Tech-Blogz

I was reading an article about computer memory (Ram) it was saying that in the Windows operating systems such as XP and Vista there is only a certain amount of memory that can be utilized. The 32 bit version in most cases will only be able to utilize up to 4 GBs of the ram while the 64 bit version has the ability to use up to 128 GBs of system ram. You can see this in the following tables for usable memory not physical.
Windows Vista           32Bit                 64Bit
Ultimate                    4GB                  128GB
Enterprise                  4GB                  128GB
Business                     4GB                  128GB
Home Premium        4GB                    16GB
Home Basic              4GB                      8GB
Starter                       1GB                     N/A

Windows XP             32Bit                   64Bit
Professional               4GB                  128GB
Home                        4GB                    N/A
Starter                   512 MB                    N/A

So you might want to read your computers documentation before buying too much ram.

Thinking about getting a new computer and your concerned about all your personal information that is stored on your hard drive? Did you know that just reformatting your hard drive does not get all your personal information stored off your hard drive? Such as all the web sites you visited personal passwords, important financial documents and anything you might have stored. There are two ways of permanently destroying all data stored on your hard drive one is to destroy the hard drive and the second is to do a hard drive wipe. The first way does a good job but all the money you invested in the hard drive is lost. The second way you still have all your data permanently destroyed and you can still keep your old computer hard drive intact so no need for the next user of your old computer to buy another hard drive. While there are many hard drive wipe programs the one I like to use is Wipe Drive made by WhiteCanyon software. If you’re thinking about getting a new computer you might want to check out Wipe Drive.

One thing I learned the hard way when I first started using the internet was how important Anti Virus programs are. Nowadays, there are many to choose from and most do a decent job of protecting your computer. The one feature I think is very important is the frequency of the definition updates while some programs update frequently others seem to just check once in awhile.
A few days ago while clicking on my Entrecard drops the Norton’s Anti Virus I am using came up with a high level warning stating that there was  HTTP malicious toolkit variant activity from a web site that I was trying to return a drop. I figured out which site it originated from and tried again and still the same message appeared. I have seen Anti Virus programs say something was a virus or whatever and it turned out not to be. In this case I am not sure but most of the time they do a very good job. All I know it is better to be safe than sorry.

Have you had the chance to check out the new Google Earth 5? I am amazed with the way you can view much of the world in 3D and in this new version they added the oceans if you desire to explore under the water as if you were diving. I zoomed in on my home with the camera view and it looks as if you’re standing out front on the street looking at the front of the house. There is also a feature you can record you’re journey and narrate if you desire to share with others. Some areas have historical imagery you can see the way it was in the past and compare with the way it is now. Google Earth is definitely worth checking out.

A few posts ago I was commenting on the Windows 7 beta. Its official there will not be any further beta releases of Windows 7. I hope a few of you had the chance to try out the new Microsoft operating system and if you did was able to leave comments in there forums with your suggestions and any problems you might have had. Microsoft still has not shared the release date so I guess it might be later on this year?

So far the only problems with Windows 7 was a few drivers like for my network printer would not install but things like that can be expected with a beta operating system and before the final release they will have most of the problems fixed. As for me I am anxious for the final release and I will defiantly buy.

I can’t believe how much prices have dropped from just a few years ago on computers and accessories.  I recently purchased a Compaq CQ60-215DX 15.6 widescreen laptop with a 250 GB hard drive 2 GB ram upgradeable to 4 GB. Has built in WI-FI and Windows Vista premium for fewer than 450 dollars. While there are better laptop computers out there all I needed was something with a little mobility so that I could get away from my desk and this laptop was just what I needed.  So far I have had no problems with it and it is plenty fast with the Dual Core CPU that comes standard with the laptop.  So if you’re in the need for a laptop you might want to consider one of these.

I recently downloaded the beta version of the new Windows operating system “Windows 7” and will be the sequel to the Windows Vista operating system from what I have read Windows 7 might be released later this year.  It is a rather large download something like 2.4 GB’s and takes awhile. Then you burn the image to a DVD and install it to a hard drive from the DVD. The first time I was trying to install I kept getting errors and what it turned out to be was the file I downloaded was corrupted and I had to download again and after burning the image to another DVD the installation went flawlessly.  After you get it installed the taskbar is easier to use with thumbnail images to see before you click to open and the positions are swappable. It also resumes from standby almost instantly.  Connecting to your network was very user friendly with the network connection wizard.   All in all everything works fine and is real quick with no problems whatsoever.  Not sure how long they will offer the Windows 7 beta but if you might want to check it out and voice your opinion as to what you like or what you dislike about the operating system.

One thing I have always been interested in was computers well at least since they started making the personal ones that were kind of affordable. I can remember my first computer it was an Atari 400 I think was the model. It was a very basic computer with very limited software in fact the only place in the city I lived that even carried the software for an Atari was a used software store that you could buy and trade in your old software if you so desired for credit on some different software.

The Atari was ok for a first computer but I was soon searching for something with more power. The next computer I bought was a Tandy 1000 it came with a built in 3.5 inch 720k floppy drive and no hard drive what so ever and the keyboard was built into the computer. This is the first computer that I used a modem on and was a 300 baud talk about slow it took forever to download a 65k file. Those days there were few places that you could access the internet and if you could it was very expensive. There was however a few local BBS (bulletin board service) that you could download files read and write messages or in some cases you could chat and play games with other live users.

Again I was starting to outgrow this computer searching for something with more power and more things I could do with. I finally chose a Packard Bell 386 and this one had a hard drive built in with a 130 Meg capacity, 3.5 inch floppy drive and built in 2400 baud modem.

To make a long story short I am not sure how many computers I have owned since the ones mentioned above but have been many and seems like to this day I am still always searching for something with more power and more things I can do with it.