Entries Tagged 'Tech Tips' ↓

Internet faxing has been a great solution already for thousands of individuals and businesses that are in search of ways to save money without having to sacrifice quality. As Internet fax continues to grow it is also expanding into other areas such as Canada. If you are looking for Internet fax services in Canada then keep on reading.

Faxing online has many benefits, starting with the low cost. Starting at just $6.95 per month, faxing through the Internet is affordable for everyone in Canada, no matter what part of Canada you live in, and offers several plans depending on how much faxing you do during a month. Features that most Canada fax services offer is multiple faxing, electronic signature, cell phone faxing, compatibility with Windows and Mac among many other benefits that you will enjoy.

Stop using the fax machine because it is just wasting your time and money. Recent studies show that a fax machine is the most energy consuming office machine, by faxing online you will see a big decrease in your energy bill and you will also save money on paper and ink supplies because the more you fax online, the less paper you waste and you also contribute to the “green” solution to help the environment.

Fax Canada solutions currently are only offered by two of the top rated Internet fax services which are RingCentral Fax and MyFax. These two companies are now offering Internet faxing to users in Canada as well as fax numbers and toll free numbers. But that’s not all, you can even try them out for free! And remember that internet faxing is available to anyone in Canada as long as you have a computer and internet connection.

To try out internet faxing in Canada for free visit Fax Canada where you can get the latest information on top rated internet fax services. Check out more reviews at internet fax reviews.

Whether you are selling your PC to someone or just need to free up some space for virtual memory on a computer there are various ways to clean hard drive contents. This article looks at 3 contrasting options.

1: Formatting

Formatting a hard disk can be done using the format program that comes with the Windows CD. Many users format drives and reinstall Windows as a way around fatal viruses or system errors. In truth, it would be easier to attempt using PC repair programs to rectify these faults.

Formatting will clean hard drive files from view, but not from memory. This is a low security disk cleaning approach as data recovery programs can easily read the disk memory and find your files (even though you won’t see them in Windows explorer. Therefore, this approach is not advised if selling on your PC to someone you do not trust.

2: Applications

The most secure approach to clean personal data from a disk is to resort to using disk cleaning/cleansing applications. Some examples include WinClear, Remo Drive Wipe and Evidence Nuker.

Some programs will overwrite all data clusters on the disk (so are ideal if selling on your PC) while others can focus on personal files and leave operating system files intact (ideal if you wish to retain a working computer).

3: Manually Cleaning Up Hard Drive

The final approach is really intended for manually clearing out some hard drive space on the disk for your own purposes:

• Use Add/Remove Programs to clear out unused applications.
• Delete podcasts/torrents you don’t need.
• Backup music, video and images to several CDs for safekeeping then remove the computer versions.
• Run Disk Cleanup (accessories > system tools)
• Empty the Recycle Bin.

Each of these approaches will clean hard drive files for you, but the key is to understand what your priority is – security, speed of cleaning or disk capacity improvements – and then pick the best suited approach.

Computer hangs or freezes are one of the trickier computer faults to repair as there is rarely any error message to show you the root cause. This article looks at ways to fix PC hanging issues based on the most common causes of this issue.

Any investigation into this type of issue should start with considering possible hardware issues:

• Check the air vents are not blocked. If they are then the CPU and disk will overheat and start shutting down/freezing the PC in mid-operation.
• Open the control panel > system utility and check all the RAM memory is being picked up by your PC. If not, then they may have developed a fault causing your computer to run with little or no memory.
• If you hear strange noises from the disk (rattling, scratching) then shut down the PC and seek expert help. Components may have came loose and any further use could damage the disk.

You can now consider how to fix PC freezing issues relating to the software and resource usage by your operating system using regular PC repair and maintenance tasks to repair any shortcomings:

• Scan for viruses/malware/spyware. Any of these could corrupt the registry or system files leading to PC freezes and errors.
• Give virtual memory (i.e. the paging/swap file) a boost by clearing out some space on the hard drive (at least 10% kept empty) and then boost the page file maximum size (system > advanced tab > performance options > virtual memory).
• Run the disk defragmentation tool every four weeks in improve disk read times.
• Run Windows update to get the latest drivers & patches.

If these checks fail to fix PC issues you are experiencing then seek the help of a PC repair technician to troubleshoot the possibility of hardware issues that may be causing the problem.

Waiting on a PC to boot up can be an irritating experience. Moreover, it impacts your productivity each time it occurs. This post looks at how to fix slow computer startup times.

The Head-On Approach

The most direct way to fix computer startup performance is to start reducing the number of applications that are initialized as Windows boots. Each is run sequentially and uses CPU and RAM in order to initialize programs.

Luckily the Windows configuration utilities can help you select which programs to disable as follows:

1. Go to the Start menu and select the Run program.
2. Enter msconfig in the text field and hit enter. The System Configuration tool will launch.
3. Go to the Startup tab. This displays a list of process begun as Windows boots.
4. Disable programs you do not wish to start and save your settings.

The provisos with using this tool are that:

• You should only disable non-critical services. Do not disable anti-virus programs, for example. Research programs if necessary.
• Some trial and error will be necessary to optimize your startup list.

The Bypass Approach

You should also consider only doing a full reboot on a weekly basis. If you use the hibernation or standby mode then the startup times can be a great deal better thanks to these modes using system snapshots to rapidly reload your running processes.

Standby mode will be the quicker of the two modes as it still uses some electricity to keep system processes running when you close down the computer. Hibernation mode takes the snapshot then shuts down all power completely.

Once you know how to fix slow computer startup performance you should be aware that adding programs will, over time, begin to build up the startup list once again. So a regular check of the startup list to prune out unwanted services is worth considering.

Everyone knows that different televisions make for different viewing experiences. Many people opt to buy a surround sound system to increase their viewing pleasure. While purchasing the extras can get costly, installing them doesn’t have to be. With just a few easy steps you’ll have hanging wall speakers in no time.

The first step is choosing the location on the wall that the new speakers will go. Generally, they look and sound their best when they are at least higher than eye level. Aligning them with the living room couch will also ensure for a higher quality sound.

Next locate the stud in the wall near where you want to hang the speakers. Most speakers are light enough that they won’t require a stud, but it’s best to use one. You can find a wall’s stud by lightly knocking until you hear a change in sound, you can also purchase a stud finder at any hardware store.

Now it is time to drill the holes where the speakers will go. Make sure you drill them carefully into the stud. A nail is the best option for holding up the speakers, just make sure to leave about half an inch sticking out of the wall.

The last step is to hang your wall speakers. Eyeball them or use a lever to make sure that they are all even. You should also test them out once they’re hung to make sure the sound quality is agreeable. You can always move the devices around if adjustments need to be made.

A surround sound system can make a huge difference in a television’s sound quality. And luckily, they’re pretty easy to install. Remember to first locate the stud and drill spaced out, eye level holes and your TV viewing experience will be top notch.

Have you noticed all of the different options available when it comes to laptop bags? There are a lot of bags and laptop briefcases available for those who want to be able to protect their laptop while they are carrying it around. If you are trying to purchase one to protect your laptop with but are having a hard time due to all of the options available then it may help for you to find out about the different types available so that you will be able to make a better choice.

When you are looking around you will find hard laptop cases as well as soft laptop cases to choose from. There are different features of these two types that people enjoy and they buy them based on their needs. If you choose a soft briefcase for your laptop then you are more likely to find additional pockets to put other things besides your laptop. If you choose a hard briefcase to carry your laptop in you will not find as many storage options for other things, but you will be able to get more protection thanks to the hard outer surface of the case.

If you are someone who needs to have some extra storage space for other items then you will want to make sure that you look at the soft laptop bags that are available for you. If you are willing to give up the extra storage space for more protection then you will want to find a hard briefcase to put your laptop in. There are a lot of different leather laptop briefcases to choose from that will make it easy for you to have just what you need whether you are looking for a bag to put your laptop as well as other things in or you just want to make sure that your laptop has all of the protection you can give it.

If you’ve installed or are in the process of installing an outdoor sound system or projection movie screen, then you know there are some additional things to consider versus a standard installation. Not only do you have to worry about which components to purchase, but you must also shield them from the threats of the outdoors. One of the best purchases for protecting your sensitive A/V equipment is a covered audio tower. For those that don’t know, an audio tower is meant to provide your equipment with protection from dust, sunlight and anything else that might cause malfunction or damage.

When selecting an audio cabinet for the outdoors, one of the best decisions you can make concerns where you place the cabinet. Although you can certainly place it in the open for all to see, a better decision is to locate it to an area that is hidden from view, and more importantly from Mother Nature. With the ability to control your devices via an RF remote control, there is no longer a need to keep your sensitive components out in the open. Plus, by keeping your components hidden, you can create a much cleaner appearance for your installation.

Because audio towers have a very specific application, it’s best to concentrate your purchase to stores that cater to audio and video applications. Although you can buy cheaper furniture to store your equipment, you certainly won’t be doing any favors for it, nor will you have the type of longevity you can get from buying a higher quality unit. Plus, higher quality units will offer things like integrated power and cable management systems, which are certainly nice to have. Many higher end units also feature adjustable and slide out shelves, making any type of maintenance or troubleshooting much easier.

For more information on audio towers and other types of audio/video furniture, visit your source on the web at audiotower.org.

As Windows has become more stable it is becoming less common to see the blue screen fatal errors so prevalent in older operating systems. In the event of a blue screen error occurring due to registry problems then the following steps detail an approach to follow for attempting repairs, culminating in a Reimage review to show one way to use software to automate the repair process.

After recently seeing a blue screen error with the code 0xc0000218 my research pointed to the issue being due to a corrupt registry hive (keys relating to a specific user). I collated the following sequence repairs based on best practices and online advice.

-    Use another Windows account. The hive might only be damaged on one account so other users may not see the problem. Log in, salvage your personal data and create a new account for yourself.

-    Start up in safe mode (hit F8 as the system is booting). Once logged in you can scan your system for viruses, replace the registry with an old version (if available) or run registry repair software (there are many free and commercial ones out there).

-    Use the Windows boot disk to start the machine and run any available checks. This is a long shot, especially with registry issues, as system checks are not specialised enough to resolve most registry issues. It is worth trying all the same.

-    Resort to PC maintenance software, such as Reimage, to boot the system, scan for & resolve the issues.

Most software for corrective maintenance has bootable disks (usually to download from their sites) that can start up PCs that experience a blue screen in start-up. I resorted to using Reimage (partly due to cost, but also due to their site stating their software could fix the exact error code I was seeing) and it resolved my PC problems.

The key take away lesson from this issue was to (a) always maintain back-ups of your registry and (b) don’t reinstall Windows until you have attempted every avenue of repair.

So you have got your new mac and don’t really know where to start with all the shiny buttons and pieces of software with a name starting with ‘i’. Well, good news is that if you are coming from a PC environment, Macintosh data recovery will be a breeze to set up and use.

Every new mac that is built on an Intel processor will have a recent version of Mac OSX preinstalled, and this is good news for those just starting out, because this operating system comes with a program called Time Machine preinstalled. What it does is taking a good hard glance at your files and saving them to an external drive.

This is a good solution for those who often lose files to lack of due care. If you’ve ever deleted an extremely important file accidentally this solution will be just for you. After taking the first snapshot the program keeps its eyes open to see if there are any changes going on and keeps adding these changes to the initial image through incremental changes.

This keeps the file size low and allows for multiple backups. What you get is basically as the title says, a time machine where you can set a time and view the file system as it used to be at that specific time. You are able to export files out of this application and therefore save files that were lost in the main file system.

This is a very good solution for data loss that happens due to careless deletion of files, accidental data loss and even takes care of disk failures. Whenever the hard disk fails in your mac you will be able to get your files back from the time capsule. Not only that, but using these files you can migrate your system to another computer easily.

There is the really rare occasion when the internal hard disk dies right when your time capsule does. This is extremely rare, but happens. If this does occur you will have to find a data recovery specialist, who recovers your files for about 400 to 500 dollars. Every case is different so you should ask for a written quote before accepting the job, but this is the basic price you should be aware of.

Because of the high prices of actual data recover a data backup solution is highly advised, a few dozen dollars for an external hard drive, the software is free, there is no good reason to avoid using it.