UPGRADING (FLASHING) YOUR BIOS

Today, we have three major companies who build BIOS chips and program them: AWARD, AMI and PHOENIX.
The fastest way to find the upgrade is to paste your BIOS ID String (example shown in Figure 1) into something like google to find an upgrade. If that dosen’t work…
The first thing you need before you begin is the FLASH upgrade software for your motherboard. An upgrade is not found at AWARD Bios, AMI Bios or Phoenix Bios’ web site. They are in the business of selling to motherboard manufacturer’s and not the general public. The Flash Upgrade for your motherboard is always supplied by the motherboard manufacturer. You can nearly always download these upgrades from their web or FTP site. If you computer was built by a company such as Micron, Gateway, IBM, Packard Bell ect. go to their site for the utility.
Simply write down the version number of your Bios, this can be read above the memory test during the beginning of the POST process when you start your computer.
As shown here in this example. Press the PAUSE button on your keyboard (pause button is above the Home,page,down, page up ect section of keys beside print screen and scroll lock) to freeze the screen so you can write it down.

Figure 1
Also, determine the model of the motherboard you are using.

Figure 2
In the case of this picture the mother board is an IRM-P6L40A4 Version 1.02 you can just google that and it should point you to the manufacturer.
These two items are all you will need to find the upgrade for your motherboard on the manufacturer’s web site. On the site you should typically be looking for Drivers & downloads section if you can’t find it use google by typing the motherboard’s name (eg in this case IRM-P6L40A4 Version 1.02).
The FLASH UTILITY is nearly always included in the Flash upgrade file you will download. So, download it first and examine the contents of this file before you begin searching for a Flash Utility file.
Once you have found and downloaded the update:
READ the instructions file and follow it in detail. I have seen a couple of people take for granted they know how to flash a BIOS only to find a new requirement and they are stuck with a mess. READ the INSTRUCTIONS.
Typically, you will need two floppy disks. One disk is your Boot disk with an operating system and the other contains your Flash Utility and the Upgrade file. You might be able to put all this on one floppy, but I recommend against it. When you Flash upgrade your BIOS, one option is to make a backup copy of your existing BIOS code. You will want to do this and need room for the Flash Utility file to store your old Bios code.
To make the MS-DOS boot disk:
Go to My Computer and right-click on the Floppy Drive and select “format” check off “Create MS-DOS startup Disk” and click start.
When the format is complete unzip the BIOS updating files into the disk.
Reset your computer with the floppy disk inside the drive and wait for MS-DOS to load up. If it dosen’t you must reset your computer and press DEL(F2, F8 ect depending on what model of BIOS you have) to enter the setup, there you must go through the options to find “boot seqence” make sure you have A listed before C, for example my computer is set “A, C, SCSI” as you can see in the image below.

Figure 3
After you see the DOS prompt (the famous A:\>), enter the BIOS programmer name followed by the BIOS file name. In our case the command was:
Awdflash 485_v10c.bin
REPLACE 485_v10c.bin with your bin file’s name. if you do not know the name type “dir” you will get a list of what is on your floppy and write down the name of the bin file (Or if the instructions from the manufacturer differ from what is in this guide use this only as a guideline).
Then you will be in the utility asking you to specify the bios upgrade file (the .bin file) in my case it was already Identified with the second part in the Awdflash command “Awdflash 485_v10c.bin”

Figure 4
In my case following the instructions I press Y to save the BIOS afterwards you will be asked to create a backup name the backup something like “bios_backup” and keep following the instructions until you are finished upgrading.

BASIC MAINTENANCE

If you do a lot of downloading, uploading, play online games or basically do anything that involves updating, removing or moving files constantly. Chances are that your computer is going to become sluggish or crash at some point. You probably won’t even notice the change until it takes an instant nose dive. There are a number of things you can do to help keep your PC working right. You basically need to keep it clean.
1) Make sure your computer is spyware / adware / virus free – A lot of this junk can cause severe slowdown and if the problem ends up being related to one of these things then everything you do in this guide from here on out will be pretty much a waste of time.
2) Erase Unused Files and Programs – Get rid of files you do not use anymore it is a waste of space and it can slow you down when you defragment or clean your registry (more on that later).
3) Defraging your computer – Basically defraging organizes the information on your hard drive. Even though files are organized in folders, defraging organizes the files on the drive physically (where it is written or stored on the physical hard disk). The reason you need to defrag is because your computer just crams information in the first empty spaces it can find which means that different parts of a file can be spread all over the place. The more spread out they are the longer it will take to gather up the pieces it needs to run a program. In some cases defraging doesn’t have much of an effect, in others it can speed your computer up drastically especially if your drive is nearly full.
To Defragment Your Drive – you simply go to My Computer and right click on a drive, select properties, and then the tools tab. Select the defragment option, then select the drive you wish to defrag from the list (which may already be selected for you) and you hit defragment. Then you just wait….and this can take a very long or very short time depending on a number of factors so I suggest leaving your computer on overnight.
4) Windows Registry – This is something most people don’t even know exists…the windows registry . It is basically a place where your computer stores certain settings and information. Fixing your registry can fix a variety of problems on your computer.
This time you need to download some software to do this. The software itself is almost as simple as defragmenting. Download a Free Registry Cleaner HERE. If you wish to use a commercial cleaner then I suggest Registry Mechanic. Using one is pretty straight forward and there are guides on the Application’s Home page anyway so I won’t waste my time writing a walkthrough of procedures.
After you have done the basic maintenance above, it’s time to boost the performance of Windows XP. Take a look at this guide for tips and tricks.

HOW TO BACKUP ALL YOUR DRIVERS

To backup all your drivers you simply need to download and install the following program:
WinDriversBackup Personal Edition v1.0.9
(This is taken right from the help file)
To Backup ALL your drivers:
Backing up your driver files…
STEP 1: To back up your computer’s drivers first select whether to back up Non-MS Drivers or all drivers. By selecting “Identify non-MS drivers” or “Identify All Drivers”

STEP 2: Once the desired driver files have been identified click on “select all” and then click on the button labelled, “Backup drivers”. WinDriversBackup will begin saving your driver files in the folder indicated on the main window. If you wish to save the driver files to a different location select the button labelled, “Back up drivers in this folder:”
If you are formatting move your drivers over to a CD or an ipod or other type of storage media because the entire hard drive will be erased so you obviously need to move them off your computer.
To RESTORE your Drivers after you format your computer:
When prompted by the operating system (Add New Hardware Wizard) use the “Install from a list or specific location (advanced)” or “have disk” option provided. Then, browse to the location where you saved the driver installation files using WinDriversBackup.
If this does not happen you simply do the following:
Right click on “My Computer” and go to “Properties” as shown below

You will then be in the “System properties” window. Choose the Hardware tab, and click Device Manager. It will be similar to what you see below.

Anything that you do not have drivers for will have a Yellow question mark with a “!” over it. That means it is unknown. Right click on the unknown item and click on “update driver” that will bring you to the wizard just select “Install from a list or specific location (advanced)” and select the location of your driver’s folder.

HOW TO FORMAT YOUR HARD DRIVE

Step 1A-Backup Your drivers and files

Back up all your important files to something like a CD since formatting will wipe your hard drive.

Secondly BACKUP YOUR DRIVERS TO AVOID PROBLEMS to learn how Click here.

Step 1B-Backup your Settings and Files

ALSO BACKUP YOUR INTERNET AND NETWORK SETTINGS TO AVOID TROUBLE

How to Use Files and Settings Transfer Wizard in Windows XP

Step 1C – Booting from the XP CD

If you get a screen asking you to press a key to continue, or “setup is inspecting your computers hardware configuration…” or basically if you boot right into the windows setup skip to Step 2

If the CD drive is not set as a boot device (to be accessed BEFORE the hard drive) you will have to access and modify the BIOS settings. Every BIOS is slightly different but they are generally the same.

To do this:

STEP 1: Turn on the computer.
 

STEP 2: Press and hold the Delete key (or whichever key your system uses. Look at either the top or bottom of your screen where it says press [key name here] to enter setup the usual keys are DEL,ESC,F8,F1 ) as soon as the computer starts, to display the CMOS start-up screen.
 

STEP 3: Use the arrow keys to highlight BIOS Features Setup, and press Enter.
 

STEP 4: Press the down arrow to move to the Boot Sequence field.
 

STEP 5: Press Page Up or Page Down to display the desired boot sequence.

In this step you make sure CD-ROM is first in line (or at least before the hard drive)

STEP 6: Press Esc to exit the screen.
 

STEP 7: Highlight Save & Exit Setup, then press Enter. The new boot sequence is saved and the computer restarts.

Once the CD drive is set to be polled before the hard drive, insert the XP CD into the drive and power on the system.

If you get a screen asking you to press a key to continue setup or go right to a blue and grey screen (The beginning of windows setup) all is well and you are ready to begin.

STEP 2- Formatting the Hard Drive

The below screen should be what you are seeing….

Press ENTER and go through the prompts it will ask you to agree to the legal terms (press F8 to agree)

Now you are ready to get started you will see the following screen…

You will see something such as “Local Drive C:” in place of “unpartitioned space”

Press D to delete you drive; you will then see one of the fields change to RAW. As seen below (pay no attention to the unpartitioned space in the list)

Press C to create a partitioned space. You will then be brought to this screen

Make sure maximum size and Create partition of size match to make full use of the drive (In the image above they do not, I am splitting the drive into sections in my case).

Press Enter and you will be brought to the following screen…

DO NOT CHOOSE QUICK, CHOSE ANY OF THE OTHER TWO

Specifying the file system to use for formatting the partition. In most cases you’ll want to use NTFS. It’s far more secure than FAT32 and supports permissions, encryption, and compression. The only reason for considering FAT32 would be data sharing with W9x/Me/linux installations.

You will get a screen with a yellow progress bar and now you have to wait awhile. When the format is done your computer will then reset itself after a few seconds (shown by a red progress bar). After which you will get a loading Windows XP logo.

Step 3- Actually installing Windows…

Now you have to wait yet again until you finally have to start inputting information.

You will go by date and time settings, naming your computer and entering your serial key ect.

Step 4- Network settings

Always choose “typical settings” if you are running XP pro you will be asked to provide a domain or a workgroup. In the cases of home or small office use you would probably be part of a workgroup. 

Make sure the Workgroup/domain name matches one on your network (If one is already set up). (You can always change this later in the control panel so if you mess up here don’t panic it can be fixed later, look at the bottom of this page for more information on this)

The install is complete…now internet settings

Depending on the version of your install you will be asked at some point what kind of internet settings you have in 99.9% of cases you will be connecting to a Local Area Network (LAN). If you have a router, then your computer DOES NOT connect directly to the internet. (Once again if you mess up here you can fix the settings in control panel. do not panic!)

Changing Control panel settings:

To get to control panel: My Computer>Control panel link on the side under “other places”

Go to “network and internet connections” in NON-classic mode (default for win xp)

Then you go to “Setup or change your internet connection”, in which case you go to LAN settings and make sure it is set to automatically detect your settings. If this doesn’t work it may be a driver problem as some modems require drivers.

In that case run your driver backup utility mentioned earlier and go to the driver backup page of my blog.

To setup a network: 

“Setup or change your home or small office network”

To modify either of the two options I mentioned earlier.

BASIC COMPUTER HARDWARE

Just in case you never heard of the term before, "computer hardware" refers to all the parts of the computer that you can touch.  "Computer software" generally refers to those computer related things that you can't touch.
Examples of Software:  The computer code that makes this webpage appear on the screen, the code that tells the computer how to play a game or run a PowerPoint slide show, etc. 

Examples of Hardware:   The computer equipment that you need to "run" the software, the mouse that you use to select things on the screen, the screen (or monitor) itself, the keyboard, etc.

Here are some more examples of computer hardware:

Monitor	Keyboard
Mouse	Computer CPU
Printer	Wireless Router

Other items that are technically hardware but many people mistake for software:  Compact disks (CD's), Flash Drives, 3.5" Diskettes, DVD's.  Though these items store software they are, more specifically, hardware devices for storing software.

 

 

PRACTICE ACTIVITY:  Reach around you right now.  How many pieces of computer hardware can you touch without even getting out of your chair?

TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  To learn more about computer hardware try searching the internet for:

Computer Hardware
What is software
Hardware and Software

Have a nice day!

COMMON CABLES & CONNECTORS

Does it look like a bowl of spaghetti behind your computer these days?  Are you wondering what cable does what?  Well hopefully getting a little familiar with some common computer cables, wires and connectors will help you the next time a wire is loose.

USB connections:  Probably one of the biggest innovations in computers in a while, USB (Universal Serial Bus) connectors are being used for all kinds of things these days.  The kinds of things you can plug into those ports:  your mouse, your keyboard, the cable for a digital camera, even your USB drive (like the SanDisk thumb drive in the picture, on the right).

In this picture you can see an older mouse with what’s called a PS/2 connection (on the left) and a newer one with a USB connection (on the right).  You could use either style mouse with your computer if it's newer.

S-Video Cable is often used to connect DVD players and TV’s.  These newer cables are supposed to offer better video quality and more distance.  If you have a scan converter (AverKey) you might be using S-Video cable to connect it to your TV.

SVGA Cable is the one that connects your monitor and computer together.  If you ever have to disconnect and reconnect one of these be real careful not to bend any of the little prongs in there.

Digital Camera to TV Adaptor – Most newer digital cameras come with one of these.  You could use this to display pictures on the digital camera to the TV.

Surge Protectors and Power Cables – Yes you should have a surge protector on your computer.  Computers are very sensitive to sudden fluctuations in power and a surge protector

can help.  Its also a much safer way to multiply the number of outlets in a room as most surge protects also have a fuse in them that will trip (shut down) if you draw too much current.  HELPFUL HINT:  If your computer suddenly stops working don’t forget to check the surge protector.

Not enough information?  Looking for the proper name for some dusty old cable you just found under your desk?  Try this website for more information: 
PCCables.com - Cable Finder

free how-to videos Find more how-to videos: Powered by SuTree

PRACTICE ACTIVITY:   Check the connections on your own computer today.  Make sure you have some idea where all the wires go incase you ever have to check them in the future.

TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  If you'd like to learn more computer cables and connectors try searching the internet for:

Common computer cables
computer acronyms

Have a nice day!

WHAT IS DSL?

DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. It is a service that makes the use of existing copper telephone wires for delivering data services at extremely fast speed rates. It does not hamper the existing telephone line. You can surf the Internet and talk on the phone, simultaneously.

DSL offers speeds that are around 5 to 25 times higher than a typical 56Kb dial-up connection. It is an always-on type of connection. This implies that websites would load quickly, downloads would be faster, buffering of videos would be fast and smooth and the domain of Online games would be illimitable.

Based on the types of service, DSL can be can be categorized in three divisions which are ASDL, IDSL and SDSL.

ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. It offers download speed of 1.5 Mbps and upload speed of 384 K. In order to acquire a ADSL connection, your location has to be within 3 miles of your local telephone office. Also, a DSL router is needed for this type of connection.

IDSL is a ISDN Digital Subscriber Line service which requires an ISDN router. It provides a connection speed of 144 K. in this type of connection distance is not a component to be considered.

SDSL means Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line. The speeds available under this type of DSL connection depends on the distance between your location and your local telephone office. The speed of downloads and uploads can go up to 1.1 Mbps.

Advantages of DSL

No installation of new wires is required. DSL uses the present telephone line to connect to the Internet. It provides extremely fast connection. Depending on the offer, you would not even have to pay for the DSL modem installation charges, since it is provided free by some of the companies on selection of the appropriate plan. The download rate is much higher in DSL connections. Many business organizations have gained the benefits of DSL. A DSL connection is very secure.

Disadvantages of DSL

The quality of your DSL connection depends on the distance between the DSL providers office and your location. Nearer you are, the better quality connection would you get. So, consumers located far from the local DSL office may face some trouble. DSL provide high speeds for downloading stuff but upload speeds are not that good.

DSL vs Cable Modems

The services provided through a cable modem can sometimes slow down or get hanged. It depends on the number of users accessing that particular service. But, in a DSL connection there is no such problem. The speed of DSL is consistent and high. This does not allow any kind of conjunction on the network. It provides more security than the cable modem connections. The popularity of DSL has risen to new heights which has resulted in disconnections and up gradations of the cable modem connections.

About The Author
Toh Poh Leng owns and operates http://www.dsl-upgrade-help.com Dsl Upgrade

HIGH SPEED INTERNET CONNECTION

Over the years, the beauty of the Internet has opened many different doors pertaining to socializing, networking, and the overall art of communication. Today, computer users of all ages are exploring the possibilities associated with chat rooms, discussion boards, forums, and online personals. Sending emails, instant messaging family and friends, and relaying text messages across the World Wide Web are also popular forms of contact. Despite the fact that users are unseen behind the guise of their computer, there is still a written and unwritten code of conduct that exists about the Internet.

Even in the world of online communication, one may offend, confuse, and irritate the people they send emails to or speak with in a chat room. Just as you participate in face-to-face communication, you are often aware of the way you move your body, execute hand gestures, or raise your voice. When contacting others across the Internet, there are also certain messages conveyed through the way you type out your thoughts. One of the most irritating online habits involves the use of all-caps when typing to others. Not only are long strings of capped words a strain on the eyes to read, but is often viewed as "shouting."

When typing emails or chatting with others while online, spelling and grammar really does count in not only making people see your side of things, but also promoting intelligent and free-flowing conversation. Usually, glaring spelling mistakes cause a distraction and confusion in correspondences. Additionally, just because you attempt to avoid making spelling errors and lapses in grammar – doesn’t mean you have the right to criticize others for their poor use of the English language. It is highly suggested to ignore the spelling mistakes of others and concentrate on the way you communicate while online.

Additional email etiquette rules include the avoidance of sending or forwarding junk mail and Internet hoaxes, forwarding virus warnings (which are sometimes hoaxes), replying to all recipients of a collectively sent email, and sending unnecessarily large attachments.

There are also plenty of "netiquette" issues to recognize when communicating with others in online communities (chat rooms and forums). One of the first things to do when joining a chat room, forum, or other online group is familiarize oneself with the rules or guidelines of the service. This practice comes in rather handy and helps one avoid any future online confrontations or misunderstandings.

At all times, your privacy should be protected, as well as other members of the online community. It is unwise to use full names in chat room correspondences and is rude to ask the full names of those you come in contact with. Staying on topic is also a rule of Internet etiquette. For instance, if you have joined a chat room community regarding model airplanes, it is often inappropriate to start sharing your marital problems with others. Using offensive language is warned against and is usually punished (suspension or ban).

When chatting, it is also suggested to keep messages short and present information in the most concise manner. Also, a common practice is to use abbreviations, but not everyone is familiar with the current lingo and this should be kept in mind – the abbreviation of your words and phrases should be used sparingly.

Overall, it is suggested to treat communication across the Internet in the same manner that you like to receive correspondences. Usually, the things that irritate you are the same actions others dislike as well.

About The Author
Linda Allen is the co-founder of GirlfriendsCafe, a popular social networking site for women throughout the United States and Canada.

http://www.girlfriendscafe.com

SEARCHING FOR A WORD ON A WEBPAGE

Did you ever do a Google Search for a specific word and wind up at a huge webpage full of words?  Well there is a way to search a webpage for a specific word or phrase.  Below is an example of how to do it:

Let’s say you were interested in researching some of the crazy laws that are on the books here in Pennsylvania.  More specifically let’s try to find out if there are any strange laws in Newtown, Pennsylvania. 

You start by doing a search using Google:

The search might lead you to this website:  http://www.crazylaws.com/ Unfortunately, this website is huge, and it lists crazy laws from every state in the union.  All you wanted read about were the crazy laws in Newtown, Pennsylvania.  Here’s how you search a large webpage for a specific word or phrase: 

1)     Go to “Edit” on the menu bar and select “Find (On this Page)” from the list

2)      Type what you are looking for in the “Find what” box and click “Find Next”

3)      It should take you to the exact place in the webpage where the word you typed appears:

PRACTICE ACTIVITY:  Try searching this webpage for the words: "The End" right now.

TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  To learn more about how to search webpages fro specific words try looking on the internet for:

Searching a webpage for a word
Internet Explorer Tricks
Find on this Page

CALCULATE IT ONLINE

Poodwaddle.com


Poodwaddle.com

The internet has been interactive for a while now. Just watch a kid play an online game and you'll see just how interactive it has become. Today's technology tip is a list of websites that have online calculators on them. Calculators like these could become a part of your next lesson plan, or even help you personally.

Check some of them out today:  

   ArcyTech.org/Java
   Some online educational programs for the elementary grades
   http://arcytech.org/java/

   MiddleSchool.net
   A list of calculators for middle school students
   http://www.middleschool.net/MainFeatures/caculate.htm

   DrCalculator.com
   A list of easy to use financial calculators
   http://www.drcalculator.com

   Jeacle.ie/mortgage
   Every try explaining a mortgage to someone?  This website can
   really help.
   http://www.jeacle.ie/mortgage/

   StevensCreek.com/goodies
   Here's a calculator that will tell you how many calories you burn
   in an ordinary day.
   http://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/jcalories.shtml

   Arachnoid.com
   This website has a unit converter for just about everything.
   http://www.arachnoid.com/lutusp/conversions.html

   Math.com
   OK, maybe it's an obvious one, but they have calculators on
   their website.
   http://www.math.com/students/calculators/calculators.html

    CalculateForFree.com
   Great website with a whole list of online calculators
   http://www.calculateforfree.com/   

   National Center for Educational Statistics
   Yep, they have a free online graphing website for kids
   http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createAgraph/default.aspx

   JavaBoutique.internet.com
   Here's an online graphing calculator
   http://javaboutique.internet.com/graphcalc/

 

This is truly just the tip of the iceberg as far as dynamic online calculators go.  There are many more out there.  Many of them use what's called JAVA code to do the calculations and create the dynamic aspects of the calculators.  Knowing that they use JAVA code can help you search for the exact calculator that you might need.

Here's another free calculator from poodwaddle.com

Poodwaddle.com

PRACTICE ACTIVITY:  Try using a few of the online calculators listed above.  See if you can find just one that you could use personally.

TO KEEP ON LEARNING:  To find more calculators on the internet try searching for:

Java Calculators
Online trigonometry calculators in Java
Online dynamic calculators