Tag: operating-system

Before you Shop for a Computer or Notebook, Understand Basic Computer Jargon

Victoria asked:

CPU? RAM? Do you think they are just letters of the alphabet or something to do with computers? If you guessed they have something to do with a computer, you are correct. Not understanding what these basic computer terms can prevent you from making educated decisions on choosing a notebook or computer. Before you even think about shopping for a notebook or computer, you should understand the basic terms and lingo.

What Is CPU?

A CPU stands for central processing unit, which acts as the brain of the computer. It is important when you look at computers that you purchase one with a name brand CPU with high speed. When you look at CPU brands, you want one with a well known reputation that has been in the market for quite sometime. As for the speed of the CPU, CPU speed is measured in GHz. The higher the GHz the faster your computer will run.

What Is RAM?

RAM is the acronym for random access memory, which keeps computers running fast. The more RAM you have the faster your computer will run. RAM only works and functions when your computer is on because it stores temporary files and runs your programs, operating system, etc. In other words, RAM is similar to a person’s short term memory because it remembers every task you perform until it is turned off. If RAM did not clear itself when you turned off the computer, it will store so much useless data that it will eventually overload and crash. This is why is it important to shut down your computer occasionally since you will clear the RAM. Thus, your computer will run faster.

What Is Hard Drive?

A Hard Drive stores data, which allows you to access important files. The hard drive is the computer’s long term memory. Unlike the RAM, which stores unimportant temporary files, a hard drive stores files that matter to you. Every time you save a word document, pictures, movies, etc, they are stored on your hard drive. The amount of storage the hard drive has is measured in GB, which means the higher the GBs the more information you can store.

Now, you know the basics of computer jargon. You can shop easily for your notebook or computer. The best way of getting computers and notebooks for less is by saving money with free computer coupons, computer discount coupons, computer deals, computer rebates, and computer coupon codes by visiting this link below.

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You can browse through the most popular brand of computers and save money with the latest online computer deals. Since you know the basics, you can easily pick out which computer will fit your needs.

Buy a Usb Flash Drive as a Perfect Alternative for Floppy or CD

Antonio asked:

Gone are those days, when people used a floppy or a compact disc (CD) to store or transfer data from the hard disk of one computer to another. In today’s hi tech world, a new device called USB Pen Drive has been introduced as an alternative for a floppy and a CD. Resembling a pen, it has been a gift to the world by IBM, who introduced it in the year 1998. Since then, it has been no less than a major milestone in technological advancement.

A USB Pen Drive is a portable device with a built in flash memory, which can be used to store data files, photos, music tracks, movie clips, everything that you have always stored in a floppy or a CD. Sometimes, USB Pen Drives are also called flash drives. There are primarily two reasons behind the increasing popularity of USB Flash Drives. They are the compactness and the higher storage capacity of these Pen Drives as compared to floppies and compact discs. Initially, these pen drives were available with a memory of only 8MB. However, today, they are equipped with more storage capacity. Although, different people buy pen drives according to their varied data storage needs, it has been found that in most cases, USB Flash Drives with 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8 GB are in demand the most.

A USB Flash Drive is also very easy to use. All you need to do is to connect it to your computer or laptop via one of its sides which has been specially designed for this purpose. In fact, every computer or laptop is constructed with an USB port and installed with an operating system that supports the use of flash drives. The files can be easily dragged, copied, pasted or transferred using a pen drive. These pen drives have completely revolutionized the way we transmit data from one system to another. It should also be remembered that the function of USB Pen drives also depends on the operating system. So, always go for an operating system that is compatible with these pen drives.

There are many companies that offer USB Flash drives with different storage capacities. However, what is important is the price that they charge. This is because there are some companies who offer pen drives at highly competitive prices. One such place where you can buy a USB Pen Drive with memory space of 1 GB, 2GB, 4GB and 8 GB at an affordable price is Portable Deals Inc. The website also offers many other products such as portable MP3 players, cell phones, HDD player and many more.

A Secure Usb Drive for Mac and Pc

Rg Hannah asked:

A secure USB drive is important to those using Mac’s or PC’s who want to stop the exploiting of confidential data. The thieves are not concerned whether your operating system is Mac or PC. But now a secure USB drive is available as an effective strategy to ward off an attack regardless of which system you use. It would seem at this point if you want to keep your mobile data safe a secure USB drive is in your future interest.

Safety and Security with a Secure USB Drive

A secure USB drive has been produced by SanDisk with safety and security in mind. The drives are compatible with Mac OS X 10.4 and 10.5 featuring the best known encryption algorithm developed to date. The secure USB drive has data encryption that is hardware based and is more secure then software based encryption. Strong authentication means if the flash drive is stolen would be thieves are locked out after a number of failed passwords attempts. This essential prevents any unauthorized user from accessing data. The secure USB drive is also hardware based and is independent of the operating system so access to password keys is not possible from within the operating system.

Investing in a secure USB drive like the units produced by SanDisk is an investment in the company’s future revenue. The confidential data company personnel access everyday is valuable not only to future of the company but to thieves as looking to exploit the data. A secure USB drive can prevent unauthorized access to data through encryption.  Even if lost or stolen encryption makes the data the flash drive contains useless. The mindset use to be that only outsiders were interested in gaining access to secure data but a secure USB drive keeps everyone honest, including employees. Various companies have reported the loss of confidential and sensitive data at the hands of trusted personnel.

A Secure USB Drive on Both Ends

One consideration for using a secure USB drive is the strength it possesses on both ends. Sometimes attackers are not interested in specific data and are not out to exploit data, but only to corrupt it. SanDisk Enterprise partners with McAfee a global security company which scans the secure USB drive for viruses with their anti-malware software and eliminates any threat to data or your operating system before it has an opportunity to reach it. Hackers have been known to use the flash drive as a host to get a virus into the operating system and force it to crash. A secure USB drive with anti-malware will detect such a threat and neutralize it before it can cause any damage to data.

A secure USB drive must have a strong front end and back end which will virtually eliminated access by would be unauthorized users. Strong front end security is provided by passwords that are complex and cannot be hacked or guessed. The administration of passwords for the a secure USB drive is an important part of a strong front end which can keep data safe even if the flash drive is lost or stolen.  Data encryption is a mandatory security measure to prevent access even if the strong front end is thwarted. SanDisk Enterprise produces a secure USB drive equipped with data encryption designed with a strong algorithm which will make data impossible to access by hackers and thieves.

Top 5 USB Thumb Drive Tricks

Liz Cornwell asked:

There are a lot of things you can do with an ordinary USB drive – from carrying a range of portable apps or even an operating system, to encrypting your files and a lot more. In this article I’m going to share with you top 5 USB tricks.

1. Take Programs Wherever You Go

I have lots of portable applications on my USB stick. They rescued me thousands of times, especially when I travel without my laptop. There are a lot of very useful portable apps – Firefox, IM clients, even anti-virus software. You can download everything you need from PortableApps.com. After you’ve downloaded the software, simply run the installer and install the program on your USB thumb drive. Now you can carry your favourite software wherever you go!

2. Lock Your PC

If you worry that someone might tamper with your computer while you’re away, it’s a good idea to lock it. Luckily you can lock your PC with USB drive. There is a very nice free program called USB PC Lock Pro. It works on Windows only and needs to be installed on the computer and not on the USB flash drive.

3. Hide Your USB Drive

Talking of security – if you are afraid that your USB stick might get stolen, you can hide it in a broken USB cable. You’ll need a very small USB drive to do it, but it’s worth a try. Here’s how you can do it.

4. Encrypt Your Data

If there is any sensitive information on your USB flash drive, then it’s best to encrypt it.  TrueCrypt is a nice free app to encrypt your files. Remember that you’ll need to be an administrator of a computer to access that data on the USB.

5. Keep Your Passwords Safe

When you are using a public computer, all your passwords and other confidential information are at risk. The computer might have a key logger running in the background – you never know. That’s where KeePass Password Safe Portable will help you. It’s a password manager that lets you an no-one else access your data. It will be safe even if you lose your USB drive.