PCADSL BLOG

Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) was developed to utilize the benefits of computer technology in the banking industry. Prior to the use of a MICR line, check sorting by account number was a manual process. Two systems were previously used to handle the large numbers of checks processed in the banking industry: Sort-A-Matic and Top Tab Key Sort.

The Sort-A-Matic system included 100 metal or leather dividers numbered 00 through 99. Each check was placed in the corresponding divider by the first two numbers of the account. The sorting process was then repeated for the next two digits of the account number, and so on. When the process was complete, the checks were grouped by account number.

Under the Top Tab Key Sort system, small holes punched at the top of the checks indicated the digits. For instance, the first hole indicated the value of the first digits (0, 1, 2, 3…) A metal “key” was inserted through the holes to separate all of the checks with the same value in the first digit, and this step was repeated for each digit until all the checks were sorted.

Both of these systems worked, but they were time-consuming. With the advent of the computer and its movement from the laboratory into the business world, a sorting and matching task seemed ideal. Stanford University and Bank of America were the first to successfully use computers to sort and match checks. They developed what is now known as MICR.
The Development of the MICR Font

The MICR font was developed by Stanford University in conjunction with Bank of America and approved by the American Banking Association. The font is known as the E-13B font. E-13B has a total of 14 characters: ten specially designed numbers (0 through 9) and four special symbols (Transit, Amount, On-Us, and Dash).

The letter E indicates the fifth version considered. The letter B indicates the second revision of that version. The number 13 is derived from the 0.013-inch module construction used for stroke and character width. This means that all character widths, both horizontal and vertical, are in multiples of 0.013 inches ranging from 0.052 to 0.091. The significance of this will be explained more thoroughly later in this article.
MICR Readers

Three types of machines are used to read MICR characters. The two that read the characters magnetically are referred to as MICR readers. The third machine is an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) reader.

E-13B characters are printed with toner containing iron oxide, which is capable of being magnetized. MICR readers transport the checks containing the E-13B magnetic characters past a magnet, thereby magnetizing the iron oxide particles. The magnetized characters then pass under a magnetic read head. The magnetic field (flux pattern) caused by the magnetized characters generates a current in the read head. The strength and timing of this current allows the reader to decipher the characters.

Magnetic readers come in two types: single track (single gap or split scan) and multiple track (matrix or pattern) readers.

Single-Track Reader Characteristics
Single track uses a read head with one gap to detect the magnetic flux pattern generated by the MICR character. When a magnetized E-13B printed character moves across the narrow gap of the read head, the electric voltage caused by the magnetic flux from the character generates a waveform unique to each character.

Multi-Track Reader Characteristics
The multiple track reader employs a matrix of tiny, vertically aligned read heads to detect the presence of the magnetic flux pattern. The small individual read heads slice across the character to detect the presence of magnetic flux. This sensing of magnetic flux over time produces a unique matrix pattern for each character.

An OCR reader does not use magnetic properties to detect the E-13B characters. Instead, it uses a scanner to detect the amount of light reflected from the character and the amount of light reflected from the background. A photocell column detects the presence of the dark area of a character.
Waveform Theory

The readers move and read documents from right to left. The right-hand edge of the character, as a result, is the first to cross the read head. Analysis of the signal level created by reading the character 0 will help explain this in greater detail.

As the character moves from right to left under the read head, the gap detects the magnetism of the first right-hand edge (edge 1). This results in the increase in magnetism and a positive peak is created (peak 1). As soon as the right-hand edge moves beyond the read head gap, no new magnetism is found, and thus the wave form returns to the zero signal level.

At the second edge, the vertical read head detects a drop in magnetism, which results in a -110 signal level at peak 2. Again the waveform returns to zero until the next portion of the inner ring of the character is detected. At this point (peak 3), an increase in magnetism (+110) is indicated. Finally, the outer portion of the character is read, resulting in a negative peak (peak 4) of -130.

The placement of the vertical edges must occur in increments of 0.013 inches from the first right-hand edge. There are five characters that have two positive and two negative peaks similar to the character 0 and also appear in a positive-negative-positive-negative format. They are 0, 2, 4, 5, and the transit character, which are differentiated from one another by the horizontal location of the peaks in the waveforms. The peaks do require different amplitudes, but ANSI standards allow them to vary from 50% to 200% of the nominal amplitudes (Canadian standards allow them to vary from 80% to 200% of the nominal amplitudes). This is why the placement of the waveform is so important and why the characters are shaped unusually.
What Affects the Signal Level?

Signal level can vary based on a number of factors. The amount of iron oxide (concentration) that is present in the character will affect the signal level. This is a function not only of the toner itself, but also of how it is laid on the paper and the pile height, which can be controlled by numerous other cartridge components (i.e., “hot” OPCs).

The taller the vertical edge of the character, the taller the peak (either positive or negative). A vertical edge that is not regular and/or not vertical will result in a reduction in the amplitude of the peak and will flatten the peak out.

Keys to proper waveform detection are:
* All peaks in a character’s waveform must be detected. The reader sorter must know that the peak is there.
* The peak must be located at or near its anticipated location.
* No significant “extra” peaks can be present.
* There cannot be wide variations in the signal levels of peaks within a character.
What to Look for in MICR Printers and Consumables

Printers that are used for MICR printing must have a unique MICR font that is modified to suit the unique printer engine, and it must be modified to the pixel level to match the magnetic toner provided for that printer. This is essential to ensure the correct waveform, dimension, and signal strength when a check is printed with the correct MICR characters. In addition, the MICR font must meet ABA-X9 standards to ensure acceptance of your checks by banking institutions.

The magnetic MICR toner that you choose must be specifically designed for the particular print engine in the printer. Ensure the toner has been thoroughly tested for consistent signal readings, image permanence and uniformity, and excellent edge acuity. Toner coverage must be solid with no extraneous toner lay down.

OEM cartridges are always a safe (but more expensive) bet. If you buy a “compatible” brand, ensure it has a new OPC drum, new primary charge rollers (PCRs), a new black velvet magnetic sleeve, and new image wiper blades. The hopper system must be filled with high-quality, low-abrasion MICR toner.

The vendor you choose should use the latest and most advance MICR test equipment, such as a Verifier and Golden Qualifier to conform to ANSI X9 Standards. It is also recommended that the systems exceed U.S. and Canadian check printing standards.

About the Author

Charles Katz is CEO and founder of Printerm Datascribe Inc., a distributor of band, shuttle matrix, dot matrix, and ion deposition printers for various manufacturers. In 1992, Printerm started its R&D department to develop innovative MICR secure laser check printers, MICR fonts, MICR toner, MICR check software, removable security flash cards, and secure digitizing. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must provide an html link pointing to http://www.printerm.com

I’m eighty-one years old and I bought my first computer six years ago. When I bought it I hardly knew how to turn it on. I consider myself still a Newbie as I’ve barely scratched the surface of computer technology. I have succesfully built about a dozen computers for family friends and myself. I even sold a couple of them.

Building a computer doesn’t require a high degree of technical skill, however it does require a little mechanical aptitude. Building may not be the proper term, assembling would be more appropriate. That’s actually what you do, you assemle the right components then install an operating system which is the only phase of the project that requires any technical ability.

Building your own has several advantages, for one you can save some money. But don’tget the idea that you can sell them at a profit. There’s too much competition at the low end. All the major manufacturers have budget models, most of which you can buy with substantial rebates and good warrantees

You have a number of options, you can build from scratch or you can build from a barebones kit. I recommend the latter for your first attempt. You also have the choice of using all new components or using some recycled parts.

If you have a reasonably up to date PC that died ther are probably a number of parts that you can re-use, and you can buy a lot of good used components from eBay and other online sources. Refurbished parts are a good option.

The first thing you have to do is determine your requirements. If you’re going to just surf the Internet, do e-mail and a bit of printing, go for the cheapest you can buy. You will still have plenty of capacity for simple tasks.

Next you have to decide whether to go with a barebones kit or do a complete build. Kits are recommended because generally that’s the most economical way to go, and it’s definitely easier. Installing a mother- board can get dicey for the uninitiated. There are a lot of little wires to connect that can give you greif if they aren’t in the right place.

Barebones kits come in many iterations. The most basic consists of a case, motherboard and power unit. Some have on board video and audio cards, others include modems and cable connections and some even sport keyboards, mice and speakers. Read the specs carefully because some of thes components are expensive to buy separately.

Make a list of all the components that you require. Check off the ones that are included in the kit. This establishes what other parts you need. If you have sme parts that you can use, check them off. Now you know what you have to buy. For in-depth detailed instructions on how to do this visit the computer page on: http://www.caveatemptorus.com

Often times it’s less expensive to buy all the componments you require fom the vendor of the kits. This is because of shipping charges, which are part of your over-all cost. But sometime parts you can get at auction can be so inexpensive that it’s worthwhile to pay the shipping charges.

All barebones kits come with an instruction manual and a phone number where you can get technical support. Neither is very good. People who don’t understand English very well write the manuals and the technical support is like most free things. Actually, it’s not free, they are toll numbers. And are almost always busy. However most manufacturers have very good online help where you can trouble shoot if you have a problem.

Vendors that sell barebones kits usually have a thirty-day return policy. Try to do your building before it expires because if you go beyond that limit then you have to deal with the manufacturer which can be a hassle. It’s much easier and may avoid expensive shipping charges if you deal with the seller.

When you select the components you require be sure that you procure compatible parts. Hard drives have different interfaces. Memory comes in many variations; some memory only works in specific motherboards. If you use the wrong type your machine won’t work.

Once you have everything assembled, and your PC boots, you can install your operating system. This can be the most difficult prt of the operation. If you are using a new hard drive it’s fairly easy. It will come with instructions and software for installing the OS. If you’re using a used HD, then you have to format it. The best way to do this is to look at the hard drve and get the manufacturer and model number of the unit. Then you can download the instructions and software to perform this task.

Even if you don’t save a fortune, you can end up with the computer that you want and have a sense of accomplishment.

About the Author

Written by: George W. Cannata the publisher of the web sites ?Caveat Emptor ? http:// www.caveatemptorus.com. July 8,2005.

When considering buying a used or even a new laptop, the first thing you need to do is to determine your computing needs.

* word processing
* e-mail
* browsing web pages
* moving the laptop from home to work (weight)
* gaming
* on-line shopping
* a database application
* personal finance
* is battery power important

Check out the Minimum Systems Requirements needed to do all of the your applications. They will not come with the laptop, as refurbished laptops often only include the Operating System (OS). If they don’t include an installed OS, then be prepared to install it yourself. This is not for those that don’t know what they are doing, so research what is involved before buying one without an OS.

Once you understand what you really need, you need to determine your budget.

Most old laptops do not have working batteries. If you need a battery, shop around to figure out how much they cost. You should know that on older laptops, batteries don’t last more than an hour or two, so purchasing a new battery for the purpose of longer battery life may not be worth the expense. And by all means, stick with a name brand? IBM, Dell, Toshiba, Compaq-HP.

If you are new to computers and you want to browse the World Wide Web, you will need to obtain the services of an ISP (Internet Service Provider). There are basically two types of Internet access options: broadband (cable modem, DSL, satellite) and lowband (dial-up). Broadband is the preferred type since download speeds can range from 128kbs to 6000kbs. The faster the better, of course. But, if your budget is tight, dial-up works just fine for typical browsing and e-mail usage.

Your choice of ISP’s will be dependent upon two things: budget and location. If the budget allows and you don’t mind paying upwards of $35-50+ per month, you can purchase a broadband connection. However, even if money were no object, your physical location will determine what types of services are available to you. Broadband is not available everywhere (with the exception of satellite). If you have a telephone line, you can always choose dial-up. AOL’s bread and butter is dial-up users. Do your research to determine what is available in your area and compare costs.

And for you gamers out there, you definitely need a reliable broadband connection. Gaming over a lowband connection can be a frustrating experience and sometimes even impossible. You will need to check out the minimum systems requirement for the games you are interested in using to make sure the CPU speed and the RAM and graphic chip requirements will support the games you wish to play.

Once you have figured out your budget and your needs and the requirements of your laptop it is time to search for the laptop of your desires.

Some people choose to search at www.ebay.com. If you do be sure to check out the seller to be sure you will have a smooth transaction.

Many people don’t want the hassle of bidding, so use your favorite search engine: Google or Yahoo or MSN for the terms “used laptops” or “refurbished laptop”.

An important thing to keep in mind is how will the vendor treat you should there be a problem. If you don’t like their attitude or they don’t pick up the phone shop elsewhere. Price is important, but if you have a problem and spent the least amount of money possible the vendor may not have any resources available to help you after you have purchased and spent your money.

If all the above seems like too much of a hassle, then buy a new computer. It will cost around $700 + but will come with a new battery and a one year warranty, although some new ones seem to have only 90 day warranties. It will also have the latest Windows XP system and an 800 number to call the vendor, should their be a problem. I’d call the 800# first before buying to get an idea what kind of support they will provide.

About the Author

David Perlmutter is the founder and CEO of UsedLaptops.com, Inc. (http://www.usedlaptops.com) His first portable was a Compaq Plus 20 years ago. UsedLaptops.com, Inc. has sold over 20,000 refurbished laptops to consumers and companies over the last ten years.

The graphics card is a vital performance component of your computer, particularly if you play 3D games, or work with graphics and video content. The graphics card sits in an expansion card slot in your PC and it is specifically designed to process image data and output it to your monitor, enabling you to see it. A graphics card works by calculating how images appear, particularly 3D images, and renders them to the screen. 3D images and video images take a lot of processing capacity, and many graphics processors are complex, require fans to cool them and need direct power supply. The graphics card consists of a graphics processor, a memory chip for graphics operations, and a RAMDAC for display output. It may also include video capture, TV output and SLI and other functions. You can find the graphics card that suits you by comparing specification between brands and vendors on Myshopping.com.au

At Myshopping.com.au you can compare a great range of appliances, and assess them according to their specifications, brands, prices and vendors.

Graphics Cards

What are your needs?

The first decision you need to make is whether you need a graphics card for handling 3D images or whether you are simply requiring 2D image rendering. For 2D requirements, you need only a low-cost solution. In many cases, an integrated graphics solution will suffice for 2D applications.

However with 3D graphics, the performance of the graphics card will impact directly on the frame rate and image quality of 3D programs and games. The differences between the low and high-end cards can be substantial, both in cost and performance.

Rendering 3D graphics is like lighting a stage, both the geometry of the shapes in question and the lighting of it need to be taken into account. The geometry of an image calculates the parts of an object that can and can’t be seen, the position of the eye and its perspective. The lighting is a calculation of the direction of the light sources, their intensities and the respective shadows that occur. The second part to presenting a 3D image is the rendering of colours and textures to the surfaces of the objects, and modifying them according to light and other factors.

Most modern graphics cards include a small microchip called the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), which are provide the algorithms and memory to process complex images. They reduce the workload of the main CPU, and provide faster processing. Different graphics cards have different capabilities in terms of processing power. They can render and refresh images up to 60 or more times per second, calculate shadows quickly, create image depth by rendering distant objects at low resolution, modify surface textures fluidly and eliminate pixelation.

What Specifications to Consider

Processor clock speed

This impacts on the rendering capability of the GRU. The clock speed itself is not the critical factor. Rather it is the per-clock performance of the graphics processor, which is indicated by the number of pixels it can process per clock cycle.

Memory size

This is the memory capacity that is used exclusively for graphics operations, and can be as much as 512MB. The more demanding your graphics applications are, the better you will be served with more memory on your graphics card.

16-32M
64M
128M
256M
512M
640M and more

Memory bandwidth

One thing that can slow down 3D graphics performance is the speed at which the computer delivers information to the graphics processor. A higher bandwidth means a faster data transfer, resulting in faster rendering speeds.

Shader model

DirectX Shader Models allows developers control over the appearance of an image as it is rendered on screen, introducing visual effects like multi-layered shadows, reflection and fog.

Fill rate

This is the speed at an image can be rendered or “painted”. This rate is specified in texels per second, the number of 3D pixels that can be painted per second. A texel is a pixel with depth (3D). The fill rate comes from the combined performance of the clock speed of the processor and the number of pixels it can process per clock cycle, and will tell you how quickly an image can be fully rendered on screen.

Vertices/triangles

Graphics chips don’t work on curves, rather they process flat surfaces. A curve is created by multiple flat planes arranged to look like a curve. 3D objects are created with multiple triangular surfaces, sometimes hundreds or even thousands, tessellated to represent the curves and angles of the real world. 3D artists are concerned with the number of polygons required to form a shape. There are two different types of specification: vertices per second (I.e., angles the triangles), and triangles per second. To compare one measure with the other, you have to take into account the fact that adjacent triangles share vertices.

Anti-aliasing

A technique used to smooth images by reducing the jagged stepping effect caused by diagonal lines and square pixels. Different levels of anti-aliasing have different effects on performance.

RAMDAC

The Random Access Memory Digital to Analogue Converter takes the image data and converts it to a format that your screen can use. A faster RAMDAC means that the graphics card can support higher output resolutions. Some cards have multiple RAMDACs allowing that card to support multiple displays.

TV-out

Some graphics cards provide the option to connect a television via either a composite (RCA) or S-Video connector. TV Out

S-video Out
S-video In and S-video Out (VIVO)
YPbPr Connection for HDTV

DVI

Some graphics cards include a connector for DVI monitors, handy because a lot of LCD screens support DVI. DVI offers better image quality than the standard VGA connector.

Dual-head

Dual-head is a term used when two monitors are used side by side, stretching your desktop across both.

SLI (Scalable Link Interface.)

With SLI you can couple two graphics cards in your computer, enabling each card to take half the rendering thereby doubling the performance.

When considering your graphics card, it pays to think about how much you need your computer to process your graphics output. Using a high end graphics card with a high pixels per clock rating, large memory, fast processor and other features means that you can run the latest games efficiently, or work in intensive graphics development.

Different Models

While there are many vendors of graphics cards, there are actually only two major manufacturers of chips for graphics cards. Nearly every graphics card on the market features a chip manufactured by either ATI or Nvidia. Cards using the same graphics chip will perform roughly the same as each other. However, even though they use the same chip, some feature slightly higher clock speeds, as well as manufacturer guaranteed overclocking-an even higher clock speed than that specified. Other factors that will influence your decision should include the amount of memory a card has (128MB, 256MB, 512MB) and its additional features, such as TV-Out and dual-screen support.

Use the search facilities at Myshopping.com.au to compare the features, prices and vendors of graphics cards.

About the Author

Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping service – http://www.myshopping.com.au , MyShopping.com.au helps you compare video cards and buy online from top-rated online stores. You can also read graphics cards reviews and specifications.

Flash memory gets its name due to its microchip arrangement in such a way, that its section of memory cells gets erased in a single action or “Flash”.

Both NOR and NAND Flash memory were invented by Dr. Fujio Masuoka from Toshiba in 1984.The name ‘Flash’ was suggested because the erasure process of the memory contents reminds a flash of a camera, and it’s name was coined to express how much faster it could be erased “in a flash”.

Dr. Masuoka presented the invention at the International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) held in San Jose, California in1984 and Intel recognizes the potentiality of the invention, and introduced the first commercial NOR type flash chip in 1988, with long erase and write times.

Flash memory is a form of non-volatile memory that can be electrically erased and rewrite, which means that it does not need power to maintain the data stored in the chip. In addition, flash memory offers fast read access times and better shock resistance than hard disks. These characteristics explain the popularity of flash memory for applications such as storage on battery-powered devices.

Flash memory is advance from of EEPROM (Electrically-Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) that allows multiple memory locations to be erased or written in one programming operation. Unlike an EPROM (Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory) an EEPROM can be programmed and erased multiple times electrically. Normal EEPROM only allows one location at a time to be erased or written, meaning that flash can operate at higher effective speeds when the systems using; it read and write to different locations at the same time.

Referring to the type of logic gate used in each storage cell, Flash memories are built in two varieties and named as, NOR flash and NAND flash.

Flash memory stores one bit of information in an array of transistors, called “cells”, however recent flash memory devices referred as multi-level cell devices, can store more than 1 bit per cell depending on amount of electrons placed on the Floating Gate of a cell. NOR flash cell looks similar to semiconductor device like transistors, but it has two gates. First one is the control gate (CG) and the second one is a floating gate (FG) that is shield or insulated all around by an oxide layer. Because the FG is secluded by its shield oxide layer, electrons placed on it get trapped and data is stored within. On the other hand NAND Flash uses tunnel injection for writing and tunnel release for erasing.

NOR flash that was developed by Intel in 1988 with unique feature of long erase and write times and its endurance of erase cycles ranges from 10,000 to 100,000 makes it suitable for storage of program code that needs to be infrequently updated, like in digital camera and PDAs. Though, later cards demand moved towards the cheaper NAND flash; NOR-based flash is the source of all the removable media.

Followed in 1989 Samsung and Toshiba form NAND flash with higher density, lower cost per bit then NOR Flash with faster erase and write times, but it only allows sequence data access, not random like NOR Flash, which makes NAND Flash suitable for mass storage device such as memory cards.

Smart Media was first NAND-based removable media and numerous others are behind like MMC, Secure Digital, xD-Picture Cards and Memory Stick.

Flash memory is frequently used to hold control code such as the basic input/output system (BIOS) in a computer. When BIOS needs to be changed (rewritten), the flash memory can be written to in block rather than byte sizes, making it simple to update. On the other hand, flash memory is not practical to random access memory (RAM) as RAM needs to be addressable at the byte (not the block) level. Thus, it is used more as a hard drive than as a RAM.

Although it can be read or write a byte at a time in a random access fashion, limitation of flash memory is, it must be erased a “block” at a time. Starting with a freshly erased block, any byte within that block can be programmed. However, once a byte has been programmed, it cannot be changed again until the entire block is erased. In other words, flash memory (specifically NOR flash) offers random-access read and programming operations, but cannot offer random-access rewrite or erase operations.

This effect is partially offset by some chip firmware or file system drivers by counting the writes and dynamically remapping the blocks in order to spread the write operations between the sectors, or by write verification and remapping to spare sectors in case of write failure.

Due to wear and tear on the insulating oxide layer around the charge storage mechanism, all types of flash memory erode after a certain number of erase functions ranging from 100,000 to 1,000,000, but it can be read an unlimited number of times.

Flash Card is easily rewritable memory and overwrites without warning with a high probability of data being overwritten and hence lost.

In spite of all these clear advantages, worse may occur due to system failure, battery failure, accidental erasure, re-format, power surges, faulty electronics and corruption caused by hardware breakdown or software malfunctions; as a result your data could be lost and damaged. You may have lost files or damaged data or media. Flash memory data recovery is the process of restoring data from primary storage media when it cannot be accessed normally.

Flash memory data recovery is a flash memory file recovery service that restores all corrupted and deleted photographs even if the memory card was re-formatted. This can be due to physical damage or logical damage to the storage device.

Data even from damage flash memory can be recovered, and more than 90% of lost data can be restored.

About the Author

Author: Bharat Bista
Digital Image Recovery
Bharat Bista is an independent SEO consultant, specializing in Search Engine Optimization and eCommerce.

Investing in a personal computer is not less an amount. It is next only to investing in a house or a car. So, it’s not unwise an idea to insure your computer and its allied accessories like peripherals and software. However, how much coverage you get for what accessory depends on individual market offer. There are several threats your computer might face. Such as virus attack, data corruption, system crashing down, peripheral malfunctioning and many more. Thus, it is important for you to protect your investment by proper insurance coverage. There are certain aspects of computer insurance you must know.

Coverage under homeowner or renter’s policy
In most of the cases if you have homeowner or renter’s policy your home accessories and assets are also covered in that and so is your computer. It is covered against all the threats and disasters listed in the policy. Thus, if your computer gets stolen or gutted in fire you can claim for the damages. However, your computer gets covered only for the amount listed in your policy.

Replacement cost and actual cash value
Though replacement cost is 10 percent more expensive as compared to Actual cash value, keeping in mind that things depreciate fast, this is a very wise move. The reimbursement you get on replacement cost is the same as the current cost of your computer and not the petty depreciated cost you would get with actual cash value policy.

Coverage for Laptop and portable computer
Laptop and portable computers are considered personal possessions away from home under the homeowners or renter’s policy. Thus, they are also covered under this policy. However, there is a dollar limit on personal possession that are stolen or damaged away from home.

Computers don’t only get covered under the homeowners or renter’s policy. A number of insurance companies offer individual insurance policies for computers as well. It is important to remember that when you buy a computer insurance policy you must retain the receipt of the policy as well as that of the computer and its peripherals very carefully.

Computer insurance is vital for students, business professionals, small business owners, schools, home users with heavy usage and many more people who use computers for their critical applications. Computer insurance does not cover certain items such as maintenance costs, electrical or mechanical breakdown, wear and tear, fraud and dishonesty, consequential loss, and loss or damage caused by sonic bangs. However, they are well covered under the warranty/extended warranty of the equipment.

About the Author

Joseph Kenny is the webmaster of the insurance site http://www.insure121.com/ where you will find information, news and links to the leading providers of insurance in the UK. If you found this article interesting you may find more articles of the same nature in the insurance guide located on site.

These days, computers are almost as common in households as telephones. Computers themselves do not cause any threat to individual security. When connected with networks and the chaos that is the World Wide Web, computers have become the tools that identity thieves and hackers use to extrapolate this chaos. In order to establish computer security, software companies have created devices to ward off the hazards and hassles of viruses, spyware, pop-ups and spam.

The first of these creations is anti-virus software. There are two main companies that offer this software: McAfee and Norton. These programs work to scan the files on your computer and check them for attributes that are in viruses or are often linked with viruses. These traits or attributes are often called virus definitions and need to be downloaded on a relatively regular basis. In addition to the files on your computer, files on CDs, floppy discs and e-mails can and should be filed. There is no question on this one: anti-virus software is vital to computer security.

Next on the list is spyware scanning software. Spyware occurs when certain websites run programs in the back ground of your computer while gleaning information from it. The information can be as benign as tracking what type of websites you look at, to actually acquiring passwords. Regardless of the type of spyware, it can slow your computer to a crawl and needs to be removed from your computer. Two popular software options are Spy Sweeper and Ad-ware.

Last, but certainly not least are pop-up blockers and span filters. Not only are pop-ups and spam annoying, but these often contain the spyware scanning software explained above. In addition, they can slow your computer down incredibly. And when you are angry at your computer, your computer is not secure!

In addition to these software items, there are a few more tricks you can use to keep your computer and your information secure. Password secure everything you can, and when you create the passwords, don’t make them easy. Do not use your name, your birthday or your social security number. And, if you are on an unsecured wireless network, do not check your bank statements. These networks allow several people on them at one time. Remember, hackers are smart. You have to be smarter!

About the Author

http://www.computersecurityblog.com

How (and why) you should convert your JPEG photographs into Adobe’s Portable Document Format (PDF). The “Why” discusses the limitations of the JPEG image format as a method of image distribution and covers the benefits and advantages of converting them into PDF documents. The “How” discusses some of the software options available together with their relative merits.

If you already know what JPEGs and PDFs are then skip to the “Why should you convert JPEG images into PDF documents” section to learn about some of the benefits and advantages of converting your JPEG photographs into PDF documents.

What is a JPEG?
JPEG (pronounced “jay-peg”) is a royalty free image format that was created by a committee known as the Joint Photographics Expert Group. It was designed to compress photographic images so that they take up much less space.

However, the JPEG format is a “lossy” one. This means that when a JPEG image is decompressed it is not quite the same as the original image. But don’t worry as this is not a big issue because it is possible to set the quality level that should be used for an image.

At a high quality level the human eye will not be able to distinguish the differences and you will still get a very useful space saving with about a 10:1 compression ratio ? ie an image will be compressed to one tenth of their original size.

At medium quality levels you will be able to spot slight differences (known as “compression artifacts”) but these should not normally detract from the image and you will get a compression ratio of around 20:1.

Of course lower quality levels are available that allow a compression ratio of 100:1 to be achieved but the resultant images will look very “blocky”.
JPEG is probably the most popular image format in use thanks to its high image quality and low space requirements. It is widely used on the Internet and as the storage format for photographs taken with most digital cameras.

What is a PDF?
PDF is a royalty free general purpose Portable Document Format created by Adobe Systems. It is ideal for storing and displaying fixed layout documents in a device and resolution independent way.

What this means is that a PDF document will be displayed in the same way no matter what device it is viewed on ? whether it is on a PC with a large screen or on a small personal organizer.

It is also important to note that a PDF document can be printed to any printer and the printed output should look exactly the same (or at least as close as possible subject to any limitations that the printer might have).

Because of the benefits outlined above, PDF is widely used on the Internet and is extensively used within the print industry where printing accuracy is a must.

Why should you convert JPEG images into PDF documents?
While JPEG images are easy to use there are some limitations with them that make PDF documents a more attractive way of distributing images.
First of all if you want to display and print a JPEG image then what you see on screen is not necessarily what you get printed! This is because the screen resolution is likely to be very different to the printer resolution and the application that is used to display the image on screen cannot always take this into account.

However, using a PDF document that contains the same image, not only is the image displayed at the correct size on screen but you get a perfect printed copy.

If you want to store or distribute a number of images together then it makes more sense to put them into a single PDF file. Especially if you want to send them via email (you only have to include one file attachment and the recipient can open the PDF document and scroll through all of the images straight away) or display them on a web site (you only need to link to one file not lots of them).

With a PDF document you can also restrict what can be done with it ? you may only want authorised users to be able to view the document in which case you can password protect it. Or you can prevent a user from editing or printing the document if you only want them to be able to view it on screen.

You can of course do much more with a PDF document, for example, you could create a simple PDF photo album of your images with a built-in slideshow using some fancy page transitions between each image.

How can you convert JPEG images into PDF documents?
While you could use the fully featured and relatively expensive Adobe Acrobat application to convert JPEG images into PDF documents, this can be both time consuming to learn and overly complex if all you want to do is to convert some JPEG images.

There are some free applications available, such as Open Office, but these do not generally allow you the same level of control or automation as dedicated third party tools.

A better solution could be to use a dedicated tool such as one of the “Image to PDF” range of products from Utility Warrior.

There are some other advantages to using a tool that is dedicated to the job of just converting JPEG images into PDF documents ? it will probably be cheaper for a start!

Also, these tools will often be much smaller in size as there is no unnecessary code bloat, and this can also mean that they are faster in operation ? which can be very important if you have thousands of JPEG images to convert!

Hopefully this brief article will have given you enough grounding to evaluate the solutions that are available to convert your JPEG images into PDF documents to best find one that matches your needs. Happy converting!

About the Author

Adrian Nelson is the lead software developer behind the range of low cost PDF utilities from Utility Warrior which can be found at http://www.UtilityWarrior.com

Excel worksheets can get corrupt or damaged at any point of time. Just imagine working on important financial figures and power goes off. And when power comes back, you cannot access your worksheet or the excel file fails to open. Now what to do?

There are times when MS Office application automatically recovers the unexpected closed document with the help of Auto recover option and your data is saved from being lost and inaccessible. But what happens when you cannot access your data, can you still get it back. The answer is “Yes”. Why not?

The fast paced technology has developed such recovery tools to recover and restore the lost data. If you lose your data, you can still get it back by performing some basic steps or at last if their remains no hope, you can select a third party utility ? an excel file repair software.
This article aims to discuss those methods and points which prove helpful in the cases when you lose your important data.

How Data Becomes Corrupt or Inaccessible
Before discussing the preventions first we should look at some of the causes due to which the excel file gets corrupt. The causes are:

Virus Attacks
Unexpected or improper system shutdown
Power Outages
Media Errors
Error messages like:

“Excel unable to read file..”,
“This file is not in a recognizable format”,
“????.xls file cannot be accessed. The file may be read-only”,
Excel.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows. You will need to restart the program; an error log is being created”.

Methods to Recover Data from the Corrupt Excel Files:

1. Saving the file in HTML format
2. Use of Revert To Saved Document feature
3. Open file in MS Word
4. Open file in MS Excel Viewer
5. Disable Macros
6. Use of External Link Formulas in another Worksheet
7. Use of Excel’s built-in Detect and Repair feature
8. Other Procedures

Saving the file in HTML format

If you are unable to access data or open the worksheet, then you can save the corrupt file in .html format and then reopen it. To do this, perform the following steps:

Click the File menu > click the Save As option.
Click the Save as type list, select the Web Page (*.htm, *.html) option.
Close the file
Again open the file in MS Excel
Click the File menu, and select the Save As option.
Click the Save As type list and select the Microsoft Excel Workbook option. Change the name of the file, to create filtered copy without replacing the original worksheet file.

Note: Some features might get lost when the file is saved in HTML format.

Use of Revert To Saved Document
While working on an excel worksheet, if by chance your worksheet closes automatically or it becomes corrupt before saving the changes then you can try this method to retrieve the data back:

Click the File menu and select the Open option.
The Open dialogue box appears select the name of the .xls file on which you were working.
As you select the .xls file, a dialogue box will be displayed with the following message : “Revert to Saved Document”

Click OK

The last saved version of the corrupt .xls file will be displayed.

Open file in MS Word or WordPad

To open the MS Excel worksheet in MS Word, you need to install MS Excel converter on your computer system.

If the corrupt excel file gets opened in MS Word then you will be able to recover text and result of the formulas which are currently in the cells. You may not be able to recover the dialog sheets, chart sheets, embedded charts or any module sheets and also the cell formulas.

If converting to WordPad, the data recovery would be possible in Visual Basic code in the modules and class modules. Search for the “Sub” and “Function” word to find the code.

Open file in MS Excel Viewer

You can recover the lost data with the help of MS Excel Viewer. MS Excel Viewer is a small, freely distributed program which enables you to view and print Excel for Windows (v2.0 and greater) and MS Excel for Macintosh (v 2.2a and greater) spreadsheet files.

Install the application and then you can copy the cells and paste them in new worksheet. This method can only recover the results of the formulas which are currently in the cell and the formatting of the file. Thus you cannot recover macro sheets, module sheets, dialog sheets, charts or VBA macro modules.

Disable Macros
Disable macros while attempting to open the corrupt excel file.

Use of External Link Formulas in another Worksheet
Type the following command in the a1 cell of a new worksheet: =’C:\My Documents\[Corrupt File Name.xls]Sheet’1!A1

Change the path according to the file location and corrupt file name. Copy this code down and over to mirror the range covered in the damaged file. Cell values except the formulas or VBA codes can be recovered with this method.

Use of Excel’s built-in Detect and Repair feature
The “Detect and Repair” feature is the built-in recovery procedure through which data from the corrupt excel files can also be recovered. Follow the steps to use this feature:

Open New Excel worksheet
Click the File menu and select the Open option.

In the Open dialogue box, select the .xls file which you want to open. The Open button will get activated, click the arrow and select the Open and Repair option.
Click the Repair button to start the process of recovery and Extract Data button to extract data if excel was unable to repair a previous workbook.

The Excel workbook with corruptions can be easily recovered and repaired by using this method.

Other Procedures
As the above mentioned steps can help you to recover data from the corrupt excel files, you can also give a try to these steps, which can prove helpful:

Close the Excel file and then re-open it.

This does not works, restart your computer system, try to open the excel file again.

If this also not works, delete content from the “C:\Windows\Temp folder” and again restart the Computer system.

If this also does not work then open the corrupt excel file in Safe mode. This process disables the VBA and Add-ins. Click the Start men and select the Run option.

Enter the following command: “C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\excel.exe”/s. Now excel in safe mode will start.

Note: If you are working on Excel 2002, Office XP, MS Office Installer will start as you enter the command in Run option. Click Cancel, safe mode will start.

If this also does not work, scan the file for viruses. This might solve the problem.

You can also try this. Copy and paste the .xls file to another partition and then try to open the file. This might actually work.

Finally when you have tried all the above-mentioned points and it seems that they will not work then you can select a third party utility to recover data from the corrupt excel file. There are many excel file recovery software which are designed to perform data recovery on the corrupt files.

The Excel File Repair software is an efficient corrupt excel file recovery software which retrieves and recovers data from the corrupt excel sheets. The excel recovery software recovers the cell data, formulas, charts, images, hyperlinks and other embedded objects from the corrupt excel sheets.

You can try the FREE demo version of the Nucleus Excel File Repair software and if the excel file data recovery software displays your lost and inaccessible data then you can purchase Full version of the software.

Excel File Recovery Software supports data recovery from almost every version of MS Excel including MS Excel 2003, 2000, 97, XP.

About the Author

Neha Gupta is a technical writer for Nucleus Data Recovery, provider of the best data recovery software and data recovery services. The Kernel recovery tools are developed for email recovery, database recovery, tape recovery, backup recovery. http://www.nucleustechnologies.com

With the many different brands and models on the market, buying a laptop or notebook computer may at first seem confusing. But simply breaking down the process into a few key areas and using Myshopping.com.au to search for the most suitable features and pricing makes it much easier to access exactly the machine you’re looking for.

How important to you is mobility?

Mobility in laptop computers is a combination of size, weight and battery life: how often you carry it around, and if you will be relying mainly on the notebook’s battery, or whether you will access an external power source. Laptops can weigh from a little over 1 kg up to 6kg, depending on the model and features included. The screen, storage space and disc drive all affect the weight.

Battery life is shortened by bigger screens and multiple disc drives. Manufacturers advertise the weight of the laptop in their specifications, but it is important to consider whether that specification includes batteries and other peripherals such as external drives that you may be lugging around. The most common battery type is Lithium Ion (Li-Ion), which can operate for one to three hours under normal working conditions. But many power saving options available and higher celled batteries can extend the discharge time considerably. Battery life deteriorates over time however, and as your laptop ages; the discharge rate of the battery will diminish. Sometimes it is worthwhile carrying an additional battery.

Application and cost

If mobility is of a lesser concern, then battery life and weight will be less important. You may be more inclined to have a bigger processor, screen size and memory capacity. The type of work you do can affect the screen size and type that is most suitable for you. For a lighter load, and less graphics intensive applications a 12-14in screen instead of 15 or 17in widescreen will be more suitable. If, on the other hand, the graphics capabilities and size of the screen are important then the best screen you can afford will be more of a priority. It may work out cheaper to buy a basic unit and add such things as an external TV card and DVD burner when the need arises.

How much you need to spend is closely related to how you use your laptop. If you only want to access your e-mail, browse the Web and do word processing, then you can consider lower budget machines with smaller processors, screens and facilities.

A medium-level user, perhaps playing games or working in multimedia applications, will need a powerful processor, graphics controller, storage space, and a bigger screen. The more features your laptop has, the more expensive it will be. Including a DVD-burner instead of DVD-ROM, hard drive capacity of more than 40GB, a 17in widescreen screen and wireless capabilities results in a more expensive machine.

If you are not looking for high power and graphics capabilities, then you may find a suitable laptop for around $1500. The latest processor, full blown graphics capability, DVD burner, widescreen and wireless connectivity may cost over $4000. Use Myshopping.com.au to search with different price ranges.

Other key components

Having determined by what you will do with it, and how mobile you need to be that you are definitely buying a laptop, you now need to get down to the nitty gritty and find the specifications that will meet your needs. So, what to look for? Essentially, you are considering differences between the following components: display, graphics controller, memory (RAM), hard disk, removable storage, networking options, peripheral connectivity, sound and battery.

Display and Graphics

Notebooks now all feature LCD screens (Liquid Crystal Displays) presenting crisp text and reduced eyestrain. These screens display sharper text than standard CRT monitors, but are less capable of displaying well-rendered graphics. If you will be using your notebook for graphics work, it may be worthwhile having a CRT monitor to connect to. Screen sizes for notebooks range from 12.1in to 17in (widescreen). A 15in display or 15.4in widescreen alternative is the most common in notebooks today. Widescreen is quickly becoming more common, partly to accommodate playback of DVDs and also because widescreen proportions make it is more durable.

On-screen graphics are affected by both the size and type of screen as well as the graphics card. It is reasonably safe to assume that larger displays offer higher on-screen resolution. Screen brightness (measured in nits) is another specification that can vary between makes and models. Brighter screens impact less on eyes and can be more easily read in bright conditions. Some manufacturers have a glossy, reflective coating over the display improving contrast and colours. But, because it increases the reflectivity of the screen, it can show you reflected in the screen. Surface scratches may also show up more readily. Not all LCD screens have the same viewable angle, with some screens not easily viewed from a side angle.

Graphics performance in laptops is still inferior to that of desktop machines. All graphic controllers easily render 2-D images and if you don’t need more from your graphics, then an integrated graphics controller is ample. However, if you want to play the latest 3-D games at a decent resolution and frame rate or you’re a CAD designer, then you’ll need a discreet graphics controller with a dedicated DDR video memory.

Memory and Storage

In all computers RAM chips keep the CPU efficiently fed with data or instructions from programs on the hard drive. Notebook computers now commonly use DDR SDRAM (Double Date Rate SDRAM), the default standard, and DDR2 SDRAM which is a next-generation memory type offering considerable performance and power benefits over SDRAM. Either way, when it comes to RAM, more memory is better and you should consider 256MB as the absolute minimum. Upgrading memory can achieve better performance, and quite a number of vendors offer higher RAM configurations as a ‘deal sweetener’ at the time of purchase. Search through Myshopping.com.au for bundled extras such as more RAM.

The hard drive provides the long-term storage and is the centre of program control. There are two critical specifications of hard disks. One is disk speed, measured in revolutions per minute (rpm). Faster disks speeds provide quicker access for loading and saving and ‘file swapping’. The other is storage capacity, and drives are now available for notebook computers with 120GB capacity. If you work with large file sizes, then you will probably want at least 40GB of hard drive space. You may also want to consider the type of removable storage such as a DVD writer, removable hard disks and media or ‘flash’ card systems that will suit your use best.

Networking and connectivity

Laptop computers now include 56Kbps modem (RJ-11) and 10/100 Ethernet (RJ-45) connections as standard features. Some feature an Infrared port and you can use it to connect your mobile phone. Other wireless technology for connecting mobile phones, printers and PDA devices includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing connection at certified public access points and home wireless networking. Most laptops use USB 2.0 or FireWire connection for connecting keyboard, mouse, printers, cameras and other peripherals. Nearly every new notebook will have around three USB 2.0 ports, and one FireWire port and a VGA-out port to connect an external monitor to.

Notebook computers have traditionally been able to expand their capability through simple plug-in PC Cards. Recently a new standard has emerged called ExpressCard, a smaller, faster and more portable plug-in card to provide such things as expanded video and sound capacity.

Choosing a laptop becomes much easier once you’ve decided on these basic requirements. You can search Myshopping.com.au to compare makes, models, prices, accessories and all the important specifications. You can also compare vendors and their prices and service.

About the Author

Andrew Gates is a writer for comparison online shopping site MyShopping.com.au. MyShopping.com.au helps you compare the different laptops from different brands in terms of specifications and accessories. You can also compare laptop prices from hundreds of different brands and vendors.