PCValuWare

Here is another video in my short series on things you can do with your taskbar.

Alot of people don’t realize that there are a lot of things you can do with your Windows desktop that are more than simple decoration. You can add utility and simplicity with just a few minor alterations. You can increase speed and productivity, and make life a little less complicated.

Check out the video:

Now you can download videos from YouTube to your PC for viewing offline.

Perhaps this doesn’t sound like anything revolutionary, but for many, a simple and free way to do it has been elusive. This is especially true since YouTube not long ago changed their URL and Embed coding.

About two weeks ago, I downloaded a program that cost $30 to do the job. It worked, and worked well. But just today, I found a program that works just as well, and it doesn’t cost a dime. I downloaded it, tried it a few times, and decided I had to tell you about it if you hadn’t already heard of it.

It’s called YouTube Downloader, and I’ve prepared a quick video to show you how it works. Below the video is the link to the download.

I have to be honest here: The $30 software I bought has an affiliate program, and that is the software I was going to promote. But, in all fairness to you, the readers of this blog, I decided not to do it. The reason is simple. There are a LOT of programs out there that cost money, and they do their jobs very well. In some cases, “free” substitutes don’t give you all the features and advantages. In those cases, I always suggest and recommend the better program, even if it costs money.

But sometimes, you get everything you need without having to “whip out your wallet,” and this is one of those cases.

Watch the video:

YouTube Downloader is available now from Download.Com

Sometime back, I discovered what I can do with my Windows taskbar. I know, I’ve been using the PC for years, but sometimes you just don’t take the time to explore.

This little trick allows you to put your entire desktop into your taskbar, so that you don’t have to minimize windows you have open to get to, for example, your notepat to paste something you’ve copied from a page you’re on.

Watch the video and see what I mean:

I’ll be doing some others, so stay tuned.

It is interesting, yet frustrating. First I have two hard drives dead/crash. I figured out how to recover the data from them when they are no longer readable, but it is expensive ($350-800/drive). Now if that was not bad enough, I also began having trouble with either my either net card, or a cable or….something. I was online and then all of a sudden the internet connection was lost. So I rebooted and it was back, but just for a short time. So I rebooted again and again it was back and then went. I repeated this four times before shutting down entirely.

Some discussion with a computer tech indicates it could be continual power surges or some sort of damage to my HD. Also possible is a problem with my PC power supply or maybe even the CPU battery. I conducted some research into power surges and surge protection/suppression. I found a great site that help shed light on this topic. howstuffworks.com has a good in depth description of power surges/fluctuation, what causes them and how to protect your components from them with a good Surge Suppression unit.

The most common cause of power surges and fluctuation is the switching on and off of high consuming components hooked up to the house circuit. Kind of like the water in the shower and a flushing toilet. These power fluctuations are actually normal in your standard home, especially when it is older, as mine is. I have had some people doing repairs/renos around my home and they were using high powered radial arm saw. This machine turning on and off causes the entire house circuit to fluctuate putting all the households sensitive electronics at risk. The main reason that most people have not had trouble with this in the past is that most electronics were able to handle power fluctuations. Many of todays electronics, especially your home PC and entertainment system, are very sensitive. They are so much more complex with more circuitry and little parts that just can’t handle large power fluctuations.

So what do you do to keep your PC and Data and that fancy new entertainment system from being damaged from ‘regular’ electricity fluctuations? I have done some research on this too. I thought that I had a surge protector. I bought one in a local liquidation store and it looks pretty tuff. Turns out, one surge suppressor is not the same as the next. In fact there is a huge difference between units, from next to no protection at all, to full battery back up, power suppression units.

How do you know which surge protector is the best and will protect you? Through my research, I learned that there is an organization that provides a testing and certification service to manufacturers of electrical products. So the first and most important thing to look for is a UL stamp on the device. UL stands for Underwriters Laboratories. Having the UL stamp means that the product has been tested by this organization. However, you have to ensure that UL has given the product “Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor” certification. This means it has met their minimum requirements for surge suppression.

A device that has the UL stamp and the “Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor” will also generally have various spec identified. The important specs to look for are;
Clamping Voltage - Lower is better. Don’t get anything higher than 400V,
Energy absorption/dissipation - Higher is better. Minimum value acceptable is 2-400 joules,
Response Time - fast is best. Look for response time of less than a nano second.

OK so now I know how to protect by PC and other sensitive electronics. I like finding a good product for a bargain price. The best place to do that is by far eBay. I conducted a Search using the term “Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor” on eBay. I also search “surge Protector” and found a UL Certified protector for $50 plus shipping! You’ll spend over $100 for the same unit at Future Shop or Circuit City.

Your thoughts and comments on surge protection and Data management and backup are always welcome.

Source: surge protection