In this part II of the article on input devices we will discuss about the following input devices --
light pens, touch screens, scanners and bar code readers. Unlike the keyboards and mice, these
devices are used for special purpose applications.


Light pen

A light pen is a small pen shaped input device which is used to write on a special electronic writing
pad. The Light pen is used for inputing small amounts of text into the computer. If you want to store
your signature inside the computer you can make use of the light pen. However, the signatures are
stored as graphics and not as text. It is easy to store the signatures by means of the light pen, but
recognizing that writing would be a much more difficult task. In the future, as the technology improves
the Light pens will be extensively used for handwriting recognition.


Touch Screen

Touch screens are input devices that allow you to select options on the computer screen just by
touching the screen at various positions. There are two technologies for touch screen -- one that
utilizes sensors that can detect the touch, the other utilizing the pressure detected on a pressure
pad placed just below the screen.

Touch screens are used in advertising kiosks, public information booths or in ATM machines. They are
used in drug stores, supermarkets etc. Where it is not advisable to use the keyboard or the mouse.
Touch screens are also used in public places where the environment is too dusty for the use of the
keyboard or the mouse.


Scanner

Scanners are input devices that scan the documents, images and photos and convert them into
electronic form to be stored into the computer. Scanners work on the same principle as that of the
Photocopying machines and the fax machines. The images are scanned by a moving light source and
the reflected light is collected by a group of light sensors, which is then converted into the electronic
image. This image is stored onto the hard disk.

Originally, scanners were of the hand held type and the documents, images or photos had to be
scanned manually. The images obtained by the hand held scanner were not satisfactory because
of the problems caused by the irregular movements of the hand. The latest type of scanner is the flat
bed scanner. It utilizes automatic scanning method, where a source of light scans the documents,
images or photos. automatically. As the scanning is uniform the scanned image is  better and there
is no distortion. Flat bed scanners are the most popular type of scanners in use today.


Bar code reader

Bar Code readers are hand held input devices which are used for reading the bar-code labels. The
bar-code labels are stuck on the products and contain information as to the name, type and price of
the products. When the bar code reader is scrolled across the bar-code it scans the code and the
software  inside the computer converts the code into the information about the product.

Bar code readers are of many different types and you can select the one that is suitable for your
application. The main type of bar-code readers are the pen type, laser type, CCD type and the camera
based bar-code readers. The camera based bar-code readers are the latest type and these readers
can the take image of the bar code and store it in your computer.The image is than converted into
data about the product.

The bar code readers use the serial port or the usb port for connecting to the computer. Wireless
bar-code readers have also been developed.

The bar-code readers are used in stores, malls, factories etc for inventory control and assets control
applications.

        

Computers are connected with input devices such as the keyboards, mouse, trackballs, joysticks,
touch screens, light pens, scanners, bar code readers etc. Input devices help Computer users to
input data into the Computer. Over the years input devices have undergone many changes and
improvements. One significant shift is from manufacture and use of wired input devices to wireless
input devices. Also addition of new functions have rendered the input devices more useful than
ever before. This article gives you an overview of input devices and focuses on some of the
technological changes that have taken place. In part one we discuss the Keyboard, the mouse,
the trackball and joystick, whereas, in part two we discuss the Touch screens, light pens, scanners
and bar code readers.

Keyboard

The keyboard resembles a typewriter and is the most important input device allowing us to enter
text and numbers into the computer. The keyboard layout which is most common is called as the
Qwerty layout. The Alternative layouts are the Drovak and the Standard layouts, but the Qwerty
layout has very much remained in vogue throughout these years.

Initially, the keyboard had 101 keys, inclusive of alphabetic, numeric, function and navigation keys.
However, additional keys were added in course of time. The addition of windows keys increased
the key count to 104.The windows keys such as the windows start and the right click keys give
added convenience for windows users.

More keys were added in the form of multimedia keys. These keys allow the keyboarders to
start and stop music or control the volume of sound with only a single key press. The Internet keys
were added to give convenience of starting and shutting down the email and browsing. The key
count in modern keyboards has increased and now we have keyboards having upto 130 keys.

Some special keyboards have also hit the market. They have specialised functions allowing easy
operation of special programs. The special keyboards have shortcut keys for certain types of
applications. For example, the photoshop keyboard has shortcuts for the photoshop application,
whereas the audio editing and video editing keyboards have shortcuts for audio and video
applications.

The wired keyboards use the standard keyboard connection, the PS/2 connection
or more recently the usb connection. In recent years, keyboards have switched over to wireless
types. The wireless keyboards use the wireless technology to get connected to the computer.
They use the Infrared (Irda) or the bluetooth standards to achieve wireless connectivity. The
wireless keyboards give greater freedom of operation for the users.

Mouse

A mouse is an important input device as far as the computer operation is concerned. As opposed to
text only input the mouse allows you to input graphical data into the computer. You can draw the
graphic elements such as the lines, curves and various other shapes, therefore, a mouse is a
a versatlie device for use of graphic designers. With the mouse, we can input data by clicking the right
and left buttons, double clicking or drag and drop operations.

The Mouse has also undergone many technological improvements over the years. Initially, the
mouse was purely Mechanical. It consisted of the ball and rollers and the signals from mechanical
sensors were carried to the computer by means of the wires.The mechanical mouse was not a very
reliable device. A better mouse was designed by replacing the mechanical sensors with the optical
sensors. This mouse is called as the opto-mechanical mouse. This was more reliable than the
mechanical mouse. However, the ball and roller mechanism still remained a mechanical one and
caused many problems. The mouse has now developed itself into a completely optical mouse. In the
optical mouse the ball and roller mechanism is replaced by a complete optical system.The
optical mouse is a more reliable device than the mechanical and the opto-mechanical mice.
 
Just like the keyboard there are wired mice and chordless mice . The initial wired mice used the serial
port to achieve the connectivity, but now wired mice use the USB port. The wireless mice use either the
irda or the bluetooth standard to achieve the connectivity. The wireless mouse allows a lot of freedom
to the the users to move the mouse around as compared to the wired mouse.

Trackball

Unlike  the mouse, the trackball has an exposed ball. Your thumb rests on the exposed ball
and your fingers move on the buttons. To move the cursor you have to move the ball with your thumb.
The main advantage of the trackball is that you don't have to move the entire device, like in the case of
the mouse and, therefore, it requires less space to operate. Trackballs have been extensively used
in computer notebooks. Computer gamers find the trackball to be faster as compared to the mouse.

Nowadays a combination of mouse with wheel and trackball is available. They are available as
either the Ps/2 wire model or bluetooth wireless model.  

Joystick

A Joystick works on almost the same principle as the mouse. Instead of the rollers, the joystick
employs pressure sensitive sensors to achieve horizontal and vertical movements. Modern joysticks
employ two axis or three axis sticks with a variety of  buttons. These joysticks are very popular with
gamers but they also find many military as well as industrial applications. The rugged variety of joysticks
are used to control  the aircrafts as well as different types of industrial machinery.The desktop joysticks
can be used to play shooting and firing games and the buttons can be used to control the shooting and
firing activities.

In the Part II we will take a look at the other input devices-- the touch screens, the light pens, the
scanners and the bar code readers.

        

A dial up Internet connection uses ordinary modem and has speeds below 256 kb/sec. Anything
over 256 Kb/sec is called as broadband. The Adsl, cable modem, and the wireless internet
connections function above the 256 kbps/ sec speed and can be classified into the broadband
category. Nowadays, many individuals, as well as, businesses have switched over from the dial up
connection to the broadband connection all over the world, because of several of its advantages.

The advantages of a broadband connection over the dial-up connection is that you can download
large amounts of data very easily. You can conveniently play internet games over a broadband
connection as the games load very fast. Broadband is very suitable for business purposes as well.
A single broadband connection can be shared among various users across the network in a
corporate environment.

But what about the price of the broadband service as compared to the dial up connection? At first,
it might seem as if the dial up connection scores above the broadband when it comes to price. But
this is far from the truth. Although the dial up connection charges you on a per call basis and allows
you to limit the use pf the internet only to the extent you desire, for heavy usage the broadband turns
out to be more economical in the end. Although the prices are charged on the monthly or yearly
basis, the broadband connection has the advantage of providing you with unlimited usage. A dial up
connection cannot be used for unlimited usage as it would turn out to be very costly. Hence,
when it comes to heavy usage the broadband scores above the dial up connection  as far as the price
is concerned.

The various broadband connections such as the cable broadband, the adsl broadband and the wireless
broadband have their own peculiarities. The Adsl broadband functions on the local telephone network
that we use daily. Hence, the service is only as reliable as the telephone network. The Adsl broadband
might get affected due the heavy traffic on the local telephone network. The cable broadband, on the
other hand, has the advantage that it has no connection with the local telephone network. It is a
completely independent service and, hence, it does not get affected due to  heavy traffic on the local
telephone lines. Moreover, the use of fibre optics cables further enhances the performance and the
speed of the cable broadband.

Another category of broadband Internet connection, and which has caught up the frenzy of the
consumers in the year 2008, is the  mobile broadband. Mobile broadband uses wireless technology
to connect to the internet.  Mobile broadband allows you to connect to the internet from your laptop.
It is very simple in operation as it has just a single modem which can be plugged into the USB port
and you can get going on the internet within seconds. It can give you speeds upto 7.5 mb /sec,
depending on the type of service you subscribe for. You can get the facility to download the music,
sound, images and much more. You can also get the facility to setup your phone from mobile
broadband. It enables on to stay connected to the internet even while you are on the move.
Mobile broadband truly gives an excellent opportunity for anyone to get connected to the internet instantaneously. 

If you are eager to get connected to the internet, or if you wish to switch over from the dial-up
connection to the broadband or from one type of broadband connection to another, you might wish
to know more about the various service providers in your area who provide the various types of
broadband internet services.In order to facilitate you in finding out the best internet provider you can
refer to an online directory. One such excellent online directory, giving you all possible information on
broadband internet, is the Broadbandexpert.co.uk.

This directory contains an exhaustive listing of the internet services from all the internet service
providers in the UK. This enables you find the best internet service package from your area by
comparison of the various parameters for broadband internet. Apart form this, the directory gives
you the speed test facility to know  what is the current speed of your broadband connection. You
can also determine the amount of data you download. This enables you to get an idea as to which
would be the best choice of broadband service suitable for your needs.

Broadbandexpert.co.uk lists all major Internet service providers and gives information as to their
speeds, download limits, Monthly prices as well as the yearly costs. You can sort the results by fastest
broadband, cheap broadband, mobile broadband, business broadband, gaming broadband and
several other criteria to find out the best deals belonging to these criteria. This enables you to easily
select the best deals from among the hundreds of packages available and get proper internet service
for the price that you are ready to pay.

Broadbandexpert.co.uk also provides various Customer reviews to help you in selecting the best
broadband service. You can easily select the best Broadband service from your area by referring to
these reviews and you can confidently subscribe from the Internet service provider of your choice. In
effect, the broadbandexpert.co.uk gives you the opportunity to understand and select the best
internet service, ensuring you a completely satisfactory Internet experience.

        

Undoubtedly, there are many advantages of starting a business on the internet. First, the
capital required to start an internet business is much less as compared  to an offline business.
Second, the Internet is a global marketplace. Hence, every person having an internet
connection can be your potential customer. Therefore, many small and large businesses thrive
on the internet. However, at the same time, one must not forget that each year so many online
businesses fail to succeed. Have you ever wondered why so many online businesses fail, while
others seem to carry on comfortably and prosper year after year?  

First of all, many a businessmen are apt to think that if they have succeeded in offline business,
they will also be able to achieve the same success when it comes to online business. However,
quite often, they are proved to be wrong. Even though there may be a lot of similarities between
online and offline businesses, going online is perhaps a different game altogether. An online business
cannot simply rely on the same strategies and techniques as that of the offline business. It is
perhaps this confusion that may be the main cause of many a failures of online businesses.  

The second cause of failure of the online business is perhaps the 'Do it yourself attitude'. Many
a new businessmen tend to  design their own websites. They also try to bring in as much
traffic to their website as possible, by paying exorbitant amounts to the website traffic companies.
At the end of it all, they find that they have not gained a single customer or
generated a single sale for their product. This failure is invariably due to lack of technical
knowledge on the part of the businessmen about the  internet. For instance, very few businessmen
know that it is simply not enough to have a lot of traffic to your website, but you must have
real targeted traffic if you want more conversions. Due to the lack of experience ,the
novices, who are not familiar with the complexities of Internet business, achieve low level of success.

Is there any real solution to this problem? Can you save your internet business ship from sinking?
The answer is yes!. Simply don't follow the beaten track. If you are not familiar with the Internet stuff 
don't be afraid to seek somebody's help.  Talk with  someone who has the experience and
understanding of doing online business, rather than doing all the things on your own. There are
quite a number of companies on the internet who would be ready to help your business to grow
and tide you out of any sort of difficulties.

One Company that I came across on the Net and which has the expertise of handling all types
of online business tasks, is the New York Webdesign company, by the name of  
mustangwebdesigns.com. The company helps newcomers, as well as, established online businesses
to achieve their goals. The professional staff at mustangwebdesigns.com build the right sort of website
for you and achieve e-commerce optimization right from the point of conception. The staff works
closely with you, trying to understand the needs of your business and implement the right strategies
needed for your online success.           

Mustangwebdesigns.com, bringing  professional web design to New York and to the world,  is headed
by Kristi Stangeland. Kristi brings to every project she handles a multifaceted background in technology,
business strategy, accounting & finance, and the arts. She uses that knowledge to partner with
you in designing the most effective site for your business. She employs her expertise to achieve
the  best for your company to grow online.

There are three programs at mustangwebdesigns.com -- the pinnacle program, the express program
and the emarketing program. All these programs help you to get the best possible online results.
Many of the case studies and testimonials at Mustang webdesigns prove that it is  the best 
New York Web Designer which  has the experience of helping new, as well as, established companies
to stay afloat on the Internet and help them to achieve real online success.

        

A network operating system must be capable of handling mission-critical business applications. It must be easy to maintain, it must have facilities for managing files, ensuring security and data protection, routing, messaging and print services. In this article we will take the example of the windows - NT 4.5 Network operating system in order to understand how a network operating system works.

The windows NT operating system is a complex operating system, which helps us to run computers connected to one another forming a network. Windows NT 3.1 and the Windows NT 4.5 were Microsoft corporation's early network operating systems. Thereafter, new operating systems developed in the same line as that of Windows NT were the windows 2000, windows 2003 and windows 2008 operating systems. These operating systems are built upon the same basic concept as that of windows NT, however, many improvements and additional utilities have been added.

Here, we will consider the features of Windows NT 4.5 operating system, as new operating systems are additions and upgradations of the windows NT 4.5 operating system.

Windows NT 4.5 operating system consists of two different sections-- 1) The windows NT Server 2) The windows NT workstation. The Windows NT Server 4.5 operating system is installed on the main or central Computer which is  known as the Windows NT Server computer. Similarly, the windows NT workstation operating system is installed on each client computers connected to the main server and it is called as the Windows NT workstation computer. The windows NT operating system allows communication between the workstations and the servers, between the workstations themselves (through the server), and also between the servers themselves. Let us now see how the Windows NT server 4.5 and the  Windows NT Workstation 4.5 operate in the network environment.

The Windows NT Server 4.5

1) Windows NT Server 4.5 provides a directory service. A directory service is a directory database that provides a single network login and single point of administration. The Directory service helps you to find other users and services on the network. The directory service helps users to logon and get access to any resources they have the rights to, without any additional logins.

2) Windows NT server 4.5 provides wizards for creating and managing groups of users, managing files and folder access for network clients etc.

3) Windows NT server 4.5 provides Network services including MS-DNS, MS-DHCP and MS-WINS.

4) Windows NT server 4.5  provides support for RAID technology.This ensures Data-protection as itis possible to backup the entire server and its data contents to the backup server in real time.

5) Windows NT server 4.5 provides integration with the Internet Information server (IIS), which is the web server, and the installation and management of the IIS web server is a part of the Operating Server.Windows NT server therefore provides support for internet and mobile communications.

5) Windows NT server 4.5 provides robust security features which prevent unauthorised access to sensitive files and prevent users from accessing resources that they are not authorised to use.
 
6) Windows NT server 4.5 provides print services which allow users to share printers with other users. Users can access printers from within their applications.


The Windows NT Workstation 4.5

1) Windows NT workstation 4.5 can be used as a standalone system, or as a client to the Window NT server. It can also be used in a peer to peer networking system.

2) Windows NT workstation 4.5 provides local security for the files, folders and other resources.

3) Windows NT workstation 4.5 provides security in the form of Authentication of the local workstation when working in the local mode or authentication of the domain controller when working as a client in the network mode.

4) All utilities are added to windows NT workstation 4.5 in the form of network drivers and protocol stacks in order to achieve network connectivity.

In our next articles we will consider advanced network operating systems such as the Windows 2000, 2003, and the 2008. We will also consider Windows Xp and Windows Vista, the microsoft's consumer based client operating systems, which have connectivity with the windows servers.

        

Creating a new website is indeed exciting. However,having decided to build one, you should ask yourself a few questions. Am I going to create a personal website or an ecommerce website? Am I going to create just a single page website or a multiple pages one?  Am I going to include only the images and photos into the website or streaming audios and videos as well? What sort of services or products do I wish to sell online? Will I be accepting payments via paypal or through the credit cards, etc.?

Although these questions might seem to be boring they are nevertheless important from the point of view of selecting the right website hosting company, for hosting your website.  At this point, let me tell you, that although you might have created a good website, if you don't host it with the right sort of  webhosting package  your project might be ruined. This is precisely why you should ask yourself the questions set out in the very beginning. It is better for one to plan and select a webhosting company suitable for one's needs, otherwise one might soon run into all sorts of problems.  I committed a great mistake a few years ago when I hastily hosted my website with a webhosting company without giving a second thought. I had to pull out of the whole project only a few months later.

If you are not careful enough to research and select the web hosting company most appropriate to your needs, you might find yourself beset with many a vague  problems. You might commit a mistake of purchasing webspace on a unix hosting server when actually your need was for a Windows hosting server. Or, you might find that the webhosting server, you have chosen, is not at all fast and it does not have the required bandwidth, in the process making your visitors unhappy. Or, perhaps, you might host your ecommerce website on a server which does not provide any ecommerce support. If this is so, you may simply find difficulty in accepting  payments through credit cards from your website. Or, because of many disconnections, your clients might experience many problems while processing their transactions. You may also discover that your webhosting package does not support uploading of certain types of files. All these problems are a result of thoughtlessly registering with a webhosting company, without comparing the features offered by the various webhosting companies and selecting the right one matching your needs.

You will surely agree that it is better to do your research before selecting a webhosting company and making a payment for their services. For your convenience I list here a few simple points worth considering when you go out hunting for a website hosting company.
 
1) When you want to create a simple website, which is mainly text based, there is no need to go in for a lot of webspace. A 10 mb webspace would be enough. There is no need of wasting money on purchasing a huge webspace. However, you must be careful to see that you have an ftp client support and you can upload and edit your files for 24 hrs.

2) When you want to create a photo album or a video site, you must have lot of webspace. If you have a lot of photos or videos to upload then you might require even gigabytes of webspace. You must also find out whether all types of image and video formats are supported. You must also see that there is a support for ftp client. You must have a fast and reliable server and a large bandwidth.

3) When you want to create an ecommerce website, you must look out for the important ecommerce features. Not all webhosting companies specialize in providing support for hosting an ecommerce website. If you are going to host an ecommerce website than you must be able to accept payments via paypal or by credit cards from your website. You must be able to upload all types of files, especially all types of photos and information regarding your services or products. The Servers must have very high degree of reliability and uptime. If the webhost server goes down a number of times during the day than it might spell serious repercursions for your business. Again, you must have a good number of free scripts available and you must be able to host third party scripts on your website.

Actually saying, each website design requires specialised consideration and we may not delve into every aspect here. One simple advice is that you must first find and list out all your special requirements and see whether your webhosting company provides the required support.

At the end, I wish to disclose a small secret which I use while I carry out my research for webhosting. I do not go on a big hunting spree on the net. When there are so many webhosting companies it would be difficult to compare and evaluate the best one. My simple trick is to use a webhosting directory like the www.webhostinggeeks.com This is a complete directory which lists all the webhosting companies along with all their services, features and prices. You can compare one webhosting company with another very easily. There is a listing of almost all categories of webhostings. For example, there is listing of best cheap webhostings, best ecommerce webhostings, best fast webhostings, best Unix webhostings, best Windows webhostings  etc. Each webhosting company listed is reviewed by customers and you can get real reports on actually how the webhosting company is functioning. Besides this, there are many articles describing several facts about webhosting. It is great to perform your research for a webhosting service from www.webhostinggeeks.com (A great place to consider hosting) and you can be certain that you will find the most appropriate webhosting matching your needs. If you are performing research on www.webhostinggeeks.com you really don't need to look elsewhere, for it is,in itself, a truly complete and exhaustive directory of webhosting on the net.

        

You don't want to find your data lost when the mains power supply gets cut off suddenly?
UPS  (Uninterruptible Power Supply) helps to maintain continuity of power to the servers and
workstations as well as standalone PCs and helps to save the data. UPS also protects the
computer  system from power brownouts,swells, sags, and interface.UPS power supplies switch
on automatically to provide continuous and uninterrupted power to the computer systems.

Components of the UPS

When the mains power supply fails the UPS automatically provides power to the computer system.
It is attached to the Servers, workstations or standalone computers where sensitive work is carried
on and who need protection from power failures. The main components of the UPS are :

1) DC Battery Array or pack.
2) Electronic charger circuit.
3) Converter circuit.

Besides this there are also circuits for automatically changing over from battery to the load and
vice-versa.


Working of UPS - Online UPS and Offline UPS

1) Online UPS --

In on-line UPS the main input AC voltage is converted into low Value DC voltage and then converted
back by means of the inverter to the high value AC voltage. The low value DC voltage is used to
charge the batteries. Even in case the main supply is available the power is supplied to the computer
systems through the UPS. In case of power failure the DC Voltage is supplied by the batteries. It
comes back automatically to the normal status when the main supply recovers. In general online
UPS is used in servers, mini or main frame computer systems.

2) Offline UPS --

In offline UPS battery charger and inverter are two separate parts, doing their jobs independently.
When the power is available through the mains the battery charger is only charging the battery and
the inverter is on stand-by mode. In case of mains power supply interruption the batteries are
connected to the inverter through a relay change over and the current is supplied to the computer
systems. It supplies raw power and does not regulate the input frequency. In this system backup
 time is very low.



Technical specifications:

How will you select the UPS: there are a few technical specifications which you can check.

1. There should be an audible alarm in case of Mains failure, low battery or overload conditions.

2. There must be visual leds for power-on, backup-on or overload.

3. Back up time must be at least half hour - for saving all the data.

4. The input/output voltage range must be wide so that it can absorb any fluctuations.

5. Batteries should be good and maintenance free.

6. Charging time of batteries must be small.

7. UPS should be noiseless.

8. It should have the proper capacity to sustain the load of the entire system.

        

Computer mice are known to behave pretty nicely even though they may be subject to wear and general abuse. However, at times, these very  mice may throw in some challenging problems. A PC user simply can't do without a mouse now a days, and if it does not work poperly, it may be a cause of great annoyance.

Before trying to fix mouse problems let's first try to understand the nitty-gritty of how a mouse works. This is how we hope to tame the mouse and help us solve our problems more easily.

Working of the mouse.

We will  not try to get into the the complete details of how the mouse operates, but we'll try to  understand only  so much as it will help us to solve our problems. A mouse is an input device that has two and sometimes three buttons on it. When we move the mouse a cursor or a pointer starts  moving on the screen. We can position the cursor over any item on the screen, click a button, and Lo! the command is carried out. The mouse is just simply a point and click device!
 
Mices come is various varieties. 1) serial mouse, 2) PS/2 bus mouse 3) usb mouse and 4) wireless mouse. Regardless of the type of mouse, at first the mouse must be installed into your computer system. First you will have to connect the mouse to the respective port and then turn on the computer. Insert any software disk provided by the manufacturer of the mouse and install the device drivers for the mouse. Once the device drivers are installed properly the mouse gets connected to the computer.

The most important thing to remember is that the mouse does not operate alone. It operates in conjunction with the application software, the operating system and the device drivers.

When an application loads it gets connected with the device driver of the mouse. As soon as the connection between the application software and the device driver is established, the device driver displays a cursor or pointer on the screen. At this time, if you have not connected your mouse to the computer, this cursor remains fixed. But all that is important for you to know is that, if you see a cursor on your screen, you can be rest assured that your application software has been able to establish connection with the device driver of the mouse.

Down to the other end, the device driver of the mouse must also be able to communicate with the mouse. When the mouse is moved, the X and the Y position signals of the mouse are carried over to the device driver. The device driver interprets the mouse signals and moves the cursor to the right position on the screen. When the mouse buttons are clicked the  information of the position as well as the clicking event is carried over to the application software by the device driver and the desired action is carried out.

This then is the overall way in which the mouse operates. This might have already given you the idea as to how to tame the mouse when it goes erratic.

Troubleshooting mouse problems.

Let's, therefore,divide the mouse problems into three catagories -- 1) hardware problems 2) software problems and 3) software configuration problems.

Hardware problems --

Symptom 1.

The mouse cursor appears but moves erratically.

Since you are seeing the mouse cursor there is no problem with the connectionof the application software and the device drivers. It is, therefore, not a software problem, but an hardware problem. Since the cursor appears to move a little bit, there must be an intermittant problem with the mouse. Check whether the mouse is clean. Just remove the mouse housing and check whether the X and Y rollers are moving properly. Check whether the cable connections are proper or there is some loose soldering. Wiggle the cable to find out any loose connections and solder them again.

Symptom 2.

The mouse cursor appears and the cursor moves but the buttons function erratically.

This is again an hardware problem. This could simply occur due to dust accumulations in the buttons of the mouse. Remove the mouse housing and try cleaning the buttons. If this does not solve the problem than it could have been caused due to bad wiring connections. Resolder any dry connections and check the connectors for continuity with a multimeter.

Symptom 3.

The mouse cursor appears on the screen but it does not move at all.

If you are able to see the cursor it indicates that  the device driver has loaded properly and the application program is communicating with the driver. Your first step should be to suspect the connection of the ports. Check if the serial port is connected properly to the motherboard. If the problem is not solved by reconnecting the serial port properly, there could perhaps be a problem with the internal wiring of the mouse itself.

Symptom 4.

You attempt a single click and a double click occurs

This problem is definitely a mouse button problem. This phenomenon is called as button bounce. Clean the mouse buttons and it could start working well again

Software problems ---

Symptom 5.

Error " General protection fault"

This error message indicates that it is not a hardware problem. It is the problem of conflict of the device driver with one or more of the application softwares. Try working with other application softwares. If they are working fine check with the device manufacturers whether they are having any patches available for resolving this problem. Or else,  try loading an earlier version of the mouse; this might solve the compatibility problems.

Symptom 6.

Error " The pointing device requires a newer version"

This indicates that it is a software problem.  You might have probably installed a wrong driver  to work with your mouse. Check the driver and be certain that the driver that you have installed is of the correct type. For example, you should use the  Logitech device driver with the Logitech mouse and not use the device driver of the genius mouse.

Symptom 7.

The device driver fails to load.

The device driver must load during the initialisation phase of the computer. If the device driver has not loaded it might be that it has not been able to detect that the mouse is connected to your computer. Most device drivers load only after verifying whether the device is present or not. Please check the connection of the mouse to the computer. The mouse may not have been connected at all or the connection may be loose.

Software configuration problems ---

Symptom 8.

Clicking the right mouse button does not start the default context menus.

If you are running a mouse management software the assignment for the right button will override the windows default setting of the "context menus". Open the mouse management software utility and change the assignment of the right button to 'unassigned".

Symptom 9.

A single mouse click works but the double mouse click does not work.

This problem almost always occurs because the "double click speed" may be set to a too high value in the mouse control panel. Try setting it to a lower value. For this you will have to go to the mouse control panel and slide the speed slider to a lower value.


This article has touched upon the basic problems related to the mouse. For troubleshooting some specific type of problems relating to optical mouse or wireless mouse please keep visiting the blog.

        

Do you know what is the difference between a pacemaker and an implanted cardioverter defibrilator? Well, the answer is right here! A pacemaker can speed up a slow heart rate, whereas, an implantable cardioverter defibrilator can slow down fast heart rate. Both the slow and the fast heart rates, called as the  Tachycardia and the Bradycardia  respectively, are the abnormalities of the heart which can now be corrected. Well, how did a non-medical guy like me come to know so much about the heart and its treatments. This is no secret. Let me tell you, I just happened to learn about it on the internet.

I logged on to a medical video library website called as the heartlibrary.com which contains so many free, simple and practical videos (eg, bradycardia video)about the heart that even a layman can understand the functioning of the heart. You can easily learn all about the heart diseases and its treatments if you logon to heartlibrary.com. If you want to learn more about the heart, the care you should take in order to prevent heart diseases, the quick treatments you should undergo, then you should view the free videos at  heartlibrary.com. You can learn more about the heart problems and take immediate action in order to save the victims. You can even get a list of Doctors to consult about the problems related to the heart.

So here is one of your great saviour from the internet, the heartlibrary.com  So you too can  logon to heartlibrary.com and understand many things about the heart to be able to take better care about yourself and your near and dear ones.   

        

With so many fast food centers having come up in our towns and villages one cannot simply
resist the temptation of eating delicious and fatty food stuff. This might lead to Obesity, a
disease that has now spread among the citizens of USA and other parts of the world. Obesity
comes out of the accumulation of excess fats in several parts of our body.

Obese individuals often complain of lack of drive and a feeling of uneasiness while going about
their daily routines.They do not enjoy life as healthy individuals do. Obese individuals expose
themselves to several health risks as they may be prone to problems and complications like
high blood pressure, diabetes and heart attacks. Obese individuals may not be able to cope
up with the office and domestic routines,like the normal people.

There are many traditional ways of controlling obesity. You can control obesity by controlling your
eating cycle. You can eat low calorie food stuff, institute strict diet control and regulate eating
intervals. However, this remedy is not easy to implement with the food crazy individuals. If you
love food then the temptation of eating more and at irregular intervals may be too hard to
resist.  The second obvious remedy, of burning  out the excess calories, is by the introduction of
a self-inflicted course of regular exercises. However, daily and strict exercise schedules are not
to everyone's liking.

While people are still grappling to come to terms with these traditional remedies some medical
companies have announced new remedies, in the form of diet pills. They claim that their wonder
pills effectively deal with the problem of weight reduction without the slightest resort to the
traditional approaches of diet control and exercising. Their advertisements claim they can reduce
weight and burn fats within weeks of intake of their pills.

This has definitely made many people happy. However, as heartening as this news seems to
be, it is not advisable to take all these advertisements and the companies at their face value.
Several unscrupulous people have started making a quick buck today by selling fake fat control
pills in the market. Hence, if you really want your fat-control campaign to make a head way
you have to be careful. It is wise to know, beforehand, as to which of the pills are genuine
and which are not.

In order to stay up to date with the currently available diet pills you can log on to one of the
reviewers on the web such as the Consumerpricewatch.net. Here you will find the list of
several of the best diet pills available in the market today. Their update on each individual
brands is most accurate and unbiased and you can be rest assured that you will be able to
select the most suitable and genuine fat burning pills available. You can go through their
reviews and the articles in order to get the idea as to the exact remedy you should adopt.
There are diet pills specially meant for men, women, athletes and bodybuilders.There are also
diet pills that will introduce vitality within you in addition to reducing your fats. You can also go
through the articles on their Expert's blog to find some interesting and absorbing facts
about weight loss.

So if you want to burn your fats within weeks do take recourse to the latest remedies available,
but of course, not without researching the facts on a drug reviewer website such as the
Comsumerpricewatch!   

        

Have you ever exclaimed ... "Please Consolidate My Debt"? Well, perhaps not, but given the way the economy is going right now, it would not surprise me to hear many people shouting those exact words! Just for fun, I recently tried this online test to see what me Bills IQ score is. I'm going to go out on a limb and say you probably do not know how big your is, huh?

Here's a quick snap of how big my score is:


Could be worse, I suppose, but could also be better!!!

The test score isn’t going to go on your permanent record, so what do you have to lose? Every time I turn on the TV, or listen to the radio, so talking head is telling me that the sky is falling. Of course it’s not, and of course we can all stay in control of our lives. The trick is to use the info that is out there to help improve cash flow and increase savings. The more you know, the better right? Well, instead of reading the doom and gloom on the news sites next time, take five minutes to see how you do. Of course, let me know if you beat my score! Just, be nice about it!

        

   You don't have to worry if you are not able to get the maximum speed performance from your PC.
   Here are some few simple tricks which  you can try, and I bet you will find that your Computer now
   runs much faster  than  before!

  Here are the few simple tricks that I have been using:

  1) Upgrade the memory of your PC.

     If you have less memory in your computer it is always better to increase the memory. This will        
     definitely  increase the speed at which your software will load or run. While purchasing the memory
     you must check that it is reliable and compatible with the motherboard you are using. Buy the best
     quality  memory so that you will not have to repent later on.
  
  2) Upgrade to a faster and higher capacity hard disk.

     If you have a low capacity hard disk which runs slow then upgrade to a good quality, high capacity
     hard disk. This will  definitely improve the speed of your PC.

  3) Defragment the hard disk at regular intervals.

     If the hard disk gets defragmented your pc want run at the optimum speed. Run the Defragment
    utility from Windows Xp and defragment the harddisk. You will definitely see some speed
    improvements.

  4) Use 3d video card.

     If you are running resource intensive applications then use 3d video card. This will transfer the
     processing load from  your PC to the video card and speed up the performance of your PC.

  5) Run the microprocessor in overclocking mode.

    Change to a better microprocessor such as the dual core microprocessor (If your motherboard
    permits). You can also overclock your existing microprocessor.

  6) Optimise the cmos-

     Check whether your Cmos setup is properly optimised. Verify the date, time, available memory,
     hard disks  and floppy disks. Enable both the internal and external system cache. optimise drive
     access by using the  fastest data transfer protocol your hard disk system will support. Use DMA
      mode to run your hard disks. 
 
  7) Clean up the registry with registry cleaner.

      You need not know how to tweak the registry to perform a registry cleanup job. Now a days
     registry clean up utilities are available which can do the job of registry clean up for you. This utility
     will help you in erasing any invalid  entries in your registry or any invalid names in your registry,
     thus speeding up the performance  of your PC.

  8) Install new drivers.

     New drivers for your hard ware are definitely faster than the old ones. Replace the old drivers
     with new ones to improve the speed of your PC.

  9) Cleanup your hard disk of unnecessary programs.

     One more trick is to clean up your hard-disk of unnecessary programs. If you do not need a
     program simply uninstall the same. This will improve the performance of your PC.

  10) Cleanup the temporary files, internet history files and all miscellaneous files.

      Cleaning up the temporary files and internet history files can speed your PC. These files simply
      consume lot  of space on your hard disk. Your PC has to do a lot more work when these files are
      around, thus slowing  down the performance.

  11) Check for virus and cleanup the virus.
  
       Regularly check for any viruses that might have invaded your system. Clean your PC of any
       viruses with the use of antivirus programs.

     You don't have to be a Computer pro in order to improve the performance of your PC. If you follow
      the simple steps above you will definitely find that the speed of your PC has greatly improved.
     However, there are many more advanced techniques to speed up your PC. Keep visiting our
      Blog to learn more.

        

As a college student, writing good quality essays, Business thesis, dissertations, research papers, reports, thesis, critiques etc, and yet submitting them on time, might seem to be a difficult task. Colleges do insist on professionally formated and errorfree projects to be submitted by you within the specified time. Again, the projects submitted  have to be original and unique in content and not copied ones. Your grades  naturally depend on the quality of the  projects submitted by you and you can easily loose marks if proper projects have not been submitted on time. This, may turn out to be a major hurdle and a nightmare even though you may possess good knowledge of your subjects, but you are not conversant in writing, formatting or proofreading your assignments to the college standards. Moreover, with all the heavy burden of college routine, there is hardly any time left for you to complete the projects in the exact manner that the colleges require. This may lead you into a frustration and you might suffer in the overall performance.

However, in this age of internet technology you simply need not worry at all. You can now rely on the internet  to have  the Research paper bibliography etc delivered to you on a plate. All you need to do now is to upload the outline of your project, upload the images and illustrations, give a few instructions and you can download your finished work by the deadline date.  You can now get your projects submitted on time and without any hassles, while you relax and attend to other important college or domestic activities. Now, you need'nt have to  worry about getting lower grades, due to your projects not being upto the college standards or that you could not submit the projects within the specified time limits. 

A reliable web service for getting your college essays written is the overnightessay.com. The Company has several years of experience in this field. It provides all kind of assistance and help to the college students  who want to complete their papers and submit them to the colleges in time. 
Overnightessay.com  provides help in writing essays, dissertations, research papers, reports, thesis, critiques etc. The Company also provides help in such specialised areas as Past dissertations, Maths coursework and completing Sherlock holmes essays. You can now get your projects completed by employing the services of Overnightessay.com and save yourself from the frustrations of not being able to submit your college projects on time.

The company provides 24/7 quality services under the deadline set by you. Your projects are executed by professional writers. You can interact with the writers and give instructions to get your job customised. Care is taken to format your projects in the best possible manner. Your projects are proofread and no errors are allowed to creap in. The authours produce completely original matter and content, and submit you a report  guaranteeing  that your projects are completely free of plagiarism. Your projects are delivered by the deadline date set by you. And above all, complete security is maintained about the information provided by you to the company, and nobody is allowed to know about your personal data. No one can ever come to know that you have got your papers finalised by Overnightessay.com.
 
Hence now, thanks to the web technology, you don't have to settle on getting lower grades in the college, simply because of the hurdle of writing  good quality dissertations or essays. You can now have time to relax and attend to other aspects of your college life, gearing up for further academic achievements, or simply playing and taking part in sports or other extracurricular activities.

        

Are you currently starting your first DIY computer project?  Are you tired of spending money on pre-built computers that become obsolete days after you purchase them?  Building your own computer can be a fun project that will allow you to keep up on computer component trends.  But building your own computer can often be very confusing the first time.  The components inside your computer all need to work together in order for your computer to actually work correctly.  Building your own computer will allow you to save money and get the speed and power you desire, if you know what you are purchasing.  

To make building a computer easy, bare bones computer kits have been created.  A bare bones computer kit usually contains all the basic components you need in order to build your first computer. Before you purchase a kit you do want to confirm what components are included in your kit, some kits do not include the CPU or hard drive.  If you need to purchase a CPU, choose carefully and wisely.  The CPU is one of the most important decisions you will make for your computer.  The central processing unit is probably one of the smallest and definitely one of the most expensive components you will install in your computer but without this component your computer is nothing more than a box full of unusable stuff. 

If you are purchasing a CPU you should confirm that the style of connector and the CPU component itself is compatible with your motherboard.  Many modern CPUs have metallic connectors on the bottom that allow the CPU to attach directly to the motherboard but older motherboards may be missing the necessary connectors.  The modern “snap-in” style of connector also allows for easy upgrades of the CPU in the future.  If you want the ability to upgrade your CPU in the future make sure you avoid purchasing a CPU that is soldered directly to the motherboard. 

You do not need to be a DIY computer expert to know that CPUs get very hot.  In order to help moderate the level of heat around your CPU you need to provide your new computer with air vents, a fan, and a CPU heat sink.  The heat sink will attach directly to the CPU and in many cases is sold with the CPU component.  You will want to follow the instructions provided with your CPU and heat sink to confirm that you install the heat sink correctly.  If you fail to install the CPU and heat sink correctly your computer will not work.  

So where do all this take us?  Even when choosing a bare bones computer kit, you need to know a little about the CPU you are installing.  Even if you never research information on the individual components in your computer spending a little amount of time learning about your CPU is time well spent.  CPUs are a component that you do not usually perform maintenance on but if something goes wrong your entire computer will not work.  Keep your CPU cool and keep up on the latest trends in CPUs and your computer will thank you.

        

The summer is here and that means it is time to try to stay cool.  Are you spending the day at the beach or inside your air conditioned home?  Whatever your method of staying cool this summer have you thought about your computer?  Do you give any thought to how your computer will stay cool this summer?  Not only do you need to be aware on how to keep your computer cool but what do you do with the excess heat your computer can put into your home?

1. Clean the computer vents.  Make sure all the vents and openings in your computer are clean of any dust buildup.  Use a small computer vacuum that will allow you to remove the dust and dirt completely without putting it back in to your home.  You will want to make sure that your computer is off when you complete this process and and use a light touch.  Do not try to suck everything from your computer, you want a get the dirt and clean the vents without causing damage to your computer components.  

2. If you computer is currently housed in a cabinet make sure there are air vent holes or better yet, move your computer out of the cabinet for the summer.  Even if you keep your computer air vents clean, placing your computer in a cabinet may cause an excess of heat build up around your computer.  Give your cabinet a test, run your computer normally for a day and stick your hand in the cabinet.  If the space and air around your computer are hot, move your computer.

3. Keep your home cool.  Your computer uses the air around it to cool the CPU and other components but if your home is too hot, you will have nothing to cool your computer with.  Avoid this problem by keeping your home as cool and comfortable as possible.  You do not need to overly air condition your home if you have computers but if you start to feel uncomfortable while working with your computer chances are your computer is uncomfortable as well.

4. Allow your computer to cool down by turning it off and unplugging it.  If your computer starts to give you errors and is too hot to touch, turn it off and let it cool completely off.  I can tell you that I have lived in some very hot climates and have never had this “overheating” issue, if your computer requires a complete cool down you should open the case and check to make sure all fans and vents are working correctly.  

5. Go crazy and water cool.  Take computer cooling to the next level and water cool your CPU and system.  While normally reserved for high end computers that require a considerable amount of cooling, creating your own water cooling system can be a DIY computer project that all your friends will ask about.  You can either purchase pre-designed cooling kits or create your own as long as create a system that will remove the heat from your CPU without drowning your computer.  

We will take a look at water cooling systems at a later day, right now I need to go check my computers to make sure the vents are open, the fans are running, and the cases are dust free. 

        

In large organizations, where Computers are connected through the network, data is stored on the hard disk of the Central server. This sensitive data is shared between the users on the network. This Data stored on the Central Server gets updated either in real time or in batches. For example, the travel companies or airline companies store ticket reservation information on their central Servers.This data gets updated in real time, as soon as the transaction is completed. This data is accessed by the users to find out the status of their ticket reservation. Further, if this data is made accessible through the internet, users can see updated information on the internet as well.

However, when such large amounts of data are stored on the central computer system or server system, there is always a risk that the data might get damaged or lost. If such important data is damaged or lost it would cause great harm to the users, as well as, the Company. How can this problem be resolved? One solution is to backup the data. The data could be resorted back if there is loss or damage of data. But in simple backup systems it is difficult to restore the system immediately to the normal state. It takes time to restore the system back to the normal state as new hard disk has to be replaced in place of the faulty one, and  the data has to be restored from the backup. However, in environments where data gets updated in real time, such a time lag between system crash and system restoration entails the loss of vital information, such as the latest online transactions. Hence, you can see that merely using the backup strategy is not enough. A better solution available to ensure system reliability, is in the form of raid technology.

Raid

The full form of Raid is 'Redundant array of inexpensive disks'.In case of raid, instead of using one large hard disk to store the sensitive data you can make use of a series of hard disks to store the data.There are two popular techniques of Raid. First one is called as 'Disk mirroring' and the second one is called as 'Disk stripping'. We will shortly see how these techniques help in solving the problems of data loss, in case of large networks and real time computer system.

Disk Mirroring.

In Disk mirroring exact copies of the data are stored simultaneously on different disks. If data is damaged or lost from one disk the system automatically switches to the error free disk immediately, so that the transactions in real time are not affected.This ensures 100% uptime of the system. Disk mirroring is a fault tolerant technique. Since there is instant switch over from faulty hard disks to normal ones the system operation does not get affected.

Disk Stripping.

In Disk stripping different parts of the data file get stored on different hard disks. One main disk is used to store data only for error checking. If one disk fails the data from the error disk and data present on the other disks can be used to reconstruct the lost data. Though stripping offers to save valuable data it is not a fault tolerant technique.

This short discussion was intended to give you only an insight into the importance of raid. If you are in the job of Network administration or data processing perhaps you might now be actively interested in implementing the raid technology. It would be worthwhile reading  other Articles on raid already posted on this blog, as they contain more detail analysis.

        

The Light that you see on the LCD screen of your monitor or the LCD screen of your Laptop or Note bookComputers is generated by Back light assembly. The LCD Back light consists of CCFT (Cold Cathode Flrorescent Tube) or EL (Electroluminescent light) source. The light which emanates from the display is interpreted as either being transparent or colored. Light that is absorbed by the energised liquid crystal material appears opaque.

How does the backlight function?

The LCD backlight consists of the CCFL or EL light source. In order to operate this light source an AC voltage of at least 500V to 600V is required. This kind of high AC voltage is, off course, not available in Battery operated LAptop or Notebook Computers. Hence,the available DC voltage has to be converted into high level AC voltage by means of an Inverter. This high level AC voltage is then used to operate the light source.

An Inverter is an electronic circuit which converts low voltage DC into high Voltage AC supply. The Inverter circuit consists of an oscillator which chops the DC voltage into a low-voltage pulsating DC output. This pulsating DC is applied to the input of a step up transformer, which converts the pulsating DC into high voltage AC supply. This high voltage AC supply is then used to operate the CCFL or EL light sources.

Trouble shooting the LCD power supplies.

The most common symptom with LCD screen is that the screen appears washed out or invisible. When this occurs, firstly make sure that the LCD has not timed out due to long period of inactivity. The LCD is made to automatically shut down after a certain timeout period so that the life span of the light source can be increased. You can increase the timeout period through the system setup software. Once you press any key or move the mouse, the problem should disappear.

However, if you are certain that the problem has not occured due to timeout period, you will have to troubleshoot further. Most probably the problem could be due to a faulty backlight assembly. Follow these simple steps and you might be able to get your LCD screenback on track again.

Steps for Troubleshooting the Backlight Assembly.

Step 1.

Open the front panel to get to the Back light Assembly.

Step 2.

Check for DC supply, with the help of a multimeter, at the input of the inverter. If there is no DC supply, there might be a loose cable connection. Check the cable connection of the backlight assembly to the motherboard. Tighten the cables and check whether your LCD screen is back to normal. 

Step 3.

If the DC supply checks ok in Step 2 you will have to check the AC output voltage from the inverter. Use good insulated test probes, while measuring the voltage with your multimeter, as the voltage may be as high as 600 VAC. If you find that there is no AC voltage at the output of the inverter, the fault might most probably be in the inverter circuit. Replace the inverter and check again.

Step 4.

If the AC voltage at the output of the inverter checks ok in step 3 but yet there is no LCD display, the problem could be with the light source itself. Replace the light source and check whether the LCD display is working fine.

Troubleshooting LCD problems is a simple Do-it-yourself job.

        

Excel is one of those programs that I really can't live without. Personally, I use Excel for everything from my grocery lists to storing all of my home finances. And, the truth is, I'm sure there are endless uses for the tool at home and at work that I haven't even thought of.

As wonderfull as Excel is, it can be a bit daunting to jump right into a spreadsheet, if you are unfamiliar with how to get started. Really, Excel is nothing more than a fancy calculator, so it is true that just about anyone can use it... with a bit of guidance.

If you are looking for an Excel Tutorial, I suggest surfing the web to see what you can find. I did come across one site that offers a decent tutorial that you could consider checking out. It's under 200 bucks for a 4-dvd set. And, I suspect it will cover just about everything you need to know.

As with everything, practice makes perfect. So, I'd suggest jumping into excel, playing around, and then getting a friend to answer your questions or invest a little cash and pay for the education of an Excel tutorial. In the end, Excel will make managing everything with numbers easier, and having a good education will ensure you know how to safe time, make fewer mistakes, and simply enjoy the experience stress free.

        

Any DIY computer fan knows that your computer experience is only as good as your monitor.  There is nothing more frustrating then purchasing a high end monitor only to find a dull monitor with dead pixels or ghosting problems.  I get frustrated when I think about how much money I have spent on monitors that never lived up to the hype or the money I spent.  LCD monitors have freed our desks from the bulky CRT monsters of the past and ViewSonic has freed our lives from poor quality products that cost way too much money.

ViewSonic Optiquest Series Q20WB is a monitor that will allow you to set up your dream dual (or triple) monitor without breaking the bank.  Optiquest Series Q20WB is a high-definition monitor that delivers crisp text and vivid colors.  This monitor has enough power to handle all my computer games and still make my spreadsheets and writing documents crisp and easy to read.  No more struggling with your monitor and video card just to be able to read the words on the screen or feeling like the montior needs just a little more light.  

I believe that the more expensive the LCD, the greater number of dead pixels the manufacturer will allow.  I’ve gone through three LCDs that all arrived at my home with defects that when I complained, I was told the issues “did not exceed quality standards.”  Really, honestly?  Dead pixels do no exceed quality standards?  But the ViewSonic Optiquest monitor showed up at my door and quickly earned a place on my desk.  This monitor is much brighter, easier to read, and without a dead pixel in sight.

The Optiquest Q20WB monitor boasts a full 160 degree viewing angle and an anti-glare screen.  While anti-glare does not seem to be something you would look for in a monitor, if your office is in an area where the sun shines into your windows either during the morning or the afternoon, you need an anti-glare screen.  You will be able to work with the curtains open and your eyes will not get overly tired quickly.  

The best part of this monitor is the price.  This 20-inch wide-screen monitor costs much less than other monitors on the market and far exceeds the quality of those monitors.  LCD monitor prices have decreased tremendously in the last two years and if you have had the same issues I have with monitors in the past, you will not think your money is being wasted when you purchase the ViewSonic Optiquest Series Q20WB.  You do want to confirm that your graphics card is able to handle a widescreen 1680x1050 display (and maybe two displays).  Even if you do need to install a new graphics card, your computer and your eyes will thank you for the upgrade.

The widescreen format of the ViewSonic Optiquest Q20WB will open your eyes to an