In order to keep your computer running smoothly it needs some free space

If your computer is two or three years old or you’ve got a
lot of files stored on it, it’s possible that the hard drive
could be filling up.

Windows uses the hard drive to store things temporarily
sometimes, and you need to make sure you have some space
left on the drive. If your hard drive fills up to the point
that there isn’t enough space for Windows to work, your
computer can slow down to a crawl.

It’s a good idea to always make sure you have at least 100MB
of free space, if not more. You can check this by
right-clicking on the C: drive icon in My Computer and then
left-clicking on Properties in the menu that pops up.

The properties window will tell you how much free space is
left on the drive. Make sure it has at least 100MB (100,000
bytes) available. If it has less than that, it might be time
to do a little housecleaning and delete anything that is
just taking up space but you don’t need.

Are you the parent of a child or a teenager who wants to use the internet, if they don’t already? If so, you may have some concerns. Yes, it is typically safe for your child to use the internet to do research for school projects, but did you also know that children and teens are now using it to communicate with their friends or other internet users? This is how and when using the internet at a young age can become a problem.

As important as it is to hear that your child can find themselves in trouble online, if you do not know what internet safety steps can help to protect them, you may be looking for more information. You also may be curious as to what it is about the internet that can be so dangerous. For your convenience, five reasons why internet use can be dangerous for children and teenagers are highlighted below.

1 – False Identities Are Easy to Create

Making new friends online is easy and convenient, but it is much different than doing so in person. Why? Because you can’t see who is at the other end of the computer. The internet makes it easy for someone to be anyone else in the world. For example, if your child is using social networking websites online, they have to enter in their age. They could easily lie themselves or they could be talking to someone else who is.

2 – Internet Predators

As it was previously stated, the internet makes it easy to create a new, false identity. Often times, the individuals who lie about their ages are internet predators. They are the ones who target children, like yours. Unfortunately, many children, teenagers, and their parents cannot tell an internet predator until it is too late, like when the predators try to approach your child or contact them in person.

3 – So Many Websites To Choose From

What is nice about the internet is that you have so many websites to choose from. In fact, that is why it is a good way to research school projects. With that said, having so many websites to choose from can be dangerous. Your child can gain access to social networking websites, adult chat rooms, pornographic websites, and websites that are violent in nature. Unless you have parental controls set up, your child can easily access any type of website with a standard internet search.

4 – Not All Information Is Private

Unfortunately, many individuals, including both children and parents, do not know that the information that is posted online isn’t always private. For starters, most teens have their MySpace profiles set to public, as opposed to private. This means that anyone can view it. There are also online message boards that are indexed by the search engines. This means that others can view the conversations that were discussed, even years down the road.

5 – They Are In Control

When your child uses the internet, they are the ones who are in control. This can be okay if your child is older and mature, but you honestly never know. You may ask your child not to communicate with strangers online, give out their phone numbers, or share pictures with strangers, but that doesn’t mean that they will follow your rules. For that reason, if you do let your child use the internet, be sure to monitor their use.

Keep your original CDs and software disks well organized.

Your computer probably came with some CDs with all the
original software that is installed on the computer. You
might also have some more CDs for other programs that you’ve
bought.

Once they’re installed, it’s easy to lose track of these
disks, but if you ever need to reload a program or your
entire computer, you’ll need them.

Make sure you keep all the original CD cases and manuals
too. A lot of programs have a special serial number or
registration code that you need to enter when you install
the program. If you lose this number, you won’t be able to
reload your program even if you have the original disk.

Personally, I have a large DVD case similar to those the DJ’s use to store all
my original CDs. I also enter all the serial numbers into a
list that I can print out and store in the same binder. That
way, if I ever need to find a CD I know exactly where to
look and the registration numbers are all right there.

Many webmasters erroneously believe that just because their domain name registrar says a particular domain name is ‘available’ that it truly is.  This is not necessarily so.  Even if a domain name is physically available, it may not legally be open for use. Why? It’s because there might already be a company that has the rights to the keywords used within the domain name.

If this happens yet the webmaster claims the domain name anyway, they are at risk of losing it through a domain name arbitration proceeding.  They could even be charged with trademark/copyright infringement if things get really ugly.  For this reason it’s best to make sure the keywords used in a domain name aren’t protected for someone else.  This article will explain how webmasters can make such a determination.

First, webmasters need to check and see if their chosen domain name resembles any existing trademark that is on the books.  They will want to do this before actually investing any money in the domain name.  To search existing trademarks, webmasters can visit the website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office which is USPTO.gov.  From here they can search a database that contains current trademarks as well as those that are pending.
 
If a domain name is similar to a registered or pending trademark, webmasters need to evaluate whether the domain name is still worth taking.  Usually, if a site is not selling the same types of merchandise or services that the other business is selling and the trademark is not popular, a webmaster probably won’t get into legal trouble if they decide to go on and register the domain name.  To be completely sure, webmasters can run the domain name by a trademark attorney.  It shouldn’t cost too much for an hour consultation.

Of course, if a webmaster would prefer zero percent risk, they can simply try to think of another domain name.  When they go about doing this, they need to be more generic and less creative in what they come up with.  Using search engine keywords for a domain name is one such strategy.  Webmasters can also look into using dictionary terms.  If all else fails they can take a generic term and combine it with a term that is less likely to be taken, such as their first and last name.

Either way, once a suitable domain name has been chosen, webmasters should consider getting it trademarked themselves, especially if they are using it to help brand their business.  With an official trademark, a webmaster has more legal power should another company try to take them to court.  And since there’s no shortage of domain name bullies, (companies that try to steal profitable domain names from smaller enterprises), a webmaster should use all legal avenues available to protect the rights of their business.

In conclusion, by checking whether or not a domain name has keywords that are part of a trademark, webmasters lessen the risk that they will have legal problems in the future.  If there are problems, and a domain name arbitration proceeding does not rule in a webmaster’s favor, they can turn to The Domain Name Rights Coalition.

As I’ve already told you, I love spending time surfing the
net - and I wanted to tell you about this superb site I came
across!

Have you been to www.google.com?

You’re probably thinking “Of course - it’s Google!” You
might think of Google as a way to find things on the
internet, but it’s actually a very good way to find answers
to your computer problems.

If you’re getting an error message with any program, just do
a Google search for the name of the program and the error
message you’re getting. Put double-quotes around the error
message ( eg. “File Not Found Error” ) to get the best
results.

If someone else has had the same problem, you’ll probably
find the solution. It’s pretty unlikely that your problem
would never have been seen before.

If you need to take your computer to a repair shop or ship
it away for servicing, if at all possible make sure you have
a current backup of all your personal files and information.

Many of the large computer companies like HP and Compaq
don’t really repair your computer anymore. In many cases,
they replace it with another of the same model.

This sounds like a good deal - you’re getting a new
computer, right? The problem is, they usually replace it
with a factory-fresh system that won’t have your files on it
anymore.

Mistakes can happen in repair centers, too. Most repair
shops will have you sign a waiver that basically says they
aren’t responsible for the information on your computer. If
a technician ever makes a mistake and deletes something they
shouldn’t (and it does happen, although infrequently) you
might not have any recourse.

If your computer won’t start up or you can’t access the
information on it, there’s nothing you can do (this is when
you’ll be glad you make regular backup copies of your
important files… you do make them don’t you?) but if you
can save anything, it’s worth taking the time.