Wondering what to do with the old computers you’ve replaced over the years? Does your basement look like a high tech salvage shop? Well, I hit the point of “no return” this summer when I was digging for something in our basement and tripped over some junk that was stored in the “hazardous waste” section of our basement. No exaggerating, I literally had seventeen (17) years of old computer equipment stacked on top of one another.
How did it get so bad? Easy, because I had no idea what to do with it! You see, I knew that the insides of the computers and their peripherals were considered hazardous and that I couldn’t simply dispose it as garbage, but I had no idea what I should do with it. I contacted a local merchant who refurbished used computer equipment only to discover that my old inventory was simply, well, too old! Then I sent emails to a couple non-profit organizations who refurbished old computers and donated them to households who couldn’t afford computers…only to get no return emails.
So the pile got bigger and the stack higher…until I ran across a quick blurb in a magazine that mentioned Staples was collecting old computer equipment…for a fee of just $10/item (which in my case was a small fortune). I immediately called my local Staples to verify if their location was participating in the program and was delighted to hear that they were. Within the hour my son and I loaded up the SUV and was happily on the way to dispose of what would be our first load of “junk.”
Do you have your own pile of high tech junk? If so, check out your local Staples and see if they’ll take it off your hands. According to their Website, the $10 fee is for the larger items. Small items like a mouse, keyboard, or speakers is accepted at no charge. But Staples is not the only one involved in computer recycling. Other merchants that offer disposal programs for your old computers and printer cartridges include -
Dell – offer you an opportunity to recycle your unwanted Dell-branded products for free. They have joined with Goodwill in a number of states to accept outdated Dell computers at Goodwill locations. Plus, if you buy a new Dell desktop or notebook and select the free recycling option at the time of purchase, theywill recycle your old PC and monitor at no cost to you (even if it isn’t a Dell-branded product.). Check Their Website for the latest information on recycling and disposal of outdated computers.
Apple – has a program similar to Dell where you purchase any qualifying Apple computer or monitor and receive free recycling of your old computer and monitor regardless of manufacturer. You can get the details by visiting the recycling section of their website.
Hewlett Packard– recycles empty inkjet cartridges and Laser Jet printer cartridges for free. They’ll recycle outdated HP computers for a fee of $13-$34, depending on the item. For details check out the recycling Section of their web.
Walgreens – is installing inkjet refill machines in their photo labs so that you can reuse old inkjet printer cartridges. Not only are you helping the environment by recycling your old cartridges, but you’re saving money, too. In many cases, you can expect to save up to 50% of what you’re paying for new printer cartridges now. Just check to see if your local Walgreens store offers refills at this time.
Concerned about print quality and the running costs of having a printer? Epson's newly-launched MaxEconomy (ME) series of printers aims to address these two issues consumers usually fret about.
With the Epson ME320 all-in-one, and the ME141 ink cartridges, printing a monochrome page would cost 5 cents, and if it's in colour, it'll be just 8.5 cents.
The ME320 has a four-ink cartridge system and retails for $148. Despite its affordable price tag, it's not short on features. Documents are printed at a resolution of 5760x1440 dpi. The all-in-one can churn out 28 pages per minute in monochrome and 15 pages per minute in colour. Scanning is done at resolutions of up to 600dpi. Copying is an efficient affair, too, as it can duplicate monochrome documents at speeds of up to 11 seconds per page or 38 seconds for a page in colour.
If your needs get more advanced, you can go up a notch and get a printer from the Epson ME Office Inkjet series (ME Office 960FWD, 900WD or 620F), which have features like WiFi, Ethernet connectivity, fax and built-in duplex printing. Prices range from $228 to $478.
HP has unveiled its new line of color printers that help businesses find efficient ways to produce high quality color printed documents reliably and efficiently to meet the most demanding deadlines. As businesses accelerate, customers are discovering that documents can do much more than just communicate and inform. Impactful communication—from printed 1-page invoices to 100-page user manuals—can actually drive business and generate revenue.
This growing preference is reflected in the growth of the color laser segment. Over the last 3 years the shipments of color lasers have grown by 49% driven by growth in China, Korea, Australia. The new line of printers address this growing demand for inhouse color printing.
“ In a fast evolving environment where companies have to rapidly transform to meet the demands of their customers in a competitive environment, an organization’s ability to evolve and respond will separate the winning companies from the ordinary. ePrint coupled with the ability to deliver high quality documents inhouse will definitely arm our customers to foot their best foot forward,” said Leong Han forward, Kong, Vice-President, LaserJet and Enterprise Solutions.
The world’s smallest color laser printer
— Leading the pack for HP’s push for impacting communications through color is the HP LaserJet Pro CP1025 and CP1025nw Color Printers, the world’s smallest color laser printers and one of the world’s most energy-efficient.
— The HP LaserJet Pro CP1025nw Color Printer is ePrint enabled and has wireless capabilities giving one the freedom to locate it anywhere in the home or small office. It gives users the choice to print in both color and mono and comes at a low acquisition cost for laser quality printing. It allows for excellent print quality on a wide range of media sizes and weights.
HP LaserJet Printer range offer e-Print and web capabilities
— The wired and wireless HP LaserJet Pro CM1415fnw Color MFP is the first HP LaserJet printer that prints from the web and mobile devices and offers a 3.5- inch color touchscreen control panel that allows users to easily print, scan, copy and fax. This printer is for the small business customer who recognises that color can help them sell themselves and their products and services more effectively.
— The HP LaserJet Pro CP1525n and CP1525nw Color Printers – Enjoy simple user installation and quicker device set-up with these wired and wireless, HP e-Print-enabled LaserJet printers.
— HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf MFP – Targeted at the user who wants a choice of an easy to use and reliable monochrome multi function printer. This new printer boosts efficiency with print, scan, copy, and fax capabilities, while protecting business assets through the fax lock up feature, and environmentally-friendly with Instant-on technology.
ENERGY STAR® qualified, biodegradable supply cores and recyclable packaging make the new Datacard® SD260 card printer the industry’s first desktop printer with environmentally focused features, according to Datacard Group, the world leader in secure ID and card personalization systems.
The SD260 printer’s ENERGY STAR qualification makes it the first of its kind. The SD260 printer earned its ENERGY STAR qualification by requiring less energy than its predecessors and saving users money from reduced energy costs.
Key environmental features include: Bio-Tec Environmental EcoPure® chemical additive biodegradable supply cores that gradually break down in landfills, recyclable packaging to reduce waste and a soft-touch power-down button allowing users to increase energy efficiency. The SD260 printer helps support and sustain the environmental initiatives of Datacard printer users.
The SD260 printer also complies with Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive requirements. RoHS compliance indicates that the SD260 printer upholds international regulations defined by the European Union, including manufacturing restrictions on hazardous chemicals and proper methods of recovery, treatment and recycling. The WEEE directive ensures responsible measures in setting collection, recycling and recovery methods.
“Customers can confidently choose the SD260 printer to meet all of their requirements, including those related to helping the environment,” said Kathleen Phillips, head of desktop personalization systems for Datacard Group. “The SD260 printer is the first in the industry to be created with the environment in mind.”
In addition, Datacard Group will donate a portion of the proceeds from every SD260 printer sold from now until the end of November, 2010 to the Rainforest Alliance. The Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.
The new SD260 card printer will be on display in booth 1133, at the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) tradeshow, October 12-14 in Dallas, Texas.
printer problem could be of various types. There might be different hardware related issues as well as software issues as well. Sometimes there are printer driver installation issues such as if the driver is not installed properly then it can cause communication issue.
Well, the printer driver is one of the causes of communication issue related to software. The main reason being if the driver is not installed properly then the communication between the hardware and the computer doesn’t work.
Spooler issue is another major player. Spooler is something without which a printer would not function. There are various types of spooler errors too. How to fix printer spooler problem? Before discussing about that, let’s have a look at some of the common spooler errors.
• Spooler subsystem app has encountered a problem and needs to close • Print Spooler Access Denied • Print Spooler Access Code is Invalid • Print Spooler Always Stopping • Print Spooler Always Stop • Print Spooler App Error • Print Spooler Application Error • Print Spooler Automatically Stop
Well all these spooler errors are fixable though. The basic spooler errors can be rectified by restarting the spooler usually. In case, if the spooler doesn’t restart then the command: sc config spooler = rpcss can be tried which usually fixes the issue with spooler not starting. Now the spooler can be restarted and change the startup type to Automatic. There are other ways to fix different spooler errors. Many a times, a few registry corrections can fix the issues too. You can also talk to a remote pc repair company for help.
Then there is something called print processor. The print processor tells the spooler to alter a job according to the document data type. It works together with the printer driver to move the spooled print jobs from the hard disk drive to the printer. The windows operating system comes with a few print processors by default namely RAW, WINPRINT, NTEMF1.0x, TEXT DATA TYPE etc. Moreover the printers also come with their own print processors. One can choose between the windows options or the Printer OEM options depending on their requirements.
Besides these there are other printer related errors and issues which also falls under printer problem.
Faded printing, ghost printing, incorrect cartridge settings, smeared printing etc also are different issue with a printer. All these can be fixed by changing settings in the printer software. By cleaning the cartridges and aligning them dos fix these issues. Of course certain times there are hardware issues on a cartridge or a toner. Some times the nozzles become defective. In such a case the cartridge or the toner needs to be replaced.
Then there are issues where printing is not proper from websites but the printer works fine to print documents. In such cases changing the encoding of the webpage might help. If the issue still persists, then changing the print processor may resolve the issue. Last but not the least, there are OEM related errors in which contacting the printer manufacturer is the best solution.
When you attempt to print a document or image on your PC computer, you may occasionally receive a message about Error 1068 saying that the system's print spooler could not be started. When this happens, you will need to manually restart the computer's print spooler in order to fix the error. The system's print spooler is used to transfer data from a computer to a printer's memory.
1. Log on to your PC computer with an account that has administrative privileges.
2. Open the Start menu and click on the "Control Panel" icon.
3. Open the "Administrative Tools" folder and then double-click on the "Services" icon.
4. Scroll through the list of system services until you find "Print Spooler."
5. Highlight "Print Spooler" in the list of services and click on the "Start" link on the left side of the window.
6. Restart your computer and then attempt printing a document or image again. The Error 1068 should no longer appear.
When your PC behaves strangely like, applications taking longer to launch, computer is running very slow, hard disk becomes inaccessible, etc. it indicates that your system is infected from malicious programs. In such a situation, it becomes necessary to install updated antivirus on your system. You can install any antivirus on your system, provided that you have purchased genuine copy of that antivirus. Features AVG antivirus offers many benefits to you like protection against malicious programs, etc. Now, you can do banking, shopping, surfing, searching, chatting, e-mailing, downloading files, etc. without any terror of infection by malicious programs. This antivirus offers you protection against online scammers, hackers, etc. It protects you from phishing attack by securing your confidential information from intruders. Usability AVG antivirus 8.5 is integrated with many new facilities, which were absent in its earlier version. You can easily download and install AVG antivirus 8.5 on your system with the following steps: STEP 1: Download the installation file of AVG antivirus 8.5 on your system from its official website. STEP 2: When you will be prompted, do not open the file, but click on the “Save” button and select location where it should be stored. STEP 3: Reboot your computer when installation file gets saved. STEP 4: Locate the AVG installation file, and double click on it to start its installation. STEP 5: Follow the instructions in the installation wizard. STEP 6: Enter your license number when prompted. STEP 7: Restart your computer when prompted by the installation wizard. After completing the installation process of AVG antivirus 8.5 on your system, you can protect your system from malicious programs. Limitations You can face blue screen error while installation of AVG antivirus. It can freeze your system and would not be able to work with some of the applications installed on your system.
Windows 7 is the latest Windows operating system, and is successor of Windows Vista. It is available in many editions namely, Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. Features Windows 7 consists of Action Center, which consolidates all the messages from Windows Defender, User Account Control, etc. In case, Windows 7 requires your attention, the Action Center icon will appear in the taskbar. This operating system has the feature of backing up individual folders, libraries, and drives. Its calculator is integrated with new Programmer and Statistics modes. In this operating system, you can easily move and resize gadgets. Usability Windows 7 offers you the facility to perform all your tasks with your fingers, like browsing online newspapers, flicking through photo albums, shuffling files and folders, etc. You can perform an upgrade installation of Windows 7 on your Windows Vista based PC, with the following steps: STEP 1: Turn on your computer and when Vista gets started, do one of the following: a) Insert the Windows 7 installation disc into your computer. Setup would start automatically, if it does not click on “Start” and then on “Computer”. Open the Windows 7 installation disc on your DVD drive, and then double-click on setup.exe. b) If you have downloaded Windows 7, then browse the installation file, and double click on it. STEP 2: Click on Install now on the “Install Windows page”. STEP 3: On the “Get important updates for installation page”, it is recommended to receive the latest updates in order to protect your computer. STEP 4: On the Please read the license terms page, click on “I accept the license terms”, and then click on “Next”. STEP 5: Click on Upgrade, on the “Which type of installation do you want?” page. STEP 6: Follow the instructions to complete installation of Windows 7. After completing Windows 7 installation, you can enjoy with its features like Aero, etc. Limitations While performing Windows 7 installation, you can face a technical error. You may face issues while sharing files between Windows 7 and Windows XP systems.
Windows Vista is amongst the Windows operating system, and is successor of Windows XP. It consists of many new and exciting features, which will increase your daily performance. Features Windows Vista consists of Ease of Access Center, which offers a suitable, centralized place to find out accessibility settings and programs, so that, you can use your computer easily. It offers you instant access to common tools, ability to explore all accessibility settings in seven categories, etc. This operating system consists of BitLocker Drive Encryption, which prevents an unauthorized person who runs a software hacking tool from breaking Windows Vista file and system protections. Usability Windows Vista is integrated with accessibility settings and programs, which make it easier for you to view, hear, and use your computer. These programs are particularly helpful for those people, who have visual difficulties, hearing loss, pain in their hands or arms, or reasoning and cognitive issues. You can easily perform upgrade to Windows Vista on a Windows XP-based computer with the following steps: STEP 1: Insert the Windows Vista DVD into the DVD drive. STEP 2: Click on “Install now” on the Install Windows page. STEP 3: On the Get important updates, click on ““Go online to get the latest updates for installation”, in order to protect your computer against security threats. STEP 4: On the “Type your product key for activation page”, type your 25-character product key. STEP 5: On the “Please read the license terms” page, click on “I accept the license terms” check box. STEP 6: Click on Upgrade on the “Which type of installation do you want?” page. STEP 7: Follow the instructions to complete installation of Windows Vista. It is suggested that you should restart your computer after Windows Vista installation gets completed. Limitations While installation of Windows Vista, you can have some issues like installation could not get completed, etc. You may face any problem while working with Windows Mail. Sometimes Windows Media Player will stop responding.
Computer services comprise all the services required to resolve technical issues related either tor software or hardware. You can access computer services from any technical service provider, when you face any technical issue with your system, like blue screen error, computer running slow, applications taking much time in launching, etc. Features Computer service providers offer 24/7 assistance via remote connection in order to facilitate their customers. Remote computer service provider offers many services, and some of them are enlisted as: • Installation, un-installation, and re-installation of software • Troubleshooting software errors • Diagnostic and repair of hardware issues • Optimizing your PC’s speed and performance • Resolving driver conflicts • Configuring Antivirus and Antispyware • Online data backup services • Scanning of computer to detect and block spyware, adware, pop-ups, and phishing attacks. Along with the above mentioned services, many services are offered via remote connection. In remote support services, you just have to pay a fixed amount and you can access unlimited services for a predetermined time. Usability Remote computer support is considered to be the best method of delivering computer services due to many reasons. In remote support, you just have to sit at your home or in office and tech experts will resolve your technical issues remotely. After accessing your system, tech expert will take control over your system. Then tech expert will diagnose it carefully in order to find out the root cause of the technical issues. Accordingly, they will carry out the necessary steps to resolve all the technical issues you are facing. Limitations If you carry your system to any service centre, then it would take two or more days to resolve your technical issues. In case, you call any technician at your premises, it would seem a headache for you. So, it is better to receive computer services via online. See More - Antivirus Support Asus Support
Windows XP is the most amicable series of operating system, which has been developed by Microsoft and was introduced on October 25, 2001. It was the first version, where Microsoft put the restriction of product activation, to combat illegal copying. Read this blog to know the authentic method of installing Windows XP. First you should check the compatibility of Windows XP with hardware configuration of your computer. “As per recommendation you must have a computer equipped with a processor of minimum 233 MHz to 300 MHz or higher, minimum memory around 64 MB RAM2 to 128 MB RAM or higher, video adapter and monitor -Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution and Hard drive disk free space -1.5 GB or higher” Note: Additional 1.8 GB in Service Pack 2 and additional 900 MB in Service Pack 3 You can follow the given steps to install Windows XP on your computer. Step 1. Load your DVD tray with Windows XP installation CD/DVD. Step 2. Restart your computer and press any key when prompted to do so. Step 3. As the content of the DVD is getting copied, you receive a message like "Disc one - (#)Megabytes". Press D button of your keyboard. Step 4. To create new partition press “C.” You are flexible to decide number of partition and size of each. Press Enter once you have decided the size. You can decide the partition, where you want to locate operating system XP’s file. Choose the file system as “NTFS” as permitted for Windows XP and complete the installation procedure with the help of on-screen prompts. Next step in Windows XP installation is to equip it with compatible device drivers for network adapter, wireless adapters, CD-ROMS, Hard Drives, Video Cards, and Printers so that you can accomplish your task perfectly.
Run time error pops- up, when you execute certain program or utility, but your computer fails to run it. There are four basic reasons behind this error, which include confliction with a utility program (TSR), software issue, computer virus and memory issue. First you should close all the application windows and try to know, where is the fault, actually? Once you come to know it, you can easily fix the error. Suppose, the Run time error remains after closing all the running applications windows, then it is confirmed, that there is some fault related to your operating system. To fix the problem, you need to update your Windows operating system, with the latest patches or updates. You can go online to Microsoft’s website or can avail any CD/DVDs from an authorized source. But, if you still fail to fix the issue, then uninstall and reinstall your operating system. Don’t forget to take back-up of your computer before uninstalling your OS. Similarly, you can fix the error related with any other application software. But, if you don’t get any advantage with the above activities, then your computer could be infected with some computer viruses. It’s highly recommended to immediately implement a virus scanning tool, which is effective enough to detect and remove them in a fast-track way. Next, update your existing antivirus protection and enable Firewall to ensure that your computer is secure against forthcoming viruses and other malicious products. If you are addicted to the Internet, then you might have gone through run time error that states, "A Runtime Error has occurred. Do you wish to debug?"In this situation, you can fix this error temporarily. Follow as: Tool>Options>Advanced. You need to check the box against "Disable script debugging" which appears in the "Browsing" subcategory. Also uncheck the box against "Display a notification about every script error." This will block the error from appearing again on your web browser. In case, your computer is a regular victim of this error, then your computer’s memory (RAM) could be a possible reason behind it. Programs of your computer will not be getting sufficient memory to run, to fix the run time error you need to upgrade your RAM (Random Access Memory). If possible do it yourself with the guidance of the manual book, otherwise contact your vendor.
Know how to install printer on Windows XP computer
Before installing a printer on Windows XP operating system is to have suitable printer driver for the printer you are installing. There is no need to worry if you don’t have a driver disc. You can use the printer driver provided with by the printer manufacturer in the form of disc or you can also download the latest printer drivers from the manufacturer’s website. Follow the below mentioned steps to install printer on Windows XP system (assuming that you are installing the printer on a Windows XP computer and the printer is to be directly connected to the system).
1.Click on Start
2.Go to Control Panel
3.Click on “Printers and other Hardware”
4.Select “Add Printer” tasks from the task section to continue the printer installation.
5.You will see a “Welcome to the Add Pinter Wizard” screen, click on “Next”.
6.Select “Local printer attached to this computer” for printer connected directly to your PC.
7.Now click on “Automatically detect and install Plug and Play printer” option (in case you don’t have any information about the make and model of your printer).
8.Click on Next.
9.Select a Printer Port from drop-down menu present where the printer is connected or you can choose to create a new port.
10.Click on Next.
11.Select manufacturer of your printer from the list of manufacturers available and then choose the model of you printer.
12.Click on Next.
13.If you have the latest driver on CD/DVD disc then you should click on Have a Disk button to select the specified printer driver.
14.If the correct are selected then Windows will automatically install the files on your computer.
15.You will see a Printer icon in the Printer and Faxes section in Control Panel after the successful installation of the printer on your computer.
You can further make changes to the printer setting and feature by selecting the properties of the printer and selecting the desired settings.
In today’s computer world no software is the ultimate one. As developer are working deliberately to give the best to the users. Hence, computer install is an essential part, both for beginner and the experts. For critical software install user can take the help of reputed organization who are offering remote support for installation purpose. But, you must be aware of some general installation procedure so that you don’t have to frequently call them up. Let’s get acquittal with installation of some important software program on your computer. Installation for Security software and web browsers Users can make use of CD/DVD of the latest security software like Windows Defender, Spyware Doctor, No adware and so on. For browser you have plenty of options, you can go for Firefox, Opera, IE 8. If you have the internet connectivity you may go for online download from authentic sites. General steps can be followed as: STEP 1. Download and save the startup program to a desired location. STEP 2. Run the setup file and proceed on following the prompts. STEP 3. Accept the agreement and enter the suitable key words. STEP 4. Click on “Finish.” Restart your system. Communication has been revised well with the latest email clients. Programs like email client can be installed internally from the web browser.IE 8 have been designed to automatically launch your default email client. However, if you have the ambition to install a different email client on your computer, you can change your default client in the browser's Internet Options menu. Proceed as follow: STEP 1. Explore the Internet Explorer. STEP 2. Navigate on to the "Tools" menu and select "Internet Options." STEP 3. Select the "Programs" tab. STEP 4. Click the button "Set Programs." Select "Set Your Default Programs" from the window that appears. STEP 5. Select your email client from the list of programs on the left side of the screen. Next, click "Choose defaults for this program." STEP 6. Check the box next to "Mailto" and click "Save." Hence, you have got your preferred email client installed on your computer. Hope, that the above computer install article would be useful for you.
Computer optimization can be understood as the vital tonic to boost up the system. It has become the major area of concern for the users. Many computer tech support firms are making campaign for computer optimization. They are making use of troubleshooting techniques and implantation of third party software to resolve the issue. I will concentrate this blog to resolve some general issues. Unfortunately you may face issues where your screen freezes and programs stop responding. Even you are unable to close the windows of some application. This is the disgusting situation. The reason behind could be scarcity of RAM, infection of virus or fault in windows registry. Notice the time of the freezing, in majority of the cases your system will be able to restore the normal condition by default without any attempt. But if the things are not in favor bring out the Task Manager utility with simple keyboard activity: Press the ‘Alt’, ‘Ctrl’ and ‘Del’ buttons all at the same time. You would land to a Window format, now scroll down the program which is causing the error and choose to end the program. Now, again you can start the program and get the normalcy. Note: Lower value of RAM is the prime reason behind hence to avoid regular repetition you may upgrade the RAM. However, you may not be lucky every time. If the concern is not addressed with the Task Manager then the root cause may be virus infection or corruption of Windows registry. If you don’t have any compatible anti-virus, than opt for the best one available in the market. Some trusted names includes, McAfee, Bitdefender, Kaspersky and so on. Before making download, make sure that they are compatible to your windows platform. The role of the anti-virus program is to scan and remove any virus, spyware, malware, keyloggers, rootkits and so on and do the computer optimization.
Many independent software are available for computer optimization which can fix, Error messages, slow performance, slow internet browsing and many more within few minutes. Some of the best are RegCure PC optimizer, XoftspySE.
