Saturday, July 29, 2006

When You're Extraordinary, You Gotta to Do Extraordinary Things

By Don Doman

I can't image a life without music and song. A good song can heat up your emotions. It can promise greatness. It can fill your mind with creative thoughts. It can inspire you to greater achievement and success. When a good song is matched with good lyrics, it can talk to your soul.

""Every man has his daydreams Every man has his goal People like the way dreams have Of sticking to the soul."-- Corner of the Sky by Stephen Schwartz

In the fall of 1973 I found myself in Philadelphia with a little time to kill. I was there for corporate training, but had finished. Everyone flew home except Ed and I. He had been to New York once. I had never been there. We decided to travel the short distance to New York City and enjoy ourselves.

We visited Macy's department store where I bought my wife perfume. We stayed at the Waldorf-Astoria. We ate at a fancy fondue restaurant, which was the current rage. We attended a Broadway show and finished off the evening at The Playboy Club. That one day in New York cost me more than I could afford, but as the saying goes, the memories are priceless.

The Broadway show was Pippin starring John Rubenstein, Jill Clayburg, and Ben Verine. Pippin was a Bob Fosse musical. At the time I didn't know who Bob Fosse was, but I found out. I've grown to admire his dancing and direction. I had seen John Rubenstein and some of the dancers perform a number from the show on Johnny Carson, but that was all I really knew about the play.

The music was inspiring. I've always had self-confidence, but the music pumped me up, so I was like self-confidence on steroids. One of my songs was Corner of the Sky.

""Rivers belong where they can ramble Eagles belong where they can fly I've got to be where my spirit can run free Got to find my corner of the sky."-- Corner of the Sky by Stephen Schwartz

I had completed a course in goal setting and at the time was president of the Tacoma Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees). I wanted to help humanity and accomplish great things. That song combined with the message of another song stuck with me. The other song was Extraordinary.
""When you're extraordinary You gotta do extraordinary things"-- Extraordinary by Stephen Schwartz

I didn't return home and set the world on fire, but I did return home filled with fire. I'm not the king of the universe, but I have accomplished many things at home, in business and in the community.

Many times while I'm working I'll sing to myself the phrase "Rivers belong where they can ramble, eagles belong where they can fly" and then slip into "When you're extraordinary, You gotta do extraordinary things." I stop what I'm doing, and think back to my one day in New York City. Then I get back to the task at hand . . . and work and dream . . . a little harder.


Don Doman is a published author, video producer, and corporate trainer. He owns the business training site Ideas and Training (http://www.ideasandtraining.com/), which he says is the home of the no-hassle "free preview" for business training videos. He also is webmaster for the music/movie website Videos, Music, and More(http://www.videosmusicandmore.com/) which promotes the world of music and entertainment.

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

Friday, July 28, 2006

Got Success Yet?

By H. Bernard Wechsler

I just finished reading a list of twenty good reasons – why intelligent people fail. How about the reasons why intelligent people succeed?

R. Sternberg, the author of - In Search of the Human Mind, 1994, published by Harcourt Brace, really deserves a round of applause. Not because he captures all the reasons why really bright students and adults can flop-and flounder, but because our mind instinctively seeks the opposite of his negative statements.

Whenever someone engages in overkill to convince us, he/she attacks our self- image, and we mentally argue the other side. The most successful ads are those that begin with an admission of failure or a lapse of judgment.

When someone admits to a shortcoming – their credibility soars, and we read or watch the rest of their commercial – on-their-side.

1. The Power of motivation: we human beans must have a personal reason, even a dumb one will do, to excite our will to exert an effort.
Watching a really awful, mindless TV movie for 120 minutes has to be justified. How about - it does not require concentration, so it relaxes me after a hard day

How about learning to speed read, or briefing five law cases, or critiquing an office report of 25 single-spaced pages?

No acceptable motivation – no work.

There are positive motivations – a higher grade, pass-the-exam, or win a promotion works. Negative motivations work even better.

That is exactly right; fear of failing the exam, losing that promotion to one of your peers, or being thought of as dumb-as-a-stone by your associates, really get your engine accelerating.

Before you start the project, take 30 seconds to write down a few reasons, positive and negative, to buckle down to succeed. We tested it, and it works.

2. Impulse Control: make it a rule to never go with your instantaneous answer. Intuition from your right brain is useful in creative thinking, but only after you get all eight-cylinders running. Get into the swing before you stop using your left-brain and its reasoning power.

Our research indicates that 81% of successful executives make it a point to not act emotionally, nor appear impulsive to others. 3. Persistence and Determination: perseverance is the winning trait of students who ace school, and executives who win the gold.

Anyone can start a project – learn to speed read, create a new advertising campaign, or start to write a book for fun or profit; only 20% will complete the assignment .

It is the old 80/20 rule, popularized by Vilfredo Pareto, the Italian Economist who taught at the University of Florence in 1886. His research concluded that 20% of the population controlled 80% of the wealth.

Distractions are our way of life; we start at 90 miles per hour, slow down to a crawl, and switch our efforts in midstream to something else.

Grit to succeed is everything in Mastering a subject. IQ is nice, but pig-headed determination to win-the-gold separates the winners from …

4. Fear of Failure: we all experience thoughts of rejections, making mistakes, and looking like a numbskull. The fear can drive us to quit before we fail, by never starting the project. It can also drive us to exercise our volition, free will of choice and decision-making to make it work.

Sounds corny – there is no failure – just experience and feedback. John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil told his troops – no great risks, no great rewards. In the 21st century – we say – Go-for-it.

5. Excessive dependency: 80% of CEOs of major companies pride themselves on their lack of computer-literacy. It is changing in 2006, but it proves their power by having a secretary or two to service their computer requirements.

Do you expect others to do the learning for you? Is the instructor responsible for your cognitive growth?

All intelligent people are Auto Didacts – self-taught. It is in your Websters.

You cannot control your environment, but 50% of the result is in your hands.

6. Limited Attention Span: there aint no such thing, except for those certified as incompetent.

You choose to focus your attention-span where your interests lead you. If you are bored to tears about politics or economics, and know all the players and statistics of your favorite team, it is a choice and personal decision, right?

7. Immediate or Delayed Gratification: again it is your choice based on your interests and desires. If we are studying for school or career, we need to objectify the benefits-to-us to continue striving, and not go shopping, golfing or watch a hot new DVD.

8. Distractibility and Lack of Concentration: The primary cause of procrastination is not dumbness nor laziness, but permitting distracting ideas to control our mind. We strongly suggest you do NOT have music in the background when working, and if the project is important, use earplugs.

We have tested wearing earplugs while studying in school or the office and 72% report they have made it their standard operating procedure.

9. Inability to Finish a Project: More students have been forced to dropout of school, and executives downsized to the unemployment line because they could start with a fury, but fade-out in the stretch.

What makes one student or executive reliable and worthy of the fast-track, while the majority fakes their way through their responsibilities, and gets nowhere?

We call it Grit, persistence and determination. Forget the name – exercise your will to persevere or enter the world of self-pity and the blame-game.

10. Too Little or Too Much Self-Confidence: Do you think 50% of your peers suffer too much or too little egotism?

Remember the 80/20 rule. Research indicates that self-esteem, a positive self-image is held by only 20%, while the rest talk a good fight but do not act to justify their self-confidence.

Keep a diary of your successes and your rejections. Benjamin Franklin called it Prudential Algebra, a list of Pros and Cons of decision-making. Use this resource to track your personal growth by listing what you consider your wins and loses.

Our graduates review it monthly to see changes in their level of self-confidence. Remember – whatever is tracked – improves - because you are aware of what is occurring in your career, not guessing.

Not creating a personal report of your experiences – is like playing basketball without a hoop – no feedback, no knowledge. Grab hold of your will, and you reinforce True Grit.


See ya,

copyright © 2006

H. Bernard Wechsler

www.speedlearning.org

hbw@speedlearning.org


Author of Speed Reading For Professionals, published by Barron's Education; business partner of Evelyn Wood, creator of Speed Reading, graduating 2 million, including the White House Staffs of four U.S. Presidents.

http://www.speedlearning.org hbw@speedlearning.org

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=H._Bernard_Wechsler

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Where's The Motivation To Start Your Own Business?

By Tino Buntic

Do you want to start your own business but lack the motivation to do so? I always find it amusing when I read or hear of stories about people and their goals in life. One of the main goals of so many people is to start their own business. It seems that just about everybody wants to but not many do. Most just aren’t motivated.

I’d like to share what motivated me to start my own business.

I like to drive. Driving is my favorite thing to do. I take a lot of road trips and I even like to drive through my own city to explore. I often find myself driving past multi million dollar homes and wonder to myself, “What do these people do to be able to afford such beautiful homes?” Sometimes, expensive or exotic cars pass me on the highway… Porsche, Benz, Aston Martin, BMW, Bentley. I love driving; I always wonder how much nicer my experience would be in one of these cars. I drive by airports and watch private planes taking off and landing. These are owned by rich people that can afford private planes to take them away on their many vacations. I wonder to myself, “I love driving; I wonder if I would love flying a plane just as much?” On top of that, what if I had the time to do these things and everything else that I enjoy?

Having money is one thing, but time is invaluable. Time lets you do the things you want to do and money allows you to afford it. So I looked at my life and it was 9-5 day after day, month after month, year after year. If I want to have the things I want to have and do the things I want to do, I would not achieve these goals working 9-5 on salary.

The only way to achieve my goals is to start a business. So I did. I thought about the risks involved. The main thing was the start-up capital required. For my business it was a $20,000 investment. That was a lot of money for me. It was paid on credit. I had to justify it somehow. If the business ends up being a success the benefits are obvious. I get to have and do all the things that I want. If the business fails, I lose $20,000. The upside is unlimited the downside is a $20,000 loss. If I lose, and I lose the $20,000, my lifestyle, really, would not change. I would pay the $20,000 back in small monthly increments.

I think that this is the main problem with everybody that wants to start their own business; everybody wants the success that it can bring but they are terrified of the potential for failure. If people were to just realize that failure is not so bad, we would have more people starting their own business and enjoying life more, as a result.

Think about this: the company that you currently work for was, at some point, started by somebody; it might be a small business or it might be a large corporation. But it was started by someone who had the motivation to succeed, took the risk, and made it happen. Now you work for him and he is earning money from your productivity. You have a job because he took a risk. Wouldn’t you just love to be in his position? You can, but the first step is to find your own motivation!

Tino Buntic had the motivation to start his own business, TradePals, over a year ago. TradePals provides sales leads to business professionals and entrepreneurs to help them generate more business for themselves.

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

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Dirty Little Computer Viruses and How To Protect Yourself

By Dan Preston

Whether you have learned your lesson from a past experience with a nasty computer virus or have been pressing your luck by surfing the web and downloading various files or opening those email messages sent to you by people you don’t know without any real understanding of just how vulnerable you really are each time you log onto your computer you now have the opportunity to discover what steps you can take to avoid such an annoying and many times destructive infestation.

Listed below are some of the guidelines you can follow in order to keep those nasty viruses from making a mess out of your computer and your life.

•Purchase and install a well respected antivirus software program and be sure to set it up so that it automatically runs when the computer starts up each time.

•Make sure to keep your antivirus software up to date by either using the automatic update feature that many come with or make it a habit to manually check at least once or twice a week for updates on your own.

•Set your antivirus program to scan for potential viruses each time you open a word-processing document like the ones that get sent through email. Viruses found in word-processing documents are called Macro Viruses

•When purchasing software make sure to only buy from vendors that are well known and from ones you trust.

•Resist swapping data with the use of floppy disks or other mobile storage devices between various computers. If exchanging programs between computers is unavoidable just make sure to scan the storage device(s) for viruses before transferring data from one computer to the next.

•If using floppy disks to transfer data make sure to format them before using them for the first time.

•Never use pirated software. This is both illegal and a very good way to invite an unwanted computer virus.

•When downloading software from the internet do so as little as possible. There are many neat programs available on the internet, but unfortunately there are many viruses that go along with them also.

•If you must download programs from the internet ALWAYS scan them for viruses BEFORE opening them up to install on your computer.

•Probably the most important and neglected method of disaster recovery are periodic backups of all important files found on your computer. Should a virus happen to get through your lines of defense you may need to replace the virus corrupted files with fresh ones that have been kept for such an occasion.

Finally, it is not guaranteed that if you follow the above steps that you will not be the victim of a computer virus, but you can sure bet that if followed you will greatly reduce the chance of being an unsuspecting recipient of such an unwanted program.

Dan devotes much time working on his internet ventures. He currently has a T-Shirt store at http://www.cafepress.com/giftsandtshirts and an ebook store at http://infoheaven-digital-books.com that caters to his visitors.

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

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Desktop Computer Basics

By Dave Stewart

When buying a computer it helps to know some basic information about components and processes. Hopefully these explanations will give you a better understanding of how a computer functions, and enable you to ask the salesman some productive questions.

CPU
The CPU or central processing unit, basicly the CPU interprets instructions and processes data generated by computer programs. The CPU is often seen as the 'brain' of the computer. The central processing unit controls other components.

Motherboard
The motherboard is often refered to as the mainboard, system board or mobo. The motherboard is the primary circuit board, Most components (CPU, Memory, Graphics cards, Sound cards, Hard drives, Optical devices, Network cards etc..) are attached to the motherboard. Either by cables or by plugging directly into the motherboard slots. Mainboards come in a range of sizes, or factor forms, however the most common is ATX.
RAM
RAM or Random Access Memory describes storage formats and equipment that allow data to be accessed in any order (random), not just sequence. RAM can be thought of as the 'working space' of your computer. Typically memory is cleared when the computer is shut down or reset.

Hard Drive
Hard drives allow the storage of data on the computer. They are generally found in two formats IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) or SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment). Hard Drives utilise magnetism to read and write data. A hard disk uses rotating 'platters' or disks which are made up of millions of 'bits'. These 'bits' can be aligned in two directions, one direction is assigned '0' the other '1'. Data is stored in binary code by exerting a magnetic force on each bit, causing it to align in the desired value.

Graphics Card
The Graphics card or Video card provides, as the name suggests, the video output from your computer. Some cheaper motherboards, refered to as "All-in-One" Motherboards have onboard graphics. However these are very low end graphics solutions, and will only be useful for those not wishing to do anything but basic word proccessing, internet browsing and work. For those that use their computer to play games a seperate video card is a must.

Sound Card
Sound cards provide the audio output for your computer. Nearly all motherboards come with an onboard sound module these days, which for most people will be more than sufficient. However seperate sound cards can be purchased for those seeking higher quality, more feature rich audio.

Optical Drives
Optical drives (DVD/CD readers and writers) are similar to standard CD or DVD players. They utilise the same technology to perform the same tasks as the conventional devices, only made to function in computers.

Hopefully this has given you an insight into the modern desktop computer, and will help you when making a purchase. For more information regarding saving money when purchasing a desktop computer visit http://www.discountdesktopreviews.com/articles/want-a-discount-pc.html.

About The AuthorDave Stewart

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

All About the Apple Desktop Computer

All About the Apple Desktop Computer
By Morgan Hamilton

Can you even recall the days when there were no computers? If you can, then you know that back then, a typewriter was just a typewriter. Then IBM came out with the one with the ball. It was a really big deal because you could actually change the font.

The personal computer much revolutionized the way we communicate. Now the rest is history with some many applications, games; how can anyone live without a computer? Sometimes it seems as if there is only one type of computer, absolutely not true.

Like so many of us today, I have virtually been tethered to a computer for about ten years and I also thought that all computers were created equally until I began using an Apple desktop computer or Mac.

An Apple desktop computer is about the same as an ordinary computer as a horse is to a cow. The cow runs, well, like a cow. The horse (and the Apple desktop computer) is sleek and efficient, build for performance. Can you tell that I'm an Apple fan by now? Yeah? It is pretty obvious as it? The cow will do what you want it to with a little encouragement. The apple desktop computer lives to follow your commands just like the horse. The cow needs to rest and often quits working 'just because'. The Mac continues to go on and on and on because that is what it is made to do.

Daiei may think I'm just talking out my butt here but I became a true believer after a month with my Apple desktop and quickly came to the realization, it never once crashed on me. The 'cow' crashes all the time. Sure, if you worked with a PC for a long time, you'll need a period of adjustment to wean yourself away. Not that the Apple computer is hard; it is just a little bit different.

To open a file from the "finder" known on a PC as the explorer, you can't press 'return' that takes some getting use to. And here is another thing that is not the same with an Apple desktop. No viruses. I do not even own a virus cleaning system because I don't need it, although I keep a virus checker going in the background on my Apple desktop computer just in case. And what do you suppose it finds? PC viruses that have no effect on my Mac.

Another great advantage of owning an Apple computer is the automatic software updates from the Internet. It actually communicates to the Internet and automatically updates itself. No checking the website, no having to decide what you need. The complete shebang is updated automatically. Pretty cool, huh?

I always tell my pals, my Apple desktop computer is a real computer; the "other one" is nothing more than a pretender.

Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding the world of computers. You can get interesting and informative information by visiting Apple Desktop Computer

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

Monday, July 24, 2006

Update Your Computer System With Bad Credit Computer Financing

Update Your Computer System With Bad Credit Computer Financing
By Amanda Thompson

The moment I placed myself in front of the computer screen a whole new world beckoned me to join it. And years of strolling have proved incompetent to get me acquainted with the full panorama of computers. You have always wanted one in your home. But something is stopping you. Bad credit? Do I hear bad credit? You think bad credit can stop you from getting your computer financed. Which world are you living in? You certainly need a computer. Computer financing for bad credit can enable you to get your very own home computer, lab tops, desk top or any other computer requirement.

Credit can be marred at any stage due to a number of reasons. Late payments, inflating debts, bankruptcy, county court judgments, arrears, any court case – all can result in impaired credit. Jaundiced credit report can falter you probability for getting computer financing. Yet the odds are not that diffuse for bad credit computer financing. First of all realize that computer financing for bad credit is not a Gordian knot. Any person with bad credit can find a loan including the one for computer financing. Envision your own position before you make a loan application for bad credit computer financing.

Bad credit has some obvious disadvantages that cannot be ignored. Bad credit is synonymous with greater rate of interest. You can’t escape increasing rate of interest for bad credit computer financing. What you can do is shop for a comparative lower rate of interest. First make your own stand clear with respect to bad credit loan. Before you make your claim as a bad credit loan applicant, check out your credit status. This will canonize your computer financing for bad credit with little or no impediment.

Very few people actually understand the meaning of the terms credit report and credit score. These are integral to bad credit loans inclusive of computer financing. A credit report contains a list of any credit cards you may hold, loans you may have taken out, how much your monthly payments are and any actions taken against you for any unpaid bills you may have accumulated over the years. Before providing you with finance for your computer, the loan lender will probably check your credit activities, to rule out any bad credit details. Credit score will be extracted out of your credit report. Your credit score is not good, that you already know. Otherwise you would not have been reading this article. Knowing your credit score will facilitate the prevention of abuse at the hands of the loan lender. He might take advantage of your ignorance and charge you higher rate than valid in context to bad credit computer financing. Forewarned is forearmed. You have heard that.

Now hear this, it really works.
Another term that directly connects with bad credit is no credit. ‘No credit computer financing’ is not similar to ‘bad credit computer financing’. Bad credit computer financing entails that at least you have installed credit through a bank account or credit card company. In the no credit specimen, no credit you have never owned a credit card or ever inaugurated a bank account. This is altogether an entirely different struggle. Some argue that it is better to have no credit instead of bad credit while contemplating computer financing. But the fact is, in order to establish yourself as a reliable borrower you at least need to have credit. And this can’t be done unless you establish a credit.

The facilities that come with bad credit computer financing are a conscientious recompense. The loan lenders are increasingly being innovative with bad credit computer financing products. Computer financing for bad credit permits you to purchase a computer instrument that comes with a full 2-year replacement warranty on parts and service. Also, all machines come with 1-year toll-free tech support. The loan lenders have notebooks and desktops, so that you can choose the machine you want. AMD powered machines that provide the latest processing speeds are also available as bad credit computer financing options. You can avail the latest software programmes through bad credit computer financing. Bad credit computer financing can release new possibilities for students. Computers are indispensable in relation to education.
All said and done – I must tell you that even the loan lenders realize that sometimes things go wrong and can lead to bad credit situation. Financial setbacks can undoubtedly affect your life unexpectedly. Therefore the essence of finding a bad credit computer financing is finding a loan lender that is ready to work for you. Bad credit computer financing can get you not only a powerful highly sophisticated computer system. Not only that the added ascendancy is the building up of positive payment history. Your computer has waited in vain for retirement. But what could you do, you yourself were groping due to bad credit. This time oblige him with a well deserved annulment of services. And compliment your own specialization with state of the art computer system. This season reboot your computer system with bad credit computer financing.

Amanda Thompson holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from CPIT and has completed her master’s in Business Administration from IGNOU. She is as cautious about her finances as any person reading this is. She is working as financial consultant for chanceforloans.co.uk ,To find a Personal loans,Debt consolidation,Bad credit loans,home equity loans at cheap rates that best suits your needs visit http://www.chanceforloans.co.uk

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

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Hi-Tech Clear Computer Case

Some folks like a transparent computer case because they enjoy saying the inside of their computer and how all the gadgets work. It could be helpful in repairs or in technical learning, I suppose. Others I would imagine, like it because it's different, sort of an artsy look to it.

If you want to look under the covers and see what's inside of your computer, while keeping the safe the inner workings inside, you’ll want to pick out a clear computer case. Leaving your computer uncovered and exposed can be dangerous, as dirt, food crumbs or even bugs could invade the system and cause hardware damage. A clear computer case in is just the ticket to protect your computers are working quality you check out what's inside.

There are a surprisingly diverse amount of choices had. They can be purchased according to different colors or “shades,” a cause their actual covering is basically transparent. Special decorative lights can also be placed into the case; a cool neon glow in the color of your choosing can surely personalize your computer to make it really stand out in the crowd. Couple this along with colored hard drives, colored fans and colored wiring, and you can create your own clear computer case customized rainbow.

As you may imagine, the quality of these cases vary greatly by the manufacturer. Some are very simple window cutouts or acrylic cases. However, some companies this only clear computer cases and so create much higher quality designs and use better material to build their product. The advantages are not just aesthetic, a clear computer case can also actually keep your computer's inner workings cooler and warm temperature environments.

If you manufacturer's market an entire package including hard drives, monitors and CD/DVD-Rom drives with the clear computer case. However, purchasing a clear computer case as a stand-alone product will run you anywhere from $50.00 to a $150.00 depending on the bells and whistles that come with it. Cases usually come with thumbscrews and clips and front panel bay covers. Extra screws will be included for hard drives, CD Roms, power supplies, and a motherboard. A lot of times these pieces are also color coordinated to match whatever color is that you have chosen.

That often also offer special polishes and scratch returned materials. A clear computer case can really make a statement as they are quite unique and do catch the eye. Many computer owners realize this and so personalize their case with graphics, images or logos. Some people of the money and to their customized computers so unsightly scratches or marks have got to go. Polish and scratch removers are usually pretty effective for restoring a scratched or smudged clear computer case so it looks like it just came out of the box with a flawless shine. Bottles of polish and scratch remover retail for about $15.00.

Hey, you have the house looking good, the kids, the dog, so what the hell, why not your computer?

Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding the world of computers. You can get interesting and informative information by visiting Clear Computer Case

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

Saturday, July 22, 2006

Computer Memory - The More the Merrier

Constantly I am asked by friends and family, why is my computer running so slow? They tell me that they bought a state of the art computer and when they first used it that everything was fantastic.

Then a couple of months later like clockwork, they always come back and say, something is wrong with my computer, it is acting just like the old one. Everything is real slow and they are stuck, waiting until it drives them up a wall.
I usually ask one simple question every time I hear that a computer is operating too slowly. I simply ask them how many programs do you have running in start-up on your taskbar?
Without hesitation they begin to check and it is often quite funny how they react. Most of the time people are unaware that they have multiple programs running on their computer at any given time.

Each of these programs on the task bar are working when called upon and some are actually working behind the scenes, beyond your senses. Especially anti-viral software programs are constantly traversing through your system to find any malicious activity or wanting to download new virus protection files.

When these programs are activated, each one is using some of your random access memory in your computer. If you have 96 Megs of RAM for example, then this is the amount of memory that operates these existing open programs and their uses.

To find exactly how much RAM is in your computer, simply click on Start and then locate 'My Computer'. Instead of left clicking, right click using your mouse, on 'my Computer' and a small 'list' will appear. Now move your mouse down the list until you see 'Properties'.
Click on properties and then it will give you a box with the description of what is in your computer. The RAM or Random Access Memory is usually the last thing on the front page that you will be viewing.

At any given time each running program is using up this memory. All memory is noted as having 100% usage, if you have 96Megs of Ram that is equal to 100%.
When any individual program is running behind the scenes of your system it is using a small percentage of the extra memory that is used to operate that program. A small software program such as ICQ could use as much as 3% of the available RAM in a 96mg system. And an anti-viral operation could use much more depending on what company's software you are using. Some of them could use as much as 30% or more of your available memory depending on how much you have. Even some ISP software systems such as AOL could use a significant portion of your available memory.

If you have multiple programs running in your computer at the same time, then it will begin to devour your memory and by virtue of all these separate programs needing so much memory, it will cause your entire system to bog down and literally crash. Today more and more people are buying computers with higher amounts of RAM. A few years ago your computer would be considered smokin' if you had 96MG of RAM!

Today by virtue of all of the accessories like, SPAM control, Virus watch, Hacker alerts etc. a single computer could easily eat 256 megs of RAM and the operator would not comprehend the delays, because they felt since they bought a incredibly fast processor and even some use High Speed Internet, they feel that they got robbed at the store where they purchased their model.
Last year I went to my wife's in-laws and this very thing occurred. They bought a super fast speed computer and they almost threw the darn thing out the window because it moved at a snails pace. They even called Computer experts to fix the problem and paid over $300.00. What they got was a used cheaper motherboard that had nothing to do with the problem and the computer was still slow as molasses.

They were in tears when I showed up, begging me to find the problem. I was on their computer for 5 minutes and located their problem. I went down to one of the computer stores in the area and purchased a 512MB chip for their model, at less than $50 and I easily installed it in the easy clip on inset within the tower and their computer began to fly like it had been when they first purchased it.

They were beyond grateful. They were ecstatic they thought they spent all of that money and all they had amounted to nothing more than a piece of junk.
Today I say, don't let anyone fool you. Simply check your RAM speed and locate all the programs on your task bar that function openly and behind the scenes. If you have 5 -10 or more running programs active at any given time and your computer is bogging down. Then chances are that you have a RAM problem.

Fixing your RAM problem is easy as pie. If you do not know what your particular computer can handle, simply locate your brand name on the Internet and research Extended Memory for that model. Find out what your capacity for that model is and add more Memory. If you are unable to add more memory it is most likely due to an older model that has been maxed out.

If this is your problem nothing you do outside deleting or removing active programs that are being used will help you! Doing so could be to your detriment to the vitality of your system. Many of these programs are protecting you from outside invaders and removing them could allow a fatal blow from a devious hacker.


Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Computer Memory
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