How To Buy a Graduation Gift

One of the most common graduation presents for a recent graduate is a new computer. Of course finding a new computer is a bit of a challenge looking forward into a young adult’s future, and buying the proper graduation gift, particularly a computer, is something that requires some planning and foresight.

What Gift To Buy for Graduation

If you’re buying a new computer for a graduate, be sure you know what sort of interests and ideas the graduate has for the new machine. Is the graduate a gamer and needs a large system to support online games? Is the graduate going to travel frequently back and forth from school next year and needs a laptop for portability? Would a desktop be too large for a dorm desk? Would a laptop get lost with a less-than-responsible teen? Know your child before buying anything.

Research Computers as a Graduation Gift

When you start delving into the huge array of computers available, you’ll be looking at all kinds of brands and models. From a Dell Laptop or Dell Studio 15 to a Sony Vaio, there are seemingly endless brands and options available to enhance those brands. Look for a model that supports your child best and then add features you know he might need when he heads to school or into whatever is next for the child. Having Microsoft Office is essential as some programming software might be for students looking at a programming or design degree.

Make a Graduation Gift Purchase

With so many great financing options available for new computers, it’s easy to find a machine to buy and to get a great deal with financing as well. Add the necessary software and consider strongly buying accessories such as a printer or optical mouse. Knowing that your child has everything he needs will help when it’s time for your child to move on into his life leaving you in a new phase of life as well.

Easy Step By Step Instructions to Buy Graduation Gifts

• Consider the graduate’s personal style and preferences
• Research machines to find a computer with the right criteria and style for the graduate
• Add options and accessories to the computer to be sure everything necessary is included
• Purchase the computer and present it to your graduate as a gift

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions When Buying a Gift For Graduation

If you’re hesitate to select a computer for your child, strongly consider buying a gift certificate or printing out one of your own design giving your child the opportunity to buy his own computer using your dollars. This is a great option for students who know more about computers than their parents.

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How to Speed Up Your Computer

If your computer is dragging while booting up or loading new webpages, your problem is likely the huge amount of small programs that website like to distribute in your hard drive to track your habits. While some are illegal and can be seriously damaging should the malware get into your financial records, others are simply annoying (and illegal as well.) To speed up your computer you’ll need to clean out any spyware or errors in your machine.

Clear Temporary Files

Your first step is to clear your history and all the cookies and temporary files stored on your computer. This will get a few of the programs, but certainly not all. To prevent more spyware from moving into your machine, you’ll want to first be sure there is nowhere for the software to hide.

Cleaning Your Computer

A registry cleaner will clear out all the errors and malware that’s currently sitting in your hard drive slowing everything down while it reports back on your actions to others. A vicious cleansing will clear the spyware out. But just as important as clearing out the old problem is preventing new ones from moving in. Registry fixes usually work to keep your hard drive free of errors caused by these downloads on a reoccurring basis.

Uninstall Programs

If your machine is still slow after cleaning out your cache of spyware and temporary files, consider uninstalling programs you’ve never used or don’t use any longer. Be sure to remove only program you’ve loaded onto the computer yourself. Deleting a file necessary for running your machine will lead you to a complete wipe-out through reformatting. Reformatting will also speed up your machine by taking it back to its original status and deleting everything extra – including your personal files.

Easy Step By Step Instructions For Fixing a Slow Computer

• Clean out your temporary files
• Buy registry cleaners or fixes to clean and scrub your computer free of programs and errors you can’t see
• Uninstall programs to free up more memory and increase speed

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions When Facing a Slow Computer

An external hard drive can be a lifesaver. Store large media files and your important documents on the external drive. This way, your photos and videos aren’t dragging down your computer’s hard drive by taking up precious memory.

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How to Set Up Wi-Fi in Your Home

During a recent move, my boyfriend and I discovered that my PC and his laptop had more trouble co-existing than he and I did. I had always been under the impression that wi-fi was designed in such a way that you didn’t have to sign up with an internet provider to use the service. We discovered the hard way that wi-fi in your home is actually a parasitic entity.

Setting Up Your Hub

In order to set up what is called a hub in your home, one computer must first be physically connected to the internet. In our case, the connected computer was my PC and the service provider was Time Warner.

Connecting a Router

Once a connection has been established, you will need to purchase a wireless router. These can be found at most electronics stores and vary in price from about $30 to $100. The price depends on the strength of the transmission, so the size of the area you want to provide service to. In our 1500 sq ft home, we were able to use an “N” sized hub and can access wireless from any room in the house.

Most routers provide you with step by step instructions to connect including setting up a password and establishing if you want your network to be private (so that only you and people with your password can access it) or public (so that anyone within the transmission area can use your connection).

Easy Step By Step Instructions For Setting Up Wi-Fi

• Establish a connection. The easiest way is by signing up for internet service and having a PC connected the “traditional way”. There are other ways to establish this initial connection, but this is the easiest for those who are not computer savy, like myself.
• Connect a router to the linked computer. Other devices act like parasites, feeding off this internet connection.
• Follow the prompts that appear when you install the router. Decide if you want the connection to be private or public.

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions When Setting Up Wi-Fi

When we purchased our router we went to Best Buy. We were able to ask a member of the “Geek Squad” exactly what to do and he was incredibly helpful and made the process simple, even for people with no computer knowledge. Be aware if you establish a public connection of who is around you and who will be able to access your internet.

(1 votes, average: 3.00 out of 5)
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How to Use Online Bill Pay

Most banks provide their customers with the option to use online bill pay. Bill pay is a service that will take a desired recipient and cut a check using your money from the bank. The bank then mails the check to the desired person or company on the date requested without you having to pay for postage or your personal information being on the check.

Create a Bill Pay account

If you are already using internet banking, you should have easy access to the bill pay feature through your accounts page when you first log in. If you are not using online banking, you will need to register your account on your banks home page such as www.wellsfargo.com or www.usbank.com.

Before you register or start using bill pay, be sure to find out if your bank will charge you for use of the service. Fees can be as small as $6 a month or nonexistent, depending on your bank and the types of accounts you hold with them. Check to see if your bank charges you by the month or by the bill or at all for bill pay before you register for the service.

Manage your bills online

Once you have registered, the website will prompt you to create a new bill. You will give information such as the name of the company or individual you are sending money to and the address the check where the check will be sent. Once you have selected a date, the money will be withdrawn from your account that day and placed in a different account owned by the bank.

The check is then sent from this second account to the intended receiver with any information you have provided including billing account numbers, your name and your address. Include as much information on the check as your bank will allow. There is usually an option to write in the memo line so you can include a billing account number or your name and address.

Easy Step By Step Instructions For Using Online Bill Paying

• Check with your bank to see what bill pay features are included with your account.
• Register for online bill pay with your bank.
• Add all of your accounts to the bill pay
• Begin sending payments through your bank’s bill pay service.

Warnings, Advice, and Suggestions When Setting Up Online Bill Paying

Be sure to allow 3-5 business days for the check to arrive at its destination. Even though the money has been taken out of your account, it still has not arrived. Plan ahead to avoid late fees when paying bills and be sure there is enough money in the account on the day you have specified.

(1 votes, average: 4.00 out of 5)
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How to Find Your IP Address

There are many ways to determine your IP address. IP stands for Internet Protocol address, and this address allows your computer to “talk” to other computers online. Programs such as certain scripts require you to know your IP address to ensure only you are using the program. A VPN or a virtual private network can be established using your IP address to link your home and office computer. This allows you to work at home with ease. There are countless other tasks which require your IP address or use it in some way.

Regardless of why you might need your IP address, here’s how to find it.

Use a Specialized Website

A "What is My IP" site pings your computer and immediately offer up your IP address along with plenty of other details. The site can tell you about proxies, languages, cookies, screen resolution and more. Of course you can also find that information on your own or you might already have it committed to memory.

Find a Local IP Address

This is your internet IP address. You also have a local IP address that is very basic and has little purpose other than to be a placeholder. Your Internet IP address has many functions, your local (or LAN) one does not. But to find your LAN IP address, you can:

• Go to the Start Menu.
• Select Run.
• Type in CMD and press Enter.
• Then in the DOS box that appears type in “ipconfig” and press Enter.
• Your local IP address should appear.

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How To Download And Set Up an FTP Program

There are a number of things about designing and building your own website which cause confusion and uncertainty to those who are new to this activity. FTP, which stands for File Transfer Protocol, is one of those things that always seems to confuse and intimidate people who are new to website design. Part of this confusion is probably because the full name ‘File Transfer Protocol’ seems to shed no light on understanding what it is, what it does, or what it is used for. In this article I shall attempt to shine a light on this mysterious creature and take the reader through the process of downloading and installing a free and popular program to make FTP available to them.

First, to shed some light on the name ‘FTP’, or File Transfer Protocol’: the word ‘Protocol’ is used in it’s usual everyday sense that it is a set of rules or guidelines by which something is done. So, simply put, a File Transfer Protocol is a set of rules or guidelines by which files can be transferred from one computer to another over the internet or a network. This sometimes doesn’t make any sense to people who don’t understand computers because they don’t realize that many different computers use many different codes. If you have a file on one kind of computer and you want to use it on another kind of computer then without a set of guidelines, or a ‘protocol’, to ‘translate’ the file from one computer to another it would not be possible. FTP is a form of code which helps you when you move a file from one computer to another. Think of FTP as a ‘translator’ or ‘interpreter’ working in the United Nations so that all the different countries can talk to each other and settle their differences.

And that’s it: simple isn’t it? Often people don’t believe it is quite as simple as that but it is. There is nothing else to understand about FTP unless you are about to start programming, which you’re not.

The other thing that helps to make FTP appear confusing and complex is the fact that you often use a program to do it: These are called ‘FTP Clients’. FTP Clients manage the ‘translation’ from one computer to another and will allow you to upload files, which is to send files to the server; or download files, which is to get files from the server. They will also allow you to make changes to files on the server. FTP and the FTP Client are essential ingredients of a web designer, or website owner’s toolkit. There are very many different designs of FTP Clients, many are free and many will cost money to buy. Many operating systems have an FTP client integrated within them and browsers such as Firefox have an FTP client which can be installed and used as part of the browser. You will need to have an account with a web host before using an FTP Client, but so long as you do have a web hosting account then you can use an FTP Client to transfer your site and all your files to the web host, and back again.

One of the most popular free FTP Clients is ‘FileZilla’; it is easy to download and use and, if you are using Windows XP, then I can take you through the steps – although I doubt they are very different if you are using another operating system. I am using Firefox 2, and so if you are using any other browser there may be some slight differences, but nothing major:

The simplest way to download Filezilla is to go to the Google search page and type ‘download.com filezilla’ into the search field and the very top result will be for Filezilla at the download.com website. Click on the link and you will see the name of Filezilla with a big blue link below it saying ‘download now’. Click that and a small window will appear with a button saying ‘save file’ – click to save the file and you will download the software automatically. It will take a few seconds to download.

Now look for the new icon on your desktop; it will be called ‘Filezilla set up’ or something similar. Double click the icon. The first thing you will see is a small window asking you to select your language, make sure it says English (or whatever your preferred language is) then click the ‘ok’ button. A license agreement window will appear; click ‘next’. The next page will ask you to ‘choose components’ – ion most cases the defaults are perfectly ok for most installations so I suggest you agree with the selection and click ‘next’. You will now be asked where you want to install the software, in most cases the default location is your program folder, which is fine; if you want to install it elsewhere then type the location in here, otherwise just click ‘next’. You will now be asked to choose a start menu folder, again, the default will be fine, click ‘next’. You will now be asked to decide on some general settings, if you are using a shared computer then select ‘use secure mode’ otherwise leave all settings as they are and click ‘Install’. The software will now be installed onto your computer; this will only take a few seconds and then you will be asked to close the window – click ‘close’.

You will now have a new icon on your desktop, coloured maroon and blue with a big ‘FZ’ on it and called ‘Filezilla’. You can put the original download file into your recycle bin and delete. Double click the new icon to start your FTP Client.

To use the FTP Client to transfer files between your computer and your web host you will first have to set it up. After double clicking to start up the FTP Client, click on the ‘File’ menu and select ‘Site Manager’. A new window will appear, find the button which says ‘new site’ and click it. A folder will appear in the main area of the window, type the name of your site into the new folder which appears.

Get your login details for your web host, because you’ll need them now. Under ‘Host’ type in the FTP address of your website; this will be a website address beginning with ‘ftp’ in a format such as: ftp.siteforge.net or else it will be a number series in a format such as: 88.88.888.88 – either will do. If the boxes below are greyed out then your site manager is set to anonymous login. To input your login details deselect ‘anonymous’ and select ‘normal’ for Logon and input your username and password for accessing your web host. You can now click ‘connect’ and your FTP Client will connect to your web host and you can upload or download files for your site.

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How to Build Link Popularity Naturally

There is a huge market for links in the webmaster community, but true link popularity can’t be bought. Incoming links can be purchased, but those must mix with authentic links from quality websites to give your website true link popularity.

Link Popularity

You are likely wondering, what is link popularity? The answer is simple enough. Link popularity is a measure of how popular and purposeful your website is based on the number of other quality websites that link to it. The more websites that include a link to your site, the better your site looks.

Incoming links are a sign that your website has something to say and is worth visiting. The more reputable the other websites are that link to yours the more important your site looks in search engines. Link popularity is just one of many factors that the major search engines consider when placing websites in their servers and on search result pages.

Build Link Popularity

There are many ways to build link popularity, but many webmasters try and skip the more authentic means and buy links instead. Paid links are frowned upon by major search engines, so it is far better to generate authentic links rather than buying one. You can use the following methods to build your own link popularity.

Submit your Website to Directories

By submitting your website to popular and well respected directories, you’ll automatically be gaining links back to your pages.

Use Article Marketing

Article marketing consists of writing articles for article directories or other sites and including a link back to your site as part of the article. As the articles are picked up on other websites, your link spread throughout the internet community. A solid article marketing campaign with quality articles likely to interest others in your niche can generate hundreds of links.

Use a Press Release

When you have something major to report, a press release will announce your event to the world via distribution and media outlets. As other websites pick up the news covered in your report, your link, which is naturally included in the release, is spread across the internet.

Build Your Own Popularity

Spend some time getting to know others in your webmaster community. If you know many other people and they know you and your site, it will grow naturally by word of mouth.

Participate in Forums

Webmaster and niche forums are an excellent place to advertise your website. Throw a link in your signature and you might gain a link from the site if it is not designated “no follow,” but other forum members will see your signature and visit your site hopefully earning you a natural link form their sites.

Promote You Site

Internet marketing is all about marketing. The more people you have visiting your website on a daily basis, the more people are likely to bookmark or link to your site from other places. Promote your site in as many ways as you can to get your name out there and start getting traffic. With a consistent campaign, traffic will grow and so will your link popularity.

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How to Choose What Size TV to Get

Looking for a new TV? Sometimes bigger isn’t better, but often times it can be more fun. When you need a TV, choose the size wisely to avoid wasting money on too much television or straining your eyes to try and see your bargain buy.

Consider Your Location

Where is the television going to be used? This can make the most important distinction in television size. A TV for the kitchen is usually small, twenty inches or less, as it sits on the countertop and you don’t want it blocking any cabinets or hanging off. A television for the living room, on the other hand, should be large enough to be enjoyed by everyone. At the minimum, a family television should be twenty seven inches.

Consider Your Space

If you’re planning on putting your television on top of your dresser in the bedroom, you’ll want something small enough to fit the space easily, but large enough to see while laying in bed. You can opt for a larger television if you plan to use TV shelves to store cable boxes and DVD players as the shelves will put these bulky items above the television rather than beside it. If you have a television niche built in to your living room, find the size of television that fits more comfortably. Be sure to include the dimensions of any stands or carts as well.

Consider Your Budget

Smaller budgets will most likely be buying a smaller television. Of course, you might be able to buy a larger television with a less quality picture, but you’ll have to decide which is more important to you – size or graininess. Look around for televisions on sale to find a bargain on a high quality television in the exact size you need. If you’re forced to buy a small television now, never fear. There is always a place for a small TV somewhere in your home when you’re able to upgrade to the big screen.

(4 votes, average: 2.00 out of 5)
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How To Find The Best Place To Get a Job

When it comes to finding a job there are plenty of possibilities in which you can pursue to find the ultimate occupation. Looking for a job can be one of the most stressful times of your life, especially if you have monthly bills to pay for. This can eat up your hard earned savings or potentially take every cent you have. If you don’t have any money saved up it can force you to take out loans and credit cards which will incur interest and other fee’s making you build up unwanted debt.

A simple mistake of loosing your job or quitting before you have found an alternative method of revenue can bring more trouble then its worth. This is why it’s important to use every method available to get you back into work as soon as possible.

The first place you can look for a job is in your local job center, many of the newer job centers have computers with all the available jobs in your area so you log in with your details such as address, age and any other vital information. You then pick a selection of job categories which you are interested in and the computer searches through the database of jobs bringing up any that match your criteria. You can then print them off and contact them directly with your application, you should always apply for as many jobs as possible in order to increase your chances of getting one. It’s always best to apply for many jobs and turn them down, then to apply for one at a time and wait for a response before applying for your next one, this would make the process very time consuming and you could be waiting several months and still no have a job to show for it.

Another method which is becoming more popular in today’s world is finding jobs online, this give you the advantage of being able to search through available jobs in the comfort of your own home at your own leisure. Another benefit of this is that you can upload your CV and information based on your interests and hobbies to certain job sites and employers can search through people that match their criteria. Consider using a CV builder to fine-tune your CV to each job listing. The amount of exposure you get can be immense compared to any other method because there are many existing sites of such sort with new ones being published all the time.

You can search in your local paper and stores to find work as many people advertise just about everywhere if they require more staff. By checking papers everyday might give you another method of receiving a job. By asking around the bars and shops near to you has also gave many people a career, simply print a few copies of your CV off and hand it in to various shops you would be willing to work in.

If you have been trying to find a job and have had no luck then there are still options available for you, there are many agencies in which you can find locally or online in which you give them all your details and they find jobs you may be interested in based on the details they receive. They will take you right up to the interview stage and then it’s up to you to go the rest of the way. These agencies will take the payment from the company you’re working for and then pay you either weekly or monthly after they have deducted a fee.

In the end it’s always best to take advantage of as many different methods as possible, the worst that can happen is that you have to apply for more jobs. Finding a job can be a time consuming job in itself and you have to stick to it and maybe lower your expectations just to find a job which will allow you to have some free cash to play with. On the other hand you may get interviews from a few places, take them and then pick the best job or the one with the most promising prospects in the future. It all depends if you’re looking for a job to help time go by or if you’re looking for a new career.

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How to Secure Your Home on a Budget

Home security systems can be expensive. If you are working on a tight budget, but would like to be sure your home is as secure as possible without expensive alarms and cameras, you can. Here’s how to secure your home on a budget.

Secure Your Locks

The least expensive way to secure your property is to be sure the locks that are supposed to be keeping people out are up to par. Check all of your locks to be sure none are broken, and then invest in new locks for the front and back door. If you have a sliding door, be sure you have a bar to prevent the door from sliding open without your permission should the lock be jimmied.

Backdoors are often less secure than front, and most intruders know this. Purchase a chain, deadbolt, or combination of locks for the backdoor as well as the front. This is your first measure of defense, and you want it to be a good one. Check your window locks and see about installing additional locks on these as well.

Set Up Surveillance

Notable cameras are off-putting to intruders as they don’t want their actions recorded. Fake security cameras are inexpensive and may provide an excellent deterrent. If you’d rather have the real thing, but can’t afford a full-blown security system, a simple webcam or nanny cam hooked up through your computer can record short bursts of activity for you to monitor while you’re away or at the end of the day. Just be sure you set up the camera in a location where it can “see” as much as possible.

Install Lights

A motion activated floodlight in the backyard or along the driveway is another good deterrent to intruders. Someone sneaking up in the dark would suddenly become flooded with light making it hard to act nonchalant. Of course, the neighbor’s cat would also become flooded with light, so consider your wattage and sensitivity when installing these.

Decorative lights that illuminate the yard in both the front and the back can also provide a measure of security by eliminating the darkness that makes it easy for intruders to sneak through. These lights are also attractive, so you’d be killing two birds with one stone.

Be Vigilant

Once you have your locks, lights and cameras in place, you must be vigilant about maintaining them. Don’t get lazy and forget to lock up at night or sleep with a window open if you’re on the first floor. Locks and lights are terrific at helping to keep intruders out, but you must utilize the systems properly for them to work correctly. Be vigilant and be your home’s best protector.

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