I was a total wreck. I had waited until I was 31 before marrying. Six years into the relationship we now had two children who were facing with us a life-changing crisis - possible divorce. As it turns out my wife had already made up her mind. At the time I felt like it would have been better to lose her to death, but I didn’t. I just lost her and she was still there. There was nothing I could do to make her change her mind.

I prayed day and night, every moment I could find. I fasted mostly because I had no appetite. It was all I could do to force myself to drink water. She’d felt like I neglected her. Maybe I did. She said she felt like all I needed her for was babysitter. The kids suffered because they would only see her in the morning before she went to work. I would pick them up after I got off from work and they wouldn’t see her until the next morning. After a few weeks of this she began staying home more for the sake of the children, but it seemed she and I were pretty much finished.

Finally she had opportunity to make her escape. I changed jobs and needed to relocate (military transfer). Somehow I managed to be able to take the kids with me and she stayed behind to work a few months longer. She was supposed to meet us in the new location. She ended up somewhere else. Her intentions were clear - she wasn’t coming home. We agreed to let the kids live with me, visiting mom on weekends and holidays.

As anyone could imagine this was one of the most painful things anyone could go through, especially our kids. In the beginning it was really hard for them to go back and forth. We some how came to the conclusion that they should live with me and then with their Mom after a time. We didn’t want the usual absentee dad scene.

Anyway, the pain was almost more than I could bear. When I was outside on a sunny day it felt dark and cold to me. There were times I though of suicide. It only took the thought of leaving my kids without a father to get past these thoughts. There were days when the only way I could ease the pain in my mind was to read scripture for long periods of time. I tried not to sit still or become idle because if I did the pain would come in like a flood. I could get over the fact that I was headed for divorce. I was not in control of anything. I prayed that God would change her mind. When He didn’t I had to accept it. She had a free will. I prayed that he would take away my pain, and that of the kids. He said he would.

As time past it got easier to function on my own. But for the kids who were 5 and 2 when this all started it was getting harder to deal with the absence of Mom. Which made things harder for me in a different way as a parent. I am very interested in their emotional health. They didn’t seem to be prospering in any way. This wasn’t going well for any of us. My son’s schoolwork was suffering and his behavior was getting worse. We got to a point where he was seeing a child psychologist.

As I listened to him talk to the psychologist I learned things that I didn’t realize he was suffering. He really missed his mom. And I could only imagine what his younger sister was going through. I knew that it was hard for me to deal with the situation. I was wasted, but I could only imagine what it must have been like for them as children to deal with the pain that I had gone through for four years.

It was time for them to live with their mother. The divorce had only been final for a few months. We had agreed that I should keep them for a time. Then the time came for me to send them to their Mom. I was devastated. I felt like my entire life had now finally fallen down around me.

When the time came and we got them packed up and moved out a great surprise awaited me. I relaxed! I was sad the first few weeks or even a month after they left. I even cried sometimes. As time past though I started to feel better. I had more time and less stress. I started to realize that I at some point had begun to be healed of the terrible pain that had plagued me for so long.

When I talk to the kids I realized that they too had begun to feel much better. The rift that had begun to form between my son and me was beginning slowly to mending. I can hear the happiness in their voices and that brings me joy. I am even happy for their Mom. They are all doing well and I am the beneficiary. God is good. I now have a saying. Things always work out. Maybe not the way you want, but if God is involve, they work out for the best. All you need is God and time.

Tony L Tate - a regular contributer to On line dating, a web site offering tips and advice for on line dating and relationships.
As a survivor of divorce I believe that you can fully recover and get back to happiness in your life. You may visit On line dating at: http://www.1-on-line-dating.com

“There’s a huge difference between typical divorces that we see on a daily basis and the military divorces that we’re seeing,” says Janet Fritts, a divorce attorney with Rosen Law Firm. “The majority of civilian couples we deal with have stopped communicating somewhere during the marriage, but military couples have been communicating in more ways than ever before.”

Divorce experts say young military marriages, co-ed military units, financial decision-making, and the bureaucracy of being a military officer’s spouse are just some of the factors contributing to the already established problems of spousal absence and combat stress among military families.

“Allocation of finances is a huge problem because so many military members have no control over their finances when they’re overseas and their at-home spouses are spending the monthly checks the way they see fit, sometimes on their new love relationships,” says Fritts. With deployments being more frequent and for longer periods, infidelity is another reason why the Army divorce rates have sharply increased. “A lot of times it’s the women who remain on base to take care of the children and when her husband is gone for 6 months to a year, she may inevitably make new relationships with the men on the base,” says Fritts.

Military couples are usually far away from their families and they are not reminded of their marriage vows because they are so isolated on base or overseas. Fritts also explains the growing co-ed military units are not helping either as more military members are establishing relationships with the opposite sex during wartime.

Statistics show the largest increase recently in Army divorce rates are among officers, a position which Fritts describes as having an enormous responsibility. Coupled with the weight of being an officer, the pressure of being a military officer’s spouse also adds to the problem. “When they’re left by themselves on the military base once their spouse deploys, a lot of spouses stop playing the game of being nice to the other military officer’s spouses,” Fritts explains. “Once the deployed spouse returns there’s a lot of disagreement on the roles played and the bureaucracy of military officers and their spouses.”

Rosen Law Firm

4101 Lake Boone Trail, Suite 500

Raleigh, NC 27607

www.rosen.com

“Divorce is Different Here”

With offices in Raleigh, Charlotte, and now Chapel Hill/Durham, Rosen Law Firm is the largest divorce firm in North Carolina. Founded in 1990, the firm is dedicated to providing individual growth and support to couples seeking divorce by helping them move forward with their lives. Our staff of attorneys, accountants, and specially trained divorce coaches expertly address the complex issues of ending a marriage. Our innovative approach acknowledges that divorce is so much more than just a legal matter. Specialties include child custody, alimony, property distribution, separation agreements, and domestic violence relief.

For more information on Rosen Law Firm, or for an interview, please contact: Alison Kramer, Director of Public Relations, Office: 919-256-1542, Cell: 919-523-7104, akramer@rosen.com, http://www.rosen.com

In today’s world, the core of technological advancement lies in miniaturization and nano technology. Advancements in these areas are seen in our cell phones, PDAs, laptops, and even in the world of medicine. Unfortunately, the world of desktop computing has not adapted well to this new cutting edge technology. Many huge corporations, who should be at the forefront of this movement, are in fact the ones lagging behind. Today we still see huge 50lb desktop towers paraded in retail outlets all across the United States. Even worse is the saturation of the market of sub-par products like $299.99 desktop towers that were outdated 2 years before they were advertised. Many computer companies are in need of change and reform to continue to keep up with new technology.

In addition, one of the bonuses of miniaturization is cost cutting. Researchers and manufacturers are continually finding ways to save money by utilizing new technology. Production today is faster, more streamlined, more efficient, and costs less than it did 1 year ago. Yet the majority desktop computer market has been slow to take on these advancements, if at all.

Fortunately, companies like Ovi Corporation are helping lead the way with smaller, faster, and more cost effective computers. Their small form factor computers sit at the top of the ladder for system performance and size. With features including the latest dual-core processors, dual-channel DDR2 533MHz memory and high-bandwidth PCI-Express graphics cards, their models deliver the power gamers and computer buffs yearn for. Furthermore, some models like the Prometheus Pro can hold up to 4GB of DDR2 memory, three hard drives, high-definition audio cards and cutting-edge Matrix RAID Storage Technology. With Ovi PC, you get more features and technology than systems costing twice as much.

In due time the rest of the computer market will follow suit, but it takes a lot more time to turn an aircraft carrier, than a yacht. Fortunately for the computer market, companies like Ovi Corporation are working quietly behind the scenes in an attempt to bring SFF computers to the forefront of mainstream computing.

For more info on small form factor computers visit http://www.ovipc.com

Prometheus and Prometheus Pro

The USB bus system in computers was introduced in 1996 and has gone through a number of developments and enhancements. It started out as USB 1 which was very slow and had many bugs. Version 1.1 brought a higher bandwidth of 12 MBits/second. The latest version of 2.0 gives a bandwidth of 480MBits/second and is fully backward compatible with USB 1 and 1.1.
Link to a table showing differences between USB speeds (http://www.usb-products.com/usb-speed.aspx)

Port Connections and Power
All USB standards support up to 127 connections (or devices) per computer port. It is unlikely that this would be achievable as the port can only supply 0.5 Amps maximum. Some devices consume a full 0.5 Amps, so are powered from a power adaptor from the mains supply.

Bandwidth Sharing
Generally, the bandwidth of the port (http://www.usb-products.com/usb-port.aspx) is shared between all the devices that are attached through a hub. This means that if you want to add two USB 2 devices with a USB 1.1 device, the bandwidth is shared between all three devices. However, there is an extra complication. Most hubs (http://www.usb-products.com/usb-hub.aspx) have a single chip controlling the bus. This means that the hub will work at the lowest bandwidth determined by the connected devices resulting in the USB 2 devices working at much lower transfer speeds. Nearly all USB hubs on the market today (passive and powered) operate like this.

Multiple Chip Hubs
The transaction translator (TT) is the name for the controlling chip that assigns bandwidth to each connected device. In hubs that have one TT all devices share the same bandwidth and operate at the speed of the slowest. In hubs with a TT per socket, each receives a share of the bandwidth, but this is not restricted to the slowest device.
Examples of this type of hub is the Belkin Tetra hub (http://www.usb-products.com/Products/Hi-Speed-USB-2-0-4-Port-TetraHub.aspx) This has 4 ports each with its own TT.

What this means in reality is that a multiple TT hub will provide much higher bandwidth per port when several devices are connected from one hub.

Maximum Performance and choice of Where to connect a device
If you are after maximum performance for each of your USB 2 devices, each device should be plugged into its own USB port in the computer. Additional plug in cards can provide a vast number of USB ports for most needs. However, this situation might be going too far except for the most demanding of situations. Although several USB devices might be connected at the same time it is unlikely that they will all be in use together.

A useful compromise is to plug small bandwidth devices together into a single hub. These would include: mice; keyboard; Speakers; little used devices.

For devices that require a high bandwidth and are used often, direct connection in to a USB port is the best option. Devices would include: Flash memory drives; external disks; Web cams; Other frequently used devices.

If you don’t have sufficient ports then either more ports should be added with a plug-in card or a good quality hub with multiple transaction translators should be used. The devices placed on the hub are those that are used less often. Those devices placed directly on the port are used most often.

Link to a selection flow chart that helps in selecting a hub (http://www.usb-products.com/USB-Hub-Selection.aspx)

Access Considerations
What type of configuration and mix of port and hubs will depend on the number of devices that you wish to attach. Desktop computer cases usually have ports in the front of the case for easy access. These can be used for devices that are often plugged / unplugged and require the highest bandwidth. These are flash memory drives and portable external drives and MP3 players.

USB hubs tend to clutter up the area with cable connections and power lead. These naturally go out of sight if possible or behind the monitor. For mobile computers, a small compact hub can be obtained. These may have there own wind-in or tidy away cables.

Powered and Passive Hubs
Hubs may be restricted in their use without a power connection as passive hubs rely on the power of the USB bus. Powered hubs have a mains power adaptor to provide additional power for devices. These devices range in the power they require. It is possible to run a number of different devices all from a single passive hub running of a USB port as long as they have low power requirements. With only 0.5 Amps current it only takes one of the devices requiring the full power requirement for the hub to be overwhelmed. Nothing serious is going to happen though except that the single will degrade and many or all the devices will loose connection with the computer. To avoid this situation a powered hub should be used.

Nigel Stephens heads an online business at http://www.usb-products.com supplying computer hardware products. Nigel’s emphasis is in providing useful information so that consumers can make more informed choices.

Wireless networks have a big advantage over wired networks, especially for short term projects where the internet and rental computers, printers and projectors are deployed.

Wireless networks are easier and faster to setup than wired networks. Wireless devices add flexibility and save time. With wireless you can move your laptops, projectors and printers around and still maintain connectivity. Best of all, you don’t have to run cat5 wires to routers, computers, printers and switches.

Here are some of the wireless products that are commonly rented for company projects:

Wireless Router Rentals

A wireless router is a networking device that connects computers to the internet. With a router you can share an internet connection between multiple computers on the network. Note: The internet cable needs to be connected directly into the wireless router.

Rent Wireless Access Point (WAP)

A wireless access point is a networking device that allows wireless-equipped computers and other devices to communicate with a wired network. A WAP may also be used to expand the range of an existing wireless network.

Rent Wireless Adapters

A wireless adapter is a device that adds wireless network functionality to a computer or laptop. There are three types of wireless adapters. PCI Adapters are for desktop computers. As the name suggests, they can be installed in an available PCI slot. PCMCIA Adapters, also known as PC Cards, are for notebooks. Installation is as simple as pushing the card into an available PCMCIA slot. Lastly, there are USB Adapters. These adapters are compatible with desktop and notebook computers.

Rent Wireless Print Servers

A wireless print server connects a printer to the wireless network, allowing any computer on the network to wirelessly access the printer at any time.

Rent Wireless Projectors

A wireless projector allows a computer user to wirelessly connect and display the computer video on a screen. All you need is a wireless adapter in your computer or notebook and the software that comes with the projector. Today’s advanced wireless projectors allow one computer to connect to multiple projectors AND multiple computers to connect to a single projector.

If you want to have a really impressive presentation, consider renting two or more wireless projectors. Bring your multimedia presentation to the next level by putting on multiple unique screens of your data and video presentation. For example: have animation on one screen and data on another!

Another benefit of wireless projectors is having the ability to have multiple presenters displaying their presentations right from their own wireless laptop or computer. Consider a corporate meeting with presentations from finance, operations, sales and marketing managers.

Wireless projectors are available from 1800 Lumen and 800×600 resolution to 3000 Lumen and 1024×768 resolution.

For more information on the current wireless projector rentals visit: Wireless Projector Rental Info

For more information on other products available for rent visit: Rentacomputer.com/ or Call 800-736-8772

John Beagle is a writer for Xponex Web and Media Services. For more infomation visit our website: Xponex.com/

You don’t go through the legal system, you go around it. You work outside the legal system to make arrangements and reach an agreement with your spouse.

By doing things yourself, you have far more control and far better solutions. Working outside the legal system is the way you get a low-conflict, low-impact, higher quality divorce.

To stay outside the legal system, do not retain an attorney. Neither spouse should retain one. The key word is “retain.” We’re not saying you should never get help from an attorney if you want it, just that you should not retain an attorney unless you have no other choice. If you follow the steps in my series of divorce articles, you may not need any help at all from an attorney. If you do, you will know how to keep it limited and under control.

Retaining an attorney means turning over both your responsibility for your case and control of it. The attorney represents you. You sign a retainer agreement, then you pay $1,000 to $5,000 “on retainer” and your attorney has now taken over control of your case. This is what they mean when they say, “I’ll take your case.”

And they do take your case–right into the high-conflict, low-solution legal system. They have to; it’s the law.

Because you don’t want to go into a system that works so hard against you, you must not retain an attorney unless you have no other choice. You should retain an attorney if you are facing immediate threat of harm. You need an attorney if you:

• Believe your spouse poses a danger to you, your children or your property;
• Can’t get support from your spouse and have no way to live;
• Think your spouse is transferring, selling or hiding assets.

The attorney retainer is the poison apple–don’t bite it.

If you feel uneasy about not retaining an attorney, don’t worry; in the rest of my articles, you are going to learn very effective things you can do for yourself and how to get help if you need it.

There are three different kinds of cases that respond to self-help techniques:

• No agreement between the spouses is needed;
• An agreement will be fairly easy to work out;
• An agreement is needed but it may not be easy to work one out.

Agreement needed. Most couples, however, do need an agreement or should have one. If you have children, you should work out a good parenting plan in a written agreement. If you have income or property worth protecting, or lots of debts to be paid, or if you need to work out spousal or child support arrangements, you should definitely have a written agreement. If Respondent is involved and cares how the divorce is going to be arranged, you should have an agreement.

Agreement will be easy to work out. If you think it will be no problem for you and your spouse to work out an agreement, the rest of this lesson is about the many advantages of a good agreement.

Agreement may not come easily. This describes the situation for most couples going through divorce. If, like most people, you don’t think you can deal with your spouse, don’t worry–see my articles on how to deal with disagreement and negotiate a settlement. You will learn that the things you can do to help yourself are far more effective than anything a traditional attorney can do for you. You will learn about the obstacles to agreement and how to overcome them, how to negotiate effectively with your spouse, and where to get help if you have trouble with the negotiations.

Advantages to an agreement

The marital settlement agreement (MSA) is your key to avoiding lawyers and the legal system, but that’s not all–it has many other important advantages. Your MSA actually becomes your Judgment. It is either attached to and incorporated in the Judgment or the Judgment will be written to include all the terms of your agreement.

With a good MSA you get total control over your Judgment because you decide all the terms ahead of time. Without an agreement, you can’t be sure exactly what some judge might do. The MSA has far more depth, detail, flexibility and protection than a plain Judgment. Almost anything that’s on your mind or in your lives can be included and resolved any way you like.

Some states, like California, have simplified procedures that allow you to get your divorce without going to court–if you have an agreement. Without an agreement, you almost certainly will have to go to a hearing to get your Judgment.

What’s most important is that you get a better divorce outcome when you work out an agreement. And with an agreement, people tend to heal faster and it just plain feels better.

The agreement you are about to negotiate is very valuable and worth working very hard to get. If you work it out with your spouse outside the system, you beat the system!

The Main Message: To beat the legal system, you don’t go through it, you go around it. These are your keys to the high road:

• you and your spouse work out an agreement
• outside the legal system
• without either spouse retaining an attorney.

Once you have an agreement, you have an uncontested case and there’s nothing left to do but red tape and paperwork. If you don’t need an agreement, so much the better; just do the paperwork and you’re done.

If you’re having trouble reaching agreement, read my articles on this topic starting with The Five Obstacles to Agreement.



Copyright 2005 Ed Sherman

Ed Sherman is a family law attorney, divorce expert, and founder of Nolo Press. He started the self-help law movement in 1971 when he published the first edition of How to Do Your Own Divorce, and founded the paralegal industry in 1973. With more than a million books sold, Ed has saved the public billions of dollars in legal fees while making divorce go more smoothly and easily for millions of readers. You can order his books from http://www.nolodivorce.com or by calling (800) 464-5502.

Wireless Networking Basics

Building a wireless network requires two distinct types of hardware components, wireless access points, and wireless access cards. The wireless access point is a device, which is attached to an existing computer network via a standard Ethernet cable. It has an antenna on it, which allows it to broadcast and receive signals from PCs and other devices. Each device wishing to communicate with the access point needs a wireless access card, which also contains an antenna. The current wireless standard, called 802.11g, allows for up to 54 megabits of data per second to be transmitted between the desired access point and the access card. While not quite as fast as wired networks, which typically run at 100 megabits to 1000 megabits per second, wireless networks offer more flexibility, and can be less expensive to install. This is especially true for older buildings where installing cable can become cost prohibitive.

Cutting Corners

Wireless networks use radio frequency waves to transmit information, and thus they are susceptible to being blocked by walls and other obstructions in a building. These obstructions can cause “dead zones” where the radio waves are unable to reach their intended recipients. Microwave ovens and other radio frequency emitting devices can also wreak havoc on wireless signals. The solution is to place your wireless access points strategically around your building so that interference is minimized. When the distance from a wireless access point to the wireless device is more than a few dozen meters, wireless repeaters can be installed to boost the signal. These repeaters can also be placed so that the wireless signals can be accessible from all corners of the building.

Wireless Network Security Solved

Installing a simple wireless network is pretty straightforward, but installing a secure wireless network can be substantially more difficult. However, an Ann Arbor company called Interlink Networks now offers their LucidLink products, which make installing comprehensive wireless network security a snap. Before LucidLink became available, an organization wishing to lock down their wireless network would need to hire expensive network security consultants to install and manage the wireless portion of the network. LucidLink packages all of this expertise into a software add-on that is so easy to use that even a small company’s office manager can easily take control over who is accessing the company network via wireless. It goes above and beyond simple address authentication (standard with most wireless routers), and implements what is called a RADIUS server. RADIUS servers are what large organizations spend thousands of dollars installing and maintaining in order to secure their large (1000+ node) wireless networks. Until now, installing a RADIUS server was out of the price range for all but the largest companies. In contrast, LucidLink’s product can be purchased for as little as $99 for a 3 user Home Office Edition, $449 for a 10 user version, and goes up to $3995 for a 250 user version.

Summary

While there are still issues with making sure that all areas of a building are covered, the current WiFi standard (802.11g) has a more powerful signal, meaning less emphasis needs to be placed on the locations of attached devices. However, it is still recommended that a professional site survey be done to verify that all required areas of the building can be reached by the wireless signal. Meanwhile, Interlink Networks has finally solved the security problem at a price that is affordable for small and medium sized business.

Terrence A. Weadock is the President and Founder of Dominant Systems Corporation, an Ann Arbor-based computer network solutions provider.
http://www.domsys.com

A look at second-user computer equipment.

Let’s dispense with the myths first. I’m NOT talking about the sort of second-hand computers you get from some high street junk shops, or the sort you can buy from free ads newspapers. These are the types that get used computers a bad reputation since there are many dodgy deals to be had!

I’m talking about a different breed altogether, the sort of used computers you’d be proud to own and feel safe buying because they have proper and lengthy warranties on each and every one of them and have been extensively tested and approved.

The criterion is quite strict. Sure, there are any number of companies out there who offer used computers at low prices. Very few offer 12-month warranties however and many of them disappear just as quickly as they arrived leaving you with a problem. All computers, no matter which category they fit in, or what you call them, should be high quality, guaranteed, fully working computers from a reputable supplier.

So, let’s put all the computers into two categories, I’m going to call them ‘used’ and ‘unused’ computers.

1. Used Computers

Second-hand, second user and used computers are what you would expect in that they have had a previous owner. Many of the computers have been returned to the company from which they were bought in the first place. This is ideal as the company has the appropriate expertise and spares already in place to correct any faults they find.

There are a number of reasons why computers are returned:

- businesses, colleges, individuals etc upgrade their computer equipment for the latest model

- the equipment was leased over a set period and the lease expires (so the equipment is returned)

- the computer gets a fault that can’t be fixed quickly so it is swapped permanently out for a new one

- the customer changes their mind just after purchasing

As you can appreciate, ‘used computer’ can mean anything from ‘barely used’ to ‘a couple of years old’. However, once returned the computers go through a rigorous check procedure, have their hard disks cleared or changed, have new keyboards, mice and cables if worn and new cases if they have noticeable damage. If there are any faulty components, such as sound card, video card, floppy drive etc, these are always replaced. These computers are often referred to as ex-lease, open-box, returns, refurbished, reclaimed, remanufactured, rebuilt, recycled, recertified or reconditioned computers. Phew!

At worst, the used computers, as sold on to you, have minor blemishes, scratches, dents or wear. This is always just cosmetic and does not affect either the performance or value of the computers in any way. What you receive is a fully-working computer, the same working condition as new, but at a price well below that of new. You can often pick up recent high-specification models second-hand and save hundreds of pounds. Of course there are lots of bargains to be had whatever model or type you decide to purchase but note you will sometimes find it difficult to get anything as stock can go very quickly some weeks.

2. Unused Computers

The other main categories of computers are the overstock, surplus, liquidated, superceded, discontinued, open box or end-of-line stock. These are all basically the same in that they are all UNUSED computers. So these are not what you would really classify as second-hand, ie they have not personally been owned and used by any business, college, individual etc. They will often be in their original packaging.

The reasons why these computers come on to the market are because:

- a manufacturer has brought out new models and wants to get rid of the ‘old’ superceded stock in his warehouse

- a store wants to raise some urgently needed cash and sell his unsold stock

- a factory or store becomes bankrupt and the computer stock is sold

In most of these cases, the stock gets sold to specialist dealers who buy in bulk and who then sell it on to the public, businesses etc. They then either provide a new warranty themselves for the equipment, or ensure there is a full warranty from the original manufacturer. You’ll often find Toshiba, HP, Compaq and other brand name computers offered with a 12-month warranty from the original manufacturer. Note that sometimes suppliers refer to open box as meaning refurbished - they will usually state in the description what they mean.

So that’s it. Two main categories of computers, quite different from each other but both offering great deals on branded equipment. Either way you will save money and still get a peace-of-mind guarantee on your computer purchase.

One last point. Make sure you check what you are getting for your money. Sometimes the computer may come without Windows installed or without a monitor. Don’t assume - check. This will ensure you are happy with your savings AND your purchase.

The author is an experienced computer user, having worked in IT management for a number of years. Now heavily involved in the purchase, use and distribution of thousands of computers at http://www.1st-4-used-computers.com

Forget those that are bundled with your notebook computer. Get
yourself a good notebook bag that is well-padded both on its
load-bearing straps, and 100% around the notebook itself.

Aren’t all notebook bags built the same?
The answer is NO. There are countless bag types and variations.
Not all of them have your comfort and protection of the notebook
itself in mind. Most of them sacrifice style for substance, which
is worse than not having a notebook bag in the first place.

The best way to determine which notebook bag is the one for you
is to bring along your notebook while shopping. Put it in the bag
and ensure that it doesn’t slip and slide around. Generous
spaces do not mean better protection! You want it to be snug.

Carry the bag with your notebook in it. Simulate a light
jog. Why? Experience tells me that’s how you’ll most
likely travel through the gates of airport hell. If the straps
start digging in those shoulders, start looking for alternatives.
A good strap should cushion those shocks as the bag bounces off
your shoulders while doing your airport jog.

Note also how the notebook bag opens up for main access. Again,
if you’re a frequent traveler you’ll want to have one that’s easy
to retrieve and store your notebook for security checkpoint
purposes. The best are usually top-loading ones secured by either
a zipper or a flap. We recommend the flap versions because they
usually have an additional layer of cushioning right around the
top for the notebook, and secure well but open fast with magnetic
snaps/buttons.

The zipper types have none, and your poor notebook will get
whacked full-force if the bag topples head-long off an airport
luggage cart. Trust me on this bit: I’ve had enough times my
notebook took a tumble that way, and seen many other helpless
souls literally spill their notebook’s guts across airport gates.

A good alternative to those shoulder-loading bags are the rolling
pilot cases. They are typically bigger than any shoulder-bearing
bags including backpacks, but offer solid protection with a
padded hinge-top opening similar to actual pilot cases. Roller
bags are also less taxing physically, and the generous
compartments in the bag means less luggage pieces to carry while
traveling.

A Heat Dissipating Cooler Or Pad

Heat is the number one notebook computer killer. Today’s
notebooks are little thermal generators, with internal
temperatures that rise up to 150 degrees even with built-in
cooling fans.

Those internal fans and heat-dissipating systems work full time
more often than you think. That’s why they are usually the first
components in a notebook to die on you. When that happens, you’d
better not fire up that notebook, as it’ll fry even before you
see the start screen.

So help out your hardest working notebook component and extend
its lifespan. Invest in a notebook cooler or a cooling pad.
Notebook coolers typically are low-rise, plastic or metal-faced
pedestals on which your notebook sits. They are equipped with a
fan or two inside, which serves to draw hot air away from under
your notebook, and thus promote a cooler operating environment.
Usually efficient enough to drop up to 15 degrees the operating
temperature, notebook coolers however require power for its fans
and would typically draw its power off your notebook’s USB ports.
This could somewhat decrease your notebook’s battery operating
time, but so far have proven to be negligible for many users.

Cooling pads normally do not have the fans, and are constructed
from some type of heat-dissipating material or designed a way
that your notebook would have extra clearance at the bottom to
promote natural air circulation. Despite the lack of fans, these
cooling pads do a surprisingly good job of cooling your notebook.
They are also much easier to carry with your notebook because
they are slimmer, lighter, and do not require power to do its job
therefore highly recommended.

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5days-to-a-healthier-notebook.html

Taking the time to backup your data or entire hard drive is not as painstaking as it may seem. And the rewards of doing so will be great should your system experience a crash.

WINDOWS AND OTHER BACKUP SOFTWARE

If you have Windows XP you will need to install the new Windows backup utility from the Windows XP cdrom. Just place the WinXP cdrom in your cdrom drive and locate the line D:VALEADDMSFTNTBACKUP.

Here you see the first letter as D but if your optical drive has a different drive letter, exchange the D with your drive’s letter. To install the utility, click on the file named NTBackup.msi.

The backup utility will be installed to the system tools group. Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and Backup. There is a neat wizard that will walk you through the backup process.

WinXP’s backup utility will backup your entire hard drive and will make a recovery disk to boot.

One neat third party backup software you can try is NewTech InfoSystems at http://www.ntius.com where you can download their trial version and put it to use for 30 days. And if it’s your cup of tea, the full version will run you about $79.95

INCREMENTAL OR DIFFERENTIAL BACKUPS

You should back up your entire hard drive when you perform your first backup. After that it is best to perform an Incremental backup. This type of backup only allows you to backup files that have changed since your last performed backup.

Differential Backups copy changed files that have been added since you last did your entire backup. This type of backup is more detailed than incremental backups and is easier to restore.

BACKUP STORAGE DEVICES

You can backup your files on cdroms and have the files compressed to save both space and backup time. WinXP will compress folders, subfolders, and files during backup.

You can purchase compression software that will do the same, saving you cdrom storage space. The compressed files are automatically uncompressed once they are restored onto your hard drive.

You can also use a second hard drive as your backup storage device. We use two backup hard drives to be certain Ultimate PC Repair is up and running 24/7.

You can either purchase an internal hard drive and install it to your ide cable, or you may want to purchase an external hard drive that connects to your Universal Serial Bus or USB Port.

The advantage of the external drives is that they have very large amounts of storage space, transfer data fast, and can be moved from your computer to any other computer.

We use the Western Digital 170 Gigabyte External Hard Drive and we simply bounce it around to either one of our four computers with the greatest of ease.

USING ONLINE BACKUP SERVICES

You may also consider online services for backing up your data. If you lose all your backup data, say due to a natural disaster such as a flood, your online data is right there waiting for you.

Another advantage of online backups is that you can access, upload, or download your data from any location. It is best to use high speed internet access if you’re considering online data storage.

One such online backup service is Istorage located at http://www.iomega.com/istorage and charges from $2.49 a month for 50MBs to $17.95 a month for a big 1,000MBs of storage.

Or you can check out FilesAnywhere located at the url http://www.filesanywhere.com

Still another online service to try is CapSure located at http://www.capsure.com

Backup your system now in one way or another if you have not done so. If you have critical data that you simply cannot do without, take the time to invest in a backup device or one of the many online backup services.

Stop and perform those backups as soon as possible. You will be thankful you did should something go wrong with your computer. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

About The Author

Otis F. Cooper is the author of the award winning PC Super Pack, the Computer Training By Video course. For hundreds more free PC repair tips, sign up for his bi-monthly newsletter and learn the PC free at http://www.ultimatepcrepair.com