Intel releases SSD Toolbox 3.0 to optimize drive performance

Toolbox 3.0 provides offers secure erase to ensure data is permanently deleted

Computerworld - Intel on Thursday released the third generation of its solid-state drive monitoring and management firmware SSD Toolbox 3.0, which offers many of the same tools as previous versions but with a simpler interface.

The SSD Toolbox, which is available on Intel's website, has a simpler graphical user interface (GUI) for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) technology. SMART can perform diagnostic scans of SSDs, providing drive information such as the amount of free capacity and the estimated life remaining. It also has a health scale, illustrating whether the drive is functioning optimally.

In 2009, Intel's first SSD Toolbox release was focused on optimizing the performance of its X25-M consumer-class solid state disk (SSD) drive with theWindows 7 operating system.

Intel's SSD Toolbox 3.0 interface

Toolbox 3.0 allows firmware updates to SSDs under Microsoft Windows instead of using DOS with previous versions. The new firmware also uses a simpler GUI and offers a "System Information" icon to help guide users to tech-support troubleshooting.

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FREE Video Calls - to PC and iPhone. - FREE Calls - HD quality calls to all your Nimbuzz contacts. - Unlimited free Chat - with friends on mobile and PC. - Cheap International Calls - Call mobile and landline phones for as low as 2c/min. - SIP VoIP accounts – Connect to any of our existing SIP partners or to any other SIP provider. - All in one - Connect to your other accounts (Yahoo! Messenger, MSN Messenger, AIM, ICQ, GoogleTalk, Facebook, MySpace and Hyves) and have all your friends in one list.  - Easy file sharing – share photos, documents and music with your friends across all supported communities.  How to make cheap international calls from PC? Buy NimbuzzOut credits and make cheap internationals calls to landlines and mobile phones anywhere in the world right from your PC.

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Anything But iPod MP3 Player Reviews

Sony Z1000 Android media player announced in Japan
This time for real: The Cowon i10 is out
Creative Zen X-Fi3 unveiled
Cowon iAudio 10 cryptically announced/teased

                                                        

  

Microsoft changes the Zune Music Pass in Europe, video remains unaffected

Microsoft has announced that it is decreasing the number of licensed Zune Music Pass devices for customers Europe. The announcement was made in an email to European subscribers on Tuesday, informing them of the change.

The current Zune Music Pass offering allows customers to license up to three PCs and three mobile devices–be it Zune or Windows Phone–for all-you-can-eat music streaming. But starting September 13, 2011, subscribers will only be allowed to license one PC and a combination of any three PCs or devices.

Current and Upcoming Tablets ipod

Current and Upcoming Tablets ipod

The tablet market is like that kid in school who, at first, no one really noticed. Then, a year later he starts the school year a foot taller, with a new wardrobe, and suddenly everyone wants to be his friend. But, does he deserve his newfound popularity?

I really don't know. Personally, I've yet to purchase a tablet, and I've still not seen a compelling reason to do so. Still, millions feel differently and have already dived full on into the tablet sector.

Apple targeted by Samsung, S3 in new suits

Apple this week is once again the target of new lawsuits from companies with which it's already entangled in separate legal battles.

The first salvo comes from Samsung. Bloomberg reports that Samsung filed four suits against the company this week, with the first related hearing in the cases to kick off early next week.

A court representative did not tell the news outlet what the Netherlands suits were about, though Samsung has taken aim at Apple in the U.S., Europe, and other countries for allegedly infringing on its patents, with lawsuits targeting the tech giant's portable devices.

Separately, S3 Graphics filed a suit yesterday against Apple for allegedly infringing on two of its patents covering 3D rendering and VGA controller circuitry. Both patents were issued in the 1990s. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court in Delaware, takes aim specifically at Apple's iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, along with Apple's desktop and notebook computers, as infringing.

The new S3 suit is of special note given that the two companies had previously been engaged in a legal spat with the U.S. International Trade Commission. That led to the government group issuing a partial ruling against Apple, saying that Mac OS X was violating S3's patents. HTC, which sued Apple in separate suits earlier this month and last month, announced plans to buy S3 from Via Technologies in July.

How to Make Your Internet Connection Faster, Better

OpenDNS to the Internet Connection Performance Rescue


Have you ever pointed your browser to a Web site and had to wait an inordinately long time for the page — or at least the full page — to load? This kind of slow browsing experience can be traced to a variety of causes, but among the most common are problems with the servers that are responsible for actually locating all the sites you visit, your DNS (Domain Name Service) servers.

 A free service called OpenDNS can not only help your browser display Web pages faster it also offers some useful fringe benefits such as address typo correction and phishing protection, plus site blocking, content filtering and more. Before we delve into how to use OpenDNS, let's briefly outline how the DNS system works for those who may not be familiar with it.

What's the Deal with DNS?

 Every time you type a Web site address like www.practicallynetworked.com into your browser, that "friendly" address needs to be translated into the actual IP address for the computer hosting that site. The job of the DNS server is to take the text address you type in, look it up against a database of IP addresses, and then return the correct address to your browser so that the site can be accessed.

Windows 7: A Complete Survival Guide

                                                         Windows 7  

Yet questions still remain about upgrading to the new OS, how Windows 7 works compared to Vista, and whether there will be any serious compatibility issues once Windows 7 is finally installed on computers across the United States.

There are a lot of questions out there about Windows 7, and I have answers. I've gone through the PC World vault to find all the information you need about upgrading, the pros and cons of buying a new system, Windows 7 security, and more. With this handy guide at your side, you'll be able to embrace everything Windows 7 has to offer.

Upgrade to Windows 7


Upgrading to a new Windows OS is always filled with questions, like which version of Windows 7 is for me? How much does it cost? Should I even bother upgrading at all?

Check out our Windows 7 Upgrade FAQ to read up on the numerous editions of the OS, and to find pricing information. But you may want to hold off on upgrading since Windows 7 upgrade fees could go down in the near future.

If you're still trying to decide whether the new OS is for you, here is why you should upgrade to Windows 7, and reasons why you shouldn't bother. We also have information about an online tool that tells you if your PC is upgrade-ready.

But if you're ready to make the switch, be sure you go through PC World's Windows 7 upgrade checklist, and the installation how-to guide. They can help ease you through the process. If you're a business owner, you should also read over these four tips for smooth upgrades to Windows 7.

SPEEDING UP YOUR COMPUTER

Dealing with a slow computer can impact your business activities along with other things like your day-to-day internet browsing and saving some of your valuable files like pictures. If you have ever dealt with system freezes or those annoying messages that report errors when a program freezes, it is time to clean up your computer and make it run faster.



Whenever you are running the computer, make sure you don't have too many programs open. Having too many programs open at the same time will cause the computer to run slower than normal. Another reason why it may be running slower is because it may have defective hardware or it could be infected with a virus.
A simple way to make your computer run faster is to disable some of the programs on the StartUpmenu. This way the programs will remain stationary until you click on them and activate them. Another easy way to make your computer run faster is to add more RAM to it. RAM is short for Random Access Memory. This is what your computer will use to temporarily store files to keep all the open programs running properly. Having too many programs open at once will use up all your RAM, especially if you use some of the larger programs on your system like Adobe Pagemaker. Adding extra RAM to your computer will speed it up almost instantly. Adding more RAM to your system will allow the computer to have more areas to store the temporary files, allowing it the opportunity to run faster.


If you don't have enough RAM, the computer will start using your hard disk to store the data it needs. When the computer switches to the hard disk, you will have problems. Memory blocks often occur here because the computer cannot access the hard drive temporary files as quickly as it can with the RAM files. Try to keep all your programs on RAM memory versus the hard disk because the computer will need to swap back and forth from the hard drive to the RAM files, causing it to work twice as hard. When a computer is being pushed too hard, system crashes will occur and you can lose everything. Most people can get by with an extra 1 GB of RAM, but for the internet users that like to have multiple pages open at once, 2 GB of RAM is a smart decision.

How To Create iPhone Apps With No Programming Experience

Discover how to create iPhone apps easily with no programming experienced required. Learn from some of the top iPhone app developers to get your app created now.

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