Tech Guide: What Cables and Cords Are Needed for a Desktop PC?

Planning to assemble your own desktop personal computer? Do take note of the numerous types of cables and cords you might encounter from different sources of information. So, before overall confusion over these cables and cords sets in, here’s an overview of the most common computer cable and cord types you’ll encounter for desktop PCs.

VGA (Video Graphics Array)

Though still in common use, VGAs are slowly fading out of popularity due to the gradual shift to digital connections over analog. Still, if you look on any PC video card apparatus, there is a good chance you’ll see a VGA port. VGA connections can be identified by 15 pins arranged in 3 rows with 5 on each row. Each row corresponds to the 3 different color channels used.

DVI (Digital Visual Interface)

The DVI connection is now becoming the successor to VGA. Digital displays like LCD have proven to be of higher quality and is now the market standard for home pictures. DVI connectors come in 3 varieties, DVI-A, DVI-D, and DVI-I. With some desktop PCs, you may need a VGA-to-DVI or DVI-to-VGA converter cable.

HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)

High-definition broadcast has become the new standard of high quality. Unlike VGA and DVI, HDMI sends both video and audio signals together. The signals are digital only; HDMI is only compatible with newer devices. HDMI connectors come in 4 types:

§  Type A is the most popular and identified by its 19 pins on the male head. Type A is compatible with single-link DVI-D connections.

§  Type B is larger than Type A, coming in at 29 pins on the male head, and is compatible with dual-link DVI-D connections.

§  Type C is a 19-pin connector that’s most often used with portable devices, like camcorders and digital cameras.

§  Type D looks similar to a micro-USB cord. It also has 19 pins.

USB (Universal Serial Bus)

The USB connection is now the most pervasive connection type today. Nearly every form of computer peripheral device from keyboards, mouse, headsets, flash drives, wireless adapters, and the like can be connected to your computer through a USB port. The design has evolved over the years, which means there are multiple versions of USB still available such as the USB 1.0/1.1, USB 2.0 (the most common type found in the market), and USB 3.0. The mini and micro USB variants are most often used with smaller, portable devices like PDAs, phones, and digital cameras.

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)

IDE cables were used to connect storage devices to a motherboard. It’s the wide cable that looks like a ribbon with more than 2 plugs. The connectors on an IDE cable have 40 pins.

SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment)

Newer hard drives will likely use SATA ports over IDE ports. In fact, SATA was designed to slowly succeed IDE. Compared to IDE, SATA provides higher data transfer speeds. Your motherboard needs to be compatible with SATA. A standard SATA cable can be identified by two connectors, each having 7 pins and an empty notch. It looks like a subtle L-shape. A sub-type, the eSATA (external SATA), is an extension and improvement on the SATA cable. It makes SATA technology available in an external form. In reality, eSATA is not much different from SATA, but it allows connections to devices like external hard drives and optical drives. This is useful because eSATA offers speeds much faster than USB alternatives.

Ethernet

Ethernet cables are used to set up local area networks. They’re mostly used to connect routers to modems and computers. Nowadays, they come in three varieties: Cat 5 cables are the most basic type, Cat 5e (Cat 5 Enhanced) allows for faster data transmission, and Cat 6 offers the best performance of the three.

Tools that Can Help You Protect Your Tech Gadgets this Summer

Summer is the usual season to take holidays or a long sought after vacation to finally get the chance to relax and unwind. Of course, when we pack, we pack not only the necessities but also a part of our lives, and some of those are our gadgets. Our gadgets – usually consisting of smartphones, laptops, or tablets – or at least just one of those will always accompany us in our holiday travels.

Of course, since its summer, we also need to protect our devices inside and out. Remember that this protection includes the sand and the sun and other factors that always come with the season.

Insurance

If you have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop that has become a vital travel companion wherever you go, insurance is a really good idea. You can purchase insurance through any service provider or third-party sources such as insurance agents. Most non-life insurance policies for gadgets cover a range of eventualities including water damage and theft, and since replacing a mobile device isn’t cheap, remember to shop around in order to get the best value coverage that suits your needs.

Invest in a good case for all your gadgets

This and the above may sound low tech, but these “low tech” tools are meant to protect your technology. Our devices often travel everywhere with us and at some stage our devices can decide to slide off the table or fall from our hands, providing a heart stopping moment. If you’re concerned about your device being subjected to the elements, consider investing in a waterproof case. There are plenty of sleek and protective skins on the market for every smartphone, tablet, and even laptop, allowing you to shield your gadgets from destruction without adding serious pressure on your wallet.

Protect your Wi-Fi use

What’s one of the first things you ask when you arrive at a hotel or restaurant? More than likely it’s the Wi-Fi code, but rather than connecting your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to any old Wi-Fi network, use Wi-Fi Protected Access such as the Norton Wi-Fi Privacy app instead. This creates an encrypted, highly secure network connection you can trust. Now this time, this one is a tech tool.

Road trip tool

If you’re planning on a road trip for your vacation, a reliable GPS device can ensure you won’t get lost. But if you’re traveling through tree-lined hills, your cellular signal strength may not hold up. The weBoost Drive 4G-X can help give travellers a stronger signal on the road. It helps your smartphone work in even remote areas, it helps your data work so you can send texts, and it helps your GPS system work. For people that travel a lot or go on long road trips, it can really help you stay safe on the road. The manufacturer says it can extend your service range up to 60 percent farther than other boosters on the market and works on all cellular-connected devices in your car, including smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

How Properly Optimized Computers Can Influence Your Work Behavior

So, not only has your business or company purchased or updated to the latest and fastest PC’s and laptops possible from the budget, but you even had the technical support company you’re subscribed to get the computers to be cleaned and optimized from within.

So there’s no reason now for its users not to increase work productivity, right? However, always keep in mind that work productivity is only as good as the work behavior of your employees. However, it doesn’t hurt to have the best technology and all your computers optimized. When your employees know that you’re doing everything to keep the work computers in optimized shape, somehow this has a positive effect on employee’s work behavior.

Training your employees to be more careful and avoid distractions

Social networking such as Twitter and Facebook, watching videos on YouTube, talking in forums or chat rooms, and surfing pages unrelated to your work can all slow down your productivity. Worse is opening suspicious e-mails and clicking on fake links that opens your computer to phishing and malware. Removing these distractions from your workspace while you are working can help you stay on task more consistently and finish work faster while training your employees to have better work behavior by taking care of the computers that take care of their work.

Keep the computer properly maintained

After the work computers have been optimized, always do clean up and proper maintenance on it regularly. It will help your current computer run a little faster:

• Clean up your hardware – Cleaning the computer, mouse, and other equipment can help make things run more smoothly. For instance, a dirty mouse can be difficult to move around.

• Defragment the hard disk – As programs are added and removed from the computer, the disk places the data in different places. Defragmenting moves and organizes the data on the disk, which makes accessing the data faster.

• Upgrade hardware – Adding more RAM or upgrading other hardware such as a new SSD can help make things run faster.

• Remove viruses or other malware – If something has managed to attack your system, it can cause the computer to run slower. This shows the importance of having a proper antivirus program or anti-malware program.

Use a bigger screen if needed

Use of a bigger screen or multiple / dual screens can help increase productivity by having more things in view at once. A maximized window on a large screen can display much more of the content in a large window than a small screen. As a result, more text can be read, more graphics can be viewed, and less scrolling is needed.

Another advantage to a bigger screen is that it makes it easier to have multiple windows open and viewable at the same time on the screen. With multiple windows open, it can be easier tocopy and paste, retype, and do web design or anything that requires different windows or programs. For instance, for web developers, an HTML editor and a live preview of an open webpage side-by- side can make editing and viewing much faster.

Needed Funds for Your Business? Here are 6 Ways How

Lack of funding is one of the major reasons why most businesses fail and close out. And even if you can always go to a bank, along with your good business idea and a great name, and get a small business loan, it's still difficult in today's economy to get a solid funding for your business.

There are many ways to minimize your expenditures when you're launching and growing your business, but let's face the facts -- you need some money to make money. Surely we've heard this line many times before. Every business is going to need working capital, but you don't need to rob a bank. So here are some tips or ways to fund your business.

Get your personal finances in order

Before you start lооkіng anywhere еlѕе, lооk аt home. Thе vеrу bеѕt thіng thаt you саn dо for your business іѕ tо make ѕurе уоur реrѕоnаl fіnаnсеѕ are іn order. Ideally, уоu wаnt tо hаvе gооd сrеdіt, an еmеrgеnсу fund, аnd lоng-tеrm ѕаvіngѕ іn рlасе before you ѕtаrt a new buѕіnеѕѕ vеnturе. Thіѕ makes vіrtuаllу everything else еаѕіеr fоr уоur buѕіnеѕѕ. If уоu hаvе gооd сrеdіt, уоu hаvе a better ѕhоt at thе bоrrоwіng орtіоnѕ I’ll talk аbоut later. If уоu hаvе ѕаvіngѕ, уоu can live оn thаt untіl уоur buѕіnеѕѕ is аblе tо ѕuѕtаіn уоu.

What can you sell?

Take a lооk around. Dо уоu hаvе аnуthіng уоu саn ѕеll? Surрrіѕіnglу, ѕеllіng stuff you don’t nееd саn bе a great wау tо fund your business. Business sometimes requires ѕасrіfісе. So ѕtаrt looking аrоund іn уоur lіfе for thіngѕ уоu dоn’t need. Gоt a car рауmеnt thаt’ѕ outrageous? Sеll thе car (уеѕ, еvеn in this есоnоmу), or trаdе іt in fоr ѕоmеthіng more есоnоmісаl, аnd you’ll hаvе found a fеw hundrеd dоllаrѕ a month thаt you саn put into your business.

Start cutting back

Cutting back and lіvіng wау bеlоw уоur means іѕ ѕоmеthіng thаt саn bе dіffісult for entrepreneurs, whо аrе frequently lurеd bу thе рrоmіѕе of grеаt wealth as a result оf ѕmаll business ownership. But it’s аbѕоlutеlу сruсіаl, bоth nоw and аftеr уоu асhіеvе success, thаt уоu lіvе bеlоw your mеаnѕ. If your income gоеѕ uр, living bеlоw уоur mеаnѕ will become more аnd mоrе fun. But іt’ѕ vіtаl thаt you cut bасk аnd live есоnоmісаllу, еѕресіаllу аt the bеgіnnіng stages. Dо thіѕ, аnd уоu can find аnоthеr fеw hundrеd dоllаrѕ a mоnth tо рut іntо your business.

Build with Business

As you buіld your buѕіnеѕѕ, іt’ѕ important thаt уоu’rе prepared tо build wіth уоur business. Thаt іѕ, as уоu take оn сlіеntѕ or сuѕtоmеrѕ, mаkе ѕurе уоu put thе income gеnеrаtеd bу thаt buѕіnеѕѕ back іntо your buѕіnеѕѕ. It іѕ іmроrtаnt tо get into the habit оf paying уоurѕеlf a salary frоm your buѕіnеѕѕ, hоwеvеr іf уоu’rе bооtѕtrарріng, уоu mау nееd tо kеер thе money in thе buѕіnеѕѕ instead оf tаkіng money оut.

Borrowing

There are three places where you can find small-scale funding:

• Credit cards

Gеnеrаllу speaking, it's not recommended to get tоо dеерlу іnvоlvеd wіth credit саrdѕ. While іt’ѕ a vеrу рорulаr орtіоn fоr many small business owners аnd еntrерrеnеurѕ, sky-high interest rаtеѕ саn burу you in the lоng run. It’ѕ bеѕt tо rеѕеrvе thіѕ for short-term, tеmроrаrу needs.

• Angel investors

Angеl іnvеѕtоrѕ typically іnvеѕt іn larger businesses thаn mісrо-еntеrрrіѕе оr ѕоlорrеnеurѕhірѕ. Hоwеvеr, уоu may be аblе tо fіnd ѕоmеоnе willing tо invest, if you can show thеm a ѕоlіd fіnаnсіаl fоrесаѕt or a ѕtrоng buѕіnеѕѕ рlаn thаt іndісаtеѕ thеу’ll bе аblе tо increase thеіr mоnеу іn a rеlаtіvеlу short period оf tіmе. Be fоrеwаrnеd, thоugh, thаt іn this есоnоmу, unless уоu hаvе a рrоduсt or ѕеrvісе, ѕоmе customers оr clients, аnd a clearly-defined exit рlаn, it wіll bе hаrd to fіnd аn аngеl investor.

• Friends and family

Mоrе than hаlf of all рrіvаtе іnvеѕtіng іn ѕmаll businesses соmеѕ frоm ѕоmеоnе who іѕ related tо thе еntrерrеnеur. Thаt said, borrowing from fаmіlу соmеѕ wіth a lоt оf emotions аnd challenges, so make sure to lооk fоr ѕоmеоnе who believes іn уоu and comes wіth lіttlе оr no еmоtіоnаl baggage, аnd have a ѕоlіd repayment аgrееmеnt (if not a contract) ѕо thаt уоu both fееl соmfоrtаblе wіth thе lоаn. And mаkе рауіng thаt lоаn bасk a serious рrіоrіtу. The lаѕt thіng you wаnt іѕ tо ruіn аn important rеlаtіоnѕhір bесаuѕе you dіdn’t take repayment ѕеrіоuѕlу.

Consider part-time jobs

Some business owners keep their part-time jobs while their business is still at its infancy. Sоmеtіmеѕ thіѕ іѕ muсh-nееdеd іnсоmе whіlе a buѕіnеѕѕ іѕ growing, while other times these jоbѕ hеlр pay fоr business еxреnѕеѕ.

Fundіng a business іѕ оnе оf thе bіggеѕt сhаllеngеѕ tо mоѕt еntrерrеnеurѕ. But bу gеttіng уоur personal fіnаnсеѕ іn оrdеr, lіvіng bеlоw уоur means, ѕеllіng what you dоn’t need, fіndіng сrеаtіvе ways to bоrrоw, and getting a loan, уоu саn аdеԛuаtеlу fund your buѕіnеѕѕ, еvеn іn this economy.

5 Signs Your Computer is in Need of Immediate Optimization

Why does a computer need optimization?

Firstly, just like a car that needs an eventual tune up, a computer that needs to be optimized means it also needs a tune up. This prevents a computer from running slow or brings it back if it’s already starting to run slow.

Secondly, optimizing a computer prevents a computer from crashes. Neglecting your computer’s condition will make it prone to unexpected crashes, causing you to lose very important files and data.

Aside from a computer starting to slow down, there are 5 other signs that your computer is in need of immediate optimization:

1. Random File or Program Corruption Issues

An obvious sign of a slow-growing problem is random file and program corruption errors. Files that always worked before suddenly won’t open or only occasionally work. They may suddenly be accompanied by an error message. First, make sure your anti-virus is running and up-to-date, and then run a full system scan for malware. A virus sometimes will cause this problem. Another likely culprit is a failing hard drive, so you should check it for errors. If that doesn’t reveal the problem, look for hardware conflicts in the Windows Device Manager.

2. Occasional Boot Errors

This is a clear sign that something is wrong, usually something along the lines of “boot device not found.” Windows will fail to boot, but it might work at a later time, even immediately if you hit the reset button. This is a sign that something is wrong with your hard drive, or that your Windows installation has somehow become corrupt.

3. Poor Performance

General poor performance, from launching programs to watching videos and playing games, often results from the cumulative effects of software installed on a Windows PC. If you’re not careful, you may find you’ve installed more than your computer can handle, and it will perform poorly. Cleaning Windows might help, and afterwards get the computer fully optimized. If all else fails, you either need to re-install your operating system or the problem could be in the hardware.

4. Hardware Conflicts

Seldom, but it happens, two components in a PC will try to consume the same resources or perform the same task. This creates a hardware conflict, and it manifests itself in unusual behavior during certain tasks. An audio conflict, for example, might disable audio in some programs, but not in others. Not all conflicts will crash a PC, but some can cause instability, which leads to a Blue Screen of Death or a reboot. You can search for the problem on Windows Device Manager so you can re-install the drivers of the conflicting hardware while optimizing the whole machine.

5. Video Artifacts

When viewing any form of video, an error in that data can cause an “artifact” that appears as blocks of random color, strange lines or partially missing 3D geometry. This is a sign that your PC’s graphics processor is encountering an issue. Often the problem is excessive heat; you may just need to open your computer and give it a good cleaning while optimizing it.