QA cycle time reductions due to unprecedented confidence in PDF rendering quality. QA has been reduced to a couple of minutes compared to what used to take hours. Given the sheer volume of document rendering that takes place for just one submission and multiply that by the number of submissions performed each year, the numbers add up quickly. The indirect impact, although harder to measure may even have a greater impact on the bottom line. By streamlining the submission process and providing higher quality submissions, product hits the market sooner. As mentioned earlier, each day gained could be worth millions of dollars in extra sales. Not a bad ROI is it.
With its advanced publishing features and support for multiple formats including MS Office-based sources, Adlib Express Server applications give companies all of the advanced features necessary to significantly accelerate submission compliant document workflows. Some of these features include automated, accurate optical character recognition (OCR) to create searchable files from images and PDFs, stamping to create headers, footers, volume numbers and cross-references from hyperlinks, as well as dynamic Tables of Contents generation capabilities. Importantly, Adlib Express also normalizes hyperlink styles to meet FDA standards and includes advanced bookmarking control with the ability to merge and/or volumize PDFs based on page count, size or other variables. Adlib solutions are XML-ready with XML Job Ticket support and Web services. A truly complete solution.
Adlib Software then takes things to the next level with its Exhibit product. Exhibit enables organizations to leverage existing XML backbones, as well as folder structures for Rest of World (ROW) submissions in either paper or volumized PDF formats. Exhibit works with eCTDs as well as other submission formats (e.g. 510k) and with other applications to provide the ultimate in flexibility and interoperability.
Exhibit was developed in partnership with several world leading pharmaceutical companies to automate the process of creating paper-based submissions from eCTDs. It’s a collaborative browser-based solution that optimizes the capabilities of Adlib Express Server to prepare electronic submissions for print or volumized PDF destinations. It includes the ability to convert electronic hyperlinks into paper-based bookmarks and references as well as automated features that allow for intelligent document assembly; modifying Tables of Contents, page scaling, the application of headers and footers, page numbers and the insertion of tabs and slip sheets. All of these advanced operations are available with Express Server but leveraged through applications like Exhibit.
The benefits of a solution like Adlib Express Server is that the scalable conversion, publishing and OCR functionality can be leveraged for not only regulatory submission processes but it can also be applied across the entire enterprise to create a complete rendering framework for all sorts of document workflows. The robust infrastructure of Adlib Express Server is designed to be a foundation for growth that allows Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical organizations to take advantage of existing investments in skills and technology to achieve document management efficiencies that truly support the critical work they do on behalf of humanity – and their shareholders. These solutions are also flexible and scalable enough to act as the launching pad for adopting innovative new methods of information management to achieve competitive advantages over time.
About The Author
For more information about the author, this article subject matter or Adlib Express Server applications, please go to http://www.adlibsoftware.com or call Adlib Software at +1 905 631 2875.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Fighting Off Viruses: Advancements In Antivirus Software Suites
Protecting your computer from a virus is getting harder and harder each day. While it may border on the paranoid, it goes without saying that you can’t leave your guard down for one second. Even corporate giant Microsoft has found its own systems compromised on more than one occasion.
Remember the “good old days”, before the advent of the Internet and downloadable programs? Life was simple then in terms of computer viruses. With the primary way in which a virus could be transmitted being limited to floppy disks, the ability to catch and eradicate the virus was a lot easier. By today’s standards, it used to take quite a while before a virus was able to infect a computer and slow down the system. The antivirus software of that time was typically able to identify and eradicate viruses before they caused too much damage. Additionally, computer users were pretty savvy on how to protect themselves in terms of scanning all floppy disks before copying them to our desktop.
The Internet helped change all that. The Internet provided a conduit by which viruses could move from host to host with lightening speed. No longer could a computer user just worry about floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging, and software downloads. Today’s viruses can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human intervention, and take full advantage of vulnerabilities within a system or program. With technology advancing everyday, and the convergence of computers with other mobile devices, the potential of new types of threats also increase.
Protecting Your Computer
Luckily, the advancement of antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats. Antivirus software is essential to a computer’s ability to fend off viruses and other malicious programs. These products are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and desktops. Additionally, these programs offer a centralized control feature that handle deployment, configuration and updating.
A computer user should remain diligent and follow a few simple steps to protect against the threat of a virus:
1. Evaluate your current computer security system.
With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack in a multitude of ways, the approach of having just one antivirus software version has become outdated. You need to be confident that you have protected all aspects of your computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the gateway to the server. Consider a more comprehensive security system which includes several features including antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection. This type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to penetrate your system.
2. Only install antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable company.
Because new viruses erupt daily, it is important that you regularly update your antivirus software. Become familiar with the software’s real-time scan feature and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your computer. This will protect your system by automatically checking your computer each time it is powered up.
3. Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they originate.
4. Exercise caution when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown sources especially if they were received during an online chat or as an attachment to an email.
5. Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only way to recover your data if infected.
Recommended Antivirus Software
There are numerous applications available to consumers. With a little research, you can pick the program that is right for you. Many programs provide a trial version which allows you to download the program and test its abilities. However, be aware that some anti-virus programs can be difficult to uninstall. As a precaution make sure to set up a System Restore point before installing.
Here are a few programs which typically receive high marks in terms of cost, effectiveness, ease of use, and customer service.
The Shield Pro 2005™ provides virus protection and hacker security through ongoing support and updates. When a virus breaks out, The Shield Pro 2005™ promises to provide a patch within 2-3 hours and a fix for the virus within 5 hours. You can set your computer to update viruses weekly and run a complete virus scan.
BitDefender 9 Standard provides antivirus protection, as well as Peer-2-Peer Applications protection, full email protection, and heuristics in a virtual environment. This provides a new security layer that keeps the operating system safe from unknown viruses by detecting malicious pieces of code for which signatures have not been released yet.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0 program is simple to install and use. The user only needs to choose from three levels of protection. It allows updates as frequently as every hour while promising not to disrupt your computer. The program also offers a two-tier email protection feature and round-the-clock technical support.
PC-cillin Internet Security combines antivirus security and a personal firewall—for comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and hackers. It also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It even guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and pharming attacks.
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a free downloadable antivirus program that has received high marks for its reliability. In the past, free downloadable antivirus programs have been viewed skeptically because of issues relating to its reliability. However, AVG from Grisoft, remains one of the best-known free anti-virus programs available. While AVG can not be installed on a server operating system and there is no technical support, it still makes a good choice for many home computer users. The best part is that since it is free, you can try it with no further obligation necessary.
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-
About The Author
Nial Robbins owns the work at home directory website located at: http://www.NDR-HomeBiz.com. Come by and visit us today! Also, be sure to check out our "top pick" work at home opportunity at: http://www.NDR-HomeBiz.com/pips.html
Remember the “good old days”, before the advent of the Internet and downloadable programs? Life was simple then in terms of computer viruses. With the primary way in which a virus could be transmitted being limited to floppy disks, the ability to catch and eradicate the virus was a lot easier. By today’s standards, it used to take quite a while before a virus was able to infect a computer and slow down the system. The antivirus software of that time was typically able to identify and eradicate viruses before they caused too much damage. Additionally, computer users were pretty savvy on how to protect themselves in terms of scanning all floppy disks before copying them to our desktop.
The Internet helped change all that. The Internet provided a conduit by which viruses could move from host to host with lightening speed. No longer could a computer user just worry about floppy disks as points of entry, but they now had to worry about email, email attachments, peer-to-peer file sharing, instant messaging, and software downloads. Today’s viruses can attack through multiple entry points, spread without human intervention, and take full advantage of vulnerabilities within a system or program. With technology advancing everyday, and the convergence of computers with other mobile devices, the potential of new types of threats also increase.
Protecting Your Computer
Luckily, the advancement of antivirus software has kept pace with current virus threats. Antivirus software is essential to a computer’s ability to fend off viruses and other malicious programs. These products are designed to protect against the ability of a virus to enter a computer through email, web browsers, file servers and desktops. Additionally, these programs offer a centralized control feature that handle deployment, configuration and updating.
A computer user should remain diligent and follow a few simple steps to protect against the threat of a virus:
1. Evaluate your current computer security system.
With the threat of a new generation of viruses able to attack in a multitude of ways, the approach of having just one antivirus software version has become outdated. You need to be confident that you have protected all aspects of your computer system from the desktop to the network, and from the gateway to the server. Consider a more comprehensive security system which includes several features including antivirus, firewall, content filtering, and intrusion detection. This type of system will make it more difficult for the virus to penetrate your system.
2. Only install antivirus software created by a well-known, reputable company.
Because new viruses erupt daily, it is important that you regularly update your antivirus software. Become familiar with the software’s real-time scan feature and configure it to start automatically each time you boot your computer. This will protect your system by automatically checking your computer each time it is powered up.
3. Make it a habit to always scan all new programs or files no matter from where they originate.
4. Exercise caution when opening binary, Word, or Excel documents of unknown sources especially if they were received during an online chat or as an attachment to an email.
5. Perform regular backups in case your system is corrupted. It may be the only way to recover your data if infected.
Recommended Antivirus Software
There are numerous applications available to consumers. With a little research, you can pick the program that is right for you. Many programs provide a trial version which allows you to download the program and test its abilities. However, be aware that some anti-virus programs can be difficult to uninstall. As a precaution make sure to set up a System Restore point before installing.
Here are a few programs which typically receive high marks in terms of cost, effectiveness, ease of use, and customer service.
The Shield Pro 2005™ provides virus protection and hacker security through ongoing support and updates. When a virus breaks out, The Shield Pro 2005™ promises to provide a patch within 2-3 hours and a fix for the virus within 5 hours. You can set your computer to update viruses weekly and run a complete virus scan.
BitDefender 9 Standard provides antivirus protection, as well as Peer-2-Peer Applications protection, full email protection, and heuristics in a virtual environment. This provides a new security layer that keeps the operating system safe from unknown viruses by detecting malicious pieces of code for which signatures have not been released yet.
Kaspersky Anti-Virus Personal 5.0 program is simple to install and use. The user only needs to choose from three levels of protection. It allows updates as frequently as every hour while promising not to disrupt your computer. The program also offers a two-tier email protection feature and round-the-clock technical support.
PC-cillin Internet Security combines antivirus security and a personal firewall—for comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, Trojans, and hackers. It also detects and removes spyware and blocks spam. It even guards against identity theft by blocking phishing and pharming attacks.
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition is a free downloadable antivirus program that has received high marks for its reliability. In the past, free downloadable antivirus programs have been viewed skeptically because of issues relating to its reliability. However, AVG from Grisoft, remains one of the best-known free anti-virus programs available. While AVG can not be installed on a server operating system and there is no technical support, it still makes a good choice for many home computer users. The best part is that since it is free, you can try it with no further obligation necessary.
NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this article within your website or newsletter as long as you leave the article fully intact and include the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-
About The Author
Nial Robbins owns the work at home directory website located at: http://www.NDR-HomeBiz.com. Come by and visit us today! Also, be sure to check out our "top pick" work at home opportunity at: http://www.NDR-HomeBiz.com/pips.html
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware
There could be many reasons why you’d want to troubleshoot your computer, well, one actually and that’s because something is not working right. The process of troubleshooting is something you learn after working for a long time with computers. Often enough when there’s a problem, nothing is going to explicitly tell you what is causing the problem and how you can fix it. By taking logical steps and walking through the process of troubleshooting you should be able to solve almost any computer problem, software or hardware related. It involves identifying the problem(s), finding the cause of that problem, determining the solution, executing that solution, and testing and checking that solution to see if it solves your problem.
As an example let’s say one day while using your computer the screen suddenly turns all black and you can’t see anything. We found a problem now what would be the first step to take to fix it? First check to see if the monitor is on and is receiving power, most monitors when they have power, but no connection or connection problems with the computer will display a message that says this monitor is working, but make sure you check your cables. So the next logical step to take would be to check the cable to make sure it is properly connected and secured to the VGA slot behind your computer case and to make sure the monitor cable is plugged into the monitor. Now, here’s where you have to decide what would be the next best course of action to take. you could either swap out your monitor with another monitor that you know is working to see if the problem is the monitor itself and nothing else or you can try to see if the problem is your graphics card. If your replacement monitor works, good, then you know your culprit is a bad monitor and you’ll most likely have to get a new one, because monitors are dangerous and too costly service. If the replacement monitor you used shows up a black screen as well, the next thing you’d do is check to make sure the graphics card is properly seated in the motherboard, if it is and the display is still not showing up, then swap out the graphics card to see if your problem is fixed.
Generally there are only so many steps you can take before you solve the problem and everything is back in order. Make sure that before you start testing and swapping out parts that the problem wasn’t caused by you changing a software setting in Windows or some ambiguous option in the motherboard’s BIOS that causes your problem.
Motherboard
The motherboard is the heart of the computer, every part of the computer relies on the motherboard to function correctly. It maintains connection between every PC component and ensures that things are operating smoothly between them. Many signs of motherboard failure is that the computer won't boot up, not reaching the POST test, erratic system behavior, different combinations of components not working. Because everything is connected to the motherboard certain parts may or may not work correctly if the motherboard is faulty so be sure to test those parts before thinking they're dead and getting new ones.
Be sure to do a visual inspection of the motherboard to make sure all cables are seated properly, the fans are spinning, and that the CMOS battery is in it's proper place.
Also check for any broken or leaking capacitors, those can immediately render a motherboard dead.
Make sure that all of the jumpers are set correctly as well, you should be able to find jumper information in your motherboard's manual, and if you don't have the manual you should be able to find the manual on the Internet at the motherboard manufacturer's website.
Many of the problems caused by a bad motherboard is also similar to problems caused by a faulty or dying power supply, so be sure to check if the power supply is faulty or swap it out for another to see if your problem is fixed. If you have a spare motherboard you can try swapping out the motherboard to see if that solves your problem, if that's the case then the motherboard is most likely faulty. If you think the motherboard is faulty and it is still in warranty you should be able to send it back to the manufacturer for a new one with no hassle, sometimes they might even pay for the shipping & handling if it is a big problem that is happening with a certain line of motherboards. Make sure that when you open a motherboard you keep all of the packaging and the box, and if there are any stickers that will void the warranty if removed make sure you do NOT remove them, so that way it is easier to send back.
Power Supply
If you suspect your power supply is giving you trouble, make sure you check it out fast, because power supplies can make trouble with the rest of your system as well. Irregular voltages sent from the power supply can short circuit and overheat your components thus frying them and making them unusable. Some faulty power supplies have even caught on fire, but if you’re lucky it might just smoke a little and start to smell. A few signals that your power supply is bad or is going bad would be erratic and seemingly random system behavior like system hangs and crashes, and burning smells along with smoke.
If you recently upgraded your system or added new hard drives, disk drives, a graphics card or anything for that matter, be sure to check if your power supply is being overloaded with hardware. A good way to check is to use a power supply calculator. One time when I upgraded my system with a new fancy PCI Express 16x Graphics card, well it was fancy back then, I had problems with the graphics card performing while in 3d games, it was all due to my power supply being unable give it enough juice on the 12v rails so it performed poorly and didn’t act as it should have, I even swapped out the graphics card for another one believing it was bad, after checking the manufacturer’s forums it seemed like a lot of people were having problems with faulty cards, so I figured mine must have been faulty too. After getting the new card it seemed like it performed better for a little bit longer, which could’ve just been some optimizations they did to circuit board. Seeing how they sent me an upgraded version of the same card, but it wasn’t until I checked my power supply wattages that I found the real culprit.
The first thing to do to diagnose your power supply is check the power supply connectors, make sure everything is plugged into the motherboard and the power cable is plugged into the power supply, you wouldn’t believe how many people forget to plug in their computer. Many power supplies also have a power switch on them so check to make sure that no one accidentally or purposefully switched it off maybe for a prank. Check the fan to see if it is spinning at the correct speed and if it’s dusty vacuum it out. Determine if the power supply cables are giving out the right amount of voltage, if you computer will let you boot you should be able to check them in the BIOS menu to see if the correct voltages are being given. Normal power supplies give +3.3 volts DC, +5 volts DC, -5 volts DC, +12 volts DC, and -12 volts DC.
Memory
Faulty RAM can have many adverse effects on your system. Constant lockups, computer rebooting, memory error message (duh), system crashes, and sometimes refusing to boot up are all signs of memory errors. Though, these are also signs for motherboard, hard drive, and power supply problems too. Luckily for you if you think your memory is subject to causing a disruption in your system there are programs that can check the memory for it's performance and to see if it is generating any errors.
Memtest86+ is an amazing memory diagnostic program. It is based off of the original Memtest86 that has been around since 1994 and is used by system-builders, average joes, and professionals in the IT world. It's a standalone memory check test which means it can be easily run without a bootable operating system, that's good if you can't just seem to get your PC started and want to rule out your memory as quickly as possible.
How To Use Memtest86 With Your Floppy Drive To Test Your Memory
First go their website at www.memtest.org and select the most appropriate version to download. You can download the bootable iso or the Pre-compiled floppy drive depending on whether you want burn a CD or use your floppy drive. We're going to go into details on floppy method.
Open up the .zip and extract the files to a folder, then click on install.bat, you will be asked to “Enter target diskette drive:”. Type A and hit enter then it will ask you to insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and press -Enter-: after you hit enter it will write some files to your floppy so you can boot your computer with the floppy to test for errors.
After the floppy has been formatted with Memtest86+, leave the floppy in your floppy drive and reboot your computer. Remember to set your floppy drive as the first boot device in your BIOS menu.
The program will automatically load and perform the memory diagnostic tests on your computer. During the testing if there any errors they will show up and at the end of the test it will tell you how many errors you've had.
After testing your memory if you receive any errors you should make sure that your memory is okay either by swapping it out and seeing the problems still occur or try your memory in another system. If the memory passes the tests then you proceed to troubleshoot something else with good faith that your memory is fine.
Hard Drive
The hard drive is that ultimate safe to everything important on your computer. It keeps all of your information, files and folders, music, videos, favorite websites, and programs. With a bad hard drive there's no reason to have a computer. In terms of fixing a computer if the hard drive isn't salvageable then most people don't even want to bother with the rest, because their computer is probably a piece of junk that has been handed down from time to time. Generally when a hard drive is about to fail it's usually years down the road from first acquiring the computer. So the next best option rather than replacing the drive is to just buy a new computer, or build a new one, because your old one sure is probably not running as fast as it used to.
Luckily before your hard drive kicks the bucket there is usually a few warning signs:
Monitor
Watching movies, videos, playing games, and looking at NSFW material are all amazing things we can do on our computers. Yet there may come a day where you just want to get on your computer and relax in your computer room looking at all that NSFW material you have bookmarked under the “Special Sites” category, but you can’t because your monitor won’t turn on. No, you don’t frump and punch holes in the walls to look for an outlet for your rage. You troubleshoot it, and hope to god that your monitor isn’t broken!
When diagnosing a screen problem, half the time it’s usually something very easy, like a cable coming loose, or the monitor getting unplugged accidentally; unfortunately the other half the time it’s probably a problem that’s related to your monitor being old, or a problem that’s related to your graphics card instead. So you may have to diagnose both items at the same time to see which solves your problem.
First, check all your cables, I know this is probably getting a little old with the checking connections and everything, but so many computer problems can be avoided if people just remember that their computer isn’t always going to stay the same way they left it. A foot could kick out a cable, a dog or a cat that got to curious, or almost anything can render half your hardware useless.
After checking all your cables, make sure your screen has power, if it has power and shows a message such as “This monitor is working correctly please check your cable” and shows bars of color on the screen, that means that your monitor is not getting a signal from your computer. Try swapping out the monitor for another one to see if it still says that message. If it does then that means the problem is most likely something to do with your graphics card not seated in the motherboard, or just isn’t working properly, you may want to try swapping out another graphics card to see if that solves your problem.
Generally monitors don’t have that many diagnosable problems. Either they work and they work well, or they don’t work and you have to replace them. When working on a monitor you should never open them, they aren’t meant to be serviced and contain high charged capacitors that hold lethal doses of electricity. We wouldn’t want to read about a computer guy in the obituaries now would we?
Graphics Card
The glorious graphics card, it’s an amazing thing really. It makes all those pretty HDR (High Dynamic Range) pictures look just that good, it keeps your games running smoothly, and your videos in HD. Yet these things can be pains when they’re just not working right, because if something is wrong there’s not a strict hardware or software solution, you have to analyze the current situation to see what’s up.
First and foremost if you’re having any problems with your graphics card, probably the best thing to try to do first is see if there an updated driver for it at the manufacturer’s website that may solve the problem, or if there isn’t an update try uninstalling your graphics drivers and reinstalling them this little action can solve so many problems.
If there’s little jaggies or weird colorful mishaps known as artifacts appearing on your screen you may want to check the temperature of your graphics and make sure is getting enough cooling, and that the fan is working properly. If the cooling checks out okay you may also want to check your power supply ratings to see if it is giving enough juice to your graphics card. Nowadays most graphics cards need a lot of power on the 12v rails, make sure your power supply can give you that power that the graphics card needs.
Sound Card
Some of the typical problems people have with sound cards is either A) no sound or B) no sound. Sounds card typically aren't very expensive so having to replace one if the current one isn't working is no big deal. However, if you're one of those audiophile types who expect 100% original recording quality with your $300 sound card replacing one of those is as expected a lot more harder to do.
Sound Card Troubleshooting
Check speaker cables make sure they're all connected and plugged into the right spot on your sound card. Also check the speaker's power cables.
Make sure windows volume is turned up and the volume is not muted, also make sure that you have all the wave and playback volume turned up and not muted. If you have 'Digital Output Only' checked in your Advanced Controls for Playback Controls, try unchecking it to see if that solves your non-sound problem. I found that if I have that checked my sound card won't give me any sound.
Try reinstalling your sound card drivers, also try checking on the internet at the manufacturer's website for any updated drivers that may be available. They increase your sound card's compatibility with your system.
If the previous tips didn't help, then you may just have to replace your sound card, or atleast swap it out for another one to see if it might be a problem related to your sound card's connection to the motherboard instead.
Processor
The processor is the actual thinking part of the brain of the computer. It does all the calculations needed to make a computer run, and does them all in split second timing. It determines how fast your computer generally runs, and most of the time is a bottle neck for systems that have had everything upgraded except the CPU.
If your processor’s not working, it’s not the end of the world, generally most processors that work correctly for a few weeks, should work correctly for the rest of it’s lifespan, which varies from 5-10 years or so. As long as you’re not overclocking the processor or letting it overheat too badly your processor should be fine, and it could just be a BIOS setting that’s messed up, or a jumper setting, but for kicks just check to make the processor is seated properly and the heat sink is attached to the processor and the motherboard. The heat sink should be attached tightly to the motherboard and not have room to move about, you should be able to pick up your motherboard by grabbing onto the heat sink without any problems. Check in your motherboard manual to make sure all the jumpers are set correctly for your type of processor. Any jumpers set incorrectly can cause the processor to not work, or function correctly or at it’s optimal speed. Also check the heat sink to see if it is cooling off the processor, if it’s not doing a very good job you may want to look into investing in a better one that gets the job done.
As an example let’s say one day while using your computer the screen suddenly turns all black and you can’t see anything. We found a problem now what would be the first step to take to fix it? First check to see if the monitor is on and is receiving power, most monitors when they have power, but no connection or connection problems with the computer will display a message that says this monitor is working, but make sure you check your cables. So the next logical step to take would be to check the cable to make sure it is properly connected and secured to the VGA slot behind your computer case and to make sure the monitor cable is plugged into the monitor. Now, here’s where you have to decide what would be the next best course of action to take. you could either swap out your monitor with another monitor that you know is working to see if the problem is the monitor itself and nothing else or you can try to see if the problem is your graphics card. If your replacement monitor works, good, then you know your culprit is a bad monitor and you’ll most likely have to get a new one, because monitors are dangerous and too costly service. If the replacement monitor you used shows up a black screen as well, the next thing you’d do is check to make sure the graphics card is properly seated in the motherboard, if it is and the display is still not showing up, then swap out the graphics card to see if your problem is fixed.
Generally there are only so many steps you can take before you solve the problem and everything is back in order. Make sure that before you start testing and swapping out parts that the problem wasn’t caused by you changing a software setting in Windows or some ambiguous option in the motherboard’s BIOS that causes your problem.
Motherboard
The motherboard is the heart of the computer, every part of the computer relies on the motherboard to function correctly. It maintains connection between every PC component and ensures that things are operating smoothly between them. Many signs of motherboard failure is that the computer won't boot up, not reaching the POST test, erratic system behavior, different combinations of components not working. Because everything is connected to the motherboard certain parts may or may not work correctly if the motherboard is faulty so be sure to test those parts before thinking they're dead and getting new ones.
Be sure to do a visual inspection of the motherboard to make sure all cables are seated properly, the fans are spinning, and that the CMOS battery is in it's proper place.
Also check for any broken or leaking capacitors, those can immediately render a motherboard dead.
Make sure that all of the jumpers are set correctly as well, you should be able to find jumper information in your motherboard's manual, and if you don't have the manual you should be able to find the manual on the Internet at the motherboard manufacturer's website.
Many of the problems caused by a bad motherboard is also similar to problems caused by a faulty or dying power supply, so be sure to check if the power supply is faulty or swap it out for another to see if your problem is fixed. If you have a spare motherboard you can try swapping out the motherboard to see if that solves your problem, if that's the case then the motherboard is most likely faulty. If you think the motherboard is faulty and it is still in warranty you should be able to send it back to the manufacturer for a new one with no hassle, sometimes they might even pay for the shipping & handling if it is a big problem that is happening with a certain line of motherboards. Make sure that when you open a motherboard you keep all of the packaging and the box, and if there are any stickers that will void the warranty if removed make sure you do NOT remove them, so that way it is easier to send back.
Power Supply
If you suspect your power supply is giving you trouble, make sure you check it out fast, because power supplies can make trouble with the rest of your system as well. Irregular voltages sent from the power supply can short circuit and overheat your components thus frying them and making them unusable. Some faulty power supplies have even caught on fire, but if you’re lucky it might just smoke a little and start to smell. A few signals that your power supply is bad or is going bad would be erratic and seemingly random system behavior like system hangs and crashes, and burning smells along with smoke.
If you recently upgraded your system or added new hard drives, disk drives, a graphics card or anything for that matter, be sure to check if your power supply is being overloaded with hardware. A good way to check is to use a power supply calculator. One time when I upgraded my system with a new fancy PCI Express 16x Graphics card, well it was fancy back then, I had problems with the graphics card performing while in 3d games, it was all due to my power supply being unable give it enough juice on the 12v rails so it performed poorly and didn’t act as it should have, I even swapped out the graphics card for another one believing it was bad, after checking the manufacturer’s forums it seemed like a lot of people were having problems with faulty cards, so I figured mine must have been faulty too. After getting the new card it seemed like it performed better for a little bit longer, which could’ve just been some optimizations they did to circuit board. Seeing how they sent me an upgraded version of the same card, but it wasn’t until I checked my power supply wattages that I found the real culprit.
The first thing to do to diagnose your power supply is check the power supply connectors, make sure everything is plugged into the motherboard and the power cable is plugged into the power supply, you wouldn’t believe how many people forget to plug in their computer. Many power supplies also have a power switch on them so check to make sure that no one accidentally or purposefully switched it off maybe for a prank. Check the fan to see if it is spinning at the correct speed and if it’s dusty vacuum it out. Determine if the power supply cables are giving out the right amount of voltage, if you computer will let you boot you should be able to check them in the BIOS menu to see if the correct voltages are being given. Normal power supplies give +3.3 volts DC, +5 volts DC, -5 volts DC, +12 volts DC, and -12 volts DC.
Memory
Faulty RAM can have many adverse effects on your system. Constant lockups, computer rebooting, memory error message (duh), system crashes, and sometimes refusing to boot up are all signs of memory errors. Though, these are also signs for motherboard, hard drive, and power supply problems too. Luckily for you if you think your memory is subject to causing a disruption in your system there are programs that can check the memory for it's performance and to see if it is generating any errors.
Memtest86+ is an amazing memory diagnostic program. It is based off of the original Memtest86 that has been around since 1994 and is used by system-builders, average joes, and professionals in the IT world. It's a standalone memory check test which means it can be easily run without a bootable operating system, that's good if you can't just seem to get your PC started and want to rule out your memory as quickly as possible.
How To Use Memtest86 With Your Floppy Drive To Test Your Memory
First go their website at www.memtest.org and select the most appropriate version to download. You can download the bootable iso or the Pre-compiled floppy drive depending on whether you want burn a CD or use your floppy drive. We're going to go into details on floppy method.
Open up the .zip and extract the files to a folder, then click on install.bat, you will be asked to “Enter target diskette drive:”. Type A and hit enter then it will ask you to insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and press -Enter-: after you hit enter it will write some files to your floppy so you can boot your computer with the floppy to test for errors.
After the floppy has been formatted with Memtest86+, leave the floppy in your floppy drive and reboot your computer. Remember to set your floppy drive as the first boot device in your BIOS menu.
The program will automatically load and perform the memory diagnostic tests on your computer. During the testing if there any errors they will show up and at the end of the test it will tell you how many errors you've had.
After testing your memory if you receive any errors you should make sure that your memory is okay either by swapping it out and seeing the problems still occur or try your memory in another system. If the memory passes the tests then you proceed to troubleshoot something else with good faith that your memory is fine.
Hard Drive
The hard drive is that ultimate safe to everything important on your computer. It keeps all of your information, files and folders, music, videos, favorite websites, and programs. With a bad hard drive there's no reason to have a computer. In terms of fixing a computer if the hard drive isn't salvageable then most people don't even want to bother with the rest, because their computer is probably a piece of junk that has been handed down from time to time. Generally when a hard drive is about to fail it's usually years down the road from first acquiring the computer. So the next best option rather than replacing the drive is to just buy a new computer, or build a new one, because your old one sure is probably not running as fast as it used to.
Luckily before your hard drive kicks the bucket there is usually a few warning signs:
- Abnormally slow file transfers
- Problems with booting, especially when Windows is being loaded
- Corrupted files
- Disappearing files or folders
- Loud hard drive noise is a good sign that there is a mechanical problem going on inside
Monitor
Watching movies, videos, playing games, and looking at NSFW material are all amazing things we can do on our computers. Yet there may come a day where you just want to get on your computer and relax in your computer room looking at all that NSFW material you have bookmarked under the “Special Sites” category, but you can’t because your monitor won’t turn on. No, you don’t frump and punch holes in the walls to look for an outlet for your rage. You troubleshoot it, and hope to god that your monitor isn’t broken!
When diagnosing a screen problem, half the time it’s usually something very easy, like a cable coming loose, or the monitor getting unplugged accidentally; unfortunately the other half the time it’s probably a problem that’s related to your monitor being old, or a problem that’s related to your graphics card instead. So you may have to diagnose both items at the same time to see which solves your problem.
First, check all your cables, I know this is probably getting a little old with the checking connections and everything, but so many computer problems can be avoided if people just remember that their computer isn’t always going to stay the same way they left it. A foot could kick out a cable, a dog or a cat that got to curious, or almost anything can render half your hardware useless.
After checking all your cables, make sure your screen has power, if it has power and shows a message such as “This monitor is working correctly please check your cable” and shows bars of color on the screen, that means that your monitor is not getting a signal from your computer. Try swapping out the monitor for another one to see if it still says that message. If it does then that means the problem is most likely something to do with your graphics card not seated in the motherboard, or just isn’t working properly, you may want to try swapping out another graphics card to see if that solves your problem.
Generally monitors don’t have that many diagnosable problems. Either they work and they work well, or they don’t work and you have to replace them. When working on a monitor you should never open them, they aren’t meant to be serviced and contain high charged capacitors that hold lethal doses of electricity. We wouldn’t want to read about a computer guy in the obituaries now would we?
Graphics Card
The glorious graphics card, it’s an amazing thing really. It makes all those pretty HDR (High Dynamic Range) pictures look just that good, it keeps your games running smoothly, and your videos in HD. Yet these things can be pains when they’re just not working right, because if something is wrong there’s not a strict hardware or software solution, you have to analyze the current situation to see what’s up.
First and foremost if you’re having any problems with your graphics card, probably the best thing to try to do first is see if there an updated driver for it at the manufacturer’s website that may solve the problem, or if there isn’t an update try uninstalling your graphics drivers and reinstalling them this little action can solve so many problems.
If there’s little jaggies or weird colorful mishaps known as artifacts appearing on your screen you may want to check the temperature of your graphics and make sure is getting enough cooling, and that the fan is working properly. If the cooling checks out okay you may also want to check your power supply ratings to see if it is giving enough juice to your graphics card. Nowadays most graphics cards need a lot of power on the 12v rails, make sure your power supply can give you that power that the graphics card needs.
Sound Card
Some of the typical problems people have with sound cards is either A) no sound or B) no sound. Sounds card typically aren't very expensive so having to replace one if the current one isn't working is no big deal. However, if you're one of those audiophile types who expect 100% original recording quality with your $300 sound card replacing one of those is as expected a lot more harder to do.
Sound Card Troubleshooting
Check speaker cables make sure they're all connected and plugged into the right spot on your sound card. Also check the speaker's power cables.
Make sure windows volume is turned up and the volume is not muted, also make sure that you have all the wave and playback volume turned up and not muted. If you have 'Digital Output Only' checked in your Advanced Controls for Playback Controls, try unchecking it to see if that solves your non-sound problem. I found that if I have that checked my sound card won't give me any sound.
Try reinstalling your sound card drivers, also try checking on the internet at the manufacturer's website for any updated drivers that may be available. They increase your sound card's compatibility with your system.
If the previous tips didn't help, then you may just have to replace your sound card, or atleast swap it out for another one to see if it might be a problem related to your sound card's connection to the motherboard instead.
Processor
The processor is the actual thinking part of the brain of the computer. It does all the calculations needed to make a computer run, and does them all in split second timing. It determines how fast your computer generally runs, and most of the time is a bottle neck for systems that have had everything upgraded except the CPU.
If your processor’s not working, it’s not the end of the world, generally most processors that work correctly for a few weeks, should work correctly for the rest of it’s lifespan, which varies from 5-10 years or so. As long as you’re not overclocking the processor or letting it overheat too badly your processor should be fine, and it could just be a BIOS setting that’s messed up, or a jumper setting, but for kicks just check to make the processor is seated properly and the heat sink is attached to the processor and the motherboard. The heat sink should be attached tightly to the motherboard and not have room to move about, you should be able to pick up your motherboard by grabbing onto the heat sink without any problems. Check in your motherboard manual to make sure all the jumpers are set correctly for your type of processor. Any jumpers set incorrectly can cause the processor to not work, or function correctly or at it’s optimal speed. Also check the heat sink to see if it is cooling off the processor, if it’s not doing a very good job you may want to look into investing in a better one that gets the job done.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Internet Advertising: The Greatness Of Banners
Banners are probably the most common form of advertising on the Internet today. The reason behind this has to do with their randomness and prevalence throughout the cyber highway. Banners are not intended for target audiences; instead, these flashing, animated, sound-generating eye-catchers are intended to simply throw the message out there in an endless array of locations for everyone—professionals and public—to see. In this way, the company that is advertising becomes known instantaneously, which is the purpose.
The banner may very well be the prelude to sucessfully target networking. When the banners provide a vast acknowledgement of a business’ existence, networking becomes easier and more successful because a wider variety of other business owners will have become more familiar with those who have previously launched the banner. The banner, then, is a form of dynamic introduction for new business ventures and a constant affirmation of already existing ones. All types of businesses use banners due to their “in-your-face” nature and the company recognition they provide during short-term and over long-term periods.
Banners are initiated through particular HTML or PHP hyperlink coding. The more elaborate ones, however, are launched through specialized software like Flash® and Java®, both of which are designed for extreme animation, video and audio presentations, some of which are unrestricted by Windows® framing, such as the Adobe™ logo which is activated everytime a PDF file opens. Some banners feature only color stills with lettering, while others include motion and sound. That’s the great thing about banners: they can be constructed to show anything, and they are growing more and more sophicated all the time.
Among the more popular banners circulating the Internet, many represent the more well-known companies that have been around for a while. This suggests that the larger businesses tend to employ such technical and dynamic means of advertising. Cost isn’t low, and it continues to rise. This includes: software, design and development, and sponsorship with other businesses who offer space on their sites to feature the banners. Pricing varies, but it is usually beyond the budget range of the typical small business. Therefore, the banner not only advertises the company and its particular marketing pitch, it also boasts its success.
There is also the constancy of the banner. Unlike, say, television commercials, this mode of advertising can run on and on, non-stop, day and night. Because of this, in conjunction with their prevalence throughout the Internet, business owners need not ever fear that their banner ads will be going unnoticed. Ongoing advertising is sure to incessantly increase traffic, keep the inflow steady, and promote current development in the businesses the banners represent.
In the end, banners are, due to their countless advantages, the best form of advertising for online business. As a matter of fact, their impact in their effects and efforts make their employment just short of a necessity to ensure success. New online business owners who aren’t sure how to introduce their ventures would be served best to use banners, which are flexibly ideal, despite their potentially high costs.
The banner may very well be the prelude to sucessfully target networking. When the banners provide a vast acknowledgement of a business’ existence, networking becomes easier and more successful because a wider variety of other business owners will have become more familiar with those who have previously launched the banner. The banner, then, is a form of dynamic introduction for new business ventures and a constant affirmation of already existing ones. All types of businesses use banners due to their “in-your-face” nature and the company recognition they provide during short-term and over long-term periods.
Banners are initiated through particular HTML or PHP hyperlink coding. The more elaborate ones, however, are launched through specialized software like Flash® and Java®, both of which are designed for extreme animation, video and audio presentations, some of which are unrestricted by Windows® framing, such as the Adobe™ logo which is activated everytime a PDF file opens. Some banners feature only color stills with lettering, while others include motion and sound. That’s the great thing about banners: they can be constructed to show anything, and they are growing more and more sophicated all the time.
Among the more popular banners circulating the Internet, many represent the more well-known companies that have been around for a while. This suggests that the larger businesses tend to employ such technical and dynamic means of advertising. Cost isn’t low, and it continues to rise. This includes: software, design and development, and sponsorship with other businesses who offer space on their sites to feature the banners. Pricing varies, but it is usually beyond the budget range of the typical small business. Therefore, the banner not only advertises the company and its particular marketing pitch, it also boasts its success.
There is also the constancy of the banner. Unlike, say, television commercials, this mode of advertising can run on and on, non-stop, day and night. Because of this, in conjunction with their prevalence throughout the Internet, business owners need not ever fear that their banner ads will be going unnoticed. Ongoing advertising is sure to incessantly increase traffic, keep the inflow steady, and promote current development in the businesses the banners represent.
In the end, banners are, due to their countless advantages, the best form of advertising for online business. As a matter of fact, their impact in their effects and efforts make their employment just short of a necessity to ensure success. New online business owners who aren’t sure how to introduce their ventures would be served best to use banners, which are flexibly ideal, despite their potentially high costs.
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