Hello Everyone.
This month I was extremely flattered to receive a very generous offer to buy the Tips4pc website. The website wasn't even for sale and still isn't, however it made me think, "they must see the potential in this website to offer such a price". I walked around in a daze for at least a week, thus the lack of new content, while trying to figure out what the real potential of this site is. Luckily I snapped myself out of this daze and decided to just get on with it. I started to redesign the site and move things around a bit. This minor change has made people want to explore the site for a bit longer, instead of sometimes leaving quickly. The traffic has also improved dramatically. I was shocked to see that the design of the website would have such an impact on the stats. Therefore from now on I will be trying to not only provide unique new computer tips, but also to make the site more user friendly.  

Welcome to the new Tips4pc Newsletter layout .

This newsletter has become way to big for me to manage on my own, and therefore I am using Mailchimp to help me out. Mailchimp is a professional email manager that will make it easy to subscribe and un-subscribe from this newsletter. They will also guard your precious email addresses and make sure my newsletter is all legal and above board.

Free Ebooks when you sign up for our newsletter.

If you have not received an email with a link to the free ebooks available from Tips4pc then here it is. www.tips4pc.com/bathebook/ebooks/complete_networking_tips.htm. Please bookmark or add this link to favorites list in your internet browser. The ebooks will be updated in the next month.

Which version of Windows comes out on top?

Choosing the right operating system for your computer can be a daunting task now days. There are far too many choices available. Windows XP, Windows Vista, and now Windows Seven. They all have their good points however to have them working well depends on what your computer specifications are.

Windows XP: Great for both older computers and also new computers. It is the obvious favourite, but don't forget that we all hated this one when it first came out also.  

Windows Vista: This operating system is only compatible with newer type computers. It also had major problems being compatible with any computer devices that were more than a mere year old. You also needed a decent graphics card to see the full effect of this operating system.

Windows Seven: Faster than Windows Vista, no fancy graphics card needed, less services needed, all round great. However don't get too excited because it definitely has some teething problems like any new operating system. But I have a feeling this is the best so far. Windows Vista was very precise and open, whereas Windows Seven will carry on without giving you the gory details. For instance, if you do not have good enough graphics to run the fancy things in Windows Seven, it will not tell you. You just won't see anything fancy, that's it. Windows Vista cmae out and told you all about compatiabilty and that your computer was a piece of junk.

Computer Terms

Database: A Database is a structured collection of data that is stored on a computer or server, the most used model of database is a relational database.

Decryption: What you do when you Decrypt something. This could be removing a security password.

Default Search Provider: A default search provider is an automatic option which is set by a user as there preferred choice e.g. Google, Yahoo and Ask are well known Search Providers with most probably using Google as there default search provider.

Desktop: It is everything you see when you start your computer except the taskbar. Your desktop has the icons on it that are shortcuts to programs and folders.

Device driver: A piece of software, which tells the operating system how to use a particular device.

Disk Drive: A Disk Drive is a device for computer storage it normally stores the Operating System and other important files like images and documents by using a mechanical arm which records data to disks and also retrieves the data when requested as well.

DISK / DISC: Comparably, a Disc is where the data is stored using lasers, like a Cd drive, and a Disk is a magnetic drive, like a hard drive, by definition they are the same.

Domain: On a local network the Domain is a group of computers that is run by at least one server (domain server) so that a set of policies (computer rules telling the computer who is allowed to do what) is permeated (passed) throughout the whole network in a quick and easy fashion.

DPI: Dots Per Inch, used in monitor and TV descriptions, tells you how many pixels the monitor or TV displays per square inch

Drive Letter: A drive letter is an assigned alphabetical letter to a disk or logical drive, the reason for this is to allow an organized file system, there are drives which are automatically assigned certain letters like the old 3.5" Floppy Drive which is assigned the drive letter "A", the even older 5.25" Floppy Drive is assigned "B", the Hard Disk Drive which stores the Operating System is assigned "C" and CD/DVD and Blue Ray Drives are assigned "D" or if there are 2 "D" and "E" any other addition of hardware like a  USB Drive is given the next available letter.

DVD: Digital Video Disk, this is mainly used as the name implies, to store movies to watch in a player, similar looking to a CD (compact disk) is can hold over 5 times as much and can be used to store things other then video, such as files, note that a DVD can not be played in a CD player, but most Cd's can be played in most DVD player.

What is a COA and how do you know if it is genuine?

A Windows COA is a certificate of authenticity sticker that proves that your copy of Windows is genuine. This, along with an original Windows cd, confirm that your copy is genuine.

A COA (certificate of authenticity) sticker can be found on either side of a tower or desktop computer case. It can also be found on the top, however very rarely at the bottom or back of a computer case. If you have Windows installed on your computer but no COA sticker on the case, this is illegal. A copy of Windows must accompany a COA on the computer case for it to be legal.

How do I know if my COA is a counterfeit?

If you have tried to Activate your new copy of Windows and have been rejected then there is usually something wrong. I have never had a problem activating Windows unless it has been activated too many times before. You also must make sure you have the disc that matches your COA. For example if it says Windows XP Home then the cd must say this also. You can go to the Microsoft website to see if your COA is genuine. However I do not recommend relying on the pictures only.

I am writing about COA stickers because I actually bought a copy of Windows off Ebay and wondered why it had holes in it. So I promptly visited the Microsoft website and was very happy to see my COA sticker there with the exact same holes. Unfortunately when I unwrapped the product and saw the actual sticker, it was clear that it was a fake. I also tryed installing the Operating system on a computer, which all seemed fine until Windows Validation. It did not pass the test and therefore I had bought a fake.  

 
Have you been burned by Ebay?

There are three types of people in this world. The ones that haven't heard of Ebay, the ones that hate Ebay, and the ones that really love it. Or couse I have been burned by Ebay in the past. Here are a few quick tips to avoid getting burned on Ebay.

• Read the item description properly. If it looks like there is vital information missing then avoid this item.
• Check a seller feedback score and recent feedback left from the most recent transactions. Do not deal with a person that has less than 95% rating.
• Ask the seller questions before purchasing. Who cares if you are creating extra work for them. Save your money and find out first.
• Arrange to see the item if it is in your area.
• Do not buy a product if it has no photo of the item.
• Ask the seller to send you more photos through email. Sometimes a photo looks like it has been taken from an internet shop site and used in an Ebay auction. See real photos for yourself.
• If you want to buy more than one item, organize it will the seller first. You might get a postage discount. Don't presume they will combine shipping just because you know two items will fit into one package. A majority of Ebayers make money from postage fees.