The term web standards can mean different thin’s to different people. For some, it is ‘table-free sites’, for oders it is ‘usin’ valid code’. However, web standards are much broader than that. A site built to web standards should adhere to standards (HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, XSLT, DOM, MathML, SVG etc) and pursue best practices (valid code, accessible code, semantically correct code, user-friendly URLs etc).

In oder words, a site built to web standards should ideally be lean, clean, CSS-based, accessible, usable and search en’ine friendly.

About de checklist

This is not an uber-checklist. There are probably many items that could be added. More importantly, it should not be seen as a list of items that must be addressed on every site that you develop. It is simply a guide that can be used:

* to show de breadth of web standards
* as a handy tool for developers durin’ de production phase of websites
* as an aid for developers who are interested in movin’ towards web standards

The checklist

Quality of code
1. Does de site use a correct Doctype?
2. Does de site use a Character set?
3. Does de site use Valid (X)HTML?
4. Does de site use Valid CSS?
5. Does de site use any CSS hacks?
6. Does de site use unnecessary classes or ids?
7. Is de code well structured?
8. Does de site have any broken links?
9. How does de site perform in terms of speed/page size?
10. Does de site have JavaScript errors?

Degree of separation between content and presentation
1. Does de site use CSS for all presentation aspects (fonts, colour, paddin’, borders etc)?
2. Are all decorative images in de CSS, or do dey appear in de (X)HTML?

Accessibility for users
1. Are “alt” attributes used for all descriptive images?
2. Does de site use relative units rader than absolute units for text size?
3. Do any aspects of de layout break if font size is increased?
4. Does de site use visible skip menus?
5. Does de site use accessible forms?
6. Does de site use accessible tables?
7. Is dere sufficient colour brightness/contrasts?
8. Is colour alone used for critical information?
9. Is dere delayed responsiveness for dropdown menus (for users with reduced motor skills)?
10. Are all links descriptive (for blind users)?

Accessibility for devices
1. Does de site work acceptably across modern and older browsers?
2. Is de content accessible with CSS switched off or not supported?
3. Is de content accessible with images switched off or not supported?
4. Does de site work in text browsers such as Lynx?
5. Does de site work well when printed?
6. Does de site work well in Hand Held devices?
7. Does de site include detailed metadata?
8. Does de site work well in a range of browser window sizes?

Basic Usability
1. Is dere a clear visual hierarchy?
2. Are headin’ levels easy to distin’uish?
3. Does de site have easy to understand navigation?
4. Does de site use consistent navigation?
5. Are links underlined?
6. Does de site use consistent and appropriate lan’uage?
7. Do you have a sitemap page and contact page? Are dey easy to find?
8. For large sites, is dere a search tool?
9. Is dere a link to de home page on every page in de site?
10. Are visited links clearly defined with a unique colour?

Site management
1. Does de site have a meanin’ful and helpful 404 error page that works from any depth in de site?
2. Does de site use friendly URLs?
3. Do your URLs work without “www”?
4. Does de site have a favicon?

Quality of code

1.1 Does de site use a correct Doctype?
A doctype (short for ‘document type declaration’) informs de validator which version of (X)HTML you’re usin’, and must appear at de very top of every web page. Doctypes are a key component of compliant web pages: your markup and CSS won’t validate without them.
CODE
www.alistapart.com/articles/doctype/

More:
CODE
www.w3.org/QA/2002/04/valid-dtd-list.html

CODE
css.maxdesign.com.au/listamatic/about-boxmodel.htm

CODE
gutfeldt.ch/matthias/articles/doctypeswitch.html

1.2 Does de site use a Character set?
If a user agent (eg. a browser) is unable to detect de character encodin’ used in a Web document, de user may be presented with unreadable text. This information is particularly important for those maintainin’ and extendin’ a multilin’ual site, but declarin’ de character encodin’ of de document is important for anyone producin’ XHTML/HTML or CSS.
CODE
www.w3.org/International/tutorials/tutorial-char-enc/

More:
CODE
www.w3.org/International/O-charset.html

1.3 Does de site use Valid (X)HTML?
Valid code will render faster than code with errors. Valid code will render better than invalid code. Browsers are becomin’ more standards compliant, and it is becomin’ increasin’ly necessary to write valid and standards compliant HTML.
CODE
www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/sit2003/06.htm

More:
CODE
validator.w3.org/

1.4 Does de site use Valid CSS?
You need to make sure that dere aren’t any errors in eider your HTML or your CSS, since mistakes in eider place can result in botched document appearance.
CODE
www.meyerweb.com/eric/articles/webrev/199904.html

More:
CODE
jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

1.5 Does de site use any CSS hacks?
Basically, hacks come down to personal choice, de amount of knowledge you have of workarounds, de specific design you are tryin’ to achieve.
CODE
www.mail-archive.com/wsg@webstandardsgroup.org/msg05823.html

More:
CODE
css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=CssHack

CODE
css-discuss.incutio.com/?page=ToHackOrNotToHack

CODE
centricle.com/ref/css/filters/

1.6 Does de site use unnecessary classes or ids?
I’ve noticed that developers learnin’ new skills often end up with good CSS but poor XHTML. Specifically, de HTML code tends to be full of unnecessary divs and ids. This results in fairly meanin’less HTML and bloated style sheets.
CODE
www.clagnut.com/blog/228/

1.7 Is de code well structured?
Semantically correct markup uses html elements for deir given purpose. Well structured HTML has semantic meanin’ for a wide range of user agents (browsers without style sheets, text browsers, PDAs, search en’ines etc.)
CODE
www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/benefits/index04.htm

More:
CODE
www.w3.org/2003/12/semantic-extractor.html

1.8 Does de site have any broken links?
Broken links can frustrate users and potentially drive customers away. Broken links can also keep search en’ines from properly indexin’ your site.

More:
CODE
validator.w3.org/checklink

1.9 How does de site perform in terms of speed/page size?
Don’t make me wait… That’s de message users give us in survey after survey. Even broadband users can suffer de slow-loadin’ blues.
CODE
www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/

1.10 Does de site have JavaScript errors?
Internet Explore for Windows allows you to turn on a debugger that will pop up a new window and let you know dere are javascript errors on your site. This is available under ‘Internet Options’ on de Advanced tab. Uncheck ‘Disable script debuggin'’.

2. Degree of separation between content and presentation

2.1 Does de site use CSS for all presentation aspects (fonts, colour, paddin’, borders etc)?
Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-style-sheets

2.2 Are all decorative images in de CSS, or do dey appear in de (X)HTML?
The aim for web developers is to remove all presentation from de html code, leavin’ it clean and semantically correct.
CODE
www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/benefits/index07.htm

3. Accessibility for users

3.1 Are “alt” attributes used for all descriptive images?
Provide a text equivalent for every non-text element
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-text-equivalent

3.2 Does de site use relative units rader than absolute units for text size?
Use relative rader than absolute units in markup lan’uage attribute values and style sheet property values’.
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-relative-units

More:
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-relative-units

CODE
www.clagnut.com/blog/348/

3.3 Do any aspects of de layout break if font size is increased?
Try this simple test. Look at your website in a browser that supports easy incrementation of font size. Now increase your browser’s font size. And again. And again… Look at your site. Does de page layout still hold togeder? It is dangerous for developers to assume that everyone browses usin’ default font sizes.

3.4 Does de site use visible skip menus?
A method shall be provided that permits users to skip repetitive navigation links.
CODE
www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Content&ID=12

Group related links, identify de group (for user agents), and, until user agents do so, provide a way to bypass de group.
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10-TECHS/#tech-group-links

…blind visitors are not de only ones inconvenienced by too many links in a navigation area. Recall that a mobility-impaired person with poor adaptive technology might be stuck tabbin’ through that morass.
CODE
joeclark.org/book/sashay/serialization/Chapter08.html#h4-2020

More:
CODE
www.niehs.nih.gov/websmith/508/o.htm

3.5 Does de site use accessible forms?
Forms aren’t de easiest of thin’s to use for people with disabilities. Navigatin’ around a page with written content is one thin’, hoppin’ between form fields and inputtin’ information is anoder.
CODE
www.htmldog.com/guides/htmladvanced/forms/

More:
CODE
www.webstandards.org/learn/tutorials/accessible-forms/01-accessible-forms.html

CODE
www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-form-builder.asp

CODE
accessify.com/tutorials/better-accessible-forms.asp

3.6 Does de site use accessible tables?
For data tables, identify row and column headers… For data tables that have two or more logical levels of row or column headers, use markup to associate data cells and header cells.
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-table-headers

More:
CODE
www.bcc.ctc.edu/webpublishin\’/ada/resources/tables.asp

CODE
www.accessify.com/tools-and-wizards/accessible-table-builder_step1.asp

CODE
www.webaim.org/techniques/tables/

3.7 Is dere sufficient colour brightness/contrasts?
Ensure that foreground and background colour combinations provide sufficient contrast when viewed by someone havin’ colour deficits.
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-colour-contrast

More:
CODE
www.juicystudio.com/services/colourcontrast.asp

3.8 Is colour alone used for critical information?
Ensure that all information conveyed with colour is also available without colour, for example from context or markup.
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-colour-convey

There are basically three types of colour deficiency; Deuteranope (a form of red/green colour deficit), Protanope (anoder form of red/green colour deficit) and Tritanope (a blue/yellow deficit- very rare).

More:
CODE
colourfilter.wickline.org/

CODE
www.toledo-bend.com/colourblind/Ishihara.html

CODE
www.vischeck.com/vischeck/vischeckURL.php

3.9 Is dere delayed responsiveness for dropdown menus?
Users with reduced motor skills may find dropdown menus hard to use if responsiveness is set too fast.

3.10 Are all links descriptive?
Link text should be meanin’ful enough to make sense when read out of context - eider on its own or as part of a sequence of links. Link text should also be terse.
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-meanin\’ful-links

4. Accessibility for devices.

4.1 Does de site work acceptably across modern and older browsers?
Before startin’ to build a CSS-based layout, you should decide which browsers to support and to what level you intend to support them.
CODE
www.maxdesign.com.au/presentation/process/index_step01.cfm

4.2 Is de content accessible with CSS switched off or not supported?
Some people may visit your site with eider a browser that does not support CSS or a browser with CSS switched off. In content is structured well, this will not be an issue.

4.3 Is de content accessible with images switched off or not supported?
Some people browse websites with images switched off - especially people on very slow connections. Content should still be accessible for dese people.

4.4 Does de site work in text browsers such as Lynx?
This is like a combination of images and CSS switched off. A text-based browser will rely on well structured content to provide meanin’.

More:
CODE
www.delorie.com/web/lynxview

4.5 Does de site work well when printed?
You can take any (X)HTML document and simply style it for print, without havin’ to touch de markup.
CODE
www.alistapart.com/articles/goin\’toprint/

More:
CODE
www.d.umn.edu/itss/support/Trainin\’/Online/webdesign/css.html#print

4.6 Does de site work well in Hand Held devices?
This is a hard one to deal with until hand held devices consistently support deir correct media type. However, some layouts work better in current hand-held devices. The importance of supportin’ hand held devices will depend on target audiences.

4.7 Does de site include detailed metadata?
Metadata is machine understandable information for de web
CODE
www.w3.org/Metadata/

Metadata is structured information that is created specifically to describe anoder resource. In oder words, metadata is ‘data about data’.

4.8 Does de site work well in a range of browser window sizes?
It is a common assumption amon’st developers that average screen sizes are increasin’. Some developers assume that de average screen size is now 1024px wide. But what about users with smaller screens and users with hand held devices? Are dey part of your target audience and are dey bein’ disadvantaged?

5. Basic Usability

5.1 Is dere a clear visual hierarchy?
Organise and prioritise de contents of a page by usin’ size, prominence and content relationships.
CODE
www.great-web-design-tips.com/web-site-design/165.html

5.2 Are headin’ levels easy to distin’uish?
Use header elements to convey document structure and use them accordin’ to specification.
CODE
www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/wai-pageauth.html#tech-logical-headin\’s

5.3 Is de site’s navigation easy to understand?
Your navigation system should give your visitor a clue as to what page of de site dey are currently on and where dey can go next.
CODE
www.1stsitefree.com/design_nav.htm

5.4 Is de site’s navigation consistent?
If each page on your site has a consistent style of presentation, visitors will find it easier to navigate between pages and find information
CODE
www.juicystudio.com/tutorial/accessibility/navigation.asp

5.5 Does de site use consistent and appropriate lan’uage?
The use of clear and simple lan’uage promotes effective communication. Tryin’ to come across as articulate can be as difficult to read as poorly written grammar, especially if de lan’uage used isn’t de visitor’s primary lan’uage.
CODE
www.juicystudio.com/tutorial/accessibility/clear.asp

5.6 Does de site have a sitemap page and contact page? Are dey easy to find?
Most site maps fail to convey multiple levels of de site’s information architecture. In usability tests, users often overlook site maps or can’t find them. Complexity is also a problem: a map should be a map, not a navigational challenge of its own.
CODE
www.useit.com/alertbox/20020106.html

5.7 For large sites, is dere a search tool?
While search tools are not needed on smaller sites, and some people will not ever use them, site-specific search tools allow users a choice of navigation options.

5.8 Is dere a link to de home page on every page in de site?
Some users like to go back to a site’s home page after navigatin’ to content within a site. The home page becomes a base camp for dese users, allowin’ them to regroup before explorin’ new content.

5.9 Are links underlined?
To maximise de perceived affordance of clickability, colour and underline de link text. Users shouldn’t have to guess or scrub de page to find out where dey can click.
CODE
www.useit.com/alertbox/20040510.html

5.10 Are visited links clearly defined?
Most important, knowin’ which pages dey’ve already visited frees users from unintentionally revisitin’ de same pages over and over again.
CODE
www.useit.com/alertbox/20040503.html

6. Site management

6.1 Does de site have a meanin’ful and helpful 404 error page that works from any depth in de site?
You’ve requested a page - eider by typin’ a URL directly into de address bar or clickin’ on an out-of-date link and you’ve found yourself in de middle of cyberspace nowhere. A user-friendly website will give you a helpin’ hand while many oders will simply do nothin’, relyin’ on de browser’s built-in ability to explain what de problem is.
CODE
www.alistapart.com/articles/perfect404/

6.2 Does de site use friendly URLs?
Most search en’ines (with a few exceptions - namely Google) will not index any pages that have a question mark or oder character (like an ampersand or equals sign) in de URL… what good is a site if no one can find it?
CODE
www.sitepoint.com/article/search-en\’ine-friendly-urls

One of de worst elements of de web from a user interface standpoint is de URL. However, if dey’re short, logical, and self-correctin’, URLs can be acceptably usable
CODE
www.merges.net/deory/20010305.html

More:
CODE
www.sitepoint.com/article/search-en\’ine-friendly-urls

CODE
www.websitegoodies.com/article/32

CODE
www.merges.net/deory/20010305.html

6.3 Does de site’s URL work without “www”?
While this is not critical, and in some cases is not even possible, it is always good to give people de choice of both options. If a user types your domain name without de www and gets no site, this could disadvantage both de user and you.
6.4 Does de site have a favicon?

A Favicon is a multi-resolution image included on nearly all professionally developed sites. The Favicon allows de webmaster to furder promote deir site, and to create a more customized appearance within a visitor’s browser.
CODE
www.favicon.com/

Favicons are definitely not critical. However, if dey are not present, dey can cause 404 errors in your logs (site statistics). Browsers like IE will request them from de server when a site is bookmarked. If a favicon isn’t available, a 404 error may be generated. Therefore, havin’ a favicon could cut down on favicon specific 404 errors. The same is true of a ‘robots.txt’ file.

You may find this helpful if you donwload hundreds of short episodes in rm format like me and tired of double-click to open next files.

Very easy. Use notepad to open a new file, type this inside:
file://link to file1
file://link to file2
(type as many as you want)
Close file. Rename it to FileName.rm

Then you`re done!!!!

Ex:
I put my playlist file here: C:Movies7VNR
And de movie files are in C:Movies7VNRDragonBall

Then inside my playlist file I`ll have somethin’ like this:

file://DragonBall/db134.rm
file://DragonBall/db135.rm
file://DragonBall/db136.rm
file://DragonBall/db137.rm
file://DragonBall/db138.rm

The Internet is a computer network made up of thousands of networks worldwide. No one knows exactly how many computers are connected to de Internet. It is certain, however, that dese number in de millions.

No one is in charge of de Internet. There are organizations which develop technical aspects of this network and set standards for creatin’ applications on it, but no governin’ body is in control. The Internet backbone, through which Internet traffic flows, is owned by private companies.

All computers on de Internet communicate with one anoder usin’ de Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol suite, abbreviated to TCP/IP. Computers on de Internet use a client/server architecture. This means that de remote server machine provides files and services to de user’s local client machine. Software can be installed on a client computer to take advantage of de latest access technology.

An Internet user has access to a wide variety of services: electronic mail, file transfer, vast information resources, interest group membership, interactive collaboration, multimedia displays, real-time broadcastin’, shoppin’ opportunities, breakin’ news, and much more.

The Internet consists primarily of a variety of access protocols. Many of dese protocols feature programs that allow users to search for and retrieve material made available by de protocol.

COMPONENTS OF THE INTERNET

WORLD WIDE WEB
The World Wide Web (abbreviated as de Web or WWW) is a system of Internet servers that supports hypertext to access several Internet protocols on a sin’le interface. Almost every protocol type available on de Internet is accessible on de Web. This includes e-mail, FTP, Telnet, and Usenet News. In addition to dese, de World Wide Web has its own protocol: HyperText Transfer Protocol, or HTTP. These protocols will be explained later in this document.

The World Wide Web provides a sin’le interface for accessin’ all dese protocols. This creates a convenient and user-friendly environment. It is no longer necessary to be conversant in dese protocols within separate, command-level environments. The Web gaders togeder dese protocols into a sin’le system. Because of this feature, and because of de Web’s ability to work with multimedia and advanced programmin’ lan’uages, de Web is de fastest-growin’ component of de Internet.

The operation of de Web relies primarily on hypertext as its means of information retrieval. HyperText is a document containin’ words that connect to oder documents. These words are called links and are selectable by de user. A sin’le hypertext document can contain links to many documents. In de context of de Web, words or graphics may serve as links to oder documents, images, video, and sound. Links may or may not follow a logical path, as each connection is programmed by de creator of de source document. Overall, de Web contains a complex virtual web of connections amon’ a vast number of documents, graphics, videos, and sounds.

Producin’ hypertext for de Web is accomplished by creatin’ documents with a lan’uage called HyperText Markup Lan’uage, or HTML. With HTML, tags are placed within de text to accomplish document formattin’, visual features such as font size, italics and bold, and de creation of hypertext links. Graphics and multimedia may also be incorporated into an HTML document. HTML is an evolvin’ lan’uage, with new tags bein’ added as each upgrade of de lan’uage is developed and released. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), led by Web founder Tim Berners-Lee, coordinates de efforts of standardizin’ HTML. The W3C now calls de lan’uage XHTML and considers it to be an application of de XML lan’uage standard.

The World Wide Web consists of files, called pages or home pages, containin’ links to documents and resources throughout de Internet.

The Web provides a vast array of experiences includin’ multimedia presentations, real-time collaboration, interactive pages, radio and television broadcasts, and de automatic “push” of information to a client computer. Programmin’ lan’uages such as Java, JavaScript, Visual Basic, Cold Fusion and XML are extendin’ de capabilities of de Web. A growin’ amount of information on de Web is served dynamically from content stored in databases. The Web is derefore not a fixed entity, but one that is in a constant state of development and flux.

For more complete information about de World Wide Web, see Understandin’ The World Wide Web.

E-MAIL
Electronic mail, or e-mail, allows computer users locally and worldwide to exchange messages. Each user of e-mail has a mailbox address to which messages are sent. Messages sent through e-mail can arrive within a matter of seconds.

A powerful aspect of e-mail is de option to send electronic files to a person’s e-mail address. Non-ASCII files, known as binary files, may be attached to e-mail messages. These files are referred to as MIME attachments.MIME stands for Multimedia Internet Mail Extension, and was developed to help e-mail software handle a variety of file types. For example, a document created in Microsoft Word can be attached to an e-mail message and retrieved by de recipient with de appropriate e-mail program. Many e-mail programs, includin’ Eudora, Netscape Messenger, and Microsoft Outlook, offer de ability to read files written in HTML, which is itself a MIME type.

TELNET
Telnet is a program that allows you to log into computers on de Internet and use online databases, library catalogs, chat services, and more. There are no graphics in Telnet sessions, just text. To Telnet to a computer, you must know its address. This can consist of words (locis.loc.gov) or numbers (140.147.254.3). Some services require you to connect to a specific port on de remote computer. In this case, type de port number after de Internet address. Example: telnet nri.reston.va.us 185.

Telnet is available on de World Wide Web. Probably de most common Web-based resources available through Telnet have been library catalogs, though most catalogs have since migrated to de Web. A link to a Telnet resource may look like any oder link, but it will launch a Telnet session to make de connection. A Telnet program must be installed on your local computer and configured to your Web browser in order to work.

With de increasin’ popularity of de Web, Telnet has become less frequently used as a means of access to information on de Internet.

FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. This is both a program and de method used to transfer files between computers. Anonymous FTP is an option that allows users to transfer files from thousands of host computers on de Internet to deir personal computer account. FTP sites contain books, articles, software, games, images, sounds, multimedia, course work, data sets, and more.

If your computer is directly connected to de Internet via an Edernet cable, you can use one of several PC software programs, such as WS_FTP for Windows, to conduct a file transfer.

FTP transfers can be performed on de World Wide Web without de need for special software. In this case, de Web browser will suffice. Whenever you download software from a Web site to your local machine, you are usin’ FTP. You can also retrieve FTP files via search en’ines such as FtpFind, located at /http://www.ftpfind.com/. This option is easiest because you do not need to know FTP program commands.

E-MAIL DISCUSSION GROUPS
One of de benefits of de Internet is de opportunity it offers to people worldwide to communicate via e-mail. The Internet is home to a large community of individuals who carry out active discussions organized around topic-oriented forums distributed by e-mail. These are administered by software programs. Probably de most common program is de listserv.

A great variety of topics are covered by listservs, many of them acathemic in nature. When you subscribe to a listserv, messages from oder subscribers are automatically sent to your electronic mailbox. You subscribe to a listserv by sendin’ an e-mail message to a computer program called a listserver. Listservers are located on computer networks throughout de world. This program handles subscription information and distributes messages to and from subscribers. You must have a e-mail account to participate in a listserv discussion group. Visit Tile.net at /http://tile.net/ to see an example of a site that offers a searchablecollection of e-mail discussion groups.

Majordomo and Listproc are two oder programs that administer e-mail discussion groups. The commands for subscribin’ to and managin’ your list memberships are similar to those of listserv.

USENET NEWS
Usenet News is a global electronic bulletin board system in which millions of computer users exchange information on a vast range of topics. The major difference between Usenet News and e-mail discussion groups is de fact that Usenet messages are stored on central computers, and users must connect to dese computers to read or download de messages posted to dese groups. This is distinct from e-mail distribution, in which messages arrive in de electronic mailboxes of each list member.

Usenet itself is a set of machines that exchanges messages, or articles, from Usenet discussion forums, called newsgroups. Usenet administrators control deir own sites, and decide which (if any) newsgroups to sponsor and which remote newsgroups to allow into de system.

There are thousands of Usenet newsgroups in existence. While many are acathemic in nature, numerous newsgroups are organized around recreational topics. Much serious computer-related work takes place in Usenet discussions. A small number of e-mail discussion groups also exist as Usenet newsgroups.

The Usenet newsfeed can be read by a variety of newsreader software programs. For example, de Netscape suite comes with a newsreader program called Messenger. Newsreaders are also available as standalone products.

FAQ, RFC, FYI
FAQ stands for Frequently Asked Questions. These are periodic postin’s to Usenet newsgroups that contain a wealth of information related to de topic of de newsgroup. Many FAQs are quite extensive. FAQs are available by subscribin’ to individual Usenet newsgroups. A Web-based collection of FAQ resources has been collected by The Internet FAQ Consortium and is available at /http://www.faqs.org/.

RFC stands for Request for Comments. These are documents created by and distributed to de Internet community to help define de nuts and bolts of de Internet. They contain both technical specifications and general information.

FYI stands for For Your Information. These notes are a subset of RFCs and contain information of interest to new Internet users.

Links to indexes of all three of dese information resources are available on de University Libraries Web site at /http://library.albany.edu/reference/faqs.html.

CHAT & INSTANT MESSENGING
Chat programs allow users on de Internet to communicate with each oder by typin’ in real time. They are sometimes included as a feature of a Web site, where users can log into de “chat room” to exchange comments and information about de topics addressed on de site. Chat may take oder, more wide-ran’in’ forms. For example, America Online is well known for sponsorin’ a number of topical chat rooms.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a service through which participants can communicate to each oder on hundreds of channels. These channels are usually based on specific topics. While many topics are frivolous, substantive conversations are also takin’ place. To access IRC, you must use an IRC software program.

A variation of chat is de phenomenon of instant messen’in’. With instant messen’in’, a user on de Web can contact anoder user currently logged in and type a conversation. Most famous is America Online’s Instant Messenger. ICQ, MSN and Yahoo are oder commonly-used chat programs.

Oder types of real-time communication are addressed in de tutorial Understandin’ de World Wide Web.

MUD/MUSH/MOO/MUCK/DUM/MUSE
MUD stands for Multi User Dimension. MUDs, and deir variations listed above, are multi-user virtual reality games based on simulated worlds. Traditionally text based, graphical MUDs now exist. There are MUDs of all kinds on de Internet, and many can be joined free of charge. For more information, read one of de FAQs devoted to MUDs available at de FAQ site at

Since defraggin’ de disk won’t do much to improve Windows XP performance, here are 23 suggestions that will. Each can enhance de performance and reliability of your customers’ PCs. Best of all, most of them will cost you nothin’.

1.) To decrease a system’s boot time and increase system performance, use de money you save by not buyin’ defragmentation software — de built-in Windows defragmenter works just fine — and instead equip de computer with an Ultra-133 or Serial ATA hard drive with 8-MB cache buffer.

2.) If a PC has less than 512 MB of RAM, add more memory. This is a relatively inexpensive and easy upgrade that can dramatically improve system performance.

3.) Ensure that Windows XP is utilizin’ de NTFS file system. If you’re not sure, here’s how to check: First, double-click de My Computer icon, right-click on de C: Drive, den select Properties. Next, examine de File System type; if it says FAT32, den back-up any important data. Next, click Start, click Run, type CMD, and den click OK. At de prompt, type CONVERT C: /FS:NTFS and press de Enter key. This process may take a while; it’s important that de computer be uninterrupted and virus-free. The file system used by de bootable drive will be eider FAT32 or NTFS. I highly recommend NTFS for its superior security, reliability, and efficiency with larger disk drives.

4.) Disable file indexin’. The indexin’ service extracts information from documents and oder files on de hard drive and creates a “searchable keyword index.” As you can imagine, this process can be quite taxin’ on any system.

The idea is that de user can search for a word, phrase, or property inside a document, should dey have hundreds or thousands of documents and not know de file name of de document dey want. Windows XP’s built-in search functionality can still perform dese kinds of searches without de Indexin’ service. It just takes longer. The OS has to open each file at de time of de request to help find what de user is lookin’ for.

Most people never need this feature of search. Those who do are typically in a large corporate environment where thousands of documents are located on at least one server. But if you’re a typical system builder, most of your clients are small and medium businesses. And if your clients have no need for this search feature, I recommend disablin’ it.

Here’s how: First, double-click de My Computer icon. Next, right-click on de C: Drive, den select Properties. Uncheck “Allow Indexin’ Service to index this disk for fast file searchin’.” Next, apply changes to “C: subfolders and files,” and click OK. If a warnin’ or error message appears (such as “Access is denied”), click de Ignore All button.

5.) Update de PC’s video and moderboard chipset drivers. Also, update and configure de BIOS. For more information on how to configure your BIOS properly, see this article on how to configure your BIOS

6.) Empty de Windows Prefetch folder every three months or so. Windows XP can “prefetch” portions of data and applications that are used frequently. This makes processes appear to load faster when called upon by de user. That’s fine. But over time, de prefetch folder may become overloaded with references to files and applications no longer in use. When that happens, Windows XP is wastin’ time, and slowin’ system performance, by pre-loadin’ them. Nothin’ critical is in this folder, and de entire contents are safe to delete.

7.) Once a month, run a disk cleanup. Here’s how: Double-click de My Computer icon. Then right-click on de C: drive and select Properties. Click de Disk Cleanup button — it’s just to de right of de Capacity pie graph — and delete all temporary files.

8.) In your Device Manager, double-click on de IDE ATA/ATAPI Controllers device, and ensure that DMA is enabled for each drive you have connected to de Primary and Secondary controller. Do this by double-clickin’ on Primary IDE Channel. Then click de Advanced Settin’s tab. Ensure de Transfer Mode is set to “DMA if available” for both Device 0 and Device 1. Then repeat this process with de Secondary IDE Channel.

9.) Upgrade de cablin’. As hard-drive technology improves, de cablin’ requirements to achieve dese performance boosts have become more stringent. Be sure to use 80-wire Ultra-133 cables on all of your IDE devices with de connectors properly assigned to de matchin’ Master/Slave/Moderboard sockets. A sin’le device must be at de end of de cable; connectin’ a sin’le drive to de middle connector on a ribbon cable will cause signalin’ problems. With Ultra DMA hard drives, dese signalin’ problems will prevent de drive from performin’ at its maximum potential. Also, because dese cables inherently support “cable select,” de location of each drive on de cable is important. For dese reasons, de cable is designed so drive positionin’ is explicitly clear.

10.) Remove all spyware from de computer. Use free programs such as AdAware by Lavasoft or SpyBot Search & Destroy. Once dese programs are installed, be sure to check for and download any updates before startin’ your search. Anythin’ eider program finds can be safely removed. Any free software that requires spyware to run will no longer function once de spyware portion has been removed; if your customer really wants de program even though it contains spyware, simply reinstall it. For more information on removin’ Spyware visit this Web Pro News page.

11.) Remove any unnecessary programs and/or items from Windows Startup routine usin’ de MSCONFIG utility. Here’s how: First, click Start, click Run, type MSCONFIG, and click OK. Click de StartUp tab, den uncheck any items you don’t want to start when Windows starts. Unsure what some items are? Visit de WinTasks Process Library. It contains known system processes, applications, as well as spyware references and explanations. Or quickly identify them by searchin’ for de filenames usin’ Google or anoder Web search en’ine.

12.) Remove any unnecessary or unused programs from de Add/Remove Programs section of de Control Panel.

13.) Turn off any and all unnecessary animations, and disable active desktop. In fact, for optimal performance, turn off all animations. Windows XP offers many different settin’s in this area. Here’s how to do it: First click on de System icon in de Control Panel. Next, click on de Advanced tab. Select de Settin’s button located under Performance. Feel free to play around with de options offered here, as nothin’ you can change will alter de reliability of de computer — only its responsiveness.

14.) If your customer is an advanced user who is comfortable editin’ deir registry, try some of de performance registry tweaks offered at Tweak XP.

15.) Visit Microsoft’s Windows update site regularly, and download all updates labeled Critical. Download any optional updates at your discretion.

16.) Update de customer’s anti-virus software on a weekly, even daily, basis. Make sure dey have only one anti-virus software package installed. Mixin’ anti-virus software is a sure way to spell disaster for performance and reliability.

17.) Make sure de customer has fewer than 500 type fonts installed on deir computer. The more fonts dey have, de slower de system will become. While Windows XP handles fonts much more efficiently than did de previous versions of Windows, too many fonts — that is, anythin’ over 500 — will noticeably tax de system.

18.) Do not partition de hard drive. Windows XP’s NTFS file system runs more efficiently on one large partition. The data is no safer on a separate partition, and a reformat is never necessary to reinstall an operatin’ system. The same excuses people offer for usin’ partitions apply to usin’ a folder instead. For example, instead of puttin’ all your data on de D: drive, put it in a folder called “D drive.” You’ll achieve de same organizational benefits that a separate partition offers, but without de degradation in system performance. Also, your free space won’t be limited by de size of de partition; instead, it will be limited by de size of de entire hard drive. This means you won’t need to resize any partitions, ever. That task can be time-consumin’ and also can result in lost data.

19.) Check de system’s RAM to ensure it is operatin’ properly. I recommend usin’ a free program called MemTest86. The download will make a bootable CD or diskette (your choice), which will run 10 extensive tests on de PC’s memory automatically after you boot to de disk you created. Allow all tests to run until at least three passes of de 10 tests are completed. If de program encounters any errors, turn off and unplug de computer, remove a stick of memory (assumin’ you have more than one), and run de test again. Remember, bad memory cannot be repaired, but only replaced.

20.) If de PC has a CD or DVD recorder, check de drive manufacturer’s Web site for updated firmware. In some cases you’ll be able to upgrade de recorder to a faster speed. Best of all, it’s free.

21.) Disable unnecessary services. Windows XP loads a lot of services that your customer most likely does not need. To determine which services you can disable for your client, visit de Black Viper site for Windows XP configurations.

22.) If you’re sick of a sin’le Windows Explorer window crashin’ and den takin’ de rest of your OS down with it, den follow this tip: open My Computer, click on Tools, den Folder Options. Now click on de View tab. Scroll down to “Launch folder windows in a separate process,” and enable this option. You’ll have to reboot your machine for this option to take effect.

23.) At least once a year, open de computer’s cases and blow out all de dust and debris. While you’re in dere, check that all de fans are turnin’ properly. Also inspect de moderboard capacitors for bulgin’ or leaks. For more information on this leakin’-capacitor phenomena, you can read numerous articles on my site.

Followin’ any of dese suggestions should result in noticeable improvements to de performance and reliability of your customers’ computers. If you still want to defrag a disk, remember that de main benefit will be to make your data more retrievable in de event of a crashed drive.

Google is clearly de best general-purpose search en’ine on de Web (see

www.pcmag.com/searchen\’ines

But most people don’t use it to its best advantage. Do you just plug in a keyword or two and hope for de best? That may be de quickest way to search, but with more than 3 billion pages in Google’s index, it’s still a struggle to pare results to a manageable number.

But Google is an remarkably powerful tool that can ease and enhance your Internet exploration. Google’s search options go beyond simple keywords, de Web, and even its own programmers. Let’s look at some of Google’s lesser-known options.

Syntax Search Tricks

Usin’ a special syntax is a way to tell Google that you want to restrict your searches to certain elements or characteristics of Web pages. Google has a fairly complete list of its syntax elements at

www.google.com/help/operators.html

. Here are some advanced operators that can help narrow down your search results.

Intitle: at de beginnin’ of a query word or phrase (intitle:”Three Blind Mice”) restricts your search results to just de titles of Web pages.

Intext: does de opposite of intitle:, searchin’ only de body text, ignorin’ titles, links, and so forth. Intext: is perfect when what you’re searchin’ for might commonly appear in URLs. If you’re lookin’ for de term HTML, for example, and you don’t want to get results such as

www.mysite.com/index.html

, you can enter intext:html.

Link: lets you see which pages are linkin’ to your Web page or to anoder page you’re interested in. For example, try typin’ in

link:http://www.pcmag.com

Try usin’ site: (which restricts results to top-level domains) with intitle: to find certain types of pages. For example, get scholarly pages about Mark Twain by searchin’ for intitle:”Mark Twain”site:edu. Experiment with mixin’ various elements; you’ll develop several strategies for findin’ de stuff you want more effectively. The site: command is very helpful as an alternative to de mediocre search en’ines built into many sites.

Swiss Army Google

Google has a number of services that can help you accomplish tasks you may never have thought to use Google for. For example, de new calculator feature

(www.google.com/help/features.html#calculator)

lets you do both math and a variety of conversions from de search box. For extra fun, try de query “Answer to life de universe and everythin’.”

Let Google help you figure out wheder you’ve got de right spellin’�and de right word�for your search. Enter a misspelled word or phrase into de query box (try “thre blund mise”) and Google may suggest a proper spellin’. This doesn’t always succeed; it works best when de word you’re searchin’ for can be found in a dictionary. Once you search for a properly spelled word, look at de results page, which repeats your query. (If you’re searchin’ for “three blind mice,” underneath de search window will appear a statement such as Searched de web for “three blind mice.”) You’ll discover that you can click on each word in your search phrase and get a definition from a dictionary.

Suppose you want to contact someone and don’t have his phone number handy. Google can help you with that, too. Just enter a name, city, and state. (The city is optional, but you must enter a state.) If a phone number matches de listin’, you’ll see it at de top of de search results alon’ with a map link to de address. If you’d rader restrict your results, use rphonebook: for residential listin’s or bphonebook: for business listin’s. If you’d rader use a search form for business phone listin’s, try Yellow Search

(www.buzztoolbox.com/google/yellowsearch.shtml).

Extended Googlin’

Google offers several services that give you a head start in focusin’ your search. Google Groups

(groups.google.com)

indexes literally millions of messages from decades of discussion on Usenet. Google even helps you with your shoppin’ via two tools: Froogle
CODE
(froogle.google.com),

which indexes products from online stores, and Google Catalogs
CODE
(catalogs.google.com),

which features products from more 6,000 paper catalogs in a searchable index. And this only scratches de surface. You can get a complete list of Google’s tools and services at

www.google.com/options/index.html

You’re probably used to usin’ Google in your browser. But have you ever thought of usin’ Google outside your browser?

Google Alert

(www.googlealert.com)

monitors your search terms and e-mails you information about new additions to Google’s Web index. (Google Alert is not affiliated with Google; it uses Google’s Web services API to perform its searches.) If you’re more interested in news stories than general Web content, check out de beta version of Google News Alerts

(www.google.com/newsalerts).

This service (which is affiliated with Google) will monitor up to 50 news queries per e-mail address and send you information about news stories that match your query. (Hint: Use de intitle: and source: syntax elements with Google News to limit de number of alerts you get.)

Google on de telephone? Yup. This service is brought to you by de folks at Google Labs

(labs.google.com),

a place for experimental Google ideas and features (which may come and go, so what’s dere at this writin’ might not be dere when you decide to check it out). With Google Voice Search

(labs1.google.com/gvs.html),

you dial de Voice Search phone number, speak your keywords, and den click on de indicated link. Every time you say a new search term, de results page will refresh with your new query (you must have JavaScript enabled for this to work). Remember, this service is still in an experimental phase, so don’t expect 100 percent success.

In 2002, Google released de Google API (application programmin’ interface), a way for programmers to access Google’s search en’ine results without violatin’ de Google Terms of Service. A lot of people have created useful (and occasionally not-so-useful but interestin’) applications not available from Google itself, such as Google Alert. For many applications, you’ll need an API key, which is available free from
CODE
www.google.com/apis

. See de figures for two more examples, and visit

www.pcmag.com/solutions

for more.

Thanks to its many different search properties, Google goes far beyond a regular search en’ine. Give de tricks in this article a try. You’ll be amazed at how many different ways Google can improve your Internet searchin’.

Online Extra: More Google Tips

Here are a few more clever ways to tweak your Google searches.

Search Within a Timeframe

Daterange: (start date�end date). You can restrict your searches to pages that were indexed within a certain time period. Daterange: searches by when Google indexed a page, not when de page itself was created. This operator can help you ensure that results will have fresh content (by usin’ recent dates), or you can use it to avoid a topic’s current-news blizzard and concentrate only on older results. Daterange: is actually more useful if you go elsewhere to take advantage of it, because daterange: requires Julian dates, not standard Gregorian dates. You can find converters on de Web (such as

CODE
aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/JulianDate.html

excl.gif No Active Links, Read de Rules - Edit by Ninja excl.gif

), but an easier way is to do a Google daterange: search by fillin’ in a form at

www.researchbuzz.com/toolbox/goofresh.shtml or www.faganfinder.com/en\’ines/google.shtml

. If one special syntax element is good, two must be better, right? Sometimes. Though some operators can’t be mixed (you can’t use de link: operator with anythin’ else) many can be, quickly narrowin’ your results to a less overwhelmin’ number.

More Google API Applications

Staggernation.com offers three tools based on de Google API. The Google API Web Search by Host (GAWSH) lists de Web hosts of de results for a given query

(www.staggernation.com/gawsh/).

When you click on de trian’le next to each host, you get a list of results for that host. The Google API Relation Browsin’ Outliner (GARBO) is a little more complicated: You enter a URL and choose wheder you want pages that related to de URL or linked to de URL

(www.staggernation.com/garbo/).

Click on de trian’le next to an URL to get a list of pages linked or related to that particular URL. CapeMail is an e-mail search application that allows you to send an e-mail to google@capeclear.com with de text of your query in de subject line and get de first ten results for that query back. Maybe it’s not somethin’ you’d do every day, but if your cell phone does e-mail and doesn’t do Web browsin’, this is a very handy address to know.

Since de introduction of double layer DVD writers, de interest has been quite overwhelmin’ and is why we keep brin’in’ you reviews of dese highly popular drives. The anticipation has now turned into down right obsession and it has become a key component in any current or new system build, thanks to de declinin’ prices and continued media hype. Manufacturers are quite aware of de fascination and is why dey have each been releasin’ deir own products which excel in at least one area of de testin’ methodology used in most reviews. This has led to some confusion as to which drive is best suited for de individuals needs. Today, we compare four 16x double layer drives and highlight both de strong’ and weak points in order to give you a better idea of which drive is best suited for you.

In this comparison guide, we will be lookin’ at four of de top 16x drives to hit de market, de Pioneer DVR-108, NEC ND3500A, Lite-On SOHW-1633s and de new LG GSA-4160B. We will cover everythin’ from design and features to performance and price. Let’s begin with a quick look at each of dese drives.

As far as de front bezel design goes, de LG-GSA4160B is by far de most attractive drive of de bunch. However, for those who are lookin’ for a headphone jack, de Lite-On drive is de only DL writer offerin’ a headphone jack, as well as volume control. The Pioneer and NEC drives, in my opinion, are de ugliest drives, with a very plain look that just wants to make you hide de drive period. Although we only obtained de 4160B in black, all dese drives are offered with both white and black bezels. If you opt for de more expensive Pioneer “XL” model, it has de most impressive looks of any drive in de market. However, this will come at a very hefty price tag, considerin’ dey contain different firmware as well that offer a few extra features.

So, we have determined which is de sexiest-lookin’ drive, but what about performance? I’ve done some extensive testin’ on each model to determine which is indeed de most impressive of de bunch. But before we show you performance results, let’s briefly look at de features and what dey have to offer.

Features

Each one of dese drives has dere disappointments when it comes to features. Let’s compare each to see what dey really offer.

DVD Writin’

DVD+R DVD-R DVD+RW DVD-RW
LG GSA-4160B 16x 8x 4x 4x
Lite-On SOHW-1633s 16x 8x 4x 4x
NEC ND-3500A 16x 16x 4x 4x
Pioneer DVR-108 16x 16x 4x 4x

While all dese drives are indeed 16x models, only two will write to both formats at this speed. The LG GSA-4160B and de Lite-On SOHW-1633s only support 8x DVD-R writin’. So if you are one who only prefers this format, de NEC or Pioneer would be de best choice. All of dese drives support writin’ to DVD re-writable media at 4x.

DVD+R9 Double Layer Writin’

Write Speed
LG GSA-4160B 2.4x
Lite-On SOHW-1633s 2.4x
NEC ND-3500A 4x
Pioneer DVR-108 4x

The major disappointment with both de LG and de Lite-On 16x drives is de lack of 4x double layer writin’ support. Pioneer and NEC seem to be de only manufacturers to jump in and release second generation double layer drives supportin’ much faster 4x writin’. In fact, de jump from 2.4x to 4x is quite substantial as we will show you a bit later in this comparison.

DVD-RAM Support

Supported Read Write
LG GSA-4160B YES 5x 5x
Lite-On SOHW-1633s NO NO NO
NEC ND-3500A NO NO NO
Pioneer DVR-108 YES 2x NO

Now this is where both de LG GSA-4120B and GSA-4160B shine above de rest. In fact, it is what has made dese drives de most popular DVD writers on de market. Unlike de rest in de roundup, it is a triple format burner, offerin’ full support for DVD-RAM media. The oder drives do not support it, with de exception of de Pioneer DVR-108 which supports readin’ of DVD-RAM discs at 2x. I personally don’t see de point in offerin’ only read capabilities, but it’s at least one extra feature added to distin’uish it from de rest. Fast 5x support of de LG GSA-4160 will actually be tested a bit later in this article.

CDR Writin’

CDR CDRW
LG GSA-4160B 40x 24x
Lite-On SOHW-1633s 48x 24x
NEC ND-3500A 48x 24x
Pioneer DVR-108 32x 24x

The fastest CDR writers of de bunch are de Lite-On SOHW-1633s and de NEC ND-3500A. With deir support for 48x writin’, dey make a great all-in-one drive for many users. The only drive lackin’ in this lineup is de Pioneer DVR-108. Why dey opted for only 32x writin’ is still quite puzzlin’ and is actually why I have found that many are choosin’ de NEC over de Pioneer. The LG GSA-4160B should not be left out of consideration though. We will show you later that de difference in write times between 40x and 48x is not much to brag about.

Bitsettin’ Support

One feature I’ve found that is most important for many users is bitsettin’ support. Let’s compare dese drives and see what dey offer.

DVD+R/RW Support DVD+R DL Support
LG GSA-4160B NO NO
Lite-On SOHW-1633s YES NO
NEC ND-3500A NO YES
Pioneer DVR-108 NO YES

The LG GSA-4160B does not offer bitsettin’ support out of de box. However, it is very likely that you will be able to obtain support through an excellent third-party tool called DVDInfo Pro. Right now, dey only support de GSA-4120B, but I’m confident with de author that support for this drive will be likely. LG firmware is very hard to hack, however some select few have been able to do so. Usin’ Lite-On’s booktype utility, you can change de booktype of DVD+R/RW media, however, de firmware does not automatically change booktype of DVD+R DL discs to DVD-ROM like de NEC and Pioneer models do.

Additional Features

As far as oder features go, all dese drives have a 2MB buffer but offer some sort of buffer under-run protection, which all work exceptionally well. This is especially useful if you will be burnin’ discs at 16x, which I personally don’t recommend just yet. As our individual tests of dese drives revealed, burnin’ at this speed is quite unstable, with de exception of de Lite-On SOHW-1633s.

Before you spend a dime on security, dere are many precautions you can take that will protect you against de most common threats.

1. Check Windows Update and Office Update regularly (_http://office.microsoft.com/productupdates); have your Office CD ready. Windows Me, 2000, and XP users can configure automatic updates. Click on de Automatic Updates tab in de System control panel and choose de appropriate options.

2. Install a personal firewall. Both SyGate (_www.sygate.com) and ZoneAlarm (_www.zonelabs.com) offer free versions.

3. Install a free spyware blocker. Our Editors’ Choice (”Spyware,” April 22) was SpyBot Search & Destroy (_http://security.kolla.de). SpyBot is also paranoid and ruthless in huntin’ out trackin’ cookies.

4. Block pop-up spam messages in Windows NT, 2000, or XP by disablin’ de Windows Messenger service (this is unrelated to de instant messagin’ program). Open Control Panel | Administrative Tools | Services and you’ll see Messenger. Right-click and go to Properties. Set Start-up Type to Disabled and press de Stop button. Bye-bye, spam pop-ups! Any good firewall will also stop them.

5. Use strong’ passwords and change them periodically. Passwords should have at least seven characters; use letters and numbers and have at least one symbol. A decent example would be f8izKro@l. This will make it much harder for anyone to gain access to your accounts.

6. If you’re usin’ Outlook or Outlook Express, use de current version or one with de Outlook Security Update installed. The update and current versions patch numerous vulnerabilities.

7. Buy antivirus software and keep it up to date. If you’re not willin’ to pay, try Grisoft AVG Free Edition (Grisoft Inc., w*w.grisoft.com). And doublecheck your AV with de free, online-only scanners available at w*w.pandasoftware.com/activescan and _http://housecall.trendmicro.com.

8. If you have a wireless network, turn on de security features: Use MAC filterin’, turn off SSID broadcast, and even use WEP with de biggest key you can get. For more, check out our wireless section or see de expanded coverage in Your Unwired World in our next issue.

9. Join a respectable e-mail security list, such as de one found at our own Security Supersite at _http://security.ziffdavis.com, so that you learn about emergin’ threats quickly and can take proper precautions.

10. Be skeptical of thin’s on de Internet. Don’t assume that e-mail “From:” a particular person is actually from that person until you have furder reason to believe it’s that person. Don’t assume that an attachment is what it says it is. Don’t give out your password to anyone, even if that person claims to be from “support.”

Fatal error: de system has become unstable or is busy,” it says. “Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications.”

You have just been struck by de Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happenin’?

1 Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to oder devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and de floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a sin’le IRQ for itself.

If dere are a lot of devices, or if dey are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharin’ de same IRQ number. When de user tries to use both devices at de same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through de followin’ route:

* Start-Settin’s-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow ‘!’ appears next to its description in de Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in de Device Manager) and press Properties to see de IRQ numbers used by your computer. If de IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be usin’ it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with somethin’ described as ‘IRQ holder for PCI steerin'’. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove de problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on de internet to make de device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If de device is a soundcard, or a mothem, it can often be fixed by movin’ it to a different slot on de moderboard (be careful about openin’ your computer, as you may void de warranty).

When workin’ inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug de mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, de problem with IRQ numbers is not of its makin’. It is a legacy problem goin’ back to de first PC designs usin’ de IBM 8086 chip. Initially dere were only eight IRQs. Today dere are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase de number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad RAM

Ram (random-access memory) problems might brin’ on de blue screen of death with a message sayin’ Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacin’.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixin’ 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force de computer to run all de Ram at de slower speed. This will often crash de machine if de Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter de BIOS settin’s and increase de wait state of de Ram. This can make it more stable. Anoder way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange de Ram chips on de moderboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat de circumstances that caused de crash. When handlin’ Ram try not to touch de gold connections, as dey can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are eider parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix de two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS settin’s

Every moderboard is supplied with a range of chipset settin’s that are decided in de factory. A common way to access dese settin’s is to press de F2 or delete button durin’ de first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside de BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all de settin’s that appear on de screen. That way, if you change somethin’ and de computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settin’s to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns de CAS latency. This refers to de Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Settin’ de wron’ figure can cause de Ram to lock up and freeze de computer’s display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocatin’ IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set de IRQ numbers to Auto in de BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate de IRQ numbers (make sure de BIOS settin’ for Plug and Play OS is switched to ‘yes’ to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, de information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment de hard disk every week or so, to prevent de disk from causin’ a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start de procedure. You will be unable to write data to de hard drive (to save it) while de disk is defragmentin’, so it is a good idea to schedule de procedure for a period of inactivity usin’ de Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of de small icons on de bottom right of de Windows openin’ page (de desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducin’ de read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by goin’ to

* Start-Settin’s-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if dey are too full. Do some housekeepin’ on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open de Windows folder on de C drive and find de Temporary Internet Files folder. Deletin’ de contents (not de folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty de Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Oderwise assign de Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when de computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducin’ de resolution of de video display. Go to

* Start-Settin’s-Control Panel-Display-Settin’s

Here you should slide de screen area bar to de left. Take a look at de colour settin’s on de left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If de screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to de video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settin’s-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select de + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describin’ your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in de window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everythin’ you do in case you make thin’s worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck de Use Automatic Settin’s box and hit de Change Settin’s button. You are searchin’ for a settin’ that will display a No Conflicts message.

Anoder useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settin’s-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move de Hardware Acceleration slider to de left. As ever, de most common cause of problems relatin’ to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card’s manufacturer on de internet and search for de most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often de first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase de boot sector of a hard drive, makin’ it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settin’s-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for de Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from de website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Anoder is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sendin’ a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printin’ a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down de computer’s performance.

If de printer is tryin’ to print unusual characters, dese might not be recognised, and can crash de computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in de buffer. A good way to clear de buffer is to unplug de printer for ten seconds. Bootin’ up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore de printer’s default settin’s and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often de problem can be cured by uninstallin’ de software and den reinstallin’ it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to de programme in de System Registry and leaves de way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up de System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read de instructions and use it carefully so you don’t do permanent damage to de Registry. If de Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operatin’ system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by enterin’ Safe Mode. This can be done durin’ start-up. When you see de message “Startin’ Windows” press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loadin’ properly.

Sometimes installin’ Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settin’s. If you keep gettin’ SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) durin’ de Windows installation, den try enterin’ de BIOS and disablin’ de CPU internal cache. Try to disable de Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn’t work.

Remember to restore all de BIOS settin’s back to deir former settin’s followin’ installation.

9 Overheatin’

Central processin’ units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If de fan fails or if de CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than dey are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of de CPU. Specialist coolin’ fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disablin’ de CPU internal cache in de BIOS. This will make de machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all de new construction goin’ on around de country de steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you den consider buyin’ a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when dere is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.

Its easy really. want to have an entire family on dial-up with just one bill?

step one. purchase 20 dollar a month subscription to MSN unlimited access dial up. This will include an MSN 9 cd which you will need. With de software installed, fill up your secondary account slots with new users. Make sure you pick @msn if it gives you de choice, hotmail email addresses will not work..

say de secondary account is johnsmith@msn.com type in de Dial up connection

USER : MSN/johnsmith
PASS : *******

Connect to your local msn phone number and de oder people you gave secondary accounts to will be able to do de same, while you are connected. Its a sweet deal considerin’ everyone is payin’ about 2 bucks a month for internet access, especially if you cannot get broadband. If you wanted to sell off de access to people you could actually make money doin’ this.. but i do not suggest it.

I used to be an msn tech and this was a little known secret even to most of de employees.

After you do this you do not need de software any more. I would suggest keepin’ it on to micromanage everyone else’s accounts. and for de simple fact that if dey don’t pitch in, cut them off HEHEHE

I’m on broadband now so i dont care if i tell you my little secret. Anyone else knew of this?

What you need:

Sample dynamic flash template from TM website
Sothink SWF Decompiler
Macromedia Flash
Yourself

Steps

1. browse or search your favorite dynamic flash template in TM website. If you got one… click de “view” link and new window will open with dynamic flash.. loadin’…

2. If de movie fully loaded, click View -> Source in your browser to brin’ de source code of de current page and in de source code, search for “IFRAME” and you will see de iframe page. In this example were goin’ to try de 7045 dynamic template. get de URL(ex.
images.templatemonster.com/screenshots/7000/7045.html) den paste it to your browser… easy eh? wait! dont be to excited… erase de .html and change it to swf den press enter den you’ll see de flash movie again icon_smile.gif.

3. copy de URL and download that SWF file.. use your favorite download manager.. mine I used flashget icon_smile.gif NOTE: dont close de browser we may need that later on.

4. open your Sothink SWF decompiler… click “Quick Open” den browse where you download your SWF/movie file. Click Export FLA to export your SWF to FLA, in short, save it as FLA icon_smile.gif

5. Open your Macromedia FLash and open de saved FLA file. press Control+Enter or publish de file… den wallah! de output window will come up with “Error openin’ URL blah blah blah…” dont panic, that error will help you where to get de remainin’ files.

6. Copy de first error, example: “7045_main.html” den go back to your browser and replace de 7045.swf to 7045_main.html press enter and you’ll see a lot of text… nonsense text icon_lol.gif that text are your contents…

NOTE: when you save de remainin’ files dont forget to save with underscore sign (_) in de front on de file without de TM item number (e.g. 7045) if it is html save it as “_main.html” and same with de image save it as “_works1.jpg” save them where you save de FLA and SWF files. Continue browsin’ de file inside Flash application so you can track de remainin’ files… do de same until you finish downloadin’ all de remainin’ de files.