Eye Care
by: Mary Rose
The eyes are the window to your soul and therefore need special care and attention especially so, with increasing pollution and levels of dust and grime. While we tend to look after our skin and hair and other parts of the body, we tend to relegate eye care to the background. There are several simple and easy solutions to all problems related to eye care from relaxation to dark circles and crow's feet. The following tips provide you complete treatment for your eyes.
All you need to do is to set aside few minutes everyday for eye care. It will benefit you in the long run. You can then possess healthy and beautiful eyes devoid of crow's feet and dark circles around the eyes.
The first and foremost in eye care is the diet. Make sure that your intake includes plenty of fruits and vegetables specially the yellow ones like carrots, mangoes, papaya etc. All these are rich in beta carotene which helps to have healthy eyes. Spinach is also good for the health of your eyes.
Rest is vital in the eye care routine. It will not only refresh the eyes but also improve their efficiency. Therefore take adequate rest. Regular exercise is mandatory to improve blood circulation. It will supply enough oxygen for the perfect functioning of the eyes.Simple everyday eye exercise like closing your eyes gently for 30 seconds to relax them in between your work, rotating your eyes often to relax muscles and moving your eyeballs from extreme left corner to the right corner is good for maintaining healthy eyes. To prevent blurred vision follow this simple exercise. Hold a pencil at arm's length and slowly bring it towards your nose, keeping eyes focused at all times
The skin around the eyes is very thin and full of blood vessels, which makes it sensitive to changes in the body especially those related to retention and distribution of water. In most cases puffiness in and around the eyes is often noticed upon waking up in the morning. Mild puffiness is usually only a temporary cosmetic concern. However if puffiness is severe or persistent and accompanied by swelling of the face or other parts, it may indicate other conditions like thyroid or kidney diseases and calls for immediate medical attention. Even though puffiness is accumulation of excess fluid, when the body gets dehydrated, it stores water as a defense mechanism, which contributes to further puffiness. Therefore, drinking adequate water is an important part of eye care. Drink at least a liter of water to avoid any kind of puffiness in the eyes. Drinking lots of water helps to flush out waste from the body.
Avoid excessive rubbing of your eyes as the irritation caused due to rubbing or touching will only cause more puffiness. Instead just blink your eyelids. Blinking is a good massage and exercise to the eyes.Milk is a good and safe natural cleanser. Clean your eyes using a clean cotton ball dipped in milk. Rose water drops gives a good glow to your eyes. Castor oil application is good for your eye lashes and eye brows. It keeps them dense and dark.
Protect your eyes from sunrays during the peak daytime by wearing sunglasses. The usual home remedies like cold water compress, cucumber slices, tea bags, application of egg whites and grated potatoes under the eyes for about 10 minutes are effective. It helps to avoid under eye wrinkles and dark circles around the eyes.
Even if you have no complaints it's important to see a doctor and have a routine eye check up. The above eye care tips will ensure that your pair of eyes remains healthy and beautiful for a very long time.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Back Pain Treatment
General recommendations are to resume normal, or near normal, activity as soon as possible. Stretching or activities that place additional strain on the back are discouraged, however.
Sleeping with a pillow between the knees while lying on one side may increase comfort. Some doctors recommend lying on your back with a pillow under your knees.
No specific back exercises were found that improved pain or increased functional ability in people with acute back pain. Exercise, however, may be useful for people with chronic back pain to help them return to normal activities and work.
Nonprescription medications may provide relief from pain.
Ibuprofen (such as Advil, Nuprin, or Motrin), available over-the-counter, is an excellent medication for the short-term treatment of low back pain. Because of the risk of ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, talk with your doctor about using this medication for a long time.
Acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) has been shown to be as effective as ibuprofen in relieving pain.
Topical agents such as “deep heating rubs” have not been shown to be effective.
Some people seem to benefit from the use of ice or heat. Their use, although not proven effective, is not considered to be harmful. Take care: Do not use a heating pad on "high" or place ice directly on the skin.
Most experts agree that prolonged bed rest is associated with a longer recovery period. Further, people on bed rest are more likely to develop depression, blood clots in the legs, and decreased muscle tone. Very few experts recommend more than a 48-hour period of decreased activity or bed rest. In other words, get up and get moving to the extent you can.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware
How To Troubleshoot Your Computer Hardware
by:
Manas R. Parida
There could be many reasons why you’d want to troubleshoot your computer, well, one actually and that’s because something is not working right. The process of troubleshooting is something you learn after working for a long time with computers. Often enough when there’s a problem, nothing is going to explicitly tell you what is causing the problem and how you can fix it. By taking logical steps and walking through the process of troubleshooting you should be able to solve almost any computer problem, software or hardware related. It involves identifying the problem(s), finding the cause of that problem, determining the solution, executing that solution, and testing and checking that solution to see if it solves your problem.
As an example let’s say one day while using your computer the screen suddenly turns all black and you can’t see anything. We found a problem now what would be the first step to take to fix it? First check to see if the monitor is on and is receiving power, most monitors when they have power, but no connection or connection problems with the computer will display a message that says this monitor is working, but make sure you check your cables. So the next logical step to take would be to check the cable to make sure it is properly connected and secured to the VGA slot behind your computer case and to make sure the monitor cable is plugged into the monitor. Now, here’s where you have to decide what would be the next best course of action to take. you could either swap out your monitor with another monitor that you know is working to see if the problem is the monitor itself and nothing else or you can try to see if the problem is your graphics card. If your replacement monitor works, good, then you know your culprit is a bad monitor and you’ll most likely have to get a new one, because monitors are dangerous and too costly service. If the replacement monitor you used shows up a black screen as well, the next thing you’d do is check to make sure the graphics card is properly seated in the motherboard, if it is and the display is still not showing up, then swap out the graphics card to see if your problem is fixed.
Generally there are only so many steps you can take before you solve the problem and everything is back in order. Make sure that before you start testing and swapping out parts that the problem wasn’t caused by you changing a software setting in Windows or some ambiguous option in the motherboard’s BIOS that causes your problem.
Motherboard
The motherboard is the heart of the computer, every part of the computer relies on the motherboard to function correctly. It maintains connection between every PC component and ensures that things are operating smoothly between them. Many signs of motherboard failure is that the computer won't boot up, not reaching the POST test, erratic system behavior, different combinations of components not working. Because everything is connected to the motherboard certain parts may or may not work correctly if the motherboard is faulty so be sure to test those parts before thinking they're dead and getting new ones.
Be sure to do a visual inspection of the motherboard to make sure all cables are seated properly, the fans are spinning, and that the CMOS battery is in it's proper place.
Also check for any broken or leaking capacitors, those can immediately render a motherboard dead.
Make sure that all of the jumpers are set correctly as well, you should be able to find jumper information in your motherboard's manual, and if you don't have the manual you should be able to find the manual on the Internet at the motherboard manufacturer's website.
Many of the problems caused by a bad motherboard is also similar to problems caused by a faulty or dying power supply, so be sure to check if the power supply is faulty or swap it out for another to see if your problem is fixed. If you have a spare motherboard you can try swapping out the motherboard to see if that solves your problem, if that's the case then the motherboard is most likely faulty. If you think the motherboard is faulty and it is still in warranty you should be able to send it back to the manufacturer for a new one with no hassle, sometimes they might even pay for the shipping & handling if it is a big problem that is happening with a certain line of motherboards. Make sure that when you open a motherboard you keep all of the packaging and the box, and if there are any stickers that will void the warranty if removed make sure you do NOT remove them, so that way it is easier to send back.
Power Supply
If you suspect your power supply is giving you trouble, make sure you check it out fast, because power supplies can make trouble with the rest of your system as well. Irregular voltages sent from the power supply can short circuit and overheat your components thus frying them and making them unusable. Some faulty power supplies have even caught on fire, but if you’re lucky it might just smoke a little and start to smell. A few signals that your power supply is bad or is going bad would be erratic and seemingly random system behavior like system hangs and crashes, and burning smells along with smoke.
If you recently upgraded your system or added new hard drives, disk drives, a graphics card or anything for that matter, be sure to check if your power supply is being overloaded with hardware. A good way to check is to use a power supply calculator. One time when I upgraded my system with a new fancy PCI Express 16x Graphics card, well it was fancy back then, I had problems with the graphics card performing while in 3d games, it was all due to my power supply being unable give it enough juice on the 12v rails so it performed poorly and didn’t act as it should have, I even swapped out the graphics card for another one believing it was bad, after checking the manufacturer’s forums it seemed like a lot of people were having problems with faulty cards, so I figured mine must have been faulty too. After getting the new card it seemed like it performed better for a little bit longer, which could’ve just been some optimizations they did to circuit board. Seeing how they sent me an upgraded version of the same card, but it wasn’t until I checked my power supply wattages that I found the real culprit.
The first thing to do to diagnose your power supply is check the power supply connectors, make sure everything is plugged into the motherboard and the power cable is plugged into the power supply, you wouldn’t believe how many people forget to plug in their computer. Many power supplies also have a power switch on them so check to make sure that no one accidentally or purposefully switched it off maybe for a prank. Check the fan to see if it is spinning at the correct speed and if it’s dusty vacuum it out. Determine if the power supply cables are giving out the right amount of voltage, if you computer will let you boot you should be able to check them in the BIOS menu to see if the correct voltages are being given. Normal power supplies give +3.3 volts DC, +5 volts DC, -5 volts DC, +12 volts DC, and -12 volts DC.
Memory
Faulty RAM can have many adverse effects on your system. Constant lockups, computer rebooting, memory error message (duh), system crashes, and sometimes refusing to boot up are all signs of memory errors. Though, these are also signs for motherboard, hard drive, and power supply problems too. Luckily for you if you think your memory is subject to causing a disruption in your system there are programs that can check the memory for it's performance and to see if it is generating any errors.
Memtest86+ is an amazing memory diagnostic program. It is based off of the original Memtest86 that has been around since 1994 and is used by system-builders, average joes, and professionals in the IT world. It's a standalone memory check test which means it can be easily run without a bootable operating system, that's good if you can't just seem to get your PC started and want to rule out your memory as quickly as possible.
How To Use Memtest86 With Your Floppy Drive To Test Your Memory
First go their website at www.memtest.org and select the most appropriate version to download. You can download the bootable iso or the Pre-compiled floppy drive depending on whether you want burn a CD or use your floppy drive. We're going to go into details on floppy method.
Open up the .zip and extract the files to a folder, then click on install.bat, you will be asked to “Enter target diskette drive:”. Type A and hit enter then it will ask you to insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and press -Enter-: after you hit enter it will write some files to your floppy so you can boot your computer with the floppy to test for errors.
After the floppy has been formatted with Memtest86+, leave the floppy in your floppy drive and reboot your computer. Remember to set your floppy drive as the first boot device in your BIOS menu.
The program will automatically load and perform the memory diagnostic tests on your computer. During the testing if there any errors they will show up and at the end of the test it will tell you how many errors you've had.
After testing your memory if you receive any errors you should make sure that your memory is okay either by swapping it out and seeing the problems still occur or try your memory in another system. If the memory passes the tests then you proceed to troubleshoot something else with good faith that your memory is fine.
Hard Drive
The hard drive is that ultimate safe to everything important on your computer. It keeps all of your information, files and folders, music, videos, favorite websites, and programs. With a bad hard drive there's no reason to have a computer. In terms of fixing a computer if the hard drive isn't salvageable then most people don't even want to bother with the rest, because their computer is probably a piece of junk that has been handed down from time to time. Generally when a hard drive is about to fail it's usually years down the road from first acquiring the computer. So the next best option rather than replacing the drive is to just buy a new computer, or build a new one, because your old one sure is probably not running as fast as it used to.
Luckily before your hard drive kicks the bucket there is usually a few warning signs:
Abnormally slow file transfers
Problems with booting, especially when Windows is being loaded
Corrupted files
Disappearing files or folders
Loud hard drive noise is a good sign that there is a mechanical problem going on inside
If your hard drive exhibits any of these signs be sure to transfer all of your files to another source immediately, and do not continue to do day-to-day activities with that hard drive. If it doesn't show any of these tell-tale signs, however you have a gut feeling that your hard drive is on the brink of destruction you can try using many different drive testing utilities available on the internet. The hard drive manufacturer usually has at least one qualified tool that you can download from their website and run. Other ways to check the health of your hard drive involves running the Windows Error Checking tool by right clicking on your hard drive in 'My Computer' then selecting 'Properties' and going to the 'Tool' and clicking on “Check Now”, or checking the SMART status located in your motherboard's BIOS. SMART stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology. Most motherboards nowadays has this technology. It should be automatically enabled in your BIOS, if it's not then your hard drive won't get checked. What it does is on boot up it will perform quick tests on your hard drive to ensure it is running correctly and it will continue to monitor it for any errors or abnormal problems that may occur as long as the computer is turned on.
Monitor
Watching movies, videos, playing games, and looking at NSFW material are all amazing things we can do on our computers. Yet there may come a day where you just want to get on your computer and relax in your computer room looking at all that NSFW material you have bookmarked under the “Special Sites” category, but you can’t because your monitor won’t turn on. No, you don’t frump and punch holes in the walls to look for an outlet for your rage. You troubleshoot it, and hope to god that your monitor isn’t broken!
When diagnosing a screen problem, half the time it’s usually something very easy, like a cable coming loose, or the monitor getting unplugged accidentally; unfortunately the other half the time it’s probably a problem that’s related to your monitor being old, or a problem that’s related to your graphics card instead. So you may have to diagnose both items at the same time to see which solves your problem.
First, check all your cables, I know this is probably getting a little old with the checking connections and everything, but so many computer problems can be avoided if people just remember that their computer isn’t always going to stay the same way they left it. A foot could kick out a cable, a dog or a cat that got to curious, or almost anything can render half your hardware useless.
After checking all your cables, make sure your screen has power, if it has power and shows a message such as “This monitor is working correctly please check your cable” and shows bars of color on the screen, that means that your monitor is not getting a signal from your computer. Try swapping out the monitor for another one to see if it still says that message. If it does then that means the problem is most likely something to do with your graphics card not seated in the motherboard, or just isn’t working properly, you may want to try swapping out another graphics card to see if that solves your problem.
Generally monitors don’t have that many diagnosable problems. Either they work and they work well, or they don’t work and you have to replace them. When working on a monitor you should never open them, they aren’t meant to be serviced and contain high charged capacitors that hold lethal doses of electricity. We wouldn’t want to read about a computer guy in the obituaries now would we?
Graphics Card
The glorious graphics card, it’s an amazing thing really. It makes all those pretty HDR (High Dynamic Range) pictures look just that good, it keeps your games running smoothly, and your videos in HD. Yet these things can be pains when they’re just not working right, because if something is wrong there’s not a strict hardware or software solution, you have to analyze the current situation to see what’s up.
First and foremost if you’re having any problems with your graphics card, probably the best thing to try to do first is see if there an updated driver for it at the manufacturer’s website that may solve the problem, or if there isn’t an update try uninstalling your graphics drivers and reinstalling them this little action can solve so many problems.
If there’s little jaggies or weird colorful mishaps known as artifacts appearing on your screen you may want to check the temperature of your graphics and make sure is getting enough cooling, and that the fan is working properly. If the cooling checks out okay you may also want to check your power supply ratings to see if it is giving enough juice to your graphics card. Nowadays most graphics cards need a lot of power on the 12v rails, make sure your power supply can give you that power that the graphics card needs.
Sound Card
Some of the typical problems people have with sound cards is either A) no sound or B) no sound. Sounds card typically aren't very expensive so having to replace one if the current one isn't working is no big deal. However, if you're one of those audiophile types who expect 100% original recording quality with your $300 sound card replacing one of those is as expected a lot more harder to do.
Sound Card Troubleshooting
Check speaker cables make sure they're all connected and plugged into the right spot on your sound card. Also check the speaker's power cables.
Make sure windows volume is turned up and the volume is not muted, also make sure that you have all the wave and playback volume turned up and not muted. If you have 'Digital Output Only' checked in your Advanced Controls for Playback Controls, try unchecking it to see if that solves your non-sound problem. I found that if I have that checked my sound card won't give me any sound.
Try reinstalling your sound card drivers, also try checking on the internet at the manufacturer's website for any updated drivers that may be available. They increase your sound card's compatibility with your system.
If the previous tips didn't help, then you may just have to replace your sound card, or atleast swap it out for another one to see if it might be a problem related to your sound card's connection to the motherboard instead.
Processor
The processor is the actual thinking part of the brain of the computer. It does all the calculations needed to make a computer run, and does them all in split second timing. It determines how fast your computer generally runs, and most of the time is a bottle neck for systems that have had everything upgraded except the CPU.
If your processor’s not working, it’s not the end of the world, generally most processors that work correctly for a few weeks, should work correctly for the rest of it’s lifespan, which varies from 5-10 years or so. As long as you’re not overclocking the processor or letting it overheat too badly your processor should be fine, and it could just be a BIOS setting that’s messed up, or a jumper setting, but for kicks just check to make the processor is seated properly and the heat sink is attached to the processor and the motherboard. The heat sink should be attached tightly to the motherboard and not have room to move about, you should be able to pick up your motherboard by grabbing onto the heat sink without any problems. Check in your motherboard manual to make sure all the jumpers are set correctly for your type of processor. Any jumpers set incorrectly can cause the processor to not work, or function correctly or at it’s optimal speed. Also check the heat sink to see if it is cooling off the processor, if it’s not doing a very good job you may want to look into investing in a better one that gets the job done.
by:
Manas R. Parida
There could be many reasons why you’d want to troubleshoot your computer, well, one actually and that’s because something is not working right. The process of troubleshooting is something you learn after working for a long time with computers. Often enough when there’s a problem, nothing is going to explicitly tell you what is causing the problem and how you can fix it. By taking logical steps and walking through the process of troubleshooting you should be able to solve almost any computer problem, software or hardware related. It involves identifying the problem(s), finding the cause of that problem, determining the solution, executing that solution, and testing and checking that solution to see if it solves your problem.
As an example let’s say one day while using your computer the screen suddenly turns all black and you can’t see anything. We found a problem now what would be the first step to take to fix it? First check to see if the monitor is on and is receiving power, most monitors when they have power, but no connection or connection problems with the computer will display a message that says this monitor is working, but make sure you check your cables. So the next logical step to take would be to check the cable to make sure it is properly connected and secured to the VGA slot behind your computer case and to make sure the monitor cable is plugged into the monitor. Now, here’s where you have to decide what would be the next best course of action to take. you could either swap out your monitor with another monitor that you know is working to see if the problem is the monitor itself and nothing else or you can try to see if the problem is your graphics card. If your replacement monitor works, good, then you know your culprit is a bad monitor and you’ll most likely have to get a new one, because monitors are dangerous and too costly service. If the replacement monitor you used shows up a black screen as well, the next thing you’d do is check to make sure the graphics card is properly seated in the motherboard, if it is and the display is still not showing up, then swap out the graphics card to see if your problem is fixed.
Generally there are only so many steps you can take before you solve the problem and everything is back in order. Make sure that before you start testing and swapping out parts that the problem wasn’t caused by you changing a software setting in Windows or some ambiguous option in the motherboard’s BIOS that causes your problem.
Motherboard
The motherboard is the heart of the computer, every part of the computer relies on the motherboard to function correctly. It maintains connection between every PC component and ensures that things are operating smoothly between them. Many signs of motherboard failure is that the computer won't boot up, not reaching the POST test, erratic system behavior, different combinations of components not working. Because everything is connected to the motherboard certain parts may or may not work correctly if the motherboard is faulty so be sure to test those parts before thinking they're dead and getting new ones.
Be sure to do a visual inspection of the motherboard to make sure all cables are seated properly, the fans are spinning, and that the CMOS battery is in it's proper place.
Also check for any broken or leaking capacitors, those can immediately render a motherboard dead.
Make sure that all of the jumpers are set correctly as well, you should be able to find jumper information in your motherboard's manual, and if you don't have the manual you should be able to find the manual on the Internet at the motherboard manufacturer's website.
Many of the problems caused by a bad motherboard is also similar to problems caused by a faulty or dying power supply, so be sure to check if the power supply is faulty or swap it out for another to see if your problem is fixed. If you have a spare motherboard you can try swapping out the motherboard to see if that solves your problem, if that's the case then the motherboard is most likely faulty. If you think the motherboard is faulty and it is still in warranty you should be able to send it back to the manufacturer for a new one with no hassle, sometimes they might even pay for the shipping & handling if it is a big problem that is happening with a certain line of motherboards. Make sure that when you open a motherboard you keep all of the packaging and the box, and if there are any stickers that will void the warranty if removed make sure you do NOT remove them, so that way it is easier to send back.
Power Supply
If you suspect your power supply is giving you trouble, make sure you check it out fast, because power supplies can make trouble with the rest of your system as well. Irregular voltages sent from the power supply can short circuit and overheat your components thus frying them and making them unusable. Some faulty power supplies have even caught on fire, but if you’re lucky it might just smoke a little and start to smell. A few signals that your power supply is bad or is going bad would be erratic and seemingly random system behavior like system hangs and crashes, and burning smells along with smoke.
If you recently upgraded your system or added new hard drives, disk drives, a graphics card or anything for that matter, be sure to check if your power supply is being overloaded with hardware. A good way to check is to use a power supply calculator. One time when I upgraded my system with a new fancy PCI Express 16x Graphics card, well it was fancy back then, I had problems with the graphics card performing while in 3d games, it was all due to my power supply being unable give it enough juice on the 12v rails so it performed poorly and didn’t act as it should have, I even swapped out the graphics card for another one believing it was bad, after checking the manufacturer’s forums it seemed like a lot of people were having problems with faulty cards, so I figured mine must have been faulty too. After getting the new card it seemed like it performed better for a little bit longer, which could’ve just been some optimizations they did to circuit board. Seeing how they sent me an upgraded version of the same card, but it wasn’t until I checked my power supply wattages that I found the real culprit.
The first thing to do to diagnose your power supply is check the power supply connectors, make sure everything is plugged into the motherboard and the power cable is plugged into the power supply, you wouldn’t believe how many people forget to plug in their computer. Many power supplies also have a power switch on them so check to make sure that no one accidentally or purposefully switched it off maybe for a prank. Check the fan to see if it is spinning at the correct speed and if it’s dusty vacuum it out. Determine if the power supply cables are giving out the right amount of voltage, if you computer will let you boot you should be able to check them in the BIOS menu to see if the correct voltages are being given. Normal power supplies give +3.3 volts DC, +5 volts DC, -5 volts DC, +12 volts DC, and -12 volts DC.
Memory
Faulty RAM can have many adverse effects on your system. Constant lockups, computer rebooting, memory error message (duh), system crashes, and sometimes refusing to boot up are all signs of memory errors. Though, these are also signs for motherboard, hard drive, and power supply problems too. Luckily for you if you think your memory is subject to causing a disruption in your system there are programs that can check the memory for it's performance and to see if it is generating any errors.
Memtest86+ is an amazing memory diagnostic program. It is based off of the original Memtest86 that has been around since 1994 and is used by system-builders, average joes, and professionals in the IT world. It's a standalone memory check test which means it can be easily run without a bootable operating system, that's good if you can't just seem to get your PC started and want to rule out your memory as quickly as possible.
How To Use Memtest86 With Your Floppy Drive To Test Your Memory
First go their website at www.memtest.org and select the most appropriate version to download. You can download the bootable iso or the Pre-compiled floppy drive depending on whether you want burn a CD or use your floppy drive. We're going to go into details on floppy method.
Open up the .zip and extract the files to a folder, then click on install.bat, you will be asked to “Enter target diskette drive:”. Type A and hit enter then it will ask you to insert a formatted diskette into drive A: and press -Enter-: after you hit enter it will write some files to your floppy so you can boot your computer with the floppy to test for errors.
After the floppy has been formatted with Memtest86+, leave the floppy in your floppy drive and reboot your computer. Remember to set your floppy drive as the first boot device in your BIOS menu.
The program will automatically load and perform the memory diagnostic tests on your computer. During the testing if there any errors they will show up and at the end of the test it will tell you how many errors you've had.
After testing your memory if you receive any errors you should make sure that your memory is okay either by swapping it out and seeing the problems still occur or try your memory in another system. If the memory passes the tests then you proceed to troubleshoot something else with good faith that your memory is fine.
Hard Drive
The hard drive is that ultimate safe to everything important on your computer. It keeps all of your information, files and folders, music, videos, favorite websites, and programs. With a bad hard drive there's no reason to have a computer. In terms of fixing a computer if the hard drive isn't salvageable then most people don't even want to bother with the rest, because their computer is probably a piece of junk that has been handed down from time to time. Generally when a hard drive is about to fail it's usually years down the road from first acquiring the computer. So the next best option rather than replacing the drive is to just buy a new computer, or build a new one, because your old one sure is probably not running as fast as it used to.
Luckily before your hard drive kicks the bucket there is usually a few warning signs:
Abnormally slow file transfers
Problems with booting, especially when Windows is being loaded
Corrupted files
Disappearing files or folders
Loud hard drive noise is a good sign that there is a mechanical problem going on inside
If your hard drive exhibits any of these signs be sure to transfer all of your files to another source immediately, and do not continue to do day-to-day activities with that hard drive. If it doesn't show any of these tell-tale signs, however you have a gut feeling that your hard drive is on the brink of destruction you can try using many different drive testing utilities available on the internet. The hard drive manufacturer usually has at least one qualified tool that you can download from their website and run. Other ways to check the health of your hard drive involves running the Windows Error Checking tool by right clicking on your hard drive in 'My Computer' then selecting 'Properties' and going to the 'Tool' and clicking on “Check Now”, or checking the SMART status located in your motherboard's BIOS. SMART stands for Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology. Most motherboards nowadays has this technology. It should be automatically enabled in your BIOS, if it's not then your hard drive won't get checked. What it does is on boot up it will perform quick tests on your hard drive to ensure it is running correctly and it will continue to monitor it for any errors or abnormal problems that may occur as long as the computer is turned on.
Monitor
Watching movies, videos, playing games, and looking at NSFW material are all amazing things we can do on our computers. Yet there may come a day where you just want to get on your computer and relax in your computer room looking at all that NSFW material you have bookmarked under the “Special Sites” category, but you can’t because your monitor won’t turn on. No, you don’t frump and punch holes in the walls to look for an outlet for your rage. You troubleshoot it, and hope to god that your monitor isn’t broken!
When diagnosing a screen problem, half the time it’s usually something very easy, like a cable coming loose, or the monitor getting unplugged accidentally; unfortunately the other half the time it’s probably a problem that’s related to your monitor being old, or a problem that’s related to your graphics card instead. So you may have to diagnose both items at the same time to see which solves your problem.
First, check all your cables, I know this is probably getting a little old with the checking connections and everything, but so many computer problems can be avoided if people just remember that their computer isn’t always going to stay the same way they left it. A foot could kick out a cable, a dog or a cat that got to curious, or almost anything can render half your hardware useless.
After checking all your cables, make sure your screen has power, if it has power and shows a message such as “This monitor is working correctly please check your cable” and shows bars of color on the screen, that means that your monitor is not getting a signal from your computer. Try swapping out the monitor for another one to see if it still says that message. If it does then that means the problem is most likely something to do with your graphics card not seated in the motherboard, or just isn’t working properly, you may want to try swapping out another graphics card to see if that solves your problem.
Generally monitors don’t have that many diagnosable problems. Either they work and they work well, or they don’t work and you have to replace them. When working on a monitor you should never open them, they aren’t meant to be serviced and contain high charged capacitors that hold lethal doses of electricity. We wouldn’t want to read about a computer guy in the obituaries now would we?
Graphics Card
The glorious graphics card, it’s an amazing thing really. It makes all those pretty HDR (High Dynamic Range) pictures look just that good, it keeps your games running smoothly, and your videos in HD. Yet these things can be pains when they’re just not working right, because if something is wrong there’s not a strict hardware or software solution, you have to analyze the current situation to see what’s up.
First and foremost if you’re having any problems with your graphics card, probably the best thing to try to do first is see if there an updated driver for it at the manufacturer’s website that may solve the problem, or if there isn’t an update try uninstalling your graphics drivers and reinstalling them this little action can solve so many problems.
If there’s little jaggies or weird colorful mishaps known as artifacts appearing on your screen you may want to check the temperature of your graphics and make sure is getting enough cooling, and that the fan is working properly. If the cooling checks out okay you may also want to check your power supply ratings to see if it is giving enough juice to your graphics card. Nowadays most graphics cards need a lot of power on the 12v rails, make sure your power supply can give you that power that the graphics card needs.
Sound Card
Some of the typical problems people have with sound cards is either A) no sound or B) no sound. Sounds card typically aren't very expensive so having to replace one if the current one isn't working is no big deal. However, if you're one of those audiophile types who expect 100% original recording quality with your $300 sound card replacing one of those is as expected a lot more harder to do.
Sound Card Troubleshooting
Check speaker cables make sure they're all connected and plugged into the right spot on your sound card. Also check the speaker's power cables.
Make sure windows volume is turned up and the volume is not muted, also make sure that you have all the wave and playback volume turned up and not muted. If you have 'Digital Output Only' checked in your Advanced Controls for Playback Controls, try unchecking it to see if that solves your non-sound problem. I found that if I have that checked my sound card won't give me any sound.
Try reinstalling your sound card drivers, also try checking on the internet at the manufacturer's website for any updated drivers that may be available. They increase your sound card's compatibility with your system.
If the previous tips didn't help, then you may just have to replace your sound card, or atleast swap it out for another one to see if it might be a problem related to your sound card's connection to the motherboard instead.
Processor
The processor is the actual thinking part of the brain of the computer. It does all the calculations needed to make a computer run, and does them all in split second timing. It determines how fast your computer generally runs, and most of the time is a bottle neck for systems that have had everything upgraded except the CPU.
If your processor’s not working, it’s not the end of the world, generally most processors that work correctly for a few weeks, should work correctly for the rest of it’s lifespan, which varies from 5-10 years or so. As long as you’re not overclocking the processor or letting it overheat too badly your processor should be fine, and it could just be a BIOS setting that’s messed up, or a jumper setting, but for kicks just check to make the processor is seated properly and the heat sink is attached to the processor and the motherboard. The heat sink should be attached tightly to the motherboard and not have room to move about, you should be able to pick up your motherboard by grabbing onto the heat sink without any problems. Check in your motherboard manual to make sure all the jumpers are set correctly for your type of processor. Any jumpers set incorrectly can cause the processor to not work, or function correctly or at it’s optimal speed. Also check the heat sink to see if it is cooling off the processor, if it’s not doing a very good job you may want to look into investing in a better one that gets the job done.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Orissa - The Ancient Kalinga
Information of Orissa Land
Orissa - a coastal state is located on the eastern coast of India extended to an area of 155,707SqKm. The region is restricted by Madhya Pradesh in the west, Andhra Pradesh in the south ,West Bengal in north-east, Bay of Bengal in the east and Bihar in the north. Orissa was carved out of its parental state- Bihar and got the status of and independent state in 1936. Bhubaneswar- the capital city of Orrisa is one of the most planned modern town and also a pilgrimage center of Hindus.
The entire region faces the tropical climate as a result of which high temperature is recorded particularly during April-May. Also being a coastal region, the sea has a moderate influence over the climate of the coastal belt whereas the mountain regions experience an extreme cold climate. The rich mineral belts lie in the western and north-western parts of the state.
¤ Geographical Features
Orissa can be divided into three broad regions 1) The Coastal plains, (2) The Mountain Region (3) The Plateaus
¤ Coastal Plains
In the eastern cost of India the coastal plains of Orissa extends from the Mayurbhanj in the north-east to the Malkangiri in the south-west. The terrain of the region is narrow in the north, widest in the middle, almost tapering in the south. This fertile region is known as the 'rice bowl' of Orissa. The plains are fed by the pristine water of its numerous rivers -- the Subarnarekha, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the Mahanadi.
¤ The Salt Tract
The salt tract is a narrow belt which stretches the shore line for about 4 to 9km in land. The places is completely absorbed with salt resulted into barren land. The innumerable slow and inactive waterways makes it difficult to traverse. Amidst Mahanadi delta, this salt area is throng with forest known as the Little Sunderbans.
¤ The Mahanadi Delta
The Mahanadi delta has formed raised platform as a result of which sand dunes developed along the coast. These raised sand ridges brought changes in the drainage systems. The formation of the sand dunes can be seen between the Chilika and the Devi up to the north of Dhamra.
¤ The Coastal Line
Orissa has a coastal line of 529 Km from the marshes of Ichhapuram in the south to the east of Subarnarekha in the north-east. The Orissa coast has enlarged in the center of the region where the Mahanadi, the Brahmani and the Baitarani have formed a combined delta.
¤ The Lakes, Lagoons and Marshes
The most important feature of Orissa lakes are they are sub-divided into natural and artificial lakes. There are also lakes that have salt content in them. The most important reservoirs are at Balimela, on the river Sileru, Mandira over the Sankh, and Indravati in the river Indravati.
Chilika Lake forms the natural reservoir and is one of the largest lake in India also a home to numerous aerial population. Government of Orissa has declared the lake as a bird sanctuary that makes it one of the most important tourist destinations with its exquisite picturesque splendor. The Sar lake, the Samagarapata and the Tampara are important lagoons in the region.
¤ Mountain Region
Orissa has a hilly terrain, almost three-fourth of entire state is covered with mountains. The elevated plateaus are located in the mountain ranges with an average height of 300-600m they are also festooned with deep river valleys.
The uplands are much lower in heights and varies between 150 and 300m. These lands are fertile lands and have much scope for cultivation of paddy in wet areas. The Baragarh uplands of the Jira and the Jhaun basins are the most renowned one.
¤ The Rriver Valleys
The major rivers of Orissa have formed valleys due to fluvial action. These valleys are mostly narrow and deep in the upper reaches, wide in the middle and broaden in the lower reaches - a gate-way to the plains of Orissa. The Valley of the Mahanadi , The Valley of Brahmani, The Valley of the Vamsadhara are some of the most famous river valley formations. Six important rivers water the state -- the Subarnarekha, the Budhabalanga, the Baitarani, the Brahmani, the Mahanadi and the Rusikulya, covering an area of 155,707sq.km.
Ganga, The Holi River
The River Ganges
The Indian system of beliefs is based on an intimate relationship with nature. An offshoot of this is the reverence accorded to rivers as a gesture of acknowledgement of their life sustaining abilities in primarily agrarian societies. Perennial rivers such as the Ganges have been held in high regard since time immemorial. This current of acknowledgement runs through the entire subcontinent, as seen from references to the Ganges in ancient South Indian literature.The Story of the descent of Ganga: Ganga, the heavenly river was brought down to the earth through the efforts of the ruler Bhagiratha. Legends related to the Ganga: Several colorful legends are associated with the river Ganga, as related in the Indian epics.
Course of the River Ganga: Follow the river from its origin in the Himalayas all the way to its confluence with the ocean, through ancient pilgrimage towns and cities. Rishikesh - Gateway to the Himalayas. Experience the might of the Ganges and the serene atmosphere of Rishikesh where all Himalayan pilgrimages begin. Haridwar - where the Ganges is revered. Visit Haridwar in the foothills of the Himalayas and experience the Aarti to the Ganges, when the entire riverside is lit up with the glow of hundreds of lamps.
Benares: The most venerated of the pilgrimage sites in India on the banks of the Ganges Prayag- where the Yamuna merges with the Ganga: Prayag, at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh is an ancient pilgrimage site and is the seat of the Kumbha Mela festival occuring once every 12 years.
Tryambakeshwar in Maharashtra - where the Godavari is venerated as the Ganga Ganga Sagar - at the confluence of the Ganga with the ocean is an ancient pilgrimage site associated with Kapilamuni. The river Ganga - as it relates to India today. - A commentary. How does India relate to the Ganges?
Course of the River Ganga: Follow the river from its origin in the Himalayas all the way to its confluence with the ocean, through ancient pilgrimage towns and cities. Rishikesh - Gateway to the Himalayas. Experience the might of the Ganges and the serene atmosphere of Rishikesh where all Himalayan pilgrimages begin. Haridwar - where the Ganges is revered. Visit Haridwar in the foothills of the Himalayas and experience the Aarti to the Ganges, when the entire riverside is lit up with the glow of hundreds of lamps.
Benares: The most venerated of the pilgrimage sites in India on the banks of the Ganges Prayag- where the Yamuna merges with the Ganga: Prayag, at Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh is an ancient pilgrimage site and is the seat of the Kumbha Mela festival occuring once every 12 years.
Tryambakeshwar in Maharashtra - where the Godavari is venerated as the Ganga Ganga Sagar - at the confluence of the Ganga with the ocean is an ancient pilgrimage site associated with Kapilamuni. The river Ganga - as it relates to India today. - A commentary. How does India relate to the Ganges?
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