<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Rapid Web News &#187; IT Support</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/category/it-support/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:08:30 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Best Linux Photo Album</title>
		<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/best-linux-photo-album-1001543/</link>
		<comments>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/best-linux-photo-album-1001543/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:22:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jordan Hall</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IT Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology & Software News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Calc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[digiKam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[F-Spot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gnumeric]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Google Picasa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[KSpread]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Linux]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Linux photo album software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Linux photo album software guide]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Linux photo albums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mono]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open source software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[open-source]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OpenOffice.org]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OpenOffice.org Calc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photo albums]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[photos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[recommended Linux software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[special effects]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ubuntu]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/?p=543</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As a user of desktop Linux distributions, both at work and at home, I&#8217;m often trying to promote the use of Linux-based systems such as Ubuntu. Systems such as Linux to often seen to be only for the most geeky or technical minded of people, whilst Windows or Mac are heavily promoted as being used [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/ubuntu-9-10-release-4410149/' rel='bookmark' title='Ubuntu 9.10 Release'>Ubuntu 9.10 Release</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/google-chrome-os-available-2010-5511310/' rel='bookmark' title='Google Chrome OS, Available 2010'>Google Chrome OS, Available 2010</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/mobile-web-development-nokia-os-goes-open-source-1902668/' rel='bookmark' title='Mobile Web Development &#8211; Nokia OS goes open-source'>Mobile Web Development &#8211; Nokia OS goes open-source</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ubuntu-software-centre-center-graphics-department-icon.png"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-552" style="margin: 5px; border: 1px solid black;" title="Ubuntu software centre/center graphics department icon" src="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/ubuntu-software-centre-center-graphics-department-icon.png" alt="Ubuntu software centre/center graphics department icon" width="90" height="91" /></a>As a user of desktop Linux distributions, both at work and at home, I&#8217;m often trying to promote the use of Linux-based systems such as Ubuntu.</p>
<p>Systems such as Linux to often seen to be only for the most geeky or technical minded of people, whilst Windows or Mac are heavily promoted as being used for everyday, family orientated purposes. This can be as complex as managing home finances and budgets with a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel or the more simple managing of your family and friend&#8217;s photographs with some kind of photo album software.</p>
<p>Linux systems, such as Ubuntu, have plenty of tools available for spreadsheets and budgeting and the more complex home productivity. For budgeting, there are spreadsheet application such as Gnumeric Spreadsheet, KSpread and the more well known OpenOffice.org spreadsheet application, Calc. This is all very well and good, but what about the simpler, nicer and frankly muchc more things in life like grabbing, tweaking and showing off your friends and family photographs. Well, there are certainly quite a variety of Linux photo album applications available out there. In case you are thinking of moving to Linux, or are just curious about the available Linux based photo management applications, I have put a few details about the best of the bunch below.</p>
<h3>F-Spot</h3>
<p>First up is F-Spot. F-Spot is one of the top open-source Linux photo albums. It allows you to import your photos from anywhere &#8211; your camera, your phone, a CD, DVD, USB drive or even images you pull from the Internet. Take a look at the screenshot of F-Spot below.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/F-Spot-Linux-Photo-Album-Screenshot.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-544" title="F-Spot Linux Photo Album Screenshot" src="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/F-Spot-Linux-Photo-Album-Screenshot.png" alt="F-Spot Linux Photo Album Screenshot" width="591" height="603" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">As you can see from the screenshot, this is an imported picture I took from our office window. Down the left hand side, the view is set to &#8216;Metadata&#8217; showing all the details which are sneakily embedded in your image files by your camera. As you can see from this information, this photograph was taken with my fantastic Nokia N97 phone&#8217;s camera, and even gives advanced photography details such as Exposure Time and ISO Speed Ratings.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">But F-Spot is not just about these details, it also lets you perform special effects on all your photos, such as cropping, red-eye reduction, desaturation, sepia toning and much more. It also stores a clever history of all changes made in F-Spot so any accidental mess ups can easily by reverted with only a click or two. Of course, F-Spot is a photo album tool, and does indeed allow to you manage entire albums of photos, give them captions, rate them, tag them as favourites, organise by name, date and much more.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Overall F-Spot is a very comprehensive tool, which is both easy to use and comes with a great set of features. It also ships with the very popular <a href="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/tag/ubuntu/">Ubuntu Linux</a> distribution.</p>
<h3>digiKam</h3>
<p>Next up is digiKam, which is a professional, open-source photo album management tool. It is primarily designed for the KDE Desktop Environment, but works in essentially all Linux systems. A screenshot of digiKam running on my Ubuntu system is shown below.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/digiKam-Linux-photo-album-software-screenshot.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-548" title="digiKam Linux photo album software screenshot" src="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/digiKam-Linux-photo-album-software-screenshot.png" alt="digiKam Linux photo album software screenshot" width="586" height="419" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">digiKam is quite a clever photo album management tool, and offers the vast majority of features present in F-Spot. It also allows for filtering by ratings, file types and has a comprehensive pop-out image editor which allows for additional manipulation of photos and the applying of special effects. Renaming of your images in application, searching, adding of captions, ratings and tags and sorting by the physical location photos were taken (via a geolocation service) are also some of the many cleverly supported features.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">digiKam is, in my opinion, a more professional photo management suite, but its range of features is of such magnitude that it may daunt the non-professional. However, for those wishing to make perfect albums and manage their photographs with intricate details and changes, it is a perfect choice.</p>
<h3>Picasa</h3>
<p>Although not open-source, Picasa is an excellent family orientated image editing tool from a big brand name who you might just have heard of &#8211; Google. It is very much aimed at being simple to use, whilst still provided a nice range of features.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Picasa-3-Linux-Screenshot.png"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-558" title="Picasa 3 Linux Screenshot" src="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Picasa-3-Linux-Screenshot.png" alt="Picasa 3 Linux Screenshot" width="614" height="451" /></a></p>
<p>Along with being user friendly, many of the features have the same aim and are targeting at having fun with your photos. For example, the above screenshot shows Google Picasa 3.0 allowing you to create a collage from an album of photos in many different styles. It is hardly limited to collages however, allowing you to create gift CDs to send to friends, ordering online prints, creating slide-showing and more more in the way of fun and funky features. Picasa is defintely the way to go if you wish be the easily creative and produce stunning creative elements with very little effort.</p>
<p>Although fantastic functionality and feature wise, for those who are dedicated to open-source software, Picasa is proprietary and indeed, not a native Linux application but is instead a custom build of the Windows version running under <a href="http://jordanhall.co.uk/ubuntu-linux/wine-wine-is-not-an-emulator-it-is-a-windows-compatibility-layer-3312122/">Wine</a> (a Windows compatibility layer for Linux). Although this works very well in most cases and it very fast in terms of performance, sometimes even outstripped the Windows version of Picasa, some users do report issues running Picasa for Linux. However, these issues do seem to be few, far between and usually quite simple to resolve.</p>
<p>I hope this quick little guide gives you some good advice on the best of the best in Linux photo album software, regardless of whether you are switching to Linux, looking for an alternative to an application you already use or just stumbled upon this article and have had your curiosity spiked.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/ubuntu-9-10-release-4410149/' rel='bookmark' title='Ubuntu 9.10 Release'>Ubuntu 9.10 Release</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/google-chrome-os-available-2010-5511310/' rel='bookmark' title='Google Chrome OS, Available 2010'>Google Chrome OS, Available 2010</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/mobile-web-development-nokia-os-goes-open-source-1902668/' rel='bookmark' title='Mobile Web Development &#8211; Nokia OS goes open-source'>Mobile Web Development &#8211; Nokia OS goes open-source</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/best-linux-photo-album-1001543/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Recommended PCs</title>
		<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/recommended-pcs-2310166/</link>
		<comments>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/recommended-pcs-2310166/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:43:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clayton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IT Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Technology & Software News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Acer Aspire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alienware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[best budget PC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[budget PC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buying a computer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buying a PC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consumer advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gaming PC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HP Touchsmart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[if money were no object]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mid range enthusiasts system]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recommended PCs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Recommended Personal Computers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows-based PCs]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/?p=166</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some time ago I wrote a very basic PC buying guide, granted it was Windows based only but seeing how they have the majority market share I thought it appropriate. But what if you’re still kinda confused? Well follows is a list of 3 recommended PCs, pictures are a representation and may differ to actual [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/dell-and-amd-give-birth-to-new-zino-4111259/' rel='bookmark' title='DELL and AMD give birth to new Zino'>DELL and AMD give birth to new Zino</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/basic-pc-buying-guide-%e2%80%93-the-fundamentals-230989/' rel='bookmark' title='Basic PC Computer Buying Guide – The Fundamentals'>Basic PC Computer Buying Guide – The Fundamentals</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/graphics-cards-5110113/' rel='bookmark' title='Graphics Cards'>Graphics Cards</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Some time ago I wrote a very basic PC buying guide, granted it was Windows based only but seeing how they have the majority market share I thought it appropriate. But what if you’re still kinda confused? Well follows is a list of 3 recommended PCs, pictures are a representation and may differ to actual product.</p>
<h3>Best budget PC</h3>
<p>This is one if you just want to skim the net, use your MP3 player and upload photos to Facebook e.t.c. it’s nothing flash but only carrying a £180 (best Price) price tag. Here’s the spec:</p>
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-167" style="border: 1px solid #CCCCCC;margin: 1px" src="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/acer-aspire-revo-r3600.jpg" alt="Acer Aspire Revo R3600" width="200" height="150" />Acer Aspire Revo R3600 Mini PC, Intel Atom 1.6Ghz Processor, 160Gb Hard Disk, 2Gb Ram, Wireless LAN, NVidia Ion Graphics, 4-in-1 Card Reader, Keyboard &amp; Mouse, Windows Vista Home Premium, Fast Ethernet, No Optical Drive or Modem, 6 x 4-pin Type A USB 2.0 – USB, 1 x 15-pin HD-15 VGA, 1 x HDMI Digital Audio/Video, 1 x eSATA, Mini-phone Headphone, Mini-phone Microphone, Mounts on your desk or fits to the back of your monitor via the VESA mounting holes. Granted you’d have to buy a separate CD/DVD drive but you can pick one up for £35. You would also need a monitor OR plug it directly into your flat panel TV either way a cracking entry level PC for around £300 all in. A slightly &#8216;punchier&#8217; model can be found <a href="http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click?p(50662)a(1737267)g(16472718)url(http://www.dabs.com/products/acer-aspire-revo-r3600-atom-2gb-160gb-vista-home-premium-5K2P.html?refs=4294951283&amp;q=Acer%20Aspire%20Revo%20R3600)" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<h3>Mid range enthusiasts system</h3>
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-168" style="border: 1px solid #CCCCCC;margin: 1px" src="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/hewlett-packard-hp-touchsmart-pc.jpg" alt="Hewlett Packard HP Touchsmart PC" width="242" height="239" />One of the funkiest PC’s I’ve seen in a while (that won’t break the bank) is the range of Touchsmart PC’s from Hewlett Packard. It has a 22” touch screen ‘all in one’ style setup so it’s not near as bulky and cumbersome as a standard style desktop plus the added ‘family fun’ of not having to use the mouse. There are various models but I think this one is one of the best all rounders. A PC like this will set you back around £1,124 (best price). Spec. as follows.</p>
<p>Intel Core2 Duo P7450 Processor, 4GB DDR2 Memory, 1TB Hard Drive, DVDRW Drive, NVidia GeForce 9900M Graphics, 22&#8243; Touch-Enabled LCD Screen, Windows Vista Home Premium 64-bit, Touch-enabled 22&#8243; diagonal widescreen BrightView LCD with tilt adjustment (10 to 40 degrees). resolution: 1680&#215;1050, Communication Ethernet 10/100/1000BT integrated network interface, LAN 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth® wireless networking 2.0 EDR, TV (analogue and DVB-T) tuner card, High Performance 2.0 speakers, High Definition Audio 5.1 (via digital output) front headphone port, front audio line in port, rear audio line out port, rear digital audio out port, Wireless keyboard with hide-away bay and numeric keypad, wireless optical mouse. Integrated VGA webcam with built-in microphone with HP Vista Media Center Remote Control. Find HP&#8217;s Touchsmarts <a href="http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF02a/12454-12454-3352963.html?jumpid=re_r2515_uk/en/hho/psg/hpr-se-xx-xx-hp_touchsmart_pcs/chev/" target="_blank">here</a></p>
<h3>If money were no object</h3>
<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-171" style="border: 1px solid #CCCCCC;margin: 1px" src="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/alienware-area-51alx-black-anodized-premium-desktop-chassis.jpg" alt="Alienware Area 51ALX Black Anodized Premium Desktop Chassis" width="284" height="273" />This is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of PC’s – the cream of the crop if you will. This PC will set you back a cool £4,338.01 but the spec speaks for itself.</p>
<p>Alienware Area 51ALX Black Anodized Premium Desktop Chassis, Intel Core i7 processor 950 (3.06Ghz, 8MB L2 cache, 4.8GT/sec), Genuine Windows® 7 Ultimate 64bit- English, 3 years Next Business Day service + 3 years Accidental Damage Support (paying 4k I’m dam sure I’m going to have accidental cover!), 23in SP2309W Full HD+ Widescreen Black UK/Irish (2048 x 1152), 6GB 1600MHz (3x2GB) Tri Channel Memory, 1.2 TB (2x 640 GB) Serial ATA (7200 Rpm) Dual HDD Config Raid 0 Stripe, DUAL SLI™ 1.8GB NVIDIA® GeForce™ GTX295 graphics card, Alienware TactX™ Surround sound headset (with microphone), Alienware TactX™ Keyboard &#8211; UK QWERTY, Alienware TactX™ Mouse, Blu-Ray RW (Blu-ray, DVD, CD read &amp; write), SoundBlaster  XFi  Titanium PCIe card.</p>
<p>Quite a beast I think you’ll agree, if you do have a bunch of cash lying around buy one from <a href="http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click?p=702&amp;a=1737267&amp;g=871344&amp;url=http://adfarm.mediaplex.com/ad/ck/2397-52163-11728-1?!mpro=http://lt.dell.com/lt/lt.aspx?CID=5212&amp;LID=122756&amp;DGC=AF&amp;DGSeg=DHS&amp;ACD=[TD_GUID]&amp;AID=[TD_AFFILIATE_ID]&amp;DURL=http%253A//www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/alienware-area-51-alx%253Fc%253Duk%2526l%253Den%2526s%253Ddhs%2526cs%253Dukdhs1" target="_blank">here</a></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/dell-and-amd-give-birth-to-new-zino-4111259/' rel='bookmark' title='DELL and AMD give birth to new Zino'>DELL and AMD give birth to new Zino</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/basic-pc-buying-guide-%e2%80%93-the-fundamentals-230989/' rel='bookmark' title='Basic PC Computer Buying Guide – The Fundamentals'>Basic PC Computer Buying Guide – The Fundamentals</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/graphics-cards-5110113/' rel='bookmark' title='Graphics Cards'>Graphics Cards</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/recommended-pcs-2310166/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Graphics Cards</title>
		<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/graphics-cards-5110113/</link>
		<comments>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/graphics-cards-5110113/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:52:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clayton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IT Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ATI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chipsets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consumer advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Direct X]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[displays]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GeForce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[graphics card]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[memory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monitors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nVidia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OpenGL]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PCI-E]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Radeon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[video memory]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/?p=113</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So I guess the next thing to talk about would be graphics cards, now there are literally hundreds out there, different manufacturers, different models and different chipsets but again it’s the numbers game and sadly, as with everything, the more it costs the better it is. Prices start from around £20 and rocket up to [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/basic-pc-buying-guide-%e2%80%93-the-fundamentals-230989/' rel='bookmark' title='Basic PC Computer Buying Guide – The Fundamentals'>Basic PC Computer Buying Guide – The Fundamentals</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/one-million-users-banned-from-xbox-live-1111263/' rel='bookmark' title='One Million Users Banned From Xbox Live!'>One Million Users Banned From Xbox Live!</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/recommended-pcs-2310166/' rel='bookmark' title='Recommended PCs'>Recommended PCs</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So I guess the next thing to talk about would be graphics cards, now there are literally hundreds out there, different manufacturers, different models and different chipsets but again it’s the numbers game and sadly, as with everything, the more it costs the better it is. Prices start from around £20 and rocket up to around £400 so choosing the right one could be crucial. Spend too little and you’ll be left wanting, spend too much and buyer’s remorse will set in&#8230; First of all you need to decide what sort of games you’d like to play, if you just like simple puzzle games like Zuma, Bejeweled or Puzzle Quest then a £20 graphics card will be fine but if you want to get into some hardcore first person shooters like Bioshock, Fallout 3 or Crysis then you have to start around the £150 mark to get anything decent. One of the biggest games ever sold is The Sims franchise of PC games, a lot of parents when buying PC’s for the kids who like to play this game (and believe me LOTS of under 16’s play this game) fall into the trap of thinking just any PC will play it. Sure Sims, the first in the series, was only a 2D game meaning it didn’t really need a lot of power to play it. Then when Sims 2 was released everyone who was playing Sims 1 couldn’t play it due to it needing almost 3 times the graphical power! So if you’re buying a family computer then you all need to sit down and discuss what you’d like to use the PC for. Being able to play the top flight games is what can easily double the cost of a PC.</p>
<p>One of the biggest arguments with graphics cards is ATI or NVidia – the 2 leading GPU (graphics processing unit) manufacturers, there’s really not a huge amount in it, there are arguments for both sides. You just have to do a little research into what’s recommended at the time I’ve had ATI 9800 pro then an NVidia 8800GT and now I have an ATI 4890 so not really any bias I just bought the best at the time. The numbers involved can get quite complicated; take these for example Sparkle NVidia GeForce 8400GS 512MB PCI-E @ £22.94 and this one Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB PCI-E 2.0 @ £103.44, both are 512 Megabyte cards so why the huge price difference? Well as I said it’s the numbers game so I’ll try and break it down for you.</p>
<p>There are key things to look for when buying a graphics card:</p>
<p>1) Interface type</p>
<p>2) Clock speed</p>
<p>3) Ramdac clock speed</p>
<p>4) API support</p>
<p>5) Video memory installed</p>
<p>6) Video output</p>
<p>7) Max resolution details</p>
<p>8 ) Max monitors supported</p>
<p>Without getting too complicated I’d say the above would be the best items to compare as I feel they are the most common denominators in all graphics cards.</p>
<p>1) Interface type: all modern computers use PCI-E (peripheral component interconnect express) this is a motherboard level interconnecting port and is much quicker at handling data then the older AGP (accelerated or advanced graphics port) PCI-E 1 = each ‘lane’ can handle 250 megabytes of data, PCI-E 2.0 = 500 megabytes of data and in turn PCI-3 (when its released) claims to be able to shift a whole gigabyte.</p>
<p>2) Clock speed: basically clock speed refers to rate in cycles per second for the frequency of the clock in any synchronous circuit. For example a graphics card that has a clock speed of 200 MHz will be able to perform 200,000,000 cycles per second, this is the aspect most ‘Overclockers’ will look at, pushing to get more cycles per second will increase performance.</p>
<p>3) Ramdac clock speed: this is how quickly the digital to analogue converter pushes the graphics output from the card, this will govern how many refresh rates are supported and at what resolution. So again the higher the number here will determine how quickly the image gets to the screen and in turn how big that image can be.</p>
<p>4) API support: this basically outlines which Direct X support the card will conform too which handles things like video editing, blending, rendering plus other accelerated processing. Direct X is Microsoft’s unification programme for both gaming and multimedia. Direct X 9.0c is still (probably) the most widespread, Direct X 10 is used by a lot of gamers and now that Direct X 11 was released July this year only the most hardened of ‘hardware chasers’ will currently be using it.</p>
<p>5) Video memory installed:  this tells you the amount and type of RAM on the card 128MB, 256MB, 512MB all the way up to 2GIG nowadays for amount and the GDDRx  (graphics double data rate) refers to version of RAM, stick with the higher the better again.</p>
<p>6) Video output:  simple one this it’s the maximum resolution achievable – how many pixels can be displayed.</p>
<p>7) Max resolution details: I’ve included this as it often differs to the above dependant on connection used. VGA (video graphics array) is the most common connection and will give a standard signal whereas DVI (digital visual interface) and HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) can often give not only a crisper picture but also a higher resolution so check the connections you have to achieve the best picture possible.</p>
<p>8 ) Max monitors supported: no prizes for guessing what this means! Lots of designers will use 2, 3 or even 4 monitors I’ve also know gamers to do the same so its handy to know.</p>
<p>So back to my original graphics card comparison here are the specs for both cards:</p>
<p>Sparkle NVidia GeForce 8400GS 512MB PCI-E @ £22. (approx)</p>
<p>Interface type:  PCI-E</p>
<p>Clock speed:  450MHz</p>
<p>Ramdac clock speed:  400MHz</p>
<p>API support:  OpenGL 2.0, DirectX 10</p>
<p>Video memory installed:  512MB DDR2</p>
<p>Video output: 2048&#215;1536</p>
<p>Max resolution details:  VGA/S-Video /DVI-I all formats = 2048&#215;1536</p>
<p>Max monitors supported: 2</p>
<p>Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4870 512MB PCI-E 2.0 @ £103.00 (approx)</p>
<p>Interface type:  PCI-E 2.0</p>
<p>Clock speed:  750MHz</p>
<p>Ramdac clock speed:  400MHz</p>
<p>API support:  Direct x 10.1</p>
<p>Video memory installed:  512MB GDDR5</p>
<p>Video output:  2560 x 1600</p>
<p>Max resolution details:  DVI: 2560 x 1600/VGA: 2048 x 1536</p>
<p>Max monitors supported:  2</p>
<p>So as you can see from the above specs, you see why the ATI card is so much more expensive. It’s defiantly more of a gaming card than just a display adapter; feel I should re-iterate at this point no bias whatsoever has been implemented in the above guide. Find a great range of different cards <a href="http://clkuk.tradedoubler.com/click?p(50662)a(1737267)g(16472718)url(http://www.dabs.com/category/components-and-storage,graphics--multimedia-and-i-o,graphics/11137?q=graphics%20cards)" target="_blank">here</a></p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/basic-pc-buying-guide-%e2%80%93-the-fundamentals-230989/' rel='bookmark' title='Basic PC Computer Buying Guide – The Fundamentals'>Basic PC Computer Buying Guide – The Fundamentals</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/one-million-users-banned-from-xbox-live-1111263/' rel='bookmark' title='One Million Users Banned From Xbox Live!'>One Million Users Banned From Xbox Live!</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/recommended-pcs-2310166/' rel='bookmark' title='Recommended PCs'>Recommended PCs</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/graphics-cards-5110113/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Basic PC Computer Buying Guide – The Fundamentals</title>
		<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/basic-pc-buying-guide-%e2%80%93-the-fundamentals-230989/</link>
		<comments>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/basic-pc-buying-guide-%e2%80%93-the-fundamentals-230989/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:13:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clayton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IT Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buying a computer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buying a PC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Computer Buying Guide]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[computer purchase]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[computer retail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[consumer advice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CPU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[memory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PC Buying Guide]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RAM]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/?p=89</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So you’re looking to buy a new PC but worried about what a CPU is or how much RAM you’ll need? Well I’m going to try and break it down for you into more friendly terms. I feel that a lot of high street stores try to squeeze every last penny out of people in [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/graphics-cards-5110113/' rel='bookmark' title='Graphics Cards'>Graphics Cards</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/recommended-pcs-2310166/' rel='bookmark' title='Recommended PCs'>Recommended PCs</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="size-full wp-image-146 alignright" style="border: 1px solid #cccccc; margin: 2px;" title="Computer" src="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/computer.jpg" alt="Computer" width="300" height="199" />So you’re looking to buy a new PC but worried about what a CPU is or how much RAM you’ll need? Well I’m going to try and break it down for you into more friendly terms. I feel that a lot of high street stores try to squeeze every last penny out of people in order for their figures to look good</p>
<p>“&#8230;would you like an extended warranty with that sir&#8230;”</p>
<p>“&#8230;not really I live alone and the laptop will never leave the house, it’s simply a replacement for my current desktop that I’ve had for 4 years&#8230;”</p>
<p>“&#8230;but what if you were to spill a drink on it sir or to leave a pen on the keyboard and shut the lid&#8230;”</p>
<p>“&#8230;sigh, please let me just buy it and be on my way&#8230;”</p>
<p>We’ve all been there right? So what do you need to know when buying a PC? Well first of all I’d start by looking at the CPU (central processing unit) or processor for short. This is kind of the brain of the unit! The speed of this device is measured in gigahertz or GHz for short. The best way to determine if the processor will be fast or not is simple;  the higher the gigahertz the faster the ‘brain’ will function. A lot of processors out there have something called ‘Dual Core’, ‘Triple Core’ or even ‘Quad Core’.  This is easiest explained as the amount of processors inside the CPU and each ‘Core’ will have a gigahertz rating and again the higher the number the faster it will be.  Allow me to provide an example:    An Intel Pentium Dual Core processor, model number E2220, has 2 processors each with a 2.4GHz (2&#215;2.4GHz) rating where as an E8400 model has 2 processors each with a 3.0GHz (2&#215;3.0GHz) rating, so looking at the figures the E8400 model will be considerably quicker. Simple! Then just apply that to the 3 and 4 processor model. As a side note I think I should mention that a ‘Quad Core’ processor each with a core speed of 2.33GHz will be much quicker than the E8400 example as it has 4&#215;2.33GHz processors &#8211; common sense I know, I just wanted to make sure you were still with me and didn’t have a nosebleed!  There’s no point in going for a superfast CPU if all you want to do is use the internet and use Microsoft Office. If you’re not doing anything that requires a lot of ‘umph’ so to speak, which is normally anything heavily graphics based like gaming or photo/video editing, then a low GHz processor will be just fine – use this general rule of thumb with all PC hardware. Applying this principle means you can now get good entry level laptops for £400 which would be more than adequate for general all round use. A smart shopper may even find something for the £300 mark – but just remember entry level laptops are exactly that and the higher the numbers the higher the price &#8211; but the faster it will go.</p>
<p>The next thing I would consider is the RAM (random-access memory). Take this to be the heart of the PC. There are quite a few different types of RAM on the market – some now more used than others.  The key thing about RAM is that it is measured in megabytes and gigabytes so again the higher the number the quicker it will be. We used to buy RAM in lots of different sizes but nowadays the most common form is 1 Gigabyte sticks so again the higher the gigabytes of memory the faster it will perform. You may see some computers displaying 512 megabytes of RAM; this is where it can get a little confusing &#8211; a ‘Gigabyte’ is more than a ‘Megabyte’ and without printing a list of exactly what the numbers refer to this is the simplest way to explain it.  I  don’t want you falling asleep now&#8230; A computer with 2 Gigabytes of memory is about average these days, 4 Gigabytes of memory will mean your computer will run nice and quick (as long as you’ve read about CPU’s). You can go above 4 Gigabytes but your PC may not be able to use it all, dependant on which Operating System you have but that’s a whole other conversation.</p>
<p>As I mentioned earlier if you’re not doing anything intense that’s all you need to know! The rest is just common sense &#8211; I mean you must know yourself what you’d like to use it for. If you’re into your photography maybe it should have a card reader but just make sure it will read the particular card that goes into your camera. Maybe you’d like the ability to plug your laptop into a flat panel (LCD) TV so make sure it has the correct connectors both on the TV and on the laptop – usually a VGA (video graphics array) or a HDMI (high definition multimedia interface).</p>
<p>If you’d like to know about other hardware devices i.e. graphics cards &amp; sound cards etc there will be more overviews to follow.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/graphics-cards-5110113/' rel='bookmark' title='Graphics Cards'>Graphics Cards</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/recommended-pcs-2310166/' rel='bookmark' title='Recommended PCs'>Recommended PCs</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/basic-pc-buying-guide-%e2%80%93-the-fundamentals-230989/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Look and Feel of Windows 7</title>
		<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/look-and-feel-of-windows-7-170995/</link>
		<comments>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/look-and-feel-of-windows-7-170995/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:50:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clayton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IT Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aero]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aero Peek]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aero Shake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[desktop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GUI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Look and Feel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Snap]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[taskbar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows 7]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows 7 Look and Feel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows Vista]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/?p=95</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So last time we spoke about Windows 7 I perhaps got a little too excited about how quickly it installs, can’t fully guarantee I won’t get excited whilst writing this either. What I plan to do now is put some snippets from the Microsoft website about new features in Windows 7 and give some advice [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/an-introduction-to-windows-7-590985/' rel='bookmark' title='An Introduction to Windows 7'>An Introduction to Windows 7</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/exploring-windows-7-0410104/' rel='bookmark' title='Exploring Windows 7'>Exploring Windows 7</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/lesser-known-features-of-windows-7-4110134/' rel='bookmark' title='Lesser Known Features of Windows 7'>Lesser Known Features of Windows 7</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>So last time we spoke about Windows 7 I perhaps got a little too excited about how quickly it installs, can’t fully guarantee I won’t get excited whilst writing this either. What I plan to do now is put some snippets from the Microsoft website about new features in Windows 7 and give some advice on how they work in reality.</p>
<p><strong>New ways to juggle windows</strong></p>
<p>Overwhelmed by open windows? Windows 7 comes with three simple yet powerful new features called Aero Shake, Aero Peek, and Snap to help you instantly clear through desktop clutter.</p>
<p>“&#8230;Aero Shake &#8211; Ever need to cut through a cluttered desktop and quickly focus on a single window? Just click a pane and give your mouse a shake. Voila! Every open window except that one instantly disappears. Jiggle again—and your windows are back. (Who says the old mouse can’t learn a new trick?)&#8230;” So this is pretty cool right? Having a nice interface that doesn’t require you to have 30gig of RAM is always welcome.</p>
<p>“&#8230;Aero Peek &#8211; gives you the power of X-ray vision, so you can peer past all your open windows straight to the Windows 7 desktop. Simply point to the right edge of the taskbar —and watch open windows instantly turn transparent, revealing all your hidden icons and gadgets. Quickly reveal a buried window by pointing to its taskbar thumbnail. Now only that window shows on the desktop&#8230;” It’s not actually x-ray vision before you start jumping around. Although this isn’t available on the Starter version of Windows 7 it’s still a nice feature to have, gives the OS a ‘complete’ feeling – like it’s really been worked on this time instead of rushed out with a ridiculous price tag.</p>
<p>“&#8230;Snap is a quick (and fun) new way to resize open windows, simply by dragging them to the edges of your screen. Depending on where you drag a window, you can make it expand vertically, take up the entire screen, or appear side-by-side with another window. Snap makes reading, organizing, and comparing windows a&#8230;well, you get the picture&#8230;” Hhmmm after using Windows 7 for a while I didn’t really get on with this, sure it’s a cool feature and as I said before it does give the feeling of a good development team but the double click on the top of the window or simply ‘maximising’ is still king in my eyes.</p>
<p><strong>Spectacular new wallpapers</strong></p>
<p>“&#8230;We spend a lot of time staring at our PCs. Aesthetics shouldn&#8217;t just be an afterthought. That&#8217;s why Windows 7 includes a slew of new desktop backgrounds—wallpapers—that range from sublime to silly. Or try the new desktop slide show, which displays a rotating series of pictures (ours or yours). Your desktop will never be dull again. Windows 7 makes it easy to express your personality with creative new themes and other custom touches&#8230;” This, at first, seemed a little bizarre. Did Microsoft actually pay someone to go around the world taking nice pictures to put into their Operating System? And if so how do you apply for something like that!? However actually using this feature I was able to put some of my better holiday snaps on a rotation for my desktop and then in turn a friend of mine inserted a ‘fruity internet picture’ in said rotation – all fine until family came round to see my holiday snaps from Italy – bad times&#8230;</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span></strong></p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span></strong></p>
<p><strong>Retooled taskbar</strong></p>
<p>“&#8230;Since Windows 95, the taskbar has served as the go-to spot for launching programs and switching windows. Times and PC habits have changed. So in Windows 7, the taskbar has been completely redesigned to help you work smarter, cut clutter, and get more done. Improvements to the new Windows 7 taskbar include thumbnail previews of WebPages, documents—even running video&#8230;” Ok, I’m gonna get REALLY excited here as this is my one of my favourite features about Windows 7. The new taskbar is fantastic in its simplicity, if you have multiple web pages open simply hover over the icon on the taskbar and it will display all the windows you have open in a smaller, thumbnail format just above the taskbar. You can then move your cursor up onto any of the pages, which will change super fast on the actual desktop, and then you just click on the one you’d like to view and Voilá! The same goes for multiple anything really, if you have Windows Media Player open it will show the movie playing in thumbnail, multiple folders open e.t.c.  Making it unbelievably easy to navigate all open items – gone are the days of having 70 instances of things open on the taskbar, having them all clumped up together and being unable to read any of them. Good work Microsoft fellas – not something you hear often.</p>
<p><strong>Improved gadgets</strong></p>
<p>“&#8230;Gadgets, the popular mini-programs introduced in Windows Vista, are now more flexible and fun. Based on your feedback, we&#8217;ve done away with the Sidebar, so you can stick your gadgets anywhere on the desktop. Favourite gadgets can go anywhere on your Windows 7 desktop&#8230;” Now I never really liked the sidebar in Windows Vista I think mainly because it slowed start-up so much, used so much RAM and realistically I don’t need a clock in the top right when the time is displayed on the taskbar. Sure there’s some good add ons for monitoring core temps and RAM usage e.t.c. With more and more people making add ons, or Gadgets as they’re more commonly known, hopefully they’ll be more and more useful ones.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&#038;bc1=000000&#038;IS2=1&#038;nou=1&#038;bg1=FFFFFF&#038;fc1=000000&#038;lc1=0000FF&#038;t=rapweb-21&#038;o=2&#038;p=8&#038;l=as1&#038;m=amazon&#038;f=ifr&#038;asins=B002DGS81C" style="width:120px;height:240px;float: left; margin-left:50px; " scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&#038;bc1=000000&#038;IS2=1&#038;nou=1&#038;bg1=FFFFFF&#038;fc1=000000&#038;lc1=0000FF&#038;t=rapweb-21&#038;o=2&#038;p=8&#038;l=as1&#038;m=amazon&#038;f=ifr&#038;asins=B002DGS82G" style="width:120px;height:240px;float: left; margin-left:50px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&#038;bc1=000000&#038;IS2=1&#038;nou=1&#038;bg1=FFFFFF&#038;fc1=000000&#038;lc1=0000FF&#038;t=rapweb-21&#038;o=2&#038;p=8&#038;l=as1&#038;m=amazon&#038;f=ifr&#038;asins=B002DGS83K" style="width:120px;height:240px;float: left; margin-left:50px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/an-introduction-to-windows-7-590985/' rel='bookmark' title='An Introduction to Windows 7'>An Introduction to Windows 7</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/exploring-windows-7-0410104/' rel='bookmark' title='Exploring Windows 7'>Exploring Windows 7</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/lesser-known-features-of-windows-7-4110134/' rel='bookmark' title='Lesser Known Features of Windows 7'>Lesser Known Features of Windows 7</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/look-and-feel-of-windows-7-170995/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Anti Virus Removal and Program Recomendations</title>
		<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-removal-and-program-recomendations-530992/</link>
		<comments>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-removal-and-program-recomendations-530992/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:47:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clayton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IT Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Adaware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anti-spyware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anti-virus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nod32]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spybot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[spyware]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[System Recovery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[System Restore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[virii]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[virus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[viruses]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/?p=92</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With the Internet constantly being flooded by hundreds of new and more vicious viruses daily it’s never been a more important time to be well protected. It’s quite difficult to fully explain what a virus is as there are so many variations, we’ve know virus’ to be as timid as changing your desktop background to [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/dat-595-faulty-mcafee-anti-virus-update-disables-computers-4304963/' rel='bookmark' title='DAT 595 &#8211; Faulty McAfee Anti-virus update disables computers'>DAT 595 &#8211; Faulty McAfee Anti-virus update disables computers</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-software-we-like-060828/' rel='bookmark' title='ESet Anti-virus software we like'>ESet Anti-virus software we like</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With the Internet constantly being flooded by hundreds of new and more vicious viruses daily it’s never been a more important time to be well protected. It’s quite difficult to fully explain what a virus is as there are so many variations, we’ve know virus’ to be as timid as changing your desktop background to some rather unsavoury pictures to the more severe end of viruses which can launch on a particular date or time to transfer complete control of systems and networks to a single remote user, this could be to soak up all your internet speed or simply to steal important documents, log in details or secure site information such as bank details. These viruses are rare but they do happen, identity theft is becoming a very real problem.</p>
<p>So which Anti-Virus program should you choose? There are so many on the market and everyone has their own opinion as to their favourite. Well we’ve found a little known Anti-Virus package called NOD32, a nifty little package that will not constantly pop up asking you a hundred different questions about program access it also doesn’t slow your system to a crawl as some Anti-Virus packages can. It will occasionally pop up if there is something attempting to penetrate your PC but other than that it’s very much a stealthy program. Don’t take our word for it though you can try a 30 day free trial from here:  <a href="http://www.eset.com/products/nod32.php">http://www.eset.com/products/nod32.php</a></p>
<p>Sadly no Anti-Virus package is 100 percent full proof, occasionally one may slip under the radar so to speak, so what next? If your Anti-Virus fails to remove or quarantine a virus the last thing you want is to have a rogue virus on your system doing heavens knows what so what we’re aiming to do is assist you in removing the tricky ones.</p>
<p>Again I feel that everyone has their own way of dealing with things but hopefully we’ll give you enough of an idea what you can do in this situation. Firstly you should fully update the Anti-Virus package you are using in the hope that the latest definitions file (the file that contains a catalogue of different virus names) contains removal details, do this until the Anti-Virus package your using reports that it is fully up to date then run a full scan. A full scan of your system can take quite a while so it’s best to do it at the end of the day or if you have to leave to office for a couple of hours. If the update still fails to remove the offending virus then more steps need to be taken, next I would find the “System Restore” option.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;"><strong>***CAUTION****</strong></h2>
<p>More and more PCs have built in destructive recovery programs where a small portion of the hard-drive is reserved for the operating system (2000, XP, Vista etc) and can be accessed via the start menu, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU USE THE MICROSOFT WINDOWS SYSTEM RECOVERY AND NOT THE MANUFACTURER’S VERSION AS THIS CAN AND WILL FORMAT YOUR SYSTEM. When you’ve located this tick the box that reads ”Turn Off System Restore” as this is a well know place for viruses to attach themselves to. Now you should restart your PC and continually tap “F8” as the system is booting (this means start pressing “F8” as soon as the system starts to power on) if done correctly you will see a menu listing various different options, at the top of which is an option called “Safe Mode” this is a way of loading your operating system with absolutely nothing running in the background so don’t panic when it finally loads as it will look VERY basic. In “Safe Mode” most of the drivers will not be initialized. The next step is to re-run your Anti-Virus package because in this mode it may find the rogue virus that you cannot remove.</p>
<p>If the above steps still fail to remove the virus then there is one last thing to try, write down the name of the virus and then open your internet homepage, or whichever search engine you favour, and type in the name of the virus followed by “Removal Instructions” at this stage if it is a know virus there will be specific programs and or deletion steps advised to be taken, this may involve additional downloads or deletion of certain files in the registry. I cannot stress enough at this point if you are at this stage and you don’t feel confident poking around in the registry of your PC it’s time to give Rapid Web a call because if you delete the wrong items in the registry this could lead to loss of data or worse still it could cause your PC to stop working altogether.</p>
<p>So what if it’s not a virus it’s actually Spyware? Well you can follow the same steps as above the only real difference is the software you use to remove this, we can recommend 2 products for this, again personal choice but very effective, one of which is called Spybot: Search And Destroy – free version available here: <a href="http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html">http://www.safer-networking.org/en/spybotsd/index.html</a> and the other is Adaware 2007 by Lavasoft which you can get from here: <a href="http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php">http://www.lavasoftusa.com/products/ad_aware_free.php</a> again free version. As before just make sure both programs are up to date before using them as these can also take some time to complete.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/dat-595-faulty-mcafee-anti-virus-update-disables-computers-4304963/' rel='bookmark' title='DAT 595 &#8211; Faulty McAfee Anti-virus update disables computers'>DAT 595 &#8211; Faulty McAfee Anti-virus update disables computers</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-software-we-like-060828/' rel='bookmark' title='ESet Anti-virus software we like'>ESet Anti-virus software we like</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-removal-and-program-recomendations-530992/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>An Introduction to Windows 7</title>
		<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/an-introduction-to-windows-7-590985/</link>
		<comments>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/an-introduction-to-windows-7-590985/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:55:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clayton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IT Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Operating Systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows 7]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows Vista]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Windows XP]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/?p=85</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Ok, so we’ve all heard that Microsoft are producing another operating system called Windows 7 but will it be any good? After their last lack lustre release of Windows Vista will people still put their hard earned cash into another Microsoft flight of fancy? Well after having used the release candidate version, that has been [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/look-and-feel-of-windows-7-170995/' rel='bookmark' title='Look and Feel of Windows 7'>Look and Feel of Windows 7</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/lesser-known-features-of-windows-7-4110134/' rel='bookmark' title='Lesser Known Features of Windows 7'>Lesser Known Features of Windows 7</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/exploring-windows-7-0410104/' rel='bookmark' title='Exploring Windows 7'>Exploring Windows 7</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ok, so we’ve all heard that Microsoft are producing another operating system called <a href="http://www.rapidweb.biz/it-hardware.php">Windows 7</a> but will it be any good? After their last lack lustre release of Windows Vista will people still put their hard earned cash into another Microsoft flight of fancy? Well after having used the release candidate version, that has been available for several months now free of charge, I can say YES! It’s everything Vista should have been! Over the next few weeks our techie supremos will break down the main features for you, perform comparisons to the current Windows XP favourite that the majority of us are still using and give some hints and tips to lesser known features from an end users point of view. Below is a little taster of things to come.</p>
<p>Let’s start with how it installs, after all this will be the first step for anyone, if you’re upgrading from Vista the install process can take a while as Windows 7 will change the settings and keep all the user information as is on your system but as with any new OS (operating System) it’s always advised to do a fresh install. I’ve been a techie for quite a number of years now and as with all techies anything that happens REALLY quickly gets us excited, I have quite a mid range PC just now (AMD X2 6000 processor, 4 gig RAM, 4800 series ATI graphics card) nothing particularly punchy, sure it’s not the slowest of PC’s but for the hardware that’s out there at the minute its mid range for sure. From putting the disc into the drive, allowing the CD drive as the first boot device and selecting the type of install I would like to perform it took 20 minutes, that’s right 20 MINUTES! I was astonished, sure it was missing a couple of drivers but only a couple, bearing in mind I installed this months ago when there was little to no drivers available an all round great result so already I’m impressed.</p>
<p><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&#038;bc1=000000&#038;IS2=1&#038;nou=1&#038;bg1=FFFFFF&#038;fc1=000000&#038;lc1=0000FF&#038;t=rapweb-21&#038;o=2&#038;p=8&#038;l=as1&#038;m=amazon&#038;f=ifr&#038;asins=B002DGS81C" style="width:120px;height:240px;float: left; margin-left:50px; " scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&#038;bc1=000000&#038;IS2=1&#038;nou=1&#038;bg1=FFFFFF&#038;fc1=000000&#038;lc1=0000FF&#038;t=rapweb-21&#038;o=2&#038;p=8&#038;l=as1&#038;m=amazon&#038;f=ifr&#038;asins=B002DGS82G" style="width:120px;height:240px;float: left; margin-left:50px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><iframe src="http://rcm-uk.amazon.co.uk/e/cm?lt1=_blank&#038;bc1=000000&#038;IS2=1&#038;nou=1&#038;bg1=FFFFFF&#038;fc1=000000&#038;lc1=0000FF&#038;t=rapweb-21&#038;o=2&#038;p=8&#038;l=as1&#038;m=amazon&#038;f=ifr&#038;asins=B002DGS83K" style="width:120px;height:240px;float: left; margin-left:50px;" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<div style="clear:both;"></div>
<p>If anyone has used the help system in Windows XP or Vista you’ll know it’s pretty dilute however not so in Windows 7, it advised me that it had problems installing my Creative X-Fi sound card and would I like to use the online support, here we go I thought, a breadcrumb trail that leads nowhere&#8230; it proved me wrong! It advised me that I needed to download an additional driver from the creative site and put the web address on-screen for me, I thought ok, it’s better than the last help and support but I know where the homepage is, I clicked on the link anyway just to see where it would lead me. As I clicked the link a download dialog page appeared asking me where I would like to download the driver too, GENIUS! Although I’m not sure I should have got so excited about an enormous company like Microsoft finally getting their help and support system finally working after 2 OS’s and over 10 years of development.</p>
<p>What this does show us though is that Microsoft is finally listening to customers’ feedback about how users would like the software to work with the key responses being “&#8230;just make the features included work correctly and quickly&#8230;” – sadly something that Vista fell short on, very short.  So next time on the blog we’re going to go through some of the new features of Windows 7 and how they compare to Windows XP and the equivalent Vista features, stay tuned.</p>
<p>Here is our follow on article on the <a href="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/look-and-feel-of-windows-7-170995/">Look and Feel of Windows 7</a>.</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/look-and-feel-of-windows-7-170995/' rel='bookmark' title='Look and Feel of Windows 7'>Look and Feel of Windows 7</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/lesser-known-features-of-windows-7-4110134/' rel='bookmark' title='Lesser Known Features of Windows 7'>Lesser Known Features of Windows 7</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/exploring-windows-7-0410104/' rel='bookmark' title='Exploring Windows 7'>Exploring Windows 7</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/an-introduction-to-windows-7-590985/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>ESet Anti-virus software we like</title>
		<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-software-we-like-060828/</link>
		<comments>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-software-we-like-060828/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:30:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Clayton</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IT Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anti virus software]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anti-virus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ESet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nod32]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PC protection]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[virus software]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/?p=28</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[So us techies here at Rapid Web are always kicking around fresh ideas on a daily basis, usually trying to find new and more interesting ways to push hardware to the max and some days were just puzzled as to how you grow seedless grapes but when we have a good idea the general feeling is to [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-removal-and-program-recomendations-530992/' rel='bookmark' title='Anti Virus Removal and Program Recomendations'>Anti Virus Removal and Program Recomendations</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/dat-595-faulty-mcafee-anti-virus-update-disables-computers-4304963/' rel='bookmark' title='DAT 595 &#8211; Faulty McAfee Anti-virus update disables computers'>DAT 595 &#8211; Faulty McAfee Anti-virus update disables computers</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-48" style="margin: 5px 10px;" title="eset anti virus" src="http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/eset.jpg" alt="eset anti virus" width="122" height="122" />So us techies here at Rapid Web are always kicking around fresh ideas on a daily basis, usually trying to find new and more interesting ways to push hardware to the max and some days were just puzzled as to how you grow seedless grapes but when we have a good idea the general feeling is to push it as far as we can. Like these guys <a href="http://www.eset.com/" target="_blank">ESet</a> they’re a company that makes one of the best anti-virus solutions on the market today, in our opinion, it’s one of those quiet little invisible programs that you forget you’ve installed until you get a dialog box in the corner advising you that the funny movie clip your downloading where a little cute cat falls of the back of the sofa is actually a Win32 variant of a particularly nasty virus! Not only does it let you know but it then proceeds to just quarantine it and BINGO! You haven’t done a thing and yet your PC is safe! Perfect!</p>
<p>A lot of anti-virus solutions on the market will constantly myther you and I mean constantly would you like to update now? There’s a virus on your PC what should I do? Your anti-virus will run out in 4 months click here to renew&#8230; blah blah blah we’ve all been there right? Surely all anybody wants from an Anti-virus package is software that can update itself, doesn’t need 30 minutes of configuration, 2 hours of updates and then lets the virus on the PC and can’t remove it! What’s the point in paying £50 for that?! May as well leave the PC alone and take the missus out&#8230;</p>
<p>We have been an  ESet partner now for a couple of years so we can give you this great antivirus software at a very good price - even cheaper than going direct!  so if you need some piece of mind then give us a call and we can have you up and running in minutes.  If your not sure an would like to try it out first well you can download a free trial version from ESet or we can provide a copy too.</p>
<p>Good times,</p>
<p>Clay</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-removal-and-program-recomendations-530992/' rel='bookmark' title='Anti Virus Removal and Program Recomendations'>Anti Virus Removal and Program Recomendations</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/dat-595-faulty-mcafee-anti-virus-update-disables-computers-4304963/' rel='bookmark' title='DAT 595 &#8211; Faulty McAfee Anti-virus update disables computers'>DAT 595 &#8211; Faulty McAfee Anti-virus update disables computers</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/anti-virus-software-we-like-060828/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>VAT rate cut</title>
		<link>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/vat-to-15-151122/</link>
		<comments>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/vat-to-15-151122/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:17:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Andrew</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[IT Support]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[VAT 17.5% 15%]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/vat-to-15/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[With the government enforcing a new VAT rate for the next 13 months, you&#8217;ll need to make sure that your ecommerce site adheres to the new standard. We&#8217;ll be contacting our clients over the next few days, but if you&#8217;d like to talk to us about updating your site then give us a call on [...]


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/can-we-have-a-holiday-please-460212/' rel='bookmark' title='Can we have a holiday please?'>Can we have a holiday please?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/body-sculpt-gravitational-training-4104983/' rel='bookmark' title='Body Sculpt Gravitational Training'>Body Sculpt Gravitational Training</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/bespoke-ecommerce-vs-off-the-shelf-11021113/' rel='bookmark' title='Bespoke Ecommerce vs. off the shelf'>Bespoke Ecommerce vs. off the shelf</a></li>
</ol>]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>With the government enforcing a new VAT rate for the next 13 months, you&#8217;ll need to make sure that your ecommerce site adheres to the new standard. We&#8217;ll be contacting our clients over the next few days, but if you&#8217;d like to talk to us about updating your site then give us a call on 01785 250222</p>


<p>Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/can-we-have-a-holiday-please-460212/' rel='bookmark' title='Can we have a holiday please?'>Can we have a holiday please?</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/body-sculpt-gravitational-training-4104983/' rel='bookmark' title='Body Sculpt Gravitational Training'>Body Sculpt Gravitational Training</a></li>
<li><a href='http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/bespoke-ecommerce-vs-off-the-shelf-11021113/' rel='bookmark' title='Bespoke Ecommerce vs. off the shelf'>Bespoke Ecommerce vs. off the shelf</a></li>
</ol></p>]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.rapidweb.biz/news/vat-to-15-151122/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

