Will the USB Memory Stick Ultimately Be Superseded by the SD Card?

The SD card, with its optimal storage capacity derivatives, such as the SDXC, with its 2TB capacity, are pushing the frontiers of portable data storage ever forward. The fact that this thumbnail sized device is capable of containing more data than the average desk top computer was able to store back in the 1990's, means that its potential uses are vast. Currently used in conjunction with all manner of portable devices, such as media players, camcorders and digital stills cameras, GPS devices, video games consoles, tablet and netbook computers, as well as cell phones and ebook readers such as Kindle, the market for these miniature memory cards is vast. They are now supported by over 400 brands across the world, making it the de facto 'industry standard' memory card for the portable device market.

The USB memory stick differs greatly from the SD card. As it connects to host devices via a USB port the body of this format needs to be protected. SD cards are inserted into the host via a slot, and therefore need no protective encasing whilst in use. The USB memory stick needs permanent protection, making them significantly larger than SD cards.

Like SD cards, the USB flash memory stick is universally supported which means that it is compatible with every modern computer on the market. All computers now have at least one USB port. They are also as technically robust as they are physically strong. Many memory sticks allow one million write or erase cycles and have a ten year data retention span. This is an incredibly high spec for something that is increasingly seen to be a disposable commodity, and are thus being given away for free along with mugs, pens and coasters by corporate entities, replete with company logo's.

In short, their appeal is great. They are not as small as the SD card, but even the largest stick is no bigger than a slender pack of chewing gum, and many are a third of this size. These days they are manufactured as key fobs which means that they are much less likely to be lost. Attaching externally means that they are a lot less fiddly than SD cards, which are only easily inserted into hand held devices owing to the fact that users can maneuver the device and the card at the same time, marrying the two easily. Heavier devices would not permit such easy insertion and retrieval.

There are very distinct benefits to both formats, but due to the fact that a lot of hand held devices are now used in conjunction with computers there may be a considerable push for conformity in media across the board. If this were to happen it is likely that the SD card would win out as USB formats are unfeasible within portable products.

Tag : computer,USB memory,computer repair,laptop computer

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Bryanston

Windows 7 Slow Startup - Improve Windows 7 Slow Startup for Free

Windows 7 slow startup upsets you? Finally fed up with it and going to spend a huge amount of money to get Windows 7 slow startup fixed? Before you do so, why not have a glance at this article to boost up the slow start-up speed of Windows 7 for free?

<1>Improper DPI value renders Windows 7 slow startup

Start-up time may be slowly lengthened, if DPI is set to a value other than 96 on a Windows 7 computer that is connected to a high resolution CRT/LCD. Please perform the following steps to determine if improper DPI value is the reason why Windows 7 starts up slow:

1. Go to "Control Panel"
2. Enter "Hardware and Sound"
3. Run "Make text or other items larger or smaller"

If the DPI value is different from "Smaller - 100%(default)", you should start to apply the hotfix showed in the end of this article to speed up Windows 7 slow boot.

<2> Excessive software running simultaneously slow Windows 7 startup

It doesn't matter how high computer specifications are, excessive resource-eating programs loading themselves up inevitably extend the startup time that Windows 7 needs to slowly boot. To disable unnecessary startup programs, there are two ways:

1. Press" Win+R" to Run "Msconfig", select "Startup" tab, uncheck unwanted items.
2. Download "Autoruns for Windows" which is a much more powerful Microsoft product in comparison with "Msconfig".

<3>Antivirus products make Windows 7 slow startup

Poorly-coded or buggy antivirus products often make Windows 7 start up slow, to deal with this issue, antivirus products should always be kept up to date, or choose better ones. And what you should also know is turning off real-time monitoring helps increase the speed of Windows 7 & XP slow startup. Turn it back on whenever you want after computer boots up.

<4>Jamming registry causes Windows 7 to start up slow

The registry is as important to Windows 7 as smooth traffic to a city. When we install and uninstall applications, over time, registry gets jammed up with broken keys, entries, etc, which slows Windows 7 startup down, it is exactly like what heavy traffic would do to a city. To manually maintain registry, run "REGEDIT", but it is not recommended, why not? Think about this When someone fools around with traffic regulations, what would happen? The whole city would be paralyzed, as well as Windows 7, if we blindly make changes to the essential registry. Nonetheless, in order to take good care of the registry and fix Windows 7 slow startup, it is crucial to choose the right registry optimizer, choosing free registry tools is a way to go, but not a good one, since you don't get any after-sale service, when a free but poorly-designed registry tool doesn't speed up Windows 7 slow startup and brings more severe system problems. Why not choose one that comes with a satisfaction guarantee?

Tag : computer,computer repair,windows 7,computer softwere

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nicole_R._Miller

6 Tips To Speed Up Your PC!

Here are six simple steps which, if followed, will result in faster peformance and a more secure computing environment.

1. If you have never used keyboard shortcuts, now is the time to try. These can save you lots of time and extra mouse movement! Take Windows + M for example. This simple shortcut minimises all open windows in one quick sequence. Imagine how long it would take to click minimise on each of ten open windows. Windows + E open Windows Explorer directly. Windows + L locks your computer if you need to leave your desk.

2. Most PC users are in agreement about the most pointless features of Windows Operating Systems. The delete confirmation dialog ('Are you sure you want to send this file to the recycle bin?') is certainly in the top 10 of annoying and repetative time wasters. If you do happen to make a genuine mistake while deleting, you can always restore a file from the recycle bin, so this dialog serves no useful purpose. You should turn it off and start saving some time. Right click on the Recycle Bin and untick the option to display the delete confirmation dialog.

3. Run Windows defragmenter at regular intervals to keep hard disk performance in good shape.The defragmenter does this by physically organizing the contents of the disk to store the pieces of each file close together on the hard drive. This results in noticably faster performance. Do a defrag once a month, or better still schedule this task (you can do this if you're using Vista).

4.Update Windows regularly. Computer hackers are constantly finding new ways to attack your computer with viruses & other malware. Microsoft continually searches for security vulnerabilities in their software and provides security updates to fix them. The security fixes are available, but computer users don't get them installed quickly enough. Head into your Control Panel & turn on Automatic Updates right away. An added advantage of activating Automatic Updates is that Microsoft provides other software updates that make your computer run better and faster. For example, an update may fix an issue with a hardware device, improve the performance of your computer, or deliver improved functionality.

5. Make sure all of your user accounts are password protected, especially the default Administrator account. If this has already been done, think about whether your existing passwords are good enough. Simple passwords are dangerous. If you're using any of the following for passwords you probably aren't as secure as you think: names of children, pets, parents, phone numbers or birthdays. Something like Zs86jF03t is much more effective. Notice the mix of upper and lowercase letters interspersed with numbers.

6. Install strong Antivirus Software. Do some research to satisfy yourself as to an effective antivirus software as some programs are decidedly mediocre. A good antivirus will form the mainstay of your computer's security while on the Internet. You can increase your security further with strong antispyware protection. A few years ago you might have got away with neglecting this issue, but certainly not today. Weak security will be quickly exploited by the latest rogues, trojans and rootkits.

Take these simple steps onboard and both you and your computer will be much happier tech travellers!

Tag : computer,computer pc,computer repair,computer software,computer hardware