Multi-Monitors --- Why use them?

One of the greatest things about current, modern video cards is their ability to support 2 or more monitors! I personally find that 2 monitors greatly improves my ability to work and preform daily tasks. But how do I know if I can support 2 monitors? Check the back of your computer, and see if you have a video card installed(usually where the dial-up modem/sound card is plugged in at). You may see 2 video ports, 2 VGA or 1DVI and 1VGA. If you have multiple ports, you can use multiple monitors. If you use a flat panel monitor, make sure you plug it into the DVI port, for better picture quality.
Once you have 2 monitors plugged in, load up your computer, and see if it will "talk" with the other monitor. You may see a background, you may see a cloned image, it just depends on what card you use. Next, go into your display properties, and set the mode you want to use, whether it be:

• Clone Mode - Identical images on both screens
• Horizontal Span Mode - The desktop is stretched between both monitors horizontally
• Vertical Span Mode - Desktop is stretched on both monitors vertically
• Dual-View Mode - Ability to run multiple programs on both monitors

I enjoy multiple monitors for many reasons: Watching videos while working. Filling in spreadsheets while reading data from text document. Checking email while surfing. Monitoring graphs, programs, and system tools while working. Posting "sticky" notes on my desktop as reminders of things to do(I use a program called HottNotes. Yes, there are 2 "T"'s in the name.)
I believe the rate of any worker could be boosted with the aid of multiple monitors, and I think they would be a help in the workplace.

What should I look for when shopping for a wireless mouse?

That is a good question. I personally made a small mistake of buying the cheapest wireless mouse I could find at my local Walmart. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy using the mouse, how it feels, and how easy it was to set up. What I dislike, however, is it's power usage. Of course, like many people, I grew accustomed to the scrolling and movement of an optical mouse, and I still, to this day, don't like mouseballs. So, because the mouse is optical, it literally eats batteries alive! I get about 3-4 days usage or about 20 hours of usage, and then the batteries go dead. Thus, I made the small investment of a 4-pack of rechargable batteries, so I could use 2 while charging 2. That saves a lot of money, and I think I get more life out of rechargables than that of fresh alkalines. So, I have a few suggestions to make before going cordless:

• Best to have a recharging cradle, but mostly found in Keyboard/Mouse combos
• Should have long life
• Best to have 10+ ft. range reciever
• Optical means better movement, but less battery life
• Mouseball means worse movement, but better battery life

Keep these small suggestions in mind when purchasing a wireless mouse, and I can guarantee you will save a lot of trouble.

What is Google AdSense?

If you are not already familiar with Google Adsense, what it is is an advertising service offered by the popular company, Google. If you scroll down, I currently have AdSense links on the right and bottom of the page. What are these ads and where did they come from? Well, Google provides a pay-per-click advertising service known as Google AdWords. A person can setup an ad with AdWords, and will pay a site to advertise that ad. So, in other words, they are paying you through Google to advertise for them. Every AdSense ad that is found on a page is someone's Google AdWords ad. Following Me? Reread this paragraph if it is confusing.

Getting back to AdSense now. AdSense, as stated, will pay you to post the ads on your website. With a blog, such as this one, there is a widget that allows you to automatically post adsense ads, but for a website, you will need to copy and paste HTML code into the website. Google will provide you with the code you need for the website. Now that we have a brief overview of AdSense, one may ask, "Why should I join and use AdSense?"

A simple answer to that is, "TO GET PAID!" I have currently earned about $12 with AdSense, and that's not bad, considering this is a fairly new blog. Remember, once the code is on your site, anyone who clicks an ad earns you money. Rates of payment vary per ad, so there is no guarantee of how much you will earn for 1 click.

To sum it up: AdSense is a great way to earn money for the professional webmaster, or even the new-to-internet enterprenuer. It could even help pay your monthly hosting fee. I am satisfied with AdSense, and I know you will be also.
Zach S.

Flash Drive or MP3 Player? Which should I get?

If you know much about flash drives, you probably know that they are basically like little hard drives, only smaller in size and in space. I remember just a few years ago when 64mb flash drives were over $30, and now, for that price, you could get one or more at over 8 times that size for that price!

MP3 players have also been a large hit in the electronics market. I am not just talking about the iPod or the Zune. I am also talking about generic ones, like the ones on the site www.tigerdirect.com, which I mentioned of in the previous post. These usually range from about 512mb to 4gb.

One may ask, "Which is the better deal?" And that is a good question. It basically all comes down to what you need. If you are a business person, and need to take files to many locations, especially large files, I would recommend a flash drive, as you would be able to get more space for less money. On the other hand, maybe you simply need to transfer a few files, and maybe want to listen to some music or radio shows. Then, in that case, you might be happier with am MP3 player. Now remember, MP3 players are merely flash drives that have audio playback capability. Here is a simple reference to look at when in the market:

MP3 Player

• Plays music and audio files
• Transports data like a flash drive
• Sometimes a little bigger
• Less space for more money

Flash Drive

• More space for less money
• No audio playback capability
• Usually more water-resistant
• Faster and Easier

Basically, it all depends on what you want. One recommendation I would make is not to buy an MP3 player, used for music and audio only, over 12gb. The average music file is around several megabytes, so you could fit about 250 files on an MP3 player that holds 1gb. My question is, "How many times do you want to go all the way to the end of the list just to listen to one song?" and "How many songs/shows do you really need?" More space is not really necessary, but if you use the drive for data and audio, go for the larger sizes. Enjoy your new MP3 player!
Zach S

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Site Review: www.TigerDirect.com

Alright, we have had a product review, so now it is time for a site review. Today's site is http://www.tigerdirect.com. What is TigerDirect?

TigerDirect is a computer-electronics sales site and business. They have, in my opinion, some of the best products on the internet. I believe they even have some of the best prices, too! I personally enjoy their specials, such as 512mb DDR1 RAM for $10, or 1gb DDR2 for $10. Some of my favorite deals they have had are:

• 2gb USB Flash Drive - $10
• 1gb MP3 Player - $10
• 3.2ghz CPU and Motherboard - $79.95
• Case(with window), Mouse, and Keyboard - $15

These are just a few of the many deals that they have! The shipping rates are so fast, I got a product in 2 days! From past knowledge, I learned that they ship out of the Amazon.com shipping centers. They also once sent me an order, but one item was on backorder. I received the product within 2 days of the first package! Talk about some serious shipping speed.
They have also had great Bare-Bone packages, some with all basic needed parts and a case, go for as little as $99. I have been extremely satisfied with this company, and will continue to order from them for years to come!
Zach S.

If there are open-source web browsers, why not have e-mail programs?

We have open-source web browsers, such as the one we spoke about earlier. Firefox is an excellent web browser, like we stated, but the question still remains: If there are better web browsers, why not have better email applications? Well, there are. I use one known as Mozilla Thunderbird, because it offers many things for the user, such as:

• Built-in RSS reader
• Full Email application
• Add-ons for your customization pleasure
• Custom themes to change the program

As you can see, this is a great program if it includes all of these resources. Mozilla Thunderbird is only one of several email programs. I simply use it as it satisfies what I want. You may want to try it, as it may help you and make it easier to email.

Product Review: Avira AntiVirus Free Edition

Alright everybody, as I stated I will be adding reviews from time to time. So here is one for a product that I use and enjoy!

Avira AntiVirus Free Edition

You may have heard of it, then again you might not have. But we all know that viruses infect our computers daily. We also know that they are a hassle, and a pain to get rid of. A third thing is that most of the time a "free" virus scanner only does that: scans. It does not remove anything. It tells us that we have a virus, and gives us one of two options:

• Buy their product and fix the viruses.
• Use a tool we trust, or another tool, to remove the infection.

Well, friends, I am as sick of the fake listings as you are. However, I have found a tool that I use all of the time, and I find to work extremely well, even better than a program that must be paid for. Now, I need to point out something. ***If you are a company owner, a business owner, or just someone who does the computer work for an industry, my advice to you is BUY THE PAID VERSION or BUY A PRODUCT! If you use a free version, there is little to no chance of getting any "insurance" if you are infected with a virus. You would be much safer using a paid-for version.*** Now, don't get me wrong, the free version works, to my opinion, as well as a paid version. I believe, however, that a company or business would be better off with a product tat they purchase, as most offer a guarantee if you get infected while running their scanner.

Getting back to where we were, though. What is Avira you may ask? Well, I call it an "real-time" virus scanner. I also call it a virus scanner and remover that "stops 'em in their tracks". I find the best part of this scanner is that it allows you to choose a number of actions, such as Delete the virus, Move to quarantine, Rename the file, or Ignore the file. And this can be done as soon as a virus is detected. Why is that better? Because it allows the virus to be removed in less time.
Avira also provides the on-acces protection that most free programs don't have. It is continuously scanning your computer, and testing for virus as you do your normal, every-day tasks. No, this does not make your computer slower at all. Here is the best points about it that I find:

• Real-Time scanner
• "On-Find" removal
• Constant, Daily updates
• Right-Click file scanner
• Price: FREE!!!

So, if you need a great virus scanner that you can trust, I highly recommend this scanner.
Take a look, and download today at www.avira.com . No, that is not my affiliate link, and I don't get paid if you click it, so I am not just trying to get you to buy it so I earn money. I am just trying to give you a great tool that will assist you when you need a scanner!
Zach S.

Which is better: Open Source or Closed?----Part 1

Well, previously, I hit on the amazing open source web browser Firefox. The most unique thing about that particular web browser is that it is open source. But open source applications, such as Firefox, are not just limited to running inside of an O/S, such as Windows XP, etc. There are, if you are unfamiliar with them, open-source operating systems that even rival retail O/S's in functionality. When you hear of Linux, you probably say one of 2 things: "What is Linux" or "Linux is open-source, but isn't it just that hard to use DOS style O/S?" Well, that is where you are wrong. Linux has many, as I call them, daughter O/S's, such as the famous Ubuntu, Fedora Core, Red Hat, etc. I will say that there are still some versions of Linux which are still DOS related, but many are now using a full GUI in their O/S. Take Ubuntu for instance; Many of the features in it completely rival Windows Vista. Similarities in the GUI of the two O/S's are as follows:

Windows Vista

• Flip-3D effect
• Windows Aero transparency and effects
• Gadgets on the sidebars

Ubuntu

• Full emulated desktop environment supporting 4 or more desktops
• "Jiggily" windows that litterally act like JELLO when dragged
• Out-Of-The-Box Multi-Monitor support

So, as you can easily see, switching to an open-source O/S such as Ubuntu will not include sacrificing great graphics. Personally, I find the system a little tricky tounderstand at first, but you can easily figure it out with a little practice. So, to sum up this post, Linux in general is not a bad option, and gives you great, if not better, graphic effects than Windows. Stay tuned for the next post coming soon!

Firefox - The Better Web Browser

Let's start off well: How many of you use Firefox? You probably have heard of it, but if not, what it is is a web browser. Not just a web browser, A Better Web Browser! Why? It works better than any web browser released. Netscape was good, Opera is not bad (especially if you use it on the Wii game console), and Safari - well, not my favorite. Why Firefox? It is Open-Source! That is the key. It allows any developer to write code for it. Thus, if there is a security break or bug, any developer who knows code can easily make a patch or fix for it. Another great feature is that there are over 300 add-ons for the program, such as built-in mp3 players, eBay watchers, and even stock news headers. You can mix and match, customizing what you like, how you want it to feel, etc. Don't like the look of Firefox? You can download one of over 100's of themes. So, to sum it all up, Firefox is one of the best web browsers to be invented! And what does it cost you? Nothing! Not a penny!
Go grab yourself a copy of Firefox, and start using it today!
Zach S.

Welcome to ZPCREPAIR!

Hello, and welcome to ZPCREPAIR - Answers About Technology Today!
My name is Zach S. I am a high-school homeschooled student studying the fields of computers, technology, and all that fall in between. Here you will find information about the latest advances in technology, the newest products in computing, and even just my comments on electronics, computers, and the like. What will you find here?

• Simple, down-to-earth articles
• Advanced articles for you computer gurus out there
• My comments on technology

Check back often, I post frequently around my school hours.
Zach S.