Friday, May 4, 2007

Computr training - builiding a PC, piece by piece

Building a computer from piece by piece is the best way to get the computer you really want, in addition to being an entertaining process. There are many different parts that make up a computer but it doesn't take long to learn. Depending on what you will be using your computer for, the parts can be inexpensive or cost some serious dollars. People who are serious gamers are the ones who will most commonly need an extremely high-end computer setup. If you are not concerned as much with the gaming aspects but still want a great system, the building process can be much less expensive.

Usually starting out with purchasing the desired case is good idea, but you might want to decide on the motherboard first, this way you can make sure the case will be the right size to accommodate the motherboard. The most common types of motherboards are Advanced Technology Extended form factor, or "ATX". These and micro-ATX are the most common sizes available. You can purchase an NLX style board if you want to use a slim desktop computer as well. Server motherboards can be very large and sometime require huge server cases. The Server motherboards can have multiple processors and a vast amount of memory, usually for business use. Decide if you want to use an Intel Processor or an AMD processor and then you will be most likely purchasing a motherboard with socket 939, 755, or 754. You are also going to need to get a power supply, so grab a name brand 450-watt power supply to be on the safe side.

Next on the list is the processor, which in most cases will be Intel or AMD these days. Both brands offer budget processors that don't operate quite as well as the more expensive processors, but they get the job done. Intel offers the "Celeron D" on socket 775 and AMD offers the "Sempron" on socket 754. These two processors are cheap and will save you some money if you choose to use them. The Pentium 4 and the Athlon64 are the performance processors that cost much more money.

Moving on to the hard drive, the memory and the removable devices. Hard disk drives come in very large capacities now, but if you want speed over capacity, you might want to use a smaller hard drive. Serial ATA hard drives can obtain higher speeds than that of an IDE drive. SCSI drives are faster than both Serial ATA and IDE but you will need to buy a SCSI controller to use it. Brands such as Western Digital, Seagate and Maxtor offer drives varying in sizes from 20 to 500 gigabytes. Once decided, you might want to pick up at least 256 megabytes of RAM. 512 megabytes of DDR memory is recommended for the best operating experience with today's advanced applications. "Double Data Rate" memory is available in different frequencies, but 400Mhz or higher will be fine. Removable devices such as the CD-ROM and the floppy drive are mostly optional. A CD-ROM device of some sorts is required, but other than that, it is all decided by what tasks you will be performing. If you want to be able to burn compact discs and Digital Versatile Discs, then you will need to purchase the proper writing devices.

Sound and Video cards will need to be purchased separately if they do not come equipped on the motherboard. A good sound card will run about 50 to 150 dollars, depending yet again on the tasks that will be performed. Cards strictly used for speakers will generally cost less. Video cards are extremely important for playing video games, more so than the processor. PCI-Express type video cards are the best choice for gaming while an inexpensive PCI-Express or AGP card will work fine for all other tasks.

Once you have all of your main components assembled and your computer can power up, all that is remaining are the other peripherals. You can grab the speakers, printers, mice and keyboards to better accommodate the system you will be using. Any monitor will do, but a more expensive LCD monitor would be a space saver. When the computer setup is complete you may realize it was much easier than you once thought.

Affordable computer training

Over the last decade, computer technology has revolutionized almost every aspect of life. Individuals, small business firms, large organizations, and multinational conglomerates have adopted the use of computer systems to automate their working environments in order to increase overall productivity. Computer technology is used for the purposes of manufacturing, employment, communication, marketing, and advertising, allowing individuals and organizations to successfully surpass competition. According to recent research, the field of Information Technology is one of the fastest growing sectors of employment, accounting for one out of four new jobs created between the years 2000 and 2010. The need for appropriate computer training is felt to meet requirements of new job openings. A large number dedicated firms and organizations provide a wide selection of computer training courses. Individuals and companies feel the need to invest in quality computer training programs for increasing efficiency.

One of the best ways to acquire affordable computer training without compromising on quality of teaching is to opt for an online training program. A large number of websites online offer relevant courses at economical rates. The training program offered online is a correspondence course using books and guides provided by the website.

Computer training schools may also provide economically viable training programs in the form of a package deal. The school may offer one program at a particular price and another program as a part of the package for free, making it extremely affordable on the whole. Interested candidates can also look for schools that provide courses that teach only the preferred programs instead of pursuing a longer course that would offer training on undesired subjects. Candidates are also advised to be on the look out for any special offers from computer training schools throughout the year.

It is advisable to compare computer-training programs offered by various schools and sites and then pick the most affordable option. The Internet provides one of the best ways of evaluating the credentials and affordability of different computer training courses.

Computer repair technician training

Most activities have become totally dependent on computers. They are used in homes, corporate fields, educational organizations and welfare services. Consequently, there is a great need for computer repair technicians. There are many organizations unable to find qualified technicians, to maintain their equipment. A number of colleges and institutes offer certified diploma courses in this field and this has led to an increase of interest in computer repair technology.

The computer repair technicians are involved in the installation, repair and maintenance of computer systems. They could work in a team of support staff, in organizations with a complex computer network, such as specialist IT maintenance service companies. There are commercial contract undertakings and computer manufacturers, dealing with home-users' computing problems. There are certain technicians who conduct their own small businesses, combining computer retail sales, with repair and upgrade services. Generally, the entry-level qualifications for the institutes include, NCFE Certificate for IT Practitioners, General Level 2, BTEC First Certificate, Level 2 and National Certificate IT Practitioners, ICT Systems Support, Level 3.

The courses offered by the institutes include Comp TIA A+ Certification, covering installation, configuring and upgrading, diagnosis and troubleshooting, preventive maintenance, motherboards, processors and memory, printers, basic networking, operating system fundamentals and networks. There are certain institutes that offer graduate apprenticeship schemes to train specialists even further.

The training is usually continued on the job and covers ICT hardware and software support, problem solving, advanced networking, LAN and WAN. The other courses include network systems management, customer support systems, repair center procedures and telecommunications planning.

There are a number of opportunities existing for computer repair technicians and they are employed in financial organizations, the civil services, health services, educational institutions, call centers, IT companies. There is also a scope for self-employment or freelance work. The technicians can support small or medium sized enterprises.

Computer training centers

Computer training centers are places where you get basic and advanced knowledge about computer programs and specific computer software. Many of the centers are high-quality, equipped with knowledgeable and experienced instructors, routing both beginners and experienced hands to familiarize themselves with opportunities in the IT world. Training centers are found in almost all areas. They offer computer education and training in the form of certificate courses and degree programs.

Computer training centers offer many divisions of learning, including software, hardware, web development and networking. Some of the short term courses provided include software products such as spreadsheets, word processing, computer aided design, and programming languages such as java, visual basic, web scripting, C, C++ and .NET. In addition, one can learn the basic computer safety techniques, troubleshooting and the maintenance of computers.

A beginner in the computer field can first locate a good computer training center. The location, size of the classes, training facilities, accreditation of the center and its courses, and the fee are factors to be thought of. Special discounts may be available for certain programs. Sometimes, computer training centers offer course packages with free training on Internet and basic programs on special occasions. Some centers have special packages for employees to learn the latest software packages. They extend professional training on office software and hardware in leading companies.

A few centers give assessment services for those who need to benefit from new computer technologies. In this regard, the centers work close to federal and private departments, schools and various private or public parties. In addition to initial assessment, computer training centers offer follow up services beneficial for clients. Clients can familiarize themselves with the new operating environment and the best use of the new software.

Computer training centers are a profitable business. The government extends considerable support, including grants, to set up a center.

Computer network training

Computer network training is one of the latest gateways to jump into the competitive IT world. Network is a media for computers to communicate with each other by sending files, instant messages and other information. This is accomplished through LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network). Nowadays, many companies use networks of computers to run their operations smoothly. So, computer networking is a good job option. Basically, there are two main networks, namely Microsoft and Novell.

Specialized degree and certificate network training programs are available through several institutions, schools and online coaching. Many schools conduct training courses as part of regular programs and vocation courses. Some of these schools have labs outside the classroom that students can attend during designated hours. Online training courses allow students to take their courses anytime, anywhere. In addition, you can purchase training courses individually or bundled, available on CD-ROM. Each regular training program extends from six months to one year.

Each networking training course comprises fundamental programs about the working plans of network, wiring and the types of software installed in computers. Normally, these basic courses run just for a few weeks. Students learn about workstations, servers, their functions, and different types of networking such as client server and peer to peer.

After the fundamental program, the training moves gradually toward the next higher part. In this phase, students can learn about individual systems and their differences. Many schools divide this phase into two operating systems, for Novell and Microsoft. Students can take either one or both. Each operating system course normally extends up to 3 months. But some schools concentrate on one system. Practical procedures such as installing workstation software, installing server software, wiring and finally, making a simple computer network are involved.

The students are prepared for the certification exams. The examination has a number of practice tests. Most centers allow their students to continue the training until they have passed the exams.

Computer security training

Computer security training is considered as one of the hottest programs for the new millennium. It is a major part of information technology that prepares students to protect computers and networks. Computers undergo constant attacks from various virus programs and instances of frauds that cause the loss of millions of dollars annually. Computer security training programs assist users to overcome these difficulties. Colleges and universities, technical schools and online programs are the main arenas that provide advanced computer security training.

As all other IT programs, computer security training programs also start with foundation classes. Fundamental programs offer students a comprehensive knowledge about the tools and techniques to manage risks, and to detect and prevent computer attacks. Some of the major concepts discussed are hackers, software piracy, viruses, identity theft, stalking and credit card fraud. Students learn the latest technologies for protecting systems such as securing the operating systems, audit techniques, identification and authentication, cryptography and other network security mechanisms. The security training also encompasses sessions in threat assessment, incident investigation, system security administration, risk management and online security testing. Those who look for a career in computer security technology development get advanced training in system security engineering, software design, development and testing, secure operating system design, and design and application of network security techniques.

A computer security professional has a good idea about the planning, co-ordination and implementation of security techniques to protect computers from illegal attacks. They are also trained in educating users on computer security, monitoring the network for security breaches, installing safety software and taking instant action against cyber attacks.

Online computer security training is a new trend that teaches the latest technologies to save computers from online attacks. Online certificate and degree programs are available. Recognized online training programs help to attain credentials in security training. These valuable skills are useful for marketing yourself to computer security firms.

As a mandatory technology for this century, many offices and organizations employ computer security personnel to take care of crises during their normal functioning.

Computer training textbooks

Computer training textbooks are primary teaching instruments in the field of computer learning. These are manuals of instruction classified according to the basis of subjects. A large collection of textbooks is available in book shops. Many publishing companies publish computer textbooks written by leading professors, to meet contemporary needs in computer education.

Computer training textbooks are published in fine printed format with hard covers. Most of these have graphical representations, documentation with a good explanation of topics and questionnaires. Computer language textbooks, computer application textbooks, programming and networking textbooks and technical reference books are mainly used in computer classrooms. These are useful for both teachers and students participating in a computer program. Apart from professional textbooks, custom versions of textbooks for specific universities are available in the market. These are typically designed with edited versions of full textbooks. Interactive computer textbooks are very useful for improving reading, reasoning, writing and content mastery.

Computer training textbooks are more expensive than other text books. But it is possible to save some money by smart shopping. For college students, the best sources of computer textbooks are university libraries and off-campus bookstores. Libraries feature a good stock of computer training textbooks that can be used throughout the course. For those looking solely for library books, weekends are the perfect time to locate them. Another method of buying computer textbooks is online purchase, because most teachers use the web to post the textbooks required, prior to the beginning of each semester. You can visit online shopping websites including amazon.com, ebay.com, and half.com for new or used textbooks. Leading publishing agents may also be approached for computer training textbooks.

Owing to increased costs, many publishers sell computer training textbooks as a bundle with extra materials such as website access cards, CDs, and discount coupons. Unfortunately, computer textbooks have a comparatively limited market.