Amazing!

http://www.v3.co.uk/vnunet/video/2209690/kicking-intel-80-core-tires
AND
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_cXi7uyJU4

"Plug and Pray" :^)

This amusing sarcastic name for Plug and Play has become all too commonly heard these days. It refers to the large number of problems associated with getting Plug and Play to work on many systems. It's odd to consider--wasn't the whole point of Plug and Play to make it easier to configure systems? It is, but unfortunately PnP falls short of its lofty goal in many cases.
When you use PnP, you are essentially turning over control of system configuration to the PC. The problem is a common one in computers: the computer isn't as smart as the human, or more specifically, the computer isn't as "resourceful" (no pun intended. :^) ). Computers are not nearly as good as humans at realizing things like this: "Well, if I put the modem at that value and the printer there, I will have a conflict. But I can fix that by changing the assignment for the sound card

, moving the modem over here, and putting the printer there". The system can take care of the simple situations, but can become confused by more complicated ones. The use of multiple "legacy" ISA devices can exacerbate this. Generally, the more complex your setup, the more likely you will need to manual "tweak" whatever PnP comes up with by default.
The biggest problems with Plug and Play revolve around its apparent "stubbornness". At times, the BIOS and operating system seem determined to put a device at a location where you do not want it. For example, you may have a modem that you want at COM3 and IRQ5, but the BIOS may decide to put it at COM4 and IRQ3, conflicting with the COM2 serial port. This can get quite aggravating to deal with. Also, some people just prefer the feeling of being "in control" that they lose when PnP is used. (I must admit to being one of these people, oftentimes.)
The problems with PnP are less common now than they were in the first year that it was announced. As with any new technology--especially one that is as complex as PnP and that involves so many parts of the system--it takes time to iron the bugs out. Most systems today work quite well with PnP. In most cases problems with PnP are due to incorrect system configuration, manual overrides of PnP devices through the Windows 95 Device Manager, or incorrect BIOS settings.

From:http://www.pcguide.com/ref/mbsys/res/pnpPray-c.html
 

Herman Hollerith

Herman Hollerith looks out over the invention that brought data processing to the world. Sixty-two million cards were placed in the readers of these machines and then dropped into the sorting box (right) when the appropriate lid opened. (Image courtesy of The Computer History Museum, www.computerhistory.org)
from: http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=Hollerith+machine&i=44307,00.asp

World's First Hard Drive!!

Just Gotta Love Technology!!!!
IBM unveiled the 305 RAMAC on September 13th, 1956. The computer was nothing but a revolution since it could store up to 4.4MB of data (5 million characters) – an enormous amount of data back then. The data was stored on fifty 24 inch magnetical disks. More than 1000 systems were built and the production ended in 1961. IBM leased the computers for $3,200 per month.

from: http://gadgets.fosfor.se/history-of-data-storage/

Love Buffie

Quote from Buffie:
Does this mean I will never own an Apple product or own a Linux computer? Had you asked me that 6 months ago Iwould have said, "Duh, of course not." But even the hardest of heads can be changed. I now own a computer with Ubuntu and I own 2 iPhones. Will I own an Apple PC?  If donated, I would LOL. Why do I say this? Because my mom was right when she said, "money doesn't grow on trees."  In the future, I may actually buy an Apple PC, but for now I stay with Windows.

The next thing that was asked was, "Do you think there is room for both Windows and Linx?" Absolutely! There are too many nerds in the world to let Linux die. Linux really is a nerd's delight. With the fully customizable atmosphere and the ability to have complete control of your OS, who wouldn't love it? Plus with the user actually dictating what changes need to be made instead of a team of "professionals," Linux holds something Windows will never have: 100% customer backing. The only negative thing I have ever read about Linux, is from users who are less than computer savy.

This brings me to my final point. Windows will be a huge player in the OS world due to ease of use. Not everyone is computer savy and able to do "nerd code". Plus they have things like the automotive industry in their back pocket. Yes even your car runs Windows. But will they always be top dog? That I cannot answer but I suspect if Windows 7 bombs like Vista did, I am putting my money on no. Already Apple is taking a bite out of Windows' profit with mildly funny commercials attacking the PC, playing on the way people have with Vista. Apple is opening the eyes of Microsoft victims to a new horizon. Only time will tell if the Apple will fall from the tree, but I have a feeling the Windows will be shut before long.
Great stuff Buffie!!!  Keep it coming!!!

Intel CPU's

i7-920, i7-965, and i7-975


Intel doesn’t need to launch a pair of new CPUs today. Its thousand dollar Core i7-965 Extreme is already the fastest chip out there by a comfortable margin. Its five hundred-something dollar Core i7-940 slides into second place without an issue. And the company’s entry-level Core i7, the 920, is reasonably priced to the point where it fits into our $1,300 System Builder Marathon parts list (and of course, it also helps that the 2.66 GHz chip approaches 4 GHz with some regularity).

Nevertheless, the company is taking advantage of Computex to launch a pair of fresh Core i7s—the 975 Extreme and the 950. Given their names, you’d think that these newcomers would fall into place on either side of the i7-965. But that’s not the plan at all. Instead, Intel says the i7-975 Extreme will replace the 965 at its exorbitant $1,000 price point and the i7-950 will replace the 940 at $562.


For the time being, 940s will probably float around in the channel at reduced prices. But with i7-920s still the overclocking darlings for less than $300, even a discounted i7-940 would still cost more than we’d be otherwise willing to pay for it.

Source: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-975,2318.html

Mr. Jon Peltier

Meet my new best friend!!
http://peltiertech.com/Excel/Charts/format.html
He has an amazing website devoted to Excel charts....
I bought him a cup of coffee!!
If he helps you out, so should you!
:-)

Who would of thought...........

Command line in Windows.....
http://commandwindows.com/runline.htm
http://commandwindows.com/index.html
Wonderful computer tips.....
http://tips.vlaurie.com/
Picssa Tutorial......
Part One: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/picasa-101-getting-started/
Part Two: http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/picasa-101-enjoying-the-view/

OSI Model

7-Application
6-Presentation
5-Session
4-Transport
3-Network
2-Data Link
1-Physical


7-The Application Layer

Protocols:
Application Layer
SMB, NCP, FTP,TFTP, NFS. SNMP,Telnet, SMTP

This layer is very closer to user than other layers.in this layer the user interface protocols like FTP,Telnet,SMTP and so on is working.in another word this layer take data from sender system interface and give it to receiver system interface in other side. the Aplication layer interfaces is Winsock And NetBios(microsoft base network only). the applicatio layer protocols often include the session and presentation layer functions.


6-The Presentation Layer

Protocols:
Presentation Layer
NCP, Telnet, FTP,TFTP, NFS, SNMP,SMTP

This layer purpose is to translate the different syntax of systems to the actual syntax of the user system. when the communicating system establish a connection at presentation layer, they exchange message containing information about the syntaxes they have in common, and together they choose the syntax they will use during the session. the sender system send the data in its own syntax and the presentation layer of the sender system translate it to the communication syntax that are chosen before and the receiver system presentation layer receive the data and translate it to its own system syntax and gives it to upper layer(application). another functions of this layer is Compression & Decompression, Encryption & Decryption.


5-The Session Layer

Protocols:
Session Layer
Telnet, FTP, TFTP,NFS, SNMP, SMTP

The session layer allows users on different machines to establish sessions between them One of the services of the session layer is to manage dialoguue control. Sessions can allow traffic to go in both directions at the same time, or in only one direction at a time. If traffic can only go one way at a time, the session layer can help keep track of whose turn it is. Another session service is synchronization. Consider the problems that might occur when trying to do a two-hour file transfer between two machines on a network with a 1 hour mean time between crashes. After each transfer was aborted, the whole transfer would have to start over again, and would probably fail again with the next network crash. To eliminate this problem, the session layer provides a way to insert checkpoints into the data stream, so that after a crash, only the data after the last checkpoint has to be repeated. the session layer provide 22 services but i described some important of that. there are no separate session layer protocols as there are at the lower layer. Session layer functions are instead integrated into other protocols that also included presentation and application layer functions.


4-The Transport Layer

Protocols:
Transport Layer
SPX, TCP, UDP,NetBEUI

The transport layer protocols provide services that compliment those provided by network layer.the difference between the protocols provided at the transport layer within a particular protocol suite(like TCP/IP, IPX/SPX) is that some are connection oriented and some are connectionless. A connection-oriented protocol is one in which the two communicating system exchange message to establish a connection before they transmit any application data. This ensure that the systems are both active and ready to exchange message. TCP; for example, is a connection-oriented protocol wen you use a web browser to to connect to an internet server, the browser and the server first perform what is known as three-way handshake to establish the connection. Only then dose the browser transmit the address of the desired web page to the server. when the data transmission is completed, the systems perform a similar handshake to break down connection. Connection-Oriented Protocols also provide additional services such as packet acknowledgment, data segmentation, flow control, and end-to-end error detection and correction.
Packet Acknowledgment:when a packet from a system sent to another system , the sender wait of the a acknowledgment packet from recipient that are says to sender system the packet are truly transmitted or the packet are damaged. if the packet damaged the sender system must to send the damaged packet again.
Data Segmentation:in the digital technology the main data is split to very smaller pieces that are called packet to transmit in any way.
Flow Control:this is the generation by a receiving of message that instruct the sending system to speed up or slow down its rate of transmission.


3-The Network Layer

Protocols:
Network Layer
IPX, IP, ICMP, RIP,OSPF, EGP, IGMP,NetBEUI, DLC,DECNet

the network layer protocol responsible to end-to-end communications, whereas data-link layer protocols function only on the local lan. the main function of the network layer is Routing. Routing is the process of directing a datagram from its source, through an internetwork, and to its ultimate destination using the most efficient path possible. The network layer determines how messages are routed within the network. It provides transport entities independence from routing and relay considerations, including the case where subnetworks (relay-only) nodes are used. All relay functions are operated within or below this layer. the other function of the network layer is to add a header that are contain the source and destination ip address. another function of network layer is fragmentation. for example, Token Ring frames can be as large as 4500 bytes, but Ethernet frames are limited to 1500 bytes. when a large datagram that originated on a Toke Ring network is routed to an Ethernet network, the network layer protocols must split it into pieces no larger than 1500 bytes each. This process is called fragmentation.


2-The Data Link Layer

Protocols:
Data Link Layer
HDLC, ARP, RARP,NDIS, ODI, LLC, SAP, PPP, SLIP

The protocol at the data-link layer is the conduit between the computer's networking hardware and its networking software. Network layer protocols pass their outgoing data down to the data-link layer protocol, which packages it for transmission over the network. When the other systems on the network receive the transmitted data, their data-link layer protocols process it and pass it up to the network layer. When it comes to designing and building a LAN, the data-link layer protocol you choose is the single most important factor in determining what hardware you buy and how you install it. To implement a data-link layer protocol, you need the following hardware and software: -Network interface adapters (When an adapter is a discrete card plugged into a bus slot, it is referred to as a network interface card or NIC.) -Network adapter drivers -Network cables (or other media) and ancillary connecting hardware -Network hubs (in some cases) Network interface adapters and hubs are both designed for specific data-link layer protocols, and are not interchangeable with products for other protocols. Some network cables are protocol-specific, while others can be used with various protocols. By far the most popular data-link layer LAN protocol in use today (and throughout the history of the LAN) is Ethernet. Token Ring is a distant second, followed by other protocols such as the Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI). Data-link layer protocol specifications typically include the following three basic elements: -A format for the frame (that is, the header and footer applied to the network layer data before transmission) -A mechanism for controlling access to the network medium One or more physical layer specifications for use with the protocol These three components are discussed in the following sections. Media Access Control The computers on a LAN usually share a common half-duplex network medium, which means that it is possible for two computers to transmit data at the same time. When this happens, a packet collision is said to occur, and the data in both packets is lost. One of the main functions of the data-link layer protocol on this type of network is to provide a mechanism that regulates access to the network medium. This mechanism, called a media access control (MAC) mechanism, provides each computer with an equal opportunity to transmit its data while minimizing the occurrence of packet collisions. The MAC mechanism is one of the primary defining characteristics of a data-link layer protocol. Ethernet uses a MAC mechanism called Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Detection (CSMA/CD). Several other protocols, including Token Ring, use a scheme called token passing.


1-The Physical Layer

Protocol:
Physical Layer
CSMA/CD & TokenPassing

The physical layer, at the bottom of the OSI model, is, as the name implies, the layer that defines the nature of the network's hardware elements, such as what medium the network uses, how the network is installed, and the nature of the signals used to transmit binary data over the network. The physical layer also defines what kind of network interface adapter must be installed in each computer and what kind of hubs (if any) to use. Physical layer options include various types of copper or fiber optic cable, as well as many different wireless solutions. In the case of a LAN, the physical layer specifications are directly related to the data-link layer protocol used by the network. When you select a data-link layer protocol, you must use one of the physical layer specifications supported by that protocol. For example, Ethernet is a data-link layer protocol that supports several different physical layer options. You can use one of two types of coaxial cable with Ethernet, any one of several types of twisted pair cable, or fiber optic cable. The specifications for each of these options include a great deal of detailed information about the physical layer requirements, such as the exact type of cable and connectors to use, how long the cables can be, how many hubs you can have, and many other factors. These specific conditions are required for the protocol to function properly. A cable segment that is too long, for example, can prevent an Ethernet system from detecting packet collisions. When the system can't detect errors, it can't correct them, and data is lost. While some aspects of the physical layer are defined in the data-link layer protocol standard, others are defined in separate specifications. One of the most commonly used physical layer specifications is the "Commercial Building Telecommunications Cabling Standard," published jointly by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), the Electronics Industry Association (EIA), and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) as EIA/TIA 568A. This document includes detailed specifications for installing cables for data networks in a commercial environment, including the required distances from sources of electromagnetic interference and other general cabling policies. Nowadays, in most cases, large network cabling jobs are outsourced to specialized contractors, and any such contractor you hire for a LAN cabling job should be intimately familiar with EIA/TIA 568A and other such documents, including your city's building codes. The other communications element found at the physical layer is the particular type of signaling that is used to transmit data over the network medium. For copper-based cables, these signals are electrical charges. For fiber optic cables, the signals are pulses of light. Other types of network media can use radio frequencies, infrared pulses, and other types of signals. In addition to the physical nature of the signals, the physical layer dictates the signaling scheme that the computers use. The signaling scheme is the pattern of electrical charges or light pulses used to encode the binary data generated by the upper layers. Ethernet systems use a signaling scheme called Manchester encoding, and Token Ring systems use a scheme called Differential Manchester.

Reference credit:
The computer guy at
http://home.earthlink.net/~tt4titans/id13.html

Firefox Forever

VMWare

Get more out of your existing computer hardware. Use the free VMware Player application to run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single PC.

With VMware Player, you can use any virtual machine created by VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion, VMware Server or VMware ESX, as well as Microsoft Virtual Server virtual machines and Microsoft Virtual PC virtual machines. Import third party images including Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery (formerly called Live State Recovery) images, Norton Ghost 10 images, Norton Save & Restore images, StorageCraft ShadowProtect images, and Acronis True Image images to VMware Player compatible virtual machines. Use 32- and 64-bit Windows, Linux, NetWare, or Solaris x86 operating systems side-by-side, without rebooting or partitioning your hard drive.

http://vmware.com/products/player/

SAN

Hugely Scalable Dell EqualLogic virtualized iSCSI

Storage Area Network with performance and enterprise reliability

Virtualized PS Series SAN architecture for consolidation and tiered storage
Seamless scalability, up to 576 TB in a single SAN
High density storage: 24 or 48 TB in 4U of rack space
Low TCO with excellent cost-per-GB and comprehensive SAN management and protection software

Open Source Window Aps

http://www.opensourcewindows.org/

Terminal Emulators

More FYI !!!

This post is about video terminals produced by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) from 1970 to 1995. The most famous of these is the VT100, a name which is recognized most often today as a setting in terminal emulation programs.

The real video terminals discussed on this web site ( http://vt100.net/ ) were dedicated devices which are connected to a computer (host) with a serial line. They usually consist of a screen and keyboard, with very little processing power and no local storage. Characters typed on the keyboard are transmitted to the host computer, and characters output from programs running on the host are sent to the terminal to be displayed on the screen. Why would we use devices this simple? Well, their simplicity makes them reliable. There is no operating system and no downloaded software, so they are pretty much impervious to user meddling and viruses. Before PCs put computing power on every desk, a central computer would support tens of users. Now that PCs are as powerful as old mainframes and can run capable multi-user operating systems (take a bow, Linux), there is a resurgence of interest in these low bandwidth, low cost and low maintenance devices.

AWESOME !!!

Terminal Emulators 2

From:
http://www.cs.utk.edu/~shuford/terminal_index.html
By ...Richard S. Shuford
Welcome to my Archive of Video-Terminal Information concerning character-cell video-display terminals, serial-line remote-graphics terminals, and software that emulates them. When I say character-cell terminal, I mean some keyboard-possessing device that is connected to a host computer by a serial cable and typically (if not exclusively) is used to display textual information arriving in the form of ASCII (or perhaps EBCDIC) characters. It is the thinnest possible thin client.

A serial-line remote-graphics-protocol terminal is also connected by a serial (usually RS-232-C) cable to a host, and it may display both ASCII text and graphics images sent to it by the remote host. Protocols for transmitting images include Tektronix vector graphics, DEC's ReGIS and Sixel protocols, and NAPLPS (North American Presentation-Level-Protocol Syntax).

X terminals in their own right are beyond the scope of this collection. An X terminal (such as one of these products still sold by NCD and Wyse Technology, or formerly made by Human Designed Systems/Neoware or Tektronix or Hewlett-Packard) speaks the X protocol, displays graphics in a completely bit-mapped fashion, and prefers to communicate over high-speed connections such as Ethernet. (Another variation on a thin-client is the "Network Computer".) I do, however, keep some small amount of X information here, but focusing on how the xterm application emulates a character-cell terminal.

Note that the information here does not include much coverage of the so-called "Terminal Services" functions in Microsoft Windows, which use the proprietary Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). (As the computer industry has come to expect, adopting a Microsoft protocol forces you to buy Microsoft software and stay in lockstep with the Redmond upgrade cycle.)

This information started as a collection of discussion articles from Usenet newsgroups, especially comp.terminals but including other groups, but with some effort to organize the postings broadly by topic. However, resources from other sources have been added over time. The information in the collection varies in quality, and I personally wrote only a small part of it, but many people, who still have reason to use a terminal, have found it useful. There are no guarantees of applicability or fitness implied.

You should be able to access almost everything via HTTP. If you have trouble, let me know. If you possess information that you'd like to contribute to this collection, send me e-mail. Thanks.
...Richard S. Shuford

What is Gopher?

Just FYI !!

A type of Internet protocol from the early 1990's. Gopher presents a hierarchy of menus like a tree or graph of links. The links can be to documents, runnable programs, or other gopher menus arbitrarily far across the Internet.

From University of Minnesota March 1993
The Internet Gopher Protocol
(a distributed document search and retrieval protocol)

A simple protocol for burrowing through a TCP/IP internet. The Internet Gopher protocol and software follow a client-server model. This protocol assumes a reliable data stream and TCP is assumed. Gopher servers should listen on port 70 (port 70 is assigned to Internet Gopher by IANA). Documents reside on many autonomous servers on the Internet. Users run client software on their desktop systems, connecting to a server and sending the server a selector (a line of text, which may be empty) via a TCP connection at a well-known port. The server responds with a block of text terminated by a period on a line by itself and closes the connection. No state is retained by the server. Servers return either directory lists or documents. Each item in a directory is identified by a type (the kind of object the item is),user-visible name (used to browse and select from listings), an opaque selector string (typically containing a pathname used by the destination host to locate the desired object), a host name (which host to contact to obtain this item), and an IP port number (the port at which the server process listens for connections). The user only sees the user-visible name. The client software can locate and retrieve any item by the trio of selector, hostname, and port.

Quoted from ftp://ftp.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc1436.txt

More info:
http://www.savetz.com/yic/YIC03FI_20.html
gopher://gopher.floodgap.com/1/new/
http://gopher.floodgap.com/overbite/relevance.html

Happy New Year

Welcome to everyone at TMCC, especially all the staff, faculty, and students in the Computer Technology department!! I look forward to being of service to anyone who needs help.

Week 14 – Blog 14 – Viruses and FTP clients

Week 14 – Blog 14

Question 1. Search the Internet to find a "new" virus. Tell me about the virus, what is does, and more importantly, how to remove it. Don't use technical terms, I can look that up myself. Tell me like you are telling your mother to watch out for it and once she got it, how to remove it.
Answer: According to Norton, there are only a few threats from the last couple of months , http://www.symantec.com/norton/security_response/threatexplorer/index.jsp.

There are only 2 viruses listed, the rest are Trojans and worms and they are all listed as low level threats. Bloodhound.PDF.1 is listed as a Trojan, Virus, or Worm. W32.Delezium!inf and W32.Delezium are listed as viruses.

This Microsoft site http://onecare.live.com/standard/en-us/virusenc/ lists the top ten threats, with two viruses Win32/Sality.AM and JS/Decdec.A; they both have a low level threat classification.

My worst virus I have ever worked on is listed here: http://forums.cnet.com/5208-6132_102-0.html?forumID=32&threadID=308147&messageID=2855162. This virus made the C:\ drive invisible, broke the link to the shared folders, and would not let me run anti-virus executables, either from the web or from CD. I always find it interesting when the virus turns off the anti-virus software. It also added "VIRUS ALETRT!" to the clock and all the files and folders on the machine. I worked on the machine for an entire day after my son had worked on it the day before and ended up formatting the hard drive and reinstalling windows.

If my mother had this virus, I would walk her through the above mentioned site since everyone says it helped. If that did not work, I would suggest a format and reinstall.

I would also give her the following advice: Always use caution with email attachments and file transfers, even from known sources. To help protect your computer from infection, you should always run anti-virus and anti-malware software that is updated with the latest signature files. It is important to keep all software updated so that security patches are installed, use automatic update settings. Enable your firewall, either the firewall that comes with Windows, or a third party firewall. If you are concerned, use free online virus scans to double check your computer. http://www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/solutions/activescan/ or http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner, or http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html and my favorite house call by Trendmicro http://housecall.trendmicro.com/.

Question 2. Also, use the Internet to find a free OR shareware software that is either used for FTP, mail or something Internet related. Give me a link and describe what it does, how you would use it, and if you think it is worthwhile.
Answer: http://filezilla-project.org/ FileZilla is an FTP program for file uploading and downloading files between an FTP site, your webpage and your computer. This software lets you to perform multiple file transfers simultaneously. The interface is simple and easy to understand. The transfers are secure and the program allows bookmarking with a site manager and a QuickConnect option. FileZilla only uses 50 MB of memory. If your bandwidth is limited there is a feature that lets you automatically adjust transfer speeds based on the time of day or date. Instead of a task scheduler, FileZilla uses filters so you only see the files you need. There are hundreds of FTP clients and I think a person just needs to try a few of them and see if the programs have the features you need. The only reason I need an FTP client is to down load large files or upload pages to my website. I actually use the FTP client that is built into Dreamweaver to work on my website. For general downloading from the web I use FireFTP in Firefox. http://fireftp.mozdev.org/ I think Mozilla has many good products. I use a lot of extensions in Firefox that help me do work on the web.
 

http://www.coreftp.com/ While I was researching FTP programs, this one got my attention because of all the features. It is a secure FTP client with several secure methods for uploading and downloading files to and from FTP servers, such as SFTP (SSH), SSL, TLS, IDN. Other features include browser integration, site to site transfers, FTP transfer resume, drag and drop support, auto retry of failed transfers, file viewing & editing, firewall support, custom commands, FTP URL parsing, command line transfers, file permissions, filters, favorites, shortcuts, and bookmarks, just to name a few. The web page also claims that there are no popup ads, advertising or spyware and you will never asked or reminded to register.
 

NOTES:
For funny viruses go here: http://www.bsd.org/new.virii.html

One of the widest spread threats, a boot sector virus, is not as threatening as it used to be, mainly due to the decline in the use of floppy discs. The boot sector contains a tiny program that tells the computer how to load the rest of the operating system. Boot sector viruses can infect the boot sector of any floppy disk inserted in the machine, and on college campuses, where lots of people share machines, they could spread like wildfire. According to HowStuffWorks these viruses don't spread nearly as quickly as they once did. There is a "shrinking habitat." The environment of floppy disks, small programs and weak operating systems made these viruses possible in the 1980s, but that environmental niche has been largely eliminated by huge executables, unchangeable CDs and better operating system safeguards. http://computer.howstuffworks.com/virus3.htm.

Blog 13 – Week 13 – Windows ME Support

Assignment: Answer questions 1, 6, 12, 18, and 27 on page 836.
1. What are the three core components of Windows 9x/ME?
A. The Kernel, the user and the GDI (graphics device interface).

6. What are the log files Setuplog.txt, Detlog.txt, and Detcrash.log used for?
A. The setuplog.txt file is an ASCII text file that contains information from the setup. This file lists information about the specific steps, their sequence, and the error conditions encountered before hardware is detected. This file can also be used for troubleshooting errors that occur during the installation process.
The detcrash.log file is created if setup fails during hardware detection. It contains information about the detection module that was running and the I/O port or memory resources it was accessing when the failure occurred. At this point Safe Recovery then skips the action that caused the failure. Then, Safe Recovery continues the detection process, starting with the next module. If the detection process is completed successfully, detcrash.log is deleted. This file is only for the computer, not for people.
The detlog.txt file is the text version of detcrash.log for people.

12. Explain the purpose of the System Configuration Utility. How would you use it in troubleshooting?
A. The system configuration utility (msconfig.exe) can be used to disable programs and services. This allows a technician to determine which program or service is hindering the system startup. It can also be useful for checking if a service is necessary or not when booting the computer.

18. List the five phases of the Windows 9x/ME boot process and give a short description of each.
A. Phase 1: BIOS startup and POST. This looks at the computer hardware and then looks for the hidden system file so the operating system can be loaded.
Phase 2: (lo.sys) Loads DOS drivers and sets environmental variables.
Phase 3: (lo.sys is terminated) The boot files and configurations files turn control over to a Virtual Machine Manager called VxD. This starts the process of allowing hardware to talk to software.
Phase 4: Protected-Mode starts and loads the configuration meager which configures legacy and plug-n-play devices.
Phase 5: Loading the rest of the core components, fonts and other resources, including the desktop. Lastly, any processes listed in the startup directory are performed.

27. Name two ways to end an application that is hung without rebooting the PC.
A. One way is to use the Task Manager. Type Taskman in the Run dialog box. The other way is to use the kill command in the Run dialog box. The kill command can be used with –f for forced kill, and a process id, a task name or a window title.

Dell Motherboard Model 0J8885

BUT I want a BETTER, FASTER motherboard !!

Dell Dimension 5150 / 5100 / E510 Board
Item Code: MB4DELRD203
Manufacturers: Dell Computers
Model RD203 Motherboard
Categories: Intel Lga775 Motherboards

Dell Dimension E510 5150 5100 Motherboard. Dell Part# RD203 J8885 WG261 KF623 - Featuring Intel 945G Chipset LGA775. The Intel board harnesses the advanced computing power of the latest Intel Pentium 4 LGA775 processor supporting Hyper-Threading Technology. This desktop board brings exciting new levels of performance and features to the desktop by combining support for an 1066MHz system bus with Dual Channel DDR-2 memory support.

These boards are Intel made boards for Dell, so you will see a Dell logo come up when booted. All boards are fully guaranteed and come with warranty.

Manufacturer: Intel ( OEM for Dell Dimension E510 5150 5100 )
Dell Compatible Part#: RD203 0RD203 WG261 0WG261 J8885 0J8885 KF623 0KF623
Socket: LGA775 Supporting Pentium 4 5XX/6XX Processors 2.8-3.8 GHz
FSB: 800/1066Mhz System Bus
Expansion Slots: PCI Express x16 x 1 / PCI Express x1 x 1 / PCI x 2
Chipset: Intel 945G
Other Features: Hyper-Threading Technology Support
Connectors: (5 - Back - 2 Front) USB 2.0 Ports, 10/100 Network LAN
Peripheral Interface: (2) Serial ATA (SATA) Interface
Other: One IDE Channel Supporting ATA-66/100/133 and One Floppy Port
Video: Onboard Intel 950 Graphics Accelerator + 1X16 PCI Express Slot and
Audio: 5.1 Surround Sound Audio Ports
Supported Memory: DDR2 400/533Mhz
Maximum Memory: 4 Dual Channel DIMM Support for up to 4 GB of memory