Other Added - Computers and Technology

Which ITIL Process Should We Implement First?
The following question is usually debated a lot amongst IT managers. “With which process should we start when implementing ITIL?” Everybody has their own views, but here are my takes on it.Some consultants sat that one must start with Service Level Management. Theoretically, it would be the perfect option, but how are you going to negotiate SLA's on your MTTR (Mean Time To Repair) if you are not measuring your MTTR through Incident management. This way you will get an idea of your capabilities and of what a realistic MTTR would be for your support teams. It may however be a good idea to start with a Service Catalogue, but that is only one aspect of Service Level Management and not a process.A lot of people state that one must start with Configuration management. Again, I think that it would be perfect in theory, but in practice it is a different story. How will you keep your CMDB up

ever filled up), you go for the 120 gig replacement drive. Along with the drive is a CD that has the installation routine for most computers. You have to open the case (make sure the computer is not only off but the power cord is disconnected from the back of the computer) and remove the old drive, carefully replacing the connections in the same manner as the old drive on the new drive. There are only two, one power and one that connects the drive to the motherboard.

Once you have the drive hooked up and the case back together you’re ready to use the installation CD from the drive manufacturer. If your computer bios is set to boot off the CD (which most are since many don’t even have a floppy drive any more) you boot up once and get an error (we need to have power to open the CD unit) and open the CD and place the hard drive installation CD in and close it. Now you reboot and the CD will usually boot up with a menu that allows you to configure the machine and often will ask you for your OS (normally WinXP) CD to start the installation. And therein lies the first possible snafu. You don’t have your

Conspiracy Theorists and Their Blog Predictions
Have you ever got caught up in a conspiracy theorists predictions and actually started considering their hypotheticals? It is not hard to do really, try doing a web search on 9-11 conspiracies or Illuminati or something of this nature and see what you come up with? There are so many conspiracy theorists from JFK assacination to the UFO at Roswell. The Internet has got them all doesn’t it? You often have to wonder if any of it is real and if some is just misdirection covering another truth that someone may or may not have uncovered?You have to give it up for the creative intrigue humans create in their fear-incited world of sound and fury between the ears of the creative mind. Indeed it is a fascinating study in human nature. Recently a Conspiracy Theorist type came to an online Think Tank Forum and made several way out predictions for the future and then wrote the dubious remarks: “Time wil

That’s usually how it starts. You hear an unfamiliar noise when you turn on your computer. Or, you may be working along and all of a sudden, your computer stops responding. Most people just ignore either one of these signs that something is amiss. They reboot or ignore the noise.

And therein lies the biggest problem. If the user immediately backs up all critical data when these events occur, replacing the component (there’s only a few components with moving parts on a computer – the power supply fan and the hard drive are the two major suspects when odd noises occur) is just time consuming. But if the user fails to heed these signs, then the real fun starts. Recovering data from a damaged drive is not for the faint at heart. Now if the drive is just corrupted, then there several ways to recover the data with software utilities. But our discussion today is about physically damaged hard drives.

The first question I usually ask on a service call (I run a computer service company) is do you have current backups of all your data? When they say no (about 75% of the time), the first thing I do is either instruct them on how to backup or if I’m onsite I do it for them. Once there is a verified backup of data, the rest is easy.

A qualified technician has about a 98% chance of retrieving data from a hard drive if there is no physical damage. A normal user with some help (info, tools, or both) has about a 90% chance. But depending on the situation, it can be very frustrating and time consuming. However, if there is physical damage, forget it. Unless the data is worth $1000’s, don’t bother since that’s what the bill could be to recover the data.

Soapbox on. Before I get into the troubleshooting aspects, let me impress upon you the importance of having current backups of all of your data. If you have current backups, no computer problem will cause you permanent damage. The best defense against computer failure of any kind is backing up your data on a frequent basis. The way I approach it is that if I’ve spent over an hour working on some project, I backup as soon as I finish. I’m lazy, I don’t like to do anything twice, so I backup often. OK, I’ll get off the Soapbox now.

Depending on what you do on your computer (and what you store there like photos, movies, financial data, etc.) backing up is the best way to protect yourself. There are so many easy ways to back up these days there is absolutely no excuse for not doing so often. USB memory sticks and drives, DVD and CD writers (although there has been a lot written lately about both of these media not being reliable for more than 2 years), even 1.44 disks can be used if you have the patience and individual files can fit.

My first choice is a USB drive since you can purchase a large drive for under $75 these days. Many come with one click software that makes backing up your data a snap. There are many ways to backup with incremental (to go back to a certain point in time) small backups daily and then a full backup weekly. But I digress since this article is about troubleshooting and not backing up data.

Back to the strange noise coming from your computer. Two items to check first, the power supply fan and the hard drive (there could be a third choice on the newer computers since most also have a fan on the processor chip). Both have bearings and spin at high speeds. You normally can determine if the noise is coming from one or the other. Replacing the power supply is not a big deal but can be laborious depending on your computer model and case design. If you’re not handy with a screw driver and understand a little basic structure of positive and negative connections, take it to a local computer repair shop. It’s not difficult but it is easy to make the wrong connection and you can fry your motherboard and everything attached if something goes wrong.

So, you’ve checked the power supply fan and the noise is coming from somewhere else. There are several items inside the hard drive that can cause noise but I won’t bore you with the details. Just suffice to say once the noise starts it’s time for a replacement. Mean time failure these days is 3-5 years on most units. But remember that is based on some daily use value, so it can happen at any time.

The easiest way to replace the hard drive is to buy the exact model, which nobody does since the price point constantly goes down. So instead of a 20 gig drive (that you never filled up), you go for the 120 gig replacement drive. Along with the drive is a CD that has the installation routine for most computers. You have to open the case (make sure the computer is not only off but the power cord is disconnected from the back of the computer) and remove the old drive, carefully replacing the connections in the same manner as the old drive on the new drive. There are only two, one power and one that connects the drive to the motherboard.

ICANN Registrar: za-Domains for Anybody
Cologne, 12.10. 2004. ICANN accredited registrar Secura announces today,that the company is accepting the registration of za-domains.The co.za-domains are the domains of South Africa. The co.za-domains belong to the popular domains in Africa.You cannot register at .za. If your name is not available at co.za, you can also register at org.za.The com-domain is best for websites that target international markets, while .co.za-domains are best for South African webpages or those with a strong South African reference. This is so because surfer are used to, and you may lose a part of your target group if you deviate from the expected Top Level Domain.Even if you should own a .com domain, it is advisable to register also a .co.za-domain as well. The za-domains are available on a first-come-first-serve basis.There are no specific requirements for registering za-domain

ther instruct them on how to backup or if I’m onsite I do it for them. Once there is a verified backup of data, the rest is easy.

PayPal versus Google Checkout: A Comparison
Now that Google Checkout is available, web sites and their developers have multiple options for quickly and easily accepting electronic payments over the Internet. While both provide a means for buyers to securely shop, and both have anti-fraud policies to protect both consumers and businesses, we feel most businesses will want to use PayPal primarily, but offer Google Checkout for those buyers who are not comfortable using PayPal.Google Checkout is simply the guardian of credit or debit card information. When a buyer checks out with Google Checkout, they can optionally transmit their mailing address or email address to a merchant, as well as opting into a merchant's newsletter. From the merchant's perspective, adding Google Checkout is as simple as using the Google Checkout site to generate HTML code and pasting it into their site. In exchange for this, Google collects a small fee, which c

hat you do on your computer (and what you store there like photos, movies, financial data, etc.) backing up is the best way to protect yourself. There are so many easy ways to back up these days there is absolutely no excuse for not doing so often. USB memory sticks and drives, DVD and CD writers (although there has been a lot written lately about both of these media not being reliable for more than 2 years), even 1.44 disks can be used if you have the patience and individual files can fit.

Increase Profits with 'No Pain, No Change' Approach
Implementing changes, even when they’re good for your business, can be tough. As the old adage goes, old habits die hard and it’s just as true in business as it is in our personal lives. It’s simply easier to take the path of no resistance and revert back to doing what we’ve always done. Here’s a way to skyrocket your profit potential by linking change to pain and payoff.Whenever I sit with a client who has hired me to assess and identify ways to streamline their business operations, we eventually get around to what I call the "no pain, no change" discussion. I can present a neatly packaged assessment report with recommendations for increasing efficiencies or streamlining processes, but new efficiencies and streamlining requires change. And, change typically meets with resistance because the way of doing things has become habitual.As the old adage goes, old habits die hard. It happen

Both have bearings and spin at high speeds. You normally can determine if the noise is coming from one or the other. Replacing the power supply is not a big deal but can be laborious depending on your computer model and case design. If you’re not handy with a screw driver and understand a little basic structure of positive and negative connections, take it to a local computer repair shop. It’s not difficult but it is easy to make the wrong connection and you can fry your motherboard and everything attached if something goes wrong.

No More Need To Search Hours For Web Hosting - The Top 5 Web Hosting Providers On One Site
Have you ever gone through the process of choosing one option out of many? You know, you're famished and you can't decide between a hamburger, a hot dog and a grilled cheese sandwich.... This is a major problem in the web hosting field too - choosing your web hosting can be a pretty annoying matter. No fear - today there is a solution! Review sites are all over the internet, and the great thing is that they do the work for of you.Too good to be true? You're right... There is a problem with many of these review sites. One thing you might not know about them is that they get money for referring customers. That's right - every time a customer purchases something through their links - they get BIG CASH. This fact makes most review sites untrue and bias.Even though this fact is true with most review sites, there is one that is particularly honest.My web hosting review website has

Don’t worry, it’s a slow down but not an insurmountable problem. You now get to call or go to the website of your computer manufacturer and ask for a set of restore/install CDs. They normally will charge you 5-10 bucks for shipping but will gladly provide the CDs. Make sure you tell them your exact model of computer so you get all the correct video, sound card, and other drivers for your computer. This is very important!

Most computer manufacturers have this down to a science and the CDs have everything you need. You simply boot on the first CD and the restore/install process is fairly automated with you just answering a few questions. This entire process takes about 90 minutes and don’t forget that you need to install any applications that you installed after you bought the computer.

One very important detail you need to address is to make sure you install Virus Protection software. Make sure you install this before you even connect to the Internet. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a computer hit within seconds of coming online, and if you don’t have protection installed you get banged immediately. Also install any WinXP updates by going to the Microsoft website and clicking on Windows Update on the left side of the opening page. Let it do it’s magic and install all critical updates.

Now you can copy back all of your data to your new hard drive and now you are back up and running. Now for all of you that are reading this article and have not backed up your data, go do it right now. You’ll be very glad you did just in case disaster strikes.

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If you are new to the online business world, or have been searching for a free opportunity for quite some time, I share the following piece of advice. Whether you are involved in online business or a brick and mortar business.

One of the most important types of insurance to get if you want your family or loved ones to be provided for if the worst should happen is life insurance. I’m sure you already know this otherwise you wouldn’t be here, would you? But looking for life insurance information on the internet can become quite confusing. There are lots of different policies and recommendations and deals that it can become overwhelming trying to work out what to do. So I’m going to make this a little bit simpler by explaining to you what the main kinds of life insurance are. Hopefully this overview will allow you to decide which type of policy is best for you.

Asking sellers a few specific questions is your key to identifying potential deals quickly. Whether you are on the phone or standing at the front door, a few concise questions can get you all, or most of the information you need to make an offer.

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