Mashed Articles

Writen by Iggy Quazi

My new laptop is fantastic, with it’s nice new squeaky-clean operating system it runs like a dream. But it wasn’t long before I had to face the technical challenge of getting all my old data from my old desktop computer (which was bursting at the seams with data!) onto my new laptop.

I was also intending to format and give away my old computer, so I could not afford to lose any of this data in the process.

I sat down at my old computer and listed all of my important files to assess exactly what and how much data I needed to transfer over to the new laptop.

Including my pictures, MP3′s, Office documents, work backup’s and so on, I was looking at transferring about 20 Gigabytes worth of data, it seems to build up so quickly! Thank goodness for my new laptop’s 100 Gigabyte Hard Drive, which will allow me to transfer all of my data to it and still have room for a lot more. I know that the main application programmes (Word, Excel and so on) from my old computer will all have to be reinstalled on to the new laptop from their original install disks, but how do I get all the rest of the data over to the new laptop?

Floppy disk? – no way, even if my laptop had a floppy disk drive I would need about 14,000 disks!

CD or DVD? – Both my new laptop and my old computer have CD ROM drives, to get all my data over using CD’s I would need about 30 disks as well as some software to package all the data up nice and tidily across the 30 disks, viable but a lot of work and time needed. DVD’s would be better but my old computer does not have a DVD drive! There must be an easier way.

USB Memory Stick? – Not really a viable option, the maximum capacity of the USB Memory Stick that I can afford is 512MB, so this would require about 40 swaps from the old computer to the new and as my old computer is only USB1.1 which transfers at 1.5 mega bytes this process is going to be possible but really slow.

Networking? – Apparently I could network my two machines together with a “Cross Wired Network lead” and a copy of “Networking Computers for Dummies”, but unfortunately my old dinosaur of a computer does not have a network card! Network cards are cheap enough but I still don’t want to spend any money on this old computer and really don’t fancy fiddling around inside the desktop. Although it does sound good to be able to connect the two computers together and transfer the data through the cable.

This is when I came across a very handy cable called a USB Data Link Cable. Apparently I can just plug one end into the USB port on my old PC and the other end into the USB port on my new laptop and then as if by magic, I should have a USB Network between both computers. Now this sounds more like it! Both my computers have USB ports and even though my old computer is USB1.1 and my new laptop is USB2.0 the cable should work anyway, although the transfer rate will only be at the lower USB1.1 speed.

After finding more about this cable on the Internet I found out that it is also known as a USB File/Data Transfer Cable. Once connected, the transfer of data is done quickly and effortlessly by simply dragging and dropping files from one window to another, just as you normally would when moving files around on your system. So I ordered one online right away.

The USB Data Transfer Cable arrived the next day and I got down to the business of getting the thing to work, the hardest part was working out the blatantly “translated” instructions. All I had to do was install the included software from the CD, once only on each of my computers, then plug the cable into a USB port on each computer and run the software. Two Windows Explorer type windows appeared, one showing files on the laptop and the other showing files on the PC, then I simply dragged and dropped files between the two computers.

I was amazed, this USB cable solution was fantastic. It was so easy to set up and turned out to be the cheapest option by far at only £15 and much less hassle than any other option, almost too good to be true, magic!

Article by Iggy Quazi director of Ecommerce business Mouse2House based in Essex, England stocking a wide range of digital imaging devices. For more info visit the Mouse 2 House company website at http://www.mouse2house.co.uk where you will find the latest in digital media products.

Tags: application, business, Computer, computers, desktop, device, Internet, laptop, memory, money, network, Networking, sla, Software, system, type, web, Windows, XP

Writen by Ellis Pullman

For those that are hyped up about replacing their cathode ray tubes with flat panel or LCD monitors, here is a frank and earnest assessment of the disadvantages of LCD flat panel monitors and displays.

Firstly, if you decide to use a larger screen resolution than the native resolution, things can appear to be blockier and unbalanced. The picture quality will not be as good in other words.

If you are a heavy duty gamer, than flat panel monitors generally do not have the required response rates in terms of pixel response times compared with cathode ray tubes. This also applies to anything that requires similar capacities as gaming such as high end video and graphics editing.

LCD flat panel monitors generally do not last as long as cathode ray tubes. In practice, this means you can’t leave on a flat panel monitor the same way you would do so for a cathode ray tube. If you do so there is a chance that it will lose it’s brightness over time. Therefore it’s necessary to shut off the LCD monitor every now and then to prevent this from happening, otherwise you will probably need to replace your LCD flat panel monitor every one to two years.

So after listing these disadvantages, is the verdict simply to not purchase an LCD flat panel monitor. Of course not. No solution is perfect from everyone’s perspective because everyone has different needs. If you feel the disadvantages listed above do not affect you in any dramatic way, then it’s definitely advantageous to get a flat panel monitor for everyday purposes such as surfing the internet and perhaps basic image and video editing if necessary.

The best flat screen tv informational pamphlets can be requested from my web site.

http://www.flatpanelmonitorzone.com

Tags: information, Internet, rms, web

Writen by Jim Lotter

If you love to listen to music while you work on your computer, then you should check out the newest computer sound systems. Computer sound systems deliver realistic sound reproduction and excellent bass for most listeners needs. Here’s some tips on purchasing a great computer sound system. If you enjoy CD’s, MP3′s, watch DVD movies, or play games on your computer, your sound system is an integral part of enjoying the entire experience. There are now plenty of computer sound systems that deliver high quality sound reproduction along with a small size and price.

Whether you are looking for deep resonant bass or THX digital processing, you can find them on computer sound systems. Many surround sound speaker systems are now made for computers and the prices are very reasonable. If you are looking for a basic two speaker system or a speaker and bass woofer system, you can find a computer sound system easily and inexpensively. Many quality sound systems can be found for less than $100.

For high end surround sound or THX sound systems made for DVD movies expect to pay from around $200 to over $400. Computer sound systems are sold at most electronics and computer stores and there are plenty of models to choose from. Another vital part of your computer sound system is the sound card. Basically sound cards function to convert digital signals into analog, and vice-versa in some cases. Almost all computers sold currently have an adequate sound card but if listening to high quality sound while watching a movie or playing computer games is important to you, consider upgrading your sound card.

An extra benefit of a premium sound card is that it can improve the performance of your computer in general. Quality cards have their own processor built in which can assume some of the workload of the main computer processor, freeing it up for other tasks. Remember to investigate online and find the best prices and features. Don’t overspend and buy too much card for your computer.

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Tags: cell, Computer, computers, electron, performance, Personal, processor, system, XP