Tuesday, September 30, 2008

A Review of the Satellite TV PC Software - Satellite PC Box

There are several different Satellite TV on PC software programs available online. This article gives you an unbiased review of Satellite PC Box software.

The sellers of Satellite PC Box offer a software program that can be instantly downloaded, setup and put to use in just 5 minutes. The Satellite PC Box software allows you to watch 4000+ satellite and cable TV channels on your computer. Their words are “turn your PC into a super TV!”

Our research for this review found that, as of this date 9/28/08, there were zero negative reviews of the Satellite PC Box “satellite TV PC software” posted online. We looked for actual feedback and reviews online which included consumer forums, product review websites and yahoo answers. On the Satellite PC Box website, it is promoted that one of the major benefits of using this tv on pc software is that you will no longer have to pay high satellite TV or cable TV monthly fees. The sellers claim that once you download and setup the software, you will have the ability to view over 4000 TV channels on your computer.

While you may be able to view these channels on your PC, you should also consider that you would be viewing them on your PC monitor, which for most people are small, around 17 inches or 18 inches.

To overcome this problem, you could purchase a larger computer monitor to use while viewing television on your PC. For example, you there are listings for quality 24 inch computer monitors on eBay at around $200.

If you do decide to purchase a larger monitor and use this satellite tv pc software, you very well could save $100’s a year on monthly satellite TV subscription fees, and still enjoy watching the 1000’s of TV channels.

This product offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee. You may use the software for 8 weeks, therefore you have plenty of time to decide if it works. If you find that it does not work well on your PC for viewing TV, then you can easily get a refund.

For optimum picture and viewing, it is recommended you use DSL or high speed internet access with this software.

If you would like the ability to watch over 4000 satellite TV channels on your PC, then you may wish try the Satellite PC Box software [click here].

 

 

Sunday, September 28, 2008

How to Get Rid of Adware?

Adware is something that you would personally call, “a real pain in the neck!” If you have been using the internet for a while now, you probably have come across dozens or hundreds of Adware over time. If you haven’t, you must be very lucky. But if you are reading this article, I’m sure that your PC is suffering from Adware or Spyware. Spyware is simply the worst case scenario of Adware where your personal information is also leaked out. You don't want that to happen!

Adware simply installs itself into your PC and starts throwing up unwanted ads, popups and banners. If your computer is running weird, then it’s not the Adware. It's bad. They are called spyware and malicious scripts. Your PC will go nuts with these things.

It usually gets into your machine when you install a free program like a shareware. Shareware programs are usually where you find these kinds of Adware. You never get free stuff without a catch... The reason being that they can show you ads and banners while you are using the computer. It’s a clever marketing trick, but it’s not clever anymore. It’s just a pain. Of course if you had a real time security like Adware Alert, it usually detects these stuff and removes them.

Even some of the more popular softwares tend to install adware like Zango, AOL messenger, Zango, Gator, Weatherbug etc... This shows that even though Adware maybe legit, it’s not nice!

The simplest thing to do is NOT to install software with the tag "Free" in them. You should always be a little skeptic. Except for air, nothing is free.

Yet, no matter how protective you maybe, few of them just get right through, and it can be close to impossible when trying to remove it. There are special security softwares for these cases that help remove all kinds of adware, spyware and malicious scripts. Read my review on Adware Alert for more information.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

How To Permanently Erase Files From Your Computer

You've deleted a file. So that's it. It's no longer available to anyone, is it?

Err. No. It's still there.

You see, computers - and especially computer programmers - take short cuts. And one of the short cuts is by ignoring your command to delete a file. It doesn't really get deleted. Occasionally, this can be useful as it means that if you didn't really want to delete a file, no problem.

But what can you do if you want to completely obliterate all traces of a file? Maybe you're selling your computer and you don't want the new owner to have access to all your passwords. Maybe you had some confidential documents from your company and you need to make sure that they're not kept on your hard disk any longer than needed. Maybe it's some email correspondence you don't want anyone else to get hold of.

It doesn't matter what the reason is, just hitting the delete button isn't good enough.

Unless you can guarantee that no-one else will ever have access to your computer, you need to make sure that the files you want deleted actually get removed totally.

Far and away the best way to do this is by using a software program. The only other way is to format your hard disk tens of times and then splinter it into thousands of little pieces, there's no way you can do this on your own.

Fortunately you can get some cheap software that makes securely deleting files an absolute breeze.

It will overwrite the space occupied by the file you want to delete. Not just once or twice (that's still too easy to recover) but lots and lots of times. Once it's finished, not even the NSA's high powered computers would have the slightest clue about the file's contents.

Which means if you want to be completely certain that your files are permanently deleted, you need to download this software!

Friday, September 26, 2008

How To Make WIndows Boot Up Faster

You've been there, done that. You have to do something right now on your PC but the screen is blank, meaning it's turned off. You curse under your breath. You're in for a long wait while Windows messes around and thinks about waking up your PC. If you didn't know better, you'd think it had never done this before.

So how can you make your Windows PC boot up quicker?

It seems like the longer you own your computer, the more time it takes for it to boot up and start running. It's as though no-one at Microsoft thinks you'd ever want to switch your PC off in the first place.

The good news is that there are a few things you can do to speed up the time it takes your computer to boot up.

When it starts, Windows double checks all the programs that run every time you start your PC.Naturally that includes the version of Windows you're running. And all the other things you've asked it to run. Your instant messenger program. Apple's iTunes music program. Anti-virus (this is essential). Maybe a spyware checker. Skype so you can make cheap phone calls. Anything and everything you might need. In case anything's changed since you closed your PC, Windows will go off and check all these programs that run when it starts up.

You can find out what all these programs are. But you need to be a bit cautious - whilst you may not recognize a program by name, that doesn't mean you can safely remove it. Some of the services that run behind the scenes have quite obscure names that don't mean anything to you. But if you remove them, could make your PC unbootable. If you're in any doubt about a start-up program, play safe and leave it be. It's not worth shaving off a few seconds on boot up only to have a PC that refuses to work at all. Unless you're brave, I'd suggest leaving start-up programs to your computer support person.

The next thing to look at is the Windows registry. This is the part of Windows that holds all sorts of information about your computer. Most of it is necessary. But removing or upgrading programs can leave debris in the registry. This causes your PC to slow down. Lots of PC problems have been traced to this old information laying around.

The easiest way to clean the registry is to run a special piece of software called (surprisingly enough) a registry checker. This will scan through the Windows registry, looking for errors, inconsistencies and out of date information. After the scan, you'll get a simple report and the program can be allowed to go off and correct the errors it's found. This is probably the simplest thing you can do to speed up your PC. Personally, I let Error Sweeper run every night to find and fix registry errors.

If you'd like to know more about speeding up your Windows system, click here.


 

Step by Step instructions on how to use Word using Exceptional Microsoft Online Training Videos

Word 2007: Word 2007 Training Videos On Line Spacing

Holladay, Utah - DreamForce LLC creator of simple to use, Microsoft Office 2007 training videos and medical billing training videos has been in business for over 6 years. DreamForce has extensive knowledge in teaching many different types of business sectors. Because of the clients we support i.e. medical, financing, and project management groups we have experience answering support calls immediately,  resolving client's complex Microsoft or Medical Billing issues and getting the offices back on track.

Today we had a client call us from the Medical Industry. She was a front office representative of a specialty practice. Her scenario was the provider was moving, wanted to send a postcard to all patients and asked his staff to print labels and mail the postcards within 24 hours. Sounds easy right? Well, for the staff it was petrifying. No one had a clue how to create labels and worse yet; they had only recently upgraded to Vista and had no clue how to use Microsoft 2007 Word. We have consulted this medical office in prior situations so they decided to call us first. 

We directed them to our Microsoft Office 2007 training videos, suggested web-based training and of course gave her step by step instructions on how to create labels. We identified how to export her data from the Practice Management Software (billing software), and then showed her how to create and format labels using Merge Fields. She was ecstatic, thanked us and then for the first time in those 10 minutes of the phone call you could hear a smile over the phone. The stress was alleviated and she was able to jump this hurdle unscathed. After the call we emailed the step by step instructions for future use.

Over the last year we have seen a huge trend of doctors wanting to go paperless through a EMR product or their practice management software but simply don't make the transition because of lack of knowledge of Microsoft Word or lack of time to learn the new features. Most web-based practice management software programs are now heavily integrated with Microsoft so they have a huge impact on medical practices. Not only do we teach doctors how to use Microsoft 2007 but we also show them how it's integrated into their Practice Management Billing Software or EMR product. Doctors and billing services are now dealing with Access, Open Database Connectivity (ODBC), Comma Separated Value (CSV) reports, Word Templates, Forms Mail Merge, and Customization of medical chart documents along with many other programs.

Doctors and billing services don't really have time to "figure" out how the software products completely work. They need someone to show them the step by step's specific to their needs for that moment. With our training videos this need is filled. Anyone can train on the specific area they need, practice it with our examples, and master it. It truly is that simple.  

Please visit our website to view all training videos for Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3 for Microsoft Word 2007 training videos.

Kirt Kershaw is the creator of all Video Training Products offered through DreamForce LLC. He is a certified Master Microsoft Office Specialist Instructor for Microsoft's Office 2000, XP and 2003. He has also passed all tests available for Microsoft 2007. He travels throughout the United States training businesses. 

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Educational Computer Software for Children

Learning can be fun with specially developed children's computer software.  Math and reasoning skills are picked while playing games.  Computer commands and menus will come naturally to young children through software that has been designed to introduce these concepts.

Parents should oversee their child's choices when it comes to computer software.  A child can learn how to access the internet and travel into dangerous territory.  Just like any other aspect of teaching your child to make good decisions, computer software is another important area.

There are such wide ranges of choices that cater to all different kinds of creative minds. They range from all different age groups, genres, and subjects.  If you inform yourself about the many programs out there and find the right ones for you and your child, you may find that children's computer software does not have to be just for kids.  Nevertheless, there are so many options available. How does one decide?

The first step is to assess your child's needs.  Does your child need something to improve their math skills or possibly their reasoning skills?  Are they having trouble with reading or spelling?  Some software may appear to be just a game to a child but it is actually honing their deductive reasoning skills teaching them to read and do simple math at the same time.

So be sure to think about what you and your children want from the software you choose, as well as taking into account the age range that fits your child. Another thing to think about is what kind of software suits particular tastes. If choosing a game, educational or just fun, do your children like adventures, fantasy, sports, mystery, or something altogether different?

Maybe your child is working on a special science or geography project and needs special software.  They may be a soccer or basketball player and software geared towards a sporting activity would be right up their alley.  Let them help you make the choice in software.

Computer time can be a great time for the family to interact together.  Eveyone can get involved in the game.  Your children will learn computer skills as well as how to communicate and cooperate and compete and even lose all within the safety of the home.

By doing some online research you can find sites that will inform you about good and bad aspects of the software you are interested in as well as what age and skill level it is geared towards.  You want software that reinforces good choices and positive learning skills.

After you have done the research you will be able to make an informed choice in children's computer software. By making learning fun you and your child will both be benefiting.

Get more information about software and computers visit Cheapest Laptop

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Inexpensive, Quality, Online MIcrosoft Office 2007 Training Courses Available now

Windows Vista: Windows Vista Add Icons To Desktop

HOLLADAY, UT - September 23rd 2008 - Microsoft Training Company, DreamForce LLC announces the release of online Microsoft 2007 training videos.

Kirt Kershaw, President of DreamForce LLC, and Microsoft Certified Application Specialist (MCAS) trainer identified that the market was lacking online Microsoft Training Videos conducted by Certified MCAS trainers. Kershaw said, “I was surprised to find that clients had no options of purchasing Microsoft Office trainings from certified MCAS instructors. After identifying this through much research, I put together an agenda to offer affordable training courses with unlimited viewings and receive quality trainings like clients would receive in a live classroom setting all done by a MCAS certified trainer.".”

DreamForce LLC set out to put this plan into motion. Initially the training videos start by creating a outline and writing down the step by step instructions you will view on the training videos. Examples are then created so users can follow the instructions and watch it work. After the documentation is prepared, the online training videos are created, edited, and uploaded to videotrainingpro.com website for purchase. All training video levels take about 4 weeks to create and offer over 3 hours of training led by a certified MCAS trainer Kirt Kershaw.

The effect is the same type of training you would get if Dreamforce was on site training you live in a office setting. The difference is that through the videos you can pause, rewind, fast forward or skip through sections. You have complete control on when you want to learn and how much you can handle. The best part is you are paying 1/10th as much for these training videos if you had to go onsite somewhere and learn. Onsite trainings can cost upwards of $250.00 per student. Inexpensive, high quality and learn from the comfort of your own home. It’s great for Beginners to Advanced users and offers many solutions for all users. It's also great for businesses to purchase for their employees.

Training Videos and CD’s can be purchased for all English speaking users from anywhere in the world including USA, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland.

Trust DreamForce LLC. We have been in business for over 6 years and are registered with the Better Business Bureau.

As an authority on training Microsoft Office, Kirt Kershaw's credentials include Certified Master Microsoft Office Specialist Instructor for Microsoft's Office 2000, XP, 2003 and 2007, Microsot's Project XP Certified and CompTIA's A+ certified. In addition, he participated in Certiport’s standard setting methodologies and procedures research project with Excel 2003 Expert exam materials.

Accelerate in your job by being proficient on Microsoft 2007 through training videos

Excel 2007: Print Titles - Column Headers

HOLLADAY, UT - September 22nd 2008 - Microsoft and Medical Billing Software Training Company, DreamForce LLC announced today a new addition to their online Microsoft 2007 training videos. Microsoft Excel 2007 Beginners Level training course is available for purchase now. Excel Level 1 Training Course is 4 hours of quality training performed by a MCAS certified trainer.

Kirt Kershaw, president of DreamForce LLC, and creator of these highly desired online videos created them with the end user in mind. According to Kirt he wanted to make easy to watch, quality, quick to learn training tutorials. His training videos are recorded at a larger screen resolution of 1024x768, to keep up to date with most users switching to larger, widescreen monitors. 

"We are seeing a trend of people, of all ages and walks of life, wanting to learn how to use Microsoft 2007. Initially clients come to us at a point of high frustration after updating to Microsoft Office 2007, but after watching our training videos they come to enjoy all new features in Microsoft Vista Operating System, Word, Excel and other software programs. Clients become delighted to teach others what they have learned," says Kershaw. 

 

Kershaw goes on to say, "Our intentions are to keep prices low enough so everyone, including businesses can enjoy the benefits of learning Microsoft 2007. Becoming proficient on Microsoft 2007 can also lead to job advancements, quicker hiring, and higher pay salaries."

Training Videos and CD’s can be purchased for all English speaking users from anywhere in the world including United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland.

DreamForce LLCis registered with the Better Business Bureau.

Kirt Kershaw's certifications include Master Microsoft Office Specialist Instructor for 2000, XP, 2003 and 2007 and CompTIA's A+ Certified. In addition, Kirt also participated in Certiport's standard setting methodologies and procedures research project with Excel 2003 Expert Exam Materials.

How To Recover A Lost PDF Password

PDF files are a fantastic was to store computer documents. They can be opened on near enough any computer and the file will look the same as it was originally intended. All sorts of computers: Windows, Linux, Mac, even PDAs and mobile phones.

It's also possible to keep your PDFs from prying eyes by password protecing them. Before the PDF can be opened, the person who wants to read the file needs to enter a password.

Which is fine until you need to open a password protected PDF file but you've put the password somewhere "safe". Maybe the email is at home and you can't access that PC from wherever you are. Or maybe the email with the password has been deleted. Or maybe your view was that you always use one of a handful of passwords so you'd not have a problem remembering it. It could be the PDF was protected by someone who no longer works for your company.

Ebooks you've just bought often have a password to "protect" them (I've no idea why they do this). For whatever reason, the product's owner is paranoid and thinks that every customer has the ulterior motive of stealing their product. My personal view on this is that they should get real. After that, I re-name the PDF file so that it includes the password. That way it's easy to find the password and I don't have to hunt through all my emails to find it. I haven't always done this and some files have had to stay locked.

Whatever the reason for the lost PDF password, it means you can't quickly get into the PDF to read it.

There are several ways to get around this problem.

You can give up and hope that there's nothing of importance in the file.

You can tap away using your favorite passwords in the hope that you'll come across the lost password sooner rather than later.

You can get hold of a cheap PDF password recovery program that will do all the hard work for you and will find the lost PDF password for you in a matter of minutes.

Check out one of the best PDF password recovery programs I've found.

Three Simple Ways To Make Your Computer Faster Again

Computers are never as fast as you want them to be. It seems that as soon as you buy them, they start to slow down. Which is actually true - it's not just a figment of your imagination.

Here are 3 ways to get your computer back up to speed:

1: Check your anti virus software is always current.

If you haven't extended the free anti-virus software trial that came with your computer, you need to get up to date. New viruses come out all the time. If one of these nasty programs manages to breach your defenses, you'll be in trouble. Viruses can do anything from slow down your computer to chewing up and destroying your valuable files and data.

2: Keep checking for spyware

Spyware is different from a virus. A virus is deliberately malicious in nature. Spyware isn't always that way. Spyware is designed to spy on your system. It may do this so that it can send you more targeted adverts when you're browsing different sites. Or it may inspect your keystrokes so that it can get access to your logins and passwords. On top of that, spyware can cause system crashes and other programs. It's rare for spyware to be thoroughly tested before it's released and there won't have been a queue of beta testers, lining up to have their privacy invaded.

3: Check your Windows registry

Whilst it is possible to check the Windows registry by hand, this isn't at all recommended. Even die hard nerds don't normally venture there. The Windows registry stores all kinds of information about your computer. Everything from that useful "recent files list" to the position on screen a program last opened at. And much, much more. The trouble is that when a program is removed from your system or upgraded to the latest version, it will likely leave remnants in the registry. Over time these scraps of information will slow down your computer. These remnants may even cause unexpected crashes or there's a chance your computer will freeze (usually just before you were going to save something important). A good registry checker will sort out these problems and speed your computer up again.

Check out these registry checker reviews for the latest recommendations.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Should you use Registry Easy to Fix your Registry Problems? Make sure you don’t cause more issues!

 

Does your PC crash? Is your system running slow and are you receiving continuous error messages? Well you have an irritating but easily repairable problem with your windows registry. Should you try to fix it yourself or should you buy Registry Easy?

The Windows registry is a database of information. It contains data linked to various programs on your PC as well as the hardware and software configuration. It is regularly updated with programs that are installed and uninstalled. Whenever changes are made to any setting or application within the system it is logged in the registry. Continuous use can lead to problems.

Common errors are:

• Repeated error messages
• Slowing down of start-up speed as well as speed of normal operation
• Recurrent stalling and sluggishness of the system
Intermittent system errors and crashes
• Unable to start up Windows properly

When these problems occur, you should clean it out with a registry easy download so that your computer can start working efficiently again. The process of trying this yourself is long and time intensive. you can also take your computer in to be repaired but that is expensive and time consuming.

A most efficient and cost effective way of getting your computer repaired is by using Repair Software like RegistryEasy.

Registry Easy software is the best cleaner on the market today because of its extensive list of features and outstanding level of safety. It is definitely the best option when it comes to registry cleaners because the results are so good. That’s not saying that the other cleaners are bad, they are just not as good. None can even come close to what Registry Easy 2008 offers. It has many features and allows for deeper scanning than many other products.

One great feature we came across from our RegistryEasy.com review that puts the software at the top is that it allows junk and evidence file cleaning, in addition to a duplicate file cleaner. RegistryEasy has a very easy and simple to use interface. You can scan using 3 available options. The only negative is the fact that it has so many features which can really make it quite overwhelming at first.

The software repairs all the problems it finds, to make your computer run like new again. You don't have to re-install Windows. It is packed with a plenty of functions that are well-performing to help you in optimizing your whole computer system.

Registry Easy uses a high-end detection algorithm that will identify missing and invalid references in your Windows registry fast. The program is even easy for me to use. The various tools, including a backup function in case anything goes wrong, are easily accessible and explained in detail.

RegistryEasy is absolutely the top best choice for every computer user who wants to cure his/her PC from slowdown and/or instability. Powered by its powerful scanning and fixing engine, registry easy really makes the things simple with only few clicks to automatically fix the problems found in your registry. It will restore, fix and clean up your system files and errors in windows fast and efficiently. 

 

What is Smitfraud

Smitfraud is one of those super annoying spyware applications.  While it does not tend to do a whole lot of harm to the computer it does make working on your system that much harder.  Check out this Smitfraud site for more info on the actual removal process.

Smitfraud has many different variants and it will infect your system differently depending on what variant you have.Many times your computer's desktop image will change and you are unable to change it back.  This can be something simple or a pornographic image.  We have even seen a few say tons of curse words and taunt people with statements like “You have been hacked Mother !@#$%^”.

One big thing you may notice right away is how slow your computer is. This is because of fake securty software that runs bogus scans as well as all the adds popping up in your web browser.  Check out this Smitfraud C site for more information on that particular variant.

Smitfraud does not corrupt every computer it comes in contact with but often times it does some damage.  You should take immediate action and get these variants removed.  Waiting will only worsen the problem and deepen the infection.

We are not here to recommend any particular product in this article.  We do recommend you do your research and or visit the sites mentioned above as they have guides and recommended software to use.  One thing we would like to point out for all those that are not tech savvy, is to consider hiring a pro to remove this threat for you.  There are many local shops that can remove this threat for you for around 150 dollars.  If you would like to save a little green you can also consider this online computer repair company.  These guys remove all spyware and viruses for 89 bucks and it’s a U.S. based company.  They remote into your computer and can get you up and going in no time.This is one computer repair company worth checking out.

In the end if you are infected wiht Smitfraud you should get it removed today.  If for any reason you do not have protection you should get it soon as well.  Remember no free client out there offers live upfront protection.You get what you pay for and most are junk.You are the only person that can protect your computer.

keeping the bad guys out

Keeping the Bad Guys out of you Computer

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Another thing that you can do to speed up your computer is to use any another program or utility that comes with Windows that will repair your disk errors. You simply run the error checking utility which examines your disk drive for bad sector and attempts to repair them. When you have data stored in a bid to sector of your hard drive either the hard drive has to work harder to retrieve the information which naturally slows down your computer or in some cases makes it impossible to retrieve your important information. Repairing those bad sectors will also speed up your computer.
Another thing that you can do to make a not free but it is relatively inexpensive. Check the instruction book that came with your computer and see if it is possible to add additional memory to your computer. I ll most all modern computers do have additional capacity. Just do a little homework on the Internet and you will probably be surprised to find out how quick and easy it is for anyone that can use a screwdriver to add their own memory to their computer. Additional memory will probably cost you in the range of $50-$100 but it will make a tremendous speed difference in your computer.
These have been just a few obvious things that you can do; mostly free, to . Mostly these are, or should be, regular maintenance things that you do once a week or perhaps once a month if you do not use your computer too frequently. They don t take a whole lot of time but they WILL make a big difference in the way your computer performs. Make your P C FASTER make it feel like new ahgain!

 

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Big Windows Registry Swindle

Its interesting isn’t it how companies can build in obsolesce into their products? It is also remarkable how companies can make a lot more profit from selling you product to maintain what you ahve already bought than they do from selling you the inital product. A good example of a product that makes its sellers little money to begin with but then rakes in the profit is Gillette razors; you buy a cheap razor and pay through the noise for the blades. Most people will probably still buy It though as it is slightly less money and a lot less effort than changing the printer.  

 

Returning to the subject of built in obsolescence, this is less of a problem than it used to be when it comes to things such as white goods and other solid products. The reason for this is that manufactures are obliged to supply parts for these products seven years after they stop making them so repair is often now a real option. The area where built in obsolesce really does seem to still be a problem is that of software and in particular Microsoft Windows. The problem that Microsoft and probably a lot of hardware manufacturers have is that most people never use their computer to its full potential so although you can keep making better and better computers most people will never feel the need to upgrade. Most people only ever use their computer for word processing and surfing the net, this puts no strain on your computer? And If you chose not to upgrade, well Microsoft don’t sell any new copies of Windows. So they Microsoft and the computer manufacturers get round the problem by building in obsolescence.

 

The first and probably most effective way in which they do this is that they encourage people making software to make it incompatible with older version of windows and older computers. At lot of the time the software being released has been built to put a strain on older systems even though it is often totally unnecessary for it to do so. The second and most shocking way in which the likes of Microsoft force you to spend more money and change your computer is that programs like Microsoft Windows slowly decay over time until they become unworkable, with the computer running slowly and regularly crashing. Most people when their old computer starts to slow down and go wrong assume that the computer is no longer up to the job and go and buy a new one. You do not need to buy a new computer you need to repair the windows registry. What’s the Windows Registry you ask? Well it’s a list of all the files and programs on your computer and their locations. As you add and remove programs this registry becomes corrupted and your computer starts to run poorly, this problem can be easily fixed with a windows registry error repair tool so don’t buy a new computer make the one you have already run like new again.  

Saturday, September 20, 2008

How to Remove Smitfraud

Smitfraud as you most likely already know is a virus.Here are some of the things Smitfraud can do.  There are many different variations of this virus but most of them do two things.  The first is change your desktop background around and make it so you can not change it back.  The second highjacks your home page and constantly re-directs you to other sites.  For full removal instructions head over to this dedicated Smitfraud Removal site.

While many current anti-virus and anti-spyware programs detect Smitfraud most can not fully remove this strain.  It ha traces in the registry and several other hard to edit places.  If you miss one trace chances are you will get infected again.  That is why this is so hard to remove.

Only a few online computer repair shops specialize in removing viruses.  The cost will vary with who you choose but if you have your computer repaired online it will cut that cost in half.  Places like this Computer Repair shop do a great job and for much less then you think. They remote into your computer using screen sharing software and you can watch them work.  It’s just like having a personal tech onsite but without the high cost.  It’s worth a look at least.

Smitfraud can be fully remove using several free programs on the internet.The probelm is do you have the time it takes to download and run all these free programs?  The other downside in using free software is it won’t protect your computer from getting infected again.  Free clients do not offer upfront protection.  It’s only after you have been infected that they start to kicking and by that time it is often too late.  Don’t be cheap and fall prey to another virus.  Consider paying the 40 or so dollars a year and protect your computer so you do not have to deal with this issue again.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Let's look at a history of CAD

CAD Video

CAD stands for computer aided design.  CAD was developed in the early 60s.  Today it is the premier way to design, develop and optimized products.  People use CAD every day to design virtually every product you see.Designers use CAD to first design a product, and then they produce prints so they can manufactured that product.  A print is a picture of a part or assembly that is very exact.  It includes the dimensions and a parts list used to manufacture a product.


CAD is the use of computer based software packages that assist engineers, architects and other design professionals in their designs. CAD is the part of the main designing process and involves both software and sometimes hardware. Current software packages range from 2D vector based drafting systems to 3D solid and surface modelers.
Computer Aided Drafting software packages can generally be broken into two groups.  The groups are 2-D drafting packages or 3-D drafting packages.  Most all software packages are moving to 3-D design.  3-D design is really the next generation of CAD.Using three dimensional design, engineers can make a model of their product or part.  They can then look over this model for any apparent defects before it is ever made.


Computer-aided design is used to develop products.Computer aided design is mainly used for engineering of models and drawing parts.  It is also used throughout the engineering process from concept to design of products.  These products can be used by end consumers or used in other products.  For example, you can design a bolt in CAD, and then use it in a Sub-Assembly in a planetary, which is a part of an earth-moving machine.  CAD Design is also used in the design of tools and machinery.  Finally, it is used in the design of all types of buildings from sheds to shopping malls.

Print Reading and Drafting
When I went through college I learned how to read prints and draft.We had it a bag of tools that we had a bite the bookstore and all around campus.  T-Squares, French Curves, compasses, pencils and erasers filled this bag.Back then you had a drafting desk and a pad of paper.  You would pin or tape the paper down and begin drawing or drafting.
Drafting paper has a grid to help keep you aligned as you began you design.  In CAD, there is a grid you snap to, or guides to keep you straight.We use plastic templates to draw are drafting curves.Computer aided design software as many tools to draw both curves and lines.  We had calculators to figure out distances and ratios.Computer aided design does this automatically.


You can view CAD as replacing old school drafting.CAD moved the same process into a flexible environment.  CAD has also helped out with networking of designs.  Different designers and engineers can work on the same assembly in different parts at the same time.This effort moves the process along much quicker.


However, as far as print reading goes, that is about the same as it was before.  Drafting outputs prints and CAD outputs prints.  A human still needs to be able to read them and make sense of them.An advantage of computer-aided design is that it is much more standardized.  Many times before, prints were unique to their maker.  Similar to handwriting, you could not always figure out what the engineer wanted to convey to you.  CAD cleans all that up.

How do I translate my design into the computer?
This is how I view CAD.  You learn a CAD software interface and begin the translation of your idea into the computer.This take some thinking and a little time.  Many times your idea and design will be revised as you discover things you have missed.  While you are translating, your idea begins to take shape.  Now you can share it with others.

Different Design Views
In Drafting and CAD there are different views.  These are viewpoints of your part or project from different sides.  We need these different viewpoints to be able to describe our project accurately.  Think of it like seeing an elephant from the front.  You have no idea what the side or rear end of an elephant looks like.  To be able to accurately convey the elephant to another person you need multiple views.

The main print or design views are:
Front View
Top View
Right Side View
Isometric View

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Spyware Blocker

Spyware is the biggest threat to your privacy as well as to internet security and unfortunately, this threat is becoming worse by the day. According to studies conducted by America Online it is believed that as many as eighty percent of people that use the computer have computers that are infected by spyware. Even more worrying is the fact that an estimated eighty-nine percent of computer users fail to realize that spyware is present on their systems and ninety-five percent of computer users have never consented to the installation of spyware.

Plays Havoc With Your System

Spyware has some very dangerous and unwanted relations, including adware, spybots as well as Trojans that can play havoc with your system unless you use preventive means such as spyware blockers. It is advisable that you make an effort and install a spyware blocker so that it can prevent spyware from being installed on your computer, and to also stop the spread of existing spyware on your system.

Protecting your system in real time and through manual scanning as well as removal of spyware, are the two main ways in which a spyware blocker works. There is a lot to be said in favor of using real-time spyware blockers because it is the best means by which to prevent spyware applications from installing them on your system.

If you choose to go the manual ways, a spyware blocker needs to be run by you in order to inspect the software installed on your computer and then to find and remove spyware--whenever detected.

It would be irresponsible of you to not install spyware blockers on your system and the fact is, that there is not much difficulty in locating an effective spyware blocker that can be downloaded over the internet.

Becoming aware of the desirable aspects of a good spyware blocker is to ensure that you install the best spyware blocker possible. It should be simple to use, and provides the complete solution against all forms of spyware at the very least; in addition, it should have different options to monitor your system for the presence of spyware and also come with the ability to be frequently updated.

Fortunately, it is quite simple to find online spyware pop-up blockers which are useful in preventing those annoying pop-ups from appearing and perhaps even spreading spyware on your system. You should not then hesitate in equipping and arming your system to get protection against spyware-- malicious and otherwise, as long as you can find a spyware blocker that is easy to install.

Spyware is the greatest threat to your privacy as well as to internet security and this threat is becoming worse by the day, unless you use preventive methods such as a spyware blocker. View more articles at http://www.spyware.jsgenterprises.com.

Advice On How To Use a Registry Cleaner

The Microsoft Windows registry is a directory which stores your PC's hardware and software settings and user preferences. When working properly, these settings enable your PC to work smoothly in order to give you a good user experience. In essence, the registry is the central nervous system of your PC's operations. Each time something happens on your computer, it is recorded in the registry.

Quite often the registry gets cluttered with redundant directories, and may need to be cleaned with a registry cleaner. A registry cleaner scans your registry and identifies broken links, files, and any other information that is not needed by your PC. These may be irrelevant or even harmful entries that take up disk space and slow down your registry's operations. In this context, a registry cleaner should be used every few weeks, depending on how often you use your PC.

There are many different types of registry cleaner available on the market, and each one functions differently. You may decide to examine the range of registry cleaners that are on offer to select the one you think will assist you the most. Equally, it is advisable to seek advice to find out what is the best registry cleaner for your computer's set up.

There are many sites that review the top registry cleaners available, and these make your decision very much easier. The best registry cleaners will give you the chance to make backups of your registry before making any changes. Some of the top registry cleaners are RegCure, Registry Mechanic, Registry Smart, Registry Fix, and Error Nuker.

Installing a registry cleaner is simple and safe, and the advice on how to use them is extremely easy to follow. Once launched, the scanning process will take approximately five minutes to scan the registry and then display the information the cleaner believes is redundant and not needed, giving you the option to remove it. Once finished, your computer will run smoother and operate more efficiently.

PC Protection From A Web Firewall


It is important to know how and why you should install a web firewall with the onslaught of computer hackers, scammers, and viruses that are prevalent around the Internet. Defense from malicious data harming your computer is provided by a web firewall. With one, you can avoid dangerous attacks that can wipe out your data or steal personal information.


Since there are a wide variety of web firewalls available, including those from major corporations such as Microsoft, you first need to determine what kind of web firewall your PC requires. A web firewall is likely to be set up and ready to use if the computer came installed with the Microsoft XP or Vista operating system. Check that it is turned on and working properly. Purchase your own software if you do not have one of these newer operating systems. The XP version doesn't get great reviews so you may still want to buy separate web firewall software if you have Microsoft XP.

There are many products available, including as the most popular - Norton, AVG, and McAfee and you can either visit a store that sells computer software or download a web firewall product through the Internet. The price of software varies depending on how sophisticated it is but there are also plenty of low cost versions available, even from the big name companies. Prior to the installation of your web firewall, a few things must be taken into consideration. The program must not stop you using the functions that you need, such as file and printing sharing. Settings can be configured during installation or at a later date using the documentation provided.


Web firewalls can limit access to certain parts of the Internet. This can happen if you use a local area network or a router, so it is important that you are familiar with how you connect. Secured networks in particular are difficult to access when you have installed a web firewall in place. Installing a web firewall to a pc linked to a company network may require a specific settings configuration to allow you to connect to them and this can be provided by a company's IT department.

Get more information on computers and software visit Cheapest Laptop

Should You Download XSitepro2?

Within the realm of website building it is a well known fact that SEO is the name of the game. Short for search engine optimization, building a website is only half the task that faces online business owners. Making the website palatable for search engines is the second task. Do the first task correctly, and you have a good shot at making the second task possible. Blow it the first time around, and you will have no chance accomplishing any high search engine rankings. As a matter of fact, you will be lucky if you even make it into the first 30 spots!

excitepro is a website building package that revolutionizes the way the website builder goes about SEO content inclusion. Whether the site is only the typical four page business or instead becomes a major content site, the idea that each can be optimized in its own right is a new concept that appeared lost on the manufacturers of other site builder programs one can buy. Sure, they might have offered a few suggestions along the way and perhaps even added some content that was reputed to be state of the art, but as soon as the software was released it was also outdated and the consumer never really did get what they were hoping for.

Best of all, xsitepro2.0 features an interactive process that makes SEO more than just a nebulous concept but instead it helps the online entrepreneur realize what works and what does not. In a unique process the software will evaluate the optimization of the site and then produce a report. The budding webmaster now has the chance to review the list, go back and fix what needs adjusting and add what needs inserting, and before long it is time for Xsitepro 2.0 to once again analyze the site. Usually this process needs to only be completed once.

it does not get better than XSitepro. After all, this process is quick, to the point, and the suggestions not only make a lot of sense but for the overall impact they have on the site's search engine rankings they are practically invaluable! As other webmasters are forced to spend extra money and buy the advice of professional search engine ranking services, the savvy online business owner gets this service rolled into the features coming standard with XsitePro. Who would have thought that website design could be so simple?

Download XSitepro 2 today

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Here is an overview look at the CAD design process

CAD Training

When designing something complex in CAD you will find there is a bit of a process.  First you design parts.  Then you build the parts into Sub-Assemblies.  Next you build sub-assemblies into Groups.  Then you build the groups into the machine.  It is a logical pyramid process.  You can also think of it like a file structure inside of a computer.

Designing Parts
Parts are your basic building blocks.  Without this level, nothing could be produced.  The part level breaks the entire “thing” down to its simplest form.  You also manufacture at the part level.  You make parts, and then assemble them into other things.  Parts are generally made out of raw materials.
Think of a differential on the rear axel of a car.  The differential is made up of gears and a housing.  Each of these are parts of the differential and the differential is the assembly of these parts.

Designing Sub Assemblies
Sub Assemblies are the next level up and I am guessing you are getting the idea.  You first design parts, then put them together into sub assemblies.  In the car example above the differential is a sub assembly in the axel “Group” of the car.  Sub Assemblies are put together to form groups.

Designing Groups
Moving up the design chain, groups are usually things you can identify with.  It could be a door, engine, transmission, or cooling package on a car.  Above we used the example of an Axle as a Group.  Groups are put together into machines.  Our example is a car, which is at the machine level.

Designing the mechanism
Finally, the top level of all your designing, the machine.  The machine could be built for the end user or be sold to another manufacturer.  That manufacturer could use your “machine” as a sub assembly or group.  You can see all this is just a matter of viewpoint.  You can consider just about anything a sub assembly, group or final machine.  It is all just semantics and what you are using the item for.

CAD software price ranges
I consider there to be a few different price points in the CAD Software Market.  These can be categorized as hobby or professional price points.  This is usually a good break as well in the features a program offers.  Here is a quick run down.

Hobby CAD Software
Could possibly be free
$0-$500 price point
Could be 2D, 2.Five dimensional or 3D capable, usually 2D or 2.5D
Stand alone licenses
Meant for an easy user interface
Probably missing some advanced tools

Professional computer aided design software
$500-$10,000 price point
2D, 2.5D and 3D capable
Network version that let multiple designers interact
Different modules or plug-ins like FMEA
Full featured, most every type of tool is available

Examples of Commercial CAD Software Programs
Auto computer aided design (AutoCAD)
Turbo CAD
IntelliCAD
Pro/Engineer
CAD Pro
Alibris
Solidworks
QuickCAD
Rhino3D

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Batch converting Word Doc Files To Text

OK, so converting Doc files into text probably isn't something you'll need to do daily. (If it is, maybe you need to get out more!)

Chances are that it's a sudden need - maybe caused by your boss or your boss's boss. Suddenly, you're given a pile of Word format "doc" files that need changing into plain old text files (the ones with the .txt file extension. Likely because someone needs the information contained in the files but doesn't need all the proprietory formatting and other junk that Word adds to make things look pretty on screen.

What's more, they're needed very urgently. Like now. This instant.

If there are only two or three files to convert then the easiest way is to use Word's "Save as" function. That works OK although Word will warn you every single time that you're about to lose all the formatting. Yeah, whatever, you knew that already and sure don't need to be told it every single time you want to save a file as text.

But what happens if you've got tens or hundreds or even thousands of doc files to convert?

Word's macro system might do the trick. Or, if you're a normal human being, you could spend the next hour fruitlessly trying to get the macro to do what you thought you'd asked it to.

Far and away the simplest way to convert a folder or CD full of Doc files is to use a program like Doc2Text. If you can drag and drop files in Windows, you can convert files to your heart's content. Really, really fast - around 150 files a minute.

Sure, there are other programs out there that do the same thing but they're more expensive (by an order of magnitude). You can check out Doc2Text for free here.

Sometimes You May Need To Delete Programs On Your Laptop

If you are like most people you will need to remove some programs from your computer on occasion. This is quite normal as maybe you no longer wish to own a software application or maybe you do not use it anymore. What ever the case it is quit common. When people go online searching for information on how to remove a program from their computer they may get confused. There are different types of programs you may need to delete which may require different methods to accomplish the goal.

First off there is spyware or adware which is in a whole different ballpark of software programs to remove. You see spyware or adware are typically programs running on your computer you may not even know about or want running on your computer. They may have gotten installed if you installed some free software application and you did not read the terms very closely. In order to get rid of this problem you may need to download for free spyware removal tool that you can try out. There are different types on the market, some of which you can download for free.

Of course some applications you purchased and installed on your computer you may no longer want on to use. Or there are programs you got for free which you downloaded and installed. If you are having trouble because you cannot uninstall programs in vista from you computer you may still be in luck. To remove these types of programs you could go ahead and do it manually if you know what you are doing. Or the better way for many people is to use special software to help you remove programs from your computer.

Some software programs you buy come with an uninstaller built in to where if you later decide to uninstall a program you can just use that. But some, especially free software, may not come with an uninstaller program. That is when the best removal freeware software may be able to assist you.

Computer Security Vulnerabilities

Adware


Coming up with online sources for her law school thesis on money laundering was a task that was made simpler for a certain student with the help of Google. As you can imagine, this was definitely a great tool to her in the process of writing her thesis. Soon, she began to have the problem of her search terms taking her to pages completely unrelated to money laundering.

Her hopes of it being an easy to repair problem with the internet or the search engine were dashed as the glitch refused to go away, and she was forced to concede that she had likely been bugged. We all hate bugging people us but people we can fend of. What this law student is confronted with is a computer bug that she cannot fend off: she had been infected with adware and spyware programs. The student does not have advanced technology training and like most average students, she uses her laptop only for basic research and the writing of her papers.

The case above is eerily similar to that of an increasing number of individuals who find their computers malfunctioning after being infected with spyware and adware. In 1995, 'spyware' premiered as a phrase to describe an especially nasty type of computer infection, and that term gained increased popularity in 2000. Unbeknownst to many users, these software programs and scripts that comprise this particular computer bug allow access to personal information about the computer user.

Keystrokes, browsing history, and the contents of a hard drive all provide this valuable information. With the advent of spyware, infiltration moved off the big screen of Hollywood movies and into the homes of millions of unsuspecting individuals that can be taken advantage of at any time. Infiltrations such as these are basic privacy violations and the people targeted are indeed innocent victims. Spying on criminals with spyware makes sense because it can help society for the greater good, but too often this program is used to track sensitive personal information, such as credit card information. Because of the hostile nature of these potential infiltrations, every computer should have an updated anti-spyware program.

In attempting to protect yourself, you should block not only spyware, but adware and malware, which are similar programs, as well. Online adware and spyware blocker programs are easily available to help in this endeavor. By not only eliminating the current infiltration programs on a computer system, but by preventing any future ones to be unknowingly installed, these blockers live up to their name. Both the individual programs and the computer itself can experience a drastic decline in speed after the computer has been infected with these programs.

Sadly, many times spyware is such a good 'spy' that it can evade detection as the root of the crime. The best step is always a good offense, in this case a blocker, to prevent your system from becoming infected with the malicious programs.

Don't mind me I use XSitePro!

X site pro is the name of the easiest to use website building software package currently on the market. It is leaving Front Page and Dreamweaver in the dust, and the enthusiasm of users knows no bounds. Since the company releasing this product offers a quite lucrative affiliate program, there are a plethora of takers who are actively marketing the software. The number of such marketers is growing on a daily basis, and it appears that at least some of them seem to have read the same obscure manual of online marketing tips.

It is these X site pro marketers that appear a bit overenthusiastic when they seek to reel in potential customers with ads claiming that they will reveal if the software is a scam. Once the curious web surfer clicks on the link, they are sent to an affiliate page that offers not only a glowing review of the software package, but also all the reasons why the software could not possibly be a scam, and then of course a number of testimonials.

Sure, naming a well known product and the word "scam" in the same headline is a marketing tip propagated in some manuals, but for the discerning consumer this is not a good marketing technique. It is too obvious and the odds are good that those in the market to buy will opt for a different affiliate.

On the other hand, overenthusiastic X site pro marketers should be excused - at least a bit. They let their keenness get the better of them and in so doing have fallen for an odd marketing gimmick when it is apparent that the software sells itself quite nicely without such rhetoric.

With the addition of an XSP cheat sheet as a very a nice freebie, purchasing your copy of XsitePro through the Cheat Sheet site, will give you a big leg up in using the software. The Xsp cheat sheet contains a wealth of insider information and short cuts to help make this website builder even more user-friendly, if that's possible!

As enthusiastic affiliates continue to make their mark on the online software marketplace, those in search of the premier site building software solution are going to keep running into their sites. If they are offering you a real bonus - go with it! You will be paying no more for the software, and its great to get something for nothing (especially a copy of the XSP Cheat Sheet!)

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

SharePoint

Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 (MOSS 2007) is a server platform developed by Microsoft released as part of Microsoft Office Server 2007. The main features of this server platform are collaboration, content management, portal management, enterprise search, business process, business intelligence, social computing.

MOSS 2007 Capabilities

The following are specific information on each of teh capabilities written above for Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

Collaboration - SharePoint enable teams to work together through publishing of documents, materials, information, intellectual asssets, workflow implementation to a single portal location. Dispersed teams can work effectively thru this centralized location of information.

Social Computing -  the new features found in SharePoint Server 2007 include blogs, wikis, rss which allow enterprise to implement social computing and share knowledge across employess throughout the company.

Portals - teams are able to create their own specific sites with pre-built templates and site definitions like list, document libraries, standard webparts, etc. This feature of MOSS easily allows team to request for their own space for project management purposes.

Enterprise Search - Microsoft has built a robust search capability that runs on top of SharePoint. It allows entire organization to search specific information tailored to their needs. Available searches include documents, archived materials, people, etc.

Enterprise Content Management - SharePoint boasts of feature packed enterprise content management which allows management of document libraries, information, archiving, auditing, approval processes, etc.

Business Intelligence - MOSS 2007 supports SQL Server and thus the ability to implement analytic services that help in building a comprehensive business intelligence system for the organization.

Business Forms & Processes - Developers and user have the ability to create forms easily thru forms library or with the use of InfoPath that integrates well with SharePoint.

Office Integration - SharePoint has the ability to integrate seamlessly with Office tools such as word, excel, power point, outlook, etc. This feature allows the extension of SharePoint into a more feature rich portal.

Workflows, alerts, notifications - SharePoint has the ability to offer out-of-box workflow solutions but at the same time customization of these workflows is possible that allows approval processes and routing of documents and information throughout the organization rapid and easy. The alert and notification features of SharePoint allow users to get information throughout the system on an updated basis.

Conclusion

SharePoint Office Server 2007 is a heavy weight in enterprise server platforms that help organization in their information technology needs. MOSS 2007 sales have reached 1 billion dollars in two years and it continously grows.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Realities Behind CRM Tools and Applications

CRM Software  is the ultimate need is the ultimate need for every business. CRM Application allows an organization to automate the production proposal for their clients and prospects. CRM software organizes all aspects of the upcoming test, checks inventory for the testing supplies and even orders the materials needed for testing. CRM software is used to support these processes, storing information on customers and prospective customers. Information in the system can be accessed and entered by employees in different departments, such as sales , marketing , customer service , training , professional development , performance management, human resource development , and compensation .

CRM Software (Cusotmer Relationship Management) is the generic term for software that helps companies to maintain and improve the quality of their relationships with customers. By storing information about customers and prospective customers centrally, and distributing that information to all departments, all company representatives are able to see a complete view of the customer, irrespective of their particular role. CRM Software can be as basic as a simple database that holds the contact information, or you can use it to send email, direct mail, and postcards all on a set schedule. CRM Software is a tremendous tool for salespeople that are looking to take it to the next level. CRM software can help to move you beyond those limitations and put firm-wide management at your fingertips.

CRM software can also help you retain existing customers and gain new ones. Key elements of CRM allow a business to collect and maintain valuable data such as customer contacts and history of purchases; maintain profiles of customer preferences; improve customer communication channels; and identify new selling opportunities. CRM Software should be a salespersons best friend. It doesn't matter if you're a small business owner, working in a large organization, or an independent sales rep, a good contact management software is a necessary tool for you to keep your pipeline organized and full of qualified leads.

Customer Relationship Management Software can be a major undertaking, with the cost for many systems over several million dollars and the implementation period lasting a year or more. Before making a commitment like this, every business should ask if they require a full CRM Software program . Customer information acquired from sales, marketing, customer service, and support is captured and stored in a centralised database . The system may provide data-mining facilities that support an opportunity management system . Customized Software Applications continue to hold an important position in the software solutions chain even though there is an increasing shift towards packaged solutions. Business dynamics and growth will ensure that the requirements are always ahead of the available packages and hence the need for customized solutions.

Customer Relationship Management CRM software has played a very important role for large corporations in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of sales, marketing, and customer service. There have been both successes and failures in implementing these very expensive solutions.

Web based CRM enables the business owner to quick view marketing wins and losses. Track the success of multi-channel advertising efforts. CRM software's marketing functionality needs to promote new product or a service through multiple channels with unified message. Where the marketing functionality leaves off by creating leads, sales force automation needs to pick up the thread seamlessly, from qualification to closure of such leads. CRM software provides the organization, management, delivery and automation to achieve the CRM strategy. Effective CRM software will facilitate the understanding, anticipating and responding to the needs of your customer in both an efficient and effective manner.

What is CAD/CAM?

cad

You might hear the term CAD-CAM from time to time.  It is basically a merging of the two pieces.  A software manufacturer tries to pick up more marketshare by doing this.  They also keep you locking into their “system” by going with the whole package at once.


Most of the time this is a very good thing.  Same or similar interface on both pieces of software.  Quick flow between pieces and easy file management.  You have to evaluate it for yourself though.  There are many times in life where two or more tools are combined to produce a less then stellar result.

CAD/CAM Article
Here is an article I pulled up that describes the past and future direction of CAD/CAM.  I thought it was relevant as there are many times you will hear these two terms used together.  They are two different and distinct parts of the process, but some software makers make both products and sell them together.

CAD/CAM: Past, Present and Future
By Katrina C. Arabe

Before CAD/CAM technology, drafts, calculations and product design involved pencil, paper and a seemingly endless succession of blueprints. CAD/CAM's ongoing enhancement has made the process easier, but with the latest slew of features, some users actually find less is more.
Virtually every manmade product has been designed and manufactured using a CAD/CAM program. CAD/CAM, or Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacturing, is utilized in every facet of industry; from designing phones to plotting out toolpaths in die and mold shops. Although the users of CAD/CAM technology may, at times, feel frustrated by how often its software is updated, the fact is that CAD/CAM has close to five decades of history stretching almost as far back as the computer.


CAD/CAM, like the digital computer, had its inception in the military. In the mid-1950s the U.S. Air Force began testing an air defense system known as SAGE (Semi Automatic Ground Environment) to graphically depict data received on radar systems. The first computer actually rendering a program, SAGE was conceived at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 1960, computer scientists at MIT produced yet another project called Sketchpad, an application that is now considered to be the first design program with industrial use. A similar program sprouted up at General Motors soon after. At that time, mainframes were still large enough to take up entire rooms.


During the 1960's CAD/CAM technology continued to evolve and spread to other areas. Automotive companies were the first to adopt the technology, and used it primarily to design automobile bodies. It then quickly spread to other sectors of industry, which were only too eager to abandon traditional pen and paper methods of drafting. By 1973, CAD/CAM was being used to design industrial tools. Midway through the decade, the 19-inch monitor came out, which meant that drawings could be viewed larger than the previous standard of 11 inches. In the last half of the 70's, solid modeling software became available. It allowed users to take "geometric primitives" (basic geometric shapes such as boxes and cones) and combine them using Boolean operations. In 1982, Autodesk made CAD/CAM history when it released the first version of AutoCAD, which soon became the premiere software platform for automobile design.
At times, the history of CAD/CAM seems like the plot of a spy novel. In 1984, a Hungarian scientist named Gabor Bajor, succeeded in smuggling two Macintosh computers into his Communist-controlled homeland. With the intent of writing a 3D CAD program, Bajor and his teenage assistant used the illegal computers to create just that program, and started the Graphsoft Company. In 1985, Diehl Graphsoft introduced MiniCAD to the market, which would be considered the industry standard for CAD on the Mac. The same year Autodesk unveiled AutoCAD 2.1. Complete with 3D capabilities, AutoCAD 2.1 was another breakthrough that transformed design in the auto industry. In the late 80's and early 90's, CAD/CAM giant Unigraphics took its place as a major industry player by partnering with industry powerhouses such as General Motors, UNIX, GE and Boeing.


During the early 1990s, Unigraphics introduced hybrid modeling, which featured both traditional modeling and advanced parametric techniques. By the end of 1994, over one million units of AutoCAD had been sold, and by the end of 1995, there were about 350,000 users of generic CAD/CAM reported worldwide. In 1996, General Motors signed the largest contract in CAD/CAM's history by selecting Unigraphics as its sole vendor for vehicle development software. Soon afterwards, Unigraphics would once again transform the medium by releasing CAD/CAM software that allowed for the definition, control and evaluation of product templates. Another major advance in CAD/CAM occurred IN 1999 when Think3, a "Johnny-come-lately" to the world of CAD/CAM, introduced the first mechanical design software that could fully combine the power of parametric solids, advanced surfacing, wireframe and two-dimensional drafting on the desktop in one environment. Subsequently, a plethora of software vendors has surfaced, inundating the market with competing CAD/CAM platforms AND causing designers to be alternately pleased and confused by the sheer number of options available to them.


At present, CAD/CAM continues its steady path of progress. Much of this progress is in the form of refining past innovations to make them more efficient and user friendly. A groundbreaking CAD/CAM innovation has not occurred for a number of years, which seems to indicate that another sweeping change is just around the corner -- or maybe not. Despite the advent of 3D CAD/CAM, many CAD/CAM users still prefer to render designs in 2D. Thus, recent 3D innovations such as animated "walk-throughs" (a technique that allows designers to visually move in and around the rendered model, and see it from every possible angle) are still largely underused. The same is true of the bevy of collaboration tools currently available to the CAD/CAM user. The ability to combine CAD/CAM, with finite-element analysis and the accessibility of simulation and knowledge management, has yet to be fully embraced. Perhaps, it is in one of these areas that the next CAD/CAM breakthrough will occur. One thing that can be said with a degree of certainty is that research and development are currently ahead of user demand. When, and if, the garden-variety CAD/CAM user decides that they need to expand their range of capabilities, they will find a world of cutting-edge CAD/CAM tools at their disposal.

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How do I pick a CAM program?

CAD/CAM

This will sound very familiar to the CAD section on this topic.  There are multiple CAM programs available for generating tool paths and machining operations.  Generally, people become familiar with one and stick with that.  As far as selecting the right one for you, my advice is this.  Most software companies have free trial.  Thirty-day trials are common.  Take advantage of these trial periods and test the software out.  Then at the end, decide if you want to try another or stick with your best one.  I would advise you try out at least three different packages.

The one you select will probably have to do with your liking the interface or finding it intuitive.  Keep in mind it may work for you now.  A simple to use and understand interface probably has some limitations for your designs.  The very best programs are complex with many tools that give you the most control.  I have found that I start with a simple program and outgrow it.After a while, I move up to the next level of computer aided machining software.  This usually means a higher price as well.

The difference with CAM Software levels is the number of Axis the software allows for.  You will see the standard types below.  Think of it like this, as you add more Axis’, the more sophisticated the software must get and the more it will cost.  It will also give you more flexibility though.  That is the trade off, money for flexibility.

The different types of computer aided machining software
There are many different types of computer aided machining software on the market.You'll need to buy the cam software that fits your machine.  For example, if you have a CNC Plasma Cutter, you probably only need a 2D CAM Software version.The CNC plasma torch will only move in the X and Y movement planes.  That is if you have a torch height control.
What if you have a CNC Milling Machine with X and Y axes that are powered by stepper motors?  You will probably only need 2.Five dimensional computer aided machining software.That is because your parts will have a third dimension for depth.
What if you have a CNC Wood Router and it carves out three-dimensional shapes out of wood?  It has three servo motors to control on the X, Y and Z-axis.Yep, you need three-dimensional computer aided machining software.
What if you want to machine something into a cylinder of material?  You will need a 4th Axis CAM Software so the machine can rotate the cylinder while all the other three Axis’ are moving.

Here are some common types of computer aided machining software
2D CAM
2.5D CAM
3D CAM
4th Axis CAM
5th Axis CAM

So what does CAM Software cost?
This is going to sound very familiar to the CAD section with the same question.  I consider there to be a few different price points in the CAM Software Market.  These can be categorized as hobby or professional price points.  This is usually a good break as well in the features a program offers.  Here is a quick rundown.

Hobby CAM Software
Could possibly be free, but not likely
$0-$300 price point
Could be 2D, 2.5D or 3D capable, usually 2D or 2.5D
Stand alone licenses
Meant of ease of user interface and simple machining operations
Probably missing some advanced tools

Professional CAM Software
$300-$10,000 price point
2D, 2.5D and 3D capable plus you can add other axis’
Network version that let multiple designers interact
Different modules or plug-ins to add more and more axis capability
Full featured, most every type of tool is available

Art CAM Programs
There is a whole group of computer aided machining programs that deal with CNC art.These computer aided machining programs specialize in the art side of CNC versus the part side of CNC.  Most have specialized interfaces where you can upload logos and patterns and they crank out the G-Code with ease.

Art CAM Program Examples
ArtCam
RhinoArt
3D Sculpture Web

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You can join for Free and you get two free CNC ebooks. One is a GCode Quick Guide and the other is the CNC Info Site eBook. You also get access to the Free Video Series...Image to CNC Art when you join the community.

How do I go about choosing the correct CAD program for me?

CNC Design

There are multiple CAD Programs available for design.  Generally people become familiar with one and stick with it.  As far as selecting the right one, my advice is this.  Most software companies have a free trial.  Thirty-day trials are common.  Take advantage of these trial periods and test the software out.  Then at the end, decide if you want to try another software or stick with your best one.  I would advise you try out at least three different packages.


The one you select will probably have to do with you liking the interface or finding it intuitive.  Keep in mind it may work for you now.  A simple to use and understand interface probably has some limitations for your designs.  The very best programs are complex with many tools that give you the most control.I found out that when I start with a simple CAD program I quickly outgrow it.  At some point I move up to the next level of software.This means a higher price as well.

Tools in CAD
Inside of your CAD program, you will have various tools that you can work with.  Many of these tools speed up your design times and make you more efficient.  Each CAD program will have similar tools and then unique tools that are only available with their package.  These specialty tools are one of the ways software manufacturers differentiate themselves in the marketplace.

Versions of computer aided design
There are different types of CAD out there.  These are the ones I deal with from time to time.  2D CAD, 2.5D CAD, and 3D CAD.  Here are some quick explanations of each type.

2D CAD
2D CAD is generally on the low end of CAD software packages.  2D CAD is most often vector based.  The design consists on the X and Y-axis only.  The designs are made up of lines, circles, ovals, slots, curves, etc.  There is no “depth” to the design.  Only the outline of the part is visible, to put it in a different way.

2.5D CAD
All of the same descriptions above apply, but the design is prismatic.  By that I mean it has the depth of the material.  There are Z levels, but they are on singular planes.

3D CAD
3D CAD is on the high end of CAD software packages.  3D CAD can be solid based, wire frame based or nurbs based.  The design consists on the X, Y and Z-axis.  The designs are made up of lines, circles, ovals, slots, curves, etc, but can also include Spheres, Pyramids, Torrids, Cubes, etc.There is a depth to the CNC design.  The design can be rotated around 360 degrees.  The design is an accurate description of what the part would look like if produced in the real world.

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Making Good Use Of The Spyware Removal Utility

When it comes to protecting your computer and keeping all of the nasty viruses and spyware off it, there is nothing better then having an anti spyware in place. Even if you have these sort of programs in place, it is always important to also have a good quality spyware removal utility program in place. Even with the best of programs, there are going to be times where spyware slips through the cracks as they advance their techniques. It is not until the programs catch up with the spyware that things can get taken care of.

When this happens, it is best to have a spyware removal utility in place so that the problem can be taken care of right away. The spyware removal utility will make sure that you are able to completely remove any and all spyware that hit your computers information and systems. The last thing you want to be in unprepared when it comes to spyware so make sure that you are doing everything possible to make sure that you are ready for it and that you can take care of the entire situation.

Where To Buy The Products To Remove Spyware

When it comes to buying a spyware removal utility, there is nothing better then having the widest variety. Variety is key in making sure that you are able to get the very best spyware removal utility so that all of your spyware problems can be taken care of. There are a lot of online stores and websites that you could visit in order to see the biggest selection of the spyware removal utility programs out there. Also, you will find that the shipment can be placed right away and you could have your program in a matter of a few days.

If you are really against online shopping for one reason or another, you can certainly make your way to your local electronics or department store. In these stores there will be a spyware removal utility or two that you could try. One thing to keep in mind though is that you will not have the biggest selection there. This means that you will just have to simply go with whatever they have and hope for the best. Hopefully, the management that picked out and ordered the spyware removal utility that they have in stock knew what they were doing and picked some decent ones for their customers.