Computer Servicing Tips - SMPS Problem

SMPS problem:

If you are trying to start your computer and it is not responding. But have you noticed that even your LED in the cabinet which will usually glow when you press your power button is also not glowing.

Now that may be an SMPS problem. Try replacing the SMPS from the market. Also try checking the old SMPS in the shop if possible.

How To Make Sure Nothing Goes Wrong When Building or Servicing Your PC

After a good shopping at the computer market, probably you will be much exited to put everything into the box and fire up the bad boy. Assembling should never be taken carelessly, one loose screw, an improperly seated component can damage the system board, processor, chipset and Add-On Cards.
System Board
Make sure to read the manual that came with the motherboard - instructions may differ for every board. If the motherboard isn't correctly installed you will face problems like overheating and system crashes (computer "freezing", "locking", "resetting" etc).
The first step is to open the case and locate the metallic plate where the motherboard is screwed in. Normally this plate can be removed from the case by unscrewing it from the back end of the case and sliding it. You must remove it from the case to install the motherboard on it. You should lay down the motherboard on the metallic plate and check which holes from the metallic plate match the holes on the motherboard. On the holes on the metallic plate that matched a hole on the motherboard, you will install a nut screw or a rivet nut. On the holes that don't match a hole on the motherboard, you will simply leave it away. Sometimes you will find some holes on the motherboard that don't match any hole on the plate.
Make sure board is not touching metal anywhere other than the rivet or nut screw heads, the board circuit may shot as soon as power flows.
Few links for better understanding:
http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/145
http://www.pchardware.co.uk/install-motherboard.php
http://www.build-your-own-computers.com/how-to-install-a-motherboard.html

Processor
Great precaution must be taken while Installing/Removing/Cleaning Processor and Installing/Removing Heatsink. There are two types of processors: Pin Grid Array (PGA) Package & Land Grid Array (LGA) Package Most of the processors available today are LGA Package. AMD Processor Installation Videos is a great resource for Installing/Removing/Cleaning Processor and Heatsink.



Memory (RAM)
Make sure to discharge any possible static buildup before touching RAM; it is extremely sensitive to ESD (Electro-Static Discharge). Do this by touching something metal before touching your computer. Do not touch the metal parts on the RAM chip. Every time you touch the gold portion of it, you are running high risk of ruining 64MB of RAM. You should be well informed about the Number of RAM slot on the board, Speed of existing RAM modules (If Any) and Maximum amount of supported RAM on the Board.
Links for video tutorial:
http://www.wikihow.com/Install-RAM
http://www.ehow.com/how_895_install-ram.html
http://www.build-your-own-computer-tips.com/install-ram.html

Power Unit (SMPS)
Installing Power supply is fairly simple and neat. Just a word of caution, make sure to set the Voltage on the back of the Power Unit according to your country standards else, you may experience unexpected outcomes.
Links for video tutorial:
http://video.about.com/pcsupport/powersupply.htm

Storage (HDD)
Hard drive installation is easy; however, jumper settings can make it tough. Jumpers on the hard drives decide on how the HDD will be represented to the BIOS. I mean, Jumpers settings decide which HDD will be given priority for Boot. Wrong settings won’t let BIOS see the Hard Drive.
Precaution: While installing Ultra ATA data cable with Blue board connector (Ribbon), mind the grove on the connector on the board and hard drive. Preferably, check the placements of pins on the board/HDD and the connector lest you break the pins on the board or hard drive. Be aware of the Master and Secondary points on the connector.
Setting the Jumpers
Cable Select. The drive is configured at the factory for a cable select setting. This allows the drive to assume the proper role of master or slave based on the connector used on the cable. For the cable select setting to work properly, the cables you are using must support the cable select feature. Current UltraATA cables with the 3 colored connectors do support this feature.
Master or single drive. If you are installing your Seagate hard drive as the only drive in the system or if it will be the primary boot drive for the system, the jumper should be set on pins 7 and 8.
Drive as slave. If you are installing the drive as an additional drive in your system, the drive should be set as slave by removing all jumpers. Remember to confirm that the original drive is set to a master position (If the limit capacity jumper is required for your installation it will need to remain in place).
Drive as master with a non-ATA-compatible slave (Seagate drives only). Set a jumper on pins 5 and 6 and a jumper on pins 7 and 8. Use this jumper setting only if the drive does not work as a master.
Limit drive capacity/Capacity Limitation Jumper (CLJ). Use this when either you start up your computer and see the message, "Hard disc drive controller failure", your computer does not recognize your newly installed hard drive, or your system stops responding during the boot process after installing this new drive. If this jumper is required, your system cannot support a drive this large and can be updated with a PCI controller card.
Refer Seagate Jumper Setting for in-depth understanding (Link applies for ATA Hard Drives, SATA hard Drives & SCSI Hard Drives):
http://www.seagate.com/www/en-us/support/installation_assistance/jumper_setting_illustrations/ Mishaps that may happen if not careful

• Power supply if not firmly screwed into the cabinet, may fall on the Add-On Cards (Graphics, Sound, TV Tuner and other PCI/PCI(e) cards).

• If the any of the video card's heatsinks are secured with fragtape(High Performance Thermal Tape), they will promptly fall off and land on the modem/NIC/sound card below.

• If the cabinet is not big enough, it if possible that the Power Unit cables or other cables can land on the processor fan and hinder it from running. You may not even know this happened because all you did was clean the cabinet exterior or moved the box. If this gets serious issue then you will hear increased fan rotation from the box. Because CPU is reaching high temperatures so, BIOS will trigger increase fan rotation. Finally, it may reach a point where system will crash and processor dead. Whenever you hear increased fan rotation reboot the machine into BIOS and check the system temperature and all fan status.

I hope this article was helpful. Please let me know your comments and suggestions. Appreciate your time.

Have A Good Day !!

Philip's new X200 ultra portable laptop with extendable screen arm

By keeping in view the ease to read and work on laptops Philips has striked a new X200 ultra portable laptop on the shelves.

This latest laptop model with extendable screen arm and 12.1-inches widescreen LCD sports 1.73GHz Core Duo U2500 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 100GB HDD, DVD combo drive, 1.3 megapixel webcam and Windows Vista.

I think laptop users have now got one more entrant in the market to opt their comforts while working on laptops, but still price might create a barrier because this laptop is shipping now in UK for 850 pounds and approximately $1,700 in US.

Promotional Postcards Should Be In Every Marketer' S Bag Of Tricks

The humble postcard is making a comeback - if you were a contestant on jeopardy and the answer was" postcards, " what would the question be? Online marketers are discovering that using email lists as an effective form of marketing is fading fast due to the unfortunate avalanche of SPAM( unsolicited commercial email) !

How about: "What is one of the most incredibly effective, yet under - utilized methods for driving qualified buyers to your business or website? " Many businesses think postcards are a little old - fashioned for this era of Internet Marketing, but nothing could be further from the truth. - internet service providers and individual consumers are now trying to filter out the ever growing glut of spam. And even if the email does get through, it is often lost among the other 200 or so emails in the receiver' s inbox and simply gets bulk deleted. But, unfortunately the software developed to assist in SPAM control is not terribly accurate and a very large amount of legitimate communications between a business and its customer base is being unintentionally blocked by these filters. As a result, email is no longer a reliable method of maintaining contact and building a relationship with customers. The humble postcard comes to the rescue!

Yet, most small businesses do not have large budgets to conduct full fledged direct marketing campaigns. - the humble postcard can serve both online and offline businesses well, driving traffic to both brick - and - mortar stores as well as commercial websites. As they mentally separate the mail into two categories, the junk mail, junk and personal drops directly into the wastebasket unopened. Famous copywriter Gary Halbert says most people sort their mail over a waste basket. But the postcard is already open. And at the same time the production and mailing cost remain economical.

It is small and easily read at a glance so the likelihood of the message getting through is increased greatly. - postcard advertising and postcard marketing are back in vogue. Promotional postcards should be in every marketer' s bag of tricks! Marketing postcards can be sent to customers as personalized postcards for any number of occasions, birthdays, including holidays, special events, or special offers and they help to economically keep businesses in touch with their customer base and develop that all important relationship between the business and the customer.

Yoga Beginner Poses

Knowing which Yoga poses to do is key when it comes to getting the most out of your practice. If you are a beginner just starting out, make sure you learn the right Yoga beginner poses. There are specific Yoga poses that are best for learning in the beginning, and if you put your attention towards understanding and attaining those poses correctly, you will build a solid foundation that will help you safely move forward towards more advanced poses.

Beginners should start with Yoga poses from 4 main categories: Standing Poses, Seated Poses, Inverted Poses, and Resting Poses.

Standing Poses are done while standing on one or both feet. They are the most important poses to learn for most beginners because they strengthen and align the legs while teaching all of the major movements of the body. It is while practicing standing poses that we begin to learn how to correctly move in forward bends, backward bends, twists, and even inversions.

Seated Poses are very rejuvenating to the legs, which is one of the reasons that we practice them after the standing poses, where the legs have to work vigorously. The seated poses open and strengthen the legs and hips while also increasing circulation. Sitting in various Yoga poses is curative to the ankles, knees, and hips.

The next category of Yoga beginner poses is Inversions, which means being upside down. These Yoga poses are very good for promoting overall health because of the powerful effect they have on the circulatory system. The first inversion beginners learn is very easy; you basically lay on your back with the legs up the wall. But over time that simple pose lays the foundation for more advanced inversions like the classic headstand, which requires skill and concentration.

Finally, you should always include a Relaxation Pose to complete your Yoga practice. Relaxation is an important subject in Yoga, because ultimately we want to learn how to be relaxing "inside" at the same time we are vigorously working in an active or difficult yoga pose. Not only does the final relaxation pose help us let go of tensions from the active yoga poses we've practiced, it also helps us actually learn how to relax deeply, which is something we enjoy in the moment and also learn to apply in everyday life. The classic Yoga relaxation pose is simply laying flat on your back on the floor, perhaps with a blanket under the head and a bolster under the knees. If the back is sore then placing the legs on a chair is even better than a bolster.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6351776

How to build your own computer

Build your computer from individual parts will begin with getting a motherboard, RAM, CPU and hard disk.

The motherboard is the part of every computer that connects the CPU is actually what makes your computer a computer, RAM is where you work on your computer does everything, and the hard disk where data is stored. You also need a video card, and will be a network interface card (or a wireless network adapter) will, and if you need a sound cardhas no sound onboard the motherboard. You also need a monitor, keyboard and mouse, and if you want a case for it and some fans. Suppose we have all the parts, and were smart enough to make a bundle to buy a place like NewEgg.com, where someone else has chosen the RAM CPU and motherboard, so all work together. (For computers that are "last generation" stuff, this is often a good way to get a really cheap computer for a small sum of money.)
OK,you go to a screwdriver, a need for good light and a magnifying glass does not hurt. Following the instructions for your case and motherboard, install the motherboard into the case. Connect the power supply wires to the motherboard, and attach all connections to the front plate and back plate. Power up - there are LEDs that light up, if not, you may need to talk to whoever sold you the motherboard.
Now, power down again. Set your CPUin the CPU socket, it can be difficult - but not forced. Everything should line up and you will get in. Now, practice the heatsink / fan on the motherboard, then remove it, apply some 'thermal grease on top of the CPU tries to put on a uniform and put on the heatsink. Usually there is a spring tension locking lever to keep using it. The main cause of death, forcing the CPU and motherboards in the first motherboardfolder and a pen, and tries to run without the cooling block.


Once the CPU, put the RAM in the slots, and connect the hard drives. Make sure when you buy the hard disks that use the same connectors on the motherboard (which is why we take the motherboard and work our way out). SATA hard drives are faster, bigger and easier to find than the old IDE. SATA vs IDE is a good reason to choose a hard disk onothers. Most hard drive bays are lives in media so you can mount the hard drives there. If your hard drives are equipped with fans, the fans are connected. Hard drives can be very hot, and it is not good for them.
Now, put the video card, the monitor, and switch - you should do a test "POST", identifying the CPU and how much RAM you have, and with luck, will tell you that found hard disk drives. Otherwise, you may need to lookthe motherboard manual again and play with some jumpers.
Finally, close all other parts where they should go, including the CD-ROM. You need the CD-ROM to install Windows or Ubuntu Linux. Leave the case open while installing the operating system, just in case something needs to be adjusted.
You're on your way to building your own computer.

Repair your computer online

There is no longer the need to take your PC to a Computer Repair Service center or hire a Computer Repair Technician to fix a problem. Remote computer repair is a great tool that can save your time, money and fuss.

Most of the tech support organizations provide remote computer repair. These services have several benefits, such as there is no need to wait for your machine to be fixed, no driving out to any repair shop, and you can avail these services as per your convenience.

Remote computer repair is of great help in things like spyware removal, troubleshooting, software installation, upgradation and many others. Remote computer repair is the field that's becoming customer's preferred choice looking for repair of their computers. These remote computer repair specialist take remote control to repair most of your computer problems.

Technical organizations adopt most advanced remote repair technology. During remote computer repair, your computer mouse actually move around on your computer screen. These specialist have a look at your PC while working on your problem. With the advancement in technology, it allows you to assume control anytime, whenever you feel that there is a break in security.

To resolve your problem, Our technical experts operate your keyboard and mouse and you can sit back to watch the action. Remote Computer repair is like having the expert operating at your computer. You can have a look at everything these technicians are doing to fix the issue or to make your computer run better and faster than ever.

iYogi is amongst the leading tech support centers. We connect to your computer over the Internet to speedily repair your PC and provide you with immediate online computer repair.

Our online computer services saves your time hassle and money. Our Extremely professional online customer services help you by fixing a Slow Computer, performing Virus Removal, completing a Computer Tune Up or simply fixing your computer in general.