Movies encoding/recording source definitions

Sources

CAM

A cam is a theater rip usually done with a digital video camera. A mini tripod is sometimes used, but a lot of the time this wont be possible, so the camera make shake. Also seating placement isn't always idle, and it might be filmed from an angle. If cropped properly, this is hard to tell unless there's text on the screen, but a lot of times these are left with triangular borders on the top and bottom of the screen. Sound is taken from the onboard microphone of the camera, and especially in comedies, laughter can often be heard during the film. Due to these factors picture and sound quality are usually quite poor, but sometimes we're lucky, and the theater will be' fairly empty and a fairly clear signal will be heard.


TELESYNC (TS)

A telesync is the same spec as a CAM except it uses an external audio source (most likely an audio jack in the chair for hard of hearing people). A direct audio source does not ensure a good quality audio source, as a lot of background noise can interfere. A lot of the times a telesync is filmed in an empty cinema or from the projection booth with a professional camera, giving a better picture quality. Quality ranges drastically, check the sample before downloading the full release. A high percentage of Telesyncs are CAMs that have been mislabeled.


TELECINE (TC)

A telecine machine copies the film digitally from the reels. Sound and picture should be very good, but due to the equipment involved and cost telecines are fairly uncommon. Generally the film will be in correct aspect ratio, although 4:3 telecines have existed. A great example is the JURASSIC PARK 3 TC done last year. TC should not be confused with TimeCode , which is a visible counter on screen throughout the film.


SCREENER (SCR)

A pre VHS tape, sent to rental stores, and various other places for promotional use. A screener is supplied on a VHS tape, and is usually in a 4:3 (full screen) a/r, although letterboxed screeners are sometimes found. The main draw back is a "ticker" (a message that scrolls past at the bottom of the screen, with the copyright and anti-copy telephone number). Also, if the tape contains any serial numbers, or any other markings that could lead to the source of the tape, these will have to be blocked, usually with a black mark over the section. This is sometimes only for a few seconds, but unfortunately on some copies this will last for the entire film, and some can be quite big. Depending on the equipment used, screener quality can range from excellent if done from a MASTER copy, to very poor if done on an old VHS recorder thru poor capture equipment on a copied tape. Most screeners are transferred to VCD, but a few attempts at SVCD have occurred, some looking better than others.


DVD-SCREENER (DVDscr)

Same premise as a screener, but transferred off a DVD. Usually letterbox , but without the extras that a DVD retail would contain. The ticker is not usually in the black bars, and will disrupt the viewing. If the ripper has any skill, a DVDscr should be very good. Usually transferred to SVCD or DivX/XviD.


DVDRip

A copy of the final released DVD. If possible this is released PRE retail (for example, Star Wars episode 2) again, should be excellent quality. DVDrips are released in SVCD and DivX/XviD.


VHSRip

Transferred off a retail VHS, mainly skating/sports videos and XXX releases.


TVRip

TV episode that is either from Network (capped using digital cable/satellite boxes are preferable) or PRE-AIR from satellite feeds sending the program around to networks a few days earlier (do not contain "dogs" but sometimes have flickers etc) Some programs such as WWF Raw Is War contain extra parts, and the "dark matches" and camera/commentary tests are included on the rips. PDTV is capped from a digital TV PCI card, generally giving the best results, and groups tend to release in SVCD for these. VCD/SVCD/DivX/XviD rips are all supported by the TV scene.


WORKPRINT (WP)

A workprint is a copy of the film that has not been finished. It can be missing scenes, music, and quality can range from excellent to very poor. Some WPs are very different from the final print (Men In Black is missing all the aliens, and has actors in their places) and others can contain extra scenes (Jay and Silent Bob) . WPs can be nice additions to the collection once a good quality final has been obtained.


DivX Re-Enc

A DivX re-enc is a film that has been taken from its original VCD source, and re-encoded into a small DivX file. Most commonly found on file sharers, these are usually labeled something like Film.Name.Group(1of2) etc. Common groups are SMR and TND. These aren't really worth downloading, unless you're that unsure about a film u only want a 200mb copy of it. Generally avoid.


Watermarks

A lot of films come from Asian Silvers/PDVD (see below) and these are tagged by the people responsible. Usually with a letter/initials or a little logo, generally in one of the corners. Most famous are the "Z" "A" and "Globe" watermarks.


Asian Silvers / PDVD

These are films put out by eastern bootleggers, and these are usually bought by some groups to put out as their own. Silvers are very cheap and easily available in a lot of countries, and its easy to put out a release, which is why there are so many in the scene at the moment, mainly from smaller groups who don't last more than a few releases. PDVDs are the same thing pressed onto a DVD. They have removable subtitles, and the quality is usually better than the silvers. These are ripped like a normal DVD, but usually released as VCD.

R5/TC's

Over the past 6 months the major movie studios have been releasing retail dvds early in Russia. They do this to stop the widespread use of pirated telecines (which were once very common). Lately however there has been very few real telecines, most of the scene telecines you see are actually R5 retails. R5 retail is rushed out by the studio, they are basically competing with pirates, so there is little to no cleanup of the film after the telecine process. So the main difference between telecines put out by the pirates is that the r5's are done using pro equipment, professional studios and professional people. The quality of R5 retail is very similar to dvdscr's, no time is usually spent cleaning up dvdscrs either. Actually KMI is in this business since february and releasing B & C grade movies same week as theater release. (Mithya, Bombay 2 BangKok etc.. are amoung these).



Scene Tags...

PROPER

Due to scene rules, whoever releases the first Telesync has won that race (for example). But if the quality of that release is fairly poor, if another group has another telesync (or the same source in higher quality) then the tag PROPER is added to the folder to avoid being duped. PROPER is the most subjective tag in the scene, and a lot of people will generally argue whether the PROPER is better than the original release. A lot of groups release PROPERS just out of desperation due to losing the race. A reason for the PROPER should always be included in the NFO.


LIMITED

A limited movie means it has had a limited theater run, generally opening in less than 250 theaters, generally smaller films (such as art house films) are released as limited.


INTERNAL

An internal release is done for several reasons. Classic DVD groups do a lot of INTERNAL releases, as they wont be dupe'd on it. Also lower quality theater rips are done INTERNAL so not to lower the reputation of the group, or due to the amount of rips done already. An INTERNAL release is available as normal on the groups affiliate sites, but they can't be traded to other sites without request from the site ops. Some INTERNAL releases still trickle down to IRC/Newsgroups, it usually depends on the title and the popularity. Earlier in the year people referred to Centropy going "internal". This meant the group were only releasing the movies to their members and site ops. This is in a different context to the usual definition.


STV

Straight To Video. Was never released in theaters, and therefore a lot of sites do not allow these.


ASPECT RATIO TAGS

These are *WS* for widescreen (letterbox) and *FS* for Fullscreen.


REPACK

If a group releases a bad rip, they will release a Repack which will fix the problems.


NUKED

A film can be nuked for various reasons. Individual sites will nuke for breaking their rules (such as "No Telesyncs") but if the film has something extremely wrong with it (no soundtrack for 20mins, CD2 is incorrect film/game etc) then a global nuke will occur, and people trading it across sites will lose their credits. Nuked films can still reach other sources such as p2p/usenet, but its a good idea to check why it was nuked first in case. If a group realise there is something wrong, they can request a nuke.


NUKE REASONS...

this is a list of common reasons a film can be nuked for (generally DVDRip)

BAD A/R = bad aspect ratio, ie people appear too fat/thin
BAD IVTC = bad inverse telecine. process of converting framerates was incorrect.
INTERLACED = black lines on movement as the field order is incorrect.


DUPE

Dupe is quite simply, if something exists already, then theres no reason for it to exist again without proper reason.

Formats

VCD

VCD is an mpeg1 based format, with a constant bitrate of 1150kbit at a resolution of 352x240 (NTCS). VCDs are generally used for lower quality transfers (CAM/TS/TC/Screener(VHS)/TVrip(analogue) in order to make smaller file sizes, and fit as much on a single disc as possible. Both VCDs and SVCDs are timed in minutes, rather than MB, so when looking at an mpeg, it may appear larger than the disc capacity, and in reality u can fit 74min on a CDR74.


SVCD

SVCD is an mpeg2 based (same as DVD) which allows variable bit-rates of up to 2500kbits at a resolution of 480x480 (NTSC) which is then decompressed into a 4:3 aspect ratio when played back. Due to the variable bit-rate, the length you can fit on a single CDR is not fixed, but generally between 35-60 Mins are the most common. To get a better SVCD encode using variable bit-rates, it is important to use multiple "passes". this takes a lot longer, but the results are far clearer.


XVCD/XSVCD

These are basically VCD/SVCD that don't obey the "rules". They are both capable of much higher resolutions and bit-rates, but it all depends on the player to whether the disc can be played. X(S)VCD are total non-standards, and are usually for home-ripping by people who don't intend to release them.



DivX / XviD / X264 / H264

DivX is a format designed for multimedia platforms. It uses two codecs, one low motion, one high motion. most older films were encoded in low motion only, and they have problems with high motion too. A method known as SBC (Smart Bit-rate Control) was developed which switches codecs at the encoding stage, making a much better print. The format is Ana orphic and the bit-rate/resolution are interchangeable. The majority of PROPER DivX rips (not Re-Encs) are taken from DVDs, and generally up to 2 hours in good quality is possible per disc. Various codecs exist, most popular being the original Divx3.11a and now the DivX6 and the new XviD codecs.
X264 (free version of the commercial H264 version) is the new MP4 format which gives better quality in smaller size than XviD or DivX. This is the format choosen by High Definition Consortium and used on BluRay Discs. This format requires a good CPU to be viewed smoothly (720 x 480 or higher resolutions). This is the format of choice for HDTV rips and BluRay rips.
X264 cannot be played on most standalone DVD players. You can find a list of compatible players on NERO web site. These players have the NERO-DIGITAL logo and can play most X264 or H264 rips.


CVD

CVD is a combination of VCD and SVCD formats, and is generally supported by a majority of DVD players. It supports MPEG2 bit-rates of SVCD, but uses a resolution of 352x480(ntsc) as the horizontal resolution is generally less important. Currently no groups release in CVD.


DVD-R

Is the recordable DVD solution that seems to be the most popular (out of DVD-RAM, DVD-R and DVD+R). it holds 4.38 GB of data per side, and dual Layer discs are available, so discs can hold nearly 10 GB in some circumstances. SVCD mpeg2 images must be converted before they can be burnt to DVD-R and played successfully. DVD>DVDR copies are possible, but sometimes extras/languages have to be removed to stick within the available 4.7gb.
DVDR have two category:
- Shrinked: These rae DVD9 compressed to DVD5 with standard 1 touch conversion software like DVDSHRINK, DVDFABDEcryptorHD, IMTOO DVD, CLONEDVD etc... Quality can be ok to bad. But quality is very far from the original DVD9.
- CCE or M/CCE (See below)

MiniDVD

MiniDVD/cDVD is the same format as DVD but on a standard CDR/CDRW. Because of the high resolution/bit-rates, its only possible to fit about 18-21 mins of footage per disc, and the format is only compatible with a few players.



CCE DVDR

This is the best quality you can get for DVD9 converted to DVD5.
The process uses top of the chart Cinema Craft Encoder, a professional video compression software used by mostly all video companies worldwide. QUality can be as googd as the original DVD9 to even better than the original DVD9. This depends on the skill of the ripper. The process can take from severral hours to 2 days for completing a good CCE.


M/CCE

Or Manual CCE, is the process of doing all the CCE encoding tasks without any front-end integrated software lik DVDRebuilder (pro).
De-junking (Revoving all junks & extra stuffs, ads, Making of etc..) is done by hand with specialized software.
The video stream is demuxed, treated seperately and directly in CCE then finally muxed with the audio and the DVD structure is recreated from scratch.
This gives a better quality CCE if done correctly by an experiennced CCE releaser.



DVD9

This is the full quality original version. 8.76 GB in size on a dual layer disc. SOme Movies comes in dual (Many Movies) or 3 DVD9 (Lagaan & KKKG) with the 2nd or 3rd DVD being the "Making Of" & other "Extras".


HDDVD

This is the now dead competitor in the High Definition media format.
15 to 25 GB in size on a dual layer disc, With resolution of 720p, 720i, 1080p or 1080i. See below for definition of i & p.
Soudn can be in DDS, DTS, TruHD and other lossless format.


BluRay - [BR]

This is the winner of the High Definition media format War and now the standard for HD.
25 to 50 GB in size on a dual layer disc, With resolution of 720p, 720i, 1080p or 1080i.
Sound can be in DDS, DTS, TruHD and other lossless very High resolution audio format.
Most of the time you will need expensive setup to play these audio tracks to it topest quality.
And a TRUE HDTV is mandatory.

720p
Only for High Definition: 1280 x 720 pixels resolution.
The frames are progressive, just like a photography, and is the best quality in this size for viewing on LCD & Plasma monitors.

720i
Only for High Definition: 1280 x 720 pixels resolution.
This is interlaced filelds, just like an Old TV set, and is best viewed on LCD & Plasma HDTV.
Not good for PC monitors.(As well as on TRUE HDTV)

1080p
Only for High Definition: 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution.
The frames are progressive, just like a photography, and is the best quality in this size for viewing on LCD & Plasma monitors. (As well as on TRUE HDTV)

1080i
Only for High Definition: 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution.
This is interlaced filelds, just like an Old TV set, and is best viewed on LCD & Plasma HDTV.
Not good for PC monitors.



Release Files


RARset
The movies are all supplied in RAR form, whether its v2 (rar>.rxx) or v3 (part01.rar > partxx.rar) form.


BIN/CUE
VCD and SVCD films will extract to give a BIN/CUE. Load the .CUE into notepad and make sure the first line contains only a filename, and no path information. Then load the cue into Nero/CDRWin etc and this will burn the VCD/SVCD correctly. TV rips are released as MPEG. DivX files are just the plain DivX - .AVI

ISO
Many DVDs or DVD9 are released in this format. an ISO is a standard image file that can be burned directly to DVD. Its made using popular software like WinISO, PowerISO or free soft like IMGBURN etc...
IMGBURN is the best arround to burn ISO images. (Nera can get you in troubles with ISO images, so avoid it).

NFO
An NFO file is supplied with each movie to promote the group, and give general iNFOrmation about the release, such as format, source, size, and any notes that may be of use. They are also used to recruit members and acquire hardware for the group.

SFV

Also supplied for each disc is an SFV file. These are mainly used on site level to check each file has been uploaded correctly, but are also handy for people downloading to check they have all the files, and the CRC is correct. A program such as pdSFV or hkSFV is required to use these files.

[Read More...]

75 percent of people buy the wrong digital camera

When I teach a new class learning digital photography, over 75% of the students turn up with the camera the salesman suggested.

Guess what? They soon find out that it's the wrong one for them. This can be a very expensive mistake. So the big questions are what is the right one for me and how do I know which is best for me.

One of the first things that you want to know about the camera that the salesman is trying to sell you is as follows -
How long does the camera take to turn on and be ready to take the shot? In the consumer market this can range between 1 to 5 seconds most being towards the 3 seconds mark. 
How long does the camera take to focus on the subject? (Not to take the picture) most cameras take between 1 to 3 seconds most at around the 1-second mark. How long does the camera take to actually take the photo after you have pushed the shutter button completely? Again, most cameras take between 1to 3 seconds this is called shutter lag time. Now you can see to take a photo can take up to 5 seconds just to turn on and up to another 3 seconds to focus in and the up to another 3 seconds just to actually take the photo.

In a cheaper camera, but not necessarily cheaper it can be up to 9 seconds to take a photo from the camera turned off. You may say "yes but I will leave my camera on" ok that's fine, but you may still have a lag time of up to 3 seconds just to take a photo. Just imagine how annoying it will be now that you have purchased your new digital camera costing you around $400 - $500 to find that you just can't catch your child blowing out the candles because your new camera at the critical time of blowing the candles out took 1 second to focus and a further 2 seconds to take the photo. What was the result? A child sitting in front of a cake with black smoldering candles.<

Can you set the white balance on your camera? Just what is the white balance?

About 60% of digital cameras don't have this adjustment, you must buy one that can be set manually, not just one that has an "auto white balance" as they are not as good as they advertise.

Does your camera have different exposure modes?

Exposure modes are simply where does the camera take a light reading? The cheaper cameras just do an all over reading which can be very limiting to say the least. A good camera will have a "spot", "centre weighted" and "matrix" metering system, which allows you to take great photos in any light situation.

When buying a digital camera, buy it for the fact that it's a camera not a video camera as well. One student showed me all the features her camera had and that's why it was more expensive – the only thing that it didn't do well was take still pictures!

You can get so much out of your new digital camera! you just have to put some time in for learning how to use it properly and how to take better pictures – remember no one will ever want to look at a poor quality photo twice!

If you want to take really great pictures that will be in your family for years put in a little effort with your new digital camera.
 

[Read More...]

Find out about the most used key-shortcuts in Windows/Internet Explorer/Word

Va voi prezenta cateva shortcuturi :

Windows key + R = Run menu

This is usually followed by:

cmd = Command Prompt
iexplore + "web address" = Internet Explorer
compmgmt.msc = Computer Management
dhcpmgmt.msc = DHCP Management
dnsmgmt.msc = DNS Management
services.msc = Services
eventvwr = Event Viewer
dsa.msc = Active Directory Users and Computers
dssite.msc = Active Directory Sites and Services
Windows key + E = Explorer

ALT + Tab = Switch between windows

ALT, Space, X = Maximize window

CTRL + Shift + Esc = Task Manager

Windows key + Break = System properties

Windows key + F = Search

Windows key + D = Hide/Display all windows

CTRL + C = copy

CTRL + X = cut

CTRL + V = paste

Also don't forget about the "Right-click" key next to the right Windows key on your keyboard. Using the arrows and that key can get just about anything done once you've opened up any program.


Keyboard Shortcuts

[Alt] and [Esc] Switch between running applications

[Alt] and letter Select menu item by underlined letter

[Ctrl] and [Esc] Open Program Menu

[Ctrl] and [F4] Close active document or group windows (does not work with some applications)

[Alt] and [F4] Quit active application or close current window

[Alt] and [-] Open Control menu for active document

Ctrl] Lft., Rt. arrow Move cursor forward or back one word

Ctrl] Up, Down arrow Move cursor forward or back one paragraph

[F1] Open Help for active application

Windows+M Minimize all open windows

Shift+Windows+M Undo minimize all open windows

Windows+F1 Open Windows Help

Windows+Tab Cycle through the Taskbar buttons

Windows+Break Open the System Properties dialog box



acessability shortcuts

Right SHIFT for eight seconds........ Switch FilterKeys on and off.

Left ALT +left SHIFT +PRINT SCREEN....... Switch High Contrast on and off.

Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK....... Switch MouseKeys on and off.

SHIFT....... five times Switch StickyKeys on and off.

NUM LOCK...... for five seconds Switch ToggleKeys on and off.

explorer shortcuts

END....... Display the bottom of the active window.

HOME....... Display the top of the active window.

NUM LOCK+ASTERISK....... on numeric keypad (*) Display all subfolders under the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (+) Display the contents of the selected folder.

NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN....... on numeric keypad (-) Collapse the selected folder.

LEFT ARROW...... Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder.

RIGHT ARROW....... Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder.




Type the following commands in your Run Box (Windows Key + R) or Start Run

devmgmt.msc = Device Manager
msinfo32 = System Information
cleanmgr = Disk Cleanup
ntbackup = Backup or Restore Wizard (Windows Backup Utility)
mmc = Microsoft Management Console
excel = Microsoft Excel (If Installed)
msaccess = Microsoft Access (If Installed)
powerpnt = Microsoft PowerPoint (If Installed)
winword = Microsoft Word (If Installed)
frontpg = Microsoft FrontPage (If Installed)
notepad = Notepad
wordpad = WordPad
calc = Calculator
msmsgs = Windows Messenger
mspaint = Microsoft Paint
wmplayer = Windows Media Player
rstrui = System Restore
netscp6 = Netscape 6.x
netscp = Netscape 7.x
netscape = Netscape 4.x
waol = America Online
control = Opens the Control Panel
control printers = Opens the Printers Dialog


internetbrowser

type in u're adress "google", then press [Right CTRL] and [Enter]
add www. and .com to word and go to it


For Windows XP:

Copy. CTRL+C
Cut. CTRL+X
Paste. CTRL+V
Undo. CTRL+Z
Delete. DELETE
Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin. SHIFT+DELETE
Copy selected item. CTRL while dragging an item
Create shortcut to selected item. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item
Rename selected item. F2
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word. CTRL+LEFT ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph. CTRL+DOWN ARROW
Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph. CTRL+UP ARROW
Highlight a block of text. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document. SHIFT with any of the arrow keys
Select all. CTRL+A
Search for a file or folder. F3
View properties for the selected item. ALT+ENTER
Close the active item, or quit the active program. ALT+F4
Opens the shortcut menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR
Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously. CTRL+F4
Switch between open items. ALT+TAB
Cycle through items in the order they were opened. ALT+ESC
Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop. F6
Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer. F4
Display the shortcut menu for the selected item. SHIFT+F10
Display the System menu for the active window. ALT+SPACEBAR
Display the Start menu. CTRL+ESC
Display the corresponding menu. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name
Carry out the corresponding command. Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu
Activate the menu bar in the active program. F10
Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu. RIGHT ARROW
Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu. LEFT ARROW
Refresh the active window. F5
View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer. BACKSPACE
Cancel the current task. ESC
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automatically playing.

Use these keyboard shortcuts for dialog boxes:

To Press
Move forward through tabs. CTRL+TAB
Move backward through tabs. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB
Move forward through options. TAB
Move backward through options. SHIFT+TAB
Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option. ALT+Underlined letter
Carry out the command for the active option or button. ENTER
Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box. SPACEBAR
Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons. Arrow keys
Display Help. F1
Display the items in the active list. F4
Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box. BACKSPACE

If you have a Microsoft Natural Keyboard, or any other compatible keyboard that includes the Windows logo key and the Application key , you can use these keyboard shortcuts:


Display or hide the Start menu. WIN Key
Display the System Properties dialog box. WIN Key+BREAK
Show the desktop. WIN Key+D
Minimize all windows. WIN Key+M
Restores minimized windows. WIN Key+Shift+M
Open My Computer. WIN Key+E
Search for a file or folder. WIN Key+F
Search for computers. CTRL+WIN Key+F
Display Windows Help. WIN Key+F1
Lock your computer if you are connected to a network domain, or switch users if you are not connected to a network domain. WIN Key+ L
Open the Run dialog box. WIN Key+R
Open Utility Manager. WIN Key+U

accessibility keyboard shortcuts:

Switch FilterKeys on and off. Right SHIFT for eight seconds
Switch High Contrast on and off. Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN
Switch MouseKeys on and off. Left ALT +left SHIFT +NUM LOCK
Switch StickyKeys on and off. SHIFT five times
Switch ToggleKeys on and off. NUM LOCK for five seconds
Open Utility Manager. WIN Key+U

shortcuts you can use with Windows Explorer:


Display the bottom of the active window. END
Display the top of the active window. HOME
Display all subfolders under the selected folder. NUM LOCK+ASTERISK on numeric keypad (*)
Display the contents of the selected folder. NUM LOCK+PLUS SIGN on numeric keypad (+)
Collapse the selected folder. NUM LOCK+MINUS SIGN on numeric keypad (-)
Collapse current selection if it's expanded, or select parent folder. LEFT ARROW
Display current selection if it's collapsed, or select first subfolder. RIGHT ARROW

[Read More...]

Learn how to make your pc faster by following some simple steps

1. First, run a scandisk or checkdisk. Let Windows fix any errors.

2. Run a disk cleanup utility...this will flush your temporary internet folder, trash can, temp system files, etc.

3. Delete any garbage files or data...if possible, run a Duplicate File Finder program.

4. Run Defrag on all partitions (NOTE: run this after you have deleted all trash and excess files!)

5. Run a registry cleaner utility and delete or get rid of any orphaned entries in that registry.

6. Check your exisiting swap file for it's size and location (*will explain location later in the post). If you have alot of ram (i.e. 1 gig and over) set this swap file to something small, like 250 mb. The reason is that this will force Windows to load more into memory, resulting in faster performance (note: some games and applications actually require a certain sized swap file so check your applications performance after making a size adjustment for any error messages.)

7. Under XP, you can tell Windows to use Classic Style on your desktop, - this will remove the neat single click and internet-style desktop but for lower end systems this will improve performance in other areas, such as gaming and multi-tasking.

8. Run msconfig and under startup and only keep the programs that are essential to load in the tray icon (and hence stay resident in memory). Uncheck anything else non-essential, like an ATI or Nvidia control panel, Quicktime utility, Real Audio, etc.

9. Upgrade drivers! Check for the latest BIOS, video, motherboard, sound, etc drivers from the manufacturers. Alot of my friends had chipsets on their motherboard that had advanced disk management capabilities or AGP port settings but the drivers weren't loaded for them so they were never being used. A simple upgrade realized a noticeable difference. For instance, they didn't have the latest driver for their AGP port so it was set to 1x, instead of being used at 4x!

10. (OK, so this won't speed up your PC but it could save you alot of time and trouble later on!) After making all these improvements, make a working backup! I use Ghost, but for XP users you can also use System Restore...

-FOR ADVANCED USERS-

1. Take a look under the hood (for IDE owners). How are your IDE devices configured? If you have more than 1 hard drive, put the master hard drive on the primary IDE channel and the secondary hard drive on the secondary IDE channel (most motherboards have two IDE channels).

2. Place all CDROM drives, DVD readers etc. on the secondary IDE channel (or SCSI bus, etc). This will reduce I/O contention with your master hard drive which should have your OS and apps installed...

3. Remember when I mentioned the location of the swap file? OK, if you have 2 hard drives and you have one on the primary IDE channel and the other on the secondary IDE channel, move the swap file to a partition ON THE SECOND hard drive (on the secondary IDE channel). This will greatly improve system performance as the PC can write to the swap file while loading and running OS and system commands without I/O contention on the primary IDE channel!

4. Take a look under the hood (for SCSI owners) What kind of SCSI do you have? If it's the newer Ultra 160/320 etc cards then guess what? Any devices placed on the same bus will automatically default to the slowest drive on the chain...this means that if you have say, an Ultra 160 SCSI card, and it has an Ultra 160 drive (capable of transferring 160 mb/sec) on the same chain as a SCSI cdrom drive (capable of only 40 mb/sec) then the whole bus slows down to the 40 mb/sec speed...use different chains for the slower devices and maximize those hard drives!

5. Run a utility like WCPUID and check the settings...is your CPU/front speed bus/AGP port running as fast as they should be? If not, check your drivers and BIOS configuration options. Also, are all of your chipset features enabled? If not, then enable them! (usually done in your BIOS!)

6. Dig in to the BIOS...check settings like boot order, for example...is it checking the floppy first? Change this! Select your order to reflect the hard drive first, then CD, then floppy for a noticeable boot time improvement. Also disable any non-used on board peripherals...for instance, - does your motherboard come with an on-board NIC card? Guess what, if you don't use that NIC card and it is enabled it will eat up valuable CPU cycles and can be detrimental to your systems' performance. DISABLE THAT MUTHA! Also, see if you can play with memory timing and CPU clock frequencies (NOTE! This is for expert users only!) Set these timings to "Aggressive" and see what happens in your games and apps...Also, check to see what your video aperature is set to. If you have a video card with 128 megs of on-baord memory, your aperature should be set to this amount too. Read the BIOS owner manual for further non-general performance tricks or improvements! Do you have the latest BIOS firmware version?

7. Under hardware properties, check to see that everything is working properly, and fix any hardware contention issues. You'll see the dreaded yellow exclamation point (!) beside any hardware componenet that is not working correctly.

8. Evaluate the potential for system/hardware upgrades...usually, the best bang for the buck is adding memory so buy all that you can afford (don't go much above 512 megs for Win 98 or ME). If you have a motherboard with an 8x - capable AGP port but you are using an older 4x video card, consider upgrading to an 8x card. You get the idea here...

9. Quit using software pigs like Norton system utilities, etc. These place files everywhere and can be a real system resource hog on lower end PCs.

10. Did I mention to make a good backup? Do it now! Also, while you're at it, run a good virus program with the latest definitions.

There are more options to make your system faster, such as overclocking, etc. but (just about) everything I've mentioned in this tech post costs you nothing and will result in faster system performance! Good luck and if you have any questions on how to do anything mentioned here, ask a knowledgeable friend or consult a book, - don't mess up something trying to do something you are not sure of!

Good luck and I'd like to dedicate this post to all of WorldWarez which has given me so much! You're all great, peeps!

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Learn what facts to consider when purchasing a new PC/Computer

Most people decide to buy a brand new computer without taking into account many factors that will influence the functionality
of the PC(Personal Computer).This people need a little help so they can avoid the possible purchase of preconfigured systems
from "supermarkets".

Below are written some Steps that you should follow/considerate when you wish to purchase components or a new PC(Personal Computer).

Welcome to i-Learn2.
In case this tutorial has been taken to another site, you can find the origin of the article on this site: http://i-learn2.blogspot.com/
The article written in Romanian can be found on the same site at the following link: http://i-learn2.blogspot.com/2011/06/ce-trebuie-sa-stim-atunci-cand-cumparam.html
Articolul scris in limba Romana poate fi gasit pe acest site la urmatoarea adresa: http://i-learn2.blogspot.com/2011/06/ce-trebuie-sa-stim-atunci-cand-cumparam.html
 Well, let's get to work  !

Step 1:

1) First of all you must establish a budget(my advice would be not to start with the maximum budget.This way, after you have finished the list
of what you wish to buy you can add/replace some more/or better components).
Important: You must establish the domain in which the PC will be used most often. In other words: Gaming PC, Multimedia PC, Office etc...

Step 2:

2) Avoid as much as possible pre-configured systems(as i specified earlyer) from stores that are not specialized("market/supermarket").
Those systems are designed for ignorants and are based very often on weak/old technology.

Step 3:

Power Source
3) Once you've made up your mind about the first two Steps, the next aspect you need to consider is the choice of a Power Source.
This component is often left as the last choice but actually, this is one of the most important component of a system wich converts the
AC(alternating current - 120V or 240V) to DC(direct current) which is needed by every component.
A short circuit/damage of a Power Source can lead to loss of many other components of you PC. Avoid purchasing a NO-NAME Power Source.
Power Sources are equipped with a big variety of internal connectors:
Examples:

a) - main connector for the motherboard which is the 20Pin,24Pin or 20+4Pin.
Important: The 20Pin connector is for old models of motherboards, you will not be interested about it since we wish to
 "upgrade" not "downgrade".

b) - ATX 12V connector which is strictly necessary for the CPU(Central Processing Unit/Processor). Usually this is a 4Pin.It can also
be a 8Pin or 2x4Pin usually required for a high-end Motherboard.

c) - 4 Pin connectors used for peripheral devices: HDD, CD/DVD-ROM, Fans. It's also called "Molex".

d) - 4 Pin connector/s for Floppy-Disk device

e) - Auxiliary connector. There are a few types of auxiliary connectors. All quality Power Sources have this incorporated.

f) - 5 Pin Serial-ATA(SATA) connectors - Specially designed only for SATA peripherals

g) - PCI-Express connectors usually needed to power the latest generation of video cards. There are: 6Pin, 8Pin or 6+2Pin.
Depending on the manufacturer, the Power Source can have 1, 2 or even more PCI-Express connectors.

Here is a LINK to a website which has a very good description of all types of connectors and their use.

What you should pay attention when you wish to buy a Power Source ?
This are the most important:
-power
-efficiency
-quiet
-cold
-constant

How much power will use the new components ? The answer is pretty simple.
On average, you should consider the main consumers, namely:

CPU(Central Processing Unit/Processor) - depending on the manufacturer and model, processor manufacturing technology can consume around/between 40W and 130W;

GPU(Graphics Processing Unit/Video Card) - depending on the manufacturer, model and fabrication technology it can consume around/between 20W and 150W. Anything that is
above 150W it is usually a Multi GPU card, CROSSFIRE(ATI/AMD) / SLI(NVIDIA)

HDD(Hard Disk Drive) - the maximum power consumption of an HDD can be up to 40W - 50W

CD/DVD-ROM - maximum power consumption is around 25W

The remaining components of the system does not consume more then 50W including some extra-Fans.

If we sum up the maximum value of all components we would get around 400W-450W.
In my opinion, all the PC's(Personal Computers) should have a well known brand of Power Source with no less than 450W.
Please do not buy a NO-NAME Power Source. You will regret it if you do !

Here is a LINK to a Power Consumption Calculator

Step 4:

4)Motherboard(MB):
Continue to think about what you want from the Final System PC when you choose a motherboard.
Why ? Because sometimes you cannot justify the price difference between motherboards if the target is not using it to the extreme(Overclocking, 3D Rendering/Applications, etc).
You should also search information about Chipset,Equipmenet,materials used in manufacturing and why not: name and design.

Chipset - Keep in mind: A newer version is more stable/developed.

Chipset Intel.

Chipset nVidia nForce.

Chipset AMD.

Chipset VIA.

Chipset SIS.

Equipment features - more the better. Still, you must consider whether or not you need all those features. Maybe you do not need to
have options like: CF(Crossfire) or SLI(Scalable Link Interface) or to support 32GB memory, etc.
I recommend for a standard motherboard to have: PCI-E 2.0, 4-6 SATA ports, RAID Support.

Materials used in manufacturing - it needs to be strong and good.Sometimes i've noticed physical damage caused by a user when he installed it.
You should also pick a motherboard which has a good cooling system construction and solid capacitors.

Step 5:

5)Processor(CPU):
All the components have their own important role to play in a system but the CPU(Processor) is usually doing most of the hard work.
It's also being in constant change/upgrade due to technological advancement.
When picking a CPU, first you must check if it is supported by the motherboard(chipset).
Here is a LINK with information about INTEL processors: http://processormatch.intel.com/CompDB/
For AMD Processors you also need to make sure of compatibility with sockets AM2, AM2+, AM3 etc.
Other types are not worth mentioning since we talk about an "upgrade" not an "downgrade".


Types of processors you must keep in mind:

Intel:
- Single Core (single core) Pentium, Celeron, hot and high frequency but low FSB and smaller cache;

- Dual Core (dual core) Pentium, Celeron, common acceptable, but lower FSB and smaller cache, some are actually single core with HT Technology (Hyper Threading) virtual design
of another nucleus, resulting in dual core;

- Core2Duo (dual core) dual core Native (incorporates two cores on the same support). Variety of frequencies, FSB and cache, E8xxx series, which includes E8200, E8400, E8500, E8600
proved to be real monsters when it comes to games;

- Core2Quad (4 cores) Two dual placed on the same support. Quad will help a lot when it comes to demanding applications processor, general multitasking, rendering video, photo, 3D applications, etc.
Many persons start choosing QUAD since future multicore applications and games are being optimized for this kind of processors;

- I7 (4 cores and HT), first native quad from intel to use and new DDR3 technology has proven once again a success. With many changes, including QPI (Quick Path Interconnect) controller
used in the famous FSB (Front Side Bus) and re-HT (Hyper Threading) that i mentioned above.

AMD:
- Single Core (single core) - was good in the past time but now it's passed, it remains an option for those really running out of money, but still in the need of a PC;

- Dual Core (two cores) - Frequency approximately equal to Intel but weaker, because of the manufacturing and design problems arising in the process. High temperature and not being able to overclock
this option was perfect for low budget. One still worth mentioning, namely the  Athlon 64 X2 7750, is a half but improved Phenom 9950 (B3 revision) without the problems caused by L3 cache (TLB);

- Triple Core (3 cores) - a relatively inexpensive solution for multitasking requirements and advanced 3D work;

- Quad Core (4 cores) - this time native, but with many problems, the famous "TLB Bug" experimented when using L3 cache;

- Quad Core Phenom II - the new processor from AMD, it is supported by motherboards with socket AM2 +, and it keeps up the pace among Quad's from Intel. Clearly an
option to consider, being more accessible because of its price and the DDR2 price platform;

Step 6:

6)Video Card(GPU):
When buying a GPU(Video Card) you should consider:
-your requirements from it(what kind of applications you will run);
-compatibility with the motherboard;
-amount of memory;
-bandwidth;
-frequency(memory/processor);
-cooling system;
-multi-GPU technology (CROSSFIRE or SLI);

Because the variety of video cards on the market is huge i will not start describing them.
I must say though, unless you intend to work with 3D Graphics or Games, considering to buy a motherboard
with an on-board(integrated) GPU is the perfect option for an Office / Web Surfing PC.

Step 7:

7)Hard Disk Drive(HDD):
The HDD is actually the devices that stores permanent information.
When picking a HDD you should pay attention to:
-writing/reading speed
-memory buffer / cache
-capacity/storage size(GB,Tb)
-reliability
-it should be silent

Step 8:

8)Memory(RAM):
When it comes to memory, quantity is important. For an ordinary user, latency and very high frequencies make no difference(Enthusiasts know
what i am talking about and they will probably already know what to choose).
Consider reading the site's motherboard manufacturer to see consistency, so-called QVL (Qualified Vendor List).

Recently, the most used memory are 4 GB dual-channel kits which have a very reasonable price/performance.
Important: 32 Bit operating systems will not user more then 3GB of memory.

There are also more types of memory such as: DDR, DDR2, DDR3;
When you pick the memory please be sure to check if your motherboard can support the quantity and the type.

Step 9:

9)Case:
Choosing the case is always up to the buyer, it depends very much on each persons taste.
My only advice is to buy a spacious case. You don't need to have special features inside, the most important thing is the airflow.
Keeping the components at an optimum temperature is what you will need. Well, keep in mind the dimensions.

From my point of view, this is all.
Thank you for reading this tutorial/guide on i-Learn2

Welcome to i-Learn2.
In case this tutorial has been taken to another site, you can find the origin of the article on this site: http://i-learn2.blogspot.com/

In caz ca acest tutorial a fost preluat de catre alt site, originea articolului il puteti gasi pe acest site: http://i-learn2.blogspot.com/


The article written in Romanian can be found on the same site at the following link: http://i-learn2.blogspot.com/2011/06/ce-trebuie-sa-stim-atunci-cand-cumparam.html
Articolul scris in limba Romana poate fi gasit pe acest site la urmatoarea adresa: http://i-learn2.blogspot.com/2011/06/ce-trebuie-sa-stim-atunci-cand-cumparam.html

[Read More...]