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computers are becoming commonplace in homes and offices around the world. The problem is that most people know so very little about their computers, that when something goes wrong, they do not know how to begin the troubleshooting process.

The ugly truth is that we could opt to call the technical support phone number that came with the computer, but you never really know what you are going to get at the other end of the phone. You could literally spend several hours just waiting to get to a technician, and then once you have the human on the line, there is just as good of a chance that they will not have a clue, as there is that they will find your solution.

I know this because I used to work in a computer technical support call center. You would be amazed who can pass as a technician! For most new hires, the only pre-qualifying knowledge that is necessary is being able to navigate the current windows Operating system.

management feels that if you can navigate windows, then you can navigate the database to dig up a solution. The problem with this kind of thinking is that the person at the call center is often lost to find a solution that is not yet in the database.

Of course, all front line technicians have a help desk to call, but in my own experience, help desk posts were assigned based on politics and not technical knowledge. We ended up with some real idiots at our help desk. Call those people once or twice, and you will eventually decide that you stand a stronger chance to succeed on your own, than you would be able to accomplish going upstream in the support systems.

The business of printing support

Fortunately, computer printers do not break that often. But when they do, troubleshooting can be a painful process.

There are some basics that you can cover to streamline the troubleshooting process.

Be forewarned that if you ever crack the case of your printer, you should make darn sure to disconnect the power source before you do so. printers that are connected to a power supply can actually charge you up with enough current to kill you. Don't take chances with your life.

Long before you get to the point of trying to crack the case to reach the internals, there are several troubleshooting steps you can take.

* Always check your power supply to see that you have a good, solid connection. I know that it seems the most logical step to take, but you might be surprised how often a powerless machine is discovered to be an unplugged machine.

* If the printer has power going to it, then turn off the machine and then turn it back on. Each printer has an internal brain in it. Removing power temporarily from the machine will force the computer chip inside of the printer to reset. Often times, this will solve any issues.

* Make sure that your printer cartridge is properly seated. Make sure the cartridge is in the printer the way that the manufacturer intended.

* Use the printer's "self-test" feature. The manufacturer has included this to help you to eliminate common printing problems.

These four steps will help you to overcome the problems most commonly associated with printers.

For a complete breakdown of generic troubleshooting steps, the following URL points to the most comprehensive and easy-to-follow checklist I have seen: http://www.5starsupport.com/info/printer.htm

drivers Are the software applications That power printers

A driver is the software package that enables your printer to communicate with your computer's operating system, and vise versa.

The manufacturer of your printer sent out a software disc with the printer. On this disk, you can find the default driver for that printer.

As computing evolves, printer manufacturers upgrade their drivers to either improve the printer's performance or to keep up with changing Operating systems.

Of course, you could go to a website that has been established to give you a one-stop shop for finding hardware drivers online. A couple of the most common sites of this type are:

* http://www.windrivers.com

* http://www.driverguide.com

While these global sites are good, they don't always deliver the most up-to-date drivers that are available from the manufacturer.

Here is an assortment of the support / driver download URL's for most of the major manufacturers:

Brother - http://www.brother.com/E-ftp/info/index.html

Canon - http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=SiteMapAct&keycode=model&functionid=2&fcategoryid=205

compaq - http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Product.jsp?taskId=110&prodTypeId=18972&prodCatId=236252

dell - http://forums.us.dell.com/supportforums?category.id=printers

Epson - http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/support/SupportIndex.jsp?expansion=1000000

Hewlett Packard - http://h20180.www2.hp.com/apps/Nav?h_pagetype=s-001&h_product=236252

ibm - http://www.printers.ibm.com/internet/wwsites.nsf/vwwebpublished/supportoverview_ww

Konica Minolta - http://printer.konicaminolta.com/support/index.html

Lexmark - http://support.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/selections.cgi?target=http://support.lexmark.com/cgi-perl/support.cgi

Okidata - http://my.okidata.com/home.nsf/solutions%26support?openframeset

panasonic - http://www.panasonic.com/business/office/support/downl_drivers_printers.asp

Pitney Bowes - http://www.pb.com/cgi-bin/pb.dll/jsp/GlobalNavigation.do?moduleName=CustomerSupport

samsung - http://samsungdp.com/eng/

sharp - http://www.sharpusa.com/products/TypeWizard1/1,2230,18,00.html

Xerox / Tektronix - http://www.support.xerox.com/go/prodselect.asp?Xcntry=USA&metrics=HDR

The Unseen printing Industry

printers are cheap to replace as a general rule. If you have a printer whose transport motor failed, it might actually be cheaper to throw the printer in the trash and replace it with a new one. Sure, it might seem logical to buy a new motor and to replace the dead motor, but do compare pricing options first.

What most people fail to realize is that the printer companies are not making their money on manufacturing and selling printers. Sure, they do still make a profit when you buy your printer, but that is not the activity that keeps their stockholders happy.

When buying a printer, it really does make a lot of sense to compare the prices of replacement cartridges before you buy the printer. I bought a laser printer one time and was really excited about my new tool that is until I priced a replacement cartridge for it. $180 a pop for a remanufactured laser printer cartridge. Egad! That was more than I paid for the printer. I even bought a replacement printer for less money.

Sometimes, there is a challenge to find your printer toner cartridge at your local shopping center. With so many varieties of printers out there, most supply stores will not keep all of the various replacements on hand.

While it might make sense to go to the manufacturer website to buy replacement toner kits and cartridges, they generally charge a premium for those replacements. The manufacturer premiums can sometimes be as much as three times more expensive than what you can buy from a good third-party provider --- even when that third-party provider bought the replacement from a middleman. It is just like the airline industry. It is often cheaper to buy your plane tickets from a travel company than from the airline itself.

With the printer currently sitting on my desk, I save $14-$17 on my color cartridge by buying my printer supplies from Toner-R printing Supplies. By using this third-party provider, I save $14 against the manufacturer's website, and I can save $17 against Wal-Mart's prices. On the black toner cartridge, I still save money buying from http://www.tonerr.com. I can save $5 against buying the replacement from the manufacturer, and I can save $6 against buying from Wal-Mart. And, we have been trained to believe that Wal-Mart always has the best prices. Imagine that.

When it is time to buy a printer, never think that the manufacturer has your best interests at heart. They are in this business to make the most money they can, period.

Alec Boyer is a writer for the "Your Domain URL Random page Generator" tool: http://www.yourdomainurl.com

Undoubtedly, broadband is the future of internet, but there are other ways of getting onto the internet. If speed isn't something that you need to have, you may want to look for a company that offers dial up service. It is much slower than the broadband but it can be much cheaper. It isn't good enough if you need to download large files or watch videos, but if you just need to write email or get information from the internet, it can work just fine. broadband internet providers, especially some of the smaller ones will more often than not offer dial up as well. The idea is that you don't have to pay for a service that you don't need. As a person deciding on a service provider, consider what the service will be used for and then make a decision to use broadband or dial up services.

However, if you decide to change from dial-up to broadband internet either because of business needs or for faster surfing speed at home. By and large, broadband internet refers to permanent connection at 256 Kbps or any transmission that is higher than that.

There are two significant benefits that a broadband internet can offer you. You are automatically connected to the internet by once you turn on your computer. broadband providers usually offer unlimited surfing package, which means you can surf as long as you want for one flat price.

Hundreds of service providers offer broadband internet promising clients of "super fast" access to the internet. This can be misleading because some service providers do not meet these promises. That's why it is imperative to consider a few things before getting a package for your broadband connection.

How broadband speed Affects Your internet Experience

When you acquire a broadband service, one of the things you often need to think about is the speed of broadband service being offered to you. Although your broadband provider may attempt to make it appear as if it's vital to have the fastest speed, you need to think about your needs for what you want to do with your internet connection. Understanding your personal needs in broadband speeds will prevent you from buying too much or too little. Certainly, what most savings-minded people are interested in knowing is when broadband speed enters the realm of being too much. Generally speaking, if you're simply browsing the internet, then you will enjoy the speed of broadband, but don't need to purchase the fastest connection possible. Most text-based documents such as e-mail, news sites, and similar sites, simply don't need connections that are superbly fast.

If you begin doing other activities, such as downloading music and watching online videos, then you might want to get something slightly faster than the basic broadband speed. Remember, a little goes a long way. but generally speaking, the amount of data any single web page will transfer information to you at will be at a slower speed than your broadband connection, so there's potential for wasted bandwidth.

In some situations, you may realize that you don't have enough broadband speed to support your activity. However, these are the extreme cases. If you have many internet users who like to use the internet at the same time, such as having high school students who regularly enjoy playing video games over the internet, you will absolutely desire a faster connection. If you make many peer-to-peer downloads, download a lot of videos and music, or browse numerous pages at one time, you also may need a faster connection.

Last but not least, another thing to think about when deciding on what bandwidth speed is your upload speed. This will have an effect on any data you send out to the internet, including sending e-mail, transferring files to remote servers, and hosting web pages. Generally speaking, if you plan to run your own website, get broadband with fast speeds for uploads. Or, better yet, have a remote hosting company host your website at fast speeds without increasing the price for your home connection. On the whole, for both uploads and downloads, you should cautiously assess how heavily you intend to use the internet and purchase accordingly, and you'll end up getting what's just right for you.

Cindy Heller is a professional writer. To learn more about how to choose the right broadband provider, please visit home satellite broadband providers.

security and convenience are usually delicately balanced. If something is secure it isnt convenient and vice versa. Its convenient to leave your keys in the ignition, but it isnt secure. Keyless access products offer both aspects in an attractive package.

MECHANICAL KEYLESS locks

All pushbutton locks use a code instead of a key to unlock the door. Older mechanical pushbutton locks work, but they are limited to one working code at a time.

ELECTRONIC KEYLESS locks

MULTIPLE USERS These keyless locks offer the ability to have dozens or hundreds of individual user codes. Each user can be added or deleted without affecting others.

SETTING codes Adding, deleting or changing user codes is quick and easy. basic models are programmable at the keypad. You can manage large groups of user codes with software on a laptop or pda.

AUDIT TRAIL AND TIME ZONES Some models will keep an audit trail of who used or attempted to use the lock and when they used it. Time zones can be set up that tell the lock who is authorized to enter and when they are authorized. Time zones can be set up for specific hours of specific days, shifts, opening and closing times, or to exclude weekends or holidays.

USE EXISTING CREDENTIALS Some units can be equipped to accept various credentials such as swipe cards, proximity cards or fobs, even your own credit card. This allows the integration of Stand Alone Keyless products into existing access control systems, without the expense of changing existing credentials, or added separate credentials for only that lock. This feature can also allow the use of dual credentials for high security applications.

WIRELESS Most stand-alone keyless access units operate on four standard AA batteries, eliminating the need for costly additional wiring and bulky external power supplies to activate the unit. However some can optionally be hardwired when battery power is not practical.

EASY RETROFIT Keyless access products are designed to quickly replace existing lock hardware. The existing holes in the door are re-used and lock designs and finishes complement the existing commercial hardware in your facility.

COMPATIBILITY Keyless locks are made for use with most brands of exit devices, mortise locks, knob/lever locks, deadbolts, etc. Most units allow for emergency key override. This feature can be utilized with a restricted (or high security) key or keyed to match your existing master key system.

I/C PREP The popularity of interchangeable core locking systems (BEST-type) fits right in with these locks. Use your existing control keys and cores to maintain system integrity.

GRADE 1 DEPENDABILITY Heavy-duty commercial locks are rated as Grade 1. Keyless access products in the market today allow you to meet Weatherproof, Grade 1, ADA and fire life-safety requirements. Others are rated Grade 2 for use in standard-duty hardware applications.

contact your local Locksmith or other security professional for complete information.

Jim Newell

Please visit http://www.SecureYourStuff.com for links to manufacturers sites and crime prevention sites, many of which have additional security tips.

Jim Newell a security professional and Consultant for over 35 years, operates a web site who's mission is to bring you information about security systems , security devices and security hardware. To help you to make informed and educated decisions about securing your personal property, your home and your business property. Visit http://www.secureYourStuff.com for more info.