7 free Windows tune-up tools and tips
You don't need to spend money to keep a Windows computer running in top form. Here's how to fix, clean, and maintain Windows using programs you can download now for free.
The following software and tips generally apply to Windows 7, Vista and XP, and are listed in the order you should use them for the first time on a computer you suspect may be infected with malware or running slower than it should.
1. Update Windows itself with Windows Update.
Though this should be a no-brainer, many Windows users don't install the latest updates for the OS provided by Microsoft (which are usually issued every Tuesday). Either they ignore the update notices that Windows sends them, or their Windows setup doesn't have automatic updating turned on. But ensuring that your installation of Windows has the latest updates and patches is one of the easiest ways to keep it functioning well. Read more...
Big business in big push for cloud computing standards
The rise of cloud computing has led to a strong push from the IT leaders at many major companies for cloud standards around such things as security and data portability.
But the early push for standards is beginning to resemble a NASCAR race -- everyone is is driving on the same track, but are sitting in different cars.
Multiple organizations are in pursuit of the same checkered flag, a set of standards that will facilitate the adoption of cloud computing technologies.
The latest standards group group, the IBM-backed Cloud Standards Customer Council, announced its steering committee this month. Read more...
How eBay’s data center benefited from solar
eBay has installed a 100 KW solar array on its data center in Denver. That's not enough power to run a data center, but Tom Price, eBay's Global Data Center Services manager, said the system, which was completed last November, is delivering benefits.
The solar array is taking up approximately 18,000 square feet of the 21,000-square-foot data center roof. In an interview, Price outlined the project.
How is the power being used? The power runs non-critical loads, meaning it is being used to supply office space power. This includes equipment such as the desktops used by the data center's 35 employees. The office power is segregated from the data center loads. Read more...
Google+ test lap wins 1,200 fans for Ford
Ford has used Google+ to promote a live video chat with its director of marketing communications.
Ford Motor Company has established a corporate presence on Google+, evidently securing a place in a test of how Google's social network site will extend beyond individuals. Read more...
Java cloud spins Jenkins Eclipse tool
The Hudson open-source project that Oracle recently surrendered to Eclipse is getting a little more community competition.
Platform-as-a-service startup CloudBees has announced the availability of a CloudBees Eclipse toolkit plug-in for Java developers. The CloudBees service includes the open source continuous integration server Jenkins, a fork of Hudson.
CloudBees provides build and test management tools for Java, and the plug-in means that users of the Eclipse IDE now have a way to use the company's platform-as-a-service, known as DEV@cloud. CloudBees also joined Eclipse as a Solutions Member.
The company was an early user of Hudson for integration, attracting Hudson creator Kohsuke Kawaguchi as an employee, but it got behind Jenkins after database giant Oracle tried to assert greater control over the Hudson project. Read more...
Google gives in: Schmidt to face US antitrust grilling
Google has agreed to have Eric Schmidt answer US politicians' concerns that the company is running an anticompetitive search and ads monopoly.
Schmidt will testify before the Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights in the Fall.
He will appear after the committee's Senators Herb Kohl and Mike Lee had sent a strongly worded letter to Google in June asking that the company's two senior execs appear before their committee. Read more...
Why your business should worry about the ISP copyright fight
Millions of small business owners may soon realize that their Internet service could be disrupted if they're wrongly accused of illegal file sharing or downloading under the "six strikes" plan entertainment media groups announced last week.
Initiated by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and other media groups, participating ISPs will shortly begin sending warning letters to users or companies whose accounts are allegedly used to illegally share files. ISPs will send a series of up to six notices to account holders whose IP addresses are allegedly used for the "online content theft of film, TV shows, or music" as part of the Center for Copyright Information initiative. After six notices, the ISP could begin a series of "mitigation measures" -- which for all intents and purposes would likely lead to the disruption of Internet services on which most small businesses depend. Read more...
China unveils another supercomputer — but not its fastest
China has built another supercomputer using the same technology as the Tianhe-1A system, which reigned briefly as the world's most powerful supercomputer.
The new supercomputer, called Tianhe-1, has a theoretical peak speed of 1.1 petaflops (quadrillion floating-point calculations per second), slower than the Tianhe-1A, which has a theoretical peak speed of 4.7 petaflops and a sustained performance of 2.5 petaflops when measured with the Linpack benchmark.
Tianhe-1 went into operation this weekend at the national Changsha supercomputer center in the country's Hunan province. It will be used to perform simulations that will forecast the weather, help with disaster prevention and aid industrial fields including automobile manufacturing and medical research. Read more...
Hands-on: Belkin N750 DB router extends your Wi-Fi’s reach
The Belkin N750 DB router
I tend to resist interim technology tweaks. For example, I'm still using a Linksys WRT600N wireless router from the dawn of the 802.11n age. (Can it be three years already?) There are a few hard-to-reach spots in the house, but it's been running 24/7 and it still works.
However, I've recently added a Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet to my array of Net-connected devices. Usually used in a room on the south side of the house, it routinely requires 3G to access the Internet because my Wi-Fi simply doesn't reach that far. Likewise, a computer in another room needs a 5GHz access point to connect reliably with the Linksys router. It's time to upgrade. Read more...
Grow your data center with colocation
Brian Burch knew the moment had arrived. Two of his data center's key services -- availability and business continuity -- needed fast and dramatic improvement. Design and location limitations meant that his company's existing data center couldn't be upgraded to the levels necessary to provide the required function and performance gains.
So Burch, senior worldwide infrastructure director of Kemet, a capacitor manufacturer headquartered in Simpsonville, S.C., decided last year that it was time for his data center to split.
Even in today's challenging economy, enterprises are facing rising internal and external demands for IT services. When an existing data center can no longer shoulder an enterprise's IT burden alone, or when it becomes necessary to establish a secondary site to provide enhanced business continuity or regional network support, an important decision point has been reached. Read more...